In the past 3 days

Besides it being a crazy weekend filled with family and friends for the holiday, I think Leah has been inspired to reach some milestones so she can show off to the family. In the past three days she :


1. Has started standing up!! This is CRAZY to me. I put her down to nap and 10 min later I look at the monitor and she is standing in her crib. Now it is all the time trying to stand up....very cool.


2. Will clap on command. I know that sound likes a dog, but really when we sing "Leah likes to clap", she actually does it.


3. She is now pointing at things.


4. Shakes her head no when she is done with food.


5. Sings and I think I even heard a MaMa this weekend ( but that one I could have been imagining)

Thanksgiving Part II and Early Chanukah...(hey we create our own holidays!)

Aunt Marcie and Uncle Jeff are the best!

Leah can tickle Lainey too!

I love my cousins!!

Candy shopping!

So we kept the holiday rolling all weekend in the Shaw house. Since Aunt Marcie, Uncle Jeff, and Leah's favorite cousins Jared and Lainey couldn't make it on Thursday we celebrated over the weekend. We also did a little Chanukah gift exchanging, yeah we really do celebrate ALL MONTH LONG! Leah got to open her first Chanukah present and LOVES it. She seriously has not left this toy for the past two days. It was so great to see them and psend real time together. We went shopping in Ridgefield, put Jeff to work installing the big girl car seats,out to dinner, early morning breakfast, watched the first real snow stick this season and then off they were. I miss them more than anything and always feel sad that we don't live down the street from each other. But we always make each time we see each other meaningful and special. Love you guys!!!!

More Thanksgiving pics

Mommy's princess
Leah gives Noni her first real hug!

Look at my new cool toys

So much to be thankful for.....

Leah is thankful for her Noni!
Quana and Sean came to visit also.

Daddy is cookin up a feast.

Who is bigger Leah or the turkey?

Thanksgiving morning with our two little ones.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Since I am usually a poitive person ( glass half full type of girl) giving thanks is my kind of holiday. Yes, I've always been cheesy in that way (making everyone go around the tabel and say what they are thankful for). Well each year in my life there has been something that has stood out to be expecailly thankful for ( going to college, meeting Corey, buying our new home, and last year being pregnant). But NOTHING compares or comes even close to being thankful for our amazing daughter. Everyday has felt like Thanksgiving since she was born. But not only are we so thankful for the blessing of having her in our life, but it has made us realize how great life is.......our family ( near and far, mostly far since our closest family member lives an hour and a half away), our friends....old and new ( who mean the world to us), our jobs ( which actually make us pretty happy most days), our marrige, and just our day to day joys we have. So let's just say it was a pretty amazing Thnksgiving. We actually did the cooking and most of it came out good ( ok, so we are no chefs!). Noni came over and we all know that Leah knows her Noni by now. Being able to make Thanksgiving dinner for my mom kaes me very happy and proud. Quana and Sean came by too. It meant alot for them to be with us since Angel is still in Iraq. Sean and Leah got to play on Leah's new stand-up toys! Of course Leah had to make it extra special and decided to start standing up by herself today.

it's getting COLD outside.....

Okay, so it is not easy having a baby in the winter ( I know it's still fall but it feels like winter in CT). There is so much to figure out:

-How do I get Leah in a car seat when she looks like a marshmellow and doesn't fit ?

-I watched her nose turn a slight shade of purple today and lip actually shiver when I had her outside.

-How do they wear gloves? I can't get ANY of them on...Jen suggested wearing socks and I'm going with that one (thanks Jen).

-I wake up at least 5 times a night frightened that she is either suffocating from the heat or freezing when i turn it down.

At least when there is snow it will be fun to play in...

Is it summer yet???????

Wrapped around his finger!

There is nothing that makes me happier in the world than to watch Leah and her Daddy just being silly. She is such a happy little girl and lights up everytime she is with him. I just see this glow that is in her eyes when thet are together. The whole time Corey and I have been together he has wanted ( and knew we would have ) a little girl. There is something so amazing in the bond they have. Obviously we have one too, but this is my point of view of them. So here is a glimpse into their moments.......

what a week!

See how one email can get a crew together...you guys rock!
I like toys that help me stand

Tyson had a playdate too! Those boys were getting "busy"


Shafdog and Maya with a suprise visit to Danbury!

Aunt Steph came to hang out for the night...yipee!

