Vegas Baby!

Ok, now that the trip is over, I promise to stop saying that.

Saturday 4.24.10

We left the house at 8:07 a.m., and Ella was asleep in 7 minutes.  Unfortunately, she only slept for 40 minutes and wouldn't sleep again until we left the Primm Outlets at 1:00 p.m.!  She only slept for 40 minutes again, which brings us to Lesson No. 1...napping in the car is totally unpredictable, and even if you have a regularly awesome napper, the car is a whole different ballgame.  We checked into our Piazza Suite at the Venetian.  It was huge!  The Piazza Suites have not yet been renovated like the regular suites, but the decor is still acceptable...more 'old school' as I like to say...similar to how most Ritz Carlton hotel rooms are decorated...not bad, just not modern.

Big marble foyer & half bathroom on left of foyer

After the foyer you enter the dining room with one of three flat screens

You then step down into the large living room/family room

Entrance of the bedroom off the dining room

Master bathroom sinks and jetted tub

We had dinner at Dos Caminos in the Palazzo- it was SO good!  Their salsas and guacamole are absolutely delicious.  Julie and I both got the Mahi Mahi tacos, which were really good.  Our waiter was awesome- such great service and so genuinely nice.  We had the girls with us of course, and he was telling us how his wife is due with a baby boy in a few weeks so he was observing us to see how it would be- so cute!  He even brought us a dessert on him- platter of desserts with white and dark chocolate dipping sauces...strawberries, pineapple, bananas, marshmallows, coconut macaroons, brownies, banana churros and peanut butter bars...I know, decadent.  Needless to say, he received a very generous tip!

Little Miss E wanting a taste of my margarita!

The group

Sunday 4.25.10

We went to breakfast at Grand Luxe Cafe and had their breakfast buffet, which consists of tons of pastries, bread, cereal, lots of fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and an omelet station...my favorite part was the to die for fresh squeezed orange juice!


After Ella's nap, we headed down to the pool- it was Ella's first time ever going to a pool, and she LOVED it!  The girl would not stop smiling and laughing, and instead of trying to get her feet to touch the bottom of the baby pool while she was in her ladybug floatie, she would just lie back and bask in the sun...very mommy like!

We were also apparently entertainment for the entire group of 50 people on the lawn area where we were sitting as everyone was oohing and aahing over Ella.  Lesson No. 2...babies in Vegas are like cute girls at an all boys school...there aren't very many of them so they get A TON of attention!

Unfortunately, Julie, Ryan and Olivia weren't at the pool with us, which would turn out to be the theme of our trip...we basically didn't see them because the girls were on opposite schedules.  Lesson No. 3...don't bother to go on trips with friends when you have babies because you will never see each other unless your babies are exactly the same age and on exactly the same schedule...and even then you likely won't see each other because Ella and Olivia are on similar schedules regularly, but being on vacation messed up the regular nap schedules.   Lesson No. 4...if possible, always bring your Pack n Play or buy one when you get to your location because the cribs provided by hotels are not great.  Luckily, after a fight to take her first nap in the hotel-issued crib, Ella slept like a CHAMP every other nap...Vegas wears a girl out!

After Ella's nap, we walked around the Canal Shops and had to get a picture with Ella's doppelganger:

There were opera singers in the the main piazza, and Ella was loving it!  So when we got back to the room, we cranked up the ipod speakers and had a little dance party. :)


That night, Julie and I had our "girls night out" at Tao Asian Bistro.  The food was AMAZING.  We both had miso glazed sea bass and pork fried rice, and both were absolutely divine.  My favorite meal in Vegas.  Julie had a lychee martini, and I had a French martini, but they call it something else.  The downside was the service.  The waiter hardly paid attention to us, the food was brought out literally about 3 minutes after we ordered (how is that even possible?) so we didn't have any time to chat or enjoy our drinks before the food came, they asked to take our plates while we both still had fish and rice left and they brought our check before we even finished...trying to turn tables much?  Despite the awful service, I would still go back just for the food!

