Happiest Baby

Wherever we go or whoever we are catching up with - we often hear "Wow, she is such a happy baby!  Is she always this smiley and easy?"  Um, yes, we are SO lucky.  Gemma is a very easy baby (she's still a baby, so "easy" is relative".  Here are some videos of our little chatty, happy baby. 

Here she is climbing on her Daddy like he's her own personal jungle gym. And doing some talking.

And here's our non-stop chatter in the bathtub.

And here's a baby with a full belly of homemade squash and cauliflower and oatmeal (Nasty, right? She loves it).

Mobile Blog? Yes, Please.

Well, it's finally here. Blogger app. Now I can post my thoughts on the go. Which, believe it or not, will likely happen more often than on the computer. I can also more easily upload videos and pics from my phone. Which, the quality isn't great, but it's better than nothing which is what you've been getting.

And so, I leave you with a photo of the Gemster in red and gold, supporting her local team this past Sunday.

Christmas has come...

...and gone.  Too quickly!  And then almost another month has passed, too.  I know, I know...I'm consistently getting worse with the blogging.  Our lives have gotten sooooo busy and now when I have the choice between Gemma-time and blogging....I choose G....and when I have the choice between the over-flowing laundry and blogging....I choose the laundry....and when I have the choice between QT with Brian or blogging....I choose Brian.  And so it goes.  Anywho, need to blog while I have the time. 

We had an amazing Gemma's 1st Christmas.  It was a whirlwind weekend - complete with a clog in our main plumbing line and no plumbing from Saturday to Tuesday. 

For Christmas Eve, we headed up to Vacaville to Debbie and Mitch's.  But first, we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa (or Great to Miss G) to say hello.  Here she is with Great-Grandma Pancoast:

And with Great-Grandpa Pancoast:

And then we were off to Vacaville....due to the plumbing fun, we arrived in our pjs without having showered, dufflebag in tow.  We showered and got ready and then the fun began!  Baby G was looking good in her Gymbo gingerbread girl outfit.  We love ruffle pants.

She is such a lucky little girl with so much family that love her!  Here she is with her Great-Grandma Haberman: 

 And Great-Grandpa Haberman (and her new doll she loves)!  What a lucky girl to have FOUR great-grandparents!

 And Uncle Bren.....

 Here're the three of us enjoying the Christmas Eve festivities.  It was a great night and Gemma was SPOILED.  She got so many fun gifts - a toy tea set, a doll, books, new jackets, new outfits and more!

 We celebrated our first Christmas morning as a family of 3 at our house (sans plumbing).  Santa came a-visiting.  He brought Brian new golf clubs!  He left so many gifts for Gemma, too!

 Here she is soaking in her first Christmas morning.  We had to wake her up if you can believe it!  We had a busy day planned.  She was all smiles and baby-talk - she loved looking at the gifts and finally being able to touch them!  She pulled at the paper and ate the bows and ribbon!  She didn't even know what to do with all her new stuff - a My Pal Violet doggie, books, a toy cellphone, a sit-to-stand walker toy, clothes, galore!

 Santa even filled her stocking with two summer-jumpers for Hawaii and a teething toy.

 Daddy picked out a laptop for her which she loves!  It teaches her Spanish,too.

Riley was not left out either - he got toys and treats from the Big Man, too!

 After we wrapped up our Christmas morning, we packed our duffle and headed to my parents for ANOTHER Christmas morning (and showers!).  Here we are with the star of Christmas morning herself.  And boy did she make out!  Grammy and Nonno more than spoiled her!  Toys, a new wardrobe (for this winter/spring and Hawaii!), a picnic table, a bath seat, shoes, books!

After presents with my family, we headed to Tim's for brunch/lunch.  Gemma was having a good time with Grandpa!  She loves her new books he gave to her.

Then it was back to my parents for Christmas dinner with the extended family.  Gemma had a blast hanging with her cousins.  Here's a shot of her admiring Mackenzie's hair - always jealous of other girls' manes.

More presents!  What a fortunate little girl!

Family photo time!  Gemma loves her Riley-boy.

That pretty much wraps up Christmas 2011.  Whew!  It was amazing and only makes us look forward to many more Christmases with our precious baby girl.

6 Months Old, ALREADY!

We can't believe our little girl is already 6 months old!  How quickly the time has gone.  This has been the best 6 months our lives!  She's such a blessing and really lights up a room and can turn any bad mood upside down (even her Daddy's!).  Here's a recap of month 6!

Miss Gemma had her visit with Santa before Thanksgiving - we noticed Santa was already posted up at the mall and the lines were non-existent, so one evening we popped in and got her photo taken. Look at that cute little grin!  No tears, either.  She was totally digging the Big Man.

 Thanksgiving weekend, The Robbins came to visit and with a visit from the Robbins comes Alia's mad camera skills.  So, since we had our tree up, we dressed Baby Chooch up in her Christmas dress and told Riley to lay by the tree and snapped some photos. I'm so, so happy with how they turned out!  We are getting so many huge smiles and belly laughs out of Gemma these days!

 Of course, I take advantage of the holiday season to dress her almost every day in a Christmas outfit of some sort. 

