End of September...

New This Week: Aurelia has started understanding the whole, "first" and "then" concept..."First we need to go potty, then you can have a sucker"...she's catching on so well, she's turning it on us!! "First lechita (aka milk), then food"...little stinker!! She even tilts her little head to make sure we understand!!
Also, talking on the phone...she has gotten really funny to watch as she pretends to talk on her phone! She picks up her phone, sets it on her shoulder, tips her little head and says, "yo" aka Hello. "sup" aka what's up? And then she'll say, "yup" or "yeah" and even talks about what she's doing...the other day, she was talking to somebody and said, "honey, in car!" and hung up...it's hilarious to watch and listen to!!
Baby #2 is now the size of a honeydew! Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and her brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, she'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, her bones are hardening, and she's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.


We started our Monday off with our weekly visit to the OB. Aurelia has gotten pretty good at saying Dr Marcus...which tickles him and offers her a treat at the end...so his name is sometimes Dr Treat! Here she is being good in the waiting room!
Baby #2 looks great, she's measuring at about 4 pounds 10 oz. No signs of pre-term labor this week!!
Aurelia now likes to "hide" and she thinks Frida likes to play the same game. Sometimes she will hide around the corner and then call for Frida and thinks it's funny! Here she is having a snack and "hiding" from Frida...Frida found her!!!

We were trying to decide what to wear on Wednesday, at first I thought she was trying to get ready for the day, starting with her fancy gloves, but then I realized that she was using them as pot holders! She would pretend that she was making food and get it and then dance around, saying "hot, hot" and then tell me it had to "cood off" aka cool off! Goofball!!

Thursday was a day with Yaya! Mommy picked up a day shift and Ari and Yaya had a fun day...they played outside, Ari "made" her food, and showed off how she can sing the ABC's!!
We left for Harmony on Thursday night for the weekend...
Friday, Aurelia spent the day with her Daddy and Yaya, doing some shopping while Mommy got ready for her and Auntie D's joint Open House for Mary Kay and Pampered Chef. They got to visit Auntie Sassy too! She was having too much fun and fell at Auntie Sassy's. Now, Ari's version of the story is that "Sassy hit" her...but I think she misunderstood Yaya when she said, "Sassy was a hit"!! Either way, she got a good egg that earned her the nickname from her Daddy, as "Goose"!
It was kinda fun being "home" with the siblings!! We were missing Tia Bria/Uncle Charlie...And Grandma Bena and Grandpa Steve were in Mexico for the weekend at Vanessa's wedding, so we had the house to ourselves...just wasn't the same as when we were younger...especially when we have our own little ones to watch now!!!
Saturday was the Open House and Tio Ramon, Kaylee, and Daddy and Ari spent most of the day downstairs, popping up every now and then to see what was going on. GG came over to help control the "traffic" and Dreigh came over with Alicia and got to play with the girls, so that was fun! It was Auntie D's first Mary Kay event in MN and I'm glad we had a few people stop by!! That night we acted like adults and ate very well...the guys grilled steak and shrimp...made some of Grandma Bena's corn, and a nice addition to the dinner...Mac n Cheese!! haha! It was actually for Ari, but I think we all had some on our plate!! We put the girls down for bedtime and then we actually got to watch a movie!! Its been a while since we've done that, and it was really nice!
We enjoyed a nice morning on Sunday and then headed back to the Cities. All in all, it was busy but nice weekend spending some time in Harmony with Uncle JonJon, Tio Tio, DD, and little Miss Kaylee! She changes so much every day that we can't wait to see her again and enjoy all her little changes!!!

32 Weeks!

New This Week: Aurelia has started using the word "maybe"..."maybe noodles..." or "maybe pizza..." she likes to pretend she's asking Monkey or her Baby what they want to eat...I guess Mommy might say "maybe" too much!!!
Baby #2 is now in the head-down position by now, with her bottom facing up. This is supposed to be the comfiest for Baby to fit in the womb, but sure does a number on the jabs to Mommy's ribs!!! At least she's in the position she needs to be in!

