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!

Kicking Off the Christmas Season

We spent a great day with the Stio's yesterday kicking off the Christmas Season.  We started the day off going on a Santa Train Ride on the New Hope Valley Railway.  We rode for about an hour on a Diesel Train, which of course, had a special guest passenger.  After a train themed lunch at "All Aboard Pizza" where the boys got a much shorter and smaller train ride, we all went up to Cary to their holiday fair.  The boys got to go up on a ladder truck and then we went on a horse drawn carriage ride.  We took more modes of transportation in one day than we probably do all year.  What a great way to get in the spirit!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

With our recent trip to New York and my return to work coming up real quick, Vinny and I decided to take a little get away with the kids for Thanksgiving instead of staying at home.  We spent the weekend in Asheville, NC and had a great time.

Thanksgiving was our first full day there, so we spent the morning relaxing, playing and watching the parade.  We had dinner at this restaurant that was serving a Thanksgiving buffet.  It was extremely delicious and we left feeling super full, just as we always do on Thanksgiving. 

On Friday morning, while the rest of the world was shopping, we visited Chimney Rock State Park, where we all climbed a mountain! I carried Dante in the baby carrier, but Dominic climbed all of the stairs all by himself all the way to the top. He did such a good job.  On the way back down, he was tired and wanted a little help though. The view from the top was so nice.  After our big climb, we did a shorter and much easier trail at the base of the mountain which had some fun animal sculptures for Dominic to see.

On Saturday, we split the day between the Western North Carolina Nature Center and a small Children's Museum called "Hands On!"  We got to see some cool animals at the nature center and at the museum, Dominic even got a quick visit with Santa Clause!

Dante's 1st Night In His Own Room

Last night was a big milestone for Dante.  He slept in his own room for the first time.  He was still in his bassinet and not in the crib, but none the less, he slept there all by himself all night.  I woke up at 4:30am this morning in a panic because of the time.  Dante very routinely wakes up at 3:58am to eat. Half awake, my first thought was, "Great, the monitor failed me and he's been in there screaming for a half hour."  Then, when I got up and listened outside of his room and heard nothing, my second thought was, "No, it's way too hot and stuffy in that room and he's not breathing! His first night alone and I've killed him." So, I peaked in and of course, he was still breathing and still sleeping.  He slept until 4:50am and woke up and ate happily. 
Once he gets used to being in there, or, probably, I should say once Mommy and Daddy are used to him being in there, we'll move him over to the crib.  The crib just looks so big for him and I figured for the first night or two, the familiarity of the bassinet would be a good thing....

Dante, you are growing up so fast.  A little too fast for Mommy.  These milestones are so bittersweet for me.  I get so excited about how well you are growing and developing, but so sad because I cannot go backwards and I know there are days I will ache for this time when you were so small. 

A Notch in our Parenting Belt

On the first Sunday of our trip to New York, Vinny and I earned another notch in our parenting belt.  Dominic was playing, fell, hit his head on the corner of a wall and split it open.  It didn't bleed all that much, but as soon as Vinny was able to wipe it clean, we could see how deep the cut was and both knew it needed stitches.  Of course, being Sunday, our choices were urgent care or the hospital.  Thinking it might be quicker than the ER, we opted for an urgent care that was close by.  We walked into a packed waiting room, but luckily, due to Dominic's age, they let us jump ahead of most of the line.  The hardest part was for them to numb the area with the needle.  You could tell that the doctor really wanted to make sure it was numb so that he would feel no pain for the stitches, but unfortunately, that meant several sticks with the needle for a squirmy, screaming 3 year old.  It took Vinny and I, plus 2 nurses to hold him down for the doctor.  With a break and some convincing to lay back down, we got Dominic to sit still for the stitches.  Since there was no pain at that point, Dominic was more than happy to show off his singing and smarts for the two nurses that were in there giving him tons of praise.  The distractions and promise of many stickers and lollipops worked and he was all patched up in no time and back to himself.  (Side note: Dante was with us and slept soundly the entire time, even through all of the screaming!) After that, we went on with the rest of our day as planned.

5 days later, we brought him back to get the stitches removed.  The first time the doctor went to get started, Dominic freaked, almost successfully crawling off of the exam table.  The doctor called for reinforcement to hold him down. Once Dominic realized that it didn't hurt he was ok to sit still and count the 5 stitches as they came out.  He was also happy to sit up and be done once the counting was over.  A few more lollipops in hand, we left and our little trooper's first set of stitches were already a thing of the past.

I have no doubt that those several minutes of being held down and stuck with the needle were some of the most scary moments of his life, however, as the parent, I experienced something new.  It was like I could feel his pain, plus my own pain of seeing him going through it.  Then, on top of that, you've got to keep your cool, because if Dominic were to see Vinny or I freaking out, then he'd have lost it even more.  I'm very thankful it was just a minor injury and besides a small mark, which hopefully some magic creams will take away, all we'll have is the memory of it.  And likely, aside from being able to read this, Dominic may have no memory of it at all.

Dante's Christening Day

November 12th, Dante's 2 month birthday, was also his Christening Day.  It was a windy, but sunny fall day in New York.  Aunt Catherine and Uncle Vinny did us the honor of being Dante's Godparents.  Father Chadwick, who married Vinny and I and also baptized Dominic, did the service in the Chapel at St. Matthew's Church.  Following the ceremony we had a party at a local restaurant.  It is amazing how our family has changed so much over the last several years, because really, it was all about the kids having a great time and getting to be with each other.  It was a special day of memories for our growing family.  Thank you to everyone who was able to be there with us to celebrate.