Day Three

32 days 19 songs 5 languages
Friday is another day that I normally would not practice, in fact even the little time that I did spend was tough on my sweet GZ. How much time I spend on a daily basis with my daughter I knew, how much that time is missed while I'm practicing has been evident with a new found separation anxiety almost every time I drop her off at the nursery and the occasional break down (happened today) the minute she realizes I'm practicing. Today I resorted to placing a blank paper next to my music and letting her draw on it while I was practicing. Of coarse once she started thinking that she had heard enough to be able to accompany me I had to set her down...which brought another meltdown. GZ is not much of a cuddler unless she is sick or really tired...and still she has her moments. When I finished what I had promised myself I would finish I went to her bedroom to find her cuddling with her blanket. It did break my heart and I picked her up and cuddled for a while until she was ready to move on. I needed that cuddle time too...I really feel like I miss her. Therefore, I have to remind myself that its only for a couple more months.
On the music side of things I did finish my first run through of L'Hiver a Cesse (The Winter is Over) and now my French set is ready for memorization. I am planning to start the memorizing process next week along side learning the Russian song.
"...and whatever I put my heart and mind to
I will thrive in You Lord"

Little Helper

Gabriela Zoe has been helping me with putting away the dishes in the morning. I have wanted to record it for the longest time because it is so cute. Today we did not unload the dishwasher until the evening and so daddy was home and able to record it. We've got the greatest kid in the whole wide world....she always adds and smile and a giggle to our life!

Party Time

Makenna trying out the harmonica...the harmonica
was a hit with the older kids :o) If fact it was Delaney
who was the blues queen that day.
Tolu showing Grandma Chris how to play the Maracas
Yummy strawberry cake!!!! Mommy was stealing
some for herself
Opening presents with the help of her cousins :o)
'I like uncle Dan!'
She picked the flute which means (whatever its in
God's hands) that she will become a musician...she
picked the one I wanted her to pick ;o)
Trying out the African Drum
Grandpa tickling her again!
With uncle Nikos, thia Sylvia and Tanya

We did do a birthday party for GZ and even though 90% of our guests were family we were so many we decided to do it at the club house. As a hostess...while a little frustrating when having to go to the house to get something we forgot...it was awesome first to get things out of the house, made it feel more complete and second when it was over Stephen and Dan cleaned up I went dress shopping with Jodi and when we got back we got back to a clean house. NOW THAT WAS AWESOME! The theme of the party was loosely musical which meant we had musical theme for favors, musical themed game, lots of instruments for the kids to play with. Other than that the colors coordinated with the dress GZ wore which was designed by her auntie Vasilia Luz. Towards the end of the party we also brought out a cake and celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday which was going to be three days later. Also it was a timed party...something I have never done before because it's pretty much impossible for me to start on time so what's the point...and because I don't like having the feeling that I am rushing people. However, because GZ is only ONE year old and needs a nap I just had to make sure we ended at a decent time. Everything went great especially with all the help we got for the final stretch. I am excited and looking forward for all the other parties we'll do for our preciosa.

Feeding

A few days ago we were eating eggplant parmesan with pasta and she wanted to eat by herself. It's easier I think getting food on a fork than a spoon so she really enjoys putting the food in her mouth. I am very proud of her and she smiles knowing that I am proud of her...so sweet!

Colors!

We started coloring this past week and I have her first drawing on my refrigerator...something I said i would never do!!! And here I am proud mommy with my baby's art on the refrigerator :o) A few days ago we sat ar her new table and chairs in her room and got a Fire Safety Coloring book her uncle Michael the firefighter gave her and we had fun coloring. She understands that you only color on paper and that makes me happy!!! as well as the fact that they are washable markers so when the marker misses the page it can easily be fixed :o)

Fun with Baby

Gabriela Zoe has been enamored with the window and the bushes, trees and probably squirrels that she sees running around in our 'backyard'. It is really neat to see her getting aware with the outdoors. One of our favorite things to do is going to get to the mailbox and play with the rocks. She has loads of fun when we do that :o)

Temperature

Gabriela Zoe had a fever last week so we checked her temperature often to make sure that everything was under control. After a couple of days she had the whole routine down and she wanted to check her temperature herself and check mommy and daddy's temperature :o) So on Monday we were able to take a picture of her doing it....proof that we are not just babbling...our child is smart!

