More Videos

Here are a few more videos I took from the past couple weeks. The first is Aubrina in the bath. She loves bath time!



This one is Aubrina climbing the ladder in the garage. She climbed to the top before I started recording.

Pictures with Santa

On Saturday we took Aubrina to get her picture taken with Santa. We went to Tiny Tots, which is a cool baby boutique in Campbell.

First we took a family picture to get Aubrina somewhat used to taking a picture with a weird looking stranger in a red suit with a big bushy white beard.

From Pictures with Santa 2009

Then we let Aubrina take an individual picture with Santa. She didn't cry, but she looked like she was scared that we were going to leave her there!

From Pictures with Santa 2009

Baby's Due Date

I just got back from my latest doctor appointment for the new baby. This birth will have to be a scheduled C-section (Aubrina was born via C-section, and it's too risky to try the natural way since it's so soon after Aubrina's birth). My doctor says she has to schedule C-sections three months in advance, or else we would have to do it at a crazy time like 5:30am, so she's already scheduled this baby's birth.

Our new due date is March 17, 2010. We'll have a little St. Patrick's baby!

We're still thinking of names, and we definitely have some front-runners. We'll let you know once we decide for sure. :)

Aubrina goes grocery shopping

Even though Aubrina's walking now, she still practices while holding on to things. The other night she decided to take her shopping cart for a spin, and maneuvered like a pro! I caught part of it on my iphone. I'll post more pics of her walking by herself soon.

Happy Belated Birthday, Aubrina!

For months we'd been looking forward to celebrating Aubrina's first birthday with a big old party. But the plans quickly changed when Aubrina caught a stomach bug the day before her birthday (which was on October 11), and we had to cancel her party.

We ended up postponing the party for 2 weeks, and instead of having it at the park, we had it at our house. It was great to see lots of family and friends and have all their kids come over to play!

From Aubrina's First Birthday

From Aubrina's First Birthday

We kept the same catering order for 75 people, although we knew that only about 50 people would show up for the new party (and actually only about 40 people ended up coming). We had TONS of Mexican food leftover and gave it away to some of our guests and packed up the rest in the freezer. Yum!

From Aubrina's First Birthday

Aubrina loved eating the frosting on her cake (she wasn't too interested in the cake itself) and opening her presents. Her favorite gifts were the bottle from a baby doll (she's still getting used to the actual baby doll, but she looooves the bottle!) and a gum ball machine that lights up and plays music (The 'gum balls' are 2.5 in colorful balls, so there's no choking hazard).

From Aubrina's First Birthday

From Aubrina's First Birthday

Thanks to everyone who could make it to the party on short notice and help make her birthday special!!

And she's off

On Friday night Aubrina started walking! She's been cruising around the furniture and walking with help for months now... since she was about 9 months old. I figured that she was just trying to gain confidence and practice, and that she would walk when she was ready.

Sure enough, Friday night after we'd finished dinner, we were playing in the living room and she just got up and walked from the coffee table to the TV. When she got there I started clapping and getting excited, but she looked at me like "What's the big deal, Mom?" I had a feeling she would start walking one day without noticing what she was doing, and that's exactly what she did!

Halloween!

This year for Halloween Aubrina was a giraffe. I let her pick out the costume herself, and she made a cute choice! She looked so cute in her costume, and even looked like a giraffe since she's still crawling. It cracked me up!

From Halloween 2009

From Halloween 2009

We went to the Halloween party at Google and saw Zoe, a friend from Aubrina's school who was dressed up like a duck. The girls didn't know what to make of seeing each other in these crazy get-ups and just stared at each other for awhile.

From Halloween 2009

On Halloween night Mark took Aubrina trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. She was comfy & cozy in her stroller, and of course had no idea what was going on. :) But she got lots of good candy!

From Halloween 2009

Announcing...

another Scianna Baby!

From Baby Boy Ultrasound

I'm now 18 weeks pregnant, due in March, and we found out last week that it's a boy! That makes Aubrina and her little brother 17 months apart. We'll definitely have our hands full, but we're so excited!

While Daddy's Away....

Mark has been away on business all this week, Monday through Friday, so it's just me and Aubrina. I usually don't like it when Mark goes out of town, but for some reason this time I'm not minding it as much. Maybe because Aubrina and I are staying busy this week. It also helps that I'm able to get a lot more housework done, and I can watch whatever TV show I want :) hehe

But we really do miss him. Last night Mark called to say Hi and I put it on speaker phone so that Aubrina could hear him, and she started to cry and was looking for him in the phone. I can tell she misses him too.

