Life - The Momentous and the Minutiae

Breakfast with the characters

2012-01-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

Scott's parents treated us to breakfast with the characters at the Storytellers cafe on a few days ago. Shayna and Sophie were a little apprehensive but Sarah loved them!

Here she is with dale!

Kodas nose!

laughing with Kenai

Hugs for Chip!

And kisses too!

Shayna in piggy tails or as Sarah calls them "mickey ears"

Sophie eating her "moo" muffin as she calls them

The many faces of Shayna

2012-01-31T19:16:00.000-08:00

Shayna is so expressive! She has such a variety of facial expressions that are all pretty much adorable! Here is just a sampling

contemplative / questioning

Happy

Hamming it up!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

So this Halloween was a busy one! We went to a party at Robin and Logan's on Sunday and then took the girls to Amy and David's on Monday night to go trick or treating with Cambria and Baylen. They had a great time at all!

I made some cupcakes for both parties! The mummy toppers are my favorite!!

Here's our sweet Sophie as a Monkey!

Sarah went up to the first few houses with Scott while Shayna and Sophie hung out in the wagon we borrowed from Amy. The Sarah wanted into the wagon and Shayna wanted out. Shayna was the only one of the bunch to really like the trick or treating and she absolutely loved it. She was pulling Scott to each of the houses! She even did a happy dance when she saw two light up tombstones on one of the lawns! The other two were content in the wagon just watching the festivities.

The girls in the wagon at the beginning of the night!

Shayna and Scott trick or treating!

Sophie did not like to wear the monkey hood part of her costume. But she makes a super cute non headed monkey too!

Princess mommy and duckie Shayna!

Mommy sporting Sophie's Monkey costume with her little Sarah Dragon!

Shayna in the Carter's Store!!!

2011-10-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today we saw Shayna in the upper wall graphics at the Carter's store. Her image will be up through the holidays!!

We still need to check back right before Thanksgiving and the first week of Dec. when they will be having pajama promotions.. her image could be in the large windows!!

Have to wait and see if she shows up anywhere else...

Park Fun

2011-10-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know we haven't blogged in ages but here are some pictures of the girls from the last few days at the park and playing around the house!

This is a favorite of mine ! Sophie is so beautiful!!!

Playing at a fountain while waiting to meet Dave, Amy, Cambria and Baylen for dinner!

Playing at the park... Shayna loved this tunnel!

My beautiful Shayna!!

Loving the rocking Lemon at the park!

Hello there beautiful!!!

Shayna!!!

Sophie digging for treasure in the sand!

I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger (cupcake) today!

2011-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

My latest creation... hamburger cupcakes (the bun is cupcake and the burger is brownie) sugar cookie french fries and frosting ketchup!

Shayna's Photo Shoots

2011-05-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the pictures I took of Shayna this week. We are in the process of signing Shayna up with an Agent to see if we can book any modeling jobs for her and they needed a bunch of shots of her outdoors with different outfits and facial expressions. I took over 300 pictures in 3 days of just Shayna and here are a few of my favorites. I sent 45 to the agent who will narrow it down to 8, and then I have to narrow that to 4 to create a photo page for the agency to send to potential castings! Keep your fingers crossed for our little cutie pie!

Playhouses, Bubbles and Passover

2011-04-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

We just bought a playhouse for the girls to play in . We got it yesterday and set it up in the atrium to surprise them this morning. Sarah walked outside and was so excited! She said "wow! Treehouse! " and ran around looking at the whole thing. Then she went inside to play.

Here are all the girls enjoying their new "digs"

Sophie being adorable, as usual

Sophie again

Look who's answering the door...

Sarah answering the door for Sophie. The house even has a working doorbell

Sarah has been obsessed with bubbles lately so Scott bought a serious bubble machine and set it up for the first time today. Everyone LOVED it!

Sarah chased them around trying to pop them

Shayna enjoying the bubbles

You can't tell in the picture, but Sophie really liked them too!

Monday night was the first night of Passover and we went to Scott's folks house for the family Sedar. Here is an top shot of the tables. There were 40+ people!

Sarah trying bitter herbs.. not such a big fan (not that I blame her)

Sophie decided to feed me her crunchy snacks. She though it was hilarious

Sarah enjoying her matzah!

Here are a few shots from earlier in the week at the park

This is my new favorite picture of Sophie! Those eyes are amazing!

Sarah's 2 Year Update

2011-03-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sarah turned 2 on March 3 and here are her stats and 2 year portraits!

She is 25 lbs 11oz and 35 inches long!

She talks all the time and her vocabulary grows every day. She is even speaking some sentences

She knows all of her letters and numbers 1-10

She can even write the letters T, H, and I!

Shayna and Sophie are 1 Year Old!!!!

2011-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the girls to have their one year portraits taken and today we had their one year check ups. Here are the best of the pics and their updated stats:

Shayna is 20 lbs 12 oz and 29 inches long.

She is in the 50th percentile for both height and weight

Shayna has been walking for a few weeks now and is walking more than crawling. She just needs to learn how to stand up without something to hold on to!

Sophie is 21 lbs 9 oz and 29.5 inches long.

She is in the 60th percentile for both height and weight

Sophie just began to cruise within the last week, and also took her first steps on Saturday. She may have waited to walk, but is learning it pretty quickly!

Both girls are healthy and doing great!

Here are my favorite of the one year pictures:

Shayna loved the piano prop

So did Sophie

This is my favorite shot of Shayna

This is my favorite of Sophie

Shayna my walker. She has been walking for about 2 weeks now.

Sophie just took her first steps on Saturday, but still has a ways to go before she is "walking"

Shayna

I love this shot of Sophie with the flower

I love the intense concentration!

Discovery Science Center

2011-03-21T20:30:00.001-07:00

Today my mom and I took the girls to the Discovery Science Center since we now have an annual pass (thanks Heather and Alex!). They have a sesame street exhibit until May and Sarah LOVES it!

