Love the beach

Baby Bear loves the beach. Last weekend we took her to the beach.

Ready for the beach with her hat and sunglasses.



and you can't leave for the beach without your kitty.



Baby Bear loves the freedom she has at the beach, she can wander around and play in the sand, who doesn't love the beach.



Baby Bear looked at the waves but was not a big fan of heading too close to the water.



So she headed back.





It's a good thing too, since the waves were pretty crazy that day.





So, she got daddy so that she could check out the waves with him to keep her safe from the tall waves.



A great day at the beach.

So Baby Bear is 2.

Now that Baby Bear is 2 there is so much that she does.

• She talks in sentences
• She refers to herself by her own name
  
• She can count to 11
  
• She is very coordinated and pretty much runs every where
• She loves to climb pretty much every thing
• She calls all of her teddy bears, "Pooh Bear" - of course only my baby would generalize all bears to Pooh Bear. Gotta love it!
• She prefers to push her stroller rather than ride in it
• She likes to wear anything that makes her look "cute"
• She loves to walk around in my shoes
  
• She is very nurturing and loving - she likes to take care of her baby dolls
• She is very empathetic - she shows concern and does not like it when other babies are crying
• She loves her friends at daycare, she is very close to them
• She has a wonderful personality
  

Baby Bear had her 2 year check-up last week. So here are her stats at 2: 24.2 lbs (13th percentile) and 32 inches tall (18 percentile). The pediatrician was really pleased at her growth. She got one shot and a finger prick test to screen for lead.

The finger prick test was slightly above normal and so the pediatrician ordered a blood test to more accurate assess for lead. I guess a score of 3 is normal and Baby Bear had a 4.7 score. The pediatrician was not worried, but after doing some research I learned that the finger prick test can be inaccurate if dirt or dust is introduced into the sample. Also, there is not much they will do unless the score is over 10. So for now it is important for us to be more vigilant about her environment and make sure that she is eating a diet that includes calcium, iron, and vitamin C.

We do have an older home (almost 100 years old) that was just remodeled, so there may have been some construction dust. Papa Bear changed the a/c filter and looking to see if there is anything else.

Her diet should be just fine; she loves milk, chicken, and fruit. She gets plenty of what she needs. Plus, she is now taking a chewable multi-vitamin to supplement for days where Baby Bear is a picky eater and doesn't eat much. There are days when Baby Bear decides that she is not going to eat much of anything to my dismay. However, I read and found that it is very normal for toddlers and that over time she does get the necessary nutrients. So instead of creating a battle during meal time, I am working on not making a big deal out of it.

Going Swimming

Baby Bear had her first swim class of the summer yesterday evening. She enjoyed it.



After class, Papa Bear treated her to some ice cream. Lucky girl.

Baby Bear's 2nd Birthday Party

Another wonderful birthday party for Baby Bear. We had around 100 people at the park and had a wonderful time celebrating with all of our wonderful family and friends. We are thankful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us.



Mmm,yummy cake



Fun time on the swings.



Baby Bear was a little overwhelmed by all these people and clung on to Mama Bear for the majority of the party.



Beautiful Lola Bear



Beatiful Great Lola Bear. Doesn't she look great for 90!



Grandma Bear and Auntie Mary



Grandpa Bear.

Thank you to all our family and friends

For celebrating Baby Bear's birthday with us all.



Baby Bear appreciates all the love.

A 2 year old with some new firsts

Last week, was the first time I was away from Baby Bear for an extended amount of time and today was a day of a more new firsts for Baby Bear. We started the morning with Baby Bear riding forward facing for the first time in her car seat.

Many people move their child around after they turn 1, but the American Academy of Pediatrics have revised their recommendations and state that toddlers should stay rear-facing until the age of 2. The research really suggests that it is safer to keep your toddler rear-facing. We decided to follow those recommendations. We probably could have kept her rear-facing for a little longer based on the car seat's weight requirements and since Baby Bear wouldn't have known otherwise.

We decided that it was a good time to move her around. At first she was confused and curious about the new position of her car seat and when I put her in and she looked forward, she was all smiles. I think she likes the change.



