Viva la France!

Ton Ton Joel, Tati Anne and cousin Dorian landed back in the U.S. last Saturday night and have been spending the week with us. We've had a great time with them except that little Miss Sadie had her first stomach bug. Her illness paired with lousy weather have put a bit of a damper on NYC summer fun activities but everyone has been a good sport about it, especially Dorian, who at only 4 years old, never complains about being bored.

Sunday, Lara and Lorin hosted a little barbecue and Dorian was able to meet his choice of future brides, Francesca and Fiona. Either one will work as long as we can get him to marry a Tomei he is not related to by blood. Terra, Seth and Jackson were there as well so it was kids galore.

Sadie took her first set of real steps that night. Ton Ton Joel counted as many as seven in a row!

On Monday, anticipating a rainy day, we decided to head to the Museum of Natural History so Dorian could see some dinosaurs. I should have known something was amiss when Sadie took an hour and 45 minute nap before we left. If I have not already noted in this blog her sleeping habits, it's because she has none. I am over the moon when this kid sleeps an hour straight.

So we piled into the car and I mean that literally. Nathan driving, Joel in the front passenger seat, both car seats in the back with Anne squished between them and I in the trunk. Luckily, my stature allowed for full leg extension but oddly I had to hunch because the head clearance was a little low.

As we began our journey up the West Side Highway, only a few blocks south of Chambers, Sadie began to fuss and then "blagggghhhhh"! Puke everywhere. Nathan veered off to a side as Anne tried to contain the mess. We pulled her from the car seat and stripped her down. I am pretty fanatical about having a change of clothes in the diaper bag but alas there was none. I thought we could still go because we had a clean hoodie for her to wear but everyone advised against it. I just felt horrible that Dorian would miss out on seeing the dinosaurs. We headed back to Brooklyn and when we were only blocks away from the house she blew again. They were right to make us head home.

Unfortunately, Sadie was sick with that stomach bug for the rest of their visit so much of it was spent close to home. We were so happy to have the other set of Bonds with us even if for a short visit. We know it will be awhile before they can come up again but we hope to make a trip down to Savannah for cousin Dorian's 5th Birthday.

Until then Viva La France!

Two Steppin' Sadie!

Sadie just took her first two steps! Her motivation? The giant photograph Betsy took of her. I guess we don't have to worry about her self-esteem. I'm betting on a weekend filled with walking practice up at Bubba (Ed) and Tudie's (Susie's) house this weekend. I'll charge the video camera and see if we can get some film of it.

Nine Month Stats & Some Recent Milestones

Sadie had her 9 month check up 3 weeks ago. Here were her stats:
Height: 31 inches - 130th percentile - this officially makes her half my height. YES...half my height!!!
Weight: 22 pounds 3 ounces - 95th percentile

Anecdotally, she has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom ones. She calls Griffin "woof woof". She is standing on her own for 10-15 seconds at a time before realizing she is standing on her own and then reaches out for something. Sadie and Griffin have become best friends because he has realized that if he stands under her high chair she will drop food for him. Of course, sometimes this means that Griffin walks around with crumbs on his back.

Sadie seems to be insatiable and now expresses her hunger by smacking her lips. She loves music. Nathan discovered her favorite song is Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. She bounces up and down and flaps both hands in time to the beat. If she's fussy, singing to her will calm her immediately. And she is already a muse. I made up a song for her right before Christmas and now 'Uelita has made up another one.

Sadie's strength and reach are startling. She seems to be able to lift, push and pull almost anything in her path. She was holding on to the back of her high chair which is cantilevered to the dining room table when Nathan tried to pick her up. She wouldn't let go of the high chair and pulled the entire dining room table with her as he tried to pry her away.

June 12th was our 5 year wedding anniversary and we were lucky enough to have the night to ourselves thanks to cousin Ris and the use of her love nest. This meant that Sadie spent her first night without Mommy and Daddy. According to Auntie Chelle who slept over, she was an angel and slept through the night without a peep. We are still waiting for a repeat of that full night of sleep but we're not holding our breath!

Sadie's First Swing

Dala's Spring Visit

We had a great visit with Dala. She arrived on Friday evening just in time to give Miss Sadie a bath.

On Saturday morning, we headed into the city early to meet 'Uelita and walk the High Line. The sun was shining bright but it was windy and slightly chillier than we anticipated. We stopped in Chelsea Market to have lunch and give a quick hello to Robin at Amy's Bread. Dinner was delicious Dominican delivery from El Castillo de Jagua....mmm.

