Lewko Family Blog

First Visit to Santa and Christmas Program

2011-12-17T17:08:00.000-08:00

Jillian had her first holiday program last Wednesday. She was so excited about the night and when we got there she ran around, hyper and happy. But soon it ended. The tears came. We tried to calm her down by taking her outside but it got worse because she thought she was missing the program (it hadn't started yet). She finally got back to normal but then it was time to begin. All the kids went to the back of the church and out some doors to file in for their big entrance. Her class was announced and started filing in but where was Jillian? Bringing up the rear, crying in the arms of her teacher.

The first song she cried through, started to rally towards the end of the second. By the third and last song she was fine, jumping up in the air and landing on her bottom.

Earlier in the night she met Santa, her first time ever. Boy, she was ready. She was shaking with excitement. She kept a big smile on her face. I think she forgot to tell him what she wants - a skateboard - but he'll get the message.

Disneyland!

2011-10-30T14:04:00.001-07:00

(Jillian holds on to Mater's tooth)

We decided to take Jillian to Disneyland for her 3rd birthday. Well, actually, before her 3rd birthday so we wouldn't have to pay for her. We went for 3 days. Jillian's Mima and Papa made this happen for us and came with us for Jillian's first visit. We stayed at the Grand Californian and had adjoining rooms. That made going to the parks so easy. We also had a few visitors. Ethan and Adam came on our first day and the Stephens family joined us on the last day.

Jillian's first ride was supposed to be Dumbo but it broke down! This is from a later ride. We went to Casey Jr., the train ride right next door. Dumbo became ride #2.

The cousins together. They got along really well. Those boys have energy!

The grandparents and grandkids are ready to go!

Jillian loved meeting the characters. She didn't get her mom's fear of costumed characters.

Jason, Jillian, Emma and Doug. We were so happy they could join us!

We loved the World of Color show at California Adventure. It was beautiful and fun to watch Jillian get excited at each music and scene change.

Jillian's first character encounter with Alice.

The gang in front of Mima's favorite ride, Matterhorn.

Beginning our adventure on Day 2. We got in early and it wasn't very busy.

Moving to the 3 Year Old Classroom & A Night Without Daddy

2011-09-01T18:33:00.001-07:00

So the school wants to move Jillian to the 3 year old classroom this week. We were/are nervous as it has only been 2 months in the 2 year old classroom. She tried out a visit today to the 3 year old class. We prepped her and her teachers prepped her. I went out to the playground to pick her up and she runs over to me and says, I kid you not, "Mom, I actually think I'm going to like this." I asked her to repeat it to make sure I heard her correctly. She had such a great time with the 3 year olds and so we feel much better about this move!

Tonight Jason has a happy hour with friends so it is just Mommy and Jillian. I called Olive Garden for a dinner pick up (can you believe I still have giftcard money for there?! That is the only reason I did it!!) and it came with chocolate milk. Jillian was in heaven. She drank it all before we even got home. Now she is watching Toy Story and eating Mac and Cheese. We're going to pick up Jason at 8 and she is so excited to put on her jammies and ride in the car to get her Daddy!

1st Shiner

2011-09-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Jillian was being adorable, walking upstairs and into her bedroom for her nap with her eyes closed. She was pretending she was asleep. Well as we get into her bedroom she trips (on nothing - she's not graceful) and falls eye first into the metal folding chair we keep in her bedroom. I freak out. She cries. Dad keeps a cool head and checks her out. 5 minutes later she is fine. I am still a mess. She got a small cut from where she hit and a heck of a shiner!

Jillian Dresses Herself

2011-08-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

For about a week or so Jillian has expressed an interest to dress herself. This includes selecting the actual garments, removing her pjs and putting on her new clothes. She can usually take off her socks and pants no problem. Taking off the shirt is usually a greater challenge and often results in some grumbling and whining. If we offer help she is quick to turn up the volume on the whining but will finally give in.

Putting on the new clothes is always a challenge. This is definitely not my favorite way she shows her independence. Her pants don't make it past her diaper and it is so sad to see her hopping around trying to pull them up. She gets lost in her shirt and doesn't get the concept of a front or a back. Same for pants, actually. Shoes and socks are her strong suit. She can get on most pairs but it can take a few tries depending on her patience and concentration levels.

The best part is to see what she picks out. This photo is from her first day choosing her entire outfit. Classic!

Papa's Birthday

2011-08-14T20:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated (my dad) Papa's birthday. We went to Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad and sat on their outdoor patio. All the kids got antsy and ran around, stopping occasionally to sit with Papa. When the free birthday dessert came out the kids came running back. I'm not sure he got very much of his birthday flan.

Friends Come to Visit

2011-07-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Emma (and Marie) and Rachel (and Heather) came to visit us. The girls had not been over in a really long time and now everyone was old enough to play with all of Jillian's fun toys. Jillian was not interested in being a hostess. She did interact with her guests but she often played in another room. She would be thrilled one minute to show them something and then distracted by Snow White the next. It was still super fun to have guests. Thanks for coming over!

School!

2011-07-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Various circumstances led to Jillian starting pre-school last week. She started on Tuesday, July 5th. We found a transition center/school that goes through pre-K. She'll be learning letters and numbers and potty training. Yay! Already she loves it! She knows her teachers and has "friends". And she has been initiated! Only one week after her start and she caught a virus! Jason was up all night with her. (Vomit is one thing I cannot do!!!) Poor thing is weak and tired but in remarkably good spirits! Coincidentally we had a doctor's appointment scheduled for her school physical. So she got checked out today.

Jason and I are so hopeful that this regular routine will be good for her. She was beginning to get cranky transitioning from place to place and us armchair detectives thought the uncertainty might have played a factor. Hopefully this will continue to go well!

Summer by the Pool

2011-07-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

I purchased this pool that's meant for babies. Last year I bought the crab pool and it lasted for only 2 dips before the top of the crab dipped into the pool and it was unusable. Bummer dude. So this year I spent $5 for this beauty. All she wants to do is stand in it anyways. She hasn't gotten into sitting or submerging.

As daring as she gets! She likes to throw all her Little People animals into the pool. Barbie and Ken have also taken a dip.

Showing her prune-y fingers. She doesn't like that they're different and is very relieved when they go back to normal.

Jillian At 2.5

2011-06-13T20:45:00.001-07:00

So as I have been s-l-o-w-l-y putting together Jillian's baby book I realized how much of life's daily events I forget. So I am going to try to be more diligent with the blog so when I go to document her toddler years I have something. (I really have a horrible memory!). So this will be a current events post.

Jillian loves make-believe.

She tells long stories about this and that - including some real facts but a lot of nonsense (plot and words).
She plays with her Barbies (and Ken) and they have dialog and move about their mansion.
She wants to pretend that she is a doctor and will listen to our heartbeat and give us bandaids.
She switches our roles. Jason becomes the baby, I become the daddy and Jillian becomes the mommy.

Jillian still watches way too much TV!

She has a gazillion favorite shows. Lately she asks for Angelina Ballerina, Go Diego Go, and she has returned to Dora the Explorer.
Her vocabulary now includes the word iPad. She has mastered several puzzles.
When we're out she'll ask to watch a show on my phone.

Jillian knows how to bargain and manipulate.

Bedtime is awful! She asks for a million and one things to make us stay in her room longer. She needs one more drink, one more hug, one more book, etc.
We have to be so careful what we say and what we promise her. She will hold us to everything! Yesterday I told her we could get some popcorn "at home" (we were at Legoland). She fell asleep in the car, was half awake as we took her inside and as soon as we got to the bedroom, "Mom, I want popcorn."
Oh yeah, she calls me Mom sometimes. And Jason, Dad. It is pretty funny from such a small thing.
If we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do (like go upstairs to get ready for bed) it is not surprising to have her reply, "How about I watch a movie first and then go upstairs." She is a wheeler and a dealer!