Monday 4.26.10

We met J, R & O for breakfast at Grand Luxe Cafe and then headed back to the pool after Ella's nap.  She wasn't nearly as enamored with the pool as she was the day before so I'm glad we weren't in Hawaii for 6 days where all there is to do is pool/beach!  Luckily, J, R & O came down to the pool before we left so we at least took a bunch of pictures in the 5 minutes our time overlapped!  

On a side note, the whole process of diapering while at the pool is not easy!  You have to go down to the pool with a regular diaper on and no swimsuit, then change her into a swim diaper and bathing suit right before you get into the pool, then when you take her out again, you have to peel off the wet and sticky bathing suit (which btw, are not easy to get on and off) to put a regular diaper back on since swim diapers don't hold pee...and the process repeats over and over as many times as you get in and out of the pool.  Ella pooped and peed on my towel at one point!  Lesson No. 5...only buy 2 piece bathing suits from now on.

We all met up for dinner at Delmonico, and we were not impressed.  I got the vine-ripened tomato salad, which was just ok.  Gary and Julie got the gumbo, which to me, tasted sort of like black bean soup.  The steaks were good and seasoned well, but both Ryan's and mine were overcooked, which is unacceptable for a nice steak restaurant.  The mashed potatoes were not good at all (no flavor), and I did not care for the creamed corn.  To top it all off, the service was not great.  Our waiter, while attentive, was not not friendly or personable and bordered on snotty.  I highly doubt this would have happened at Delmonico in New Orleans because we ate at much fancier restaurants in NOLA, and the service was never anything less than impeccable.  I would not eat there again.  However, they do make a nice looking martini ;)

I think this is the only family picture we got the entire trip, and I did it in our room with the auto timer!

Overall, it was a very fun trip, but Vegas is VERY different with babies!  Lesson No. 6...if at all possible, always travel with a nanny and/or grandparents!

A New Trick

We went out to dinner with my parents tonight, and all of us ended up crying because we were laughing so hard at Ella's new trick!  The utter hilarity of it all does not transfer to a photo at all, but she decided, 'why tire out my arms holding a rattle when I can simply leave it dangling from my mouth?'  I wish I had a video camera with us because she would move the rattle up and down in her mouth and look at all of us like, "what?"

This kid cracks me up.

*Sorry about the awful photo quality...that's a Blackberry for you!

Top 10 Reasons My Dog is the COOLEST

I feel like Rylee gets no props anymore because it's all about Ella all the time, but she IS our first baby, and she's just as much a part of the family as any human. So here are the top 10 reasons why Rylee is just the coolest:

(10) She was potty trained in a week;

(9) She never has accidents in the house, and even if we've forgotten to take her out since the afternoon and then go to bed (I know, we're horrible parents sometimes), and she has to poop, she takes her tired little butt all the way downstairs to make sure she goes on the hardwood floors so it's easy cleanup (how brilliant is this dog?!);

(8) She was never ever a chewer, even as a puppy (my shoes and furniture thank her);

(7) She has mastered 10 tricks- sit, stay, lie down, play dead, roll over, turn around, dance, shake, high five and high ten;

(6) When she walks around or runs with her mouth open, it looks like she's smiling at you, and every single time we go to the dog park, at least one person says, "oh my gosh, that dog is smiling at me!";

(5) She has the coolest underbite ever...take that bulldogs;

(4) She has one of the sweetest dispositions I've ever seen in a dog, which means she is always happy, she loves everybody and no matter how many chunks of fur Ella rips out, she only ever licks her hand;

(3) She is so in love with Gary and I that if at all possible, she will sit exactly equidistant between the two of us, and in the best situation, make sure she can see us both from where she is sitting;

(2) She has a guilty conscious so that whenever she has done something she's not supposed to do (like eat the cat's food) she walks right into the room with her ears back and tail between her legs...the fun part is trying to figure out what she did!;

(1) She is, without question, the cutest dog that ever lived...and I say that with complete impartiality. ;)

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that she's not perfect...she eats the cat's food, she eats the cat's poop out of the litter box on occasion, she barks like crazy when someone comes over because she gets so excited, she pulls my arm off when we go for a walk, she begs for food like we haven't fed in her in a month...but eh, we'll keep her!

