Mommy....the barber

So I could not deal with Elianna's bangs any longer. I mustarded up the courage to cut her bangs. The first attempt...failed. The second round was on the spur of the moment. She was entertained on the changing table and I called for Mark to get the scissors. It was a success. Unfortuneately, the scissors were pretty dull, but I was still able to cut. This morning I cut a bit more but with my sewing scissors and it was a lot better and faster to snap those little hairs!

This finished product....ta-da!

Decorating Fun

So we have a new tradition around here...Christmas decor goes up on Black Friday, well, when I get back from my shopping duties. On December 26th, everything comes down so Elianna can have a Christmas free birthday.

Elianna was taking her PM nap while we began decorating but joined us at the end to find new "toys."

She began her 1st Christmas decor with she snack.

Became interested in the ornaments.

A little too interested.

....and so did Marely.

Mark put the finishing touches.

....be very very careful.

We're all done and Daddy lit the fire.

Ta-da!

Independent Elianna

Our little girl will soon be walking all on her own. This is a huge one for mama...my baby is growing up way too fast. God has been great to us, in providing us with a wonderful daughter and allowing for her hip to heal.

Elianna is no longer wearing her brace to bed, as of yesterday. When we went back to CHLA (Oct 2010) for a follow up, the x-rays came back perfect. Dr. Skaggs had no concerns with her hips and as a team, we decided to keep the brace on for another 2 months. I initially stated that she should no longer wear it since everything was fine, because she was still not use to it at night (and the teething did not help). Dr. Skaggs explained that there is no specific time or age of when an infant should no longer wear there brace, but to be on the safe side, we should keep it on her for 2 more months. He did give his permission to take it off if she was having a hard time, that worked for me. She is now pretty much sleeping through the night with the harness.

Elianna took her first two steps about three weeks ago at my mom's house and we have been practicing. She is pretty fast in her walker and seems to enjoy it.

Here she is taking a few steps at JC Penny's.

Thanksgiving Fun!

This post is a bit delayed, but somehow time just flies by from me. For Thanksgiving we had lunch with Mark's side of the family and then dinner with my mom, and brother. Elianna had a blast. Her stranger anxiety is easing down, which meant, she was enjoying the company of her extended family members.

Elianna enjoys some yams.

She spends some time with Uncle David.

....and then with Tia Pat.

....and back with Mama!

A New Library and A New Park

I LOVE the new Sorensen Park and Library. They are not brand new to Whittier, they just had a make over. The project started about 2 years ago on a very small library and a not too shabby park. They opened up last week, so I decided that Elianna and I would take a trip out there is past Friday.

The library has at least tripled in size and has a very cute children's section; filled with lowered shelves, small couches, toys and computers. Also, 40% of the materials used were recycled materials.

After we checked out our books we went to the park where Elianna had the time of her life on the swings. The park now has a "Big" and "Small" kids' section. I think this will be our new library and park. It's good to see our tax dollars at work!

Halloween

Elianna was a bumble bee for her first halloween and no, I did not make the costume, I'm still trying to finish her blanket.

So this was the game plan, to do our normal evening walk, but with a flare! We went up and down our street, did not go to homes with stairs (taking Eli in and out of the stroller did not seem fair to anyone) and to neighbors we know, which is quite a few. Halfway through our stroll ride someone was getting sleepy but as the night grew darker it became a bit more lively and Elianna stay up to enjoy it.

At first Eli was not too fond of the hat.

Buzz!

Finally got that shot with the hat!

Cheese!

Elianna made out pretty good!

pumpkin patch

Two weeks ago we headed out to the pumpkin patch at Cal Poly Pomona. It was everyone's first time there. We missed the rides and animals by a week, but we were still able to capture some great pictures....and here they are...

Elianna is trying to figure out what to make of her new setting.

We checked out the sunflowers, but didn't spend too much time there. They were invaded by ants.

Off to the corn maze, which reminded me of the movie, Signs.

Eli says, "This way!"

I'm happy to report that we made it out okay :)

Before having Elianna I knew containers were a hit with little ones, but I did not realize how fascinated little ones could get. Elianna now knows how to open cabinets and drawers (if they are not too full). When she gets to the cabinet with all of the plastic containers, it's like a party for one.

9 Months!

Yup, 9 months and everyday comes with a new discovery!

Elianna is.....

*Pulling to stand

*Crawling.....with some scooting.

*Eating most things, especially what's on mom's plate.

*Using constant-vowel sounds/babbling (i.e., da-da-da)

*Holding her bottle, when she wants.

*Cruising furniture

*Forgets she cannot walk and has had a few bumps along the way to remember.

*Has a sense of humor

*Will sign, MORE, ALL DONE, MILK, and BRAVO!

