A Life In Motion

The Craziest Month Ever....

2010-08-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't even know where to begin! July and August have been nothing but a non-stop whirlwind and we are finally coming up for air! I guess, let's start at the beginning.....

On July 28th, our sweet baby Bella turned two. I am still in shock that I have a two-year-old! I still remember the day I found out I was pregnant and now, this tiny little creature is a walking, talking, singing, dancing and jumping ball of energy with her own opinions, ideas and creations. It's truly amazing to look back over the past two years and see how she has changed and grown.

We had a house full of guests for her birthday. Her Abuelita and Abuelito flew in from New Jersey and her Meme and Papa flew in from Texas. Bella was over the moon with all the company and attention and loved playing with both sets of grandparents. We took a trip down to the beach and spent some time on the Santa Monica Pier, riding the Ferris Wheel and letting Bella ride some of the kid rides. She LOVES to go fast on the rides and shows no fear.

We also took a trip to one of our favorite places, Huntington Gardens, and this is a great shot of Bella, her Daddy and her Abuelita and Abuelito on the bridge in the Chinese garden. Bella is waving and has no clue who she is waving too.

On July 31st we celebrated Bella's birthday at Amy's Playground in Pasadena. Almost all of Bella's buddies were able to attend and she had a blast. She fell in love with the jumper and even went down on her belly a few times! What a big girl!

Her color scheme was yellow and purple and her cake was covered in dots. We had two cakes, one was vanilla with a strawberry filling and the other was a carrot cake...both so yummy and to die for!

After the party was over, I thought that all the grandparents, Ray, myself, Suzy and Bella were going out to enjoy a nice dinner before Ray's parents left for Jersey the next day. Much to my surprise, it was a baby shower for our newest addition! I was totally shocked and had no idea what was coming! Thanks to Maritza and Willie for pulling off the first official surprise party I've ever had and thanks to all my friends and family for being a part of the celebration!

Bella's gift from Daddy and Mommy for her birthday was an outdoor playhouse. I love this picture of her! She has all sorts of play food and the house even has a doorbell.

At the beginning of August, we decided that we needed to make the most of our time as a family of three. We have been really busy on the weekends, taking outings to the zoo and the beach. Here is one of my favorite pictures of Bella and her daddy in Long Beach. So cute!

And here is our two-year-old making a funny smiling face while riding in the car. This is the first picture where she really looks older to me. Maybe it's because the hair is straighter and not her normal "out of control hot mess," but she is starting to look more like a little girl and less like that newborn we brought home two years ago. However, no matter how old she gets, she will always be our little girl.

July 4th Weekend

2010-07-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

This July 4th was a great weekend for all of us! We spent time with good friends, bought a grill (wow we are domestic) and took Bella for some SoCal fun on the Santa Monica pier. Ray had a three day weekend which was so amazing and Bella really loved spending so much time with her daddy. I can't believe that in three weeks she will be turning two! It really seems like yesterday that she was born. Each day brings new surprises and I am so lucky and thankful to be able to spend each day at home with her to watch her grow and change. She and I can have full conversations and she has actually taken to singing. "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "Rockabye Baby" seem to be her favorite songs right now and she will sing them to her bears.....usually as long as we are not looking. Her personality develops a little more each day. She is very sensitive, very stubborn and definitely not a girlie girl. Playing in the dirt and doing dare-devil things are at the top of her list. Not dresses and bows. However, she does light up when you tell her she's pretty, even if she's in her pajamas. She is my baby, my peanut and the brightest part of each day for me. And no one can make me laugh like she can.

Last year for her birthday a good friend gave her a tricycle as a gift. Unfortunately, she was too little until very recently. She still can't peddle as her legs are too short but she loves to ride it and have mommy or daddy push her.

This is her very famous "serious" face. You ask her to be "so serious" and this is the look you get. Then she covers her mouth and busts out laughing.

