Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!!! One week until Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

1. Christmas shopping status

My big goal was to be completely, 100% done with all of our Christmas shopping by today. I didn't quite get there. I will say that we are about 95% done, with just some odds and ends to pick up and a couple of things to finish putting together. Unfortunately my car needed some work done that took longer than expected so that put a wrench in my plans for this week. But I should be able to finish up this weekend!  I was feeling extra on top of things when I wrapped a bunch of presents that we have ready to go, only to realize that wrapped gifts are a magnet for toddlers and cats... so to our family that receives gifts with little tiny pinhole bite marks, sorry :)

2."What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine"

Yesterday we had a friend and her two children over for a play date. My friend's son is 2 and her daughter is 5 months. This is the first time they have come over to our house to play and Gabriella acted a little possessive over her things. Okay, I have to be honest. She acted crazy. You know when you are watching something happen in front of you and you have this flash forward in your mind of what may happen next? Well this is what flashed in my mind...

 I jest, I jest. But I have never seen her act the way she did. She wanted every.single.thing. that my friend's 2 year old touched and then moved on to the innocent baby; stealing her pacifier (which Gabriella doesn't use... unless it belongs to another child), trying to grab her blanket, her face, everything. At one point when the 2 year old turned away to protect the banana he was eating from my crazed 14 month old, she actually collapsed herself to the ground, face down, bum up, and did a fake "eh heh" cry, occasionally looking up to see if anyone was going to give in. She doesn't act that way at other people's houses or places like the library so maybe it was just that there were other kids in our house. I have no idea. We have more playdates coming up so we'll see if it was an off day for her or if we've entered a new phase of toddlerhood!

3.Happy Birthday Dad!
Yesterday was my Dad's birthday and we wish him the happiest of birthdays! Mom and Dad came over for pizza and cake and Gabriella loved playing with Grampy and Nana before bed. We are going to Sandy and Thierry's on Sunday for a pre-Christmas/birthday brunch so the fun will continue through the weekend. Happy Birthday Dad!

Helping Nana and Grampy blow out the candles!

4.Ho, ho, ho
All December we have been saying to Gabriella, "What does Santa say?" "Ho ho ho". And this morning, Gianni asked her what Santa says, and she replied ho ho ho. It was as cute as ever! Of course she won't do it on camera, but this was as close as we got :)

5.Photo round-up
And to end, here are some photos from our week. We've been stuck in the house with my car being worked on so we have a bit of cabin fever and are looking forward to a bunch of fun things planned this weekend!

Using her triangle crayons to color a birthday card

Studying the phone

And one last thing! If you have little kids (or are bored at work :)), check out Google's Santa's Village. If you google "Santa" it will come up right away, or just click here... Santa's Village. Gabriella loved watching the "elf band" and was clapping along to the music!

Have a great weekend!!
xo,
Mary

Birth to Three

Today was one of Gabriella's last birth to three visits. We had assumed that she would be enrolled in these services until she was 3 but much to our surprise, she has caught up developmentally enough where she doesn't qualify anymore! Her prematurity automatically qualified her when she was discharged from the hospital but that only is used as a qualifier for 1 year. The therapists evaluate the child yearly and Gabriella is no longer delayed enough to get services. This was amazing news for us; when she first started they talked to us about watching for cerebral palsy because she had some tightness in her hips and now that is no longer a concern. She is slightly delayed with speech but in Connecticut, speech alone doesn't keep you in the Birth to 3 program. In January, she will have 2 final visits, the first will be her exit evaluation and the second will be with a speech and language pathologist who will evaluate Gabriella and give us her opinion on whether or not we should enroll her in speech therapy.

We are so thankful for the services we did receive this year. Our physical therapist Chris was so kind and wonderful with Gabriella. She taught us so much about how to play with her, which toys were best for her development, and was so encouraging.  She would get so excited when Gabriella hit little milestones, like picking a toy up, or passing a toy from one hand to the other. Chris was patient when Gabriella wasn't in the mood to participate and even though we only saw her twice a month, Gabriella lights up when she comes in the house. There are some people in this world who are born to work with special kids and she is certainly one of them.

