Quality Time w/ Mimi & Papa

Mimi and Papa came to town this weekend. Papa and Byron have their yearly high school basketball state tournament which they attend. So Mimi, Gaby and I had a true girls weekend.

Mimi and I had a nice lunch and spa treatment on Friday and Saturday the three of us headed to San Marcos for some outlet shopping :) It was so cute on our way out to San Marcos, Gaby was in the greatest mood- she was laughing, clapping, and grooving to the music. Mimi and I just laughed and enjoyed the cutest show ever!

Here are Gaby and I trying on bunny ears...

Even though the boys were busy all day long, they spent quality time with Gaby in the mornings and skipped some evening games to have dinner with us each night. Miss Gaby got an early Easter present from her Mimi & Papa...

Austin Kite Festival

This weekend was the Austin Kite Festival. There were so many people and soooo many kites out there. It was awesome! The wind was kicking up pretty good yesterday. When we arrived I realized my camera was out of battery. I was so bummed! But I took some pics with the camcorder. This is what we got...


One thing we have been finding out lately is that our daughter has not the tiniest bit of "stranger anxiety". She walks up to anyone, anywhere and just loves interacting with new people. She's especially interested if they have food:) This could become an issue later. Gaby loved the Kite Festival because we were out at Zilker Park and she could walk around as much as she wanted. I have this great video to upload but am having technical problems- sorry!

Signs our Little Baby is not quite a Little Baby Anymore:

CARSEAT---Last weekend, we finally moved Gaby to a forward facing carseat. Now, this may not sound like a big deal but, to me, it sure feels like it. There's just something about having her face forward that just signals the end of having a little baby and the beginning of having a "big girl". I removed the passenger seat headrest and she just loooves looking out the front and being able to see where she's going:)

NO!---It's been probably a couple of months or so, but Gaby has gotten the hang of shaking her head at me when she doesn't want to eat anymore or doesn't want a certain toy or doesn't want to be put down, etc etc. Let me tell you- my little sweetie already has a pretty strong will and knows exactly what she wants and what she doesn't!

UNDERSTANDING---It's amazing how much Gaby can understand of what you tell her! Poor thing is gettting bombarded with two languages all the time. So she knows some things in Spanish and some in English, but she sure does get alot of what we ask or tell her.

NAPPING---For the last couple of weeks, Gaby has gone down to one nap a day like a big girl. She decided to drop her afternoon nap so she could watch Oprah with Mommy:)

WALKING---Gaby is walking up a storm! She is definitely walking more than crawling now and sometimes even runs. Before when she would fall she would just start crawling as if to say- It'll be easier this way. Now, she just gets back up and keeps on walking. She looks like a little drunk person when she walks and loves walking with her hands up in the air. Her favorite activity is to chase the dogs in circles. Poor Rosko and Ozzie. On that note, she is also practically saying their names. It's the most adorable thing you've ever heard. It's like- "Othskoo and Othzeeee"!

I love my Cuz!!

Princess Mia came to Austin this past weekend! She brought her parents to celebrate her Unkie B's 34th birthday. The girls had a blast together!! We went to the park for a birthday picnic.
The girls enjoyed the swings...

...and really loved the slide.

Gaby's slides down the typical way because she gets to slide every week at her swimming lessons. Mia is more of a daredevil- face first, flat on her back, sideways. You name it, she tried it and had a ball doing it:). Those two are just so adorable together.
Back at home, Gaby showed Mia the art of climbing and going down stairs. Mia lives in a one-story house so doesn't get much practice but let me tell you- one weekend with the Gabster and she got the hang of it.
And those two little munchkins were walking all over the place. Although, they still prefer to crawl if they're in a hurry, there was no shortage of walking! After a long day, the girls needed to clean up before bed. This was their first bath together:)!!
That night Gaby's nanny, Patty, came over to watch the girls and us adults went out on the town. We ate at a Cajun restaurant at the birthday boy's request and had a yummy dinner, hit a few bars, and ended the night with a little dancing. Candie and I showed the younger crowd how to do the Running Man :) Heehee! Needless to say, we had a really fun weekend and were so happy that Aunt Can, Unkie Stevie, and Princess Mia came for a visit!!

Back in the Saddle Again...

