Comic Relief Can Be The Best Medicine

In my 9+ years of being a mother, I've learned that us "moms" have an extraordinary, supernatural power to avoid most sicknesses. I mean, really. Any mother can attest to this. 

Sing it with me... we've been puked on, spit up on, sneezed on, coughed on, slimed on.... you name it. And ninety-five percent of the time, we keep charging on strong. We can kiss our precious babies' sweet little sweaty, fever-ridden, contagious foreheads and snuggle them tight all night long, then wake up feeling like SuperMom, ready to tackle that kid's virus and any other threat on your family's health or happiness that day. 

Us "moms" are super-human at times. 

But then... there are "those other times". You know--the five percent. When your children somehow unknowingly share their latest virus with you. And, like the flip of a switch, you go from SuperMom to SuperSick. 

This happened to me recently. Six days ago to be exact. 

Over the course of the last 12 days, three of us have had i.nfluenza (not confirmed by blood tests - but obvious by symptoms), one child with a double ear infection and c.roup, one child with F.ifth's D.isease (aka, S.lapped F.ace Syndrome), and then another ear infection. 

Sometimes, all the hand-washing in the world (and the vaccine!) won't protect SuperMom. 

What happens when SuperMom is SuperSick? 

Well, in my house... SuperMom needs to charge on. My husband is usually gone during the week on business travel. And, I'll be honest, my kids really don't care if I'm sick or healthy.

I'm not going to sugar coat this. This is my reality. I could be passed out on the ground and my children would still be yelling "Mom", "MOM", "MOOOOM", from 10 rooms away. The littler ones would probably be poking at me repeatedly while saying "Mama...mama...mama....MAMA!" They would all most likely keep mom'ing me, with annoyance, until their needs/wants have been met. I don't think it would even occur to them that I was passed out on the floor from a fever or dehydration. 

Lucky for me, I happened to get sick on a Thursday. So, Dan was actually home on days 3 & 4 of my sickness to help with the kids and house stuff. But, then Monday came...and I was still sick.

Every so often, I have one of those days where I feel like the universe is trying to make me the butt of of it's joke. Yesterday was "one of those days".

I was on day #5 of having the flu. I woke up without a fever, instead just horrible chest and head congestion--which was great. But, in the span of time from when Dan left Sunday night to my alarm going off Sunday morning, I now had to add a dental appt to my day (my temporary crown came off while flossing), and a pediatrician appt because Rocco woke up crying from ear pain in the middle of the night. And, he never cries--so it was most certainly an ear infection. Then, add the knowledge of the normal Monday morning chaos that I still had to get 3 kids out of bed, dressed, teeth & hair brushed, 3 lunches packed, and drop 3 kids off at 2 different schools... and this SuperSick SuperMom was exhausted just thinking about the morning ahead. I wasn't feeling 100%--more like 30%. And it wasn't even 7am yet. 

Our normal Monday morning mad-dash out the door includes lunch bags and sweatshirts flying, me yelling reminders like "Did you pack a snack? Where are your socks? Make sure you have your folders." Add to that the 2 year old who almost always needs that emergency diaper change at the worst possible moment. And, then he proceeds to demand I carry him WITH his favorite brown blankey and five of his favorite R.escue Bots. Seriously, this is insane. The child is already getting heavy in my arms... now he's heavy and awkward in my arms. So, I go rushing out the garage door, holding Marco and his armful of stuff as if he's part of my circus act. Now, one of his shoes fell off en route. The thought that I don't have time for this crap quickly flies through my head, and I just leave the shoe in the path of lateness that I was most certainly leaving behind this morning. I was tired, sick and frustrated... mostly with myself for not feeling 100%. 

As I open the car door to get Marco buckled into his car seat, Giuliana looks at me and greets me with her "Mom. Mom. MOM!" 

"Yes, Giuliana", I say, while struggling with the bottom buckle for Marco's seat. 

She then proceeds to very proudly and matter-of-factly announce "Mom, I named my balloon P.ENIS!"

Oh. My. Gosh. WHAT?! Wait.... WHAT?!?!

Where in the world do kids come up with this stuff?!  

