The 1st Tooth is Out!

Gabby lost her first tooth on Friday, 9/14/12.

We visited the dentist in late August, and he told us that Gabby would probably lose her two bottom teeth before Halloween. Then, three weeks ago Gabby started saying it was hurting to bite down on food. The same day, she discovered that she could actually bend her tooth a bit. She spent countless hours wiggling that tooth back & forth. The tooth finally lost his battle to to a gummy bear… the gummy bear being stronger than whatever was still holding securing the tooth to Gabby’s gums.   

 

Gabby was so excited. She went running around the house screaming “my tooth fell out!” Rocco and Giuliana were very excited for her and intrigued by this. Rocco kept asking when his teeth were going to fall out. Giuliana told me her teeth were NOT going to fall out. Never ever.

 

Gabby then asked me to take a picture and send it to Michalina, our au pair for the past year who had just left to go back to Poland. She had really wanted to be here when Gabby lost her first tooth. And, I also sent the photo to daddy (away on a biz trip).

 

This was a VERY big deal for Gabby! To say she was eagerly anticipating the loss of her tooth is a grand understatement. You see… in  Kindergarten, there was a “tooth” bulletin board that displayed the names, pictures and dates for each child who had lost a tooth (or more). Gabby really wanted to be a part of that, and spent a good part of the year complaining about tooth pain, or telling us she thought one was starting to wiggle.

 

Monday morning came, and Gabby was quick to share her big news with the bus driver, teacher and all of her school friends. And, she even got to put her name on the first grader’s “I lost a tooth!” bulletin board. J

 

No more training wheels for Rox!

As of Sunday, 9/9/12... Rocco no longer needs training wheels on his bike! Dan worked with him for about an hour, at the request of Rocco himself... and there he went... doing another big kid thing. So, so proud of this little guy!

If only Matteo could do it too... [sigh].

Marco's 4 Month Update

Marco's 4 Month Growth Stats:
Height: 26 3/4 inches (95%ile)
Weight: 15lbs 11oz (75%ile)
Head: 17 1/8 (75%ile)

Night Sleep: He’s still not on any real schedule, but daytime nap patterns have emerged which is nice. As for night sleep, he typically goes to be between 8-9pm. And, up until about 2 weeks ago, he’d first wake up between 12-2am for a feeding and then again between 4-6am. Well, lately, he’s been waking up crying around 10:30pm, 11:30pm… and we’re able to soothe him back to sleep without me nursing him. But, at 12am or 12:30am, he’ll want to eat and that’s when I bring him into bed with me so he can nurse and I can try and get some sleep. My theory for him waking up more often in recent weeks is that he is beginning to teethe. And, I say that because he is a drooling mess during the day and wants to chew/bite my hand constantly, as well as anything that he can manage to pick up and put into his mouth. Poor little guy! Also, the past few nights he’s been waking up in the 3am hour crying. Sometimes it takes me getting out of bed and rocking him back to sleep. And, sometimes I’m able to “shhhhhhhhhhh…” him back to sleep. I love teething (not)! Then, he’s also decided to start his days earlier. So, he’s now waking up for the day between 6:30-7:30am.

Naps: Marco’s awake time has now stretched to 1.5-2 hours during the day. Every time he wakes up… he’s able to stay awake for almost 2 hours before he needs to take another nap. I love when these patterns start emerging, as it makes everything so much easier. I can always anticipate when he’ll need to go back down for a nap. His first nap of the day is usually around 8:30am. The majority of his naps are still rather short (30-40 minutes). But, he has napped as long as 1.5 hours.

Eating: Marco still eats on demand…lucky boy! When he is hungry, I nurse him. I will also still nurse him to soothe him if he’s upset. I probably still nurse him 12 times throughout the day. The doctor told us we could start to feed him rice cereal, mixed with breast milk. But, I’ve decided to pass on even trying the rice cereal, as not one of my children ever liked it… and actually, it made most of my babies gag. Instead, I’ll just start introducing him to baby pureed vegetables in a few weeks. I always really enjoy giving babies little tastes of their first baby foods. It can be so entertaining watching all the facial expressions, their look of utter disgust, and watching their little tongues try to figure out what the heck that spoon object is that you’re putting in their mouth. Not to mention, it’s always fun to see how much of the food they actually get on their tongue and figure out how to swallow.

