Girl's Weekend, Plus Two Little Boys

Over Memorial Day weekend, Dante and I took our first trip together alone. We went to Boston to see the Syracuse bunch, which seems to grow each time we get together. Dante did really well on both of his plane rides and has promise of being a great little traveler.
We got plenty of quality play and gab time in while we took over the Ewing residence. Of course, we did not fail to squeeze in some shopping along with a trip to the playground.
Aside from his first plane ride, this was also Dante's first time in the big bathtub sitting all by himself without the baby tub.
Can't wait to see where our next visit will bring us and who will be there!

Aunt Becky!

Becky came for a visit earlier in the month. I'd like to think that it was mainly to see me, but it was also her first time meeting Dante. She and Dominic had a lot of catching up to do as well. As always, it was too short of a visit but still a blast. We managed to squeeze in all the important stuff like puzzles, the park, the fair and of course some shopping! Can't wait for the next one...

Fun in the Tub!

Dominic's last day of preschool

Yesterday was Dominic's last day of his first year of preschool. They had a "water day" to celebrate. Looks like they had fun!

Fun in Hilton Head

We spent our Spring vacation in Hilton Head this year. It was a much needed break for all of us. We could not have asked for anything more; the hotel was great, the weather was good and we were all able to just hang out and relax from bike riding to the beach to the pool. I think we'd all go back in a heartbeat and were all very sad to get back to reality this past week!

Dante's First Tooth

It is so barely just cut through his gum that I cannot even get in there to take a picture of it, but Dante's very first tooth came in today! It is on the bottom front on his left side and he is 7 1/2 months old. Just 19 more to go!

Dante's 6 Month Photo

It took us a little while but I finally have Dante's new portrait to share. My handsome little guy!

Easter 2012

Easter was a whole lot of fun this year. It was Dante's first and Dominic really enjoyed all of the egg hunting and special treats in his basket. Of course, celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa, the Stio's and the Miceli's made it even better!

Fun at Pullen Park

Easter Party

Today, we all got to meet Dominic at school and celebrate his class Easter party with him. We started off with an egg hunt using the great bags that the kids made in class. Then it was back to the classroom for golden eggs, pizza and some special sweets.

Another fun part of the party is that several of Dominic's classmates also have younger siblings that are right around Dante's age. So, while the preschoolers sat at their table eating lunch, all of the babies were down on the carpet playing. Looks like Seeds of Faith doesn't have to worry about enrollment dropping off any time soon!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Dominic had a party at school to celebrate St. Patrick's day last week. His teacher was nice enough to send us a photo of all the kids dressed in their new hats and favorite green outfits. What a bunch of cuties!

6 Months Ago....

Dear Dante,
We are in complete disbelief that it is already six months since you joined our family.  It has gone by so fast, however, it also feels like there was never a time that you weren't with us.  You are such an amazing little guy already.  You are easy going and happy.  You LOVE your big brother and you light up when he comes around.  Just like the rest of us, you are a total people watcher!
You've been eating solid foods for about 2 weeks now and have already tried, rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and peas.  You seem to like them all, with the exception of the carrots (much to Aunt Maria's liking).  None have cut through yet, but between the drooling and the fact that you attempt to put absolutely everything in your mouth, we suspect that a few teeth may show up soon.
You are a strong little dude and want to crawl so badly.  You lay on your belly and just move those arms and legs like crazy.  Mommy and Daddy are happy that you can't actually do it yet though.  There's plenty of time for that.  You can't do it just yet, but you are getting much closer to sitting up all by yourself.  We've also started to find you in all different, crazy positions in your crib. 
Thank you for adding another dynamic to our family.  We love you more than you will ever be able to know.
Happy 6th month birthday!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Happy Valentines Day

Here's a picture of my little chocolate kiss on his first Valentines Day! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the onsie.

Dominic and Dante made my day extra special with an awesome card complete with hand and foot prints along with a dozen roses. Something tells me they had a little help from Daddy even though he denies everything...

Dominic's First Report Card

Dominic came home with his very first report card last week. We are certainly very proud, but honestly not surprised with how well he did. The only two things that he did not master were using scissors and unbuttoning large buttons and unzipping zippers. That made sense to me since he really doesn't get too much practice with those things at home.
Dominic loves his teachers, looks forward to when it's a school day and has a great time with all of his new friends. He is already registered for next year and we know he'll do great! Now, who is going to break the news to him that there is no school over the summer?

More Firsts

Dante has had a whole bunch of firsts over the last week or so. Probably hardest on Mommy and Daddy was my first trip away from home since Dante was born. It was a long week but we all made it through and I am happily back home for a little while.