I had to hold back from laughing. I quickly had a little discussion with Giuliana about balloons and body parts and bathroom language. 

But, I couldn't stop laughing on the inside. This comic relief was just what I needed on this crazy morning. At this point, I had no idea that my day still included waiting at the pediatrician's office for over an hour, three calls to different pharmacies, two stops at different pharmacies, etc.  

6 Wide Down the Mountain

The Martino family is now 6 wide down the mountain!

Giuliana and Marco both tried downhill skiing for the first time last week. They both took to skiing with ease and seemed to really enjoy it. I think the younger you start them - the better. The little kids don't seem to have any trouble with crossing their skis, etc. Marco earned himself a mid-day nap on my chest. And, Giuls fell asleep while eating her crackers in the lodge at the end of the day. They were happy & pooped!

Gabby and Rocco are both skiing like champs and ready for more challenging runs.

There is a lot more snow in Tahoe this year compared to last. So, we decided to buy season passes for the family. We were able to get them up the mountain 4 times over the holiday break which was nice. It's a hop, skip and a jump from our house so it's quite easy to cruise up for even half days of skiing after school or the kids weekend basketball games.

Now we just have to HOPE for more rain storms in northern California this winter, bringing even more snow to the mountains!

Oh, and check out this ADORABLE photo some guy took of Marco and Dan on the chair lift. Marco's face is SO CUTE! Their chair lift buddy had this tiny little digital polaroid camera... pretty cool.

Giuliana Skiing Video

Giuliana really loved skiing and was going up the chair lift to go down longer runs after only a half day of lessons. She took to it really fast and had no fear.













Here's a cute video of her skiing:

This house is ALL wrong!

Giuliana keeps telling me she does not like our new house. She says the play room is supposed to be upstairs and the kitchen is supposed to be downstairs (like our house in WA).

I have to remind myself that she has lived most of her life in our WA house, even though she was born in CA, and now we're back. So crazy!

So, while she seems to love being back in CA... this new house is still ALL WRONG.

A Plan to Capture S.anta

The kids devised a plan to capture S.anta Claus...

Dan and I found them all huddled together in a room, talking loudly with lots of excitement. When we asked what they were doing (we knew they were up to something)... they told us they had come up with a great plan to capture Santa.

How awesome is that?!

A couple days later... Giuliana drew the plan out on paper for us.

Snowfreakingflakes

My two oldest children learned to make snowflakes in school over the past two weeks. For some unknown reason, they decided to teach the third oldest child how to make snowflakes over the weekend, while my husband was in Las Vegas for work (riiiiiiiiiight!).

I kid you not... I had three children making snowflakes faster than Buddy the Elf. There were paper scraps everywhere. EVERY WHERE.

EVERY. FREAKING. WHERE.

Paper scraps covered the table, the countertop, the floor under the table, the floor under the counter... they migrated over to the sofa.... there was a trail from the sofa to the table to the counter. Paper scraps were falling out of blankets, out of play kitchen toys... I even found them in kitchen drawers.

It is AMAZING what can happen when you try to give your toddler a quiet bath and leave the older kids to keep themselves entertained.

Sweet Moses.

I guess I should be thankful they were making snowflakes instead of pulling each other's hair out.

But, by the time I got them in bed and looked around (exhausted... and after a very long weekend w/daddy being gone)... I wanted to cry paper scraps!!

But nope... I just picked them all up.

Only to wake up Monday morning and find that child #2 has already been awake for 45 minutes and was on snowflake #52.

ARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Paper scraps EVERY WHERE... AGAIN!!!

Is it awful that I was bursting with joy to drop them off at school Monday morning?!

Writing her teacher a letter...

Giuliana told me she needed paper. She was going to write a letter to her teacher.

So, I got her some paper, markers and crayons. She seemed very serious about this mission and I was excited that she was attempting to write her teacher a letter.

I decided to ask her "What are you going to write to your teacher about?"

And, in her very serious, matter-of-fact voice... she proceeds to tell me "I am going to tell her that she has boy hair."

What? Are you kidding me?!

After my silent internal giggle... I of course went into parenting mode to remind her both girls and boys can have short hair OR long hair. And, we know lots of girls and ladies with short hair. And, we know some boys with long hair.

