Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

Grandma and Grandpa stayed with us for a month in preparation for Dante's arrival and to help out once he finally made an appearance.  I most certainly do not have enough words to put in this entry to say how appreciative Vinny and I were for that help.  That being said, if you caught Dominic in the right mood with all of the expressions he is using these days, he probably could tell you using various hyperboles what a great time he had with Grandma and Grandpa here every day to play with him.   We created a lot of memories over that month, but here a just a few snap shots we caught along the way...

Grandpa and Dominic wait patiently in line for their carousel ride.

Dominic usually only wants to watch the carousel, but with Grandpa at his side, he was happy to actually take a ride this time!



Looks like Dominic is getting an important life lesson from Grandpa.  I sure hope he's paying attention!



A fun day of making homemade sauce for the year

The first time we sang Happy Birthday to Grandma

Having so much fun bowling

The 2nd time we sang to Grandma for her birthday

P.S. Dad - we will have to make sure to sing to you twice next year for your birthday, since we never got to this year!

Nutella Face

Grandma brought Nutella for Dominic as a special treat when she came to visit. This was the morning that he had it for the very first time. I think he likes it!

2 Weeks!

Today is Dante's 2 week birthday.  Happy Birthday, Little Man.  It already feels like you have always been a part of our family.

We visited the doctor again today for a well check and we got another superstar report. Dante now weighs 6lbs and 3.5 oz I am overjoyed that he is gaining so well.  His little umbilical cord is about to fall off, but not quite there yet.  Mommy and Daddy cannot wait to give your first real bath.

Here's a picture of my Sweet Pea yesterday while he was taking his Sunday afternoon nap on the couch.

Dante is 1 Week Old

Dante turned 1 week old today.  So far, he is a very good baby.  He is still sleeping a lot, but has longer and longer periods of alertness.  Mommy already did his first session of tummy time with him last night and he was able to lift and turn his head 2 times.  You've got to start somewhere, right?

Dante is eating like a champ.  As of Friday, he was 5lbs, 5.5oz, which was a half ounce heavier than when we took him home from the hospital.  By the time we went for his 1 week check up this morning, Dante weighted 5lbs 12oz.  He had already surpassed his birth weight by 5oz in just 1 week.  I was one proud Mama :-)

Big brother Dominic is adjusting to his new role very well.  He's helpful, curious and gentle with our new family member. 

We are very blessed to have this precious little bundle.

Visitors

At just a few hours old, Dante already had several visitors in the hospital.
Big brother Dominic was so excited to meet the new addition to our family. 
Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Maria and his big cousin Vincent also came to give him some love.
First thing the next morning, ZiZi Maria stopped by to meet her newest nephew.

Welcome Dante!

We could not be happier to announce the arrival of Dante Giovanni Novello.
He arrived on Monday, September 12, 2011 at 10:26am.
Dante weighed 5lbs and 7oz and was 18 inches long at birth.

Welcome Dante! You are already so loved by many, but most of all
Mommy, Daddy and big brother Dominic.

 

Due Date

I have reached my due date and am 40 weeks pregnant today.  With more than half of the day gone already, looks like I'm going to have another overdue baby (Dominic came 6 days late).  Knowing all of the benefits they say are attributed to having a full term baby, I'm really not complaining.  The doctor says we are both fine, so I know I can make it through one more week.  If this little boy doesn't make an appearance before then, I will be induced on Friday, September 16th. 

Another bonus to the baby not being born yet is that we've been able to spend so much time with Mom and Dad.  Dominic loves having Grandma and Grandpa (Papa) around.  Not living close to them it's certainly been a treat to feel like they are part of our daily life for a little while.  We can never replace the memories being made for all of us.

Ok, Baby Boy, if I don't see you sooner, I cannot wait to hold you in my arms next week!

Dominic Starts Preschool!

Last Thursday, we took Dominic for orientation at his new preschool.  Both Vinny and I got to attend and we heard all about the types of things he would be doing at school, while Dominic got to meet his new classmates and check out the classroom.  Then, Monday was the big day and he went all by himself.  He seems to love his teachers, Miss Pam and Miss Sarah, and although I haven't gotten much of a report on any of his classmates yet, I am sure he's having a blast playing with them as well! I just can't believe what a big boy he is. I am so proud of how well he approaches news situations with such a sense of adventure and excitement. 


Mommy and Dominic getting ready to leave

 

A little help from Grandpa!

This bag is as big as he is.  Note: he is not able to walk and wear it at the same time - too cute!

On the way in!

Almost there...





He's in and ready to play!

First Game of Bowling

Dominic was so excited to go bowling today! He had lots of fun with his cousin Vincent, Aunt Maria, Grandma and of course, daddy was there too. The 6lb ball weighed about a quarter of him, yet he handled it well. He picked up his first spare and ended the day with a 71 - not bad for his first time. I can't wait to go again with you! Love, Daddy.

First Brother Picture

Dominic - Age 2 years, 9 months
His little brother - carried by Mom at 36 weeks and 5 days

Proud New Homeowner

With Mommy and Daddy's help, Dominic was able to put a nice down payment on a cute little cottage right in our neighborhood! Ok, so not quite what it sounds like, but Dominic is enjoying playing in his new playhouse in our backyard.  And, yes, even in this heat! I don't quite understand how he doesn't mind the weather, but ever since we got the house last week, Dominic is anxious to go out there every day and play.  I love seeing his imagination at work and can only hope there are many hours of enjoyment to come.

