The Adventures of GG

Gabby's 4th Birthday Party

2009-01-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

December 21 was Gabby's 4th birthday party, held at My Gym. Gabby is GG best friend. Gabby has two older sisters, Sophia and Bella, and GG calls the three of them her 'girly girls'. Here are few pictures of GG enjoying the party.

Sitting around the circle listening to the teacher

Happy Birthay Gabby!

Running around the circle

Bubble time

Manhattan Beach Fireworks

2009-01-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Manhattan Beach's annual fireworks celebration was on Sunday, December 14. We had never attended this event before, and since GG's girly girls, Sophia, Bella and Gabby, live in Manhattan Beach, we thought we would check it out. We swung by Allison's house to pick her up and the girly girls. We started our short drive to the beach. Parking in Manhattan Beach is an absolute nightmare. So on our way there, all I could think about was where were we going to park. As we got into into the thick of the traffic and parking issues, I started to freak out. We drove around a few times, and had no luck in finding a parking spot. We were two blocks from the festivities when we noticed a Bank of America. We needed to get cash, so we turned left to go to the bank, and guess what? A car was just leaving a metered space, right outside of the bank......two blocks from the festivities! ROCK STAR PARKING! After we put our blankets down and got settled, we wondered around the different activities going on - bake sale, Santa and his sleigh, snow field for the kids to play. As we started to walk back to our blankets, I noticed the most amazing sunset. I had to stop and take a few moments to take it all in. It was one of the most prettiest sunsets I had ever seen. After I snapped I few photographs, we all made it back to our blankets and hung for an hour. The fireworks finally started at 6:00. GG was so excited watching the fireworks that she just belting out singing Jingle Bells. She was so happy, I was so happy, we were all so happy! After the fireworks, we ran to our car and missed all the traffic. Everything worked out perfectly and we all had a fantastic time.

Manhattan Beach Pier at Sunset

Beautiful!

Playing around while waiting for the fireworks

GG and Sophia

GG and Gabby

GG loving on Gabby

Allison and Bella

Allison and I

The crew anxiously awaiting the fireworks

Finally!

The Living Desert

2009-01-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday we stayed at my parents condo in Palm Desert. For awhile now GG has been talking about the zoo, so one day we decided to take her to the Living Desert, which is the closest thing to the zoo, out in the desert.

Beautiful desert sunset!

Camille's Birthday Party

2009-01-11T20:49:00.001-08:00

Gosh, it sure has been a long time since I posted.

Camille's birthday party was on November 16 at SCATS Gymnastics. That day there were wild fires all around the area where my sister lives. Her neighborhood was evacuated, the night before, and the fire had burned all the way down to the back yards of their neighbors. Pretty scary time, but by the time Camille's birthday party came around, the raging wild fires had moved west. As we were driving east to the party, Robert and I both looked at each other and thought what the heck are we thinking driving right into the fires! I told him we had to continue on because it was Camille's birthday party. I could not miss my niece's 5 year birthday party, and I knew that GG would have a blast playing with all the ninos.

Abbie

Having fun with Camille

Birthday cake time!

GG sneaking in and blowing out Camille's candles!

I think GG ate 4 slices of this cake! It was delicious!

Choo Choo Bliss

2008-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

I belong to an awesome Yahoo Mom's Group, called PeachHead, that consists of hundreds of Mom's in the LA area. Once a year, the Creator/Moderator of the group plans a huge party for the members - it's called 'PeachHead Day'. This years location was at a camp facility in the Canyons of Malibu. So, a few Sunday's ago we loaded the car with our backpack beach chairs and drove up Pacific Coast Highway. This was a HUGE event that she put on - 25 sponsors, bouncy houses, different superheros and cartoon characters, zip lines, puppet and magic shows, food, coloring and craft stations, face painting & a small train that brought absolute joy to the young ones.

The company responsible for the train is Send in the Clowns. They do amazing birthday parties, that come along with a very expensive price tag. The train was the first thing we saw after we checked in and GG was immediately drawn to it. When I first sat her down on the train, her smile said everything....PURE BLISS. We stood there and watched her go around, and around, and around. Being the goofy parents that we are, we waved to her everytime she passed us. After standing there for awhile, we realized that on our backs were beach chairs, so we opened the chairs and made ourselves comfortable. Robert and I sat there for who knows how long. Just watching our precious daughter circle around, and around, and around. PURE BLISS!

In Her Shoes

2008-11-12T14:10:00.001-08:00

GG loves to put on my shoes and tries to walk around the house with them. The only problem is that the majority of my shoes are high heels and are a bit dangerous for her to be playing with. If I leave my shoes lying around, GG will find them and try to put them on. I think I need to by her the plastic princess play shoes. Here she is getting ready to go on the catwalk.

