Monday miracles, Ruby Tuesday

Really quickly, I want to share a few of the new, amazing things Sofia has done this week.

Yesterday morning at 8:00am, I hear music coming from Sofia's baby monitor. I waited a few minutes for cries to follow but what I heard was music to my ears (literally and figuratively). Sofia had turned on the music because she wanted to go BACK to sleep.

In the evening, when Syd begins her bedtime routine, he turns on the music and rocks her. Well, Sofia decided that she could 'rock' herself to sleep too. After turning on the Fisher Price soother, she slept for another 2 hours. It was beautiful! I was able to catch up on my sleep and Sofia did the same.

Today, Sofia got into the bath tub on her own. Somehow, she managed to put one leg over the other as she lifted, more like heaved, herself onto the tub ledge and then she turned herself around into the tub. It was quite the feat considering the lengths she had to go through to get her legs onto the ledge. Not only did she get herself into the tub, she then proceeded to play with her bathtime toys, eventhough there was no water. She entertained herself for a while and then got out of the tub on her own too.

Tonight, I went out to eat with my mom and brother and while I was out, Sofia looked for me in the garage. Apparently, when I say 'bye bye' and exit through the garage, she thinks I am hiding in there so after I left, she pointed at the door, looked at Syd and said "Mama." He opened the door for her and she looked all around, high and low. After an unsuccessful search, she threw her hands up and said, "I don't know" (sounds more like I no know) but it was precious nonetheless.

Sweet Sofia picking up each blade of grass she could get her hands on. As you can see, she has mastered her hand eye coordination.

We are so proud of our little girl. She is more precious than words and I can't believe how quickly she is growing up, it is truly incredible to witness. I am so thankful to my wonderful husband for allowing me to stay at home with our angel. I love you, babies!

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

On the go!

"The Balloon Lady" came to our play group on Friday at the New Territory Water Park. She made Sofia her very first balloon animal, it was a butterfly. Here here she is showing off her masterpiece. She was a little hesitant about going in the water so we enjoyed it from afar. Sofia wanted to sit in baby Maggie's stroller while her Mom was feeding her. It was the first time she actually WANTED to sit in a stroller. Look at that sweet face!

Someone was not happy about going on the merry-go-round. She loved watching the other children ride it, who would have thought she would be so upset about riding it herself?

Nana to the rescue! Sosa and Nana rode the whole time without tears.

Saturday morning at the gym, Sofia and Syd played basketball together for the first time. Funny thing is, we didn't have to teach her. She already understood the concept, the ball was just too big for her to 'shoot' but she definitely wants to play ball.

Delaney and Sofia played together Saturday at Catherine's birthday bash!

Sosa found the sandbox!

Sweet family lovin'

At the Barn Park on Sunday, Sofia found someone's tricycle. We didn't think she was ready for a bike of any kind but apparently, we were wrong. She's a pro already, she's can even ride backwards. Happiness.

With a 17 month old toddler, we tend to be 'busy' alot. It seems like we are always on the go. This weekend was no exception so here's a quick rundown of some exciting things we did.

Friday, we ate at this great Latin restaurant which has live music. Sofia LOVED it. She was not in a particularly great mood since she had a very short nap late in the afternoon but when the band got started to play, she popped up and began to shake her groove thang. She was the star of the show! The restaurant isn't very large to begin with but she captivated the crowd and was dancing to the beat. She was so entertaining, they might even hire her as a back up dancer?

Saturday, we went to a birthday party for Syd's co-worker and played by the pool the whole afternoon. Sofia, Fabianna and I played soccer and took a walk while the men grilled. When we got back, the food was ready and Sofia ate a ton! For having a mom who is a vegetarian, this baby can't get enough meat. I'm happy to know that my daughter is getting enough protein .

After lunch, we headed to another birthday party in Sugar Land. Sofia had so much fun playing with Delaney, Isabella and Aevary at Catherine's birthday bash. They have an amazing backyard so the girls ran around, colored with chalk and played in the sand. All the excitement wore Sofia out and we called it a night fairly early as we had been running around all day.

Sunday, we had a day of rest. We were all exhausted from the week's activities so we kept things low key: we went to the park, watched the NBA playoffs and took a nap. Primo, Danielle, Vanessa, Nana, Uncle Alex, and the Gortons' stopped by for dinner. It was a great end to a great weekend.

Pee Pee in the Potty or something like that?

This morning, precious Sofia did something she has never done before. No, she didn't use the potty, but she didn't use her diaper either. Did she use the floor as her own private bathroom? YES!

