The past few days...

The past few days I have neglected my blog and I feel bad for it... I have so much to write and so little time to get on and do it...
...but here I am, ready to give you some updates...with pictures included! :0)

First off, Gaby has found a new joy in eating teething biscuits and soft cookies.. it's so fun to watch her chew on whatever I give her.. She has also started to eat a little bit of what we eat, I give her little tastes of whatever I'm having, although it's very limited since she still doesn't have any teeth... it's very cute though!

My mom went back to Alabama this past Wednesday...what sad day! Boo! I was so sad to say good bye but hope to see her again very soon... We had so much fun with her and Olivia so sad to see her go as well...

Olivia has also found a new joy, in putting stickers all over her face... that's her new "thing".. I buy her sticker books and she puts them all over her face, arms and body... She's so creative and fun... I love to see what she comes up with every week!

Also, my cousin Renato is currently in town, visiting from Paris... We've had so much fun with him and he loves being around the girls... Olivia loves playing with him and they have so much fun together... He will be here until next Sunday...

...and last but not least, Gaby is sitting 100% unsupported.. She loves playing on the floor but sometimes she freaks out when she realizes she's sitting on her own and starts to cry... She looks at me with fear, I guess she feels she will fall at some point and doesn't realize that she has mastered the art of sitting... adorable, huh?

Memory Thursday...

Today I am going to post pictures of two years ago, when Olivia was Gaby's age... she was much bigger than Gaby, it amazes me to see these pictures... There are so many pictures, but I will post 5 of my favorite....January 2008

Olivia used to love sitting on the floor and playing with her toys...

I love this picture of her eating... she has some resemblance to Gaby in this picture...they bite the spoon the same way...

This is Olivia's chubby face.. her cheeks have always been so cute...

This is Olivia in a hotel during a weekend trip to Key West..she had so much fun that weekend..

...and finally.. this is one of my all time favorites... she just looks so cuddly in this picture...

Wordless Monday...

Play date with WTE babies...

I've had the wonderful opportunity of meeting great people through a pregnancy/baby website called "What to Expect", which I came across with when I was pregnant with Olivia... I can honestly say that some of my best friends have come from that site and I feel lucky to have met some great people...
I got even luckier when I was pregnant with Gaby, as I met some local WTE friends, who happened to have baby girls as well...we have been able to meet a few times already...
On Thursday I met with Lindsay and Elizabeth, mothers to Brooke and Andrea... Also, Liz brought her cousin Rebeca, who has a baby girl born in February...so cute!
We met up at the mall and spent a while talking about babies and the wonders of motherhood... the girls got to hang out and we took some funny pictures... how cute is that?
Here are some pictures of our wonderful play date...I hope we can do it again very soon!

Memory Thursday...

Iggy and I love traveling and we have been lucky to take several trips to many fun places... Of course, most of our traveling took place before the girls were born, but even these days, we are able to sneak in some trips... ha!
Today I'm going to remember one of my favorite trips....Our trip to Chicago. Chicago is, by far, one of my favorite cities...We were there in May 2007 with my parents and aunt Laurita.. I was about 34 weeks pregnant with Olivia... what a fun trip it was!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures.... awesome memories...

Night time=Nightmare?

I'm going INSANE with our routine (or lack of) at night time... I don't know what else to do.. I'm so overwhelmed...

Ironically enough, the issue has nothing to do with Gaby but everything to do with Olivia... She has been such a rebel at night time and I'm at a loss already...

While we were in Venezuela, she figured out how to climb out of the crib, which was the only way to contain her, so I put her back in her bed to avoid the dangers of getting out of the crib...

Every night I put her down when it's bedtime and she thinks it's a game..As soon as I put her in bed, she comes down and starts running around, playing and laughing...

At first I thought it was funny but now it just irritates me to the point of crying...It takes me about 3 hours to get her to sleep and by the time she finally goes down it's usually past 11pm.. this doesn't make sense...

I've tried talking to her sweet, bribing her with prizes, getting mad, screaming, crying.. I even lay down with her caressing her head..and nothing works.. I just don't know what else to do...

Any suggestions?? Please tell me I'm not the only one with a crazy toddler that hates going to sleep at night!

Happy Birthday Carolina!

Today we celebrated my cousin's 29th birthday and it was an awesome day! Not only was it a day off but it was also a beautiful day weather wise... the temperature was at a comfortable 70 degrees with very clear and sunny skies...