Happy Birthday Camille!

2008-11-11T19:46:00.001-08:00

My precious niece, Camille, turned 5 years old yesterday! Happy birthday sweet Camille - we can't wait for your party on Sunday.

November is a big birthday month for our family - Robert's was on the 5th, Camille's on the 10th, mine on the 21st, my sister's on the 26th, her husband's on the 29th and Robert's brother is also on the 29th. Happy Birthday to all of us!

Not Me! Monday

2008-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

It didn't take me 45 minutes to figure out how to get the "Not me!" Monday button uploaded to this post. Nope, not me!

***
I've been debating for a few weeks if I should partake in the "No me!" madness. Nope, not me!

***

I'm not doing this post while at work. Nope, not me!

***

I have been at work for close to two hours and have not done nothing work related. Nope, not me!

***

Throughout the day yesterday, I snuck little bites of the delicious banana cream pie that is in our refrigerator. Nope, not me!

***

When our neighborhood suffered a 4 hour black out last night, the only thing I was worried about whether or not the banana cream pie would go bad. Nope, not me!

***

On my way to work this morning, I cried because I should be the one taking GG to her music class this morning. Nope, not me!

***

Halloween - Pirate GG

2008-11-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

I know this post is late, but better late than never. At first, GG wanted to be Wonder Woman, so bought her a WW costume. She looked so stinkin cute it in. Well, one day she told Robert that she wanted to be a Pirate. So, we braved the Halloween stores and bought her this pirate costume. Whenever she would have the costume on, she would hold up the knife and say AARGGHH! Pirate GG.......

Halloween morning.

GG & her friends taking a break from their Terrific Toddler Time class.

Halloween evening we went to our friends house for dinner and trick or treating. They have three girls - Sophia, Isabella & Gabriella. GG loves these girls to death!

GG & Gabriella

All pirates have to eat, right?

Pumpkin Patch - Day Two

2008-11-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, October 19, we took GG to a really cool pumpkin patch on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. My sister and her family were there, along with their friends Alan & Laura and their two children. Alan married Robert & I, so there will always be a special bond between us.

The pumpkin patch was the best I have ever seen in Southern California. There were pumpkins galore, a petting zoo, a farmers market, live music, face painting, jumpy houses, yummy food and much, much, more. We had no idea how big this festival was until we drove up to the location and saw scores of people crossing the street to go the pumpkin patch. Apparently this event has been going on for years, but this is the first time we have attended. We had to park quite a distance away from the patch. We did not bring a stroller, so Robert and I took turns carrying GG, when she was to tired to walk. As we were walking through the parking lot, we noticed that everyone (but us) had really cool wagons. Some wagons were just the standard red Radio Flyer wagon, and others had kick a$$ 4x4 wagons. I asked one lady how much wagons like that go for, and she said she bought it at the LA County Fair for $2,500. That's CRAZY!! At first we were laughing at these people with wagons, but we soon realized that we should be laughing at ourselves for not having a wagon......because we walked, and walked and was not able to pick out a pumpkin because we did not have a free hand to carry it back to the car. Oh well, next year maybe we will have a cool 4x4 wagon to bring to the pumpkin patch. GG didn't seem to mind, she had an absolute blast!

Running to find Camille & Abbie.

Feeding the goat out of her hand.

Everything was good until the brown goat
crowded GG's personal space.

So we moved on to the chicken.

GG's first tractor ride.

After the pumpkin patch, we all met my parents for lunch at BJ's Pizza. The girls finished their lunch first, so my Mother took them outside to play. My Mother later told me that she thought she could handle all three girls by herself.....but she was wrong. Luckly, I sensed that something was going on, and went outside to see what was happening. The girls were behaving, but were running in all separate directions.

GG put on Camille's sunglasses and started dancing.

Crazy Girl!

Another Celebrity Sighting and The Backyardigans!

2008-11-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I took GG to see The Backyardigans Live! at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

One of my firm's clients is the publicist for Nickelodeon, who was able to hook me up with 6 free tickets to this mornings show. I invited a friend of my and her family - Leighton, Chris and their two young children, Maile & Charlie. Our tickets were left at Will Call. When we arrived and got the tickets, I noticed that the seat location for our tickets was 'Section PIT', 'Row 1'. I hoped we were not in the front row. I showed our tickets to the Usher, and she walked all the way down to the VERY front row. In a way we felt like Barkyardigan groupies. I don't want to complain, being that the tickets were free, however, being in the front row is not the best. I was concerned that the young ones would not enjoy the show as much because they could not see the entire stage. After we settled in to our front row seats, I looked back to see who was behind us. Two rows back was Tori Spelling, her husband Dean McDermott and their children.