Well, I survived my first day of work and everything went pretty well. Getting up at 6am was kinda tough. I've been so lucky that Gaby is a great sleeper and usually doesn't get up until 7:30-8am. So waking up when it was still dark was no fun at all! We all know how much I like my sleep:) Being back at an office was fine and everyone I will be working with seem really nice. I only saw a few patients and then spent most of the day getting acquainted with things and filling out paperwork. So during the downtime, I really had an opportunity to think about and miss my little sweetie. It was so weird to be away from her for so many hours. She's on a pretty good schedule, so I could imagine exactly what she was doing during the day. But thinking about her is so different than being with her. Her contagious giggles, her beautiful smile, her pure excitement at the the little things, her observant stare- need to be witnessed in person. I'm sure it'll get easier as time goes on. I just hope they'll keep me busy so the time goes by fast. I did enjoy a nice lunch out, though:)

The Time Has Come

Gaby's Newest Trick- Gaby has learned that if she brings us a book we will inevitably read it to her. Now at first this was just the cutest thing ever, but you can imagine that it can also be very frustrating for poor Mommy and Daddy. Of course, she has her favorites so I can't tell you how many times I've read "At the Zoo", "Sooo Big", "Touch and Feel Baby Animals", and "Where is Baby's Bellybutton?". I can recite them for you by memory, if you'd like:) I'm sure it'll be a great party trick one day. Good news is that our little sweetie will hopefully be an avid reader. Sometimes she'll sit and read out loud to herself. She's so smart:)

Walking Update- Everyone always told me- one day she'll just take off walking and there's no looking back. I'm finding that that is not the case with our little princess. Everyday she gets braver, tries more often, and walks one or two more steps than she did the day before. It really is so amazing to see it! It seems silly to get excited about it every time but if you could just see the look on her face, you would get excited too. You can tell she is just having a ball and that she herself can't believe she's walking on her own. You can't help but clap and cheer because she's laughing and clapping herself. She is so darn cute:)! I have been so lucky to be around to watch her!

On a sad note- I am going back to work. Yes, that is right, I will reenter the working world this week. I have mixed emotions. Some days I think it'll be nice to be out amongst adults again and other days I just want to hang out with my sweet and stay in my pjs until mid-morning. But the time has come. I've stayed home for 7 months now and the extra income will be greatly appreciated. I have found a really great nanny for Gaby and hope that she will work out long term. Did I mention I'll only be working two days a week ;) Don't feel too bad for me- heehee!

Happy Valentine's Day!

You gotta love having a girl !!

You can put gigantic bows on her head:)

Wheeeeeee!!!

This weekend we went to Gaby's friend, Logan's B-day party in Houston. It was at one of those inflatable wonderlands with big bouncey moonjumps and slides. Needless to say, Gaby had a blast! Byron took Gaby down the slide and I caught this picture. Now, that's a face of sheer joy:)!!!

On your mark, get set, GO!!!!

Let the games begin! The walking olympics, that is. There is fierce competition but we are up to the challenge. Gaby and her peers have all taken "first steps" here and there. With our precious sweetie, unfortunately, being the last one. But we are ready to take on the rest of the gang and be the first to "officially walk". Now my definition of "officially walking" is when that becomes the little ones main mode of transportation. So let's meet the competition...

Charlie Morrison, aka "The Charmer"

Charlie (born 1.26.07) has the advantage of an older sibling thus learning things sooner and faster than a first child. But of course, he's a boy :)







Siena Rhodes, aka "Small and Mighty"

Siena (born 1.26.07) is Gaby's Austin bud. She is petite but fierce. She has more teeth, has crawled and taken steps before Gaby. And she has an older brother!






Mia Tramonte, aka "The Comeback Kid"

You all know Mia (born 2.2.07) came into this world with a disadvantage but has grown with leaps and bounds and did take some steps two whole weeks before Gaby. Her parents are as competitive as we are so I'm sure they are training hardcore!

Gaby says- Bring it on, peeps!!!

Party Girl !!

Our little sweetie's social calendar has been pretty busy lately. Three weekends ago she had her 1st birthday party. Two weekends ago she went to her future boyfriend, Charlie Morrison's, first birthday party. And last weekend was her cousin Mia's first birthday party. (Not to mention, next weekend is her friend, Logan Parker's, 4th b-day party.) Mia's party was a blast! Gaby and Mia partied like rock stars and are loving seeing each other so much. The theme of this great bash was Hello Kitty and Princess Mia was dressed in the coolest outfit we've seen in a while.






















Aunt Can and Unkie Stevie put on an awesome party and hand-made the most beautiful cake ever!

After the rest of the revelers left and the girls took long "apres-soiree" naps, we all hung out with Mimi and Papa and the girls enjoyed Mia's new toys. The biggest hit? Mia's new red wagon...



