Happy 2nd Birthday Baby B!

 OK, bad mama is a few days late, but Happy 2nd Birthday to my Baby B!  We had a small party for her at the Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward.  Its not a fancy facility, but the kids had a blast!  We really lucked out and the weather was beautiful for November, so the kids got to run around inside and out and enjoy all the animals at Sulphur Creek.

We chose three animals (rosy boa snake, box turtle, and duck) and a craft for the "animal presentation".  All the kids stayed on their carpet squares during the presentation and enjoyed the craft too!  We could not ask for a better celebration!

My Tough Fairy

Baby B is always trying to keep up with the big kids.  Her mind runs faster than her little legs can take her...which usually results in BONK! Here is latest boo-boo @ 23 months.

Stinson Beach

We took the opportunity on a rare eventless Sunday and drove to Stinson Beach.  It's been many many years since I've visited.  I got a bit nosh on the windy drive there (first time for everything I guess) and it was a bit chilly, but the sun was shining bright and we had a great time.  Here are some pictures to share. =)
 

Max enjoying some time outdoors.  He was kinda timid with other dogs at first, but warmed up quickly.  He didn't like the water much, but ran up to the waves and back.

Baby B enjoyed her first time @ the beach.

Baby C loves the sand.

Baby B loved the sand too.  We only had one bucket, so I had to get creative.

Perfect weather for flying some kites.

Daddy J and Max, my two handsome dudes.

A girl and her best friend on the beach. =)

Grandparents are for Spoiling

1. 

Sunday afternoon...inlaws are over for a visit, Baby C is looking through the Toys R Us Sunday ad and spots these walking/swimming puppies in the ad.  Next thing you know, they are all loaded in the car on the way to Toys R Us and come home with 2 new puppies for $50 (on sale!  Geez!)  This is the first time the inlaws have bought them toys, and I guess it's good to spoil them sometimes...i just hope Baby C is not expecting to get a new toy from the Sunday TRU ad everytime they are over! =P

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Spring Has (Almost) Sprung!

I don't think spring officially starts till this weekend, but this warm weather and DST sure makes me feel like spring is already here.

Here's a picture of the girls enjoying the warm weather and water table.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Baby B @ 15 Months

I just realized it's been a while since I've blogged about the kids and their developmental progress.  First up - Baby B.

Baby B is growing up way too fast! She crawled at 10 months and walked by 12 months. Currently at 15 months, she is walking pretty well. She is making more "noise" now and trying to communicate verbally, although she uses baby sign language as her main form of communicate, which is pretty cool. Some of the signs she uses are: milk, eat, water, more, open, please, thank you, wash hands, hello/bye bye, blow kiss, all done, duck, monkey, bear, dog, and bunny. She also says the words: nai-nai (Chinese for milk), mama, dada, and this/that, phone, and hello (when holding said phone). Baby B is definitely using a combination of verbal and body language to make her wants and needs known. Her comprehension of things far surpasses her signing/verbal vocabulary. She just amazes me everyday with her ability to understand the world around her.

She wants more water in her can...

My pediatrician says that the "terrible twos" is the second year of life, which is right NOW...and I totally agree. There is so much that goes on after kids go mobile...a lot of frustration with verbal skill development, gross and fine motor skill development, etc. Though a tough stage of development, it is one of the most exciting ones, and I am enjoying/savoring every moment because it really does pass by so quickly.

Baby B going for it...

Eating habits:  Baby B's been on solids @ 6-7 months.  As with Baby C, we did not do purees, but just fed her table foods.  We started her on whole milk @ 12 months and she is down to nursing 2x/day now.  She is generally a good eater and will usually try a variety of things.  She, of course wants everything her sister is eating...and as a result, I have had to start her on foods/drinks I would have liked to have delayed, such as juice (undiluted), and other sweets, etc.

Let's play ball!

Sleep patterns: She slept good until about 4 months, then month 4 - 11.5 were BRUTAL, basically waking every 3-4 hours around the clock. I won't go into details, but as you can imagine, I was a zombie. When she FINALLY slept though the night, I felt like a new woman. Of course there are never enough hours in a day, but I feel a bit more normal because I have a few hours to myself before my bedtime now.

Naps continue to be a struggle, she will only sleep in the car. I used to have another option, which was the baby carrier (Ergo, Bjorn, etc), but since becoming mobile, I struggle with getting her to stay in a carrier now. So needless to say, I've put a ton of miles on my car (my second home), and spent a lot of money on gas, but naps are priceless, right?! Well, more like survival I guess. It's not a habit I am proud of, but I just keep in mind that this phase will pass! =P

How could you be mad at a face like this?

I will try to do updates on the kids more often...but you know, life happens!

Runaway B!

Baby B's New Trick

New trick Baby B learned. Notice she signs "all done" after her performance, and pushes the Mama Paparazzi away? LOL!

Whirlwind SoCal Trip

A few months ago, we booked a week at Marriott's Newport Coast Villas the week before Christmas.  We thought it would be a perfect time to visit Disneyland during their holiday set,  not too crowded, not too hot. Unfortunately, Daddy J's work schedule changed and could not go on the trip.  We were ready to eat the cost because we were not having any luck renting the unit out.

