A Final Farewell

Not long ago, we were forced to say goodbye to what we came to know as "the magic pink chair." This wonderful vibrating pink chair put Sophie to sleep (and kept her asleep) at naptime for the first two months of her life! The frequency of its use resulted in the death of the motor. While we were able to squeeze a bit more life out of it by repairing one of its metal parts, last week it gave out on us for good.

So we bid adieu to our favorite pink chair in the tribute below:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Vacation Wrap Up

The end of vacation is always bittersweet – so sad to leave behind the relaxation and fun and yet so happy to be returning to the comfort and familiarity of home! Friday was no different . . . we left the hotel after a great week to return home ready to unpack, relax and reminisce about our five days of luxury!

Flashback to last Sunday: We checked in to the hotel and made our way up to the 7th floor room where Soph (along with Pablo & Kristin)relished the air conditioning! Sophie seemed pleased as ever (again, as were we!) to escape the stifling heat, and she seemed equally pleased to hang out on the king-size bed – such a size difference from her crib at home!



We wandered the grounds, taking in pool after pool after pool!



We knew from the beginning that our outdoor time would be limited. Temperatures were in the 90s with humidity at around 90% and while Soph is quite a trooper, she can only handle so much! So we tried to take advantage of the morning hours when Sophie napped to get in our outdoor fun! (And a beautiful napper she is!) Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Crawford for my first sundress – I look so pretty!



Pablo and I are pretty competitive with each other when it comes to games – now we’re not talking hard-core tennis or ice hockey –but um . . . let’s call them “low impact games” – everything from scrabble to cribbage to stroller racing (a new one we’ve recently added to the list). During vacation week we challenged each other at Shuffleboard (I won) and Ping Pong (Pablo won, but I think he cheated!).



We did get to the pool twice for about half an hour each time! It was just enough for Sophie to take her first dip! I was really nervous about letting her get in the pool after having researched pools and babies and learning that six months is the “appropriate” age for a first swim. Nevertheless it was HOT and we dipped her for a quick refresh! She was ADORABLE in her first little swimsuit and sun hat relaxing poolside and swimming with Pablo!





The rest of our vacation was spent bouncing between our air-conditioned room (amazing!), the air-conditioned lobby and lobby bar and the air-conditioned restaurants. Pablo and I swooned over our daughter and getting to spend five straight days with her – work free!

Sophia and I swam every day in our double Jacuzzi – who needs outdoor swimming pools when you have your own private one indoors?!? Soph absolutely loved the water – kicking her legs and splashing her arms all over the place!



Pablo and Soph spent time playing games and chatting away – Sophie is making so many fun sounds now that we can hold deep and exciting conversations!



I think, however, that Sophie would say her most interesting conversation partner was the towel swan left on our bed every day by the maid service. Soph and Swan spent long lazy afternoons talking about life and love and everything in between. (See the new video posted for live Soph and the Swan!)



And both Pablo and Sophie got a “new look” for our vaca! Pablo just about died when I made a haircut appointment for him at an upscale salon in PV and told him it was going to cost $36 bucks for a hair cut (the cost at a “normal” salon is around $15), but for the last week he hasn’t been able to talk about anything besides Fidel, his gay stylist. And we all agree that Fidel had his work cut out for him and came through with flying colors! Here is Pablo with his new do!



And Sophie, who forgot her own little sunglasses at home, borrowed a pair to keep the bright sunshine from her eyes! They were a little big, but she made it work!



Pablo and I got a little time to ourselves to sip pina coladas and talk while Sophie slept! And of course we took our typical selfie to document the moment alone (one of very few in the last couple months!)



Now we’re back home and the next two weeks (while our employees are on summer break), we are dedicating ourselves to home improvements – or well, finishing our home! We’re so excited to make more progress and turn our shell of a house into a home!

We Are Off!

Well all . . . no more posts for an entire week as we are off on our far-away (hahaha!) vacation - all the way to Nuevo Vallarta! Regardless of the fact that we are simply going north of town, it feels like a real get-away, and we couldn't be more ready!

So this week if you think of us, we'll be relaxing in the sunshine (or the downpour as it is rainy season here), drinking pina coladas (or formula) and completely forgetting about weddings!!!

Hopefully we'll have lots of fun stories and photos to post when we get back!

In the meantime, I am adding two more of our professional photos of Sophie to keep some of you (grandma/grandpa, aunt & uncles satisfied until we get back!)

