Summer Soccer Camp

Gabby and Rocco both went to the Seattle Sounders Soccer camp in mid-July. It was a half day morning camp, so we’d drop them off at 9am and pick-up at 12noon. They had such a great time! Not only did Rocco tell me he loved it, but every day after camp he’d go out in the front yard and kick around the soccer ball… so cute! This was his very first camp and it was a big success. In addition to the camp, both Gabby and Rocco have been in a weekly soccer league since spring. Gabby is taking a break during the fall, but Rocco chose to continue.

Last winter, I was not planning to send Rocco to any camps this summer because his pre-school program operates year-round. But, due to the fact that I have a newborn who hates riding in the car, and his school and camp are in two different directions, not to mention I was also busy with work at the time… I needed one daily drop-off and pick-up location in order to keep my sanity. It was a VERY good decision! J

Gabby also said she had a lot of fun at soccer camp. I think she also picked up a few new skills at the camp which is great. But, even more, I think she might have enjoyed all the give-a-ways, and the fact that one of her best friends from school was also there. It was a really well run camp and I was impressed with the set-up, coaches, location… and yes, all the give-a-ways. Each child picked up a brand new soccer ball which they got to color/personalize, a camp t-shirt, a Seattle Sounders scarf, and insulated lunch bags.   

Gabby and Rocco have also been participating in a weekly soccer league since spring. With school starting, and spending 6 hours at gymnastics each week... Gabby decided to take a break from soccer for the fall. But, Rocco has chosen to continue with his soccer Saturday. 

Not sure "fashionista" is the right word...

Giuliana is pretty hilarious. And…she definitely has her own sense of style. Her big sister Gabby always had her own style thing going to...so it must be somewhat genetic. And, they must get it from their father… because I’m not sure I’ve ever had my own unique style, or the confidence to put random things together, and somehow end up looking cute with the end result!

Gabby was a HUGE fan of wearing dresses when she was Giuliana’s age. She would change her outfit almost 10 times a day and if I even tried to suggest what she should wear, she would have a tantrum. It was unreal! Well… Giuliana is very much the same in that nobody can tell her what to wear. But, she does not like dresses… there are only a few that I’ve been able to get on her. The one dress that she DOES love, is purple, of course (her favorite color) and is absolutely darling. She calls it her Rapunz.el dress. But, she prefers leggings, jeans and shorts to dresses. And, if she changes outfits… it’s only to get into a gymnastics leotard or pajamas—both of which she LOVES.

This is a photo of what Giuliana chose to wear to the doctor’s office a few months back. She had on her Disney sunglasses (upside down, of course… she wouldn’t let us put them on right-side-up), her purple Rapunze.l dress, her Speed.o water shoes, and her white furry bear coat. She walked into the doctor’s office like she owned the place and all of the staff told her she looked like a movie star, making her feel pretty special. Giuliana actually caught wind of all the commotion and comments she was getting… and refused to take off her sunglasses during her appointment. Her doctor still remembers and comments about that day/outfit every time I see him. It was hilarious!

And, here’s a pic of her in her favorite leotard and favorite Ugg boots. This was a staple outfit for her during the summer. J

Rocco must think I'm not so bright...

Rocco & Gabby have soccer camp this week. Dan did the drop off and pick-up yesterday. And, since he’s traveling for the rest of this week, I took over that duty today. On the way to camp this morning, Rocco said “Mom, do you know where you’re going? I’m pretty sure you’re going the wrong way, Mom.” I had to assure him that I DID in fact know where I was going. Then, he proceeded to ask me the same questions two more times.

Once we arrived at camp, I walked Gabby and Rocco to the area where all the kids had dropped their backpacks and belongings on the field. I had Marco with me in the infant car seat and so I set it down next to me while I watched them set their items down. I was looking forward to seeing them run into the group huddle, etc. Anyway, the second Rocco put his backpack down, he turned and looked at me and said “Mom, you’re supposed to leave. Then come back and get us later.” How crazy-funny is that!? He’s FOUR. Was he somewhat embarrassed that I was possibly going to *hang out* at his soccer practice? OR did he think I didn't know what to do next? Gosh. I was slightly offended (after laughing hard inside!). Of course, there were a bunch of moms just hanging out watching. I think I got the boot though!