The week before the trip, I had this "brilliant" idea that I would just go with the girls alone and arranged to meet my sister, KL there for some extra hands...plus hang out with her since we never get to hang (she lives in a different state).  She was flying into Vegas the same day with my mom to help get their new "winter home" settled in...it was "perfect" timing.  KL took a Chinesey "gambling" bus from Vegas to Hacienda Heights and I drove 45 min from Newport to pick her up.

I was super nervous about the drive down...it was 400+ miles (see above GPS pic) - the longest I've ever driven, plus I was gonna be alone with a 1 and 3 year old!  Everyone I talked to (including the girls' pediatrician) suggested that I leave in the wee hours so that the kids get at least a couple hours of sleep, and that's what I did (about 4am)..and overall, it worked out great!  It's not for the faint of heart, and I would not recommend driving alone with 2 kids, but I survived with my sanity (somewhat) intact to tell you this tale!

Here is one of my "stay awake driving aids":

I actually bought a "Rockstar" shot thingy too, but the warning labels just freaked me out too much (it had twice the caffeine as the the Red Bull shot).  In addition to the Red Bull, I also brought along a variety of candies and "quiet" food I could munch on to stay awake for the long @ss drive.  No coffee for me, I did not want to stop unless I HAD to for the kids.


I actually made it past the grapevine on one tank of gas (yah Buick!).  By the time I got off the grapevine, it was about 8am and the kids were waking and I was also out of gas, so a perfect time to stop for a potty break, stretch and snack.  We ended up at a gas station that had a small Starbucks plus drive thru.  It was perfect.


After juggling the 2 kids at the gas station, we hit the road again (not without some Baby B screaming and Baby C drama) and made it to Newport Beach at about 10am.

We made it!  Here is a picture of Baby C after we checked in...still in her PJ's by the koi pond at the hotel.

I'll blog about my trip in several posts...stay tuned!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010 everyone!  Another year zips by...

We spent this New Years Eve at Super Franks....our third home.  They had a fab family event that did an east coast countdown at 9pm.  We were afraid it would be super crazy, but it was really fun and well organized.  We will definitely be back next year.  They had food, fun, crafts, a princess parade, a dance contest for the older kids, and a lot of balloons and confetti at the countdown...as you can see in the picture above (my fav picture BTW).

I must admit, I felt a little defeated that THIS is what its come down to...partying on NYE at a kiddie play place...but honestly, it was really fun.  We hung out with other friends with kids and spent a great evening together.  Then we got the kids in bed by about 10:30pm and enjoyed the real countdown together in bed with champagne.  Not to shabby for parents of 2 littles with no babysitter!

Here are a few more pictures from our NYE par-tay-ing:

Ya gotta love being able to purchase beers at the same counter where we could buy milk and juice boxes!  MY kinda place!  Here is Daddy J proudly posing with his beer.

Oh wait, I can't be left out!  Here is me, Mom of the Year with my beer and Super Franks sign in the background!  Perhaps this can be their new ad campaign? NOT!  LOLOL!

Here are the girls at the craft table.  They "made" some NYE party hats.  They ripped them off in miliseconds after we snapped the photo.

Picture of all the balloons for balloon drop at midnight (east coast time).

Family party picture.

Baby B was a bit startled by all the noise from the countdown, balloons popping and confetti storm, but she held her own!  I would not recommend kids under one to be in the thick of the crowd due to noise, etc, but Baby B did just fine!

Daddy J the party animal!

Should have drank my sparkling apple cider BEFORE the countdown.  There was A LOT of confetti!

Visit With Santa

This year we went to the Ice Creamery to see Santa. The Santa is actually the same Santa as we always see at Castro Village, but he's in a different location this year. Plus, what is better than visiting Santa AND eating ice cream?!

Baby C telling Santa she wanted a dinosaur towel for Christmas.

Baby B was not too happy, but that's OK, don't all kids cry the first time?

Finally a non-crying picture, but I had to hold her. =)

Oooh, and the best part (for me)...Peppermint ice cream!!! Yums!

Christmas in the Park

This year we hit the Christmas in the Park event again in San Jose. We've gone every year since having kids. Funny how we never even thought if going to these events pre-kids...heh.

Here's Baby B chewing on one hat while wearing another. When the one on her head comes off, we switch.

This year Baby C tried ice skating for the first time ever. She only lasted one spin around the rink, but she hung there!...and so did Daddy J...holding Baby C up was tough on his back! Hah!

Daddy J lacing up Baby C's skates.

Baby C with her skates on. Doesn't she look all grown up?

Whoa....!

Daddy J and the girls.

Me and the girls.

Ooooh, pretty lights....

Baby B mesmerized by the lights.

Baby C also rode some rides...big surprise!

It got super crowded after it got dark, luckily, we were just about done, so we headed home. The event has gotten larger and larger each year and we'll definitely be back next year!