Junie had a little lamb...

Dear Junebug,

What would you do without your little lamb pillow, who you call My-Me. It sleeps with you, naps with you, watches TV with you, observes your play dates and sometimes eats with you too! My-Me is your BFF and you are very protective of him/her. The other day when Ruby came over to play, she wanted to play with My-Me and it made you very upset; you still talk about it a week later! The reason why your lamb's fleece is not white as snow is because there's rarely a moment in a day when you can't be without it so Nanny can't sneak a trip to the washing machine. Oh My-Me!

XO

Mommy

SAVE ME, NANNY!

Dear Junebug,

We love Nanny so much... she takes such good care of you. She would even throw herself in front of this big, giant bear to save you! Who could ask for anything more?! Make sure you give her an extra hug and kiss/kiss tomorrow when she comes to work.

XO Mommy

photo credit: Grandma Helene

TEE-F!

Dear Junebug,

Boy are you obsessed with brushing your "tee-f"! Every day you point at the "tairs" to go upstairs to Mommy and Daddy's bathroom. Then you point at the sink and demand "tee-f, tee-f!" Okay, okay... we'll brush our teeth! Then you start going, "Mama, Mama, pink, pink!" That's my cue to brush MY teeth with the pink toothbrush. While I appreciate your concern over Mama's oral hygiene, I haven't even finished drinking my coffee! OY VEY! The other day I tried to turn you onto a great thing called dental floss. That way, we can floss together and it won't ruin my morning caffeine routine. Cut Mommy some slack! Please? or as you say it, "o-pwee-ss"?

XO

Me

FUNNELHEAD!

Mommy Tips: vegan cow hide rug!

Cow hide rugs look so cute in a nursery but I understand why some people don't want the skin of a dead animal in their child's room. I saw this rug on West Elm and thought it was fantastic! It's fake, obviously... and looks soft!

HEY JUDE!

Dear Junebug,

We totally did not plan matching hoodies for your playdate with Jude... but you guys looked like such cute little twins.

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: The perfect present for 2 year old boy!

Stressing over what to get a two year old boy for his Birthday? Your troubles are over. Lucky for you, Junebug's Daddy is the king of Toys R Us and has mastered the art of gift giving for grommits. He purchased this fire truck and rescue set for Miles which was perfect! What boy doesn't want a fire truck, boat, helicopter and motorcycle? It's a good price point too around $50 bucks. OR if you REALLY want your friends to hate you, hook their son up with the Imaginext Big Foot. It's an electric monkey doll that does about 100 different moves by remote control. It's loud, obnoxious, perfect for your little caveman, oops I mean toddler. The price point on the Big Foot is a bit trickier. I've seen it range from $65 (amazon) to $85 (toys r us) so shop around if you can!

Miles turns 2!

Dear Junebug,

Miles' Mommy went ALL OUT for his Fireman themed 2nd Birthday! They had a real firetruck, a funny, balloon-making fireman, an EXTREME slide, a bouncy house for the little ones, fireman helmets, a popcorn machine, yummy food and MORE! We had so much fun except for the fact that you wanted to go down that slide and Mommy would not allow it! Next time you come visit Miles, maybe his two big sisters, Peyton and Sienna will show you their playroom, it's like a Princess' heaven!

XO

Mommy

Friends and Pancakes!

Dear Junebug,

Spring is here... not that it makes a difference to us when it comes to breakfast on the beach! Like the mailman, we don't care about wind, hail, snow, rain... we need to see the ocean and eat some pancakes (or in your case, bacon) all year long! This week got a bit out of control when 9 grown-ups and 7 kids swarmed a table set for 8. I think Daddy gave the waiter an extra tip after we brought him to the verge of a nervous breakdown. Oops.

XO

Mommy

Spring is Here!

Dear Junebug,

What better way to usher in Springtime than a family visit to one of my favorite spots - Descanso Gardens in Eagle Rock. It is such a magical place especially when the camelias are in full bloom and the bulbs are starting to sprout from the ground. In a couple of weeks, the rose gardens will be exploding... can't wait to go back! Let's not forget to bring your "apa" though because he's always up for carrying you around the whole property and will give me a much needed and deserved break!

XO

Mommy

The Meltdown Solution...

Dear Junebug,

Everytime Mommy goes out of town on business Daddy takes over. He does a very good job and you are usually a very good girl but sometimes you "meltdown" as he calls it. But he's come up with what's called the "meltdown solution". I'm not really supportive of calming you down with material goods but you do get pretty excited about going to Universal City Walk and getting this Elmo balloon. I guess the day Daddy bought you these ridiculous blinged-out Elmo sneakers from Skechers AND an Elmo BRIEFCASE you must've been particularly loud.

Carry on.

XO

Mommy

Morning Coffee...

Holding hands, watching Sesame Street... The only way to start the day... Heaven.

Working Mommy, Working Baby...

