Happy Hollow

Since Maddie was born it has been difficult for Sabrina and I to have quality alone time together. Sure, we are together at home just the two of us when Maddie is napping, but it's not the same as being able to go out and have some fun somewhere together. So on this morning in Mid-March we got a call from my friend Michelle, who is the mommy to Sabrina's friend Ella to join them at Happy Hollow. Happy Hollow is this really cute kiddie zoo and amusement park right here in San Jose. It is a five minute drive from our house and we go there all the time. They have a small zoo section but lately we have bypassed the animals to go straight to the back of the park where they have kiddie rides, a great play area and a puppet show. So I put Maddie down for her nap, packed us a lunch and Jerry said he would take care of the baby until we got back. What a great time the girls had together! I love watching Sabrina interact with her friends. And Sabrina loves all her friends. We got to the park just in time for the puppet show. Sabrina LOVES the puppet shows at Happy Hollow. They are about 20 minutes long and Sabrina really pays attention and enjoys the show. Afterwards we rode the rollercoaster (by far Sabrina's favorite ride at the park) then hit up the play area. By then it was time for lunch and afterwards some more rides. I think over 2 1/2 hours had flown by! By now I needed to get back to feed Maddie but it was a great time!

I'm ready to play baseball!!

So the other day I took Sabrina and Maddie to River Glen park, near our home in Willow Glen.  It was a great afternoon; tons of friends were there and we had a ball.  At this park are also baseball fields filled with kids playing and doing drills.  At one field, the kids were lining up in a horizontal line to learn to properly run to the base and back.  Sabrina spied this going on and decided to get in on the action!!  Before I knew it, she was RUNNING to the field, got in line with the kids  - who were all boys, ages around 6 and 7 and was ready to roll!!!  I wish I had a video of it, or a picture of her in line with these boys.  We quickly got there and explained to her that she wasn't part of this class.  I apologized to the coaches but they were really nice about it, they thought it was great she wanted to play!  That's my baby, no fear!!

My sweet baby

Since I updated about Sabrina it's only fair to talk about Maddie too.  She is such a sweet, good natured baby!  She is happiest to just be held and look out at the world.  When I wear her in the sling, or I'm just holding her if she's not tired she wants to be looking out.  I think Maddie is more serious than Sabrina was at the same age, but she does like to smile and be talked to and I love to find something that will make her laugh!  She has the sweetest, sweetest laugh.  She is just a sweet little thing!

Maddie is also spoiling me in the sleep department.  More of than not nowadays she will nurse at 7:30 and go to sleep right away and not wake up until 5:30 or later!  And then she goes right back to sleep until oftentimes after 8am.  Love it!!  This also gives me a chance to get Sabrina up and dressed and help her with breakfast.  So considerate!  Sometimes Maddie will take a small snooze as we are out and about but I need to be home a bit before 12:30 at the latest so I can nurse her and put her down to sleep.  She will reliably take a 2-3 hour nap.  After than we can go about our day until it's bedtime once again.  A schedule I can work with!  Of course babies change so often in the beginning who knows how long this schedule will last but so far I like it.

It's Potty Time!

So on Jan17th, 2011 Sabrina officially started potty training.  I really didn't think we would begin potty training until age 3.  A couple of months ago I bought a potty, we have a few potty books and Sabrina has watched Potty Time with Elmo but she just never seemed into it.  But then all of a sudden she started noticing more and more of her friends were using the potty and she wanted to use it too.  One day I asked her "do you want to start wearing big girl panties instead of diapers?" and Sabrina said YES!.  So I went to the store, bought a pack of princess panties and a package of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse panties, a little portable potty and made a go bag and we were on our way!  Basically, it was three weeks of hell.  Sabrina was getting the pee in the potty thing, but she was VERY resistant to pooping in the potty.  In three weeks, she pooped in the potty once.  Any other time I was lucky enough to catch it in her rest time diaper (no more naps for this girl - but that will be another post) or her night time diaper.  Otherwise, she'd just poop in her pants.  So, so disgusting.  So gross!

After three weeks, I admit I was ready to throw in the towel.  I just felt like there wasn't any progress made and maybe we needed to take a break.  But after a really bad day where I swore this was it, I was D.O.N.E. I woke up and thought, well, dawn of a new day, let's give it one more chance and something clicked in her head and she got it!  She's even pooping in the potty AND going to the potty without telling anyone, she will just take herself and go!  It's amazing.  I never thought we would get to this point.  Now that we are past the worst of it, I have to say I am very happy to be done with diapers, at least during the day.  Staying dry during the night is a whole different animal.  We're not perfect, but we can go for days without an accident, and usually the accidents are my fault.  There are times where she is super busy and occupied and I need to steer her to the potty, otherwise we're going to have an accident.  But it's soooo much better than it was.  And there are times where Sabrina is occupied and she takes herself!  Today for example, Sabrina was watching Word World (one of her favorite shows) and she realized she needed to pee, so she took herself to the bathroom and did her business.  Amazing!!!  I don't mind the occasional accident, as long as I'm seeing progress.  My baby is growing up!!

The Segals visit The Kurtze's

Jerry's sister Franni, her husband Danny and their two 5 1/2 month old twins Charlie and Eliana came to visit us for 10 days. Jerry had met the babies before as he went to Charlie's bris but it was mine and the girls first time meeting their cousins and my niece and nephew. I think it is so neat that I am an aunt!! It was a super busy week. We did a professional photo shoot, took everyone to Muir Woods to see the redwoods trees, the Monterey Bay Aquirium and Santa Cruz. It was great to hang out and get to know Charlie and Eliana. They are so cute!!! Really good babies too. Sabrina loved playing with the babies and helping give them a bottle. Ira and Lorraine also came to spend them with all their grandchildren. A lot of people but it was a lot of fun.

Happy New Year!!

         We spent our last evening of 2010 with the Solnits; Dina, Matt & Rachel. The girls got to  wear party hats and they had a lot of fun with them.  Dina made a super yummy dinner and we celebrated New Year's at about 7:30 (hey, the kids have to go to bed) . After we came home I tried to stay up...I think I lasted until 9:30pm. Jerry bless his heart stayed up all by his lonesome until midnight. :(. I told him to come to bed so I wouldn't feel bad he was staying up by himself, haha. But he insisted. Happy New Year!!!

Maddie & Pooh Bear

I am a Q T

So I am trying to take a picture of Maddie with Pooh Bear every week, to document how big she is getting throughout her first year. Here she is at about 3 weeks. What a sweetie!