Bendelle has officially been out and about in this big world of ours longer than she was nestled inside my tummy--such a crazy feeling. When you're pregnant, those 40 weeks feel like eternity is passing you by as you become huge and prepare for the day your little one arrives. But life with a 40 week old has flown by, and I can't quite believe that she is really 9 months old.
It has been such an amazing phenomenon watching her grow and develop over the months. I really can't believe she is already repeating words and saying things like "doll," "dog," "ta-da!" and "baba." She has been saying "mama" and "dada" for a while now, but I think now she has finally put meaning to the words. I just love hearing her little voice make up words and spit out sentences that make absolutely no sense to me (yet!), and love teaching her new things!
These days she would rather be standing than sitting anytime, ALL the time. Of course this means more falls, more bumps and more crying :( But I love watching her challenge herself. She is the most determined little soul.
She mostly holds onto furniture pieces and pulls herself up and takes steps while holding on. She hasn't quite figured out the grace of sitting down once she's standing, but she'll get there ;)
I am still obsessed when I hear her sing (her voice gets higher as she attempts a tune). It just melts my heart. And as far as smiling? Her cheesy smiles are back in action, coming at ya in full force.
We love to tickle her and hear her deep belly chuckle. And she is still rolling her tongue like Spanish is her first language.
She is the best eater, which I am very thankful for, and since she is a girl on the move, baby gates are up! She loves to get into everything (especially things she is positively sure she shouldn't get into), and loves when you massage her back. She just started reaching out to me to hold her and enjoys when I cuddle her, which is kind of new and oh so sweet.
We supervised her and let her climb up the stairs the other day and she did the whole flight without looking back! I let her do it again this morning. She is so fearless and strong. I was so impressed with our little mountain climber. And she literally will climb onto anything she can!
She is more often than not interested in things we don't want her to have (cords, glass bathroom scale, bills, the dogs' water dishes), but I love her curiosity. As she gets older, especially in this last month, I really feel like our bond has strengthen so much. I just love having this little girl in my life!
#proudmama
It's always hard coming back from vacation, so I thought I'd reminisce by blogging about it :)
This vacation checked off a lot of firsts for us-first time traveling on a plane with a baby (4 total plane rides with the layovers!), first time most of Aaron's family got to meet Bendelle, and first time I went a whole trip without sleeping on an airplane!
Our trip was everything we wanted it to be--fun, relaxing and memorable. It had been two years since we had last visited Aaron's hometown and we knew that this trip would be different. Bendelle loved all the attention and it made me wish she could spend more time around her relatives. Being out and about was a little hard on her nap time regime but we made it work one way or another. It was really nice still being able to keep Bendelle in a separate room (Aaron's old room) while we slept in the guest room. And really nice to have a babysitter one night so we could have drinks with Aaron's cousin and his fiancee ;)
Overall we had a blast, and no amount of time would have been enough. Some of my favorite memories were:
-Walking down the boardwalk with Aaron and his grandma while Bendelle took a nap in her stroller and spotting a whale in the ocean. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences of my life (my favorite animals are whales and dogs), and simply surreal seeing a whale unexpectedly jumping out of the water and splashing his tail on the surface of the water.
-Visiting a local farm and picking fresh berries and feeding the farm animals, all while imagining how awesome it would be to have a mini farm of our own one day.
-Staying up really late with Aaron and his mom, sipping chard, playing Sorry and indulging in homemade hot fudge sundaes topped with the fresh berries we picked.
I also loved swimming in the Atlantic, taking Belles in the pool and letting her splash and kick her little feet in the water, going on beautiful country drives, getting Rita's for the first time (!!), drinking Dunkin' Donuts coffee, eating a wonderful farm-to-table meal at Natirar, evening walks with family, getting Bendelle dedicated at church, having a night out, sitting around a bonfire on the 4th watching fireworks, and every moment spent with family :)
I so look forward to going back in October :)
Let the countdown begin ;)
Yesterday Bendelle turned 8 months old and I couldn't help but be amazed at how much she has changed and developed since she was brought into this world. I know it's a no-brainer (babies grow up!), and everybody reminds you of how quickly the first year flies by, but maybe you other mamas will remember this feeling. It's like everyday there is something new and if you look closely you see another layer of her personality unfold and you get a glimpse of who this new and interesting little being is becoming. I can barely remember how fragile and helpless she was the first couple months of her life. The once tiny and delicate little creature has transformed into an active and sturdy fireball right before my eyes, and time can't seem to slow down.
