Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree....

Elaina going 'round circles

helping papa and nana put on the lights

Ta da! Our super cute tree!

James, I, & Elaina went to buy our cute little Douglas Fir Tree yesterday. Elaina was really "es-cig-ged" which translates to excited. We drove to one tree lot that was really expense first, then quickly realized they were priced way more than we wanted to spend, so we all headed to Home Depot. There was a big blow up Santa Claus on display which Elaina LOVED! She told me "I wanna see Ho Ho Ho". "Wook! there's Sana Cause, There he is!"

We found perfect shaped 6 foot tree for about $25 bucks, what a deal. While James was paying, Elaina decided she wanted to "go 'round circles". So random, huh? It was really cute, though. Anyway, I was a lot of fun for all of us.

Merry Christmas!

Bye-Bye Crib

My baby girl has reached yet another milestone in her young life, Sunday night I converted Elaina's crib into a daybed by removing one side of the crib railing. She was so excited and "helped" me too. We all made a big fuss over her new "Big Girl" bed and she was so proud of herself and her big girl bed that she was jumping and giggling all over the place. She kept calling everyone in the house to "come look". It was so cute!

She did so great the first night sleeping in her bed, we weren't sure if she would roll out of it or not so we put padding on the floor, but she didn't need it. In the morning when she woke up, I don't know why but she knocked on her bedroom door instead of just opening it and letting herself out. She knows how to open all the doors in the house now, even the front door and sliding glass door. It was kinda funny when I heard her though.

And this morning, after her second night in her big girl bed, she woke up and let herself out of her room and wondered over to my room to wake me up and tell me she needed a new diaper. LOL (so grown up).

I can't believe how time flies. I am so proud of my big girl!

We love you, baby!

Giving Thanks

What a great Thanksgiving this year! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at James' parents house in the afternoon and then drove up to Big Bear to the cabin that my sister and brother-in-law rented this year to have a second Thanksgiving dinner with my family. This was the first Thanksgiving we went to Big Bear for Thanksgiving and it was so much fun. The cabin was beautiful and dinner was great. After dinner, we all curled up on the floor together in front of the fireplace and watched a movie together. Elaina had so much fun and was such a good girl. She was talking so much and so well, she had everyone laughing because she talks so cute. She would say things like "I want punkin pie" and "tewky". My brother-in-law thought it was so funny the way she was trying to wake me up in the morning saying "come on mommie, come on". James, I and Elaina only spent one night up there and we went home on Friday. The next day we heard from my sister and my mom and everyone who stayed that it snowed on Saturday! I guess that was a little bummer because it would have been cool for Elaina to see snow for the first time, but I am glad we did not get stuck up there because they were not letting anyone down the hill without chains. Oh well, We are planning on going back up there again soon anyway. Hopefully we can see the snow soon.

I love Thanksgiving and I am truly grateful for all the blessings in our lives. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful child that I love more than anything. We have a great family and very supportive, loving parents. We have our health and the ability to provide for ourselves and our daughter. I am thankful for the time we spend with our family and the joy and laughter it brings. I am thankful that we are instilling in our daughter the tradition of family holidays.

"Family begins and ends with Love"

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Elaina is 2!

Wishing my beautiful baby girl a very Happy 2nd Birthday!

Love you, love you, love you

XOXOXOXOXOX

Growing up so fast.. Now your 2.......November 3, 2009

First Birthday....November 3, 2008

Love at first sight.....November 3, 2007

Before I was a Mom.......

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I never got up in the middle of the night just to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Sweet Dreams tonight to my Beautiful Birthday Girl!

XOXOXOX

Happy Halloween 2009!