Park

About a week ago we met up with her friends O and D at the park. It was her first time playing at the park (she went once before for a bday party but she was very prissy then) and she really enjoyed the swings and playing in the sand. I wondered why I had not taken her before!!!! It was really good for me also to hang out with a friend and bask in the warmth of the sun :o)

All on My Own

It is so wonderful to see GZ accomplishing little tasks on her own...like just a month ago we had to put her on her horse and most of the time she just fell over. The day I took this pic she climbed on it all on her own!!! You can see she is excited that mommy is excited!

Got Milk?

GZ likes her milk...or maybe that is the primary drink I give her..whatever! So she likes to drink it from her cup straight up...like you see below...
she likes it with a straw, and her sippy. She is just amazingly coordinated like that!

Stop and Smell the Roses

When I first had my baby I could not believe how it slowed everything down (yes it was busy) but nursing would take 40 minutes!!! Then we could go outside and it took a long time to lift the carseat and put it on the stroller. Then she did not need the carseat which sped things up a bit and I would practically run through the stores to get everything done. And now she can walk! And life is still slow because she wants to stop and look at the flowers! I kept telling her today 'ok let's go' but then I thought 'why not stop and smell the roses?' Life is short and a little child's curiosity for life is invigorating, it may take a little longer to get to the destination...some things may not get done but I do not want to rush and not have a chance to watch my daughter discover the world around her. I have a tendency to look at the world sometimes with the eyes that see how the world is fallen but, the world that she sees is what God created: beautiful with flowers, trees, rocks and dried leaves...that is what she sees and that is what I want to see, the good and the beautiful...what God has created.

Camera Eyes

Science Fiction...not necessarily my cup of tea. However, I had this crazy science fictiony idea of my eyes somehow being a camera and I have two buttons one on the right temple for pictures and on the left for video. Having that ability I would be able to capture countless moments that by the time I grab my camera has been long gone! I will describe some of them...Yesterday as we were in Disneyland GZ left my hand and walked under Cyndi's legs to go hang out with her cousin CR. Later the same day during dinner GZ was holdig the fork stabbed her pizza and then brought the fork to the mouth and fed herself from beginning to end (of the process...the rest of the food was consumed with the old fashined way: fingers) Another one was this morning when I went up the stairs and called GZ to follow me and turn around and see her lifting her little baby stroller trying to take it up the stairs (she wanted to bring it up with her) Later the same morning she was taking her stroller back and forth pausing in front of me and talking talking talking and looking at me turning her head one way and the other using her whole boy to communicate!!! So adorable...so these are the I wish I had camera eyes moments

Celebrating 1st Bday in Disneyland

Climbing the Bumbo

while like I like to say a picture can hide 1000 words as well as its worth as many words. This pic and video says it all...no shpeal from me.

Valentines Day

Well Valentine's fell on a Saturday which may seem like crazy to everyone else but for us it was perfect. we were able to go to F and hang out with family. Actually auntie Jodi took care of GZ while we went to have lunch. We found out they had loads of fun going to the park and sliding down on the slides. A new experience for our baby girl I might add. Stephen and I went with no reservations to Olive Garden and even though their lunch wait was 40 minutes eventually we thought about the patio and we were seated immediatelly!! A christmas gift card paid for our lunch!!!! and then we went to see Inkheart in the theater. A very nice and much needed time for the two of us to be together. Afterwards we met grandpa and grandma for dinner and they got to see their baby girl. And that is how our Valentine's day went down and wrapped up :o)

Church Friend

So she has various friends at the church however little T is one that they are just maybe a week apart so they have been in the same room the majority of the time. His mom is also a neat friend that her mommy also enjoys to see every week :o)

Stin Ygeia Sas (Cheers)

it was so much fun teaching her to do cheers...I think she had fun too even though she had not idea what she was doing besides the fact that it was entertaining her parents :o)

Disneyland with Mommy and cousins

This pic was taken when we joined the Shaw clan to celebrate aunt Sherryl's
birthday. We have had fun one more time with them in Disneyland. It is a lot of fun to be able to hang out with our cousins.
The following pictures were when baby and I went together. We did not get to do all that much but it was a nice day spent out in the sun :o) That specific day in fact I forgot where I parked the car and had not recorded it. Nice thing to know is that everyone that works there can give you a ballpark of where the car is located based on what time you came to the park!

Cutest Words She Says

well basically all of them are cute...Stephen and I know that Gabriela Zoe said "Evangelia" at least twice to each of us at different times! In vain have we tried to convince her to say it again. The other word she says consistently is 'tsa' that she says it when she plays peekaboo and some times at random. She says 'dada' 'gia' (which mean Hi in Greek) and when its together 'giagia' is grandma. The most frequently spoken and understandable gibberish is 'oloudloudlou' 'ticketickletickle' SO CUTE....I just had to write them down so I don't forget!
She definitely understands No because when she is about to do something she is not allowed to do and we say 'no' sometimes she starts crying! Sad but makes me happy to know she understands.

