Half-way to #2!

We are expecting again and we couldn't be more excited!

Today marks 20 weeks, so 20 more to go! We went for the ultrasound last weekend and everything looks good. Here are the stats:

Due date: May 12th
Sex: didn't find out
Names: not saying (and actually haven't discussed it too much yet)

I still hear that we are mean and selfish - but it's not like WE know what the sex is and are just keeping it from the general public. The way I look at it is like this: there are so few good surprises in life, that we may as well embrace this one. There was nothing like hearing "it's a girl" when Luci was born, and I can't wait to experience that again.

Non-stop!

"Ru-Ru" "Frossy" "Ru-Ru" "Frossy" Ru-Ru" "Frossy"

Seriously! It's like they are on a continuous loop on our TV.

End of an Era

New Years' Eve will mark the final day that my parents will own their restaurant.

This is a very bitter sweet event - my parents need and deserve a break (after 40 years of running the place), yet it is all that we have known our whole lives and has become a second home to us.

Saying good-bye is going to a tough task. But we will stay strong for our parents, because this is what they want and they are very happy with their decision.

My sisters and I can't even put into words the gratitude that we have toward our parents for everything that they have done for us through our lives, and most of it is because of the restaurant - the parties, the showers, and of course ALL OF THE FREE FOOD!

We are so proud of them for making such a difficult decision, but we all know that it is for the best.

It is time to say good-bye.

The Miracle Continues...

My friend who survived that traumatic complication during her delivery this summer is now HOME!

She still has a journey in front of her, but she is working hard with her family and therapists, and she is even walking with assistance.

I still can't believe that I am able to report such great news...thank you all for your prayers.

There is no doubt in my mind that the power of prayer has kept my friend alive.

October 2010

Another busy month, filled with:

the pumpkin patch,

a church festival,

Nonno's birthday,

Great Babci's birthday, and of course Halloween!Luci is doing great, as always - keeping us on our toes. Her vocabulary has really seemed to take off this past month. Her favorite words are stuck, Gabi, Nonno, baby, shoe, please, and thank you. She even puts together small sentences like "I want more," "Where are you?," and even "I love you." Of course, these are not perfectly pronounced, but we know what she is saying.

Here are pictures from the rest of the month.

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

I admit, I like to multi-task - but at least I do it clothed.

A little improvising...

Can you tell whose jersey this originally was?

Officially DONE!

Backsplash complete - our kitchen is FINALLY and OFFICIALLY done!

A little humor

What's wrong here?

Room to breathe!

My part time status started last week.

Needless to say - it's great!

I now have time to clean, cook, spend quality time with Luci, socialize a little, even relax -
- without feeling overwhelmed.

Thank goodness for part time!

September 2010

We had a busy month which started with 3 different Labor Day Parties. We are popular people! Luci loves spending time with her family and friends, especially her cousins. She has learned to say "Gabi," but she refers to all the girls as "Gabi." She tries to get out the other names, but they are not as clear as "Gabi."

She now says "nummy nums" when she is hungry. And when she is really enjoying a meal, she says "Mmmmm" while she is turning her finger back and forth on her cheek - it's adorable. She is such a good eater too - especially cantaloupe - it's her favorite!

We had fun when some of our friends came over for an evening with their 2 kids. Mirabella is 3 and Beck is only 6 months older than Luci, and they all play together so well - we have so much fun together. We already have Beck and Luci set up for the prom!

I apologize for my lack of posts - it's just been a busy month.

Here are more pictures.

New Obsession

Our TV seems like it is permanently glued on either the Disney Channel or Spout. I am so used to the kiddie shows and I actually look forward to some of them.

There is one in particular that John and I love:

Phineas and Ferb.

It's hilarious - if you haven't watched it yet - try to catch it.
You won't be disappointed!
_________________________________

It's pretty pathetic that I am admitting my love for a cartoon, isn't it?

Church Booting

Going to church with a toddler is a challenge.

We have been taking Luci to church since she was 10 days old. My theory: get the kids used to the dynamics of church so that they learn to behave earlier.

I will admit, there are times when she gets a little restless and/or rambunctious and John or I will take her out for a short period of time. I refuse to take her to the cry room because the kids there can be pretty bad and I don't want her to get used to that kind of behavior at church.