I love this first shot just because it shows how tiny Sophie is compared to us! Makes her seem so innocent and little - completely dependent on us which is amazing and scary all at the same time!



This second shot I think is hilarious - Soph looks completely spaced out and serious - the same face she has when she is really tired and just wants to fall asleep! (She's also most likely staring at the ceiling fan.)



Ok - we are off! Talk with you all in a week - wish us luck!

1 Aunt, 2 Uncles and 3 Furry Cousins

Seems customized onesies are all the rage this year, and Sophie was fortunate enough to receive some really special ones as shower gifts from her American aunt and uncles! There is definitely a common theme that runs throughout them – basically Soph pledges her love to her aunt, her uncles and of course, the furry animals in their lives! And while I have tried my best to catch her smiling while wearing these getups, it just hasn’t happened; I have, however, caught quite a range of other emotions on her face – I can’t help but wonder if her expression reflects what she is wearing??? Makes you wonder . . .

Here for example, she sports a lovely “I love my Auntie Stacy” onesie. And anyone who knows Auntie Stacy knows that fashion is important! Notice that Soph paired the trendy onesie with comfortable yet fashionable pink pants as well as her favorite accessory, her oversize stuffed dog.



Soph seems to be a little bit bored by her “I love my Uncle Dan” onesie. Perhaps the idea of him spending a long day just driving around in his Hummer tired her out. Maybe he should sell that Hummer . . .



As for the day Soph wore her “I love my Uncle David” onesie, she seemed quite peaceful and relaxed – Dave seems to have that similar cute smile. Maybe she was dreaming of a round of 18 holes out on the course, most likely the same dream her Uncle David often has!



The day she donned the “I love Remmy” onesie in honor of Dan’s dog, well . . . she was a little pistol! As sassy, feisty and rambunctious as ever!



I think this photo speaks for itself.



Ok, just kidding! And in all fairness to Bosch, Sophie really did look like this before breaking out into the howl seen above!



The newest member of the Crawford family is actually NOT Sophie, but Lexi – David and Stacy’s new puppy! Soph and Lexi already seem to have something in common as neither looks too happy at bathtime!



As Lexi came post-Sophie, there is no onesie in her honor, however, not even the littlest family member is left out!



Pablo and I comment to each other daily how much our lives have changed since Sophie came along and how very much we have learned and keep learning every day! This parenting thing is a trip! What makes me laugh is that just when we think we might be getting the hang of things, something happens to remind us that we are merely amateurs! No matter how much we read or research or learn from friends, there always seems to be just as much that we are completely shocked by!

So, as today is partially dedicated to the canines in our lives, I’ve got one of our parenting experiences to share with those of you who have strong stomachs!

As our kitchen floor is being tiled and all our cabinets are displaced right now, Sophie’s normal bath in the kitchen sink wasn’t going to happen! So I decided to put her little bathtub on her bedroom floor which had seemed to work perfectly the night before. We splashed and sang, and had I been a little smarter, I probably would have guessed that the trumpet sounds and gas bubbles coming from her little behind in the water would eventually result in something more concrete, but no . . . I just kept on splashing and singing until I was greeted by a few unwelcome floaters in the bathwater! Now this did not shock me as my friend Jill had already shared her bathtime floater experience with her daughter Cameron. So while I wasn’t pleased, I was prepared. I lifted Sophie from the bathwater and took her into the bathroom to rinse her off (quite proud of my calm manner despite the floating poop), wrapped her in a towel and headed back to her bedroom. See now, that was what I am talking about when I say “Just when I think I’m getting the hang of things . . .” and this is what I am talking about when I say “something happens to remind us we are amateurs” – I walk through the bedroom door and find my dog Camila quite contently lapping away at the bath water and its contents! In my shock and pure grossed-outness, I spazzed at her giving not only the poor dog a heart attack in the middle of her meal but also causing my freshly bathed and relaxed daughter to break into tears.

Ugh . . . Just when I think I’m getting the hang of things my dog eats my daughter’s poopy bath water.

Finally Summer, Sad Sophie

Yesterday proved to be our toughest day yet with Soph! She received her two-month vaccines which apparently will protect her from meningitis, neumococo, hepatitis, rotovirus and a long list of other things I’ve never even heard of, but in the meantime have given her a 100.9 fever and have caused lots and lots of discomfort and crying! So a day that began all smiles and cooing ended with a cool bath to bring down the fever, her first meds (Tempra) and a quivering lip that ends up in a heart-breaking howl! (Enough to put Pablo and I on the verge of tears!)