She seemed to be quite skeptical of the discussion. :))

Writing her name

At preschool, some of the kids are able to write their names on their art projects and homework sheets. Unfortunately, Giuliana doesn't have the luxury of a 4 letter name! Her name is long, and a bit confusing. Poor baby! So, her teachers write her name on all of her art and work sheets.

I've contemplated having her go by her nickname at school, which she actually created for herself 2.5 years ago ("Nana"). It would be a much easier option for her to use, and maybe she'd try writing her name on paperwork more often then.

I was SO proud of Giuliana when she finally attempted to write her own name. Quite successfully too! She asked me to write her name on the paper first (the blue hand writing at top center in this pic)... and then she tried to copy it (the pink off to the right).

She is getting more and more interested in practicing her letter writing and is often found writing random letters. Then, she'll come running over to us with her work and ask "what does it say, mommy?"

 

“Momma, why we got no house?”

Our living situation is crazy right now. Since moving out of our house we have stayed at 6 different hotels in in 4 different cities, traveled 800 miles, and moved into a temporary apartment while waiting for our home to be completed. Add to that the non-routine of summer, the constant busy work of finishing all the details with the new house, and I find myself sometimes scratching my head wondering what day it is. 

I think the kids are even a little confused! 

But, they seem to mostly be just confused with our living situation. 

The other day as I was walking out of T.arget with all the kids, Giuliana burst out with “Momma…. why we got no house?” (This is just after we moved into the temp apartment.)

I was certain everyone around us was convinced I was homeless and on welfare with 4 kids after that.

And, I notice that Rocco and Giuliana are frequently mixing up and using “hotel” and “apartment” interchangeably. 

The house can not be completed soon enough!

They're SO BIG!

ME: "Giuliana, these shoes don't fit you anymore. Your feet have grown! And look at your toes... wow - they're so long!"

GIULIANA: "And look at my boobies... they're SO BIG!"

 [[I don't know how kids come up with this stuff... but every day they make me laugh so hard.]]

Giuliana & her Imaginary Friends

Giuliana is our first child to have imaginary friends. Their names are Lola, Giga and Maya.

I think she developed these new friendships in February. We first heard a lot about Maya, and in the past month or so, Lola and Giga seem to be her friends of choice.

I'm not exactly sure how she came up with the names. And, she does not actively play with these friends throughout the day. For instance... she would never tell me she *is currently playing* with Lola, Giga or Maya... or that she is even setting a place at the dinner table for one of them. Rather, she will ask if her friends are coming over today. Or, as we are driving by the grocery store, she will tell me that she went to the grocery store last night with Giga. So, I will then ask "well, how did you and Giga get to the grocery store?". She will then tell me something like "Giga's dad drove us to the grocery store."

My theory as to why Giuliana created these friends is that she frequently observes Gabby and Rocco with their friends, or participating in friend-related activities (birthday parties, play dates, etc.), and she wants her own friends too.

Since she is my first child to have an imaginary friend, I've asked a few people if they have ever experienced this with their own child/ren. One mother told me her daughter would go as far as setting extra places at the table for her friends (she was older than Giuliana at the time). This friend also told me that the pediatrician had told her it was a sign of high intelligence, and to just go along with it and and never make fun of it. My friend and I couldn't help but completely agree that OF COURSE our children were brilliant and this must be a sure sign! :))

I must admit, these imaginary friends and the tales that develop can be kind of fun to play along with. Although, it does also present challenges. For instance, Giuliana will ask when Lola or Giga are coming over today. I usually respond that I haven't talked to their parents and I didn't know they were coming over. She will get frustrated, and insist they are coming over and demand I tell her a time. So, I tell her a time and then we try to distract her with other things. And, sometimes, she will say things like "Lola pushed me off the balance beam yesterday." Or, "Giga bit me at school two days ago." Then, I have to explain to her how those behaviors are things that friends and good kids do not do to each other. And, I try to tell her that when those things happen, an adult needs to be told right away so they can help sort out the situation and make sure that Lola and Giga know that they can hurt people by doing stuff like that.

