Zachary Cole

My sister had her baby! And he is darn cute:

Zachary Cole

February 18, 2012

5 lbs 14 oz

So my mom flew in last Friday night to help watch our little bundle of energy because we were moving on Saturday. My mom was not even here for 24 hours when my brother-in-law called in the middle of the night to tell us that my sister's water had broken and she was in labor. 

My mom quickly booked a ticket and was on her way to LA within a few hours. So, moving day was a little crazy because we had been up since 4 am and moving while chasing around a toddler was well... not fun. 

Even though by her due date my sister was considered full-term, they estimated that her due date was a little off and Zachary was actually slightly premature. He spent 5 days in the NICU and is now home and I hear doing great! Oh, and he was born on my dad's birthday, so that was pretty special. 

Congrats Nicole and Steve! I can't wait to see my little nephew. He is just so cute. 

I will admit that having her water break early just like mine makes me very nervous for having another baby. I now feel like it wasn't a fluke, but I guess only time will tell. Maybe if my life isn't in complete chaos next time, I can hold on as long as she did. 

And... some more pictures. We are so excited for this new addition to the family. 

New Place

We are in our new apartment! And, so far we are really loving it.

I never thought we would be fancy apartment complex type of people, but since we are here for the foreseeable future and buying a house in this crazy, expensive place isn't an option yet, we wanted a place that could feel like home. And a washer and dryer. As much fun as it was dragging Aubrey and our giant bags of laundry to the laundromat each week, I don't think that is something I will miss.

Our place has some fun perks. We get our own garage, 3 pools (one just for lap swimming), 2 gyms, right next to a bunch of parks, in a super nice area, and close to shopping. Doesn't everybody want to come visit now? Please?

I (as Steven will tell you) tend to turn into a bit of a crazy person when we move. I just can't seem to stop until everything is done and organized. Steven was also a HUGE help. So, here we are three days after move-in and I am done! All boxes unpacked, furniture in place, pictures hung, laundry done, and house cleaned. However, I did pull some muscle in my back and can now barely walk. I guess I over-did things...

Here is a tour for anybody who likes that sort of thing (I love it), and for my own memories:

The family/living room:

 I think that the vaulted ceilings are my favorite. And yes, the picture in our living room is the same as the one on our blog. Let's just say we don't have too many family picture options to choose from. 

The Kitchen:

Dining Room:

Hallway/Washer & Dryer:

Yeah! Yeah! This is honestly probably the biggest reason why we moved.

Guest Bathroom:

Super excited to have two bathrooms. Super unexcited to clean two bathrooms. 

Aubrey's Room:

And... our bedroom/master bathroom:

There you have it! Our happy home. Sometimes it is hard because I know that if we lived pretty much ANYWHERE else, we would already be able to have a really nice house. 

But, we are enjoying life and excited at the great work experience Steven is able to get while we are here in Silicon Valley. So, for now, we will continue to be apartment dwellers :)

The Aubbers

Well, I definitely fell off the blogging wagon for a while. Mostly because we haven't really taken very many pictures lately, and because things have been a little crazy. We are moving next week to a new apartment, and my to-do list is pretty long. But, mostly for my own benefit, I thought it was time to do an update on the Aubbers.

She loves to climb, climb, climb, and gets pretty excited when she makes it on top of things. We sold our kitchen table and bought a new one that is going to be delivered next week, but for now, this is the only chair we have. I think Aubrey will miss it when it gets demoted again to the deck. 

She talks all the time.... just not in English. "Real" words that she can say are: Hi (as a greeting), Hey! (I want attention!), Uh oh (ususally when she drops something... on purpose), Yum (umm...umm...), mama (usually just mom mom), dada, and yeah. She has started repeating some words that I tell her to say, but I don't think she uses anything else with meaning yet. 

Putting her to sleep is like a dream now. I seriously can put her down for naps or bedtime and she either sings her self to sleep or doesn't make a peep. I definitely have been blessed with a good little sleeper. 

She has been eating pretty well, and is now officially drinking whole milk out of a straw cup. Weaning her was easier than I thought it would be. She loves curry and other random things you wouldn't expect a baby to eat.

I also find it pretty ironic that as soon as she started eating well.... her growth curve dropped. She was a whopping 17 lbs 15 oz at her one year check-up. I think she has grown a bit since then, but she is definitely a tiny girl. She never stops moving... and that is why most pictures of her now look like this!

She has a very funny, social personality. She can also be mischievous. She will walk up to the toilet pointing and shaking her head saying "ah ah" and then stick her hand in. And then smile at me. She knows she shouldn't, but just can't help herself!

Mischief and all, I am loving the stage she is at. She is so much fun! Now that she is walking and running all over, she just seems so much like a little girl... not a baby. I loved the sweet newborn stage, but I actually think I am a better mom for the toddler stage. We go to parks, play dates, shopping, etc. Now, we just need it to get warm enough for the pool. She is my little buddy :)