Merry Christmas from the Arroyos!

Merry Christmas everyone! It's been a long, long time since I've posted anything, but I'm sure you've all seen a picture or video of the girls doing something amazing (or completely random) at one point or another since my last post.
So here we all are for a completely unplanned family photo. I hope to get back to blogging in the new year just to keep everyone in the loop (and to give me something productive to do with my time besides read entertainment news and go online window shopping). Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Laughing Laila

Laila has started laughing and it is too cute. Sometimes she starts laughing when I'm trying to put her to sleep which I think is a tactic she uses to try and make me forget what I was doing and buys her more awake time... She's an adorable diabolical genius.

Thanks to Kanye's workout plan...

Olivia copying people working out on TV:

Three months

What a difference a month makes! You're starting to settle into a routine and I think we're all much happier now that we have an idea what to expect. You're smiling and beginning to coo and it's all just too cute to bear. You're happy when we lay you down and let you wiggle on your own for a bit, but you definitely let us know when you've had enough. The weather's getting nicer which means we can take you out for walks, but you still don't like the stroller too much and pretty much scream the whole time you're in it. So I have to wear you when we walk but you're getting heavier so it's not as easy anymore. I still can't believe how fast you're growing and it takes all my effort not to bite your irresistible leg rolls. Happy three months my darling little girl!

Story time

 Mom and I took Olivia and Laila to the library for story hour today. I didn't know what to expect from O since she hasn't been around a whole group of kids before. We got there just as they started and they happened to be celebrating Dr. Seuss so the woman reading was dressed as the Cat in the Hat, and there was another person dressed as a Thing (I'm not sure if it was One or Two). They gave Olivia a nice big Hat which she examined for a few seconds, then put it down to roam around with the other toddlers. They sang songs and read 3 Dr. Seuss books. Most of the kids weren't paying attention so Olivia fit right in! She even sat down nicely for a few minutes next to a little girl whose boots Olivia kept touching...until it came off...oops. And thankfully it was over within half an hour because I don't think either of them would have lasted much longer. Laila did great as well, she slept in the ergo carrier the whole time (except when I had to bend down to put the little girl's boot back on her foot, and Laila screamed for a few seconds). Now that the weather's getting nicer I'm hoping to go on more outings to keep Olivia occupied...here's to hoping Laila cooperates!

The tempting boots!

All smiles after story time!

MC!

Most weekends Ninang Ta and Kuya MC come over to hang out with the munchkins. It's so great how MC will still hang out with us even though he's in high school and way too cool for us (I know I would have thought so at that age, I wasn't, but I thought I was). He even tolerates our ridiculous mindless chatter!

The ones with Olivia are from last November, and I love how much they love each other! 

Snow much fun!

March has certainly come in like a lion! We've had two snowfalls this week and it was the perfect opportunity for Vince and Olivia to try out the tiny snowboard she got. We weren't sure how Olivia would like it, since it would be cold and wet and she would probably fall, but all those weekend trips to Vermont must have prepared her for getting on a snowboard herself because she LOVED it! Granted, she wasn't going downhill and was towed around on the sidewalk, but she still did great. She caught her balance a bunch of times and she laughed off the few times she did fall (she didn't have far to fall anway!) Thank goodness she enjoys it because Vince has been ordering stuff online for her like crazy and I would not have been pleased if it were for nothing!

A tale of two births

A year and a half late, I've finally written Olivia's birth story. Laila's birth story was written only 2 months late. That's just one more fact to add to the list of differences between their two stories. Honestly their births were so drastically different, I think the only thing they had in common was that they both came from me. Oh and I did have the same recovery room both times.

With Olivia my water broke 23 hours before she was born, my doctor had to break it right before Laila was born. I needed to be induced to start the contractions going with Olivia, I had contractions all morning with Laila but I was in denial about it. I was in a huge fancy labor suite with cable and a gorgeous view of Manhattan when I delivered Olivia, I delivered Laila in the early labor room which isn't even a delivery room and it had no windows or even stirrups on the bed. Also when I delivered Olivia there was just Vince, Rinne, the nurse and the doctor and it was pretty quiet; when I delivered Laila there seemed to be like 15 people in that tiny room and it was pretty chaotic. I had pain medication to help manage the contractions for Olivia, for Laila I was home and had to be quiet so I wouldn't wake up Olivia, not that there would have been time for that once I did get to the hospital! I pushed for almost two hours it seemed with Olivia, and with Laila I pushed for 15 minutes. I did have the same room both times, but with Olivia I had tons of guests whereas with Laila I had way fewer - it was pretty much just me and her the whole time.

