On Leila's Level & Rex's Reality

rancho tanuki tykes

2011-01-15T01:10:00.001-08:00

IMAG0399.jpg, originally uploaded by sassylou.

A fairly recent photo from our stay at our friends house in Sebastopol. Maybe I will actually post to this blog this year!

The fruits of my labor (the non-child version)

2009-06-19T23:44:00.001-07:00

IMG_0724.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Well if the 2 kids don't take up all my time, this garden sure does. I have been pulling bucket loads of ivy out, prepped and installed planters around the perimeter when my family was here, planted in April, pulled out half the sod for a gravel patio and installed redwood trim around. We had 2 tons of gravel delivered, had a gravel party and also have original San Francisco cobblestones (25 lbs each!) as a border from the grass (still to be mortared in, but you get the picture). I am amazed at how everything has grown in so fast (who knew?) as these were itty bitty 4" pots. Minus a couple gopher stealing incidents, we haven't had any more casualties. Maybe I have a green thumb after all. Much more to grow in to make a full hedge around the yard. But I will tell you, these were only taken about one week ago and I already see so many changes in the plants. They grow faster than the kids. Click on the picture for the full set. Now onto the front!! (Get ready again mom...)

If there is anyone left out there....

2009-06-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, shocking I know...an actual post! Well it has been quite busy on the Ghezali front, but I have to confess it is just pure laziness around updating and uploading pictures. Oh well, what can you do?

Here is a little brief movie to show brother and sister. They are doing quite well. Rex is a range rover and is all over the house. He uses his walker, stands up and cruises around and is quite a fast crawler these days. He is such a happy baby and is getting a kick out of his sister. They are really starting to interact which is just precious. Leila likes to hold "Rexy's" hand in the car from time to time, gives him big (sometimes too big) hugs and kisses and says I love you to Rex all the time. She is also somewhat generous with her toys, but not always! Rex is 9 months as of yesterday and I do wonder where my baby has gone! Life with 2 is definitely fun!

Work is crazy busy for me, but very happy. Enjoying work on the garden, and I will post some pictures as my mom is dying to see the garden. I am very proud of how it is shaping up and now will turn my focus onto the front yard. I am really enjoying getting into gardening, who knew you could develop a green thumb after killing so many plants in your past?

That's really about all folks. Life is good, busy and looking forward to a visit from my family in July. After that I will have a lot of travel in August for work...Canada, Oregon and Texas (ugh!) for the project I am leading. All exciting stuff!!

I think if I just go for bi-annual posts I could keep this going...

Rex's Baby Blessing...a tree of life and persimmons

2009-01-31T00:04:00.001-08:00

IMG_9432.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Here are some pictures from our baby blessing for Rex. We planted a tree in our front yard to commemorate Rex's birth (thank you John and Mark!) It will one day be a wonderful large persimmon tree and we will enjoy watching it grow! RIght now it has more resemblance to Charlie Brown's Christmas tree! We had a beautiful day for the blessing with our friend Karekin performing the ceremony. Afterwards we had our housewarming party and it was wonderful to share our home with our friends and family (Uncle Mike was in town!) Promise to post some more pics soon!

Let me tell you a secret...

2008-12-31T18:34:00.001-08:00

let me tell you a secret..., originally uploaded by sassylou.

As we reflect on 2008, we feel so very blessed to have had such a wonderful year with many new beginnings...new jobs for both of us, our new bundle of joy Rex and our new abode. Life with children is definitely such a gift and we are treasuring every moment (well almost all moments...) You do wonder just where the time goes. We wish everyone a wonderful new year and look forward to what 2009 brings. We are hopeful for a better time and a change for this country and are optimistic about what tomorrow will bring with new leadership! Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year's celebration. If I make it to midnight it may just be a Christmas miracle....

click on the photo to see some more pics of who else...the kids!

A new facelift...without going under the knife

2008-12-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here is our unveiling of the new house. We have truly enjoyed the process of picking colors, working with our painter and transforming our homestead. Here is the finished product (well of the outside at least). Will post pics of the bambinos soon, but we are so excited about the transformation, we wanted to share!

November Days...

2008-11-28T20:16:00.001-08:00

IMG_9029.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Well, we are still here and frantically busy enjoying our 2 little kiddies and our new house. Home improvements have taken up major (but fun) time and we have really settled in. The kids really like the house too (Rex I am sure doesn't REALLY care at this stage, but we like to think so). Leila is in her big girl bed now and made the transition easily. We have yet to move Rex into the room, he is still in the moses basket by our bed (who wants to walk anywhere in the middle of the night for feedings?)

Click on Rex's cute little face above for a random smorgasbord of pics....

-Halloween (Rex clearly did not enjoy his Hedgehog outfit-I didn't have the heart to make him wear the head, but Leila sure did enjoy the lollipops).

-Leila's trip to the Oakland Zoo, she loved the rides.

-Leila's constant torturing of Rex. She LOVES to get up in his face 24-7, it is adorable yet annoying at the same time as you have to be nearby to ensure she doesn't hurt and/or smother him. Too much love from a 2 1/2 year old can be a bad thing sometimes when you can't defend yourself!

-Our Thanksgiving meal which we had as a family at our house. Although we missed being with our family and didn't get together with our friends this year, we did enjoy our small gathering and being in our very own house.

-And, FINALLY some pics of our own butterball turkey Rex...he is a bruiser and is already 12 lbs. 10 oz. 2 pounds heavier than Leila at this age. He is a sweetheart and so good natured. He is all smiles and coos right now. He will just sit there and talk to himself-today he was trying to master his fist to mouth for almost a half hour, fully entertained.

Love and thanks to all of you, promise to keep you updated with more posts now that we are all unpacked!