Since I am basically with her every moment of my day, I can't help but notice each new quirk and phase that she goes through. She is all about the "mamamamama" and "dadadada" and every once in a while it's "nana" so I can't help but call her "Nana" now and then. She is crawling like crazy and getting into anything and everything. This last month she was kind of flirting around with the whole crawling thing because her preferred method of transportation was rolling, as she could literally roll to wherever she wanted to go, but finally she came around to the idea of crawling. Her little red knees are a constant reminder that she is growing up so, sooo fast (and that I need to put up the baby gates soon!).
Every once in a while I catch her doing a fake cry (or at least I choose not to believe that the tearless cry is real). She gets a cheeseball look on her face and it sounds more like a whine and then I call her out on it and blow a raspberry somewhere on her skin and she forgets what she was fake crying about.
And speaking of, she is all about blowing raspberries. She thinks it's hilarious, especially when Aaron does it, and just recently started to blow raspberries herself! At first she would put her mouth on my arm or leg and make a humming noise with her mouth but then she figured out the whole blowing thing and now is a legit raspberry blower. It's the best.
And I think she will be taking after dad in the driving department. When she first started to walk around in her car walker she was looking a lot like I do when I push her around in a stroller--running into everything and constantly get stuck on random crap. But I am seriously amazed at how well she navigates around the living room and through the dinning room and kitchen. When she gets stuck on the rug or something she will scoot herself back and either go around or try to charge again in the same direction but with more force. And she only crashes into things on purpose--like when she chases the dogs while they are trying to eat or charges into my legs while I'm trying to cook.
When we hold her up from her arms or underarms, she is definitely putting one foot in front of the other and trying to walk. But for now we are still enjoying our baby-gate-free home.
We are so excited that in less than a month we will be visiting Aaron's family on the east coast and that Bendelle will be meeting people she has never met before! It has been years since Aaron has been back home so we are super crazy excited to do some of our favorite things in NJ, but with a baby this time around! Shortly after we get back, Bendelle and I will be visiting my family for a little reunion, celebrating my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary in Colorado. Even though Aaron won't be joining us on the trip, I am excited to spend quality time with family members I don't get to see often (and who will finally be able to meet Bendelle). Plus I will be flying with my sister, so I will have an extra set of hands to help with traveling with Bendelle if needed!
Right now we are just so excited for everything summer has to offer and embracing everyday and every stage of development with Bendelle! :)
PS- She sings :) In the morning I listen to her talk through the monitor as she wakes up in her room. She talks a lot. She'll go on and on and on. And every once in a while I hear her sing. She carries a little tune and her voice gets a little higher and my heart simply melts. My sweet, sweet girl.
Memorial Day always feels like the unofficial first day of summer--and honestly, I don't think I've ever been so excited for warm weather! There is something about baby skin and sunshine that just makes me happy. I am loving dressing Bendelle in short sleeves and bloomers, loving being able to spend more time outdoors together, and also loving not having to turn on the heat and burn through our propane tank! Wohoo!
I cannot believe that Bendelle will be 8 months in less than two weeks. Time just seems to be flying by, but I am enjoying getting to experience all the holidays and seasons with a baby for the first time. And now that summer is (almost) here, it's all about the dresses, tank tops and shorts for Belles. I am constantly reminding myself to keep a bottle of baby sunblock in the diaper bag at all times! And I must say, I just love the way she smells when she's lathered in sunblock!
