Under-da-sea

December 20, 2013 (5.5 months-ish)

Last weekend we experienced the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Sierra! It was one of my Christmas gifts from Gus, but it was really a gift for all of us. My dad also got us a room in downtown as our Christmas gift, which made the weekend even more special. We were able to walk to the aquarium from our hotel; the trail walked along the bay and cannery row so we had a good time getting to see the seals and the ocean birds on the way there.

Sierra was enchanted by the fishes and turtles and sea otters and sharks and jelly fish and penguins!!! Gus and I couldn't stop looking at her expressions as she saw each new exhibit... It was awesome.

We were also able to see our good friends Ashley, Scott and Christian again!!! Ashley and Scott recently moved down from Arcata, and it is always heart-warming to see them again (it was because of their marriage that Gus and I met after all).

Sierra has been saying DAH DAH all week long. She doesn't actually associate it with Gus yet, but we still consider it her first word none-the-less. She successfully and happily submerged at swim class again this week (and I even saw her open her eyes underwater). Maybe she was wishing she was under-da-sea again.

As we prepare for the holiday Sierra has received some early gifts from family members, like this amazing piece of craftsmanship from my Uncle Denis. It's a carosel with a music box inside of it. All of the wood is different and unique. Leopard wood, zebra wood, walnut, purple heart wood... A gift to keep throughout her life.

We were able to do some baby socializing today; we saw a woman and her kids at an indoor playground in town and then went to Bailey's to hang out with the girls! Afterwards I packed up the car for our trip down to Gus's mom's and Jer-bear's for Christmas! Her naps have been short today, but at least she gets some good cuddle time in with the dogs.