Each night was early to bed because Sadie was often to rise. (We didn't cry it out until the following week.) Every morning, Sadie had a special wave to greet Dala. They definitely have a special connection.

Sunday was Daddy, Dala and Sadie on their own. Mommy had to work open houses. Apparently, most of the day was spent watching Sadie crawl, reading the Itsy Bitsy Spider and general baby entertainment.

Dala was on her way back to North Carolina Monday morning with an 11 hour drive in front of her. We were very sad to see her go but look forward to seeing her for Sadie's first birthday.

Worst Blogger Ever

Well, it seems that it was winter when I last posted. I thought blogging would be a good way to keep up with Sadie's milestones but, alas, I am not the diligent blogger I thought I would be.

Here's the latest and greatest of the last couple of months.

Six month check up:
Weight: 20lbs 11oz
Height: 28.5 inches

This meant she dropped from the 120th percentile to 105th percentile. My little amazon!

Seven Month innoculation:
Weight: 20lbs 11 oz

At this visit she was having only getting an innoculation so they didn't do height or all the other check up business. However, this visit was memorable because of Sadie's reaction to the shot.

Sadie was playing with a scrap of paper when the doctor stuck her with the needle and plunged it into her thigh. She stopped playing with the paper, made the grunt "Ehhhh" and then returned to playing with the scrap of paper. The doctor flipped out. Not a tear, not a scream...nada. She's a beast! I am sure the X-Men are looking for their newest recruit and Sadie is on the short list.

CRAWLING

About two weeks, Sadie really started crawling. It was perfect timing as Sharon a.k.a. Dala, came to visit that weekend. See next post for details.

Well, that's the latest. I will try to be better about posting.

Six Month Stats

Today we had Sadie's six month check up. She is 20 lbs 11.5 oz and 28.25 inches long.

Four Month Check-Up

Here are the stats from Sadie's 4 month check-up which was in January.

She was 19 lbs 7 oz and 27.25 inches long. Four more inches and she will be half my height. I'm serious!

We had just started her on rice cereal the week before this visit and the doc says we can start introducing vegetables. I know this is earlier than usual but the kid is as big as a 7 month old.

I'm HUNGRY!!!

Sadie had her first "solids" which was rice cereal on January 11th, 2010. She was just a couple of days short of 4 months but she was sucking me dry. She loved it and was visibly disappointed when it was all gone. This child is going to eat me out of house and home.

Sadie's First Visit to SXM

New Year's Eve-Sadie Rocks and Rolls!

Sadie's First Trip to ATL

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Eve 2009

Our First Family Christmas Tree

 

Sadie's First Snow Fall

 

Two days after we moved into our new apartment, the whole northeastern seaboard got slammed by a major snow fall. This is what it looked like on our balcony. And although we had tons of boxes to unpack, we decorated our Christmas tree instead! You can see the reflection of the lights. (This was the weekend of December 18th, 2009)

Dala & Sadie

 

Dala's Visit

Grandmother Sharon Bond a.k.a. Dala visited us the first weekend in December. I know that was about six weeks ago but it was the beginning of a very hectic time. Also, my mother was in a very serious car accident that weekend and it sort of made everything even more challenging for awhile. Thankfully, my mother was protected by our amazing Subaru Forester and her injuries were not as serious as they could have been. If anyone is in the market for an SUV, we highly recommend that vehicle.

Back to Dala's visit. Sadie was so happy to see Dala again. This was her third visit since Sadie was born and they just love one another. Lots of folks think that Sadie looks like Dala and she may even have her dimples. I do hope so!

As Dala lives in North Carolina and we would not be able to see her for the holidays, we celebrated Christmas early. Dala gave Sadie a cute handmade winter-themed outfit, an amazing pop-up book and a dinosaur, hand puppet book. Our gift to Dala was Hallmark's recordable version of The Night Before Christmas. This book was really a gift to Sadie and is extra special because not only do we get to hear Dala's voice at story time but we also get to look at the gorgeous illustrations painted by our good friend Joseph Adolphe.

As we are still new parents, we didn't "do" anything exciting but Dala did have Dominican food for the first time and loved it. I'll be sure to have platanos in the house for her next visit. We look forward to seeing her soon in 2010!