Never a dull moment. Saturday - May 31, 2008

Today's highlights:
1. Matteo diagnosed with an ear infection. Needs medication.
2. Need new windshield in the Mercedes... there's a big monster crack right in the center of it.
3. I sat in W.algreens waiting for Matteo's Rx for 20 minutes. They finally tell me they’re out of the medication. But, they'll have it Monday morning for me. And I should be excited about that? I asked them to call around to another W.algreens. Someone’s gotta have it. Should I have to ask them to do that? I waited another 10 minutes while they start calling around. Finally, I ask them to call my cell when they figure it out.
4. Marcela, our au pair, calls from New York's JFK airport. She didn't get on her morning flight. I couldn’t hear why because 2 kids were screaming. But, she said she'd instead be getting on a direct flight that would land her at SFO at 10:30pm. Poor thing... she must be exhausted. Now I begin to worry about her... wondering if she's ok. Well, she has our telephone number. She's a smart girl. She'll be fine.
5. I finally pick up the 3rd bag of Y.ellow Pages telephone books sitting on my doorstep in the past 2.5 weeks. What? Another freaking bag of telephone books? You've GOT to be kidding me. Who's joke is this? First of all - I never use telephone books. I dial 411 or use G.oogle. Secondly, I never use our home phone. I'm not even sure why we have a home phone. Thirdly... I need to figure out who’s idea it is to *put your bag of telephone books on the Martino doorstep*. Honestly, I would die a happy person if I never saw another Y.ellow Pages book. What a waste of paper. Ok. Now, I'll probably regret saying that tomorrow... lord knows SOMETHING will happen now where I need the stupid Y.ellow Pages. Argh.
6. Dan went to pick up Matteo's Rx from a different W.algreens this afternoon. I happily open up the Rx bottle. Directions say: "Shake liquid well. Give 4 ml by mouth for 10 days..." I look at the bottle about ready to shake... "WHAT?!? They gave us POWDER?! You've GOT to be kidding me?! Dumb#%^s!"
7. I call W.algreens and explain the situation nicely and calmly. They tell me "Oh yeah - we were supposed to mix that before we gave it to you." Ya think? Duh. "Please bring it back so we can mix it." I wanted to ask them if they could please come to me. And now I'm thinking... hmmm... maybe I should enter the documentary film industry. The likes of M.ichael Moore could have a field day with this. Clearly, we can't be the only people who have been given medications with some sort of mistake.
8. Gabby's quiet. Wait... Gabby's quiet! Me: "Gabby, where are you and what are you doing?" I find her upstairs in my carpeted makeup room, sitting on the granite countertop with an open bottle of nailpolish. Me: "Gabby - freeze! You're not allowed to play with nail polish." Gabby: "Mommy, my nails need to be red".
9. Marcela calls again. What?! She's calling again? She should be on her flight right now. Poor, sweet Marcela!! She proceeds to tell me that her flight is delayed and they now *think* it will take off from New York around 9:30pm, but can't guarantee it because of a bad cell of thunderstorms over New York. I feel horrible for her. I wish I could just drive over and pick her up. She sounds tired, sad and lonely... and here she is in a foreign country, different language, etc. She says she's ok now that she's talked to me. She'll call with another update when she can. I tell her I'll keep checking for updates online. If only you could hug someone through the phone.
10. I begin to wonder what time I’ll be driving to the airport… we’re already pushing 2am’ish. Poor Marcela will be exhausted and hungry. Maybe I should take a nap - it's going to be a long night. Oh wait... I have 3 kids. Nap? Nope.
11. Tried to call my mom to vent the day's frustrations. She doesn't answer her phone.

Ok. Glad I vented all of that. Now I'm going to step outside, take a deep breath and go run 4 miles. Then maybe I can re-gather myself.

And I bet Sharon Stone would tell me all of the above was an "act of karma".

A week in review. Monday - May 26, 2008

Hmmm… I’d like to say the past week’s level of chaos was abnormally high. But, I think it was again pretty much par for the course. It wouldn't be a normal day if a little chaos wasn't thrown into the mix.

The past week in review:
* Gabby was diagnosed with an ear infection on Monday.
* Rocco was diagnosed with bronchitis on Thursday.
* Matteo & I suffered from a cold or something throughout the week.
* Two new babysitters who did exceptionally well with all three kiddos.
* I couldn’t let Gabby go outside to play on Friday because the air was filled with smoke & ash from the fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains. You should try it sometime… keeping a 2.5 year old inside when all she wants to do is run and play outside. Good times.
* The trampoline arrived on Friday! So, Dan spent Saturday putting it together. This was the FIRST DAY the man has not worked since the end of December. And sadly, I’m not kidding. This man has worked EVERY single day since we began 2008. I need more of this… more of my husband not working through weekends. Gabby LOVES the trampoline btw… LOVES it. And, I love getting attention from my husband!
* Friday night I roamed down the street with Gabby to say “Hi” to a few neighbors. I ended up back home with Gabby at approximately 10:30pm and half drunk from the wine. Just goes to prove you don’t have to go far to have fun!
* Monday night was a big block party with all our neighbors. Good, solid fun for the whole family!

