Alllllllll done!

I warned you all about video overload now that I've uploaded all the videos from the last few months!! Here is one of Aria on 5/6/8 saying ALLLL done. She went through a phase where she would say it over and over and over throughout the day. She does know what it means now, though. It is funny when she signs it AND says it at the same time.

Walking and more

Aria walked, as you know, last Saturday. She walked a few times that day, and went about 6 steps at a time! I thought she'd be an expert by the end of the week... but she decided not to walk anymore all week.... until yesterday! Yesterday she walked for several steps several different times. I thought she had decided that she was only going to walk on Saturdays ;-) I was wrong ;-) She walked even more today! She's so big! She's solid and balanced most of the time when she walks (and sometimes not so much ;-). I'm not surprised bc she's been walking by just using her hand on the wall for awhile now. I kept wondering when she was going to just do it! Good job, Aria ;-)

She is also saying more words all the time. The ones she says most often are "all done", uh oh, oh boy, hi mama, hi dada, hi zig, up, down, no, bye bye, butt butt (haha! She says that bc I say it when I change her diaper). I think she is also saying "hi love love" bc that is what I always say to her, but it's not really clear when she says it. She tries to copy what you're saying. She also loves to have conversations with people. She looks very intently at the person she is talking with. I think she must know what she is saying ;-) It's cute!

She's really doing a lot better with animal sounds. She loves to copy what you do. If you whisper, she whispers. If you talk in a really high voice, she'll do the same. SO, if you say "arf arf" she'll copy it. She's tried to do a pig sound (when you actually snort) but she can't figure it out. She clicks her tongue and looks at you very intently trying to figure out how you're making that funny sound! Today when we locked the car (and it went beep beep) she repeated it!

She knows 3 signs in sign language. All done (she says that one, too), more, and milk. I gave her bread for the 1st time this week and as soon as she had that first taste, she was signing MORE like a maniac baby. I guess she likes bread!

One of the funniest things she does (considering her daddy is in the Fitness industry) is squats. She started doing them all on her own, and when she'd do them I'd say up, down, up, down. Now she says up when she's up and down when she's down. When she wakes up from her nap and is playing in her crib, I can hear her saying "up, down, up, down". She must be doing squats in her crib. Funny baby!

She started climbing like a little monkey, too. She climbed up on her chair and got onto the coffee table. I have since moved her toy chair to sit up against the couch so she can climb up there instead of the coffee table!

She has also started to realize when she is doing something wrong. As she goes to do something bad, she will look at me as she's starting the bad behavior, and shake her head "no". She knows I'm going to tell her no!! She had my keys, and I always tell her no if she tries to put them in her mouth (keys have way too many germs on them! eww!) and then I pull them away before she gets them in her mouth. She had my keys last week, and as she brought them to her mouth she was looking at me and shaking her head "no" even though I hadn't said told her no yet. BABY!!

I love that she is able to communicate so much better now! Just the ability to say "no" is helpful!

She puts the phone to her ear and says "hi!". I was surprised when she did it bc, although I talk on the phone a lot for work, I always use my ear piece. She had to have learned to do that from her daddy! (or her cousin Diella! We think they've been making secret calls to each other!)

Playing with kids... she LOVES to play with kids. She used to seem like she was soooo much younger than her 2 year old friend, Kali. Now they can actually play together and have fun!! That is so cool! They were playing with a tea set together a couple of days ago. She was trying to eat from the forks and spoons! haha! Kali and Aria played catch with a big ball.

Mia (baby Mia, not me ;-) and Aria are good friends, too! They are interacting a lot now! Jenn (her mom) and I have looked so forward to them getting to the age when they can play! They played at the beach club today, and again later that night. Mia is 4 months younger, but they are seeming closer and closer in age each time they play together.

Speaking of the beach club! We had a FUN day at the beach today! Aria loved the pool and the sand and playing with her bucket and shovels. She also likes to eat sand. Yum!

Teeth - She has 6 teeth, and is working on more. I seem to see the teeth when they have already broken the surface (vs when she got her two bottom and two top teeth, I saw them before they broke the surface).