Dear Junebug,

Thank you so much for understanding that Mommy works. I know that it cuts into the amount of time we spend together but I'm hoping and praying that it's also teaching you about being a strong, independent woman. Sometimes Daddy brings you by the office (or as we call it, "the house that Frank built") on the way to the park which means so much to me. Maybe you'll want to follow in my footsteps someday and become an executive... that would be sweet! But you are welcome to become whatever you want to be... I will support you, no matter what! (well, there are a couple of things I won't support but we don't have to get into that here).

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Hipstamatic!

Ever tried the hipstamatic app on your iphone? My husband uses it all the time and it creates a look that makes the most mundane activities look 70's, old polaroid, uber-HIP and cool... Check out Junebug on one of her daily outings with Daddy to the park. Hipster Baby Cute!

Product Test: Video Monitor

When you see the price tag on the Summer LED video monitor, it might sting a bit at first because it's about three times the prices of a regular audio monitor. BUT I'm telling you, invest in the video monitor! It's the best. It will save you so much stress and give you peace of mind. We started using it when June was about 3 months old and still going strong. It's been especially helpful these days because she's trying to crawl out of the crib which is dangerous. An audio monitor won't tell you that!

Mommy Tips: Friends and Family CPR Class

Big Thanks to Auntie Susan for pulling us all together for a CPR class! We learned CPR and Heimlich Maneuver for infants, children and adults. This should've happened when Junebug was first born but better late than never! The main thing now is don't forget what we learned! Here's Uncle Timmy doing his best chest compressions on an adult victim and helping an infant who is choking... I was particularly good at smacking the babies on the back. Susan looks so happy to have saved her plastic baby!

CONTACT the American Heart Assocation to find a class near you - www.americanheart.org/cpr or 877-AHA-4CPR

Mission Organization: Inspiration!

I'm drooling over this one...

Lost in Translation...

Dear Junebug,

While there's lot of recognizable words coming out of your mouth, there's a WHOLE list of others that need a little translating. Here's a cheat sheet to some of your inventions and some of your Spanglish:

Emo = Elmo

Peen-cees = Princess

A Pwees = Please

Maw-sh = Mouse (Mickey)

Mimi = Minie Mouse

Caca = Vaca = Cow

Agua = Water

Amals = Animals

Mimis = I want to go to sleep

O-Push = Octopus

Yaya = Dog

Kai = Carly (our dog)

Kay = Katy Perry

Feeee = Feet

Key = Hello Kitty

O-Key = Cookie

Mo = More

Kah = Car

Bo = Dog Bone

Duh = Duck

Pan = Bread

A-Pay = Airplane

Baba = Bottle

Moo = Milk

A-moo = Moon

Say = Stay (dog command)

Ama = Grandma

Apa = Grandpa

Moll = Mall

Shock = Shark

Meer = Come Here

Checho = Sergio

Weebee = Ruby

Pee-yaya = Pajamas

Poo = Swimming Pool

Efant = Elephant

Fowersh = Flowers

Offee = Coffee

Avo = Avocado

Noosh = Noodles

Nanas = Bananas

Boojsh = Balloons

Geen = Green

Boo = Blue

Ping = Pink

O's = Cheerios

Burr = Bird

Fw-y = Butterfly

Wee = Swing

Side = Slide

Side = Outside

Look Who's Talking!

Dear Junebug,

One of the most common questions I hear when people inquire about you is, "is she talking?" I guess inquiring minds want to know! Your "Ama" Helene was shocked and astounded that you counted to TEN this week! I've started keeping track of some of your words, and here they are:

Down

Purse

Off

Up

Babies

Bubbles

Ball

Phone

Oh Boy!

Oh, Man!

Eyes

Nose

Mouth

Ears

Cheese

Apple

Fish

Turtle

Coat

Noodle

Cute

No

Yeah!

Ummmm

Newt

Mama

Yay

Papa

Nanny

Push

Alfie

Shoes

A,B,C

1,2,3-10

Poo Poo

Pee Pee

Frog

Wow

Box

BIG!

OUCH!

Magic

Keep it up!

XO

Mommy

Trend Alert: Pink UGGs and Tinkerbell!

Dear Junebug,

Our friend Ramon got you these UGGs when you were first born and it was tough waiting almost 18 months til they fit you! But we've made up for it by wearing them OUT. They look so cute with your little Tinkerbell PJs, I must say. We've noticed via the Suri Cruise Fashion Blog that you're not the only one sporting pink UGGs... Fancy!

XO

Mommy

Playdate with Ruby!

Dear Junebug,

Every playdate with Ruby (or "Weebee" as you call her) begins the same... a stand off over the babies! Then, we begin the baby hoarding... piling them in strollers and trying to kidnap them to other areas of the house or maybe piling them up and sitting on them will prevent sharing? How come two little baby girls cannot figure out a way to share babies? Ruby certainly has enough babies to go around. Good thing Auntie Susan stepped in and set some ground rules. Before we knew it, you girls were holding hands and coloring beautifully.

XO

Mommy