Park Weekend

Feliz Cumpleanos Oscar!

I had so much fun preparing for Oscar's birthday this year. It was a little challenging working on all the preparations between feedings, diapers, and naps but it all got done! The guest list was very exclusive and limited to the guests of honor's closest family members - Elizabeth and Siena :) - and it was just perfect. I told him that he has experienced and accomplished so much already and he is only 35. We had so much to celebrate this year and I am sure so much more in the years to come.

A surprise birthday breakfast. Yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit and homemade granola. Oscar loves granola so I was so excited when I found a recipe to make it at home. It was actually pretty easy and turned out great!

Blowing out his candles. Oscar loves anything lemon so I decided to do something different than a cake this year and make lemon bars. We have become fans of shortbread after living in London for a year and the crust was made out of shortbread. He ended up taking some to the office and they were a hit. I will have to add this one to my permanent recipe file :) Siena was supposed to be in bed but we let her stay up to celebrate with Daddy.

Opening his gifts. For those of you who know London, you can guess from the bag that Siena and I shopped at Selfridges :) It was my first outing with Siena in the Bjorn front carrier. Everything went well but I felt a little like a bull in a china shop when I was trying to make my way to the till .. I had her on the front, my purse on one arm, one bag already on the other arm and my coat. The salespeople were more than willing to help me as I neared a nice display of tea cups ... !

A British birthday! Oscar loves anything with the British flag on it so I thought these would be fun gifts (a throw pillow and a door mat) that would also double up as nice souvenirs one day. This is the first year - I think ever - that he hasn't returned or exchanged his birthday gift. Yeah!

Siena - 5 weeks and 4 days

What a difference a few weeks make! Look at those chubby cheeks :) Check her out at 3 weeks and 4 days here. You can really see how much she has grown because she is propped up in the same position. She went through a growth spurt and is now wearing 0-3 months clothes. Yeah! She now has a whole new wardrobe of things she can wear :)

She has always been very alert but she is even more now than ever. Her play mat is one of her favorite places to be and can even entertain herself for short periods of time. I love to watch her kick around and be so fascinated with the hanging toys and blinking lights. She is going to be so much fun to play with when we go home in June!

PS - We moved flats last weekend and won't have our Internet access transferred for about a month. Bummer! So I may not be able to post for a while. I promise I will get back into it as soon as we have access again. Also, responding to email may be a little bit of a challenge but will keep up with it as best as possible on my iPhone.

A Walk in the Park

We have had some unseasonably warm weather in London this Spring and have enjoyed every minute of it. Regent's Park has become our favorite place to be ... along with the rest of London! The other weekend every part of the park was packed with people having a picnic, playing sports, or just taking a walk. It is so nice to have the park just around the corner. We love it!

Siena wearing her first short set given to her by Matty's parents. Thanks Ramon and Matilde!

How cute is that?! My mom gave her those pink high tops and they went perfect with her outfit. Oscar said she was dressed appropriately with her sports wear to go to the park :)

Having my first ice cream cone of the season in Regent's Park. It was carmel flavored called "Hokey Pokey" - so yummy!

Tea Party

I hosted afternoon tea the other day so a few of my friends could meet Siena. We had so much fun! I made egg salad finger sandwiches, tuna salad brioche, and ham with cream cheese and salsa tortilla wraps. They were followed by homemade crumb cake and a plate of tea cookies and chocolates and, of course, plenty of tea!

I don't have any of my tea party "play things" here, like my three tier server or my cake stand so I had to make do with what I had. I didn't even have tea cups so I popped over to the store on the corner and picked these up for 1.50 each :) They will hold me over until I get my real tea set. (That is going to be my big souvenir from London before we leave. I haven't found "the one" just yet.)

I have been so blessed with very good friends here. All of which have babies of their own :) They have been a huge help getting me ready for motherhood and supporting me through the first days of being a new mom. I have loved watching their little ones grow and can't believe how big they are already. Pretty soon I will be saying the same about Siena :)

Baby Nicolas (about 7 months), Baby Thomas (about 5 months), Baby Siena (almost 4 weeks). Baby Alex (about 13 months) stayed at home with grandma so mommy Maria Jose could have some time off :)

All partied out!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This is too funny! Oscar has found an entertaining game to play with Siena. He learned that if he sticks his tounge out at her, she will imitate him and do the same. Babies are very clever! They can go back and forth for a while before either of them gets bored. It is really cute :) You may not be able to tell in the picture but Siena can stick her tounge out pretty far!

Esto es super gracioso. Oscar ha encontrado un juego divertido con Siena. El se dio cuenta de que si el le saca la lengua, ella hara lo mismo. Los bebes son muy inteligentes! Ellos pueden jugar asi durante un buen rato antes de que ninguno de los dos se aburren. Es monisimo. Lo mismo no se ve bien en la foto pero Siena puede sacar su lengua bastante lejos!

This is the life!

I'm just relaxing and hanging out with mommy today. I had a really good night's rest and only got up once at 3am to feed. A half hour later, I was already back in bed and fast asleep. Mommy was so proud of me! I must've been worn out from yesterday's trip to the grocery store and walk in the park.

I am taking my morning snooze now but pretty soon I will be up and ready to feed again. It is another nice Spring day in London so we are going to head out to run some errands before the Health Visitor comes this afternoon to check on me. I have to say things are going pretty well for me :)

PS - My outfit says "Thank Heaven for Little Girls". Isn't that the truth! :)

2PS - I laughed today during my morning feeding. Not a gas bubble smile but a true laugh from the belly. I know you think it is too early for this but it's true. I actually did it for the first time the second week I was born - my mom and grandmother couldn't believe it. I'm just a happy baby, I guess :)