Family Vacation to Hawaii

A couple weeks ago, the three of us took our first big family vacation to Hawaii. We stayed on the big island since none of us had been there before, and it was totally different than what we expected. We had heard that it was very different from the other islands, but we didn't realize how big the difference was.

We stayed in the Waikoloa Beach area, a few miles north of Kona, on the half of the island that feels like a desert. There is lava and grasslands as far as you can see. All of the resorts are on the Kona side of the island, since they have the best beaches (although they are teeny). Although at times it seemed desolate, it was still paradise.

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

We did take a road trip around the island for a few days to see all the sites beyond the resorts. This was my favorite part of the trip. Just a few miles south of Kona the terrain starts to feel more like the Hawaii I knew before - jungle. We wanted to check out the active volcano Kilauea and Hilo, and then a few other stops along the way.

First we drove to South Point, the southernmost point in the United States, and then stopped at a black sand beach.

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

Kilauea was amazing! It's not the typical volcano that you would expect, and when we got there I didn't even realize that we were on a mountain... it's a short mountain :) The history of this volcano is amazing, and I can go on and on with reasons why, but I'll just say that it's said to be the most active volcano on earth and leave you with the Wikipedia article to read if you want to, and of course a few pictures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilauea).

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

Hilo was a cool town for two reasons: the waterfalls, and because it's the hometown of BJ Penn. We tried to hunt him down to get a picture with him, but the closest we got was a picture of the outside of his gym.

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

After that we drove through the cowboy town of Waimea and back to our hotel to relax. The big island might not by 'typical' Hawaii, but there are definitely some really cool things to do there.

From Hawaii Big Island 2009

Swimming with Uncle Gordon

Last weekend we took advantage of the hot weather and played in the kiddie pool in the backyard. Aubrina loves anything to do with water - pools, baths, faucets, sprinklers, puddles, cups filled with water.... so she had fun. We also got to spend time with my brother and his girlfriend Lara, who we don't get to see very often. It was a nice Sunday afternoon!

From Swimming with Uncle Gordon

From Swimming with Uncle Gordon

From Swimming with Uncle Gordon

Aubrina's Accomplishments

Aubrina has been changing so much over the past couple months, it's totally amazing to me. Just in the past 2 months she's learned to sit on her own, crawl, pull herself up, get herself back down, and walk along the furniture. She LOVES crawling through tunnels, whether it's the blue tunnel at school, underneath the coffee table, underneath the dining room chairs, or even through people's legs. She also loves being upside down.

From Aubrina 9mo Pictures

Besides that, her fine motor skills have been improving too! She's perfecting picking up food with her thumb and forefinger to feed herself, she gives 'Hi Fives' and she's learning how to clap. She can open a box and put toys in it, and she's getting better at turning the pages of her books. I think the cutest thing now is that she's starting to cuddle with her blankies and stuffed animals. A few weeks ago we sent Mark off on a business trip, and she waved bye-bye for the first time.

From Aubrina 9mo Pictures

Now she's beginning to understand cause and effect. Now when she's in her high chair and she drops her toy on purpose, she winces knowing it's going to make a noise. She's also starting to understand things when we talk to her. You tell her 'Give me a high five!' and she does it with a smile :) I tell her 'Go get your pink bunny' and she crawls right to it. She's still testing the waters on some things, like when she reaches for the plug in the wall and I tell her 'No,' she cracks up and then reaches for it again. But at least she's not saying 'No' back to me yet!

From Aubrina 9mo Pictures

Our Little bumGenius

I was about 4 months pregnant when Mark dropped a bomb on me... He wanted to do cloth diapers for the baby. What?!?! Cloth diapers?? Even our parents who used cloth diapers on us because disposables were so new and unreliable tried to steer Mark away from this crazy idea. I kept telling myself that he would move on and forget about it eventually.

But he didn't. He did hours of research on which diapers were the best, which ones were easiest to clean, and how much they cost. He also did research on the impact disposable diapers have on the environment.

Ok, I'm on board with reducing trash. But unless you get a diaper service, you have to wash the diapers... which means you have to touch poop... and poop gets in the washing machine. And what are you supposed to do when you're not at home? You have to walk around with a poopy diaper in your bag? Aren't cloth diapers expensive? Won't we have to keep buying bigger sizes as the baby grows?

Just before Aubrina was born, and after months of discussion, I finally gave in. I decided to give them a try, even if it was only to make Mark happy. We 'invested' in 30 bumGenius 3.0 diapers. They were the latest and greatest. They come in one size, but they're adjustable - you use the same diapers until the baby is potty trained. Even I have to admit - that's pretty cool and I knew that if they worked out it would save us a LOT of money. So I was starting to crack. Maybe these really were the perfect diapers. Now we just had to see them in action.

