HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Prayers for Alexis

Please say a prayer for Alexis. She is having surgery tomorrow morning in New York City, as she has been diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type 1 or CM1. This is a neurological condition that requires surgery where the brain and spinal cord meet. Alexis is such a young girl and we will be praying for her fast recovery. Our thoughts are with you all.
xoxo

http://www.conquerchiari.org/index.htm

WHAT THE....

Congrats Roy and Linda!

Congrats to my cousin Roy! He and his fiance Linda tied the knot!!

"It's your story.
Make it beautiful.
Fill it up with what you love.
Remember what matters.
Forget what doesn't.
Have a happy life together."

Daryan

Please say a prayer for my cousin, Becky's, little girl, Daryan. She fell off a bike on Tuesday and broke her jaw. I guess it is a very bad break that extends up to her hairline. She had to have her jaw wired closed yesterday and today she goes in for surgery. They are hoping that the surgery will be successful the first time, but if it isn't, they will have to repeat it and put a plate in. Poor little thing. Daryan is such a sweet, sweet girl! We hope you feel better really soon and we'll be thinking of you. Here's a picture of Daryan with her brothers, Aspen and Ethan.

Stats- 2 Months

Well, well, well....our little man is still on the charts! I wasn't so sure that was going to be the case. HA! Dean had his 2 month appt this morning and he is doing great. Here are his stats:

Weight- 13 lb, 9 oz - 90th percentile
Height- 23.5 in - 75th percentile
Head- 40.5 cm - 60th percentile

So, it's been confirmed...he's a big boy!! He really put on a show for the nurses today. He really is a little flirt in the mornings. Dunno why, but that seems to be his favorite smiley time. Chet and I wonder if he's really ours, considering neither of us are morning people, per se.

I'm very happy with how the appointment played out. I've done my share of research on immunizations and I presented my Pediatrician with my less aggressive, alternate schedule today. She was great about it and I feel really good about the whole thing. Yea!

Do you know what this means?

Look closely. Can you see it? Can you tell what it is?

It's a pool cover. A pool. Covered. As in, no more swimming in 2008.

I know this is no big shocker for my fellow Northeasterners. Don't really know if that's a word, but you know who I'm talking about.

This is just a message to all of my warm-weathered friends and family. I'll send you pictures of the gorgeous leaves in Fall. I'll send you pictures of our first snowman in Winter. I'll even send you pictures of the flowers blooming in Spring.

Just a friendly little nudge. Enjoy your pool. Use your pool. Jump in regularly. Enjoy it enough for all of us. We'll be looking at this for the next 7 months.

2 Months Old

Our little Dean Douglas is officially 2 months old today! Wow. It's hard to believe. He has his 2 month check-up on Wednesday and I'm anxious to see where he falls on the charts. Ya see, this little boy is actually a big boy, and I'm thinking I'm about to get some proof. It's very exciting. Not sure why, but I know I'm not alone with this little idiosyncrasy.

These past few months have been filled with constant changes. Dean has grown so much, but really, so have all of us. Funny, I can't even imagine him not being part of our family. That happens so instantaneously, it's pretty neat.

On one hand it feels like I've been speeding through a time warp with blinders on, unaware of what's going on in the outside world. Solely focused on my little bubble. On the other hand it feels like time has stood still. Like nobody has noticed that I haven't had time to return every phone call. Doesn't really matter I guess.

Maybe there should be a sign somewhere warning women of this strange-perception-land. I can think of a few times in my life where such a sign would have been helpful.

Interestingly, they say hormones don't return to normal until a year post-partum. That's kind of a scary thought. As if your obgyn is saying, "Sit tight ladies...the roller coaster is slowing...but don't jump off just yet."

Anyway, the little man has 2 months under his belt.
Happy little birthday, tough guy.

Shower Stories

Don't you just hate it when you're in the shower and the water turns ice cold for a milli-second? Wait...that's not what this post is about.

Bridal showers. Baby showers.

I went to a wedding shower today for Brooke, Chet's cousin. It was lovely and we can't wait to celebrate with Brooke and John in December. Incidentally, I had a baby shower on the same day for Shannon, Chet's cousin Ralph's, wife. They are expecting a baby boy in December also and we're so happy for them.