Carolina is my favorite cousin and also one of my best friends; we are 11 months apart in age and grew up together... although we have very different personalities, we get along very well...

We celebrated at the Olive Garden, where we had a wonderful lunch, which ended with a yummy birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Caro!

Wordless Monday...

Wordless Monday is cancelled today since we're celebrating my cousin Carolina's 29th birthday and there is nothing wordless about that!
New pictures will be posted next week!

Haiti Earthquake

This past Tuesday was a devastating day for the whole world, but especially for Haitians, who suffered a terrible earthquake that destroyed a big part of their country...
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake happened around 5pm Tuesday afternoon and it took everyone by surprise. Thousands of people died and others were trapped inside buildings and under the rubble... it is so sad to see all those images of people in Haiti.. such poor people, such poor country...
It is also very emotional and amazing to see how the world comes together in the hopes of helping this country recover from such horrible loss....
There are several ways in which we can donate to the Haiti relief fund, one of them being via text messaging, anyone with a mobile phone and an account with a major wireless carrier can text the phrase “Haiti” to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. That amount is charged to the donor’s cellphone bill.
Please, if you haven't done so, try to donate some money for Haiti. If donating is not within your capabilities, please continue to pray for all people in Haiti and all Haitians families in the US and all over the world!

Olivia is 30 months!

My little lady is 30 months today! Only 6 more months and she will be 3 years old! wow! it's so easy to say, yet so difficult to swallow! I know I always say the same thing, but it feels like it was yesterday that she was born, and there she is... a little lady... so incredibly smart and full of life...

Olivia is my pride and joy... she is so assertive and so creative... I never thought such a little person could bring so much happiness to our lives...

She loves to sing and dance and we will soon be enrolling her in dancing lessons, which she has asked me to do several times... She also loves art and enjoys coloring and painting...

Her favorite game is "dress up", where she dresses up as Cinderella or whatever princess she comes up with.. She loves to wear my high heels and walk around in them... too cute!

So far she is doing great at school, although she has her moments where she hits and bites classmates.. oops! I guess we have to work on that!

Olivia is such a great big sister, she simply loves protecting her baby sister and enjoys making her laugh.. it's adorable!

Happy 30 months little lady! We love you so much!

Gaby is 6 months!

Oh my God! 6 months already!!!! This means we're as close to her 1st birthday as we are to her birth! amazing!!
I know I always say this, but it is incredible how fast babies grow, and how everything just happens in front of our eyes... such a wonderful experience...

Today my baby is 6 months and I'm so proud of her, for everything she is and everything she does and discovers every day!

This month has been incredibly eventful... Gaby is now eating all kinds of foods and I have even given her french fries.. ha ha! I like giving her little tastes every time I eat and she seems to love food...

She has also accomplished the task of sitting unsupported and the best of all.. she can say "mamma" and "pappa"... yay! It happened this morning, she just busted out both words, one after the other...Now she's learning to associate the words to our faces.. it is the cutest thing ever!

Gaby has also become a lot more interactive and very playful, especially with her sister Olivia..I love seeing them play together and laugh at each other... it makes it so much better!

Her 6 month-appointment is scheduled for Monday... I will insert an update with her weight and height! Hopefully she'll be over 14lbs....my little peanut!

Happy 6 months baby.... We love you so much!

Update (01/18/10): Gaby weighs 14lbs 8oz and is 26 1/4 in long.

Meeting baby Karla...

Today I met yet another one of my friend's babies... This time it was baby Karla, who was born to my friends Stephie and Victor on January 5th. Karla was 6lbs 13oz at birth and she is the cutest thing...

Every time I hold a newborn, it brings me back to those moments when I had my little girls and held them for the first time... They are so tiny and they smell so good....

Although little Karla slept the whole time I was visiting, it was great to meet her and see the happiness in the faces of the new parents... I know they will do a great job...

Welcome to the world Karlita!

Memory Thursday...