The past few days, I noticed Sofia playing with the tabs that hold her pamper together but I never thought she would be able to undo them completely and take off her diaper. Today, she proved me wrong. This morning, Sofia was still in her nightgown when she walked up to me and handed me a diaper. I thought she had gone to her diaper bag and pulled it out so I said, "Ok, baby, go put it back." She just stood there looking at me with a funny grin on her face so out of curiosity, I lifted up her nighty to see what was up with her diaper. Oh, wait, what diaper? What is going on here?
As I thought back to the 30 minutes prior, I realized she must have taken it off then, while I was making breakfast. She had been parading around the house by herself and avoiding me completely. Something wasn't right here... I started looking around the living room, kitchen, her room and what do I find? A little puddle of pee pee right next to the rug. Thankfully, she hadn't gone anywhere else nor had she wet the carpet. Ah, the joys of motherhood.

After cleaning up the mess, I called Syd to tell him the story and we both agreed she will not be wearing dresses without little 'panties' underneath. Nightgowns are out of the question. We've got to get some pants on that girl!

You won't be seeing Sofia without one of these. I think she kinda likes, check her out!

We have had a wonderful day. Sofia and I spent 2 hours playing at the park and after lunch with Nana, we went on a walk and low-and-behold she is asleep! I think I might join her.
Love to you all!

Sweet girl fascinated by the flowers

Tiny nature girl

Gotta love those flowers!

Who would have thought

That a Sprite commercial would cause such a commotion.

Sofia and Adam must have watched this commercial at least 10 times before I started videoing.

17 months!

Happy 17 month birthday beautiful girl! Sofia has been a Texan for 1 whole year! Last April, we said goodbye to all our dear family and friends in the Netherlands, hopped on a plane for 12hrs and started our new life in Texas. My how Sofia has grown and changed in just those 12 months. The next time Sofia sees Opa Rudolph and Nanny Ilse, they will be amazed at how much she has grown up! I can't even imagine what the flight would be like now, with a VERY active 17 month old who loves to run, explore, be outdoors, and play.

One thing Sofia has learned in the past months is how to go down the stairs...backwards!

Like I've said before, she has been talking up a storm and there's no sign of her stopping. I have read that it takes children in a multi-lingual household a bit longer to 'make sense' of the different languages but she's definitely talking. She is so precious speaking her own language. I have deciphered a few phrases which Sofia uses often: "Let's go," "Let's do it!" "Sit" "I don't know."

Daddy's girl

Sofia is also learning to do things on her own. She 'brushes' her own teeth, she sits down to put her shoes on and she 'puts on' make-up. In the mornings as I am getting dressed, she sits next to me begging for me to give her my blush brush. She also wants to put on lotion and deodorant. Afterwards, she smells herself and smiles. It's too cute!

Mommy and Me

This weekend, we were super busy. It's my dad's 51st birthday tomorrow so we celebrated all weekend. Friday night, we went to Churrascos. We had good food and great company. Sofia behaved wonderfully and ate lots of tostones, steak, shrimp and yuca. It was delicious!

Saturday night, we had a surprise party for JNA. The party was a huge success and Sofia had tons of fun. As part of the surprise, my cousins played music and Sofia LOVED it. It was around 10:00 when they started the music and despite being exhausted from the day's activities, she started clapping and dancing. She was mesmerized by the music and had a wonderful night playing with Isabella and Fabianna.

JNA + SHH = love

The 3 musketeers!

Uncle Daniel came home for the party!Beautiful girls.

Today we went to church and immediately after, went to the Nass' for a barbecue. Sofia played with her cousins all afternoon and she had her first encounter with a sandbox! Sofia loved playing in the sand with all Isa's toys. She especially liked the shovel and the bucket. She was very busy in the sand box but then, she wanted to eat the sand so we had to get out. Before we went home, Isa and Sof took a bath because they were both covered in sand from head to toe.

Busy bees!

Sofia found a chair just her size!

We had a fabulous weekend of celebrations. Sofia took a very long nap this afternoon and is now sound asleep which means I should be off to bed too. We've got a long day of playing ahead of us.

Have a blessed week.
"where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21

Playtime

As Sofia has gotten older, I have realized it is harder to keep her entertained so this week we tried something new. Everyday, we have gone to different parks in our area to run around and get some of her energy out. She loves to climb, explore and play with the other kids.

Monday, we went to Katy Mills to play in the kids area. I was surprised how baby friendly it is, the floor is even baby proof! Sofia loves to crawl through the tunnels, run around 'town' and drive the cars. She can climb up the stairs and slide down the tree house all on her own! The one problem I have found is that there is no gate so she is constantly running into the hallway and I have to chase after her. It is a work out for the both of us, that's for sure.


