Monday, March 30, 2009

You Are Invited!


Well this is it! The beginning of Serena's 1st Birthday week. It is so weird to sit and think back to what I was doing last year at this time and realize that we were a family of three. What was life like without her smiling face and sweet hugs? She is growing into such a little person, and a fun one at that, but I will save all that for her special "birthday blog" on Saturday.

So we've sent out the few invitations we planned and have bought the birthday supplies and are just waiting for the big day now. I made a practice cake, which ended up being a complete disaster, but that is why I do it! So I know better what to do next time. Elmo is harder to decorate than Calli's ladybug cake was because there are more colors and details, but I am sure I can pull it off. And if not, at least it will taste yummy, right!?

There is still birthday present shopping to do this week and I'm thankful that Serena is so young that I can just take her with me. We have a few thoughts about what we want to get her and are thinking of doing a big combined birthday present for her and Calli's June birthday as well. We will see!

Anyhow, we have lots of exciting things coming up in the next few weeks. Calli begins soccer with a Wednesday evening practice this week and then her first game on Saturday (it will sure be a busy day!). Obviously, that is Serena's birthday and we have many plans for that, including a traditional lunch visit to Red Robin for her free birthday burger! Can you believe that little girl can finish a whole meal herself? She eats more than her big sister! Sunday we have the Easter egg hunt that our HOA puts on down at the park. Since Serena will be one she can participate as well! It will be really fun. The following weekend we are going to Disney on Ice and then of course, it's Easter on Sunday. It's so bizarre how Serena's birthday fell this year. She will turn one BEFORE she celebrates her first Easter holiday. And then next year her birthday is actually on Easter. But that's what happens when you have an early April birthday!

I haven't taken many pictures this week, but here are the couple that I have:


On Friday the girls and I went to a big consignment sale that is held twice a year here. It was fun, but I am a very picky consignment shopper so I didn't find much. There were a couple free activities for kids, including face painting and a train ride. Calli decided she wanted to be a cat!
Serena is just hanging out!
These shoes were my great find of the day; they were just $5 and in really good shape and oh-so-cute! I just love them! She is still in size 3s, which she has been for awhile now so I just know in the next few days her feet will grow out of these :)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Opposites

When I was pregnant with Serena, I had often wondered if she would look like Calli. Well, I should say I wonder if she or he would look like Calli since we didn't know she was a girl until her birth. My sisters and I all favor each other quite a bit. My middle sister, Allison, and I have been asked on numerous occassions when she visits if we are twins! We don't think we look quite that much alike, but I guess we must be wrong for so many others to think so! I see pictures of Brittany, my youngest sister, and am blown away by how much she looks like I did at her age. So naturally, when we had our second daughter I wondered if they would follow the same pattern. I think that is some of the fun in being a parent; looking at your children and not only seeing how they resemble the two of you but seeing how they resemble each other as well.

After Serena was born I didn't get to see her for a few minutes. Well, I am not actually sure how long it was to be honest because that is all a big blur to me! Being eight days overdue, she had a bowel movement in utero and there were several extra nurses and doctors on hand for her birth to make sure she was okay. As soon as she was born and the doctor suctioned out her mouth and nose and said "it's a girl!" they whisked her to the corner basinett to tend to her and make sure she was okay. So now that the mystery of boy vs. girl had been solved I was impatient to see what she looked like! I sat there wondering if she would look like Calli, just wondering what she looked like period! Finally they pronounced her just fine, bundled her and brought her over to me. Seeing your child for the first time, whether your first or tenth (I'm sure) is truly amazing.
The first thoughts in my mind were "wow, she looks nothing like Calli did!" And it was true at the time. She was two pounds heavier so naturally her cheeks were fuller and head was bigger. She had a whole mess of dark hair, where Calli only had a small amount. And she had many whiteheads on her face, which was completely normal. She was also lacking the stork bite (birthmark) that Calli had between her eyes. Her eyelashes were much more sparse than Calli's had been at birth. I admit, I was a little shocked that they looked so different, I thought surely if I did have two girls they would look very much alike.

It took just two weeks for me to finally see the similarities. Serena's eyelashes grew in full and thick just like her sister's. Her cheeks have always held a bit more chub, but they were similar. As time went on and she got on the move crawling at five months, she started to thin out more. And although you can see in her legs there is more chunk than Calli ever had, they still look alike. When our screen saver of pictures comes on the computer I sometimes have to do a double take to figure out which baby I am seeing.

