Gabriella Dancerella

This weekend was the culmination of 16 weeks of ballet practice, the recital. It's been quite a journey for both Gabriella and us. It started many weeks ago in a gym where she was reintroduced to ballet. She took a class last year but wasn't able to perform in the recital. This years class was different. It was at 8 am on Saturday mornings, which made us get up an hour earlier than we did for school the rest of the week. This class used the correct ballet terms for each of the steps which was a nice change of pace. The first few weeks were taken up by just learning the basic steps and positions. Then the routine was introduced and the last 10 minutes of each class were devoted to memorizing the moves. We've gone through costume fittings, routine changes and many many practices. Gabriella has loved every moment of it. When she slipped on her costume and sat still for me to do her hair and make up everything was suddenly worth it. She absolutely loved being on stage. The video won't load on this site so I'm afraid I can't give you the live shot. However, Gabriella did a fantastic and was rewarded by a large bouquet of purple flowers from her daddy. She rested happily in the afterglow of her performance for the rest of the day.

Camper Camping

This weekend we stole away from Chatan in favor of the seashore. We rented a camper at the White Beach Campground. It's located on the Pacific side of the island and it's the only Navy Base on Okinawa. It's beach has very rough sand, full of coral and shells which was perfect for Gabriella who filled up a bucket with beautiful purple and pink shells. The first evening we barbecued turkey burgers and for dessert Greg bbq'd some soft batch cookies. The camper is nice, it had a small bathroom and lots of storage space. We didn't use the stove but there was one in there. We slept fairly well on Friday night, Gabriella had a nightmare so she spent the early hours of the morning in bed with us.

Saturday morning we were all up early in order to get Gabriella and Greg out the door by 7 am. Greg volunteered to take Gabriella to ballet class so I could sleep in. I did just that while they travelled back to Camp Lester for her 45 minute class. When they returned they came back and slipped into their bathing suits before heading out to the beach. I read most of the day occasionally changing locations so I could watch Greg and Gabriella play on the beach. They crossed the land bridge to a small island where they looked at all the tide pools and collected shells. The weather was absolutely perfect, we couldn't have asked for a better day. That evening we walked over to Naps for dinner. We had a fantastic dinner, everyone devoured their food. Gabriella even got strawberry ice cream for dessert.

Sunday morning Gabriella and Greg headed out to the beach for one last trip to play. While they were out I got the stuff together and cleaned up the cabin. It was a great weekend trip, we had a fun time and were blessed with some wonderful weather. I hope to go again before the twins are born.

Kicks and Cravings

Well I think I've definitely popped. When I look down my body my stomach is sticking out farthest and I've lost sight of my shoes. Lucky for me the weather is warming up so flip flops are really the order of the day. These last few days these babies have been kicking up a storm. They are especially active after meals when I have a quiet moment to sit down and relax. It's funny to think that I'm already half way through this pregnancy. My discomfort level hasn't really increased although the random bouts of heartburn are so terrible that even ice cream doesn't help. I'm still able to walk and go to Zumba. I'm hoping I can stay this comfortable until after our trip to Hong Kong. After that I can just lay in the recliner like a giant lump, well not really. This week I have been in recovery mode from last weeks craziness. I'm looking forward to sleeping in while Gabriella is on spring break, so far it hasn't happened, but I still have 3 days left so it's still within the realm of possibility. I have been having a lot of cravings, my tomato cravings have been replaced by kiwi and strawberry cravings. Lucky for me it's strawberry season at the commissary and although I've never really liked kiwi fruit in the past recently I can't get enough of them. Tonight I ate a container of strawberries and 2 kiwi fruit as dessert. I suppose it could be much worse and I could be craving Olive Garden or Sonic which would be a pretty long flight for Greg to get anything from either of those places for me. I'm still trying to eat healthfully and for the most part I'm doing a good job. But I'm hungry all the time, even in the middle of the night when I get up to go to the bathroom, it's all I can do to stop myself from going downstairs and making myself something to eat. Of course in the middle of the night I'm usually tired and focused on not tripping over the rug. If we were back in San Diego and I didn't have 45 degree angle stairs to walk down I would definitely be midnight snacking. Our next doctors appointment is April 26th and it will be another big ultrasound. I'm keeping my fingers crossed to find out if these are little boys, girls or one of each. Gabriella and Greg would like one of each. I think they are boys, Greg thinks they are girls. But we really just want two healthy babies.