Talking

She is still very communicative. We are so lucky. We've been holding conversations with her for a long time. We don't really notice new words (unless they're remarkable). We mainly notice new sentence formations or parts of speech.
For example, she has been saying "because" and "so" and "but" for a really long time. And she uses them correctly!
This past weekend she ran out to the backyard and said, "Oh! My! Gosh!" Hilarious.
A few weeks ago she started on the ever popular toddler questions, "why?"
She constantly wants to know why someone is doing something, what is their name, etc.
She has begun to blame Jason and I for things that happen. It is amusing but we're trying to discourage it. If she sees a toy in a different spot, "Mom, why did you take my toy?" She is very serious when she says this as if we have wounded her.

Behavior

Overall we're very fortunate. She doesn't have any standout issues. She does have tantrums but mostly minor. I haven't yet left a grocery store. We've never given a time out. She has had to apologize for yelling or throwing things. We're just trying to teach her to communicate verbally what she needs (and in a polite way!)
By the way, Polite as a Princess is an awesome book for teaching good behavior. Jillian is all about the Disney Princesses and so she really responds well to this book.

Favorite Foods

Waffles
Yogurt
Fruity Cheerios
Chicken Nuggets
Any kind of fruit

Also, she has been telling us she loves us without us saying it first. Let me tell you, that is just an awesome feeling. She is still a Mommy's Girl but is becoming more and more of a Daddy's Girl every day. We love our girl.

Easy Reading

2011-03-25T18:34:00.001-07:00

Jillian and I spent a fun couple of days together. Yesterday we went to breakfast with Daddy, the zoo and Costco. Today it was playing with Ava Yates and nap at Mima and Papa's house. Ava's mommy gave me her US Weekly to enjoy. Jillian asked to read it on the way home.

She kept pointing out "Mommies" and "Daddies" her usual names for adult women and men.

Jilly Faces

2011-03-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

So Jillian has been doing faces on command for awhile but I haven't been able to capture a lot of them. Here is her repertoire.

The Lip: Her sad face.

What?

Silly face.

A Trip to the Aquarium

2011-02-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Jillian was really excited to go to the aquarium. She had been to an aquarium in Maui with Mima and Papa and knew she would see lots of fish. She was not so excited about having her photo taken.

We stayed in the big tank room for a long time. It wasn't very busy so Jillian could run around and see the fish up close.

Daddy, Jilly and her "friend" Uniqua (a Backyardigan).

Jillian got to touch a sea cucumber in the outside tide pool area. She loved it and so daddy took her back to touch it for a second time.

Jason's Marathon

2011-01-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Jason competed in his first marathon in Carlsbad. Jillian was excited to see her daddy but also for her first donut.

Our first stakeout spot was around mile 14. It was easy to spot Jason because there were only marathon runners (as opposed to half-marathoners).

Here he comes after the turnaround.

We then moved to mile 22. This location was at the park on Cannon and PCH. Here's the cheering squad.

I am so proud of Jason! This is something I could never do myself.

Recap: December

2011-01-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

December: So we had several fun events the first couple weeks of December: Jason's office party, getting together with friends, and more - but no photos! The lack of a flash seriously hampers capturing lasting memories. Well, Jason solved that problem for us! He got me a digital SLR. I have been wanting one of these forever. I don't know how to use it - yet - but watch out when I learn what this baby can do!

Baking with Mima: December 22nd

Christmas Eve Fiesta: Pam held the Christmas Eve Fiesta this year. The food was awesome, and she kept the traditions of the Ugly Ornament Exchange and the piñata!

Taylor just found out we were giving him Jason's old truck.

Christmas Morning: Jillian sort of enjoyed opening gifts. We had another year of progressive gift opening. I think the last gift was opened after New Year's.

Christmas Day:

A new bike from Mima and Papa.

We do an ornament exchange at my parents' Christmas dinner. Here Ron celebrates his victory. We also did wine tasting which was a huge hit!

Cousin bath party.

Legoland: We got passes for Legoland as a Christmas gift from Pam. We went the week between Christmas and New Years. It was too crowded for my taste but I've since been back and it was empty. Jillian loved it - especially the Duplo room.

Jillian learns how to wait in line. She's not great and not horrible.

She wanted to go on the helicopters SO bad but is not quite tall enough.

December also brought a big birthday for Jason. We celebrated in Jason-style with dinner and beer at Lost Abbey Brewery. It was so much fun but guess who didn't take photos? I know! Bad wife! But his loving family and friends did and once I get those I will post the fun!

Recap: November

2011-01-17T14:49:00.001-08:00

November: November was awesome. Jillian and I both celebrated big birthdays (turning 2 and 30) and we went to Maui for 10 days with my parents. It was a wonderful month that I will never forget!

Jillian's first airplane ride. She did great. The ride home was awful, however. She couldn't get to sleep, screamed bloody murder, and managed to kick some fellow passengers. Everyone loved us.

Jason took me to Oahu and the Kualoa Ranch for a day to see where they filmed some things for the TV show Lost. We had an awesome day at Kualoa but I HATED Waikiki. No thank you!

Celebrated my birthday breakfast at The Gazebo restaurant. Super yummy food and a fun atmosphere. You wait in line outdoors to be seated in this tiny restaurant. The restaurant is located in this old condo/hotel complex and the line abuts their swimming pool!

Jillian spent quality time with her grandparents!

November 17th: Jillian's 2nd Birthday

Hanging out at the park with Nana

Celebrating with a cupcake. I bought it a couple days prior and she was desperate to eat it!

Celebrating with friends and family a few days later. We let Jillian pick her party theme and she wanted a Dora party. We decorated Pam's clubhouse with Dora decorations and even had Dora playing on the computer and projected on the wall.

A sugary ending to a great birthday!

Recap: October

2011-01-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

I have for some reason had incredible blog fatigue and can't bring myself to post. Hopefully this will be cured soon. But, for the sake of Jillian's future scrapbook I need to post something.

October: Jillian dressed as a pumpkin for Halloween. I decided to make her costume thinking, "It can't be that hard." I think I overestimate my sewing skills. Our camera's flash broke on my outing to The Office and so I really have no good Jillian Halloween pics. She did like

trick-or-treating but she'd get nervous at the doorway and didn't really want to take candy when anyone offered it. Her cousin Adam is almost 8 months younger and went for it more than she did! I

think next year she'll get it.

Jason and my family also threw me a surprise birthday party the day before Halloween. It was a Lost theme and I had so much fun!

The Office

2010-10-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ronnie has a connection to TV and to The Office specifically. He's friends with the photographer of a ton of TV shows and this guy also dates Kate Flannery - Meredith. About 10 days ago I got the thrill of a lifetime. It started off when we pulled up to the studio and it was - The Office! I mean it was the exterior of what you see on TV! Next, I was blown away as Kate Flannery - Meredith - greeted us for our private tour and lunch with the cast and crew. We also watched the cold opening being filmed before returning to reality.

Sorry, the photos are out of order and I don't feel like wrestling with blogger. And sorry if you've already seen all these on Facebook.

With Stanley. He was amazingly nice to us. We met him on our way to see Kate's trailer.

Creed. He really is that kooky in person. He told us two dirty jokes. The second one he even chased us down for as we were leaving. Ron has video!

Dwight. Rainn was definitely intense. He was good friends with Chris, Ron's friend, and so he couldn't say no to a photo with us!

Erin. Ellie is so sweet to meet. She even introduced us to her sister and waved when she saw us later on.

Kevin. It is a trip to hear Brian speak as himself, not Kevin. He sounds so different.