Happy 1st B-day, little Mia! We are so proud of all you've overcome this year and are so happy you are healthy. You are a beautiful little girl and we love you bunches!

The Proof is in the Pudding...

Can you believe I was actually able to get Gaby's very first steps on film?? There was only 4 of them but still we are VERY proud parents :) Now rumor has is our sweet little niece, Mia, took some unassisted steps on January 15th (2 weeks ago) but all I can say is you can't believe everything you hear. Ladies and gentlemen, the proof is in the pudding...

Birthday Party Slideshow

The Princess Turns One !!!

As unbelievable as it sounds, today is my precious daughter's very 1st birthday! We officially celebrated a couple of days ago in Houston with a little party. Our family and a few of our close friends came together to celebrate this most special of days :) Gaby wore a beautiful chocolate brown dress with a pink sash and pink sequins that her Pita bought her. I know I'm a little biased, but she was the most beautiful birthday girl ever! We ate pink cupcakes and it was super cute watching Gaby devour hers.

She loved hearing everyone sing to her.

The first bite!

The aftermath

Here's our big girl standing on her own...

To my sweet baby- Happy 1st Birthday!! I wish you all the happiness in the world! I feel so honored to be your mom. You have made our lives so much fuller and brighter! We excitedly look forward to the years to come as we watch you become the wonderful person we know you will be. We love you more than words can express!

Gotta love Texas weather !

It's hard to believe it's the middle of January. Today, was a beautiful, breezy, sunny day. Probably mid-60s. Byron has been working non-stop since he got back from Christmas. Today, was no exception. But when he got home from work this afternoon, he insisted that us city girls get out of the house and get in tune with nature. So we decided that we would go for a little hike. We headed to the Barton Creek Greenbelt and joined the rest of the nature-lovin, tree-huggin, green-livin Austonians:) With Gaby strapped into the Baby Bjorn (on Byron, of course- I would of passed out with all that extra weight!) we enjoyed the great outdoors.

Walking is Eminent (Maybe) !

Gaby's first birthday is only 10 days away. Isn't that crazy? It's hard to believe we've been blessed with a whole year of the princess' company. Time doesn't just fly, it speeds past you in the blink of an eye! I know, I'm getting old. Anyway, being the competitive people that both Byron and I are (more so my sweet husband!) we were convinced that our genuis child would walk before her first birthday. So we are down to the wire. Everyday Gaby and I do our training and we are going to raise the intensity level so we can reach our goal ;) She has been letting go and standing on her own a little. But only a little.

One adorable, sometimes frustrating, thing she has been doing lately is not wanting to sit in a shopping cart. She wants out so she can push the cart with me. Now, it is super cute to see this little tiny person from behind the cart but you can also imagine how slow I have to push it. And watch out if I decide to put her back in the cart- no one likes a scene, so I appease her and walk at a turtles pace around the store :)

The Children's Museum

Our first visit to the Austin Children's Museum was lots of fun! Lulu and Carlos loved running around checking out all the interactive displays.

Gaby even got in on the fun in the toddler section. I'm sure once she gets it a little more we'll visit often. We arrived in time for storytime and Gaby did seem to pay attention a little. If the storytime guy would have had a microphone I think she would of really gotten into it.

It's 2008-Happy New Year !

Gaby's cousins, Lulu and Carlos, came back with us to Austin and are staying until school starts back up. We were sooo excited that they could spend the week with us!
On New Year's Eve my brother, Tio Billy, joined us and we headed downtown to check out the "Austin's First Night" family friendly activities. In front of City Hall they had dancers, clowns and other performers along with food stands and live music. We took advantage of the awesome weather, had a nice lunch outside and went to enjoy the festivities.


The kiddos had a great time and we were all pooped when we came home. Byron was on call but he joined us for dinner and took Lulu and Carlos to see fireworks. That night we kept it low key- watched videos and hung out until midnight. After a glass of champagne, I was in bed by 12:05am. Much different New Year's Eve than years past but it suited me just fine. I have no interest in dealing with the drunk, crazy crowds anymore.
As the new year begins and I reflect on the year that just concluded all I can say is that it was such an amazing year full of new experiences and a very steep learning curve. Becoming parents and having the ultimate responsibility for this precious little being was a daunting task. We learned so much this past year and I hope we've done a good job. Gaby is in one word- incredible! Byron and I have been so blessed with this beautiful spirit in our lives. Her smile can light up a room and her serious face makes you want to just eat her up. As Lulu says all the time- "She is sooooo cuuute!"