Rock'n Sheala

She's a Lil Rapper with Taste

Watching Shaela bob her head up and down to the beat of rap music has given me a whole new appreciation for this kind of music. She has rhythm! There is no doubt about it. A strong beat in rap or rock in roll has stopped her from crying several times in the car, to be replaced by the bobbing head and stepping of her feet. She likes Salt N Peppa. She also loves to spin in a circle while trying to close her eyes. It is so funny! She doesn't care for soft music or "baby music." Some of her toys with music actually make her cry! It is so interesting.

She likes triangles, both from her soft blocks and from the picture book of shapes. Triangles and Stars will get a big kiss and an "ahhh." This little One is very complex.

She loves elephants, horses, seals, chicks and cows. It is so interesting to show her a large variety of animals, many which she probably has never seen, and her strong reactions to some and not to others. The same for her books both new and old. What is the magic ingredient in those covers or does she know the content in some magical way to either approve or deny their entertainment value with a dismissal of her hand (she signs "all done").

Shaela is progressing each day. She can put her puzzle pieces back, close to where they belong (sometimes these wooden pieces are hard to get completely level). She feeds herself cookies and raisins and has helped herself eat with a spoon several times. However, she often places the spoon vertically and has a hard time letting go of the spoon with her teeth while keeping the food in her mouth. She loves to "brush her teeth" but often times gags herself with her toothbrush. She understands a lot and will listen when I tell her not to get up from the high chair without me (she sits right back down), and to not go into a place if I do not want her to and she's heading in that direction. It amazes me.

I think this Little One is going to be an actress/musician who loves trucks and red cars and very fancy shoes. Even though she hates when we film her or take pictures, she is getting used to it. Today, she wore her new pair of sunglasses, with her silk scarf, as we went hiking. She looked like quite the little starlet! Everytime we see a red sports car she has to go touch it. She is mesmerized by all the trucks working at our land and wants to touch them. A week ago, we were at a party for Trend magazine. She was following a woman around who had huge styletto pinkish orange leather shoes on. She was in awe of these shoes! She was trying to have her green fishy touch them, unbeknownst to the woman.

It all starts so early!
Lots of Love and Blessings,
Debbie, Justin and Shaela

Trauma for Mamma

Shaela had her first fat lip two days ago. It was probably more traumatic for me than it was for her. We were walking on a cobblestone-like surface made out of small stones. She was pretty hesitant at first, and then with my coaxing, began to walk on it. She was doing fine, but like us all because of the fear and uncertainty, she fell down face forward. Her upper lip got cut and began to swell immediately. I was horrified, having been right there next to her. As a new parent and a physician trained in trauma release work, I so wanted to prevent as much trauma as possible. She was crying on and off for several minutes and I cried right along with her. Clearing myself and her. I know sometimes I empathize too much with her, but it is all part of my process as a mom. Thank goodness Justin was there to drive us home.

On a lighter side (Shaela is healing well and has a bruise on her lip now), Shaela went to the circus for the first time yesterday. It is a very small circus that comes to Santa Fe, but she did get to ride on a pony and won a big purple balloon, which she later repeatedly threw and chased in the parking lot until it popped. She actually focused on the acrobats pretty well despite us being seated about 20 rows back. She eventually got bored and wanted to look out the side of the bleachers at the people below. The highlight was running around the grassy parking lot without holding Mommy's hand.

She likes rap music, particularly Salt and Pepper. I was a little shocked at first watching her shake her head up and down to the beat. But then I realized she started doing this with any music with a strong beat. It is also uncanny to watch her left foot tap out the beat, like she was playing a musical instrument. She must have been a musician in a past life.

Shaela is so close to talking in paragraphs. Her baby talk is getting so complex and elaborate. She desperately is trying to communicate and is learing more sign language. She can sign for "help"and "book" now.

Mini-me update: For all those of you who know my little idiosynchrosy of itching my ear by shaking a knuckle while holding my tragus over my ear opening, often eliciting a squeaky noise, you will laugh when you see Daddy itching Shaela's ears by wiggling his finger up and down near her ear. She loves it! She will grab his hand, put it to her ear and tilt her head to the side, so he can shake his finger. It is hilarious. We'll try to get a video on that one...

Overall, Shaela is getting happier and happier, it is great! I think knowing when and how to feed her really has helped. She likes a lot of food options. We usually have the standbyes of organic blueberry yougart, organic bananas and avocados, together with a hot meal of various combinations of egg, rice, zucchini, broccoli, grits, brown rice cereal, or mac and cheese (organic of course), sometimes chicken. We have all these items in front of her, and then she picks the one she wants for the moment. She likes to have several bites of one, than another and then back to the first one. She really likes variety! Prior to doing this, she would eat several bites of whatever we were feeding her and then sign "all done." Then she would point to the cookbooks on the shelves next to us, as if indicating that she wanted something else, something new or perhaps, something cooked better.

For snacks, we now keep a big tupperware with ziploc bags of pirate booty, cinnamon bunnies, cheerios, sesame crackers, banana crackers and cheese crackers, so she can choose what mood she is in. It was too hard trying to go through each one separately. Her favorites are the more savory and salty vs. sweet. She likes the one Mom likes the most, the sesame crackers. She doesn't like juice and drinks lots of fresh water.

