Good Ole' Rocky Top...

A few pics from the past couple of weeks...the bottom one makes me laugh becuase she was having so much fun with that envelope and making bubbles with her own spit. Not pretty, but so cute!

neglecting the blog...

ada is mad because it's been so long since we've posted...
in jail...
after-Thanksgiving-dinner coma...

A busy weekend

6 months!

I couldn't pick just one...

...so here are 4. Thanks Tammy for one sweet outfit!  Great for a blustery fall day.

Mmmmm

We introduced brown rice cereal last weekend...Ada was a little grossed out at first, but as you can see from the top pic, she quickly learned to like her newest food. She was a lucky girl today...mashed bananas!  

Pumpkin

Dressed up for a fun work event....

Dressed up for Halloween!

Election Day 2044!

While the main purpose of this blog is to keep my family and friends updated on Ada, I am aware of the dual-purpose it serves as a journal for Ada.  

Keeping that in mind, I write this to her on this very historic night.  

I am so proud to be your Mom tonight.  I wish you were fully able to comprehend what has happened today and the impact it has made on our lives, our country and the world. It is truly a celebration that I got to share with you.  

Who knows what life will bring you - who you may become and what you might do; tonight has opened the door for so many possibilities.   No matter what, your Dad and I will be so proud if you hold the following values - social justice, responsibility and compassion for others.

Maybe you will get to run someday!  Schwartz ticket 2044!

I would write more, but you are tired and need to go to bed.  I Love you.

Laundry = Fun?

You know when you snap a piece of laundry before you fold it?  I had no idea it would be a source of amusement, but apparently it's the greatest thing ever.  

Mariachi at Obama Rally

Ada and I went to a "1000 Women for Obama" rally today in Downtown Tucson.  There were about 250 people of all ages there (Hey, it's almost a 1000).  Ada slept through most of the event, which everyone thought was "so cute".  She even slept through the chanting of "Obama", honking of cars showing their support as they drove by, and the Mariachi band that was playing.  Even though Ada missed the beautiful Mariachi singer, I thought it would be a shame if you did too.  Enjoy!

Ada's first Rally

Presideo Park


Tired after a long day of politicking

Opera Singer?

Under the olive tree..

While Sam was working on his diss and I was cooking dinner, Ada was entertaining herself in the living room...can you say opera-singer?

Try and guess who I'm laughing at in the second video...

Fall is here!

It has FINALLY cooled off in Tucson and we are loving it. It's comfortable to go on walks and open the windows so the breeze can come in. Definitely my favorite time of year! Here are some recent pics of the little one.

Milk for your baby?

Thanks to Sam and Ada, I have had a very nice "Birthday weekend". First of all, Baby visited the vet yesterday and delivered a clean bill of health.

He is still bald. He looks a bit funky. He is going to live.

Ada and I went to mom and baby group yesterday and got our pictures taken with all of the other Mom's for some event...I'm not sure what, but it was fun. There was a few-week old baby girl there and her adoptive Mom who is trying to nurse her. I loved hearing her stories about how her daughter is still trying to make herself comfortable in a home that is not her biological parents home, but clearly has bonded to her adoptive Mom...even that young they know. It was touching to see her new Mom take such good care of her and offer her so much love. I couldn't believe that Ada was that small just a few months ago!

Sam made an amazing dinner last night, and since my appetite is more than ravenous these days, I gladly ate every bite...and had a little bit of wine, too!

Sam treated me to breakfast at this cute French bakery/cafe that a friend recommended. The waitress was adorable and brought us the most delicious omelettes I've ever had. She was somewhat interested in Ada and wanted to make sure we were all comfortable...

She asked, "Can I get some milk for your baby?" I smiled, "No thanks."

No clue and so cute. :)

I took a good long nap with Ada today who has wanted to cuddle all day. Sam is in the kitchen making some kind of rhubarb and strawberry invention; Ada is chatting away in her crib; I'm drinking tea after using my new teapot...it's been a very nice weekend.

The many faces of Ada V.

more...

Giggly Girl

When she's in the right mood, she finds us entertaining and we find her very entertaining.

--Sam

No purring, please

I scheduled Ada to have her picture taken at Sears Portrait Studio today, something I have really been looking forward to. When we arrived I put her in a beautiful white dress my cousin Debbie purchased for her; we chose our background and were ready to go. Now - Ada is a laid back kid...we've even been accused of giving her "special brownies" because she is so chilled out. Ada of course waits until the very moment we start to take pictures to throw an epic fit. Sam and I did our best today to calm her down. I can generally massage her legs and talk to her, quietly - or Sam's voice usually does the job (she hears his voice and lights up).

