She is so big, my little one.
I can't believe she is standing, so eager to walk (but that's nothing new) ;) She loves to be surrounded by people and craves her freedom. She is happiest when she can roam freely and explore the things she knows she probably shouldn't be playing with. She is wild and brave. She's fearless, like I think a baby should be.
She is our little mountain climber--there isn't a flight of stairs that she would hesitate taking on. And she scales them fast, and is eager to do it again and again.
Looking back at the first couple of months of her life, it doesn't even seem like that delicate little baby in the pictures is really her. But then I'll look at a photo and catch a glimpse of that curiosity that sparkles in her eyes, and I'm reminded that this is the same girl--big personality compacted in a tiny little body that is rapidly growing.
She loves to open cupboards (and empty them), stand up in her bath, dig through the fridge and will play in any water she can get her hands in (which means the poor pups are constantly missing their water dish). She is such a rascal, and oh-so feisty!
My heart is so full of love for her and it is such an overwhelmingly wonderful feeling. More than ever I have just wanted to hit pause and enjoy every moment of this age together as much as I can. Having a child really is a roller coaster of emotions (and I know I'm just at the beginning), and it is something that as best as I try, I can't describe the beauty of it. I will never take being a mother for granted. Ever. It is the greatest gift I have ever been given. And I feel so blessed that I have an incredible man by my side to raise her with.
This is happiness in its truest form. This is what life is all about.
A little late, but better than never, right?
At the end of July my grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary and invited everyone in the family to go to Colorado and join them. It was a wild ride, the trip kicking off with my grandpa having a small heart attack which kept him away from the fun and family for a couple of days and to his dismay, unable to check off river rafting from his bucket list. But when he was finally able to celebrate his marriage at the big anniversary dinner my aunt and uncle hosted for everyone, gratitude was written all over his face. He was humbled by his health, but soaking in the love from his family and it was such a beautiful moment to be a part of. Watching my grandparents that evening (and over the years) has taught me a lot about patience, love and selflessness. No love story is perfect by any means, but through the highs and lows they have sixty years of marriage to set as an example for their children and their children's children. Joining hands in a circle of prayer that evening before dinner, our large family taking over the whole banquet room, my grandfather's aged fingers delicately holding Bendelle's small, chubby hand, was such a proud and emotional moment. My family, generations, filling this space with laughter and love.
Bendelle and I spent five days in Colorado, staying with my sister, cousins, father and grandparents at my aunt and uncle's beautiful new (and huge) home. It was eventful yet somehow relaxing all at once. It was so nice to have my dad around and spend time with Bendelle and watch her bond with him so quickly.
We spent our days taking long walks, shopping downtown, playing corn hole, going horseback riding, exploring beautiful Estes Park (home of the Stanley Hotel--The Shining, anyone?), getting ice cream, swimming in the reservoir, touring Celestial tea factory, exploring downtown Boulder, eating some amazing food, and spending quality time with family.
I also loved our impromptu family game night, drinking wine and watching The Bachelorette finale (eekkk!), going on a sunset run with my dad, and shopping with my sister and Bendelle.
Overall I had a blast and wish that Aaron could have been there to enjoy it too. Can't wait to visit again :)
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.
