Lots of firsts...

Monday - Libi ate peaches for the first time this morning. She really didn't make too many faces during her first few bites. We met Renia for lunch and shopping. While at CPK Libs drank through a straw for the first time. Shopping with Renia is always and adventure and Libs experienced it first hand-- see the cute hat she made Libs wear. We then came home for dinner and Libs ate Zwieback for the first time. It was really funny to see her getting the biscuit gooey and getting it everywhere. Unbeknown to Libi she also had another first-- she got her first silent football penalty point. Ask Daddy exactly how she got it because Mommy's not really clear on that point.

Tuesday - Libs carried on the family tradition today-- she wore a pair of overalls that were worn by her Granpa Eric and her Momma. She looked so cute in her little red overalls-- you'll have to see the pictures on Picasa. We drove to Stanford to see Daddy and his CADA friends today. It was nice to see all of the CADA friends again. Libs was the hit of the BBQ and staff meeting. On the way home we stopped at the outlets-- Libs first trip to the outlets. Everything went well until Libs and I spilled a huge iced tea all over the floor of the Gap outlet. Once we got home Libs had some kicky time and then she ate dinner. She went for her first night swim, but it didn't last very long due to the chilly wind. Libs is now in her crib and I'm watching movies.

Weekend in Stockton...

Saturday -
We had a reasonably quiet day today. Jammy, Libi and I ran to a scrapbook yard sale in the morning and made a stop by Memories for the Making. Granpa made lunch for us, then we hit the pool. Once we got to the pool Libs began kicking away as if to say "Let me in, let me in!" She really is quite a fish. We had a nice family dinner and played in the evening.

Sunday -
It was a full day at the house today. Libs spent some time in the morning with Jammy and Granpa while Mommy slept in (she woke up around 3:30 a.m. and Mommy was on duty.) We had a fend for yourself lunch and Mommy did some scrapbooking. We went swimming again and this time Libi saw a big orange ball that she loved. Granpa promised her that we would get her a ball like that, so I think Jammy and I will grab one on Monday. Libs went to bed early and stayed down, which was a blessing for Mommy!

Full day in Stockton...

Daddy woke up this morning, repacked and headed out to Stanford. He had to make it into town to go yachting with the gang and "team-build". He left Libs and I to hang out with Jammy and Granpa.
We met Chris and Leslie for lunch at Da Vinci's Italian restaurant. Libs was fabulous during lunch and she met some babies who were also dining there. It was nice to sit and chat with the girls. Everything was great until I cleared the table and spilled ranch dressing all over the floor and my pants and shoes.
Afterwards we ran to Babies R Us to get an activity center for Libs. Mommy assembled it in no time flat-- she is becoming quite a pro at assembly. Lib loved playing in it and bouncing around-- you can see the videos on Picasa.
We met Bob and Renia at Bob's for dinner. Guy enjoyed chatting with us and dancing for Libi. We are now sitting around talking and the adults are drinking wine.

Update...

Sunday - Daddy left this morning for UCSB again and Libi and I headed to the zoo. We met up with Aunt Andrea and walked the entire zoo. They were doing a special promotion in conjunction with Arctic Tale so they gave certain animals snow and ice. We got to watch the brown bears play in their snow covered enclosure and eat fruit in ice chunks. It was really nice to spend the morning with Aunt Andrea. We enjoyed lunch and ice cream and then headed out of there before it got too hot.
On the way home we stopped at Nana and Pop's to see how they were. Nana hasn't been feeling well so we haven't been seeing too much of them. It was nice to spend an hour with them-- Libi showed them all of her tricks.
We came home and Mommy took a nap and read more of Harry Potter.

