Diary of Paula

The other day Paula was pointing to a Disney princess in a Kleenex box and asked me when she was going to get some like those. I asked her if she meant the dress, she said no; the necklace? I asked, she said no again getting frustrated that I didn't understand what she meant... So she pointed again to the picture and said the bumpy things (now pointing to her chest). No comments.

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at Paula's face close enough to see that she is starting to get freckles. Nick says that there is nothing cuter that a red headed girl with curly hair and freckles... What can I say, we are biased!

Today was Paula's last swimming lesson. She can swim well enough to be able to go down the slides and swim to the edge, float, dive to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool, and enjoy herself.
Maybe one day she'll want to go for more lessons, but for now, she has done a great job and she can take a break from swimming lessons if she wants.

Paula started gymnastics today. She really enjoyed herself. The teacher told me that she was impressed to see how well Paula followed directions. She bounced and jumped the whole time and enjoyed herself.

Paula informed me that she doesn't want to take swimming lessons anymore. She has been asking to do gymnastics for a while now now, after all, she sat with me for about a year to watch Alex and Danny take lessons and I always told her that when she turned 3 she could do gymnastics.

Paula went to Six Flags with Nick and Danny to the NI company picnic. She had a blast, she really liked the merry-go-round and some airplanes. She came home full of stories.

Paula moved to station 7 in her swimming class. She is still learning backstroke. She can do it, but she would rather kick than use her arms, so the instructors keep asking her to use big arms and she does it for a while and then she goes back to kicking and maybe lifting an arm every once in a while.

Paula can strap the five point harness in her car seat without help! She is actually going through I do it myself stage, which includes picking her clothes, dressing herself and climbing on the counter tops to get what she needs without help.. Way to go big girl!

Preschool started today. Pau was very happy that school finally started for her.

Today was orientation at the preschool. Paula is going to be in Ms. Ana and Ms. Carla's class, which is kind of nice since she already knew them pretty well after dropping Danny off at their classroom every day last year.
Paula was very happy to start school, he was ready for me to leave and let her play as soon as we got to the classroom.

Paula is into playing memory now. She loves to play and she is getting good at it. She is able to join us in games of memory and UNO (with help sometimes).

We are back in swimming lessons. Paula moved to station 6. I think she may start learning back stroke.

Our vacation to Mexico is over.
Paula was a good traveler. One night I tried to see what happened if I would put her in the same room with Alex and Danny, that didn't fly to well, since she is used to sleeping by herself, she thought it was party time and wouldn't let her brothers go to sleep.
Paula was a trooper. She tried the food, enjoyed swimming, did fine with our without naps and in general had a good time. She loved to be able to play with Doc's stethoscope and pretend that she was a doctor.

Preschool started today. Needless to say, Pau was very happy to go to school and to wear her green preschool t-shirt.

We flew to Queretaro, Mexico today! Paula got to sit right next to me. She behaved really well and stayed busy between coloring and doing dot to dot books.

Sometime during this summer, Paula figured out how to come up for air when she is swimming. She can now swim a good 15 meters by herself to get from one side of the pool to the other. That is a big step for her and a big relief for me when we go swimming.

We were swimming at Lifetime Fitness and Paula decided to give the big water slides a try. This time she loved it, she kept asking to go up one more time about 10 times!

Paula figured out how to float on her back and swim across the pool floating on her back, so she will start in station 5 next week! Way to go Pau...

Pau has gotten back into a nice routine for napping. We eat lunch at 11:30 or so, then at 12:30 PM she goes to rest time and she invariably crashes by 1:00 PM and then sleeps until 2:30 PM leaving us plenty of time to go swimming in the afternoons.

We got back from Rockport today. Paula wasn't too keen about swimming in the ocean. The first day he didn't even get close to the water, but the second day she got on her raft and let Nick and I push her so she would jump the waves. She had a good time until she flipped, for some reason she didn't want her feet to touch the sand, even though the water was below her waist.
Paula and I also buried Alex in the sand, she thought it was a lot of fun.
The three kids made home made ice cream with aunt Linda and uncle Bob, they loved it and also, they got to put M&Ms on their ice cream.

We went to the botanical gardens this morning, Paula enjoyed looking hanging around the Japanese garden and then the butterfly garden. She posed for pictures and Nick got some good ones.
After that we went to the Austin Nature center and the kids played in the dino pit where they excavated sand looking for dinosaur bones, Paula had fun excavating.
Paula also went to the movie theater for the first time to see Wall-E. She did pretty good in the movies. She kept asking me where Wall-E's mommy was and how he was going to be able to get back home.

Pau moved up one more level in her swimming class, she will start with station four next week. God job Pau!

Today was Paula's first day at Nitroswim and she was beyond herself because she finally was going to swim with her brothers. She started in level one so they could evaluate her, at the end of the class they told me she was good to start on level 3 next class.

Paula was able to swim across three lanes today and even took a breath. We are very happy to see that she is enjoying the water again and that is happy putting her head under. Thanks Ms. Pam!

Paula had a good time jumping off the diving board. She wanted to hold Ms. Pam's hand to jump, but you could see her grin going down.

Pau decided that putting her head under the water wasn't that bad after all, and now she keeps making bubbles and putting her head under water when it is not her turn to swim. She kicks really fast, so she moves quickly, she can go as far as her air lasts.

Swimming lessons with Ms. Pam started today. Paula wasn't happy at all to have to get her head under the water, she cried everytime when it was her turn and afterwards.

Paula had so much fun camping during the weekend that she didn't want to leave. She was a trooper too, she fell a bunch of times and she didn't complain at all. She had fun swimming, playing in the hammock, playing in the water, hiking, eating, she was fun to be around. She also learned to pee in the lake, she kept saying she had gone pee-pee in the ocean, it was funny.

Paula had her three year old wellness check today. She is 38.5 inches long (80%) and weighs 32 pounds 2 ounces (70%). She behaved so well when Dr. Ellis checked her, than she got an extra check up from a medicine student so she could get some practice.

Paula has gotten very proficient at putting together 24 piece puzzles. Now I just find puzzle boxes right next to completed puzzles in random places in the house. I left all the puzzles in a spot where she can reach them on purpose, so she just helps her self and puts them together.

Happy Birthday Paula! Pau turns 3 today. The celebrations for the day included a princess castle pinata, cake, ice cream and presents. Pau put her Cinderella dress on and she and her brothers hit her pinata, then she got her presents, a Cinderella doll and Cinderella pajamas. Then we had dinner and sang happy birthday to her, she had fun! After dinner Paula put her pajamas on, I told her that they were for sleeping, so she said she would lay in the couch so she could keep wearing them.

Paula got a present in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa, it was a Cinderella dress. Paula was thrilled, she put the dress on and told me that she was ready to go to the ball and dance. So she danced and twirled and danced some more in the living room.

Today was Paula's last day of preschool. I don't think she understands that school is over for the summer. She really likes her teacher Ms. Kim and her aid Ms. Lindsey, they are both very sweet and loving towards the children.

Paula had splash day at school today. She loved playing with the water.

Six weeks wearing big girl underwear, I think we made it! We took some of Paula's unused diapers to our neighbor and Paula was very proud to tell her that she doesn't need pull-ups or diapers anymore.

Happy birthday Doc! Pau did a good job singing happy birthday to Doc, she sang happy birthday to her a bunch of times during the day, it was cute.

Doc is visiting us and she has bubble gum. Paula is all about sitting in Doc's lap to learn how to blow bubbles with her bubble gum.

Pau put together her first 24 piece puzzle all by herself today. She asked for a puzzle at nap time and a little while later she called me to show me how she had put it together.

Two weeks wearing big girl underwear day and night. Paula is very proud of herself and says that she is a big girl now.
For us, it is the first time in 6 years to be diaper free... . Woo-hoo!

