Baptism... SURPRISE!

So, part of the reason we planned a quick trip to Minnesota this summer was not only to see and spend time with all 3 of my brothers and their families, but also to get the boys baptized and have their godparents be present. Rocco's godparents are Mark & Patty (they live in China). Matteo's godparents are Dave & Joanne (they live in Minnesota). Gabby's godparents are Trish and Todd who live near us in CA… so we never had the challenge of trying to schedule a baptism out-of-state, etc.

Everyone who knows us, also knows it wouldn't be right if we didn't add some sort of drama to an *official* sort-of-event. But, this time I thought we’d be in the clear. We were told over a month ago via email that the baptismal ceremony would take place after the service.

SURPRISE! Upon entering the church (admittedly, we were approx 10 minutes late) the priest said something that I didn't even really hear, as I was trying to slip in without making too much noise.
PATTY (SIL #1): "Jodi, you're supposed to go up there. He just called your name and mentioned the baptism."
ME: "WHAT?" (trying not to act shocked as I then realized, everyone is looking at us).
ME: "Dan, grab a twin, we're supposed to go up there."
DAN: "What?" And, he proceeds to walk out without a child in hand.

In my head, I'm thinking… Dear L.ord, Please don't make the baptism take place at this very moment… I'm still sweating from being late and dragging 3 children into an un-air-conditioned church on an uncomfortably hot & humid day. And, a quarter of the family who was planning to attend the baptismal ceremony is not present. Including, one of the godfathers. Try explaining that to your child someday… it would go something like "Sorry son… your godfather wasn't present at your ceremony because he didn't feel like attending church. But, yes, he's your godfather… and will help guide you with the Catholic faith… blah, blah, blah."

ME: "Dan, grab a kid." As, I'm struggling with the safety belt on Rocco's infant seat and trying to restrain myself from yelling "This was supposed to happen AFTER the service, people! Can't you see we have twins? I need to PLAN. My every hour revolves around planning. The year of surprises was supposed to have officially ended mid-June 2008!"

PRIEST: "Well, they have twins… so we'll come to them." (This is after patiently waiting for us to go to him for an uncomfortable 2-3 minutes.)

ME: Thinking… Thank God. Maybe this priest really is connected to God… clearly, God is giving him signals.

The priest then asks us to introduce ourselves and the twins. Dan is sweating. I am sweating. Babies are wiggling. The priest then asks us what brings us here today and points the microphone in my direction. All I could think was "Dude… I have NO clue. But, if you ask me why I'm in this situation right now I'd have to say that I must have done something wrong… bad karma. Seriously." The priest then whispers under his breath "say baptism". OH YEAH! Easy, right! So we proceed to say "Baptism". He then tells us and the parishioners the baptism will take place after the homily. All I could think is GREAT… now we'll have time to get Dave/godfather dressed and to church on time.

Joanne (SIL #2), proceeds to call Dave and leave a message on his cell and at my parents house. She can’t reach him. Mark eventually connects with Dave and tells him he has 10-15 minutes.

Gabby proceeds to get antsy, tired, and whiny. She starts asking loudly where baby Jesus is, where papa is, etc. She finally falls asleep on my shoulder.

Baptism time. Uh oh. No Dave in sight. Oh well.

We go up for the baptism. The priest walks over with his gear. And, like superman-godfather, Dave magically appears and rushes up to the front of church to stand by us just moments before the first of two baptisms actually takes place. He gives a calm, cool smile and all is well. Good timing. I'm happy for Matteo.

Baptismal highlights:
* Rocco was awake and Matteo slept for the entire ceremony.
* Gabby also slept through the ceremony... on my shoulder.
* Rocco LOVED having the water put on his head 3 times. He actually squealed with delight each time.
* Matteo was sleeping, so the water woke him up a bit. He cried a bit and then happily went right back to sleep.
* Matteo was awake and Rocco slept for the photos after.
* Both boys looked so handsome in their outfits. Both found their ties to be great teething devices.
* Gabby stuck her finger in the back of the cake during photos, and proceeded to stick one of the baptismal candles in the cake… cakes need candles, right?! Uh-huh...
* Rocco's foot ended up in the cake before it was cut.

Dare I say it... Tuesday - June 24, 2008

Dare I say it? All kids are fairly healthy and we've had 1 night in the past week where all 3 kids slept through the night and 2 nights where 2 kids slept through the night. Not that I'm superstitious or anything... but your nuts if you think I didn't just knock on wood.

The past week hasn't been without drama, of course. For instance... I woke up in the middle of the night last Tuesday and puked my guts out. For no apparent reason. And, in case you didn't already know - mom's aren't allowed to be sick. So when I still felt funny several days later Dan urged me to take a pregnancy test. No way. That would be impossible. Then... I decided to actually take a test because the past year hasn't been without the "impossible" kind of surprises. I'm happy to report that I'm not pregnant.