In other Sophie news, she has graduated from the simple burp cloth that delicately wiped the drops of milk around her mouth to a full-fledged bib as our little Soph is no longer, um, delicate! She now spits and slurps and slobbers and sputters. So she has stepped up her fashion sense and sports pretty bibs when mealtime comes ‘round!





We finished up our final wedding of the season this past Saturday (yeah!) We were fortunate enough to work at Casa China Blanca – an amazing villa with walls of glass overlooking the ocean – so while we had a great view, we still had the advantage of being in air conditioning! And anyone who has visited PV in the summer knows there is NOTHING better than A/C to bring endless smiles to our sweaty selves!









So this week we are tackling our storage – going through hundreds of fabrics, shelves and shelves of wedding equipment and getting ready for our annual garage sale (this Friday!) LOTS to do before then!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It’s a busy week here on both the home front and the wedding front. We have our last wedding of the season this Saturday – thank God it is in a beautiful villa with air-conditioning! It’s been extra humid and raining here for the last three or four days straight. Everything feels damp and yucky!

We are making progress on Project-Finish-the House this week. I finally chose the kitchen tile and stair tile and those are both in the process of being laid. The projects should be complete by this weekend. I’m so happy – it finally seems like we are moving forward again! The only negative part is the constant pounding and noise – a lot more difficult with a two-month old trying to sleep . . . but she’s been a trooper!

Speaking of Sophie, this has been a week of smiles! We’d gotten a peek at her smile a couple times in previous weeks, but she really seems to have gotten the hang of it this week! We haven’t caught any on camera yet, but we’re working on it. What does she smile at, you ask? Well, while I would LOVE to say “mom and dad, of course” – I can’t. Her biggest smiles have been elicited by her current favorite things – lightbulbs and ceiling fans. No matter how many squeaky, vibrating, dinging, rattling, colorful or black and white toys I hang in front of her face – no matter how many songs I sing, faces I make, gestures I exaggerate, I get no smiles. Oh no. Those are saved exclusively for the fan and lightbulbs.

Pablo laughs and says it reminds him of a Mastercard commercial in which they show some expensive kiddie contraption (a play gym or something like that) – The Latest in Child Entertainment - $200 USD. And then they show a little toddler in a diaper running around with a box on his head and popcorn packing material strewn all over the floor. A Happy Child – Priceless.

Well, my happy child looks directly past mom and dad and the toys dangling in front of her face to gaze at the rotating fan and shiny light bulbs!




Sophie’s sleeping has improved from the last couple weeks. No more frantic night-time screaming (thank goodness)! She’s waking about three times a night (between midnight and 8 am) – twice to eat and once just to be held and rocked back to sleep! She now LOVES her pink vibrating chair, and she sleeps amazingly in it!

Our two dogs – Joe and Camila – have adapted very well to Soph. Since day one, they have been very protective of her - no jealousy as we had expected. They stay close by her and when she cries, stick their noses through the crib rails to check on her.



She’s definitely received many doggie licks – on her feet, arms, legs, ears – today she got a big fat sloppy one from Camila – right on the lips! I just didn’t get there fast enough to stop it! I thought it would cause instant crying, but she didn’t even flinch! I hope as she grows older she is a bit more discriminating about who she lets kiss her!

Thinking back (to March) . . . Part II

(For those of you just tuning in, I'm jumping back a couple months to share photos and stories from my brother's wedding in PV last March!)

So following a super-successful welcome party on March 5th, everyone gathered at beautiful Casa Copa de Oro, a 6-bedroom villa where we stayed, on the evening of March 7th for David and Stacy’s wedding.


THE BRIDE
Stacy wore a beautiful Greek-style dress with gorgeous beading under the bust. She carried a bouquet of yellow calla lilies and bright-colored roses. She was absolutely stunning!


THE GROOM
David, quite dapper in his suit, leaned against the wall deep in thought prior to the ceremony. What was he thinking, we wonder . . . “How many hours until margaritas are served?”


THE BRIDAL PARTY
Stacy’s two friends – Megan and Randi – stood up as her maid of honor and bridesmaid. David asked Dan to be his best man . . . and my DAD to be his groomsman! What an attractive bunch!


