THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Joli's been making some big strides these past 2 days. Jorge witnessed her grabbing a toy with her left hand! (I'm convinced that she can do this because of my daily "close-open-close-open" song that my grandmother taught me,which I sing to her at least 10x a day. )She also just discovered her RIGHT hand and has been staring at it as intensely as the left one. Honestly, staring at her hands have been hours of entertainment for her!

But, the biggest thing happened this morning (well, it was big for me!).... Joli put herself to sleep! She was in her crib this morning and was crying. As I try to do, I let her cry for about 10 minutes and only went in there 1x to just soothe her. No, I wasn't practicing any "child development" theory or anything -- I simply just wanted to check and respond to my emails without having to bounce a baby on my lap. My goal was to respond to at least 3 emails before I'd have to go upstairs and start my "morning cardiovascular workout" of walking all around the house, rocking her to sleep.

So, I came downstairs, got on the laptop, heard her crying through the baby monitor... and then... silence. Silence. Silence. I thought, "This is odd. Something isn't right. It's too quiet." So, in my paranoid-mom-delusional state, I thought maybe my poor child was up there and smothered in her blankets or something. Then I thought, maybe the dog had leaped into her crib and was licking her face. But, I went into the nursery and there she was -- my peaceful little angel sleeping with her arms stretched above her head. And, Gordon was fast asleep on the floor, at the foot of the crib, guarding my precious girl.

Joli had comforted herself to sleep.....

The sound of silence. How beautiful.

-liza

2 FEET OF PURE CUTENESS!

Miss Joli Irene had her doctor's appointment today -- here are the stats:

She weighs 12 pounds, 8 ounces
She is 24 inches long!

That's right -- 2 feet! Wow! Unfortunately, she is also losing all that luxurious hair on her head and is looking a little bald on top. But, luckily her charming personality is making up for the hair loss! Joli also seems to be pre-teething these days and has been gnawing on her little pretty hands to soothe her gums. She doesn't have any teeth, of course, but her gums are getting ready for the big day.

I forgot to mention that on Wednesday, Joli went to the grocery store for the first time!

Well, as I am writing this, Joli and her dad are fast asleep in the rocking chair despite my plea to "keep her awake" so she wouldn't wake up too many times tonight. Guess it's "like father, like daughter."

I know, we've been lax in our photos, but that's because we're waiting for Halloween to use up the space with Joli pictures! Betcha can't wait to see her costume!

till then!
-liza

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.. A BIG HAND FOR.. JOLI!

That's right! Joli "found" her hand three days ago (Saturday, Oct. 17). She can't stop staring at it! Now, she realizes she can open and close it. She's also been chewing on it lately which leads us to believe she's getting her little gums ready for those first few teeth.

-liza

THREE MONTHS

Three months? It's only been three months?!

Liza and I were talking today and we think Joli might be an X-Man. She has the uncanny ability to distort time. Though it seems like Joli's been here forever, we both feel like the last three months have flown by.

Except for those loooooooooooooooooong nights, when the minutes crawl by and it seems that time is suffering from a serious case of constipation.

Three months... three months... three months... yet it only took three seconds to fall in love with her.

AND NOW... BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM

It's been a little while since we've updated the site, so... IT'S JOLI PICTURE MANIA DAY!!

All the Joli you can handle!

There's "Hot Tub Joli". There's "Two-Headed Joli" and brand-new "Red Sox Joli"!

ROCK ON, BABY GIRL!

Joli had a fun day yesterday! She visited her new friends, PJ, Elisabeth, Missy, and Grace, at their house. Then, she went to a "rock concert" where she jammed to the best of high school music while strapped to Daddy in the Baby Bjorn.

She's also been sleeping much better! Last night, she went 4 1/2 hour stretches before waking up. And, she goes right back to sleep after nursing! Jorge and I are feeling so much more rested!

Speaking of Jorge, he really is the greatest dad and husband ever... he is in charge of all diaper changing, and he does so even during the middle of the night (and the wee hours of the morning). He also takes Joli when she wakes up at 6:30am and plays with her until 8am when he leaves for work. When I tell people this, they are all so shocked and usually reply with, "Gosh! My husband never did that!"

yeah, I'm a lucky gal....!