Anyway, at Brooke's shower we did this little activity where everyone writes a "wish" or "piece of advice" on a card for the bride and groom. These can get pretty interesting, actually. I thought I would share a few from my table:

"Don't go to bed angry"

"Don't sweat the small stuff"

"Choose your battles"

"Pretend you're sleeping!"

(HA! This one was courtesy of Aunt Gail...so funny!)

We did something similar at my sisters bridal shower. I'll never forget the advice from Charlotte, one of my mom's oldest friends. Keep in mind, this was 11 years ago when we all toted around our checkbooks everyday. Her advice was this:

"Use carbon-copy checks. If you want to go shopping and you don't want your husband to know, just slip a piece of paper between the check and the carbon copy. Instead fill it in with Price Chopper or Hannaford or whatever grocery store you frequent."

Yikes! I'm not sure if this is good advice or bad advice...but it's advice! Advice that comes with an "at your own risk" label. =)

Pink Scarecrow

Ava with her pink scarecrow she made at nursery school today.

Welcome Brody!

Congratulations to new parents Nicole & Michael!
They welcomed their son, Brody Francis, on Friday, October 10th.
The little man was 6 lb. 13 oz., 19 inches. We are so happy for you guys and very excited to hear that you had a baby boy!
We can't wait to meet him! xoxo

Field Trip

Ava had a class field trip today to "The Pumpkin Patch." It was such a beautiful autumn day- 70 degrees and sunny. There were lots of little activities for the kiddos including a Halloween story, maze, petting zoo, hayride, picnic, etc. We came home with 2 pumpkins, 2 ears of Indian corn, a few gourds, and a half dozen cider donuts. It was a bit of a hike but the leaf peeping kept Ava and I entertained in the car. I'm not sure if the leaves are "peak" right now or not, but they are gorgeous! It's a good time for a long drive in the Northeast!

7 weeks

Lotsa Looks

Babies make so many silly faces and noises. I think I forgot how entertaining they are. Baby Dean is no exception, he's really starting to be so much fun. At this stage, you just have to catch him when he's in the mood. He really gets going with the gurgles and the smiles and the noises. Chet and I call him our little boxer because he gets his arms moving all over the place. It looks like he's throwing little baby punches or something. Our little "Rocky" Graziano.

Yesterday Felice asked me if I'd been using my Bumbo Seat/Baby Pod yet. No, I guess I was thinking it was too soon. Hmmm, maybe I should try it out....where is that seat anyway? Now I was curious to see how my little man would fair...after all, his big sissy was a big fan.

Well, Felice, he really loved it! I think he's still a bit young for it but he is enjoying it in short intervals. His little body looks sorta squished in it right now but he'll be sitting tall in no time. It brings a whole different outlook to his world. So fun!

Here are some pics of various looks and grins that little Dean Douglas is dishing out these days... with 7 weeks under his belt.

Build a Kitty

Ava went to Build a Bear today for the first time.

Toni asked me if she and Alex could take Ava to get a special stuffed animal for becoming a Big Sister. Ahhh, so sweet! Ava chose a pink kitty to stuff. She is so cute. Ava named her Kisses. Kisses is all decked out with an outfit, shoes, purse, birth certificate and hair ribbons. Oh my!

The whole process was really neat for Ava and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. As a matter of fact, Ava and Kisses are napping together right now. I have a feeling Kisses is going to go everywhere with us.

Thanks Toni & Alex, we had fun and we really appreciate the sweet gesture!

Flower Power

Back in August, on Ava's last day of camp, she did a cute little project where she planted a sunflower seed in a baby food jar. When I first saw her little attempt at horticulture, I wondered if the seed actually made it's way into the tiny jar, sparingly filled with over-watered soil. But, she was adamant that the seed was in there and that she was going to grow a sunflower.

When we got home we sat the jar in the kitchen window where it could soak up some sun. We waited. We watered. Nothing. We forgot about it, but there it sat. About a week later a tiny sprout reared it's head. Ava was so excited! I was a little surprised. So, we watered and waited some more.

This little sprout started to pick up the pace and was growing noticeably every day. This made for some entertaining 3 year old conversations. Looking back now, I wish I would have taken pics, what a neat little flip book that would have made. Anyway, getting back to my story- the little stem was getting pretty long but it was so fragile & weak that it couldn't support itself. What to do, what to do. I consulted my mommy brain and had an idea. I got a birthday candle and stood it next to the weak stem. Seemed to work fine. Good. We watched and watered and waited some more.

