Family Pictures

Vacation Highs

Leah loved to play on the beach. Juliet wasn't a fan of the sand, and Leah kept telling me "It's okay Juliet doesn't like sand, I didn't like sand when I was a baby, either." Leah loved digging in the sand, making piles, and throwing sand into the ocean. 

Grandma was nice enough to wake up early each morning and reserve us chairs and huts. Leah was very interested in the books she left, and would often pretend to read them. 

Leah LOVED hammocks! She kept telling us that they were her favorite part of vacation. The first time we put her in one she fell into an instantaneous toddler coma. Her eyes were 1/2 open and she was just staring at the ocean. Every time she got in one (at least once per day) she would do the same thing. Daddy and I would take turns pushing her. Grandma and Grandpa even bought her a hammock for home, in PINK (as requested by Sassy)!

Juliet loved to crawl. She would crawl up and down the halls of the resort. I didn't pack too many pants, so we had to keep reusing the same 2 pairs. Otherwise, she would try to  crawl on the balls of her feet with her butt in the air. It was cute, but it didn't look very comfortable. I brought Lysol wipes and sanitized the floor every day. By the end of the trip, Juliet was used to getting her hands washed often. I was worried she might get sick, but she didn't! Juliet got a lot of attention from people at the hotel, and would always smile at everyone! 

Leah loved to play. She got lots of one on one time and enjoyed every minute of it. After spending hours with just her, Juliet would wake up and want her Mommy. Leah would whine, "No, Jelly Boo, it's MY turn! I need some attention!" She was spoiled! Poor girl got freaked out by pooping for a few days and ran a slight temperature. It didn't stop her from doing anything, though! 

Leah loved making Juliet laugh. We heard less of "No, Jelly Boo, that's MINE" this trip. Leah even shared Pete the Cat with Juliet a few times. Leah loves to make Juliet laugh, and can help Juliet feel happy when she is cranky or tired. 

Juliet slept so well on the beach! It was so nice to be able to be outside all morning long! 

Juliet learned to stand on the trip! In the beginning of the week we noticed her trying out her new trick, but were discouraging it because of the tile floors, one day, she just let go and stood for a long time! I happened to be there with the camera, and caught her first stand! She was very proud of herself! I don't really remember when Leah started standing. I don't think she stood until she walked. 

Leah loved the elevators. There were two elevators, and she always wanted to guess which one would come first: right or left. She was wrong 95% of the time. She loved to press the buttons and guess if we were going up or down. She was always tricked because it looked like we were going up when we were going down, and going down when we were going up. 

Juliet loved to climb the beach chairs. She really like pretending to be the only baby each afternoon. She would play with all of her sissy's sand toys and laugh and talk to us. 

Beautiful Island Views

We had great weather in Cozumel. The day we arrived was windy and cool. The next day was slightly overcast but warm. The rest of the week was mostly sunny and 80-85. It was perfect weather! 

Expert Travelers

Our girlies were excellent travelers! All in all, these girls both deserved an A. There were a few bumps, especially as the plane was landing in Cozumel, and both girls were holding their ears and crying, but other than that (which only lasted for 5 minutes, even though it felt like 30), they were both happy, smiling, and cooperative on all the flights! 

Juliet got us pulled out of the long customs line in Mexico, and put into the express line, so we got to enjoy an extra hour of vacation. On the way back, though, she got us pulled out of line and she had to be swabbed for explosives (seriously). 

 After a long day of traveling, Juliet was so happy to be able to get down and crawl around. She was making the silliest faces and noises on the first night. 

On the way back, we almost missed our connection flight, so it was a little harried for a while. Juliet and Leah both persevered though, and we made it home. Both girls were up to 1 am last night petting the animals, reading books, and reconnecting with their toys. Juliet slept reasonably soundly for the first time in a week! 

Cozumel 2013

 5:30-6:30 am

Wake up. Juliet didn't sleep well in Cozumel, and would often wake up and shout out at her Daddy and Sissy in the other bed. Every night I felt like I was wrestling an octopus  The last few days I had to take her out of the room and walk her on the beach so they could sleep. 

7:30

Breakfast. Sassy ate like a queen during the stay, and ate a great deal of waffles (with cream, chocolate, and sprinkles), eggs, toast, and fruit at breakfast. 

8:00

Feed the fish and birds. The fish were unreal! There were massive amounts of fish. They really enjoyed the bread and bananas. Grandma fed the birds. I never got a great picture of it, but there would be 10-15 birds just swarming around her. She could throw bread to a specific bird, and the bird would catch it! I did it a few times, but swarming birds just freaked out Leah and Juliet. 