It is really fun to see Serena's little personality developing. Because although our princesses may be similar in looks, they are complete opposites in termperament. As a newborn, Calli was extremely fussy and cried a lot. But as she got older she became an easy, happy baby. I look at all the photos we had taken at Sears and she is always smiling. Even at four months she gave the photographer this huge belly laugh! She was just happy and outgoing with a smile or a hug for anyone. And she has turned into the same kind of girl. She is quite a chatterbox, eager to make friends, a leader. I won't even mention the exhausting energy the girl has! My parents have commented more than once how they can't believe she is my daughter. Calli is the exact opposite of me as a child; I was very quiet and reserved and she is not.

And then there is Serena. She was a good baby from Day 1! She has always been the most terrific sleeper and didn't cry much as an infant. But as she has gotten older she has been a bit more difficult. If you look at her pictures from Sears you would be hard pressed to find more than one of her smiling (and even that one was a fluke!). She is much more guarded around strangers and if someone looks at her for more than a split second she is usually in tears begging me to hold her. She is more cautious with her smiles and love to people she doesn't know. I have had to learn to adjust to this personality because I have been so used to Calli all these years.

It is a little fun to see that Serena is turning out to be more like I was and it's nice to have one who clings to me a bit. We visited Sea World again over the weekend and while Richard took Calli to do BIG GIRL things, Serena and I sat in a play area for babies. She plopped herself down on my lap and refused to get up and play. Finally I managed to coax her off my lap, but not far. It took awhile, but she started playing. She would never venture far from me though and always came back a minute later. I can already see the first day of kindergarten for both my kids: Calli, who has been talking about kindergarten for months already despite the fact that she is three, will be the one to forget to hug me goodbye. She will run to her classroom excitedly without so much as a backward glance or a "see ya, Mom!" Serena, on the other hand, will be the clinger, the one who will cry uncontrollably and not let me leave her side. These are my predictions, it will be fun to see in a few years if I am right!
I am so mad that I cut off Calli's head otherwise this would be a cute picture!
Smiles!
Peek-a-boo!
Serena randomly looked up at the screen door and started waving to no one.
Goofball!
Our little ballerina
Daddy and his girls
Calli was doing sit-ups like Daddy
Serena was fascinated by them doing jumping jacks
This is about the best picture I can get of them together nowadays!
Sweet girl!
This is what happens when you say "go give your little sister a hug"
I think I may have another bookworm on my hands!
She is constantly taking my cell phone! Guess you can never start them too early ;)
This picture is way too bright, but I love her big smiles!
If the camera is not pointed at Calli, she isn't very happy. She loves to be the focus and center of attention and is constantly saying "take a picture of me!" So this is what happens when you tell her you are going to take a picture of her baby sister. When I finally pointed the camera at her though to capture her true pout, she couldn't help but smile through her fat lip.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Adventures in the Backyard

Planning a 1st Birthday Party!

Serena is turning ONE-YEAR-OLD in two weeks! This year has seemed to fly by, much faster than Calli's first year did. We have decided to go with an Elmo themed party and will just do something simple. We miss having our family close by and are sad that we won't be able to celebrate with everyone, like we did for Calli's first birthday. But we are trying to make the most of it and will have a small cake and ice cream party for the birthday girl. I ordered some Elmo invitations on ebay that should be coming this week. We also went to Party City yesterday and bought Elmo cups/plates/decorations for the celebration. Next up is shopping for a present for the birthday girl. We have something in mind that we want to get her - the girls are always fighting over Calli's ride-on princess toy that Grandma Keri got her for her second birthday. So we are going to get Serena her very own ride-on and I'm sure the kids will still fight over one or the other, but at least there will be two! So we are excited for our baby to turn one, which I guess means she isn't a baby any longer. But as we say to Calli, you will always be OUR baby! Someday I am sure Serena will come up with the same response as her sister "I'm not a baby! I'm the big sister!"