The second first of the day occurred before bedtime. Baby Bear did not have a night time bottle, instead she had her milk in a cup like she does during the day. 20 months ago, I was worried about Baby Bear taking a bottle, she had gone on bottle strike and as I got ready to go to work, I wondered if she would take a bottle. All went well even though she never took a bottle from me, but when mama was away she took a bottle from whoever was caring for her. At 22 months, breastfeeding came to an end. It took time to transition her to a cup even though she would drink everything but milk from a cup. Baby Bear needed to be weaned slowly, that is just her way. So we slowly weaned her off the bottle. We went from having 4 bottles a day to 1 bottle, just in the evening before bedtime. She still often asks for a bottle during the day. Tonight, we went without a bottle and Baby Bear didn't even ask for her bottle. She did great. I hope it goes just as smoothly tomorrow. My Baby Bear is growing up. I guess the next transition is to start potty training, then she really won't be a baby anymore. No matter what she will always be my baby girl, my Baby Bear.

My first adventure childless

I ventured off to Las Vegas all by myself last week. I had a conference to attend and went on my own, without Baby Bear or Papa Bear in tow. Wednesday I was nervous and anxious at the thought of leaving my baby girl for 3 days and 2 nights. I had never been gone overnight, let alone two nights away from her. Thursday, Papa Bear and Baby Bear dropped me off at the airport and I kissed my little girl goodbye. I survived.

Actually, it was kind of nice to have a little me time and to get away. I couldn't believe how nice it was not to have to worry about anyone but myself. I didn't have to be home by a certain time, I didn't have to worry about picking anyone up from childcare, I didn't have to worry about feeding anyone or getting anyone ready in the morning. I just had to take care of myself. It was a nice little break from parenting.

Don't get me wrong, I really missed Baby Bear and I really missed Papa Bear. I missed them tons and wish I wasn't all alone. On the other hand, I really needed a break. During my free time, I pretty much was on my own to do whatever I felt like. I got to sleep in a nice big bed all to myself, I got to watch TV (we still don't have regular TV at home, just netflix), I got to sleep in!! Even though I was working it was very restful.

I am glad to be home, because there is really "no place like home." I am glad to see my sweet girl. I was greeted by a HUGE hug and kisses from her. She would not let go of me for sometime. It was really wonderful to get the hugs and kisses. I missed that so much. Baby Bear is just pretty awesome and I am so lucky to have her in my life. While it was nice to have the break, it was equally as nice to come back home to my family. I am so lucky to have such an amazing family.

An amazing husband who is a wonderful father, he took excellent care of Baby Bear and actually enjoyed their special time together. Sure they ate out a lot and no dishes or cleaning was done while I was gone, but my girl was well taken care of and loved while I was gone. Apparently, she even went on her first date!! I received a text message and on Friday night Baby Bear had a date night with a five-year old, an older boy! They went out for pizza. Baby Bear had a great time and they were well chaperoned. The things that go one while Mama Bear is gone, hahaha.

What I learned from my adventure: it is okay to take time out for myself and be away, it is good and important to refresh and regenerate to be a good momma. It is always nice to come back home to your family.

Birthday Adventures at Disneyland

To celebrate Baby Bear's 2nd birthday we made a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland. This was Baby Bear's first trip to the Magic Kingdom. Papa Bear and I hadn't been in years, so we were all pretty excited. We were so fortunate to have received free tickets from one of Papa Bear's internet friends.

We started our morning with a birthday breakfast at Ihop. Baby Bear filled herself with her favorite breakfast food, bacon. Then we made our way to Disneyland.



We headed to Fantasyland and rode on Dumbo. Baby Bear was so patient waiting in line.



She was excited to ride on Dumbo.







Then we headed to the Teacups.





Can't go to Disneyland without a stop at It's a Small World.



She liked the water and the ride.





Now it was time to head to ToonTown, her favorite place in the Magic Kingdom.





As soon as we walked into ToonTown, we saw Pluto walking around. We followed him and got a picture.



We checked out Chip and Dale's Treehouse.



In ToonTown, she went to Mickey's house...





and met Mickey Mouse!! She was so excited and couldn't stop talking about Mickey!



She really wanted to see Minnie Mouse too, but she was getting ready to take a "nap" and so we could not get in line.



After some lunch we headed to Pooh Corner and met a few more friends...

T-I-double ggerrr.





Eeyore...



Baby Bear was patient in waiting for Pooh Bear and Rabbit to come and visit.





Here they come...



I, err, Baby Bear loves Pooh Bear.







Hi Rabbit (although she kept calling him bunny).



Next up, the Jungle Cruise.



Baby Bear seemed to have had a really great 2nd birthday. At around 4pm, she finally conked out in her stroller, way past her nap time.



Baby Bear'r birthday month is just beginning, her party to come in a few weeks to celebrate with family and friends.