TV Blues

Our family room is a narrow room with a brick fireplace. When it came time to furnish it, we knew that the best thing to do with a TV would be to get a panel TV and mount it above the mantel. We did just that and we have never regretted it. I love having our TV there because it's out of the way and I can see it while cooking and cleaning in the kitchen.

For the past few months, I have noticed something with the picture - half of the screen is a little darker than the other half. I never said anything about it because it didn't bother me all that much. John finally noticed it about a month ago and it has been driving him crazy.

Since the TV is still under the 3-year warranty until October, we thought it would be best to get it fixed before the warranty expires. The guy just left here and had to take the TV with him. He thinks that it is one of the panels inside of the TV, but it will probably take 2 weeks to fix.

So this is my solution:

Looks pretty, eh?

Jillian - Episode #11

So Reid did return. He got out of an airport taxi-van directly to where Jillian was about to give the final rose to Ed. She had just let Kiptyn go (who by the way was very gracious about his rejection), so she was totally expecting the next person walking toward her to be Ed.

Imagine her surprise when she saw Reid. He got down on one knee with a ring in hand and proposed to her. For awhile there, I actually thought that she was going to accept his proposal. She had to go inside and ponder everything. After talking with Chris, she knew that she was in love with Ed and that he was the one who she wanted to be with.

It would have been a great twist if she would have picked Reid.

I knew that she was going to pick Ed after she was so upset when he left, when she was so elated upon his return by giving him a rose, and when she kept him around after the not-so-romantic over night date.

Tonight is the "After the Final Rose" episode. I don't think that there are going to be any fireworks during this episode. I hope that this one lasts...time will tell!

Luciana - 3 months

I can't believe that 3 months have come and gone already, but it has, and I know that the time is only going to fly by even faster now.

Our little Luci is getting so big. She is able to control that heavy head a little better now. She loves when we play "up, up, and away" with me on my back and her on my shins. She is able to practice keeping that head steady when we do that. She HATES tummy time, so we play this as an alternative.

She is infatuated with her hands...they are constantly in her mouth, and that thumb is her pacifier. Sometimes at night I will hear her stir, so I will sit up in bed thinking that I need to nurse her, and then I hear "suck, suck, suck" - she has found her thumb and falls back to sleep, and so do I. She is really good at going to bed at around 10 and waking anywhere between 5-7am (usually on the later side...thank goodness!).

She drools constantly these days, so a bib is necessary daily or else I would have to change her every hour...she soaks those bibs!

She is starting to grab at her toys, especially when she lies on her back in her little play-yard. When she finally grasps onto a toy, I get so excited. She is even getting good at rolling. She gets about 3/4 of the way over from her back, but then gets suck and just buries her little face into the mat, and the rest of her body just can't quite follow just yet. She gets so frustrated, but it's so cute to watch!

She went to her 2nd wedding - my cousin Karen got married on Mt. Washington, and her reception was on one of the Gateway Clipper Fleet boats...it was tons of fun. We saw a gorgeous rainbow and fireworks from the Pirate game.

She laughs and smiles all the time...I am just enjoying every little second with her.

Here are the pictures from the past month:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1564963009/a=40662473_40662473/

I Survived and Celebration

Part 1 - I Survived!

I made it...I worked all day and didn't cry! I am so proud of myself. I just hope that when I start back for good that it goes just as well (READ: I hope that I don't cry!).

Part 2 - Celebration!

Anyway, today is our 3rd anniversary - I just want to acknowledge John and what a great dad and husband that he is! Luci and I love him SO MUCH!

Separation Anxiety?

I have to go back to work tomorrow for just a day because they are really busy.

I go back for good on August 3.

Not looking forward to any of this!

Can you say "separation anxiety"?

Jillian - Episode #10

This was the "Men Tell All" episode. It really wasn't anything more than a bunch of guys acting all macho and discussing the "man code" (which David seems to be a little obsessed with, but then actually contradicted it).

The guys on these shows are actually worse than the girls with how much they attack each other. It is really interesting to watch their interactions.

Of course, they discussed Wes, but the weeny didn't even bother to show up...what does that tell you?

The only good thing that came out of last night's episode was the preview for next week. They have been indicating that something dramatic happens (of course), but finally during the previews, they show a guy holding a ring - and it's Reid!

So, the finale next week should be a good one!

What's in a name?

People are always asking me what Luciana's middle name is. Well, she doesn't have one. I get mixed reactions to this, but there is a reason:

The truth is - my sisters and I, along with most of my 1st cousin, were not given middle names at birth. As a result, when we got married, we made our maiden name our middle name. That way, we still keep our original identity without looking too feminized (like if we didn't change our names or by hyphenating).

Dani kept this tradition with her 3 girls, and John and I decided to do the same with our daughters.

I am sure the next question is - What if you had a boy? When we have a son (I hope!), he will have a middle name. The girls' names that we considered are so unique (and very Italian) that a middle name just doesn't seem necessary. The boys' names that we like are very classic and a middle name would be very appropriate for them.

So, that's the reasoning behind our middle name decision - in case you were wondering!