Saturday, August 27, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I Heart Faces: Eyes
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Latest project.
Here's the latest home improvement project. I took two photos that I took of the girls, each around 3 months old:
and uploaded them to Mpix, since they were giving me a massive discount via a discount code. I ordered them in large sizes (16x20) which came last week. I stopped by Michael's and happened to hit up a frame sale, and basically got two super-large, matted frames for the price of one! They are now framed and ready to hang over the couch in the living room.... which has to wait, since the frames themselves need hanging wire, and I am all out....
But I really love these two pictures. I'm glad I was able to get them around the same age with the same sort of background.
My next goal is to rework this photo
and then get it framed for each of their rooms.
For now.
and uploaded them to Mpix, since they were giving me a massive discount via a discount code. I ordered them in large sizes (16x20) which came last week. I stopped by Michael's and happened to hit up a frame sale, and basically got two super-large, matted frames for the price of one! They are now framed and ready to hang over the couch in the living room.... which has to wait, since the frames themselves need hanging wire, and I am all out....
But I really love these two pictures. I'm glad I was able to get them around the same age with the same sort of background.
My next goal is to rework this photo
and then get it framed for each of their rooms.
For now.
Growth Table
I know some of you are curious (I was too!)
Angela started out smaller, but she is definitely up there in height and already surpassed her big sister on weight gain (my little aggressive eater).
I'll update this accordingly and let you know when I do.
Age
|
Stella
|
Angela
|
Birth
|
8 lb 3, 21 in
|
7 lb 5, 20 in
|
1 mo
|
11 lb, 21.75 in
|
11 lb 4, 21.5 in
|
2 mo
|
13 lb 4, 24 in
|
13 lb 13, 22.5 in
|
3 mo
|
14 lb 8, 24.5 in
|
15 lb 6, 24.5 in
|
4 mo
|
16 lb 8, 26 in
|
16 lb 10, 25.25 in
|
5 mo
|
18 lb, 26.75 in
|
18 lb, 25.75 in
|
6 mo
|
20 lb 2, 27.5 in
|
20 lb, 26.5 in
|
8 mo
|
22 lb 10, 29 in
|
22 lb 8, 28.5 in
|
10 mo
|
23 lb 11, 30 in
|
24 lb, 29.5 in
|
12 mo
|
25 lb 4, 31.5 in
|
26 lb 8, 30 in
|
15 mo
|
28 lb 8 , 33 in
|
29 lb 4, 31 in
|
18 mo
|
29 lb, 34.5
|
31 lb 12, 33 in
|
21 mo
|
31 lb 1, 35.5
| |
24 mo
|
34 lb, 36 in
|
Angela started out smaller, but she is definitely up there in height and already surpassed her big sister on weight gain (my little aggressive eater).
Accomplishment
|
Stella
|
Angela
|
Smiled
|
1 mo
|
1.5 mo
|
Rolled over
|
Front to back 4 mos
Back to front 5 mos
|
Front to back 3 mos
Back to front 3.5 mos
|
Slept through the night
|
2 mos
|
1.5 mos
|
Laughed
|
5 mos
|
3 mos
|
Found my hands and feet
|
3 mos
|
3 mos
|
First tooth
|
5.5 mos
|
5.5 mos
|
Sat up
|
6 mos
9 mos
|
6 mos
9 mos |
Clapped my hands
|
8 mos
|
10 mos
|
Pulled up
|
9 mos
|
8 mos
|
Stood by myself
|
10 mos
|
9 mos
|
Crawled
|
8 mos
|
7 mos
|
Walked
|
12 mos
|
9.5 mos
|
First words
|
12 mos
|
10.5 mos
|
First haircut
|
19 mos
|
I'll update this accordingly and let you know when I do.
Same and different.
It's really hard to not compare your kids. Here's some of the things I have noticed so far:
Stella NEVER spit up. Ever. Never used bibs or burp cloths until she started making a mess with solid foods. Angela? I go through my supply on a near-daily basis.
They looked very similar up until about two months of age. Their birth photos are nearly identical.
Angela sticks her tongue out so much more than Stella did. (It could have something to do with the fact that Stella may have/had slight tongue-tie.)
They are both super eaters. In every sense of the word. Angela and Stella both nursed like champs. And Stella currently eats nearly everything offered to her - her current fave meal is pork Pad Thai.