I'm waiting for the day/moment when she tells a stranger (pediatrician, coach, teacher or whoever) a story that involves one of her imaginary friends and how that plays out! So far, she seems to just share her imaginary friends with her family.

Kids are so funny! It will be interesting to see how long she keeps these current imaginary friends.

Giuliana started DANCE class!

Giuliana started a dance class recently and she is really enjoying it. She is starting with “creative dance movement”, in a class with 3 and 4 year olds. She is the tiniest little person out there (just like in her gymnastics class), and seems to enjoy getting dressed up in dance clothes… you know, the tutus and leotards, etc. She took off running into the very first class, not even looking back at me once.

In mid-March, I decided to enroll her in dance because I found her sort of *needing* more than just a gymnastics class to keep her entertained during the week. While I’d like to think the chaos of our house is enough to keep any child (or adult!) permanently entertained (if not overwhelmed), it was just clear to me she needed/wanted more. Another activity that was for HER, rather than sitting on the sidelines watching one of her older siblings in their activities.

Since saying goodbye to our au pair in December, and me being tied to Marco so much throughout the day to nurse and provide the much-needed care that baby’s require…I’ve struggled with the moments I feel like she is bored.

Don’t get me wrong, I know it is very good for a child to experience boredom, as it helps fuel creative play and boosts imagination. And, of all my children, she is and always has been my best little self-entertainer. She frequently sits for an hour at a time flipping through piles of books telling stories, or playing with super heroes or her little pony figures, and she also enjoys spending time building with L.EGOS and playing with the doll houses.

But, in this case, I feel like I often get so caught up in doing laundry, prepping meals, doing homework with the older kids, cleaning up after everyone, etc, just to keep up... that I wasn’t finding/making the time I feel she deserved for her very own fun activities. So, I asked her if she wanted to do dance, and she gave me a very enthusiastic “YEAH!” response.

I am really enjoying watching her in the dance class. They seem to do a lot of the same song/dances, each week… so the kids get familiar with what they are supposed to do. But, the teacher does a great job of also introducing fun props, and a new song/dance each week too. If Giuliana continues to enjoy the class, I’ll enroll her in tap & ballet in the fall.   

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!!

Nana's Nastics on Mondays

Giuliana LOVES gymnastics. She's often heard saying "I got my nastics on Mondays!", as she goes about her day. She just finished her last mommy/parent & me class. In January, she'll start her first class without a parent involved in the class with her and she seems to be very excited about that.

I tried to tell her that her "nastics" might not be on Monday anymore. Rather, it might be on Tuesday or Thursday instead. She gave me a big "Noooooooooo! My nastics on Mondays momma!"

Giuliana, our night owl

I love when children nap.

Unfortunately, I think Giuliana is outgrowing her naps. [deep sigh....]

The reason I know this is not because she refuses to nap every single day. Because she does still nap very happily 4 out of 7 days. But, rather... because on the days she DOES nap, she ends up staying up until Dan and I go to bed.

Giuliana has always been such a great napper. Consistently napping for 2-3 hours every day. And, until about 3 months ago, she would do her daily nap and then go to bed at night when Gabby and Rocco did. It made bedtime super easy-breezy to put all the big kids down at one time, together.

Then, almost three months ago, she started not falling asleep right away at night if she took a long nap. She would talk, and talk and talk, and sing, and tell us Gabby was the one talking (they share a room). This would make Gabby crazy, as she was tired and actually trying to fall asleep. But, her pesky little sister was singing at the top of her lungs in the same room making her angry, instead of tired. Ugh! Then if we went up there, Giuliana would say "Dabby being too loud. Dabby keep me awake!". (Insert parent giggles here... really, Giuliana?!)

It grew to be more of a problem putting Giuliana to bed at the same time as Gabby and Rocco. Instead, if Giuliana took a 3 hour nap, we'd put her to bed an hour or two after Gabby and Rocco. Then, she'd fall asleep right away.

Well, then Halloween season hit with all the spooky decorations and costumes, etc. I think the spook in Halloween spooked our girl, because she moved back into our bed as of early October.

Good. Times.