Paula is really into puzzles. If she has someone with her helping her out (mostly moral support), she will sit down and work on 3 or 4 twenty four piece puzzles in a row.

Pau asked for a pull-up at rest time. I reminded her to go use the potty so we could have her princess party, she sat down for a second and said that it wasn't coming, so she went back to her room, and about a minute later she went back and put her business in the big potty... So after a round of cheer and applauses from Alex and Danny, Paula paid a visit to her treasure box, this time she picked a princess purse.
I guess we now need to go buy some pink ice cream and some princess plates for the party!

Today was Paula's spring performance at preschool. She sang the songs and did the hand motions she was supposed to do... She was cute (of course I am biased).

Paula was sitting in the potty before bath time and she told me she had gone poopoo. And she did! She was very excited (and so were Alex and Danny)! She picked her princess tiara from her treasure box and wore it for bath time and put them on her bed right next to her at bedtime too.
Good job big girl!

We went to the grocery store today and Paula really wanted a princess tiara with a matching necklace and ring. We got it but I told her it was going to go to her treasure box (a box with prices for when she goes poopoo in the potty).

We got Paula some princess underwear and she is very excited about wearing it. She is still not ready to poop in the potty, so she asks for a pull-up to do that business, but other than that, she can wear underwear the rest of the day and night and stays dry.
We are going to have a princess party with pink ice cream for Pau when she is ready to say bye bye to her pull-up business.

How long does it take Paula to go find a brand new book of 41 cent stamps and put them all on the fish tank? The same time it took me to pull out the ingredients to make brownies and realize that she was being too quiet! My supply cabinet is going to need to be raised 3 feet from its current locations.

Today I learned that if you leave Paula unattended she may go find the tape, use it all taping papers to the computer desk, and then go look for the glue stick and start gluing more papers, first a paper to the desk and then more papers on top (papers can be envelopes, junk mail, or if anything fails new paper straight from the printer tray). It is amazing how much gluing and taping Paula can do without making a peep.

Want to keep Paula occupied and out of trouble for 30 minutes? Leave a brand new box of band-aids somewhere where she can reach them (even better if she has to climb up on the toilet to get them). She will open them up, put on the ones she likes and throw away the rest.

We had a family BBQ at hour house today. Cousin Olivia came wearing a cute dress and flip-flops, Paula couldn't resist and went and put her flip-flops and picked a dress and put it on just like Olivia. After dinner they both went to play in her room with her dolls.

New hairstyle today. Paula has two braids. She looks kind of funny without any curls in her head. I think the braids will work pretty good for the summer heat.

I was thinking yesterday that it was about time to pull all the winter clothes out of Paula's drawers and put in the summer clothes... I shouldn't be having those thoughts, Paula decided during nap time to empty all her drawers and pile up the clothes on top of her dresser, so now I am going to have to organize everything.

Paula found some scissors and decided to give all her ponies a haircut (military style). She was thoughtful enough to get a Tupperware and put all the extra hair in there instead of on the carpet.

Happy Easter! Paula sure enjoyed finding her Easter basket at aunt Linda and Uncle Bob's this morning. Her favorite was a box with 4 ponies that had a bunch of hair accessories to do the ponies hair.

Paula and I went to buy Alex some new pajamas this morning. On the way out to the register Paula found a pink sleeveless dress. Not being a girly girl as a child myself, I think it is kind of funny to watch her gravitate towards dresses, skirts or anything she could use to twirl and dance. When we got home, she put her dress on and proceeded to dance all over the game room and after dinner, she put it on again on and showed Alex and Danny how she danced. Danny was her cheerleader and actually sat to watch her performance.

I took Paula to the doctor because she had had a very green runny nose for a while. She has had a sinus infection just about every month since last December, thankfully, she has responded well to the antibiotic treatments and once she get the medicine in her system gets better quickly. If it doesn't improve we may end up having to go see the ENT.

Someone turned on the chatter box switch in Paula. She woke up talking and talking and hasn't stopped. She still uses both English and Spanish intermixed when she talks to me.

For the last month, Paula has been through a stage of "Mamitis", she wants Mami to do everything and she wants to know where Mami is all the time... But today, Ms. Stone came to watch the kids while we went on a date and Paula didn't even flinch when we left the house. So I've concluded that her case is "selective Mamitis" (aka. if there is somebody fun to hang out with instead of Mami, there is no need to get clingy).

Paula asked to for her scissors and a page from her cutting Kumon book. I handed her a page with a school bus and she came back with the school bus cut in the right shape, then she cut a cow, a bunny and a couple more things. Up until today she would shread things instead of cutting around the outline, but today, she figured out how to do it and cut, and cut, and then cut some more. Good job Pau!

One of Paula's teacher was sick today, so she called me to see if I could sub for her. So here I go to help Ms. Kim with her class; it was a lot of fun and entertaining just to see what 8 little guys can come up with. Paula was thrilled to have me in her class, he wasn't clingy, but she would come and give me hugs every once in a while.

Paula fell from her tricycle this afternoon and landed on her forehead... With helmet and all she still got a head bump and scratched herself a little. It was a good attempt but she wasn't able to break Dannys goose bump record.

Pau has been using the potty for going pee-pee consistently for the last week and a half. We have only had a major flooding accident. She seems to do a better job announcing that she has to go when we are out and about than in the house. Good job Pau!

Paula is the only one in the house that notices when I am wearing a new shirt or do my hair differently. It is good to have another girl in the house that is tuned into that stuff :)

Paula has decided that is time to start using the potty more than just before bath time.

Paula is having fun blowing bubble gum with Doc. She wakes up and the first time she does is look for "Coc."

The kids discovered a box of straws (popotes) in the pantry. Paula can't say popote quite yet, so she asks for a drink with potepote. It sounds really funny when she says it.

Paula got some roller skates (along with all the protective gear), pink sunglasses and necklaces for Christmas. She put all his presents on and skated all over the living room (check out the December pictures).

Paula rode her bike, along with Alex and Danny to the school swings. She was able to keep up with Danny and pedaled her way over and back.

Paula went to the dentist to get a cleaning today, she was looking forward to wearing pink sunglasses on the big dentist hair, so she just jumped up on the chair, let them clean her teeth and then picked a necklace and a ring from the treasure chest.

Paula’s legs are finally long enough for her to ride a 12 inch bike. I pulled her bike down, she climbed up and figured out how to ride… She rode and rode, and rode her bike until it was dinner time.

Paula was a little bit cranky this morning when we were taking Danny to school. After dropping Danny off I told her that we were going to go shopping, and all of a sudden she was in a great mood. After the first store she asked if we could go to so more stores. That’s my girl!

I left two big paper bags in the kitchen floor while I was organizing the freezer. Paula took the bags away and came back a few minutes later with the bags full of play food and balls. She walked around the house telling everybody that she had gone shopping shopping.
We also decorated the house for Christmas today. Paula liked hanging out the ornaments in the tree. You can see her on the video helping us out.

Paula was sad because she didn’t get to stay in school today, she cried when there wasn’t a lunchbox for her to get out of the refrigerator in the morning and then when we got to the parking lot and her backpack had to stay home. We had to go to her classroom and at least say hi to Mrs. Kim after dropping Danny off. If she could, she would go to school all the time, even Saturdays.

We drove to Rockport to spend Thanksgiving Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob. Paula was pretty excited to go to sleep on her sleeping back (and us to leave the Pack and Play behind). She had fun playing in Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob’s house.

The kids got to have Christmas before Thanksgiving this year! Grandma brought their Christmas presents from our family in Ohio… Oh boy! That was fun, check out the video

We went to ride the Cedar Rock train this afternoon. Paula really liked the choo-choo train.

