Baby D's Adventures

Let's play ball

2009-04-16T09:46:00.001-07:00

Darrian got this Tball a while ago, and we just took it out in Dec. I tried to show him a few times how it worked and he really was not interested. Then a few weeks ago we went over to our friend's house Kelly and Greyson's house and Greyson tried to show him how to use his, Darrian seemed more interested in other things.

Well Keith called me yesterday and asked if I had shown him how to use the Tball set. I told him the above, and he said well he must remembered because he got out the set, and a ball and started swinging like he had done it before. Keith was good enough to catch it on video.

Easter

2009-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend, and Easter. We went to church on Sunday, and then came home and had an Easter Egg hunt, played outside and I made dinner. It was relaxing and fun. Even though Darrian did not "get" it all the way, he was steps closer than he was last year. He did enjoy the treats.

On the hunt:

(outfit provided by Grandma)

He would open each egg as he found them, made for long hunting :)

Our Basket for Darrian:

Grandma's, she also got him tickets to go see Elmo (Mel-mo if you ask him) Live :)

On his firetruck (grandma got him for Christmas, sensing a theme here?)

Daddy and Darrian drawing with chalk

Hanging out with his kitty at the end of the night.

Ivy Turns 6!!

2009-04-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Where does time go? I can't believe little Ivy is 6 years old. Hard to think it was not just yesterday that she was D's age. We celebrated with a Bolt party requested by the birthday girl herself on the 5th. Julie did a great job with the theme, and kept it really girl like and fun, which looking at the DVD cover looked like it would be hard to do. Lots of family came to celebrate this special girl's big day. Including my cousin Dawn who lives in NC, has has not been out this way in um 9 years ! (again where does time go)..

Her daughter Megan got to meet her other Cousin's for the first time, and in true child fashion you would think they knew each other forever.
Darrian had a great time playing with Julie's friend's little boy who was a year older, and taking his first drink of wine. It was left on the train table and my little one swiped it. I was really hoping he would wait to his first communion until he tasted wine, he had other plans. He also was very interested in Lily and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I love that he knows to be lovey with a baby, especially one as cute as Lily. He did pretty well with little nap, and was wiped out by the end of the day.

Here are some pictures :

Human treats in Doggy bowls. cute!

Julie made these, I thought they looked professional, love the colors.

Ms. Lily:

Megan:
Birthday Girl :

Brother and Sister :

Ms. Malia

Cutest boy ever? I think so ;)

Pinata time..

Face painting :

D minus his shirt since it had wine all down the front, playing at the train table.

What sound does a kitty make?

2009-04-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

He was super tired after playing in the pool, but I was trying to prompt him to perform. The noise he makes is SO cute.

Great Weekend...

2009-04-16T09:41:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a lowkey one, I was really thankful the weather was nice. K painted and I kept Darrian busy. We played in the little pool he has, and when that got old we played in the sink for a while. I know that some kids are into animals, and stuff.. mine is into water. Lots of water. We sang itsy bitsy spider a million times, and Mom came over for lunch on Sunday and Darrian traded off having us sing it. It is these moments, the little moments I love the most. To get to know what is inside his mind, and what makes him happy.

I am looking forward to the nice weather and hope to be taking many trips to the zoo and aquarium. Getting out and enjoying it.

Here are some pics of D playing with water in the sink.

Darrian and his buddy ..

2009-04-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to dinner with friends, and then back over to their house to play. They have a wonderful backyard, and a doggie which of course Darrian LOVED. It is cute to watch him play with others. G is a year older than Darrian, but they inneract pretty well.

I also had a girls night away this weekend, but I will update about that later. :)

D on drums and G dancing ..

Aww. A hug. So cute.

these pictures were taken by Kelly , G's mom.

Trying to Catch up...

2009-04-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have been behind on uploading pics, and updating the blog. It is hard to carve out the time to do it. I am hoping to get better at it. We have been doing some fun stuff over the past few weeks. We have been getting together with some of D's friends, We all went to the St. Patty's day parade in Dublin with my Mom, Chris, Julie, the girls, and Lynda and then to go eat and let the kids play.

I feel like I am falling behind in updating on Darrian.

He loves these books where you point at the picture.

He is picking up new words all the time, some new one's this week hey you, boots, kitty, spider, star, Owl, and toes to name a few.

He likes Fragglerock and Seasame St., and Elmo who he calls "MoMo".

He loves macaroni and cheese, and cheese in general.

He still loves to dance. It is funny, his song he likes came on the radio the other day and and he threw his keys to the side so he could break it down with both hands. haha.

He LOVES keys, and the car, and the steering wheel in the car. He could sit there for hours.

He still loves wa-wa. I am going to get him a water table this summer for hours of fun :0) Here are some pictures of him over the past couple weeks.

D checking out the costco boxes

Found the waffle box, but where are the waffles.

Checking out the waffle box, reading all about them :)

hanging out back

This how we comb our hair and brush our teeth. He won't sit still to comb his hair otherwise. He plays with wa-wa. He starts on the counter, but usually ends up IN the sink.

Happy Valentine's Day ..

2009-02-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

Um Happy Valentine's Day..

I took these pictures FOREVER ago (well not really about a month now) and I was waiting to post them right before Vday, and then... I forgot. I had a 4 day weekend last week, we had Monday off at my job and I took friday to stretch it out a bit. We had a wonderful weekend for the most part. Friday we had a playdate with friends, then some running around to do. Saturday I cooked dinner for us at home a romantic one at home. Sunday Darrian got sick. Monday he was better and Tuesday I got sick. It was a tummy bug going around. No fun. But we did not let it spoil our weekend. I leave you with some cute picutres for a belated Happy Valentine's Day.

Baby D and his hype man.. :)

2009-02-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Baby D's got some hops!

2009-02-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

Just a little :)

A long 4 day weekend..

2009-01-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

I had a nice long 4 day weekend :). My company had Monday off for Martin Luther King day, and I took Tuesday Inauguration day off as vacation to watch history and a change I am looking forward to take place.

In true me fashion, the weekend was filled with lots of fun times. Daddy threw his back out last week so he has been resting it up, and I have been trying to keep Darrian busy while he heals. Friday Darrian has his 15 month wellness check, more on that in another post. After the Dr's. we met my friends Laura, Kelly and their husband's for dinner with the kiddos. We went to Little Star Cafe --where the kids can play with each other, and the adults can sit and ACTUALLY talk! We had a great time. Saturday Darrian and I ran to Target, then went with Grandma to Sonoma for a picnic. It was a bunch of fun, although hard to contain Darrian for running all over in a big open space. Sunday Darrian went to a birthday party of one of his pal's Ty, he had a blast playing in this car the WHOLE time (he does the same at Little Star Cafe, they have the same Car). After a lot of fun he was out, and took a 3 hour nap and I used the time to go shopping with Kelly. :) Kand I watched a movie, a good movie but sad people live like that.