Now, Dan and I wake up with about 20 stuffed animals, in all shapes and sizes in our bed. Several purple blankets (aka, "purpul bankey"), sometimes a book or two, or a batman figure, or a few horse, cat or other small animals, a pillow pet here or there. It's really amazing, actually... I'm in awe sometimes when I wake up looking around me. I mean, how does all of that stuff and 4 people really fit in a king size bed. Amazing.

And, if that isn't entertaining enough. Now, when I'm getting ready for bed... Giuliana will be wandering around the playroom or whatever, running in and out of our bedroom. One night, I walked in on her in the girl's bathroom... and there she was polishing her toenails, and she had also put glitter on her face.

I have a feeling this little girl is going to keep us on our toes. For a LONG time. But GOSH... I'm SO IN LOVE with her! I must be crazy because I think she's cute even when she's naughty.

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

"I got my own nastics!'

Giuliana is so proud of the fact that she's in gymnastics. So proud, that she tells us about 50 times a day "I got my own nastics!". She also tells every random person that we talk to... whether it's a neighbor, a store clerk, whoever... the second they acknowledge Giuliana by asking her something or telling her how cute she is, she quickly smiles and blurts out "I got my own nastics!".

Also... she requests to wear her gymnastics leotard approximately 4 days every week. She wears it all day, and if she's cold... she just wraps her blanket around her. When we acknowledge the leo she's wearing, she'll start showing us some of her moves. Usually this involves her putting her hands down on the floor and then sticking a leg up in the air, or she'll pretend/try to do the splits like Gabby.

She's such a little cutie-pie. And, yes Giuliana... you do *got your own nastics*!

No more crib for Nana!

Well... we knew the day would come. But, we were hoping it wouldn't for at least another 6 months!

I had just told some ladies that Giuliana had not ever even attempted to climb out of her crib, and how easy bedtime was with her. Every night, we would just sing her 3 favorite songs while rocking in the rocking chair (Jingl.e Bells, ABC song, & Twinkl.e Twinkle). She would drink her
"milky" and "wa wa", and then we'd lay her in her crib (usually with a variety of toys... Batma.n figures, little princess dolls, stuffed animals, and always her purple blanket) and say "Goodnight Nana... sleep well... we love you!" And, she would happily say "Night, night mama... love you! Sleep well." We'd hear her sing for a while... sometimes at the top of her lungs, etc. But, bedtime was SO EASY! She would just go to bed.

Literally, the night after I told them how easy bedtime was... it all changed. Dan put her down (and she wanted mama to put her down... mama puts her to bed 99% of the time, so that's what she's used to), and she was NOT happy about it. She screamed her head off. Just as I was going up the stairs... there she was, walking out of our room, sobbing, yelling for me. I was shocked. She just climbed out of her crib! And, we have a new baby due in just weeks.... ACK!!

So, I tried to re-do the bedtime routine, put her back in her crib. Only to have her repeat her crib-climbing stunt just minutes later.

It's been a few weeks now (started on March 17th). We've purchased a toddler bed and tried having her *feel like a big girl* by putting it in Gabby's room and having them go to bed at the same time. This resulted in Giuliana playing for hours... and essentially keeping Gabby awake
too.

So, now we moved the toddler bed into our room to hopefully allow Giuliana to get used to sleeping in her new bed. Once she does, then we'll try putting her in Gabby's room again. It just wasn't fair to Gabby to be kept awake by a crazy little sister when she really needs her sleep so she can do well and school and her activities.

Giuliana is now napping pretty consistentely in her toddler bed in our room. And, at bedtime, she'll often want to start in her toddler bed.... but doesn't get serious about falling asleep until we ask her "Do you want to sleep in mommy & daddy's bed?", to which she'll reply "Yeah... momma-dadda bed." We usually have to sit in the rocking chair for a good 5-15 minutes - so she knows we mean bedtime-business. But, then she'll fall asleep.

Hoping it only continues to get easier as she gets more comfortable with her new toddler bed and freedom of being able to get out of bed as she pleases.

The timing of all this new bedtime routine is less than desireable. I'll keep my fingers crossed that bringing a new baby home doesn't disturb the progress we've been making!

Yikes!

Giuliana's 1st Gymnastics Class

Since Dan travels quite a bit for work, Giuliana often gets dragged to the twice weekly gymnastics classes for the big kids.