The next new thing for us all was Dante's first attempt at eating rice cereal. We have tried it for about a week now and we have only gotten terrible faces and lots of spitting. Today, we agreed to give it a rest and try again in a few weeks. He is obviously not interested yet.

The last big thing for the week was Dante's first haircut. Everyone knows how much and how crazy Dante's hair has been since he was born. Well, it got so crazy and long that it could actually be put into a ponytail if I wanted to. I couldn't take it any more and gave it a quick trim.

Here is a photo of him with his new haircut, sitting in the high hair for the first time.

Happy 4 Month Birthday

Dante turned 4 months old today.  He is such a happy little boy who loves to be a part of the crowd and laughs and smiles all of the time.  He loves to watch his big bro and pays very close attention when Dominic is around.  Dante has really taken an interest in his toys and hands and in just a couple of days has become a rolling machine!
At his visit to the doctor today, Dante weighed 12lbs 4oz and is in the 8th percentile.  He is 23.75 inches long.  The doctor also gave us the OK to start giving him cereal when we're ready.  I just simply cannot believe that he's reaching all of these milestones so quickly.  When Dr. Lerich saw how strong his legs were, she commented that she would not be surprised if he walked by 9 months.  Time will tell if her prediction is correct, but I'm really hoping she's wrong about that one :-)

Happy Birthday, my little Sweet Pea. 

On a Roll!

Dante hit another milestone yesterday afternoon, January 8, 2012.  With a whole bunch of fans cheering him on including Uncle Vinny, Aunt Maria, Vincent, Dominic, Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy and Daddy, Dante rolled over for the first time! He went from his back over to his belly.  Another sign that this little guy is growing up very fast....So proud of you, Dante!

P.S. Dante, thank you VERY, VERY much for doing that when Mommy was home and not while she at work :-)

Christmas 2011

We had a lot of fun spending Christmas this year with the Stio's, Vinny, Maria and Vincent.  Dominic and Dante both got spoiled by Santa, Mommy and Daddy, and all of our family and friends.  They are two very lucky little boys.   Of course, Dominic got to enjoy the festivities a little bit more than Dante could but, unfortunately, I think Dominic felt that Santa bringing him presents was something he was entitled to as a kid, rather than something he earned as a good boy.  I hope that perhaps next year as he gets a little bit older and can grasp the magical aspect of Santa Clause a little bit more that his attitude might change.  Either way, it was a great holiday and the perfect relaxing end to several weeks of craziness at our house!

3 Years and 3 Months

This is Dominic's 3 year picture and his very first school portrait, which was taken in September.

These are Dante's 3 month photos that Vinny took about 2 weeks ago. 

We are very blessed to have two handsome, happy and healthy little boys!

Happy 3 months, Dante!

Dante, you turn 3 months old tomorrow. It already feels like such a long time ago that you hadn't arrived yet and we didn't know you.  You are such a happy baby.  You laugh and giggle and talk so much! You are growing and developing just as you should be.  You love taking baths, playing on your activity mat, swinging in your swing and being swaddled at night.  You slept in your crib for the first time this past week and also sat up in your bumbo seat all by yourself.  You still have yet to decide whether or not you like the pacifier - sometimes you take it and sometimes you don't. You have already shown how much you love your big brother.  You are so intrigued by him, love smiling at him and grabbing at him when he is withiin reach.  And just like your brother, people are constantly stopping us to admire how cute you are.  We love you so much and can't wait to see what's you've got in store for us next!

Week One is Done

Well, we all survived my first week back to work since Dante was born.  Dominic was more than happy to have Miss Judy back to play with.  Dante successfully learned to take his milk from a bottle and for me, it felt like I never left work even though 12 weeks had passed.  I missed the boys terribly each day, but luckily I was so busy that I didn't have time to focus on it.  Thankfully, due to scheduling, I only had to work 3 days so that we could all adjust to the new routine.  I loved having the 4 day weekend with the boys and now tomorrow is back to the grind for my first full week.  I know we will all get used to the routine and in some ways the separation is probably good for all of us. However, I really do wish that it didn't have to be so much time away from each other.  When Dominic was Dante's age, I worked from home, so I didn't feel like I had to miss out on so much.  It's a lot different working in the office and with a long commute. 

Dominic, Dante, if there is something I can teach you out of this, it's that although the situation in life is not always exactly how we'd like it to be, it's important to be thankful for what we do have and just keep working towards our goals.  Try to step back and look at the big picture. I love you both more than you could know and go to work each and every day for you!