Birthday Party #2

Jai's family surprised Isha with a birthday party complete with her own smash cake. I just have to take a minute to rant about the cake. Isha's smash cake was Amaretto and the big cake was half German chocolate and half white cake with strawberry mousse filling. YUM! Isha with her Auntie and her Tia!

Two birthday parties. How lucky can one little girl get? We even had Elmo plates and napkins! YUMMY! Actually, Isha wasn't really into eating the cake, which was fine with us because that just meant more cake for us! We had the party on Sunday afternoon and I think she was still overwhelmed by all of the people. But by the end of the week she was comfortable with being passed around and loved on by everyone. Isha loves Elmo, so it was the perfect theme for her party. Nothing like trying to get red icing off of a baby.

Isha made out like a bandit. Her Uncle Bobby, Tia Viviann and Stephen got her loads of adorable clothes and an even cuter swimming suit. You will start seeing them as the weather warms up here. Her Auntie Bhawna and Uncle Tom got her a big doll and her Grandma and Grandpa Oberoi got her three beautiful outfits from India complete with bracelets and a gold necklace. Her next set of pictures are going to be taken in some of the outfits from India. I can't wait.

This is one spoiled kid.

Spring Break In Texas

We went to Texas to visit with Jai's family. Of course we spent the first few hours trying to child proof the house. Isha loved getting into everything before we had a chance to move it out of her reach.

We didn't have any room in the suitcases to bring toys with us so we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to get Isha a few things to play with. She had a blast smacking the golf balls around with her clubs. She also had fun smacking us around. Nothing better than a big bouncy ball. On St. Patrick's day we spent the day with Jai's sister and brother-in-law in Fredericksburg. It is an amazing old German town that is full of fun shops and wineries. We had a great German lunch and then we checked out some of the shops and even did a little wine tasting! We also spent a day at the outlet mall and Isha had a good time riding all of the little rides. We started out with Pumba, but when we saw the bull we knew we had to let her ride it! As they say: When it Texas. . .

Isha loved riding this thing. She was jumping up and down and hollering like a crazy woman.

One night Jai's parents watched the grand kids and we went out with his brother and sister-in-law and had a great time down on 6th street in downtown Austin.

We spent Easter weekend in Dallas with Jai's sister, but unfortunately the camera was in the stroller so we don't have any pictures to share. Isha managed to score 3 Easter baskets so she had plenty to keep her busy. When she wasn't playing with her Easter eggs she was looking under the bed for the kitty. It was so cute, she would squat down to look under the bed and then point at the cat. I don't think the kitty was very impressed with Isha, but luckily they managed to keep their distance.

We had a great time visiting with everybody and we can't wait to go back!

All By Myself

Isha is becoming very independent and she is not afraid to let you know that she can do things herself. The other day at the park Isha got mad at a little girl because the girl was trying to hold her hand. The poor little girl, who is only 3 years old, couldn't figure out why Isha didn't want to be her friend. I had to explain to her that Isha doesn't understand that yet and that she likes to do things on her own. I have started letting her try to use the spoon by herself. It is a very messy deal, but she is so proud of herself when she gets a bite into her mouth. In order for her to eat I have to occasionally give her a helping hand. I know it is a little tacky to have the Halloween bib on at Easter time, but you got to work with what ya got!

Last night the Millers came over for dinner. We wanted to get together before we left for Texas. Isha was a total show off. She kept screaming at the top of her lungs and running around like a maniac. She definitely put on a good show for our company. Hartley wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to play in the balls, but with a little coaxing we finally got her in there. Here is our big girl. I have to say that Eric looks quite handsome with that purse!!! We had a great time last night and we can't wait to get together again.

