13 months old...

What a fun month it's been!

Since Delilah learned to walk, she has been practicing walking everywhere we go! 

Anytime I am walking, I hold her hand so she can practice... the stroller was practically put away this month! 

...that method worked! She can walk completely on her own now,  even up and down stairs! 

Way to go, Delilah!

This month was FILLED with fun stuff! 

Of course we still have our routine of waking up around 7-8am and playing...

Here is her "good morning" face...

 Sweet baby!

I love her little almond-shaped eyes in this picture!

Since we hit the "1 Year" mark...

 we made a big change in the car...

 Front facing car seat! 

Woohoo! 

I think we were all ecstatic about this one! 

She likes watching out the front window while we're driving (it sure beats staring at the back seat), and we love seeing her in the rearview mirror!

We had "80s Day" at the house, too! 

Mommy & Delilah dressed in their best 80s attire... it was fun! 

Here is Delilah dancing outside, looking very 80s...

Family Day's are very important to us... 

we LOVE spending time with Daddy!

We love yogurt, too! So family yogurt dates are the best!

We also got another visit from her friend, Avril, this month! 

The girls love playing together...

 Sometimes we go shopping at Fry's Electronics...
 We always go to the Manhattan Beach location because it has...

a Koi pond! 

Delilah loves watching all the huge fish make bubbles at the surface... they swim right to her!

And to save the best for last...

Hands down, our favorite event of the summer fell this month...

Google's Summer Beach Party!

Oh, it was such a blast! 

This year, the party was hosted by Gladstones Malibu

...a grand beachfront restaurant in the Pacific Palisades, featuring several bars, decks, dining rooms, entertainment rooms, and patio seating! Servers walked around with hors d'oeuvres, the open bar was incredible, there was lei making and face painters, a live band and cartoonists... we ate like Kings and had an amazing day! 

While we were there, Delilah met the Pacific Ocean for the first time! 

She was not too fond of it (but neither am I, that water is way too cold for my liking!)... especially after we turned away from the water for picture taking and a giant wave knocked her down... and in her pretty little outfit! :(

We did get a few photos of the big 'Ocean meet & greet'...

 Here she is holding Daddy's hand tight, about to step in the Ocean for the first time... 

...get your camera ready, Ryan!

Pretty little thing! 

Oh yes, that is a little cruise on her cheek! She had a fall a few days prior!:(

...It's a lot to take in, just the sound of the powerful waves was enough sensory for her!

Delilah & her Daddy taking a break in a booth at Gladstones...

And to top it all off... 

we had a family portrait drawn by one of the cartoonists!

I couldn't get over it, I framed it and now it hangs in our dining room lol!

Our awesome family!

1 YEAR!!!

I can't believe it, my little bundle of joy is a YEAR OLD!
It's been the most amazing 12 months of my life, and just the first 12 months of Delilah's!
So much happened this month, where to begin??!

Since Delilah's actual birthday fell on a Wednesday, we had her birthday party the following Saturday and went out for a special dinner on her actual birthday. 
She LOVES the Olive Garden, so that's exactly where we went!
She had lots of bread, salad, fettuccine alfredo... and of course, the yummiest piece of chocolate mousse cake they had!
Here she is absolutely indulging in this chocolatey goodness... 

Very focused!

So, of course, the big event happened this month... 

Delilah's 1st Birthday Party!

We had so much fun, the entire party was absolutely perfect! By far one of my favorite memories ever! 

All of our friends and family joined us in celebration, we had games and food and fun! Delilah had the best birthday ever, which makes me one happy Momma!

Here are a few pictures from Delilah's big day...

My homemade rainbow cupcakes, and Miss Delilah's special birthday cake!

Delilah Kate posing on her giant pinata!

The aftermath of said pinata! Bags full of candy for all!

Walking around the party at the park, look at her little customized onesie! The party theme was "Look Whooo's Turning 1!" It was a hoot!

Present time! We had a LOT of gifts to open, we loved each one! 

Smash Cake! She really dug into this treat!

Miss Thing, crawling around to greet all of her guests!

Family photo!

What a BLAST! We enjoyed every moment and are so thankful for all the LOVE!

Delilah ALSO has a big, loving family all the way in GEORGIA! Since they couldn't make it to celebrate at the party... they sent a huge package full of presents! What a lucky girl!
Here is Delilah opening her UPS box from the Alexander Family!

What a nice surprise!

The 12 month mark also means...

vaccines!

She was such a brave girl though!

She also found her first dollar bill, y'all!

We put it in her piggy bank, that she got at her birthday party, for safe keeping!

The big party wasn't the only thing we did this month! We were very social, too!

Here is Delilah playing at the giant food court playground, at one of our local malls!

We also played with all the puppies at the adoption center...

And we had a great 4th of July, too! 

We had lunch at Chili's (one of our favorite restaurants!) and went swimming at the pool!

And last, but certainly not least...

Delilah learned to walk!!!!!

Here is a short video I made of some of her first steps!