Luci had a really bad night last night - all 4 eye teeth are coming in at the same time, which makes for really restless nights.

She was great this morning, so we headed to 9:00 mass as usual. She was fine - that is until the homily. For some weird reason, she felt the need to take her shoes off - then proceeded to try to put them back on again - and got pretty frustrated when she failed.

Like I said before - there have been times when John or I have needed to take her out in the past. Although we were nearing that point today, we weren't quite there yet.

And then it happened -

In the middle of his homily, I hear the priest say "Okay, I think that she's had enough." I look up to see the entire congregation looking at us - we were humiliated. John promptly took her to the back.

I sat through the rest of mass FUMING! Here's why:

A few months ago, Luci was being a little fussy - again borderlining on going out. Well, then I smelled it - so John grabbed a diaper and the wipes and headed out. In the middle of the homily, the same priest shouts - "oh don't take her out - she's fine!"

MAKE UP YOUR MIND DUDE!

I swear - she was not being THAT distracting - I know when enough is enough at church. I was just so mortified that he felt the need to do that to us in church.

I got a lot of sympathetic looks from friends, and even a phone call from one when we got home.

We have heard about many parishioners leaving our parish because of this priest's antics - now we know why!

August 2010

The month started off great at the beach - we had a wonderful vacation, as I posted earlier.

Luci continues to amaze me daily. She is just so full of energy and always is on the go. The change in our kitchen really peaked her interest. She found a new cabinet and made herself at home. (BTY - I still don't know what to put in this cabinet).

I have yet to cut her hair, or take her to get her hair cut. I really don't wait to deal with bangs and the maintenance of bangs, so I am letting them grow out. Right now I am in a phase that is really annoying - hair in her face. I do put bows in her hair (as you have seen in pictures), but I have to sneak them in when she is busy doing something else - because once she knows it's there - she rips it out and throws it on the floor. My new solution is giving her mini-pony and piggy tails. We'll see how long this lasts.

I organized a reunion for some of my friends who all swam and life guarded together back when we were in high school. It was a blast - we ate, swam, hung out - it was a great day. We had so much fun catching up and meeting every one's families. We hope to do it again next year, with a better turn out! Luci had fun with my friends' accessories - as you can see here!

Here are pictures from the last month.

WE DID IT!

It's done...well almost.

Just the backsplash is left to do, and I am in no hurry at this point.

This is why I have been slacking on my posts...my house has been a mess,

boxes everywhere,

no countertops,

plain NO.FUN!

Until today, that is!

As you can see, we:

reconfigured the layout,

added a bar to the peninsula,

got rid of the bulk head,

and got new lighting.

Here are before and afters:

Recovering

I apologize on not updating you on my friend.

She has made remarkable progress over the past couple of weeks!

She now responds to people and is even able to mouth some words. Her husband says that she does know and understand what happened.

Right now, she is in a specialty unit of the hospital for those recovering from strokes, but she is being transferred to a rehab facility later this week - a major accomplishment!

Thanks to all of you for your prayers!

Another good read

A friend gave me this book on vacation:I really enjoyed it - it spans a friendship over 3 decades. I highly recommend it.

I just started Eat, Pray, Love. Again, I want to read it before I see the movie. Report to follow...

OBX 2010

We had a great week at the beach. The only day that was crappy was our arrival day. The rest of the trip was sunny and hot.

Luci loved it! She is going to be a beach babe for sure!

Here are some highlights:

She made a new friend.

The water was COLD!

We brought our blow-up pool.

She relaxed in the shade.

Here are more pictures!

July 2010

She is CRAZY!

That's how I describe her. Luci is non-stop - dancing, singing, running, climbing - there's no end. Her energy level is so high - I find it hard to keep up with her at times. I call her my monkey.

We finally joined a pool by our house, and she is loving it. We go swimming all the time - as long as it's nice when I get home from work - I pack her up and go. I love having that time with her. She is fearless in the water too - putting her face in, blowing bubbles, splashing around, even going under water.

She is starting to eat with a fork. She is insistent on being independent when it comes to using it. She needs help with spearing the food, but she is able to get it into her mouth without a problem.