Angela loves her pacifier; Stella gave it up early. (Some people give us a confused look when I don't say binky... in our family, the paci is a ciucceta - guessing at the spelling - which I believe is the Italian dialect word for it.)
Angela is much better at the whole "drowsy but awake" go-to-sleep process. Stella had to be held or rocked until she was completely out - she'd cry insanely if she wasn't asleep and you put her down - but Angela will pretty much put herself to bed.
A few minutes to myself.
Every day I look forward to a few minutes to myself. They usually come sometime after lunch, when Stella goes for her nap and hopefully Angela too.
It is very hectic with two kids. Everyone tells you it will be busy, but multiply that by ten and it is more accurate. Between nursing, preparing meals, changing twice the number of diapers, fighting with the attention-seeking two-year-old while the baby is crying because she's tired, it is not easy.
The past few days have been wonderful, though, as nap times are starting to line up and those afternoon moments get longer. I finally have a few moments to sit down and just watch TV while eating my lunch, without having to think about getting the laundry folded or planning my grocery shopping. It is quite difficult, though, to turn off the brain at night - I end up reading a little longer than I probably should, just so I can go to sleep!!
So, what do I do during the rare quiet times? Sometimes I just sit and eat my lunch in peace, watching Modern Family (a show I never saw, but so many friends have told me it's good I've got to try it out) or Big Brother (I seem to miss the first half hour or so at night due to Stella's bedtime). Sometimes I work on projects that need completing - photo editing, decorating, etc. Sometimes I clean because it's easier to do when the kids are not around, like dusting or mopping.
Here are the links to the latest photos on Flickr. I can't believe that little mushie is going to be 4 months old so soon!! The time has flown by.
It is very hectic with two kids. Everyone tells you it will be busy, but multiply that by ten and it is more accurate. Between nursing, preparing meals, changing twice the number of diapers, fighting with the attention-seeking two-year-old while the baby is crying because she's tired, it is not easy.
The past few days have been wonderful, though, as nap times are starting to line up and those afternoon moments get longer. I finally have a few moments to sit down and just watch TV while eating my lunch, without having to think about getting the laundry folded or planning my grocery shopping. It is quite difficult, though, to turn off the brain at night - I end up reading a little longer than I probably should, just so I can go to sleep!!
So, what do I do during the rare quiet times? Sometimes I just sit and eat my lunch in peace, watching Modern Family (a show I never saw, but so many friends have told me it's good I've got to try it out) or Big Brother (I seem to miss the first half hour or so at night due to Stella's bedtime). Sometimes I work on projects that need completing - photo editing, decorating, etc. Sometimes I clean because it's easier to do when the kids are not around, like dusting or mopping.
Here are the links to the latest photos on Flickr. I can't believe that little mushie is going to be 4 months old so soon!! The time has flown by.
 |
| Month 1 on Flickr |
 |
| Month 2 on Flickr |
 |
| Month 3 on Flickr |
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Time to get my life back in order.
So every June, my house becomes a pit. Mail, bills, paperwork pile up. Various cleaning chores go undone. Laundry starts to live in every corner.
I'll get to it when school is out. This is my mantra.
Well, add to that two children. The time to accomplish the smallest of tasks is now eaten by the tears of a two year old and the giggles of a newborn. Why clean, when I can nibble on chunky baby toes or build a block tower?
Today I take my house back. I have a plan, no, a battle strategy, to get me through the tough spots (like our master bathroom) and to streamline my day. I will not be sidetracked by terrible reality TV, I will drink plenty of water, I will accomplish what I set out to do. And yes, I will update the blog with stories and pictures of an adorable little three-month-old (as well as some of her big sister).
How will I do this, you ask? How can you do this when you want to kiss baby bellies and create Play-Dough shapes?
Daycare. :-)
Two days of daycare, and my house will be immaculate. If only to stay that way for a few days.
I'll get to it when school is out. This is my mantra.
Well, add to that two children. The time to accomplish the smallest of tasks is now eaten by the tears of a two year old and the giggles of a newborn. Why clean, when I can nibble on chunky baby toes or build a block tower?
Today I take my house back. I have a plan, no, a battle strategy, to get me through the tough spots (like our master bathroom) and to streamline my day. I will not be sidetracked by terrible reality TV, I will drink plenty of water, I will accomplish what I set out to do. And yes, I will update the blog with stories and pictures of an adorable little three-month-old (as well as some of her big sister).