About 8 seats away from them was Jenny McCarthy and her son.

To make a long story short, everyone enjoyed the showed and the front row seats turned out to be not that bad. The girls really liked the VIP treatment! I just don't want GG to get used to this front row stuff!

Attention, Attention.....

2008-10-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

I interrupt the regularly scheduled GG cuteness and delay of the second pumpkin patch post with news of the following celebrity sighting:

Angie Harmon & Jason Sehorn!

Tonight we went to a sushi restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. The restaurant is known to be popular amongst the celebrities. In the past, my husband has seen a few dining there. I have not been so lucky, except for tonight. We were seated by the entrance and could see everyone coming in and out of the restaurant. I was enjoying my crab hand roll when my husband said, "Hey, it's Angie Harmon!". I looked up and sure enough it was her and her husband. I have to say that this woman is absolutely stunning. She was wearing tight jeans, high black leather boots and a black turtleneck Pancho & her hair pulled back. Her husband was not that bad either.....:)

I am a fan of hers for a few reasons - She is a mother to two young girls, and one baby on the way; she was my favorite DA on Law & Order; she does a lot for the community; and she is drop dead gorgeous.

The funny thing about this story is that prior to the arrival of the beautiful couple, I was looking over the sushi roll menu and noticed they had a roll named the "Angie Harmon". They must be regulars.

I now can add them to my celebrity sighting list that includes; Dennis Quaid, Brooke Burke, Britney Spears, Jennifer Gardner, Steve Carell, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, The Rock, Hillary Swank & Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Pumpkins Everywhere!

2008-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year - Thanksgiving and pumpkin everything!

On Saturday, October 18 we went to a pumpkin patch with a girlfriend of mine, and her 3 year old daughter. It was a small pumpkin patch, with not much going on other than a whole bunch of pumpkins everywhere. Well, there was one bouncy house. When were were walking up to the patch, GG walked into a dry, thorny branch of some kind, which left a large scrape on the right side of her cheek. It did not faze her one bit because she was walking hand in hand with her little friend and was happy as a lark. It troubled me the entire time.

Pumpkin patches create a fantastic back drop for photo shoots. So I apologize for the overload of pumpkin pictures, I just can't resist.

Pumpkins.....Run!

This pumpkin is heavy.

GG and her little friend. So happy!

Out of all the pumkins, GG picked out these two little pumpkins.

Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy

Sharing a snack.

BEAUTIFUL!

Pensive GG

GG and the Witch

2008-10-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

While I'm at work, GG stays with her Abeulo and Abeula. They do a fantastic job with her and try to keep her busy throughout the day. I began to have a hard time trying to find daily activities they could attend, until one day it dawned on me that the city we live in has an amazing program for kids of all ages. Classes are held at various parks throughout the city and range from music classes to soccer lessons to gymnastic classes. I signed GG up for three classes this session - Rainbow Music on Mondays and Terrific Toddler Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class she enjoys the most is Terrific Toddler Time. It's from 9:30 to 11:00 and they do a bunch of stuff.......singing, dancing, snack time, play time and arts and crafts. Two weeks ago GG came home with this witch. I immediatly put her name and date on the back. After admiring it for a couple of hours, we hung it outside on our front door for the entire the street to enjoy. So far, she has made ghosts and pumpkins, all similar in design. Since she attends the class twice in a week, she makes two of everything. It works out great, one set goes to Abeula's house and the other set is ours. The ghost and pumpkin are hanging on various door knobs throughout the house. At Abeula's house, they have all three works of art proudly displayed on their screen door. I wonder what she is going to make this week?

Overbites Rule

2008-10-17T20:12:00.001-07:00

When I was younger I struggled with having a overbite. My older sister had terrible teeth, so she had to get braces. I witnessed all the pain and suffering she went through with the pulling of teeth, to tightening of the braces. It scared me, big time. One day my parents asked me if I wanted to get braces to fix my overbite. My answer was no thank you, I will live with my overbite. Looking back, I should have taken up my parents offer to get my teeth fixed. Yes, I can still get braces, but plan not to. My overbite will be with me until the end, and that's okay with me.

During my pregnancy, Robert and I would discuss what traits we wanted our baby to have. GG came out pretty much liked we had hoped. She has my husband's smile, his personality and my big brown eyes. There is one other thing she got from me....my overbite! That must be a strong trait on my side of the family, because I got my overbite from my Mother.

