it's 3 hours until she turns 1

Oh Little Girl, Happy almost birthday!!!! A year ago today I was in the hospital and nervous and excited to have you. About this time some seriously unpleasant things were happening....they decided to make me dilate, to inflate a balloon near where you were. It was probably the most uncomfortable thing that happened other than the morphine shot to the bum and the contractions....and the revocery. But it was all worth it because we got you! Oh what a year it has been. Dad and I are thinking of our most memorable memories of this year with you:

Your first cry (that dad says you sounded like a little goat), when you used to kick your chicken legs in time with your crying, Your first sneeze in the hospital when we shot up in the middle of the night because we didn't know what happened to you...how you used to snort when you would cry!...the first time you started to show you were excited watching the mobile, the first time you laughed and dad was pretending to drop the doll on you, when you cried in the carride home and were still catching your breath when we got your out of your seat and dad and I both started crying because we were devastated you were so upset... first time you reacted when dad came home from work and all the days after when you'd jump and smile, first day leaving you with Lisa and being miserable..... carrying you in a sling all the time, then carrying you in the ergo carrier every day... the hospital tests to make sure your brain was okay..., making the stink eye, ...how it took over 2 months to get you to eat solid food, making your food...throwing food over your shoulder,... making the diamond in the sky and saying it's a die-die, your fist pumping when you see us....walking around walnut creek, and now living in Foster City. Snuggling with you every night.... kisses....teaching you how to "let me smell your breath" and you open your mouth on our nose....the ET finger....watching you light up and grow.

We love you, little girl. You are the best thing that has happened to us. Happy first bday! Love, Mom and Dad

busy girls

Leah and I have been very busy the last few weeks. I've been doing a workout class in the morning and Leah goes to Lola's. I am trying to rework a schedule so that I can be there for morning naps because she goes down better if she is nursed...then we do a playdate or gymboree in the afternoon, then an afternoon nap, playtime, and julian gets home.

Today we had gymboree at noon and went to someone's house to swim at 1:30...so right now Leah is knocked out and exhausted. If she wakes up before 4:30, another girl with a baby texted me for frozen yogurt....so we may do that.

Tomorrow we are going to get her portraits done. The sitting fee is usually 300 or so, but they waved it because of a promotion.....We are looking to get a big picture of her for hte hallway....my mom did it of both us girls and I would like to if there's a picture that's done that looks nice. After the sitting and naptime, we are going to Central Park in San Mateo because apparently there's a playgroup with mom's of 11-14 month olds that meet there on Wednesdays and we got invited.

Thursday we are going to Walnut Creek and Barb is taking me (us) out for Benihana for a belated bday dinner. I am so excited!

Friday we are having a playdate with our neighbor and her 2 boys.

New things Leah has been doing----I put this on facebook BUT she seriosly looks at her food and if she doesn't liek teh shape, she tosses it over her shoulder. It's hilarious. I need to get it on video and post it. She gives the stink eye now, but less than before....stll throwing up her diamond in the sky and saying DiDi....she has stood unsupported and is starting to walk while holding onto us....

We tried getting her to sleep in her crib but it was a disaster. Right now she is sleeping in her infant swing.

Ok well, that's all I've got for now :)

new friends

We made two new friends...and by we, i guess I mean I did....I joined the Foster City mom's club and there was an ice cream social tonight at 7....two other girls just moved here and they have daughters that are 6 and 7 months old. Leah's a little older, but it doesn't matter....they stay at home too and were excited to exchange numbers so we can get together for a play date/coffee or whatever. The babies have unique names...one is named Lola (like leah's grandma Lola) and the other is Poppy (her name is Paige but goes by Poppy). We are going to meet up with them on Monday. We may see them at the summer picnic on Sunday, too, though. I'm excited to have met a few people to do things with. It's nice because we all live so close together that it will only take 5 months or so to meet up.

Tomorrow we are going to the Oakland Zoo with Kathryn, Liz and Lorelei, and Lisa. It will be a fun day.

gymboree

We had our second time at gymboree and Julian came to see Leah during his lunch break. Leah had a great time....she was starting to interact with the other babies and really likes pushing the air log with the other babies.

We went to our first playgroup in Foster City this evening and it was nice to get to know a few of the moms. I am going to try to go for a little bit each Tuesday night for a bit. Next week, we are going to do a playgroup on Monday too just to try it out.

Our house is coming along although there is still quite a bit to do. I am not stressing out about it though. It will all get done.

Leah has started giving people "the stink eye" and scowling at them. I have to say it's pretty cute but won't be for too long.

foster city

Well, we are moved and now living in Foster City. We are enjoying seeing Julian more, that's for sure.