THE CEREMONY
David and Stacy exchanged vows on the beautiful terrace while family and friends looked on. Maracas hung from each chair, ceremony programs with colorful ribbons led guests through the ceremony performed by my dad’s cousin Tony (who also officiated our wedding), and wrought iron intertwined with roses served as a backdrop for the intimate service.



THE BRIDE AND GROOM
The photographer was good . . . REALLY good. You see, I LOVE this picture of David and Stacy – I think they look really chic and model-ey – all serious, sexy and stretched out!

But as I said . . . the photographer was REALLY good cause this is the REAL David and Stacy!


THE MARACAS
Yes, the darn Mexican noisemakers kept people entertained all night long!




ONE MARGARITA TWO
Mom is known in our family as the serious, straight-laced one. Always organized, always sober, always “proper.” But somehow, she flies over that Mexican border and Ay Caramba! Serve up the margaritas! Due to her infrequent alcohol consumption, it only takes her two margaritas or half a bucket of Coronas and she’ll be cheerleading on the beach! Take a close look at the pictures below . . . looks like she was sampling ALLLLL the margarita flavors! But doesn’t she look beautiful???



THE FAMILY
Although they are few and far between, the days when I can have my entire family together - US family + Mexican husband – are some of the best days I can remember! Stacy fit in right from the beginning! And when we are all together, we laugh a lot! Dan and Dave dubbed Pablo their “brother from another mother” – and hearing that phrase didn’t get old! It brought on this moment when we were supposed to be posing all pretty for pictures!


THE MOMENTS
Like any wedding, there were some emotional, traditional and unforgettable moments! I’m sure the bride and groom have their own moments, but since this is OUR blog, we get to talk about the day’s moments that really touched us!

Silly as it may seem, the crazy hustle and bustle of my family all getting ready together in the same suite (side note: we did have more than one room, but we CHOSE to be all cramped and together!) was really special. Some of those pictures from David and Stacy’s wedding were my favorite!




Seeing my cousin Michelle, who has been living here in PV since January of 2007, with her family – mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law – was really heartwarming! She waited so long for them to visit her, and seeing her surrounded by loved ones on her new turf was really special! She definitely had a happy glow to her during wedding week!


I was seven months pregnant at the wedding. My feet and ankles were swollen, I felt like a whale, and I was tired – right in the middle of our busy season – but somehow it felt really special that my family got to spend time with me while pregnant. Mom and dad visited several times during those nine months, but I only saw Dan, David and Stacy twice – I felt like Sophie was really a part of the whole wedding celebration! My big belly proves she was there!


Spending time with my family is always great and I was so happy to see and visit with them all, and the time spent with my brother Dan was one of the highlights of the week! He came down early with mom and dad and stayed late with mom and dad so we had lots of time together! His head was in the clouds on this trip as his new girlfriend Tiffany was along – an old friend of Stacy’s and a wedding guest – how convenient! She obviously brings out the best in him! Yeah Tiffany!



A break with my husband! It seems like our wedding business, house-building, Pablo’s school and preparation for a baby has kept us somewhat occupied for just about as long as we’ve been married! Although we had to work during David and Stacy’s wedding week, we did get a couple moments of relaxation to ourselves – which were much needed and greatly enjoyed!


My mom and dad are happiest when their family is together, and that was obvious during wedding week! Seeing the smiles on their faces – beaming and proud of their growing family!




My first sister-in-law! All my life I kind of wondered why in the world it had occurred to God to give me two brothers and zero sisters! And while I am very thankful for those two maniacs, it is really fun to have another girl in the family! What started as three siblings grew into four with Pablo and now five with Stacy! I wonder when a sixth will come along . . .


I will never forget how romantic it was as my brother and new sister-in-law danced the final dance of the evening on the outdoor terrace as their family and friends surrounded them with glowing sparklers. I honestly felt like the world just stopped for those three minutes, and all the love and energy of the group was focused right on those two and their new marriage. It was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed at a wedding (and I’ve been to a lot of them)! I hope that their all the years of their marriage feel like that one amazing last dance.


THE DETAILS
The day was amazing and made even more complete by the beauty of the location, the aroma of fresh flowers and the festive mood created by the décor! I know it was tough for Stacy, and she was nervous about leaving the details of the setup and planning to us but I think (I hope!) in the end it was everything she dreamed it would be!







Congratulations Stacy and David!