Mommy-Addie time

Since Bella was born I have had very little time alone with Addie for one-on-one time. Bella happens to be a very "particular" baby and I find myself watching the hours go by as I hold, walk, bounce, sway, and rock her in my arms to keep her happy. This makes it very hard to actually get down and play with my two year old. I miss it. This afternoon while Bella took a nap (in her crib not my arms) I took Addie for a walk to get some "ice cream" (well, actually a blended vanilla ice drink but she doesn't know that) at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. We had a blast. I can't believe how my baby girl is growing up before my eyes. And I have to say she's getting prettier and prettier as the days go by.

Arabella at 8 weeks

Our pediatrician here in Manila met Arabella for the first time today. She was impressed with her muscle tone and head strength for just being 2 months old. Looks like she will be able to recommend a good pediatric cardiologist for us to see for the next two years. So far Bella's stats puts her in the 90th percentile for both height and weight which is reassuring.

Birth: 20 inches, 8lbs 5 ounces
2 days: 20 inches, 7lbs 15 ounces
2 weeks: 21 inches, 9lbs 15 ounces
6 weeks: 22 inches, 12lbs 7 ounces
8 weeks: 23 inches, 13lbs 8 ounces


This is what Justin was waiting for all those weeks. I think he'd agree that it's way more fun having us all home together.

great day

Sunday was a great day. All the elements of a good day came together for me yesterday. Bella slept in her crib for the first time the night before so Justin and I had our bedroom back! We all slept better. I made waffles for the family for breakfast. Justin let me take a nap while Bella slept in the morning. Then he took us to a Vietnamese restaurant he found for lunch. Addie was well behaved and ate well while Bella slept in her car seat the ENTIRE meal! When we got home Addie napped and Justin took care of Bella while I got a foot spa at Blue Mountain. When I returned we all got ready for a dip in the pool. For her first time, Bella loved the pool and was so relaxed she started yawning. Later I made dinner and then we put the girls to bed. Addie and Bella were asleep about the same time and Justin and I got to read. Usually I give up on reading for pleassure until my babies are at least three months old. I'm just too tired. This was total luxury! Bella loves Addie and smiles at her all the time. Here they entertained one another while Addie sat on the potty and Bella got some time in the bouncy seat.

forgot

Found these two priceless pictures. The first is of Addie with Talina and Pete's dog Cash. She loves big dogs and I'm afraid we are going to have to get one some day!

The second I took at the start of our traveling adventure at PDX. At this point I still had some energy. All that stuff was ours! I knew I was in for the long haul but I had no idea how yucky it would be.

Aussie Rules Football

While the girls and I were gone, Justin joined an Aussie Rules Football team that plays weekly at the Manila Polo Club grounds. This weekend we joined him to see what it was all about. Plenty of big burly Aussies and Kiwis ran around in short shorts and sleeveless jerseys shouting things in their cool accents. The game is a mix between American style soccer and football. Watching the girls and trying to keep Addie from going on the field after her Daddy proved to be so much of a challenge that I barely got to watch the game. I did catch Justin kicking a goal! Next thing I knew Justin was writhing on the ground scream profanities and then being carried off to the sidelines limping. Now my accident prone husband has a bum knee. Add that to the list of injuries he's received while playing adult just-for-recreation-sports. I'm trying to convince him to blog about his snorkeling incident. That was another doosie.

Little Mommy

Addie mimics me by taking special care of her baby doll (whom she so appropriately has named Baby Bella-sounds like Bedda when she says it though). She rocks her baby and shushes her. She puts her in the swing, bouncy seat, and on the blanket to change her. I've noticed that when Arabella is crying, Addie pays extra attention to her baby doll. She is very tender and sweet and it melts my heart.

Happy Anniversary

Just a quick shout out to my hubbby of four years today. I hated being away from you so I hope that we never have to be separated for any length of time again. I love you.