The exhibit is all about the human body and this "bathroom" station is all about cleaning your self. Here is Sarah washing her hands

The brush is glued to the counter, but that's not going to stop my Sarah!

Here she is disco dancing with Grover

This station has a bunch of activities.. jumping, kicking and pedaling, which was her favorite

They have a mini "Hooper's Store" and all the girls had a blast. Shayna wants to make sure everyone knows that she likes Bananas.

Birthday Party!!!

2011-03-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

We decided to celebrate Shayna and Sophie's 1st birthday and Sarah's 2nd birthday together, so we had one big party on March 6 at the Jackman's house. About 70 people in total came to help us celebrate our girls!

Auntie Robin and Cousin Logan with me and the girls

I went a little crazy and made each character cupcake a different flavor. Elmo was Lemon, Oscar was Chocolate and Cookie Monster was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I also decided to attempt my first tiered cake and used rice crispy treat cereal to make an Elmo head to top it off. The Elmo head fell apart and had to come off within the first hour of the party. Oh well. The cake wasn't as evenly stacked as I would have liked but tasted amazing.. Chocolate cake with caramel whipped cream and chocolate toffee bits between each layer!

Mom, Robin and I with the girls

Shayna and Sophie chilling on the baby sized bench

Scott and Sarah playing around

We ended up with over 120 balloons! I loved how bright and festive it looked!

Bubbie, Zayde, Robin and Logan with our family

Scott and I and our girls about to eat their cake!

These were the party favor bags that I put together

Sophie

A banner I made with my new Cricut machine

Cousin Dilynn and Sarah

Sarah, Shayna, Sophie and Logan

Happy Shayna

Unlce Mark, Auntie Jan, Shira and our family

Me and my honey!

Sophie being adorable as usual

Breaking my diet to partake in yumminess!

What is a blog again?

2011-03-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

Facebook won't accept the size of this video, and Angel cancelled her Facebook account (so she's doesn't get updates through Facebook), so here's a post to the long forgotten and neglected blog.

Biggest news of the moment - two out of three girls are walking!

Shayna walks very well in between two people. She hasn't really ventured out on her own yet (with some small exceptions).

Now that she is a walker, she can spend some more time with big sister Sarah!

Sophie is sorta out of the loop on this.

But, Sarah still makes time for Sophie.

Also, in fun news, my nephew Aaron is in town for a few weeks. He lives in Japan, and came back about a week before the earthquake. He lives in southern Japan though, so hopefully the radiation from the nuclear power plant won't go that way. Hopefully I'll see him at least once more before he leaves - especially since I promised to give him this picture.

9 month Update for Shayna and Sophie

2011-01-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

Shayna and Sophie turned 9 months old on December 27, 2010 but we just had their 9 month check ups yesterday so here is an update on the girls...

Sophie

- just started to crawl on New Years Eve

- is beginning to eat baby finger foods like yogurt melts etc.

- absolutely adores Sarah

- 28.25 inches long

-19.6 pounds

Shayna

- started crawling on Thanksgiving Day

- pulls up standing on everything

- cruises around furniture and from toy to toy

-took 4 steps only holding on to one of mommy's fingers

-28 inches long

-19.25 pounds

both girls are eating fruit, vegetable and meat combo baby foods

and have begun to eat little snacks like yogurt melts and baby puffs.

They have even had some cheese, tortillas and teething bagels from Montreal!

Shayna and Sophie turn 8 months old!

2010-12-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Shayna and Sophie are 8 months old already. Time has gone by so quickly. Shayna is constantly on the move. She learned how to crawl just before Thanksgiving and now goes non stop. She wants to crawl and pull herself up and stand 24/7. She has even crawled up all the stairs a few times and is fearless...we are so in trouble. Sophie is my little roller. She rolls to get where she wants and is super patient and calm. My mother says she is like me as a baby :)

They love to play footsies and have cute conversations with each other. Shayna is loud and wants you to hear her when she speaks. Sophie is a babbler, talking more and more each day.

They are both in 6-9 or 12 month clothing and are about to begin using size 4 diapers (the same size Sarah is STILL using)

Here are the girls together

Shayna standing as usual

Shayna holding her birthday board

Sophie

Who knew...???

2010-10-27T15:14:00.001-07:00

Who knew that they made limited edition snuggies?

Happy 7 Month Birthday Shayna and Sophie

2010-10-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Shayna and Sophie who turn 7 months old today!

Sophie

Shayna

Shayna and Sophie together

Today Sophie was having fun playing peek - a boo with us.

before...

after...

A trip to the park

2010-10-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

My mom and I decided to take the girls down to the park, even though the day was cold and overcast. Everyone got bundled up in sweaters and coats and we were off!

Sarah - the ham

Sarah decided to climb on the play structure at the park today, something she hasn't done in quite some time

Taking Sophie on the big girl swings

Shayna's turn

Sophie swinging by herself

We can't believe that Sarah is old enough to swing on the big girl swings by herself.. Crazy!!!

New toys, new milestones and fun at the park!

2010-09-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Scott and Sarah had a blast with the most inexpensive toy we have... a box of course!

So much fun being pushed around.

The girls turned 6 months old on the 27th. It's crazy how big they have gotten. I will post more details and stats after their pediatrician appointment on Oct.11.

Sophie at 6 months

Shayna happy to be 6 months old!

with age comes new milestones such as trying rice cereal for the first time..

And Sophie is even getting pretty good at sitting..

We took the girls down to the park today but didn't stay too long cause it was really hot out. We were there long enough for a few cute pics though..

All my girls in their "ride"

Shayna and Sophie having some sisterly fun

Sarah looking cute as ever!

Splash park, Sitting and Sweetness

2010-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

On sunday, we went to the local splash park for some end of summer fun. We packed a picnic and played in the water before and after lunch.

Here is Sarah playing with the horses that shoot water out. They seem to be her favorite thing here.

Cousin Logan getting soaked!

Here is a group shot of all that went.

