PARK DAY!! Saturday - February 21, 2009

Well... we did our first official trip to the park as a family of 5!

We've been battling germs for what seems like FOREVER! Combine that with more rain predictions and you've got two parents wanting nothing more than to get outside with the kids and let them run loose and breathe the fresh air.

And, I'm of course the crazy mom that brings the camera almost everywhere... so I took lots of photos while juggling 3 busy kids. That's not easy to do... just in case you were wondering.

Rocco is doing SO much better. He responded very fast to the meds he was on for the RSV and bronchiolitis. This is the first time in almost 1.5 months that he hasn't had a snotty nose. And... Matteo and Gabby are also doing great. So far, no signs of Rocco passing along either germ bug. I am however a bit worried that Rocco will develop asthma. I have to read up on it more, but apparently kids who contract bronchiolitis are more susceptible to developing asthma. Bummer. We'll keep our fingers crossed to hopefully avoid that.

And... I bet you're thinking "Oh good! Finally mom & dad are able to get a good night's sleep!" right? Of course NOT. Both boys seem to be teething something fierce right now. M.otrin helps a lot. But, we had a CRAZY night last night. Gabby went to bed sometime after midnight, which meant mommy was also up until close to 1am (thanks to a big bowl of ice cream daddy shared with her around 9pm). Then, at 3:20am, both boys decided to pee through their diapers and PJ's... which meant both mommy & daddy woke up to change and feed them. And then Matteo decided he would like to start his Monday at 4:50am. Clearly he has not yet learned something about his mommy... she is not a happy early-morning person, especially on a Monday. You've sure got lots to learn little man. ;-)

But on a happy note... below are some fun park photos. Rocs and Matt LOVED the park. Matt's crazy side really came out... we couldn't keep him from climbing and crawling to every slide so he could dive down face first on his tummy. Rocs liked the slides too... but preferred sliding on his butt, feet first. He was much more timid than I would have expected. Both little guys love the swings.

Gabby had a great time too. She rode her Dora bike almost all the way to the park. Then she helped push the wagon while daddy pulled it. She LOVES trips to the park! Always has. And, I think she had a lot of fun being there with the whole family too.

Busy, busy boy!

Rocco has a few new hobbies. Wrestling, climbing and spinning in the desk chair, dancing and screaming. He loves wrestling his daddy and sister. He also loves trying to climb on top of daddy. He will dance when he hears the theme song to Dora or Diego, or when we're trying to watch AI on the weekends or early mornings. And the screaming... well that's quite strange really. We think it's definitely t.estosterone-related. Possibly a way to handle teething. Or, he's trying to compete with his sister for the loudest voice in the house.

This little guy is ALWAYS moving. He is SO hard to photograph. I was lucky to capture one of his big smiles recently without a yucky flash. His big smiles melt my heart.

Gabby keeps busy on rainy days!

The rain hasn't stopped Miss Gabby one bit.

She's been keeping busy with playdough... lots of playdough cookies and ice cream desserts. She's also been very busy practicing her princess dancing. This child can easily rotate 6 different princess outfits over the course of an hour. Here you'll see her modeling a new princess hat (complements of Gammy & Papa).

She also spends lots of time reading to her brothers and pulling them around in the wagon or pushing them around on their trucks. What a great big sis, she is!

We surely love our little dancing queen!

Every man has his castle.

Julia, our au pair, helped Matteo build a castle last week out of M.egaBlocks, which the babies just LOVE. Matt decided to defend his castle by getting inside the walls.


Never mess with a little man and his castle.















BTW, check out his curly hair. So cute!

Rocco has RSV... DANG! Tuesday - February 17, 2009

Rocco has RSV. Crappity-crap. I can't believe it. Well actually, I can. I predicted it on Friday. I knew it was coming... I did. Really.

UGH! UGH! UGH!

He was diagnosed with bronchitis exactly one week ago. Almost two weeks after having been diagnosed with an ear infection that was accompanied by an incredibly high fever.

He's been taking and we've been giving him the bronchitis medicine religiously... but he just didn't seem to be responding to the meds. I thought... wait... hold on.... he'll start clearing up as he continues to be on the Rx. But no. It just kept getting worse.

