Day 172

The Santa Ana winds have made these last two days hotter than Hades! Today Daddy came home from work, but needed a nap since he was up all night. We decided to take a walk to our little park and play a bit-- Penelope was going stir crazy inside since we missed walking group this morning (we were too tired & slow!) So I packed us some water, extra sunscreen, hats & P's ball to kick around. We lasted about 20 minutes at the park before all three of us were red faced and panting. Lulu was in the shade at all times, but I worried for Penelope, who has fair skin. We spent the rest of the afternoon indoors! Daddy and P cooled off with the hose in the back hard, but Lulu and Mama just sat under our fan and relaxed. :) Even in the heat, Luciana kept her cool! 

Later, she came on a shopping & dinner trip with me and a couple friends-- and was quiet and happy to watch the world around her. So easy to have her around!

Here's a pic of the three of us:

Heehee!

That's all for tonight. We are all in cool pajamas (onesie for Lulu) and have all our fans running. Sigh.... We are upstairs and heat rises.  :/ Goodnight.

Day 171

My angel baby, Luciana... She is so happy and sweet, she is patient and content to just sit and watch her surroundings, it makes life easier for me. I get to really give lots attention to Penelope, who needs ALOT right now. 

So, today we went to the park, and to Target, and Lulu didn't fuss once. She usually only fusses if she's sleepy or hungry, and today a teeny bit, when she was HOT. It must've been 85 degrees today, yowch! We went to Target to get the Disney movie, Frozen, and Lulu took a nap while P & I watched it. Our baby girl is such a sweetheart, even if she were crying all day, we'd still love her, but she isn't!! Yay! :) 

Anyway, I hope I don't jinx things with this post! Here's a pic of Luciana in her big soater's headband earlier:

Look how cute!

Goodnight.

Day 170

170 days old?! That's it??? I feel like I've known my baby Lulu for a lifetime, and how in the world did we ever live without our baby girls?! Good job, Lulu, you are almost 6 months old! 

Today Papa's working, so we were on our own. We couldn't go to our morning group because the street was being worked on in front of our house & the van was blocked in. :/ We decided to spend the day outdoors, and had a great time. While Penelope plays, Luciana would usually have to sit in the stroller, but I have been bringing her carrier everywhere now & she loves being able to see what's going on! Here it is, I wanted to show her how she rides in style:

This evening we are all in our own rooms, and this is the new norm... It's weird! But Lu has kept her end of the deal and stays in her little bed all night! Still. :) It's great, because it allows me to do things while they're both asleep, like: eat, use the bathroom, and this:

... Three loads of laundry!!! I watched a great PBS series on the West by Ken Burns while I sorted and cleaned up, and believe it or not, that is a treat! Love my babies, but an hour or two alone at night really helps me to get things done, and even relax with a cup of decaf. :)

I'll write in the girls baby books tonight, and then rest so we can do it all again tomorrow. Deep breath.... Daddy, I sure do miss you! :)

Night.

Day 169

We had a very relaxing Sunday at home. Here's what we did:

1. Woke up, all of us, after Lulu started yelling at around 7am. (Thanks, Lu!;))

2. Ate a yummy breakfast of French toast with strawberries & bacon, thanks to Daddy. 

3. (Lulu & I) relaxed and did nothing (while Daddy & P returned Daddy's tux from the party to the rental place)

4. Went on a long walk to Baskin Robbins via the bike path behind the house.

5. Came home & ate dinner-- Papa cooked again, bless him. :)

6. Bedtime for the kiddies! 

Ahhhh, what a nice day, we are happy Papa didn't end up going into work! 

Goodnight.

Day 168

Last night Daddy & I went out to a fancy birthday party-- Dad wore a tuxedo & I had a dress on:

We left the girls at home with Aunt Anita & their cousin Anabella. We hear they had a great time together, as usual. :) Luciana missed Mommy, though, and had a little bit of a hard time. I know it's because we are basically together all day long, every day, and to be apart is just weird for her! It is for me, too! I miss my girls so much even when I'm away for an hour! 

