Stay little

I began reminiscing about Elena's babyhood as I watched her grow before my eyes in my screen saver. Why can't they stay little?
4 months
7 months
11 months
16 months
18 months with straight hair and friends Dean and Dominic22 months
26 months

More smiles

7 weeks

Now explain this: Omar has two dimples. I have two dimples. Elena and Marisa each have only one dimple.

Vocal Marisa

Marisa loves to talk. I can usually get more out of her, but I think she was distracted by the light on the camera.

And incase you're wondering about her outfit, I was trying on the gown that Elena wore for her baptism. It fits, so Marisa will be wearing the same one.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Favorite pics

Elena often holds Marisa's hand when Marisa cries in the car.
Elena is giving her sister a hug.
I do like my baths now.
Is it okay to love this sweet sad face?
yawn
I'm the champ!

Marisa's shower

Marisa had a welcome baby shower in Laredo. Thank you to everyone who was there to celebrate her. Here are some pictures. Unfortunately, I'm giving in for the sake of memories and accepting that some family photos just cannot be perfect. I do however like the one of me holding my crying babies...because it's so real. :)
Marisa's cake, made by my mom of course.

Marisa and my sister, Carmen


Marisa with her grandparents and cousins

Elena is 26 months old

Elena is quickly growing right before my eyes. I don't know if it is because I have someone smaller to compare her with, but she seems like such a big girl to me now when I carry her, hold her, and change her diaper.

She has been talking a lot lately and is using sentences but you may not know it if your heard her because she's still learning what sounds go with what language. Omar calls it Eleneeze. But I am so amazed at how she's picking up both and especially how she switches to English with Omar and Spanish with me. These are some of her sentences, but I will translate them so it may seem like they don't sound anything like what she says because some words are in Spanish.

Mama meeo bibi (Mama milk baby)
Nana poo poo uh-pum (Elena poo poo diaper)
Ai fio (cold air)
Muu pata or muu vice (eat pasta, eat rice)
curo palla mi (oscuro afuera sleep(dark outside, sleep))

And some funny things:

At night before we go to bed she says bye to everyone and sometimes everything. I was nursing Marisa and she said, "Bye mama, bye bibi, bye meeo (by milk)"

At my parents house there where two ceramic chicks, a blue one and a yellow one. She says, "blue pio pio" but she says yellow as pio because that sounds like amarillo so she said "pio---pio pio" meaning amarillo pio pio.

I don't know where Elena got this from but occasionally when she's happy she runs around the house yelling: "appy, appy, (happy, happy)," over and over.

Elena is also practicing her jumping. She can jump on her mattress but not quite yet on the floor, but she thinks she is and says "thum, thum,"

My favorite thing Elena does is say I love you with a hug. She does this often and out of the blue. She only says the I part though and extends it so it sounds like this: "aaaaaaye" and then gives a big hug and a kiss.
Elena is really liking her stuffed animals these days and often sleeps with more than two or three.
I rarely get pictures of Elena sleeping because she sleeps lightly. I got this one after she was exhausted from our return trip from Laredo.
Holding hands with Dominic.

Marisa is 5 weeks old

Sometimes I forget how recently Marisa came into our lives. It seems like we've had her forever. I've been trying to think of things to post since normally I have a waiting list of things in my head that I want to post but nothing much is happening here. I wondered why I haven't really taken many photos of Marisa in the last month and why I can't seem to describe her just yet but I came to realize that it's because she is still spending most of her time sleeping. She nurses and falls right to sleep. Now this doesn't by any means mean that I am still living the life of a parent with one sole child while Marisa sleeps, because she spends half her sleep time on me. But anyway, she is still a very content baby who hardly fusses...that is if you ask me and this leads me to the topic below. Ask Omar about Marisa's personality and you'll likely hear a different story.

Since I didn't know what to write about Marisa, Omar told me to write about how much Marisa dislikes him. :( Now let me explain. As many of you know Elena gave us a very rough 3 months of colic. She screamed for many hours at night and prefered neither Omar nor myself. If she was mad it was at anyone and everything. Now if you ever read this Elena don't be hurt by this...you turned out to be the easiest, sweetest baby after those 3 months. Well, Marisa is an easy baby in my eyes. I can console her 99% of the time and if she was my only baby and I could attend to her at anytime she would probably never cry. Now ask Omar how Marisa is and he would likely tell you she has colic and would truly think so if I wasn't there to rescue Marisa from his arms.

The best way to describe Marisa in these last few weeks is that she loves her mother. It seems natural that every baby loves their mother but I am amazed at how Marisa is instantly at peace in my arms. She falls asleep quickly with me when I simply hold her. If I could sit holding her for hours she would ask for nothing more. Marisa is patient. If I'm getting ready to nurse her she doesn't cry in my arms while she waits and I am very slow but she just stares at me with a look of adoration. And yes, Marisa does love her Daddy. He just has to try a little harder. He usually has success when bouncing with her on the exercise ball. Marisa will also sleep with Omar if she falls asleep with me first and then I pass her off to him but she will stay asleep for hours nonetheless. Marisa does not like her infant seat very much unless it is in the car consistently moving or on a bumpy ride in the stroller. She also likes to be swaddled when alone but doesn't need to be when she's next to us. She also loves to be in the Moby Wrap or the sling. Elena was never a clingy child who needed me much. I often wished she did. I wonder if Marisa will need me more. Here are some pictures of the last few weeks. Enjoy.
I do love my daddy!
my girls
Is that my sister?
always sleeping