3 mother hens at Chick-Fil-A

Today Charlotte and I met Lori, Dominic, Gina, and Emma for lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was so much fun getting to spend time with the girls and getting the kids acquainted with one another. They are all so adorable and were very well behaved. We're hoping to make Thursday afternoons a tradition. Here are a few pictures.

The new mommy club!
(From left to right--Lori, Dominic, weird man in background, me, Charlotte, Gina, and Emma.)

The newest mommy of the group---Lori with precious Dominic!Here's a cute face from baby Emma.Mommy Gina and baby Emma sound asleep.Dominic and his girls--

And of course no blog entry would be complete without my little sweet heart doing what she does best...sleep!

Just 3 months old and already an EARTHQUAKE

Well... Charlotte you survived your first earthquake. It was a biggie in my opinion...centered in Chino Hills--a 5.4 I believe. And no surprise you slept through it. Mommy was at work and Grandma Susy was watching you. She said you were awakened by the rattling and then closed your eyes and seemed to enjoy the rocking motion. Thank you Grandma Susy for watching little CJ and taking care of her!

These pictures on not taken the day of the earthquake but I figured I'd include them anyway. I love this little outfit on her. We call her out little ninja when we she wears it.

Mommy turned 28!

Last year for my birthday our picture would have looked like this... This year...it looks like this (our perfect little threesome!) My first birthday as a mommy!
Charlotte is very happy to celebrate Mommy's 28th b-day!

The next picture cracks me up. Check out that silly face Charlotte is making!

Awww--she's so funny! Serious face and all.
I have to admit this picture is more about me...Check out my nice flowing hair! And my tooth has that tsing tsing going on! Okay Orbit gum commercial ha ha

Look at that little face!

It was a wonderful birthday!!! Thank you family and friends for all the calls and birthday wishes. It means the world to me that you all remember and make such a big deal out of it!

First day back at work

Well, black Monday came and went and I survived. It was horrible but I survived. I wanted to thank all of my family and friends for the thoughts and prayers they sent my way. It meant the world to me to know that you're all supporting me and encouraging me. I felt the Lord's presence with me all day. I really did. I was calm and very collected (much much better than I thought I would be) and I know that all the feelings of peace came from the Lord. I missed her like crazy but I pressed on. Only those moms that have to return to work will ever understand this feeling. Those of you that get to stay at home, cherish it---I know the days are long and it gets lonely or frustrating. I know that some of you long for "adult time"-- but remember this...work is definitely adult time but not my favorite kind. It's so hard to be away from your child and not being able to comfort them if they need it. Sure I'm blessed that family is watching Charlotte but I still want to be the one to do it. I'm sure it will get easier but right now--the thought of tomorrow makes me cringe. Please keep me in your prayers. I don't want to limit God's power--He can change my situation at any time. I have faith that it will all work out. It always does.

I love you baby Charlotte and you were greatly missed today!!!

Black Monday

Don't worry mommy was crying, too!

Well, tomorrow is my first day back at work and of course I'm bummed. This week was bad. I was very emotional and quite upset about the whole thing. I knew I would be. I can't stand the thought of leaving her for one minute but it has to be done. I've been trying to focus on the postives and it really does help. I'm only going back 3 days a week for a 3 month trial period and when I am at work she'll get to spend time with both of the grandmas. It really is the best situation when I sit back and think about it. I just wanted to let Charlotte know that although I'm sad that my time at home has come to an end I will always remember this time as the best time in my life. I will never ever forget the joy that I experienced with her and Raresh during the beginning of her life. It will only get better from here.

I love you Charlotte and I am so blessed to be able to leave you in good hands while I'm at work.

Charlotte's Dedication

Last Sunday we had Charlotte's dedication at the Romanian Church. It turned out great. After the service we went to our house for lunch and fun in the pool. It was a wonderful day. Here are a few photos. Raresh and I wanted to thank the family for all their love and support and for being there for us on our special day.

Love and Hate---so soon

Hi all--today I realized that at just 3 months old (almost) little Charlotte already has some things she loves and hates...

The Love list first...
1. Sleep---this kid loves her sleep (thank you Lord!)
2. Bath time---looks like that's another thing she got from daddy--little miss swimmer.
3. Her grandparents...they totally make her smile.
4. Our ceiling fan---his name is zippy and he always makes her smile.
5. Her swing--who wouldn't love that awesome thing?

The Hate list...(the following items listed are sure ways to get this kid to cry--& I do mean cry!)
1. Whistling--well only when Raresh does it.
2. Velcro opening
3. Our Steam Shark (crazy little machine that steam cleans tile and stove tops and stuff)
4. The suction tool to clean her boogies out.

It is so nice to see how our little darling is already developing a personality with very obvious likes and dislikes. I can't wait to see what else you surprise us with

Calderon Visit

We recently started a tradition of having dinner once a week with our next door neighbors. We have so much fun with them. Nikki and Danny have 3 kids--Little Dan, Anthony, and Arianna. Our daughters are 20 days apart and are already great friends. Here are some photos of the girls in their matching outfits. Aren't they sooooo cute?!? Little Dan wasn't home but Big boy Anthony was and he just cracks us up.

This first picture shows Charlotte not too thrilled about having matching outfits while Arianna gives her this look like "What's the problem Larlet?" (that's what Anthony calls her)

This one shows Arianna giving us a little smirk while Charlotte is still unsure about this whole thing.

Big Boy Anthony arrived for his photo with the gals.

The girls are getting bored in the background while Anthony flashes his gorgeous blue eyes!

And she's proud to be an American

Charlotte's first 4th of July was so much fun. We celebrated with the Vlad side of the family on the 4th and then with the Isai side of the family on the 5th. It was a lot of fun. Charlotte looked adorable in her special stars and stripes outfit from Auntie Rachel (thanks Rachel!)

Happy Birthday America!

Daddy and his all American girl!
Three generations celebrating America's B-day! I can hear Neil Diamond now..."we're coming to America!!!"
Charlotte and cousin Addisen. This was the best picture we can get of the little girlies...as they get older there will be many more---I'm sure.

The Big Cousins

As promised here are some pictures of Kyle and Ryan with Charlotte. They are both so good with her. Kyle is exactly the age my brother Andrei was when I was born. How funny.

Good Charlotte Indeed!

Poor Charlotte had no idea what was coming today when we arrived at the Doctor's office. She was in good spirits and having a great day---until shot time! Let's just say I could have used a "shot" of something strong to get me through it. She got 4 shots in her poor little legs. She was such a trooper and she definitely lived up to the name on her onesie... Good Charlotte, indeed!

The worst part was Charlotte was looking me straight in the eye when it all went down almost as if she was saying"Why are you letting this mean lady hurt me?!?!" I started crying and then it was all over. Now I know for sure---that if anyone messes with my little CJ---they are going down! I can't stand to see her in any pain.

The first picture is before the shots. Come to think of it--she does look like she suspects something (maybe it's because I kept saying sorry to her all morning)

Next picture is post shots...you can see her battle wounds.

Here is a closer look. Poor little baby!

Good thing is...she's doing very well. She was in a pretty good mood considering she had such a rough morning.