I was so excited to met Angela as I played her in a spoof video we did at work. She really is tiny!

Phyllis is awesome! She was more than happy to take a photo with us. Chris and Kate kept snagging everyone as they walked by and introduced us as their "friends." I'm friends with a TV star!

Ron channels his inner Michael.

I was so crazy excited at this point. I didn't know if I should pose or try to look natural. Don't you want to play with everything on that desk?

I LOVE this picture. Kate kept suggesting picture ideas to me. She had a couple bottles of alcohol in her desk and told me she is always finding new bottles in there.

Recap:

We met: Meredith, Stanley, Dwight, Phyllis, Kevin, Angela, Erin, and Creed

We saw: Jim and Pam (They got back late from an off-site shoot and so we didn't get a photo with them.) We also so Kelly and she looked at us like, Do I know you?

Not around that day: Michael, Darryl, Andy, Ryan, Toby or Gabe. Though we did meet Toby's (Paul's) brother who is a writer on the show.

I have more photos and stories but I don't want to bore y'all.

Summer

2010-08-17T19:40:00.001-07:00

I have missed a few months due to... who knows. Here is a recap of the summer thus far.

Dad taught Jillian how to spit bath toys. Mom loves this.

A trip to the pool on one of the few hot days so far. She was in for a couple minutes and then over it. We were so hopeful after hearing from both grandmas how much she loved the pool.

After many tearful requests for "fing" (swing) I took a trip to Toys R Us and got one. We rigged it to our outdoor big swing frame. She likes it but hasn't become obsessed with it or anything. I felt so bad the day we bought it because she saw some swings at Del Dios (or some kids playing) and said, "FING!" I told her excitedly, "we're buying a swing." Evidently this information is not delightful to a toddler but incredibly frustrating. As soon as she saw the swing she wanted it set up so she could swing right then. In the car. However that would work.

Hanging out with cousin Adam at Marie's 30th birthday hoedown.

Her first trip to the zoo. At least with Mommy and Daddy. Which means this was her first trip to the zoo.

I found some Little People sets at a garage sale for a good price. She now has a ton of people and animals. She is especially fond of the animals. She shows her love here.

Learned a new skill: climbing through the coffee table.

Revised the pool situation to a blow-up crab. She enjoyed it but didn't want to sit in it for an extended period of time.

Showing me her smile.

And finally we cheered on Daddy at the America's Finest City Half Marathon last Sunday 8/15. He did awesome!

Cookie Monster Eyes

2010-06-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Aren't we cute? Jillian has a Sesame Street play mat that has removable faces.

We Got A Climber!

2010-05-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we don't have a playground within walking distance and Jillian, like any toddler I'm sure, has become enamored with the slide. She loves going on the slide at Grandma's house for some time and after seeing her use a climber at her cousin Ethan's 2nd birthday I became determined to get her something for home.

I became quite the Craigslist stalker. I searched "climber", "slide", "gym", you name it. And I searched every day. Sometimes twice. I had a couple heartbreaks, you know, the usual Craigslist song and dance. And so, when I saw this baby today, I jumped on it!

Or should I say I made Jason jump on it. I didn't want to lose out on it so I sent Jason over right away while I stayed home with a napping Jillian. Thankfully it was only over in Poway so he didn't have far to go.

And it was worth it. Jason and Uncle Taylor set it up in a matter of minutes and she was zipping down the slide. She can't climb the ladder by herself and wants to hurl face first down the slide but thankfully she has a lot of supervision and we'll be working with her in the days to come. So all of you with the itty bitty kiddos, come on over and play!

Riding the Train at Balboa Park

2010-05-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Jillian and Daddy.

A couple weekends ago we went to a birthday party for Jillian's friend Allison at Balboa Park.

We were right next to the zoo. I love the peacocks that just roam around the grounds. This one wanted to check out the party. Jillian got excited to see the bird and kept saying "tweet, tweet."

Sadly Jillian got a little frightened by the train's horn. She began to shake her head and say, "no, no." We felt terrible but we had already started moving. She liked the rest of the ride ok. I think our hopes were higher than her actual enjoyment. Still, it was such a fun event and a beautiful day.

Jillian's New Table and High Chair

2010-04-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Jillian drawing with her Magna Doodle.

I asked Jillian to smile for me.

Jillian has been rejecting her high chair as of late. When it is meal time we ask her to go get in her high chair. She would run over to her purple arm chair and repeatedly say "high chair." We tried to explain that her high chair was in fact the tall one with the frogs on it. No luck. High chair meant her purple chair.

So we changed our tactics and told her she needed to get into her "frog chair." Every time we told her to do this she would again say "high chair" and run to her purple chair. She loves that darn chair.

So my latest idea was to get her a table and chair that she could eat and play at. We took a sojourn to IKEA and I convinced Jason that the $8 end table works just as good as the $25 children's table (I'm a bit thrifty). We set it up and she has taken to it. She calls her new red chair "high chair." Oh well. As long as she eats her food at the table, she can call it whatever she wants.

Easter at the Canfields

2010-04-22T14:17:00.001-07:00

Jillian begins her hunt. She was semi-pro as she had already practiced that morning at our house.

She loved to open the eggs to see what was inside though once open she lost interest.

Ethan was a machine. This kid can hunt eggs so quickly!

Aunt Melissa tried to teach Jillian to shake the eggs before opening.

Later Ethan and Jillian spent some quality time coloring together.

Olive Garden of Evil Update

2010-04-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

So about 5 weeks ago we had a less than wonderful Olive Garden experience. The OG corporation got back to us right away to apologize. And give us what we probably deserved during our original dinner - a meal on them. We got a $50 giftcard which we immediately decided we will spend on their To Go service or their sister restaurant Red Lobster.

The OG made it right. Kohls did not. Do I have a "I like crappy customer service" sign taped to me? I won't go into the whole story but basically I was treated very poorly at Kohls after some confusion about using a coupon and the discount you get from opening a charge card. I wrote in to Kohls to make them aware of their crummy customer service and the letter I received back was less than apologetic. It did tell me how wonderful a Kohls charge account is though. Bleh. If they didn't have such great deals (occasionally) I would boycott them as well.

Easter At The Lewkos... Yes, It Has Been Awhile!

2010-04-13T20:52:00.001-07:00

Get your game face on. Its time for Easter at the Lewko's.

We weren't sure how Jillian would react to Easter and the Egg Hunt. We were surprised that she LOVED IT! She totally got what she was supposed to do. It was so fun to watch her go from egg to egg and see what was inside. I didn't do any candy; only toys. I still am not comfortable giving her sweets unless it is a birthday.

I found this fire truck light thingy at Party City for a couple bucks. Jillian had one from Grandma that was similar and when she was about 6 or so months she loved it. This one makes a fire truck sound. Crazy am I?

Ahhh, Beep Beep

2010-03-24T22:14:00.001-07:00

Based upon recommendations from friends (thanks Gabby!) I searched for a car for Jillian on Craigslist. I found a well loved convertible (hear that Mima, Jillian has a convertible too). It has a handle so we can push her around until she is big enough to Fred Flintstone it. She loves it! We were having difficulties with the stroller and so far this has been a great substitute. In truth she really wants to walk everywhere but Mom and Dad need a little less stress on their outings sometimes.

Crackering

2010-03-24T22:00:00.001-07:00

Jillian has discovered a new love - coloring - or as she calls it "crackering". Kim gave her some coloring books and I had some scratch paper for her to go at it. We let her color on the lids of rubbermaid bins to protect the table or the floor. She is pretty good at staying on the paper but she definitely tries to test us. She'll hold the crayon over the table or a toy and then look up at us as if to say, "do you dare me to?"