No Baby is Perfect

You know those parents that are like, "oh I'm so lucky, my baby is so good, such an easy baby, never cries, blah, blah"?  Uh huh, right.  I have said similarly annoying things because I do have a good baby, but don't let them (us?) fool you...every.single.baby has THOSE days.

The day started out well.  I even dressed E up in her 80's Superstar outfit with her Blondie onesie, her white legwarmers and a headband, which she thought was pretty funny (how Flashdance fabulous does she look?)!

Shortly after that photo, she went down for her second nap from which she woke up EARLY and SCREAMING.  It was pretty much over from then...crying and fussing for the rest of the day.  I have to say, my good easy baby is becoming not so easy!  She's in this stage now where she (a) is much more aware and has realized she'd rather hang out with mommy and daddy because let's face it, we're cool, so she sometimes screams when he put her to bed (luckily for not very long), and (b) she sometimes wakes up screaming in the middle of her naps and cries for a loooong time before falling back to sleep.  Where did this come from?

But the silver lining was that despite the fact that Rylee acts like a jealous fool when it comes to Ella, she really does love her.  When Ella was crying uncontrollably while laying on the bed, Rylee was very concerned, came over to sit with Ella and even put her little paw on Ella's belly to make her feel better...

Now, if Ella continues with this odd behavior, it's going to make for a very interesting trip to Vegas!

ETA: Of course at 5 when she wakes up from her 3rd nap, she turns into her normal happy self just in time for Gary to come home and think I'm crazy and say that it's because she knew he was coming home :rolleyes:

Baptism Videos

Here are the only two very short videos we took on Ella's baptism day!  I so prefer photos that we rarely bust out the video camera, but I wish we did because I know we'll love to look back on them.



In Ella news, she had peas today for the first time and seemed to love them.  So far this kid will eat anything I give her (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans and peas)...I'm enjoying it while it lasts because I hear once they get to table food, it's not so easy!

Ella's Baptism

Ella was baptized today at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church (the church we were married in).  It was such a wonderful day filled with so much love and happiness.  It was a very important day to us, and we are so grateful for the friends and family who took time out of their busy lives to share in the celebration with us.  The weather could not have been more perfect!

Ella was in a GREAT mood all day...she was smiling and laughing before we even got inside...

With mommy at the alter...

With mommy and Godmother...

With mommy, Godmother and Godsister(??)

Happy family...

Ella was just in love with Olivia before the ceremony started...can you see her laughing at Olivia?  She was squealing with delight as well!

Even though she made this face while she was being baptized, she was all smiles immediately after...we're pretty sure that's because she thought she was getting a bath!

Parents and Godparents with Deacon Steve...

The whole family...Mommy & daddy, Godparents Julie and Ryan (with Olivia), Aunt Katie, Uncle Brian, cousin Brett, grammy, pop-pop, grandma and grandpa...

Me & my grandparents...

Already pestering cousin Brett at 6 months old...

Our two little flowers...

Me & my grandmas...

I'm so mad at myself, I completely forgot to take a picture of the lovely food table my mom set up, but I did take a picture of the pink rose cupcakes I got for Ella Rose...

And finally, her beautiful gown...

Bye Bye Hawaii

We canceled our Hawaii trip...a week before we are supposed to leave!  Julie and I have both been really stressed about flying with the babies and even more stressed about the logistics of being in Hawaii, getting all our crap to Hawaii, spending that kind of money for a vacation where we'll be in the room half the time, and most importantly, ruining the girls' good sleep habits!  It had gotten to the point where we were dreading the trip rather than being excited.  That's just not how you should feel about a Hawaiian vacation.  Soooooo, we decided to cancel our trip and instead, we're going on a shorter trip to...

                                               VEGAS BABY!

I know, I know...Vegas with babies?  But Vegas is trying to be way more family friendly, and Vegas has great shopping, pools and spas, right?   We booked Piazza Suites at the Venetian, and we're so excited!  They are 1,400 square feet and have TWO bathrooms!  WHOO HOO!

Ok so maybe it's not as beautiful or tropical or beachy as Hawaii, but Hawaii will still be there in a year or two or ten...please tell me that I will go to Hawaii again before I'm 40. ;)

Our Weekend

On Friday, we had Alex stay late so we could go to happy hour...two margaritas later, I was a happy girl!