How will I do this, you ask? How can you do this when you want to kiss baby bellies and create Play-Dough shapes?
Daycare. :-)
Two days of daycare, and my house will be immaculate. If only to stay that way for a few days.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
First few weeks - pictures
Click the photo below to view the latest pictures in my Flickr album.
Everyone is doing well, Stella is adjusting to life as a big sister - she kisses Angela on the head every chance she gets!!
Everyone is doing well, Stella is adjusting to life as a big sister - she kisses Angela on the head every chance she gets!!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Day One.
So I finally have a moment to sit down and talk about the last few days.
Neither Gian or I slept much Thursday night; he got home late (well, early, since he's been on nights for a week) and then couldn't sleep, and I had such anxiety of course. Five o'clock am came very quickly!! My sister came with us to the hospital (which was hysterical, as she had to nestle herself between the two carseats in the back seat of the CRV), as she really wanted to be there for the actual birth. Such a trooper at five am!!
We went up to maternity, Hol went to the waiting are (where she was able to watch cable, a real treat for her) and Gian and I got check in. I have four lovely bracelets now for the occasion. I waited with the fetal monitor on, which only built up the anxiety. By the time they wheeled me into the OR I was a mess!! But my doctor was awesome - I seriously love her and recommend her to everyone - and the anesthesiologist was very bubbly for an early morning spinal. The spinal was quite different from the epidural, by the way. I could still sort of "feel" which I couldn't do with the epidural. VERY strange. So up went the curtain around 8:15, incision at 8:20, and baby girl Delfini was born at 8:34. Gian got to announce it, and we both looked at each other, like, Really? no way it was a girl.
You can tell from the lack of name that we really thought we were having a boy, and hadn't put as much effort into the girl's name.
I was in recovery for a couple hours before getting moved to my room, which coincidentally was the same room I started my labor in with Stella two years ago. How funny to come full circle. In recovery, we started discussing names. No decisions as yet, though.
My parents came by just after lunch with Stella; how funny to see her around the room and to look at her new sister! She just sort of kept looking at Angela with this awful frown on her face.
Still no name.
We had gone through various versions of relative names from Gian's side of the family, including the forerunner before the c-section, Giuseppina (which would have had Josie for a nickname or Pina, in Italy)... but that got chucked out after all, and we went back to the drawing board. We kept two family names in the end - Angela, for Gian's dad (which would have been Arcangelo had we had a boy, as a middle name) and Lucia, for both Gian's mom and his Saint Day, Dec. 13. We had originally shied away from names of relatives who were not grandparents and such (Angela is also the name of Gian's close cousin in Italy) but we really liked the connection to his father.
His father really liked it, too. :-)
So today was once again a blur of feeding, sleeping, changing a poopy diaper, and visiting with family. One of the highlights of the day was napping around 4:30 - me, Angela, and our nephew Luigi, each in our own bed (Lou was on the pull-out chair).
The other highlight was getting a photo of the entire family with Dr. Bhangoo, who delivered both of our children. (photo to come, I promise!). It worked out that she is on call this weekend, so she dropped by to say hi while my parents had Stella here. I think it's really cool that the same doctor delivered both children, and that they have a picture with the first person they met in their lives.
Ready for Round 2? You bet.
Neither Gian or I slept much Thursday night; he got home late (well, early, since he's been on nights for a week) and then couldn't sleep, and I had such anxiety of course. Five o'clock am came very quickly!! My sister came with us to the hospital (which was hysterical, as she had to nestle herself between the two carseats in the back seat of the CRV), as she really wanted to be there for the actual birth. Such a trooper at five am!!
We went up to maternity, Hol went to the waiting are (where she was able to watch cable, a real treat for her) and Gian and I got check in. I have four lovely bracelets now for the occasion. I waited with the fetal monitor on, which only built up the anxiety. By the time they wheeled me into the OR I was a mess!! But my doctor was awesome - I seriously love her and recommend her to everyone - and the anesthesiologist was very bubbly for an early morning spinal. The spinal was quite different from the epidural, by the way. I could still sort of "feel" which I couldn't do with the epidural. VERY strange. So up went the curtain around 8:15, incision at 8:20, and baby girl Delfini was born at 8:34. Gian got to announce it, and we both looked at each other, like, Really? no way it was a girl.