A Visit From Great Grandma Carol

This week Isha's great-grandma Carol came for a visit, all the way from Seattle Washington. This is her second trip out to see Isha and I am so glad that Isha is getting to spend time with her. We had a very busy week. On Tuesday grandma went with us to kindermusik and on Wednesday we spent some time playing at the park. Yesterday we went to Ben Franklin and bought Isha this adorable foam fish hat for $0.77! What a bargain. She is going to be adorable at the pool this summer. We did lots of cooking while grandma was here also. It was fun to just spend some time hanging out and letting Isha show her great-grandma all the stuff she can do. Grandma was even able to see a few little temper tantrums. But most of the time was spent playing and snuggling. What a good week. Next week we are off to see Isha's grandparents in TX. Isha sure has a lot of people that love her. What a lucky little girl!

Into Everything

One of Isha's favorite things to do is play the piano. I will be busy doing something and I will hear the tinkle of piano keys. She has figured out how to do it by herself now so it is a constant attraction. I set her up on the bench and she loves to pound away. My piano playing skills are almost non-existent, even though I took lessons for 6 months, but I play a few scales and chords so that she can hear the sound of them. I hope she continues to enjoy music. Boy are we in trouble. Isha is in the climbing phase right now. The other day she got up on top of a box and she was so proud of herself. It makes me nervous because now I am wondering what she is going to try next. TA DA! Look what I can do! Playing on the swings at the park is another one of Isha's favorite things. She would swing all day if she could. She loves the feel of the wind on her face. She smiles and lets out great big giggles. I love getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air. I think it helps wear her out which makes her take better naps, which is always a good thing!

Dinner Party

Yesterday evening we went to dinner at the Foster's house. Adrienne made us an amazing home made Italian meal and Lauren brought some tiramisu that she made. It tasted amazing! It was also really nice to get out of the house and do something different! Adrienne and Ben. Poor Ben is one of a very small number of boys in our group. All of the rest of us have little girls so Ben is always having to deal with lots of girls. I'm sure he is learning valuable lessons on how to deal with women. The other thing about Ben are his amazing blue eyes. He is definitely a cutie!

Hunter takes sitting at the head of the table very seriously. Not only does she sit at the head of the table, but she sits on the table! Mallory poses for the camera while sitting on her mom's lap. Mallory and Isha are always sharing hair tips and where to find the latest hair clip fashions. I have been so lucky to find such a great group of moms and babies to hang out with. Isha loves all of her friends and it is always fun to get the kids together to play. Here is our little monkey climbing all over Ben's chair. Isha had a great time playing with all the different toys at Ben's house.

Cutie Pie

Here is our little ragamuffin! It is getting hard to take pictures of her because she always wants to grab the camera. Isha has gone down to one nap a day and she usually sleeps until 5 pm so she has been staying up a little later. She loves to play with her toys after she has had her bath and gets her jammies on. She has a toy with a microphone on it and she has figured out how to work it. We will have to take a video of her singing. Busy, busy, busy! The other morning Isha got into the diaper bag and pulled the puffs out. She figured out how to get the lid off and she gave Stitch a big helping of apple strawberry puffs. He is loving this stage of her development!

Moving Up

Well it's official... Isha has moved out of the infant carseat and into the Britax Boulevard Carseat, aka: the big mama seat. Isha seems to like the new seat and I am sure she is going to love it even more when she can be turned around and see what is coming instead of what is going. Here is the poor old infant seat left neglected and displaced until the next infant comes along! I am sorry that I have been such a slacker about posting, but we just haven't been up to much lately. With the one and off weather and Daddy fighting a kidney stone, we have been laying low lately. Here are a few before bed pictures of Isha. She has this basket that she always tries to put on her head like a hat, but it ends up around her neck. She will put up with it for awhile, but eventually she gets frustrated and screams for it to be removed, and then promptly puts it right back on her head and around her neck. She is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY now. She is walking all over the place and getting into everything. The kitchen cupboards and TV buttons being her favorite things. She also has her two bottom teeth now and I think she is working on a few more. She is starting to look more grown up and do more big girl stuff. It is nice though that she is so little because that way I feel like she is still my little baby.

