Big Girl Bed Hurrahs.

We've rounded the corner on yet another milestone: the Big Girl Bed. Proper noun. Oh yes. In what may be one of the biggest Weibel leaps of faith yet, we decided to go straight from crib to the twin bed when we moved. Our beloved crib was on its last legs, Dani was going to need a new one*, so we bid it farewell in California and started pumping Mila up for her new Big Girl Bed. 

And I have to say, of all the transitions we've put this poor girl through in the last few months, this one went the smoothest. Maybe it's all the talking about it, or maybe it's because we 'unveiled' her new room to her all decorated and decked out in a big ta-da moment. But she's done fabulously and with the exception of the nightly PAPA PUT BLANKET ON game (that's here to stay for awhile, isn't it?) --it's been a pleasure. 

So to celebrate how proud we are, a cake was in order. Big Girl Bed cake. And since Mila's new sheets have gold polka dots, her cake had gold(ish) polka dots (cake balls!) on the inside. Surprise! (what else...pinterest!)

Mila's 1st nap in her B.G.B., January 18th

*although confession: Dani hasn't slept one wink in that crib. I love co-sleeping with my girl! The other night I nervously suggested to Steve that maybe we should try laying her down in it? And he immediately and vigorously said too soon! I was so relieved as I'm not ready yet either! My favorite part of the day is snuggling in next to her.

Homemade donuts.

We're starting our Mardi Gras celebrating early this year. First up were donuts yesterday. Marmee makes them every year, just like Nonna did and does. Now she has a sous chef. 

Mila patiently waited for those delicious puffs of dough to fry up, eagerly chewed with her tummy sticking way out in that Wugs way, and uttered just one proclamation: 

"This donut is good."

Did I mention this all went down as she stood on top of a picnic table bench? That girl. I love her.

A few Christmas pictures.

Last night I finally got around to ordering a few wallet prints for our 2012 Christmas tree ornaments. I know, I know.

Mila's is classic Wugs: in her red bolo tie, that sparkly fringe tree she was nuts about for 24 hours, taken right after Christmas Eve mass which we spent in the cry room with our over-tired, nap-skipping toddler. Dani's is quintessential scrub monkey Dani Lu, taken in a rare moment alone just her and I in our empty California apartment the day before we moved. I was packing up Christmas lights and it occurred to me that my angel baby had to be enveloped in them. 

I think they're a perfect capture of each personality during this season of their lives. And here's a few contenders that may not have made the tree but I love just the same.

Elf hats, babies, and our first night home.

Baaaaaack! We've been in Florida for a little over one month now and tonight is our first night sleeping in our new (temporary!) apartment. I thank God for my parents. I'm in Marm withdrawal tonight but it's so wonderful knowing that we'll see her tomorrow and not months from now as it's been the last couple years. And for once it's been so nice moving into a place with calm, taking a few days to unpack and put things in a little semblance of order before we actually had to live in this space. I'm ridiculously grateful for that little grace.

I had big plans (big! huge!) for when I eventually started posting again to put a bunch of December pictures on the blog. There was Santa, Dani turned one month old, we visited San Francisco a few more special times before we moved, then oh yeah we moved, Christmas came and Santa did his magic, Dani turned two months old...I could go on you know. But now here it is, 12:03 on January 22nd and I'm wanting to keep my feet firmly rooted in 2013. Not that the end of 2012 wasn't stupidly and undeservedly good to our little family; quite the contrary. And who's to stop me from posting those pictures at some point?! But for now I'll post a couple from today. My girls in their elf hats (just when I get done saying I'm not going to be posting about Christmas!), a yearly tradition in which Marmousch keeps crocheting more stripes as their brains and heads grow.

I'll just focus on today then. I've been doing a lot of 'one day at a time' mantras anyway--is there any other way when you've got two littles, and there are moments when one is angrily crying and the other is furiously crying? Like several of those moments in an hour? 

And our good friends had their baby boy today. We're so excited to meet him. We're so happy to be back.

Goodbye California.

The girls (girls! plural! still gives me a thrill), myself, and my mom (thank you Marm!) will board a plane in a few hours bound for Florida. Steve will drive our swag wagon and join us just before Christmas. 

I wish I could take little pieces of California with me. I would take the two feet of flooring in between our bedroom and living room, where an almost 11-month old Mila took her first steps one amazing day in July. I would take my dear friend Cori and her daughter, Mila's first bestie. I would take chunks of the Golden Gate Bridge, a happy memory when we walked it the day I found out I was pregnant. Prayers were answered here. Prayers went unanswered here. We came as three, we leave as four. I arrived with a heavy heart, having to start over in this new place. Just beginning to trust my mama instincts. Now today at the airport I'll be wearing my littlest baby while chasing after my other one. I would say I grew up here.

We'll miss you California. You've been good to us. 

Around here.

Besides u-haul boxes, here are some other bits and pieces of life lately. 

This is happening.

Friends, we are moving. 
 It's no secret that we've always planned to end up in Florida. Our time in the bay area was initially planned to be a year; two years, another baby later, and we are finally heading home. Soon we hope to find a house we love and can set roots in. I get unbelievably excited at the very thought. 'Bout time.

Before that happens, though, we're going through the stick-a-fork-in-my-eyeball joy of packing this place up. Preparing for a cross-country move. Two weeks before Christmas. Feel sorry for us? Ah, but we have help*:

                                               We even have a foreman!

Wish us luck. 
And patience. 
And grace. 

*in all seriousness we couldn't have done it without Marmousch. She's been AMAZING.