Then, today after Dan picked Gabby up from school he called me from the Safeway parking lot. Apparently, he had a car full of groceries, a hungry two year old and a Mercedes that wouldn't start. Damn that car. Total lemon. Anyway, he proceeds to call me (frustrated, of course) and requests that I just "run" over there with the babies and jumper cables. ME "I've got one baby sleeping. One eating. And, we don't have jumper cables." DAN: "Yes we do." ME: "Where?" DAN: "In the garage." Then, what I wanted to say was "Hello? Have you looked in our garage lately? I'd be surprised if G.od could find the jumper cables in OUR garage." But, I didn't. Instead, I suggested he call a neighbor (thanks, Gregg!). And then I told him what I had wanted to say later. Dan "Hmmm... good point."

Anyway - on to the kids drama... much more exciting:
* Rocco's really rolling. Put him down, he rolls and rolls and rolls. When he's on his belly it sometimes looks like he's swimming... the hands and legs don't stop moving. Ever. Honestly. This kid is gonna be busy.

* Rocco's new trick is pushing himself up onto his knees and elbows. He likes to practice this most when he wakes up from naps in his crib and is agitated that we're taking too long to get him.

* Rocco discovered that eating his feet can be more fun/tasty than his hands.

* Matteo's decided that he really DOES like solid food. Today, he proceeded to eat a 2.5oz package of sweet potatoes and a 6oz bottle - all within an hour for the babysitter. I couldn't help but think he might have a bellyache. But he happily slept for almost 3 hours. Such a good little guy!

* Matteo's new trick is screaming. When he's happy, you'll now hear more screams and loud squeaks. He continues to be such a happy, mellow little guy. He loves to laugh and gives big open mouth smiles. He observes the world around him calmly and curiously. You can almost see him thinking when he reaches for and grabs objects. Everything goes to the mouth. And, he really has a steady hand for a 5 month old. Maybe he'll be a surgeon some day? Hmmmm...

* Matteo & Rocco decided to sleep through the night, on the same night, one night over the past 3 nights. The other 2 nights Rocco did what he hasn't yet done and slept through the night, only to have Matteo wake up both nights in the 3 o'clock hour. Go figure. Get the non-full-night sleeper to sleep through the night and then the full-night sleeper wakes up.

* Gabby is obsessed with wearing big girl undies. However, here's a catch. They must go on over the diaper or pull-up. She's going potty in the potty chair almost every time. But, we've regressed with poos. Not sure why. But, she will no longer go poo on the big girl potty chair. Did she have a splasher? Is it not the right position? We can't figure it out. Why does potty-training have to be so draining on the parents?!

* Gabby is also thrilled that the kids on the block are done with school for the summer. They will come over and play with her quite frequently and are so great with her. Real nice kids. Sometimes they organize her toys for me which I, of course, LOVE! Honestly. Anyone who comes over and organizes or cleans is always welcome in my home. And, they also love coming over to see and hold the babies. Again. Anyone who wants to hold or love all over a baby is always welcome in my home.

Also, don't ever take a lengthy blog post like this for granted. If you think I wrote this in the past hour, you're crazy. This was in development for 2 days as I can't seem to find a half hour of uninterrupted time.

Wildfires Tuesday - June 24, 2008

Today was another "stay inside" day. I opened the front door and it smelled like a campfire was burning in my front yard. The air was hazy and when I looked to my left at the foothills, everything was gray... a big cloud of smoke. Sadly, this is the third time in 3 weeks we've had bad air quality due to the wildfires. And, it's expected to stay hazy and gray for a while. Apparently there are over 1,000 wildfires in CA right now.

Here’s a photo I took two weeks ago when the evening smoke made the sky turn crazy-pretty colors. Two of the recent fires have been just on the other side of the foothills in this photo.

Happy Father’s Day! Sunday – June 15, 2008

In our house, it was actually Father’s Day weekend.

Dan went out with his old high school pals on Friday night, and took our new neighbor from across the street with him. I ended up having a bit of unexpected fun myself, as I had two neighbors over for some wine… ok, a LOT of wine. Lots of fun! And, clearly the men had a LOT of fun too… as our car was left at the bar and Dan was glued to the sofa all day Saturday.

Today I gifted Dan with no tasks and time to take a LONG nap. And, we pretty much just hung out all day. Nothing too crazy. Well, Matteo did have a little bit of a crazy day as he decided to flip off the sofa onto some blankets. I won’t point any fingers, because it is Father’s Day and all… but, the little guy was fine, of course. I don’t think it even really scared him. We also did our very first dinner out with all the kids since adding the boys to the family. It actually went real smooth… but honestly, not something I’d do every week.

