Dear Giuliana: Christmas 2016

Well baby, another Christmas has come and gone. Just like that! You were a little more into it this year but were still a little slow to rip open presents.  We started out the week with cookie decorating at Lauren's house where you got your first gift... a baseball bat at tee set! We immediately took you outside to try it out. Still working on the whole 'two hands on the bat' thing but you got the hang of it pretty quick. Then you continued on the frosting and sprinkle obsession on your cookies. I didn't think you would sleep that night! We got home and you were trying to lick me and were being so silly.

In the morning on Christmas Eve we went straight to the mall to get your picture taken with Santa. Yes, I know, we waited far too long to get this done! But anyway we went, waited an hour and got your picture. You were clinging to my leg when we walked up but we somehow convinced you to sit on his lap and then you actually smiled! It was amazing. I definitely thought you were going to have a meltdown and I was looking forward to having one of those hilarious pictures to show you, but your big smile in this one is much better. Christmas Eve night we went to the Held's house and had more food and desert than anyone needs in one sitting. As usual. The Chargers were playing and what do you know, they lost to the Raiders in another embarrassing upset. Sigh. At least we had plenty of cookies for Santa which you loved making with me! 

Christmas morning we did our little tradition of making hot chocolate, putting on Christmas music, and starting with our stockings. But, Santa brought you a teepee this year, that we were so excited about! We filmed you walking down the stairs to see your reaction, but you really didn't have much of one. You kind of walked right by it looking at it like hmmmm. But once we gave you your milk you went right inside and didn't come out. You started taking the presents from under the tree and into the teepee. It made me really happy because I was pretty excited about this whole teepee thing. We still had to convince you to open the presents and once you did you asked us to open them immediately. Then we went to Nani and Nanu's house for breakfast and more gifts. I think by then you had had enough of the gifts and started to go a little crazy. Later on, the whole family came over and there was more food and more gifts. It was such a nice long day. Each year will be more and more fun with you as you grasp the concept of the holiday. But until then, it is still entirely so much fun for us to try and make these days special for you.

Aaannnd then there was the Starbucks line the day after Christmas. Your face is priceless! You wear your sunglasses all the time now, even at night. My favorite is when you put them on top of your head. You're just too cute! So now we are getting ready to celebrate the new year and once again we can't believe its that time again. Merry Christmas baby!

Dear Giuliana: Flat Tire Blessings

Hi baby girl! Yesterday I got a flat tire yesterday and it just sort of put me in a tizzy for a little while. I've never had a flat tire before so it took me a second to figure out that the loud noise I was hearing while driving was coming from my car. I almost didn't know what to do! Side note: I will be making sure your Dad teaches you a few things if this happens to you! Anyway, I was able to drive it back up to my office and two very nice people from my building came out and changed it for me without hesitation. But while I watched them and they tried to show me the basics of changing the tire and where to find the tools, etc. I couldn't help but think about all the 'what ifs' that could have been. What if that happened when you and I were out running errands? Doesn't seem that terrible I know, but on the other hand what if you and I were driving on the freeway and had a blowout? How terrible that could have been. Normally I would have taken this situation as an inconvenience to my day, but instead all I could do was thank God. Thank God it was only me in the car. Thank God it happened near work. Thank God there are good people in this world who helped me out without question. And thank God you weren't there and we weren't involved in a worse scenario all because of a nail in a tire. It's you, baby girl, that really puts my life into perspective and keeps me aware of the little blessings in each day. It is so easy to take situations like this and think about how 'bad' and 'sucky' they are and overreact when they happen to you, when really it is a blessing in disguise. I'm so grateful for you. You remind me every day to look at the world and look at life with a different perspective, a more positive attitude and I hope that I can help teach you this as you grow up because it is a surprisingly difficult task. Always be thankful for what you have and the little bumps in the road because while it may seem like the worst thing at the time, it probably is actually one of the best. I love you so much!


xoxo, Mom

Happenings: Winter Wonderland at Petco Park

The other day we went to Winter Wonderland at Petco Park with my parents and sister. It is basically a festive carnival type event that takes place on the baseball field with hot chocolate, carousels, slides, train rides, and sledding. It is so fun to see the park decorated with so much holiday spirit! The first thing we did was of course try and snap a few hundred pictures with the trees, reindeer, and ice princesses. Then it was straight to the sledding slide. Highlight of the night! We all grabbed a tube and headed up the stairs to the top. The fun about to ensue was not expected by any of us. I put Giuliana in my lap and off we went down the ice bank. Oh my gosh, what a short little thrill! Giuliana was so excited when we got to the bottom that she immediately said she wanted to go again. She definitely got my thrill seeking bug and love for roller coasters and the like. I took her again later in the night and filmed a video on the way down which was even more exciting because we ended up spinning around and went down the slide backwards. She loved it. We also took pictures with the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who (clearly she's more interested in the blinking ring on her finger) and she went on the train with Karl. It was so fun and I can't wait to take her again next year. Since we don't really have seasons here in San Diego, it is always nice to partake in really festive events.