Anyway, we had a great time out, and the girls did fine at home. Here is a pic of Lulu earlier in the day when Daddy took her and P for a walk down to the beach:

Night!

Day 167

Since there isn't anything amazing to tell about today, here's a pic for you to see, Luciana, of your parents before you were born. We were on vacation in the Florida Keys, and Daddy had just proposed to me the night before we took this pic:

We love you so much & hope you're enjoying reading your blog-- this, your first year is so much fun!!! 

Day 166

Our baby girl is currently asleep in her bedroom, in her crib, and has been for the past few hours. I think we can say after a week, her sleeping so well isn't a fluke. She's a big girl now, sleeping through the night, and waking up with a big smile on her face!! What a happy girl, we are so in love with this kid. :)

Today, I took the girls to our morning park  meetup, and then we took a drive so they could nap without the loud tile saw noises happening at home. Once the tile is finished in our master bathroom, things will go back to normal-- in the meantime, we're doing what we have to! :) I got the girls dressed at different times this morning, and I honestly didn't even realize I had dressed them the same until someone commented on it at the park! Wow... Mama is on auto pilot some mornings, I guess!!! 

(Penelope wasn't really sad, she just didn't wanna stay still for the photo.)

We are overjoyed that Papa is comin home tomorrow! Yay!

That is all for today. Goodnight!

Day 165

Today Luciana spent the afternoon shopping with Mama! I was on the hunt for the perfect dress to wear to a black tie party this weekend, and of course, I only just found it today, three days before the event!! :/ Lulu is such an angel when we're out-- if she's fed, she's so happy to sit in her stroller and take in the sights. She really really looks at everything, and I can tell she's having a great time, even when she's not smiling. :) Penelope stayed at home with Mana, because let's face it: shopping (when you have to try stuff on) with two under two is impossible. Truly. I've tried it, and it's probably a funny sight, if I could see us from afar. :) Daddy just gave us the green light on getting a new stroller (which I think I mentioned-- a double Bob), but since it's a side-by-side, we are a wide load on wheels. It makes for interesting encounters in the aisles! I always get lots of help while we're out, people holding doors, and things like that. It's nice to have two gorgeous babies in my stroller-- they are complimented wherever we go, always. :) 

Day #5 of Lulu sleeping alone in her room. Things are good, and she couldn't have made us more proud! We are so pleased that our baby is taking this change in stride, and honestly, she seems happier being left alone at bedtime, rather than with pesky Mommy hovering over her, trying to rock, pet and hush her to sleep. What can I say? I've been wrong once or twice before. ;)

So, Daddy wanted me to post this pic-- it's us gals on Easter:

...and this one:

Both my girls all dressed up. Love them!! That's all for today, folks. Goodnight.

Day 164

We started our day early-- 7am the alarm goes off, and shortly after (I decided to snooze a bit!) both girls wake up on their own. Daddy was home today, and was awake before all of us, so he let us sleep in. :) I got us all dressed and ready to meet our walking group at the Dana Hills Park, which meets at 8:30 on Tuesdays. We meet three other Mommies & their kids, all families who live within a few blocks of us. There are 6 kids between all of us, and Penelope and Luciana both have buddies their own age! :) We walk the perimeter of the park, then park our strollers at the top of a staircase with 118 stairs. Two of us run up & down while the other two watch all the babies, and we alternate. Two more rounds of walking and stairs, then we head over to the park for planking and playing. Planking is the new workout craze that I can't do yet. I'm really in disbelief I even run up those stairs! About an hour later, we are all saying goodbye, since people have appointments, swim lessons and things like that. We stay longer for the kids to play when we all can, and have no appointments to rush off to. We all enjoy this new daily routine, but it is VERY hard getting us up and out so early!! :/ It's my only gripe-- but, this is what we'll do to have friends! Worth it, I guess. :) Anyway, we were sad that Daddy was called into work today while we were at the park, so he came to give is hugs & kisses and say goodbye on his way out. 