Sleep.... oh she sleeps like a baby! ;-) (Actually, whoever made up that saying has no idea how a baby really sleeps! ha!) But, really, Aria is sleeping wonderfully! She sleeps until 7 am, regardless of when she goes to bed, and then eats, and then goes back to bed (usually) until 8:30 - 9. Usually bedtime is between 8:30 - 9:30 It is wonderful to get full nights of rest!! I even get work done in the evenings before bed.

I am still in disbelief that my baby is going to be 1 in a month!

Duck

We had a fun day today! Aria said "Duck" today ;-) She is really starting to use a lot more sounds and "talks" all day.

Aria went to sleep at 9:00. Here is one of my favorite sleeping Aria pictures

Two cousins, one birthday!

Aria slept GREAT last night. She fell asleep on the way home from the store last night at about 7:00 pm. She didn’t get up until 11:30 pm. I knew she’d have to get up to eat. She usually doesn’t go to bed until, at the earliest, 9:00 pm, but usually 10:00 pm or later. She got up one time at night, but she didn’t actually wake up. She just cried a tiny bit in her sleep. When I woke up this morning, she was in her crib saying “da da” and then clicking her tongue. “da da” click click “da da” click click.

I looked at my phone to see what time it was and it was 8:00. I had already gotten 2 missed calls and 2 texts. I thought I missed something at work, and panicked a little. Then I saw the texts!! They were from Alethea and my mom in law! Alethea had gone into labor in the early morning, and went to the hospital! She ended up having a c-section at 8:24 am and had a BABY BOY!! His name is Colton Maximus and he weighs 9 lbs 9 ozs. BIG boy! The doctor had told Alethea after her ultrasound on Friday that the baby was about 7 lbs 8 ozs. What a SURPRISE baby! We all thought for sure it was a girl. We can’t wait to meet him!! Here is a picture of baby Colton.

Colton Maximus - born 02/18/08 - 9 lbs 9 ozs



As I was trying to talk to Kat this morning, we kept getting cut off. She said “it’s a boy” and the phone cut out. So I tried to call her back at her home number and it went to voicemail. The phone was on speaker and Aria was lying next to me (yeah, we were still in bed) and she heard Jake’s voice on the phone and she looked and said “da da”. Too funny.

Today is also AJ’s birthday – my other nephew! He is THREE today!

Today Aria watched her 1st Veggie Tales. She is so funny. It’s the Silly Songs DVD. She is in her exersaucer piano, and she is leaning all the way back and looks up at the ceiling. She is babbling/singing along. She laughs when I clap. She is amazed at how I make that sound, and wonders how I do such a fun thing that makes such a cool sound. I think Veggie Tales is a hit!

She had corn for the first time today. Corn mixed with butternut squash. Yum!

Today we went to the mall for lunch. Aria had soooo much fun. She loves being around people! We met Jenn and Mia. Mia and Aria are so cute – they look at each other, and smile. Aria gets excited and bounces and squeals when she sees her. Mia gets more animated every time we see her. She is 4 months. They are looking closer in age now.

Aria went to bed at 8:30 tonight…. We’ll see how tonight goes!

Cheerios!

We went to Church on Saturday night, and Aria went to the nursery again. She had just woken up from a nap as we signed her in, and I wondered how she’d do if I tried to drop her off sleepy. I handed her to the person at the nursery, and she went to her with no problems. Again, I looked for her number to show up during the service, but it didn’t! I went to pick her up afterwards, and tried to peek in and see her playing with the kids, but I couldn’t see around the corner. They said she did have fun, though ;-) and that she was good the whole time.

On Sunday, we all went to brunch (Daddy, Aria, Mama, Gramma Ginny, Grampa Danny) at MiMi’s. We asked for a high chair for Aria, and when they brought it over, they also brought a little cup full of CHEERIOS! Aria had never had Cheerios before! We put her in the high chair, and put some of the Cheerios on the table. Aria grabbed right for them and ate them up. She loved them! I can’t wait to get a box for her to munch on at home. She’s getting really good at picking up very small objects (like Cheerios ;-)



During brunch, Aria looked right at Daddy and said “Da Da” We don’t know if it was coincidence or if she really called him Da Da, but it sure sounded deliberate to all of us at the table. It made Daddy VERY happy! Aria proceeded to day Da Da throughout the rest of the day.