Paula made a Christmas purse with Grandma. She was very patient to wait for her turn to do a craft with Grandma. She had fun putting all the decorations on her purse.

Last night Paula wasn't cooperating when I asked her to get out of the shower to dry her, so I just left her towel outside of the shower and her clothes and told her to get ready herself. I came back 10 minutes later and she had put her diaper on (a little loose, but correctly) and was working on her shirt. She finished dressing herself and then came over to the other bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair.

We went to eat lunch at Alex's school and afterwards we went to his classroom, Paula just went in with the big kids and sat with them. Alex was pretty good taking care of her and holding her hand the whole time.

Paula was dressed up as Raggedy Ann for Halloween parade at school. The red curly hair went really well with the rest of her outfit and she was very proud about her red nose. In the afternoon we went to a Halloween party for kids at NI, the kids got candy, snacks and got to visit several attractions, including Nick's office.

Paula got a haircut today. She hadn't had a haircut since she was two months old. She was very happy to be able to sit in the yellow car while her hair was cut. They cut about 3 inches, but her hair looks about an inch shorter after her hair curls up.

Paula got a haircut today. She hadn't had a haircut since she was two months old. She was very happy to be able to sit in the yellow car while her hair was cut. They cut about 3 inches, but her hair looks about an inch shorter after her hair curls up.

This weekend Paula went on her first camping trip to Inks lake; she was a trooper, it really didn't matter what we did, she always found things to play with and keep herself entertained. Her favorite part though, was to visit the ducks on the lake, she kept asking to go see the ducks and she would just hang out by the side and make her on quak sounds.

Paula now wants to pick her clothes and then get dressed without help. I need to reorganize her drawers so she can get outfits that match and that way we all can be happy about her picking the clothes she wants to wear.

Paula likes to nap on top of a blanket on the carpet right in front of her toys, instead of in her bed... We really don't care where she sleeps as long as she takes a nap. Today she asked me to leave her door open for nap time, and she stayed in her room, played and then went straight to sleep.

Paula is still sleeping pretty well in her bed; except she discovered today that she could get down and read books instead of napping.

Paula got to sleep on her new bed tonight. She dove right into the bed and stayed there all night until about 5:45 when she started calling me.

Tio Felipe and I painted Paula's room. The bottom half is light green and top is light blue. We were able to paint around the bears, balloons and butterflies. It turned out pretty good.

Today I found Paula sitting on top of the box that has her new dresser. The box is taller than her and she couldn't get down, that is how I found out that she was there in the first place... Those bathroom stools come in handy for climbing little girls!

We got Paula's big girl bedroom furniture. She kept pointing at the boxes and saying "my bed, my bed." We still need to paint her room before moving her new furniture in the room.

Since school started Paula has lost the interest she had in using the potty. She will go to the potty in the morning sometimes and before bath time, but other than that, she is not interested. So we are giving the potty business a break for a while.

Today was Paula's first preschool day. He was pretty excited about carrying her own backpack and lunch box. We got to her classroom, I helped her put her backpack and lunch box away and she went straight to playing. I stayed in her room for about 1 more minute and then went over and kissed her goodbye, she said "bye-bye mami" and went back to her business. She didn't cry or get sad at all during the day, that's my girl.

Paula got to go spend about an hour at her preschool classroom today. She seemed to have a good time and even gave Mrs. Kim a hug when we were getting ready to leave. She is looking forward to carrying her backpack and lunch box to school.

I was talking to Paula about starting school today and all of a sudden she took off running. She came back with her Scooby-doo lunch box to show it to me.

Today we got a visit from Uncle Rich, Aunt Nancy, Uncle David, Aunt Julie and cousin Sara. Paula woke up from her nap to find a living room full of people, it took her a little while to wake up and want to get down and explore, but once she got down she went straight to uncle Rich’s lap.

We spent the day swimming at cousin Olivia’s house. Paula had lots of fun climbing the waterfall rocks and jumping into the pool (about 2 or 3 feet down)… She is fearless and has an adventurous spirit. She felt from a rock once and scratch herself a little bit, but she got up and got back to climbing right where she had fallen.

Paula went to feed the pigeons and rode the Zilker park train with Grandma and Aunt Jan. I got to babysit Joanna during the morning, what a deal!

Paula met cousin Joanna (6 months) today. She gave her hugs and kisses, but her favorite was her hair, she sat down right next to her, played with her hair and sucked her thumb.

We went to Sea World with Doc. Paula really enjoyed the shows and the animals. She behaved really well and took a nap in the stroller when she got tired.

Paula decided that there is no need to wait for us to be ready before jumping into the pool; she started jumping in and swimming back to the edge by herself.

Paula got her second dental cleaning today. She didn’t to get off my lap when we got there, but once she saw that Danny was OK, she went and sat on her chair and let the hygienist clean her teeth. She liked the pink sunglasses they gave her.

Pau started jumping into the pool by herself (without us holding her hands for the jump). She also goes down the little slide into the pool, she goes feet first and belly down and she flips once she gets into the water.

Today was Paula’s first time to swim at the ocean. We went to the beach in Rockport, TX. As soon as we got in the water she put her head under and started kicking.

Paula jumped off the one meter diving board during swimming class today. She didn’t want to do it the first time, but after she went once, she stood back in line during her class and during Alex’s class.

Paula loves to play with the trains. Alex makes a track for her and she sits down and plays with them.

Paula slipped when trying to get out of the pool and fell in, before I jumped in to get her a waited a moment and she swam right back to the edge and pulled her self up.

I guess Paula realized that crying wasn’t going to help her much in the class, so she stopped crying and started enjoying the class. She can swim about 1.5 m to the side or towards the teacher

Paula started swimming lessons today. She was not a very happy camper after she saw that Danny was crying.

Paula got to be Olivia's (our second cousin) baby sister for a day. Olivia is 7 and read her stories, played dolls with her, kissed her and hugged her a lot... At one point Oliva sat with Paula in the rocking chair and read her about 15 different books, Pau was in book heaven.

I decided to give Pau one M&M everytime she has a succesful trip to the potty... She must have gotten the same chocolate-driven genes that me, Doc and my grandma have, because she is very interested in using the potty now.
If I take her to the potty about every 2 or 3 hours she can stay dry all day, some times she will tell me that she has to go too. So we may get her some girly underwear soon and move on to the real potty training, we'll see...

We went to the Johnson Space Center near Houston today. Pau was a trooper and did really well through the whole thing. At the very end of the tour we drove to the section where they have the original Apollo 17 and we were walking outside when Paula came over to me and said "ants". I looked at her and both of her shoes and legs were covered with fire ants; between Nick and I took her shoes and socks quickly and got rid of the ants. She had about 15 bites, the interesting part is that she didn't even cry. Talk about a high pain tolerance. We gave her some benadryl afterwards and she didn't have a bad reaction at all.

Paula is about half an inch from being able to reach the pedals of the tricycle; so she has spent her time figuring out how to ride the scooter, and today she just took off and scooter her way down the driveway and into the street and back all in one piece. Good job Pau!

We have arrived to the "I do it" stage. Paula wants to get dressed/undressed by herself, put her shoes on, climb in/out of the car, close the mini-van door, hold the keys... This desire is helping her practice her skills and learn new ones, the only one that frustrating is to get the 5 point harness in the car seat to lock; but we'll keep practicing and being patient.

Paula has gotten used to visiting the potty first thing after waking up and before bath time, and sometimes she will let us know that she has to go pipi... So it looks like we are making progress with this "informal" potty training. I am just waiting for the day she announces she is done with diapers.

We went to play to an inflatable jumping place in Round Rock with our friends the Mejias. Paula had a good time jumping except one time when she climbed on a tall ladder and didn't like the slide one the other side; I had to climb up and rescue her... Paula's face changed from a scary look to a relief look when she saw that I was coming up to help her, and then it quickly changed again as we went down the slide.