We are applying for Shaela's passport. Justin, who has been doing all the paper work had read that we needed a "2x2" passport photo, and "both parents had to be there". So when we went to Walgreens to get our photo, we told the photographer that we all had to be in the picture. They were baffled and had never heard of such a thing. We insisted and had our teeny family photo taken, when we got home, Justin realized that they were two separate items regarding the application for her passport!

Tomorrow, we'll go in and have Shaela take a passport photo, with her scabby lip and all.....
Many blessings to you all.
Love and Light,
Debbie, Justin and Shaela

Shaela has been practicing her fake cries lately, when we laugh, she will proceed to hit herself on the head harder and harder until she really cries. It is a strange development. We try to stop her from hitting her head. A few days ago, she was on the big silk comforter, with the same fabric as her silky. She would flop down on her back, fake cry, then sit up and laugh, over and over again. Very interesting....

We almost had a fiasco today. Mommy lost Shaela's silky! We had gone to the land to see the house and when I came back to put her down for a nap, the silky was nowhere to be found! I panicked, and called Justin to go searching for it. Thank goodness we had that big silk comforter to place in her crib to substitute. She was not too happy but eventually succumbed to the "grand silky." Crisis averted, one of the men at the house had found it and gave it to our foreman, Dale, who then gave it to Justin. Whew!

We had a wonderful dinner tonight with our friends Pei Chi, and her cute little girls, Audrey and Madeline, and our wonderful contractor and architects and their significant others. We celebrated the Autumn Moon Festival at a Chinese restaurant with a special dinner ordered by Pei Chi. She also brought some lanterns that the girls held. Shaela was having a ball.

Alls well that ends well.
Goodnight and many blessings,
Debbie, Justin and Shaela

Shaela's Silky

Shaela loves her silky! 10-2-06

Note the new fake laugh that she is trying out on me, in the middle of the clip.
Shaela has been practicing her fake cries lately, when we laugh, she will proceed to hit herself on the head harder and harder until she really cries. It is a strange development. We try to stop her from hitting her head. A few days ago, she was on the big silk comforter, with the same fabric as her silky. She would flop down on her back, fake cry, then sit up and laugh, over and over again. Very interesting....

Developing So Fast!

Wow, we have been trying to write down all of Shaela's "firsts", but they are now coming on a daily basis. It is so fascinating and exciting for us. It feels kind of like those science fiction comedies where a clone gets born and becomes a mature adult in a matter of weeks, soaking in all the information out there, reading dictionaries and encyclopedias or downloading the internet.

Some more "firsts":
She can get down from the big bed by herself.
She can go down a slide by herself with us catching her at the end.
She can sign "eat" and actually points to what she wants.
She is able to put her bottle into the side pocket of the diaper bag.
and I found her running around her crib from side to side yesterday from a nap.
She tries to brush her teeth with the toothbrush.

Shaela is getting even more delightful as we are able to communicate with each other better. We all feel so blessed.
Lots of Love to you all,
Debbie, Justin, Shaela, Kobi and Tara

Walkin Shaela

Shaela walking on the grass. 9-27-06

Welcome Home Party Photos

Fun at the park today. Shaela was having a great time on the slide.

A nice shot with Tara at the top of the slide.

Walking on the grass. We got some great little movies that I am going to try to upload someplace and post links to soon.

Teething in style.

This way to Shaela's WelcomeHome party.
The community gathered at our dear friends Rick and Alex's house for a potluck drumming party to welcome Shaela home.

Shaela looked fantastic in her fairy dress from Noel.
Shaela was not too sure about all the fuss and attention from everyone. She was a bit cranky at the beginning of her party, wanting to cling to mommy. But when the drumming started....

Shaela's Fairy Cake.
That mommy forgot to serve until most of the guests had left. Sorry to all that missed out.
This was mommy's first party having a 15 mos old to tend to the whole time. She also forgot to tell people about taking home the party favors. And it was so hard to clean up afterwards, while holding Shaela. Thanks Ruth and Katy for helping us with the drums afterwards.

Sunset Drumming. Shaela had a blast. Daddy and Shaela are the far left outline, you can see a little arm holding a rattle.

Shaela has always loved drums and to see her in her element was priceless! She was ecstatic. She drummed, danced and played the rattle. She loved to listen to Uncle Doug (McDowell) and James (Foley) drum on the congas, while Aunt Peggy played the percussion instrument. She had to get closer and then played on the congas with Uncle Doug. She is totally my daughter!
This morning, when Shaela woke up, I asked her if she had fun drumming last night. She responded with an enthusiastic clapping of her hands!
It is amazing how much she understands!

She is Soooooo Cute!

We thank all who attended and/or sent their blessings for Shaela's Welcome Home party. There were many wonderful people who had come from all over. Jamie and Lucas (from Montana) and Claudia (from Colorado) had made the longest journeys.
Much love to everyone.
Debbie, Justin, Shaela, Kobi and Tara