Dan helped feed the boys some solid foods today. Sadly, the little guys are still not really into the solid foods. It amazes me. Gabby was loving solids at about 4.5 months. And she loved sweet potatoes. The boys are 5 months old and when we try to feed them sweet potatoes, they act like they’re gagging. It’s getting a little better… but very slow progress.

Ode to Dan on Father’s Day:
We love our daddy – yes we do!
He does everything and more that a daddy should do.

Daddy cuddles and snuggles better than a bear.
And, he will always help wash food out of our hair.

He works real hard each and every day.
And, then comes home and wants to play.

He plays “chase” and “get you” better than anyone we know.
And even gives kisses to a smelly, stubbed kid’s toe.

Daddy loves going on trips to the park.

And he always protects us from monsters in the dark.

He hands out band-aids with lots of love.
And will always gladly put on a princess glove.

He makes us laugh when we are crying.
And always has the most fun finding us when we are hiding.

Daddy thinks it’s funny when we burp or pass gas.
And, he might just be the most popular daddy with all the kids in Gabby’s class.

He gives bedtime baths and helps prep bedtime “drinkies”.
He brushes teeth, changes diapers, and even helps put away a left out slinky.

He reads us stories and hugs us tight.
Then tucks us safely in our beds at night.

He loves our mommy like no man could.
And is always the first to make our mommy feel good.

We love our daddy – oh yes we do!
Now get ready, daddy, for the next few years of poo!

I love you, babe! Thanks for being such a wonderful daddy. Happy Father's Day!

And… Matteo’s rolling! Wednesday - June 11, 2008

Well, my friends… we now officially have two rollers! Matteo rolled today! Hooray for Matteo!

Very true to Matteo’s personality… he decided to be sneaky and do his first roll-over when nobody was looking. Dan actually discovered him, as he was quietly squawking away with irritation. Dan went to see what the fuss was all about and found him on his tummy. And for both boys – the official first roll was from back to tummy.

Matteo is such a quiet, gentle little guy… he likes to observe what’s going on around him. For some reason I think he’ll continue to reach life’s milestones at his own pace and not feeling the need to reach them before his brother. I see him doing things when HE decides it’s time. This presents a 50/50 chance of playing in my favor someday. Hmmmm…

The only time our little Matteo is loud is when he’s laughing – he LOVES to laugh hard. And, he is also quite loud when he’s super hungry or tired.

Matteo’s second roll over was for a very anxious mommy who wanted to see it for herself. And, he did it almost on queue. Exciting stuff!

Still seeking a dull moment... Saturday - June 7, 2008

People are going to start saying "Well... if you're looking for a little excitement or some comic relief, just visit the Martino's!"

Before you continue reading this post, please do me a favor and promise to tell me to knock on wood if you ever hear me say "We've had a crazy day/week - life can't possibly get more chaotic."

This week's highlights... so far:
4:35am, Sunday morning: I finally crawled into bed after picking Marcela (our au pair) up from SFO after a delayed flight from New York. I woke up at 9am and spent the day in a strange fog.

9am, Monday morning: Marcela officially started working for us, with me planning to be her sidekick throughout the day to train and help her with any unruly kiddos.

10:30am, Monday morning: Marcela starts to cry. She tells me she doesn't think she can handle taking care of twins. It is too hard. She can’t handle hearing two babies cry. All I can think is: Oh you haven't seen anything yet... just wait 'til the third one chimes in. Or, wait until the UPS guys is standing in your doorway waiting for you to sign off on his delivery while the baby you are holding has a massive poo-cano (aka poop explosion up the back and through the clothes), the other baby is screaming for food, the phone starts ringing, and Gabby decides it's the perfect time to fall into the toilet while attempting to situate herself on the big girl potty. She also starts screaming. And, if you think I dreamt up that example and that the above story didn’t really happen, I only have a few things to say to you:
1. You need to come spend a day with me. Who could make s*$% like this up? Honestly.
2. You have NO idea the daily drama that happens in this house.
3. You clearly haven't parented 3 children under 3.
4. Don't ever call me and tell me you're bored or don't know what to do with all of your free time.
Anyway, I digress. So, now I'm thinking "Lovely. Totally didn't need this to happen today."

11:15am, Tuesday morning: I take Rocco to the doctor. All the staff now knows my name and acknowledges me as if I’m part of the inner workings of their office. I probably show up more than some of their part time employees. Anyway, Rocco's diagnosed with bronchitis... AGAIN. For the second time in three weeks. Not good.

12:30pm, Tuesday: I get home from the doctor with a sleeping Rocco. Marcela is in the kitchen crying to Dan. I ask what's wrong and Marcela tells me it is impossible to take care of twins... impossible. She said it is very, very hard. I tell her I know. She tells me I'm so organized and am so fast. I tell her I have to be. She tells me she used to wish to someday to have twins... I tell her she might want to wish for only singletons. She tells me her arms are so sore from the babies. I give her Tylenol. I tell her her biceps will soon be toned. I ask her if she wants us to call the au pair agency and find a replacement host family for her. She says yes. I agree that would be best.