Moving Days are Here...Blogging Times Aren't

2008-10-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of posts and pictures. We have been extremely busy packing, having work done on the house and taking care of 2 kids. All is well, but we are looking forward to the pace to slow down slightly. We will move on October 29th and are very excited to have a home to call our own in San Francisco. Rex is doing great-at his one month check up he was 10 lbs. 4oz and around the 50-60th percentile in weight and height. He continues to be a great baby who enjoys his sleep and doesn't seem to mind being schlepped around between 2 places on a consistent basis and supervising us work. Leila is enjoying the new house and I do think she has grasped the concept that we are moving.

Sorry, no pictures...camera accessories are packed : ) Don't expect any pictures until November. BUT, we are planning on participating in Halloween despite all the madness. We went to the pumpkin patch today with Leila to pick out a few pumpkins to decorate our new porch (doubtful we will get around to carving them...always next year). And, Leila will be a ballerina this year (she has a fascination with ballet and tutu's right now) and Rex will be a hedgehog. Our new neighborhood has a great tradition of Halloween decorating and the former owner of the house detailed the "tour" for us to take. So, should be a fun break from the UNpacking. Stay tuned for pics whenever they are posted!

He loves his sleep...

2008-09-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics of Rex now that he has settled into life outside of the hospital. He is proving to be a very calm baby and definitely enjoys his sleep as these pictures will show. He is starting to be more awake for the day now, but he certainly holds true to the eating, sleeping and pooping bit. He has already surprised us with quite a few interesting farts and poop explosions. I hate to say it, but it does seem to be a differentiating factor between boys and girls! Leila is still enjoying the new toy thus far and has adopted a very cute and VERY high pitched (but thankfully quiet) voice when she talks to "baby brother" Enjoy the new pics. You will notice the new blog title to reflect the new addition.

We are also in the throes of working on the new house and moving. All is going well fingers crossed to be moved in by end of October. A very exciting new beginning for the Ghezali family on multiple fronts!!

A King is Born

2008-09-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Rex Aaron Ghezali arrived on Thursday, 9/18 at 11:44am. 8 lbs 4.4 oz and 21 inches long. Coincidentally, Leila was born at 8:44am--his weight matches her birth time. He had a record arrival--two pushes in one minute and he was out--those child bearing hips come in handy. He is a doll and really reminds us of Leila. We are so impressed with how Leila has made the transition to big sister (thus far...sure there are surprises along the way later!) She is very loving and really enjoyed the visits at the hospital. A big thanks to Mom and Steve for being her caretakers and helping us to make the transition to parents of two. We are home from the hospital now and very much enjoying our new little bundle of love.

(Side note: Leila is not actually offering Rex a real egg--it is a wooden egg from her grocery set. But quite realistic in the pic...)

Oh baby baby!

2008-09-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

We are going to the hospital tonight to be checked in. I may be induced tomorrow morning, but my doctor thinks it will pan out like last time--they will give me the cervix softener and that will actually start my labor vs. needing to be induced. We are very excited and hope to meet little Rex by Thursday. We will post pics soon!

Introducing 520 Judson Avenue...

2008-09-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Financing has gone through so by end of September we should officially be homeowners! I think our car looks cute in the driveway-it looks like it belongs there, doesn't it?

Running up that Hill

2008-09-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is Leila's first attempt at rolling down a hill with her friend June. She had a great time, even if her form leaves a little to be desired. This in at Chrissy Fields in San Francisco where we had a picnic with friends. She and June really had a great time--Leila is transitioning out of "parallel play" and is much more interested in interacting with other kids. She and June were tearing up the park! She has unlimited energy...

Getting close...

2008-09-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Leila is still not a big sister yet. My due date is September 12th. I have been feeling really good. Baby Rex has dropped quite a bit and is in good position, but no signs of labor yet. I am happy to keep him in for awhile as we are busy on lots of fronts. We found a house and are in contract right now. I don't want to jinx it until we find out our financing goes through early this week--then I will post a pic. Of course it is already playing on the slideshow since I posted pictures there to show some folks, so if you are curious...

Here are just a few recent pictures of our little lass. She is growing up so fast and is really starting to interact and play with other kids. She has had lots of opportunities now at Golden Gate park and with some friend's kids that we have gotten together with lately. She is still a complete bundle of energy and doesn't go easy on her pregnant mommy! Seems the best way to keep her in one place is to take her to the beach. She still hates sand and didn't leave the blanket all day. We went to Point Reyes to celebrate Samy's birthday. Anytime one of us would leave the blanket she would yell after us to come back and sit down. She has to be the only kid who doesn't like playing in the sand...yet.

Will post more pics soon and keep you updated on our house and of course the imminent birth! If all goes well we will move end of October. Nothing like taking on moving with a one month old!

For the love of ACCESSORIES!!!!

2008-08-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we all knew Leila was a momma's girl and she is following in her mother's footsteps with a full blown obsession with...accessories. This little series depicts Leila's new bedtime routine and a recent foray into mom's jewelry drawer when I was doing some organization. Never mind that my organization project took a little longer than anticipated with Leila's "help" as you would expect. You can't fault her though for enjoying the baubles. I did get a chuckle out of all of her oohs and aahs. It pretty much went like this: "ooooh wow, bootiful, so pwetty, amazing, ooooh wow, bootiful, so pwetty..." And as any good kid knows, she always went for the good stuff, not the crap I was trying to weed out. The girl's got taste.

Back to the bedtime routine-you will see from the pics that Leila goes to sleep with 1/2 her closet now. Most nights she needs her backpack (handbags are indeed one of the best accessories to make an outfit), boots or shoes and 1-2 of her jackets/sweaters all lined up inside the crib with her to settle down for the night. The mound of items has progressively gotten bigger over time-this picture is during the early stages, so not too many things in the crib. She gives new meaning to security blankets.

Bath Time ("G" Rated)

2008-08-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

What good baby blog would be complete without the obligatory bath time photos to taunt them with later in life? This is the Samy kissing torture series...

...and of course the good ol' hairstyle mohawk maneuver that we all know and love.

I still can't believe how long her hair actually is once the curls are stretched out...

Always a bridesmaid...