Monday - We picked up Grandmalito and drove down to the Nanny School in L.A. We attended the 11 a.m. Mommy and Me class that was very small. It was only Libs and an 8 week old girl who came, everyone else didn't show. Libs spent the hour playing on the floor and talking to her Grandma and Great Aunt.
After class we went to El Pollo Loco with the girls then went to see Uncle Hugo and Cousin Bridget. Bridget was so cute with Libi. She really wanted to show her everything-- her toys, her books, her DVD's. Bridget showered Libs with attention and loved giving her hugs and squeezes.
We went home for more Potter and a quiet evening at home. Libi did get to eat pears for the first time today for dinner.

Tuesday - Libi went with Mommy to get her hair cut. Cassie, Mom's trusty hair dresser, loved the little girl. She was so good during the whole appointment-- she sat on my lap while I was shampooed and sat in her chair and chatted away while I was cut and styled.
Afterwards Libs and I ran a few errands around town, but due to the heat we weren't out long. Libs slept most of the time, so I didn't feel too badly about having to make a few stops.
Grandmalito and Grampy came over in the evening for a visit. Poor Tobee accidentally launched the Boppy that Libs was napping on causing both Libi and Grandmalito to yell. Other than that unfortunate accident, the visit was nice.

Wednesday - I stayed up until 1:30 this morning to finish Harry Potter #7 and I must say I'm happy with the ending-- for the most part. Libi and I didn't go anywhere in preparation for Daddy's valiant return this afternoon. He finally got home at 5:30 and spent the evening lavishing attention on all of his girls.
Grandmalito brought dinner over and the whole family ate a nice meal of chicken and rice. We were able to get some packing and cleaning done with Libs played with her grandparents.

Thursday - Off to Stockton again, but not until Mommy weighed in at Weight Watchers. I was down 3.2 pounds today which more than makes up for last weeks gain. The drive was uneventful and quick which was nice considering we didn't leave the SCV until nearly 1 p.m.
Once we arrived in town we unloaded the car and headed to Bob's at Ron's request. We met Granpa there and had a nice dinner. After dinner Granpa showed Libi the boats and all the birds on the delta. We dropped Libs off at the house with Jammy and Granpa and we ran to Office Depot, Target and Walgreens to grab some odds and ends.
Tomorrow Daddy leaves again-- this time for Stanford and Libi and I begin our adventures in Stockton.

Daddy came home!!!

Today we woke up and went to Weight Watchers for Mommy to weigh in. Considering that I haven't been doing program for over two weeks, I was only over 1.4 pounds. I am now back on track and should continue on the downward path soon.
When we arrived home there was a nice surprise for us-- Grampy and Spunky were waiting for us. Libs got time to play with Grampy while Tobee and Spunky ran in the yard. Mommy was able to do laundry and straighten up the kitchen during this time, so everyone won! Grampy also fed Libs for the first time and he did a really nice job.
After they left we played for a bit, took a nap, and then began to get ready for Daddy's return. He didn't get home until after 5 p.m., but it was great to have him back!!! He brought the new Harry Potter for Mommy-- which she immediately began to read-- and he took his girl. The two of them fell asleep on the sofa for a good hour nap while Mommy read.
We had a fend for yourself dinner and then Grandmalito and Grampy came back over. They gave Libs her applesauce and played with her while Daddy and I worked on the computers.
Libi has taken a huge interest in what we eat and drink since she began eating cereal. A few days ago she watched me intently while I drank water out of my 32 ounce Weight Watcher cup. I decided to put it to her lips and see what she did-- she actually took a sip. Since then whenever she's seen me drink from my cup, she's taken a sip too. Daddy finally got to experience this tonight and he thought it was pretty cute.
Libs took an evening bath followed by story-time with Daddy. Mommy finally got into the shower and had a few moments to blog. I have to say that Daddy was very sweet reading the four books Mommy chose tonight, my favorite was "Bear of My Heart." I sat in the retreat crying as he read this sweet book to our sweet girl.

I don't want to be a single mother...

