Christmas and Minnesota

Well, I said this post would probably have some pictures of snow. We experienced the snow, but I didn't get any pictures of it. The weather in MN was actually much better than we expected. When we arrived on Christmas Eve it was pretty cold, but the following days weren't that bad. It started snowing again the day we left and my dad said the temperature dropped. I think we got out just in time.

Lila had a lot of fun this Christmas. She really enjoyed opening all her gifts, and got quite good at it! She got a bunch of Elmo stuff--DVDs, dolls, books--and loves it all! Her big gift from Santa was a play kitchen. It makes noises like a real kitchen (water boiling, pan sizzling) and Grana Nana got her a set of play food for it as well.

Lila has been talking up a storm since we were in MN. She is now saying little two or three word sentences/phrases. She tells us "otch Elmo" (watch Elmo), "Ber Ernie" (Bert and Ernie), and her new favorite "poot ball" (football). She has a book titled Sleep Tight Elmo and she has taken to saying that as well (and "seep tigh Ernie" or whichever Sesame Street character we ask her about). On occasion I think she is trying to make us crazy by repeating the same thing over, and over, and over again, but mostly it's fun to hear all the new things she is saying.

I have some great videos from Christmas too, but for some reason this website won't let me upload them. I've tried more times than I can count, so I thought I'd just post the photos for now. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out and can put them in another post.

Hope you all had happy holidays!










Her first piece of luggage, from Grana and Kent






Preparing herself for the trip to MN with Mommy's hat

Watching Sesame Street with Sofie and Gabi on Christmas Eve

Lila and Ella

She loved playing under the table with cousin Landon

Birthday parties

As usual, there are lots of photos in this update. We had a couple birthday parties the weekend before last. First was the Happy Birthday Jesus party that my mom's group had. Instead of a Christmas party we do Happy Birthday Jesus to teach the kids about the meaning of Christmas. It's a lot of fun for them. There were snacks, a birthday cake, several crafts, coloring, and a cookie decorating table. As you might imagine, the cookie decorating was the most popular.

Then we had Lila's friend Bentley's second birthday party. The party was at The Little Gym, where Lila used to take a class. She didn't seem to remember it though as she was pretty hesitant about getting involved in the activities. She just wanted to sit back and watch, doing her own thing. She really enjoyed the balance beam though. She wanted Roman to walk her down it over and over.

We are headed to Minnesota for Christmas and we're hoping, albeit foolishly, that the weather will improve. The temps are VERY low and Lila (not to mention mommy and daddy) doesn't like the cold, and is not a big fan of wearing a hat or hood. We'll see how it goes I guess. Well, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. The next post will most likely contain Christmas pictures with snow in them!

Decorating....errr, trying to eat the decorations

Kisses for Mommy

She loved this rocking horse

Little Gym

Tickle, tickle

She got my glasses off the table and put them on

SNOW!!!

So yesterday (Tuesday) it was 77 degrees. Today the high was 37, and it snowed! Our weather is crazy. I was talking to my dad on the phone when I looked outside, and mid-sentence I started yelling "It's snowing, it's snowing!". Lila was not the slightest bit interested. I paused her Elmo show to take her outside and she was none too pleased. I took a couple pictures and a little video of the snow falling, not that it's probably all that exciting since most of you reading this are in MN. But still, it doesn't snow here every often.

Here are a couple of the other photos that were on the camera.



We got lots of compliments on this outfit when I took her to get her xmas pictures taken.



Bundled up to run errands today. She liked it for about 2 minutes and then wanted "out".

Taking Elmo for a ride on her car.

Can you see the snow?

Christmas Pictures

I took Lila to get some xmas pictures done today, and at first I thought it was going to be a disaster. She didn't want the camera guy anywhere near her, and she wouldn't let go of me for a second. He dug out some stuff animals and and eventually she warmed up. There were so many good pictures, but I got one HUGE package of the pose of her infront xmas tree, so I didn't get very much more. These are two best. The quality isn't very good because I had to scan them in. They'll only give you the CD with the photos on it if you buy another big package, which we didn't need.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Kent's brother and his wife invited us back to their house in San Antonio for Thanksgiving. If you read my post in September, we all stayed with them after Hurricane Ike, when we didn't have any power. We had so much food, I think we were all sick to our stomachs after dinner and dessert! The weather there was great, in the 70s and low 80s. They live in the hill country outside San Antonio proper and it was beautiful there. Some of the leaves were changing color and it's quite a change from the flat lands of Houston. Here are the photos we took. As usually, mostly all of Lila.

At the bottom is a picture of my belly...for those of you who've been asking to see one.



Lila and Grana Nana



This is the "I'll smile, but I don't want to" face

Thanksgiving day

She was always playing with these measuring cups.

Outside with Nana and Kent



This is how Lila "rolls". Laptop with Sesame Street for the car ride home, courtesy of Kent.

Taking a little break to file her nails

My belly, week 23

Dolls and the park

This post has two videos, so if you're getting this via email, you'll probably want to click on the title above to get to the blog website to watch them. It'll be faster than downloading them.


Lila has become really interested in her dolls lately. She likes to change their clothes and feed them, sometimes with her own cup or food. She spilled milk all over one dolls face, and the leather chair, the other day trying to give the doll a drink. The first video is of her dancing with two of her dolls.





She is still talking a lot, and learning new things/words all the time. If you tell her what something is, she'll more often than not try to repeat the word. We went out to brunch last Sunday and Roman asked if she wanted some bacon and she said "bacon". She's making animal noises too, which is really cute. If you ask her what does a dog, cow, bird, horse, etc. say, she'll make the sound. I need to try to get a video of it, but she tends to clam up in front of the camera. She's still very willful and quick to tell you when she's unhappy about something. She does listen pretty well though, if we tell her to do, or not do, something.


We suffered through the heat and humidity all summer, and now we're enjoying some really nice weather here. For all of you in MN, think spring--sorry, not trying to rub it in. We went to the park by our house yesterday and I just let Lila run around the soccer fields with Manolo. She thinks it's so much fun to walk him around. Here's some photos and a short video of her.

Ultrasound and more Elmo

We had the baby anatomy ultrasound today. They were able to get good views of everything except his/her spine, so at my next appt they'll just do a quick check to see it. Everything looked fine, and we got to see some of the baby's face. We didn't find out the sex, so we will be just as surprised as you all will when he/she is born. The baby measures in the 80th percentile with a pretty big head to match. I don't know how as I've only gained 5 or 6 pounds. I was hoping for a smaller baby with a smaller head this time around (Lila was 8lb 7oz with a big head at birth), but I guess we don't always get what we want right?

Lila's love affair with Elmo continues. My good friend Michelle ("Auntie Michelle") sent Lila a collectors box full of five different Elmos called Elmo Through the Years. Her other two Elmo dolls talk so she kept pressing the bellies of the new ones and shaking them trying to get them to talk. I think now she's finally figured out they don't make any noise. So with the two she had she now has SEVEN Elmos! She loves them all and has been trying to carry them all at once around the house. She'll come around a corner with three or four of them crammed in her arms. It's pretty funny.

Lila and her five new Elmos

All seven Elmos

Baby number two at 19 weeks