Today Shayna and Sophie both practiced sitting up. They both did very well and are on their way to sitting independence!

Success for Shayna!

Success for Sophie too!

Sarah had fun today just playing around the house. I took a few shots that I thought were sweet so here they are..

booK

2010-09-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, August 30th, Sarah started saying "Book" with a hard "K" sound. Before, it was more like "Bu". Now she says it all the time consistently. Her favorite book right now is "Go Dog Go!" and loves to point to the bird and say, "bird".

Shayna and Sophie are doing great.

We are past the colds that effected all the females in the house. Sophie found her feet this past week, and Shayna is sleeping pretty much through the night, unswaddled.

Brunch and the Park with Family

2010-08-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Donna's house for brunch and some play time at the park with the cousins! Donna made a very healthy and nutritious brunch of pancakes and chocolate and strawberry crepes... my kind of healthy!!! After lunch we headed over to the newly revamped University Park. (The twins were there too but I didn't get any good pictures of them to post)

Here's some fun playing peek a boo in the tunnels with mommy and auntie Donna

Fun on the swings with cousin Dilynn

This is a cool park

Having fun

Sarah loving the swings as usual

Sarah and Scott all tuckered out after a great afternoon

4 Month Check Up

2010-08-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Shayna and Sophie had their 4 month check up yesterday. Everything went well and we will see the Dr. again in 2 months. In the meantime, here are their current stats:

Shayna - 13lbs 12 oz, 24.5in long

Sophie - 13lbs 2oz, 25in long

Shayna seems to be hitting all of the 4 month milestones (even though the pediatrician said they should be considered more like a 3 month old because they were multiples, lower birth weight and 3 weeks premature). Sophie is on track with everything except her arm strength. We are still working with her on lifting her chest off the ground and in turn being able to roll from her tummy onto her back. Hopefully within the next month she'll hit those missing milestones. :)

July 27 - Happy 4 Month Birthday!

2010-07-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Misc Pics, Concert by the lake and a new toy!

2010-07-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

Shayna and I were doing some tummy time which she was enjoying today!

Here are a few pictures of Sarah taken during the last week that I love!

There was a concert by the lake at our house last weekend. Heather brought her girls and we all headed down to hang out on the grass and listen to some 60's music. We had a great time and the girls all did really well.

Scott and Shayna sharing a moment

I'm not sure what was so funny..

A little mommy and Sophie time!

Scott bought the girls a sandbox (ok, so only Sarah can use it for now). Sarah has played in it the past two mornings and seems to really like it. This morning she didn't want to get out!

2010-07-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today Sophie had an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist to get a second opinion about her "bindi". It ends up that she is a candidate for a clinical trial for a blood pressure medication that seems to dramatically shrink (or even get rid of) her heamangioma. We are still trying to decide whether to do it or not, but if we do participate it begins next week!

When we were at the Dr.s office we got a weight and height check..

13 lbs and 23 inches

(we are one week away from her 4 mo birthday and Sarah was 12 lbs 13 oz and 25 inches at 4 months)

We'll keep the blog posted on what we decide and what happens if we do decide to participate!

All through the town

2010-07-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

For about a week (and a half?) Sarah has been singing along to this book.

The only word she sings is "all", but she does it consistently.

We will sing, "the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town" and she joins in on the "all" part.

Lots o' fun.

A couple of days in the life

2010-07-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

I like that she started putting the tokens in the arcade coin slots without any prompting. I think she learned how to do it from her nephew playing our STUN Runner game.The ice-cream hat is a bit small on her, but she still likes her hat.
I set up a magnetic board in her playroom, and we got her some number magnets. As you can see, she has already mastered basic arithmetic.

Vote for Sarah!

2010-07-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Vote for Sarah!

Vote for my child's photo!

www.gerber.com

Cast your vote and help my child become a Gerber Generation winner! Plus enter your child's photo and your child could star in a Gerber ad and win a $25,000 scholarship!

3 month olds and family pics

2010-06-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Shayna and Sophie turned 3 months old on the 27th but we forgot to take their board pictures so they are 3 months and 2 days instead :)

Sophie Rose

Shayna Maleah

I love all of Sarah's crazy sleeping positions.

This is how I found her during naptime the other day!

The girls were given chef hats from a dear family friend. Sarah loves wearing hers.

We had a ceremony to officially give the girls their hebrew names.

Here is a picture of us with the Rabbi and the girls proud grandparents.

Updating Playroom

2010-06-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to IKEA to get a storage bin/bench for the playroom. Sarah likes pulling out the drawers and finding some toys she hasn't played with in a while.

Sarah's 15 month update

2010-06-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the pediatrician for Sarah's 15 month check up. Here are some of her updated stats:

20lbs 14oz - 20-25th percentile

30.5" long - 50th percentile

Everything is looking good. She has become an avid walker and now just needs to master getting up without holding on to something. She is a pretty good eater.. some of her favorite foods cheese (and anything made with cheese - pasta with butter and parmesan, grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, mac and cheese). She eats an egg everyday for breakfast and loves applesauce, bananas and most fruits and melons. She is now drinking whole milk and is no longer on formula. She can point to your nose and head when asked (and sometimes her own) and calls anything she places on her head a hat (that one's my fault :)

She is a very good big sister. She tries to give the girls bottles and pacifiers and likes to help burp them. They get slapped in the face every now and then, but what are you gonna do?

She is still completely obsessed with her books, especially the ones that are in sets in boxes because she likes to take them out and put them back in. She loves Sesame street and loves her chattering Elmo and Cookie Monster dolls. She loves giving hugs to all of her dolls and stuffed animals and has become a huge hugger / cuddler in general which I love! She still sleeps with her favorite pink blankie, Mr. Bear, or Bitty Bunny.

She is getting into everything which is why we are currently working on baby proofing the house. If we accidentally forget to close a bathroom door..she's in heaven cause it is apparently REALLY fun to go splish splash in the toilet! :)

I am sure there are a thousand more thinks to mention, but I am going to leave it at this for now.

