Can horses blowup?

Rocco: Mom, can horses blowup?
Gabby: Rocco, horses CAN'T blowup.
Me: What do you mean... can horses blow air up into the sky? OR, do you mean blowup... like explode?
Gabby: Mom, he thinks horses can explode! Horses can't explode!
Me: Gabby stop.
Rocco: I MEAN CAN HORSES BLOWUP! EXPLODE?
Me: No! No... horses don't just blow up! You crazy little man...
Rocco: No! I mean... if they have a missle in them?
Me: Rocco?! No. Completely impossible.

And people say girls are complicated!? Little boys sure can be strange and curious (but funny!) little creatures!

Mommy, can I have that?

My children, like most children these days, are not used to watching TV commercials. Most of the TV shows they watch are shows that have been prerecorded. Or, they are shows that they can watch via a tablet device of some sort. My kids, like most kids know full well how to operate all such devices... from turning it on, to finding and choosing a show, to starting it.

Over the past 3-4 months, Giuliana has become familiar with TV commercials. By mistake, of course. If a toy commercial comes on, she seems to be fascinated by it. She will drop whatever, and yell "Mommy, can I have that?!" She'll give me those big puppy dog eyes and a very excited look... leaving me no choice but to say "Sure!", or "Of course you can!" Giuliana will smile and get all excited and then yell "Thank you, Momma!!"

It is so awful... but I love this! It's so funny how she truly does ask for any toy that she sees on a TV ad. And, then, she feels completely satisfied if I reply yes. She never, ever brings up the toys she's asked for again. It's like I'm giving her the satisfaction she needs right there - just by saying yes.

Sometimes, if she sees the commercial again... she'll yell to Gabby or Rocco "OH, I HAVE THAT!" And, Gabby and Rocco, depending on their mood, will either try to tell her she doesn't have it, or they'll look at me and giggle, asking if Giuilana really does have it.

My little Giuliana... gosh I love that girl! I wish all kids were this simple and easy to please!!

Darn Tooth Fairy!

That darn tooth fairy!

Gabby pulled her tooth out while we I was driving the kids home from Rocco's gymnastics class last Thursday. She's been wiggling that tooth for weeks now, and I had a feeling it was going to be coming out any minute. And actually, I told her just that! 

Well, wouldn't you know it... after a little wiggling in the car, she pulled it right out! She was SO EXCITED about it. Then, of course, the next 3 hours she talked about how she couldn't wait to see what the tooth fairy was going to bring her, etc. 

Well, and with my luck... I was fresh off of two nights with VERY LITTLE SLEEP. Dan was getting home that night - so I was feeling a wave of relief! 

Gabby wrote the tooth fairy a sweet note... asking if she could "please not take her tooth....she would like to keep it just like last time". She tucked her tooth, and the note under her pillow. 

Only, that darn tooth fairy didn't show up! 

So, we had one very sad little girl come Friday morning. Yowzers! She could not understand why the tooth fairy didn't come, and was pretty bummed. Dan suggested that maybe she didn't come because mommy was up so much with the baby throughout the night. I suggested that it might have been because Gabby wasn't a good helper on Thursday (didn't help clean up her room, the play room, etc.).

As it turns out - Dan and I were both wrong. She was stuck in a snow storm out East! 

Crazy tooth fairy! She's really gotta pull it together!! ;)

I learn something new every day...

Rocco: "I wish I could spit out my stomach and grow a new one."
Me: "Wait...what?" 
Rocco: "Mom...you need to know these things. Starfish do this all the time."
 
I swear... I don't know where these kids learn these things sometimes. But, I learn something new every day.

Rocco's Bad Dream

I can count on two hands the number of times Rocco has come into our room in the middle of the night because of a bad dream, or whatever.

Last week, Rocco came into my room around 3am. He said he had a bad nightmare, so I told him to jump into my bed and I'd snuggle him. Dan was traveling and I never get to snuggle Rocco, so I jumped at the chance to sleep next to my little guy and have my arm around him, snuggling.

In the morning, I asked him what his nightmare was about. He said "Mom... I had a nightmare that I woke up and went into the playroom... and there were two Nana's!"

I couldn't help but laugh, granted I tried to hold in my laughter, because I wanted him to know I was listening and could understand why he was scared.

But the fact that his nightmare was due to him seeing two Nana's?! TOO FUNNY!! Nana is our most commonly used nickname for Giuliana. And well... I guess it could be a nightmare for poor Rocco if there were in fact two of her!

