Christmas Florida Style

This is the face of a little lady who slept thru the night... IN HER CRIB!

All the toys she could want but she chooses to play with a hanger. Or Tupperwear. Or a cardboard box.

If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands!!

Little family, Big tree.

SNOW in FLORIDA!

Different tree, same little family!

Mesmerized by the tree!!

She was resting her chin on daddy.

SANTA... and Mrs. Claus was there too!

SNOWFALL

See Ya Santa!!

Same tree, same little family, different angle!

Another wonderful day!! 

Eloah slept all night in her crib! So she was solo rested when she woke up, ready to play! We went back to the outlets to return exchange some sizes and pick up a few more goodies, it was a really quick trip though. Then, we headed to lake Eola to meet up with our favorite friends and stroll thru the park!! It was such a nice day for it too! We took a few pictures in front of the HUGE Christmas tree, sat in the park, chatted and watched the swans! Garrett, Lauren and Avery needed to head home to watch some football so we headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up a few things for a Christmas gift before heading to Celebration for the tree lighting ceremony! Celebration was packed with families to see Santa, ride on the train or a horse drawn carriage and listen to the carolers. It was solo fun! Eloah had no idea what was going on but was interested in seeing/watching everything! She loved the music and the lights. The snow was a bit confusing to her. It was just shaving cream being blown around so we didn't get to really play in it. We will play in real snow later this week when we are in Colorado though! We didn't get a chance to ride the train or the carriages because Eloah was falling asleep on my shoulder so we just headed home instead. I think the novelty would have been lost on her anyways so it is ok, we will definitely do it next year!

It has been a really fun weekend so far. I can't believe we are going to be heading to Colorado at the end of the week! Im so glad we got to spend so much time with Werner since he won't be joining us in Colorado for two weeks, we are going to miss him so much! I bet those two weeks will go by so quickly though because we will be so busy playing with all our Colorado friends!! And, WE GET TO SEE ISADORABLE!!! I can't wait!!!!

Black Friday

Morning stretches!

At "Grammys Indoor Playground"... 

You can't tell but she is looking over this to see what the kids are doing on the other side...

"I wanna be... where the people are.... I wanna be... Part of your wooooorld" or something like that!

I didn't take nearly enough pictures today :(. We had a great day though! Since we woke up early, we decided to start the day with breakfast with Daddy!! Eloah shared eggs and bananas with me and sat at the table (in my lap) like such a big kid. She is always such a trooper!! Our waitress was so in love with her too!

We decided to go see what all the hubbub was about with this black friday deal! Haha. We made it to the outlet mall around 9 and we were definitely there before the crowd. We got Eloah loads of clothes(50% off at Carters), me some shoes (20% off at Nike) and Werner got a few work shirts (50% off at Brooks Brothers). It was pretty successful!

Then we went to an indoor playground, since it was chilly out. There were only a few kids there but Eloah was still pretty excited. She is so eager to be one of the big kids. She followed/crawled around them the whole time we were there. She would pull herself up and stare at them from a distance. It was pretty cute!

Since we were in the car so much today she napped a lot. She normally only takes two naps a day and they are each about 40 minutes long. Today she probably slept at least 2.5 hours. But she was still exhausted by 7, which means she had fun and wore herself out!! 

I have to admit, the second I close the door after putting her down in her bed I instantly miss her. I can't wait to wake up and see her again in the morning!

Hastag: Thankful

Eloah Fudd and her Dad! Haha!

Little Family on our way to the Turkey Trot on this chilly Thanksgiving morning!

Say "TURKEYYYY"!

Eloah and Werner taking a nap in the first mile!

HAHAHAHA, It took 30 minutes to do the first mile so this was actually an improvement! 

So close we could almost taste it. Haha! We finished around 1h10s!

We did it! And, we Match!

Silly daddy!! We love days that he gets to spend with us!!

Love this picture. We were all so glad to be done. It was a long hour.  :)

Some people get medals when they cross the finish line, we got bundles of bananas and bagels. I think we really won  today.

A new (to her) table from her Aunt and Uncle!

The little turkey my Mother in Law made sure I had for my 'traditional' thanksgiving. It was soooo good!

This is what the Brazilians do for Thanksgiving though!

She had some corn on the cobb, asparagus and water in a real glass. It was a big day!

Basically all she does now is stand. Look at that proud face.

Love these two people so much its insane!!