Last night was so much fun. It was Elaina's first time trick-or-treating and she did so great. It's funny how quickly so got the idea of it. I was so proud of her that she was not scared or nervous or shy. She was very polite and thanked everyone who gave her a piece of candy (what a good girl). We went to a few house and then to the carnival at Rose Drive Friends Christian Church. They had jumpers, which of course was her favorite thing. She LOVES the jumper/bounce houses! On our way home, we stopped at a few more houses for some more trick-or-treating. I am not sure what time it was when we got home but I am pretty sure it was after her bedtime, but I decided to let her stay up anyway (it was a holiday after all), so we got in our pjs and put on a movie. To my surprise, she stayed awake through the whole movie! She loved it and went right to bed afterward, knocked out like a champ! We all had a such a great time. It was a lot of fun trick-or-treating, and I would have to say it was the best Halloween ever!

Can't wait til next year!

Irvine Railroad Pumpkin Patch Sunday 10/17/09

Gymboree Pumpkin Party Saturday 10/17/09

Birthday Celebration!

Wednesday was my Birthday and I could not think of a better way to spend it than to take Elaina to Disneyland for the very first time. Since Disneyland offers the free admission on your birthday, it was the perfect opportunity to do just that. So my Mom and I and Elaina went to Disneyland, just us girls b/c daddy had to work. It happened to be a little cloudy and rainy on Wednesday but I didn't care. We got a little drizzled on in the early afternoon, but the rain stopped by 2:00pm. It certainly didn't stop the crowds either.

Elaina was really excited as soon as we walked up to the entrance and she saw the many pumpkins. Once we were inside we hit the shops on main street first and bought a few souvenirs. Then we were off to fantasyland. We went on "It's a small world". Elaina absolutely loved it. She tried to sing along to the song and she was rocking along with the melody. She was in awe. It was exactly the kind of reaction I was hoping to see. She was a little less thrilled when we went on Snow White. I told my mom it was going to be scary, but she did not remember that most of the ride is in the dark forest with the wicked witch lurking and at every turn. Elaina did not cry, but she put her little hands over her face the whole time. I was actually really proud of her for being so brave. But I have to say I think her favorite ride had to be Dumbo. She loved it! We had to wait our turn and It was so hard to explain the concept of waiting in line to an almost 2 year old. Once it was our turn she was so happy and excited the whole ride. then as we were making our way to the exit she started climbing in another Dumbo, but that still didn't stop her. Once we got out of the exit she made her way back down the stairs trying to get back on again. LOL.

Her other favorite highlights of the day were the finding Nemo submarine ride, the dance party parade, the firework show, the jungle cruise, the buses, the horses on main street, her blinking light necklace, and her balloon.

My highlights of the day were seeing her reaction to all of the above, spending time with my mom, free admission, my Birthday button, and getting myself an annual pass. I used my free birthday ticket admission towards a So Cal Select annual pass and I only paid the difference of $72. That will pay for it's self in one visit!

All in all the day was great. It is the happiest place on earth even on wet cloudy days. It was a long exhausting day but totally worth it! I am going back again later tonight and on Monday too. I gotta take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend since I am off work anyway and I have an annual pass now. It will be like a do-over since we did not have sunny weather on Wednesday. LOL. Here are some of our pics.


Our buttons --> Mine says "Happy Birthday" Hers says "1st Visit"I love how she is grabbing hold of Nana's hand and running like hell away from Goofy. LOL :)

Her reaction to Goofy was priceless! She wanted to see him but only at a safe distance. below is the before pic and the after is above.

Thank You Dr. Quan

I love Elaina's pediatrician. I emailed her to ask her advise on what to do about the sleeping issue we were having and she recommended to get her back on her regular sleep routine as soon as possible using the sleep training Ferber method and low and behold 3 days later it worked like a charm.
The first night she cried for about 30 minutes, the second night about 15 minutes, tonight less than 1 minute. I am so proud of her. The doctor said I would see results in 1-2 weeks and it only took 3 nights.
I should have done it a week ago but I was so apprehensive about it. I should have know it would work again. It worked for us the first time we tried when Elaina was about 9 months old.
I LOVE Dr. Quan! It was her that gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to do what need to be done for my baby.

Yah!

Bedtime Battles

Elaina has not been sleeping very well lately so I have been too exhausted to blog much. She is teething again and she started waking up in the middle of the night several times in the last 3 weeks, so neither one of has gotten very much sleep these days. She has really gotten off track with her sleeping habits so I am trying my best to get us both back on track again. It is still a work in progress.