(P.S. Dominic - when you are ready for your next real estate investment, that down payment is going to have to come out of your piggy bank.)

A Morning at the Movies

I took Dominic to the movie theatre for the first time yesterday morning.  I have been wanting to take him to for a while but nothing had come out that I really felt was appropriate.  I was also worried that he might not have the attention span to sit through the whole thing, since he really doesn't like to watch full length movies on DVD at home.   When I saw the ads for the Winnie the Pooh movie, I knew it would be the right one.  It was only an hour and ten minutes in length, which worked out perfectly.  

Ahead of time, Dominic was very excited about eating popcorn at the movies (one of his favorite snacks, especially to eat with Miss Judy).  He also knew that it would be dark and there would be a big (demonstrated with hand gestures) screen.  He was very curious when we got to the theatre, about all of the things in the lobby and where we had to go for the movie to start.  Walking into the theatre, I could tell he was excited to see what it really looked like.  He was not very fond of all of the coming attractions, even though most were geared towards kids and just kept asking when Winnie the Pooh was coming.  About three quarters of the way through, he did end up on my lap instead of his own chair.  He, of course, finished his entire bag of popcorn. 

As we left the theatre and walked out into the light, I asked him, "So, how did you like the movie?" His response: "Mommy, that was awesome!"  Dominic has never used that word with me before for anything.  I didn't even know that he knew of it or what it meant.  Obviously, that made me feel even happier that he enjoyed his special treat.  And, on the way home, I got several recaps of what had happened in the storyline, all which were correct, so I guess he even paid attention too!



(I know Dominic doesn't look too happy in this picture and that's because he wasn't.  He was way too distracted looking at what was going on all around the theatre on the screen and at the other kids that he was really quite annoyed with Mommy for wanting him to smile for the camera, but I just could not help myself!)

Boundaries

To my children,
As your Mother, I feel the responsibility to teach you various life lessons along the way.  I know that the best thing will be for me to lead by example.  I try very hard to do that every single day. Since having you in my life, I think a lot harder about my actions in knowing that I am setting that example.  Even though you are still small, in some way, it all impacts you.  I struggled very hard this week with the issue of boundaries. I know, in this case, that neither of you had a clue about it, so I am hoping that one day  you will read this and take something from it for your own life.

Please always have respect for other people.  Even if you may not like their choices, please learn to accept them for who and what they are and use it to help you better guide your own life.  Even if you think you know better, the only person you can truly be responsible for is yourself.  Even if you think your intentions are good, that person has the right to their own thoughts, feelings, actions.  Be kind in offering advice and support when you can, but do your best not to cross the line. Trust me, I know, it's not always a clear one. 

Be knowledgeable that there will be people in your life who will try to push your boundaries.  They will not abide by what I have just asked you to.  Stand up for yourself.  Know  your limits and what is comfortable for you. Do not stoop to their level.  Rise above.  I wish I could protect you from this, but I cannot.  My biggest hope is that you will become strong and confident adults, with the sensitivity to have an awareness for the people around you.

Love,
Mom

The Nursery

Over the past several weeks, we've made a lot of strides in turning the guest room into the baby's new room. It still needs a few last finishing touches but has certainly come a long way from the gray builder's paint that was previously in there. We are almost at the point where we can say that all it needs is the baby.



4th of July Weekend

We had a fun filled 4th of July weekend this year.  It really felt like a mini-vacation.  Dominic and I started off the weekend with blueberry and blackberry picking at a nearby farm with our friends Ella and Miss Colleen.  While we waited for them to arrive, Dominic got to meet some goats that lived on the farm.  Then, we went straight to work.  I am 99% sure that Dominic consumed more berries while we were there than I could pick to take home with us.  It was definitely hot, but still a fun way to spend the morning.  That afternoon we baked a blueberry coffee cake special for Daddy to enjoy for dessert.  YUMMY!

On Sunday night, we went to the town fireworks display and festival they had to go along with it.  Dominic saw all of the rides and wanted to go on every one of them, however, once we'd get to the end of the line and it was his turn, he'd get shy.  Vinny had to go on most with him.  By the very last one, he finally found his courage, and I think a little encouragement from his friend Ella, and did it all by himself.  All day, Dominic had been so excited to see the fireworks, telling me how much he loved them (even though he had never seen any before).  Once they turned off the lights and started, his little heart started to race with all of the noise.  Even clutched closely in my lap, he was still very scared and not quite sure what to do.  Ultimately, he ended up in Vinny's lap for the show and watched with amazement, although we are still hearing about the "boom, boom, boom" noises that they made. 

We ended the weekend with a trip to Tucker Lake.  As always, Dominic enjoyed the freedom of being able to run in and out of the water and playing in the sand.  We tried out a new swim float that he did very well with, twirling around and kicking all by himself.  And again, he loved going down the toddler sized water slide and of course, building sand castles with Daddy. 

I think the weekend exhausted him though. On Tuesday morning, Dominic slept past 6am almost to 6:30am, which if you live in our house, you know is a true rarity.