I couldn't wait to share this nightmare with Dan... he busted out laughing the moment I told him.

Oh Rocco... you're one funny kid!!

Giuliana is THREE!

Giuliana is THREE!! Here's her 3 year update...

Giuliana’s 3 Year Growth Stats:

Height:  35.8inches (10-25^th %ile)

Weight: 25.6 pounds (5^th %ile)

BMI: 14.06 (5^th %ile)

Giuliana is a tiny little thing, with BIG personality. She looks so sweet and innocent, and most of the time truly is. But, watch out if you cross her, she’ll turn on you fast and let you know. I don’t see “pushover” ever being a part of this girl’s vocabulary. She has shocked us two or three times in the past year by being overheard saying “godddamit!” (thanks, Dan!) when dropping something. Thankfully, more often than not, when she is frustrated, she’ll say “You’ve GOT to be KIDDING ME!”

Dan likes to say that Giuliana is all legs and hair, and she really is! She has long skinny legs and a full head of hair with curls that stretch down to her butt when her hair is straightened or wet. She still fits in some 12 month clothes if that gives you any idea as to how tiny she really is.

Dan is so smitten with Giuliana. And, with Giuliana’s love of cats, I think it led Dan to recently come up with the analogy that Giuliana is sort of like a “cat”. His rationale was “She doesn’t come when you call her name. She is perfectly content doing her own thing, and being by herself. She comes to you when she needs love, cuddles, snuggles and food. Sometimes she likes to sleep with you, and sometimes she doesn’t. Her food patterns are predictable. If you make her mad, she’ll scratch. Etcetera.” Pretty funny analogy, actually.

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: Dora The Explorer, Batman, Go Diego, Go!", "My Little Pony"

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

COMFORT ITEMS: Purple blankey & purple monkey. Like Rocco, Giuliana is VERY attached to her blanket. When she was a baby, every time I would nurse her, I would wrap her in her purple blanket and she would hold it and rub the soft blanket against her cheeks and face while nursing. I’d swaddle her in the purple blanket too at naps and bedtime. So, it is just a part of Giuliana! She has 4 different purple blankets, one being “THE purple blankey”. Purple blankey goes to bed with her, wakes up with her, gets dragged throughout the house all day long wherever she goes. It goes to the potty chair with her, it goes on car rides, it eats breakfast and lunch and dinner with her. You get it… her “puwple blankey” is her everything! Purple monkey is her new obsession. She asked Santa for ONE thing, and one thing only – “a puwple monkey”. Santa delivered and Giuliana was SO HAPPY when she opened that present. Purple monkey now sleeps with Giuliana every night and also is becoming an important part of her daily activities.

FAVORITE FOODS: Peanut Butter (lately, she requests 1-2 PB&J sandwiches daily), eggs, berries, tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, breakfast sausage, waffles, pancakes, corn dogs, french fries, salmon, peas, mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, pasta and avocados. Giuliana will not eat if she’s not hungry. And, if she’s hungry, watch out – she will surprise everyone by eating everything on her plate. I call her my buffet girl… because she likes to eat whatever she sees. She will have a plate of food sitting in front of her, and then if Gabby, Rocco and I are all eating something different for lunch, she will ask to have some of what all of us are eating. Also, she’ll often times end up on my lap during dinner, eating off of my plate. She likes a buffet of food – not just 1-3 items on her plate.

ACTIVITIES:  Gymnastics! Giuliana LOVES “nastics” and looks forward to every class. Since she just turned three, she was able to begin a new class without parent participation. She jumped right into the new class with the bigger kids with NO hesitation. She loves gymnastics so much, and just really wants to do it all and be a big kid just like her big brother and sister.  

FAVORITE SAYINGS: “You’re my bestest friend in the WHOOOOOOLE WORLD!”, “Mommy, I love you ALL DAY LONG!”, “You’ve GOT to be KIDDING me!” (picked this up from her dad when he gets frustrated, so she uses it when she’s frustrated! Ha!), “Tooty Fruity”, “Tooty Booty” (while shaking her booty at you)

FAVORITE BOOKS: “Wolf’s Coming”, “I Love You All Day Long”, “But I WAAAAANT It”, and so many others. I’ve never known a child to love books as much as Giuliana. If you don’t know where Giuliana is, you will most often find her sitting on her bed, the sofa, or by the bookshelf, wrapped in her purple blankey with her nose buried in a book. She LOVES to look at books and can do it for hours all by herself. Sometimes, I have to convince her to actually let me read her a story. She’ll often say “No, I reading it!” Lately though, she is trending towards more often than not allowing me to read to her.