I look forwarding to telling GG that overbites rule!

GG and the Aquarium

2008-10-16T21:49:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we met my parents at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. This was the first time meeting the Grandparents there. She really enjoys looking at all the fish, especially the tanks with Nemo, Dory & Gill. She did not really care for the giant crabs, I think she thought they were huge spiders. She would cover her eyes and say they were scary. GG can only take about two hours at the Aquarium and than she is done, checked out, done. After enjoying the fish, we walked across the street to Bubba Gump Shrimp and had a nice lunch outside on the patio. I do not get to see my parents that often, so I really enjoyed spending time with them.

GG spotted the grandparents from the parking structure.
Off she went...

Getting closer.

Grandma!!!!!!!!!

That's a giant sea bass behind them!

Not quite sure what the seal was doing,
but he liked hanging out there.

She loved the scuba man cleaning the tank.

Big girl.

The tank we were all waiting for!

Fun Times at the Pool!

2008-10-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

We took GG to Palm Desert over the long Labor Day weekend. Yes, I know I am the queen of delayed posts. Anyway, GG has grown to love the pool. She would try to jump in and wanted to swim on her own. We have yet to put her in swim lessons.....I think she is ready.

Walking, with authority, to the pool.

Right before she tried to jump in.

This is the life.

Just chillin.

Enjoying a snack.

Chubby GG

2008-09-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of GG when she was six months old. Look at those legs! I forgot how chubby she was....it was all breastmilk! She was perfect!

Mermaid Dress & Fun with Bubbles

2008-09-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

A co-worker of mine gave GG this dress for her birthday. As you can see, it is a bit big on her. That's okay......I'm hoping she can wear it next summer.

Chasing bubbles

Bath Time Fun!

2008-08-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

GG does not like taking baths in the actual bathtub - she screams her head off. So we bathe her in the infant/toddler bath that fits in the kitchen sink! Yes, I know - she is too big for this tub but it is so much easier bathing her in it....no kneeling on the hard bathroom floor, bending over the tub, etc. Plus she LOVES this tub and I'm not ready to part with it yet. Here are a few pictures of the big baby bathing in the small tub. Cousin Joaquin was helping me that night and GG was having a blast!

Our bathing beauty!

Fun Times at Grandma & Grandpa's House

2008-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Can this be? Three posts in one day? The two loves of my life are upstairs sleeping and I finally have time go over the 300+ photos we have taken over the past three months.

These pictures were taken at my parents house on May 18. I was in the living room when I heard GG call my name. I went into the laundry room and this is what I found. So SWEET!

GG and her cousins playing songs out of my Mother's old Baptist hymnal's.

Come on Camille and Abbie....all together now!

Cute Outfit!

2008-08-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken on June 19. I think this is the cutest outfit ever!

Hi, my name is GG and my Mommy just bought me this cute outfit!

Let me model for you.

Excuse me while I do my daily stretches.

Taking a break in Papi's leather chair.

Every other day or so we take GG to the park at the beach. She calls this park the Playa.

Hey, look at me! I am such a big girl walking on this ledge!

Come on Papi, follow me!

I think I am stuck!

My shoes are off now, so lets try the small slide.

Long Time No Post!

2008-08-13T21:11:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's been awhile since my last post. On May 31, I fell down our stairs and dislocated my left shoulder for the third time. I had surgery on August 1 to repair the damage.

These pictures were taken back in May.

GG's Cousins

2008-07-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

My sister has two little girls, Camille 4 years old and Abigail 21 months. GG absolutely loves these girls. She calls out for them during the day, while we are driving in the car and at night. GG doesn't get to see them that often, but when she does, she is in heaven! Here are a few pictures of Camille and Abbie.

The Girls

Camille

Abbie

GG Turned 2!

2008-06-27T10:40:00.001-07:00

**EDITED TO ADD: Photos**

GG's birthday was yesterday......yes, my little baby girl is now 2! She has developed so much in the past months. She is no longer my precious baby girl, she is my precious little girl! Let's see what she can do....

1. Speaks in both Spanish and English
2. Count to 20!
3. Learning her ABC's
4. Speaks in sentences
5. Cuddles in the mornings
6. Loves to play with baby dolls and names them Maya

I took the day off of work yesterday to spend time with the birthday girl. The day started off with us taking GG out to breakfast to have her favorite Mickey Mouse pancakes. After breakfast we took GG to the doctor to get her cough check out. No big deal....no shots or anything. For being such a good girl, the doctor gave GG a lolly pop and a plastic ring and bracelet. She left the doctor's office a very happy little girl. We went home napped and played.