Lately, when Rocco & Gabby go out onto the floor... Giuliana attempts to follow them out there. Sometimes, I'll let her stand out on the floor, near where Rocco's class is starting their stretching and warmup activities. I let her stand there until I feel like the teachers might be annoyed by it.

Then, when I try to coax her into coming with me and playing on the iPad or running a quick errand, she'll say "No mommy... nana do nastics! C'mon mommy... nastics!"

It's so cute. And, I feel so bad for her because I know she really wants to be doing exactly what her big brother and sister are doing. Soooo... I decided to sign her up for a trial parent/tot class the other day.

Gabby started gymnastics at 18 months. Rocco started a few months after Matteo died... so probably closer to 21 months. And, the only real reasons I haven't signed Giuls up yet is because I already spend so much time at the gym, in CA the gym was 7 mins from our house (here it is 20 mins at least), and I feel like I'm already juggling so much lately I'm not sure how I fit it into the schedule! And, these reasons obviously make me feel like an awful mom... depriving the youngest child of a fun activity that SHE wants to participate in.

Anyway, Giuilana had a BLAST and seemed to really enjoy the class. Dan participated with her and I took photos from the side. Now... I just have to figure out where to fit in this new parent/tot class. Sadly, it's not offered at the same time as Gabby & Rocco's class.























Look what I got Daddy! Stamps & a paper to color for doing such a great job today!!

Giuliana is TWO!

Giuliana is TWO! This is so hard to believe... I feel like she just came into the world two minutes ago. She is such a sweet little girl, she gives the best fish kisses, loves to hug, and is definitely a momma's girl. She also knows exactly how to turn the charm on her daddy to get what she wants. Smart little cookie!

Here are Giuliana's 2 year growth stats:
Weight: 21lbs 13 oz (40th %ile)
Height: 32 3/4 inches (25 %ile)
BMI: 14.62

Some notes about Giuliana at two years of age:

* Based on her 2 year growth stats, you'd think this was a different child. Giuliana was a big baby (8lbs 14 oz), but since her one month check-up, she has always been either not on the growth charts or just hitting 3rd %ile for weight. And, her height has always been in the 75th %ile range. Dr. C said that when kids start getting their height measured standing up, their height always drops on the percentile charts. And, we were all excited to see that she finally had put on some weight! She still looks like such a tiny little thing though.

* Giuliana is a great little eater. She loves or will try pretty much anything... some of the *not usually liked by kids food* includes avocados, broccoli, salmon, tilapia, pastas or any type or size. Some things she does not like include oranges. And, sometimes I can't get her to eat chicken.

* Some of Giuliana's favorite foods include soup (tomato or vegetable soup are the favorites), hot dogs, corn dogs (which she calls corn hot dogs), Kraft mac-n-cheese, pizza, turkey lunch meat, cheddar cheese, avocados, peas, and CHOCOLATE.

* Usually, I'll sit the kids down for dinner and while they're starting to eat their dinner I'm re-filling milks or trying to get my dinner plate prepped. When I sit down to eat, 90% of the time, Giuliana will get out of her seat and join me in my lap and eat off of my plate with me. I find this habit so funny. And, now during lunch, I'm noticing that when she sits down to eat lunch with Michalina (our au pair), if Michalina has something different to eat than Giuliana, then Giuilana will always want to eat some of her meal as well.

* Giuliana's favorite songs are Jingle Bells; the A,B,C song; and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She will sing them upon request and it is SO STINKIN' CUTE to hear her sing these songs. She's still not very articulate, although her vocabulary grows every day. I can understand approx 65% of what she is saying. So, when she sings these songs it's super cute because you know what the words are and what she is trying to say. My favorite part of Jingle Bells is when she yells "hey!".

* Giuliana's a great little sleeper. She still takes one nap daily, starting at 12noon. She'll sleep anywhere between 1.5 -3 hours. I'd say she more often than not averages approx 2 and a quarter hour naps on a regular basis. Bedtime is usually 8pm. And, she usually wakes for the day between 7-7:30am. The one catch here is that Giuliana wakes up usually between 11pm-2am, and says "momma? momma?" or "momma? dadda?"... and that is our cue that we must get her and bring her into bed with us. Then, she goes right back to sleep without issue. And, we get extra cuddles from the cute little monkey.