Socks

2010-03-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

*I have so many photos to catch up on. Hopefully this will be one of several posts I do this week.*

Jillian loves socks. It was one of her earlier words and she has been trying to put on her own socks (and shoes) for a really long time. (She is wholly unsuccessful, by the way.) One day we were in my closet (hanging up laundry, I think) and she saw a sock on the ground. So she started trying to put it on. I thought this was hilarious. So I put it on her. "More," she said. So I put another. "More." Another. This was the result.

Tonight We Paid to Have Someone Spill Beer on Our Daughter

2010-03-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight Jason, Jillian and I had dinner at the Olive Garden. We had received gift cards over a year ago and had never gotten around to going. I have never really been a fan but hadn't been in years and thought it would be fun to try out again. I would like to say it was lovely (like Will Ferrell did in Old School) but it was not.

We were seated and helped by someone who promptly announced she was not our server. We hadn't had a chance to look at any menus so no, we didn't yet know what drinks or appetizers we wanted. Just water to start. She brought that and the fun began.

Our "real" server came, we put in our drink order, told our waiter no, we still don't know what we want to eat and tried to entertain our antsy daughter. He brought over our beers (Killian's Irish Red for me in honor of St. Patty's) and promptly spilled Jason's beer all over the table and Jillian.

What would you do if you spilled a beer on a baby? Run and get a towel? Apologize?

Ummm, not quite. There was beer. On our baby. And he just stood there. Finally as we knocked aside our chairs to get up and rescue our daughter as she burst into tears, there was some mumbling about making sure she was okay.

Jason and I tend to be really patient with service industry folks. We don't get too riled but it was pretty ridiculous to have almost zero reaction. Other waitstaff came over to mop up and then everyone left us to put back together our table. Alone.

A few minutes later Jason's replacement beer came. Were we ready to order food? Ummm, still no. We were cleaning a highchair, calming a crying child and trying to figure out what the heck happened. Give us another minute. Our waiter told us the manager would be coming over.

The manager. Wow. I thought you became a restaurant manager if you were really good with the customers. Not so much, I guess. He walks up to us and says, "Did you guys need help finding something on the menu?" Huh?! That's a weird way to open an apology for one of your waiters spilling beer on a small child.

We stammered that no, we were fine, just that there was a lot to look at. He then went on to pointedly ask if I needed help finding anything (was this code for something???) and recommended the short ribs to Jason, saying, "Put down your fork. Put down your knife. Use your spoon. That's how tender they are." And then he left. WTF! No apology. No attempt to recognize.... anything. Jason and I were so taken aback by how weird he was we didn't know how to react.

We look at the menu for the first real time tonight. Ok, now we're ready to order. Would we like some breadsticks? Sure. Some dipping sauce with the breadsticks? Ok sure. Jillian starts to fidget and whine. We debate getting this to go as we have already had a winner of an evening. Just then the breadsticks come. Awesome, that was fast. Our waiter explains that the marinara dipping sauce is very hot and the baby shouldn't touch it. Then he puts it down right in front of the baby.

We get our main dishes (we split appetizers - pretty yummy actually) and try to keep Jillian fed and entertained. She is eager to get out of the highchair but we get her to last long enough for us to eat. During this time our waiter keeps his distance. He stops by once to ask how everything tastes and see if we need our waters refilled (they're full, but thanks. We're too busy trying to drink this beer before you spill it on our kid again. Ok that's mean and I didn't say that.) Jason asks for the check.

The moment of truth. In my mind, if some egregious mistake happens in a restaurant there are generally two ways to fix it: an apology and some sort of discount. We didn't really get the apology (maybe we would have if we had ordered the ribs the manager suggested) and so I was assuming Jason's beer or something would be on the house.

I scanned the receipt. Awesome! They removed the charge for Jason's beer. Wait - then they added it right back on. That's right the receipt looked something like this:

Jason's Beer $6.00

Jason's Beer -$6.00

Jason's Beer $6.00

Are you kidding me? Ok, this was free money (gift cards). I'll suck it up. But then I saw what really ticked me off. They charged us almost $4 for that freaking breadstick dipping sauce. A small cup of marinara for $3 and change. So no apology. No discounts. And almost $4 for mashed up tomatoes that I thought came free with the breadsticks.

Ugh. Never again. Sorry for any of you folks that want to meet for dinner at the Olive Garden of Evil. We already have other plans that day.

Rolling Around on the Ground

2010-03-16T20:23:00.001-07:00

After falling and flipping a few times, Jillian has learned to roll again. It is so darn cute. We got so excited when she first learned to roll from her belly to back and vice versa but we haven't seen much rollin' in these here parts. She will trip and fall and then start rolling around. Jason and I sing (a la Young Frankenstein) "Roll, roll. Roll in zee hay."

She will sometimes just stay face down for a few seconds. Then she looks up to see if anyone is watching her. Jillian is definitely discovering she has an audience.

Good Mother

2010-03-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Jillian loves her kitchen but she isn't tall enough to reach the microwave or upper cupboards. Mama can't stand to see her baby girl struggle to play with her kitchen (and plus, she is sooooo cute when she asks for help!) and so I gave her a little helping hand. She's actually more stable than this photo makes it seem but Jason and I couldn't resist documenting how we are model parents!

Remember Peg Bundy?

2010-03-12T18:52:00.001-08:00

Mom and Dad dress her to the nines!

Ethan's 2nd Birthday

2010-02-22T19:25:00.001-08:00

Two weekends ago we celebrated Ethan's big #2. It was a gorgeous day and Jillybean loved playing outside. She especially loved Ethan's climber.

I tried to get a shot of the cousins but this was as close as I could get.

The theme was Legos and Little J was finally conned into wearing a construction hat. We thought she looked adorable but she ripped it off.

The birthday boy handling his cake better than I could do. He was all pro!

Blowing out the candles. This was such a fun party. And the food, as always, was amazing! Thanks bro and sis.

Dad Dressed Me

2010-02-15T10:34:00.001-08:00

Does this need a caption?

Mom's 50th Birthday Party

2010-02-07T10:31:00.001-08:00

We surprised Mom with a Vegas-style surprise party. It was my job to keep her busy all morning until we arrived at her house filled with her friends, family, food and fun gaming tables.

My mom and I spent our time learning craps. That is a complex game for sure. Well, the betting strategy is complex. I don't think I'd know what to do if I got to Vegas but I bet I could pick it up if I watched for awhile.

We hired a singer to serenade my mom with Rat Pack style tunes. He was great and really set the mood.

Toasting the birthday girl from the craps table.

We chose this cake from a photo. It turned out gorgeous. Marie did a great job planning, decorating and playing hostess for the party. Thank you so much!

Carlsbad Half Marathon

2010-01-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

Today Jason ran his first half marathon. I was so proud of him and my mom, who also ran in the marathon. My mom actually thought of the two of them running it together and purchased the entry as Jason's Father's Day gift. Here are some photos of the day.

5:30 A.M. Getting ready for the race.

8:24 A.M. We see them for the first time!

8:48 A.M. We begin our camp out on Carlsbad Blvd. It was coooold! Well, cold for Souther California sissies.

Pam joined us to watch the runners go by. It was fun to cheer on people that you didn't know. It really made me appreciate that each of these people got off of their butts to get out and run. And even though I wasn't running, I was out cheering for a bunch of folks I have never met. And that was doing more than I normally do.

Sarah and Adam.

Jason as he passed us by again. Good eye Ron to catch him. We were about 2 miles from the finish line.

Mom waves the Ethan as she passes us by. I almost missed her the 2nd time. I was walking down the street with Jillian when someone shouted, "there she is." I was looking around at all the runners and all I could see was this lady with brown hair like my mom and she was stumbling down the street (poor thing). And THAT was NOT my mom. So I thought they were either blind or kidding me. Thankfully I saw her and ran to catch up with her and the rest of the family.