Luciana is doing so well sleeping in her crib in her bedroom alone! We are on night three, and she is a superstar in there, sleeping like a big girl-- no waking up every hour to nurse! We are over the moon proud of our baby girl, but Mama is even a little sad that our days of babies in  our bedroom is a thing of the past. Empty nest already!!?? ;) We are happy that our whole house is well on our way to sleeping all the way through the night now. Yay!!!

Here's Lulu at bathtime tonight:

That's it for tonight. I'll have to get pics of us at the park tomorrow.... Goodnight!

Day 163

Our day:

Went to the beach!! Had a great time-- Luciana lie on her blanket the whole time, playing and smiling. She is such a sweet, happy baby!! The two of us played on the blanket while P & Daddy played in the sand with all her new beach toys. Fun day :)

We hope Papa doesn't have to work tomorrow..... Night!

Day 162

The girls had a great Easter from start to finish! We woke up & Daddy was home, which was awesome, and then we all went downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny brought. Luciana got two chewable books, a plush chick rattle, and some bubbles, which she'll have to watch Penelope blow for her! :) We went to Grandaddy's for lunch, and an Easter egg hunt. We enjoyed visiting with family & taking a walk down by the bluffs overlooking the beach. Pretty day, too! :)

Luciana was well behaved all day, and we were so pleased with how well she was today... She was in a great mood & seemed to really enjoy everything. Tonight, Luciana is sleeping alone in her bedroom for the very first time. Mama is a little worried, but not for her safety (obviously), but for how night nursing will go now. We'll see if she can drop a feeding gradually until she is used to one maybe, and is hopefully sleeping through the night. Mama will miss her though... Hearing her breath, her little groans and bursts of gas here & there :) I know it's for the best, but it sure isn't easy to let your baby go, even just down the hall!!

We'll see how she does tonight & report tomorrow.

Night.

Day 161

We had a fun day, us Rindge gals, and DADDY'S HOME! We had a very busy, full week and it's all due to our new friends, who helped this week (without Daddy) pass way faster than it would've normally. We walked with them every day except one, and then had a super fun play date at one lady's house this afternoon. The girls had a blast, and Mama got to relax and talk to the other nice Mommies! :) What a difference it makes to have friends that live around each corner... We are excited to keep our daily walks in the morning, and hopefully bi-monthly play dates. 

Luciana was happy all day today-- she loved being held most of the afternoon by Mommy while we were at our friends house. Which is why she was not so happy later when I had to put her down to fold laundry & make Penelope some dinner. :/ Our baby girl loves to be held (of course she does), so I've used the carrier lots to give her all the snuggles she needs while I give P all the attention & help she needs. 

We were so so so happy to see Papa when he came home this evening & to have a couple hours of fun time with him before he goes into work tomorrow. He'll be home Easter Sunday (day after tomorrow) and we'll see what the Easter Bunny brought for the girls! We'll also get to see family for lunch, so we're looki forward to that.

Here's the girls with their new buddies:

Goodnight!

Day 160

We made it to walk, work out & play again today! That's almost every day this week, save for one day.... And it feels pretty great. We are making lots of kiddo & Mommy friends, and even though it's very hard to get up & out so early, we do it 'cause we end up being happy we did.

After the ladies left today, us three Rindge gals did some more walking, and now Mama is feeling it. :/ Lulu is usually awake for the first part of our outing, then when all the bigger kids play, she sits in her carrier while I watch Penelope (and by watch I mean chase her around & stop her from leaving the park!!) After a bit, I put her back in the stroller & she takes a nap. Today was fun, and since it's Thursday, we're so excited to see Daddy tomorrow.... It's been a long week! 

Here's the view from my cozy spot on the bed:

She's going to be in her own room soon.... I am savoring these last days of having her so close with us at night. :) 

Night!