* Giuliana earned the nickname of midnight snacker back in the fall. She started this crazy habit of waking up and asking for "milky" (milk) or "wawa" (water) or "milky wawa" (milk & water)... and then it turned into asking for "cook cook" (cookie) and "fishy cack cack" (goldfish crackers). Whatever it was, it became a very annoying habit. She must have been going through a growth spurt and just needed the calories. So, in the middle of the night we'd get the request and Dan or I would have to wander down to the kitchen to fulfill the cookie request or the cracker or milk or water request. Dan traveled so much over the past few months that I actually started packing a little lunch box to bring up to bed with me that I could have by the bed with anything Giuliana might ask her JUST so I wouldn't have to wander downstairs in the middle of the night. Pathetic, I know. Just recently, the middle of the night snack requests have stopped (yes... that is the sound of me knocking on wood!).

* Bedtime also has a typical routine in our house. On most nights, we'll read a bunch of books downstairs before bedtime, give the kids their vitamins, and then we make the *go to bed* call and that means it's time to go upstairs and put PJs on and brush teeth. We typically put all the kids in pajamas and brush their teeth at the same time. Dan usually starts the process (if he's not traveling) while I clean up the downstairs a bit. Then, I join them upstairs to finish the process so we can tuck Gabby and Rocco into bed and give them big hugs and kisses. Giuliana says goodnight to her brother and sister, gives them hugs and kisses and then I put her to bed. Mommy ALWAYS has to put Giuliana to bed. She will not go to bed unless I put her to bed. (However, Dan did tell me that it wasn't an issue while I was on vacation w/my girlfriends for 3 nights at the end of January... whew!) Anyway, if she knows momma is in the house, which I always am (except for the random occasion), then she will cry or protest until momma goes up to put her to bed. So, I just fully participate in the go-to-bed routine all the time because there is no getting out of it for me! I do a diaper check, we turn on the fan, turn on the crickets (sound machine), and we sit down in the rocking chair with her favorite blankey and milky and we rock while singing songs. I always ask her which song we should sing first and she always says Jingle Bells. Then, we sing the ABC song, and then Twinkle Twinkle. Occasionally, Giuls will ask to sing Jingle Bells again. And, she'll almost always sing along with me if she isn't drinking her milk. I love this time with her... it's just so precious.

* Giuliana more often than not prefers to look at books by herself. She likes to flip the pages at her own pace. Sometimes... she'll join Gabby, Rocco and me on the sofa while I am reading books to them. But, most often, she'll grab one of the books in our stack and finds her own place on the sofa next to us and flips through the book on her own time. Then, when something sounds interesting, she'll come over and curiously look at the pictures and watch me read.

* Giuliana still LOVES pretending to be a kitty-cat. She will "meow" very loudly for attention, crawl over to you on all fours and brush her face against your leg. This is your cue to pick her up and treat her like a little kitty and rub her back.

* Giuliana loves doing animal sounds... we must have over 20 animal sounds now that she loves to tell you about.... horse, cow, goat, sheep, rooster, chicken, duck, bird, dog, cat, bumble bee, froggy, owl, bear, turkey, etc. It's always so much fun to hear little kids tell you what sound an animal makes. Her funniest animal sound remains the rooster... instead of saying "cock-a-doodle-do" she will say "cock-a-dee".

* If Giuliana hears the word "treat", she'll come running! I almost crings when I hear the "t" word... because she is so insistent on getting a treat if she hears the word, or if one of her siblings asks for one in front of her, it can be very difficult to distract her with something else or forget about "treats" all together.

* Giuliana started refusing to sit in her high chair back in the fall. Now she always sits at the dinner table with us in a booster seat. There are positives and negatives to this. For one, we're not having to clean off the high chair. She gets to feel more a part of the family, and like she is doing a *big-kid* thing. But, now we have to worry about her wanting to climb into and out of her booster seat at the table. It just opens up another opportunity for falling on a hard floor and I'm not a fan of that.

