The Things That Happen When I'm Not in the Room

I don't quite know what possesses this kid to leave me these piles of like items but every once in awhile I'll walk in a room and find something like this,



a pile in the middle of the kitchen floor of all her plastic cups on top of a folded up dish rack.

Or the time we went into her room after a bath and I found a pile like this,



all her Crocs lined up like little soldiers. But while I ran to grab the camera to document these mysterious piles she'd decided she needed to wear the yellow ones. Ok, maybe she has too many Crocs.



I don't know what it is about her little lined up piles of stuff but it is quite curious.

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Every parent knows of the dreaded moment where it gets too quiet in the other room. You know, so quiet that she must be up to something. Today when the quiet loomed in the air I walked in the living room to this.





Seems as if somebody had discovered a Fisher Price toy catalog which came in the mail that day. She later had me tear out the page with the humongous pink dollhouse because as she explained to me, "I need that. Do you think we should buy it, please? I need it. Should we get it at the store?" So cute, right?

But I told her that if she was a really good girl maybe she'd get it for her birthday. To which she responded, not like my sweet little baby girl would, but instead how a full-blown KID would. "Not for my birthday! I want it today! I neeeeeed more toys."

What the hell? When did that happen? Where did my baby go?

And speaking of babies it looks like we're going to have to keep a careful eye on Sofia after the new baby gets here. Because this is how she thinks baby dolls should sleep.



She does this every time she puts her dollies to sleep; she covers their faces. And every time I tell her the babies can't breathe that way. Don't worry, when she wasn't looking I removed the dishtowel, I mean baby blanket, and saved them from suffocation.



This little Sofia is so much fun! She's talking more and more these days. And full, complete, long sentences too. And she's always making us laugh. Here are some funny things she has said of late...

"When my boobies grow up and I have a baby in my tummy I'll be a mommy just like you!"

"Mommy, are you going to your-ami's house?" I've been telling her about our upcoming trip to Miami and I've just realized that she thinks I'm saying "my ami!" I'm not sure how to explain that one to her!

When Dan asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she answered like this. "A doctor to help animals. And a doctor to help people. And a giraffe. I want to be a giraffe when I grow up."

Some Things from May

We did a lot in May. Here's what...

We spent time with friends at the park





spent time with Dan's friends from work at Dave & Busters,







and Sofia got to bring home a new friend, Cookie Monster.



We spent time with friends at Cedar Creek,



where Sofia made us all laugh while wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses.



We showed off a new hairstyle that one of Sofia's daycare teachers gave her,



then we visited Bobby's new baby, little Jake.



We took Grandma to the mall to celebrate Mother's Day,



and Sofia made me this um, beautiful? flower pot for Mother's Day. Which she then told me she wanted to give to Grandma. I let her.



We tried on some bathing suits,



and a cover up,



and took our very first swim lessons at the YMCA.





We spent some time in Dallas swimming with Bobo in Tio David and Aunt Julie's new pool,



and modeling Bobo's cool shades.



We celebrated with Tia Emily and Uncle Jeff at their Couples Baby Shower.



We threw a big party and celebrated Tio Louis' big 4-0.







Earlier that same day we celebrated Emily's Ladies Baby Shower,





where Sofia refused to model her sweet, lacy dress



but had no problem rifling through Baby K's presents after her nap.



And on that same day we called Grandma and Grandpa to wish them a happy 45th wedding anniversary,



and thought about how sad we were that we couldn't be there to celebrate with them.

We spent lots of time with cousins in Dallas,





and cousins visiting Houston.





By the end of May we were spending most of our days at Grandma and Grandpa's house,





distracting Grandma with a smile,





playing with cousins,



and Aunt Madelon,



healing our breaking hearts with hugs and love,



and trying to keep Grandpa as happy and comfortable as we could.



It was during these last days of May when I took a pregnancy test and realized we'd be adding another baby to our happy family. The best part is we got to share the news with Grandpa.

We had lots of happy days in May but in June we would lose Grandpa to cancer. We will be forever missing him. Sofia took home the pink ball she and Grandpa played with all the time. She wanted to sleep with it for a long time but I finally put it away somewhere safe so she could keep it forever. I don't think she really processed what happened but she knows Grandpa is in Heaven and one day out of the blue without ever being told this by us, she told us that Grandpa was all better. And we know it's true.

Note from Tia Emily

I got a sweet e-mail today from Emily.

It reads:
Subject: Ella & Baba

Went to the cemetery today to visit Mom. We forgot flowers, but brought something way better. It was a beautiful day.

Love, Emily, Jeff, and Ella
Sent from my iPhone

And it had this beautiful photo attached.

Remember Us?

As a family we are slowly recuperating. Slowly healing after an overwhelming loss. Slowly feeling better after an exhausting and sickly first trimester. Slowly getting back to a life we recognize.

I stepped away from our family chronicle, this blog, to take care of myself and my family. But thankfully I did not step away from the camera. I have months of memories to share.

Sofia has grown so much in these past long months. She has welcomed a "so tiny," as she refers to her, baby cousin. She knows where her Grandpa is and she knows that he feels better. She has spent lots of time with Grandma, reminding her to smile. She has learned her first curse word. It was "damnit" in case you're wondering, but luckily the thrill of saying it has gone. She vacationed in South Padre with her Tia Sara and Tio Kevin; her third visit to their beautiful beach home. She took her first swim lesson at the YMCA. She, without much fanfare, gave up her beloved paci. She visited my OB and listened to the new baby's heartbeat with us for the first time. She has been to her first movie, Toy Story 3, where she sat in awe eating popcorn. She rode on a camel named Isaac with Emi and Matthew at the Dallas Zoo. She bonded with all her cousins this summer. But more than anything she's made us laugh. She's becoming her own person and her personality, which is funny, selectively sweet, kind and thoughtful, has really been on display.

She is, above all, a joy and we love her.

I have a lot of work to do in uploading months of photos to our computer with the intention of sharing them here along with the stories of our family. While I get to work doing just that I leave you with a serenade of Sofia's current favorites.



And if you liked that, here's some more... as long as she's not too busy!

A Peace Offering

As most of you know it's been a life changing, couple of months for us and quite frankly the blog has been neglected. But as a pledge to two of my most loyal readers, Papi and Nan here is a short series of very adorable photos of Sofia which were taken by her Grandmother back in June...









and a promise that I will very soon get this cherished online document of our lives updated.

Love, Angie