New tricks:
· Rolling from back to tummy, constantly. Sometimes doing this the very second you put him down.
· Gripping objects… he’ll eye something, and then it’s so fun to watch him move his hands towards it and try to grasp it and bring it to his mouth.
· Chewing on mommy’s hand, constantly.
· Chewing on anything that he can grasp and bring to his mouth.
· He has shown interest in watching us eat. I’ll sit him in the high chair with us while we’re eating dinner, or whatever, and he seems very busy watching everyone put food in their mouths.
· His neck strength has improved drastically, and he is now constantly turning his head to look around towards the sounds he hears, or when people enter a room, or at the various objects and lights that surround him
· Enjoys tummy time now. He’s able to lift his head and neck high by pushing up with his hands.

· More talking. He is very interested in talking, or telling stories as we say. He’s also sort of doing this muffled screaming sound that goes on, and on (which we refer to as him telling us a story). He’s very happy when he’s talking and the kids love it!

· His core strength is developing to the point where I can sort of hold him on my hip and not have to be super concerned about holding his neck or head. I love it when you can start holding your baby on your hip and they just hold on to you!

· Marco still isn’t a HUGE fan of the car… but he’s getting better. Or, maybe the kids are just getting better at distracting him instead? All I know is the blood curdling crying in the car which I will go to great lengths to avoid is becoming more rare.
· Marco has started to enjoy stroller rides. I love this, as it gives me a little more freedom to take him on walks and runs and bring him outside with the kids.

Heartbreaking Goodbye

It is always SO truly, incredibly difficult to say goodbye to our favorite au pairs who have lived with us for a year. They truly become an extension of our family. The kids look up to them and almost treat our au pairs as if they were their older siblings.

We had to say goodbye to Michalina yesterday. She was definitely one of our favorites.

Gabby and Rocco had to say goodbye in the morning, because they both had school.

As Rocco hugged Michalina, he said "I'll see you again someday in Heaven! And, you can meet Matteo there too!"

And well... that just tore me up inside...for so many reasons.

It's fascinating and heartbreaking to me that such a young little man (4 yrs old) understands the concept of a big goodbye and has such solid beliefs. The fact that he connects *the end of time* with seeing and being with his brother in Heaven... and that he is sure everyone who is important to him will get to meet his brother up in Heaven too, when we're all reunited... bone chilling to me. Love this kid.

Gabby started 1st grade!

Gabby was SO EXCITED for school to start. She truly loves learning and she also really enjoys the social aspect.

Two weeks before school started, we received a letter telling us which teacher and classroom she would have. She was thrilled to learn she would have Mrs C... the same teacher that two of her very best friends from kindergarten were assigned. The letter also came with a school supply list, so I invited her to join me to pick out her new school supplies.

While a lot of the schol supplies were pretty standard, Gabby enjoyed picking out a wide-ruled notebook decorated with hearts, 2 folders decorated with the "peace" signs, and a pink pencil pouch (vs. a pencil box). I talked her into keeping her same backpack from last year since it was still in great condition.

Coincidentally, we had also purged Gabby's closet the week before... so it gave us a great excuse to also do a little back-to-school clothes shopping. She needed new jeans, a few new long sleeve shirts, and a few new t-shirts.

Her school held a "meet the teacher" event the Friday before school started. It was nice for Gabby to be able to see her new classroom, meet and talk with her new teacher, see where her desk and locker areas were. When we got home, Michalina asked her what she thought of "meet the teacher", and Gabby's response was "my new teacher has brown and gray hair".

Glad she got something out of it! ha!