As the days rolled on by, the skinny little stem was starting to outgrow it's little home. Besides, the bday candle wasn't cutting it anymore. What to do, what to do. We decided to replant. Daddy & Ava replanted into a bigger, little pot. But again, the bday candle wasn't holding. So I decided to use one of Ava's paint brushes. Seemed to work. Good. We watched and watered and waited.

A few days passed. I realized that this, now stalk, was starting to flirt with the bottom of my kitchen blinds. I raised the blinds a bit. A few more days passed. I raised the blinds again. Now the stalk had become strong and thick and the little bday candle and paintbrush were out of their league.

This brings me to today. This sunflower stalk has outgrown my kitchen window! Ava is so excited and very proud of herself! She can't wait for it to flower. I really hope we get a sunflower at the end of this. What makes the whole project just a little sweeter is that she planted this little seed a few days before her baby brother was born. So far, great little project. I have a feeling we have a little gardener on our hands.

So Big!

I don't know if it's because I have a newborn or what.
I looked over at Ava when she was eating her lunch today and she looked so big to me! Having Dean has really made me see how old and mature Ava is getting....but she'll always be my baby girl. xoxo

Boy Boom

Congratulations to The Erwells!!

Yesterday they found out that they are having a baby boy in a few months! We couldn't be any happier for them. We can't wait to meet your little man!

xoxo The "G" Family

Btw- Happy 8th Anniversary today, Josh & Stacey!

Lil Plug

I wanted to share the coolest little thing.
One of the vendors at the consignment sale was called Lit'l Desi9s http://www.litldesi9salbany.com/ Basically, they take your child's name and make it into a logo using the letters in their name. It is so cool. You can get this logo printed on all sorts of items like stamps, t-shirts, bags, bibs, blankets, onesies, cards, etc. SO COOL! You can even design it yourself. What a great gift idea!

Funny Business

Me- "Is there anything you need at the consignment sale?"

Bridget- "Nope, I think I'm all set."

Me- "Alright, let me know if you think of anything and I'll be happy to look for you."

Bridget- "On second thought, if you happen to see a life-size, stuffed giraffe, I'd love one for Aidan's nursery."

Now, I should mention that I've never seen a life-size, stuffed anything at previous consignment sales that I've been to. So, I seriously didn't anticipate seeing one on Saturday either.

Still, I made my mental note.

I was the first person in line at the door. The doors were open so I could clearly see all the goodies inside. I scanned the room. WAIT! Staring me in the face was a life-size, stuffed giraffe! OMGoodness, what are the odds?!? Really, how random is that? Freaky luck!

Freaky- go get a lottery ticket kinda luck!

I got the 10 minute warning that the sale was about to open. Could this giraffe just be decoration? Ya know, like a "welcome to our sale" giraffe? I asked if the giraffe was for sale. Sure enough, it was for sale! How much? $40 -perfect! I tried to call Bridget. No avail.

Two more folks joined me in line. The 3rd woman in line said, "Oooo- I love that giraffe!" Sorry lady but that giraffe is mine! Well- that giraffe is Bridget's! 4 minute warning. My orders were clear and I would not hesitate. Door opened. I got the giraffe. It was meant to be.

The weird didn't stop there. The giraffe's owner is apparently one of the organizers of the consignment sale. She was so surprised that the first person through the door picked up her giraffe that she came over to chat. She proceeded to tell myself and Stacey how she hated to part with the giraffe and that she almost didn't consign him at all. I admit, I felt bad for her. I almost felt bad enough to give it back to her. Almost.

I got some more weird when the giraffe's original owner's father came over to me (got that?) and started up a conversation about the giraffe. Again, Stacey and I were a bit taken back. What is it with this giraffe? Now, what I'm about to tell you next will sound far-fetched, to say the least! The man took my picture with the giraffe! REALLY, I am speaking truth to you! I was actually photographed with this stuffed animal! SO WEIRD!!

So, Baby Aidan, I hope you love your new giraffe. He was very well loved in his previous abode. Freaky, funny business!

*I should note, the giraffe is not actually life-size, rather 5 ft tall.

Welcome Heidi Nicole!

My cousin, Jennifer, welcomed her sweet baby girl on Sept 26, 2008.
Congratulations and enjoy your beautiful daughter!! xoxoxo

Heidi Nicole

7lbs. 3 oz.

20.5 inches

Happy October!