For lunch I took GG to a new restaurant in our area, Giggles 'N' Hugs. This restaurant is really cool.....grown up food with a huge play area for the kids. When we walked in she immediately said, "Toys, play!". I took her shoes off, open the gate to the play area, and she was off. I sat down at a table that right next to the play area. It was perfect.....eat lunch and watch GG play. She went directly for the area with the play kitchens. She loves to play with the plastic plates and plastic food. She will take one plate and get one food item, walk to another area and put down the plate and than place the food item on the plate. She will than go back to the kitchen area and grab another plate and food item. Walk to the other area and place the plate next to the other ones. She will do this over and over again. As she walked back and forth, she would sing along with the songs that were playing over the speaker system. She played with the kitchens for about a hour and half!

I was finally able to coax her away by telling her that it was time for cake. We sat down at our table and the nice people at the restaurant brought out a chocolate cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to GG. While she sat and ate her cupcake, I put her shoes back on.....I thought I could make a clean break for home after she was done with the cupcake. Boy was I wrong. I cleaned all the chocolate off her hands/face, picked her up and gathered our belongings. She freaked out and started pointing to the play area. When we got to the car, she was so angry at me. While driving home she was screaming at the top of her lungs saying she wanted to go back. She was so pissed at me! The 15 minute ride home seemed to take forever. When I got her out of the car, she wanted to play outside. I put her down on the grass and she told me to get away from her. She sat down on the front steps and collected herself. After a few minutes I joined her on the steps and she told me she was sorry. We kissed and made up.

In the evening we went Abuela and Abuelo's house for a pizza party. Joaquin, GG's cousin, was at the house waiting for the birthday girl. We all walked down to the street to the local pizza joint. We sat outside on the back patio and enjoyed the ocean breeze, pizza and the birthday girl. After pizza, we walked back to the house and had a ice cream cake. GG and Joaquin chowed on the cake. We said adidos to Abuela, Abuelo and Joaquin and drove home.

A friend of ours, Bruce, stopped by our house and gave GG a little present. He stayed for 30 minutes and played with GG. She absolutely loves Bruce.....probably because he is little kid at heart. He is silly with her and she loves it.

It was time for GG's big day to come to a close. When I put her to bed, I hugged her tight and showered her with kisses. I told her how much I loved her as I laid her down to sleep. A tear came to my eye.

The birthday girl!

Walking to the pizza place with Abuelo

Enjoying the pizza

Walking home with leftover pizza

GG's ice cream cake

Blowing out the candles

Cutting the cake

GG Get's Baptized

2008-06-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 15 (Father's Day), we baptized GG at St. Monica's Church in Santa Monica. Our dear friends, Peggy & Jimmy, are GG's godparents. A few days before the baptism, we started talking to GG about what would be happening and that the priest would put water on her forehead. When she woke up the morning of the baptism, the first thing she said was, "Peggy, Jimmy, water!” She was very excited.

That morning the three of us meet Peggy & Jimmy for Sunday brunch at the Lobster. GG was so well behaved the entire time! After brunch we all went back to our house so that GG could take a nap before the big event. When GG woke up, Peggy & Jimmy gave her a little present to open. It was a beautiful white gold necklace with a cross. We got GG dressed and off to the church we went. I have to say that GG looked beautiful in her white dress and sandals.

There were seven or so other families baptizing their children that day. A Deacon of the church and his wife performed the ceremony. The Deacon read and few scriptures and than his wife went up to the podium and led us in a few songs. When the lady sang, she lifted her arms up to the sky and would shake her hips (a bit strange). I can't remember the song, but I do remember GG standing, singing, raising her arms to the sky and moving her body - just like the lady! The family in the pews across from us was looking at GG with big smiles on their faces. I thought to myself, that's my precious baby girl singing in church!

Our family was seated in the first few pews, which meant we had a great view of where the baptisms took place. We were the last family to be called, which was good and bad. Good in that we watched and knew what would happen - Bad in that GG watched 5 young ones scream their heads off when they were baptized. The entire time, she sat quietly on my lap and watched everything that was happening.