* Giuliana has a broad spectrum of toys that she enjoys playing with, including all B.atman related toys and loves to hold the figures and make them fly or drive their cars. She also loves Buzz Lightyear, AND baby dolls! You can see her motherly and nurturing skills come out whenever she has a little baby doll in her arms. Or, seeing a real live baby is ever more exciting and she observes with such curiosity and a gentle spirit... it's very fun to watch that interaction. Anyway, she loves to feed and hug and undress baby dolls. She prefers her B.arbie dolls and baby dolls to be naked. It's kinda crazy! She also loves playing with Gabby's F.isher P.rice Dreamhouse doll house. She likes setting up the rooms and holding the little people that live/play in the house. She enjoys puzzles and blocks too.

* Giuliana also loves doing artsy stuff... she loves playing with play dough, coloring, and playing with stickers.

* She is still very attached to her purple blankey. It is definitely her source of comfort and I love that she has that. And, I love that I have a backup should we ever lose one!

* Giuliana likes to think she is one of the big kids. Anything she sees Gabby and Rocco doing something, she feels she should be able to do it too. While this can be super cute, it can also cause a problem from time to time when we have to tell her *no* to protect her because she's not big or old enough. It's hard being the little person sometimes - I get that!

* Giuliana's favorite TV shows are B.atman, Go Diego!, Wonder Pets, and Little Einsteins.

* Giuliana likes to choose what she is going to wear every day. Just like her big sister did/does! BUT, she is completely opposite from Gabby, who at age 2 wanted to wear dresses every single day. If I try to put a dress on Giuliana, she has a major fit and screams and cries and I almost have to wrestle her to get the darn dress on. So, needless to say... I don't spend a lot of time putting dresses on Giuls. I/we usually just let her choose what she wants to wear. And, she LOVES to wear footy PJ's... sometimes all day long. Who can blame her, right?

* Giuliana also loves being naked (with diaper on). She loves to strip down and run around the house with JUST her diaper on. I'm not sure why... I guess it's just the freedom of being naked.

* Just when I am sure Giuliana is going to be more tomboy than girly-girly like Gabby, she'll surprise me and want to put flower clips in her hair. Or, if I'm putting makeup on, she'll want to put makeup on. Same thing with jewelry... if she sees me or Gabby putting jewelry on, she'll want to do the same.

* Giuliana is obsessed with lotion. She LOVES putting lotion on her hands. She loves putting lotion on anyone who will let her. And, when I put lotion on my face, she always insists that she gets to put on mommy's expensive face lotion too.

* Giuliana, while she looks like the sweetest little thing on the planet, also has little not-so-innocent side to her. I think this is probably something that MOST children have. However, it becomes more evident in homes with numerous children because the circumstances to be not-so-innocent, or want something that another child has, present themselves much more frequently than at a home with a single child or one sibling. She's getting better as she continues on into her twos, but for a while, she would fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted from her siblings. Odd thing was that with other kids (non-siblings), she was and still is more willing to share. It's something we continue to work on with her. Since she isn't super articulate yet, she does seem to use action more than words when something has her upset. Like, if Rocco has a toy she wants, she'll often start crying and trying to take it from him, rather than asking him for it. Then, if I come over to talk to her and tell her she needs to wait, she'll sometimes act out towards me. Dr. C. assured me that this is all very normal behavior for this age, as kids sort of learn the *sharing* concept closer to 2.5 years old.

* Giuliana enjoys getting dressed up in Halloween costumes... Rocco's old B.atman costume, Gabby's old Butterfly costume, the C.urious George costume, and just recently has shown more interest in playing dress-up in Gabby's old princess dresses. The C.inderella dress seems to fit her quite well right now!

* Lately, when I say "Giuliana, you're so pretty" or "you're so beautiful".... she'll respond with "Don't SAY that! I not pretty.... I nana!" (because Giuliana still calls herself "nana")

* Giuliana's nicknames include: Giuls (pronounced "Jewels"), Giulsy, Nana.... and Rocco often still calls her "Junynana"

Sure do love and enjoy this darling little squirt! She makes me smile so big and laugh every single day. Seriously the cutest little 2 year old on the planet right now... but then again, I'm biased!