We went to play to an indoor play scape called Radijazz today. They have a pit filled with soft foam cubes, Paula wouldn't go in if I wasn't there to catch her in the beginning, but once she got warmed up, she was diving in without reservations and wiggling all the way in.

Today was Paula's first experience at a an inflatable jumping place. For the first 45 minutes she didn't get down from my arms, then she started jumping on the floor and then just at the entrance of the games, and after that I couldn't get her out of a little ride that had a slide right for her age.

We went to listen to Lucas Miller at the library today; his songs are really funny and educational, Paula sat quietly and enjoyed the concert.

We went to the children's museum today. Paula found a little barn that had cows and played in there for a while, then she played with her brothers with the milk bottles and spent about 30 minutes running up and going down the toddler slide.

We went to the zoo today. Paula really liked petting the goats and feeding the deer hay and grass. She would feed the deer some hay and then run over to the place where the hay was and get them some more, she probably did about 20 laps.

Paula keeps playing with her baby stroller. She wakes up an the first (or second) thing she says is "carreola, bebe (stroller, baby)" and then she takes them for a walk.
We had no idea she was going to like the stroller that much, but we are glad we got it, it was defenitely a good present for her.

Today we took Alex and Danny to gymnastics class. Paula stayed up in the viewing area with me. The whole time she kept saying: "Mami abajo (downstairs)", "Mami play", "Mami shoes." She wanted to go downstairs, take her shoes off and go play with her brothers.
Thankfully we had just checked the mail and Paula had gotten a box with birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa, so we went to the car, got her box and we spent a good chunk of the class going through the box and opening her presents.

We gave potty training a try with Miss Paula. She can go pipi in the potty without a problem, the main issue is that she will only go when she wants to and not when I ask her to... So, she can go whenever she wants for now and when she is ready to go all the time, we'll put big girl underwear on.

Today was Paula's first dip in Lake Travis, we went to Windi Point to play in the lake and grill some dinner afterwards. Paula liked the water, especially when I started throwing her up in the air.

I put a lifevest on Paula when we went swimming this afternoon; she kept pushing herself of the side and would start giggling when she realized that she was floating. She jumped from the side, kicked and just had a good time.

Today was Paula's two year old checkup. She weighs 28 pounds (65%) and is 34 inches long (55%). She is healthy and according to Dr. Ellis, a pro at following her instructions (she has been to her fair share of checkups for her brothers and she was probably paying attention)

Paula wasn't interested in petting the sting rays this time, but really enjoyed the dolphin show at the Texas State Aquarium.

Paula went fishing with Uncle Bob and caught her first fish!

We got to celebrate Paula's birthday with Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob in Rockport. Aunt Linda made Paula a home made chocolate cake that we all enjoyed along with some smores.
Paula got an umbrella and a baby stroller for her birthday and they were both a hit!

Happy Birthday Pau!
Paula turned two today. We celebrated with cupcakes after dinner. She tried to blow the candles but the air wasn't going on the right direction, so Alex helped her blow her candles.

Paula is almost two and showing all the traits of a healthy 2 year old; like naming objects as "mine" and expecting the world to respect that, screaming when is bath time, screaming when is time to get out of the bath, crying when is nap-time, crying if she doesn't want to get out of her crib yet... Maybe we are just getting the terrible twos a little bit earlier.

We wento to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls to pick strawberries today. Paula picked her two strawberries (one for each hand) and walked holding them while Alex and Danny kept feeling the basket... After her strawberries were a little bit smooshed from carrying them around she decided to give them a try and then she proceeded to eat the strawberries from the basket.

What is it with girls and shoes? Today I showed Paula some cowboy boots that are a size 12 or so (paula wears 7.5) and she put them on and hapilly wore them around the house and modeled them to her brothers... This shoe thing may come wired in the genes.

We got Paula some pink crocs so she can wear them when we go swimming. The indoor pool is sorrounded by tile and she slips very easily... She really likes those shoes and would wear them for bed if we would let her. So now, the crocs are out of her site unless they go with her outfit.

If Paula burps, she proudly announces to everybody "I burped" We can thank her brothers for teaching her those important matters at such young age.

Pau told me today that she had to go pee-pee before she actually went... So we may try to put her in underwear sometime soon to see if she figures the potty-training the rest of the way.

This weekend we let Paula her just do its thing (without pulling it up) and it looks pretty cute. I get one or two comments about how cute her curls are per day... She is starting to figure out that people talk about her hair and she just pulls on a curl and lets go of it and smiles.

In the last two weeks or so Paula has figured out how to go pee-pee in the potty when we ask her too. She started with the little potty but now she wants to use the big one just like her brothers.

The Easter bunny found Paula at aunt Linda and uncle Bob's house in Rockport and left a basket full of goodies. Paula also got to color eggs and go for an Easter Egg hung at aunt Linda and uncle Bob's house. She figured out quickly that he pink eggs were hers and found all of them.

Paula is into stacking cups. You can hand her 10 cups and she will sit there and figure out how to stack them in order. She proudly displays the "Warren concentration look" while she is busy playing with the cups.

Paula can sing a decent chunk of the "ABCs" by herself and "twinkle, twinkle little star" when accompanied. It is very cute, we'll have to tape it and post it soon.

Paula's feet got about an inch off the ground when she jumped yesterday... She jumped, and jumped, and jumped so more. Good job Pau!

Paula's favorite book is "Cars and things that move" by Richard Scarry. All the pages in this book have a little golden bug called "goldbug" that is hidden in the pages... Pau has the location of goldbug memorized in most of the pages, she points at it and says "bu-bug"... We need to ask Grandpa how many times they looked for Goldbug while we were on vacation!

Paula got back from Rockport, TX today. She and Danny went with Grandma and Grandpa to visit Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob for a couple of days. Paula got to do a lot of things during her vacation:
- Rode Gail's horse
- Visit Irene's chickens and pick fresh farm eggs
- Play in the sand by the ocean
- Go for a ride in uncle Bob's boat
- Visit Corpus Christi's aquarium and see dolphins and touch sting rays
- Ride in a ferry

Grandma and Grandpa have come to Austin to watch Paula and Danny while Mami and Papi go on vacation.

Pau learned to make pasta and pezelles with Aunt Linda today, she had a lot of fun... Especially eating the flour!

If Paula's diaper is full or uncomfortable, she takes care of the problem; she just takes it off (wherever she is) and keeps going butt naked... If she gets stuck at some point while undressing,Danny helps her out, so I can't leave them together unattended for very long!

Paula hadn't touched a green bean since the first green bean gerber she had until today when she started eating them frozen as I was getting them out of the bag, then she asked for more when they were ready and then had another serving for dinner... She must have eaten two adult size servings all together.

Pau figured out how to blow bubbles by herself. She was so excited that after every successful bubble blow she would do a little dance, it was cute!

Paula helped me load the dishwasher after breakfast today. I would handed her the plates, cups and silverware and she put everything in their spots. She enjoyed helping and it was a good way of keeping her busy while I was cleaning the kitchen.

When I put Paula down for a nap today she was wearing socks, an overall and a long sleeve shirt. When she was ready to get out of her crib she was wearing her shirt with one arm in and the other one out. She managed to take off her overalls without unbuttoning them. Houdini would be proud!

Paula's follow-up x-rays showed that she still had a sinus infection; so the doctor got her started in round #2 of antibiotics.

Paula got a little kitchen with utensils and lots of play food from Santa. She had fun unwrapping the presents and later playing in the kitchen.

Paula's tooth didn't get injured at the root and it also didn't expose the nerve, so the dentist put some type of glue on to restore her tooth and you really can't tell. Except we now have to make sure she doesn't bite into hard things (like apples) so she patch stays on. Pau was a trooper and let the dentist take care of her teeth without fussing at all.