Drinking chocolate milk. It's supposed to help with something after you run. Low blood sugar maybe???

And the real reason Jason ran - a celebratory beer. They sure deserved it.

Jason's Birthday

2010-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Jason's birthday with family and friends at his mom's community clubhouse. It was a great space for a party and we kept thinking that we had to think of another party we could host there.

The theme was Beer. Yes, beer. I made Jason this cake after googling "Beer cake". The search actually yielded many great cakes and given I have zero cake decorating experience (or skill) I chose the design I thought I could handle. I was actually pretty proud of the results.

After lunch we headed to Green Flash Brewery in Vista. Little did I know two party buses beat us there. It was packed. Our group didn't let this daunt us and we pushed to the front to get our tasters. It ended up being a really fun time.

Go-Gurt

2010-01-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

I am constantly on the hunt for portable, nutritious food for Jillian. Recently we discovered she can handle Go-gurts. Yippee! She does really well with the first half but usually needs some assistance with the second. I have a bunch frozen and take out a few every couple days. That reminds me, I should run out to the freezer right now...

We also found Brothers-All-Natural freeze dried fruit at Costco. She loves these! I highly recommend! They have a pack of apple, pear and strawberry-banana. And you can order more varieties online. They are just fruit sliced and freeze dried. No extra anything. At first Jason wasn't too sure about them but now he loves them too.

Jillian's Kitchen

2010-01-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Mima and Grandpa got Jillian a kitchen for Christmas. Jason got to learn the joys of "some assembly required."

Jillian got a big kick out of it. Everytime we come downstairs she hurries over to play with the kitchen.

She loves to check in the oven. She will even put the pots, and the silverware, and the food and whatever she can find in the oven.

The stove top burners light up and make noise. There are grooves in the bottom of the pot and frying pan that trigger separate noises. And when you put the lid on the pots it muffles the noise just like a lid on a real pot. It's pretty awesome. Once Jason had it put together I spent some decent time playing with the different features. It also has a phone that rings, a light that turns on, microwave buttons that make noise, and a clock. I think Jillian will love this for a long time!

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

2009-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

I asked her to wait until Christmas - and she basically did. Jillian has been taking 4-6 steps for awhile and then pitching herself forward, sitting down or grabbing on to whatever was near. On Christmas Day we were at my parents' house and Jillian was the only kid there. She got sole possession of the Leap Frog Train, and pushed it all over the place. It was like walking boot camp in a way because soon she took 8 steps and then 10 and so on. Here's a short video from yesterday.

Christmas Morning At Home

2009-12-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

This year was again filled with travelling to different locations for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We are very lucky to have our family so close and so even all the travelling we do isn't that bad. We still felt fortunate to carve out a few hours to ourselves on Christmas morning. I made pancakes and we settled down to open some gifts. We got Jillian five gifts this year (that's up from the 0 we got her last year). She got blocks, a pull telephone, a Little People mini van (that she still hasn't opened - it's under the tree right now) and two Roxy dresses that dad picked out. Jillian still doesn't quite get the opening of gifts. She liked to rip one or two pieces of paper, then she stopped. If she found a piece of tape it was all over - her attention could not be returned to the gift inside the wrapping. Maybe next year...

Jillian At {Almost} 13 months

2009-12-13T20:39:00.001-08:00

I haven't really done a check-in post lately (or any posts as several people have pointed out - sorry!). Here is a little bit about Jillian JoAnn Lewko:

At her 1 year appointment she weighed 19 lbs, 11 oz. (25% percentile). She is in the 50th percentile for height (enjoy it while you can, sweetheart) and the 25th-50th for head circumference.
She still isn't walking. She can take 3-4 steps but then stops and sits down or pitches herself forward and falls. Mama is still not in a rush.
She says and signs so many things! She likes to repeat words once you say them and so it is hard to tell the words she knows. I try to only allow them to the "list" when she will say them without prompting. Signs she knows/does: More, Eat, Milk. Words she knows/says: More, Mama, Dada, Balloon, Up, Cheese, Hi. She is practicing more and more everyday.
Her beautiful, glorious, wonderful habit of sleeping through the night has been interrupted for the past 2 weeks or so and she has had frequent night wakings. Bummer for her and for us. She usually only requires our attention once during these wakings. Often she'll toss and turn for a bit and then fall back asleep. I really want her to go back to the wonder of 10+ hours of continuous sleep!
She is learning to climb. First the stairs. Now she is working on her little chair, the couch and the dishwasher, which as you can see, she has mastered. I actually took this when I was at home by myself with her one weekend. I was doing dishes at the sink while she was playing with the detergent tray of the dishwasher. I look down at her and she had climbed up onto the door. So funny. Jason came home at that moment and I called him in right away to look at our silly girl.
8 (?) teeth and counting. We can't really tell how many teeth our girl has. As far as I know it is 8 but about a month ago she was pretty fussy and drooling and we thought for sure new teeth were coming. Not that we've seen or felt. But you do risk amputation by putting your fingers in that cute little mouth.
We are still having so much fun with her. I am struggling to be the best mom that I can be while balancing work, my marriage and life in general. It doesn't always (or often...) work out the way I imagine or idealize but I am working on accepting the joys life brings and not trying to make myself and others something we are not.

Riding on Her Car

2009-12-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Jillian loves her new ride-on car. She can even make a car noise, though in this video it turns into raspberries. She is so inquisitive and it is amazing to watch how her mind works.

Jillian's First Birthday Party

2009-12-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

Jillian shares her toys with her guests.

We held Jillian's 1st birthday party about a week ago at my parents' house.

We invited some of her friends. Here she is with Ava Yates.

Emma Stephens, Jillian and Ava play with giant legos. All three girls played great together.

Mama and her baby girl.

Sarah made all the desserts.

Yes, all the desserts.

She is very talented. Jillian is very lucky to have such a loving aunt!

Contemplating her cake while we serenade her.

Really digging in.

Jillian Turns One

2009-11-17T22:09:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl turned one today. Can you believe it?

She tried her first cake (and probably her first refined sugar). She was very ladylike but started shoveling it in as she got the hang of it. She actually didn't dig into it like we thought. We broke it apart so she could taste some of the cake. She was eating all of that pink frosting.

I can't believe that one year ago I was giving birth to this sweet baby. Our lives have changed so much over the past year. Jason and I can't imagine our world without her. Happy Birthday Baby Girl.

Jillian Loves Balloons

2009-11-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

Jillian loves balloons. She gets super excited when she sees them and she loves to play with them. Here's proof!

More, Please

2009-11-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

Jillian has been "talking" on and off for awhile. And yes, a "Dada" and "Mama" has come out. I was denying that she was actually referring to us until she did it in front of a third party who said,"Oh look, Jillian can say Dada." This was a couple months ago. Then she had a brief period where she was saying "uh oh" when she dropped something or knocked something over. That wasn't consistent and so I still had my doubts. But now, there is a new one. MORE. We have been working with Jillian on sign language and have been doing the sign for "more" and saying it at the same time. Well knock me over with a feather she started signing it back and saying it! I have been trying to capture it on video and I finally did!

And a special thank you to my loving husband who bought me my brand new computer that I am typing on! It is gorgeous and I am so excited to have a laptop that doesn't die the second I unplug it!!!

A Slightly Different Halloween

2009-11-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I ordered this Alice in Wonderland costume online and was disappointed by it. Well, overall, I think my daughter is adorable and she rocked this uber polyester thing. We debuted it last week at the Peregrine company picnic with the headband and tights but yesterday I was in a fog and didn't get it all together. Plus, it was too hot for tights.