Happy Anniversary - Sorta

2010-06-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Sherri was sick, so we didn't really do much. We were going to go out tonight to a restaurant I booked about a month and a half ago, but I needed to change the reservation, so we will go in about a month and a half.

On the bright side. It seems that the birds nest in our atrium has successfully brought forth a new generation of whatever bird this is.
Even more exciting, Sarah decided to give us a great anniversary present. She's officially a walker now. She was taking a few steps before (to people that would catch her), but yesterday, she decided she could walk on her own to whereever she wants to go. She still goes on her knees, but she is definetly a walker now - She did a lap around the kitchen table and also can stop, and turn around. Yeah Sarah!

2 Month Check-Up

2010-06-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today Shayna and Sophie had their 2 month check ups and first real round of vaccinations.

Here are the basic stats:

Shayna: 10 lbs 2 oz, 22.5 in 25th percentile for weight

Sophie: 9 lbs 11 oz, 22.5 in 25th percentile for weight

Shayna is still throwing up on a regular basis but apparently has a regurgitation issue as opposed to a reflux issue since she only throws up during or right after a feeding and it is not after every feeding. We will be trying a new formula (enfamil AR) to see if that helps (we will also try Soy if the A.R. doesn't help). She should grow out of it by 6 month to a year (hopefully).

Sophie's "bindi" (her strawberry hemangianoma) seems to be reaching it's growth peak. It should stay this size for a while and eventually start to shrink until it disappears (somewhere between age 2-4)

A fun day at the park

2010-04-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today my mother and I took all three girls to the park. We took out the triple stroller for the second time and took Sarah to go and play. Hopefully this will become a daily routine.

Sarah absolutely adores the swings. She loves to be tickled everytime she swings by you.

We just got Sarah her own sand toys since she always plays with the other kids stuff when she is at the park. She had fun with them, although she is still unsure how to use the shovels and rakes etc. Sarah is definitely not afraid to get a bit dirty!

So much fun!!

What do I do with these?

Sarah and me!

Good Doctor's visit

2010-04-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

All three girls went into the doctor's office a couple days ago. Everyone is healthy and happy. The twins are growing and have put on almost a pound each. Also Sarah's ears, which have been clogged for quite a while, are all cleared up. As you can tell, she is happy about this:

Twins doing well

2010-04-09T21:04:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update to allay any fears that we might be drowning beneath a sea of children.

Everyone is doing well. Sherri and I are not getting quite as much sleep as we'd like, but other than that everything is good. Sophie and Shayna are extremely tiny, which wouldn't be pointed out too often, except that big sister Sarah is always there as a reminder. But they are doing what they are supposed to - lots of sleep and eating fairly well.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from today:

Sophie (not sleeping or eating but) looking cute (if not a bit worried about something)

Doing what they do best

Welcome Shayna and Sophie!

2010-03-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Shayna Maleah and Sophie Rose were born yesterday, March 27, 2010!
Shayna is named after both of Sherri's grandmothers (Maleah means peaceful, which is the same meaning as Frieda.) Also, Shayna is named after my grandmother Sylvia. Sophie is named after my greatgrandmother.
So far they are doing well. Shayna may have to be treated a bit for jaundice, but everything seems good besides that.
Shayna was born at 7:11 p.m. Weighing in at 5 lbs 11 ozs, and 18.9 inches.
Sophie was born at 7:23 p.m. Weighing in at 4 lbs 15 ozs, and also 18.9 inches.
Once things got going everything went very quickly. The hospital has a policy that all "multiple" births happen in the OR. Sherri was taken to the OR about 7:00 p.m. (Not that she didn't labor before that, but everything happened at once when she did get in the OR.) It was a natural birth, but Sophie was delivered "breach" (feet first).

Anyway, here's some pictures:

Sophie and Shayna

Here's Sherri and me with the new babies

Mommy and babies

Can't quite tell from here, but 90% sure that is Sophie.

Shayna

Family photo

Sarah has been doing very well with her siblings so far. She keeps wanting to touch them. When both the babies started to cry, Sarah jumped right in there and cried with them. They seem like they will get along just fine.

Long Blog of Updates

2010-03-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Okay... so it's been forever since we have updated the blog so this entry will be quite long. Sorry! A lot has happened since the last post.

We took Sarah to Disneyland for a few hours to play..

Daddy dressed up as the new Mad Hatter.

We went to a family friends wedding that was catered by In N Out burger! Yum!! They also had a sundae bar... Best wedding food ever!

Here is a picture of my sister and I with Sarah

All dressed up in her party dress..

Sarah turned 11 months old..

and then a year (I can't believe she is already 1 year old!)

We took her to have professional pics taken on her birthday but I don't seem to have those on my computer at the moment so I will have to post those separately.

Playing in her ball pit on her birthday.

We just about finished the nursery.

I am just waiting for letters with the twins names to come so I can paint them and hang them above each crib. We decided to go with something that wasn't to "baby".. so we opted out of the options I had previously posted of birds and butterflies etc and went with this more modern approach. I absolutely love how the room came out.

We met my sister and nephew for lunch and then went to a new park to play for a while. Sarah loves to play in the sand and luckily has not tried to eat it yet. The sun was in her eyes, but otherwise I liked this pic.

Daddy and Sarah at the park

I am sure there is much more that I am forgetting to post but for now this will have to do. :)

Sarah's B-day

2010-03-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

A Day at Irvine Park with The McMichaels

2010-02-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the afternoon with Amy, David and Cambria at Irvine Park. We met up and went to the zoo where Sarah got to pet the Goats. The goats decided to retaliate by eating Scotts shirt :)

The girls just "hanging out" on a bench

After the zoo we found a picnic table near a park and had a picnic lunch. Then it was play time on the swings.
Sarah LOVES the swings

Cambria enjoying the swings too.

Sarah got to crawl around on the grass and had a blast. Here are the girls playing together looking at leaves and sticks.