Paula fell today on the merry-go-round at the park (we don't know exactly how, Alex was the only witness) and broke one of her top central incisors. It was chip in triangle shape. Luckily it didn't seem to bother Paula very much and the tooth didn't get loose, so the dentist said we could wait until Monday to have her tooth checked.

We are happy to report that Paula is much better. She still has a little bit of cough but she is almost back to her happy bouncy self.

Paula's cold keeps getting worse. So after a visit to our pediatrician she started antibiotics today.

After a Sunday visit to cousin Ellie's pediatrician in Columbus, we found out that Paula had conjuntivitis and possibly a viral infection who also gave her a raspy voice.

Paula went from being perfectly healthy to a very green, runny and stuffy nose... Along with the desire to be held by Mami at all times. Poor little girl, she is not feeling well.

Paula's first visit to COSI in Columbus, OH. She didn't even miss her nap and had a great time exploring.

I found Paula at the top of the ladder of Alex's bed. She knows how to climb up but hasn't figured out how to come down yet.

Pau had her 18 month checkup today. She weighs almost 24 pounds (50%) and is 33 inches long (80%). She only got one vaccine today and didn't even cry.

After rolling down the steps last week while trying to carry a book along, Paula decided that it was worth a shot trying to go down the steps in reverse and belly down. She can get down pretty fast that way.

Paula came over and said poo-poo, so I took her diaper off and showed her the little potty, she sat down, stood up, sat down, play some and ta-daaaa there was some poo-poo in the potty.

Pau continues to develop her climbing abilities. Today I found her sitting inside the sink in the downstairs bathroom, I got there before she gave herself a bath, but she was working on it! I have no idea how she climbed, I am guessing that she got on top of the toilet and from there climbed up to the sink.

Paula keeps learning words everyday. We noticed this week that she would use English words for Grandma and Spanish words for me.

While we were playing outside I saw that Paula was trying to sit on Alex's 16 inch bike; I turned around and when I looked again she was sitting on the seat (which is way above her head).

Things were very quiet and Pau was missing in action. We found it in the computer room sitting on top of the printer bouncing up and down (the printer is on the computer desk --to get there she had to climb up to the chair and up to the desk)

We served Paula lunch and she said "thank you". We didn't teach her that word, but I guess he hears it around and was able to use it in the right context.

We took the gates from the steps this weekend and Paula is doing well going up and down the steps on her own. We couldn't talk her into going down the steps on his belly, sometimes she goes down sitting down and some others she just holds to the railing and walks down like her big brothers.

Right before bath time, Paula stands in front of the toilet and lifts her shirt up like if she was going to go pee-pee like Alex and Danny.

Paula is into repeating all the words she hears, so she has been picking up more words as the day goes by. She says "fish" or "peshes" (peces), "bubbles", and "Danny" now.

Paula wanted to get into the toy car and Danny beat her to it; she stood right in front of the car, pointed to it and said "Pau". So she knows who she is and how to let us know that she wants something.

Papi taught Paula to say "que pasa", so this is technically her second two word sentence. Her first two word sentence was "mas hielo" (more ice - important sentence for a little girl that loves ice).

We went on a field trip with Danny's class to the Austin zoo. Paula had a good time looking at the animals, she almost jumped our of her stroller when she saw all the goats. The tigers and lions got a "roar" from her and the long horns a "mooo."

Our neighbors gave us a doll house, it has the family that lives in there and furniture for the bedrooms, living room and the kitchen. Paula likes to play with all the little people, she picks them up, tells us the name which can be one of the following: Mami, Papi, baby, nino, Alex, or Anny; then she pulls out some furniture and proceeds to play.
Yesterday I showed Paula how we could get everybody to sit around the table, I got 3 chairs and got the little people to sit; when I looked around Paula had gotten another chair (which is probably 4 inches tall) and was trying to sit on it to join the tea party.

Hielo (ice) is one of Paula's favorite words. For some reason, she loves to eat ice. I can give her a cup full of ice and she'll sit there and eat them. She stands in front of the refrigerator and asks for it (say hielo, hielo).

The word of the week is "mine". Paula learned it from her brothers and uses it every time she wants something; she used to say "ten" (have this in Spanish), now she keeps saying "mine, mine, mine..." until her request is heard.

16 months today! Paula helped Alex and Danny paint their toy house (made out of a huge box). She enjoyed painting with a brush and also started to pain with her finger.

All this week, Paula has been climbing to the dining room chairs and sitting down when she wants to eat instead of asking for help to get into her high chair. Today we got her a booster chair that attaches to the big chair and she got to eat lunch at the big table, she was very happy with the idea. Bye, bye, high chair.

Paula has a new hobby. She likes to take out her brothers pajamas and underwear out of their drawers and distribute them all over the house. She hangs the underwear from her arm as it if it was a purse.

Paula is now able to climb up on the dining room chairs. Even if the chairs are pulled all the way in, she pulls them up, climbs, and then dances on top of the chairs. I've caught her trying to climb up on the table, but she knows she is not supposed to do that, so she always looks at me first before climbing up (she may think one day I am going to say, yes, climb up).

Paula got introduced to the concept of pouring. She is starting to drink from a cup during lunch time, so I just put a little bit of liquid at a time to keep the mess manageable. Today I was pouring drinkable yoghurt on her cup and she wanted to try, she was able to hit the target and pour the yoghurt into her cup. We'll have to practice some more during bath time.

Pau discovered what the light switches are for. She says "luz" (light) and turns the light on or off and claps.

Paula learned to roar today. She got a one on one morning lesson with Papi that helped her master this skill. Every time she sees a tiger, lion, or something that resembles them, she roars.

Pau has added a bunch of words to her vocabulary; mami, papi and sushi are our favorite ones.... The funniest part is that she babbles and babbles and thinks that she is really talking to us.

Pau had her fifteen month checkup. She is 23.6 pounds (55%) and 31.5 inches long (80%). She is developing normally and doing well.

“Monkey sees, monkey does” should be Paula’s motto. If Alex and Danny are doing something, she wants to try (walk down the steps, paint, play with play-doh, dance, clap, jump in the trampoline, do summersaults, you name it she has to try it). She is not afraid of heights or to try new things, so she gets everywhere…

Paula was playing very quietly, I went to look for her and found her playing inside of the bathtub with all the toys. She hasn't figured out how to get the water running yet!

Paula figured out how to climb up the toilet without using the stool. She climbed up, stood up, got a kleenex and proceeded to blow her nose. Needless to say, she is not afraid of heights.

Paula decided to let go of the furniture and started walking across the room all by herself. She is oficially walking now!

Paula's favorite part of the flight to Mexico was playing peekaboo with the flight attendant.

Paula was a big helper today. As I was unloading the dryer and folding clothes, she moved a good portion of the load to the washer, and then when she was done, she moved it back to the dryer. She had a good time and practiced her balance.

What a big day! Paula turned 14 months and started walking (going accross the living foom by herself without falling).

Paula is starting to take a couple of steps by herself when her hands are busy, she can usually stay upright until she realizes that she is not holding onto something.

Paula sat at the edge of the pool during part of the swimming class and she got a turn to go swim with Ms. Pam. She went underwater for a little bit and came up with a big smile on her face.

Paula's got a piggy tale hairstyle today. We'll post a picture along with her 13 month old pictures.

The rash is gone and Pau is back to her normal happy, not clingy, giggly self.

The fever is gone, but now she has a rash all over her chest. Maybe it wasn't a reaction to the MMR but Roseola.

