Hearing Things???

Being a mom has given me increased sensitivity in my hearing or "spidey" senses is how another mom referred to it in her blog.  So today, I was watching TV and eating lunch when I thought I heard crying.  I muted the TV to listen... only to remember Leah was in day care today!!!  Oh man, I think I'm losing it!  Anyone else ever imagine they hear crying??

Yamashiro Farmers Market

I'm excited that the Yamashiro Farmers Market is back up and running!  We went a few times last year to check out the view, eat, and wine taste.  Back then it was easy to just decide to go somewhere and go.  When you don't have a baby, you never think about whether a venue is baby friendly or not.  When we decided to go today, I was a little hesitant but decided to give it a try.

Last year they had a huge parking issue.  Even though valet was only like $3, it was so crowded that it took us over 30 minutes once to get our car.  This year they changed their strategy, they now have a parking lot below the hill, and they shuttle guests for free to the market.  SMART!!  Unfortunately, kids under 5 years are not allowed on the shuttle.  So, I thought we were going to have to fork over the $15 to valet.  Once we got there, we found out that since we had a baby, parking was only $5!  Score!

All I could remember from before is that there were stairs to get down to the farmers market.  I wasn't sure whether we could bring the stroller or if we needed to put Leah in the carrier.  When we parked, we asked one of the valet guys if there was a ramp so that we could bring the stroller.  A super nice lady who overheard us pointed to the ramp and said there were tons of strollers. 

So when we finally got to the farmers market area, it was like stroller city!  There were tons of strollers, kids, babies everywhere!!  I totally do not remember that many kids being there before.  We got some food, shared a table with another friendly family, and enjoyed the scene.

Photo Courtesy of Yamashiro Restaurant

6 Months!

My little critter bug is 6 months today!  I know I say this every month, but seriously, where has the time gone?  She's wearing size 2 diapers, is 26.5 inches, and 14 lbs 10.2 ounces.  She's on the lean side but tall for her age.  I've put away a bunch of clothes that don't fit her anymore to make room for the 6-12 month clothes. 

Along with rice cereal, she now eats oatmeal, peas, and today we're starting sweet potatoes.  It took her a day or two to enjoy the peas, but now she gets impatient if I take to0 long to give her the next bite.  Her bottom 2 teeth are coming in and she's getting close to sitting up on her own.  She can sit for a few seconds, then when she tries to go grab something she'll fall over. 

This girl is starting to get LOUD.  She babbles a lot, and she's found her inner opera voice.  She'll make this super high pitched sound that almost shatters the glass.  I feel like I need ear plugs sometimes.  I can't complain though - I have to remember she's learning.  She loves songs and gets super giggly whenever we sing any type of song.  She also likes rough play (must get it from daddy).  Whenever we're at Gymboree, the activities she seems to like the most are the ones where she's bouncing, jumping, shaking, and wiggling.     

HAPPY 6 MONTHS BABY!

Ouch!

Leah's bottom two teeth are breaking through!  A couple weeks ago, I noticed she seemed extra drooly, and sometimes it felt like she was pinching me when nursing.  Whenever I felt her gums, however, I could not feel anything.  Finally, today, I felt the sharp edges of teeth!  Unfortunately, the biting is more uncomfortable, especially when she gets distracted and decides she wants to move her head while she's nursing.  :(  I keep trying to take pictures, but whenever I pull her lip down, she covers her teeth with her tongue!  Tricky girl!

Happy Mother's Day!

It was so weird being celebrated as one of the moms today.  When I dropped off Leah at day care on Thursday, they handed me a card made out of her hand.  My very first Mother's Day card!  I started tearing up immediately when I saw it.  I've become such a sap these days.  

Saturday, my parents came up to babysit Leah so that Matt and I could eat lunch and watch a movie.  We watched the ballet documentary "First Position."  It was a great film that reflected my life growing up.  I'm amazed that Matt even enjoyed it!  Sunday, after church, we drove down to La Palma to eat lunch with my side of the family.  Then we went to Matt's mom's house to celebrate Mother's Day with his side. 