We made a trip to the Canfield house for pumpkin carving. Jillian loved the feeling of the pumpkin guts. She carried around a chunk of pumpkin as we finished up.

An expensive knife is no match for a strong pumpkin. The secret is to use a drywall knife.

I took longer than the others to complete my pumpkin. I thought the pattern I used was too intricate and took forever! It was only rated two pumpkins out of four but my spiderweb had so many cuts!

Here are our pumpkins. From L-R: Dad, the scary clown; Mom, howling at the moon; Jason, laughing skull; Kristyn, spider and web.

We ended up going home after pumpkin carving, putting Jillian to bed and watching Nightmare Before Christmas. Next year we'll take the 'bean trick or treating.

The Stairs!

2009-10-24T10:17:00.001-07:00

Here's the story
of a lovely lady
who was climbing up
three very lovely stairs

Only With Grandparents

2009-10-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

We spent the night at my parent's house last weekend after the party. Jason got up with Jillian and then at some point came back to bed telling me that my dad took her. So when I finally dragged my butt out of bed and went looking for my daughter I found her sleeping with my mom and dad (they were awake reading the paper). She never does this with us! Sometimes I'll put her in bed with Jason while I get ready in the morning and she crawls all over. If she is really tired she may sit close and still but not fall asleep! Grandma Pam had her fall asleep on her recently too. It must be the grandparents' magic touch.

Dinner Club Halloween Party

2009-10-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

On October 17th we headed over to Bonnie's house for our Dinner Club's Halloween party. This is the party and costume search I mentioned in the last post. First of all, the decorations at Bonnie's house are awesome. It looks so cute and I wish I would have thought to take photos of the decor. Way to go Bonnie! Even though we were exhausted we had a great time. And Bonnie's Chicken Enchilada Soup was so yummy!

Pictured, Back Row L-R: Kristen and Mike as Betty and Fred (we didn't realize they didn't "match" the entire night), Michelle and Sam as trailer trash Queen and King, Jason and I as a bag of groceries and a Trader Joe's bagger.
Front Row L-R: Bonnie as Strawberry Shortcake, Michelle and Sam's daughter Callie as Ariel and Kim and Ben as a butterfly (with cat ear's) and a hockey player.

Pumpkins, Pictures & Pouting

2009-10-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Canfields invited us to some pumpkin hunting and picture taking at Bates Nut Farm last weekend. We squeezed the trip in between the Mud Run at Camp Pendleton (Jason) & hunting for a Halloween costume (Kristyn & Jillian) in the morning and our Dinner Club Halloween Party in the evening. It was a very loooooong day and it didn't go 100% smoothly (does anything?). I forgot my inhaler that I waited 45 minutes for at CVS and we got a flat tire a minute away from the pumpkin patch. I'm sure some of you may have already seen some photos up on the Canfield Blog but here are mine.

My adorable nephew Adam. He was wearing a jack-o-lantern shirt.

My older nephew Ethan. He was the only kid that might understand picking out a pumpkin and he was asleep for the first half!

Ron got a better shot than this but we certainly didn't have cooperative babies. I think Grandma and Grandpa loved being around all the grandkids!

Jillian checked out the pumpkins with Daddy's help.

She was more interested in the hay. I am so hopeful she does not develop the allergies her dad or I have to hay and grass and dust and ...

The Two Js. Big J and little j.

My little j is getting SO big. We ended up with a baby pumpkin for her.

Opening Cabinets

2009-10-16T17:39:00.003-07:00

Jillian finally figured out how to open the cabinets. We went straight out to buy cabinet locks... that didn't fit. So a few more days of this...

Ready For A Dog Of Your Own?

2009-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Jillian is trying to show us how responsible she is by taking Brody for a walk. Let me show you how to hold a pooper scooper.

The Canfied Family {Minus Ron - We Miss You!}

2009-10-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ron is off in Texas shootin' armadillos or something like that... and Sarah is playing super mom with Ethan and Adam. What a cute family. We miss you Ronnie.

Adam - almost 3 months old.

{Mmm} What'd you say?

Fact: Kids don't like sugar.

So dang cute. Ethan has so much personality. He made friends with a grandfather at the party and shared his cup with him and sat on his lap. Such a funny guy!

Brooklyn's Birthday

2009-10-03T20:43:00.001-07:00

My cousin Megan's daughter Brooklyn is about to turn 1 year old. We celebrated today at a park near her house.

There was a bouncy castle. {Tell me someone thought of "Safety Training"?! Doug?!} We brought Jillian inside to investigate. She was a little unsure at first but then enjoyed crawling all over. We tried to get a photo of our girls but they didn't cooperate. I have 3 other photos like this.

Ethan hung out with Aunt Kristyn and Uncle Jason in the bouncy castle and at the playground.

Ethan and Uncle Jason tandem sliding.

Jillian discovers wood chips. I was so proud.

It was such a fun party! Thanks McKinney family! Now, I really need to start planning Jillian's birthday bash.

Belly Laughs

2009-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Jillian has this awesome fake sounding laugh that explodes from her occasionally. A couple nights ago she was on a roll. I love when she sees us laughing and tries to keep us going.

Waking Up

2009-09-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Jillian will often wake up gently, just talking softly. It's so cute to go in and get her when she is all smiles after a nap or when she wakes up in the morning. I thought I would share the experience with you.

Can I Get A Push?

2009-09-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Jason and I went out on a wild goose chase for a park with some swings. We found several without swings. Kim told me how to get to Hilltop Park which is only a couple minutes away and I tried to find it on my lunch hour today. Jillian has already been there with Grandma Pam and Aunt Abbi but she had trouble telling me how to get there. Thankfully Penasquitos does a good job with signage.

This is a great park with a gorgeous view. Unfortunately, Jillian only tolerated the swings for a few minutes. She kept pointing at the different pieces of playground equipment and there were a few kids around that she was enthralled with. I swear, she was so mesmerized by them I wouldn't have been surprised if she took her first steps and then started running after them.

Jillian Lewko: So You Think You Can Dance?

2009-09-13T15:59:00.001-07:00

Jillian can shake her groove thang! It is really cute and we can't wait for her to do it some more. I hope she has her daddy's rhythm and not her Mama's. Her cousin Ethan loves to dance and is so dang adorable doing it. I can't wait to get a Canfield-Lewko Dance Party going.

The Office Season 5

2009-09-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

It came out today. I went on my lunch hour to buy it. Yay, yay, yay! It came with a magnet, mouse pad, t-shirt, stress ball and door hanger. Sooooo awesome. I am an Office geek and I love it!

Repurposing Computer Accessories

2009-09-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

We were cleaning out our coffee table and came across Jason's old computer keyboard. Jillian LOVES to strike the keys on my keyboard and on all the laptops but several times she has gotten some key stuck and then I can't select anything or everything comes up highlighted. So we simply cut the cord off of this keyboard and voila, a great baby toy!

Grandpa

2009-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

Jillian loves her grandpa. Last weekend we went swimming over there for a bit and she kept looking over and smiling at her grandpa, even reaching her arms out towards him once he was across the pool.

Jillian's 9 Month Stats

2009-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Jillian had her 9 month check up yesterday. Yay for no immunization shots this time. She has grown some. Here are her stats:

Height: 28.5" 75th percentile
Weight: 18lbs. 10.4oz 25th-50th percentile
Head circumference: 17.25" 25th-50th percentile

And here is what she has been doing lately:

Pulling up to standing (description and photos below)
Crawling
Sitting
Kneeling
Talking a bunch (still no words but she babbles Mama and Dada a lot, just not while looking at us.)
Does a mean Darth Vader impression
Drives us crazy by grinding her teeth
Can clap and wave but not really on command. It's hit or miss if you ask her to do it.
Shakes her head "no" (but not to answer a question. I think she likes the motion.)
Points towards people or objects (she just started this. Most of the time it seems like she is asking the Mom-taxi or the Dad-taxi to take her over to something)
Wiggles all over the place
Climbs all over us
Loves to eat puffs. She gets crazy hands when they come out.

