It is official! Gio is walking! Bad picture but its all I've got for now...
Showing posts with label Giancarlo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giancarlo. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Serious Catch Up- Part 2 Preschool and Gios Birthday!
I realized I needed to split these posts up. They were just going to be too massive in one. I suppose the smart thing would have required writing individual posts, but c'est la vie.
After returning home from Disney, we hit the ground running and started straight in for Bella's preschool. She goes two days a week for two and a half hours. Fairly small amount of time but it has proven to be exactly perfect for her. The school she goes to is strictly a school. There is no day care or extended hours. In fact, it is in a local recreation center, so they actually set up and take down each of the rooms every day. There are usually 5-7 stations set up each day. Always an art project that each child gets to rotate through with the teacher. Usually some sort of fantasy play (train tracks, or a farm or a doll house, etc). Often play dough, puzzles and other focused play items. They go outside to the attached park, have a snack, and a story circle each day. It took awhile for Bella to begin to connect with the kids but she is slowly gaining familiarity with them. It is still a relatively slow drop of (typically 5-10 minutes now) but I know she is not upset when I leave. She is always happy to go which I take as a very good sign. I originally thought she should go 3 days a week, going up to 4 next year in preparation for 5 days a week preschool the following year. Right now, 2 days is more than enough, though we also have gymnastics on a third day. We will see how the next year and a half go. I know insane amounts of growth happen between now and five, but it is hard to imagine in such a short amount of time that she will be ready to begin real school. Time will tell I suppose! Here is my sweet girl on her first day.
The final update- Gio's First Birthday! I can hardly believe my little man is one already! As I consider the likelihood that this is my last baby, every milestone is bittersweet. He shows more and more personality every day. He is a little ham and quite the Casanova. He looks you straight in the eye and melts your heart. At the last moment (one week to be exact) we decided to have the big bash for Gio's first. It was Halloween themed, particularly focusing on the pumpkin. You can read all about it here. It was a sweet day. Dinner and cake and loved ones. Nothing crazy. A couple of photos of the big one year old.
After returning home from Disney, we hit the ground running and started straight in for Bella's preschool. She goes two days a week for two and a half hours. Fairly small amount of time but it has proven to be exactly perfect for her. The school she goes to is strictly a school. There is no day care or extended hours. In fact, it is in a local recreation center, so they actually set up and take down each of the rooms every day. There are usually 5-7 stations set up each day. Always an art project that each child gets to rotate through with the teacher. Usually some sort of fantasy play (train tracks, or a farm or a doll house, etc). Often play dough, puzzles and other focused play items. They go outside to the attached park, have a snack, and a story circle each day. It took awhile for Bella to begin to connect with the kids but she is slowly gaining familiarity with them. It is still a relatively slow drop of (typically 5-10 minutes now) but I know she is not upset when I leave. She is always happy to go which I take as a very good sign. I originally thought she should go 3 days a week, going up to 4 next year in preparation for 5 days a week preschool the following year. Right now, 2 days is more than enough, though we also have gymnastics on a third day. We will see how the next year and a half go. I know insane amounts of growth happen between now and five, but it is hard to imagine in such a short amount of time that she will be ready to begin real school. Time will tell I suppose! Here is my sweet girl on her first day.
The final update- Gio's First Birthday! I can hardly believe my little man is one already! As I consider the likelihood that this is my last baby, every milestone is bittersweet. He shows more and more personality every day. He is a little ham and quite the Casanova. He looks you straight in the eye and melts your heart. At the last moment (one week to be exact) we decided to have the big bash for Gio's first. It was Halloween themed, particularly focusing on the pumpkin. You can read all about it here. It was a sweet day. Dinner and cake and loved ones. Nothing crazy. A couple of photos of the big one year old.
Serious Catch Up- Part 1 Disney and Family Photos
My goodness I have not been on it with keeping up to date here. I have some time tonight and hope to (sort of) correct that. So, here we go. =)
First things first. I mentioned we did a little family photo shoot back in August. The pictures are lovely. Here are some sneak peeks for you!