 She is so, so close to being ready to sit up all on her own.  She can for a little bit, but she tends to tilt herself over.  She's also a rolling machine - flipping to her belly the minute she is put in her crib and making her way around our house roll by roll.

 We went and picked out a Christmas tree, too.  In her sixth month, Gemma not only started solids, but she also got a taste of the tree - she managed to get a pine needle in her mouth from the carpet and swallowed it!  Good experience for us calling Poison Control (Fraser Firs are NOT poisonous) and she was just fine.

 Her eyes are settling in at a really pretty blue - our pediatrician said by this age, they don't vary much more so looks like Miss Gemma is going to stay a blue eyed beauty.

 This month, we also finally have enough hair for bed head!  Here she is after her morning nap - crazy hair baby!  A handful of people have also commented on her "faux hawk"...not amused.

 We started solids last Sunday - about a week shy of 6 months old.  Man, was she ready.  Brian couldn't shovel in the rice cereal fast enough!  Since then, I've made homemade Sweet Potatoes and Pears.  She didn't seem to love either, but she didn't refuse them or spit them out!  Next up?  Butternut squash!

 We also have an array of Christmas pj's!  Gemma is loving her time in her exersaucer but also wanting to jump and move more so we'll be looking to move to her jumperoo soon!

 We think she's looking more and more like Brian - what do you think? 

  And here she is today - on her 6 month birthday in her big girl high chair!  And what has decided to grace us with its presence just in time for her half-year birthday?  A tooth!  It hasn't come through yet, but we definitely have a teether on our hands!  She loves to gnaw on Brian's fingers, her cold teething rings, her sippee cup (yes, we introduced that with water this week, too!), her Sophie giraffe and basically anything within her reach that she can put in her mouth before we can stop her!  Her favorite of all things to do is to drink from Mommy's big girl cup - cold, cold water! 



Thankful...

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a lot to catch up on.  So, in this post, we'll be covering Pre-Thanksgiving with Friends, Gemma Turns 5 Months and the real Thanksgiving.  Ready...go!

Earlier in November, we had a Pre-Thanksgiving Feast with our friends...our 2nd Annual back in California, but I used to do this with my roommates in college and after college so for me, I think this is my 6th (in California - did 1 in Colorado, too!).  It's much easier now...I remember the first year Alia and I were wrestling with a frozen turkey...no idea it needed several days to thaw....searching for a neck in the cavity...calling our moms every step of the way asking how to do this or how to do that.  I think I have it down, now.

 We made the bird, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the gravy and we baked a pie we bought at Apple Hill, too.  Our wonderful friends provided the rest of the plentiful feast's menu.

 Everyone ate themselves silly.

 Here's proof of said eating.  Also, check out those cute babies who joined us at the table in their Bumbo chairs.

 I knew you wanted a close up of the babies.  And a rundown of the cat-fight that ensued.  Here you see Gemma playing with her bird toy...you also may see cousin Ava trying to also play with it.

 Oh, hey, look at that.  Boom!  Ava's got the toy....you want to know what happened next?  I had to put down the camera to stop the fight my dear daughter started by grabbing a fistful of Ava's beautiful mane and yanking.  That naughty baby (it's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute!).  Is this a sneak peak at what's to come when she's a teenager?  I mean, I know she's jealous of Ava's hair, but violence isn't the answer.

 Speaking of hair, look who has some more!  Gemma also turned 5 months old between Thanksgiving with Friends and the Real Deal.  Here she is with her favorite toy (at the moment) - doing her favorite thing - gnawing on it.  Those smilin' baby blues are telling me she's one happy baby with her book, all snug in her Baby Gap sweats.

 And onto Thanksgiving Day, 2011.  Sadly, I don't have many pictures.  We hosted it at our house this year and I must have been preoccupied with all the cooking and setting up.  We did, however, snap a few photos of our favorite turkey in the most adorable Thanksgiving outfit EVER before she pooped all over it...twice.  That's right, this bad boy was in the wash before people came over and back on, only to be destroyed once again before dinner.  Oh, Gemma, we love you.

Maui or Bust....

Aloha, Blog Readers....First let me apologize for my lack of blog upkeep.  I'm a busy lady these days.  Baby, hubby, dog, work, house...amongst other things.  I know I owe lots of updates, however THIS is certainly the most exciting update as of late...

We are Maui bound in less than 2 months!  O.M.G.  I'm practically bursting with excitement.  I feel like Mai Tais and Pina Coladas are seeping out of my skin as the excitement boils over.  We're taking a Dirty 30 Birthday trip in style - got a condo on the beach in Kaanapali Bay with my brother and his girlfriend (sadly, only Brian and I are turning 30, they are still spring chickens) - and of course Baby Gemma, too.  We are staying at the Honua Kai resort (picture above).  Thank you, Costco Travel, for a smokin' deal.

So, while you're enjoying the dead of winter, we'll be enjoying the luscious sand beach pictured here - oh, did I mention that Kaanapali Beach is listed on some 10 Best Beaches lists?  That's right.  Anywho, enough bragging....what do you think of this swim suit for Baby Chooch?  It has a matching hat....

Whoops....

I am so brain dead I didn't even realize I'd already posted about Halloween.  Sorry for the redundancy...hope you love pics of my little lady bug as much as I do!