Paula got an MMR shot on July 3rd and the little girl has been running fever for the last 5 days, the first days she got up to 103 and now it is around 101, so she is feeling a little bit better, but not better enough to let her mommy put her down or get out of sight. Kathleen, the nurse, said that the reaction can cause fever that lasts up to 7 days, we sure hope Pau gets better soon.

Paula's Robeez shoes were too tight on the ankle, so we got her some real shoes. This is the first time I don't have to force a kid to try the first pair of shoes on, she was all excited about trying them on and then wearing them afterwards.

We heard Paula squeal and laugh every time she found something interesting at the Children's Museum earlier today. Sometimes she was so focused in whatever she was doing that she would forget to get down to crawl and gave a couple of steps towards her next target.

Paula stood up all by herself earlier today, she practiced a couple of times and then she gave 3 steps all by herself.

Papi reported that Paula didn't seem to miss the lack of nursing in the morning. She was ready to have fun with Papi after waking up.

Today was Paula's last morning nursing. She is completely weaned now.

Pauzilla loves to crawl through elaborate towers and train tracks built by her older brothers.

Pau is ambithumbrous (she sucks both thumbs with the same proficiency). She doesn't seem to care if the right or left thumb go in her mouth, as long as it is one of those two she is happy.

We discovered that if Paula wants to get through a tight space or if she wants to go up the steps she crawls correctly (both knees on the ground), but for speeding purposes, she still drags one leg and uses the other one for propulsion.

All Paula wanted to do this afternoon was walk while I was holding her hands. She kept walking around the first floor and going up and down the fireplace step. She is starting to get more stable. She can cruise pretty comfortably now holding onto the furniture.

Paula really likes to play outside. She has a pair of pants that I put on for her to play outside, when she realizes we are putting those pants on her she starts kicking and waving her hands out of excitement.
She likes to sit on the tricycle or the bike, chase balls, and crawl around chasing the big kids.
Today she was playing in the driveway facing the street, when she turned around she had a brown mustache. I wonder if dirt has any good minerals, or if there is something nutritious about it, I hope so!

We left one of the bathroom stools right in front of the toilet as we were getting ready for church. When I turned around I found Paula sitting on top of the toilet ready to stand up so she could get a kleenex. Next time I am going to find her on top of the closet right next to his big brother.

Paula went down the tallest slide at the Anderson Mill West park today. Papi was waiting for her at the bottom, she liked it!

We got Paula's new shoes yesterday. She was very happy to get shoes of her own, she was very excited when I put them own, she looked at them, grabbed them with her hands, licked them and then proceeded to test them out.
Before we left the house today and she saw that I had her shoes with me she sat down right next to Danny so I could put her shoes on too.

Paula's latest game is to climb up and sit on Danny's potty and then get a book and look at it while she sits there. It is kind of funny because her legs don't even touch the ground.

Paula has started to walk halding to the cuches, chairs or whatever seems convenient at the moment. Her favorite way of transportation (after being held - which still holds 1st place in our household) is to have Mami or Papi hold her hands and walk.

Today Paula climbed all the way to the top of the tallest playscape in the Anderson Mill West park, she didn't seem to keen about going down the spiral slide from the top, but she didn't have a problem going up the steep steps.
After all the climbing and all the walking (holding to my hands) she did, I decided to go ahead and get her some Robeez shoes to protect her feet a little bit, especially now that the rocks are starting to get warmer with the Texas heat. Paula is going to be happy to have shoes of her own, she keeps brining us Alex's and Danny's shoes so we can put them on her.

Papi let go off Paula's hands today and she stayed there standing all by herself for about 10 seconds or so. We tried it agan later and she stood up by herself again.

Paula's favorite game is to play chase. Alex chases her all over the house and they both laugh and giggle so much that it is contagious, it is a beautiful sound.

Paula had her one year checkup today. She is 21 pounds (45%) and 29.5 Inches long (55%).
I had a hard time getting her to sit still at the doctors office, she wanted to get down and crawl all over the place and get everywhere, I usually don't have problem letting her crawl but I wasn't too keen on her crawling in a place full of sick kids... We settled by letting her walk holding my hands. She screamed for about 30 seconds during her shots and that was it. And so far, no fever!!

We went to the park this morning and Paula figured out how to go up the steps of most of the playscapes that lead to the slides. The little girl is fearless, she went down a spiral slide that goes down about half a story, I had to hold her until Alex was ready to catch her at the bottom and she would scream until she was set free to slide.
All this practice going up tall steps in the park paid off because right after lunch when I was loading the dish washer I came to find her sitting on top of the door of the dishwasher playing with the plates, I guess I'll have to start closing it if I leave the kitchen.

Pau is now pulling up everywhere. She likes to pull up holding to the kitchen chairs and then push them. Though her favorite thing these days is to have someone hold her hands and walk around.

When she was little, Paula wasn't really into cuddling, but now she is a master cuddler and loves it. If we lay down in the carpet, she first tries to climb on top of us and sit down, then wrestle, and when she gets tired then she snuggles to catch her breath.
She also likes to cuddle (while sucking her thumb) right before we put her down for a nap or before going to bed at night.
We are happy that she likes to cuddle now, because we sure enjoy cuddling with our little girl.

Paula's way of claiming a toy, is to sit on top of it. Here are some examples:
- The other day Alex and Danny had pulled a memory game, as soon as Paula saw the cards, she grabbed a few and then proceeded to sit on top of the game.
- Alex took off the legs of Paula's activity table, so Paula climbed on top of it and sat on it.
- If she can get ahold of a placemat, she will place it in the carpet and then sit on top of it, then get off, push it some more, and sit back again.

Paula sat on the sand for the fist time today and absolutely loved it.
We went to the park today and took our buckets, shovels and toys. Paula started playing just with the sand, then added the buckets and the shovels and ended up crawling all over the place and then rolling around the sand. Her favorite part, I think, was to go sit on the holes that Alex had just finished digging and helping him collapse his towers. Needless to say, she had sand all over when we got done. We'll have to come back some other day with the camera in hand.

Happy Birthday Paula!
Pau turned one today and we celebrated with chocolate cupcakes. She liked to have everybody singing and looking at her, she didn't know what to make of the candle, but once she tasted the cupcake (chocolate with chocolate chips, mhmmm) it got all over her face.

Pau figured out how to sit back down after standing up. She keeps practicing and she even got the "take some steps 101 class" from Grandpa Warren today.

Paula pulled up tonight. She started screaming after we put her down and I found her standing holding for dear life to the railing of her crib.

Paula is not so thrilled about Stage 3 Gerbers anymore. She would rather eat what we are having, so this week she has had rice, picadillo, lasagna, and beef stew. She likes to feed herself, so I just put food on her tray and let her go.

We found a new tooth on Paula. One of the top lateral incisors is out, it probably came out last week because it is about 3 mm out of the gum already.

Paula found the toilet paper roll this morning. She not only unrolled it, but proceeded to cut it into pieces, and later I found that she was chewing on something... Want to guess what I found in her mouth? I guess some extra fiber won't hurt her diet.

One of Paula's favorite places to play is under the kitchen table, it must be because she can play with Alex's and Danny's toes and she always finds snacks there. Today she found a couple of brownie pieces that one of the brothers must have dropped and I didn't catch... Too much for that thing of saving chocolate until the first year; it was easy to do with #1, got a little bit more challenging with #2, and it is almost an impossible task with #3, so go ahead little Paula, dig in!

Paula's vocabulary consists of the following:
"oh oh" -- if she drops something.
"te te" (ten, in Spanish) -- here you go, or give me.
"awa" (agua, in Spanish) -- when she wants a drink.
"aye" (Alex)
"oa" (hola, in Spanish) -- hello.
"bye bye" -- this one comes with hand waving.
"ta ta ta" -- this is used to cover the rest of the words that aren't listed above.

