Take a hike, Ike!!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted lately, we've been busy catching up with friends and spending time with family. I PROMISE I will post an update on Sofia and many MANY new stories, antics later this weekend but for now I just want to let you all know that we are safe and sound.

Ike made landfall here last night around 4:00am. The winds in our area were ridiculous. Most of the evening we had strong winds and around 12:30am, they really picked up and were said to be in the 70-100mph range. Sofia slept like a baby all night, I on the other hand was up every 10 minutes watching the trees blow in the wind, praying they wouldn't be uprooted and fly through one of the 10,000 windows in my parents house. Syd and Sofia slept through the storm and I managed to get some rest. When we awoke this morning, there was tons of debris in the streets, our yard and throughout the neighborhood but thank GOD we weather the storm better than some other Houston cities.


We were without power all day and managed to keep ourselves entertained without our usual amenities such as INTERNET, TV, A/C, oven, stove. Thanks to the hard working people at Center Pointe Energy, our electricity was restored at around 8:30pm and we are back to our 'normal' life. We hope to head downtown tomorrow to check out Cheo's condo. It's in the middle of Houston and we've heard windows have been shattered by the winds and there is heavy flooding so we are hoping his condo was spared. He's out of the country till Tuesday so we need to check out the scene for him.

Here are some fotos of our Ike adventure:










Please keep all of the areas affected by Ike in your prayers!

Puerto Rico

Sofia and I are back home safely after a wonderful trip to Puelto Rico. We had a great time and I couldn't have asked for a better baby to travel with. The trip initially began on a bad foot, our plane was delayed 3 hours because of 'fumes', however they didn't decide to delay it until we were already boarded! We spent that time reading, coloring, trying to distract Sofia from running up and down the aisles. On top of that, our trip to San Juan was going to be longer than usual because we were re-routed so instead of being on the plane for 4 hours as planned, we were on it for 7.5. I thought things would end disastrously, BUT once we were in the air, Sofia fell right to sleep. She slept almost the whole way there, that meant mama was able to rest as well. It was a huge blessing traveling with Nana, Aunt Liz and Aboo too, we all took turns watching the babe.

The first night we were in San Juan, we were all tired, but somehow we managed to find the energy to go out to eat and explore the city. Sofia tried running into the casino area of the hotel but was quickly denied entry. She was quite upset about it but rules are rules, 18+ to enter.

Saturday, we relaxed by the pool and took Sofia to the beach for the very first time. As I've said before, she loves water, so naturally, she loved the beach. As the waves reached her tiny feet, she would laugh and inch her way into the water. She didn't really appreciate the current, but Abuelo and Nana had her taken care of in the water. I HATE the ocean and have had too many bad experiences so I got out after a few minutes, while Sosa and the fam. stayed for a while.




side note: i'm sure many of you are wondering how it's possible for me to not like the ocean, well the reason is two fold 1. i stepped on a stingray while in the Caymans, not to worry, i didn't get stung, i just had a massive cut on the bottom of my foot. 2. a crab latched onto my lip while I was snorkeling, it wouldn't come off for a good 5 minutes! so there you have it, i love the beach, hate the ocean.


After swimming, we went to our room, took a nap and prepared for the night's activities. We ate dinner at a great Puerto Rican/Cuban restaurant, then headed to the park downtown for Le Lo Lai's performance with a folkloric dance group. Sofia wore my mom's shoes the whole night and danced her hiney off. Everyone watched her as she danced, commenting on how she was able to walk in 4 in. platforms.


Sunday, the ladies headed to Old San Juan. We walked through the historic district of San Juan. It was neat to see the colonial side of the island. My favorite part was the 'Raices' monument. It is a representation of the diversity that exists in Puerto Rico. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and swam, ate, and relaxed in the hammocks. Oh how I wish I lived on a tropical island, I love the climate and the laid back lifestyle.

After our afternoon nap, we prepared to dance the night away once again on our last night. We ate dinner at a highly recommended Puerto Rican restaurant, Ajili Mejilli, and walked to the Marriot for live music and dancing. We were all exhausted from the day's activities so none of us danced much, but we enjoyed the music AND watching the other couples shake their thang. The most entertaining part of the evening was watching an older couple, probably in their late 60s, dance their hearts out. The older gentleman was twirling his lady while she was shaking her bom bom.

The trip home was smooth and we were excited to be back home and see our sweet papa. We missed him so much! He managed well without us, Uncle Cheo took good care of him.