After buying a grill this weekend we had our first dinner outside on our patio. We realized, while sitting in the shade eating steak and veggies that this is the real reason houses in SoCal cost so much. Where else in the country can you get almost perfect weather 365 days a year! And living here is perfect for Bella because no child likes to be outside more than this one!

We spent July 4th with some friends of ours in Hollywood. This was the view from their hotel deck. Bella was spent by about 8:30pm so she missed the fireworks this year. But, we had an amazing dinner, she played with her friends until she was exhausted and fell right to sleep after her bath when we got home.

On Monday, July 5th, we decided to head to the Santa Monica pier for a little fun near the beach. Although the weather was quite cool, it was a beautiful overcast day and we had a great time riding rides (well, Ray and Bella did.....pregnant mommy watched) and having lunch on the pier. We took Bella on her first ferris wheel ride. She wasn't really sure what to make of it when it first took off, as you can see from the picture below, but ultimately she liked it and then she was bored in about 10 minutes. It didn't go fast enough for her!

We then put Bella on some kid rides (dad had to ride with her because she wasn't tall enough) and we truly saw what a little dare-devil we have on our hands. She loved to go fast, screamed with delight and was very sad when it was time to leave.

That would be my child in the laundry basket pulling out clothes and putting them into the washing machine! She loves to help me do laundry and can empty everything into the washer all by herself. She also loves to push the buttons on the machine and will wash your clothes on the craziest setting combination imaginable if you don't watch out! Bella is very much a helper and loves to help me do things.

Playing with her favorite thing....rocks.

Water Playdate at Huntington Gardens

2010-06-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a trip to the Huntington Gardens with our friends Lena and Margaret. Huntington Gardens are larger than Disneyland and have an amazing Children's Garden with a water area for kids to play. This is one of Bella's favorite activities and a family favorite on the weekends.

Love this picture of Margaret trying to stand on her head in the water and Bella asking her what she was doing?

Happy as a clam and wet as a fish!!

More Pictures.....

2010-06-06T08:37:00.001-07:00

These are pictures my friend Natalie took while at a playdate in the park. Bella was determined to climb this tree and tried and tried. At least she's persistent!

Love this dirty, messy, sweaty face! She was exhausted!

This picture makes me want to cry. She is really turning into a little girl and my baby is growing up.

Although the diaper is hanging out, at least it's not plumber crack! HA!

A Whirlwind Month.....or Two......

2010-06-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

This has definitely been the craziest month or two in history! Life is moving so fast that I can barely keep up! Not only is life with a toddler hectic, I am now almost seven months pregnant and have started a business with two friends of mine! Yes, I'm nuts! With the creation of tush. life has gotten busier and busier. tush. is our business that retails cloth diapers and also conducts workshops and in home consultations to teach parents how to use cloth diapers easily and conveniently. We have had a number of workshops, an in home consultation, product has officially arrived and we have an article coming out in the L.A. Times within the next few weeks! And on top of that, we took a trip to Texas for my niece's high school graduation! Whew!

Bella has been a trooper through all the chaos and is getting SO big! She will be two in two months and it's just unbelievable! She knows all her colors, can count to 10 and knows her alphabet. In May we took swimming lessons for the first time and she can now crawl out of the pool on her own. However, she liked to cheat and use my baby belly to give herself a push out of the water. We took a four week course and went twice a week. She was in heaven the whole time and when Meme and Papa came to visit we were able to get some good pictures. Her vocabulary has exploded over the last two months. She can carry on a full conversation with you, speaks in full sentences and finally can tell you what she want....or what she doesn't. Unfortunately she has also turned into a little parrot so Mommy and Daddy get to watch their mouths really closely!

In other baby news, we found out a month or so ago that we are having a boy and have been working with Bella to get her to understand that there's a baby in Mommy's tummy. She doesn't get it and thinks that there is a baby in everyone's tummy. Unless she's eating and then she will tell you that her food is in her tummy. We are working on names (stressful) and hopefully we'll have something to announce in the next few months.