Well, Aubrina is 8 months old now, and we've been using the same great bumGenius diapers since she was born. They're really easy to wash, and I rarely have to touch poop! They fit Aubrina perfectly, no matter what size diaper she's wearing. When we're out I carry a wetbag with me which contains the wetness AND the smell. They're soft, they're clean, they're easy, we have no leaks, they don't take up space in the landfills ... I LOVE THESE DIAPERS!! Although they come in so many fun colors (I really wanted blossom, clementine, and zinnia) we decided to get white. This turned out to be a good decision since we'll definitely use them for the next baby.

So, Mark was right. I'm totally convinced now that cloth diapers are the way to go, especially these ones! Way to go, Mark!

Weekend in Vegas

Last weekend we took a mini-vacation to Las Vegas. We met up with a bunch of my cousins and Aunt Annette and Uncle Larry from Michigan, and Aunt Bobby and Uncle Ted from San Jose, along with my dad, to celebrate Annette and Larry's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a great trip! It was the first time the family from Michigan met Aubrina, and of course she loved all the attention she got. It was also her first time on an airplane (she did great! not a peep out of her!) and in the swimming pool.

It was great to see everyone - hopefully we can get together again soon!!

First plane ride

From Las Vegas 2009

The fam outside of the Venetian

From Las Vegas 2009

Dad and Aunt Annette

From Las Vegas 2009

Home Made Baby Food is a Success!

From Homemade Baby Food

Last weekend I finally got around to making my own baby food. It's something that I really wanted to do, and then after starting work I kept putting it off thinking it would be more effort than it was worth. I'm happy to report that it really is not as much work as I thought it would be!

In just a couple hours on Sunday I was able to make green beans, squash, apples, and pears from start to finish (washing the fruits/veggies, chopping/peeling, steaming, pureeing, and then freezing). As an added confidence boost, Mark wasn't home to help me watch Aubrina so I did it all while taking care of her at the same time!

From Homemade Baby Food

Considering how little time it takes and how many meals you get out of it, I'm now a believer that home made baby food is the way to go. I put each batch in ice cube trays to make it easier to store and then later prepare only what I'll need. Each cube is about the right serving size right now anyway, so it works out perfectly. I was able to get between 24 and 48 servings of each type of fruit or veggie, so it's definitely time well spent.

From Homemade Baby Food

The best part is that Aubrina likes it!

From Homemade Baby Food

From Homemade Baby Food

More Videos

When Mark posted the last video of Aubrina to YouTube, he found some more videos on his phone from when she was only a couple weeks old. It's weird to see how much she's changed since then - it's almost like I've forgotten what she was like just a few months ago, and that makes me sad. I'm sure I'll be feeling that way her whole life.

We'll have to post some better videos soon, especially now that she's rolling over and grabbing at everything :)

This one is when Aubrina was 6 days old:


And in this one she's 10 days old:

Aubrina Thinks Anabelle is Funny!

Here's a cute video we took a couple weekends ago. Aubrina was cracking up at the dog, Annabelle, who she was watching through the window. Anabelle was so excited to see us at the door that she started jumping up and down, which Aubrina thought was funny.

The quality isn't very good because we didn't have the video cam handy, so Mark took it on his phone.

This Year's Garden

On Sunday Mark's dad showed us a shoebox that was passed down to him from his father. This box contained hundreds of seeds from various vegetables, all labeled and separated into different envelopes and baggies.

Mark's grandfather and great-grandfather had both saved these seeds from their favorite veggies that they had planted in their own gardens through the years. Some of the bags were labeled with a year, like '76 Stone Tomato' and '1984 Long Squash.' Others were labeled written in Italian, and we have yet to figure out what those seeds are.

We took a few home to see if we could bring them back to life for our own garden this year. If they re-germinate, I think it would be a pretty cool family tradition. We'll keep you posted!

Product Recalls: Another One Bites the Dust

When I was checking items for recalls before Aubrina was born, I came a cross the Consumer Product Safety Commission's website. They are a government agency that monitors product recalls daily, and you can sign up to be notified by email whenever a recall occurs. I signed up back in August and have received an email almost every day with new product recalls. That might sound like a lot of emails, but I've found it to be very valuable.

For example, yesterday's list included a crib toy that we received at our baby shower.