Sofia's favorite expression on our trip was 'I money' (I want money). Aunt Liz taught her what money was and Thursday, before we left, she walked up to Syd and said, "Papa, I money". I do believe his worst nightmare has come true, all at the tender age of 21 months. The WHOLE time we were in PR, she asked my mom and dad for money. Of course, they gave her some, which she keeps in her brand new Hello Kitty purse. I don't know whether to laugh or cry but either way, she knows what she wants and knows how to get it.



She's our parrot and we are constantly watching what we say. While we were in San Juan, my dad said 'cogno' which isn't a very nice word in Spanish and Sosa walked around for 30 minutes saying, 'ay, cogno'. Abuelo got in alot of trouble for that incident. We don't want Sofia to be like the baby on Meet The Fockers, do we?

Well ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all had a great weekend and that you all enjoy this long weekend relaxing and spending time with family. I know that's what we will be doing.

amor. abrazos y un besote para todos!

TMI??

Sofia Helena has used the toilet 7 times this weekend. She has done so all on her own accord. We haven't even bought her pull ups yet, however, when nature calls, she will say 'pee pee' and run to the restroom. She informs Syd or myself of what is going on a few seconds before she needs to go so we race her to the restroom, rip off her diaper and set her up. 1-3 times she will actually go, the other 2, she will sit there for a minute, then say 'i wiiipe.' If we didn't grab the roll of toilet paper for her while she tears off a piece, she would use the whole roll for one wipe. Why kids are so fascinated by toilet paper is beyond me.



Since we are going to Puerto Rico this Friday. Oh wait, let me back up for a minute. Friday, the Alvarez ladies, Sosa and I will be going to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Que fino!! We are very excited BUT I'm a bit worried since our precious Syd/Papa won't be joining us. He has to work :(. We will miss him very very much. Nevertheless, since we will be traveling, I don't want to start Sofia on a potty and pull ups yet so until then, she can entertain us and herself by using the big potty.

It's quite hilarious to see such a tiny person on such a giant toilet seat. I forgot how often I used to 'get stuck' when I was younger since I was much smaller than the seat. Poor little Sofia has to hang on to me while she goes, otherwise she would end up soaking wet and terrified of the toilet.

Potty training will officially start next week, I know she's only 21 months old, but the signs are there. She wants to say bye bye to her wettie once and for ALL!

Speaking of potty training, I have to share this story, as it embodies the hilarity it is to be a mother (although this story is about my cousin, not my child in particular). Saturday, we were at Isabella and Aevary Nass's birthday party. The birthday girls looked precious as always and Missy rented a waterslide/moonwalk for all the kids to play on. It was a huge success!

Anywhoo, right after we cut the birthday cake, Isa runs up to me and says she has to go potty. I quickly follow her into the restroom where she proceeds to 'do her business'. She pees, wipes, then flushes. As we are about the leave the restroom, she says, "Hey, wait Alex. I still have some pee dripping down my leg. I have to wipe it off before we leave." How funny is that? I love children and their precious innocence. She cleaned herself up and we headed outside for more action.
Isabella Michelle Nass, 3 yr. old ballerina and the reigning pee pee princess

Shortly after the pee down the leg incident, Sofia wanted to try out the moonwalk waterslide. She was too little to walk up the steps on her own, so I decide to walk her up there, despite it being VERY slippery and me being in a nice dress. I make it to the top with Sofia and am attempting to walk down very slowly and gracefully when BAM! I lose my footing and fly from the top of the slide, to the bottom, it was a Marilyn Monroe-esque moment. If you don't know which Marilyn moment I'm referring to, see below:

Ashley, that last tidbit was for you. I initally wasn't going to write about it, since I was MORTIFIED! After reading your post, I thought you might find it comforting to know we're all klutzes.
This is the slide, to the left, you can see the stairs. It's a long way down!

The girls had such a great time. The fall was well worth it.


Happy almost 21 month birthday to my sweet semi-potty trained girl! You are our pride and joy and we our love for you grows with each day. We are planning the best 2 yr. old shoe themed birthday party so mark your calendars, ladies and gentlemen, Saturday November 22 is Sofia's big day! The best birthday gift for Sosa will be a visit from Opa and Oma, they will be here for the shindig!

I hope to post again before our trip, however if I don't, we will take tons of pictures and update you all after the weekend. Sorry I haven't been a good blogger, we've been busy AND my camera is broken.

Love you all!

what's wrong little pookie?