Our names were finally called.....it was the moment we all had been waiting for! I was sweating bullets, and not because it was warm in the church. I was so worried about my baby girl! Peggy held GG and the entire family walked to the alter. Peggy sat GG on the ledge and leaned her back over the small pool of water. The Deacon did his thing and poured water over GG's head, ALOT of water! The first pour of water scared GG and she immediately said "No water, stop it, Mmmmoooommmmyyyy! Peggy held onto her tight has he poured water over her head two more times. By this time, she had enough and was screaming her little head off. Peggy lifted her up and the entire front of her hair was dripping with water. She immediately lunged for me, I grabbed her and she held onto me tightly. So tight that I could feel her heart beating! The Deacon wanted to hold GG up and announced her to the congregation, but there was no way GG was going to the man who just dunked her in water! He realized that and announced her name and pointed to the screaming girl glued to my chest. Everyone clapped. We all sat down and I tried to dry her off. The ceremony ended and we tried taking a few family pictures by the alter, but she was ready to go home. We walked out to the courtyard and tried talking to some friends of ours who just happened to be baptizing their baby boy on the same day. GG was not up for chit chat. She was so grumpy and was yelling, "Stop it, car, home!” So we said our goodbyes and off we went. She was not happy the rest of the day. She even woke up that night and said she was scared (first time she has ever said that!).

Here are a few pictures of the joyous occasion!

Beautiful girl

The godparents

Getting ready

First pour

Second pour

Last pour

Mmmooommmy!!

The 'announcement'

Abuelo and Abuela and their grandchildren

Tia Antonia and counsin Joaquin

GG Crosses Desert on Mule

2008-05-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

What a Sweet Little Face!

2008-04-25T20:50:00.001-07:00

Leggo My Eggo?

2008-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

GG loves these waffles! She asks for them morning, noon and night! She has a certain routine when it comes to her waffles (she is very much like her father when it comes to routine). She asks for the waffles, than will stand by the refrigerator until someone walks over and opens the freezer door. We put the waffles in the toaster oven and tell her they are cooking. She wants to see them in the toaster oven and than will say 'cook it, cook it'. When the timer on the toaster oven goes ding, she runs to the kitchen and says 'waffle, waffle, waffle'. The waffles have to be put on a small white plate (once I tried giving it to her on a paper towel and she did not like it one bit!). She holds the white plate in both hands and walks over to the coffee table. She than pours syrup on the waffles and wants no help in doing this! When the syrup has been applied, she says 'cut it, cut it, cut it'. We cut the mini waffles in quarters and give her a fork. She is now ready to enjoy her waffles!

Mexican Señorita

2008-04-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove to downtown Los Angeles to take GG to Olvera Street. Both R and I had been there years ago on school field trips. We both agree that Olvera Street is a place you have to visit just once.....and once is good enough for about 20 years or so. When you do go back, you ask yourself "Why am I here again?".

I sat down on the same bench I had sat on 25 years ago while on a field trip when I was in the third grade. I remember sitting there on that bench, counting the money my Mother gave me, trying to figure out what I should buy. There I was present day watching my daughter play with all the same toys I had contemplated buying years ago. I just sat back and watched with a smile on my face.

GG loved the toy she has in her hands.

She kept saying "Jumpy, Jumpy, Jumpy" and
would run around with it. Maybe she thought it
was a pogo stick?

GG modeling her new dress, sandals and moracca's.

Our little Mexican Señorita

GG's Quilt

2008-04-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Pam is a very talented seamstress. She makes the most beautiful quilts and really puts love into each and every one of her pieces. When R and I got married, she made a quilt that matched our bedroom. For a baby shower gift, she made GG a cute Ant quilt. Well, last week we had a surprise waiting at our front door. Aunt Pam made a really neat quilt for GG! She took GG's photo from our 2007 Christmas card. Our card was pink and brown and she repeated the colors on the quilt. You can find a picture of the quilt on her blog - here. Pretty cool, huh? We are going to hang it in GG's room using a thick white ribbon and a big white knob.

Thank you Aunt Pam for making such a priceless piece for GG. We love and miss you!

Day Four

2008-04-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Day 4 of no mimi's has come and gone! Yesterday after work, I picked up GG and took her to her favorite park at the beach. She calls it the "Playa". When we arrived at the playa, she waved and made her usual grand entrance. She found her buddies and started playing. Well all the rugrats wanted to play anywhere other than the park. They all ended up at the water fountain right outside the restrooms. A BIG no, no! We tried to coax the kids away from there, but no luck. I eventually had to pick GG up and start walking back to the park. GG was not happy about this at all! She started to cry and than asked for mimi. Poor baby. I told her no and that we could hug instead. So she hugged my neck so tight and than grabbed my hand so that I could rub her back. She is so sweet! We said goodbye to her friends and were on our way home. When we got home she did not ask for it! I think we are making process here! And she slept from 8:45 pm to 6:15 am, without waking up. Things are looking up! I love you sweet precious girl!

Springtime Fun

2008-04-16T21:08:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I had a Monday off from work, so the three of us went out to breakfast. At the table next to ours were two police officers. One of the officers was playing peek-a-boo with GG. When we got up to leave, the officer gave GG a badge sticker. She immediately wanted it on her shirt and throughout the day she would point to it.

