Brrrrrr....

Brrr...it's starting to get cold outside! We've been blessed with some very nice (and unseasonably warm!) Fall weather, but make no mistake...winter is here! This week alone the high was only 28 degrees. We're gearing up for the cold and loading up on our warmest accessories so we can still venture out for some fresh air! Remind me why we live in Upstate Cold again?????????????

City girl

We traveled down to NYC this weekend to spend some time with an old friend of daddy's from Venezuela! I think Vanessa is starting to like the big place we call the "city"...lots to look at! We had a great time with a few other "new" experiences --- a few wrong turns, lots of traffic and another stop or two on the way home led to mommy changing a very poopy diaper on the table top at Dunkin Donuts. What? That's not what they mean by Value Meal?? I'll admit I was slightly horrified at the very thought of it, but by that point I was more annoyed that there was not a changing station in the restroom and decided the public display serves them right. A mom's got to do what a mom's got to do! Amen 'sista! (besides something tells me that may not be the worst place I ever do a diaper change)

Grand Central Station

First cabbie

con Juan Miguel

Enjoying the View!

This weekend marked a few "developmental milestones" for both Vanessa and us! Juan and I headed out to Buffalo for a wedding and left Vanessa with Grandma and Grandpa for the night...yup...the night. All seemed to go great (or so we're told) and it seems as though Grandma and Vanessa did some bonding. In the end I think it was far more traumatic for us than our little 5 month old (although we were happily able to drink a few glasses of wine and dance through the night to help "cope"). Also............5 months old means a whole new "view" for Vanessa! We're sitting up on our own now, practically overnight it seems! Man...where does the time go?????

First full hands-free sit First night away!

Trick or Treat!

Okay...so even though mom (and dad) think costumes for babies are a bit silly, we OF COURSE had to come up with a few for little Vanessa's first Halloween. Trick or Treat everyone!

"The Diaper Genie"

"Bubble gum on the bottom of my shoe"

"Mommy's little Pumpkin"

Weekend visitors

Is the weekend really over already!! This weekend we were lucky enough to visit with our friends the Wells' and the Revette's...even luckier to have Richard Wells all to ourselves for the night on Saturday. Rich was a great playmate for Vanessa showing her how to use some of her toys and reading her books (literally since he knew most of the stories even before we read the words). We also got to meet Lucy for the first time! Mommy forgot to take pictures with Lucy so we're looking forward to a 're-do'

p.s.

NO....the Blanco's did not get a new dog (yet). Just puppysat for our neighbors ;-)

Check me out!

Whoa! 20-weeks old this week and check out my new gear...

we may start calling my Bumbo seat the

Yumm-O seat...until I'm sitting up better

on my own this is where we eat cereal!

just call me McLovin ... standing and jumping is the only way to be!

This doesn't taste like Captain Crunch

Big times at the Blanco's this week! Vanessa started rice cereal for the first time and boy was it exciting. MMM-mmm not exactly the kind of cereal I'm sure she'll one day scream for in the aisles of the supermarket, but we think she liked it just the same (for now). First cereal...next all the other yummy goodies!!

Vanessa goes to the Big Apple

This weekend we headed out to NYC to visit with Christian - it's been awhile since we've seen him and Vanessa of course had not met daddy's long time friend yet. What a trooper our little girl was....out and about in the big city with so much to look at! She couldn't take her eyes off of anything nor did she stop smiling! We even caught her flirting with the bellman Cesar.

Tio Christian

Tired out at Rockafeller Center

King sized beds rule!

There's too much to see in this city!

we had fun - but happy to be home

My how baby grows...4 months and counting!

The three Blanco's payed a visit to the doctor yesterday for Vanessa's 4 month check-up (yes, that included her second round of immunization shots....which mom doesn't want to relive so won't "talk" about the horror across her daughters face for a very long 30 seconds).

She weighed in at 13lbs 9oz and 24 3/4 inches (up from 10.9lb and 22 3/4 at her 2 month appointment). She looks "great" according to the doctor (well, we could have told her that!) and we got the go ahead to try starting her on some cereal. Fun! We'll see what little miss V will think of that very soon.

Good Morning mommy, I'm awake

There are many moments these days when I say "wow - I love being a mom"....going to my daughter in the morning and being greeted with a smile is just one of them! And yes....this fresh faced smiling girl (as seen below) staring back at me at 6:45AM was a bit of a rarity. She's usually yelling at me to feed her. We are of course working on her waking up and singing "good morning mommy I'm awake"....right now her rendition and mine are a bit different.

Daddy Rocks...and I roll

Rolling over can be exhausting....do I go left or do I go right?!

That's how I roll

look what we can do now...

Wells Beach, Maine

Vanessa had her first beach weekend! We headed out to Wells, Maine to spend a great weekend with friends. Such a beautiful spot, right on the beach, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Great conversations, games, golf, lobster (!!), beach time...we did it all and loved every minute of it. Vanessa got to spend the weekend getting to know her friends Maddie and Richie, some day soon she'll be off and running with them. What a great way to "end" the summer!

our friends Maddie & Richie

Mommy & Vanessa

is Vanessa awake to play?

cuddling on the porch

Talk to me

We're getting pretty good at amusing ourselves!

The Girls

...just had to post a pic from my weekend, I'm already counting down the days until next year!

Daddy time!

This weekend marked Vanessa's first weekend alone with Daddy! Mommy headed out to Portsmouth, NH for a fantastic (and much needed!) weekend away with the girls...a little spa service and a lot of girl talk mixed with a few cocktails.....hit the spot! I'm told that Daddy and Vanessa had lots of fun singing songs, talking and hanging out. My girl was of course careful not to let Daddy think she's all fun and games (check out photo #2), but she sure did let him know how much fun she can be! She's a lucky little girl with that Daddy of hers.

Smiles for Daddy

Letting Daddy know who's the boss

Is summer really over?

A few pics from our Labor Day weekend. The weather here in Saratoga was absolutely gorgeous...is summer really "over"???? Tia Susy came to visit and hang out with us. The town was mobbed all over since it was the last weekend of the track --- lot's of live bands around, which Vanessa managed to sleep through (yup...even the bagpiper!). We ended the weekend with a visit from Grandma V, Aunt Toria and Uncle Ryan and all had dinner outside at Baily's Cafe which included mommy's favorite dessert on their menu....S'MORES! Vanessa was eyeballing them...just wait till those teeth come in little girl and you get all kinds of goodies!!

Aunt Toria

watching the live music

S'mores!!

Our feet had a long day

Love Bug

Gearing up for the last "official" weekend of the summer

A week with Abuelo

Juan's dad came up from Orlando for a visit...we had a great week and Vanessa was instantly smitten!

More photos in the slideshow in the entry below!

A visit from Abuelo