The night before the first day of school, I think she fell asleep close to 10pm... maybe even a little later. Crazy little girl... so excited she couldn't sleep. Granted, I remember that always happening to me too!

I hope it will be a great year ahead for her!

Rocco started pre-Kindergarten!

Rocco started pre-Kindergarten!

He's at the same school, but a different classroom with a lot of the friends from his old classroom. preK means he gets to do more big-kid stuff... practice writing his full name, practice writing letters and numbers, and classroom projects and experiments.

He's very excited about preK and is quick to boast that he's now preK, in the big kid classroom that Gabby was also once in when we first moved here.

Rolling over!

Marco rolled over for the first time today!

We were up in Gabby's room, and I laid him on Gabby's rug, on his back so that I could put away some of her clothes. Two seconds later, I look over and the little guy flipped so fast from his back to his tummy. It was awesome... and I cheered so loudly for him that I got all the kids and our au pair, Michalina, super excited about it too!

So, of course I had to see him do it again... and of course, he was able to repeat his cool new trick while I was recording!

So proud of my little man. Love him so much!

ARMY GUYS… with missing heads?

In May, our home was invaded by these little green men… army guys. Rocco love them. LOVES!

Rocco attended a birthday party last April, and there in his party favor bag were his first ever 5 army guys. Gammy saw him playing with them in May when she was visiting, and proceeded to tell Rocco all about the big bag of army guys she had at home. The original owners of these army guys she was referring to were my brother’s Mark and Dave. Gammy told Rocco that she would send Rocco the big bag of army guys when she got home.

Well, the minute Gammy left, Rocco started asking about the army guys. Much to our surprise, he would even ask to call her so he could find out when she was going to send them. Finally, the army guys arrived… and they have been played with every day since. Lots of battles set up on bedrails, in princess castles, in doll houses… even fighting super heroes. He’ll also use them as targets when shooting his nerf guns. And, Rocco and one of our neighbor boys also spend hours setting up and playing army guys with their tanks and airplanes in sand dunes and dirt piles. The imagination has gone wild with what these army men can and will do.

 

The funniest moment was when Rocco discovered one of the army men with a missing head (I’m guessing the result of my brother’s pyrotechnic skills)… he came running over to me yelling “MOM, MOM!!!! This army guy’s head is missing!!” I looked and said “Oh, wow… yikes!” Then, he ran off yelling “HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

I almost fell off my chair in shock and laughter! Of course, I pulled myself together rather quickly to do some proper parenting of the moment. But, it was definitely a Rocco moment I will never forget… I think he thought he shot the army guy’s head off.

Marco's Baptism

Our sweet little Marco was baptized today during a Sunday morning mass. We had asked my brother Mark and my niece, Alexa (Mark’s daughter), to be Marco’s godparents and they kindly accepted their new official titles. I think Alexa was thrilled, actually (as was I), knowing how seriously she would take this role in Marco’s life, and also understanding the greatness that a godparent designation/title incurs. We were also elated to hear that my brother and his girls would be able to join us for Marco’s baptism, as this was no easy task. 

(If you can find Giuliana in this photo - you get bonus points! Poor girl - someone should have held her for this photo. Sucks to be short, I guess!)

My brother Mark lives in China. He frequently spends a lot of time in the states during the summer months, but it can be tricky to plan around, as his travel depends upon his business commitments. He was able to plan a trip that had him fly to Texas to pick up his daughters (Alexa & Callie, who had just moved back to the states with their mom), so they could all join us for the baptism in addition to spending some extra quality time together for a few days.

Marco's baptismal day was nothing short of busy and chaotic. But, we all made it to the church in time (10am), dressed, teeth brushed, etc.... so I look at that as a major accomplishment, in and of itself. Granted, we did forget to have Marco wear the baptismal booties that my mom had sent. Oh well, you can't win 'em all, right?