Saturday we went to Lindley and Steve's for dinner.  Lindley brought out Logan's playmat for Ella, so of course Logan became very re-interested in it!  We had two cuties on a playmat...

Logan was very into Ella and all things to do with Ella, and she was so sweet giving Ella hugs and patting her on her head!

Even though Gary and I feel like we have to rush, rush, eat and run, we still always have a great time getting together with them...and eating the yummy chicken kabobs and corn bread they made!  I brought over my mini white cupcakes with fresh strawberry glaze...

On Sunday we went to Jen & Kylen's so that Paige could open her birthday gift from Ella & Olivia since we'll be in Hawaii for Paigey's first birthday party (we're so sad!).  Paige has the most beautiful long eyelashes and an adorable full head of hair...

Even though we were there to give Paigey a gift, they surprised us with a gift for Ella for her baptism...Ella thought the outfit was really cute- see her expression?!

Paige was very interested in touching Ella, and she pointed out her nose for us. :)  She even kind of said "Ella"!!

6 Months Old

Ella is 6 months old today!  I cannot believe we've had our little peanut for half a year already!  She becomes more fun and interactive every day.  She is now very interested in the world around her...especially other people.  She grabs and reaches for everything, and everything goes in her mouth.  She rolls back and forth all the time.  She sits unassisted for a few seconds before tipping over, but she can sit up longer if she leans forward and props herself up with her hands.  While Gary and I often have to 'work' for a smile or laugh, all Rylee has to do is walk by her, and she gets a huge smile or even laughs.  She continues to be a very good/easy baby, really only fussing when she is very hungry or tired.

She is sleeping through the night...usually from about 6:30 p.m. until between 6 and 7 a.m.  She naps about 3.5-4.5 hours per day.  I just cut out her 3rd nap three days ago, and we're working on staying awake longer between her first and second naps...she still doesn't like to be awake longer than 2 hours between naps!

We still give her a dream feed at around 11 p.m., but that is slowly phasing out because she takes less and less each time.  I want her to keep getting it because I don't think she eats enough otherwise!  She eats four 6 oz. bottles a day, plus whatever she gets during the dream feed (1-2 oz. usually).  We try to give her solids at least 1-2 times a day, but sometimes we don't give her any.  She hates rice cereal.  She likes oatmeal, and she loves carrots, sweet potatoes and squash.  I usually try to mix the veggies with a bit of formula powder and cereal to make it more caloric.

She wears a size 2 diaper and 6 months in clothes.  She can still wear size 3-6 months in Gymboree and most Naartjie outfits, but she can wear the 9 month Target (Circo) brand sleepers (although they are slightly big).  

She got her 3rd round of shots today at the pediatrician (again 2 shots in each thigh), and she barely cried at all!  She was more upset about the nurse holding her legs down then she was about the actual shots.  She was her smiley happy self as soon as we got home.

STATS
Weight- 15 pounds 12 oz. (50th% actual; 75th% adjusted)
Height- 25 inches (30th% actual; 60th% adjusted)
Head- 42 inches (40th% actual; 50th% adjusted)

Her interest in the world around her and any and all objects leads to a photo shoot with mainly pictures like this:

I cannot express how much joy she brings into our lives.  She makes everything seem better, sweeter, sunnier, easier and more fun.

Good Times

Last night we went to the Angels opener with Julie and Ryan.  We had so much fun!  We don't get to hang out with them nearly as much as we'd like...I miss my BFF!  Julie and I were both either pregnant or nursing all last season, so last night, we finally were able to indulge in some margaritas...

Today, Ella and I met up with some girls from our mommy group at Woodbridge Community Park for a little lunch and relaxation in the sun (or shade for the babies).  We had such a great time, and get this, I met an adorable mom, who has a baby girl the EXACT same age as Ella (born 10.8.09) that was also born at Hoag, AND they live in our development!!  How crazy is that?!  I wish we would have known each other while we were pregnant.

And yes, Ella wore leggings, a tutu and a giant flower headband to the PARK.

So do you think the Uppa Baby Vista is getting more popular? (4 of the 8 moms had one!)...

Back to work...