No. Not today.

Adding to the chaos was the most annoying young woman taking Ada's picture. Imagine being 4 months old, wearing a beautiful, yet uncomfortable dress and having a really loud woman purring in your face, poking you in the side and brushing your face with a feather duster.

Can we say "over-stimulation"?

Sam and I did our best, despite the purring woman, to get a few smiles out of Ada; or at least get her to stop screaming and squirming around. I think we might just stick with the home studio photos (but gmail blogger won't let me post any right now...another time).

~ MRS

Our other baby

Ada had her 4 month doctor visit yesterday...all went well (aside from the horrible immunization, whereby Ada reminded us all that she has a good set of lungs on her). I have to say the shots this time around were not as traumatic as her 2 month appointment. They (whoever "they" are) finally decided to make a shot that combines 3 immunizations into 1 shot.

As expected, Ada has gained weight and has grown longer (yes, longer). She is 13 lb 10.5 oz now and 25 3/4 inches long. We had to laugh because she is in the 90-95 percentile for her length! One long baby!

We were pleased to hear that she is right on target developmentally. She spent most of the doctor visit looking around and smiling. The biggest challenge we have right now is keeping her eyes clean - really goopy and gross. Dr. Cochran says it's due to a blocked tear duct. I don't like it.

I took her to work with me this morning (we are in the middle of a crisis advocate training and it was my turn to be there). As usual, she was pretty low-key and the center of attention. Around 11:00 Sam called to inform me that our cockatiel "Baby" is sick and we need to take him to the vet. We noticed a couple weeks ago that he had a little bald-cap on his head and chalked it up to stress from a hard molt and a difficult transition due to Ada (not getting as much attention as he used to). Well, Sam woke up this morning to find the bald spot looking infected and red. He found a local bird expert/vet and got us in. Thank you to Colleen who saved the day and took over my part of the training so I could take care of our other kid (other pet owners get it).

So, we get to the vet to find one woman leaving, her fancy carrier empty and her nose red from crying. Really depressing.

We looked pitiful bringing our bird, not in a fancy carrier, but a make-shift, taped up, amazon.com box that had holes gouged in the side after I attacked it with a screw-driver. I'm feeling bad for the woman with her fancy carrier, then look down at Ada who has gross goop all over her eyes and some of it running down her cheek - and I'm fairly certain she was passing gas. I pretty much decided at that moment that I was failing at life!

The vet (who wasn't the most pleasant woman in the world) told us that either Baby has cancer or was burned. We hope it is the latter. Most of you who have met Baby know that he likes to chew on everything. He likely stuck his beak in a socket or chewed on a cord and electrocuted himself. She said it takes about 2 weeks for the burn to manifest itself, following the bald spot. He gets fancy antibiotics and cream now (sadly, not a fancy carrier). We also have to put him on a diet. I got a stern lesson on how to clip his wings, since she was clearly not pleased with the job I was doing (humiliating). But, you get pets and then have to take care of them - that's the deal.

A big thank you to Audrey, Michael & Hillary who hooked us up with baby safety products - We will now install the outlet plugs, not for Ada who can't crawl yet, but for our bird who is apparently as adventurous as a 9 month old.

Sigh.

little toes

All Better

You might want to turn it down unless you want a response from the dogs in the neighborhood. Ada actually started cooing back when she heard the replay. Enjoy.

Sick Baby

Ada caught a bug from one of her friends at the group she and I attend on Saturdays. She started to feel a bit better last night, but still sounded pitiful. Here she is telling us about how bad she feels. :(

Rolling over...or trying to

Sam called on Friday while I was at work to tell me that Ada rolled over for the first time! Here she is trying VERY hard to do it again. I love how she tries to throw her leg over with so much effort. What a big girl!

BTW, Ada fell asleep on her own last night. She fell asleep in her crib at 10:30pm and slept until 7:30 this morning. No kidding.

Now, why do I have to wake up at 3:30am on the dot for the past 3 days and can't fall back to sleep!!! I am more tired now than I ever was, and she is sleeping through the night!

Strawberry Shortcake

Ada inevitably stops talking the moment the camera is turned on. I am left sounding like a complete dork. She is cute, though!

A walk in the desert