FAVORITE TOYS and INDOOR PLAY: Lately, she is really into playing with miniature LaLaL.oopsy figurines, miniature My Little P.ony figurines, miniature L.ittlest Pet Shop figurines, and also some little dinosaur figurines. She lines them up, and carries them everywhere with her…the car, to bed, to the dinner table, to the potty chair, you name it. (And, I absolutely LOVE it when we’re in a hurry to go somewhere and Giuliana is refusing to get out the door because she can’t carry out her 15 figures.) She also loves anything Batman and her pink & silver Batman cape still being a staple in her make-believe super-hero play with Rocco. Other consistent favorites are puzzles, Play D.oh, coloring with markers, sticker activities, making food in her play kitchen, B.arbies with Gabby and sometimes even taking care of baby dolls. But, one of her most favorite indoor activities is to read books.

FRIENDS: Her best friends are truly Gabby, and Rocco. She also loves playing with and is completely entertained by her little brother, Marco. For the past year, if you’d ask her who her best friend was, she would have told you “Misia” (our au pair from Poland who was with us from Sep 2011-Sep 2012). She still sometimes names Misia as her best friend, but with time, that is beginning to pass (as would be expected for a 2-3 yr old). If you ask Giuliana who her friends are lately, she’ll say “LexiCallie”. Lexi and Callie are her two cousins from Texas who visited us this past summer, and clearly left an impression on her memory. She also has neighborhood friends, by default of being Gabby and Rocco’s younger sibling. And I guess she basically thinks that any friend of Gabby’s is a friend of hers as well!

SLEEP: Giuliana is a great little sleeper! She goes to bed between 8-8:30pm and usually wakes up anywhere between 7:30-9am. She sleeps in her own big girl bed, in her own bedroom. And, she is loving that Gabby is sleeping with her in the queen bed in that room. She has fully transitioned from doing one nap a day to no naps. Most of the time, this works out fine and she can handle it. But, every other week, there will be a day where the no-nap catches up with her and we’ll find her to fall asleep in the car or with a book in her lap on the sofa.

FAVORITE MOVIES: Little M.ermaid, T.angled (Rapunzel), Batman

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT:  Disneyland

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS PAST YEAR:

1.      Transitioning from diapers to pull-ups.

2.      Potty in the potty chair.

3.      Pooping in the potty chair.

4.      Dressing herself.

5.      Counting to 20.

6.      Sitting on the big kid swing, and swinging without falling off (we still push her)

7.      Pedal a tricycle.

8.      Climbing up onto the bar stools, and getting down by herself.

9.      Vocabulary has increased extensively. Her diction is getting better too.

10.  Transitioned from sleeping in a crib, to a toddler bed, to a big girl bed (ALL in the SAME YEAR!)

11.  Became a big sister!

BIRTHDAY PARTY: Giuliana surprised me and asked for a D.ora birthday cake. So – that is what she got! I had no idea where to start, so Dan helped me out and picked up this “Dora & horse” toy, and I ended up making Dora walking a path with her horse standing in the lake. Giuliana shares her birthday with Rocco and Matteo. So, we went out for dinner on the evening of her birthday. After dinner, we came home, sang “Happy B.irthday”, ate cake and ice cream and opened presents. The most memorable moment was probably Giuliana trying to blow out her 3 candles... she huffed and she puffed... but she could not blow out those candles! It took her at least 7 minutes to get them blown out. So cute!

MATTEO: Giuliana is very aware that she has another older brother who died. Whenever she sees the moon, she says “I see Matteo!” She also knows/understands that Matteo’s death and not being present in our homes, is a sad thing. I know this because sometimes she’ll come up to me and say “Matteo die… that so sad”, while tilting her head ever so slightly and squinting her eyes. Giuliana never met Matteo, because she was born on his birthday, just over 6 months after Matteo died. We tell Giuliana that Matteo kissed her in Heaven before he sent her down to us, and that explains the little red lips shaped birthmark she was born with on her right hand.  

Giuliana is such a great kid – I just LOVE everything about her. She is perfectly content playing by herself and reading stories, but is thrilled when Rocco and Gabby include her in their play/activities. She will often come up and say “Mommy, can you snuggle me?” or “Mommy, can you hooooold me?” (and that’s when my heart melts; I sometimes need the reminder that she is still so young too, and I need to give her more cuddles when I’m not busy with Marco). She has been influenced by her big brother to think that everything related to the butt or poopy, is supposed to be funny. So, she often time ends sentences with “booty” or “poopy” if she is trying to be silly or make someone laugh.