Gabriela Zoe;s Birth Story

My Sweet dear girl, I want to share with you your birth story and the little miracles God allowed us to experience including you :o)
The labor part started on Saturday night when I lost the mucus plug, so Sunday morning we headed straight to the hospital with yiayia, papou and Vasilia Luz. There they checked me and saw that I was maybe 1 centimeter dilated, they heard your heartbeat and since everything looked good they sent me home...I had not felt any contractions yet.
After that we went to church...for the end of the service and to see your daddy who was working. After that we headed out to Fontana at your grandparent's home where your second baby shower took place. There were some relative that were betting we were not going to make it to the shower but there we were! It was a very fun shower that your auntie Jodi planned and daddy had other guys there...it was a combined baby shower...I really liked it! I also like the part that all four of your grandparents were there. People tried to guess your name through a game and actually your aunt Kristin is the only one who guessed your whole name right 'Gabriela Zoe'!!! How awesome..we awarded however the name GiZeLe because it was spelling out your initials and that was uncle Bill and MaryAnne wrote down.
Monday morning we decided to go shopping so our first stop was Ross, your greek family's favorite american store ;o) My contractions started there at 11 a.m.! It must have been really funny for people to see me pacing back and forth breathing. but I was in labor and happy. After that papou and giagia were thinking that we should go home...but I said if she is coming today I have to go to Babies r Us and get a few things I know I'll need....I don't remember at all what those things were! then it was lunch time and went to eat at an italian restaurant in Simi Valley. I had eggplant parmigiana...I had heard that eggplant can cause labor so since I was already in labor I thought I might help the situation.
After lunch we headed home, I continued to labor and laid in bed and moved around and took a bath. Which actually slowed down the contractions. However it had been more that an hour that my contractions were 5-7 minutes lasting for about a minute so your daddy was convinced it was time for the hospital. I tried to drag it out as much as possible but in the end everything was packed in the car and we were ready to go. Your papou, giagia and thia followed us to the hospital. Once at the hospital in the triage they checked to see that you were ok and that was clear and they checked me and if I remember well I was 3 cm. They told me to go home...but noone felt comfortable driving home knowing there was a chance we were going to be back within a few hours so we decided to look for a motel. Then I realized I just couldn't do it and thought that the hospital would be better than the motel. At that time I had started to lose my rhythm and my panic caused the pain to be amplified. So back to the hospital we went and I got admitted.
Standing was so much easier to deal with the pain but they had me laying down for a lot of the time so at those times it was hard. Once I was able to stand I would celebrate! After 16 hours had passed with no real progress they wanted to give me pitocin that would increase the contractions and their intensity. Because I had not slept all night and I wanted to be awake when I met you I decided to get an epidural since we did not know how much longer our journey was going to be. The doctor came and broke my water first and when that did not do anything they gave me the pitocin. It was 10 more hours after increasing the pitocin several times that I was finally dilated to 10 cm and was able to push. Your daddy was right there along side me telling me to push...telling you to push...and push you did :o) You kicked me so hard one time that I vomited :o) At the time I was blaming the nurse to Stephen that she was pushing me too hard! I was nice though I only said to your daddy that I did not want that nurse to touch me again! I do not know how the time went by, usually in hospital at this period of time they do not let women push more than 2 hours but our doctor would let me push for three hours...however because after 2 1/2 hours there was no progress they told us that it was best to go in for a c-section. So they prepared me and your daddy for the surgery. I must have fallen asleep because I do not remember getting to the surgery room but once I was there I waited and waited until I finally heard your cry! And the doctor said that you were a girl!!! That was so exciting for me!!! I wanted to have a girl so bad :o) After they cleaned you up daddy brought you close so i could see you and then he took you outside to announce your name to the family "Gabriela Zoe" which means God is my Strength and Life...so true!
God was your strength and your life as well as mine and under any other circumstances you and I may not have survived this ordeal. I had a 105 fever and the cord was wrapped around your neck 3 times. But here we are both of us healthy and strong with a chance to live the lives that God has so graciously given us. You are a little miracle and we cannot wait to see you discover all the gifts God has given you and how you are going to be used for His glory. You are also a precious gift...God was thinking of daddy and mommy when he made you. We love you very much and a verse that stuck with us during this season is that "Those who sow in tears will reap in joy" You have brought so much joy in our lives we did not even know it was possible! This is you and your story of how you came from mommy's tummy into this world.