Lovin' it!

We love it here! There are a number of SAHM's (stay-at-home-moms) on my street--I've met a few of them the past few days, my MOMs group is terrific and people are so friendly here in Chesapeake. I swear we've met someone new everyday just feeding the ducks at the pond at the end of the road!

Babysitters are $6/hour here :O ! I have recommendations for a few teenagers who live up the street and met the very nice mother of a woman from playgroup who baby sits in 4 hour blocks at her home as "mom's time out".

Aria is still having fun in her gazebo, walking backwards, twirling and having VERY LOUD conversations with herself in public places.

Hurricane Bertha is kicking up some surf so C is hoping to hop on his long board tomorrow and catch some waves in Va Beach.

Twirling

TONS of bunnies in our new neighborhood!! Casey and Aria love them!

Casey's favorite place...

Note Casey in the background...

Photos of the new playhouse!

Back on the right coast =)

We spent a wonderful week with our cousins and friends and family in Northern Virginia before driving south to near Richmond to spend a few days with Chris' family on our way to Chesapeake. We were lucky to have help with the move from Chris' dad and his wife, Chris' sister and her husband. It was so wonderful for all of us, but especially Aria, to spend so much time with our families and friends. Our first day staying with my sister, Aria's cousin L who is 3 1/2, looked at Aria who was sucking her fingers, holding her "lovey" and smiling at him and said to me "Aria loves me! She's beautiful." It was all I could do not to cry! I miss my friends in CA and my supportive play group and it is going to be an adjustment living in the south, but watching Aria play with her relatives, family friends was priceless.

I will post pictures soon, but today we bought a few belated birthday gifts for Aria--a swing for the play set that came with the house, a plastic baby pool and the gazebo pictured below--which we promptly built inside (without the roof) so that we don't have to swelter in the 95 degree-100% humidity-daily thunderstorms-overwhelming smoke from the peat moss swamp fire a few miles away. Gotta LOVE Virginia...

Our moving weekend...

So we loaded the truck this weekend....C loaded, mostly I packed and watched Aria. We will really miss our neighbors here. They are so wonderful. Our next door neighbors, the F family (Aria's babysitter is their teenage daughter) brought us food, helped with Aria and spend an hour, the entire family moving boxes and furniture with us. They were so wonderful. Our other friend Zack came over with his daughter a toddler, and helped C with a lot of heavy lifting as well. Last but not least our neighbor Gene gave us some straps which helped cinch the load in the truck. This little neighborhood has been so wonderful and we will miss this community.

Birthday gifts!

Aria playing DJ with a music machine she got for her B-day from the A family!

Wearing a play suit from her friend Rebecca, playing with a table from Aunt C, Uncle D, Matthew, Luke and Will...

Sometimes she just likes to push the table...

More B-day pictures, mini playgroup...

Singing happy birthday...

Trying cake for the first time

Some play group friends Ian and Dylan, over for a swim

More Birthday Pictures

Aria and mommy

Aria and her parachute! With Walker and Austin, 2 of the 3 triplets...

Cake!

1 Year Ago...

One year ago today we came home from the hospital...

I had a scheduled elective c-section at 38 1/2 weeks. I've always been determined to have a c-section and according to final sono, Aria was measuring over 10 lbs at 38 weeks (just goes to show how off that can be, she was 8 lbs 13 oz) so the ob was on board with that decision.

All in all a very good experience and not difficult recovery...the roughest time was when it took the anesthesiologist [I]40 min, 3 attempts and 2 different needles [/I]to get the spinal started.

I remember hearing her crying as they were taking her out, the nurse saying "look, she has red hair", the ob as she lifted her saying "this is NOT a 10 lb baby" and how I cried and cried with joy when they brought her to me.

Pictures from Aria's 1st Birthday Party at the Park...

Aria says her name...

Ok, every time I sing the "Happy Birthday Dear Aria" part of the song (which I've been singing to her this week) she says "Ah yah". See what you think =)

1 Year Check-up update and stats

Aria saw our pediatrician for the last time. We really really like the practice. One "old school" pediatrician with 5 older kids and our regular pediatrician, a great guy with a baby 3 months older than Aria.

Stats:
30" tall (90th %)
25.3 lbs :yikes: (98th %)
Didn't get the head circumference.

Doc was impressed with her words--although she called him Dada-several times, :tongue: but also did her new trick, saying her name "Ah-yah" when I sang the happy birthday song, walking, panting when I say dog. She also says something like "Beach ball" and "Casey" believe it or not.

Warning: BRAG!) He said developmentally she was at about 15 months :D

An exciting couple of weeks...

Aria now says "Nigh, nigh" for night night and something resembling "bye bye". She's pretty clear on "ball" and my favorite, shouting "Ta-da!" when she climbs up on me or stands. She started waving at bed-time two nights ago also. Seems like there is something she learns everyday! We're gearing up for her birthday in less than two weeks and the move in about 3 weeks (!!!) Lots of activity here at Casa Carlsbad.

We love this shirt...it has helicopters on it!!

Swimming with dada...

S

I LOVE it!

Casey going nutso as he always does when we swim...

My hottie and my little angel...

Water temp is 88 in the hot tub--thanks to solar heating.

Getting my Dora swim diapers on to go swimming...