His little cough has gotten horrible. He had a fever again today. He's been snotty for what seems like FOREVER now. He's wheezing pretty bad. And, what seems to be the most heart-wrenching is that I can feel SO MUCH crackling in his little lungs when I pick him up. It's awful. Even with one hand on his little back... the crackle almost makes your hand hurt.

UGH!! Poor, poor kid.

Then, tonight when I got home from work. He was running a 102 fever... and the second I walked in the door, he puked all over Julia's shoulder, the kitchen floor and the white kitchen cabinets. Since then... not only does my heart totally feel for Rocco... but I've been cursing the fact that I chose WHITE cabinets. Dang. That SUCKED to clean up.

I told Julia that the next time a baby pukes... either try to get low to eliminate the splash zone, or move to an open space (tile floors are best). Ha! This was sort of a joke. But sort of serious. hee hee

In all seriousness... we're now in full GET-ROCCO-HEALTHY mode, and TRY-NOT-TO-CONTAMINATE-MATTEO mode.

Rocco has to continue his bronchitis meds until Friday. AND, we have a special Rx that we have to give him EVERY 6 hours until there is no wheezing for a full 24 hours. The bottle is quite large. Ugh.

And, not only have we been busy with a sick Rocco. Gabby has had a horrible cough and congestion (bronchitis) that has caused her to puke in bed on two separate nights (last Thursday and Saturday nights). And, we brought Matt back to the doctor on Friday because he seemed to be getting a horrible cough and crackily chest, only to find out that his ear infection did not get better (which explains him puking all over the kitchen floor on Thursday night). AND he was also diagnosed with bronchitis. Sooooo.... we were given a new Rx for Matteo which seems to have cleared up both the ear infection and bronchitis quite well.

OH MAN... I REALLY need these little kiddos to get healthy!! It has been a very long 4.5 months of constant sickness. It's exhausting. I'm exhausted. Dan's exhausted.

Deep breath. This is just a very small moment in time, right? This too shall pass...

Matteo's WALKING! Thursday - February 12, 2009

I now officially have two walking boys!

Matteo started walking on Thursday, 2/12. He took 3 steps for Julia in the morning while I was getting ready for work. Then, when I got home from the office... he showed off a bit and did a number of 3 step walks. And now he's even taken 5 steps on several occasions.

He is very new to walking and it shows... crawling is still very much the preference.

Matteo has been spending more and more time building his balance and leg strength by scooting around the house on his feet and using the walls, sofa and other objects for balance. Every once in a while he'll let go of the wall or sofa and start walking over to a toy (taking 3 - 5 steps)... almost as if he did it by accident.

He's never struck me as being very eager to walk. And I'm in no hurry to rush him along... he IS technically the baby of the house.

But on the other hand, it sure will be fun to see him & Rocco pal around when Matt becomes a comfortable walker. It will definitely be busy (Rocco is EVERYWHERE & FAST!)... but fun!

High-fives, “Night, night!” and “Uh-oh!” Wednesday - February 11, 2009

Last weekend, two new things started happening at our house. You can check back later this week for video footage of the cuteness!

Matteo LOVES to high-five you! If you say “high-five”, Matt’s hand goes up (straight arm and hand held high) and he waits for someone to slap it a high-five. As soon as you walk away, his hand pops up again waiting for his next high-five, even if you don’t say it. This usually continues on for approximately 5 minutes. It’s hard to get-away when you start the high-five process. How can you possibly walk away from one of the cutest little boys on the planet who is eagerly awaiting additional high-fives? Gabby gets GREAT entertainment out of this. She thinks this is so funny and Matt loves getting high-fives from her too. On the flip side, if you put your hand up and ask Rocco to high-five, he’ll usually butt his forehead against your hand. That child loves to bump his head against stuff!

Rocco now says “Night, night!” and knows when to say it. We’ve been telling him “Night, night” and waving bye-bye whenever we start walking him up the stairs for a nap or bedtime with a bottle in our hands. I guess the dots are finally connecting, because last weekend he started saying “Night, night!” back to us and waving when we take him up the stairs to bed. And, sometimes, you don’t even have to prompt him… he’ll just recognize the process and say “Night, night!” and wave, while walking him up the stairs with his bottle for nap/bedtime. Matteo can also say “Night, night” but his sounds more like “Nigh, nigh”. And, he doesn’t really do it on his own yet… rather, he’ll just repeat it after we say it. Gabby LOVES it when her little brothers say “Night, night”. She will laugh and want to give them a big kiss and hug before they go up to bed. I think it’s exciting for her that they’re able to communicate with her via a real word!