Tuesday, we went to the Houstonian and while Mama got a haircut, Laura and Sofia played on the play ground. She was fascinated by the different rocks and was content to sit and play with them. Her fine motor skills are developing so she is now able to stoop down to pick up tiny tiny things. Her favorite thing to pick up? Lint. She definitely takes after me with that one!! It's amazing that she could barely walk a few months ago and look at her now.

Yesterday, we played in Grand Lakes. They have some awesome parks and we found an open field to run in. Now that she can run, Sofia loves to play 'tag'. And as she runs, she giggles. Sometimes, she falls from the laughter but she always gets back up with a huge smile on her face. Her laugh is precious. We play tag in the evening with Papa, too.




Today, Sofia and I were back at the mall looking for birthday gifts for Abuelo so you know where we started. Sofia played for an hour, but today we didn't have as much fun because there was an older kid who wasn't being very nice. Sofia sat in the car with little boy (probably 4 or so) and he didn't want to share so he kinda pushed her. Then, being the innocent baby that she is, Sofia tried to hug him and he started to scream. The worst part was that his mom was standing right there and didn't do anything! I'm not one to give out parenting advice but COME ON! I picked Sofia up out of the car and took her somewhere else to play. I'm just glad daddy wasn't with us, otherwise that things would have taken a turn for the worst. Anywho, despite the little boy being ugly, Sofia had a great time. She played with another little girl her own age who gladly accepted the love Sofia wanted to give.


Playtime at the parks has become part of our daily routine and both Sofia and I look forward to it! Each day is a new adventure that I treasure.

Look Who's Talking!

It's just a few days from Sofia's 17th month birthday and she has had a huge spurt in her speaking abilities. This weekend, Sofia started talking and talking and talking and she hasn't stopped since. I have read that it is common for babies her age to use 10-15 words meaningfully, well I think she's got about at least 30 words down. She is also very good at mimicking sounds and inflection.

The one word I wish she couldn't say was 'no'. Everything these days is no. Sofia, do you want to take a nap? No! Sofia, do you want some milk? No! Sofia, give Mama a kiss. No! Sofia, let's take a bath. No! No! No! No! The way she says it is so cute, we can't get mad at her for telling us no. Even when she's being naughty, you gotta love her!

Here's a quick video I made yesterday, she has reached a point where she is starting to make sentences and is understandable...at least to Syd and me.

Don't you like how she has her own way of pronouncing things? No one's name comes out as it should and she calls herself, 'Sosa'. I love it!

That's it for now. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Go Stros!!

This weekend, Sofia went to her very first Astros game. She absolutely LOVED it and sat intensely watching the baseball game or 'ba ba' as she likes to call it. I must say, the game would not have been as exciting had we not been with such an interesting crowd. Laura, Will, and Adam definitely made the game for Sofia. They entertained her all night long!

Sofia loved dancing with Aunt 'Ra Ra', goofing around with Adam, and watching the game and bonding with Uncle 'Wii". She also enjoyed the yummy food. There was a table just her size filled with all sorts of goodies and she would sneak cheese, strawberries, crackers, water bottles, you name it! I think she ate more than I did while we were at Minute Maid.

Sofia's 1st Astros game

Sneaking off with some goodies
Adam and his little Astro. He's excited!
Papa and Sofia enjoying the game.Wow, can I really sit in a big chair?
Get it, Laura!

Godparents in green!

Exploring the halls during the 7th inning stretch
Sundaes!!

Sweet Aunt Laura and Sof

Sofia and Uncle Will. They had a breakthrough that night.

Don't mind me, I'm just watching the game in my pajamas, guys.

We love our friends!! Thanks for such wonderful memories and for loving our child as much as we do.

Snip Its!

Pretty pretty princess

Today after our play group at church, Sofia got her very first REAL haircut! My dad's birthday is coming up and he asked that we get her a haircut as his gift. I have to agree with him, Sofia's hair was a little too long and after several of Syd's haircuts, it might also have been lopsided. The front was much longer than the back, does that make that my baby had a mullet?

In any case, Sofia's hair has been professionally styled by the amazing people at Snip Its! It's definitely the cutest kids hair dresser I've ever seen and the people are great with the kiddos. I was hesitant to get her hair cut because I knew she wouldn't sit still AND she probably wouldn't want a stranger touching her but the people were pros.

Not only did Sofia sit through the entire cut without trying to jump out of the chair, she didn't want to leave! That's probably because the place is set up like a giant toy store. The whole experience was wonderful, not to mention, Sofia looks absolutely adorable with her new haircut!

Before: Beautiful Sofia and Mama (notice how her hair was in eyes)

After: Even more beautiful Sofia, much better!

Getting ready for her 1st haircut

My patient little girl

snip, snip, snip

Time for a blow dry

All done!!

The magic machine that turns hair into toys!