It was nearly impossible to get a shot with both of them smiling and looking at the camera

All in all, we had a great day and look forward to many more play dates! Thanks to the McMichaels for a great afternoon.

Sarah's 9 month check up

2010-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Sarah had her 9 month check up today (yes, I know she's already 10.5 months old). Here are some of her stats:
17.1 lbs (10th percentile for her age)
29.25" long (70th percentile for her age)
She had her flu shot and the first of 2 H1N1 shots today and they ran a hemoglobin test which came back with good results.
She seems to be hitting all of her milestones, and seems to be a healthy and happy little girl!

Sarah's new accomplishments

2010-01-13T20:13:00.001-08:00

Sarah learns how to do new things everyday! She has pretty much mastered crawling and goes everywhere. Here's her newest endevour...

Sarah got this rocking horse / riding toy for chanukkah from her bubbie and grandpa. She loves to rock back and forth on it!

I bought the "busy ball popper" for Sarah a little while ago and it has turned out to be one of her favorite toys. She either tries to catch the balls when they pop out or she'll try to catch them as they go down the curvy green section before they get spit out again. She makes it go over and over and over.

We are 26 weeks pregnant now and things are going pretty well. I have been sick a lot this holiday but other than that things are good. We have another ultrasound next week, and my tentative last day of work is Feb. 18th since my Dr. is taking me off work at week 32.

Happy 10 month Birthday Sarah!

2010-01-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

Today is Sarah's 10 month Birthday and she gets more curious everyday. She crawls regularly now and likes to get into everything! She pulls herself up onto everything and still loves to stand and jump. She has 6 teeth now (the front bottom 4 and front top 2) but should have more within the next week or two. Here is Sarah's official 10 month photo..

I love this shot of her!

She loves playing with the new toy her Bubbie and Zadie gave her for chanukkah!

Crawling around just because she can.

Today we had a mini reunion of a bunch of friends from my high school youth group. We had it at our house and had a great time catching up. It's amazing that we are all old enough to be married with kids! There were 14 adults and 11 kids! (Sarah was napping for the photo)

She's Mobile!

2009-12-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Sarah is now crawling! She is still a bit hesitant but I'm sure within a few days we'll be chasing after her. Here is the proof...

She also usually ends up sleeping on her tummy at some point during the night, but my favorite is when she sticks her butt up in the air...too cute!

She's starting to get into everything. We tried to put her to sleep the other night, she seemed to go to sleep, was completely silent and when I went in to check on her 30 minutes later, she was standing, holding the rail and jumping in the corner of her crib. Scott put her on floor with her toys last night and left the room for maybe 30 seconds. When he came back, she had crawled to the coffee table, stood herself up and was trying to reach the basket of stuff in the middle of the table. :) Guess it's time to baby proof the house.

Catching up a bit

2009-12-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

Apparently we are complete slackers about blogging lately. I went to post Sarah's 9 month picture and realized we never posted her 8 month pic. So here they are...
Guess how old I am?

If you guessed 8 months, you're right! :)

Now I am 9 months old!

Here is an update on Sarah's milestones...
Finally eating 8 oz bottles and full containers of baby food if she is in the mood (which is not that often)
Can (and usually will) pull herself up onto her feet if there is something nearby to hold on to. Sometimes she'll even let go and stand on her own for a few seconds
Still loves to stand and jump
Gets on all 4 but can only scoot backwards for now
Ends up sleeping on her tummy during the course of the night although she still can't roll over onto her back
Wearing 6-9 months in most clothing, but can still wear size 6 months pants
Is cuter every day :)

Sarah and Cambria at the Mall

2009-11-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we met Dave and Cambria at the mall. The girls were getting along really well, especially during lunch.

Please Vote and help me decide!

2009-11-04T09:14:00.001-08:00

I know it's still early but I am trying to decide on decor and colors for the twins nursery. I have narrowed it down to 3 but am having a very hard time choosing so I though I would ask for some opinions. Which one do you like best?
Lovebird by Bananafish

Little Bird by Bananafish (Migi)

Willow by KidsLine

Let me know what you think!

Sarah the Mischievous!

2009-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sarah may not be crawling yet, but it doesn't stop her from getting into anything and everything she can. :)

Utlrasound - Two little sisters for Sarah!

2009-10-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound yesterday and the technician and doctor independently concluded that Sarah will have two little sisters. They seem healthy and have all the parts they are supposed to, so we are very pleased. Even though the due date is April 18th, the doctor is pretty sure we will get to meet them in March. (twins are usually early).

New favorite Photo

2009-10-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since we blogged and I promise to try to catch up by then end of next week, but in the meantime I thought I would post a great pic of our family that my parents took on Sept. 19th. This is my new favorite family photo!

Week 11

2009-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a week 11 update
Not much to report. Everything is going well. The doctor's VHS still isn't working, but I videotaped through my camera, so there is a shaky video below.
Also, my cousin Sandy has been in labor all day and should deliver soon. Can't wait to meet my little first cousin once removed, and Sarah and the twins' second cousin.
Baby A
Baby B

Poor Sarah

2009-09-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

So Sarah has been sick the last few days. She came down with a fever Sunday afternoon and by Monday it reached 103. She threw up everytime I tried to give her Tylenol and so Monday night ended with a trip to the walk in clinic (which was mostly useless). She continued to not hold any food down and by Tuesday wasn't able to keep anything down, so back to the pediatrician in the morning. Finally at about 3 today her fever broke and she was able to keep down 2 oz of formula so hopefully the worst is over. I look forward to seeing my happy, smiley Sarah return. :)

Developing well

2009-09-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sherri had another ultrasound this morning. I didn't go because Sarah had (has) a fever.

The ultrasounds were cool today. Sherri said she could see fingers move. Unfortunately the doctor's VHS is still broken, so no video. But here's a couple pictures.