2008-07-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

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I have been remiss again in posting for the last month (I am sure you all have noticed...) but will vow to get back on track. I will blame a very nasty sinus infection that had me pretty miserable for about 3 weeks, house hunting, work and that little toddler we have running around. Here are a few little updates...

1. House hunting still continues. We have seen more houses than we care to document and put in 3 offers to no avail. We have another offer in that we will hear back on in a couple of days. The market here is unpredictable but still strong so we are still plugging away.

2. The pregnancy is going well. Baby is in a good position and normal size despite all the sugar I eat. Due date is Sept. 12th which I can't believe is right around the corner. Only 6 more weeks at my job so I am busy beginning my transition. Still love the new job so it will be hard to leave, but I will enjoy the break.

3. Leila was a ringbearer for the first time! She did a bang up job (sort of). Our friends John and Mark who have been together for 17 years tied the knot (again) thanks to the recent overturning of the gay marriage ruling. It was a lovely ceremony and reception and we felt honored that they asked Leila to be the ringbearer. They are such an important part of our lives and it was wonderful to share in their love for each other.

4. Samy has a new job...he is working in a high end restaurant now in North Beach--touted as having one of the top, most extensive wine lists in the city. Tuscan cuisine complete with the owner "Mr. Petroni" who is a dead ringer for a Mafioso. I feel like I am in a Soprano's episode when I go in. The new gig is working out well and he has a much better schedule...all in preparation for when baby #2 arrives...

Those are the highlights...enjoy the pics of Leila in her debut...

Happy Birthday Leila!

2008-06-13T20:25:00.001-07:00

IMG_7335.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Our little bundle turned 2 this last weekend...June 8th. We celebrated with a picnic in Golden Gate park--a fun gathering of our close friends to welcome Leila into her next year. We had such a great time, and Leila was in her element with all of the balloons we had there. She was literally entertained for about 2 hours non-stop with the balloons flying around in the air. They were actually helium balloons that I put together that morning...had I known it was going to be such a windy day, we could have saved on the helium tank! A good time had by all with good food, good friends and of course the lady of the day!

A string of firsts...

2008-05-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

IMG_7058.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Leila has had a couple of milestones as of late. Her first poop in the toilet (yes I did include 1 picture...sorry folks) and believe it or not, her first haircut. She was great during the whole experience thanks to the diversion of strawberries and of course Cory's technique of dry cutting. I don't think she knew it was happening for the most part. I finally have my clippings for her baby book. The curls are in full swing and the cut has brought out her ringlets even more.

Cory and Mark came for a visit and we had a great time seeing the sites. Some pictures attached from our hikes and touring around the city. Mike is also having a blast with Leila as well and they are enjoying quality uncle and niece time.

This one picture of Leila that is posted is one of my favorite pictures. It reminds me of a picture my mom has of me watching tv in her sunglasses and I just love that Leila has her own pair of stylish shades that are almost as big as the ones I had on for adults. I call them her Jackie O's and she is quite taken with them. Oh yeah...and the jacket obsession continues. She pretty much has a jacket and her cowboy boots on all the time. This is a rare opportunity when she was actually "underdressed". The battles on what to wear have already begun. Ugh.

Busy Bees

2008-05-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple months for us as we are house hunting...looking for a fixer upper single family home in the city and we may have found it. We put an offer in this week and should know tomorrow on the status. It is a house built in 1919 (and you may see the pictures come up on our slide show as I used Flickr to upload the photos to send to my "2nd opinion delegates"). Hence you are seeing all the ins and outs of needed repair work and likely quite boring photos. Anyway...keep you all updated on the status-cross fingers.

Other developments: Michael arrived for a 3 week visit yesterday night. We are excited to have him here and will upload pictures soon of Uncle Mike and Leila etc. They are already galavanting together and having fun. We will also have my friend Cory in town this weekend which will be great.

I also think we have landed on a name ladies and gents. Rex Aaron. I don't need to explain "Rex" since you will know why. Aaron has arabic roots and so is a nod to Samy's heritage--not to mention we like the name. I think we are pretty set, but another name might come along and peak our interest. We have landed on Rex for sure though--I really like the name and love that Gramps will live on with our new little boy. I think Kay and Rexy would be happy.

Inspector Gadget

2008-05-10T17:31:00.001-07:00

IMG_6967.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

It seems like everything is an "obsession" these days. Welcome to the world of an almost 2 year old I guess. The item of note now is the matching hat and coat set that we bought last winter. This little plaid wool number is Leila's only thought throughout the day I think. She has it on 24-7...and I mean 24-7 (except for when we pry it off of her to go to sleep). She asks for it first thing in the morning and insists on wearing it in the house all day and of course when we go out. I am sure you can tell it doesn't "work" with all outfits so she looks ridiculous. You get the picture. She reminds me of a little Inspector Gadget in this getup. I got so sick of looking at this thing though (and I used to really like the coat...) and even more sick of changing her diaper in it--a little tough with the coat length as you can imagine. Hence, this little ensemble has now "disappeared" and trust me, will not reappear until next winter. I know, ruin all the fun for the little one (she is still asking for it daily...) but I am sure she will learn to replace this with another item soon. (I will add she is sitting next to me as I type this and pointing at the picture and saying "Jatee" over and over and whining for it). Talk about rubbing it in, but I am not giving back in on this one folks...I am holding the line!

Click on the picture should you care to see a few more pics of Leila in her favorite gear + a cameo appearance by Hobbes.

Sleepy Time with Momma Leila

2008-05-02T19:38:00.001-07:00

IMG_6951.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Leila's new favorite past time is putting her various sock monkeys (mine from when I was a little girl), ugly dolls and babies to sleep. She lines them all up assembly line and requests blankets ad nauseam to ensure each one has at least several blankets. My solve is to have her use her old burp cloths as "blankets" to offset the desire to pull out all of our full size blankets. I think it is so cute how they are all arranged and she clearly has a plan for each. Some get more blankets than others and if you try to move them over to even them out she moves them right back. She is very loving with how she tucks them in and they "sleep" throughout the day.