Jillian has been so close now... and it was really only inevitable. This past week and especially this weekend she has been pulling to standing. Ahhhhhhh! {That's me screaming.} It's really cute but terrible to watch at the same time. She still has so little leg strength and balance that she gets tired or off balance and topples over. The worst time I've seen so far was when she was in her crib. She fell and smacked her head on the back of the crib. She was fine. I freaked. I couldn't even watch tonight as we put her down. We borrowed some traditional bumpers from Ron and Sarah to see if this would soften some blows. I glanced over as she smacked her head again. Argh. I am not a fan of this stage!

Jillian Crawling And Climbing

2009-08-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jillian hasn't quite gotten the hang of true hands and knees crawling but she's getting more coordinated. She can be quite a speed demon when she wants. Everyday she amazes me with where she goes and what she gets in to. She's especially crafty when I work from home. I get wrapped up in my work and don't always notice where she's gone. This is where I found her today:

She is trying to pull up on everything. She pulled herself to standing a few times today. I ran like a mad woman to get our camera - and the flash isn't working. Boo! I love this camera and so I hope this is a temporary problem! I have a video of it but it is long and until I figure out how to edit those videos, I'll keep trying for a photo - in plenty of daylight.

Go Padres!

2009-08-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Matt & Wyndi invited us out to the Padres' game last night.

They played the Cubs. I don't follow baseball but it was so much fun to be in the park. We had great seats. We sat in the section where they take your order and serve you. It was nice not to have to stand in line.

The Padres won 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning (two outs as well, I believe). It was awesome! Thanks Gelvins for asking us to come along!

Jillian Answers Back

2009-08-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

We love to watch Jillian talk to us. She is so cute and her face can be full of expression. We use a cup in the bathtub to pour water over her and she likes to chew on the rim. With a little bit of encouragement from her parents she now likes to talk into the cup. Here's a little taste. She's pretty quiet here but our girl can get quite loud!

Adam's Baptism

2009-08-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

My nephew Adam was baptized this past Saturday. He did really well and did not cry when the water was poured over his head.

Sarah's sister Doreen and brother-in-law Steve were named the Godparents.

Adam scrunches down into a little ball whenever I hold him. I really feel like I don't remember what it is like to hold a baby this small. How quickly these things are forgotten!

Emma and Jillian try out the Goncalves grass. Emma knew just what to do and went to town pulling out tufts of grass. Jillian just sat there watching Emma.

Daddy's Girl

2009-08-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Jason and Jillian getting in some playtime. Jason and I take turns with a lot of things, feeding, diaper changes, etc. But Jason's thing is giving her last bottle and putting her to sleep. I think she's probably only been put to bed (naps not included) by other folks (including myself) maybe half a dozen or so times.

So She's Not Doing This On Her Own Yet

2009-08-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness. I am so not ready for a standing baby. Doesn't she look tiny and adorable though? She is itching to be pulled up to a standing position. She can stand at the table for about 30 seconds or a minute before she gets tired. She really loves it but she really is bad at it. Thank goodness.

Jillian Loves Her.... Ahem.... Balls

2009-08-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Jillian has a toy that came with 3 balls. She is supposed to drop them into the toy and a giggle sound comes out. She hasn't quite got into it yet but she does likes them. She bangs them together and chases after them. She can amuse herself for hours chasing them around the dining room.

I Love This Photo

2009-08-08T17:01:00.001-07:00

Catch ya later Babe!

Discovering Grass

2009-08-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Jillian last saw grass in earnest at Bev's house. She was too young and too cranky to appreciate it. She really liked it this time. Jason and I hope she isn't allergic to it like we are! Also taken 7/21 at Powerhouse Park.

The Beach

2009-08-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've got a little catch up to do. These are from 7/21. We took Jillian to Powerhouse Park in Del Mar. Jillian wasn't so sure about that water. Dad will have to convince her.

Cleaning The Pool Is Hard Work

2009-07-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Evidently Ethan is a fan of brooms and cleaning in general. He asks for the broom when he comes by my parents' house. My dad taught him that the quickest way to gain admiration for your work was to complain about it. {Haha, just kidding Dad!}

Jillian's New Face

2009-07-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already seen this but here it is... the cranky face. This face is often accompanied by rapid breathing through her lips. It is hard not to laugh!

Our L.A. Trip: Conan O'Brien!

2009-07-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our L.A. trip evolved from my brother getting us VIP tickets to The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. We decided that it would be great to make a couple day trip out of it and so the adventures depicted in the other posts were born. The VIP tickets allowed us to get into a special line an hour before the doors opened, whereas most of the audience had to wait for hours to see the show. One advantage to waiting for hours, you get in first. Our NBC Page (not Kenneth... he's busy in NY) said that VIP ticket holders sit in the 6th, 7th and 8th rows. I guess Conan likes to reward those who wait.

Here's a photo of the audience that I got from our taping (thanks Print Screen and Hulu). Guests were Adam Sandler, Peter Sarsgaard and Kate Voegle.

Here we are in a close up of that same photo. We ended up in the 8th row back from the stage. We were hoping for closer but we got caught up behind some folks in the metal detector line. It was still so much fun! Thanks Ron!

Our L.A. Trip: City Walk

2009-07-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

Jason and I enjoyed the stores at City Walk. We browsed through the fun places, including the craptastic souvenir shops.

Rock on, Jason. Rock on.

Yes, those are boobie glasses. Sooooo tacky. Who would actually buy these?

We were jazzed to see there was a restaurant named "Jillian's" at City Walk. It's like Dave and Buster's but smaller and with a bowling alley. The first night we tried to go in it was closed for a private party. So we went back the next day. I wanted to buy anything that said "Jillian's" but no dice. They sell nothing! You can only win logo gear. How dumb is that? Jason and I didn't have time to play $50 worth of skeeball for a coffee mug so we settled for a photo.

Our L.A. Trip: Posing With The Simpsons

2009-07-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

So I have a HUGE phobia of costumed characters. I do everything I can to get as far away as possible from them. We've even discussed how Jason will take Jillian to see them all at Disneyland while Mom keeps a safe distance. I really, really was not crazy about the idea of costumed kiddies getting anywhere near me on our trip. But Jason likes them. So I sucked it up and posed with the Simpsons. But, I broke the cardinal rule of posing with costumed characters when you have a phobia: don't show your fear! I made the mistake of exclaiming how freaked out I was with Bart and Lisa. The second photo with them shows Bart taking advantage of my fear to make me as uncomfortable as possible. I may be scarred.

Our L.A. Trip: Universal Studios

2009-07-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

We decided to make the most of our trip to L.A. and spend a couple days at Universal Studios. We ended up buying 6 month passes (they were cheaper than a one day ticket!) so if anyone wants to go back with us...

Yes, it's a fanny pack. They had them. In multiple colors and styles. Yikes.

We had a great time. It was very hot but they had Cool Zones with misters and fans. We enjoyed the movie lot tram tour and the Jurassic Park water ride. As you all know, theme parks are great people watching venues. Jason and I had fun just hanging out, eating and observing.

Our L.A. Trip: The Hotel

2009-07-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Jason and I stayed at the Hilton Hotel near Universal Studios. It was literally across the street from the theme park and Citywalk. We got to the hotel earlier than the normal check-in time and expected to leave our luggage with the bell desk, however they had a room available for us. They upgraded us to what they call an alcove room and the view was spectacular!

Jason shows off some of the windows. The windows ran the length of the room and there was at least one more large window past that couch.