8:30-10:00 

Juliet would nap on the beach and Leah would get some 1-1 time with me. Daddy would read his book in the sun, and watch as Juliet slept in the shade of the hut. Leah and I would build sand castles, play hide and seek, swim in the pool, play on the swing set, look for shells, or lay in the hammock. Leah was one happy girl! 

10:00

Ice cream break! Leah always knew when the ice cream machine was working. She would say, "Is it open? Is it 10:00? Is the handle on the machine out?" 

11:00-12:00

We would go back to the room to let Juliet crawl around. She wasn't the biggest fan on the sand and preferred to stay on the beach chairs when we were outside. 

12:00

Lunch! Dining at a buffet with two young kids was sometimes challenging, but we always left full and happy! Juliet loved to eat, and spent the entire meals shoveling food into her mouth. She appreciated the variety of foods.  

12:30-4:00 

The girls would nap in the room with Grandma. Juliet always woke up first, so Grandma would bring her down to the beach (Grandpa would stay with sleeping Sassy). Juliet really enjoyed the one on one time with us.

Chris and I would have cervesa and margaritas on the beach while the girls slept. It was so nice to have some one on one time with him. Vacations are the best! I seriously believe that they are an investment in marriages and your family. 

4:00

Try to shower two screaming banshees before dinner. 1/2 way though the trip, Chris and I gave up and let them just be clean every other day. I was pretty sure that the hotel workers were going to call the Mexican version of CPS on us after hearing the screams coming from our room.

5:30

Dinner! We ate at the hotels sit down restaurant every night. It was pretty good. I don't think I ever made it through an entire dinner, though. Leah and Juliet got tired and cranky early, so I took them upstairs early. I wanted to take my mom and dad out to dinner, but I don't think it would have been possible with the girls. Their dinner time tolerance was about 30-40 minutes. Then they were ready to go back to the "vacation house" as Leah called it. 

6:30-8:00

Wine with my Mom and Dad. We would share a bottle of wine each night while the kids either slept or played. Leah's DVD player broke on the trip, so she would sometimes watch Curious George in Spanish. It was nice to talk to my parents and relax from the day. 

8:30

Bed!

We had the best time in Cozumel. I am so glad we went, and so thankful that my mom and dad were able to come, too. I spent the entire week feeling like the luckiest person in the world to be in such a beautiful place with my family. 

Happy Valentines Day!

9 Months!

 Jelly Boo,

The amount of time that you lived in the tummy, and the amount of time that you have lived out of the tummy are now equal. It's so weird to think, though, because it feels as though you have always been here. 

 You are 9 months old now, and you get into EVERYTHING. The word "no" has no effect on you. It just makes you laugh harder. You crawl around and get into everything. Your favorite thing in the whole entire world is the cat and dog dishes. You crawl right over to them all the time and bang them around, and drag them around with you as you crawl. The second we feed the animals, you are there in a flash to "help". 

 You love to clap, and clap for yourself quite a bit. Often when you are getting in trouble, you'll just start smiling and clapping, and looking pretty thrilled with yourself. You love to clap, wave, do "so big" (usually when you are done eating--like you are saying "so full!") and give pats as you hug. I love to pick you up, because you always pat me on my shoulder. 

 You still say "Mama" and "Dada" pretty regularly. If I ask you, "where's sissy?" You will look around for her. You love Leah so much! You play together often, but you are becoming more and more aware that she is withholding certain toys from you. You have started to protest. When Leah wants some attention, you usual decided that you do too, and crawl over and try to push her off my lap. 

 You have 4 teeth on top and 3 on the bottom this month. You love to eat and you LOVE toast. You get so happy when you get your own piece. You still love puffs and "big kid" food. You tolerate the purees and oatmeal, but they are clearly not your favorite. 

 You are a busy girl, Jelly Boo! You crawl around quickly and love to explore. You also love baths, the cats and dogs, and standing up. You pull up on everything. 

 You still wear mostly 3-6 month clothes, though I have pulled a few 6-12 month shirts out. The 6 months pants fit you perfectly, so we won't mess with that! You wear size 3 diapers. 

 You usually wake up 2 times each night, around 1 and 5:30. You love to sleep in, and would sleep in until 8:30 or 9:00 if I let you. You now take 1 morning nap, 1 afternoon nap, and 1 evening nap. You nap in your crib. 

You have shown drastic improvement with the car and carseat, and we hope you travel on the airplane well, too.
You don't like the cold weather, though, and you gasp and dry heave in the wind. 

Happy 9 Months, Sweet Girl!

We love you so, so much!