A Beachy Birthday Party

Saturday was the culmination of a very busy week for us, Gabriella's big birthday party. We had the party at Torii Beach, we rented a pavilion and a bouncy. The weather was absolutely gorgeous which was a complete turn around from the day before which was rainy. The sun was shining and there was just enough of a breeze to keep everything cool. Gabriella picked pizza as her food request and instead of a cake we had cupcakes which the kids were able to decorate themselves. A lot of friends from school came to her special day, along with our neighbors and her library friends. The weather was so nice that after the party was over she went swimming in the ocean with a few of her friends who'd brought their swimsuits. She really impressed me by diving right in to dunking her head and working on her swimming strokes. I think she's going to be in good shape for the summer swim classes. We stayed at the beach visiting with our friends until almost sunset. When we finally arrived home Gabriella was able to open her gifts. She received a few barbies, some really cool new toys and a lot of arts and crafts. We are so grateful for all of her friends for sharing Gabi's special day with us and for their incredible generosity in their gift givings.

5, yes just the 5.

Yesterday was a big milestone in our lives, our little Gabriella has turned 5. Before she went to bed on Monday night we talked about being in the hospital with her in my tummy 5 years ago. She asked a few questions about when she was born and then happily fell asleep. As I walked up the stairs to bed a little later I couldn't help but remember everyone gathering in my hospital room, eating Subway in front of me when I wasn't allowed to eat, waiting for Gabi to arrive. She was finally pulled out of my tummy at 1:18 am on April 6th 2005 and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I remember the tears slipping down my cheeks as I heard her cry for the first time, I remember Greg kissing me on the forehead and moving Gabriella's swaddled body down to I could kiss her little cheek. As I watched Gabriella sleep for a few moments before I woke her up the next morning those first moments seemed like a long time ago. In these scant 5 years she's grown from a cute baby with chubby cheeks and no hair into a lovely little girl with no fat and a full head of easily styled hair. She's learned to walk, to draw, to dance, to do gymnastics, to hula, to be kind, generous and has learned to play nicely with others. Greg and I are so proud of her, of the girl she's become and we look forward to helping her to become the best person she can be.

Her birthday started early so she could say goodbye to Greg before he headed off to work. Next we called Grandma Oggie and Papa John to open presents on ichat. Gabriella received two beautiful dresses and quite a few art books. She wore her newest dress to school. As we walked into school everyone commented on her beautiful dress and she happily announced it was her birthday. She's so proud of turning 5. At the end of the school day I arrived at school to hand out cupcakes, they were chocolate with lavender frosting and sprinkles. After school we rushed home to call Tati Sam and Nana. They actually called us just as we were walking in the door. Gabriella was able to talk to everyone and open her presents at the same time. From Nana and Tati Sam she received lots of art supplies, 2 new sundresses, a pizza set, a puzzle and some books. She also received a Belle dress from her cousin Jenifer which she has barely taken off since opening the box.

We went to our standing lunch date with our library friends at the food court. After lunch and playing we headed to the library for storytime. When we finally returned home and realized we had to make a quick trip to the egg store, but once we got home Gabriella slipped into her Belle dress and started to play with her toys. We listened to the messages from her tios and tia wishing her a happy birthday. I took the time to do some dishes and start dinner. We had our dear friends the Broom's over to celebrate Gabriella's birthday with us. Gabriella's birthday dinner was chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, green beans and broccoli all at her request. For the adults I made Chicken Kiev as I had a hankering for some cheese. For dessert we had a slightly misshaped cake with pink frosting. I forgot to spray the nonstick cake pans and the cake failed to come out. The good thing was Gabriella didn't even notice and the cake was still moist and delicious. Finally after our guests left Gabriella opened her gifts from me and Greg. She received a lot of beautiful gifts from our very generous friends and family members and we all feel very blessed.