2:00pm, Tuesday: I go to W.algreens to pick up Rocco's prescription. Only half of it is in-stock, I'll have to go back tomorrow to pick up the remaining Rx. Annoying. I'm annoyed with W.algreens for the 3rd time in 2 weeks. Is that strange?

7:00pm, Tuesday: Our representative from the au pair agency comes over and explains the next steps to us. Marcela can continue to work for us if we'd like and is required to stay with us for the next two weeks. During that time, we will begin interviewing other replacement au pair candidates. At the same time, other U.S. host families will have the opportunity to interview Marcela over the next two weeks. If someone chooses her, great. If not - then she will be sent back to Brazil. We have no time limit on choosing another au pair. However, I need someone in here asap…

Wednesday: Dan decides to work from home since I have to go into the office... and well, it's very evident Marcela needs help. So, I go into the office for some much needed R&R. Trust me when I say meeting with a team of pediatric surgeons is relaxing compared to being at home right now. Not even comparable stress. I get home and Marcela tells me she thinks Matteo is getting very sick. Dang... I agree with her. He is.

4:00pm, Thursday: Matteo is diagnosed with bronchitis. Poor kid. Now he has to be on two medications at the same time.

5:45pm, Thursday: New neighbors begin moving into the house directly across the street from us. They come over and say Hi. They seem really nice... like people we'd hang out with. They've got a dog, and no kids. They meet Gabby and and the boys. She tells me she wants twins. I tell her to come spend a day with me—she might change her mind. And then I of course can't help but share this week's situation with the au pair who also wanted twins. And look what happened to her... she's now running for the hillls. Just a little example.

6:30pm, Thursday: Dan brings home Matteo's medication AND what I discover later... the remaining bottle of Rocco's Rx that they didn't have in stock the other day. I give Matteo his two medicines - one for his ear infection, and one for bronchitis.

7pm, Thursday: I make dinner. We all eat. Everyone scatters and/or assists with getting boys to bed.

8:30pm, Thursday: After cleaning up dinner, I begin tidying up the downstairs baby station. I am organizing the baby medications, because we've now got 4 bottles of it. None of the bottles have Rx labels on them, mind you… just the boxes that the bottles came it have the actual Rx labels. I suddently realize I gave Matteo Rocco's bronchitis medication instead of his own medication for bronchitis. F*&K! Matteo is on a different bronchitis medication, probably due to the fact that he's also taking a drug for his ear infection. CRAP! OMG! F*#K! My mind starts spinning. Page the doctor. Doctor says it's ok and if anything, it would just give him a tummy ache. Thank God.

Now I realize I am the idiot that T.arget is marketing to with their new Rx bottles which they claim to be essentially mix-up free. I recall seeing numerous advertisements about how they have these new Rx lables aimed to prevent Rx mix-ups in the home. I always thought "who on earth would mix-up an Rx or give the wrong person the wrong drug". Clearly a crazy, stressed out, mom with multiple kiddos on drugs like myself. Yup. I'm the target audience.

Friday: I get tons of work done in the morning hours. Hooray! Marcela is doing a good job with the babies while I pinch hit with Gabby and/or a baby when necessary. Gabby had one of those days that could make someone jump, screaming, from a second story window. She changed her dress 15+ times before 1pm and was whiny all day. I begin thinking we need one full-time au pair for Gabby alone. And, one full time au pair for the twins. Dream bubble pops... we can't afford two au pairs, and if we could we'd just get a nanny here in the U.S. and would not be in this au pair drama in the first place. Blech!

I talked with my neighbor who has had au pairs for the past 7 years and she tells me I need a ‘Helga’ or an ‘Olga’ or someone from Germany. She tells me the au pairs she has had from Germany have been the hardest workers.

At the end of the day, I ran out the door to meet my girlfriend, Kathleen, for cocktails and the "Sex and the City” movie. I’m sure I’ll be trying to coax her or someone else into doing that again soon.

Here's a few more photos of Rocco & Matteo, Gabby with the identical twin boys from across the street, and Marcela with the boys:

Never a dull moment. Saturday - May 31, 2008

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

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

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

A week in review. Monday - May 26, 2008

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

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

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

One year ago today. Saturday - May 24, 2008

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

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

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

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

Rocco’s rolling! Monday – May 19, 2008

He did it! Rocco’s rolling over!

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

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

Hooray, Rocco!

Growing like weeds! Thursday - May 15, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

What would we do without...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mother's Day 2008

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

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

4 months old today! Saturday - May 10, 2008

The boys are now 4 months old!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh happy day...

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

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

Well... Dan surprised me.

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

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

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

Back To Work. Sunday - May 4, 2008

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

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

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

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

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