Another new development is wanting to shut herself in her room for "privacy". I guess practicing for when she enters her teens! She tells us "bye bye" and closes the door after herself, then proceeds to do various activities. Typically she turns her room upside down pulling all her clothes out (again, practicing for her later years) and talks to us through the door. She really won't come out until she is good and ready. If you open the door prematurely, she promptly closes it back again. Case in point, she is in there right now, and I went in to check on her and she started whining "out there" and pointed for me to leave the room and closed the door back after me. I guess I won't take offense! Eventually she knocks and indicates she is ready to join the family again. I am amazed she can find so much entertainment in that little room.

It's Official...We are having a BOY!

2008-04-18T22:23:00.001-07:00

BABY GHEZALI 4-16-2008_7.jpg, originally uploaded by sassylou.

We received the news this week and will be adding a boy to the Ghezali mix. We will now have a complete set and are very excited. Let the planning and name picking begin...all suggestions welcome and will be taken under advisement.

Enjoy the pictures...some of the 3-D ones might not be for the faint of heart.

L.J. takes the beach by storm...

2008-04-18T22:16:00.001-07:00

IMG_6883.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

It was a flurry of emotion for Leila on her latest trip to the beach. She arrived elated and ran full tilt on the beach barely able to contain herself. Laughing, giggling and shrieking at the new environment. After settling in, we encouraged Leila to play in the sand. She still isn't a big fan...her preference was to sit on the blanket and play in the sand nearby. Not the best recipe for keeping sand OFF of the blanket as an overall strategy. You will see by the pictures that she eventually got a little ways away from us. Duly noted though that you will never keep the sand at bay with kids, and I personally HATE sand.

The mistake of the day was to take Leila into the water and "dip" her in a few times. Samy has not quite grasped onto the fact that our water is FREEZING (he is the only one I ever see in the water without a wetsuit). Net net, she didn't appreciate it a whole lot and was quite terrified even after she came back up to the blanket. She would get scared at the sound of the waves as if they were coming after her and was insisting to go "outside"...meaning, "let's get the hell out of here!" We took her for a walk which calmed her down and she started to enjoy herself again. All in all, a great day even if we will be hard pressed to get Leila back in the water!

The other pics are from a plant sale we went to with friends. It was a great little place with lots of activities for kids. That's all folks...

Get your Leila groove back on...

2008-04-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

IMG_6820.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Well the long overdue pictures are here...a few highlights from the set:

1. Leila's fascination with cleaning. She just loves to participate in any cleaning event (if only I could have that trait rub off on Samy, just kidding!) Case in point, as I was uploading the photos, she saw the pics of her with the Swifter and promptly went to the kitchen to pull it out and start cleaning again. Now, I can really put her to work.

2. Leila's first "licking of the bowl". We were making peanut butter pie for our picnic, and as the pics will surely tell, she enjoyed every last mouthful. I must admit though, I had first dibs on the bowl before she did. All in all, she was a good little helper.

3. Pictures from Easter. We went to the 2nd annual Easter park extravaganza hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (a group of male "nuns" who do charity work in the city). They hosted an Easter egg hunt in the morning for the kids and the rest of the day we picnicked with friends in the park on a glorious day. Leila loved the Easter eggs...but she was a little slow to actually get many eggs. We only came away with one!

4. Check out Leila's new "do". We are loving the pig tails, but as you can see, they still aren't a match for the curls. 22 months and counting, and she still hasn't had a haircut.

5. Not in the pictures, but Grandpa Leising came for another visit this last weekend. They picked up the action packed routine right where they left off. The diner recognized them and welcomed them back. The usual booth, the regular order. They had a blast all weekend. Leila's way of saying Grandpa is "Pada". We think it is a fitting name. Grandma Bayne will be called "Nani" just in case you are wondering. The Ghezali's are "Pepe" and "Mani". That completes the nomenclature.

We are all doing well and will find out the sex of the baby on April 16th (yes...we are "finder outers"), and will be sure to post an update. Feeling good and Leila is still clueless. She does get a kick out of listening to the heartbeat during the Dr. appt. I think she thinks the sound machine is a cell phone, probably why.

So much for New Year's Resolutions...

2008-03-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, like every well intentioned New Year's Resolution...they are rarely kept. It has been quite a busy few months for us. The biggest highlight is that we are busy making a second baby! That is part of the reason for my lack of postings (read "none whatsoever"). The first trimester had me pretty much wiped out...asleep by 8 pm and just plain tired. My energy is back now and I finally have gotten around to posting some of the baby shots taken about 1 month ago.

We also had 2 visits...one from Samy's mother and one from my dad (all the way from merry old England). We had a great time during both visits although it was during my period of low energy and not feeling top of my game. It was great to have grandparents here to help out and Leila really had a blast. My dad especially had Leila on a pretty jam packed routine including a morning breakfast at a local diner (complete with their own booth as "regulars"), walking the local shops on Clement St. and visiting playgrounds at Golden Gate Park until she was completely worn out.

Leila is growing immensely, both physically and intellectually. We are really enjoying teaching her more words and sign language. She knows quite a lot of sign language now in addition to spoken word and loves to communicate. Her dancing and jumping abilities are also in FULL swing (much to the chagrin of our downstairs neighbor I am sure...) and she is just a bundle of energy. We are switching Leila to a nearby daycare in April and I just know she is going to love it. She is a social butterfly, not shy in the least and loves to be unleashed in new territory to meet new kids, toys and has no problem making herself quite at home. Not an ounce of any separation anxiety...anywhere.

So, life is good. My new job is going very well and it has been great having a new challenge with much broader responsibilities. We have also (just) started to house hunt as 2 babies will just not fit in the current pad for long, even with a shoe horn. Our goal is to move once we find the right place within the next year since the next baby will sleep in our room for the 1st 6 months or so. Leila still doesn't comprehend just how much her life will change, but I am sure as my belly grows she will start to realize something is new! Enjoy pictures of the little bean. Leila pics will be uploaded soon...one step at a time!