What day am I on now??? OH yes.. Monday. We met Kelly and Greyson at LSC (Little Star Cafe) to play and have breakfast. Then came home so D could nap. When he woke up we took him to this little park nearby to feed the ducks, and play. He was more interested in the "wa-wa" (water) and had to spend a lot of time keeping him from going for a swim.

Tuesday I made breakfast for the family, and we all sat (and I cried some) as our 44th President took office. I AM so excited to see this change, to have lived this moment. I am excited for the future, which feels great.

Looking at the Airplane. :)

Love this deciding what to do next look..

I know this is blurry because he can move fast, and my view finder was on the background.. but you can sort of see the look of joy on his face when running.

haha this face cracks me up.

The birthday Party..

He was in the Car MOST of the time. I did pull him from it a few times so others could have a chance. The birthday boy's cousin was trying to trick him out of it by getting him interested in the horn. It did not work.

Goodie bags. with Train whistles which D loved.

The cake.

It was a train themed party, because the bday boy LOVES them. Here he is, at the train table of course.

Pinata time, where they pull strings a GREAT idea and so much safer than arming a 2 year old with a bat!

D in the mix.

I LOVVEEE this picture. Cracks me up because he loves phones, and is acting like he really is getting a call from the dispatcher. I have to get him a car like these, he loves them.

Shake your groove thing..

2009-01-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

A little glimpse of D dancing to Ellen a week or so ago. This is my last post of the day, I promise :)

Baby Please

2009-01-23T11:05:00.001-08:00

Baby Please....

D's cutest words.. I took this last night, he is saying please for the camera and trying to come and get it. He stole the plate from the kitchen, his new fav thing to do. It is the cutest when he come and says "wah-wah pwweeaassee". How can I say no?

Baby D being silly..

2009-01-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Darrian is funny. He honestly makes me laugh, he doesn't know he is, he just does with the way he does things. When I get home from work, I put him down and go to get changed and get dinner going. The other night he decided to go into the bathroom (he knows how to open the doors) and climb in the tub, with all his toys, and Dad's brushes. He thought it was so funny when I found him. The second picture is his new hiding spot. He will go there and sit, for a LONNGG time. Just thinking.

Happy New Year

2009-01-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New YEARRRRR!!!

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. It is going to be a GREAT year. Part of me is typing that believing it, part of me needing to believe it. Last two not so great. This one, I want to look back at the end of it and go.. EVERYTHING about this year was great, it was a great year. Part of that is positive thinking, so I am trying.

I had 5 days off work, that was fun. I met up with some friend's and kids on Wednesday and had a great time at a playdate with them and the kids.

Mom and I decided to take daytrips on those days. We went to Standford shopping Mall, then to the foothills (long car ride, lots of rain), then to the SF Academy of Science to play (the place was PACKED STILL), then K and I took D to the childrens discovery place on Sunday. It was a good long weekend that of course went by too fast.

Hope your 2009 is treating you all well!!

Christmas Recap

2009-01-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Recap.

It came and went really fast. It did not feel like Christmas that much to me, I guess it has to do with the changing of traditions that we were used to. In time I think that we will be used to them and then it will feel right again. Darrian had a great Christmas. He really loved all his stuff, and he got a ton. He liked Elmo that Grandma got him. My favorite gift was a camera lens I have been drolling over for almost a year, and a external flash. What more could a Camera hungry girl ask for right??

Christmas eve I took Darrian to the children's Mass at church, it was not as enjoyable as I wanted it to be because Darrian is not into sitting in one place for an hour. We lasted as long as we could, and then I went home to cook dinner for the family. Mom stayed the night to be there when Darrian opened his gifts in the morning, and Auntie Dev came over for breakfast on Christmas morning. That afternoon we went to my cousin's place Christmas dinner. It was a good time, we had a bunch of fun like we always do.

Friday we went to Monterey where we had a really nice time relaxing, going to the aquarium, and the beaches. It was a great ending to a long Christmas weekend.

These are in no order

2008-12-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas..

Saturday we, grandma included took Darrian to see Santa. Waited in line for an hour. Got to Santa. D Screamed.. hated him. I was shocked because Darrian doesn't cry with many at all. He is pretty outgoing guy. He was not happy. I paid $17.00 for a screaming picture of Darrian with Santa.

From there we went to get a Christmas Tree, went home and started decorating. Darrian likes the tree, maybe a little too much. :) So we are all set, Shopping is pretty much done.. just waiting for Santa to come.

Picking out a tree..

He took it pretty seriously..

My table decor..

Tree with lights..

2008-12-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

A fun day off..

We met some Mom's and friends at Superfranks in Pleasanton for play time. It is a really fun place during the week, on the weekend most of the "fun areas" are closed for private birthday parties. They have a area upstairs with a bunch of ride on toys for the kids, train tables, and small buildings to play dress up in. Darrian had a blast. He loves inneracting with other children. They also have a gym downstairs that they just put big mats in, cars you can ride around, and balls.. D loved that. We enjoyed a nice lunch in their cafe with friends.. and then headed to target to get some stuff. That afternoon I decorated the house.

Finally, that night Grandma and I took Darrian to look at Christmas lights. D wore his pjs, we got hot chocolate, he had milk, and we drove around checking out all the lights. He lasted about 10 houses then was alseep. It was fun.

Children's Museum

2008-12-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Grandma and I took Darrian to the Children's Discovery Museum. I have heard great things about this hands on place, and have been wanting to check it out. I wish it was closer because Darrian had a wonderful time. I had heard the Mom's talk about the water table at this place, and how the kids get wet. So me being the responsible Mom packed a change of shirt, and sweater for Darrian. They have little aprons the kids can wear so really how bad can it be? Um, I knew I was under prepared when the Mom next to us changed her kid into swim trunks, and water shoes. Then another comes with rain boots. Needless to say Darrian was soaked!! Shirt, pants, socks, shoes.. all of it. He played for about a half an hour or more having a blast so it was worth it. We thought the gift shop would sell outfits, seeing this as a money making chance... no go. They were nice enough to give us free passes to come back and check everything out. We had to go to Valley Fair to get Darrian a outfit and some socks.

Darrian and Daddy

2008-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

..Darrian and Daddy..

Darrian and Daddy have a very special relationship. Darrian for sure loves his daddy, it is really cute, Darrian will give me kisses...but whenEVER Keith picks him up or goes near him he gets a kiss. He loves to play with Daddy, and especially loves when Daddy throws him in the air and catches him. (grandma doesn't love this). I took some pictures of Daddy and his Little Man.

Bath Time.

2008-12-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Bath Time fun..

It has been a while since I took D's picture taking the bath. He LOVES the bath. Honestly will cry if we try to take him out, even if it is cold, and he is a prune.. he doesn't want to leave. Last night I gave him mash potato's and he decided to use it as hair conditioner, which landed him in the bath. He loved it, hope he didn't make the connection food in hair= bath. Then we are in trouble.

I am sure he will thank me for this someday! but it is so cute not to!

Turkey Day

2008-12-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend Recap!