And the best part? These aren't even the best ones! So many adorable pictures of my littles. But I have to save the best ones for our holiday cards! =) We spent the day out at Tomales Bay visiting Hog Island Oyster Company and the Marshall Store. Good food, and beautiful pictures. I also had Ron Miller take some photos of the kids in Nick's corvette since we are working towards selling the car even though we do love it. This was a way to capture its beauty in our family.
Early September we found ourselves traveling down to southern California for a family vacation at Disneyland. We visited with Nick's Aunts and Uncles down there and played at the "happiest place on Earth" for a few days. It was a very nice week. Something I realized we need to do more often. It is too too easy to get caught up in the craziness of daily life, especially with two young children. To take some time to just get away from it all is so important. The kids particularly benefit from some relaxed time with the four of us together. Bella went on her first big kid rides. She went on Splash Mountain- twice! Once with me and once with Nick. She also went on the Tower of Terror. She wasn't such a big fan of that. I think mostly she found the lead up to the ride scary. If it was a simple elevator ride with no spooky start, she probably would have giggled through the whole thing. Finally she went on Soarin Over California. She really liked that too. She is still waiting to be big enough to go on the roller coasters. It will be interesting to see how she takes to those! She is big enough for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it was closed for renovations. I suspect she will LOVE it once she can go on it. I'm sure there are probably some other stories to tell but frankly, it's been too long for me to remember all the details! Here are the pictures from Disney...
First things first. I mentioned we did a little family photo shoot back in August. The pictures are lovely. Here are some sneak peeks for you!
And the best part? These aren't even the best ones! So many adorable pictures of my littles. But I have to save the best ones for our holiday cards! =) We spent the day out at Tomales Bay visiting Hog Island Oyster Company and the Marshall Store. Good food, and beautiful pictures. I also had Ron Miller take some photos of the kids in Nick's corvette since we are working towards selling the car even though we do love it. This was a way to capture its beauty in our family.
Early September we found ourselves traveling down to southern California for a family vacation at Disneyland. We visited with Nick's Aunts and Uncles down there and played at the "happiest place on Earth" for a few days. It was a very nice week. Something I realized we need to do more often. It is too too easy to get caught up in the craziness of daily life, especially with two young children. To take some time to just get away from it all is so important. The kids particularly benefit from some relaxed time with the four of us together. Bella went on her first big kid rides. She went on Splash Mountain- twice! Once with me and once with Nick. She also went on the Tower of Terror. She wasn't such a big fan of that. I think mostly she found the lead up to the ride scary. If it was a simple elevator ride with no spooky start, she probably would have giggled through the whole thing. Finally she went on Soarin Over California. She really liked that too. She is still waiting to be big enough to go on the roller coasters. It will be interesting to see how she takes to those! She is big enough for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it was closed for renovations. I suspect she will LOVE it once she can go on it. I'm sure there are probably some other stories to tell but frankly, it's been too long for me to remember all the details! Here are the pictures from Disney...
Monday, October 14, 2013
Happy First Birthday Gio
Dear Giancarlo,
Today, you turned one. You are my miracle baby. You decided you were ready to join this family even when we weren't expecting you. I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant that you were going to be here, solidly, strongly and very present. You certainly have not proven me wrong.
You came into this world and have made sure we all knew you were here from the very first moment. You gave me a week of being "easy" and promptly shared your voice loud and proud.
Every day you become funnier and funnier. You make this scrunchy face that cracks me up. You've begun finding the words to go with that big voice of yours. You babble up a storm every chance you get now. We are fairly certain you've said Bella, dog, ball, baby, mama and dada. But nothing so clearly and intentionally that I'm quite ready to call one "your first word". You've been crawling for months but weren't interested in walking until recently. Now you are so close I'm sure it will be any day now. You have four teeth. You are amazingly laser focused. When you have a goal you won't let anything deter you. No is simply not in your vocabulary.