Belly time 24-7

2008-01-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

One thing Leila loves is her belly button. She just loves to pull up her shirt and play with it ALL THE TIME. And, she isn't that much into carrying a security blanket/toy which is common for her age. I kept wondering if she would ever enter that "stage". Over Thanksgiving I was sharing this with my mom and she finally commented (after a few days observation of the belly button fetish) that she thought Leila's belly button was her security blanket (and also quite handy since it is always with her). I definitely think she is right. If Leila ever wears a bodysuit and can't get to her belly button she sometimes reaches down the neck of the bodysuit if it is stretchy enough. She has taken it one step further now I finally realized. All of a sudden, Leila had developed a strong aversion to her onesie footed pajamas. She would just shake her head "no" as soon as she saw us reach for any of them and flatly refused to put them on. She only wanted to wear the 2 piece pajamas with no feet. It took me forever to put two and two together but I had my epiphany last night...no belly button access whatsoever in the onesie. Smart little girl...too bad her mom is a little slow.

The Case of the Disappearing Pacifier

2008-01-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

Leila is not a huge pacifier user, but she is quite accustomed to using one to go to sleep. We have over the past few months wondered what had been happening to some of them. She definitely had one when she went to bed, so where is it now when she wakes up? They often fall between the slats of the crib and onto the floor under the crib, which is always a treat to scavenge them out. However, from time to time, they would just disappear. We would search her room inside out (who wants to keep buying those things anyway?) to no avail. Well, finally the mystery is solved as Samy happened upon the mother-lode. Apparently Leila has been keeping her "stash" in the lamp shade next to her crib. It is just within arms reach and has an open frosted glass shade. She has been dumping them in there like her own little storage jar. I am sure now that she knows we are on to her she will find another trick...

All else is great with the Ghezali family. I (Nicole...well you know it is me since Samy doesn't write in the blog!) just got a promotion at work. I will be working in the Gap Inc. Outlet division. I am quite excited to start the new job in 1 week! I am also starting to work on more handmade baby goods (knit hats, burpcloths/blankets) and pillows as a friend is opening an SF boutique in February and will carry my line. Hard to find time to craft with the little one...she just loves getting into my knitting balls. I will try to post some pics on the site at some point in case there are any out of town orders!

Samy's mom is also coming for a visit towards the end of January so Leila will be getting lots of extra lovin' from Grandma. One of my new year's resolutions is to keep writing in the blog more regularly. Not really sure how much readership is out there, but it will be a good keepsake for Leila!

Shoes and Bags and Coats Oh My!

2007-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

IMG_6376.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Leila has definitely started mimicking me. Imitation is the best form of flattery I guess, and it does make for some good photos.

Her latest obsession is shoes...everyone else's. Shoes + her new stroller + cell phone + handbag and she is good to go.

Now, I am not so sure our downstairs neighbors are loving it so much when she puts her heels on, but I sure do think it is funny.

She is actually pretty good in the heels too amazingly so. I am so proud...

click on the photo for more fashion victim shots...

Blog hiatus

2007-12-21T21:14:00.001-08:00

IMG_6222, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Well folks...there was certainly a dip in blog writing over the past month or so...sorry for leaving you hanging since Halloween! It is hard to keep up with my prolific cousins : ) (and Leila for that matter which might be part of the problem!) For those of you that have been patiently waiting, there will be a myriad of updates all at once as I have a ton of pictures and updates. Nothing like a binge blogging to satiate your desires!

Here are just a few shots from our Thanksgiving trip to Atlanta. We had a great time and Leila also performed a little number to "Tequila". OK...I may be biased, but I do think the girl has some pretty good moves. The video is a little long I know, but wanted you to see the whole performance. Oh yeah, and her back up dancers Samy and Mike weren't too shabby either.

One last side note: keep studying the people at the airport Dan. We learned it is a true balance of art and science to travel with a toddler. 5 hours of fun on a flight to Atlanta with an 18 month old on your lap...good times. Bring enough distractions (e.g. food, DVD player, toys, books, bottles, cell phones, crayons, lint from your purse etc.) Just remember that each item only holds their interest for about 2 minutes. Yep, for a 5 hour flight, that equals 150 items...now you will see why the lint comes in handy.

Leila takes on Halloween!

2007-11-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

IMG_6101.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home...no, actually this little piggy tore up the town at Halloween a couple nights ago! We did our homework and took Leila to a great street for Halloween. We have come to find out, there are lots of fabulous places to take children trick-or-treating in the city. The neighborhood we walked in was jam packed, full of little kids and parents, decorated houses and everone out on their stoops handing out candy. It was a blast...complete with "Happy Feet" performances in a house with huge windows which was very popular with everyone, young and old...took a little video, but doesn't do it justice!

It was so great to see Leila having so much fun. She went from "clueless" to "expert" in no time. Her first piece of candy was a lollipop which didn't leave her mouth all night (see pics, click for entire set). By the fourth house, she realized she needed to reach in for candy and would put it in her little pail. By the fifth house, she would try to reach in more than once. Smart girl. My only complaint is that she always took lollipops when mom's preference would have been chocolate...oh well, always next year...

Enjoy the pictures, and as you can see Leila finished off the night with a more healthy choice of cheese...mind you, she was definitely already on a pretty decent sugar high after the lollipop!

Also to note, Kyle came in town briefly for an interview and we had a really fun visit. He met Leila for the first time and we all tried to show him a good time and tooled around the city. We are all sending good vibes your way Kyle for a positive outcome!!

The Revenge of the Black Bean...