We also hear a lot of “Uh oh!” lately coming from both babies. Whenever something falls… or whenever they drop something on the floor, you’ll get an “Uh oh!” from one or both of them. And as I’m sure you can imagine… this prompts the dropping of food (or anything) a lot more than I would prefer. ;-)

The boys are sick... AGAIN! Wednesday - February 11, 2009

This is becoming an all too familiar cycle in our house. One baby gets sick... then 3-5 days later the other baby gets sick.

And, along with sick babies comes little to no sleep for the parents.

As of Tuesday, we have now been to the pediatrician's office 9 times so far in 2009. NINE TIMES. That's averaging 1.5 visits per week. It's as if we're trying to set some sort of record. Which, btw, I am NOT trying to do. Good lord... our pediatrician should start sending us gift baskets!

In their short life span of 13 months, Matteo has now had 6 ear infections and bronchitis twice. So... we're now going to explore the possibility of getting tubes in Matt's ears. Rocco has had 4 ear infections and bronchitis 4 times. And now I'm thinking Matt's lungs weren't sounding so good today and Gabby's got this incredibly yucky, horrible cough. Are two more coming down with bronchitis again? Ugh.

The past few months have been exhausting. Having two babies, constantly sick, is both physicially and mentally exhausting. Hats off to those of you who care for 3 or more sick babies at a time. You're saint-like in my book!

I may start doing a germ-dance of some sort... to rid my house of germs and yuck! ;-)

"Mommy that's the president!"

It's funny...

Whenever Gabby sees B.arack O.bama’s face on the cover of a magazine in the grocery store, or on the TV screen she'll yell "Mommy, that's the president... B.arack O.bama!" The first time she did this in the grocery store, we happened to be waiting in a long checkout line. And, let me tell you... heads turned when they heard this come out of her little mouth. It was pretty cute.

Gabby is always so proud whenever she sees and recognizes O.bama. And, if you ask her what number president he is she'll happily tell you "fourty-fourth".

She never really showed that sort of enthusiasm about B.ush. ;-)

What they're doing now... recent updates. February 2009

MATTEO
* He is the easiest baby ever! Until it comes to food. Then, his stubborn side comes out. It is WORK feeding this child. You have to tell him a story and point at pages in a book OR do animal sounds or he will not eat.

* Prefers to feed himself table foods with a fork. So, we have to load the mac-n-cheese or egg (or whatever) on the fork for him, and he’ll put it in his mouth himself. Rarely does he allow you to feed him table foods on a fork.

* Has an amazing attention span and concentration level and IS very tactile and good with his hand/eye coordination and development activities. Future surgeon perhaps?

* Loves to play catch!! If you throw him a ball… he’ll get it and throw it back to you. He gets so excited when you play catch with him that he’ll often go find a ball to get the game started. Definitely a future little leaguer!

* Climbs up onto and down from the sofa quickly and safely all by himself. And lately, he threatens to jump off the back for attention. I don’t think he’d ever do the sofa dive like his brother did… but he knows we come running when he does this. We’re his lab rats. He laughs hard while it frustrates and scares us.

* He’ll fake coughing or sneezing to get more attention. For example, if he or his brother has a real cough/sneeze and we say “Are you ok, Matt/Rocs?”, then Matteo will proceed to fake a cough/sneeze an additional 4 or 5 times so we keep saying “Are you ok, Matt?” He LOVES doing this. The funniest part is watching him fake the cough/sneeze… his face gets all red because he works so hard to fake it!

* Loves to chill on the sofa and watch TV. Loves any show his sister watches, but Diego and Wonder Pets seem to be the favorites.

* Loves jumping up and down on the sofa and then crashes on it, while laughing. Great fun!

* Claps and waves on command or whenever he hears “YAY!”

* Stands on his own without support. Not for too long… but he’s working at getting better.

* Scoots all around the house on his 2 feet, practicing his walking skills, while using the walls, sofas toy boxes or whatever is handy to steady himself.

* LOVES being outside and going for wagon rides.

* Loves dogs and animals… and often spots birds outside the window while he’s eating.