San Diego - Again

San Diego seems to be our go to destination for a quick get away lately.  It's an easy drive, beautiful, and we get a chance to see some friends and family.  We were suppose to go to North Carolina for a wedding this weekend, but as we started to plan out the logistics, it just seemed too stressful with a 5 month old.  We stayed at the Hotel del Coronado which is such a great hotel for families.  It seemed like everyone there had a stroller in tow. 

We drove down early Friday morning so that we could take advantage of some pool time.  Matt got into the pool first and then I handed Leah to him.  She was not happy!  She started wailing immediately.  I think the sudden rush of the water was not a very pleasant experience.  Matt quickly got out and handed her to me to calm her down.  First attempt - fail.  We decided to call it a day after that.

Saturday, we ate breakfast with an old friend of mine, Angela.  Everytime she sees Leah, she always has a gift in hand!  This time it was a cute spring dress.  This little girl is so spoiled.   We haven't seen each other since Christmas, so it was a great time catching up.  

That afternoon, we decided to try the pool thing one more time.  We needed to change our strategy however.  This time, Matt sat by the pool and held her.  We would rub some of the water on her to get her used to the feeling.  Then we slowly brought her in the water - feet first, legs, butt, etc.  I accompanied them in the water and made faces at her to keep her distracted from what was happening.  Success!  She was laughing, smiling and checking out the scene.  Whew!  

In the evening, we went to Steve and Autumn's BBQ.  The minute we got there, Leslie took Leah and held her for a good 10-15 minutes.  That gave us a chance to sit down and eat peacefully. :)  Thanks Leslie!  From all the excitement at the pool that afternoon, Leah was starting to get really tired and she feel asleep in the Bjorn the rest of the time - even with the music blasting!  Since I was carrying her, I was unable to take any pictures, but we all had a good time.  Happy Birthday, Autumn!

Day Care!

Leah started day care this week.  It has probably been one of the most stressful things I've had to do since giving birth to her.  It took me about 2-3 months to finally find a day care I was happy with.  When I was still looking for places that were on my route to work, these places seemed dirty, unorganized, and too small.  One home day care only used this tiny living room area as the "day care" section.  When I asked to tour the place, the girl said "Oh, that's it."  I was thinking "Seriously? Do you expect the kids to sit in one place all day?"  Another place had a big sign that said "Please take off your shoes."  At first I had walked in and didn't notice the sign, then when I saw it I said "Oh, sorry!  Do you need me to take off my shoes?"  The lady said "Nope.  Don't worry about it."  Hmm okay another red flag.  I was getting pretty discouraged.

Once I made the decision to resign, I broadened my range and found one.  I was happy with the administration, cleanliness, size, and amount of activity they provide for the kids.  I was also really impressed with how happy the babies seemed to be.  They all greeted me with big smiles and waves, kept giving hugs to the day care workers, and were excited to see Leah.  The mothers I called for references all gave me raving reviews.  I finally found a place I felt comfortable with.

I was anxious the entire week leading up to Leah's first day.  I showed up the day before her first official day to ease her into the new environment.  We stayed for a couple hours, introduced her to the care givers, and let her observe her surroundings.

Finally, the big day came.  I opened the door and was greeted by all the cute kids.  Leah stared intently at all of them.  One of the care givers took her from my arms and Leah didn't flinch.  She gave everyone a big smile and continued to look around.  After about 15 minutes, I kissed her good-bye and left.  I broke down in tears the minute I left the building.  I even got on the wrong freeway because I was too busy thinking about how bad I felt.  The entire day I felt uneasy.  I didn't want to be one of those mothers who called every 5 minutes, but I did call once at noon to see how she was doing.  They told me she was doing great, drank her bottle, and took a nap.  When the time came to pick her up, I was expecting to see her crying, but nope!  She was happily hanging out in the swing.  When she saw me, I got the biggest smile ever.  Yay!  The first day was a success!  I'm so proud of her.