Giuliana is often the reason for one of the tiny pieces in Gabby or Rocco’s L.EGO sets missing. She is also often the protective little sister, wanting to stick up for her big brother or sister when they’re getting scolded, by saying “Stop being mean to Gabby! (or Rocco!)” Giuliana also quickly picked up on how to distract Marco from playing with one of her toys, by handing him a different toy and gently saying “no, no, no!” while shaking her head with a sweet smile.

One of the biggest transitions in Giuliana’s life this past year has been potty training. She has been poopy trained since May of 2012, and will always go poop in the potty chair. She will yell “I’M MAKING POOOOOPY!!” from the bathroom, which is really pretty funny. She is much lazier with going potty. She’ll go on the potty chair when you put her there, or encourage her to go. But, she rarely initiates going to the potty chair on her own. We’re working on this daily.

She picks up very quickly on things her older siblings do or say. For instance, Gabby comes home singing things like “Jingle Bells, B.atman smells, Robyn layed an egg…” and the next thing you know, Giuliana is singing it constantly. Or, Gabby came home from school one day saying “Eeeeny, meeeny, miny mo, catch a tiger by a toe, if he hollers let him go, eeeeny, meeeny, miny mo!” Then, Giuliana was saying it over and over for the next several weeks. She also picked up what a “pinky swear” was from some other little friends, and when she tried it out on me I was surprised and had to laugh, as it brought me back to my childhood instantly.

Giuliana is truly an angel in our lives. She arrived on one of the most difficult days in my life and has been an absolute blessing and wonderful distraction from overwhelming grief and sadness. She is gentle as a soft breeze, as sweet as sugar, and determined beyond belief. You could not be more special to us…we truly love you to the moon and back, Giuliana! xoxo

Rocco is FIVE!

Rocco is FIVE!! Here's his 5 year update...

Rocco's 5 Year Growth Stats:
Height: 44.5 inches (90th %ile)
Weight: 44.2 pounds (75th %ile)
BMI: 15.69 (50-75%ile)

FAVORITE TOYS: T.ransformers & T.ransformer R.escue B.ots are his current obsession. (I even know all the rescue bot names!). Super Heroes are still very important - B.atman and Spiderman being his favorites. He loves building and playing with L.EGO City sets. I wasn't sure he'd be ready for the L.ego stuff, but he impressed me very much with his focus and patience in wanting to build the structures correctly. He would build all of Gabby's things if she'd let him! Another favorite toy of Rocco's are those little green army guys, tanks, fighter planes, etc. He sets them all up on Gabby's castles or outside in the dirt and plays war, and battles ensue. He loves it! N.erf guns and swords are also still part of his regular toy playing rotation.

FAVORITE FOODS: Vanilla yogurt, breakfast sausage, tomato soup, strawberries, pizza, french fries, pasta, string cheese, waffles, pancakes, carrots with ranch, bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter sandwiches (don't you dare put jelly on it!), and bananas. Chocolate milk also remains a staple (I use half white, half chocolate milk). Rocco can eat a LOT of food. Some days, I literally wonder where he puts it all. Even his teachers at school are shocked by how much food we pack for his lunch, and he eats it all! Also, he eats so much yogurt and cheese that I'll be shocked if this child ever breaks a bone. When he was little, I could get him to eat anything and everything. But, in the past year, he's developed a fear of eating green foods...so we're working on that!

ACTIVITIES: Rocco is in the boys gymnastics program and he loves it. It's so fun to watch all the conditioning exercises they do, and then see the tricks they are being taught on various apparatus. The strength of those little people is truly impressive. He's also in soccer... but not sure he's really a soccer kind of guy. In the spring, he'll be able to start little league and both him and Dan are very excited about that.

SCHOOL: Rocco is in pre-kindergarten 3 days a week. And, in January he started doing 3 FULL days per week. Previously, he was just doing 3 half-days/week. I think he enjoys more time with his *guy* friends, and he was excited about changing to full days. During the second week of full days, he seemed less excited about it. I believe he was more interested in staying home to play with his new toys (from birthday presents) vs. going to school. Regardless, Rocco is so much more interested this year in learning. He is getting so much better with identifying the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. He wouldn't get 100% on a test of either, but we're getting there! He can sing the alphabet. He can count to 50. He LOVES learning and doing math. When Gabby does her math homework, she often takes the time to explain it to Rocco and then tests him. Rocco can add single numbers quite well and seems to think math is pretty fun. I'm really enjoying seeing his interest in learning start to spark. He also continues to show more interest in learning to read.