What a fun day we had today!! We started soooo early for the Turkey Trot. It was our first time doing a Turkey Trot and Eloah's first run/walk ever! It was chilly this morning, I wore 4 layers, because who would think you need a parka in FL, and Eloah was in a fleece body suit and hat. She was soooo cute all bundled with her pink cheeks and chilly nose, a perfect excuse for lots of mommy kisses! We took our sweet time getting started with the walk, took lots of pictures, Lauren put Avery in her carrier and we didn't even start walking till the 12th minute or so. As we were walking across the start/finish line, the winner was running across the line too. Haha. The police literally were escorting us as we leisurely strolled down the street, we stopped a few times to readjust babies, too. As soon as we got to the first corner the cones for the track had been picked up so we had to guess and look for clues (police lights, trash, people in the distance) to try to figure out where we were supposed to be. We were literally the last people. Haha. We crossed the 1 mile mark at 30or so minutes. Im not a runner at all but I am pretty sure that is not an ideal time. Finally, after we passed a crew cleaning up the water station we saw a small crowd of people and we were able to catch up to them. Victory!! They were all in their mid 60-80s but, hey, we weren't last anymore!! We got ahead of the elderly group and saw another group and mingled in with them and we were able to finish with the majority.... of those over 50 years old. But we weren't last! Haha!! As one of the signs said "Finishing is winning" and I'd have to agree!!

After the race and a little victory mimosa with Lauren, Avery and her family, we headed over to Wagner and Gi's house for Thanksgiving. The Brazilians don't 'Do' thanksgiving, understandably, so they had a lunch of crab legs and I had a little turkey meal. It was all delicious!!

Its so crazy that last year at this time I was pregnant with Eloah, I remember what I was wearing and even how I felt. I had no idea who I was missing in my life. She has filled a void I had no idea I even had. A part of my heart was missing before and now that she is here it is complete. I am so grateful everyday for my sweet baby. I am so thankful that my husband affords me the opportunity to stay home and help teach her the world. I know how lucky I am and I am thankful for that too. I have so much to be thankful for: My baby, my husband, my family in Colorado and my Family in FL, My friends near and far, my health and the health of those I love. I feel the most thankful for the love I have in my life on a day to day basis, I am surrounded by it.

Already Thankful

A sneak peak at what she will be wearing to the Turkey Trot tomorrow morning!

Unfortunately, she hates hats.

We rolled around a little this afternoon.

"Look Mom! The rain stopped!!"

We still had a little rain this morning and it is still a little chilly out but it is MUCH nicer than it has been the past few days!! We still didn't get to do a whole lot outside since it was still in the 50s though. We went to Target to find a suitable outdoor jacket, and hey, who doesn't love a trip to Target just cause!! We needed to get something snuggly for Eloah to wear to the Turkey Trot tomorrow. Its supposed to be mid 40s during the walk so I'm a little nervous she is going to be cold! Because we are in Florida, and I'm pretty sure these temps are lower than usual, we weren't super successful finding something coat-like. So we got fleece and more fleece. Haha. She is going to look like a cute little Elmer Fudd! I'm obviously going to make the hat a little cuter and add snaps so she can wear her piggies with it too!

She did start clapping along with me today. Its so fun as she is growing up. Its just crazy how quickly it is all happening. I can't believe in a week she is going to be 8 months old. I feel like just yesterday I was sitting on a doughnut, hazy with pain and gazing at my newborn baby! 

 Eloah is getting more and more mischievious which makes our days go by a little quicker. I never understood fully why things like plastic bags say "NOT A TOY". I can't see how that could be desired as a toy. But now that I have a kid, I know why they write that. She loves plastic bags, plug holes in outlets, wires.... cardboard boxes, empty or full water bottles... TUPPERWEAR.... things that I can't see how she could find them entertaining but she does! She prefers all those things over all the toys she has, haha! It is kind of magical that she sees all these ordinary things to be so interesting. It makes you start seeing things in fresh ways too. I find silly things and I think, "Eloah would like this paper bag", usually she does. I love sitting and watching her play with these totally mundane things. Basically I love sitting and watching her do anything though. haha! 

It Wont Be Like This Forever...

Every day starts with lots of smiles! I think this was taken as the Skype rang to call Glamma Cheech, she LOVES Skyping!

A VERY rainy day today kept us inside... And in our pajamas!

Best way to spend a rainy afternoon, napping together. 

