Craziness & a birthday...

So Gabriela has had a problem with climbing out of her carseat (big surprise - i know) and everyone kept telling us that we just needed to make the straps tighter. I had them so tight it left red marks on her shoulders. What she does is slide the black chest strap all the way down to the buckle and then puts her arms through and her upper body is free. Then because the straps are now loose, she can wiggle her legs out.

I've had to pull over on numerous occations and buckle her back in only to have her right back out 30 seconds later! So frustrating. We tried toys, movies, snacks, but nothing worked. I went online to see what other parents were doing with their crazy toddlers and discovered that Britax made these safety guards called "Hugs". They were only $3 each, but they are worth a million!! She was NOT a happy camper once I put them on, but after a couple of weeks she quit complaining and is used to it.



With the upcoming birth of Emalyn, and Gabriela going on strike for her afternoon naps, Danny decided to try her in a toddler bed. We got it all set up on New Year's Day and she was so excited to have a "big girl" bed. I knew it wouldn't work, but thought I'd let Danny try :) Anyone who knows Gabriela is probably laughing at what could possibly follow. Let me just say we gave it 10 days and those were the longest days of my life!

She didn't take naps in the afternoon which meant that meltdowns started promptly at 5pm until she went to bed, which didn't happen until almost 10pm now that she could just get up when she felt like it and walk right out of her room. We brought the pack 'n play back out and she did fine in that for 1 night, and then figured out how to climb out of that, so that didn't work anymore.

When the kids went back to school, Gabriela started taking naps again and so I decided the crib was going back up. She was finally back on schedule and a good sleeper again. Yay! I honestly think that Emalyn was waiting to come until we could get Gabs under control. What a blessing! Well, it didn't last too long and she learned how to climb out of the crib - Argh!! What am I going to do?? Back to the internet again to see what could be done and I discovered the "crib tent". It was bought immediately and is a life saver.

Danny's birthday was Monday and Gabriela was so excited now that she remembers and knows what birthdays are. She stuck like glue to Danny the whole day because she was so excited for him to have cake, candles, & presents.

Here Danny is showing off his birthday presents, a new baby :) and a new sweatshirt. We went out to lunch at the Olive Garden with everyone and I was quickly struck with what a large family I had. Coupled with the fact that people that don't know me think I'm only 19, I was keenly aware of everyone's stares and whispers. I became a little nervous at what could possibly turn into a bad situation really fast (Gabriela's wild/fun personality & a hungry baby). Luckily everything went perfectly - Gabriela was on her best behavior and Emalyn slept right through everything. Whew!

It's been great having Danny home on paternity leave and I'll be sad when he has to go back to work on Monday. I can't remember the last time I saw so much of him! :) Anyway, that's all for now. Thanks for all the well-wishes and congrats on our new baby-she's doing great (eating & sleeping) and we love her!

Oh, we've had a lot of people ask how to pronounce her name; it's a Spanish pronunciation, so it's "em-uh-leen".