Day 159

Today was another busy, but fun day. I woke up before the alarm at 6:55, and jumped out of bed to get us ready for our walking/excersize group that meets at 8:50. It took every second until 8:45, when we drove off, to get ready! It isn't easy to get us all dressed, fed, cleaned up, packed & into the car, lemme tellya! Our group is four other moms & their kids. We meet at a park near the Dana Point Harbor and walk around it a few times (in our new Bob Revolution Duallie-- the Farrarri of all strollers!) and then take turns running up & down 118 stairs! I'm sooo out of shape, that's all I'll say about that. Afterwards, we go to the playground and let the kiddies play. An hour or two later, we're back in the car. Today we ran a few errands afterward so the girls could nap in the car-- to avoid the construction noise at home. It works for us, these car naps, thankfully! 

So, we miss Papa who is still in Texas (College Station, taking a class) and we've done video chat every night almost to keep from missing him too much. :/ We're looking forward to seeing him soon. 

Back at it tomorrow & Friday, walking group, that is-- we're loving having new friends! I'll take one for the team (exercising & rushing around like crazy so early) so the girls and I have some sort of social life! 

Goodnight.

Day 158

Yesterday was a busy day, lots of driving, but good. We went up to LA to say goodbye to my parents-- they were going to leave the next day (today). We visited at my uncle & aunt's house, and the girls got to see lots of family who've never met Luciana! :) My grandma wa especially happy to spend time with them... She gave lots of hugs, and told me over and over how beautiful they are. They were both super sweet and well behaved, making our visit easy and fun. The drive home-- not so fun. LA traffic is something I'm so completely OVER. I can't believe I ever thought that was acceptable to endure day in and day out!! The whole city feels so different to me now, and I appreciate quiet, clean, beautiful Orange County even more! 

Here's a pic of Lulu & her Great Grandma:

What a happy girl.... So proud of her!! :)

Day 157

We are a three girl household this week-- just us and the people working on our house. Daddy's in Texas taking a class that will help him in his work. We are happy he's able to study & rest a bit-- he worked so very hard on his recent captain's test that took two years!!!! Go, Daddy! :)

Today we ran errands, and the girls were good. I can't believe our luck sometimes, how sweet and good our girls are! even Luciana, being so young, she has such a sweet disposition, and is truly happy. What a blessing.... I have to say all that before I mention what I saw happen today. :) My girls love each other, let me say that too. Heh. Well, I went outside to take a bag of trash to the bin, something I've done tons of times & left them alone together. This time, upon returning, I found Penelope jumping vigorously on the bouncer that poor little Lulu was sitting on, and her head miiiiight have landed under P's foot a few times. :/ Goodness..... Let us say that's the last time that'll happen!!! Luciana was crying, but thank God, no real harm was done. She was done crying just as soon as Mama had her close. :) Little P learned a lesson (in as close of a "time out" as I could manage) and all was well again in Casa Rindge. 

We'll wake up early early tomorrow & do it all over again. Thank goodness :)  

Here's a few pics from today. The bath pic is in Lulu's new bathtub. Snazzy whale! :) night!

Day 156

Well, my parents left our house today, and the kiddies are back to their regular schedules again! While they were here, naps were missed, bedtimes forgotten, and basically fun was our priority. But, we are glad to go back to normal-- we all like our routine!

Tomorrow morning, very early, Daddy will be going out of town for a whole week to Texas for a class. :( We're going to miss him a whole lot, but we are also glad he's getting a good learning opportunity. Also, he just let us know we'll be going on a four-day cruise to Mexico in a month! We are excited, and so looking forward to some time away with Dad, time for just us!

Today Papa took the kids to the beach while Mama got her nails done-- here's Luciana asleep (I heard she slept almost the whole time!!):

Our little Sleeping Beauty. :) Night.

