Belly Laughs

There is nothing more heartwarming than the sound of your child's voice ... unless it's his first laugh. Gabriel laughed today ... real true baby belly laugh for the first time. I had just finished changing his diaper and he was cooing at me and I was cooing back. I kissed his cheek and he just laughed and laughed. My heart soared! Thinking about it now, I can't help but tear up a bit. What a special moment to experience. He is my precious baby boy.

Two, Three

I've been trying to get Aitana to learn her numbers and letters. She's never liked the number one ... not sure why ... and she rarely says it when we count together. But she will say it when nobody is "listening." I've given up, when she wants to she will say it. Her favorite number is 2. Points it out everywhere ... she KNOWS the number 2 well. Still I work tirelessly to get her to count.

On Monday, my efforts were rewarded. We were going down the stairs at Ama and Pa's house and she started outloud with two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, TEN! I followed with the number 1 and she followed with 2-9. I asked her what about 10? She said no and walked away.

It took awhile, but I soon realized why 1 was left off and why 10 was left off ... we had passed the 1st step when we started counting. In her little mind, there was no reason to say 1 at that point. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, there were none left to say 10. In her little mind, there was no reason to say 10.

I was so proud :)

2 Months

I can't believe my Sonny is 2 months old and how different he is already. He's so much bigger now, sturdier, stronger. All good signs that I'm doing my job. And while he has only been with us for 2 months, and not about to turn 2 like his sister, I am still having a hard time remembering that brand new baby size. Maybe it's mommy brain. But the one thing I do know is that he is still smaller than his sister was at 2 months old. She was already in 3-6 m clothes at this age and he's still in 0-3 m.

2 months:
12 lb, 10 oz
22 inches
16 in head (both my babies have big heads)

It's just so bittersweet to watch them grow.

Love

The picture says it all ...

Milestones!

Aitana: Pee-pee in the potty!

What a milestone! She did it for the first time yesterday morning! She woke up from a long night's sleep with a dry diaper. Once I realized it was dry we jumped for joy and RAN to the bathroom. After about 10 minutes the toilet sang. There was pee-pee!

Gabriel: Smiles for miles!

This little man is just a joy. He is smiling so much. He will smile at anyone and everyone that gives him a moment of sweet hellos. But mostly he smiles at his sister ... she can make him smile better than anyone. He melts my heart. And he's been trying to laugh too. I can't wait to post about that because I'm sure it will be the sweetest sound ever.

Aitana's Day Out

In good ol' mommy-guilt style, I've been feeling that Aitana has been somehow neglected after the arrival of her brother. She's been such a trooper with the new addition to our family ... helping out when we ask and always being very loving and generous to her brother. She deserved a day out alone with mommy and daddy!

After much thought, we decided to go to Knott's Berry Farm. She's never been and her cousins Matthew and Jacob had a great time, so thought it would be a good choice. So on Saturday we went. We went on a few rides in Camp Snoopy ... race cars, hot air balloon ride, the High Sierra train. But we quickly found out that most of the rides there she couldn't or wouldn't go on. Most rides in Camp Snoopy are for little ones only, meaning no parents. That's great for most kids, except my child who won't go on rides by herself. Then we found out that many rides require kids be 36" and above. We found out after standing in line for 20 minutes at the Ferris Wheel that she is a hair below 36", after which we were asked to leave the ride (argg). So we left this area for better prospects.

First we got her a stuffed Snoopy ... who, after Pluto, is her new fave dog. Then we discovered that she could go on the Calico Mine ride and the Log ride. Hmmm... Ferris Wheel was a thrill level of 3 and she wasn't allowed to go on with a parent. Mine ride and Log ride are both thrill level 5, but she was somehow allowed to go on these. Needless to say my daughter is a dare-devil and LOVED both of those big-kid rides! So much fun!

After a long, hot day, we were all ready to go home. We got home by 5ish and relieved Ama and Pa of their babysitting duties. Of course they were more than thrilled to have alone time with Gabriel for the first time since he was born. Our wonderful day was followed up with a movie and appetizer picnic on the family room floor. What a day! It was a good day.

After reflecting on the day, Kinwa mused at how Aitana didn't seem to be overly excited about going out with mommy and daddy alone and maybe that means she's not as neglected as I thought she was. That made me feel good.

Girls Day!

So, Kinwa and I have been trying very hard at figuring out this having 2 kids thing. And 2 kids that need lots of attention because they are both babies! So I had to run errands last weekend and daddy is still a little apprehensive about taking care of both babies at the same time. So what to do? I know!

An impromptu girls day out! I decided Aitana would go with me to run my errands ... post office, bank, and a 1 hour drive to the OC to get brother his Nap Nanny (more on this later!). Complete, uninterrupted attention from mommy ... the one thing she's always asking for. She was so good ... we got it all done and I decided to take her to South Coast Plaza for lunch and some fun.

Once we got there we decided to have lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Aitana LOVED lunching with the oooo-ahaha's (monkeys), el-feet (elephants) and feesh (fish)! She got a balloon animal ... a fy-fly (butterfly) in her favorite colors - pink, blue and white! Then off to the carousel, which could only be followed up by the Disney store! Mommy went crazy (not really)! They were having a sale on stuffed animals, so Aitana got to pick 2. One for her and one for brother. What did she pick? Not what you would expect for a little girl for sure ... Minnie Mouse maybe? No. Pooh? No. She picked Pluto! Nothing else would do. Pooh for brother of course. But, Pluto? Only Aitana, who, by the way, is obsessed with DOGS!

I was tired and ready to go home. But Aitana wouldn't hear anything of it. When asked if she was ready to see daddy, I got a big fat NO! And then a very loud SHOP! So we went to the mall near home and of course our favorite place, Target. We left at 9:30 am and didn't get back until almost 6pm. Aitana certainly has her mommy's knack for shopping.

I know it sounds like I spoil my child, but really I don't. We just don't have the $$ to do that. I spoil her with as much love and affection as possible. And when we are able to, she gets a treat. But what a treat! The best treat though was the bonding time we had. Aitana may not remember it, but I sure do and it was very special for both of us. She has also slept with Pluto every night since :)

Welcome to the crazy life ...

2 under 2 ... an adventure in and of itself. I'm not the first to do it, and I won't be the last. But I find it to be the biggest challenge of my life so far and the one challenge that has and will reap the biggest rewards of my life.

This the first of many posts chronicling the adventures of my 2 little nuggets. Yes, that is what I call them, among other names. Monkeys, lovies, baby bugs, etc. Aitana and Gabriel are the loves of my life ... after their daddy of course. They are sweet and gorgeous and the greatest blessing I (we) could hope for.

I hope you enjoy their little lives as much as I do.