We started the week off with a Dr's appointment for Aurelia Vail. She got her Chicken Pox vaccine and has actually gained a pound since her visit a month ago!! So that, I think is a good thing!
When we got home from the dr's she was looking for Kaylee, since that's where Baby Kaylee slept...
On Tuesday, Aurelia and I went to the MOA and saw some of her favorite charactors from the PBS show, Super Why. She was soooooo excited and did so amazingly well as we waiting in the looooong line to take a 30 second picture with them! All in all, it was worth it and she loved it!
Here she is, waiting patiently in line...
Trying to be cute for Mommy...
This was our view as we got closer...she was getting pretty excited!!!
And then they went on another break!!! I have to say how proud I was of her, being sooooo patient; especially with the other meltdowns around us!!
As we got closer, I tried killing time, talking about what she was going to do when we got up there. She had decided she was going to high-five them, but when it was her turn...she froze!!! She just didn't know what to do!!!

At first she showed Monkey to Wyatt, then high-fived Wonder Red and Wyatt. Stared at Alpha Pig, and when she got to Princess Presto...she was so excited that she hugged her!!

Unfortunately, we were given about 30 seconds to do all of this and she just didn't want to say goodbye, but we got our picture and thats all she talked about on the way home! Soooo worth the wait!
On Wednesday, we had a Dr's appointment for Mommy and Baby...It looks like Baby #2 may have had too much fun this past weekend, as they put me on Temporary Moderate Bedrest through next Monday. Baby was doing excellent and scored 100% on her tests, but it was Mommy who didn't do so well. So they are just going to monitor me closely and want me off my feet through the rest of the week.
One of Aurelia's Flower Girl gifts was a little cash register that she has played with non-stop! She calls it her "puter". She'll point at my computer and say, "mommy's puter" and then point to her's and say, "Ari's puter"...she has a blast with it, thanks Tia Bria and Uncle Charlie!


So Thursday, we just relaxed...
We had another Dr's appointment on Friday...here's Ari ready to go...They re-evaluated Mommy on Friday and kept me on bedrest through Monday...one would think that it would have been great to have the weekend off, but it was a little painful knowing that there is so much to be done and none of it can be done!!! Oh well, it was a nice weekend at home with the family!!
On Sunday, Aurelia and her Daddy stayed in their comfy clothes, but did put on the Vikings jerseys to support the home team! Ari even had her little prayer doll...I think she thought the Vikes might need it!!! It didn't hurt!

Tia Bria and Uncle Charlie's Wedding!!

New This Week: Aurelia now says "Thank You" instead of just plain "thanks". This goes along with all her other two to three word sentences that she's saying now! Also this week, Ari got to be a Flower Girl in Tia Bria and Uncle Charlie's wedding!!! She was so excited to wear her "pretty"! She and Mila had thier moments, but all in all, they performed perfectly when it counted!!!
Baby #2 is through major brain and nerve development these days. Her irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. And she is now the size of a squash!
Also some big news this week is that Ramon and Diane have decided to move their little family North and join us in Minnesota!!! We couldn't be happier to have them all nearer and we look forward to seeing our little ones play and grow together!!! Welcome, Tio Tio, Auntie D, Little Kaylee, and Petrie!!!

We had a very busy week, getting ready for the big day on Saturday! On Monday Aurelia went in for a haircut... And here she is afterwards with her new trim!

Mommy was busy on Wednesday, packing for the weekend ahead and Aurelia decided she wanted to play in her crib with ALL of her stuffed animals!

We started off the weekend celebrations, having a fun birthday dinner for Uncle JonJon!
Friday was Grandma Bena and Grandpa Steve's Anniversary. Also, Wuelo and Grandma Texas flew into town and Daddy and Ari picked them up at the airport. She was so excited to see her Texas and Wuelo! She loved showing them how she could sing her ABCs!! That night was the rehersal and dinner...it was so much fun to see Aurelia meet all the other little kids that would be at the wedding! Here she is with her cousin Colin!
Saturday was Tia Bria and Uncle Charlie's Big Day!!! Here is Aurelia getting ready with DD and Mommy... Kaylee was all dressed up and ready for the show to begin with Wuelo!
Here are Brian, Mommy, and Aurelia, walking down the isle! We were just so happy that we made it down the isle without any meltdowns and all in one peice!!!
And here is the happy couple!
We had so much fun, celebrating the couple's new beginning! Aurelia sat with Yaya, Papa, and Auntie Sassy along with Wuelo, Grandma Texas, and Kaylee during dinner and it looked like they had a great time! Afterwards, Ari did some dancing and she was so worn out that she fell asleep on the dance floor with her Daddy! We were lucky enough to have Wuelo and Grandma Texas take care of the girls so that Mommy and Daddy could continue to celebrate through the evening!!
On Sunday, Wuelo, Grandma Texas, Tio Tio, DD, and Kaylee came over to our house before they all left town. Aurelia had fun showing them all her little playhouse and "making" them things to eat! Plus Grandma Texas and Wuelo added to the pretend food...she just loves playing house! We also checked on Petrie and Frida, as they had the house to themselves over the weekend! Thanks to the neighbors for letting the pups out! It was a perfect ending to a great weekend!
Oh, and Happy Birthday to Auntie Sassy on Sunday!! Sorry we couldn't celebrate with ya, but we were thinking of you!