She repeats a lot after us; she has said "eche" (leche - milk) and "ath time" (bath time)a lot of times, but we haven't heard her saying those words on her own yet.

I stopped nursing Paula before bedtime tonight. She didn't even miss it, she was more interested in looking at books. So, she is down to three meals like the rest of the family.

Now that the weather is warmer, Paula's hair has gotten very curly. It looks very cute (I think).

Miss Paula seems to be done with her nap/night excersises. I put her on her crib for her morning nap on Sunday and she stayed there without complaining and proceeded to go to sleep; same thing for bedtime. We are happy that she is back to her normal "fall asleep ans stay asleep" pattern. Good job little girl.

I had read that when babies achieve a developmental milestone it may interfere with their sleep; I always read that and said, yeah right! Neither Alex or Danny seemed to interested in disrupting their sleep... But what I forgot was that it the first and second kid don't try something, it means it is turn for the third one to do it... So over the last couple of nights Paula seemed to have springs on her legs and hands, as soon as she was placed on her crib for a nap or to sleep, she would sit down or pull up to her knees and whale (and fuss and cry) until she was picked up from her crib. And then, while everybody else was sleeping she would wake up, practice her scooting/pulling up skills some more and get stuck kneeling and holding onto the railing of her crib, so then she would cry and scream to be rescued again.

So far, Paula has found:
- The trash cans. She goes straight for the tissues.
- The toilet paper. Unrolling the toilet paper is so much fun!
- The shoes at our closet.
- Alex's tool box. The screwdrivers are a hit.
- The pantry door. It is fun to open it and close it.
- The doors in the aquarium. They make lots of noise if you open them and close them.
- The laundry basket. Lots of toys in there, especially socks.
Now she dives down so that we put her in the ground and she can go explore some more.

Paula has figured out how to scoot around. It is not a crawl but she can go places and get in trouble. Check the video.

10 months old today :) And first fever yesterday! It lasted all day and part of the night but she woke up without fever this morning. It looks like she doesn't have an infection, so we'll just have to wait for the runny nose to clear up.

First crawling attempt. With a little bit of help getting into the right position Paula crawled from the center of the living room to the fish tank. We'll have to see how much longer we can keep the gates in the attic.

Paula's right top incisor has cut through the gum. 4 teeth and counting!

Paula took a bath with Danny last night instead of by herself. He was very happy and giggle through the whole bath... We don't know if it was because she was with Danny, or because there were a lot of new/different toys in the bathtub, or because Papi was giving her a bath, or all of the above. We may start giving her a bath with Danny and let Alex take a bath by himself.

We discovered that Paula's bottom left lateral incisor cut through the gum today. It looks like the other lateral incisor and the top central incisor are working their way through the gum too.

Paula had her 9 month checkup today. She is 27.5 inches long (50%) and weighs 18 lb 2 oz (40%). She sat on the examination table and let the doctor check her without fussing (contrary to my previous experience in 9 month old examinations where the kiddos would scream even before the doctors got close), it may just be this thing about girls liking to be social and babble.

Paula's hair is long enough at the top that I can put a bow and it will stay on. We've taken a picture, we'll post it soon.

Paula's top left incisor just cut through the gum. I saw it was coming out about a week ago, but she never complained... Good girl!

Pau turns 9 months old today!
She loves to try the food that everybody else is eating, so far she has had bits and pieces of orange, grapefruit, grape, nectarine, bread, cheese, green beans, olives, spaghetti, Alfredo macaroni, raisins, craisins, prunes, and she keeps opening her mouth to see what will come next...

Paula was watching while Alex and I played memory. I handed her two cards and she had a great time playing with them and with a tupperware box. I started handing her a card and saying "ten" (have this, in English) and she would take it and give it back to me saying "te te", we repeated the game lots of times.

Paula's hair is getting curly! The high today was about 80 and Paula's hair cut curly all over, it looked pretty cute and more red.

Pau is trying to move around...
The other day she was sitting on the kitchen mat and managed to scoot over to the pantry pushing herself with her hands. This trick only works on tile.
When she is on her belly she will move her knees back and forth and then she tries to move forward but she goes in the opposite direction.

Paula figured out that the water in the bathtub is drinkable; she was sitting and bent all the way down until her mouth touched the water and proceeded to drink, she thought it was fun and it must have tasted good.

Some of Paula's recent accomplishments are:
Clapping -- She will clap when she sees someone doing it or when she wants more of something.
Dancing -- If she hears music either from a toy or the stereo she moves her back up and down following the beat.
Waving -- She waves hi and bye to Papi every day now.

Paula could kill for a real apple. While Tito was visiting he let her chew on his apple, it looked like someone had glued her to the apple because she didn't move, she uses her bottom teeth to scrape some apple out, he loved it. We'll post a picture soon.

Paula started using the princer grasp to pick up fruit puffs and cheerios while on her high chair. She really likes fruit puffs, so we are using them to teach her to sign more. When she wants more she says "na, na, na" and brings her hands together like she was trying to clap.

Paula figured out how to drink water from the bathtub. She thought it was fun until she got her face into the water and got a bunch of water through her nose.

Second tooth is out. The bottom right incisor just cut through the gum.

First tooth! Paula's bottom left incisor cut through the gum, it is not out all the way yet but we can see it and feel it. She didn't complain a bit while the tooth was coming out. We are hoping that the rest of the teeth come out as smoothly as this one.

Paula figured out how to get a fruit puff to her mouth. About a week ago she was able to pick it up but didn't know how to get it in, she would try to put all her hand in her mouth and sometimes she was able to get the puff in or lick it. Today I put some fruit puffs on her high chair and she was able to graciously put them in her mouth and eat them.

First lollipop (not on purpose). I was cooking dinner and Paula was sitting playing in the kitchen mat, a little bit later Danny sat right next to Paula to eat the sucker he got for behaving at the grocery store, two minutes later Alex showed up with his sucker too. When I turned around Alex and Danny were taking turns letting Paula lick their lollipops. The tree of them seemed to be having a great time, specially Paula who sat there with her mouth open waiting for more sweets to get in.

One of Paula's favorite activities is to play with the edges of mats. During her bath she plays with the mat, she grabs it, then lets go, then she tries to chew on it (sometimes swallowing some whater in the attempt) and then she starts all over again.

Santa brought Paula a learning table with lots of lights and buttons. She liked playing with the table and watching her brothers (especially Danny) play with it. She had a blast with the wrapping of all the presents.

Paula has moved to a big girl car seat. She likes to sit up straight and se can see Alex and Danny too!

Paula squeals with delight when either Alex or Danny play with her or when she is inviting to wrestle with Papi and her brothers. Alex was playing pekaboo with her last night and she was having so much fun that we took video.

Paula is down to four feedings; breakfast, lunch, dinner and milk before bed. She can sit very well now, she can use both arms to play and not fall down while seating.

Paula can sit for longer periods of time now. She can hold a toy in each hand while seating without falling. Her favorite things to do are to shake toys and if she has two bang them together... She still likes to lick/suck her big toes.

Paula had her 6 month checkup today. She weighs 15 pounds 6 oz (45%) and is 26 inches long (55%). She gave a doctor a demo of her stiff leg mode (there is no way to get her to sit if she doesn't want to) and of her happy sitting mode.

Paula turned 6 months old today!
She is now able to sit by herself for a minute or two without falling, or if she has an interesting toy in front she can last a little bit longer.
Paula has tried carrots too and likes them. So far, she will open her mouth and act very excited when she sees a spoon passing close by while she is seating in the high chair. She figured out that if she sucks her thumb once the food is in her mouth it is easier to swallow, so when she is done eating we have to wipe not only her face and neck, but also her hands and arms...

