Baby Meatball

Change Your Feeds Yo!

2010-02-05T06:56:12Z

If you're reading this post you are a nerd and use RSS. That's fine with me since I'm a nerd too. If you haven't noticed we've updated the Baby Meatball site. As part of the upgrade the new link for RSS readers is http://www.babymeatball.com/blog/?feed=rss2. So like I said, update your links yo.

Learning to Catch With Ellie

2010-01-25T00:13:25Z

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of having the Friesens over for a little dinner. The thing that makes me smile the most is how much Dayla loves her friend Ellie. Although they only see each other about 1/3 as frequent as her other friends, Ellie definitely remains one of Dayla's favorite friends. So naturally when Ellie wanted to teach Dayla a few things, Dayla was EAGER to learn. That night Dayla learned how to put her own pants on for the first time, and also how to catch (she has actually learned to catch from us...but really enjoyed re-learning from her friend Ellie). Now if only I could convince Ellie to tell Dayla to always listen to me and behave, I will be set. Here are some pictures from our "how to catch" part of the evening.

Making Cookies!

2010-01-16T22:40:39Z

Daniel and I both love to cook/bake, so you can imagine our excitement that Dayla has already taken quite an interest in the kitchen. She already understands all the "rules" to the kitchen (knives are sharp, you have to ask before you come in ...cause our kitchen is the size of a pea, etc) and asks to "help" almost everyday. She is actually a pretty great helper too. She can make her own sandwiches, is great at mixing things, and can even crack eggs without getting any shell in the bowl. It seems to makes sense that she would have an affinity to cooking since Daniel and I both spend a lot of time in there. Whatever the reason, we are loving it. Daniel and I have both enlisted her help in the kitchen many times, and love to have her as our "sous chef". The other night though was a little "first" that we had to document. We baked cookies all together, our first kitchen task as a whole family and our first time baking cookies with Dayla (usually I am baking bread or muffins). It was SO much fun and at the end we had delicious snicker doodles! Here is the documentation:

Enjoying her first set of beaters (above) and then attempting to role dough in a ball (below)

She enjoyed the dough so much, I caught her sneaking some out of the bowl!

Then Dad joined in on the fun!

Checking out the finished product...unsure what to think

The consumption. I think she liked the cookies....I was pretty sure I was going to get a smile on camera after she tasted them, but instead she just kept asking for more!

Hi new year. I welcome you.

2010-01-02T04:57:33Z

Especially at New Years we find our self making goals, thinking about what we want more of next year or what we can do better. I have been thinking a lot about the new year this year, and since this blog has become (for me anyway) my journal of things I want to remember about life and motherhood and Dayla, I am going to share with you. The other day we were spending time with a little girl who is about 2 years older than Dayla. She was sweet and smart and eloquent. But being with her gave me a HUGE realization…that is going to be Dayla in just a couple years! I saw for the first time what I hear all the other parents talking about; this little baby/little girl stage is going to fly by quick. That this strong willed little toddler who dances to trance music, who says “foots” instead of “feet”, who calls sunscreen “some-scream”, who laughs with her belly uncontrollably and doesn’t feel any smidgen of self-consciousness; this little girl is going to be just like that other little girl in just a couple of years. In a couple years her “terrible two’s” will seem like a shadow of a memory. Her words will one day be perfect and eloquent. She will start to be self aware and self conscious. At that moment of realization I was able to pull myself out of my life and just look in, as though looking and seeing myself through a window, seeing all the WONDERFUL things about this challenging stage of my toddler’s life, and it made me happy. So many conversations in our daily life are about the future. In our personal life it is about what and who will Dayla be, are we going to have a house, are we going to have more children. It is so easy to get caught up in that, the dreaming, the guessing, the goal making. Don't get me wrong, I am a goal person. I love making goals and lists and I get a strange little high when I cross things off my list. No, I am not judging goal makers. I just think for me and my personality it is good to stop making goals sometimes. It is good to just pull back, pull out of the daily routine, the monotony of life, and think of all the things that are going right and the blessings of this moment. I feel like I could list all of the blessings I have and the things that bring me joy and I could go on and on for pages until your eyes were bleeding and you were bored to tears. There is no need for that. So today I am just going to share my thankfulness for that sweet little girl, who gave me a window to my future, who gave me the opportunity to pull myself out of the hum-drum daily routine of life and look into it from the outside, and feel happy for today. Who helped me see past the challenges, the tantrums, the "no's" and "mine's", and see so much more. My hope for you as you enter this new year is that you get one of those windows, some kind of moment this year that helps you to stand back and, for just a little while, forget the future and the goal making and the stresses of the day, and just feel the joy of today and the perfection of where you are in your life right now (whether it is where you thought you would be or hoped to be, or not), and feel blessed. [Cliche or not, every thorn does have a rose at the top...you just have to force yourself to look up sometimes.] Happy New Year! Dayla loving some playdough from Nana. Cause these are some of the great simple moments of everyday life I want to savor.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:49:32Z