For Marco’s baptismal outfit, it only seemed fitting to have him wear Matteo’s baptismal outfit which included his white shorts, shirt, vest and tie. Rocco and Matteo wore the same baptismal outfit when they were baptized in 2008. The baptismal ceremony was very nice and definitely my favorite to date. Marco was great during the entire mass, and didn’t even get fussy when the priest poured the Holy Water over his head. He even fell asleep in my arms towards the end of the service. This was ideal, as I was worried he’d start fussing so he could nurse, at some point during the mass. In addition to Mark’s family being able to witness Marco’s baptism, our wonderful au pair, Michalina, also joined us and was a huge help that morning. 

After mass, we had planned to enjoy a nice brunch. But… the Navy’s Blue Angels were in town for the weekend and everyone wanted to see and enjoy the Seattle flight show. So, after the baptism mass, we quickly had everyone change into some shorts and Mark, Dan and all the kids headed off to the air show. I stayed home with Marco so he could nurse and nap. 

We finally took some photos with Marco’s baptismal cake later that day. The cake was somewhat a flop, as I had sent Dan to order it for us with the hopes it would say “God bless Marco Matteo”, followed by the date of the baptism. Instead, Dan ordered the cake to read "MAY 5th"... which was 3 months prior! Blame it on sleep deprivation... not sure if he was thinking birth date... and even then the numerical date was incorrect. Ugh! Too funny. I guess we should be satisfied with the correct name being on the cake. :)

In addition to the baptism and Blue Angels flight show, other fun cousin weekend activities included a trip to a theme park, and a whale watching tour out of Bellingham Bay. 

Horse & Pony Camp... highlight of Gabby's summer!

Gabby’s third and final week-long camp of the summer was attending a horse & pony camp the last week of July. The anticipation was incredible and the camp was truly a little girl’s dream!

The first camp she went to was an all-day swim & tennis camp with two of her best friends from CA, Sofia & Giovanni, (their family moved here around the same time we did – crazy coincidence!). So, she spent the first sunny, warm week of July swimming in pools, playing tennis, and doing some Independence Day-related arts & crafts.nGabby really enjoyed the time with her friends, but also made a few new friends which is great. The second camp she attended was soccer camp.

 

The Horse & Pony Camp was the camp she anticipated most and it was everything she dreamed it would be and more. I was amazed the first time I saw the ranch… so serene and beautiful. Literally made you dream for a minute or two what it would be like to be a horse living on that ranch, under the care of the family who owned it. It was in the middle of nowhere… but honestly, the most beautiful horse ranch set-up I’ve ever seen.

 

Gabby spent the week learning about horses… everything from how to feed and handle them, to how to bathe, groom and clean up after them. She learned about the different types of horses and saddles. And, most importantly, she spent a LOT of time riding the horses and ponies. She was in HEAVEN!! So much in fact, that the first day I went to pick her up, she seemed really upset. When inquiring more about why she was so upset, it was determined that she was upset that I came to pick her up. She didn’t want to go home! This was both a relief (glad that she was having fun!) and OMG moment (seriously – you don’t want to come home?!).

 

As luck would have it, one of our neighbors was one of the assistants at the camp. And, they were kind enough to offer to bring Gabby to and from camp a few days to help me out. Gabby LOVED this, because it meant she arrived almost an hour early each day. This allowed her extra time to help with feeding the chickens and bunnies, and watching and helping with the ponies.

 

At the end of the week, the campers put on a horse show for us. Each camper rode the horse through an equestrian obstacle course (no jumps of course, all obstacles were grounded). And, then each camper was presented with a big ribbon and personalized scrapbook that included loads of photos of them riding and helping with the horses, and also pictures holding chickens and bunnies, etc. It was really cute. The campers each all received a cute t-shirt at the beginning of the week (which I think Gabby just HAD to wear 4 of the 5 days!).

 

I was SO impressed with the camp and I would highly recommend. It was the most expensive of her summer camps, but also her favorite and most memorable. Rocco and Giuliana also really enjoyed visiting the ranch on the last day with us to watch the horse show. After the show, Giuliana got to spend a lot of time sitting on a horse and petting many of them. And, both her and Rocco spent some quality time chasing and holding the chickens and bunnies.