*....and is testing the boundaries of the word "no."

Harness, Leg Warmers and then some....

So it has been quite a month. Last month we went for a follow up visit at CHLA for Eli's hip and we were given the option to put her back in the harness, only for nighttime sleeping {12 hours a day}. There is no dislocation of any sort and her left hip looks (x-rays) perfect; it's her right hip that looks a bit off.....ugh!! More specifically, it does not look like it is forming deep enough. As Dr. Skaggs explained, it could have been there since birth or it's nothing. The cartilage is still forming around the hip area and x-rays do not pick it up cartilage. He did not seem too concerned, but he thought it would be best to be cautious and have Eli use the harness at night.

The good news is that we are still in time to make things right, if there is a need to make it right. Also, it makes me feel a bit better that we were given the option of putting back in the harness, it was not anything crucial, like when she was a newborn. She has to wear it for 2 months and we are already one month into it. The first couple of nights with it were sleepless.... The first night after midnight, she woke up every hour, the next night every 2 to 3 hours. What was really frustrating for her was that she wanted to turn around and experiment with her newly found gross motor skills, but the kicker was that she also began teething that same week...

The teeth have not broken yet, but Miss Eli has learned to turn over in her harness, sit up, stand, walk (with her hands held), and crawl. She still wakes up at night about twice, but that may be due to eczema. We just found out yesterday that she has a case of that....poor thing.

Here are some pics with her harness.

Leg Warmers:

As previously mentioned Eli is quite mobil now a days and enjoying her new found freedom. So since she wants to move about the leg warmers go on those chubby legs.

Sunday Afternoon at Park

This weekend was pretty non-eventful, which was a nice change. We had a few errands to run here and there but no "events" to attend. Mark got to put up our new chandelier in the dining room....and he is very proud.

Sunday afternoon we decided to go to the park. Mom and dad got to rest and Elianna got to play. I even got to read my book....huge treat! Here are some pics:

Eli is ready for her snack with daddy.

Elianna's first swing ride....yipeeee!

Cheese!

The Sewing Club

This past Saturday was our first Sewing Club "meeting." The club consists of Lorena Villegas (and daughter Lala), Eunice Castendada and myself. Eli and Mark are honorary members. Mark is in charge of Eli at that time, but she seems to enjoy being part of the group.

We will be meeting at my house on the first Saturday of the month and each one of us will rotate on bring a dessert. I am working on a blanket for Elianna. It's my first major project. Here are a couple of pictures of the event.

Lorena and Lala

Here I am starting on the blanket project.

A pair of shoes and earrings

So our little one is in full swing....climbing, standing up, taking steps and "rocking" on all fours. Since she wants to be doing everything, but sitting, it was time to buy her some shoes. A few months ago I bought her some shoes (see below), because were they on clearance at Nordstroms and I bought a size 4. A pair for the near future.

The pair (size 2) that were recently bought are the following:

These are Eli's "training" shoes. Somehow she always finds away to take them off, but I usually find the missing shoe.

Earrings:

I just had to blog about this. Mark and I have chosen not to pierce Eli's ears. We have decided to wait until she wants them. I personally cannot give her that pain to have her look cute. I know it's just a few seconds or maybe minutes of pain. I understand that she will not remember anything and most likely, it will be painful when she is older. I still can't do it; even if someone else takes her. When the time comes, I will explain what it entails. if she still wants them, I will then take her to get them. It is VERY surprising to me when people are shocked that Eli does not have her ears pierced. Sometimes it is seen as an automatic to have a baby girl's ears pierce. Don't get me wrong, if others want to pierce their daughter's ears more power to you....it's just not a "biggie" to me.

San Diego

Last week, the three of us headed out to San Diego for a mini vacation. We stayed with our friends the Fosters and planned to visit the the Wild Park and the Zoo (annual passes). We were there from Friday to Sunday and the weather was great!

We headed out to the Wild Park on Friday.

Eli got to hang out with some birds and really enjoyed it. I on the other hand did not fare so well. Each time a bird flew by I would scream. Not the best example for Eli.

Who knew the map would have been one of the highlights in Eli's day.

On Saturday, we headed out to the Zoo/Balboa park. The zoo was pretty popular that day, so we did not stay too long, but we got our fill.

Before entering the zoo, we went on a train ride in Balboa Park.

We took in a show of acrobats. As you can see it was a big hit with us.

We had Eli's caricature done.

Took time to take some pictures.

Our friends the Fosters, Todd and Aceneth with their three adorable girls. We had a wonderful time visiting with them and watching UFC on Saturday night ;)

The Fosters treated us to some BBQ after church on Sunday. Phil's BBQ has the best BBQ in San Diego. Actually, it's the best I've ever tasted. Thank you again Todd and Aceneth!