Joy

Jennifer took some amazing pictures of us back in March, these are among my favorites. Truth be told I have about 15 favorites! She even did all of the special fixin' in Aperture, so all I had to do is select the ones I like to print or post. Thanks Jennifer!

DaDa

Dan was playing with Sofia this morning. He has a new game of “baby wrestling”, (think WWF) where he puts his hands around her belly and gently rolls her side-to-side and then squishes her into the bed - repeatedly. Sofia LOVES this. The anticipation makes her squeal. After a few minutes of play Dan had to finish getting ready for work, (he’s going to NYC today). As he left the room a very clear, “Da, Da, Da, Da” came bellowing out of Sofia’s mouth, followed by an inquisitive, "Da Da"? When Dan came back into the room, she repeated those delightful little sounds for him to hear. What a wonderful way to start the day!

Blah, Blah, Blah

Sofia started saying, “Blah, blah, blah” today, adding this to the many other sounds in her repertoire. A few times she even mixed in a, “ma, ma, ma”. It cracks me up to here the, “blah, blah, blah, ma, ma, ma”.

When she cried for me to pick her up the other day she threw in a, “ma, ma, ma”, which only means that I have earned the same status as, “ahhh, aiii, and waahh”, her other vocal accomplishments. Of course I tell myself that the most important thing is that she is discovering her consonant sounds.
: )

The other "big" thing that happened today is that Sofia watched her hand wave "bye bye". Note: she didn't actually wave bye-bye at me or anyone else, she just watched her hand as it made the bye-bye motion. She is also rolling her hands. To picture this, it is the motion you would make when singing the Pat-A-Cake song at the lyric, "rolllllll it".

She is still congested but in much better spirits than yesterday.

Under The Weather

Sofia isn't feeling tip top today. She is having nasal issues, which made for a restless night and has prevented her from eating comfortably. It was a rough night on me too; I think it was worse than when she was a new born! We were up every two hours on the dot. Read: wake at 1:00am, nurse and hold until 2:00am, try to put her down. Wake at 3:00am, repeat. I held her from 4am on. I think it is official; today she has her first real cold complete with fussy, no-sleep behavior. Needless to say, we have done a lot of cuddling.

Little Red Riding Molly, er um, Hood

..."But, Grandmother, what a big nose you have."
"All the better to smell with, my dear."

Progress

In no particular order: Sofia is on the brink of rolling over. This morning when Dan brought her in to our bedroom she rolled her hips all the way over, but her arm was trapped under her. Last night she slept on her side for the first time. Dan noticed today that Sofia pulls her toes away in anticipation of him grabbing them.
Yesterday while playing on her play gym, Sofia used one toy (the red mirror) to 'hit' the other toys. She also can throw her toys now, though I don't think she does it on purpose. When she throws her toys, she shows her disappointment that the toy is gone by screaming....instantly. She shows frustration this way as well.
By far, watching her relationship with Max develop is my favorite. Now that she responds to gestures and facial expressions, they enjoy riveting back and forth communication. Sofia will see Max. She will stare at him until he looks at her. Once he looks she smiles or giggles. Then because she has smiled, Max smiles. When she sees Max smile, she laughs. This makes Max laugh. Repeat.

Silly Accessories

I did it. I broke down and bought one of those damn headbands, an item that 10 months ago I swore I would never buy. It was as if I couldn’t help myself, kind of like when we’re at the Prada outlet each June. Remind me someday (like in 13 years) that on April 12 I surrendered, not to a higher power, but to the proverbial fashionista mentality.

The next time I’m having a weak moment I just know I’m going to end up with a tutu.

Quick, while no one is looking...

After dolling Sofia up in her darling headband, she realized the pressure to be a fashion king pin was too intense; a quick fix was needed. Sofia's latest addiction is sucking her toes. How many toes can she fit in her mouth you ask? So far just three, but I'm certain it won't be long before all five are covered in drool.


Caught red handed!

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...

Poor Corbu doesn't know what she's in for.

Happy to Be Home

Sofia shares a smile with me Tuesday morning. With her first international trip now complete, I think it's safe to say that this little girl was born to travel...wow, did I get lucky or what?!

Tender Ride

After spending five nights on the boat, we are headed home. Max watches as our floating hotel disappears in the distance.

The Kids

On our last day in Mazatlan.
Sofia: 2'-3"
Max: 5'-9"
How did Max get so tall so fast? Just think, next year at this time he'll be driving! (I'll let you know when so you can stay home that day.)

Outside of Puerto Vallarta

On our first night in Mexico we took the boat South and anchored in a little cove outside of Puerta Vallerta. You can barely make out the Palapas in the background. Sofia is wearing her hula girl dress!