Stay tuned

Wish us luck :)

GGMA turns 90!

This past weekend we celebrated James' Grandma Lucille's 90th birthday. We call her GGMA (short for great-grandma). It was a lovely day, warm and sunny. We had lunch on the patio followed by birthday cake. Elaina helped her blow out her candles, too. It was a great day to remember and I am so happy that we all got the chance to be there for it. I can already imagine myself looking back on this picture with Elaina when she is all grown up and telling her about how amazing her GGMA is and how lucky we are to have her. I will tell her about how GGMA is so computer savvy, she created James' business cards on her computer (I don't even know how to do that) and she creates personalized photo greeting cards for all us for every occasion. James will surely tell her that it was his Grandma that taught him how to play tennis and golf and about the time when she took him to a speed reading class when he was a child. Plus many other great stories too. She is truly a treasure in our family and someone we all aspire to be like.

May we all live long and happy lives too!

Elaina is 22 months!

Elaina is 22 months old today. She is growing up so fast. It is hard to believe her 2nd birthday is only 2 months away.

Here is a post dedicated to my beautiful baby girl. An excerpt from one of our favorite books.....

I love you through and through......
I love your top side.
I love your bottom side.
I love your inside and outside.
I love your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side.
I love your fingers and toes, your ears and nose. I love your hair and eyes, your giggles and cries. I love you running and walking, silent and talking. I love you through and through..... yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too.

With love from,
Mama
xoxoxoxox

Sun, Sand, & Elephants?

This passed weekend the three of us took a trip to San Diego. James stayed out there all week last week because he is working out there on the night shift, so Elaina & I drove out there just the two of us on Friday night after 8 o'clock to meet up with him. She slept pretty much the whole way down there which took a little over an hour & 1/2 to get there and she woke up when I started to unload her and our all of our stuff. James was at work already so I did it all by myself. Elaina ended up staying up until James got home around midnight, so that made them both happy to see each other when he got home.

Our hotel was a little older and you could tell it was probably very popular with the spring break crowd, so it was nothing special but you couldn't beat the view. We were right on the beach and we had a view of the beach from our balcony. We were literally a hop, skip, and jump away from the ocean.

Saturday was our first full day in San Diego and we started the day by heading to the San Diego Zoo. I can not remember the last time I visited the Zoo, I think I was around Elaina's age, so it was very excited experience for me as well as Elaina. It was sooooo hot that day but we slather ourselves with sunblock and threw on our hat and glasses to fight of the sun and heat. We took the guided bus tour first, Elaina was thrilled to ride on the bus. We saw some amazing animals like the Malaysian tiger, African elephants, giraffes, monkeys, & flamingos, just to name a few. Elaina was quietly taking it all in and when I asked her to point out the elephants or giraffes, she would point right at them! I keep asking her do you see the elephants? she would nod her head yes. Then I would ask where is the elephant and she would point them out.

We left the Zoo a little early because of the heat which was a little disappointing because there was so much we did not get a chance to see (like the Polar Bears & Pandas), but, I guarantee we will be back again soon. I loved the experience and I can't wait for us all to go back.

After the zoo we spent time in the hotel pool and later down at the beach. It was Elaina first time at the beach. She loved the dry sand, but did not like the wet sand down by the water's edge. She kept telling me "yuck, mommy, yuck" because she did not like they it felt on her bare feet. I have to say her reaction to it was priceless, I could not stop laughing.

After dinner, we ended up renting a movie in our room "Monster vs. Aliens" which Daddy did not make it through. He crashed out half way through the movie. So, it was just us girls watching the movie together, so fun. We all shared a king sized bed together, with Elaina in the middle taking up most of the room. It was a treat for all us to sleep in the same bed together, kinda like a living room camp out or something.

Sunday was our day to head home and relax. Elaina spent some more time in the spa when we got home. I tell you that kid must be part fish. She loves the water!