We went on a hike the other day which was kind of a shitshow because we brought the dogs and it was at least 85 degrees so they had to stop every 3 minutes and drink water. On top of that, the sunblock that I used was attracting bugs so Bendelle and I were being hunted by flies the whole time. All in all we only hiked for about 45 minutes but somehow we still had a good time. I think as long as we spend some time outside as a family everyone is happy. :)
In about a month we will be heading to the East Coast to visit Aaron's family, and it will be the first time most of them will meet Bendelle! I am not looking forward to the plane ride, but for once I am thankful we have a layover so we'll be able to move around with her and hopefully she won't be as bored as she would have been on a nonstop flight. I am already thinking about what to bring and what we'll be able to leave behind--we've never flown with a baby but I know our luggage will now double with Bendelle!
I am definitely excited for summer BBQs and maybe a trip or two to Temecula for wine tasting this season. Bring on the sunshine :)
Bendelle turned 7 months old on Mother's Day and all of a sudden I feel like she's a big girl. Is she really 7 months already?? Same kind of feeling I had this year after turning 26--am I really not in my early 20s anymore??
She is sitting up on her own (with occasional falls every now and then), has discovered a new body part--her tongue--and has found it amusing to stick it out and blow bubbles at all the right moments.
One of my new favorite things that she does is her "feisty face," as I like to call it.
It's her funny/crazy/mad scientist/insane look that is accompanied by heavy breathing and it gets me every time.
She is a big eater (as she has always been) and is really loving her veggies, fruits and baby oatmeal. And I am really loving the fact that I have about 15 bibs that I once thought was more than I'd need. Oh boy was I wrong!
She still loves her baths and has started vigorously splashing around with her hands and feet. I have just started to let her sit up in the bath, and I swear she would sit there all day splashing in the water if she could.
She enjoys playing with toys more than ever and is always testing out what tastes good. She has a blast ripping off her shoes and chewing on them--especially if they are leather--and will snatch any kind of paper product she can and try to eat it before I notice.
I am loving being able to see more of her personality as she gets older. She is a very animated, opinionated, determined, and adorable little heartthrob that I can't get enough of. And I love her more and more each and every day.
This year was my very first Mother's Day as a mom! I can't tell you how incredibly special I felt waking up that morning knowing I was part of the "mom's club," and baby girl must have known what was up because she even slept in!
Mother's Day weekend was spent in Seal Beach at my mom's house. It was snowing at our house when we left, and I was honestly anxious to escape to the beach because even the marine layer and 67 degree weather upon arrival felt like summer compared to our cool mountain weather as of late. And who doesn't want to see exposed baby skin? Rolls for days.
Our weekend consisted of shopping, frozen yogurt, eating at all our favorite spots on Main St., tons of beach walks, going out for drinks, and spending an evening at my favorite restaurant with our best friends while my mom babysat Bendelle-- Happy Mother's Day to me!
Mother's Day I was so happy because Aaron took the dogs on an early walk and let me sleep in while he made breakfast with Noelle for everyone. I also got so many sweet calls and texts from people wishing me happy mother's day, which made me feel so loved and special. After breakfast my mom, sister, Aaron and I (and Bendelle of course) decided to take all four of our dogs to dog beach! We left earlier than we usually go and got great parking and had a blast. It honestly fills my heart with joy when I see our pups gallivanting along the water, chasing each other and playing with other dogs, simply having the time of their lives.
And Belles was thoroughly entertained the whole time!
Aaron was so sweet and got me a thoughtful card and beautiful gold necklace with Bendelle's birthstones for MD. It's such unique and beautiful piece, just like my precious girl ;)
We strolled down Main St. and relaxed most of the afternoon before going out for drinks in the evening. I am noticing as she gets older, her patience is dwindling away at the dinner table. We struggled a little bit with her which only made me even more thankful that my mom watched her the previous night when we went out!
The past week and a half I have been feeling under the weather--some days are worse than others (headaches and sore throats), but I am honestly so glad we spent the weekend at the beach. With my mamma, as a mom on Mother's Day, what better way could it have been spent?