-liza

ps... I know this is an unpopular statement to make in NY, but "GO, RED SOX!" (I'm originally from MA!)

SOME COOL STUFF...

Joli Irene is ELEVEN WEEKS OLD today! Where is all the time going??

She's really smiling a lot these days! In fact, I was having trouble nursing her the other day because she kept laughing so much --- that silly girl!

--liza

EVENTFUL WEEK!

This week was busy for our little Joli Irene! On Sunday, she was Dedicated at Full Gospel Tabernacle in Far Rockaway (Queens), NY by her Grandpa Jorge, who is the Pastor at FGT, and Ita (Grandma Eva). It was Joli's first visit out to Far Rockaway, and she loved every minute of it. She got to meet her Titi Minnie and Tio Felix, as well as many members of the church, including the Hamilton family-- Joli especially loved hanging out with the Hamilton kids, Sarah and Isaac!

Joli then had her third doctor's appointment on Monday, September 29th. She weighed in at 10 pounds, 14 ounces and is 22 1/2 inches long! She had two shots that day, and poor Daddy had to turn the other way because he couldn't bear to watch Dr. Good give her the shots. Like a brave little girl, Joli whimpered and then toughed it out! She did great!

On Wednesday, Joli and Mommy went to the second "Mommy Scrapbooking Party" at Lauren's house (the first was at Jamie's) and hung out with Lauren, Donovan, Jamie, Elyse, Lisa and Nathan.... Jalen made an appearance after Play Group was done.

Whew! She's a busy girl!

--liza

"HELLO, MY NAME IS JORGE AND I'M A DAD"

Okay, so this weekend I learned that being a new dad is like being a crack addict.

Liza and Joli went up to Easton, MA this weekend. They were gone for 4 days.

After 24 hours, the withdrawal pains started.

I craved my baby. I wanted *correction* I needed to hold my baby, sniff my baby, feed my baby... yes, I even needed to change my baby (do you see how low addiction can bring you?)

I can't even begin to explain how happy I was when Liza and Joli came home. What am I going to do when she grows up and leaves home?

I'll probably have to go into rehab.

YA KNOW I CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU....


Joli is a clever girl. She already has her Grandpa Ed (Lolo) wrapped around her little finger. Everytime he talks to her, she lights up in smiles and giggles at him. She won't do it for anyone else -- well, my mom claims that she does it for her, too, but I have yet to witness it! Anyways, Grandpa Ed is always late for work when she visits because he has to keep coming back upstairs to give her tons of kisses... then he goes out to the car.... then he comes back to give her more kisses. This process repeats a few more times.

Funny Grandpa Ed story: So, I went out for ice cream last night and left Grandpa Ed and Joli home together. According to my dad, Joli was upstairs sleeping while he was downstairs mopping the basement floor (cleaning... that's another thing my dad only does now that Joli has been born....). He knew he was alone in the house with her when, all of a sudden, he heard one of the house doors slam shut. At first, he thought, "Oh, maybe it's just the wind" .. but his "Grandpa-Panic-Mode" set in and the thought entered his mind that "Maybe someone is here to kidnap Joli!" (Side note: in our 25 years of living in the same house, we have never ever been robbed or broken into....). SO, my dad sprinted up two flights of stairs to check on the baby. Of course, she was sleeping soundly and my dad could breathe a little easier.

Well, glad to know he's a good babysitter! He charges $5 an hour, if anyone's interested....

--liza

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS, TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO!

Quite literally.... my parents live in this very rural town in Massachusetts.....

Little Joli's had quite an adventure these past few days. We're blogging from the Grandparents Talusan's house, a place we came when Joli was only 2 days old, for a wedding I was in this weekend of my friends, Ligaya and Chuck (congratulations!!). Joli and I had to make the trip by ourselves as her dad was livin' it up at a bachelor party for our friend Sean (congratulations to you, too!!). Little Joli behaved herself on the ride to Boston as we thankfully avoided "Hurricane Isabel"and sailed smoothly during the five hour trip - only stopping once by Connecticut College to grab a bite to eat.

Of course, when we arrived in Boston, everyone was far more excited to see Joli than they were to see me! Joli went to her first wedding rehearsal (which she slept through) and stayed with her grandma overnight. What a break for me! I haven't had to change a single diaper this whole trip!