Sure, we never finished the other half of our Thanksgiving blog....but that is how life goes with having little ones, isn't it? I have a lot more half finished things around the house then I ever imagined I would. But I am learning to let go and just enjoy this time in our lives. So...here we are at Christmas! Every year for the Sundin Family Christmas letter, we get the clan together for a family photo. For the past couple years we have been lucky enough to snag the help of a very talented photographer friend, Chris. A few months ago Daniel and I realized that the last time we have had a family photo taken of the 3 of us has been...well...since Dayla was very tiny. I guess that is what happens when you find yourself behind the camera at most events/functions/get together's. So this year, right before snagging the photo of the whole clan, we were bold enough to ask Chris to get a family portrait of the 3 of us! I am SO glad we did! Here are the ones we got:

Merry Christmas to you and Happy New Year!

Ponytail. Conquered the Impossible.

2009-12-17T06:36:45Z

So it is a BIG day in our house here. No, not a birthday or an anniversary, or a party of any kind (though maybe we should). It is the day that I got Dayla to WEAR A PONYTAIL. If you don't really know Dayla's personality, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but let me assure you, IT IS. I have tried (since she had enough hair to do it) EVERYDAY. I have tried everything. Yes. Everything. While she is watching a video, bribes of candy, food, favorite things, toys, etc. Peer pressure ("all your friends are doing it"). Creative play ("do you want to look like a horsey or a piggy?") I am pretty sure if you think you have a "trick" I have tried it. Don't judge me. I just really wanted to put my daughter's hair in a ponytail. Up until today she has batted my hands away, cried, and claimed I was "hurting her very much". But TODAY...today was the day. What was the trick? None! I just asked, and she responded, "okay mama." Perhaps she finally sensed my desperation. Note, it only lasted 5 minutes...but she did keep it in long enough for me to cheer with glee, jump up and down, and go and grab my camera. Thank you Dayla bear, you made my day.

And here it comes out:

Maybe again someday. But for today, I am smiling ear to ear.

Dancing Like No One is Watching

2009-12-12T04:09:35Z

One of Dayla's good little friends now is Kaitlyn. This has been a growing relationship to be honest; as Kaitlyn gets a kick out of antagonizing Dayla (mostly since Dayla is the only kid who melts down if someone else does something she doesn't like). Kaitlyn's mom and I at first thought this was HILARIOUS. That Dayla reacted so intensely to small acts, and that Kaitlyn obviously likes the reaction so much she keeps doing it! It makes us laugh! As Kaitlyn and Dayla hang out more though, they are learning about each other and starting to understand their relationship. They seem to respect each other in a new way and really love on one another. It is sweet to watch this blooming friendship and completely touches my heart. Long story short, Kaitlyn spent most of Tuesday with us and we had such a blast! I forgot to bring out my camera until the end...but I am SO glad I did. Introducing "Kaitlyn and Dayla's Dance Party"

And when they were tired we had a "night night party". This was on their own...no help from me. I was just snapping pictures. These girls are too cute.

Thanksgiving 2009 - Part 1

2009-11-25T21:33:57Z

For Thanksgiving this year I took the entire week off work. I've been at PETCO long enough that I have quite a bit of time off saved up which is great. On Saturday morning Dayla and I took the train up to visit my folks in Whittier. Dayla LOVES being at Grandma's house, playing with all the different toys, watching new cartoons, and just generally having fun. I like eating out practically every meal. I usually get recruited to do some sort of computer work while I'm up there but I really don't mind. I think the ample dining out on my parent's dime more than makes up for it. This time I helped my Dad build a blog for his real estate business. The website isn't ready yet but here are a few pictures I took for it. If you're looking for real estate in the Whittier area, Steve Sundin is the man to call. Those wrinkles equal experience!