Thursday - I'm still on my own while Ron is doing CADA and I have to say that doing this alone is difficult. Even when Ron was working I had an extra set of hands in the evening and on weekends and now I don't have that. I have a new found respect for single mothers and I must say, I don't want to be one!!!!
We really didn't do much today except for having a short visit from Grandmalito, Emmy, and Angie. They all went out to lunch and on their way home they stopped in to see Miss Libs. She was right in the middle of a nap when they arrived so she wasn't her normal cheery self. They did enjoy their visit, even with Miss Cranky-pants.
Libs took an hour and half nap on the floor at about 8 p.m. then she decided to be up until after midnight. This meant that I was up until after midnight-- so I was really tired.

Friday -- Due to her late bedtime, Libs didn't wake up until almost 8:30. This was great for me-- 7 hours of sleep and I took a shower and dressed before she woke up. I got Libs dressed and gave her some applesauce and then we were off for a day full of adventures....
Frist, we surprised Grandmalito on her last day of summer school. We dropped by her classroom at Hart High School and spent brunch meeting her colleagues and her students. She was genuinely surprised that we came, which was really fun!!
Then we hit the road for UCSB to see Daddy. We also surprised him-- he knew we were coming but didn't know what time. We got there early for the beach BBQ so we were able to see all of the staff during their staff meeting (Daddy enjoyed the extra time with his little girl.)
Not only did Libs meet many of the CADA staff for the first time, but she also saw the ocean and the beach for the first time today. We got some cute videos of her sticking her feet in the really cold water for the first time-- you can check them out on Picasa.
All too quickly it was time to leave and head home. Libi did great on the hour and a half drive there and back. She slept most of the time and when she wasn't sleeping she was looking out the window and talking to everything she saw.
Once we got home she had a lot of kicky time to make up for the time in the car seat. Libs is rolling all the time but she gets really frustrated when she gets stuck on her belly-- sometimes she forgets how to roll back over. So now when she's looking like a beached whale she yells "ma, ma, ma." I have convinced myself that she knows my name and she's calling to me, but I think that's a little premature. She simply babbles and cries until someone flips her over.
This evening we had a brief visit from Grandmalito to drop off something for Daddy and then Aunt Andrea came over for about a half an hour. It was perfect timing because I got to eat my dinner with two hands while Andrea entertained both Libs and Tobee. Libs was in a great mood and smiled and laughed for her aunt-- it was great for everyone!!
Libs just fell asleep-- thank God it's earlier tonight than last night-- and I'm heading off to bed. Thank goodness Ron is back tomorrow, even if it's for less than 24 hours :)

Libi is 6 months old...

Tuesday was Libi's 6 month birthday. We spent the day prepping the house for our little get together to celebrate the occasion. I made cupcakes-- both chocolate and vanilla for the guests. Libi even helped in the kitchen-- well she sat in her high chair and watched Mommy make them. I suppose you could say she was on quality control.

It was a small party with Grandpalito, Grandmalito, Aunt Andrea, Aunt Violet, the Strassners and the Lopez family. We all sat around and talked, ate cupcakes and the kids played with Libi and Tobee's toys. You can see everyone's picture with the half birthday girl on the picasa page.

As soon as the party ended Daddy drove up to UCSB. Mommy and Libi spent their night in Mommy's bed watching Grey's Anatomy. Mommy has not been sleeping well lately which makes her tired and cranky the next day. Tobee enjoyed laying in Daddy's spot until Libi rolled into her space, so she finished the night on the floor.

Wednesday -- We had to get up early today due to the exterminator coming to spray the kitchen. One of the bad things about the summer is that the ants want to get out of the sun and into our house. It was very lucky that he came today because we had a scorpion in the kitchen-- yep, a live baby scorpion. I actually saw it right next to my foot when I was assembling Libi's first bottle but I thought it was one of those little pincher bugs that run away when they see you coming. He took it away, but now I'm on alert everywhere in the house.

Libs and I have spent the day playing, scrapbooking, napping, and nearly crawling. She is getting so close to really going on the floor. She is scooting everywhere but she's starting to get her knees underneath her and push up on her arms.