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of Bella. We were outside in the garage and she found my sun hat. She loved walking around saying "wearing Mommy's hat".

Definitely her favorite part of swimming was jumping into the pool. She learned how to crawl out on her own and then would jump into my arms, screaming the entire way to the water.

You can't see her legs in this picture but she's using her unborn baby brother as a step. Ah, sibling love.

Bella finally understands the meaning of "cheese" and gives us the craziest, goofiest grins!

This was the first time she ever had pigtails. They lasted all of 30 seconds but at least I was able to capture a shot with her goofy grin.

Easter in Texas

2010-04-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

This year my mother's 60th birthday fell during the week of Easter so we packed up and headed to Texas to throw her a surprise birthday party. When we arrived at the airport I was worried that Bella would not remember her grandparents since she hadn't seen them in months. For the first year and a half of her life she had seen them at least every other month but as she is getting older, I wonder how much she can recall in that brain of hers. As we walked out of the airport to baggage claim, she spotted them and started screaming "Meme", "Papa" at the top of her lungs. She obviously recognized them, along with her "Aunt Tinie", "Tot" and "Unc Johnnie". She also calls Suzy "Suze" and knows her on sight as well.

While we were in Texas we went to an Easter party with my sister-in-laws family. I have years and years of memories as a child going over to my sister-in-laws family's house for Easter egg hunts when all the nieces and nephews were small like me. It was an amazing experience to go back, years later, and we all have our own children that are around the same age. Bella had a blast and was so tired by the time we left, she fell asleep almost three minutes after leaving.

Here is a picture of her first Easter egg dying experience. She loved it but had more fun just dipping her fingers into the water.

All the eggs Bella colored.

The hunt was definitely her favorite part. She was so ready to take off that I had to hold her back! All the eggs were laid out in the yard since all the little ones were under 4.

She picked up a ton of eggs for a one-year-old. We do not give Bella chocolate (or juice) but she did have Starburst for the first time. Not her favorite. She chewed on a small piece for about 10 minutes before she realized she could swallow it.

All the kids were given a thing of bubbles, which Bella adores. She and her "Tot" were my victims as I showered them with bubbles. Bella was in heaven. "Tot", not so much.

Fun Times

2010-04-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

The weekend of April 3rd and 4th brought beautiful weather to SoCal and a family anxious to soak it up. On Saturday after breakfast we went over to the Americana for the farmer's market and pony rides. Bella had never been on a horse before and she was old enough to sit in the saddle with her daddy by her side.

When we put her on the horse she kind of gave me the "you're really serious aren't you crazy lady" look. See below.

Of course it took all of a minute for her to fall in love with the horse, pet him and love being "tall" as she puts it.

This is Bella's new sun hat. Our little darling has inherited her father's brain and head mass, therefore she wears a child's hat, not a toddler one. This is a size 5 year. It's a bit floppy but it fits.

One of Bella's favorite things in the world are balls. This was our find from Target and she's in love. She carried that ball around for about two hours, bouncing it and trying to catch it. We are working on catching but she finds it humorous to just let the ball hit her. She can throw a small ball about 20 feet, which amazes me for a one year old.

Bella amazes her dad and I on a daily basis. She knows all the letters of the alphabet and all her numbers up to 10. Recently she has started identifying letters and numbers in signage around town while we are driving and will spell out words to us. It's hilarious. Her favorite show is "Word World" and she calls out the letters and spells words with the animals. It's amazing how much she has learned in a few short months. Her vocabulary has exploded and she now mimics what people around her say. "What's that?", "Where's that dog?", "Where my daddy?" and "There it is!" are a few of her favorite sayings. Broccoli, red potatoes, carrots, corn and sweet potatoes are a few of her favorite veggies and she will eat any fruit you put in front of her. Coloring is a favorite activity of hers and she knows almost all of her colors. I love to get her to say yellow. It sounds more like "yewooow"! Her coordination has finally set in and she loves to kick a ball with her parents. What a wild and amazing ride this is and I'm so lucky to be a part of her daily development.