The past few days have been so great since we've gotten lucky and seen some of our friends. This time of year is normally so busy with Corey and I working really hard that we have to remind ourselves to really enjoy the weekends. We can't wait for the holidays( to see family, eat, and be on vacation!), and although they may be spent at home ,as long as we are with Leah we are so happy. In one weekend, we went to Gymboree ( and got to see some of the mommy group which made Leah and Mommy very happy!), went holiday shopping, food shopped for Thanksgiving, went out to dinner, had our "photo shoot" with Casey, watched the Jets beat the undefeated Titans ( oh yeah baby!), attended a jewlery party, had housekeepers for the first time ( for most of you who know me , that was a VERY difficult decision since i am already such a neat freak!) and got to see some friends! Wheew.....

our little comedian

Even though she has been doing "rasberries" for months now, she has stepped it up a notch.This is her new favorite thing to do. She is also waving and pointing, but I can never seem to catch those on camera. Love you LeLe.

Eva's 1st Birthday!

Can I squeeze your nose?

Happy Birthday Eva!! It was a great day out in Long Island. We can't believe Eva is 1 already. She got so big and was walking all around her party. Leah had a blast ( we've really got this nap thing down good!). All the bagels, lox, and ice cream cake an 8 month old can handle! She loved Minney Mouse and is looking foward to meeting Baby Jalosky when he arrives in January!

Happy 8 Months!

Happy 8 Month Birthday pumpkin face, cutiepatutie, booboo, princess.....and every other nickname I have for you. Here are your milestones: ( it was a very active month!)

crawling ( each day getting faster and faster, those track legs may just be in you!)

pulling your self up

your new smile ( so hard that your nose disappears)

talking! with words only me, daddy, and tracey somehow understand

drinking juice out of a sippy cup

in the BIG bathtub

sitting in a high chair at restauraunts and flirting with all the waiters!

HUGS and reaching out for us!

We love you so much that words can't describe it!

Look who's crawling!

We believe that Leah was really imspiried by Obama and decided to crawl foward for the first time as soon as he won. After weeks of going backwards and spinning around, she has finally figured out how to get where she is going in a straight line!!! It is so adorable. Every milestone she reaches just brings just joy to us. We are so grateful to have a healthy( besides her constant sniffles!), happy, and beautiful baby. Now we realize that she is on the gooooo and it changes everything. Babyproofing here we go!

Yes we can!

Daddy I just voted, can I sit in a high chair now?
I've got the sticker to prove it.

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk, Martin walked so Obama could run, Obama ran so the children could fly"

Call me sappy, but my heart is filled with pride today. Obama won the election and feel like we played a part in making history. Obviously Leah can and will grow up to be what ever her heart desires, but I feel the significance of the year she was born was the year Obama won the presidency. We've always been politically aware and involved, but this race was special and has meaning more than ever before for our daughter. Not just because of the race thing, but because we care so much about the world we are bringing her into. We were soooo excited to go vote and bring Leah in the booth with us. She even got to wear her "i voted" sticker. It was also the first night she sat in a high chair out at a restaraunt....okay not as meaningful , but still special!

Olivia and Sydney's Halloween Party

This is our love child...Leah
The hostess with the mostess.....Mr. and Mrs. Old McDonald and their chicken and pig ( Olivia and Sydney)

Leah " Can someone get these petals out of my face"


The Mommy Shot

Our sunflower

The ENTIRE baby group got together to celebrate Halloween at Jodi and Mike's house. This was really nice since we haven't seen everyone in a while. It was such a good time....filled with great weather, a million photo ops ( of course Leah cried during the group shot.....she is now 2 for 2), yummy food, and most of all an amzing time with all of her friends. Even some of the parents were dressed up. Mommy and Daddy were hippies and had their flower child with them. I loved this costume the best...Leah just reminds me of a sunflower :)Hopefully we'll do this again next year and it becomes a halloween tradition....

Trick or Treat '08

I want my candy!!!!!!

Leah the ladybug went out for her first Trick or Treat around Kensington Woods. We were so excited that I think we were the first one's out there (plus she'll be knocked out by 7). I was Hippie Girl ( later titled Foxy Brown) and Corey was Obama. It was classic. He was campaigning and kissing a baby the whole night. She was great and of course there were no words but she screamed and swung her arms with excitement when people came to the door. She ( really Mommy and Daddy) got some great candy. All I could think to myself was......should I check the candy for needles. That was so big in the 80's. I've been waiting to be a mom just to say that. ( meanwhile she can't even eat the candy!!)Another great first experience.......

Leah's Mischief Night

Okay...so we had one to many halloween costumes and didn't know what to do with them all. We figured she needed an outfit the night before to get her in the mood for the festivities over the next few days. I thought at this age the halloween thing would be all about Corey and I , but I seriously think she loved it to. She was having fun with the costume and made her laugh every time she saw herself!