Today was soooo incredibly rainy! We had flood warnings, tornado warnings and lots of thunder and lightening. I had planned on taking Eloah to a Music class but because of the weather I decided not to chance it. I didn't want to be out and get stuck in a tornado, Werner and I have had that happen before. No bueno. So stuck in the house we were, all day. Like a scene out of a Dr. Suess movie, we were bored out of our minds. We exhausted every toy we own and read every book on the shelf. We practiced saying 'Mama' and clapping our hands. We did the dishes and the laundry. We tried canned asparagus (ew) and shared an apple (yum). We crawled and we walked. We watched some Mickey Mouse and the Voice (performances only, lol). We literally did everything then did it all again after lunch. Haha. On top of if all, Eloah is still acting like more teeth are coming, two have already broken the gum. She is just wants to be held, she cries so easily and sometimes, nothing will soothe her. I feel so bad that there is not more that I can do for her, I don't want to continue to give her pain relievers so I try to just hold her as much as possible. As she was crying today and gnawing on everything I thought to myself "it won't be like this forever". Eventually all her teeth will come in, hopefully quickly because this is no fun. Usually when she is the way she was today we go and do things to distract her and, I guess, myself too. Today I did everything I could to distract her I just had to do it in the confines of this boring ass apartment! ARG! I don't usually let her watch TV but we did today and I thought to myself "it won't be like this forever" so I didn't stress over it too much. I also didn't want to give her anything besides plain fruits and veggies (apples and carrots make great teethers) but I gave her more than one hard biscuit/cookie today to help her relieve her gums and I thought "it won't be like this forever" I won't be giving these to her every day, so I didn't feel as bad. I also had to let her cry on the floor by my feet for a minute while I made myself a quick wrap and washed some grapes for lunch and of course, I thought "it won't be like this forever" so I didn't feel as guilty. I have also been trying to let her nap on her own during the day but she hasn't been napping as well so I laid down with her today and I thought "it won't be like this forever".

It really won't. One day she is going to be a wild and crazy toddler who won't want to cuddle with me or need me the way she does today. One day she won't want to sit and read books with me or watch Mickey Mouse or even the Voice with me. One day she won't want to eat something as healthy as an apple and will probably not even want to eat the cookies I offer, lets be honest, they are not Chips Ahoy! One day she won't mind when I leave the room to go make lunch, she will be occupied by some sort of technology I'm sure. 

Im not saying that one day she won't like me. I know she will always love me. You HAVE  to love your mom! ;) But one day she won't be a little baby anymore. Even though she will always be my baby in my mind and my heart. One day her hands won't be so small and curious because nothing will be so new anymore (hopefully she will stop pulling my hair by then). One day her sweet face won't smile at me EVERYTIME I smile at her. One day when she says Mama it will be in exasperation and not in excitement, its bound to happen. Basically, one day she will just be grown up. Even thinking of her becoming a toddler seems too grown up to me right now. 

As I rocked her to sleep tonight It took an extra half hour and she just wanted to nurse, nurse and nurse some more. I looked down at her sweet little face. Her cheeks are super pink from teething, her hair is sweaty on one side from being against my bare arm and her little hand was resting on top of my chest. She cooed and made her sweet little nursing noises and I thought to myself "it won't be like this forever". So I held her an extra few minutes, whispered a few more 'I love you's' and Ill probably pick her up and bring her into my bed earlier than usual tonight because I know "it won't be like this forever".

Friends Forever

Stop taking my picture

She stood up by the door today! She is getting so good at it!

Such a sweet little face!

Rough day. She is sound asleep in this picture. HAHA!

We made a trek out to a very far away library for story time this morning, only to get there as story time ended and everyone was walking out. It was pretty disappointing. Luckily Eloah had no idea she missed anything. We decided to hang out and look around for a minute to make the drive somewhat worth while. There was another little girl in the children's section and Eloah was very interested in befriending her. It was pretty adorable to watch her try to get the little girl's attention and to smile anytime the other little girl would look in her direction! Eventually Eloah wore her down and the little girl gave her numerous hugs and talked to her. I'd guess the other little girl was about 5 years old, she was standing at the computer and playing a game. Eloah pulled herself up on the chair next to her a few times and tried to see what she was doing and grab at her arms. I couldn't believe how persistent she was. She is so eager to be a bigger kid! I think she needs to slow down though!

Then we did a grocery store run (as usual for a Monday) and played around the house. I'm thinking Eloah might have another tooth, in addition to the two that have cut thru this week, because she is acting like she is still a little uncomfortable. And, as you can tell by the last picture, she is pooped. Haha! 