Sofia has enjoyed herself this week, playing with the usual suspects, along with her new friend Scarlett, or 'Calouh' as Sofia says it. Monday, we babysat Aevary and headed to Mer's for a playdate. There were 5 babies there, it was so neat! I love how our group is ever expanding, that means more babies and more mommy friends. Speaking of which, congratulations Thompsons!! Laura and Will Thompson are expecting and we couldn't be more thrilled for them. They have made the news public so if you know them and love them, let em know how excited you are for them. If I knew how to add links to my blog, I would highlight their name ever so subtly, but since I don't, here's their blog address if you want to get to know them: willthompsonfamily.blogspot.com.




Sofia seems to have developed more of a personality lately. She has such a sweet, funny, caring, shy-at-times, overall precious demeanor. Recently, when she meets someone new, she will immediately shout "Mama" or "Papa" to find us, and hide behind our legs. Yesterday a good college friend, Darius, and his girlfriend, Sarah, came over for dinner and while we ate dinner, she was hesitant to make eye contact with them. Then, after about an hour, she was instant bff with Darius. I've noticed this myself, and a few people have too, Sofia prefers men. She and Darius ran around the house, playing, changing the doll's diaper, and dancing. Darius said she was the cutest baby he had ever seen. I tend to agree.


Our little baby has also turned into quite the comedian. She LOVES to laugh and join in while others are laughing. If Syd is telling a joke (which he does alot), Sofia will look over at his audience and say something, then laugh loudly, at which point, she expect them to laugh at her just as much as they did at her daddy. It's so funny! Her sense of humor is adorable.
And, as usual, Sofia's speech continues to develop at a rapid pace. She's says "A bess u (God bless you), i miss you, i want milk (which is rarely the case), a sup! (what's up), i have a boo boo, pasta, soone (phone), uh wakie (your welcome), i'm sleepy, is sippy (it's slippery), i'm Dutch, kusje, tot zo, glacias (gracias), i heping (i'm helping).


Sof's also mastered the art of standing on people's feet and asking them to walk forward. She loves wrapping her arms around your knee caps and giggles as you walk. It's darling. She loves dipping things too. Whether it be a fry in ketchup, a chip in salsa or a cracker in ketchup, Sofia loves it all. I'm not sure whether she actually enjoys the sauces or just likes the dipping action, but she insists upon doing it whenever sauce is available.

Today, Sofia got her 2nd haircut. We returned to Snip Its for a trip and once again, they did a great job. When she first got in the chair, Sosa cried, mainly because she was scared but once Ida (our hairdresser) got started, she calmed down. She sat quietly, eating her 'cackas' (crackers) and watching a dvd. She looked like an angel when it was all said and done PLUS her bangs are out of her eyes so she's able to run and play without the obstruction.






Last but not least, I have to say that we are so proud of Sofia for peeing on the potty 2 times in the last 2 days. Funny enough, neither times was it our idea for her to do so, she voluntarily sat down and voila! Let me preface this story with quite a different one from Tuesday morning:
I go into Sofia's room to get her out of bed and am greeted by my darling daughter saying 'wettie, wettie, wettie.' I look on the floor right below her crib and sure enough, I see her wet diaper. I pick her up, expecting to find a naked booty but instead, I feel wet shorts. At some point in the night/early morning, Sofia took off her pj shorts, took off her diaper, put back on her shorts and went to bed. Silly girl!
Monday, before Syd gave Sofia her bath, he went to the restroom and while he was there, Sof came in and said 'i pee pee.' Then, today, there was a mini toilet in the restroom at Snip Its and Sofia walked up, sat down and asked to go again.

We didn't want to push potty training on our sweet Sofia but she is clearly giving us signals that the time is now. Wish us luck as we embark on this journey!

That's all folks. Congratulations if you're reading this. You have officially read the longest post ever.

Hope you all are doing fantastic!

P.S. Who else thinks thinks Michael Phelps should be the next president?

P.P.S This entry's is named after Sofia's current fav. book, it's hilarious!

a picture is worth a thousand words

...and since I am too busy to sit down and let you all know how wonderful we are doing, I leave you with these pictures from our week/weekend. I promise I will catch you all up on our lives sometime this week. I can't make any promises since we've got a busy week, including another haircut for Sosa, but I'll try.














One last thought before I go: The subject of yesterday's sermon was worrying. I know everyone worries, some more than others. This is one of the verses the pastor read yesterday:

Philippians 4:6-8 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Hope you all feel that indescribable, incredible peace described in that verse.

Have a fantastic, worry-free week! love, kisses, hugs.