Tonight we are planning to go to bed early 'cause Mommy's really tired.

Post Script--- Tonight as I sat on the computer in the retreat Libs rolled all the way across the floor to me. She has found her mobility and she was all smiles when she realized she could get to mama!

6 month check up...

This morning we went to see Dr. Vashishta again for Libi's 6 month check up. We waited for awhile the doctor because he was all alone in his office-- none of his office staff showed up. Once we got in Libi was weighed-- 19 lbs 8 oz-- and measured-- a whopping 28 inches!!!

The doctor inspected her, told us she was perfect, and then gave her shots (only 3 this time plus the sweet oral one.) On the way home Libs was a bit unhappy, but a bottle put her out of her misery. She is currently asleep on the sofa while I blog and Daddy cleans up the kitchen.

Libs did really well-- still no reactions to her shots. We had a pretty uneventful day except for getting ready for Libs little 6 month party tomorrow.

Friday - Jammy, Libi and Mommy went to Babies R Us to pick up somethings for the girl. While we were there we ran into a girl who was a year ahead of me at St. Martin's. We have known her family forever-- her mother was a teacher there. She has a two year old son and twins who were born the same day as Libi. It was really interesting to see Libi's size compared to kids who shared the same uterus.
We came home and I spent the afternoon assembling Libi's activity center. All the reviews said that the product was difficult to assemble, and the folks didn't lie. It took awhile, but when it was all done Libi loved it! She spent much of the afternoon exploring how to make the different activities work.
It took Daddy a long time to get home, Grandmalito and Aunt Andrea hit some traffic on the way to get him. When he finally got home he didn't want to let Libs out of his grasp. He did let her go long enough to run to In N Out with Mommy to get dinner.
We did nothing eventful in the evening, just enjoy each others company.

Saturday - Granpa came into town this morning. We met him at the Saturn Dealership where we were looking for a used car for Daddy. Jammy, Granpa, Libi and I walked the lot looking at cars while Daddy was getting the Olds washed so we could get more on the trade-in. It took him over an hour to get to the dealership and by the time he arrived we had the paperwork done on his brand-new Saturn Ion. Boy was he surprised when he got there and we had him test drive this pretty new car.
After lunch at Applebee's and finishing up the paperwork at the dealership, Jammy and Granpa went down to the valley to see Nana and Pop. Nana wasn't feeling well so we stayed at home and relaxed.
We got ChiChi's for dinner and hung out at the house in the evening. Libi is still eating her bananas and enjoying them-- we are enjoying watching her eat and seeing what colors come out the other end.

Sunday - Libs woke up at 6 and after Daddy changed her Granpa intercepted her and took her into their room. It was really nice to sleep in and now that Libs was taken care of. Jammy and Granpa left around 10 a.m. to make the drive back to Stockton.

Uncle John came over to drop off a gift for Libi from New Zealand. It was so cute that he was so excited to give it to her. We can't wait until she's big enough to fit into her green sheep shirt.

Grandmalito and Grandpalito came over for a visit around noon. It was nice for Libi to get a big chunk of time with her local grandparents. Even better for Mommy and Daddy was that we got to move some furniture throughout the house. We moved Mommy's scrapbook room from the bonus room to the retreat. This will make room for an eventual playroom for Miss Libs in the bonus room and Mommy can do some scrapbooking in her own little place.

Mommy made a turkey medallion dinner while Daddy gave Libs her cereal. We spent the evening giving the girl a bath, watching the Next Food Network Star, and other Food Network shows-- I don't know what I'd do without that channel.

Tomorrow morning Miss Libs goes to Dr. V for her 6 month check up. We'll update everyone on her new height and weight as soon as we get back.

Tuesday - Libs was much better today than she was yesterday. Jammy had a hair appointment so Libs and Mommy stayed home and rested. We gave Libs more bananas and she did much better with them-- less puckering!