When we got home from breakfast, GG and I played outside for a little while.

Day Three

2008-04-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today is day 3 of no mimi's for GG. She did great last night and only asked for mimi once. She slept from 8:15 pm to 6:00 am. Amazing, absolutely amazing! When she woke up this morning, R went down to get her and immediately put her on her potty. She sat on her potty and was little Ms. Chatterbox. When she was done with the potty, she asked for mimi and made a sad face. When I said no, she than asked for a waffle. I got dressed and took her down for a waffle. I think I need to start buying the waffles at Costco, we go through so many of them! She ate her waffle and was fine the rest of morning. Today after work I want to take her somewhere special. I think we are both going through withdrawals and need to love on each other. I can't wait until 5:30 when I get to see her sweet little face!

Bye Bye Mimi!

2008-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

It has come time to wean GG from breastfeeding. Yes, I am STILL breastfeeding this child! GG used this time to bond, relax and emotionally regroup. She loves her "mimi", and I love giving her mimi! It was our special time - I would rub her legs and feet and she would rub my face...so sweet! Early last week I started talking to her about what is going happen and that mimi's are for little babies and that she is a big girl now. Every time I would have this discussion with her, she was shake her head and say 'No'. Pobrecita!

Yesterday was the first day without her mimi. Luckily she slept through the night and woke up at 6:00 am. She cried a little bit in the morning but was quickly distracted when we offered her a waffle. I did notice that she was a clingy before I went to work and last night before bed. After 15 minutes of singing 'Rock a Bye Baby', GG fell asleep in her own bed, without mimi!

This morning she woke up at 4:00 am, calling for me and asking for mimi. R went and got her out of bed and put her in our bed. Without her seeing me, I left our room and laid down in her twin bed. She cried and cried for me and mimi - Mommy, mimi!, Mommy, mimi! R tried to comfort her and get her back to sleep. Eventually she went back to sleep, only to wake up 30 minutes later. This time she called out my first name - Marcie, mimi; Marcie, mimi; Marcie, Marcie, Marcie! I did not even know she knew my first name, too funny! Anyhoo, I knew that if I went up to her, I would break and give her the breast, so I laid there in her little bed and my heart ached for her and mimi. This went on until 6:00 am when I finally went up to our room to comfort her. I asked her if she wanted to go downstairs for a waffle, she said yes. I made her a waffle and we watched her favorite scenes of Madagascar. I eventually had to get ready for work, so I took her back upstairs for R to take care of her. They watched Barney together and she was okay. Before leaving for work, I gave her lots of hugs and kisses and told her that I love her.

So here we are day 2 of no breastfeeding. Overall I think she is doing okay with the change, but is mourning her mimi. I think she knew she was on borrowed time. I on the other hand am having a tough time with it. My breasts are full and ready for her to empty them. I know I had to make the change eventually, but now that it is reality, I am very sad. My baby girl is growing up.....she is now my big girl. I want to pick her up, sit on the couch, give her mimi and rub her face. I love you big girl!

NKOTB!

2008-04-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

I apologize for butting into GG's cuteness, but I came across this picture and had to share. I was a total New Kids on the Block fan! I begged my parents to buy on Pay-Per-View one of their concerts. It probably cost my parents some outrageous amount, but it was cheaper than going to one of their concerts. I especially liked Jonathan Knight (second from left). Well, here they are all grown up.....they are so much hotter now!

Big Girl GG

2008-04-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

For the past four days GG has gone pee pee in her big girl potty! My baby girl is growing up!

GG goes to Dodger Stadium!

2008-03-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

It is Dodger season here in the City of Angels! YIPPPEEE! R and I have been going to Dodger games for years.....we never thought we would be taking our daughter to one. Yesterday we took GG to her very first Dodger game. I was concerned that she would get bored and want to leave right away. Well, I was wrong. She LOVED it! She would cheer when the crowd cheered. She would yell when the crowd yelled. Being that it was a spring training game, the stadium was not very crowded. We moved seats and found three empty seats where GG could stand and not be in anyone's way. She sang and danced and had a great time. After five innings, we decided to head home. Well, GG did not want to leave. Now we know she is down for Dodger games! When we got home, we decided to go to Fosters Freeze for a chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Of course, GG did not have her own, but shared with the both of us. It was a memorable day for us all!

Sporting her new Dodger Tee

Watching the Dodgers hit a home run!

SRIKE 3!

We sure are sitting up high!

Good ole' Dodger Stadium.