FRIENDS: Rocco has developed a circle of friends, which is fun to see. He's got his school buddies, his gymnastics buddies and his neighborhood friends. He also plays so much and so well with his sisters, Gabby & Giuliana. Yes, they definitely have their moments of battle. But, for the most part, he is so generous and protective and forgiving with Giuliana, who likes to tag along and play whatever Rocco is playing. Gabby and Rocco can play nicely together for hours when doing anything L.EGO related. And, Marco is starting to get right in Rocco's face lately... so Rocco will often give Marco toys that he's playing with or distract him with other toys, while giggling and appreciating Marco's interest in whatever it is Rocco is doing. Rocco is VERY excited for his little brother to grow up and play with him.

SLEEP: Rocco is our BEST sleeper. He goes to bed between 8 -8:30 every night and wakes up most mornings between 7-7:30am. He is usually the first kid to wake up, and he likes to start his day by watching some cartoons on TV, snuggled up to his blanket and stuffed P.iglet.

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: T.ransformers, T.ransformer R.escue Bots, B.atman, S.uperhero Squad Show, P.hineus & Ferb, Little E.insteins, and W.ord World.

FAVORITE MOVIES: The I.ncredibles, T.oy Story movies, etc.

FAVORITE COLOR: Orange & Red

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS PAST YEAR:
1. Doing the monkey bars all by himself (crossing 10 monkey bars, easily!)
2. Learning to swing by himself
3. Riding his bike without training wheels
4. Singing the ABC's
5. Counting to 50
6. Learning how to draw a person (with a body & a face)
7. Learning to draw the letters of the alphabet and numbers
8. Rocco became a r.ollercoaster enthusiast (BIGTIME! He LOVES them and has no fear!)

BIRTHDAY PARTY: He asked to have a Samurai birthday cake, so that's what he got! We celebrated his birthday, along with his sister's birthday, by going out to dinner, singing the Happy B.irthday song, eating cake and ice cream and opening presents. And wow, did Rocco ever excel at opening presents in the past year. I think he whipped through 15 presents in less than 5 minutes. Unbelievable!! His party with friends will probably take place at a jumpy house (per his request) at some point in February, or whenever the flu stops spreading like wildfire. Whenever we have it, it will be a joint birthday party for Rocco and Giuliana.

MATTEO: Not a day passes in our house where Matteo's name is not mentioned once, or multiple times. His pictures are everywhere and the kids ask questions, or we talk about memories, etc. He is and always will be their brother and they all are aware of that. Rocco is very aware of the fact that he had a twin brother and that Matteo is now in Heaven. Sometimes, when Rocco is playing by himself, he'll tell us he wishes his brother didn't die because then they could be playing together, and they'd be best buddies. He also connects seeing the moon to Matteo, and he'll tell him goodnight, that he misses him and loves him. Their birthday is always especially hard for me. It should be such a happy day, but sometimes I get overwhelmed with sadness... Matteo should be here celebrating his 5th Birthday too. It just flat out kills me that he isn't.

FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: If you ask Rocco this, he'll tell you the beach. EVEN if prompted with "Is Disneyland your favorite vacation spot?" He'll respond with "No, I love the BEACH! I want to LIVE at the BEACH!" So, there you have it... I guess that means his answer is Hawaii or California because those are the only two places he's been to a beach.

Rocco is such an animated, happy-go-lucky kid, often sporting a huge grin, and can be heard humming the transformers theme song or making sound effects of things crashing or exploding. He has a million faces and often entertains me & my camera by modeling everything from his smile to shocked, to sad, to scared, to crazy face. It's hilarious! He's emotional too - if someone hurts his feelings, you'll hear about it! If he could play hard twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, he would. He is such a great, protective, big brother to Giuliana and Marco. He adores his big sister and LOVES when she plays with him. He's definitely got the boy gene, in that the words "butt, fart, poop, poopy, booty, bugar, goober, etc." might be the funniest words on the planet to him, and if he hears those words, he will laugh out loud, immediately. He thinks that him and the president of the U.nited States have common names... if you ask him the president's name, he'll say it's "BaROCCObama". He loves tools, and knows exactly where all of Dan's tools are and how they should be used. He loves having a bunk bed and sometimes sleeps on the bottom bunk, sometimes on the top. He loves wrestling and playing sports with his daddy, and he loves snuggling and reading books with his mommy.