2007-10-29T21:49:00.001-07:00

IMG_5954.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

Leila is an active little toddler and is definitely keeping us on our toes. I love this first picture...it reminds me of the Wicked Witch with the striped socks under the house...but of course our little lady is more like Glinda! Click on the photo for more recent pictures marking:

1. Leila's 1st burritto. Fast forward to our babysitter calling me the next day at work exclaiming about how much Leila is pooping and how black it is. Thanks to cloth diapers, I could take a peek for myself in the old diapers when I picked her up. I would have called too. Had I not known about all the black beans she had eaten, I might have been worried. Lesson...too many black beans does not make for a pleasant diaper(s).

2. Leila's fun at bathtime. She is enjoying baths and has finally gotten over being scared at having her hair rinsed. We enjoy playing with all of her curls and giving her mohawks...doesn't every parent?

3. Leila's introduction to drawing. From the pics, you can see not too much extensive crayon work was going on. She seemed way more enamored with putting the crayons in her mouth and running around the house in circles. She would stop for a crayon switch out and repeat.

4. Leila went back to her park where she had her tree planted for her baby blessing. She had a blast swinging on the swing with our friend John and playing in the fountain. Leila loves this little park and it was a good chance to run off some energy...she had all of us exhausted by the end of the day! Her tree is growing nicely and it is so wonderful to have a lasting way to mark her life and growth.

L-Mobile

2007-10-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

IMG_5808.JPG, originally uploaded by sassylou.

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for the Ghezali family. We have been on the go. We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary and went down to Santa Cruz over the 10/5 weekend. It was a family affair and we rented a great little cottage right by the beach. Straight from there I went on a business trip for 9 days and just got back this last Monday. Now Leila and I are both sick...me from fatigue, Leila from me. Trying to rest up and recuperate, but work is non-stop right now. Leila is on the go...amazing how much she has changed just in the short time I was away. She is running around the house, talking on the phone(s) all day and cradles it in the crook of her neck. She has complete conversations, laughs into the phone (I guess the person she is talking with is entertaining?) and asks a lot of questions in a raised tone at the end of her sentences. Guess she will be racking up quite the phone bill when she grows up. If she isn't "on" the phone, she is pushing all of the buttons and playing with our answering machine ad nauseum. One of her favorites is to push the "page" button to make all the phones in the house beep. Amazing how they find out all the little tricks...

She is also saying some real words...although the pronunciation on some leaves a little to be desired. Some favorites: hi, bye, doggy (all animals), diggy (kitty for our cat Hobbes), shoes, ba (banana), eat, out, and of course momma and daddy. She definitely is mimicking us a lot...she is "coughing" just like mommy right now and is repeating a lot of the words or sounds we make. It was much too long to be away from my little girl and we have had a ton of fun catching up even if we both don't feel at the top of our game. Daddy was a great caretaker while I was away even if the house looked like a tornado had hit it when I got back. I think Leila had taken out every single toy in the house down to the very last block. Good times.

Click on the photo for all of the pictures from our Santa Cruz trip.

It's a Sign

2007-09-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

Leila has kicked the sign language into high gear and we are enjoying teaching her new signs. It is amazing how quickly babies pick it up. She knows and uses the following signs:

1...Eat (she uses this one ALL the time)
2...Bath
3...Shoes
4...Dirty Diaper
5...Sleep
6...Light
7...More
8...Take me/give me

It is so much fun to communicate with her and even if she doesn't know the signs of other words yet, we are able to understand her quite well. She also makes this lovely grunting sound when she wants something and gets excited...she sounds just like a monkey! She actually says "doggie" (which is mainly for dogs, but is also used for every other animal as well) and "Hi". One of her favorite toys is the home phone and/or cell phone and she cradles it behind her ear and says "hi" A LOT...

She has a ton of teeth coming in right now so it is doube work to keep up with the drooling and from time to time she is quite irritable due to the pain. I still don't have an exact count of how many teeth are coming in...a bunch of molars on the top and bottom, but getting her to keep her mouth open for a review is quite a feat. However, not as hard as trying to administer eye drops I have found...that is definitely a two person job for sure.

Here are a few pictures from our latest beach day and her photo shoot in her rough and tough skull and crossbone look. This is her DJ'ing outfit with daddy. She looks the part for sure...

Dancing Queen

2007-08-20T22:10:00.001-07:00

A video for your viewing pleasure. Please disregard my crackly voice on the video (sounding more like Kay Babe every day...) There was music in the background even though you can't really hear it. Leila was busting a move to the beats!

On a roll...

2007-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Alright, I am kicking the writing into high gear now. Just downloaded some pictures from the camera which I had been meaning to do for quite some time. You all get to enjoy the fruits of my 2 minutes of labor.

Well...Leila has mastered the beach now. I took her on a hike to Tennessee Valley and we impromptu went to the beach at the end of the trail. Turns out the trick was to have Leila walk on the sand first with her shoes, THEN take them off. She was a little unsure at first, but then enjoyed herself immensely. She was really enjoying the water, got totally wet by accident (mom didn't quite see how big the wave was at the end!) and was a sandy mess. We were with some friends and their little girl June who is 2 years. They had fun playing together and Leila didn't want to leave the water. I forgot my camera in the car, but will post some pics when I get them from my friend.

To tide you all over (no pun intended), here are a few pictures from the last couple of months. Not so sure I can keep up with Dan posting weekly picture updates, but we will see how well you do into month fourteen buddy!!!! : ) Hard to capture all of the things we enjoy so much about Leila in pictures. Probably the thing that cracks me up the most about Leila lately are her nightly "projects". She is constantly working on things around the house. Most of the time it involves taking something (blocks, magazines...she has a particular penchant for my "W" magazines, books, etc) and walking across the room and putting them on another surface. Over and over until she is done emptying it, then repeat in the other direction. Repeat again. Repeat again. Pretty good at entertaining her and the heavy breathing of concentration that accompanies this is the best part. I joke with Samy that she takes after me in this regard...I have always loved a good project. Now, if we see Leila making any lists, we know we are in trouble...