Hope you all had a wonderful Turkey day. We had a great weekend/day. I made the stuffing, ham, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin bars, brownies, and warmed the turkey. K cooked a bit and Devyn brought her well known greens. Mom supplied drinks, turkey,and appetizers. It is this group effort that really makes it easy on us. Natalie came into town with her sister, nephew, and her sister's fiance. They braved a VERY long car ride from LA to surprise their Mom with Thanksgiving dinner.

Friday Natalie, my friend Katie, and I door busted at 5:00 am. Hitting up lots of stores, and many sales. I got most of my items on my list and I am almost done shopping. It is a light year, but I was glad to grab some deals. Saturday I took Darrian to the park to play, then headed home and went to Berkeley with Natalie and Family. Berkeley is the same, lots of people watching, lots of things to look at.. and more shopping to be done. Sunday Natalie headed home, and we headed to Chris and Julie to see them and the girls who were fresh in from their trip to FL. It was a perfect ending to a long weekend. I took some pictures, not as many as I normally do.

The Ever growing Ms. Lily.

Place we went to in Berkeley on College Ave.

Natalie's Mom, Nat, and Her Mom's BF

Nat's nephew Tomas.. I still remember this kid when he was a baby! It is crazy to think he is almost 13!

Can't stop on College and not get Zachary's

The Family

and of course the cutest kid ever at the park :)

Playing with the musical instruments.

Happy Monday..

2008-11-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday!

Wasn't the weather amazing this weekend?! Couldn't believe how nice it was. Natalie was in town this weekend for some business, and some fun. Keith went to LA to go visit his nephews this weekend. So it was the ladies and baby D. Grandma watched Darrian on Friday, he kept her on her toes. Friday Night we ordered pizza and watched some movies. Saturday we got out pretty early.. we went to Muir Woods, Marine Headlands, and Chrissy Field. We tried to hit up the places Natalie has never been. Amazes me when people have lived here for a long time, or visit often and don't get to see some of the amazing places the bay area has to offer. . Darrian loved having Auntie Nat around to play with, and bond with. He wanted her to hold him lots.

November 4, 2008

2008-11-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Son,
November 4, 2008 was a night that your father and I restored our hope in America. It gave us hope not only for our future, but for yours also. On that night, as you danced around the living room, we took the biggest step in my lifetime as a country. The majority of American’s voted on the dream that the country was built on, and not the racism that has plagued it for the past 200 plus years. We took a chance on hope and change, and won. We elected a black man as President of the United states.

I am glad to know that this means when I tell you anything is possible, you can believe it. I hope that it means that in your lifetime it will not be out of the ordinary to have a black person as a role model for you to look up to. Most of all I hope you dream big, and achieve all that you put your mind to. I hope that the country that I lived in that was set up to make it harder for people not from a certain class or race, is full of nothing but promise for you. If I learned anything from this moment in time-- it is to rise above those who say it is not possible, or who try to pull you down, and really truly believe in the power of change and hope-- because those things are unstoppable.

I am proud of what your Grandma did in her generation to make this possible, and I am proud of my generation for continuing the change America needs. I look forward to see what you, and your generation does for America and how you will make it better. Never doubt your voice, always know that it is worth something. I will always be there to support you in your dreams. And again.. Dream big. Real BIG.

Love always and forever,
Mom

Fall is Here.

2008-11-10T11:03:00.000-08:00

I know it has been here, but the leaves are changing and it is brisk out. Not to mention the time change.

Sunday was a great day. The three of us hung around in the morning, Darrian took a nice long bubble bath, then we took a nap together. Darrian and I got lunch together then, we then went shopping together, to H&M and then Target.

After that we went to the park, To walk around a bit, and D tried out a brand new trick! Running! He was off. I was trying to keep up. Of course I got pictures of all of it. The walking thing was fun but this running thing.. not so sure.

The Way We Roll ..

2008-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

The new way we roll..

April a fellow Mom, has been raving about the push buggy she got her son forever. I wanted to get one for D, but they are $50.00 and I didn't want to spend that not knowing how long it would last. I have been on craigslist looking for one. Everytime I found one... it would be sold when I checked on it. FINALLY last week I found one for $15.00 and called... and it was available!! I picked it up, and also found D a slide/climber for $40.00! $160 worth of stuff for $55.00, I was very happy.

We took the car out for a spin and it did not disappoint. He LOVES it. honestly we went on a walk and got back and he cried.. so we went again. lots of fun. He was steering the wheel, honking, grooving in his seat.

An educated Supporter..

2008-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

An Educated Supporter...

My friend made this shirt and I had to get one for D. He looked real cute sporting it. Today we went as a family to vote this morning. D was most likely wondering why all these people were standing in line for a sticker. He said hi to lots of people, then bye. Happy Election Day! Get out there and Vote!

Baby D's 1 year Pics ..

2008-11-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

D's One year Photo's ..

I got the CD of D's 12 mo. pictures , I have a few favorites I wanted to share.. all pictures by Kelly Marie Photography www.kellymphotography.com

Halloween GTG

2008-11-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

I took friday off to spend with D, we were headed up to my cousin's house for halloween.. before going we went to a GTG with some local mommy friends. It was so nice to see old friends, and some new ones. It was going to be in a park, but Katie was nice enough to open up her home.

Here are some pics from the day:

A good Weekend..

2008-10-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

We had a really good weekend. Busy, but really is there any other type of weekend? :) Saturday we did get to relax a little bit in the morning and had lunch together, and most fun of all took a morning nap together. Sleep is so special after a baby. After all that D and I went to the park to play. We had a lot of fun and ran around for a few hours before heading home.

Sunday we headed to my cousin's house to spend the day with him and his family. You can call this apart of my "Mission Win Lily Over". I swear she isn't THAT into me yet. I try not to take it personal, but when she cuddles up to K and not me, how could I not? That is okay. I am packing my calendar full of lots of time to win her over. When I hold her D likes to come over and yell, which scares her.. I guess it is his way of keeping me to himself. D loves the puppies and was ALL about his godfather. He rested his head on him while drinking his bottle and was giving him lots of kisses, and wanted him to hold him. Ju-Ju got some love too.

He did fall (twice) and his lip bleed both times. I HATE when he gets hurt. Honestly. Hate it. His lip is doing better although it looked like he was in a boxing match. It was a fun weekend.

On our way to the park:

He loves to move the sand from where it is to the sidewalk.

Lily becoming a fan of K..

My 3 favorite girls.

Ms. Lily letting me get some pictures of her

Playing in the Jumperoo . She hasn't gotten the bouncing thing just yet, but when she does I am sure she will love it.

Don't you just smile? So cute.

Getting some of Mama's love..

Malia seeing if her cabbage patch kid likes the jumperoo too

(Niki doesn't she look like your CPK Maria?)

D hanging with is Godfather..

D thinking this looks familiar..

D getting some waking up snuggles from his Godmother Ju-Ju

D at home that night with his fat lip.. still smiling.

My Little Lion

2008-10-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

I got D's halloween costume. SO FREAKING cute. It is so fun to think of all the years of picking out costumes we will have, and when he gets to an age to pick for himself ..