I wanted to get a shot of Whittier from the foothills for my Dad's blog. It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted so this won't be on his website but I figured I could post it here.

On Tuesday morning we headed up the coast. Along the way we stumbled across this awesome park right by the beach in Santa Barbara. It was a challenge dragging Dayla away.

We stayed at a killer hotel in Monterey Tuesday night called Hotel Pacific. I'm always a little nervous booking a place on the Internet sight unseen so getting this place was a relief. There was a Farmer's Market right outside our door and we gorged on just picked strawberries and raspberries. Our room was massive and Dayla had a rocking time running in circles, jumping on the bed, hiding under tables, and just being a kid. "Funny faces" is one of her new favorite games as you can see in the picture below.

Wednesday morning we played in a park right on the Monterey peninsula. It was windy and cold but breathtakingly beautiful. The funny face fascination continues.

See the bird? Dayla does.

We pretended we were on a Dora the Explorer adventure and we had to climb "tall mountain" for our next task. Dayla ate it up.

It broke Dayla's heart when we told her that wasn't a real boy.

More to come as we continue with our Thanksgiving vacation. Hope yours is going great.

A Journal of Words

2009-11-19T05:15:53Z

I can't help but want to continue to record the things Dayla is saying. She is getting SO many words these days and is now talking pretty much non-stop. Her words have grown into sentences and sometimes even paragraphs. I think the best part about this stage is that some of the things that come out of her mouth are just so darn cute! So I have to share a few more of my current favorites. Recently Dayla has been open to trying new foods again. This is especially fun now at the grocery store because she is noticing new foods for the first time too. Last week she looked at the radishes for the 3rd week in a row, and then pleaded, "Mama, can I ry rad-wishes please?" My favorite thing is actually the little routine she has once she has convinced us she is really going to try the new food. Usually she asks if she can try it, then she will take a lick of the outside of whatever it is (note, a LICK, not an actual bite), and then exclaim, "I wike it!" Another regular behavior that has come with her new verbose personality is singing. She will request that the radio in the car can be turned off so that she can sing (one time for an entire hour!). Sometimes we can recognize the songs, but sometimes they are definitely made up songs. Don't try accompanying her though. She prefers to be a soloist. The other thing that Dayla does (that I think is hilarious) is when a song comes on the radio/CD/tape that she hasn't heard in a while she will say, "Oh this song." then continues with a "um huh." as if still thinking about the song. Many times at the end of the song she will request to hear it again, " Again mommy, I wike it." I am also really enjoying that she is just taking in and understanding so much more. She knows her dad works at the PETCO office ("not the store"). She knows that Fresh and Easy is where we get "new snacks". She knows Starbucks is where "mom gets coffee and Dayla gets juice". She knows her mama "likes to take pictures". She likes to tell us what she likes and likes. She has even snuck out a few (un-prompted) "I wuv you!" which melts our hearts (although we have heard her tell her doll many times too). And so much more. Just offer to take her on a car ride and see how many things she will take delight in pointing out to you and telling you all she knows about it. Here are two pictures after a recent trip to the dollar store. We let Dayla pick out one thing. Best $1 we have ever spent! Day1, fresh from the store:

Day 2, as soon as she woke up in the morning it was the first order of business, "wings mama?"

Babyween III

2009-11-12T00:30:06Z

As has become our tradition we spent Halloween at the Friesen's house with many, many little ones. There was a myriad of cute costumes as always. This year we did a little trick or treating which was a new thing. Dayla didn't exactly understand what was going on but she liked hanging out with Mom, Dad, and all her friends.

Each year we've taken a picture on the same couch of Dayla and her friends. The lineup isn't always the same but it is fun to see them grow. 2007 - Yzzy, Tabby, Ethan, Ellie, Dayla 2008 - Ellie, Kaitlyn, Tabby, Dayla (she was off the couch 3 seconds later) 2009 - Tabby, Ellie, Kaitlyn, Dayla (again, she was off the couch 3 seconds later) Noah's ark with a pair of giraffes

Our group costume. Can you guess what we are? Dayla's cousin James let him borrow a lion costume so we built around that.

The whole group

Dayla claiming her prize from her first ever trick or treat. She was so excited to get M&Ms (A full bag!) that she left her bag at the door.