Jammy and Granpa watched Libs tonight so I could attend a scrapbooking class at Memories for the Making. It was all about the Cricut-- I found some nice new techniques-- and I got to make a Minnie Mouse page. Since Miss Libs has yet to meet Minnie, I called the page Channeling Minnie and put pictures of LouLou in big bows and headbands. It came out really well! I really enjoyed having an evening "on the town" on my own :)

Wednesday - Jammy, Mommy and Libs went out to do some shopping and to have lunch. We got a mattress for Libi's travel crib so she won't roll into the side and wake up with net face. We were going to go to the pool one last time, but the breeze was so cool that we decided not to.

Thursday - We woke up this morning, packed up the whole kit and caboodle, and returned to So. Cal. It was a relatively uneventful drive-- Libs slept, played or ate, Tobee barked at motorcycles, watched the cars go by, and rested in the back and Mommy and Jammy drove.

This evening we will rest up from the drive and hopefully have an early night.

Return to Stockton...

Thursday -We woke up early and made the drive back up north. Daddy needs to be in Woodland tonight so he can get up really early to pack the track for CADA. We got to Jammy and Granpa's house around 4:30, had dinner, then Mommy drove Daddy up to Woodland. It is a really cute little town that we would like to spend more time in.

Friday - While Daddy loaded the truck an hour away, Libs, Jammy and Mommy went to lunch in Lodi with Chris. We had a very nice time at Strings Italian restaurant visiting with Chris. Libi and Mommy then spent time at home while Jammy got her nails done. Mommy was actually able to work on some scrapbook pages today-- she is so excited to get going on Libi's book.

Daddy made it home by about 2 p.m. and we headed to the pool. Miss Libs is becoming quite a fish (unfortunately she is also getting really nice coloring and Dr. V told us to keep her out of the sun until after 6 months.)

We did the traditional Friday night dinner of Bob's at the Marina with Bob and Renia. Guy, the cook, was in rare form and we got to meet his wife and the owner of the place-- Bob himself! Afterwards we hung out at the house and Mommy did more scrapbooking-- she finished 12 pages today!!!

Saturday - We went swimming in the morning and on this particular pool day Mommy decided that Libs should go under for the first time. Mommy blew in her face and dunked her under for a second. She cried a bit from the shock, but overall seemed to like it. Mommy did it twice and Daddy did it once and then Miss Libs continued to swim. The lifeguard who does lessons was quite impressed that Libs swimming day wasn't over after her dunking.

Ron and I left Libs in the capable hands of her grandparents and we went on a date to see Ratatouille. It was a cute movie and nice to get away for a few hours.

We had dinner at the Cheese steak place in Lodi which serves authentic sandwiches-- they even have Tastycakes! We spent the evening relaxing and playing with Libs.

Sunday - Mommy and Daddy weren't feeling well today, so we didn't do much in the morning. When we finally did get everyone up and moving, we went to the pool for a swim before Renia and Bob came over for dinner. Libs got dunked twice more today, but she didn't like it quite as much as yesterday.

Jammy made a really nice pork dinner and we all had fun eating at the big table-- Libs included! After dinner we sat around and watched Libs and the Next Food Network Star before Bob and Renia went home.

Monday - We got up early to wait for Jack to drive the big truck down from Woodland. This morning Libs had bananas for the first time. We gave them to her in the morning as opposed to her normal evening time so that Daddy could see her reaction, which was priceless. I will be posting the pictures tonight, but she really puckered up after every spoonful. We'll see if she does the same thing tomorrow.

He stopped by and got a tour of Jammy's house before he and Daddy hit the road for UCSB. Jammy, Mommy and Libi are getting ready to go out for a bit this afternoon.

We went out to a nice seafood restaurant for lunch. Libi was admired by all of the old folks who were eating there. Libi got to eat her cereal at the table like a big girl. Jammy fed her some rice cereal and she (both Jammy and Libi) did really well not making a huge mess.

After lunch we stopped by the mall to check out sales at Baby Gap and Gymboree. We managed to find a "few" cute things for Libs in 9 month size. It's amazing how quickly Libs huge closet has been whittled down as she has grown.