January 9th marked 5 years since Iggy and I met for the first time..(in person, that is)... so, since it happened this week, I will dedicate today to those memories..
As many of you know (and many of you don't), Iggy and I met through a dating website (http://www.americansingles.com/) on December 2004. He happened to be "bored" vacationing in Venezuela and I happened to be "crazy" at home, so we both signed on to meet strangers for similar reasons, if you want to call them "reasons"..
So we started chatting at the end of '04 and he came back from his vacation on Jan. 9th, 2005..
As odd as it sounds, I picked him up from the airport that day (by myself!) and we have been inseparable ever since... I know the story sounds crazy but I would do it again a hundred times because I know that meant meeting the love of my life...
So, here we are, 5 years later and as happy as every (if not happier)...always loving this story...
Today's theme will be Iggy and Adri: our early days
I will start with this picture, which is the picture I posted on my profile, the one that "caught" Iggy's eye.. I guess red looks good on me! ha! ;)

This is the picture Iggy had on his profile..Sorry about the size, but that's what it saved like back then, when I "stole" it to show to my friends and family! ;)

Then, this is a picture taken in April '05 at a friend's wedding.. It was the first major social event we attended together...

This is a picture taken in February '05, during a road trip to Naples, FL. That was the first time I met my mother in law...

...and this right here is our first picture together.. It was taken on Jan. 18th, 2005, just 8 days after meeting in person for the first time... Please notice the closenes...too cute! I love this picture!

Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

Today is my parents' 36th wedding anniversary! Wow! I'm so proud of them and so happy to be their daughter!

Although they have had a marriage far from perfect, they have managed to set a great example for us. There have been happy times and not so happy times but in the end, love has prevailed.

This is an odd anniversary since my mom is here in Florida and my dad is in Alabama, so I guess it's in my hands to make it special for my mom who is visiting..

Happy Anniversary... may you celebrate many more years together!

Wordless Monday...

Welcome to "sunny" South Florida!

Sunny... NOT! It has been so cold here in Miami that I feel like I'm in New York, in a typical winter day... I know it sounds a bit odd and exaggerated, but believe me when I say that it has NEVER been so cold, at least not since I've lived here (the past almost 14 years)... We are hitting record lows everywhere... upper 30's, low 40''s.. it's unheard of!

Of course, it's nice to get ourselves and the girls all bundled up for a change...but since we don't really own any winter clothing, it has been a little difficult to dress to the occasion...

Yesterday was such an ugly day... On top of a 40 degree weather, it was rainy and very gloomy... we stayed in most of the day and then I went to a baby shower with Olivia...

Today.. it was just as cold, maybe even colder.. but no rain, thank God!

So.. go ahead European, northern and Canadian friends...make fun of me.. I am freezing!!!

Food fun and a new look...

We've been having so much fun feeding Gaby all kinds of new foods. She is loving every single flavor and the experience has been amazing...
So far she has tried peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, pears and bananas. She has also had barley, oatmeal and rice cereal as well as noodle soup... So far, her favorites have been carrots and bananas...
It is so cute to see her eating all this new stuff and just to watch her grow.. what a great feeling!
Here's a picture of Gaby today; she had 2 whole jars of carrots and then she drank 7oz of formula... growth spurt anyone?

Also, today we finally shaved Gaby's hair off... she looks so funny.. I really want her hair to grow longer than Olivia's ever has... We never shaved her hair off, so I want to see if this works... (fingers crossed!)...

Here's a picture of Gaby and her new look....

A great time with friends...

Today we had a wonderful time with our good friends Roxana and Jose Miguel, who have two kids, a 2 year old boy and a girl who was born a day before Gaby was...We had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen; the kids had an awesome time and the girls just slept away...
It's always nice to get together with friends and this was not the exception...

Here are the girls... Gabriela and Carlota.. born only one day apart...

Here's my friend Roxana and I with the sleeping beauties!

Roxy and I... we met over 10 years ago....

Here's Olivia with her little friend..they are only 6 months apart...

Memory Thursday...

Today I'm going to remember one of the most awesome trips we have ever taken...Our trip to Arizona.
We took this trip in February 2008 and we were lucky to stay with our good friends JJ and Erika Ayala.. a beautiful couple, who this year will receive the blessing of having a baby, after more than 4 years of trying to get pregnant... so... I have more than one good reason to remember this trip...
Here's Iggy and I at Grand Canyon... one of the most beautiful places I've seen...

Ironically enough, that was Olivia's first time seeing snow.. I would have never thought her first time in the snow would be in Arizona, one of the hottest places in the country.

She was fascinated by it.. I love this picture...

These are our friends JJ and Erika...they drove us from Phoenix to Grand Canyon... such sweet people

...and this is another view of Grand Canyon.. what a beautiful place!