The video is unfinished, but I really like the direction it's going.

Phew!!! What a month!!! 

Can't wait to see what's ahead for Miss Delilah Kate!

11 months old...

Nearly a whole YEAR old! 
We are counting down the days now until birthday time! Getting everything ready for celebrating and parties!

The weather is getting sunnier here, so we have been biking on our Saturdays at the ocean... 
And since our special birthday girl is old enough now, we gave her an early birthday present... 
her own bike seat!

Playing in the sand at Google, about to begin a fun bike ride!

Here is Delilah and her Daddy, Ryan, taking a break from biking by the Pier...

As you can see, she absolutely LOVES it!

She really loves her Daddy!

But when he is at work, Delilah and I always try to make our days special by doing something memorable. 

Here we are doing a balloon release for my brother, Andrew, for his birthday...

This was actually her first time so close to the Ocean! She was a little mesmerized by the powerful waves... it is pretty breathtaking, isn´t it? I always feel at peace by the water. 

We love going to parks, we visit new ones all the time for a little variety... she loves the outdoors!

And here is a picture of just the two of us...

Love my girl!

10 months old...

I am trying so hard to get caught up on this thing, but with a little one it isn´t easy!

Look at those tiny footprints!

Motherhood had really brought out my craftiness again... it´s nice to capture these precious times, and getting imaginative can really help bring out some fun creations for saving some memories! I have so many little footprint and handprints around the house... they won´t be little for long! 

It´s the little things...

Delilah has been so busy exploring the world. She likes to play in nature, and living in the city... that can be a challenge to find! But we always find a way...
Here she is playing in the grass outside our house... taking the time to smell the roses.

As you can see, she is still as bald as can be!

Since we live beautiful Santa Monica, California... we always try to take advantage of this gorgeous location and go visit the Santa Monica Pier. 

There is a beautiful park lining the entrance to the Pier, with some truly breathtaking views! Delilah likes to look out at beauty of it all... the Pacific Ocean, the Pier, the houses lining the beach, Pacific Coast Highway. It is quite the experience!

She is such a happy baby, always smiling and being a sweetheart. She isn´t camera shy one bit, and that´s a good thing... cause this Momma loves capturing a moment!

This month, Delilah also her first visit from the Easter Bunny! 

She loved waking up to a room full of presents... just for her!

The Easter bunny sure does love Delilah Kate!

We also had a fun lunch and egg hunt with her Granny and all of her Aunts and cousins, to celebrate the special holiday! 

Here she is enjoying some time with her Granny...

This is a really funny memory for us...

As we were leaving the family egg hunt, I gave Delilah her first cookie. In less than a minute, I looked over and the Oreo was completely gone... 

and I had one chocolate-covered baby on my hands!

What a busy month! Always something to do and something to learn!

We have started getting everything ready for her 1st birthday party coming up, we are pretty darn excited! I made Delilah´s tutu for her birthday outfit, here she is trying it on...

I definitely sense she feels like a princess in it! 

9 Months Old...

It's been a very social month!
Delilah was invited to her friend's Devyn & Autumn's birthday party! It was so much fun, she got to play with her friends Devyn, Autumn, Chloe, and a few more new ones! 
She discovered grass for the first time! So she spent a lot of time playing in it and practicing walking around in it. Here are a few pictures from the party:

Blue eyes

Having fun in the grass!

Taste-testing some leaves

As you can see, she is exploring her world with her mouth! Putting everything she comes across into her mouth. 

And speaking of her mouth... check out all the teeth she has now!

There are 4 on top, 2 on bottom, and 2 more bottom teeth coming in quickly!

That is a LOT of teeth for a 9 month old! 

Our friend's Nikki & Jason also came to visit us in Santa Monica this month, we all ate downtown, it was so much fun! 

Here is a picture of just us at Lula downtown Santa Monica...

8 Months Old...

It has been a busy month!
We have been very active in all this beautiful weather!
On the weekends, Mommy, Daddy, & Delilah have been going to the beach and renting bikes! 
Delilah rents a baby trailer and we attach it to our bike, so we can all ride around.
We like to bike to Venice, and up the Santa Monica Beach coast.
It is so much fun!
Sometimes after our bike ride, we stop by the playground in Santa Monica to swing.
Here is our first family playground trip...

It was very sunny out! We made sure to cover up and use our baby sunblock that day!

We also tried out the slide for the first time!

Here is Mommy & Delilah going for a slide!

Now it's Daddy & Delilah's turn...

They made it! YAY!

After all that biking and playing, we always stop by the Google LA office for a cold drink.
Here is Delilah checking out Daddy's desk...

I think she likes it!

And Delilah's favorite part at Daddy's work...
The giant fish aquarium!

She loves looking at all the pretty colorful fish! 

When Daddy is working, Mommy & Delilah like to go have fun, too!

We especially love swinging by the Ocean.

Here is Delilah swinging in front of the Pacific Ocean at the Santa Monica Beach...

What a doll!

And a big happy smile...