Baby ABaby B

Last Saturday - Playing with the Cousins

2009-09-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Sarah and I went to see her cousins, Rhys, Dilynn and Sawyer. Sawyer was having fun with his little cousin; although it was hard to get them to hold still for a picture. (Blurry handed Sawyer with non-looking at the camera Sarah was the best of the bunch.)

Baby's Growing

2009-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

The twins are at week nine now. Everything is progressing normally. Week 12 we will have a more detailed ultrasound (no that doesn't mean we will know the sexes.)

Here's Baby ABaby B

Few more milestones

2009-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

For about the last week Sarah has been saying "mama". Sherri and I don't think she actually associates it with "Mom", but she does seem to repeat it, on separate times and days, so I think I can safely say it is her first word.

This isn't new, but she really loves to jump in this thing. We haven't put her in it for quite a while, but she is definitely a happy baby when we put her in it.

What is new is we started her on carrots today. We debated between peas and carrots, but decided on carrots for absolutely no reason. She ate the first two bites without incident, then as you can see in this 2 minute video (yeah I know it's long) she started not liking it. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Ultrasounds

2009-09-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the ultrasound pictures from yesterday. We also brought a tape to record the heartbeats, but the doctor's VHS recorder wasn't working. :(

Here's Baby AHere's Baby B

Sarah's 6 Month Check Up

2009-09-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sarah had her 6 Month check up today. She did really well, only crying for a short time after the 3 shots of vaccinations. She is growing steadily and here is some updated info:
14 lbs 15 oz
26 1/4 in
Began eating rice cereal a few weeks ago. Tolerated it at first and now hates it. We'll be moving on to oatmeal and veggies in the next few weeks
still mostly wearing 3-6mo clothes, depending on the brand
Can basically sit on her own, as you can see below

Sarah's 2nd tooth just broke through, you can see it (a little) in the next photo

We had our 4th ultrasound of the twins today and everything looks good. I don't know how to operate the scanner so Scott will have to upload the pics later.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Sarah

2009-09-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today Sarah turns 6 Months old. We go to the pediatrician on Tuesday for her check up so we will have updated stats at that time. In the mean time Sarah has decided that the birthday board makes a fun toy!

I can't believe she is 6 Months old already. She is basically able to sit on her own now, although as soon as she gets distracted she topples over :)

Picture catchup

2009-08-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Sarah and I went out to celebrate Shawn's birthday. We missed out on the Cupcakery afterward because I was exhausted and more importantly, so was Sarah. But it was fun to get out and see some of the gang.

I don't think Shawn was quite ready for this picture.I can't believe how big Cambria is getting. She was very funny waving to everyone at the restaurant.

Last week Angel and family came into town. It is always great seeing them. I was happy that California Adventure let me in without a ticket so I could have dinner with everyone on Monday night.

Here's the traditional Disney pose where they interpose Tinkerbell on everyone's hands. Seems like Tinkerbell couldn't make it this time.

Week 7 and Confused

2009-08-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of Baby A and Baby B. Both are healthy (with strong heartbeats), but the doctor switched the letters on us today. Last week Baby A was on the right. This week Baby A was on the left and Baby B is on the right. I'm guessing the lettering system is arbitrary.
Anyway, I'm getting more excited than nervous, which is good. Looking forward to meeting these two.

Baby BBaby A

Sarah's SiblingS!!!!!

2009-08-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

We had our second ultrasound this morning, and everything went really well. Not only did we see a strong heartbeat, but we saw TWO! It looks like Sarah will be big sister to two siblings. (Hopefully...crossing my fingers). It looks like we are at about 6 weeks now, which mean the embryos are about the size of lentil beans.

Here's a picture of Baby A as the doctor labeled the embryoHere's a picture of Baby BAnd here's a group shot of Baby B (on the left) and Baby A

Depeche Mode

2009-08-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

My friends Dave and Ben had a last minute cancellation to the Depeche Mode concert last night at the Hollywood Bowl. It was a very good concert, and I was very happy to get the ticket. Our seats were good in that they were dead center. We were a little far back, so I wish I would have brought a camera other than what was built into my phone (which is horrible), but oh well.
Anyway, like I said, the concert was very good. They played a good mix of new and classic DM.

Here's three pictures from the concert, which are pretty useless since the phone-camera is so bad. It's what I got though.

We took the shuttle over from the LA Zoo. It worked pretty well, because we didn't have to drive ourselves through the horrible traffic. Here's Dave and Ben looking at I do not know what.

First Ultrasound

2009-08-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

We had our first ultrasound today for Sarah's sibling. Although it is still not definitive, only one yolk sac was visible, which suggests just one sibling....phew!Okay, I'm off to Depeche Mode!

Belly Eating

2009-08-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Sherri was working this weekend, so I took care of Sarah. Pretty much I just followed Sherri's example and everything was good. I even stole Sherri's "I'm eating your belly" and a good time was had by all.Here's a long video of me eating my daughter's belly. It's about a minute and a half. But I know Sherri will want to see it, so I've posted it here.

Cereal

2009-08-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Sarah had cereal for the first time. She ate about half of it. (Better than today when she knocked over her bowl).
In other news, Sherri had more bloodwork today. Everything is moving along well - HCG 1146 and Progesterone 45.
On Monday we will have our first Ultrasound! I always liked those with Sarah because it reassured me everything was okay.

Here's Sarah's first non-liquid (but really still liquid) meal:

Happy Belated!

2009-08-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

Just realized that we didn't post a 5 month picture. Sarah turned 5 months on August 3rd. I think the rest of the milestones are listed in previous posts. (Her tooth is getting so big!)

Updates and new pics

2009-08-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

I had another blood test today and HCG levels are 555. I go back on Friday for another draw.. Yipee??? I had today off and got to spend it with Sarah which was great! We ran some errands, met my sister for lunch, played... I wish all days could be like this one (although less errands would be nice)
Here are a few shots taken during the past few days.
Sarah being cute in her crib

I can't believe how big Sarah is now. She used to only take up half the crib when laid down widthwise and now she is too long!