This last year has been exceptionally challenging and amazing. I've loved getting to know you and can't wait to see you as you grow from baby to kid in the next year. I see big things for you kiddo. Big things to match your big smile.
I love you. Happy first birthday!
Love,
Mama
Today, you turned one. You are my miracle baby. You decided you were ready to join this family even when we weren't expecting you. I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant that you were going to be here, solidly, strongly and very present. You certainly have not proven me wrong.
You came into this world and have made sure we all knew you were here from the very first moment. You gave me a week of being "easy" and promptly shared your voice loud and proud.
Every day you become funnier and funnier. You make this scrunchy face that cracks me up. You've begun finding the words to go with that big voice of yours. You babble up a storm every chance you get now. We are fairly certain you've said Bella, dog, ball, baby, mama and dada. But nothing so clearly and intentionally that I'm quite ready to call one "your first word". You've been crawling for months but weren't interested in walking until recently. Now you are so close I'm sure it will be any day now. You have four teeth. You are amazingly laser focused. When you have a goal you won't let anything deter you. No is simply not in your vocabulary.
This last year has been exceptionally challenging and amazing. I've loved getting to know you and can't wait to see you as you grow from baby to kid in the next year. I see big things for you kiddo. Big things to match your big smile.
I love you. Happy first birthday!
Love,
Mama
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Oh Geez...
I pulled my computer into bed with me tonight since I was on my own with the two kiddos and don't you know, I just realized that I posted the same silly picture of my littles twice! Goodness. If that doesn't tell you where my brain is at, I don't know what will!
We've been busy, and it doesn't look like we will be slowing down any time soon. I have signed Bella up for preschool (pretty sure I already told you that). She will start in one week!!! We met her teachers this week, and they seem great. Kind and present. Exactly what I was hoping for. We will see how it goes when it is time for me to leave her there alone. The good news is that they are supportive of gentle transitions and if she needs me to stay in the room, I will do just that. Until she is ready for me to walk out the door, I have no intention of doing so.
Before that though, we are going to take a little family trip down to Disneyland. I'm really hoping it is a good week. Time to reconnect as a family, special moments for all four of us. Gio is so involved in the world now I know he is going to go nuts with some of the rides and characters. Bella loves all things Disney of course and has recently been able to actually ride the roller coasters and other crazy rides, so is excited to do some more. I am also hoping to rekindle some love between Nick and I since it is of course the place he proposed. We all just need a little more loves these days.
These past few weeks have kept us busy too. We had solar panels installed (at the same time the city was resurfacing our street!), which also included a new electric panel for our house. We are down to the final step which is PG&E putting in a new meter that will interconnect our system with theirs. Then- we go live! Very excited to see how our system does.
We also enjoyed a visit from our wedding photographer, Ron Miller, who indulged us with a family photo shoot! I promise to share some of the (surely amazing) results once I see them. He's a busy busy man with loads of weddings and a family of his own, so I am waiting (not so) patiently. =)
On top of all of this, our house was wiped out by the plague. I was personally sick for a solid week, couldn't even get out of bed for three straight days! The kids have followed with their own version. I ended up having to take my sweet boy to the pediatrician because I was so worried about this horrible cough he has. Turned out the congestion wasn't in his lungs, but he did have a really terrible ear infection. So the poor guy has been on antibiotics for over a week now! Nearly done. They both sadly still have this cough. I'm at my wits end- I just have no idea what to do for my poor kiddos. The vicks and homeopathic cough syrup (plus benedryl for Bella) is just not cutting it.
So there you have it. Our crazy, messy life. La Bella Vita!
We've been busy, and it doesn't look like we will be slowing down any time soon. I have signed Bella up for preschool (pretty sure I already told you that). She will start in one week!!! We met her teachers this week, and they seem great. Kind and present. Exactly what I was hoping for. We will see how it goes when it is time for me to leave her there alone. The good news is that they are supportive of gentle transitions and if she needs me to stay in the room, I will do just that. Until she is ready for me to walk out the door, I have no intention of doing so.
