Time is a funny thing.

It just keeps passing. She will be one year old on June 19th. Please give me a shot of your finest brandy.
She is totally crawling now, pulling herself up on everything, standing at the safety gate we have in her bedroom doorway and yelling at the dog or at me. Her lungs are very healthy. Its not the yell-cry-momma-come-get-me stuff, she is actually YELLING.
Complete with a scowl and everything. She is NOT fucking around.
I can't believe how much she likes food. I mean its not a big surprise, but given her parents have different diets, she has an awesome palette. Spicy, flavorful food it has to be or she gags. No joke.

She didn't find it funny at all.


Here we are in the Denver airport. She was completely over everyone and everything. No one could get her to smile.





All of a sudden, she is aware of the camera, and she likes to pose or throw a smile. But its really quick, and mostly we miss the opportunities. Slow camera.



Mmmmmmmm ginger fried rice and kobucha squash.



Happy Lita!!!
8 teeth and counting... watch out, she bites you when you piss her off. I am not lying.

Not all fun and games. And Kansas.

Went to Kansas for my grandfathers funeral, and Lita got to meet her family from my mother's side. Very exciting.

This is her grand uncle Mike, who is my uncle...? so confusing.

Griffin the dunce rockstar?

Lita and her second cousin Olivia.




I am sure that most moms out there come to the shocking realization that having a baby enter your life changes everything. I mean, yeah, other parents try to warn the soon to be parents, but nothing really prepares you. NOTHING.
You think you have issues now? Throw a baby into the mix and watch what happens. Its like baking soda and vinegar or mentos and coca cola. SPLOOF! Not many marriages make it in the first year. That is how hard it is.
The balancing act is the hardest part. Sleep, HOUSEWORK, money, SEX, FUN, family time vs. personal time, friends (or a lack thereof) and just staring at a wall.
Parenting styles really become apparent when the baby shows up. You may think that you are on the same page, but chances are, you are not. Communication is the most important thing but it is also the hardest thing of all.
I like to scream and throw things, but that is not conducive to baby rearing. They start to do what you do at a very young age, trust me. I do double takes every day. Monkey see, monkey do.
I am also in the process of realizing that I cannot be a different person than myself just because I want my child to be a certain way. If I am a slob, then chances are my child will pick up some of that no matter how hard I try to be NOT a slob. They are not stupid. I mean, I can do my best to set a good example, but that is about all. Nor can I make them more efficient. I can teach them the same skills I have and HOPE that it sticks or kicks in at some point. I know that I was a late bloomer in life, in fact, I am still blooming. I know a few other people, too, who are in the same boat. All of this stuff has been magnified since the birth.
Think I am exaggerating? Go have yourself a baby then. And hire a house cleaner. Or, hire me one...

Arizona, wedding cake and pools.

Some more stuff...

My whole day life is about to change again.I need an animal pen or something because once she starts to crawl she will cease to be a mellow baby.







She took the car the other night, but she DID at least fill it up with gas.

Some stuff.

You can insert your own caption if you want to. There are soooo many possibilities...




Zoo time! Went to the zoo in Oakland. Lots of animals. And then there was our pack of kids...




The carousel made daddy sick for the rest of the day.


Aya and Lita's cousin Zoe.






Lita and cousin Odessa!










Aunty Rebecca. She was there when Lita was born. I mean right there, holding my legs up over my head...


Lita and Uncle Chris.

Cakes, naps and other stuff.

Besides being a mom, I am making cakes these days. This one is gluten-free! A doctor from the Whole Child Wellness Center in Belmont ordered it for her husband. I spoke there a few weeks ago. Hopefully it will bring in some dough. These are pictures of the cake. I am just focusing on 6 inch round masterpieces. Its fun!




Lita and Cat!! She is an architect. Lita is going to help her build stuff.


MEOW!





Daddy like to put stuff on her head, and the she like to pose.





So, a few weeks ago I started sleep training her for naps and she has responded quite well. In other words, she goes down for a morning nap around 9ish for an hour or so, then goes back down around 1ish for an hour or so. Every day. Then she goes down for sleep at night around 630ish 7ish. She isn't sleeping through the night, and so far I haven't let her cry it out. I am just too frigging sensitive. However, the lack of sleep is no longer fun and I am slowly losing my mind. I entertain the idea of letting her cry it out every night when she wakes up to play or just tweak my nipples instead of actually feeding. Yeah, I said 'tweak my nipples'.
Anyway, I am tired of not sleeping. I don't think I have slept more than 4 hours at a time since I have been pregnant. So, she might be doing some crying this week.