But they don't only monitor baby items. Today's list included fire extinguishers that fail to operate. I checked all of ours and they were not included in the recall.

The CPSC always includes pictures and detailed instructions to find out if the product you have is included in the recall. They also give instructions on how to contact the manufacturer for a refund, replacement, or how to fix the item.

The items that we've had recalled in the past 6 months are: a crib, baby bjorn, crib toy, and a circular saw.

The scariest was probably our original bassinet.



They also send out safety announcements and information on new laws. We have a lot of friends and family that have pools, so we found this Pool And Spa Safety Law update really helpful.

For all you parents out there, I highly recommend signing up at the CPSC website.

First few days of School

Today is Aubrina's third day of school (We're calling it 'school' now instead of 'daycare' because that's what it really is :)

She has been having so much fun and has activities all day to keep her busy. Yesterday she went to the art studio to learn about movement and texture. They played with mobiles and touched a bumpy mural, which some of the older kids made. Each day the teachers take pictures so that they can document the kids' progress, as well as share with the parents what they do all day.

I feel very lucky because I've been able to spend time at school with Aubrina to create a gradual transition. The teachers still do most of the work, but I'm able to answer questions about Aubrina's routines and play from time to time. This way Aubrina is able to build trust with her teachers and other kids while I'm there so that she feels safer. I've been leaving for gradually longer periods each day to get used to saying goodbye. I'm not sure if it makes much of a difference to her, but it sure makes a difference for me!

Here is a video and pictures of Aubrina's first days.





Gazing at a picture of Daddy.


Reading with Jordana.


Learning about art with Valerie.


Aubrina's favorite toys right now - her feet!

Work and Daycare

It's been a long time since we've posted, and a lot has been going on since then!

Aubrina is still growing like a weed, and doing new things every day. Now she's 4 1/2 months old, weighs 15.5 pounds, is almost rolling over from back to tummy, and is grabbing at everything. She's also eating 1 tbsp of rice cereal a day - yay!

We've also been preparing for a big change for our family - going back to work and starting daycare! On Monday Aubrina will be starting at Google daycare three days a week, and I'll be going back to work full time starting March 16th. I'm sad that I won't be able to spend my days with her, but we know she'll be in excellent care and that she'll learn a lot and have fun. We went to visit yesterday, and Mark and I attended our first PTA meeting.





Mark and I were a little nervous about putting Aubrina in daycare, but once we toured the facility we felt like we would be foolish not to enroll her. It's expensive, but we feel that it will be worth it. All the classrooms, including Aubrina's which has infants ages 4 to 6 months, are staffed by credentialed teachers. They create lessons based on what the children are interested in and use ordinary everyday items to help enhance their learning. They have a full time art teacher who comes up with projects for each age group, even the infants. It's definitely a better learning environment than I could aspire to provide her at home.



(Here's a picture of Aubrina with her new friend Isabella)


My favorite parts of my days with Aubrina have been cuddling and nursing in the morning, and our bedtime routine. Luckily, I think we'll still be able to spend those times together after we start work and daycare. It will be a tough transition for me because we've spent every day together since she was born. I know that a lot of families make it work though, so I've been trying to focus on the positives - Aubrina will be with actual teachers, she will make new friends, and Mark and I will be able to provide a happier life for her. We'll see how it goes!

Aubrina at Three Months

Aubrina is already three months old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. She's smiling, cooing, and she talks a lot. She's grabbing things and putting everything in her mouth. Her two favorite toys are a blue stuffed elephant and a stuffed baby doll - she gets so excited when you hold either of them in front of her, and then once she grabs them she immediately puts them in her mouth. She's also starting to hold her head up more and always wants to sit up and look around, although she can't sit up by herself yet.

Yesterday I took her to get her three month pictures taken. They turned out pretty cute and I think they show off her happy personality. We have an album with all the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/sciannas/3MonthPictures, but here are 2 of my favorites:

From 3 Month Pictures

From 3 Month Pictures

Baby's First Illness

Last week Aubrina got her first illness. On Saturday night she and I went to my cousin's house for dinner. The whole time we were there I kept telling them "She never acts like this" because she wouldn't stop fussing. When we got home Mark was the first one to realize that she had a fever.

The next day the fever got worse and continued for the next 2 days. The only symptom she ever had was a fever, but she definitely didn't feel good. She slept a lot and was very clingy - she wanted her Mommy! By the time we saw the doctor on Tuesday, her fever broke and she had a rash, and the doctor recognized it right away as roseola, or baby measles. Now she's all better and ready to celebrate being three months old! And I'm relieved that her first fever is behind us.