And... this week will be another big week as Marcela, our au pair, arrives on Saturday the 31st! Hooray!

One year ago today. Saturday - May 24, 2008

This is what Rocco & Matteo looked like one year ago today... a microscopic ball of approximately 100 cells.

This photo of the blastocysts was taken right after they were thawed... and minutes before they were dropped inside of me.

Can you tell who's who? Bummer... neither can we. ;-) And to make things crazier... we'll never know if this photo is of both our little men, or if one was baby C. And actually, even crazier... we'll never know if one of our little men was the non-frozen, made-the-old-fashioned-way guy.

The first year of growth from the point of conception is amazing... look at these little guys today:

Rocco’s rolling! Monday – May 19, 2008

He did it! Rocco’s rolling over!

He’s been working on it for the past week, rolling onto his side. Well, this morning he finally did it! I put him on the floor, on his back, next to Matteo. Then, Rocco started getting feisty and rolled over onto his tummy. After a little fighting, he then pulled his right arm out from under him and wha-lah… he was SO HAPPY! There he was… surfing on his belly and happy as could be!

Then, for the rest of the day… you guessed it. Rocco rolled over at every possible opportunity! He’d get so mad and scream if it took him longer than usual… but he was always so proud of himself after completing the roll-over. BIG, big smiles!

Hooray, Rocco!

Growing like weeds! Thursday - May 15, 2008

Gabby had her 30 month pediatrician appointment late last week and the boys had their 4 month well baby appointment today. And it’s official - all the kids are growing like weeds!

Gabby’s growth stats:
Height: 35 ¼ inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 26 ¼ lbs (25th percentile)

Rocco’s growth stats:
Height: 26 inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 6 oz (60th percentile)
Head: 43.6 cm (75th percentile)

Matteo’s growth stats:
Height: 25 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 4 oz (60th percentile)
Head: 44 cm (75th percentile)

My mom and I are convinced there was an error with Matteo’s weight. He feels so much heavier in your arms than Rocco does. And, when I weighed the boys two weeks ago on our scale at home (not the best scale, I admit) Matteo was 1.5lbs heavier than Rocco.

And although Gabby still wears dresses sized 6-12 months, Dr. O was so proud of her weight gain. He said this is the fattest she’s been since she was four months old. Kind of funny to think about it that way.

What would we do without...

We’re so lucky to have any volunteer help with three under three. Not only are these people wonderful, but they're some of the best babysitters in the world and they’re family! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO – WE LOVE YOU!

My mom:
She just flew back to Minnesota after helping us for a while with all the baby chaos.

Grandma Leo & Grandpa Kenny (our aunt & uncle, via Dan’s father):
They come every Wednesday morning to watch the babies while I take Gabby to gymnastics or play dates.

Trish & Todd (Gabby’s godparents & our cousins via Dan):

They’ve often allowed Dan and I to have date nights. And, they’ve been so brave to take on the Gabbinator… from the time she was 6 months old!

Courtney (one of Trish & Todd’s girls):

Courtney often helps babysit and Gabby adores her. I think Gabby thinks of Courtney as a “big friend”, not an adult. Courtney loves hanging out with the babies too!

Mother's Day 2008

Why Mother’s Day 2008 was great:
1. I have 3 healthy, beautiful, amazing kids that I am SO VERY THANKFUL FOR!
2. I have a husband who just happens to be an incredible daddy. Every day he assists in making the mommy duties a bit easier.
3. My mom was here with us!
4. Dan & my mom let me sleep in. I slept 10 hours. It felt goooooooooood. Sure, I’d wake up when I’d hear the babies cry. But I’d just roll over, close my eyes and drift off again.
5. Trish & Todd (Gabby’s godparents) invited us over for dinner, along with Trish’s parents, Leo & Kenny. Time spent with this group is always so enjoyable, memorable, relaxing and fun. A perfect way to top off the day.
6. Dan gave me a very nice Mother’s Day card at the end of the day with a very nice note. A big deal… as I know it’s tough having two big celebrations in one weekend.

Gabby took a photo of all the mom’s at Trish & Todd’s house:

4 months old today! Saturday - May 10, 2008

The boys are now 4 months old!