This year I picked for him. A lion. with a TAIL. He isn't SO sold on the hat part of it, but tolerated it because he loves me. We are going trick-o-treating with his Godsisters and I am excited, I have the day off so I can enjoy it.

Baby D busting a move ..

2008-10-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Dancing, Spinning.. Busting a move on the dance (living room) floor.

Baby D loves to dance. It cracks me up. Especially when he gets REALLY into it and "breaks it down" , he will hear music before I even notice it and start dancing. K's Mom used to tell a story of how K would stand in front of the TV in his diaper and dance to soul train, and would get really mad if you changed the channel. Once time I guess the adults were in the other room, and heard a big tud. Came in to find the TV had fallen on the ground still on, and K dancing right next to it. On Saturday Grandma came over for a bit (to bring D his fall waredrobe :)) and D danced and spin for her.

Crazy Busy Weekend..

2008-09-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Crazy Busy Weekend..

Saturday I got up super early to go to the twin's sale at a local church. I didn't find anything I was looking for , and actually most of it was for infants *darn*. After that I ran to safeway to get groceries for a recipe I wanted to try out of Bon Appetit. It was a slow cooker recipe so I went home, and had dinner going at 9 am. I felt so accomplished. That afternoon Baby D and I ran to Target, then we went to play at one of our favorite parks Matteo's Dream in Concord. It has a water mister which D loves, except he loves to stand in direct fire and get soaked. He always has a good time though. Mom came over for dinner, the recipe turned out really good.

Sunday morning we went to a playdate in a park in Martinez, it was a photo gtg. Where the Mom's got together with our camera's and played with them.. tried out new things. There were three new babies, all about 3 mo. old. so cute. After that we headed home to rinse off the dirt from the park, change, and headed out with Grandma to the preview of the Academy of Sciences in SF. I had bought a membership pass for D's birthday. I figure between there and the Oakland Zoo membership we won't be bored on a weekend. The members got a sneak peek of the place. They did an amazing job, and there was lots to see and do. After that we came home and crashed.. super tired.

here are some pictures from our crazy weekend...

D loves to run through the mister with his mouth open :)

A little Peek-a-boo

Super tired after the park

*Some pictures from the Photo GTG*

*Some pictures from our trip the the CA Academy of Science*
The Rainforest :

White Alligator

Penguins (D's favorite part)

This is right in front of the glass, the penguins were swimming right up to him.

My Little Landscaper ..

2008-09-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

My Little Landscaper...

Baby D hasn't been feeling that great this week. The Teething Gods are back in full affect and not making him feel great. One more tooth broke through on the bottom left, bringing the total to 7 teeth. Now that he can sit with his chair facing forward he sees me when I am getting in the car after work, and says "hi". This week we went to dinner with Jouquin's Mom, so we could let her borrow the portable highchair we have. Baby D wasn't feeling great at all and should have stayed home. Ended up with a mess on our hands that would have scared any non-parent person right out of parenthood.

So after that we have been staying home the rest of the week, laying low. Last night Darrian and I went out back and played with his bubble blowing lawn mower that Debbie got him. He was also sporting the outfit Auntie Dev got him. Honestly, I know he is mine, but how cute is he??

Here are some from last night..

Look at this look! It is the teething Gods I think.. geesh.

The After Party :)

2008-09-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

After Party..

After the party we came home and crashed, the boys went to go swim. I got some cute pictures of Devan and Jason with Darrian. He loves being around them. He caught on to Jason's name pretty quick and would call him "A-son". Too cute. He loved having them, and Auntie Natalie stay with us.

Once we got home I put together his anywhere chair for him. He LOVED it. The Mom's had raved about it for their kids, and I thought it was just a chair how much could he love it. I was wrong. He sat in it, climbed in it. K came in and he had his feet kicked up watching cartoons.

One lucky little guy he got LOTS of gift. He likes them all.

1st Birthday Party Part III

2008-09-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Birthday Party Part III Smash cake

Baby D got to try chocolate for the first time in his life at his party, I think he was a fan. We had to dump water on him to get the cake off him after. The talented Kelly M. took this pictures for me with my camera.

The smash cake was melting in the heat

Dancing to Happy Birthday.

Daddy helped him smash , then he went alone.

After the cake baby D opened a gift at the request of Auntie Julie, it was a gift from his godparents, godsisters, Lynda, and Grandma.. a PBK anywhere chair with his name on it!

Darrian's First Birthday Part II

2008-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Darrian's First Birthday Party II

Friends and family..

Cousin and Godsister Lily enjoying the day

The boys bbq

Kids having fun with bubbles.

Nephew Devan GQ pose.

Greyson and his balloon..
Ivy the butterfly
Birthday boy and an apple.
Jouquin taking it all in.
Baby D and Autie Natalie.

Sofia
Lily and Daddy hanging out
Auntie Niki the Tiger :)

Ms. Leila (always dressed SO cute)
Ty and his popcorn :0)
Malia the butterfly
Giggles the clown

Darrian's first birthday..

2008-09-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Darrian's First Birthday..

After lots of planning and lots of anticipation Darrian's firt birthday was here. I feel like it came so fast, and like everything else it went by really quickly. We could NOT have done it without my frirends and family. Big and small this was a group effort. Julie made the great salads, Natalie and Niki picking up things at Target, Natalie running late to get more bread for the sandwiches, Devyn for picking up the popcorn, Mom for finding the bins and blankets, everyone for helping set up.. it goes on and on. I think the efforts showed, and a great party was given. We got lots of compliments on the decor, even from strangers as we were setting up. Finally what would a party be without people you care and love being there to share it.. from LA, all over the N. Ca, and kid's breaking nap schedules to be there. It meant a lot.

I am going to post in few post because I have lots of pictures. I am going to try and do details in this one and then smash in another.

(the Cake that I LOVED)
(we got bins with blankets for those who wanted to sit on the grass, and then one with toys, balls)

(popcorn bins and bags were a hit)
(a table shot, of the centerpieces. Balloons coming out of vases weighed down by candy, a custom sticker on them, and then pictures of D. )
(the cake I loved, I think I took a MILLION pics of it)

(favors with custom stickers, animal crackers)
(close up of vase)

(the kids Lunch bags)

Walking..

2008-09-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

First things first..

Before I dive into the weekend, and everything that we did I thought I would post about baby D's biggest change this weekend. He became a full fledged walker ! Friday night something just clicked, and he descovered that he could do this thing called walking everyone had been raving about. In the hallway between Daddy's arms and Mine, and a bit of the toss the teddy game --he got it. He has been taking steps for about a month now, but not everyday, and really only when he felt like it. He would loose balance and land on his bum and go back to crawling. This weekend he learned a great life tool, when you get knocked down.. you get back up. He was off. The Frankinstein walk in full affect.

I can't believe it has been a year. I am one of those mom's I thought I would never be, wanting to cry over their kid's milestone. It is so bittersweet. I remember Demi Moore being interviewed once, saying the hardest thing of being a Mom is that the only time you have complete control over them is the 9 months they are inside you. From the day they are born it is a letting go process, and them finding their independant self. So true, and so hard.