I thinks she has gotten used to posing for the camera

She loves playing with (and eating) her toes.

Teeth!!!!!!

2009-08-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sarah is getting her first tooth. This little nub of a tooth (just below the fingertip on the left side of the photo) began coming in on Saturday. She's been a little bit cranky and has changed up her eating and drinking schedule a bit but so far it has not been too bad.

I had more blood drawn today and HCG levels were 267, just where they should be. I go in for another blood draw on Wednesday and expect the levels to be in the 400 range. Once the levels reach 1000 they will schedule our first ultrasound.

Testing the Webcam!

2009-08-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about this thing, but let's try one.

Sibling!!!!!

2009-08-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

So it's official.. Sarah has a sibling on the way! (It's too early to know for sure if it's one or more, but I think it's only one) HCG levels were 137. I go back for more blood work on Monday and then will have our first ultrasound about a week later (I think). We will be keeeping track of everything on the blog, but are keeping the pregnancy news off of facebook for now.

We finally set up Sarah's high chair the other day. She's not eating solids yet, but since she likes to sit we thought she might enjoy sitting with us at the table etc. Here's a pic of her trying it out. Instead of food she's licking her "lollipop", a silver rattle that she got as a gift and loves to lick. :)

Milestones and Updates

2009-07-31T14:09:00.001-07:00

I am off bed rest now but still have to take it easy. My mom was here this week and will be here again next week since I am not allowed to pick Sarah up, but at least I can hold her in my lap :)
About a week ago Sarah began to sleep through the night unswaddled .. Yeah!

Sarah can roll onto her tummy but still can't get off, but here's a video of "My little inch worm"

Thought I would duplicate one of my favorite pics from when she was younger... This time we got a smile (and what used to be long pants are now fairly short capris :)

More fun in the jumper today. She LOVES it!

I wish we lived in the snow cause she is sooooooo cute!

Sibling!?!

2009-07-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Sherri is on three days of strict bedrest because we are attempting to get a sibling for Sarah!
We had 11 embryos frozen when we implanted the embryo that became our little girl. Yesterday they thawed out 6 of them and 4 of them were viable for implantation. We implanted one 8 cell, two 6 cell and one 5 cell embryos. Hopefully we will get ONE healthy sibling for Sarah. (Don't tell whoever comes out, but I'm hoping for a boy this time...shhhh.)

Updates about Sarah

2009-07-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sarah is starting to like tummy time spending most of her play time on her tummy. She can now roll onto her tummy from both her right and left sides but hasn't figured out how to get back onto her back yet. She is "mobile" now (reminds me of an inch worm). She gets her knees under her and her butt in the air and inches ever so slowly forward.. but she IS moving!

Sarah enjoying her new bouncy.. Thanks Tracy, Kelly and David!

More tummy time fun!

Weekend Festivities

2009-07-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was kinda busy and tiring. It started out Friday night with a retirement party for my mother at a Chinese restaurant in Irvine. Saturday we drove down to the Outlet center in Carlsbad for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day to walk around outside. After shopping, we went to Kelly and Tracy's house for dinner and to visit. Tracy needed to meet Sarah! Sunday we went to Scott's folks house for a dip in the jacuzzi and for the first time Sarah really enjoyed herself. She loved the bubbles and kicked around like crazy. We were going to go to dinner with Alex and Heather and family but unfortunately Heather was sick (hope you get better soon :)) so we had a nice relaxing night in and watched Twilight (which neither of us liked, oh well).

When we were shopping we saw these enormous great danes...
Tracy, David, Me and Sarah. I hope the kids become good friends.
Sarah having fun with daddy in the jacuzzi.

Does Sarah have a twin???

4 Month Checkup

2009-07-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sarah had her 4 month check up and vaccinations today. She seems to be right on track with her milestones and is growing steadily.
She is 12lbs 13 oz and 25 in long (Still considered long and skinny).
She still is wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes, except for a few brands that she fits 3-6. (There are even some 0-3 that are still to big on her in the waist...I wish I had that problem :)

Too Cool

2009-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Jan is an optometrist and brought some samples of frames that she has for sale to show the family.. even Sarah got in on the action.

Photo Shoot

2009-07-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

When Sherri and Sarah were at Baby's R Us today, they offered her a photo shoot with Sarah. Of course then they tried to sell Sherri a package. They were unsuccessful, but they did provide her with a free sample 8x10 pic:

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

This year we spent the 4th of July in the valley helping to celebrate Scott's great Aunt Midge's 80th birthday. Pool, food and family made for a fun afternoon.

Today we went to brunch at my folks house to get together with a bunch of family friends that we hadn't seen in a while. As if friends weren't enough my folks made homemade stickybuns and Kalua laced hot cocoa. Here's Sarah looking cute as usual in her matching hat.

After we got home Sarah had some good play time in the gym.

Sarah's 4 Months Old

2009-07-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah turned 4 months old on July 3! She's such a happy baby and she's now bigger than her stuffed animals we've been propping her up against. We go for her check up and vaccinations on Wednesday so I will post more of her statistics once we have them. we are having a busy 4th of July weekend so I will post pics from that tomorrow.

SNOW CONES!

2009-06-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today we saw our exact same fridge, but the newer model. I so want it!!! It makes shaved ice for snow cones. Sherri says our fridge is just fine, but I now think it is probably broken in some way, necessitating a new one.Sherri took this picture a few days ago. Sarah looks like she had a lot of fun, but I'm not sure if she is really old enough yet. Opinions?

Too cute to choose just one!

2009-06-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

2009-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Friday was our 4th wedding anniversary and our nephews 6th birthday. On Friday we went to celebrate Rhys birthday with the family and did our anniversary celebration on Saturday. We went ice skating during the day to the OC ice palace in Anaheim (It's a nice rink and wasn't very crowded). Then we came home to relax and change and went to Scott's seafood for dinner..very pricey but very good. A trip to cold stone creamery for dessert and then back home. Thank you to my mom and dad for babysitting!
Scott got me these beautiful roses for our anniversary! His gift is on it's way after a few delays.