Before that though, we are going to take a little family trip down to Disneyland. I'm really hoping it is a good week. Time to reconnect as a family, special moments for all four of us. Gio is so involved in the world now I know he is going to go nuts with some of the rides and characters. Bella loves all things Disney of course and has recently been able to actually ride the roller coasters and other crazy rides, so is excited to do some more. I am also hoping to rekindle some love between Nick and I since it is of course the place he proposed. We all just need a little more loves these days.
These past few weeks have kept us busy too. We had solar panels installed (at the same time the city was resurfacing our street!), which also included a new electric panel for our house. We are down to the final step which is PG&E putting in a new meter that will interconnect our system with theirs. Then- we go live! Very excited to see how our system does.
We also enjoyed a visit from our wedding photographer, Ron Miller, who indulged us with a family photo shoot! I promise to share some of the (surely amazing) results once I see them. He's a busy busy man with loads of weddings and a family of his own, so I am waiting (not so) patiently. =)
On top of all of this, our house was wiped out by the plague. I was personally sick for a solid week, couldn't even get out of bed for three straight days! The kids have followed with their own version. I ended up having to take my sweet boy to the pediatrician because I was so worried about this horrible cough he has. Turned out the congestion wasn't in his lungs, but he did have a really terrible ear infection. So the poor guy has been on antibiotics for over a week now! Nearly done. They both sadly still have this cough. I'm at my wits end- I just have no idea what to do for my poor kiddos. The vicks and homeopathic cough syrup (plus benedryl for Bella) is just not cutting it.
So there you have it. Our crazy, messy life. La Bella Vita!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Growing Up!
It's official, my big girl starts preschool this fall. I mailed the check and committed us to a local school two days a week. She will only go for "normal" preschool hours- in other words, mornings. I will pick her up at noon for lunch (and hopefully nap!). If she loves it, and we love it, and all is well, we may increase to three days a week later in the school year. For now it will be just a few hours a week that I can spend one on one with Gio, and Bella gets to do art and music and play with new friends we haven't met yet (her words). She will also continue with her gymnastics class, though has aged up to an independent class (no parent participation anymore). Once we are in the swing of school, I might look to add a dance or music class to the regimen too. Gio will also get to start gymnastics after his birthday. I can't believe how big my kiddos are getting. They amaze me (and exhaust and challenge me) every single day. I am so lucky to be their mama.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Catch up
Well well well, it has again been quite awhile since I posted here. Two kids just doesn't leave a lot of time for thoughtful posts and as a result I just don't post! I have been a bit busy actually doing things too! So here's my catch up!
Gio is nearly ten months old. Time flies. He is such a character. He is funny and focused and such a boy! He is rough and tumble and in to EVERYTHING. He has three teeth so far, two bottom and one on top. I think he keeps biting is tongue too! Poor guy. To add to the pain in his mouth. But he is such a love. He looks at me (and frankly most women) with these deep bedroom eyes that make you want to just pick him up and snuggle him. And then he'll grin with that one dimple. Oh my goodness this child. The girls are going to swoon.
Bella is three! She continues to shine and be her amazing self. She is hilarious and strong and so fashionable. I finally had to institute a dress day/ drawer day rule because she would wear dresses every single day, and mostly I was sick of seeing the same things knowing there was an amazing collection of clothing going unused in her drawers. She's doing pretty well with it (clear, structured rules) and puts together these adorable outfits on every drawer day. I love (and loathe) her opinions. =)
Most recently I've been keeping busy with a few things. The first was planning a big birthday bash for miss Bella! (Read about it here Purple Princess Party). Also, we are going solar! We have contracted with a company to put photo-voltaic solar panels on our home to help control our crazy electric bill. I'm excited both from a financial and (more importantly) environmental perspective. I still have some other things to do (we have decided to sell the corvette, I know... and Bella will start preschool this fall!) but we've done quite a bit this summer!