I mentioned the other day that I wanted to expand on the evolution of friendships since becoming a mom, so I thought I would do so today!

I know, personally, I have felt some of my friends "pull away" since I became a mom. The excuse of "I assumed you were busy with the baby" is a popular one. On the other hand, I feel uncomfortable reaching out to the same friends because all I want to talk about is Eloah. In my defense though, when you ask me "How are you?" my answer would obviously have to do with Eloah as she is HOW I am these days. I don't necessarily blame them or myself for the drift, I think it is rather natural. I still do have friends who don't have children. I just think those are the friends who were MEANT to be in my life or maybe I just had a more well rounded friendship with them. I think it is very healthy to maintain non-child related relationships which is why I do make an effort for the few that I still have. I sometimes feel like people who don't have children have a hard time understanding some of the choices you make as a parent and sometimes don't understand the change in priorities. We have all heard about the friend who "really changed" when they had kids. Yeah, thats kind of inevitable! I know that one day those people will (maybe) have kids and it will all make sense to them, but until then it is not my job to defend myself or my decisions just to keep our friendship. I also don't think, sometimes, people realize how insensitive their words (and actions) can be when it comes to my relationship with my child and my child in general. As all you moms know, you can't fathom the intense feelings you will have for your child until they are here. So because of that, I understand that someone without a child may not get why I feel the way I feel. In that same thought, I understand that other moms may deal with these same feelings differently but that doesn't change the love for their child.

There is a lot that could be expanded on in this topic so maybe this would need to be an ongoing post. Mostly the difference I see in the friendships that I have kept and the ones I have outgrown is support. That is what I look for in a friend. And maybe to tell me if I have something in my teeth after lunch.

Today Is Perfect

Today is Perfect

Our version of FaceTime....

Beautiful walk around the lake!

Christmas decorations are going up! 

Only in Florida... ice cream truck right next to the Christmas tree. Haha! On another note: Mister Softie is one of my favorite things from NYC, I'm so excited to see them here in FL!

Trying to take a good picture of her BebePIGGIES!

Today was perfect!! We started with breakfast at our favorite restaurant with Daddy, Grandma Tida and Valentina. Eloah had some scrambled eggs and was on her best restaurant behavior. She really prefers sitting in our laps to sitting in a high chair, its way more stress free for us too! After breakfast we went to Sams Club and Walmart for groceries and a bedrail. Ive been worried about Eloah in our bed now that she is so mobile so I wanted to get a rail to insure she doesn't crawl off the edge! Then, we went to Lake Eola for lunch and a walk around the lake. It was a beautiful day for it. Not too hot, but stupid humidity made it feel warmer than it was, still, it was really nice! Werner doesn't get to go do a lot of our outdoor outings with us because he is at work always so it was nice to have a mini park day with him! We also tried getting some good pictures of Eloah in her bebePIGGIES (www.etsy.com/shop/bebePIGGIES) so we could update Grandmas etsy pictures. Eloah pulled her huge flower off for the pictures but she still has a cute smile for most of them so hopefully something will work!!

This morning before we went out we FaceTimed with two of Eloahs god-mommies (she has 3) which was fun! Aunt Kelly and Aunt Erin! It is so cute to see how excited Eloah is to see them when the screen opens up with one of their faces on it!! She loves both of them!!

Rainy Day at the Movies

Checking out Mockingjay...

"BAYBAYYYY!!!"

Wait, but the baby....

Twas a rainy day here in Florida. Lucky for us we had already planned on a movie with friends! There is an AWESOME theater here that has a "baby room"! It is a room up by the projector, it has rolling chairs, a mini table and you can control the lights! Its perfect for a parents movie date! We took a blanket and toys and I sat on the floor with Eloah and kept her occupied. Since she is so into standing up she pulled herself up and looked out the "window" at the movie...while licking the absolutely filthy "window sill". I tried cleaning it off but couldn't get it clean to where I felt comfortable with her chewing on it... she didn't care though. She was also super interested in touching the other baby, Avery. It is so cute to see Eloah seeing other babies. She is so interested and excited to interact with them. I, on the other hand, am a nervous wreck because I don't want her to accidentally poke an eye or pull hair!

After the movie we all came back to our house to have pizza and watch football!

 It was a pretty perfect rainy day here. I'm so glad we finally have friends to play with here in Florida. It certainly does help make this place feel a little more like home and it is definitely more enjoyable! Yay!

Expect a post soon on the evolution of friendships, its been on my brain lots lately...