Julian's mom has been helping us a lot so that we have time to get our house ready, go to the gym, etc. We are very thankful for her.

We joined gymboree today and Leah had a good time there....I am hoping to meet other moms and get some playdates going!

We ordered her first big girl car seat.....she's starting to get too big for her bucket seat and she's almost one so it was time. Plus we got it for 110 dollars off the orginal price because Britax is having a sale or something.

We are having her birthday parties(yes....2 of them) soon. Perhaps we will wrap up the car seat and let her open it since it cost so much!

kisses

Leah started making kiss sounds now. I kiss her and she still gives kisses like babies do where they open their mouth and lean in but after we do the *muah* sound, she works hard to make a smack sound. It's so cute.

She's been biting me HARD. THe other day she bit me and I said firmly, "NO BITING!" and I set her down. My friend was with me and Leah turned and looked at Danielle and started laughing and then just played. Danielle tried not to laugh but was telling me that Leah might end up being quite an awnry little thing. I have to agree with her. Other parents are like, OH just tell her no really firmly and it will work. Um, yeah. Not so much. I have yelled OUCH. I have said NO. I have even tried ignoring. And I have bite marks on my body that are purple. Thank you, Leah.

We took her to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and saw the bald eagle. She waved bye bye to all the animals there.

She still holds up her diamond in the sky daily....pretty much any song I start to sing, she throws up her diamond at some point.

She's talking a lot more with her mama's and dada's and baba's although I don't know is she knows who is who.....in the middle of the night when she is hungry she yells Mama, so maybe she knows.

I can't believe that she is just about 11 months. Time is flying by.

Right now we are in the midst of packing our apartment. I love Walnut Creek so it will be sad to leave, but a new adventure might be fun :)

10 months

Well, Leah is 10 and a half months. She is speed crawling now, still often with one leg out like a spider. She is also pulling up and standing.

We went to a play group today and she was the most vocal onethere, screaming andpulling up on things. One mom said that she looked like a wild little thing. Oh, little girl...

She started doing hand motions to twinkle twinkle little star which is pretty cute.

Leah has had a lot of doctor's appts in the last 2 months. I haven't blogged about it because I didn't want to answer a lot of questions from people and didn't want to have lots of people tell me what they think I should do....It was too stressful for input. I worked closely with Leah's doctor and got her a neurologist because she was shaking involuntarily. After two brain EEG's and an MRI, they are starting to think it's infant shudder syndrome which isn't a big deal and she will most likely grow out of it. They did find a mass on the bridge of her nose (I asked them to look into it because I felt the bump a few months ago and no one thought it was anything). The MRI showed that it is indeed a mass of some sort but they don't think it is cancerous. It may be attached to her brain so we have a an appt with a neurosurgeon next week as well as with a head and neck surgeon. She may need to have surgery (Well most likely will) which is sucky. They are thinking it is a dermoid cyst. This can apparently have things like hair, nerves, teeth, or be a twin...it's a defect from in utero. How crazy would it be if Leah was supposed to have a twin but it got absorbed in her body. So funny. I am going to ask them to tell me what was inside of her cyst if that's what it is.

Staying at home with her has been so great. I enjoy being with her and taking her to the park...we usually get up in the morning, have breakfast and then go for a walk to the park. We go on the swings and play on the grass...then we walk back and she falls asleep and I leave her in in her stroller and she sleeps about 20 min at home (just enough time for me to make a pb and J sandwich)....then we eat lunch and play in the apt. with her toys. After that we usually go out somewhere either to a friend's house or park or what have you....She takes a second nap around 2:30 and I lay with her to make sure she doesn't fall off the bed (the crib setting is too high and since we are moving, Julian doesn't want to take it down to lower it since he is going to take it down soon anyway)....then she gets up and I feed her again, and we usually go back to the park and play and then come home and make dinner....Then Julian gets home and plays with her, gives her a bath, and it's bed time....

So far being home with Leah is fun...it will be an adjustment when I watch my teacher friends start up the school year.....but for now, this is where I want to be. I felt like I was missing out too much and every day I thought about how I wanted to be there with Leah....I know that no matter whether I work or not, Leah would be fine and turn out well whether with her Lola or if she had to be in daycare--I just want to be the one with her because I don't want to look back and regret the time I didn't have with her and can't get back. Even if I stayed home until she goes to Kinder, I will still be under 30 years old and can have plenty of time teaching...If I end up going crazy, which is entirely possible, then I will work part time or even go back full time....because it won't do Leah any good (or Julian or me) to have a crazy mom. We'll just take it a day at a time. But for now, this day, things are perfect. :)