Ice Skating fun!

Home from dinner

Our giggling girl

2009-06-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sarah sure seems to have mastered the giggle. I couldn't help but video it.

Sarah's 3 Months!!

2009-06-08T10:05:00.001-07:00

Okay. This is gonna be my third post today since I keep forgetting all the things we've been meaning to post. Sarah turned 3 months old on Wednesday. We had a doctor visit on thursday and she now weighs 11 lbs 1 oz and is 23.25 inches long. She seems to be on track with her milestones so we don't go back for another month.
Here are her 3 month old pictures, along with a few other "to cute to not post" pictures.

Disneyland

2009-06-08T09:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday we took my nephew and sister to Disneyland for the day. It was crowded but not too intolerable. We didn't go on that many rides. Scott and I took Sarah on her first ride, the Jungle Cruise while Logan and Robin went on Indiana Jones. We tried to take her on Small World but the ride broke down while we were in line.
We stopped at Chili's for lunch on the way

Here they are about to get wet on Splash Mountain. Sarah and I decided to sit this one out.

Here's a pic of Sarah while we waited

We decided to eat dinner at Rainforest cafe before heading home. We sat on the rooftop patio where is was really windy and cold despite the heating lamps

It was so cold we had to wrap Sarah up to keep her warm. Isn't she adorable all bundled up?

Cambria's Birthday Party

2009-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

So it was a pretty busy weekend. It started on Friday night with Dinner at my folks house. Then Saturday Sarah got to play dress up and go to Cambria's 1st Birthday party.
Here she is as we were getting ready. I couldn't get the flower to stay on her hat right so we ended up switching it to a bow :)

Here's Sarah at the party.

Sarah had a great time and was soooo tired when we got home. She fell asleep instantly in her cradle swing.

First Pony Ride!

2009-06-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last blog. Friday I got to spend the afternoon with Amy and Cambria and we had a good time wandering the mall and getting a bite to eat. We went to dinner at the Jackmans Friday night. Saturday Scott had to work so Sarah and I ran errands. Sunday we went to a graduation party for our friend and then to Disneyland for a while with Robin and Logan. We stopped by my folks house where I found my old Cabbage Patch Kid's Pony.. the perfect size for Sarah!

Our family from Friday night

Sarah looking cute dressed for the cooler weather we have been having.

Sarah's sooooo smart!

2009-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a video showing how smart Sarah is... she already understands us! :)

Tummy Time and Sleepy Time

2009-05-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today we had some tummy time play which Sarah seemed to enjoy.

We went to the Beachcomber for breakfast on Saturday with my sister, newphew and our friends Micki, Brandon and their boys Ethan and Jonah. Here's Sarah all bundled up at the beach.

Why is it that everything Sarah does is adorable... even sleeping? Here's a few recent pics of nap time.

Birdnest in my soul.

2009-05-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sherri took some really good smile pictures today. Also we found a bird nest on our light. I thought it was very well made, but as there were no eggs in it, it is now down. If I kept it I would have had the problem with birds flying into my garage...again. I think we've had three in the garage and two in the house. They are a pain to get out.

New Favorite

2009-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent some time working on Sarah's birth announcements. Today I am picking up the photo we are using and can start assembling them. It is going to take at least a week to get them all completed. Last night we met up with my folks, sister and nephew for dinner as a last family dinner before my folks go to Hawaii for 2 weeks with Scott's parents. Of course we forgot to take pics but here's my new favorite picture of Sarah that I took in the afternoon.

Mother's Day etc.

2009-05-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

So my first Mother's Day was fun. We went to brunch with the Jackman and Levenstone clans at the University Club and then went back to the Jackman's for swimming and dinner. It was Sarah's first time in the pool but she had just awoke from a nap so she didn't like it too much. We'll try again soon. She should like it since she likes the bath.

Sarah in her swimsuit.

We had Smore's after dinner.. Yummm! Sarah was all bundled up since it was a bit chilly.

Making Smore's around the fire pit

Sarah's latest thing is licking everything she can.. Her hand, my neck, Scott's arm... I took this video in the car on Saturday..

And the smiles keep coming

2009-05-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more pics of Smiley Sarah!

Tonight we are going to dinner with my sis, nephew and my folks. If we remember to take pics I'll post them tomorrow.

Happy Sarah

2009-05-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

After a morning of errands (DMV, lunch with my sis then costco) we finally made it home.
Sarah was appartenly glad to be home because she was all smiles this afternoon.
I couldn't decide which photo to post so I posted several, although the last one is definately my favorite!!

Sarah's 2 month check up

2009-05-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been 2 months! She is still so tiny, but huge compared to this photo taken when she was 5 days old.

Here are some of the stats from todays appoinment:
She now weighs 9 lbs 12 oz (25th percentile, so still pretty little)
She is now 23 inches long (75th percentile, where does that height come from?)
She recieved several vaccinations today but will have to go back sometime in the next few weeks because they were out of one of the vaccines.

Bath time and Smile time

2009-05-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm stealing Sherri's thunder and doing another post. Yesterday, Sarah had her bath. I think she was surprised it was photographed.

Sherri took this picture today. Sarah is smiling more and more. (She's like a real person)

I can blog (sorta)

2009-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

So I can now upload photos to the blog thanks to Picasa, but I can't figure out how to upload 2 photos to the same post.. and I still can't figure out how to upload photos to the computer from the camera... (I need a lesson from the hubby :)
In the meantime, Here is a fav photo of Sarah.

Happy Two Months!

2009-05-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today Sarah is 2 Months Old! She is tracking things with her eyes much more. I still don't know if she knows that her hands are connected to her body, but when she does manage to hit one of her toys (like the pink one below) her eyes track the toy swinging back and forth.Also, she is smiling much more and it's because she is happy rather than any other reason.

Of course no smile here. I don't think she liked being propped up with Mom and Dad standing right there not holding her.