Granpa took us swimming after work-- he even got into the pool today! We had a really good time showing Libs how to kick and splash, but she likes to keep her hand in her mouth which makes swimming very difficult. She did go under two more times today and she was still shocked that Mommy would do such a thing.

After dinner we took a tubby and did another photo shoot. I will be posting soon, so be sure to see our Picasa site.

Independence Day...

Today Libs was in a much better mood. We spent the morning at home playing and relaxing after yesterdays stressful day.

We went to Nana and Pop's house for dinner. They really enjoyed seeing how much their girl has grown over the past week. We had a great cheeseburger dinner with all the trimmings and chocolate chip pie for dessert.

When we got home Grandma and Grandpa Ippolito came over to watch the fireworks. We saw lots and lots of fireworks from the backyard and Libs enjoyed spending time with her grandparents. You can see our pics on Picasa-- we had a nice photo shoot!

Tomorrow we will head back up to Stockton so that Daddy can drive the CADA truck down to UCSB.

The end of the Stockton trip...

Friday - While Daddy was at his class Mommy, Jammy and Libs met Granpa for lunch at the bowling alley. It was a cute little place with good food-- Libs loved all the TVs and the stained glass ceiling. After lunch we went back to Granpa's office to spend more time with his office buddies.
Jammy and Mommy stopped by Katie's world to go scrapbook shopping. Libs was entertained by Jammy while Mommy looked through all of the piles of stuff. We went home to relax before going to Bob's at the Marina for dinner.
Daddy got home and the family went to Bob's to meet Uncle Bob. Guy, the cook, enjoyed seeing Libs in something other than a picture. We took some good pictures which you can see on Picasa.
Mommy and Daddy ran out on a little "date" to Borders while Libs stayed behind. We drove all over Stockton looking for frozen yogurt, but we had no luck :(

Saturday - Daddy had his last day of class today and Mommy, Libi, Jammy and Granpa all ran some errands. We helped Granpa pick out a new sport coat and Mommy got some 4th of July flip flops.
When Daddy got home we played, Mommy and Daddy ran to Katie's World and we rested for our big outing in the evening-- we went on a delta cruise! It was an hour and a half ride up the river. We saw lots of people fishing, beautiful houses, and lots of folks on the river. After the boat ride we ordered Dominos pizza for dinner.

Sunday- Mommy and Daddy slept in and Libs spent time with her grandparents. Once we all got up we went swimming-- Granpa even put his legs into the pool.
Bob and Renia came over in the afternoon-- Renia had just gotten back from Seattle on Saturday. We spent lots of time watching Miss Libs do all of her tricks and Renia took lots of pictures.
We all went to Yan Du for dinner. It was really fun sampling all of their different food. Sherry, the owner, really took a shine to Libs-- you can see the pics on Picasa.
The Next Food Network star was on, so we had to stop everything to watch! Mommy and Daddy are really hooked on this show right now-- it fills the American Idol void. Mommy called it and figured out who was going to be sent home. Daddy and Granpa ran out to grab Dairy Queen as an extra special treat.

Monday- We woke up and packed up the car-- which is no small feat with two people, a baby and a dog. Daddy, being the master packer that he is, got everything to fit. We stopped at Target to buy formula and Sonic to grab lunch before hitting the I-5.
It was a nice ride home, Libs slept most of the way. Tobee only had one melt-down when she saw a dog, poor Libs looked like she was going to cry when she heard all Tobee's commotion.
When we got home we all relaxed and had spaghetti dinner. Libs has been really unhappy since the end of the trip. We're not sure if she's teething or slightly sick, but she is not easily calmed.

Tuesday- Libi was really fussy all day long. She was only happy when she was in motion and in some one's arms. It was a long day for Mommy and Daddy. In the evening, Grandmalito came over and fed Libs cereal. Grandpalito came over briefly to see his girl.