Day 155

We had a full day: morning yard sales with Grandma, Grandpa & Anabella, where we found a cute ball pit-thingy for the girls. After naps were had, Grandma & Grandpa took the girls to the park for a picnic while Mom & Dad finished Penelope's room-- wallpaper, moved furniture in, the whole nine yards!! :) After a yummy dinner and baths all around, the girls were beat... Parents & Grandparents, too!!! 

We've had lots of fun with my parents in town, and we're sad they'll be gone by noon tomorrow. :'(  It really was a fun time, and we hope to see them again soon! 

Here's the kids lovin' on their Grandma & Grandpa:

Goodnight. 

Day 154

We enjoyed a warm day at the beach, after Daddy made us a yummy pancake breakfast. The girls are enjoying visiting with their grandparents, and the grandparents are lovin' it too! Luciana went for a long walk with them, and was able to have a nice, long nap-- we're gonna miss having them here. :(

Tomorrow we have Papa home again, and the grandparents too-- time for more fun!

Look at our beautiful beach:

Night!

Day 153

The girls got to spend the day with my parents-- and had a blast! We went to the San Juan Capostrano mission, the oldest one in the state. We saw so many cool things, including huge koi fish (yuck), a very old & ornate church, a beautiful courtyard with roses & fruit trees, and lots of old artifacts from hundreds of years ago. The girls were great, behaving themselves the whole time. :)

Here are some pics:

What a nice day.... But we are just so excited that Daddy will be home when we wake up! Thank God my parents arrived safely, we're so happy they're here with us for a few days! :)

Night.

Day 152

Today was a busy day-- we had workers here drywalling our master bath, so we escaped the noise and did lots of things out. We got ourselves a new (used, new to us!) fancy schmancy double stroller! It's the most amazing contraption EVER. We got it home and took it out for a spin-- walked for about an hour, because it was so easy to push! We have met some other mommies in our neighborhood, and will meet them tomorrow for a power walk, bright and early, and we are totally pumped with our new stroller!!! :)

Daddy is still away, and we miss him very much. This is week one of a crazy two weeks... He'll be very busy and we won't see him much. It's hard for us, but he is out working hard for us, so we are being tough! :) 

Grandma Rose & Grandpa Ramon are coming to stay with us for a few days, starting tomorrow, so we are preparing as much as we can in this construction site! We'll take them out to see our pretty town & beach and hope they want to come back soon. I'm excited for my babies to get to see their other grandparents, even for a small time. 

Here is our new stroller:

That's all for today. Night!

Day 151

The days when us three gals are alone are always long! But definitely always fun, and loud. ;) Today we had a few errands to run in Costa Mesa, so we stopped by Mana's-- it's her birthday today, happy birthday to an amazing Grandma, what would we do without her??? Really. :) 

It was a hot day, probably in the high 80's, making me move just a tad slower! But-- we managed to do all the things on our list (thank goodness Lucina was able to stay with Mana for a couple hours), and were back home by 3ish. 

Papa is at work, and since the construction will continue here again tomorrow, we'll make it another day with a new adventure. :) Let's pray these girls sleep in JUST THIS ONCE!!!!! Sheesh.

Here's how Miss Lulu napped after I caught Pebelope stepping on her FACE. :/

(On the table) Goodnight!!

Day 150

Luciana saw her Grandma Rose & Grandpa Ramon today-- she had a blast with all the attention she got! We went to see them at Anita's place today, and ended up walking to the beach for lunch & ice cream. It was a fun day, many laughs were had! Since they'll come stay with us at the end of this week, we'll just stay home till then, getting the house ready for company. 

We are so so so happy to have my parents here for a bit! :)

Here's a couple pix I took:

We have the construction of our master bath beginning again tomorrow, we hope it'll be done soon!!!!!

That is all for today. Goodnight.

Day 149

Us girls had a fun Face Time chat with Daddy tonight-- we missed him. 

(We each have this web-based camera communication app on our phones, it's fun when Daddy's at work & we need to see him :))

We are super excited that we're finally getting settled into our upstairs rooms. The master bathroom is still under construction, so we won't move into there until it's done. We are also excited for my parents to come stay with us this Friday!! We moved upstairs JUST in time... I'll have just enough time here to get things more organized & then Mom & Dad will be here to help us! 