Feeding Frenzy

I think I'm losing the solid food battle.  This is how it went today...

For her late afternoon feeding, I decided to feed her sort of propped up in her Boppy.  This is because (a) Gary has not yet put the high chair together, (b) feeding her in the Bumbo no longer works well because she tries to twist all the way around and sometimes almost lurches out of it and (c) if you try to feed her in the exersaucer, she gets food all over the top of the seat, which is a pain to get off and wash.

On her first bite, she does her typical spitting maneuver but since she's kind of in a laying position, it goes up and gets on her forehead, in her eyelashes and up her nose.  It is also on the front of her shirt, the arm of her shirt and her pant leg...I have no idea how it simultaneously got on her forehead and leg?  Doesn't seem to bother her so we continue. 

She then decides the bowl of squash and the spoon look like they'd be fun to play with so as I'm trying to avoid her octopus arms, she knocks the spoon out of my hand (which is full of food), it lands on the carpet and gets squash e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e., including on both her and my pant legs (again).  Rylee [unsuccessfully] attempts to lick the squash out of the carpet and off Ella's pant leg. 

I then try to get all the cat and dog fur off the back of the spoon, and Rylee, who has now gotten all she can out of the carpet, starts licking the spoon IN MY HAND (you can tell she's quite fearful of me).

We finally get re-situated and get a few more bites in, but Ella leaves most of the food in her mouth so that when she puts both hands in her mouth, she can be sure to get them covered in squash.  I set the bowl of squash next to me so I can try to clean off her hands on her bib, and Rylee starts licking the squash out of the bowl. 

I finally give up, and decide that at this point, I might as well use Rylee's tongue as a wipe, and I let her lick Ella's entire face clean.  

I swear, if it's true that kids who grow up with dogs are healthier, I am going to have the healthiest kid in the entire world.

On a positive note, E is becoming a solid food pro and really getting good at taking the spoon and swallowing her food instead of pushing it out with her tongue! 

Happy Easter!

It was a fabulous first Easter for Little Miss E!  The Easter Bunny left her a basket full of goodies...

She was perfectly behaved in church even though she only took 50 minutes of her normal hour and half nap.  She got more presents and grew bunny ears at grandma's house...

She took pictures with mommy...

And daddy...

She laughed at great-grandpa...

She read the menu and told grandma what to order at brunch...

She sat in a high chair for the first time AND got her very first doll (a Madame Alexander) from grandma...

And she thought it was super funny when grandpa would bite her little hands...

She was in such a good mood all day that it made for a wonderful Easter!  We can't wait for next year when she'll be able to hunt for eggs. :)

The Easter Bunny brought mommy this (a rose for Ella Rose)...

Ok, the Easter Bunny ordered it for mommy 2 days before Easter.  Ok, I ordered it for myself at the Easter Bunny's direction. ;)~

First Day at Work

Today was my first day back at work.  I'm working at home every day but Wednesday when I'm in the office (and of course when I'm at court or mediations), but I went in today to get organized, pick up my new cases, etc.  I have to say, I was so happy to be back!  Everyone was so welcoming, and my boss is being so great and understanding with my schedule.

I was initially supposed to go back on March 1st, but I just wasn't ready so I stretched it out to April 1st, which was the right thing to do because I was so ready to go back today!  Don't get me wrong, being a mommy is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, and I love being with my little peanut more than anything in the world, BUT being a stay at home mom is the hardest thing I've ever done!  I am in awe of women that stay at home with more than one child- you are rock stars!  This is the first time in SIX MONTHS that I didn't feel rushed, worried, scatter-brained, etc.  If I'm out with Ella, I'm rushed to get back to the house for naps or feedings.  If I'm not with Ella, I'm rushed to get back to the house to relieve the person watching her.  Today, I just felt relaxed.  I knew Ella was safe with my mom, and I finally felt like a 'real' person again sitting in my office, being around all adults, talking about work...it was fabulous!

I am so hoping everything works out, and that this is the right balance of work and being a mommy.  I'm working 80% so that I am still able to do playdates and things during the day and not feel guilty about it.  I just feel so happy!  Maybe you really can have it all.

Now, talk to me in a month and see if I feel the same way. ;)