So that's the summary of their births in a nutshell! If you want to read the full stories I'll warn you now: they're pretty long!

Two months old

In two months you've almost doubled your weight and I think most of it is in your cheeks! I love to snuggle your pillowly cheeks even when you're crying, which you don't do that much except at night when you should be sleeping. Your sleeping patterns are still inverted, you sleep longer and better during the day and it takes a while for you to settle down at night, but I'm sure we'll get there. You are outgrowing clothes at an alarmingly fast rate, thank goodness you have your older sister's and cousin's clothes to grow into or I'd go broke buying clothes for you! You are smiling such big smiles and starting to chuckle, it just makes me melt.

Cousin sleepover

This weekend can also be known as babies, babies, babies! It was a double fun weekend because not only was it Laila's baptism but the Boston clan stayed with us as well. It was awesome having all the kids together and being able to see the various stages of childhood represented from newborn all the way to little kid. Laila was the littlest little one and she didn't do much besides eat and sleep. Sebastian was all smiles all day and he could army crawl across the floor so quickly! Olivia loved having so many people around and tried to keep up with the older kids. Ellie was so sweet and loving and her jumps were so cute. Colin was so intelligent, speaking to him was like speaking to an adult with a sweet little voice.

Our sleepovers have come a long way from us being giggly pre-teens staying up all night to exhausted parents barely able to stay up past 11pm. I really wanted to stay up after the kids went to sleep to catch up with my cousins but I barely made it to 10pm! I was really glad to have everyone stay over and hope to do it again when the weather is better so we can do the cool kid stuff that Jersey City now has to offer.

Throw your hands in the air!

And wave em like you just don't care!

And then just fall over...

Awesome army crawl

**again, thanks Tito Sanch for the awesome pics and catching these rugrats sitting (semi) still


Oh, and here's a pretty long and uneventful video I shot hoping to catch Olivia and Ellie reuniting after months of not seeing each other...which resulted in what I titled "awkward hello". They're adorable in their pajamas though!

Laila's baptism

Laila's baptism was on a cold, snowy, slushy morning but you'd never know it from the warm and loving atmosphere inside. Family and friends came from near and far despite the weather to celebrate Laila's special day. Just like Olivia she's gone to church every week since she came home from the hospital and we wanted to baptize her into the church as early as possible. It was a beautiful ceremony performed by her grandfather and it was wonderful to have everyone there witness her entry into the faith.

 

Godparents Hector and Christa

Thanks Ninog Gerry and Tita Rinne for keeping Olivia occupied

**a HUGE thank you to Tito Sancho who took such beautiful pictures and to document this special day!!

One month old

Your first month, much like my entire pregnancy with you, has been a whirlwind! We weren't expecting you for another 3 weeks, but you, my little party girl wanted to enjoy the holidays with everyone- and enjoy them you did! Despite having lots of people around, you and your big sister were SO well behaved! You were able to sleep through our family craziness and everyone was so happy to finally get to meet you and hold you.

You were born a teeny tiny thing at less than 6 pounds,  but at your one month checkup you weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds! Your doctor called your weight gain miraculous, and I'm so glad we got the hang of nursing so easily.

What made your first month infinitely easier and more fun was having daddy home with us. Being the middle of winter we were all pretty much house bound, but it was really nice to rest and recover in what felt like our own little desert island. He was such a huge help especially with Olivia, they developed their own routines and gave me the much needed time to tend to you (mostly your feedings, of which you did alot, hence the awesome weight gain!) So keep growing little one, but not too fast, I want to enjoy your sweet babyhood for as long as I can!

**Thank you to cousin Sebastian for sharing your monthly stickers and saving me from having to make my ghetto construction paper monthly posters!

Carseat cuties

Bathtime fun

This is what happens when daddy is in charge of bathtime!