Night Out...

Inoke took us out to Chili's for dinner in honor of my big day. It was the first time we have really ventured to a restaurant since Nadia's arrival. I have to admit I was a wee bit nervous about her starting to cry and worried that I would not be able to quiet her; you know the average worries of a new mommy. Of course my imagination got the best of me, she did great. She just chilled and looked around. Even when she was starting to get tired; she just cuddled up and patiently waited for us to be ready to go. Now if I can just get her to do the same every time... :)

Here is a shot of the two of us at the restaurant...And here is Nadia, Inoke is teaching her young to love Adidas and football. I laughed because it almost looks like a "Laie Boyz" sign she is flashing.

Things that make you go hmm...

So against all my wishful thinking I have not been able to stop the clock so to say. Today I turned 30. No more twenties for me. Normally birthdays just come and go and they don't bother me. I mean who cares if you are in your twenties. Something about being 30 is irritating though. I can't quite put my finger on it; just the thought that I am THIRTY... ugh. I had all these plans when I was "younger" by the time I was thirty I would be married and have all 5 of my children and be a super stay at home mom that bakes cookies and fresh homemade bread. Huh, guess that hasn't quite happened, eh. At least I got the married part right.

Here is a self portrait from lunch today. Eeks. Are those really crows feet at the creases of my eyes?!? I swear all those years of lathering on the baby oil instead of sunscreen is starting to catch up to me. Yikes. All I have to say is dont' be surprised when I turn 30 again next year... cuz I think that is the oldest I can possibly choke down.

Exciting new things...

The last few weeks we have just been adjusting to the joys of parenthood. We are slowly getting the hang of it all and falling into a routine. Nadia is doing great. She is growing and getting quite the little personality. She is literally a bundle of joy, smiling all the time. Her favorite thing is to "talk story," serious the girl will just chill there babbling on and on waiting for you to reply to her coos. Inoke's work schedule rotated so he now has Wed & Thurs off, giving him an opportunity to hang out with Nadia while I am at work. I don't know who has more fun. The other day I came home for lunch and Inoke volunteered to put Nadia to sleep after her bottle, the following is what happened:

Hmmm. Isn't he supposed to be putting her to sleep, not her putting him to sleep? I do have to admit I can't really blame him, holding her is just so relaxing.
Other than that here are a couple pictures of what we have been up to:

She is getting really good at her "tummy" time.
And here is one with her just chillin' after a bath. That's all the new and exciting happenings for now...

More Nadia...

I can't help it. I love taking pictures of her. She makes the cutest little faces...

Seven years later...

Today Inoke and I celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. What?! How can it already be seven years? Holy smokes. I remember the day so clear I was a 22 year old that knew everything and could be told nothing... soon thereafter I became a 22 year old that knew nothing; but still could be told nothing. The crazy thing about it all is I still feel like I am 22; not 29 going on 30. Inoke and I have had an awesome 7 years and at the risk of sounding all mushy; I am so greatful that he is there with me for eternity.

No big plans for celebrating this year. We are just enjoying a quiet day home with Nadia. I can honestly say, she is the best anniversary, Christmas, birthday present all in one. I would rather stay home with her than go anywhere or do anything. Funny how fast you can totally adore a little baby girl.

Fijianisms' 101

I will be the first to admit that making the jump from "aunty" to "mommy" can be a little unnerving. I mean all those little things that mom's just automatically know. I never really thought about it; then there is the whole every mother raises their own baby their own way thing. I mean there really is no right or wrong way, there are just different ways, right? Inoke's family all flew out this past week so it is now just the three of us here at home. I think I am adjusting rather well, and Inoke is head over heals for Nadia. It is really endearing to watch him learn how to change dirty diapers and gain confidence that he won't "break" her when he picks her up. We are coming along just great.

So I have to share a couple new things that I learned from my Mother in Law when they were here regarding raising babies Fijian Style. One evening Nadia was fussy, totally not normal for this little one, she is normally a total chill baby. We figured out that she had some gas. So Inoke's mom asked me to get her a piece of paper. I thought maybe she was going to write down some ingredients to get at the store or something to fix the gas; but no that wasn't it. She putNadia down and rubbed the paper on her stomach then crumpled the paper up into a ball and handed it to Inoke; instructing him to go hang it out on the clothes line. I guess after raising seven babies of her own she has her own little ways of doing things. It just made me laugh a little because I had never expected that one. So the other day when I came home and saw a piece of crumpled paper hanging from the window in the bathroom, I just deduced that Nadia must have had some gas pains.

The second natural fijian remedy I learned last week was one for hiccups. I guess paper is a pretty popular remedy... one afternoon Nadia had the hiccups; they didn't seem to be bothering her but they did bother Inoke. So he took a small piece of paper, licked it, and stuck it to her forehead. Again I just looked and smiled. So if you ever see a little Fijian baby with a spit wad on their forehead, they must have had the hiccups.