A Busy Day

Today was our first Kindermusik class. We had a great time. A few of Isha's friends are in the class so that makes it extra fun. (The little girl in the pink is Hunter, one of Isha's friends.) We did lots of singing and dancing and playing with bells and scarfs. There is even one song that we sing while we massage the kids. Isha really seemed to enjoy it and the teacher was great. She is good with the kids and you can tell that she loves what she does. This is her 10th year of teaching. After her afternoon nap we went to the park to enjoy the 70+ degree weather today. It is funny because when I read all the blogs from home they are full of snow day pictures and activities. Which we are just a little bit jealous about here, but it is hard to be too upset about it when you are able to get out and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air. Since Isha needed a bath anyways I figured I would just let her have at it for dinner. She doesn't seem to be a huge fan of pasta so I thought that maybe it would make a difference if I let her eat it herself. She did take a few bites, but most of it ended up on the floor. Which didn't bother Stitch one bit. This was left over pasta from Maggiano's, which is where Jai and I went to dinner last night for our 3 year anniversary. If she doesn't like Maggiano's pasta then there is no hope for the stuff I make at home. I am sure that eventually she will like pasta, I guess right now it is more fun to play with than to eat! I tried to catch a picture of Isha's new trick, but I wasn't fast enough. She has been sticking her finger up her nose all the time. She thinks it is so funny. I try not to get to upset because I know that the more upset I get the more she will want to do it. Hmmmm....I wonder where she learned that? Kids sure are gross! Isha is also very close to getting her bottom teeth. One of them has almost come through the gums. She is catching up.

Messy Girl

Not much has been going on these last few weeks. Just haning around the house waiting for the weather to get better and catching up from the holidays and the parties. The other day I gave Isha a bitter biscuit thinking it would keep her occupied while I cleaned up the kitchen. It definately kept her busy. These things should come with a warning on the box. I had to change her clothes and hold her under the sink to get all of the cookie off of her. If anyone is brave enough to try them I have almost a full box of bitter biscuits that I would be willing to give them! Ha Ha. Yesterday was wear red day for the American Heart Association's campaign for women's heart health. We dressed Isha up in her red heart jumper and headed down to St. Francis to join in the festivities. We stood out in the pouring rain and formed a heart around the fountain and had our picture taken. We acutally made it on the local news, but we were so small you could barely see us. So now Isha has made her television debut! Our neighbor Michelle was in charge of the event so she was there along with her husband Mike. Mike took a great picture of Isha and I standing behind the red dresses. When I get them from Michelle I will post them.

One Year Check Up

Yesterday Isha went to the doctor for her one year check up. She is growing and developing just fine and she has actually grown. She weighs 18 pounds and 5 ounces. I don't know how accurate that is since they were rushing because she was screaming her head off, but it is close enough. That means she has gained 3 pounds in the last 3 months. This puts her in the 10th percentile for weight. She has also grown a little over an inch. She is now 26 and3/4 inches. She still isn't on the chart for height, but he said as long as she is staying on the curve it is fine. It just means she will probable be petite. She is reaching all of her milestones so he gave her a clean bill of health. She received her chicken pox vaccine and now she is set for the next 3 months. I am glad she won't have to deal with chicken pox. It was like a right of passage when I was a kid. I remember sitting in half empty class rooms because the chicken pox was going around and I also remember itching like crazy and being miserable.

Isha's Baptism

Last Sunday Isha was baptized at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church . Adam and Laura are her Godparents. I was a nervous wreck. I hate having to be up in front of everyone at church. Once we were able to sit down I started to relax. Last Sunday we also celebrated the baptism of the Lord so it was very fitting that we had picked this day for Isha's baptism. Father Don Lamey baptized her. She did great. I was afraid that when I laid her over the water she would start crying but she did fine. The crying started after the baptism. When Father Don picked her up to introduce her to the church she started crying. As soon as her gave her back and I put the paci in her mouth she was happy again. My parents were there and all of our neighbors were also there. It was great to have them there because they too will be helping us teach Isha about God. Shawn and Sara came down from Northern Virginia. It was great to have them here especially since Sara was there when I was baptized. After church we came back to our house and had a yummy brunch complete with blueberry french toast, breakfast pizza and fresh fruit. Isha opened her gifts from everyone and then went to take a nap! It was the perfect ending to a busy and wonderful weekend.