Not-so-happy Halloween

Our sweet little monkey has been fighting a nasty fever and stomach bug this week. That has put a serious damper on our Halloween festivities. Fortunately, last weekend we took advantage of a local pumpkin stand just a few blocks from our house to snap a few pictures of Eleanora in all her fall finery.

Instead of showing off her costume and monkeying around, we're spending the day in our pjs cozied up with her favorite books and (her first!) episode of Sesame Street. Hopefully she'll be up to her usual monkey business soon!

Fall Firsts and Family

Because I can't resist, here are a few more pictures of Eleanora's fun times the last couple of weeks. She loved-loved-loved having her family here (and having Gigi still here!) and seems to be doing something new everyday.

One picture of the birthday crown before the "e" met its match

First successful drink with a straw

Loving her first baby doll from Great-Grandma Petri


How big is Eleanora? So big!






First whole pear (she devoured it!)

Birthday Bliss

Our baby celebrated her first birthday in style, surrounded by adoring family and friends. My family (minus Uncle Joel) flew in for the event and helped turn an average picnic ramada in the park into a beautiful birthday celebration! The theme was pink-pink-pink. Pink M&Ms and Good & Plenty on the tables, a Pinkalicious book for everyone to sign, pink flowers, pink and white balloons, and pink cupcakes! Aside from the wind which put a damper on a few special touches we had in mind, forgetting to get pictures of the table settings, and Eleanora immediately pulling the pink beaded "e" off of the front of her birthday crown (thanks to my poor sewing skills), all went according to plan. I will never forget how sweet and beautiful she looked.

Blowing kisses to her guests

A few fun stats about our girl...

- 95th percentile for height, 10th for weight
- Loves blowing kisses (with "mmmmwah" sound effect)
- Says, "Dada", "Mama", "Wsdat?" ("what's that?" while pointing), and lots of gibber gabber that we wish we could understand
- Nothing makes her laugh as hard as Charlie. She giggles to tears while chasing him around with Ben
- Favorite foods are O's, cheese, pears, carrots, and southwestern soup
- Sleeps 11 hours at night with 2 solid naps a day
- Just got her first tooth a couple of weeks ago and is now up to two! Yay for not needing baby dentures!
- She just took her first step on her own, but feels much more comfortable holding a hand (or two!) while walking.

- Favorite activities include: watching for "Dada" out the window, pushing her cart around the house, coloring/painting, reading, and emptying drawers and cupboards, and "helping" me brush her hair.

The Big 3-0

This week I bid a fond farewell to my twenties, and what a fabulous decade it was. From college to marriage, travel overseas and across the country, moving from a dorm to Pittsburgh to the desert, going from an individual to a family of three, it's been a whirlwind of firsts.

Ben helped to usher in the next decade in style. I started the day with a little extra snooze after feeding Eleanora, then woke to breakfast in bed (Cinnamon Dulce latte and muffin) served on a tray with a beautiful vase of flowers. Ben, Eleanora and I snuggled into bed and enjoyed our treats (and cherrios). Knowing my nerdy love of schedules and plans, Ben included an itinerary of the day's events with my breakfast. After breakfast, I opened a mountain of beautiful letters, cards and emails from friends and family with beautiful words of love and encouragement. I can't imagine a better gift! Speaking of gifts, I also received the camera of my dreams and have barely put it down since!

Ben arranged his crazy schedule to spend a few hours with Eleanora and I in the afternoon. We went to lunch and feasted on spinach goat cheese salads and mozzarella and basil pizza. After lunch, we took a stroll through the zoo and enjoyed the beautiful cool weather and wonderful time with our sweet girl.

The evening was a rare treat - a date night alone with Ben. We put Eleanora to bed, then left her in the very capable hands of Sissy, Rich and Mimi. A local restaurant's candlelit courtyard was our dinner venue with live jazz and a bottle of wine to make the night even more special. It was a perfect beginning to my thirties!