A Successful Trip to See the Easter Bunny

2010-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Cousin Dayna from Texas visited today and we had a nice adventure showing her around Los Angeles. In the afternoon we hit the Americana for ice cream and some running around on the grass. The Easter bunny was set up and I figured I'd give it a try. Santa Claus was a disaster this year and we don't even have a picture of her with Santa. However, Bella loves puppets and the Easter bunny is sort of like a large puppet. We gently walked in and the bunny held really, really still so Bella could "pet" him. I was able to set her next to him and she warmed up after she started petting his leg. She even managed to smile, show her teeth and give the bunny a little half hug. Since we ended up with two smiling pictures, I call this a huge success! Happy Easter everyone!

Monkey vs. Monkey

2010-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

We headed to the LA Zoo this morning for an outing with friends and had quite the adventure. Since the zoo opens at 10am we were able to get there early and almost beat the busloads (no, I'm no kidding when I say busloads) of small school-aged children that like to run, scream and bump into our tiny precious toddlers. And yes I know my tiny precious toddler will be one of those school-aged children one day but for now, she's my baby and I want to protect her. :)

Another great thing about the weather in LA is that all the animals at the zoo seem to love it. Everything was out this morning and the monkeys (no, not just the ones in the strollers) were in top form. The enclosure for the gorillas is huge and has a massive, and extremely thick, plate glass area where you can stand right next to the gorilla if they are sitting by the glass. And that's just what they were doing today. It was really amazing to see just how big they are, especially when compared with our tiny tots.

Here is a picture of Bella either A) pointing out the massive gorilla to her friend Juju or B) using her middle finger to tell the gorilla what she thought of him vomiting up his food and then eating it in front of us. Classy.

Monkey versus monkey standoff. I vote for the one outside the glass enclosure.

This is one of the massive orangutans at the zoo and I believe that he's the oldest. He's ugly and Bella was fascinated. Good thing he doesn't mind her staring.

This is the "please mom let me get in there and ride one of those giraffes" look.

And in other baby news.....

2010-03-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

Well Bella is finally going to be a big sister! After our first trimester screen this morning we are proud to officially announce that Baby Rodriguez #2 will be making his/her debut September 17th (or around there)! Ray and I are ecstatic and Bella has no clue what's going on....but she's SURE not going to be happy come September when she has to share her mommy and daddy! The technology they use doing those screenings is truly amazing. We were able to see arms, legs, feet, hands and even fingers and toes. While the technician was looking around, the baby rolled over, rubbed his/her face and even yawned! It was AMAZING! A little over two years ago we were in the same room having the same thing done with Bella and the pictures are so much clearer now. It's truly fascinating and an awesome experience. I can't wait for the 2nd trimester screen to find out the sex! Come on April!

19 Months and a Milestone!

2010-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Bella's 19 month birthday! It's really hard to believe that she's five months from turning two! Where has my baby gone?? We spent the day basking in the glorious sunshine and soaking up the wonderful weather here. After eating breakfast we took Bella to the zoo. We hadn't been since she was about 15 months old. Thanks to the glorious weather all the animals were out and Bella was SO excited when she saw the zebra that she even said it!!! She also busted out with "zoo", roared like a lion when she saw one and was mesmerized by the giraffes. After the zoo we came home for a nap then went to one of our favorite outdoor shopping areas and let Bella run around for a while. A quick trip to the grocery, then dinner and time to play with Daddy before bedtime. Ray moved her kitchen set behind our couch and covered it with two blankets to make a fort. Bella kept walking in saying "wow" and looking at the pattern of the blanket on the ceiling of the fort! She then insisted that Ray and I climb into the fort with her, even though the space was barely big enough for her. This went on for half an hour until it was time for bed. For the past two weeks Bella and I have been going into the bathroom before she gets into the bath to work on potty training. We both sit down on our respective potties and "go potty." Even though Bella hasn't actually used the potty, she loves to go through the motions and pretend to get her bum wiped as well. However, last night when she sat down she actually USED the potty!! Hooray!! She was SO proud of herself and based on the reaction from Ray and I you would have thought we won the lotto!

It's amazing to watch her vocabulary expanding every day. She can now say "cake", "cup", "one", "two" and about a dozen other words. Coloring is one of her new favorite activities and she is constantly imitating our actions and movements. If Ray or I are in another room, she likes to come around the corner to where we are and yell "boo!" Of course we pretend that she scared us silly and she thinks it's hilarious! She only wants to use her fork to eat (or my fork), can hold and peel a banana by herself and is really developing her own personality. What an amazing 19 months it has been and I can barely wait to see what the next few years have in store for us!

Make-Up and Swings

2010-02-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

After softball practice a few weeks ago we were going to dinner with some friends. I was sitting in the back putting my make-up on and Bella was watching me. She decided that she'd like to put some on as well and each item I gave her, she mimicked perfectly! We'll wait a while before I bust out the mascara!

She did want to sniff the blush applicator however.......

At least twice a week we go to the park with friends and now that Bella is so mobile, she is into everything. She loves the swings and the slide and can even climb up the play equipment to the slide by herself (even though I'm still paranoid and climb behind her). It's funny to watch her because she also gets really distracted by all the other kids around her and likes to watch what they are doing. She will also take her snack cup, go around to each child on the playgroup and share her snack with them. I have to make sure and pack extra snack!

A Stomach Bug and Silliness

2010-02-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

What a week and a half this has been! Bella came down with a stomach bug, which delivered a high fever, diarrhea and a couple of blowouts. She is finally on the mend and life is getting back to normal. Overall she's been in a great mood with the exception of one day. Another downfall is that we have been quarantined to the house and neither of us are not used to going without play dates. I have been pulling out every possible "fun" thing in my bag of tricks to keep Bella entertained and happy but it's just time to hang out with friends. Hopefully we can keep our action packed weekend and get Bella some much needed socializing with her pals. Here are some funny pictures from the past week or so.

Ray and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on February 2, 2010. We each took turns having a massage while the other one watched Bella. While Ray was getting his massage, Bella and I went shopping and purchased her POTTY CHAIR!!! She sat in it while we were in the story and immediately asked for it when we got into the car. I gave her the white seat that pulls out and she put it on her head. Sadly, the potty does not fit her large melon, but that didn't stop her from pretending. We haven't tried actually using it as a potty but she's in love with it....as her new chair.

I have never been the mom that put barrettes or headbands in Bella's hair, but I have been dying for a ponytail. She finally has enough hair in the back for a ponytail but it looks more like a Samurai knot than a ponytail. I guess she needs a little more hair in the front before we can pull this off effectively. The funny thing is that she loves having it up and likes to pat her little ponytail.

Happy 18 Months!!!

2010-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

I can barely believe that Bella is 18 months old today! Where has time gone?? She is getting so big so incredibly fast and really turning into a little girl. Bella can identify all of the letters in the alphabet, as well as repeat them if you say them to her. She has a few favorite phrases like "what's that?" and "there it is!" Some other words in her vocabulary include: dada, mama, hi, wall, ball, hat, up, cup, all done, aqua, meme, papa, bye bye and a really funny version of please. She also signs: all done, thank you, bite, drink, tired and more. Books are her favorite thing and when she goes into Barnes & Noble she goes nuts. She's also really into puzzles and loves the slide and swing at the park. Amazingly, she can actually run after a soccer ball and can kick it if it's a small one. She can also identify all of her body parts (head, hand, chin, eye, nose, etc.) and if you ask her where her Buddha is, she will rub her tummy!! Happy 18 months little peanut!!!

Bella received these puzzles for her first birthday from a good friend of ours. She can put all the letters in their correct spots by herself. She loves to sit in our laps putting it together and will clap with me when she's done.

This is a sweater that her Abuelita Maritza made for her. She loves it and also sticks her fingers into the holes. You can barely see in the picture but Bella is actually getting hair! Hooray!

Three to five times a week I go to the Rose Bowl and walk with other moms while the babies are in their strollers. The little ones have their snacks and the moms get some exercise and a chance to chat with each other. At the end of the walk there is a huge grassy area and we let all the little ones out to run on the grass. They love it and Bella chases her friends Eva and Audrey. Bella adores being around older kids and is always up for a hug from Eva and Audrey!

SAG Awards 2010

2010-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

One huge perk of Ray's job is that we get to attend the SAG Awards every year. We sit with the celebs on the main level and this year our table was next to the cast of True Blood. We also walked into the after party right behind Kate Hudson and I was in the bathroom behind Sophia Loren! The evening was filled with amazing food, star gazing and a great awards show. Here are our pictures from this year!

Bella Hits Sin City!!!

2010-01-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

January 15th to 20th was spent in Vegas for a softball tournament. Bella spent the entire time I was playing digging in the dirt, playing with rocks and exhausting her daddy, meme and papa who came to visit from Texas.

A must in Vegas is a buffet so we took Bella to the Rio for the World Buffet. There were 15 stations with food from around the globe. She dined on all of her favorites but fell in love with the sugar free individual vanilla cream pies. She enjoyed them so much, she ate three!!

This is Bella's first trip to the Hoover Dam. She was "dam" amazed and kept walking around saying "wow!" Maybe we have a budding engineer on our hands!

Bella's new face is "so serious." You can tell her to be so serious and this is the look you get. She was dining on some delicious Chinese and was serious about her food. Don't get between Miss Priss and her dinner or you might lose a finger!

Meme and Papa brought her a hat for the cold Vegas nights from her cousin Dana. She wore it all night and then all the next day. She kept rubbing the braids down the side. I guess she thought she had pigtails!

Little Miss Personality

2010-01-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

Bella is now 17 months old and is really starting to develop her own little personality. She is hilarious and does the funniest things! Sometimes she'll walk around the house marching or with her hands on her knees, she laughs at herself all the time and loves to put on things that belong to mommy and daddy. I had Lasik on the 6th of January and Bella wanted to put on my night goggles. She walked around the house in those things for about 20 minutes and continues to put them on from time to time. I swear she looks like she is getting ready to play racquetball!

I told her to look serious and below is the face she gave me!

Sin City Here We Come......

2010-01-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

So this Friday we are off to Vegas once again for a softball tournament. This was the first tournament I played in after having a baby last year and little Bella was only five months old! I am excited and a little nervous about going this year. She is mobile, into everything and has the shortest attention span in the world. I have a feeling her daddy is going to have his hands full!

This was from last year's tournament. She ate, napped and then played in her stroller. Something tells me this year is going to be a complete 180.

A Trip To See The Fishies!

2010-01-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

To ring in the new year we took a trip down to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach to let Bella see all the fish and sea lions! She went in September of 2009 and was more intrigued by running around. This time however, she was actually interested in looking at the fish and watched the sea lion show. Of course, in typical Bella fashion, she spent the entire day saying "what's that?"

The Aquarium has a tank that is approximately 30 feet high and to see all the fish near the top, you need a little help from daddy! Of course she could have also just been tired of walking around but either way, she loved the view from way up high!

All day we practiced saying "fish". Sometimes it was more like "fffffiiiiiiiisssssss" but you get the idea.

I couldn't tell if she loved looking in the tanks because of all the amazing fish or because she could see her reflection. Either way, it was a success.

Our brave little girl sat on the edge of the shark, yes shark, tank and even touched one! Quite an accomplishment for a one year old! She promptly put her hand to me and indicated I needed to wipe the water off. She is a bit like her daddy and doesn't like to get her hands dirty.

A Year and a Half of Bella

2009-12-31T13:36:00.000-08:00

On July 28, 2008, Isabella Lee Rodriguez was born at 10:41am at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. She was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. She was the greatest gift we could have ever received. Never could we have imagined how our life would be changed nor that once we looked into her eyes, we would truly know what unconditional love was. We are honored to say that's our daughter.......

At three weeks old Bella is demonstrating her sassiness! This picture was taken by her cousin Taylor and it was an instant favorite. Taylor was talking to Bella and trying to get her to smile. Bella very simply told Taylor what she thought of her smile request. Nonverbal communication is sometimes the best!

During October Ray worked on Bella's head control by propping her up on his knee and watching the Election Coverage. She watched history unfold and strengthened the muscles in her neck! Now that's multitasking!

This was one of the first pictures taken in our new house!

Christmas 2008 was the first one with Bella and in our new house. Bella met Santa for the first time at the Americana at Brand. We were a little hesitant but she sat on his lap and smiled while I made funny faces at her. Little did we know that one year later, it would be a screaming fest and a photo would not be possible.

By the time Bella was a year old, she had her own Frequent Flyer number on American Airlines and Continental. She had been to Denver, CO, Las Vegas, NV, New York City, NY, Matawan, NJ and to Paris, TX. She had flown more in her first year of life than some people do in a lifetime! Her she is playing by the window at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport waiting on a flight home to LA.

For seven weeks from mid February to April our family lived in New York City. It was an experience and an education for mom and dad to say the least. It was the longest time I had ever spent in New York and I realized a number of things. The city is an amazing mass of stores, lights and people and it literally NEVER sleeps. NYC is NOT stroller friendly! The stores are in multiple layers, the streets are crowded and when it comes to the subway...forget about it! At the same time, it was amazing to see a city so alive and vibrant and when it snows it's the most amazing sight. Bella and I spent a lot of time playing in the apartment and this is when I discovered she loved putting stuff on her head. I put this diaper on her head and she wore it for about an hour!

Bella's first swing ride was in Central Park in NYC! Now that's a memory!

The month of July held many firsts for Bella. Her Aunt Tina, Uncle Johnny and cousin Taylor came to visit her for a long weekend. We all went to the San Diego Zoo for Bella's first zoo trip, and to the beach for her first dip in the ocean.

She also had her first real swim in a swimming pool outside!

Bella had Roseolla on her first birthday so her party was postponed until the end of August. She had a great time with all her friends and obviously, the cake was a hit. The morning of her party I went on a hunt for a cake since the one her daddy and I made the night before turned out to be a disaster. Turns out icing a cake and spackling drywall are WAY different! Who knew?!

At 15 months Bella officially learned to kick a ball. Of course, it's much faster to carry it around than kick it.

Bella loves her daddy and loves to show it!

Every morning is basically the same in our household. We get up, change a diaper and march straight into the kitchen. Milk for Bella and coffee for Momma. Then it's back to living room where we sit watching Sesame Street and cuddling until the milk is gone. As you can see, Bella does not like her routine disrupted.

Christmas of 2009 was the first time we had professional holiday pictures made for Bella. It was not her favorite activity but she didn't cry, so I guess it was a success. This is one of our favorite pictures from the bunch.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

This was the second Christmas in our house and with Bella. She is finally old enough to understand what is going on with presents and tearing off the wrapping. It was quite comical to watch and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. It's so hard to believe that this time last year she was sitting up and still immobile! Time really flies!!

It has been a tradition in my family that the kids hand out the gifts to everyone else. We continued that tradition with Bella this year as she was big enough to hand gifts out. She was so generous and even took the really big gifts to everyone!

This year Meme and Papa came to spend the holidays with us. Bella was showered with attention and presents from all her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Santa was also very good to her this yea. He brought her a kitchen that is just her size as well as her beloved Radio Flyer rocking horse that neighs and drives mom and dad nuts.