Also a lot of pride. (expect lots of mushy post as we head to the 1st birthday milestone).

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

A busy long weekend...

I can't believe the weekend was actually three days long. It felt so short, trying to pack as much fun as we could into it.

We headed up to a freind's house for the weekend. She bought a place in Roseville last year, it was my first time going. The house is so nice, and decorated perfectly. She also has a great pool in the backyard. Baby D had lots of fun exploring, and swimming.

Monday Mom and I took Baby D with us and we headed up to Healdsburg and had a picnic. We got lost a bunch, but had a good time. It is so pretty up there. The crush hasn't happened yet so the grapes are full and on the vine. We stopped at this cute famous store Jimtown, it has been there since 1863. It is super cute inside lots of vintage stuff. Also a cool old truck parked outside. I had to get pictures. We carried on to Stryker Vineyards to have a picnic, a nice day, a great drive back. We then drove all the way to Ikea to get some things for D's party. Got home and crashed. It was a long busy weekend and we had a blast.

P's Amazing Pool..

First time wearing his first pair of Air force 1's

Checking out the grapes, he ate one. This was at Stryker.

Some super cute shots inside the Jimtown store.

Baby D Loved this truck.

Baby D checking out the selection..

A Good Day..

2008-08-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

A Good Day..

Today I did something I have not done in a LONG time.. NOTHING. I had no plans this weekend and today I did not go anywhere other than to order Baby D's birthday cake. After D woke up from his morning nap I set up the pool we got him. It has a hook up for a sprinkler thing on the front but we could not get the sprayer off our hose. D didn't seem to mind he played in it for almost two hours (climbing in and out).

Baby D wants an Iphone

2008-08-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

WHO YOU GONNA CALL..

:) So we have had Iphone's pretty much from the begining with Darrian. I guess he has been watching what we do with them, because he will pick one up and run his finger over the screen. He has been doing that for a while. Now he will hold the phone up to his ear, you know the cute way that babies do? Super cute.

Long Summer Days...

2008-08-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Can't believe summer is coming to an end and in 23 short days my baby will be ONE. Time goes so fast. I enjoy the late days. It gives me lots of time to spend with Baby D playing after work. The other night we headed to the backyard with his ball to roll/kick it around a little. He loves this ball, I think Grandma got it for him (Surpise I know), and he likes to chase it around. Sometimes he uses it like a Yoga ball, Auntie Natalie would be proud.

He is starting to walk more, He walked across the living room last night, twice. He also got up on his own and walked from the bathroom to the kitchen. I got some on video last night, I am not trying to juggle memories in video and in camera!

Here are some pictures from the other night.

Doesn't he look like a big boy!
Eating grass..
The look of concentration after rolling his ball.
*singing*

A yoga move..

A busy busy weekend..

2008-08-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

A good weekend..

We had a good busy weekend. Friday baby D and I ran to the mall to get some things for him, and to look for something for Malia who turned the BIG 7 on 8/14. Honestly where has the time gone. We had a good time running around, Baby D tried on some new shoes and approved so we got him a cute pair. By the time we got home he was all worn out from shopping, and we crashed.

Saturday we headed to Stockton to spend the day with C & J -the girls. We also celebrated Malia's birthday. We had a good time, always do. Baby D did really good. I have noticed there are two things.. 1) I need some travel toys for him, I think he was a bit bored and not much for him to play with 2) He loves being up and social but boy the meltdown from no nap was a fierce one getting into the car seat. He loves being outside. Loves it. We finally went outside and he had fun exploring. Although he always seems to find things he is not suppose to have to try and play with. He stood up twice on his own, but only took a couple steps. He got pretty dirty crawling around on the cement, but he didn't seem to mind.

Malia got twister for her birthday and the girls had fun playing that, Baby D wanted to join in the fun. Cake was had, I used it as a distraction for the adults to cuddle Lily some. She is getting so big and cuter each time I see her. I have realized she does not like to be held like Baby D did, on my chest.. instead she prefers facing the world to see what is going on. I bet that will play into her personality as she gets older. A people watcher. :).

Here are some pics of our visit to see the girls..

Malia's with her cake..

Ivy having a hard time holding on during twister..

Dad joined them..

The cutie Lily hanging out in her swing..

D enjoying some wrapping paper.
crawling around outside..
Picking some grass..
He can't believe we let him get this dirty..
The girls owned a "bakery" and were making me cakes.

11 months..

2008-08-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

11 Months..

Baby D, my Little Baby D, is 11 months old today. Where did the time go? This morning I went to get him out of his crib and as soon as I opened his door he saw me and said "Hi". It is hard to believe by looking at him he started out so small... He has grown so much.

*He loves Pasta, chicken, turkey, cheese, rice, and fruit.

*Will now stand for several minutes on his own.

*He will take a few steps on his own.

*Loves to walk holding onto just one of your hands.. stopping to get a better grip on your hand if he feels it slip.. as if to say "hold on tighter"
*Waves Hi, and Bye. In the Airport in Mexico, he was standing, saw an exit path, dropped down to his knees gave a "buh bye" and took off crawling. :)

*Finally figured out to make his fingers go over his lips to do the "brr" noise.

*He KNOWS when he isn't suppose to have something, and if you go to get it he gives a giggle and takes off in such a fast fashion the other way. Sometimes he will go down the hall turn the corner to the next room, where he thinks he is safe, and then check out his finding.

*He gives kisses, I especially love it when he does on his own over and over. So sweet.

*He is having a love affair with biting. trying out his 6 teeth.

*He LOVES being social, checking out other kids, smiling at people, he really is pretty outgoing for his age.

*What I take most pride in.. he is a HAPPY HAPPY baby. Laughing, smiling, friendly.

Sometimes I just stare at him. How did we create something so great, and so adorable. I could not have dreamed he would be any cuter, his hair, lips, big brown eyes.. and those cheeks that are too cute not to kiss. We are lucky he is in our life, and that he calls us "Mama" and "Dada".

Final Night

2008-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our Final Night at the Resort we had dinner on the beach. Mom watched D in the room. It was a really great meal, honestly the service, view, conversation were all amazing. The Sunset that night was exceptional. To eat, right where the waves are crashing is such a cool thing to do.

View from our balcony ..

The Walk Down to the beach..

More on Mexico..

2008-08-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay things have been busy and I couldn't get on to get my photos uploaded. I am going to try and finish today.

We did a city tour but my Camera battery ran out right before it. We did it in the open air cabs, a private one with the cab driver who was nice enough to show us Mazatlan.

Friday 8/8/08 was K's birthday! We went down to the pool and swam for a long time, then came back and I had arranged for a cake to be sent up. I took a picture but forgot to upload it. I had the hardest time trying to spell Keith to the Concierge.. the cake showed the confusion. It read something like "Keatch" ah well, effort was there.