After battling yet another fever (my third in three weeks), everything has been wonderful! The wedding was beautiful, Joli was babysat by her Uncle Paulie, Tita Grace, the "Golden Girls" (my aunts Minda and Aida), and Sashi (my parents' senile beagle). Grace met up with me at the wedding. The first thing I asked her was "So, how's the baby?" To which her reply was, "Paul and I did some experiments on her." OKAY, WHEN A NEW PARENT ASKS YOU HOW HER BABY IS, DO NOT ANSWER WITH, "We did some experiments on her...!" Turns out, their "experiments" consisted of touching her cheek to spark her rooting reflex, but then feeding her every single time she did it because they thought the act of turning her cheek and opening her mouth = she is hungry (Science Side Note: A baby is born with a reflex called the "rooting reflex" where she will turn her head and open her mouth when you touch one side of her cheek..... it is not necessarily a sign of hunger) .

Well, we're on our way to visit my friends Tammy and Ed in their new house. Then, off to Crescent Ridge!! The best ice cream place ever!!

We've had a great time so far at Chez Talusan .... I'm guessing Jorge had an equally good time at the bachelor party...... will we get all the details, do ya think?? :)

--Liza

SISTA, HOLD THAT HEAD UP HIGH!

Little Joli is holding her head up for a bit longer these days!

"Flex dem neck muscles, baby girl!"

She also has a new affinity for these "potato sack" pajamas! They look like really long pajama dresses but have elastic at the ends.

THAT LAZY GIRL

Have we turned a corner? Are we speaking too soon??

Joli actually out-slept Jorge and me this morning. She woke up in 3 hour increments last night, and at 8:30am she was still asleep!

She's been a good baby these past few weeks. We're slowly starting to figure out what she likes, what she doesn't like, and ways to calm her down. We're realizing that this little girl loves to be held! She hates being put down for any length of time and calms down immediately once we pick her up. Yeah, we're probably getting into a bad pattern or something, but for now, there is nothing more soothing than holding her and having her nestle right into the nape of my neck.

Yesterday, I braved the mall with her after a horrific experience at the crafts store a few days earlier. When I was at the crafts store (preparing to make a scrapbook... which is a whole other story in itself.... I realize I'm a scrapbook idiot....), Joli woke up from her nap and started crying. So, everyone in that store decided to give me their "unsolicited mothering advice" and tell me what to do with my baby. Comments such as "Honey, you need to give that baby a pacifier" and "Your baby is hungry. Feed her." or when a woman said to her baby, "Don't you start crying like that baby!" and the generic dirty looks were the food-of-the-day at that store. At one point, a woman in a walker came up to me and say, "Do you need some help with that baby?" Whatever. I was so mad. We were only in that store for, oh, maybe 6 minutes tops! I honestly was fine with her crying, but we ended up leaving the store because of public pressure. Urgh. Well, I got over it and went to the mall yesterday with Joli, and she was a model baby! She was wide awake but was so quiet. In any case, BABIES CRY, PEOPLE!! Relax!

Unsolicited advice from strangers.... when I shared this story with some of my friends, they all had nice witty comments for me to say next time someone decides to tell me what kind of mother I am/am not.

Now, look in the mirror and say, "I'm smart enough. I'm good enough. And, gosh darn it, my baby likes me...." (my sister Grace would love that one!)

SPLASH-DOWN - THE BAPTISM

This past weekend was HUGE. I mean, big-time family from all corners of the globe huge.

Joli got baptized on Sunday. Of course the princess had her entourage. Extended family and friends were in attendance. Big Momma and Poppa were beaming. The grandparents gloated, the uncles grunted and the sisters oooooooooo'ed and aaaaaaaaah'ed.

Afterwards, there was lunch -- on the grandparents-- at "East Wok" (shout out to Steve the manager), where Tita Aida was surprised with a cake to celebrate her 70th birthday!

What a day...

P.S. -- Oh, remember Michael and Leah Chung (ring bearer and flower girl at our wedding)? Well, they're much older now.

HEY! SHE GETS IT!