In other news, I gave an interview today to a woman writing for the Huffington post. She's doing a series on breastfeeding (from all angles, good, bad and ugly) and I will be one of the women profiled! Once it comes out I'll share it. It was a good reminder to me that I have an interesting story that is worth sharing. I was told once upon a time that I should write a book. I keep thinking about that, but then ask myself why someone would want to read it. What is the point of my story? Hope? Strength? I really don't know. I'm afraid I won't be able to write it until I can answer that. But then think I probably will never have that answer and should just start writing. Perhaps it would reveal itself in the process. So I ask you- if you read this blog regularly, would you read my story in book form? Why? What do you find interesting here? Maybe it will help light a fire under me... =)
So there you go. That's my update for now! Here's a picture of my two crazy littles. I sure do love them!
Gio is nearly ten months old. Time flies. He is such a character. He is funny and focused and such a boy! He is rough and tumble and in to EVERYTHING. He has three teeth so far, two bottom and one on top. I think he keeps biting is tongue too! Poor guy. To add to the pain in his mouth. But he is such a love. He looks at me (and frankly most women) with these deep bedroom eyes that make you want to just pick him up and snuggle him. And then he'll grin with that one dimple. Oh my goodness this child. The girls are going to swoon.
Bella is three! She continues to shine and be her amazing self. She is hilarious and strong and so fashionable. I finally had to institute a dress day/ drawer day rule because she would wear dresses every single day, and mostly I was sick of seeing the same things knowing there was an amazing collection of clothing going unused in her drawers. She's doing pretty well with it (clear, structured rules) and puts together these adorable outfits on every drawer day. I love (and loathe) her opinions. =)
Most recently I've been keeping busy with a few things. The first was planning a big birthday bash for miss Bella! (Read about it here Purple Princess Party). Also, we are going solar! We have contracted with a company to put photo-voltaic solar panels on our home to help control our crazy electric bill. I'm excited both from a financial and (more importantly) environmental perspective. I still have some other things to do (we have decided to sell the corvette, I know... and Bella will start preschool this fall!) but we've done quite a bit this summer!
In other news, I gave an interview today to a woman writing for the Huffington post. She's doing a series on breastfeeding (from all angles, good, bad and ugly) and I will be one of the women profiled! Once it comes out I'll share it. It was a good reminder to me that I have an interesting story that is worth sharing. I was told once upon a time that I should write a book. I keep thinking about that, but then ask myself why someone would want to read it. What is the point of my story? Hope? Strength? I really don't know. I'm afraid I won't be able to write it until I can answer that. But then think I probably will never have that answer and should just start writing. Perhaps it would reveal itself in the process. So I ask you- if you read this blog regularly, would you read my story in book form? Why? What do you find interesting here? Maybe it will help light a fire under me... =)
So there you go. That's my update for now! Here's a picture of my two crazy littles. I sure do love them!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Crawling!
Well this post is a solid week plus overdue but hey- I have two small kids!
Gio is officially crawling. Everywhere. He is also pulling up- on
everything! It cracks me up, he has clearly "mastered" crawling and
has turned his attention to walking. I keep saying he is a big person
in a baby's body but with every new step I find this to be even more
completely true.
In other news gio has two teeth now, and Bella is actively working on
becoming fully potty trained.
It's been a long few weeks. (Months? Years?) But life is good. I say
every single day that I am one lucky mama. These two little people
amaze me and bless me every single day. <3
Gio is officially crawling. Everywhere. He is also pulling up- on
everything! It cracks me up, he has clearly "mastered" crawling and
has turned his attention to walking. I keep saying he is a big person
in a baby's body but with every new step I find this to be even more
completely true.
In other news gio has two teeth now, and Bella is actively working on
becoming fully potty trained.