The plan was to only feed Paula cereal at breakfast. But the last couple of nights when we have sat for dinner, she started fuzzing, looking around and opening her until she saw one of her bowls and a spoon getting close to her... So now she is getting a little bit of cereal at dinner time too.

We started giving Paula cereal when we eat breakfast. She gets so excited when the spoon is getting close to her mouth that she streches her arms and legs and starts moving them around.

We added reading a book to Paula's bedtime routine. She literally devours books, she would rather eat them and lick them than look at the pictures.

Paula turns 5 months old today!

One of her favorite recreational activities is to lick/suck on her socks, and if she gets them off, the toes are lots of fun too. She also likes to stand; if she is lying on her back and we pull her arms for her to sit, she puts her legs real stiff and stands up, she coos and giggles when she is up straight.
She loves to get the attention of her brothers and talk to whoever is looking at her.
She can soothe herself with either thumb (it was only the right one in the beginning).

Paula took off her socks today. I am not sure if she was playing with her socks and they came off accidentally or if she took them off on purpose. Maybe Danny taught her how to do it.

Paula got earings today!

Paula got her 4 month wellness check today (anlong with some shots). She weighs 13.5 pounds (50%) and is 25 inches long (75%). She almost didn't cry during the shots, Danny did most of the crying for her while she was getting them.

Paula rolled over from her back to her belly today. I put her on her back while I was folding laundry and came back and she was on her belly, so I put her on her back again and a few minutes she was on her belly again; I guess she could get a better view of Alex while she was on her belly.

Paula turns 4 months old today.

Papi has been giving Paula some belly laugh workouts, she loves them!

Paula started blowing raspberries today (hacer trompetillas --in Spanish). Danny is enjoying looking at the bubbles his baby sister is making.

Paula's hand eye coordination is improving. She can now grab a toy and take it to her mouth. He likes to chew on the links that are on her carseat and on things that have different textures. Her favorite this morning was a nursing pad, I was trying to keep her entertained with it while eating (otherwise she turns around to chat with me instead), and as soon as she wasn't hungry she turned around and put the outter side of the pad on her mouth and chewed for a little while.

Paula was baptized today. She rolled over from her belly to her back twice.

Thumb sucker! Paula has found her thumb and we don't think she'll let it go... She sucks un her thumb when she is falling asleep or when she is halfway between sleeping and waking up.

Paula turns 3 months old today.
She is trying very hard to grab objects, if she is able to get something in her hand then the concentration gos into putting it in her mouth, so far, she has tasted the blue monkey, cloth diapers, Alex's finger and a few other toys.
She has also learned to fall asleep on her own and she has started to sleep through the night, she goes somewhere between 7 and 8 hours between feedings at nigh, woo-hoo!
She has found her thumb and likes sucking on it, better than the pacifier (she can find it without assistance in the middle of the night)

We are blessed to have such a happy baby. Paula wakes up and even before her eyes are open, she is already smiling.

First belly laugh! I was playing with Paula raising her hands up and he laughed, I was able to get it to laugh a couple of times.

Second haircut! Paula got her second haircut, except this time we went to a hair stylist. All her hair is 3/4 of an inch long, we can see now that she has more red hairs than brown ones.

Cloth diapers are tasty. We covered Paula with one the other day and she had a great time chewing on it.

Paula found her feet today. They are quite entertaining!

Paula had her 2 month checkup today. She is 22 3/4 inches long (75%) and weighs 11 lbs 4 oz (55%). She didn't complain much about the shots but she has fever and is not a very happy camper (unless Mami is holding her).

Paula has added sound to her cooing. She also sticks her tongue out when she is trying to make sounds.

Paula is all smiles now. If one of her brothers stays still in front of her for a little while he flurts with them. If she sees Mami, Papi or Andrea (Monica's cousin) she will smile and coo at them...

Growth spurt. Paula just finished a 36 hour round of feedings every two hours. I am happy to report that Mami is still functioning after spending most of the last day and a half either feeding Paula or putting her to sleep, and Paula is back to eating every 3 hours during the day (and sometimes longer during the night) and . Thank goodness that it is a holiday weekend and Papi was around to keep the house running.

Paula found her hand today

First smiles! Paula will smile at Mami and Papi when we hold her close and smile at her. She is trying to coo, she makes all the mouth movements but the sound hasn't come out yet.

Room change! Paula started sleeping in her own room last night. She grunts a lot 30 minutes before she is really awake and woke me up before she was ready to eat, then I would get her and she was so sleepy that she would only nurse a few minutes and go right back to sleep... Now that she is in her room, I don't hear her until she is awake and trying to eat her hands, she is nursing better and we are sleeping more.

First bottle feeding. Paula didn't seem to mind that the milk was coming from the bottle, she finished two ounces from the bottle and then finished her meal from Mami.

Paula got her first haircut today. We trimmed the hair around her ears and back. She nursed/slept through the haircut.

First sponge bath. It was 80 degrees outside, so Paula got her bath out in the deck and then got a sun bath (check out the pictures sometime next week).

Welcome home Paula.

Born at 1:15 p.m.

We had an OB appointment, baby's heart beat was at 150 beats per minute. We thought the baby was going to make his/her appearance last night, but it turned out to be false labor. We have another appointment on Friday.

We had an ultrasound to do a biometrics test on the baby and to get the estimated weight. The baby is about 6 pounds 9 ounces (which puts him/her in the 29%) and all the passed all the tests :). Given the results of the ultrasound an induction won't be necessary, so now we just need to wait for when the little one decides to arrive.

Baby's clothes are clean and hung up and the crib is ready. Now we just need to bring down the car seat, swing and baby chair from the attic and clean them up... I think it is offical that we've started the "nesting" process.

We got an ultrasound today. The baby weighs 5.6 pounds and the heart beat was 140 beats per minute. My weight gain was -1.5 pounds; Nick has decided to feed me more steak.

The baby's head is down. According to the doctor, right now the baby weighs about 5 pounds and it is right on track to hit the 7.5 to 8 lb range by delivery time. Heart beat was 140.
It seems that cheescake is a good item to add to my diet. I didn't gain any weight last week despite the yummy cheescake Nick brought home.

Got hicups for the first time.

We had an OBGYN appointment today. 33 3/7 weeks along. The baby's head was up, which is more comfortable than pointing down, I was getting kicked on the ribs a lot! The baby will probably flip for good in the next couple of weeks... Baby's heart beat is fine and I've put on 20 pounds, which is how much I gained when I was pregnant with Alex, maybe this time I'll be able to keep some of the extra fat for myself :).

We had an OBGYN appointment today. We are almost done with week 29. The belly is the right size and it is hiding 18 pounds somewhere in there (it is hard to see where). The baby's heart beat was good and Mami passed the glucose test and got good scores in the levels of iron.

Baby is moving and kicking left and right, the favorite playtime is somewhere around 5:00 AM, 9:00 AM and after I have chocolate. Unlike the big brothers, this little one hasn't gotten hiccups yet.

We just started week 25 (out of 40). The baby's heart beat and the size of the belly were normal at the last check up. Next month we get to do the gestational diabetes test (I get to drink a carbonated very, very, but very sweek drink in 10 min or less and an hour later they do bloodwork to check my sugar levels). I am sure Alex or Danny would love to help me with the drink.

We had the ultrasound today. The baby healthy, 13 ounces and about 9 inches long. We got to see the baby move around a lot and drink amniotic fluid. Watching the heart beat was really neat. We didn't find out the sex, so it is going to be a surprise.

Nick was able to feel the baby doing somersaults. We are halfway there, we are at week #20.

Had 16 week OBGYN visit. The baby's heart beat sounded OK. Mami finally put some weight on, we are +4 pounds from the beginning of the pregnancy.

When Monica ate chocolate, she could feel the baby move.

Heard the baby's heart beat today.

Concieved.