You can tell from the lack of name that we really thought we were having a boy, and hadn't put as much effort into the girl's name.
I was in recovery for a couple hours before getting moved to my room, which coincidentally was the same room I started my labor in with Stella two years ago. How funny to come full circle. In recovery, we started discussing names. No decisions as yet, though.
My parents came by just after lunch with Stella; how funny to see her around the room and to look at her new sister! She just sort of kept looking at Angela with this awful frown on her face.
Still no name.
We had gone through various versions of relative names from Gian's side of the family, including the forerunner before the c-section, Giuseppina (which would have had Josie for a nickname or Pina, in Italy)... but that got chucked out after all, and we went back to the drawing board. We kept two family names in the end - Angela, for Gian's dad (which would have been Arcangelo had we had a boy, as a middle name) and Lucia, for both Gian's mom and his Saint Day, Dec. 13. We had originally shied away from names of relatives who were not grandparents and such (Angela is also the name of Gian's close cousin in Italy) but we really liked the connection to his father.
His father really liked it, too. :-)
So today was once again a blur of feeding, sleeping, changing a poopy diaper, and visiting with family. One of the highlights of the day was napping around 4:30 - me, Angela, and our nephew Luigi, each in our own bed (Lou was on the pull-out chair).
The other highlight was getting a photo of the entire family with Dr. Bhangoo, who delivered both of our children. (photo to come, I promise!). It worked out that she is on call this weekend, so she dropped by to say hi while my parents had Stella here. I think it's really cool that the same doctor delivered both children, and that they have a picture with the first person they met in their lives.
Ready for Round 2? You bet.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
35 Weeks
Monday, February 7, 2011
32 Weeks - compare and contrast
So, I thought it would be fun to do a side-by-side of what I look like now, and what I looked like with Stella, at 32 weeks. It may or may not be useful in your voting process:
So, is it just me, or do I look smaller now? Could it be that I am carrying lower? I don't know, maybe Baby Delite is going to be under 8 lbs..... don't forget, Baby Delish got an extra two weeks in there (delivered at 42 weeks) while Baby Delite is coming early (scheduled c-section at 39 weeks)....
 |
| Now..... |
 |
| ... and then. |
 |
| Now..... |
 |
| and then. |
So, is it just me, or do I look smaller now? Could it be that I am carrying lower? I don't know, maybe Baby Delite is going to be under 8 lbs..... don't forget, Baby Delish got an extra two weeks in there (delivered at 42 weeks) while Baby Delite is coming early (scheduled c-section at 39 weeks)....
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
It's my hundredth post!
Wow, have I really logged on and shared both pregnancies and Baby D-Lish's life 99 times already? It seems so surreal.
I have already fallen off the wagon; I missed two weeks of posting! It is not for lack of trying. I have a To Do list from which I have been checking tasks off; but by the end of the day, when I usually sit down and write a few lines for the blog, upload photos, edit videos, etc ... lately I just don't have the energy to even do that. I curl up in bed, read a few pages of the latest Book Club choice, and pass out.
I had another ultrasound and two non-stress tests since I last posted. The non-stress test was probably the hardest thing for me to do, since it requires sitting still in the middle of the day, with no one else around, for about half an hour!! Basically, it's exactly what they hooked me up to after I had the Pitocin with Stella - one monitor to check the heartbeat, another to check movement, both strapped around my belly. I had forgotten my book for the first one, so I ended up skimming some trashy magazines (haven't done that in a while, it was kind of nice to catch up on gossip and best-dressed lists), but I made sure I had some literature for the second test.
Everything went fine at the ultrasound - Baby D-Lite is still developing well with the two-vessel cord. I have one more ultrasound scheduled for the week of February break.
Despite my best efforts to schedule my appointments far in advance, next week will be my last appointment with "my" doctor until the week before the c-section. She is too popular - I have been recommending her to everyone, so it is my own fault, I am sure!
In other news, my sciatica seems to have disappeared over the past week. When I went to the ultrasound, the tech told me that Baby D's head down now; when the baby changed position, it very possibly relieved the pressure on my nerve. Thank you Baby D!! Step class won't be so painful anymore!!
OK, I'm pooped. off to read "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" and pass out.
I have already fallen off the wagon; I missed two weeks of posting! It is not for lack of trying. I have a To Do list from which I have been checking tasks off; but by the end of the day, when I usually sit down and write a few lines for the blog, upload photos, edit videos, etc ... lately I just don't have the energy to even do that. I curl up in bed, read a few pages of the latest Book Club choice, and pass out.