September...

New This Week: Aurelia has learned how to say, "ah, ah, ah" as she shakes her head...she's gotten really good at telling us and especially Frida when we're doing something wrong! Thanks, Yaya!
We are at 30 weeks with Baby #2 and its been fun to see her move, almost in response to Ari's squeels!

We made our way back from the Lake on Monday; it was a great long weekend away!
Tuesday brought us a little bit of Fall weather, not sure if we're ready to say goodbye to Summer! We had our 30 week check up with Dr Marcus today. Baby #2 is coming along perfectly! She is in a breeched position, but we're not too worried at this point. She's measuring almost a week ahead of schedule, but looking great!
We unpacked from our long weekend and did laundry on Wednesday. Aurelia had fun playing in her room and "helping" Mommy out!
Thursday was a fun day out! We started out shopping with Mommy's friend Trisha, followed by lunch. And then later in the afternoon, we met with Grandma Bena and did some more shopping, along with a fun dinner at the MOA! Here's Aurelia waiting for the day to begin!
Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 5th Wedding Anniversary on Friday. Tia Beera (aka Bria) came over and hung out with Ari while Mommy and Daddy went out for the evening!
We had a blast of warmer weather over the weekend and decided to take advantage of it and play some out in her house!
Poor Frida, just wanted to go in the house!

End of August...

Baby #2's now the size of a squash! And is in full motion! As much as I thought Aurelia was active; I'm fearing Baby #2 might give her a run for her money!! Should be fun!

We started out the week with a nice walk...I had asked Ari to get Frida's leash out of the basket, when I turned around, she had gotten a leash out, but was trying to put it on Monkey!! Goofball!
Aurelia and Mommy headed to MOA to attend the Dancercise in the rotunda for Toddler Tuesday...it was so much fun to watch the little ones dancing around! It took Ari a little bit to be comfortable enough to dance...I think she almost had more fun watching!!


After the Dancercise, we did some of the little rides, and Aurelia's new favorite was the bus...


Tuesday was also Wuelo's birthday...Happy Day, Wuelo!!
On Wednesday, we met Yaya and Auntie Sassy for a little wedding shopping! We got to see Auntie Sassy's dress and Ari got to try on little flower dresses! It was a fun Girls' Day!
Thursday was all about packing and getting things together for our long weekend at the Lake! Ok, so I didn't get much help from Aurelia once she found her way into our bed and got comfy with all her buddies!!


We did some shopping at the Lake...here is Ari all ready to do some damage!!!
Saturday night, Aurelia and Auntie Sassy had some playtime...

It was a great long weekend...what a way to wrap up the summer!

Third Trimester!

New This Week: We've made it to the 3rd Trimester...we just don't know where this pregnancy has gone!! Baby #2's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of being ok. Her skin is still pretty wrinkly but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

Aurelia had a great start to her week...as she got to spend the day with her Auntie Sassy...looks like they had great day!




Tuesday was a typical day at home...here she is pretending to have some tea and even sharing with Daddy, as he works!

We enjoyed the park on Wednesday morning...she's gotten pretty confident on the little horsey; riding one-handed!


On Thursday, we had fun outside...with some "cooking" and "eating" and showing off how good she's gotten on her slide, even giving Mommy a wave at the top!



It was Mommy's weekend to work, but Aurelia got to spend Saturday night with Yaya, while Daddy went to the Vikings game with Papa!
On Sunday, we worked on Wuelo's birthday card...Aurelia was very serious about her work!