Here is the view behind Jason. That's the plaza where you enter the park.

Puffs

2009-07-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

So I couldn't resist buying the sweet potato puffs at Target last I went. I am unsure of when to add different types of food to Jillian's diet. I very carefully read the back of the packages on the baby food aisle to see if she was ready. {Now I know that most moms probably just go for food and have done much more at this point but for some reason food is foreign to me.} Puffs seemed fun so I went for it.

Jillian is so funny trying to eat these things. We actually don't hand them to her like the first photo shows but we scatter them on her tray. She does her best to pick them up but they end up hidden in her fist, or stuck to her skin or falling into her lap. It's great to see her try to pick them up though and its cute when she finally gets them to her mouth!

For Lissa

2009-07-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks Auntie Lissa for my Bulldogs onesie.

Playing With Brody

2009-07-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Jillian is becoming more and more interested in Brody. She smiles when she sees him and looks for him whenever he enters the room (he is so loud it is not difficult to tell when he comes in!) Her interest combined with her new ability to crawl means Brody is a frequent destination for her. This has not gone unnoticed by Brody. He now tries to play with Jillian! He will grab his bone and chew it right next to her knowing she will grab for it. I have a few videos where he actually teases her by bringing it to her and then running away and then runs back. It's really funny!

So I'm at the Computer, Working from Home, When I Look Over And...

2009-07-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

Ummm... how did you get under the chairs? And were you actually trying to get to the beer?

I'm in a Hat & I'm Going to Get Icees

2009-07-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

So I love Jillian in hats. I think she looks frickin' adorable. Recently I was clearing out her 3-6 month clothes and I began trying hats on her to see what still fit and what didn't. I left a few on her for awhile just for fun. Anyways, Jason and I decided to splurge on icees before our big cleanse started. (For those of you who haven't talked to us recently, we're doing a cleanse - Jason much more faithfully than me!) We walked to the gas station to get them.

Jillian and Mama in hats (did I mention that I love 'em?)

Jillian making eyes at Daddy. It is adorable when she looks over at you to share in whatever is going on.

Someone is excited for her icee!

Still occupied with the "new toy" we've placed on her tray. It ended up being a hot day but it was a nice walk and a lot of fun.

Giggly Girl

2009-07-12T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's not all that common but Jillian can explode into giggles at times. The grandparents seem to be great at getting those giggles out. Here Grandma Pam finds Jillian's ticklish spot.

Jason & Kristyn - Married 5 Years

2009-07-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who texted their warm wishes yesterday. We felt loved and yet like horrible friends. With every text we exclaimed, "We forgot their anniversary!" Jason and I are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family.

We spent a relaxing day eating, shopping and napping (it was awesome!) We had intentions of movies and tattoos but those will come another day. We're taking a mini vacation to L.A. on June 19th and 20th to see Conan O'Brien and possibly go to Universal Studios. It will be our first overnighter away from Jillian. {Sad face}

July 10, 2004

3rd of July

2009-07-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone that could make it to our 3rd of July Party!

Aubrey and Cayden Kelly hang out with Uncle Ben Garcia.

Jillian let Great-Grandma Treva hold her. This was a big deal as she has been extra fussy around her great-grandma.

The Kelly family joined us.

Ron, Ethan, and Sarah sans Adam who popped out on Monday.

Matt, Pam and Abbi sharing some photos.

The Kelly's and Kim Garcia. You saw her husband Ben earlier. I guess we missed a photo of her boys.

Wyndi and Bonnie.

The Garcia Family (no relation to the other Garcia's!) Michelle's mom was in town from Tennessee.

Brian was a good sport with all the kiddies running around.

Kristyn and Marisa. Thanks Marisa for making it out to see us!

Delilah Catlett and Kayda. All the kids LOVED Brody and Kayda. In fact, Sam got Callie in her car seat by bringing Kayda out to see her.

Watching the fireworks.

We had a good sized crowd. Same time next year?

Adam Joseph Is Here!!!

2009-07-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was wrong. It's a boy!

Adam Joseph Canfield made his way into the world early this morning. I'll give you his details later but he's 7lbs something and 21 inches. Sarah and Ron had quite an adventure this morning and didn't think they would make it to the hospital in time! From the time they parked the car to the time he made his debut (7:33 A.M. I think I remember as I am telling this story) it was 19 minutes! Sarah only had to push twice to get this eager boy out. No time for an IV, no time for drugs. Yay for au natural on accident! We agree that he looks a lot like Ethan and that they are going to be best friends!

Congratulations little bro and sis!

Happy Birthday Brody - 5 Yrs Old Today

2009-06-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Brody's 5th Birthday. He is a little bit grayer but still as spry (hahaha, Bad Santa rocks!) as ever. We weren't allowed to get mad at him but he stole EVERYTHING today (including Jason's floss. Jason still hasn't forgiven him) and he ate my lemon yogurt (he had a yogurt goatee that gave him away).

Crawling

2009-06-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

So I have been in denial for a few weeks. But yes, she is crawling. Well, army crawling. Or creeping. I don't know what you'd call it. I was trying to avoid acknowledging it. But there is no getting around the fact we have to keep the floors clean(er) and she moves where she wants to. Of course, every time we try to capture it on film she doesn't comply. In this clip I try to call her to me but this was right before going up to bath and bed and so I am moderately successful. Enjoy.

Food Updates

2009-06-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

So Jillian has been expanding her food horizons... slowly. Mom and dad are still going organic, feeding her Earth's Best and making food. Here's a list of what she has enjoyed so far:

Peas
Prunes
Zucchini
Squash
Sweet Potatoes (a fave. We just gave her sweet potatoes & chicken)
Apples
Bananas
Avocado (though she may no longer like this)
Carrots

We can't wait for finger foods! We so want to give her whatever we're eating already!

I'm Back!!!

2009-06-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I have been working for nearly 3 weeks straight (with one day off) and have not had time to blog. I am so excited to be back!

Father's Day Love

2009-06-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Jason surrounded himself with love on Father's Day. I had to work (boo hoo) and so he spent the day buying a new surfboard (see photo), surfing, with his mom, with his baby girl and finally, with me. It wasn't the Father's Day I had imagined for him but I can tell you he was really stoked about that board!

Visit From the Gelvins

2009-06-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

They brought us dinner. Olivia jumped into the jumpy thing - and didn't quite fit. Jason and Matt put a dress on Brody. Overall a great night!

Bottle Buddies

2009-06-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

As it is (the day after) Father's Day, I thought I'd post a photo of my two darlings. Daddy couldn't resist the opportunity to have a bottle buddy.

Why Bother With Bumpers?

2009-06-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

So I have been meaning to post these photos for a couple weeks. Recently Jason came rushing downstairs and shout-whispered to me, "You have to see this!"

I really didn't know what to expect but I creeped up the stairs behind him.

She is fully asleep with her arm out the side of the crib, over the bumper.

Those parents who read this know how much a baby can move around in a crib at night. Jillian is no exception. She has recently taken to pulling down the bumpers (they're Breathable Bumpers if anyone is curious as to why they're so thin) to peak out into her room. I guess she fell asleep with her hand out. What's ironic about this situation is that we ended up buying the bumpers because we were afraid she would stick her arms and legs through the slats of the crib. I guess there is no way to prevent it!

Look, It's Big Haircut (Shout Out to The Office)

2009-06-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

Little J had a few strands of hair that were getting so long they were falling in her eyes. I just swept the strands to the side but Jason was getting annoyed with these errant hairs.

So he decided to give her a trim. Now this is a momentous occasion for any proud parent. I barely had time to grab the camera before he begun snipping. And where are those lovely locks he lopped? I have no idea. He was too fast for me. I'll have to snag them next time.