We refer to Rocco a lot lately as Jumping Jack. When you hold him to stand on your lap all he wants to do is jump, jump, jump! And, he of course LOVES the Jump-a-Roo. This child is constantly moving. If you lay him on the playmate – he kicks his feet so much you’d think he’s running a marathon. Yesterday, he rolled onto his side so I think he’ll be rolling over soon. He grabs toys and always acts shocked when he does it. Lately he’s been eating more than Matteo. He’s constantly chewing his fists, stuffing them in his mouth and drooling up a storm. Rocco has been having very loud conversations with us for weeks. Maybe it’s him being expressive or maybe he’s trying to tell us we’re doing this whole parenting thing wrong. Either way, he happily yells everything he’s trying to tell us. And, he’s got gorgeous blue-gray eyes. Rocco seems to be the magnet for Gabby harassment… he’s been picked up, sat on, kicked (by accident) and fed play table foods. Poor kid. Rocco loves being talked to and socializing. If there are people around… he has to be with the party or he’ll scream to get your attention. When you feed him, he prefers to watch TV or look around the room versus looking into your eyes. He is able to put himself to sleep like a champ and he smiles so big when we go to get him out of his crib in the morning or after naps. Rocco looks so much like Gabby did at this age (only bigger!), and they both battle the same skin issues with eczema, etc.

Matteo is the easiest baby. He wakes up so happy in the morning and smiles so big whenever you talk to him. He LOVES being talked to, snuggled and loved. He’s always able to entertain himself on the bouncer seat, playmat, etc., while I’m dealing with his brother and/or sister. When you feed him, he eats so well and looks at you with his enormous eyes the entire time he’s eating. He is so gentle and calm. He’s standing on our lap, sitting in the Jump-a-Roo and grabbing toys with his hands. He concentrates so much on everything he does. Whether it’s playing, eating, talking or looking around the room – he seems full of conversation. He used to just coo softly at us whenever we’d talk to him but now he’s having full conversations with us. Gabby is always able to make him smile or laugh. She’ll rub his belly, hold his hands or dance for him when he’s upset and needs attention if I’m tied up with Rocco. Gabby used to call him “Matato”, but we will often call him Matt. Matteo also sleeps very well… he’ll take several naps throughout the day, one always being approx. 3 hours. And, he’ll sleep for a 7-10 hour stretch on most nights. Matteo’s really only fussy when he’s got a big burp, when he’s hungry or during his witching hour in the evenings. At night he loves to be rocked to sleep, and he’ll frequently check to make sure you’re still there loving him and looking at him. Knock on wood… but I think this child may be our easy one.

I often wonder what our kids are going to be like when they grow up. I really hope for them to be happy, kind, strong, big-hearted, goal-oriented and good members of society.

I told a friend not too long ago that I wanted Rocco & Matteo to be really sweet, sensitive, gentle, good, solid men. She laughed at me and said “With names like Rocco & Matteo?!” I laughed hard. I laugh thinking about it now as I type too.

When we announced the babies’ arrival, a friend of Dan’s, who has a little guy just a few months earlier, said “Wow… Rocco & Matteo? I’d hate to bump into them in a dark alley with my milk money.” LOL! The Martino mafia?!?

Well, I look at my little mobsters… and they are so gentle, harmless and loveable.

Oh happy day...

A very good way to go about a birthday is to expect nothing, and be pleasently surprised.

Friday was my birthday. I woke up not expecting any sort of pampering, exciting events, or gifts. First of all, it's so close to Mother's Day. Secondly, if Dan and I find time to talk lately... it's about kids, groceries, or bills.

Well... Dan surprised me.

He had a flower cake and Happy Birthday balloon delivered to the house. He wrote the sweetest note and also asked me out on a date in the card... to which my response was "When and how?" Well, he surprised me again as he had arranged my mom and Trish to babysit all 3 kids for us. I got teary-eyed. Literally. All I could think was "Wow... we get to go on a date? Just you & I?" Clearly we need to get out more.

I got to put on make-up and get dressed up without any kids hangin' on me. Exciting stuff! And, he gifted me with a day at the spa. I sooooo need a back massage right now! Then, we had a great dinner at one of our favorite restuarants .

It was a busy day, but a great day! Thanks so much Dan, mom & Trish!

Back To Work. Sunday - May 4, 2008

I'm officially back to work starting Monday, 5/5!

I'm in a bit of shock. I feel like it should still be February. And then I look at my chunky little guys (who look like they're close to 6 months old, even though they haven't yet hit 4 months) and I feel like they've been with us forever. Life has been BUSY!! Busy, but good. We have so much to be thankful for.

The month of May will be a little crazier than the rest of 2008, as we're punting with childcare throughout the month. My mom is here to help for two weeks, and we've also got a few nannies and babysitters that will be helping out while she's here and then after she leaves.

Then... on May 31st - our au pair arrives! Hooray! Yes, we've decided to try an au pair for the next year. Our neighbors have been using au pairs for the past 7 years and have so many wonderful things to say about their experiences.

Our au pair is from Brazil and her name is Marcela. We've been in constant communication with her over the past few weeks via email and we're so excited for her to arrive.