Kids can be so funny!

Asleep at the wheel!

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!

Rocco loves helping daddy mow the lawn. On this particular summer day... it put him right to sleep. Too bad Dan can't take a nap while mowing the lawn! If that were the case, I bet our lawn would always be neatly trimmed.

Marco’s 2 Month Update

Marco's 2 Month Growth Stats:
Height: 25 inches (95%ile)
Weight: 13lbs 12oz (93%ile)
Head: 16 ¼ (75%ile)

Night Sleep: He’s on no real schedule yet… still a bit too early for that. But he is starting to develop some regular night time sleep patterns. Lately, he is going down for the night between 9-10pm. Then, he'll wake up for a feeding between 1-3am, at which time I bring him into bed with me so he can nurse and we can both fall asleep. Then, he wakes up again for another feeding, and lots of pooping, between 6-8am. And, sometimes, I can even get him to fall asleep again... until the 9 o'clock hour. He's a goooood sleeper! And, I LOVE that he likes to sleep in! Right before bed, he needs lots of attention. Actually, his fussy time can start as early as 6:30pm, which makes it really difficult around here when Dan is traveling because that means I have to bathe, brush teeth and prep 3 other kids for bed when I've got a fussy or screaming baby in my arms. Good times. And, if I'm lucky, I'm able to get the kids fed and the dinner mess somewhat cleaned up before the fussy time starts. Otherwise, I'm cleaning up the dinner mess and finally getting MY chance to eat dinner between 9-10pm. Marco also really likes a full tummy. He likes being wrapped up in his favorite blankey and nuzzling into it. And, whether it’s me walking him around in my arms shushing him until he quiets down, or sitting in the rocking chair with him… one or the other is required. On the nights Dan is traveling bedtime is extra challenging because Marco gets really worked up when I put him down while trying to get the other kids ready for bed (baths, brushing teeth, etc.). So, on those nights… I usually get my butt kicked with a crying/agitated baby for 1-2 hours.

Naps: Marco sleeps so well at night that his day-time naps are basically all very short lived. If he naps for an hour, uninterrupted... that's a big deal. His naps are more like 30 minutes, every 1.5 hours throughout the day.

Eating: Marco eats on demand…lucky boy! When he is hungry, I nurse him. Sometimes I also nurse him to soothe him if he’s upset. So, I probably nurse him 12 times throughout the day… give or take a few feedings a day depending on his mood and hunger. I am his human pacifier and he is my barnacle baby.

New tricks:
·         Smiling often and in response to you talking to him and smiling at him.
·         Genuine laughing in response to someone’s interaction with him.
·         His eyes follow toys that you move in front of him, or people’s faces as they move.
·         He likes looking at lights.
·         He knows his mommy’s voice.
·         Trying to hold or reach out to hold/touch things (for example he’ll try to hold the boob now when he’s eating; or he’ll grab my shirt)
·         LOTS of leg kicking and arm moving when he’s happy or when he wants to move.
·         He’s moving. If I lay down next to him, he’s able to somehow move himself right next to me.
·         Sucking on hand/fist and sometimes his first two fingers, which is not good because every once in a while he’ll gauge himself.
·         Seems much more interested in his world.
·         When on his tummy, he can lift his head off the ground and push himself up a bit with his arms.
·         Blows lots of bubbles and he’s already great at making drool pools.
·         Constantly chewing on his fists.

Marco Loves: He truly LOVES baths. But, I try not to bathe him more than once a week because his skin is so sensitive. He’ll get a rash from the most sensitive of baby sensitive-skin soaps. He LOVEs mommy (I mean really… how could he not, right?!). He also loves with Gabby and Rocco and Giuliana talk to him and make funny noises. Gabby is honestly the best though at being able to make Marco giggle and laugh… she’s an awesome baby entertainer.

