ONE

Someone turned ONE this weekend.

Today was her one-year checkup. She's still a petite little girl, but boy has she grown in the last year. And she sure does have a set of lungs. She's known for her loud shrieks and cries around the ped's office. 
I haven't done any stats updates so far, but I figured I would do one for her one-year checkup just to see how far she's come.

Age: ONE!

Stats: 28 inches (20%),  18 lbs (5%), 17 inch head circumference (30%!) 

Favorite Foods: Blueberries & Bananas

Favorite Words: Mamamamama..., Da!

Favorite Toy: Jellycat Bunglie Pink Giraffe

Favorite Book: You Are My Cupcake

Favorite Activities: Anything with water (pool time & bath time), "Walking" down the stairs with daddy, Running circles around the house, Pretending like she's part of the joke when everyone is laughing, Being attached to mama

Least Favorite Activities: Getting her diaper changed, Riding in the car, Meeting a big group of new people, Getting separated from mama

Nicknames: So, So So, Sobo (short for Yakisoba bowl), B

Signature Moves: Waving whenever she sees someone getting into a car & being scared of everything

Mom's Proudest Moment: Raising a little health nut. Sophia loves fruit. She could eat it all day long. She wouldn't even touch the cake we got for her cake smash photos until we put Cheerios on it.

Dad's Proudest Moment: Being the first person to make Sophia laugh. Don't worry, he won't let anyone forget this.

Other one year celebrations...
Saturday afternoon, we had a pool party. It was so nice and small, and Johnny's family was able to drive up for it!! After warming up to so many new faces, Sophia had a great time in the pool with her cousins.

Sunday, we spent the morning at the Houston Zoo. Boy was it hot! And crowded. It seemed like every family in Houston had the same idea we did.

Later that afternoon, we took Sophia to the big girl pool for the first time. She had so much fun and couldn't get enough of the water. I'm so glad that she loved it because I spent half my life in the pool (between swim team, lifeguarding, swim lessons & fun in the sun!).

Johnny and I look forward to this next year. We talked about some things we want to do this next year that include swim lessons, tumbling, dance classes, introducing her to more kiddos, a trip to the beach, her baptism, and so much more!!

Hello May!

So long April, hello May! 

Birthday month is finally here, and we could not be more excited! We're going to spend a couple days in Austin around Johnny's birthday for Sophia's one year photos, birthday fun, and my sister's graduation from UT Austin! And my aunt is visiting from Hong Kong. She'll finally get to meet Sophia.

I know I say this every time, but Sophia has changed so much lately.

She has finally grown an attachment to a toy. She has a stuffed giraffe (the one she's holding in the picture above) that she loves. Last night, Sophia was so grumpy before bedtime. The second she got a hold of her giraffe, she started to calm down. And of course, she held onto the giraffe with her chubby fingers all night.

Sophia has two bottom teeth. The top two have been "coming in" for about a month now, but still no sign of breaking through yet.

She's walking. Walking! She can take a couple steps alone. And she'll walk around the whole house if you hold her hand. Pretty soon she'll be running through the house. For now, she speed crawls. She squeals and laughs and crawls faster when she hears us running after her...especially when she heads towards the kitchen.

She's crazy. And talkative. And likes to be the center of attention. She's lucky she's cute, or else she would be annoying. Johnny said, "now you know how I feel about you." Ha. Ha. Ha. He's a comedian that one.

Oh and she loves kisses. She'll grab your face and kiss you.

A Little Update

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for our family, but hopefully it means some exciting new changes for us...fingers crossed! Say a little prayer for us!

Sophia, as usual, is crazy. She likes to make this pirate/pig face when she's feeling extra silly. Or when she's drinking out of a straw.

And she sure does love her Cheerios. Please excuse the mess behind sweet So.

She makes almost weekly trips to see the duckies with my parents. I don't know who enjoys it more, Sophia or my parents.

 And she took her first big girl ride in the grocery cart. She loved it. She's so curious and always wants to know what is going on. So looked at every. single. person. that walked by!

But, every once in awhile, we do experience a quiet moment.

And I'll leave you for now with a little collage of her first nine months. Shout out to sweet Jessica Garvin for the chalkboard circles!

T-Minus 3 Months...

...and counting until Sophia's first birthday. Holy 9 month baby!

In the last 9 months, Sophia has developed the sweetest & craziest little personality.