We then caught the shuttle to the sister resort in downtown Mazatlan and had dinner at a really nice Italian place. The food was really good and so was the atmosphere, but Baby D decided he was done with dinner before we all were so K and I took turns entertaining him outside. Dinner out just isn't what it used to be and I don't think it will be for a while.

Here are some of the pictures of the celebration..

D checking out the Palm Trees .. looking SO cute.

Tequila Sunrises..

Grandma's Birthday in Mexico..

2008-08-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we woke up and sang happy birthday to Mom, gave her our cards, I had gotten us tickets to the fiesta that night for her gift. So after the cards, we headed down to breakfast. Darrian was a bit bored after breakfast so him and Dad went to play around the resort and we took him to the beach later. Then we went to the fiesta that night.

A walk around the grounds that Morning. The weather was tropical sort of like Flordia this time of year. Not as hot all days, but overnight it would thunder a couple times (I never heard any but Mom and K did), then in the day be pretty ..
Flamingos and black swans from the resort...

A gazebo on the grounds
D playing at breakfast with Daddy..

The beach later..

We surprised Mom with these before the fiesta..
D eating my camera lens, the fiesta was open bar, food, and lots of dancers. A couple of the waiters had Mom and DH taking shots of Tequila.

The dancers.. they were amazing.

After they had a few fireworks on the beach.. it was a good day.

The First Plane Flight

2008-08-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Trip to Mazatlan

The flight left at 6 am. Which meant we had to be up at 2 am, to be at the airport at 4 am., to get on our flight on time. We made it through everything just fine, and boarded the plane. On the way down we were able to get first class thinking it would help with D. He I guess wanted to be awake for it all.. holding grandma's hand and drinking a bottle.

Once we landed, we were taken by golf cart to our room, which was not ready just yet so they gave us a free lunch by the pool where we had drinks, lunch, and then off to the room to relax.

Below is the view from our Balcony to the right, straight out was the ocean and sunset. We ordered some wine, and some cheese and took in the sound of the ocean. They also have 24 hrs. room service which DH LOVED.

We are BACK!

2008-08-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful wonderful trip to Mazatlan, Mexico! I think we all wanted to stay a few more days. I am going to upload some pictures, and try to do these in segments so I don't have one post with a MILLION photos. Baby D did great on the trip, on the way down he did not want to sleep, I guess he was excited too. He finally passed out the second leg of the flight. On the way back he slept most of the time, and was really in a good mood. I guess he has the whole flying thing down now. He is a ham, and enjoyed all the "hello's" from people, and lots of people giving him attention. I think he got bored sometimes in the room, and next time I will pack a few more toys. He loved the pool. The adults had a good time too, relaxing and seeing the town. I really enjoy Mexico. We were all in love with the resort which was breathtaking. The room was huge, two rooms, kitchen, two bathrooms, showers, a balcony to look out over the ocean. Perfect. The grounds are amazing.
Some highlights :
*Celebrated Mom's birthday on 8/6
*Celebrated Keith's birthday on 8/8
*The pool
*A romantic dinner ON the beach on Saturday
*A city tour in an open air cab
*Darrian took a few steps on his own three to be exact, but mainly two at a time.

I am going to post in a few different post to follow.. Mom bought a time-share to the resort so I think we will be back, she wants to make a yearly vacation a family tradition. We negotiated an amazing price.. if in Mazatlan check out http://www.pueblobonitoemeraldbay.com/ .

Park Time...

2008-07-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

I am trying to take Darrian to the park twice a week.We have a favorite park we go to near our house, it usually not crowded, and they have a HUGE lawn.

Yesterday when we went to the park there was a game of basketball going on. D did not care about crawling or climbing around the play structure but instead just wanted to watch the big boys play, honestly stood there for about 10 mins. watching. Then some little kids came. D loves to watch kids play, and *almost* believes he can move as fast as they can. These two little girls were taken by him, one especially. It was SO cute. She came over and would touch his cheek, talk to him, he LOVED all the attention. She also brought her stuffed puppy over to him. I got a bunch of pictures.

Another two ..

2008-07-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

Yay Textures!

2008-07-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

A Tuesday Surprise..

Mexico is a week away. Can't wait. I want to go relax and spend 24/7 with baby D and family. In my growing photo play, I am learning to play with textures. I LOVE the look of textures.. how it makes a picture look worn, or a magical look. I FINALLY figured out how to get one done, actually I don't remember exactly how I did this.. but I am hoping over time it will become second nature. Just wanted to share the after affect! Let me know what you think!

A lovely Day in the City..

2008-07-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

A Lovely Day in the City.

Growing up we spent most of our weekends in San Francisco, Mom grew up there, Dad and her met there, we were born there... I think on weekends they wanted us to see the city they loved.

Although we don't go every weekend, I plan on Darrian getting to know SF as much as I do.
We went to the Legion of Honor and then we had lunch in SF at Pres a Vi in the Presidio. It was a great day, the weather was perfect. Darrian loved playing in the columns and on the grass in front of the legion.

Legion of Honor:

A sampling of the De Young Exhibit, I am going to have to get over there and check it out.

Mr. Cuteness

"singing" to hear his voice echo in the courtyard.

Baby D and Grandma

Diaper Days

2008-07-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Darrian is teething again. Not feeling great, and not feeling himself. Tonight after he took a bath we let him stay in his diaper and play around. Too cute I had to get some pictures. Grandma has stopped by everyday to see him since she retired from work on Tuesday he is really excited to see her everytime. I think he could get used to this.

Growing up.. Happy 10 months Baby D.

2008-07-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Baby D is 10 months old today. Wow. Where does time go. He is very mobile, pulls up, cruising while standing faster (holds onto walls), crawls faster.. tonight he even stood on his own for about 40 seconds before I just picked him up because I was too afraid he would face plant on the tile.

Over the weekend we took several of his "baby" things that he once loved to Lily so she can enjoy them as she gets bigger. One being his beloved jumperoo. He has not been inside it for almost two months now, once he got mobile he loved it less. I took it apart to wash the seat, and to get it in the car. Baby D climbed into the middle of it and give it one last play before we passed it on. :)

Playtime..

2008-07-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

I have been admiring how Baby D now plays with his toys. He knows how to use them, how to get them to sing, how to open and close things on them. I realize that this is his beginging to a very long (but short felt) childhood of playing. Discovering new things, and imagination. It is fun to watch, and sit back and see him entertain himself. I took some pictures of our playtime this morning.

Looks who's excited to go on vacation

2008-07-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Daddy sent me this picture of Baby D today. Totally made my day. I guess he crawled on top of the suitcase, I think he was trying to see if it would zip up with all his toys inside if he sat on it :) . Less than 30 days to Mazatlan!

July 4th..

2008-07-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

My Mom was nice enough to invite us to Tahoe for the 4th of July Weekend. I was excited to get away to nature, something about Tahoe, a forest, a tree, a creek that brings us back to our center. We drove up early Friday, and hung out ALL day driving around.. then to the Hyatt to see the fireworks and have dinner. Baby D was a trooper, and did really good. It is hard for him being pretty mobile, but not walking.. he wants to get out and explore but hard to let him just crawl on the ground. He did not love the fireworks, until the end he seems to be okay with them. I still don't think he was a fan. Saturday we hung around the lake, stopped at a beach, and then hung out at our Hotel the Village at Squaw. They had a kids room to play in and D and I went and spent some time there. he loved the wheel on the slide, and the bead table.