Beach Yogi

2007-08-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well I have been remis in writing lately...today was a beautiful day and after work Samy, Leila and I went to the beach to enjoy the sunset. Turns out Leila does not really like sand (you may remember a previous post where I said we didn't think to take her off the blanket at the beach the last time because I hate sand). Well...like mother like daughter. Leila was terrified of the sand and wouldn't stand up at all. She was doing this funky yoga pose, crunching her legs and feet up in front (quite impressive abs Leila...) and no matter how close you would put her towards the sand, the legs and feet would curl upwards. That little pipsqueak would not be messed with! It was so humorous and caught the attention of all the beachgoers. Guess we'll have to try another time!

Leila is truly a dancing queen, and can't help grooving at any music beat. She is so entertaining and we can just watch her for hours working on her little "projects" around the house. I promise to add pictures and maybe a video soon. She is our precious little girl!!!

The Energizer Bunny

2007-07-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

After a grueling 5 days apart from Leila (and Samy) I have just returned from a business trip in New York. It was so hard to be away from the family and was missing my girl big time. Leila is really into her play time now and really doesn't stop. She always wants to be walking around and has officially entered the toddler stage in my mind. She is all over the place, scatters her toys everywhere, is constantly exploring and getting into things. It is really entertaining to watch her and tiring at the same time to clean up after her! She can pretty much destroy the house in 15 minutes. But hey, she is having fun. It is so wonderful to be back and to see her in person and hold her...sure beats having Samy and our babysitter send me 10 second videos and pictures to my phone, but it did help me get through the week. aswzssecfrqvxrdsDXX (If you couldn't tell, that was Leila's contribution to the blog just now. Not quite sure what it means but I am sure she will tell me later). Home sweet home...time for the Ghezali Girls to do some bonding.

I'm walking...yes indeed I'm walking

2007-07-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

June 27th marked the official day of Leila's first real steps on her own. She was dabbling a little bit before this, but wasn't confident to go full throttle. Well, in a day, she just simply took off. In just a few short weeks she is a walking pro. She chases our cat, Hobbes-they go around and around the house in a circle. It is so funny to watch...Hobbes humors her, lets her get close and then moves to the next position out in front. Over and over and over... Leila also loves walking around the house with her little bumble bee. She is quite adept at manoeuvering around the furniture and various obstacles which is quite a feat...city living calls for tight quarters!

Leila is also quite the little dancer. She has this great move where she quickly shakes her booty from side to side and shakes her whole body--gets a laugh out of us every time. She is especially motivated to do that dance move to the South Park theme song and when she is enjoying something she is eating. We have been trying to teach Leila sign language and she just recently started doing the sign for "milk" and "more". It is so cute to see her little hands make the signs and it is a good way to communicate. We are hoping to teach her more, but those were the first ones we started with. A few words too..."doggie" and "kitty" although at times they sound a bit alike and the occasional "daddy" although most times she says that to me, so go figure. She is just a bundle of love and is really starting to become a little person with such personality. It just gets better and better.

June Bug

2007-07-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

June has come and gone, and I have been remiss in writing in the blog. It has been a busy month and our darling daughter turned 1 this month. June 8th, 2006...we were busy getting ready for the big celebration (read, Nicole making invites, obsessing over designing and making decorations, finding the perfect 1st birthday cake recipe etc which is my idea of fun). It was a ton of fun getting ready for the party (at least for me, you will have to ask Samy yourself) and then poor little Leila was sick the day of the party with 103 degree fever. We attributed it to her teeth coming in...what can you do? She was a little trooper though, although she was clearly not feeling very well. Nevertheless, we had a great party with tons of friends over and we managed to keep Leila fairly happy...she was burning up all day. Poor little lady! Here are a few pictures of the birthday party. You can definitely tell Leila was not in good form by the pictures...she eventually ate some of the cake, but wasn't a fan at first. She stopped crying when we all sang happy birthday and erupted again when we stopped. I threw in another picture that I couldn't resist sharing. How about that cute little butt!

Three's Company

2007-05-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

Leila has been getting some teeth...three to be exact. They have been coming in for a while now, but haven't fully come up (I don't think so anyway...they could always be short teeth!) She hasn't had much fuss about them-I think she is a tough little lady with a decent threshold for pain. Anyways, for about 2 straight weeks she kept sticking her tongue out over her bottom 2 teeth feeling them with her tongue. It was hysterical-reminds me of what you do when you get a tooth pulled...your tongue automatically gravitates to feeling that open hole.

Still no official walking...I am looking forward to that moment. Then after that wears off, I am sure I will wish she was more stationary again. I have this strange feeling we don't know what we are in for when she is off and running...

Life's a Beach

2007-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated a lovely Mother's Day and birthday this Sunday. My very first "official" Mother's Day (I did still celebrate when she was in my belly last year-not such a stretch?) and it was my 35th birthday too. It felt very special being able to celebrate both on the same day. We went to Pt. Reyes and took Leila to the beach for the very first time. Leila is checking the sunscreen ingredients in the top picture to make sure it is ok for her skin. The girl is already tanner than I am at 11 months...sad. She has her daddy's skin that is for sure. She didn't leave the blanket (I hate sand so I didn't particularly want Leila to be all up in it either...I guess that is the point of going to the beach, but I didn't think about that until afterwards...). Samy did carry her over to the ocean though and dipped her feet in-not sure if she liked it. Might have something to do with the fact that the water was 50 degrees at best. When he brought her back her feet were icicles. Then again, Samy swims in that water sans wet suit...I hope Leila doesn't take after her father in that regard...she can always stay on the blanket with me...

I'm Still Standing

2007-05-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Leila is getting quite good at walking with less and less of our help. She definitely loves her new abilities and wants to be on the move more and more. One of her favorite things to do is stand up in the bed between us in the morning and bounce up and down, seeing how long she can stay standing. Walking is just around the corner for sure. She did take a few tiny steps at our baby sitter's house, but she is definitely still prefering to hold onto our fingers for balance. It is an exciting time.