After brunch we went to Costco to “pick up a couple of things” (yeah right...). Gramma and Grandpa came with us, too. Aria got a big book of baby animals and a Veggie Tales silly songs dvd.

Next, we dropped off Grampa Danny and the groceries (Grampa Danny had to get some work done) and we went to pick up Uncle Chris. We went to Fire Wheel, which is an outdoor shopping area. We went to Old Navy and Pier 1, but then everything closed. As we headed home, and Aria was “da da”-ing away, I said to her “Aria, can’t you just say MaMa?” and (OK I know you’re not going to believe this!) she said “Ma Ma” !! Everyone in the car heard it, so I have witnesses! ;-) She didn’t say it again after that (she went back to Da Da) but she DID say it! She's never said an "mmm" sound before. Of course, we're not actually sure that she meant to say mama, but it made me happy regardless ;-)

Feeling better!

02/09/08

Aria had a tough night last night. She fell asleep in bed with us, and when I tried to transfer her to her crib, she cried and cried …. And cried. So, needless to say, she slept with us last night. She woke up several times crying. Poor girl!

We got up at 8:30, and so far so good. Aria is being her regular self, only she wants to stay really close to me (I don’t mind!) and she is biting me more (I mind!)

She’s been saying da da da da and ba ba ba ba ba last night and this morning. In the last couple of days she has said Bob two times, and we really want to know who Bob is. Maybe she thinks I’m Bob? ;-) ha ha! Sarah tried to teach Aria to chant “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah” on the phone the other day, to get back at me for teaching Christina to do that 6 ½ years ago ;-) Christina was just a baby, and not really talking much at all. I used to babysit her a lot, and I tried to teach her to chant Mia, Mia Mia while moving her arm to the beat. She’d just look at me like I was strange. One day my brother, Adam, was at the store, and Christina started moving her arm the same way and chanting my name. Ha ha ha! They couldn’t stop the “Mia” chanting.

Aria was playing in her walker, and she rammed into the doggy door. Then she backed up and did it again. I think she thinks she can get out the doggy door like her puppy, Zig, does. Hmmm….

Aria is in a size 3 diaper. I can’t believe it. I remember looking at Sydney’s size 3 diapers when Aria was just born thinking that Aria would be at least 1 before she was in that size diaper bc they looked so big. Now I look at newborn diapers and can’t believe how TINY they are!

Aria loves baths! She started playing with her bath toys a couple of months ago. She loves the little tiny rubber duckies the best. She plays and chews on them when she’s not in the bath, too. It’s her favorite “teether”. I bought some other bath toys that had a shape that would be easier to hold and chew on, but she still just loves those little rubber duckies!

Today we went to Central Market to go grocery shopping. We met our friend, Ashley, since she is cooking the same kind of meals we are these days. It was fun! Aria hung out in the sling. She always straightens her legs when I put her in there, so it makes it rather difficult to get her in! I did get her legs bent and got her all tucked in the sling. Then, she popped out her leg and started to bounce it up and down out of the sling. It was pretty funny. She spent the whole time with her leg sticking out. She ended up falling asleep in it by the end of our 2.5 hour shopping excursion.

Now we’re home and just ate some berry cobbler (all natural, fat free, and super yummy!! Want the recipe?) Well, I ate berry cobbler, and Aria ate sweet peas (her fave) and some apple pears and some antibiotics ;-) I snuck the antibiotics inbetween the peas and the apple/pears. She really hates the antibiotics!!
She is rolling all over the floor in the office. She has rolled and scooted all the way to the tile, and is sliding around. She seems to like to slide around on the tile. Good thing I just cleaned the floors!

She was asleep by 9:00 tonight, which is very early. She’s usually up until 11:00. Wish us good luck on a good night of sleep! I need it!