Well, today was a really cool moment in Joli-development! See, we have this Kick-n-Play seat that she gets strapped into and these lights blink on and off. There are also little toys hanging from a bar for the baby to kick at (hence, kick-n-play). For the past few weeks, we've put Joli in it, but she really wasn't too fond of it. First of all, she was way to tiny to even reach the hanging toys, and she didn't fit well into the seat and just kept falling over. Well, this morning, I put her in there and she was actually interested! It was the first time she followed the blinking lights, and she even watched herself kicking the toys! Waaaay, cool! Our little girl is growing up!

As a side note, yesterday was my 28th birthday ..... of which I spent totally sick in bed.

--Liza, Joli's mama

THE EXCORCIST

Before I proceed with today's update, I thought I'd acknowledge the recent number of comments and emails we've received concerning the "poop" picture. Some wondered why, given all the cherubic images we could have posted, we chose to share the "poop" pic. Well, here's the scoop on the poop... Joli only has five talents in her repetoire right now: eating, sleeping, crying, regurgitating and messing her diaper. "Smiling" is a possible sixth, but the jury's still out on whether or not the smiles are still related to gas.

Of the five listed talents, there are two that she demonstrates true mastery over... messing and puking.

Liza and I believe in nurturing a child's gift.

So, with all that said, here's Joli's reenactment of the classic horror film "The Excorcist".

SIX WEEKS OLD!

Well, we made it to the six week mark! Joli celebrated by going to the mall (of course) with her Uncle Pedro. We can't believe how big she's getting! It's amazing that, if we followed her true due date, Joli would only be 10 days old right now. We've had a good couple of days -- Joli has slept in 3 hour increments (which beats the 2 hour ones she was having) these past few days. The big development is that she seems to be looking at us more and "recognizing" who we are.... that's so rewarding!

We're posting a few extra pictures because the family has been realllly mad at us!

So, here's one her Lolo (Grandpa Ed) took when he visited last weekend and one taken of her in the nursery of the hospital (one day old).

My! How she's changed! Enjoy!

THE POWER OF REST....

Over the past week, Jorge and I have been blessed with the power of rest! Thanks to the Grandmothers, we've had 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep. Of course, whenever Joli is with the Grandmothers, she miraculously turns into the sweetest little angel who wouldn't even think of waking up at night. In fact, both times, the Grandmothers had to wake the baby up in fear that she must be "starving in her sleep!" Too good to be true once they left, though.... good old Joli was back to waking up every 2 hours at night.

So, we've missed a couple of entries -- thanks to the reminders from all of our family members. Since the last post, Joli has been to see the pediatrican. She is now 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long! Our little girl is gettin' bigger! She's also now smiling at us and playing with us a little bit more. Awww... so sweet!

Jorge's back at work in full swing which has left me at home to grapple with the baby, the house, and the dog. It was difficult and overwhelming at first, but I think I have the hang of it now! Jorge and I got a taste of the "real world" again (seems we had been separated from it since July 16th, 2003), and we went on a dinner cruise - very romantic and tons of fun! Little Joli didn't even know we were missing...... that is, because she was asleep the whole time!

Well, we'll try to get some more pics up soon... we've definately abandoned the "Pic of the Day" and are moving more towards the "Pic of the Week!"

OH, THE HORROR...

Okay, today's "The Pic Of The Day" ain't for the faint of heart. Some of you may call it gross, but Liza and I feel that, if we're going to truly document the ins-and-outs of parenting on this site, we need to share the good, the bad and the ugly... real ugly.

I mean, neither of us even knew the human body was capable of generating that much force...

THE VISITORS

Liza went to see her OB/GYN (aka. Joli's travel agent to the world), Dr. Lazar. She was the one who followed the pregnancy from start to finish, and she delivered Joli into this world. Liza thinks she's one of the best doctors ever! All the people in the office thought Joli was such an adorable baby, and everyone who walked by stopped to see her. Liza's recovery is going well, and she can now start exercising --which she has been eager to do for a while now! So, mom and baby will be cruisin' the neighborhood on walks! Watch out world, here we come!

Ooooops... forgot to mention that this past weekend was the weekend of siblings. Aunt Marie, Uncle Andy, Uncle Paul and his girlfriend, Kirsten, all visited Joli. Kirsten and Uncle Paul were nice and made dinner and breakfast for us. They did some babysitting and gave us a break - thanks! Both sets of siblings brought clothes for Joli. Honestly, this child has more clothes than Liza and me (and they are certainly more fashionable!).

The girl's pretty popular...