It's been a long few weeks. (Months? Years?) But life is good. I say
every single day that I am one lucky mama. These two little people
amaze me and bless me every single day. <3
Saturday, June 1, 2013
First tooth!
can't say 100% that it cut that day. Bittersweet these milestones!
Next up? Crawling any day now!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Crazy. Town.
That is my current home- Crazytown. I'm not entirely sure why. I keep hoping/ thinking that things are going to get easier. In some ways- they do! Gio is a very cool little boy. So sweet and snuggly. His reflux is basically gone from what I can tell, all of the meds have been ceased (though I will still use Zantac as needed as this is new). But, he is also now teething, and eating, and hitting developmental milestone after milestone. So he is very demanding. He wants no one but me if he is tired or unhappy for some reason. When it comes to bedtime, I'm it. Meanwhile, Bella is her amazing self. Such a sweet, kind, funny, smart person. I really like her. She is also asserting her independence a ton, which means tough moments for us, and also I think struggling with how much Gio still requires. We are officially in the phase where the two of them are "fighting" for attention. I'm constantly triaging their needs which often results in Gio screaming at me while Bella gets into trouble. So I'm looking for other ways to deal. Nick and I have determined that Bella needs one-on-one special time regularly now. So hopefully this weekend we can schedule a Mommy and Bella date.
On top of all of this craziness with our day to day lives, I have several major project balls in the air. We are looking to possibly refinance our house. The market has gone crazy in the last 6-12 months and we think our value may be high enough that with a refinance we could drop our mortgage insurance. This would be an awesome improvement for us. We are also looking into getting solar panels to help us "get off the grid" (at least mostly). Our electric bills have gone crazy in the last couple of years so for both financial and environmental reasons it is time to do something other than pay PG&E. Additionally, we are going to sell the Corvette. I know, I know. It hasn't been that long and it is sad to see it go. The truth is that we just simply don't have the time to put into the vehicle. Classic cars always need tinkering, and really it should be properly garaged. We don't have any of that to give. So we will sell the Corvette and replace it with something modern, probably still convertible, but with a back seat that we can put car seats in as needed. On top of all of that, I am checking out preschools for Bella to start in the fall. Yes, Bella is going to preschool in the fall! Very exciting. However, choosing the "right" school is tricky business. It's hard to know what is right for your kid and what will prepare them the best for the future- or even what that preparation looks like!
Anyhow, as you can see, I am crazy busy. Hoping to find my own oxygen mask soon too. I need something though I don't have any idea what that will be. It's time though since I am melting down by Wednesday or Thursday each week.
I'll try to post soon about our trip that we took. So many sweet moments with friends, family and of course- Disney!
On top of all of this craziness with our day to day lives, I have several major project balls in the air. We are looking to possibly refinance our house. The market has gone crazy in the last 6-12 months and we think our value may be high enough that with a refinance we could drop our mortgage insurance. This would be an awesome improvement for us. We are also looking into getting solar panels to help us "get off the grid" (at least mostly). Our electric bills have gone crazy in the last couple of years so for both financial and environmental reasons it is time to do something other than pay PG&E. Additionally, we are going to sell the Corvette. I know, I know. It hasn't been that long and it is sad to see it go. The truth is that we just simply don't have the time to put into the vehicle. Classic cars always need tinkering, and really it should be properly garaged. We don't have any of that to give. So we will sell the Corvette and replace it with something modern, probably still convertible, but with a back seat that we can put car seats in as needed. On top of all of that, I am checking out preschools for Bella to start in the fall. Yes, Bella is going to preschool in the fall! Very exciting. However, choosing the "right" school is tricky business. It's hard to know what is right for your kid and what will prepare them the best for the future- or even what that preparation looks like!
Anyhow, as you can see, I am crazy busy. Hoping to find my own oxygen mask soon too. I need something though I don't have any idea what that will be. It's time though since I am melting down by Wednesday or Thursday each week.
I'll try to post soon about our trip that we took. So many sweet moments with friends, family and of course- Disney!
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