See the rest of the pictures

Random Videos

2009-11-06T22:37:57Z

Here a few silly videos of Dayla we've taken over the past months but never posted. Dayla - Dancin' Fool - 7/15/09 Dayla Loves the IPod - 7/22/09 Dayla Drinking Wine - 11/05/09

Fall in San Diego

2009-10-26T04:21:48Z

If you've ever lived or visited San Diego you know that we don't get much in the way of seasons. 72 and sunny every day isn't too far from the truth. However our apartment complex has some wonderful liquid amber trees right outside our door which means we get the traditional winter (bare branches), spring (buds), summer (green leaves), and fall (red leaves). The ground has been littered with leaves the last few days and I couldn't help but grab the camera when I saw Dayla have a rockin' time playing with the leaves and eating dandelions. Click any picture to see a larger version.

Phone Talks

2009-10-15T07:17:16Z

Recently Dayla has really been getting into "chatting" on the phone. It usually consists of taking my cell phone, announcing to me who she will be calling, and then "talking" to them. The funny part is that, although this has been something she has done for quite some time, now her conversations are getting more advanced. She will ask a question and then even pauses, as if waiting for an answer, then after the "answer" (or pause) she will say, "oh, I see" or "oh, okay". If you were to listen to her talk you would actually think that there is someone on the other end of the phone. As you can imagine, this is a good laugh for whoever is in the room. A couple days ago she called Papa and for some reason her conversation really gave me a good laugh: D: Hi Papa, R you? (pause) D: What dinner? (What did you have for dinner?) (pause) D: Oh nice! Uh huh. Uh huh. And later? Oh yeah? Oh. Okay (And it goes on like this for about 15 minutes. Then as I have stopped listening by now...I pick her up and tell her it is time to go ...for an errand) D: One minute mama (Then I say, "Okay" and give her a kiss on the cheek. Then right after that she says to Papa...) D: Okay Papa. Bye bye. Oh and papa...tell mama, (with great emphasis) NO MORE KISSES. Then she hangs up the phone! WHAAT???? Apparently I give too many kisses! HA! I couldn't help but bust up laughing and wanted to write it down. AND...because we all love pictures...here is a little series I did of Dayla playing with balloons. They were two day old, deflated balloons from a photo shoot I did, but Dayla was in heaven playing with them! So fun!

Words words and more words

2009-10-04T04:55:54Z

I stole this idea from my friend Kristy because it was such a great idea! Dayla is a bundle of words and conversation right now, and like every stage so far, I love this one more than the last. I simply LOVE the stage of new words and sentences! As words come the frustration diminishes, but to me the best part is getting to see her little personality emerge. And honestly, I adore this spirited little girl's personality. Some conversations we have had recently: D: Mama, stuck. (I look over to see that she has her finger in her nose...we have been talking about "buggers" recently and how they are stuck in your nose) M: Do you have a bugger that is stuck? D: No mama. Finger in nose. Stuck. Another one: (Upon getting ready to read books for the evening, Dayla goes to sit on my lap but I haven't quite gotten it in cross-legged position yet) D: Uh oh Mama! M: What is wrong Dayla? D: (pointing to my lap) It's broken! An old one we had some time ago, but I have to record here: Dayla points to my bible M: Do you know what that is? D: Mama's book M: Do you know what it is called? D: Bible M: GOOD! Do you know what it is about? D: Coffee (I guess she knows the two things that are important to me every day...the bible and coffee!) Lastly: Dayla likes to put together her "tato head" and the other day was no different. Upon finishing her masterpiece she says, D: Mama picture tato please M: You want a picture of Mr. Potato Head? D: Yes (so I reach for our point and shoot camera) D: No mama! Big camera. Tato wants big camera. (so there you have it...she knows that the big camera is for the important pictures!) So of course I had to take a picture:

I am sure there will be many more fun conversations with this girl and I can't wait to have them all.

First Train Trip

2009-09-20T05:47:57Z

Ginette is gone for the weekend on a cruise with all her sisters. Since it's just me and Dayla I decided to head up to Whittier to see the family. This was Dayls's first train trip and I've been hyping her up about it for a few days now. Overall she enjoyed it. Thankfully the car we were in was pretty empty so she was able to roam around. Here are a few pictures. Hanging out in the station watching a DVD before the train arrived.

Here are our tickets Mr. conductor

Play-dough snake in a cup is a fun game

Play-dough hat is less fun

This foot rest is much more comfortable than my seat

After arriving in Fullerton James and Dayla watch the train leave from the bridge overhead