Comparisons are odious...

...or so it is said but I'm not sure how to get around it when talking about your children. When Elianna came around, Mike and I, in our naiveté, thought she was a difficult baby, realizing around 10 months or so, that we probably had it easy. Marielle's arrival proved us right, making us feel like we are complete noobs at this parenting thing even though we have a 2 year old under our belt.

It's also so easy to compare because we have digital evidence of almost every milestone. If we want, we can know exactly when Marielle does something new and look back and see when Elianna did it. I just don't want to compare them and maybe find one of them lacking. I love both of them so much and I never, ever want one of them to feel like the other one is my 'favorite'. I want it to be exciting to see where Marielle's strengths are, compared (there's that word!) to Elianna's. That being said, I think it just means being proactive and knowing when we're comparing because we're going to do it; it's inevitable.

And with that, here's the pictures:

Elianna and Daddy reading:

Daddy and little girl:

Snow White and Rose Red:

So solemn, both of them!

Pretty, pretty girls

Vegas peectures!

So as promised, Vegas pictures. I will give the caveat that they are all camera phone pictures and as such, could be better.

Da goils hangin in da crib, aka Vdara:

Elianna feeding a donkey and goat at the saddest petting zoo ever. She was entertained though which was the whole point.

Great-grandma Mary, aka Gigi with the littlest grand baby

Elianna eating a monster pancake at Mozen Bistro in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. She was quite taken with the restaurant and has named one of her stuffed animals, Mozen.

Elianna had a blast riding the trams around City Centre. Trams and escalators were all a big hit with her.

I'm pretty sure there's a joke to be made about a girl swinging on a pole in Vegas. Were one not someone's mother, that is.

Elianna at her aborted park trip. We tried to get her outside for a nice park visit, only to find the park was under construction. Not to be thwarted, Elianna made do with some nice, sandy volleyball courts. Who needs slides when you can make sand angels?

And my favorite picture of all, for obvious reasons:

Sleeping beauties

I have no pictures of my children sleeping. None. I see my friends showing off their newborn pictures or of their 4 month olds asleep in their beds and I am a bit forlorn because I'm lacking in this department of parenthood. Neither Elianna nor Marielle have been what you'd call easy babies when it comes to sleep so there was no way, no how I was going to risk them being woken up by the click of a camera shutter. Thus, while other people have pictures like this:

My good friend, Aimee's new daughter, Hazel. Photo by Tabitha Ward


I have pictures like this:

Home sweet home!

We are home from our Vegas trip and what an awesome trip it was. Only a few members of my extended family didn't make it (I'm talking to you, Joe. What, you think studying for orals gives you an excuse? As if.) so everyone got to meet Marielle and re-meet Elianna who made quite the impression. We are so used to her but it must be a sight to see this little girl the size of a one year old talking in complete sentences.

Vdara was quite nice and a change of pace from the Trump where we usually stay. One thing you start to realize however: nobody really expects you to actually use the kitchen in these rooms. Basic necessities were completely absent ( dishtowels, sponge, toaster, cutting board, silverware etc.) and the bowls and plates were more artsy than functional. Eh, we made it work but I did miss my cuisinart. The rooms didn't get all that dark also which was problematic for sleep for the girls. Both of them became early birds, getting up before 6am which is NOT their norm. Mama and Daddy were quite sleepy from this.

Elianna had a blast riding the trams, going up and down escalators, seeing the Bellagio fountains and seeing her family (read: new audience). We soon realized that all the things we had planned that cost money weren't really necessary; she was loving just being outside and playing in parks. I guess we should cherish that tendency while it lasts, eh?

Oppi was there for the second half of the trip and had a ball with Elianna. She immediately appropriated his iPhone and proceeded to teach him a few things (Angry Birds, anyone?). Marielle charmed him as well with her smiles.

We ate well for the most part with meals at Botero, Michael Mina and Holstein which has a vegan burger that is so good I've tried to recreate it for us at home. I haven't succeeded yet but I shall persevere. Our last night, we tried to go to Bar + Bistro which has an extensive vegan menu. After fighting traffic for over an hour for a mere 3 miles, we made our way to the door of the restaurant and saw a line of people waiting to get in and no visible parking within half a mile. By that time it wasn't worth it for either of us so we bailed and ate at the hotel. Next time, next time.

The computer is acting up thus, there are no pictures. So sorry! I'll get them up when I can.