Fun outings galore: Last Friday

Have you ever heard of Orange County Great Park? Neither had I until my friend Scott told me about it when I saw him at a wedding recently. This massive park is being built on some of the old El Toro MCAS. Most of the park is still a work in progress, but The Great Park Balloon ride is up and running, and two of my high school friends work there, so Sara and I went to go check it out.

My friend Matt is the balloon pilot.


The balloon on its ascent:


Sara and I enjoying the view from up high:


This attraction at the park is free and not far from the Irvine Spectrum. You might want to go check it out!

Fun outings galore: Last Thursday

On Thursday I tagged along for the infants' Mommy and Me class field trip to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. After the rain on Wednesday, we were blessed with absolutely perfect weather on Thursday. Heaven! Several of my mommy friends were there, but we spent the visit with Desiree and her adorable little girl Lila. Lila is just two days younger than Sara.

Hanging out at the shark tank. Sara did not want to touch!


With our baby girls by the touch tank:



Enjoying the sunshine:


Sara learned how to say "fish":


Lila, Amelia (also from our Mommy & Me class, just a month younger than Sara), and Sara Jo:


On a day like Thursday, I can't imagine living anywhere other than southern California!

Fun outings galore: Last Wednesday

As I mentioned in a previous post or two, I am feeling the need more than ever to get out of the house with Sara. It allows me to focus my attention on her instead of on household tasks, and it keeps her stimulated and happy, which makes Momma happy, too.

Last week was filled with some particularly fun days. On Wednesday, we went to Disneyland with Tante Tanja and Ryan.


It was an eventful trip! First of all, Sara did wonderfully! Except for one little whine on Pirates of the Caribbean, she didn't cry at all! Woo-hoo!



Also, toward the end of our morning there, it started to rain! The poor weather made the lines, non-existent, though. I think we got on seven rides in 100 minutes! Not bad at all!

Sixteen months old

Our sweet Sara Jo is now sixteen months old. That's mommy speak for a year and four months--almost a year and a half! Gasp!!!

Every day our little one becomes more and more of a toddler. She is figuring out new ways to get into things, like standing on her tippy-toes to open drawers. She's also getting bolder about trying to climb, like attempting to take the stairs like a big girl (on her feet instead of on her knees) or climbing on top of a huge 12-pack of paper towels. Our sweetie is also developing much more of a will. If she doesn't like her dinner, she throws it on the floor (and then has to help pick it up, of course). If you tell her not to pick up x, y, or z, she will run away from you with it in her hands. If you pick her up when she doesn't want to be picked up, she shrieks and squirms until you put her down. Yes, the real work of parenting has begun!

But she is so much fun, our little one. It is so wonderful to watch her figure out how things work ("Wow! Touching the button on the X-Box turns on a green light! And gets Daddy's attention! Cool!") or to hear her label things: "Shoes." "Button." "Ning!" (for swing.) These days are all about figuring out the world and her place in it. Her favorite things are going on the swing and playing with her toys--especially the Busy Ball Popper and her electronic toys (like Leap Frog Fridge Phonics, the Vtech Learning Walker, and the Vtech Alphabet Train). I try to interest her in blocks and dolls, but so far they don't hold her interest for very long. As a general rule now, we try to get out of the house for a while each day. This seems to save both my sanity and hers!

I should also mention that Sara is now napping just once a day. The transition has been a little rough and has included some 5:30 a.m. mornings, which are sooooo not my thing. We seem to be falling into a nice rhythm now, though: To bed around 8, awake around 6:30, and napping from about 12-2:45. Not bad at all.

We can't wait to see what our little one comes up with next!

Books

Last weekend I finished reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I enjoyed them. They were page-turners that definitely held my interest, despite the strange subject matter (vampires and werewolves). I have now moved on to some parenting titles. In just two days I read Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood, and now I'm reading Parenting with Purpose. Yes, I *am* suddenly feeling the need to read some parenting books, thank you for very much!

Communication

There are two signs Sara has been using regularly for the past few months: more (bringing pinched fingers of both hands together) and eat (bringing pinched fingers of one hand to mouth). In the past few weeks Sara has also started to nod and shake her head, but she usually does it more to mirror what we're doing than to actually communicate something.

This video demonstrates that perfectly. She uses her sign to try to answer my question, but she finally copies my incessant head-nodding and shaking. :)

Better late than never, right? Fifteen months old

I'm pretty sure this is the longest I have gone without a new post since starting this blog a year or so ago. The truth is it's getting harder to find time to blog, especially if Sara happens to be awake. It behooves the house and both of our psyches to get out of the house and go do something so the little one can explore without making a giant mess due to boredom.

Still, I don't want her fifteen-month birthday to have passed unacknowledged, even if she is now almost sixteen months!



So what can I say about my baby girl these days? Well, let's see. She still likes unpacking things, though she does have days now where she doesn't empty her entire bookshelf. She loves to listen to music and will usually say "more" even in the pause between songs. She really likes imitative play: combing her hair with the comb, pushing buttons on the TV remote (thanks, Dad!), talking on the phone, etc. She loves her bananas and her cheese most of all.

What can I say? We love her to bits!