It was a nice, relaxing weekend, and I think D enjoyed his first trip to Tahoe.

Half Moon Bay..

2008-06-30T21:37:00.001-07:00

My Mom and I took Baby D to Half Moon Bay on Sunday.. in an effort to get away from the smoke that lingered. Yes we left the smoke.. but got the fog :( So hard to find the Sun right now in Northern California. Baby D slept most of the way down, waking up when we got there ready for lunch. We ate. Then we went out to sit and overlook the ocean, and play on the grass. He really likes to get outside these days, he loves it.

Learning to blow bubbles (sort of)

2008-06-30T20:38:00.001-07:00

(He has 5 teeth now, the one on the right broke through)

Saturday we just hung around the house. With all the fires the air quality has not been great, which leads us to not go out much. Later in the afternoon, as Baby D and I were getting stir crazy we looked outside to see the blue in the sky was showing a bit. I decided we would go out in the backyard to blow some bubbles.

I tried showing Baby D how to do it, although he wanted to eat the wand instead of blowing on it. He was outfitted in Daddy's hat, which was too big but he thought that was funny.

Big Shoes to Fill ...

2008-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Baby D loves to check out Daddy's shoes, yesterday he decided to try them on. All I need two boys in my life in love with shoes. :) Sorry the lighting is so bad, it was night and no natural light to be found.

Some Favorites Lately..

2008-06-24T19:39:00.001-07:00

Baby D is always standing. I love watching his little legs, and feet move with the awkwardness of not quite having his balance. I love seeing him get on his tip-toes to try and reach something.

here he is about to break in the pots and pans, although his face is saying "huh, I am not doing anything".

My 9 month OLD!!!!

2008-06-20T09:01:00.001-07:00

Time goes to fast. Darrian turned the big 9 months on Saturday!! I can't believe it. How fast he is growing up in front of my eyes. He loves to stand, pull up on things, open and close the kitchen cabniets. He is eating lots of new things, and liking most of them. He is obsessed with wheels and things that spin. He will lean over his stroller to look at the wheels go, and gets upset if they stop. Grandma got him a cool animal train, he really likes it. He tips it over on it's side and spins the wheels. He also figured out if you push down on the inside it sings, so he will stand up and dance to is, then lean over push the inside to get it going again. He makes my day so much brighter.

Getting the music to go..

Father's Day

2008-06-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was tuff given my Father just passing, but I wanted to make it special for D. It was after all his first father's day, and he had made my Mother's Day special even though it was the first since his mother had passed. It was hard since this is the very first Father's Day I did not spend with my Dad. I never moved away, was always close enough to see him, and it was weird not being able to. I tried to shove all that to the back of my mind and have a good day for D.

We went to the Claremont for brunch, my Mom came with. It was a lovely day out, and we love their brunch. Darrian loved the waffles too! After that we came home and relaxed and later in the evening I cooked a dinner for D that was an ode to my Dad, his favorite steak and mushrooms. They turned out pretty good, and before I went to bed I listened to some of his last messages to me on my phone.. it helps me feel like he is not so far away. D said after that he had a really good day, and was very thankful for his gifts, his day, and his son.

Some pictures.

Waiting for some snacks

Hanging out with Daddy..
The Claremont

Game Night GTG

2008-06-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Game Night GTG..

The Mom's group and I got together for Game Night, at our clubhouse. We had a blast. This group of friends I also feel very lucky to have met and gotten to know. So we got together to play a few games, share some great food, and a lot of laughs.

Here are some pictures of the night, we played Taboo, Pictionary, Spoons, and tried to play another one that did not work out because our group was a little to big.

Kelly brought these to DIE for cupcakes she made.

Sandra brought the perfect chaser :)

We toasted to Amy who had just given birth to a baby Boy.

Sandra has Katie in deep thought..

Sunday In Sonoma

2008-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

Took Baby D to Sonoma on Sunday. Figured the weather would be nice --and it was perfect. We went to Chateau St. Jean, and had some snacks on the grass there. It is my favorite winery because it has such pretty grounds, a deli on site (where we got a great anti-pasta plate), and great wine. The scenery is breathtaking, and really.. so close. We are lucky to be in such a pretty place. Went to have lunch poolside at the Fairmont after, Baby D enjoyed looking at the pool, and eating his lunch.. it was a great day, in a great place, with the people I love.

Studio Grow

2008-06-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Grandma and I took Darrian to Studio Grow in Berkeley on Saturday Morning, I had heard about the place on my Mom's group and wanted to check it out. I have to say as excited as I was for him to enjoy it he just was not into it. He loved one thing, the ball pit. Other than that he was not very into the crawling mats, or anything else. They have a paint room, train table/Kitchen room, and some other cool things for kids that are bigger.

I managed to get a few pictures of Darrian in the ball pit and the horse...

Sex in the City Movie Pre-party

2008-06-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sex and the City Pre-Movie Party!

Saturday I invited some girlfriends over for a pre-movie party. I ordered chinese take out, made cosmo's, and we watched the final episode of Sex In The City before heading out to go see the movie. I have been waiting for them to make a movie since the show went off the air about 5 years ago! So of course I found it a great reason to have a party. The movie was really good! I highly recommend seeing it with some girlfriends!

Matteo's Dream

2008-06-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Baby D and I joined Ty and his Mommy for a playdate at a awesome park in Concord, Matteo's Dream. It is a park that Baby D will enjoy for many years to come I am sure. I think Baby D was teething that day, he was pretty tired, and not really into crawling around. He actually fell aseep on the swing! He had just woken up from a nap, and having lunch when I took him and he still was tired.

You can read about the park here : http://www.childrensplayground4all.com/

This was the end result..

Checking it all out..

Ty showing off his skills

Trying to get baby D to come through the tunnel, didn't work.

Ty being his adorable self

Someday soon this is what pics I will get.. running, I forgot how darn cute a little big guy running is ..

Mr. Cuteness baby D..

Saturday Mornings..

2008-05-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday Mornings are my favorite kind of mornings, no work, all play, relaxing. It used to be D would ALWAYS wake up before me.. and often after being up an hour by himself would come bug me to get up. My days of sleeping in are a thing of the past at this point, and often Baby D and I are up before Daddy. We go out into the living room and play. He is also a morning person, like his Dad, wanting to play, and cheerful. It just makes Sat. morning that much more favorite ..

Playing with Daddy

Daddy is off making Coffee what will he get into now..
Spotted from across the room, a ball, a new favorite.
Enjoying the view, chewing on the ball..
A cute way he likes to sit, either like the way above or like the one below :)

Off after the ball..
trying to crawl with one hand and hold th ball with the other.
Who am I kidding, any morning with this face is a Favorite..