I had another ultrasound and two non-stress tests since I last posted. The non-stress test was probably the hardest thing for me to do, since it requires sitting still in the middle of the day, with no one else around, for about half an hour!! Basically, it's exactly what they hooked me up to after I had the Pitocin with Stella - one monitor to check the heartbeat, another to check movement, both strapped around my belly. I had forgotten my book for the first one, so I ended up skimming some trashy magazines (haven't done that in a while, it was kind of nice to catch up on gossip and best-dressed lists), but I made sure I had some literature for the second test.
Everything went fine at the ultrasound - Baby D-Lite is still developing well with the two-vessel cord. I have one more ultrasound scheduled for the week of February break.
Despite my best efforts to schedule my appointments far in advance, next week will be my last appointment with "my" doctor until the week before the c-section. She is too popular - I have been recommending her to everyone, so it is my own fault, I am sure!
In other news, my sciatica seems to have disappeared over the past week. When I went to the ultrasound, the tech told me that Baby D's head down now; when the baby changed position, it very possibly relieved the pressure on my nerve. Thank you Baby D!! Step class won't be so painful anymore!!
OK, I'm pooped. off to read "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" and pass out.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Gratuitous Stella videos
Oh, y'know you love 'em. They're poorly edited, but I'm going for efficiency not beauty right now!
Beach trip
Birthday cake
Movin' and Shakin' - aka I can walk and DANCE!
Snow
29 Weeks, and some photos of D-Lite
Here are some pictures so far of the little D-Lish:
Well, that's been the belly so far. So you may have noticed that there are a lot of ultrasound pictures so far. That's because of the little problem that Baby D-Lite is causing! Baby D has a two vessel umbilical cord. Normally, there are three vessels (one in, two out) in the cord, but with Baby D, only two formed (one in, one out). My doctor wants to monitor the baby's growth, so this means more ultrasounds (I get one more this month) and then non-stress-tests weekly for the rest of the pregnancy. Needless to say, my doctor and I are going to be best friends by March 25! I love her, though - she has been so great. She is the doctor who ended up delivering Stella, and I have been seeing her since. It's like talking to my college friends when I go see her!
I have also developed a nasty little case of sciatica in my left hip area - sciatica is funny, it only hurts when I move a certain way, but it KILLS when it hurts! It feels like I have to crack or pop my hip, but I can't.
Gian is sick of the "what size is your baby" emails I get. They are always comparing the baby to either some weird animal, or an odd food source!! I think this week it was a roast beef.....
Only two and a half months left!
8 weeks
 |
| 13 weeks |
17 weeks
 | ||
| 20 weeks |
 | |||
| 21 weeks |
 |
| 27 weeks |
 |
| 28 weeks (yes, I'm in my jammies.) |
I have also developed a nasty little case of sciatica in my left hip area - sciatica is funny, it only hurts when I move a certain way, but it KILLS when it hurts! It feels like I have to crack or pop my hip, but I can't.
Gian is sick of the "what size is your baby" emails I get. They are always comparing the baby to either some weird animal, or an odd food source!! I think this week it was a roast beef.....
Only two and a half months left!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
28 weeks and time is flying...
I've been accused of being a bad mommy.
Yes, I admit it. I have definitely slacked off on photos of Baby D-Lish; AND photos of Baby D-Lite. But being pregnant and raising a toddler is hard work, I tell you. Plus, Baby D-Lite is not giving mommy such an easy time in the womb! (more on that later)
Not one to make resolutions, I am simply making a goal for 2011: I will attempt to post on this blog once a week. No more, no less.
Now, please excuse me while I go upload some backlogged photos and get organized for the next post!
(Um, does it count if I wrote this post last week, and I'm just posting it now?)
Yes, I admit it. I have definitely slacked off on photos of Baby D-Lish; AND photos of Baby D-Lite. But being pregnant and raising a toddler is hard work, I tell you. Plus, Baby D-Lite is not giving mommy such an easy time in the womb! (more on that later)
Not one to make resolutions, I am simply making a goal for 2011: I will attempt to post on this blog once a week. No more, no less.
Now, please excuse me while I go upload some backlogged photos and get organized for the next post!
(Um, does it count if I wrote this post last week, and I'm just posting it now?)
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