* His hair has curls! I love it! It’s gotten a lot thicker recently and has developed a lot of wave and curls. Very unlike his sister and brother who have straight, fine hair.

* Favorite table foods: apples, mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, waffles, pizza, crackers, cheese

* Will not eat: most fruits, green veggies, or any of the baby foods that are not in a specifically branded jar… because yes, he KNOWS the labels and will look before he lets you put food in his mouth.

ROCCO
* Has the best belly laugh ever! It’s so fun to hear him laughing hard.

* Getting very fast at walking.

* Loves chasing his sister and being chased by anyone. He will laugh soooooo hard and watching him run makes us laugh.

* He has started jumping. He will jump on the trampoline and just started jumping over things in the house. It’s cute to see… it’s a very little jump, but he’s got the right moves!

* Waves on command. He’ll even flash a big smile and wave at pretty ladies in public.

* Claps on command. And, he’ll clap when he sees other people clapping or hears someone saying “YAY!”

* Is often seen holding our B.lackBerries, the home phone or play phones to his ear while pacing the room and ‘talking’. JUST LIKE HIS FATHER! LORD HELP ME!

* Has no interest in watching TV. His interest lies in moving, exploring and moving some more!

* Loves to hold a fork or spoon while we’re feeding him. He an feed himself with a fork, but we usually have to load food on it for him. He tries to get food on the fork but hasn’t had too much luck to date.

* Demands a try of any food that he sees us eating. He points and wiggles and stretches to reach your food and won’t give up until he gets some.

* Favorite table foods to date include: mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, apples, sausage, cheddar cheese, deli meat, and eggs.

* Table foods he doesn’t like: Anything that’s too sweet (cake, ice creams and super-sweet fruits like strawberries)

* Hates getting his diaper changed. It has become a wrestling match, literally, 80% of the time. You must pin his left shoulder down (which REALLY gets him screaming) so he can’t flip over and stand up. And, you’ve gotta be FAST!

* He is often busted for stealing toys from his brother.

* He LOVES his brother and sister and is always so excited to see them.

* Loves being outside. And, he’s got a great eye for animals. He’ll point and start grunting whenever he spots a squirrel or bird in a tree or flying through the air.

GABBY
* Loves going to school! Has two wonderful teachers and approx 8 school friends that we hear about on a regular basis.

* Recognizes B.arack O.bama. She will point him out to us if she sees him on TV or on a magazine cover in the grocery store. If you ask her who he is she’ll tell you he is the president. And, if you ask her what # president his is she’ll say “forty fourth”.

* Loves to sing the ABC song to her brothers and can now recognize most of her ABC’s. We’ve also started working with her on the sounds each letter makes.

* Loves to color and play with playdough.

* LOVES to do art projects with glue and tape. Even though our house doesn’t like her playing with either (think glue and tape EVERYWHERE).

* Puts herself to bed at naptime. Is getting better at going to bed by herself at night.

* Still has a hard time waking up. Usually wakes up from naps crying. Clearly… she gets her love/hate relationship with sleep from her mommy.

* She is not a picky eater and will try anything. Our challenge with Gabby has always been getting her to actually eat more than a few nibbles.

* Favorite foods: Macaroni & Cheese, hot dogs, salmon, pizza, avocado, pears, cottage cheese, edamame, black beans, apples, waffles, strawberries, and carrots.
* LOVES being outside.

* If Gabby sees /hears that Dan or I going on a run, she’ll start running down the sidewalk saying “I want to go too! I run REAL FAST!” Dan and I have let her ‘go on a run’ a few times in the past year (while we walked the babies) so we could see how far she’d go. She made it a full half-mile once. Quite impressive!

* LOVES getting dressed up in princess dresses, playing with her baby dolls and B.arbie dolls.

* She will do imaginary playtime with her friends from school… she’ll talk to them as if they’re in the room, or call them on the phone. And, she’ll often throw them birthday parties too… we get to hear the birthday song a LOT in our house!

* Loves playing with my makeup, shoes and jewelry.

* She will sometimes go through 10-12 outfits in one day. It’s a constant wardrobe change for Miss Gabby. She could probably employ her very own stylist and/or launderer.

* LOVES her little brothers so much. She is often busted hugging them too hard. She plays nicely with them, helps keeps them in-line, loves to help feed them and is such a great big sister!