Marco Dislikes:Marco is not a big fan of tummy time. He doesn’t hate it at first, but about 2 minutes into it, he starts getting pretty vocal and by 4 minutes it’s a full on scream session. He also HATES driving in the car. He’ll scream his head-off… and that has a tendency to traumatize me. He al

Other notes:

The little guy poops a LOT! I think he poops more than any of my other children ever did. Sometimes he goes through 2 diapers in a half hour. I guess that's a good thing though - he's got great bowels! 

I haven't convinced him to love the jogging stroller yet... I'm hoping to twist his arm and fall in love with it soon so I can have more freedom and exercise without needing Dan's assistance to watch Marco immediately after I've fed him (since he's breastfed - I always have to time everything just right so his food source isn't away when he's hungry). 

We’re having lots of fun with this little guy. I’m trying to soak everything in, knowing he’s our last baby. I feel like I’m more aware than I ever have been about all the little milestones he’s hitting them. I don’t know if it’s because I’m trying to soak it all in with the last baby, or if it’s because we’ve done this with 4 previous children or what. But, it’s fun.

It truly IS amazing how fast little people grow AND how time flies when they’re babies.

10 Years of Togetherness

Dan and I have now been married for 10 years. Ten years that have been both short and long. Ten years that have been filled with the best moments of my life, and our greatest achievements in life. Ten years that have been somewhat tainted by the most horrific tragedy I can imagine any one person, or any couple ever having to experience… that being the loss of a child. Sometimes, I wonder where the past 4 years went. Sometimes I wish we could completely rewind. We’ve been through the best and worst as a couple… and here we are ten years later. Still together. Still in love with each other.

So, how does one celebrate a 10 year anniversary? Well... you should go ask someone who has celebrated it! Because we certainly didn't. For multiple reasons. Don't get me wrong - we both had dreams of taking a trip to Italy to visit some sites, eat good food & drink yummy vino. Or... maybe just taking a trip down the coast and hitting a beach in Mexico for a few days.

But, with a newborn who's breastfeeding, and nobody who can take care of our other 3 kids overnight... the dreamy celebration is just that. A dream. I guess it will have to wait. I’d like to say I’m completely fine with that. But, I’m not. I’d LOVE to have two nights away with JUST my husband. We have not had one child-free vacation in almost 7 years. That’s just ridiculous. Right?! I think even one night away would be so healthy and good for us.

Instead, on our ten year anniversary, I talked to my husband more via text message and voicemail. This was actually the case that entire week because our au pair was on vacation. I worked all week and Dan had the week off (technically, but he still worked a quite a bit too). Poor Dan though... his days off were filled with helping watch the baby while I worked, running errands, grocery shopping and then our taxi service for all of the following quite literally consumed him:
· Gabby to and from swim & tennis camp every day from 9-5

· Rocco to and from school 3 days

· Gabby to and from gymnastics Mon & Fri nights

· Rocco to and from gymnastics Tues & Thurs nights

· Giuliana's parent/tot gymnastics class on Monday morning

It was just an absolutely nutty week… and perhaps that’s a good thing. Our anniversary week is also the 4^th of July holiday week, and the week that Matteo died. So, instead of being excited about and looking forward to our anniversary… the approaching date makes me want to vomit and I find myself being irritated/upset for most of the week. Matteo’s death is so much bigger and life-changing and emotional than any silly holiday or anniversary. So even though I would like to have celebrated the big TEN… I’m not sure my heart would have been there.

So, I think we ate take-out food with the kids, dealt with multiple tantrums and a fussy baby. By 10 o'clock, Dan was asleep on the sofa and I was cleaning bathrooms. Doesn't that sound exciting and glamorous?!

Dan is an amazing guy. He’s kind, he’s got a big heart, he’s handsome, he’s so understanding and forgiving. He’s the best daddy and playmate to our children… and he truly enjoys them and loves them so much. I know for a fact I surely am not the easiest person to be married to… so perhaps Dan even wears a bit of the *saint-hood hat*.

I know I love Dan with my whole heart. And, I know he loves me. Hopefully someday soon, we’ll get to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. (And, yes, I totally realize at the rate we’re going… this might not actually happen for another 10 years!)