Some updates on our little So:

• She is everywhere. Girl can crawl...and fast. You cannot look away for even a second. And Auntie Tiffany thought it would be a great idea to teach her how to climb the stairs. I had a minor heart attack when I found out.
• Sophia has two little bottom teeth. So sweet, right? Wrong! She bites. 
• She smiles the sweetest smiles when someone she recognizes walks into the room. For right now, that list consists of Johnny, my dad, my mom, and myself. Occasionally she'll get excited to see her aunts as well. They visit often enough (and FaceTime/call her on the phone) for her to remember them.
• Girlfriend likes to talk. And she has lots to say. She can carry a conversation with anyone that will baby babble back. It's more of a high-pitched squeak, but it's incredibly sweet.
• Sophia has been to the zoo three times now. The zoo has free admission the first Tuesday of every month, and my parents have become obsessed with taking her to see the animals. She loves them, especially the fishies...except she still spooks easily and cried today when the sheep made a peep.
• She touches/reaches for everything with just one finger.
• She loves blowing raspberries and then giving sloppy wet kisses. She thinks she's hilarious.
• Her last "first" holiday (Easter) is quickly approaching.
• Sophia is on the verge of walking alone. I want to find her some cute little shoes that will provide some support for her little feet, especially since they turn in. And it always looks like she's twisting her feet when she's standing. Johnny wants some daddy-daughter Converse. I want some moccasins. Check out these sweet moccasins that I'm dying to get her. I just can't decide on a color! Too many choices!
• She can't wait to go swimming. Okay, really I can't wait to take her to the pool. Baby swimsuits are too precious (although Johnny got upset when I tried to buy Sophia a bikini. Apparently it is unnecessary for babies to wear bikinis).
• I also can't wait for her to be old enough for dance and tumbling lessons. We need activities to use up some of this little girl's energy!

We took some 9 month photos of Sophia in her Cubs onsie because it was the first thing Johnny bought when he found out we were having a girl (of course!). Auntie Daisy made the tutu and headband to match it when Sophia was a newborn. The outfit finally fit, so we just had to put it on her.

Of course, Sophia will no longer hold still, so taking photos of her has become infinitely more difficult. Most of the photos ended up with her either looking down or crawling away.

At least the fluffy tutu still makes for a pretty picture!

Cabin Fever!

Oh. My. Goodness. Time is flying by so quickly! It's pretty much February, and we've survived 8 months as parents. But I am in no way ready for Sophia to be O-N-E yet!

Now that she is so active, I am looking for some activities to burn some of Sophia's endless energy. I'm thinking swim lessons or a gymboree class. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

Little Rascal

The little rascal, more affectionately named Sophia, is mobile! And there isn't a moment when she stops moving. She crawls everywhere with her tiny hiney wiggling around in the air. And she can push herself into standing position on the couch...yikes!

Where did my baby go?!

So now it is a constant chase to keep up with this toddler! 

I got the updated Bumbo with the seatbelt in an attempt to keep her seated. I bought one while I was still pregnant, used it once or twice when Sophia was barely big enough, and returned it when they got recalled a couple months ago. So far it seems like she's enjoying it.

Sophia turned eight months yesterday and has been busy with so many activities, including attending fancy weddings...

...holding town meetings...

...weathering some cold temps...

...visiting her animal friends at the zoo...

...and her alien aunts in Austin!

My two favorite holidays, Valentine's Day and Easter, are coming up! And then Sophia's 1st birthday. My plan is to have a more permanent home, so I can give her a big girl/playroom for her birthday! We'll see how it works out. This era of social media makes me feel guilty for not having Stepford-esque, Pinterest-worthy projects completed for my daughter. But that's a different battle for another day. For now, I'm going to rest until the little rascal wakes up from her nap.

2013!

Okay, so I know I am super late with this post, but hello 2013! I'm not sure how it will top 2012, but I am excited to see what this year brings for our little family...like Sophia's first birthday (umm..how are we ALREADY even thinking about this?!)

2012 was a big year for us.

We found out we were having a GIRL!...

...celebrated our first wedding anniversary...

Photo from the amazing Taylor Lord!

...introduced Sophia Rose Rivera (the sweetest, cutest, best baby ever) to the world...

...and celebrated seven months of her perfect little life!
And this year, I've set a resolution to be around more for Sophia. I don't want to be the absent mother that is always at work, missing out on all the big moments in her daughter's life.

Hopefully this year also brings us our first house and a chance to make that house a home. We also get to celebrate Johnny's 30th, Sophia's 1st, my sisters' college & grad school graduations, several of our friends' big days, and all the moments in between.

Cheers to 2013!