Strike a Pose..

2008-05-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

As if Baby D crawling was not enough, he likes to stand so much more. He LOVES to pull up on EVERYTHING he can. It makes me nervous because he is wobbly, and really thinks he can stand. Sometimes he will only hold on with one hand, or even worse none... He is obviously a lot more confident about him standing than I am. I wish he would slow down a bit and let us keep up!

Another Zoo Trip

2008-05-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

It was trying to be sunny outside, but the fires were preventing that.

The group, notice my child enjoying his stroller, I swear I feed him.

It has been several months since the last time we visited the zoo, Baby D has grown so much since then. He still was not very interested in the animals, mainly just enjoyed being outside and hanging out with some kids his age. I was excited to meet new Mom's, see some old friends, and see the animals. I am looking forward to Baby D actually seeing, and enjoying the animals soon.

Checking out someones toy..
Mason running around..
Trying on a hat..
Joaquin, dressed for the zoo..
Mason taking it all in.. or as his shirt said.. chillen :)

Proof I feed him!
A husband came along with one of the Mom's and was super Dad.

Cooper checking it all out.
J trying on his hat and loving it.

Yea right with all the kids that were there, quiet was not happening!
Turtles..
J enjoying the ride with his feet kicked up..
Mr. Cuteness.

Swimming

2008-05-20T17:08:00.001-07:00

We took Baby D swimming for the first time the other night. He seemed to enjoy it a little bit. He was not crazy about it like I thought he would be. I think he wondered why he was in such a big bathtub with Grandma and Mommy, and why his feet did not touch. He didn't cry, just didn't really get his giddy self.. The more we go the more he will warm up to it I am sure.

Little Farm GTG...

2008-05-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today Baby D and I joined some Mommy's and their amazing kids at Little Farm in Tilden Park.Sol planned the trip to get my mind off the fact that I did not have a job, it worked. We were late, got lost, but glad we got there in time to see some pigs and have a picnic. The kids were great, Baby D seemed to interact more, a little too much. We tried for a group picture and he bugged Cami to the point of tears, then tried to make up for it by comforting Joaquin who started crying because everyone else was (except Baby D). Later he grabbed Joaquin's hair, but shared his toys..I hope he grows out of that phase soon. As I was driving away I was thinking.. that was fun.. I should wish I got paid to do that!

Bath Time...

2008-05-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

When taking pictures of Baby D, I try to capture him and everything baby about him. I know in no time he will be too big for bath's in the sink (have you seen that commercial?), and won't be crawling on the floor, or entertained chewing on everything. Tonight while he was taking his bath in the sink, I grabbed my camera to capture him splashing and having fun.

If your happy and you know it..

2008-05-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Clap your hands! Baby D learned a new trick today, Daddy showed him how to clap his hands. It is funny to cheer him on and then clap our hands, and he follows suit. It is the thing I love about being a Mom, to see life through his eyes. The smallest thing we take for granted, like clapping hands, is something new and exciting to him. It makes me slow down and appreciate the small things.

A mobile baby...

2008-05-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Baby D has pretty much got the crawling thing down, all he is working on is speed . He basically crawls, goes to tummy, back to crawling, back to tummy to get where he is wanting to go. We were playing with some blocks Baby D got from his godparents for his baptism. He really likes them. I would build them up and he would have fun knocking them over.

Checking out my tower...
Making his move in..

And down they go :)

Love being outside..

2008-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Baby D loves to be outside, in the fresh air, crawling around, playing with his toys, or just looking at the trees. One of our new favorite things to do is when I get home is spread a blanket outback on the grass and just hang out. Blow bubbles, or just be.

Teething is hard..

I dreamed he would have curls.

The bottom teeth make their first on camera showing.

Not A Shower

2008-05-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

We had a "not a shower" for Julie this weekend. Baby D enjoyed playing with his godsister's while we were over there. Malia and Ivy especially loved the hooded towels for baby to play with. The boys went shopping for Mother's day. Pasta. Cupcakes. Gifts. A pillow fight.

A bug catcher takes on a whole new look

Tess was on hand to watch

A great Saturday.

Happy Mother's Day...

2008-05-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Baby D wore one of my favorite shirts in honor of Mother's Day...

It says "Get your own Mom, this one is mine" :)

Wine filled weekend

2008-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had a good day... Although Baby D was on the go most of the day, which made nap time hard by the end of the day he was tired. He spent time with his cousin Devan, then we went to the Clayton Art and Wine festival, then we went over to Auntie Niki's Mom's house for her birthday celebration! Niki's Mom has made Pozole every year for Niki's birthday for the past twenty years I can remember.. good stuff!

Happy Birthday Devan (and Jason)!

2008-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Devan our nephew is in town this weekend, his twin brother Jason was not able to come this trip. We had a birthday dinner tonight for Devan as him and Jason will be turning 20 on the 6th. My Mom also came by to celebrate and visit Baby D. Funny we were talking tonight about how I first met the boys when they were just 9 years old! Time goes so fast!

Devan is on crutches because he was the innocent bystander that was shot a few weeks ago at a Movie theatre in Torrance. We feel very lucky that he did not have more serious injuries, and glad he is okay.

Soooo... we didn't have happy birthday so we put "Congratulations" on the cake :)

Making a wish..

My amazing camera lens :)

Grandma and Baby D

Mother's Day Started Early..

2008-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

My Mom got me a GREAT mother's day gift... a new camera lens! This one is a Canon 55mm f/1.8...

I read about it on this Mamarazzi blog and I have been wanting it ever since. You can read about it at the link below, I am still learning --but I had fun playing with it today.

http://mamarazzischool.blogspot.com/2008/04/homework.html

Growing fast..

2008-05-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Baby D is learning new tricks every day. It is hard to keep up. You can see from his pictures below he is now pulling up on things, including his crib. We are going to have to lower it... he also is teething pretty bad. Both bottom teeth and both top teeth came in within the last two weeks, he is doing pretty well all things considered, but he seems to be changing into a little boy right before my eyes.. maybe because he is.

"modeling"

2008-05-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

So Auntie Natalie got this jacket for Baby D, I have been wanting to take pictures of him in it for a while.. since we were on a roll I figured today was the day. As I was trying to convince him to do it, I think I mentioned that Auntie Natalie gave it to him and she is a model so this would be fun.. I think he tried to show up his "competition", he looked pretty cute in it.. :)

Baby-Ness

2008-05-01T20:51:00.001-07:00

I realized that I did not have many pictures of Baby D in just his diaper, you know the ones you later put in his senior yearbook or show to girlfriends who come over ... :) So I decided to take some pictures in all his "baby-ness"

He was bored with the idea..

Humm.. Conductor?

His new thing is to blow raspberries.. fun especially when he is eating!

His favorite Teddy Bear joining in the fun!

2008-04-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Fun with bubbles...

One of Baby D's baptism gifts was a bubble machine, We were not sure if he would get it just yet or just wonder what was flying his way. He seemed to really enjoy them, lots of laughter and tried to catch most of them with his mouth.