Easter

Another holiday has come and gone here in Okinawa. Easter dawned rainy and slightly cool, but that did little to dampen our excitement. I was up at 6:30 am to get the cupcakes baked and the 7 hour lamb in the oven. Once everything was prepped the lamb was placed in the oven and forgotten about for the next 7 hours. Gabriella was up at 7 am anxious to find out what the Easter bunny had brought her. She immediately found the Alice and Wonderland plush doll and gave it a tender hug before she realized that the living and dining rooms were covered in plastic eggs. Immediately abandoning her easter baskets she went to work trying to find all the eggs. She found all of them without any help, each time one of the eggs was discovered she squealed with glee. After a quick chat with my parents we headed off to church, which was packed. We barely managed to get a seat, but thankfully people squished over enough for us to slip into the pew. It was a wonderful service and the priest hopes to see all the attendees back next Sunday. Once we got home Gabriella went through her Easter basket with a fine tooth comb, playing and examining every single gift.

Later in the afternoon our friends arrived and we shared a delicious meal. The 7 hour lamb was tender and juicy as expected. I prepared a lot of side dishes, green beans, orzo salad, scalloped potatoes, and saffron rice. For dessert the kids decorated cookies and ate quite a few cupcakes. The movie of the day was Alice in Wonderland which was enjoyed by the girls. The boys weren't as interested and entertained themselves with the toys from Gabriella's cave. The dinner was a fantastic success, it was great to see our friends and share this special holiday together. A bonus of all the food was today I enjoyed the leftovers.

A Bunny, A Barrel, but no Monkey

Easter weekend is upon us and on Saturday the hospital hosted an Easter egg hunt on the lawn. It was more of a carnival than a hunt. The eggs were laid in a cordoned off section of the grounds and different age groups went out to hunt for their allotted eggs. There was also a bouncy house, bouncy obstacle course, face painting, balloon animals, egg dying and the Easter bunny stopped by to make an appearance. Gabriella and her friends had a great time trying everything, her favorite was the bouncy obstacle course and dying easter eggs. Greg got a chance to say hello to a few colleagues and watch his daughter have fun.

After a trip to the park and a short nap at home we decided to go out to dinner. Tonneau restaurant is shaped like a giant barrel and for a restaurant that seems to have a gimmick the food was surprisingly delicious. The inside of the restaurant has an eclectic mix of decor which ranges from wooden airplanes to vodka bottles with fake fire burning in them. We sat down in the mostly empty dining room and quickly began to peruse the extensive menu. Deciding on what we wanted we picked up the phone at the table and called our waiter over. Yes it's a real phone that calls the bar where the waiter picks up and comes over. It proved to be quite handy when we asked for water later in the meal, Greg ordered it in perfect Japanese. We chose a wide variety of food including crab pizza, spaghetti carbonara, sushi, yakitori and fried oysters. The yakitori was absolutely amazing, if we go back I will definitely order it again. Greg loved the fried oysters and Gabriella devoured the spaghetti. The crab pizza and sushi was just so so. It was a delicious meal and the setting was quite dramatic. Before we headed home I popped into the ladies room and wouldn't you know it there was another aquarium in the bathroom stall. This one had no fish in it, which was a little sad but it was still an impressive aquarium. All and all the meal was fantastic and it capped off a great day with the family.

Play 60 A Day

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids get out and play for 60 minutes a day. As the daughter of a doctor Gabriella tries very hard to keep up with all recommendations made by the AAP. This playing for 60 minutes a day is very easy for her to achieve. Her love of running, playing and generally moving keeps her in fine physical condition. In the past few weeks as my energy levels have waned hers have grown exponentially. The weather has been good so she's been playing outside more. It's amazing to see her outrun kids years older than her or pull herself up on the bars of the jungle gym with ease. Her stamina seems to have no limit. I hope she continues this healthy trait throughout her life. It's too bad we missed soccer season this year, I think it would be perfect for Gabriella, especially if she could play a forward position where she could run while people chase her, a favorite game of hers. Instead she's been working on her grace and poise during ballet, her physical strength and balance in gymnastics and her hip swaying in hula. Over the summer she will continue with gymnastics and hula plus add in swimming lessons. It should be a fun summer.