Our next challenge is to try to fit the bigger car seat we just got into the MINI now that she is outgrowing her infant seat. Fingers crossed it will work...we are bound and determined to keep that car (although Samy is already talking about what kind of car we will get if we have another baby). Two babies in a MINI would be pushing it...

The many nicknames of Leila...

2007-04-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the running list so far...given that she is only 10 1/2 months old, she is clearly in for a few more over the course of her lifetime. These are in chronological order (sort of...) and Samy is responsible for most of these of course...hence some of them don't make much sense!

1. L.J.
2. Baby Joi
3. Bundle
4. Bundleliscious
5. Soondella (don't ask...)
6. La Loucha
7. Toolessa (another obscure one...)
8. Baloutta

Bye Bye Birdie

2007-04-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Leila is a movin' and a groovin'. She has definitely taken off this month and is a bundle of energy. Crawling has ramped up...she is faster and has adapted her style to use her legs more. She now can sit up from her crawling position. However, little Leila has little patience for crawling and clearly wants to stand and walk. She constantly pulls up on furniture and people to go vertical and is now cruising around the furniture more confidently. She is just pleased as punch with her ability to stand. I can't count the times that I have put her down for a nap, go back in after hearing grunting noises of exertion to find her standing up in her crib, grinning ear to ear. She is quite proud of her accomplishment and also just loves it when she skirts the nap altogether. I think her napping time during the day will be decreasing soon (although Samy does his best to "bond" with Leila numerous times throughout the day (otherwise known as napping with Leila in his arms...he just loves having that excuse to nap!)
I call this installment "Bye Bye Birdie" because Leila has also just learned to wave bye bye. Oh it is so cute! Who would have thought a simple waving of the arm could give you so much pleasure! She doesn't do it consistently, but ALWAYS waves bye bye when we take her to and from Cristina's (her babysitter) house. We are starting to make some plans for Leila's first birthday...can't believe that one year has almost gone by. I am sure Leila is looking forward to her cake if she is anything like her mom!

April Fool

2007-04-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

On April Fool's day we went to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gater park to see an exhibit. Then headed to a friend's house to celebrate his birthday. These pictures are from the Conservatory. Leila looked so pretty in her Easter dress (couldn't help but have her wear it a little early). I think she looked like a little European girl...precious!

Little Miss Sunshine

2007-04-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

Leila brightens up our day and is definitely communicating her desires, wants and needs. It is great to see her develop and interact with the world. She is so inquisitive and wants to see EVERYTHING. Any little noise makes her turn to see what is happening. She squirms around in your lap...ready to stand or move around to get into "stuff". Mommy gets more and more nervous when Leila will be fully mobile. Somehow Leila knows instinctively the things that you DON'T want her to get into, and those are just the things she is interested in. Can't Wait! That being said, she is pulling herself around--wouldn't quite call it crawling, but she is moving. After a while of arm pulling crawling dragging her legs behind her, she starts to cry, clearly not wanted to exert any more effort to move. She seems quite content to explore on her own terms when she feels like it. She also loves to grab onto the furniture and stands quite well. Me thinks she is going to be a walker before she really even masters crawling! This picture was taken at Leila's park--we visited her park when Grandma Bayne visited. Leila had a blast on the playground!

And she goes bang bang bang on the drum...

2007-03-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Leila is really developing her own little (big!) personality. We have established a nice routine as a family and Leila is such a good natured baby, which certainly makes it easy (so far...). She has learned to eat her Cheerio's by herself--current success rate is at about 20-25% and she just loves to stuff them in her mouth and drop them too! She is a vocal little girl and loves to hear herself scream now. It is quite easy to make her laugh...a good raspberry on the tummy will send her into a fit of giggles and chasing her up the stairs to our apartment also does the trick.

Mornings are a fun time...she comes into the bed with us at about 5:30-6pm for the morning feeding and we fall back asleep together until a more sane hour (7:30-8am, depending on how often I hit the snooze button). Then it's a mad dash to get ready for work, dress Leila and all head into the MINI for the morning drive. Leila tells us about her morning on the way into work and the day is underway.

Leila also has learned how to clap and loves to show off her new skill. This has been an exciting age...she loves to sit on the bed while I get ready for work and bounce up and down, all smiles and giggles. She brightens up our morning, day and night!

All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth...

2006-12-28T23:02:00.000-08:00

Well, no teeth for Leila yet, but she did enjoy the wrapping paper and boxes. We did take her to Santa Claus, and got a cute pic. If I can figure out my scanner, we will upload this pic too. Samy is thrilled that we have started this tradition. I imagine that he is envisioning hours of standing in line at the mall over the course of Leila's lifetime. Leila also had her first roadtrip over Thanksgiving when we went to Timber Cove and rented a house with friends. Great way to spend the holidays with our little bundle of joy!

Leila joins the internet age...

2006-10-29T21:51:00.000-08:00

Having this little lady in our life has changed so much, brought so many new emotions and overwhelming joy. You never feel like you have enough time in the day, but these are the times you don't ever want to forget. So, it seems appropriate to try to document this time as much as possible, as a lasting memory of our day to day life with this beautiful little girl as she grows and changes every day. Hence, welcome to "On Leila's Level"--your one stop shop for all of Leila's news and developments!

Leila enters the world...June 8th, 2006

2006-09-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Time has just flown by...In creating this blog, we are taking a walk down memory lane, capturing Leila's first days. Looking back on this picture, we can't believe how tiny she is, and how much she has changed already. This time in the early days of her life was so precious. So many emotions-pure excitement, wonder, awe and just a little bit of anxiety-hoping that we will know how to take care of this little bundle of joy. They are right in saying that instinct takes over (sure the books and classes help too), but so much of this experience is so natural that you just know what to do. Her days in the hospital were spent eating, sleeping, sleeping and sleeping. We could hardly keep her awake long enough to feed. I also think that is God's way of giving you some time to "figure it all out" during the sleeping hours. Constantly peering over and watching her sleep so peacefully in her cot was truly one of the most special moments in my life.