Playing outside is one of his favorite things to do and he can often be found digging in the dirt, swinging on the monkey bars and swings, playing army guys in the dirt, riding his bike, riding his scooter, finding sticks and doing various things with those sticks. In the summer, he LOVES playing with the water hose, and anything water-related.

Rocco's blanket remains his item of comfort. He sleeps with his blanket every night, and he calls it his "Tickley" (because he tickles his face with the fringed edges). The blanket gets chewed on, snuggled, brought on vacations, etc. It is pilled and beginning to look tough. His blanket was a Christmas gift from my mom when he was 11 months old. Rocco loves this blanket. He will not sleep without it. It is like his 3rd arm at times. So cute!

We love you SO MUCH, Mr. Rocco!! Every day you make us laugh, you challenge our *answering* skills, thought process, parenting skills, and patience. You remind us how to have fun and play like a kid again, and to appreciate the simple things in life. We love your snuggles, cuddles, and quiet time with you. We think you are perfect beyond words and we could not love you more, or be more proud of the little man you are becoming. xoxo

Grandma Oni

My grandma Leona was the sweetest, hardest-working, thoughtful, big-hearted and most kind person I have ever known. She had such a hard work ethic, she was lively and fun and entertaining, and she had the most amazing laugh. 

The last time I saw her was in September 2010. She was still living in her home at the time, and while she had slowed down considerably, she was still doing quite well. 

If I could go back in time, I would have held her real tight in a bear hug for a half hour, while telling her how special she was to me, how many wonderful memories I will keep tucked away in my heart and mind of her, how much I admired her, and what a great role model she was for me growing up. 

She passed away in the very early morning hours of January 10th. The same day my sweet twin boys were born five year prior, and Giuliana was born three years prior. 

I can only imagine her reception into the Heavens. And, I imagine my sweet little Matteo being so grateful to see his great grandmother again, helping to celebrate his birthday.

She had been living in an assisted living home for just over a year. Her health had taken some turns for the worse during the year. Then, she caught a virus in December… and she just couldn’t recover.

 She went into the hospital shortly after Christmas, and never went back to her home. My mom spent every minute she could possibly spend with her… making sure she was well taken care of, and comfortable, and that they were doing everything possible to help her pull through the virus and subsequent health issues. 

I knew in my heart that grandma Oni was pretty sick, and there was a chance she would not make it through this. But, it didn’t stop me from having high hopes and praying for a miracle and healing and strength.

I recall the night she died, praying to my little Matteo and G.od before i went to sleep. I prayed that they help her remain comfortable and that they welcome her with open arms and take very good care of her when she arrived in Heaven. I fell asleep after silently crying myself to sleep so as not to wake anyone.  

I woke up just after midnight on January 10th, and I remember looking towards the end of my bed and immediately thought of grandma Oni. I swear I could feel her presence in the room, and I felt like she was there with me. I had been so sad as I drifted off to sleep that night… and now, I felt a sweeping rush of peacefulness. I felt as if she was ok, and had a feeling that she had passed. 

Sure enough, she passed away at 1:37am (CT) on January 10th, which was 11:37pm PT on the 9th. I got goosebumps when my mom shared this with me.

I truly believe her soul visited me that night shortly after she died. 

Rocco needs his sleeping bag?

Rocco (from upstairs): "Moooooooooom!!"
Me (downstairs): "What?"
Rocco (still upstairs, getting annoyed): MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Me: "Whaaaaaaat?"
Rocco: "Can you get my sleeping bag down?"
Me (looking at Dan): "I'm feeding Marco right now. Do you need it right now? It's day time!"
Rocco: "Yes! I need it right now. Can you get it down for me?"
Me (getting annoyed): "Well... you're going to have to wait. I'm feeding Marco."
Rocco: "Well, when can you get it down. I need it, mom!"
Me: "Rocco, why do you need your sleeping bag so bad, right NOW?"
Rocco: "Because I want to sled down the stairs head first in it."
Me: "Dan... did you hear that? What is wrong with that boy? You need to go talk to him. This is insane."
Dan: (laughing hysterically.... and more laughing... and yes, more laughing) "I think he must have seen that on TV last night when the kids caught the end of "A.merica's F.unniest H.ome V.ideos".
Me: "Oh my gosh. What's next?!?! Seriously?!"

This child keeps us on our toes. Seriously.