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!