Today was sort of tough, as I think Penelope is teething again. Luciana pulled her hair today when P was attempting a hug, and it got them both screaming & crying. :/ They love each other, though, and after P cried, she hugged Lulu again anyway. Love my babies!

We'll go see Mom & Dad at Anita's tomorrow, yay!!!!!! Hoping for a smooth day, since P will probably be missing her second nap. We'll see..... 

Gotta get to sleep now. I stayed up waaaaay too late, organizing, cleaning & doing laundry!

Night.

(Lulu's feet sticking out of her blankie) :)

Day 148

Long day. It was Mana's birthday , and after we surprised her with a pizza & cake party (and Granddaddy), we worked on painting, wallpapering, cleaning & moving into the rooms upstairs! We got P in Luciana's room temporarily, and the rest of us are sleeping in Mom & Dad's office-- also, just temporarily! It was lots of work, but we did it! Feels great to be in a bedroom again :)

Luciana is still asleep in her basket next to Mama... :)

Just too tired to write more.... Night.

Day 147

It's finally almost here: moving day! The day when we can move upstairs into our bedrooms! Daddy and Mana painted upstairs today, and of course, Mama was Mama, taking care of her babies. :) After their hard work, Daddy took us (including Aunt Holly) to dinner at Cassanova's up the street, where we enjoyed a nice Italian dinner. We'll work tomorrow also, while the little ones go to the park, and hopefully get our stuff moved up by the end of the day. I hope, I hope, I hope!! 

Luciana went to sleep tonight with minimal meltdown, yay!!! She may be in her own room in a few days, am I really ready to let her go??? Wow.... No more babies for Mama to have in a basket by the bed? Weird... And sad. She'll still be my baby, just a few feet further away, snug in her crib! We are thrilled she's growing so well, and seems ready for the next step in her life: sleeping in her own bed. :) I will continue to nurse Luciana for the next 6 or 7 months (hope, hope!) and that'll remain our special time together. What fun raising two beautiful, sweet girls.... We are so lucky. :)

Day 146

Daddy took the day off to stay home with us girls today :) While he & Penelope drive up to Carson to pick up some tile, Luciana and I hung out at home! Make watched me clean up, then we lie down on the bed. We took a trip to Home Depot this evening, but other than that, we were just HOME! :)

Baby girl let me clip her fingernails today-- that was a first! She's ufound her feet and has begun to chew on them. :)

That's all for today. Here's a pic of her just before she totally pooped all over that cute onesie:

Day 145

Luciana is an angel all day, until around 6pm, then she just wails for an hour or more until she passes out, exhausted. It's so hard to watch and hear because she is usually inconsolable. :(  We think she's about where she should be, though, and that this is behavior typical of a baby her age. Sleep training is just around the corner! We are going to start getting her bedroom ready for her to finally move in this week, so that's when her boot camp will begin. :/ I'm happy and also sad... once she's in her own crib, she'll become a superstar sleeper and won't be in our bed anymore-- we will miss her!

Baby girl is almost five months old, and even though this time is very difficult for all, we are happy and so proud of our sweet girl. Oh, one more thing-- Penelope says "Lulu" now! So cute. :)

Night.

Day 144

The three amigas were at it again today! The guys worked on our hardwood floors, and the master bathroom, so we had to split! Our usual is to leave around the time Penelope is almost ready for her nap, and then we take a drive -- they both sleep and I get a sort of break. :) Then we either run errands, go to the park or library or some other outing. Around 3ish, we retuned home and found the floor guy packing his truck up, he's finished!!! :) They are beautiful! 

Anyway, during all the construction, we will continue this kind of crazy schedule, and then it's back to normal and a new normal for Lulu: sleep in her own room and bed!

Here we are tonight after P went to sleep: