Abandoned blog....I found you!

Oh wow. This poor poor blog that I completely abandoned.  I should have kept up with it sadly I missed blogging on some really important moments in my life.  We have another baby girl, Eliana Honor who joined our family on January 29th, 2011.  She is one special, sweet, and totally passionate little girl.  She is a best friend to her sister, a little singer, and a firecracker.  She makes me smile and I am so glad that God has entrusted us with her.  I will have to back blog on her birth story and all that good stuff but until then..I will fill everyone in on what is going on in our lives.  Eliana is two years old.  She is a little tornado, a sponge, and completely hilarious on every level.  She is the reason that people child proof a home.  LOL.  I love her excitement and the way she adores her big sister.  Bella will be four next week.  How did that even happen?  Looking back at the blog and past entries make me realize how fast time really goes by and that my  babies are only  little for so long.  Where's that pause button again?

Life is crazy around here. Maybe I should describe it as a circus!  Between work, home life, church, and the kiddos you can see how life just seems to be moving quickly.  We like to keep busy but sometimes it all be exhausting.  We like exhausting though!!!  We are preparing to move in a few short months and we are so incredibly thrilled.  I pray for God's blessing and pray for my patience (although I hear you aren't supposed to pray for that).  More to come on that....there's still a lot of details to be decided. 

Parent-Teacher Conference and Spring Breakin' it!

"The Game Face"

Piggy-tails!

Isabella's First Potty Training experience :)

Jeff and I had a Parent-Teacher conference on Tuesday morning. Ms. Leah said Isabella has been doing great and is on track to transition into the "Toddler Room". How did my infant become a toddler so quickly? I can't believe she will be in a new classroom in less than a month. She will begin the transition a week before her first birthday. I. can't. believe. it. But I know her new classroom will be filled with new friends, teachers, and adventures. I know she will love it. I feel like the only time I consistenly blog is my monthly posts. I will try to get better at it ....but as you know there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Last week was Spring Break and we all had a great time. We loved having John and Rodrigo come visit us. It isn't Spring Break without them. Of course we spent a lot of time hanging out and eating at a bunch and bunch of restaurants. I told the guys it just feels like we are constantly eating when they are here. I guess you can attribute it to the fact that we are all "foodies". The weather here as been really strange. I snowed during Spring Break!!! Anyways...just thought I would update a little before the big "First Birthday" post and show off what Ms. Bella has been up to. As you can tell we have been experimenting with new hairstyles :)

11 months old today!

Guess who is 11 months old today?

Bella Boo--that's who!!

Isabella had fun swinging outside in the backyard. She couldn't stop smiling!

Our baby girl is 11 months old today. In one month we will be celebrating Isabella's first birthday. WOW. I still am processing this and really in shock. When people say the first year goes by fast they are not kidding! We have already began the party planning are really excited to celebrate the big day with friends and family. This month has been a fun one. Isabella is really developing quite the personality. She is such a sweetheart. She is now "sharing with us". She puts her hand out and offers us whatever she has (usually whatever she is eating or a toy). Don't try and take it though because she will pitch a fit! Isabella is also quite the eater. She loves to eat many foods and loves to feed herself. She loves grilled cheese, pears, peaches, bananas, cheerios, quesadillas, pasta, broccoli, ravioli, gnocchi...well you get the point! She is a true foodie. :) She has 4 teeth and I suspect two on the top are coming through soon. Isabella is also pulling up and looks very proud when she doing it. Isabella sat in her first grocery cart on Saturday at Babies R Us....of course I had to put our cute Floppy Seat on it. She did really well and seemed to like seeing everything and people watching.

This month has been a crazy one at Bella's school....her infant class won the float competition and won a food party!!! The float was "The very hungry Caterpillar" and all the parents voted! Isabella and her classmates enjoyed a feast of fettuccine Alfredo, chicken, corn and bread sticks at the party. Ms. Leah said Isabella was hoovered over her plate because she wanted to make sure no one took her food. She is such a funny little girl. The weather has been really nice lately so her class also enjoyed some time outside on the playground. She loves being outside! We have been skyeping with Grammy, Abuelo, and Uncle Eduardo this month as well. Isabella loves showing off her funny army crawl and showing off her "game face". We also had a fun time at Connor's first birthday party. Isabella loves hanging out with her little buddy and playing with all his toys! It was great party and we loved seeing Connor on his big day! We had a great month as you can tell. We are in full birthday party planning mode and I can't wait to see all our family and friends to celebrate this very special day. I can't believe our baby girl is almost 1 year old....entering toddlerhood!

She's in the double digits..10 months!

1o months old? Seriously? Really? Yes. Today Isabella is celebrating her 10 month birthday. I know every month I say "I can't believe it" but I really can't! She is such a sweet little girl. What has Isabella been up to this past month? She is eating table food now! She loves veggies, fruits, rice, spaghetti, ravioli, grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, and homemade banana pankcakes which Jeff and I make every Saturday morning. Isabella loves feeding herself with her hands and holding the spoon. Her teacher, Ms. Leah says she is really doing great feeding herself at school and laughs all day! She just started dancing when music is playing and it is hilarious to watch. Yes, I will upload a video when I get a chance (and some more time). She is crawling but not very quickly. Isabella also got her two front teeth. They have broken through the skin and are about half way out. She has 4 little chompers right now! She has the best smile! She seems to get into everything and loves when General runs by her. Isabella tries to grab him but lucky for General he gets away. Those two will be great friends soon :). This week is "Homecoming Week" at Isabella's school. Monday was "Mismatch Monday". Tuesday was "Tye Die" Tuesday and her class made tie-dye onesies". Today is "Way Back Wednesday". Tomorrow will be "Superhero Thursday"--her class will make superhero capes! And finally Friday is "Shocker Friday". It has been a really fun week!

Here is Isabella on her 10 month birthday with her favorite friend the Glowworm!

She is really silly...can you tell?

February 5 was "National Red Day" in support of Women's Heart Health. Isabella's entire school wore red and meet WU Shock! Here is Bella showing some school spirit!

Jeff, Isabella, and I (not pictured) all wore red!

The hairstylist came to Isabella's school....

I love this smile.

Hmm...I don't know what to think...Isabella got two Valentines from two little boys in her class today. :)

Christmas and New Years in Puerto Rico--9 months old!

The cousins-Myrielis, Alejandro, and Isabella at Grandma Letty's house
4 Generations

The Goldstein Family at the beach

This is the life!

Jeff and Eduardo

Breaking wood with Luigi .

Daddy and Isabella in the hammock. Isabella loved the sand and ocean.

Mommy and the princess

Isabella and her Great-Grandmother Cambu

The Pesante/Olivares/Goldstein families at the Marriott Buffet.

Myrielis and Isabella in the bathtub and their Great-Grandmother Letty's house

Isabella went swimming at Titi Carmita and Tio Henry's house on Christmas Day. She loved splashing in the water and enjoyed "swimming" in her yellow bathing suit.

Isabella met Santa at the mall before we left for Puerto Rico. She smiled the whole time we were in line but once it was time to meet Santa....she lost it! Jeff and I had to jump in the picture! Here is the picture of her "first time" meeting Santa. Maybe next year will be different??

As you can tell, we had quite the Christmas! We left for Puerto Rico on December 23 at 5:00 in the morning. Isabella did very well on the plane and we had some wonderful flights. We even were able to arrive earlier than expected. We were so excited to introduce Isabella to family in Puerto Rico. She was able to meet her great-grandmothers, Cambu and Letty. She also meet her great-aunts and great-uncles and other family and friends. We spent a wonderful Christmas Eve at Grandma Cambu's house and Christmas Day at Titi Carmita and Tio Henry's house. As you can tell from the pictures, Isabella loved the pool and had a wonderful time splashing around. Isabella was also given a special dedication at mass dedicated to her great-grandfather on December 26th. She was asleep the whole time that the priest was holding her and placed her on the altar. We want to thank Titi Carmita and Tio Henry for such a special surprise. :)
On December 27, we celebrated my parent's anniversary at the Marriott. At the Marriott they have a wonderful buffet and a live band playing music. We enjoyed the day listening to music, eating, and spending time outside in the hammock--enjoying a spectacular view of the beach. We also spent some time at the Casino--some of us were more lucky than others!! We spent time at my Grandmother Letty's house also!! Isabella had the chance to meet her great-aunts and uncles as well as her cousins. As usual many games of dominoes were played! Isabella had some fun tub time with her cousin Myrielis as you can tell. I was so happy we were able to take a "4 Generations" photograph. This picture is something I will treasure forever and I am sure Isabella will love as well. We spent New Year's Eve at Titi Carmita and Tio Henry's house. We enjoyed a "5-star meal" with the traditional Puerto Rican cuisine and spent the evening saying cheers for the New Year. We were all blessed with so much in 2009! Isabella joined our family in 2009 and for that I will always remember the year will great fondness and joy. We left Puerto Rico on New Year's Day. We had such a memorable trip and we hope to visit again soon. We are so thankful to everyone for the royal treatment!!

We enjoyed a visit from Bubbie and Uncle Natie this past weekend. Isabella enjoyed spending time with both of them. Some highlights from their visit include dessert-hopping, the mall, Mongolian BBQ, and lounging around the house! We had so much fun and were sad to see them go! They will return in April for Bella's first birthday! Hooray!

Guess who had their 9 month appointment today?

If you guessed Isabella...you are right!

Here are her 9 month-stats:

Weight: 18 lbs. 1 oz. 34%

Height: 26.5 inches 17%

Head Circ: 44.5 65%


She did great at her appointment! Dr. B said she is right on track. Unfortunately she had to get 2 shots which didn't go over so well. After a few tears, she was fine! Next on the agenda? Planning Isabella's first birthday!! Time is flying!

Wordless Wednesday

8 month old and already a party animal!

Happy 8 month Birthday, Isabella! You have had quite the month! Last week, Isabella went to three parties in a two day period. She went to Jeff's Accounting Party and her friend's 3rd Birthday party and then a couple's Christmas party. Can you say party animal? She had a great time and loved seeing all of her "baby friends" especially Connor. December has been a fun month so far!

Here is Isabella on her 8 month birthday (today)! She loves playing with everything and anything. You have to be pay attention to her because she will grab something before you know it. Isabella still loves blowing raspberries and "talking". She says "dadada" with such conviction! She loves to eat solids. She has tried many of the Stage 2 foods and loves them ...but still sweet potatoes are a favorite! She likes to try and drink water out of my cup and makes the funniest facial expression. This baby girl loves her blocks (Thanks Alex! ). I don't think she is quite ready for a sippy cup at the moment. She has tried sweet potato puffs and doesn't quite know what to think. She is pretty much on a good schedule. She always (99% of the time) takes a nap at 9:30 a.m. The length of the nap varies though. The afternoon nap is not as consistent. She is obviously teething and has her fussy moments but with a little love and patience we are working through them! Isabella is just a sweetie and I love watching her grow. Here are some pictures from the last week and some from today. Enjoy.

Sitting up.

"Seriously,mom, more pictures?"

It has been so cold here lately. Isabella is dressed as if she lived in Alaska whenever we leave the house. Long sleeve shirt, hoodie, jacket, gloves, hat, and bundlesack. It takes like 10 minutes just to put it all on her.

Bella in her Babylegs. Yes, I love baby legwarmers and I am not ashamed!

Daddy's "honey baby"

In baby jeans...a little play before the birthday party.

I love this facial expression. The teething ring is this baby girl's best friend. She is beginning to "lose it" if you take it away from her. Someone may possibly be spoiled.

Got Milk?....and Got sweet potatoes....and carrots....and squash....and......?