 

We also took Giuliana to look at some local Christmas lights recently and while it was also fun with her, it started pouring rain so we had to take cover under garage awnings which was an exciting twist to the night. There was a Santa at one house and she began to go up to him and then changed her mind. Clearly that is why the picture is blurry! Hoping we can get a proper picture with the big guy soon, but I will also be ok with her crying on his lap. Those are classic! Other than that, we've been getting ready for Christmas being that it is ONE WEEK away. I have no clue how that is possible, but I'm pretty sure this happens every year. Can't wait to see how she likes opening presents this year :)

Dear Giuliana: Happy Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving love!! Well, actually it was yesterday. We had a long relaxing day filled with yummy food and desert. We went to Great Grandma Carol's to eat dinner and you ate quite a bit of turkey and about 800 chips. Then we went to Auntie Kathy's for desert. You loved playing on the pano (piano) and going down the slide (stairs) on your bottom. You're the life of the party and the center of attention everywhere you go. Not sure how you'll feel when there are other kids around in the future! It started to rain halfway through the day and it was so nice because the weather has still been pretty warm around here. It only started cooling down a couple of days ago but with the gloom and the rain it actually felt like a Fall holiday. Then you slept in until 7:30 this morning which was amazing! You've been getting up so early the last few months so this was definitely a treat. We've had a lazy morning drinking coffee and playing with puzzles, cards, Thomas the Train and Cars toys. I got most of our shopping done online. You've got a pretty cute teepee coming from Santa and I believe a play kitchen coming from all the aunts. It's going to be a good year for you little one! Later today or this weekend I think we will get our Christmas tree. Then we can decorate and enjoy the rest of the holiday season. Love you boo boo!

xoxo, Mom

Dear Giuliana: It's Been Too Long

Hello my love! It has been over a year since I have written on here and I have missed it. I still keep a journal for you but even that has been slacking. In addition to that, I will write to you on here more frequently since many hours of my day are often spent sitting in front of the computer. Anyhow, a ton has changed since a year ago and the days fly by before I even know it. Every day I go to work I miss you terribly and wish that I could be there making your breakfasts and lunches and taking you out to do fun things. We have a pretty awesome routine for the rest of the day that I am home, but it is short and then you're asleep. You're also a busy little girl with a schedule of your own. Swimming lessons, gymnastics and hopefully soon soccer! Needless to say, we keep pretty busy around here.

You have developed into quite the sassy 2 year-old and entered the 'do it myself' phase long ago. You are fiercely independent, witty, clever, and have the most impeccable hearing and eye sight I've ever known. You'll spot a plane in the night sky and repeat parts of conversations you have overheard. If your dad and I had a dollar for every time we exchanged surprised and confused glances, I probably could stay home with you ;)

You are really enjoying your swimming and gymnastics lessons, although listening to directions is definitely not your strong suit. You love to do your own thing...all the time. You are getting really good and going under water and holding your breath and I'm sure by next summer you will be ready to swim on your own. Your fearlessness of the water right now is very scary so I'm hoping we can help you get the right techniques down. At gymnastics you love the balance beam and doing somersaults. Many of the activities are challenging, in my opinion, but depending on your mood you do a great job and we hope that you continue to enjoy it. Along with being able to follow directions for 45 minutes. :) Next up will hands down be soccer. You kick like a pro! It is so fun to watch you kick everything from water bottles to big inflatable beach balls all over the house. You also have an insanely good arm. You're welcome.

Your vocabulary is out of this world and you have no problem telling it like it is. Last week we were at Auntie Dre's house and while we were eating you stopped, looked up at me and said, "Mom, I don't like this dinner." What 2 year-old says that?! We died laughing. You put the joy and cheer into the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day that can oftentimes be mundane. We never know what we might get with you and that is part of the excitement every day. Along with being the little diva that you are, you're also the sweetest angel of all time. You will come up to me and give me random hugs and kisses on my legs and then hold my face and say, "Gimme a kiss, mama." You have this habit of turning your cheek anytime someone asks you for a kiss so I have started telling you that I want lips, so finally I can get a real kiss out of you! You will tell me you love me and then my heart melts. It doesn't get any better than these special moments.

Your latest obsessions include Toy Story (which has been #1 for a while), Peppa Pig, Despicable Me (because, Minions), Cars, Finding Nemo, Wheel of Fortune, and Ellen. I love when we watch something new that catches your interest because you will sit (still!!) and watch while you snuggle up with me. The other week we watched Despicable Me for the first time. I had a long weekend off of work which I always love and we had a busy day running around town. Dad was at work, but I gave you a bath, got you cozy in your pajamas and we sat on the couch with your milk under a blanket. To my surprise you sat on my lap the entire movie. I didn't want the night to end so I made you sleep in my bed after that because I wanted to stay next to you. Not that you ever mind sleeping in our bed, but still. Sometimes I still have to stop and think that I am a mom and you are my daughter. It is the craziest thing to realize even though you are already two years old. I just stared at you sleeping so peacefully next to me and I squeezed my finger inside your tiny palm and you held it. It was one of my favorite nights with you.

There are so many stories I can go on and on about and that is what I am hoping I will be able to keep up with by writing them to you on this site. Thanksgiving is just a few days away and right after that Christmas will be here. You have already taken a liking to our Elf on a Shelf that we named Sophia. This year I want to get you a teepee so you can read and play inside it since you really like a Minnie Mouse blow-up ball pit we currently have. You've got a closet full of clothes and a shoe collection that gives mine a run for its money, but I don't think that will stop anyone from buying you a whole new wardrobe this year. You're growing like crazy and are already into 3/4T clothing and size 8 shoes. Most people don't believe us when we tell them you're only two. Between your height and your vocabulary, you could pass for a 4 year-old! Oh, and you are completely obsessed with wearing people's shoes, especially high heels. It is the cutest thing ever!! I hope you still want to share shoes with me as you get older  :)

Giuliana, I can't tell you enough how much I love you. You have given my life purpose and inspiration and I will spend the rest of it being the best mom I can be to you.

xoxo, Mom