The addition of little Gemma has made this past month exciting. Luci loves her. When she sees her, she extends her arms and repeats "baba, baba." And of course she licks her all over to give her kisses. It's adorable.

We had a rough patch earlier this month at night. Luci would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. The only thing that would calm her would be to let her sleep in our bed. This lasted for about 2 weeks - 4 molars coming in at once! Now they finally broke through the gums, she sleeps through the night again...thank goodness!

We are so excited for our vacation coming up - first trip to the beach!

Here are pictures from the last month!

Update

My friend seems to be beating all the odds.

She has been extubated and is responding a little more everyday.

The big problem is her anoxic brain injury - which basically refers to the period of time when her brain was deprived of oxygen.

Medically, I know this is not usually very promising in terms of recovery - but she is making such big improvements so quickly that I really think that we are witnessing a miracle.

Please keep your prayers coming - I really believe they are being heard!

Thanks!

Summer reading

I just finished Charlie St. Cloud.

You may recognize the title because the movie is premiering soon and the trailers have been on TV.

I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie.

It was really good - I highly recommend it.

It ironically coincides with the situation that we are in with my friend - you'd have to read it to see.

Hope that the movie is as good as the book.

Still in need

Although my friend has survived an occurrence which takes most mothers' lives within the first hour, she is still fighting for her life. She has been transferred to a neuro ICU, and her husband has been getting contradicting prognoses - one hopeful, one pretty grim.

We still need every one's prayers - please remember my friend in yours!

A request

A very close friend of mine had MAJOR complications during childbirth over the weekend. She is stable, but not out of the woods yet.

Please include her in your prayers.

PS Her baby is fine.

Fireworks - a little early

So yesterday was a big day.

We were taking John's mom out to dinner

for her birthday.

And Marina was contracting,

so she headed to the hospital.

Therefore I made a plan:

1. Stop at Walgreens for cards.

2. Stop at Oakmont Bakery for the cake.

3. Drop Luci off at my aunt's in Shadyside.

4. Drop cake off at the restaurant.

5. Go to hospital to see Marina for a little

6. Go back the restaurant for dinner

7. Go back to the hospital

I got as far as #2.

When I wanted to leave the bakery,

my car wouldn't start.

I went back into the bakery and found someone with jumper cables

I ended up having 2 different groups of people helping me.

I was able to get some juice from the jumps,

just not enough to get the car going.

So a Good Samaritan (seriously) came by -

he drove to an Advanced Auto shop,

bought a battery,

came back to the bakery,

and installed it.

I didn't have enough cash on me,

so he just gave me his card,

and trusted me to send him a check.

It 's so nice to know that there are
people like that in this world.

--------------------------------

In other news - my niece arrived!

Her name is Gemma

12:48am - 4th of July baby!

7 lbs, 7 oz.

June 2010

Her personality is starting to shine through more and more.

Luci loves to kiss people - but the way that she does it is classic:

she tilts her little head up toward the sky, sticks out her tongue, and licks. I love the affection, but little boys do not - they actually run away from her - it's precious.

She finally swam for the first time out of the bath tub. SHE CAN'T GET ENOUGH! She had no fear - seriously. She waddles around in the baby pool - she has even slipped a few times and has gone under, but never got scared. One time, she found her footing, stood back up on her own, and acted like nothing happened. We usually go to Nonni's or Aunt Dani's pools as guests, and sometimes we take advantage of Daddy's summer job and go to his pool too. Next year, we are going to join the local swim club. For now Mama bought a blow-up pool and we have fun in the back yard!

She is totally a girlie-girl (unlike her Mama). She is obsessed with shoes, purses, and jewelry. She has a fit if she sees that you have taken your shoes off. She will pick them up and bring them to you and put them back on your feet, all the while saying "SHHH, SHHH!" My guess is that means "shoe."


She continues to eat really well - pretty much anything that we give her. Fruit is by far her favorite - especially grapes. She is also really good about feeding herself with her hands, and doesn't make too much a mess - at times.

We are really enjoying our summer, but we can't wait for vacation to the beach - the biggest excitement is awaiting the arrival of Luci's new baby cousin - any day now.

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