All in all it was a such great weekend. I love that Elaina is getting older. It has opened up so many more possibilities for us to plan outings and do more things together as a family and it really feels good. I love that we have many more years of these family trips to look forward to and experience, but most of all I love that we are creating memories that will last a lifetime. I could not be happier or more content with our lives right now, at this moment in time.


(sorry I do not have any pictures to post of us at the Zoo, my battery in our camera died. I think I only got 2 pics all weekend....bummer)

(new pics will be posted soon)

Girl's Night

Elaina & I had an awesome "Girl's Night Out" Friday night. Since Daddy has been working nights lately, us girls went out to movies in the park just the two of us. It was so much fun, we grabbed a lawn chair, a blanket, & our warm clothes and watched a one of Elaina's favorite movies, Kung Fu Panda, right there, under the stars. Elaina loved it too, she said it was "Cool Mommy, Cool". She stayed up past her bedtime and watched the whole movie and was such a good girl. When we got home she couldn't wait to tell her Papa and Nana all about it. It is such an amazing and proud feeling to have a special night out my daughter, my little girl. Memories like that will always be close to my heart and even though I know she won't remember this particular night out, I hope that someday when she is all grown up she will have a lot of special memories of us and that it will bring a smile to her heart too. Maybe she'll say "My Mom & I always had special times together".

My beautiful baby is growing up so fast. sigh

XOXOX........ I Love you, Baby Girl!

My Little Budding Artist

Lately, Elaina has been exploring her creative side in the form of drawing and coloring. She has been playing outside with sidewalk chalk for several months, but now she is using crayons, pens & markers on paper. She absolutely loves it and I am so proud of her one-of-kind creations and excellent fine motor skills. I love to see how happy & excited she is when she is drawing. I am defintely the kind of mom that will encourage my child to explore and be creative whether it is with art, dance, music, or whatever. I really want to nurture that side of her, she is an explorer by nature. It is her personality. And if she gets a little messy along the way, so be it.

I am so proud of her beautiful masterpieces, that I just had to post a couple for your viewing pleasure. LOL

A Look Back

And I thought I Loved you then......



Last week James & celebrated our 2nd Wedding anniversary (July 8th) by going out to dinner just the two of us while my mom babysat Elaina. It was a nice evening to spend some time together, even if we didn't do to much. The last 2 years flew by so fast especially since we became parents only 4 months after we got married. What an amazing time in our lives, to get married and welcome a child in the same year. It was such a beautiful Wedding. I am very blessed to have a husband and family that love me so much. James is my best friend, lover, and father of my child, he is my whole world.

Now your my whole life, now your my whole world.

I just can't believe the way I feel about you.

Like the river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been.

And I thought Loved you then.

Playdate Pals

We had a super fun playdate last weekend with Tessa. The girls looked so cute in their swimsuits and playing in the water. They even said each others names. Tessa says "Aina" and Elaina says "Tesstha". I love how they play together and I look forward to many years of birthday parties, sleep-overs, and playdates to come (just like Tessa's mommy & I did as kids). 

Tessa is 14 months & Elaina is 19 months (in these pics).

Elaina is 20 months old today (07/03/09) :)

Sweet Sunny Days

Today was such a fun day! James and I took the day off and decided to take Elaina to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach! It was the first time any of us had been there and it was so cool. Elaina was so excited to see the bright colored tropical fish and she got right up close to the glass. She is not timid or scared at all. The only problem was that when it was time to move on to the next attraction she did not want to go back in her stroller. There was also the bird exhibit that she really liked because there are hundreds of beautiful colorful birds flying freely all around you and they literally get within inches of you (some even landed other people). But, I think her most favorite thing at the Aquarium was the play area near the shark lagoon. There is a wooden boat to play in and climb on along with other sea life figures to play and climb on. All the kids there loved the boat and I don't think any of them wanted to leave (go figure)! My favorite attraction had to be the Seals & Sea Lions, they were adorable, hugging and kissing each other swimming right up to the glass and everything! Very cute. We even had lunch there, but, then it was time for Elaina's nap (actually it was passed her nap time and she was getting a little cranky). We bought her a cute t-shirt as a souvenir of trip and then left and walked around for a little while outside so Elaina could fall asleep, which was not very long at all (she was so tired).  I hope we get to go back again soon (next time after Elaina's nap though). 