City Boy, Meet Country. Country, meet City Boy.

Yes. This is my husband trying to rid the yard of moles...with a shop vac. I tried to explain this isn't normal, but he tells me it's brilliant. Rocco loved being involved in this thrilling mole hunt, but also seemed a little confused.

I don't recall ever seeing a shop vac in a lawn service trailer. He's going to need a whole 'lotta extension cord for 4.5 acres. Just saying'... 

Summer Soccer Camp

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kids can be so funny!

Asleep at the wheel!

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

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

Marco’s 2 Month Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other notes:

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

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

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

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

10 Years of Togetherness

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

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

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

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

· Rocco to and from school 3 days

· Gabby to and from gymnastics Mon & Fri nights

· Rocco to and from gymnastics Tues & Thurs nights

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

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

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

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

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

Kindergarten Graduate!

We went to Gabby’s kindergarten graduation today. It was very informal and super cute. Each child wore a graduation cap that they made, and they each received a little diploma from Ms. T. They performed a song for us, and there was also a special DVD show that we watched. Each of the kids had colored a picture of something they weren’t able to do before they entered kindergarten, and then a picture of them being able to do it after being in kindergarten. They each did their own voiceover explaining their pictures and what it was they couldn’t do before, but could now do after. Gabby said “I couldn’t read before kindergarten, but now I am really good at reading and can even read books to my brother and sister!” Gabby could read ver little before entering kindergarten - just very basic words. And, it was a challenge for her… so she didn’t really enjoy trying to read and would get frustrated easily. Now, she loves it! She reads often and really does read books to Giuliana and Rocco quite frequently. It’s so fun to see her doing this!

It was so fun to hear what all the kids said while watching the DVD show. Some kids said how they couldn’t do the monkey bars, or how they couldn’t eat lunch by themselves, or how they didn’t know the alphabet… and then, now, how they are *awesome* at the monkey bars, or how they know how to eat lunch with friends, and how they now know the alphabet. Super-duper cute!

I have to give HUGE props to Gabby’s teacher. Seriously one of the greatest teachers out there! Some of the kids in Gabby’s class didn’t know the entire alphabet, or couldn’t even recognize all the letters of the alphabet at the beginning of the school year. And now, every single one of those kids is testing out at reading first grade level or above. Gabby actually tests out at reading above first grade level and we are SO proud of her. Ms. T really pushed the kids AND the parents. Gabby had almost 45 mins of homework several days a week, which was definitely a challenge for all of us. But, it truly paid off!

Gabby LOVED kindergarten so much that she would often tell us she wished it was a school day on the weekends. I think that had a LOT to do with Ms. T. I seriously LOVE great teachers! And, I’m so happy that Gabby was able to enjoy such an amazing kindergarten experience.

 Watch out first grade… here we come!

 (Rocco is clearly VERY excited for his sister... nice face, buddy!)

Best Daddy on the Planet!

We have the best daddy on the planet! He loves us so much and always wants to play with us. Sometimes mommy has to remind HIM to be quiet (just like she reminds us!) while we're all wrestling around so HE doesn't wake up the baby. Our daddy helps make dinners for us, he helps clean up after all of our messes, he takes us to gymnastics, swimming and soccer classes all the time to help mommy out. And, he helps give us baths and put us to bed.

One of our favorite things to do with daddy is snuggle on the sofa and watch cartoons in the morning. We also loves that he'll sometimes let us eat chips for breakfast... and if we ask him nicely, he'll even take us to McDonald's every once in a while even though mommy is not a fan of those fast food restaurants.

 We tried really hard to take a nice picture with daddy on Father's Day while we were out to eat at a great local restaurant. But, well... it's just so hard for all of us to smile and look at the camera at the same time, so this is the best we could do!

WE LOVE YOU DADDY - YOU'RE THE BEST! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!