Halloween 2011

This year's Halloween was Aubrey's 1st as an S-B. All four of us dressed up for the occasion. Aubrey was dressed up as a cupcake, Derek was a firefighter, Erica dressed up as a woman firefighter and I dressed up as a baker.



Earlier in the month, we checked out a mini pumpkin patch adjacent to Southwestern College in Chula Vista. The "patch" had pumpkins and mini carnival rides for the kids. We took advantage of groupon offering $30 worth of ride tickets for $15. Derek was able to ride a train, a ferris wheel, cars and swings.


















On Saturday October 29th, Aubrey and I went to our local Homeowner's Association meeting for a gathering and free Phil's BBQ. We thought it was contest but turns out it was just a raffle and a meet-and-greet. Aubrey wore her cupcake costume for the very first time and I was a baker. Our baby girl received a lot of "very cute costume" comments. Erica also snapped some photos after the HOA event.








The next day, we took pictures at Sears for some portraits. All four of us dressed up in our costumes and Erica and Derek paired up as firefighters while Aubrey and I were our baker and cupcake tandem.





After we took our photos, we got some lunch and the kids knocked out for their afternoon naps. Erica printed out some designs for jack-o-lanterns and as soon as Derek woke up, we carved out pumpkins. We made a Wonderpets "W" for one of Derek's favorite shows, a Manny Pacquiao logo pumpkin and two smiley faced pumpkins.




Halloween night was a blast! We passed out as much candy to the kids in the neighborhood and then headed out for some trick-or-treating. By then, Aubrey was over the cupcake outfit so we just dressed her up really warm and went outside. We met up with our good friends and neighbors Brendan, Nathan, Jenn & Ivan so that Derek and Brendan could get candy together. Pure coincidence that Derek was a firefighter and Brendan was a policeman. We didn't plan that, I swear! We were out for a good hour-and-a-half to two hours and the boys had a great time.







Derek's preschool had a Halloween party the day after Halloween and all of the kids in his classroom wore their Halloween costumes. Derek wore his firefighter costume for the third time and from what he told us, he had a great time with his classmates. The teachers threw a pizza party and all of the kids brought food, drinks and party supplies.



Overall, Halloween was a success. We had a great time celebrating and cannot wait until next year's celebration, when Aubrey can walk to the houses and get her candy too!

Aubrey's Milestones From Birth to 8 Months

On the 23rd of October, our little Aubrey turned 8 months old. She has reached a bunch of milestones since she was born. Time is flying so fast. It seems like just yesterday that Aubrey was born. Here are few of the milestones that she has reached in her 8-month existence.



On March 28th, 2011, Aubrey slept 7 hours straight without any interruption. Keep in mind that at this point she barely turned a month old.







In April of this year, there were a couple of accomplishments. She started to use her voice on he 9th and on the 15th, she rolled from front to back. On the 19th, she slept through the night and gave us plenty of sleep in a span of less than 3 months.



On May 6th, she even made her first trip to Disneyland where she rode her first amusement park rides there, including the carousel, the Snow White ride, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.



Aubrey first rolled from her back to her tummy on May 20th.



The month of June was highlighted with her first time in the excersaucer(June 5th), discovering her thumb (June 10th) and sleeping in her bedroom for the very first time and sleeping through the night (June 23rd).







August brought out hand gestures, movement and the introduction to eating solids. On the 6th, Aubrey responded to a wave by waving back. Four days later, she first started getting on all fours and rocked back and forth as if she was prepping for crawling. On the 28th, we introduced her to solids by giving her rice cereal and she enjoyed it.









September 4th was the day Aubrey first ate peas, made by us rather than buying bottled jar food. The best part about making her food is that we know what's in it and it's purely organic. At first, she did not like them but after we strained them and softened the tecture, she became a fan.



Another huge accomplishment was Aubrey's first crawl on the 24th of September. She moved for 2 paces and then plopped on the floor. A day after that, she lied down on her tummy and sat up in sitting position very quickly.





The month of October was a busy month for new milestones. On the 1st, she began to stand on everything, including grabbing on chair legs, couches, our hands and other things. We also introduced her to puffs, Plum Baby spinach flavored snacks.





On the 2nd of October, we introduced Aubrey to greenbeans and on the same day, she crawled more than 2 paces, without plopping on her tummy. She's really getting the hang of the crawling.



The next morning, we found our baby Aubrey awake and standing up in her crib. She has been sleeping through the night for at least 7 months straight!



On October 8th, we bought Aubrey her first pair of shoes, the Pediped Abigail slip on shoes in white and silver. As you guys can see in the pic, she's very excited to have them!




Also on the 8th came Aubrey's first tooth(excuse the crying). It is on the bottom part of her mouth, the same location that Derek had his first tooth.



We can't believe it has been already 8 months! Can't wait for more milestones to come!