It was such a beautiful & warm day that when we got home Elaina got to go in the spa with her Papa, one of her favorite things to do. She absolutely loves the water. And James & I went to the movies and saw Transformers 2 (it was a really cool movie). 

It was truly a Sweet Sunny Day & I hope to have many, many more like them! :)

Love, Patience, & Understanding

Now that Elaina is in her 2nd year of life she is showing signs of the "terrible twos". I use to think that the "terrible twos" started after they turn 2 years old, but that is just not so. I really don't think that it is all that bad though (hoping it doesn't get to much worse). I understand that this is something that all kids and parents go through. All she wants is to be understood, but she does not quite know how to express her wants and needs yet. It helps to remind myself of that and it helps to know I am not alone. What I have learned is the key to getting through this phase in our lives is Love, Patience, and Understanding. I know that my baby needs me to comfort her when she gets frustrated and I try to be there for her, hold her close, and try not to lose my patience. Other times she doesn't want me to hold her at all, so I just let her cry it out. Parenting is certainly not an easy job, that's for sure, But it absolutely worth it.  Nothing brings me as much joy as my baby girl does and when I am in a bad mood, her beautiful smile lifts me up and makes everything better. I know that this to shall pass and I think I will actually miss this time in our lives one day. Someday she will not want to be with me every second of the day and cry to be close to me like she does now. So I will cherish it for as long as I can. :)

Thank God for Love, Patience, and Understanding!

Elaina is 19 months

I can not believe how fast time goes! I know every parent says the same thing, but it is astonishing! Elaina is really growing up so fast and becoming her own little person. She has her own personality and likes and dislikes. She is talking so much these days and she understands even more. She is also going thru some challenging phases too like her "no" phase, throwing toys, and the occasional tantrum. She doesn't quite understand the concept of sharing yet either, but we are working on it. I know that this is just a part of her toddlerhood and that it will pass. I love all of her cute little gestures, like when she says phese (please) or puts her arms up and says hoo hoo! Thinking about those things get me through the work day and put a smile on my face until I get to come home and find her waiting for me. I melt when I walk through the door and she runs into my arms and yells "mama". She gives me the biggest hug and is so excited to see me and I can't help but to kiss her a million times. We really share such a beautiful strong bond, the kind of bond I always dreamed of having with my daughter and hope it only continues to grow stronger as she gets older and that she always feels that she can come to me for anything. I can't imagine my life without her and I feel so blessed to be her Mom. 

      (I love you baby!) 

Adventure City!

Elaina got to experience her first visit to a theme park this weekend. We took her to Adventure City in Buena Park on Saturday. Adventure City is so cute, it is all about little kids with little rides. It is kind of like if Camp Snoopy at Knotts Berry Farm, except without the ticket prices and big rides for older kids and adults. I think she really liked it. There were a couple of rides that we took her on that she was a little nervous on but she didn't cry, she just kinda held on tight to one us until it was over. She was also a little unsure of the farm animals at the petting zoo, but, she really wasn't scared of them. We got there right when they opened at 11 am and were done by 1 pm. Elaina went on all the rides she was big enough for (which was all of them except 2 rides I think) and then she was ready for her nap. All-in-all we had a great time and I can't wait to go back. It is a steal compared to other parks at $15 a ticket. Here are some great pics. :) 

She held on to me for dear life on the Carousel ride, she really did not like the school bus (it was really fast and I think we were both a little scared on that one), she loved the rescue cars and the train rides, but her favorite thing was....... the Thomas the train table set (not even a ride, go figure!) 

Meet Elaina

She loves......

being outside

running 

jumping 

climbing

laughing/giggling

long walks in her new stroller

books

bath time

animals

other babies

hugs (she give the best hugs!)

She is Daddy's girl and Mommy's world, and oh how we love her so! :)