This past Sunday we had planned on going to Sea World. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we woke up to wet roads. It ended up not raining at all that day, but the forecast called for a possibility and we just did not want to take the chance of getting stuck in the rain there. We have been there and done that and while it was quite an experience and funny to look back on, we didn't have a one-year-old in a stroller and a huge pregnant lady trying to navigate the slippery grounds. So instead we decided to go to a children's museum just outside of San Antonio. It is really great place and I always wish it was closer. We made the one hour drive out there and were all prepared to have a great day. Calli started out as her usual self, running around and playing with everything and everyone. As time wore on she became quieter and less enthusiastic. This should have been a clue to us right there. Anyone who knows our Calli girl knows that she is a great big ball of energy, she never sits still and makes friends whereever she goes! But it was like I was having to drag her over to each play center and encourage her to have fun. Finally all she wanted to do was sit on the bench next to me. I was frustrated because we had driven all that way to have fun and I thought she was just being difficult. I feel terrible still because I should have known better. Richard picked her up and took her over to look at something while I stayed with Serena. As I was watching her play, the thought finally came into my head that maybe she doesn't feel well. Not a minute later Richard walked by with Calli saying we had to go and that she had gotten sick. Of course, I felt just terrible. I wish she would have told me she had a tummy ache! When we got in the car I squeezed my big, pregnant self in the back between the two carseats and rubbed Calli's head as she fell asleep. The strange thing was, after getting home and taking a bath, getting into pjs and watching Pinocchio on the couch, she seemed to be just fine. I still don't know what caused it, but am very relieved it wasn't a stomach bug, or worse, food poisoning.

Anyhow, we have a very fun and busy month coming up. It is filled with another Spurs game, a first birthday, Easter, the start of Calli's soccer season and doctor's appointments. It is sure to go by too fast, but we will love every minute!
Calli controling the space ship
Calli playing in the ambulance
This was Calli's favorite place, but definitely not mine! The mini grocery store. It was a fun place, no doubt, but I was the one who had to gather all the items after she was done and put them back.
Serena and her puzzle. My children seem to be drawn to ladybugs.
She's got the money honey!
She looks happy, no?
I will try and explain this as best I can. There was a projection screen with images of falling rocks. When you moved close to the screen, the rocks would move around you. This is a profile shot of me and the rocks going around my huge belly. Pretty cool I thought!
Daddy and the girls with a Texas Longhorn. I think this may be the point Calli started feeling bad.
Horsie rides!
Calli making a withdrawal at the ATM
Serena the banker
Calli and Serena in the canoe
Serena was really interested in this campfire. She also loved the pots and pans and fish set up around it.
Calli on the porch swing
This picture breaks my heart. I took it at the end to have a memory of the crabby mood she was in. Turns out she just wasn't feel well. Poor baby.
And because I don't want to leave the blog on that sad picture, here are a few more. This is Richard and Serena.
My beautiful big girl. I like this picture of her much better!
Breakfast time!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Calli the Monster

Calli decided she was a monster during the filming of this video.

Our Quiet Week

It has been a pretty quiet week in our house. Sunday was the highlight when we went to see the Spurs basketball game (they won!). Serena did surprisingly well and Calli was bribed with ice cream that kept her still for awhile.

On Monday the girls and I took a trip to the animal shelter nearby to check if Emmy was there. We had him microchipped when we got him in Guam (both the cats are, it was required if you lived on base). I hadn't updated our information on the chip since we moved from Guam so I knew if he had been picked up they wouldn't be able to reach us. I have since updated the info and am hoping he will turn up. Unfortunately now it is raining and supposed to for the next few days and I highly doubt he would show up to our house now.

It is already Thursday and we will spend a lazy day inside. It is finally raining here and the cooler temperatures are also a welcome relief! Just a few days ago I was running my air conditioner and now I am having to switch to the heater. I wish the weather would just make up its mind! Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment and will be going every two weeks now. Just two and a half months to go!

Serena will be ONE in about two and a half weeks and we can hardly believe it. This first year has just flown by with her and we can't wait for many, many more days of waking up to her smiling face every morning.

And now here are some pictures from our last two weeks

Getting refreshments before the game started
Richard and I got new cell phones last weekend and picked out the same ones. Mine is better though because it is PINK. So I had to get this shot of him because it's his new little toy.
Serena was so excited for the game to start ;)

Watching the game


Richard likes to take pictures of me when I'm not paying attention. But this is what I look like 6.5 months pregnant (we just got home from the Spurs game)
I don't think this is the intended use for the toy
Our little princess
Serena just after a bath
Playing in the blinds. Calli seems to be saying "no paparrazi!"

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