Easter

2008-03-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm little behind in posting. Easter morning we went to R's parents house for breakfast. After breakfast, we went outside to hide Easter eggs. At first GG had no clue what was going on. After watching her 8 year old cousin, Joaquin, she finally got the hang of it. She would walk around the yard calling out "huevos, huevos, huevos". She had the best time finding huevos and eating the yummy See's candy that was in the huevos. In the afternoon we went to my parents house for Easter dinner. GG has two cousin's on my side of the family - Camille (4 years old) and Abigail (3 months younger than GG). We arrived at my parents house before Camille and Abbie. GG would walk around the house calling for Abbie. The girls finally arrived and GG loved giving hugs to her BFF Abbie. These pictures were taken at my parents house. It was a great day!

GG in her Easter dress

GG taking time to smell the flowers

GG and Grandpa reading

GG and Grandma having fun! (Camille in the background)

I walked outside and found GG reading all by her lonesome.

This child loves to read!

Grandma reading to GG and Abbie

March Madness

2008-03-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Go Bruins!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

GG getting her Valentine cards ready to pass out to the 'Ninos' in her music class.

Oscar Night

2008-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

This year R wanted to watch the Oscars. Don't ask me why, but he made it through 75% of the show! GG was so good, she watched the show with us. We made popcorn, and had the best time.

Weekend in the Desert

2008-02-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

Over President's Day weekend we spent four days at my parents condo in Palm Desert. We decided to leave Thursday night, 2/14. We packed up the car, got GG in her PJ's and headed out around 9 pm. We like leaving town around this time, so we miss all the traffic and GG will sleep in the car for the majority of the drive. During the drive, GG kept waking up and would cry. I felt her forehead and she seemed warm. When we arrived to the condo, around 11:15 pm, GG was awake and acting strange. That night we were up four times with her. She would wake up and cry, and cry and cry. The next day she was not her usual happy self. The rest of the weekend was a roller coaster ride. At some points during the day, she would feel good and wanted to play. At other times, she was sick and wanted to be held all the time. It was a tough weekend for us......

Here are a few pictures when she was feeling good. I was able to get her hair in pigtails for the first time!

Sick GG

2008-02-21T15:15:00.001-08:00

GG has been sick for awhile now. A few weeks ago she started having a runny nose. Her nose would get so stuffed up that she would have problems breathing at night. We took her to her doctor and he said that she has a common cold and is unable to prescribe her any medication. Well, she now has a bad ear infection in both ears. The doctor finally prescribed her antibodics. YAY!!!! Today is the fourth day on the medication and she is slowing getting back to her usual self. Her eyes are no longer looking sad. I've missed her singing in the morning while I am taking a shower. I can't wait to have my happy baby back! I leave you with a picture of GG during her happier times.

Pajama's

2008-02-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

GG in her pajama's sitting in her 'little' chair that Grandma gave her for Christmas 2006. Look at those big brown eyes!

Cute?

2008-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

A Day at the Beach

2008-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the weather was nice and warm, so we decided to take GG to the beach. Our first stop was to the playground that GG plays at during the summertime.

We than crossed the bike path and headed for the ocean. We haven't visited the shoreline since last summer, so I wasn't sure how GG would react to the ocean. R took GG down to the water, as I stood back and watched. She kicked with excitment and yelled out AGUA!. We took her pants, shoes and socks off and let her run around. She loved it! She was a little afraid when the waves came in, so we stayed back and played in the wet sand. I can't wait until Summer!

Bad Blogger

2008-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am terrible at this blogging thing......I was hoping to post pictures every other day or so, but I have not been able to do so.

GG's uncle is in the PhD program at UC Berkeley. He gave GG this groovy tie-dyed t-shirt.

Family In Need

2008-01-30T08:47:00.001-08:00

Taylor is 5 years old and was recently diagnosed with cancer. Please read her story.

http://www.taylorsfight.blogspot.com/

1st Post!

2008-01-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

While driving into work the other day, I was thinking about the different blogs I have been following and thought to myself it might be fun to start my own blog.

I've been married for five wonderful years to a man (hereinafter "R") who has a great sense of humor and has unconditional love for his family and friends. On June 26, 2006 we welcomed to the world our beautiful daughter Gabriella Grace (hereinafter "GG"). GG has been such a blessing to us all! She is now 19 months old and loves to sing and dance, talk on the phone to her Grandparents and likes to eat pancakes. My heart overflows with love for GG.....she is my precious baby girl!

We are always 'out and about' trying to find new places to take GG. We want her to experience has much as possible - whether it's a day a the beach or taking a trip to the aquarium. Please join me in sharing the various adventures of GG!