She is a very experience PT and she is certain that Gabriella will be walking without assistance by her due date (January 16). Today she stood Gabriella in front of the fridge, back to the fridge, and sat down in front of her. Gabriella stood there, slightly leaning back against the fridge for support, for several minutes! And then she tried to take a step towards Chris! She didn't quite succeed but her will and determination will certainly make it happen soon.  Chris also gave us the tip of using a dish towel or small blanket to help Gabriella walk instead of holding her hands. We put the rolled up towel under her armpits and hold the two ends behind her. This allows Gabriella to use her hands and arms to balance and is a bit more secure (so we don't have to worry about popping her arm out of the socket if she were to lift her feet suddenly).

Realizing that Birth to 3 is coming to an end is another reminder of how lucky and blessed we are. It is simply amazing to think about how much has changed over a year!

xo,
Mary

Eating apple squash muffins

Hurricane Gabs

"Is this mine?" 

Pushing her doll in her old rocker

Not amused

Look at how little she was?? This photo was from February!

Weekend happenings

We had a wonderful weekend that flew by way too quickly but was filled with so much fun! On Friday night, we had a quiet night at home and watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Between the two of us, we probably have seen this movie 2 dozen times but it never gets old. I still laugh at all the classic lines and will continue to watch it every year! The other must-see Christmas movies on our list are Love Actually, Elf, and Christmas with the Kranks. They are all cheesy or fun movies and we love them!

  

On Saturday, I woke up early and hit some stores and actually got almost all of our Christmas shopping done. We probably have one or two more stops but I am on track to finish by Friday. And then on Saturday night, Gabriella had her first sleepover at my parent's house! We had a date night with friends, stayed out late, had a lot of laughs, and had big plans to sleep in on Sunday morning. And then I woke up at 6:15am and couldn't go back to sleep. So much for the big plans to sleep in, but we still had a relaxing morning and actually enjoyed hot coffee. As we were up, baby-free, before 7am, I realized I have become my mom :)  

Gabriella and her Tia getting ready for an evening Christmas light walk

Gianni made delicious, Christmasy cocktails for us after dinner on Saturday and I have to share his recipe. He looked up recipes for holiday moscow mules (a classic cocktail with vodka and ginger beer) and combined a few to make a really good drink! And it looks pretty too :) 

Gianni's Christmas Moscow Mules

1 ounce (approximately 1 shot glass) of vodka

4 ounces of ginger beer (non-alcoholic, stronger ginger flavor than ginger ale)

2 ounces of cran-raspberry juice

Frozen cranberries or raspberries

Limes wedges

Rosemary sprigs

Pour vodka, ginger beer, and juice over ice. Squeeze lime juice and top with frozen cranberries (or raspberries) and a sprig of rosemary (for Christmasy effect :)) 

We ended the weekend at my sister-in-law's house for her annual gingerbread house making party.  She does such a great job... she, her friend, and my mother-in-law make the houses all from scratch and then invites her friends, their kids, and family over to decorate a house. Gabriella had a blast, crawling after the older kids and we loved watching her play. She had her first taste of cheese pizza and of course, loved it! She also ate a couple of eggplant fries; my kind of girl :)

All the decorations, before the table was ransacked!

Walking with her cousin and her cousin's friend

Chasing the big kids

Checking in on her Nonno

Kicking the ball with her Uncle

Playing under the table with her new friends

Our finished house

 It really was a great weekend! Our Christmas cards finally arrived today so now it's time to address the envelopes and get them sent out! Have a happy Monday!

xo,

Mary

Five on Friday

 Happy Friday!! Only two more shopping weekends before Christmas! I am sure the stores will be absolutely nuts this weekend so I am getting up early tomorrow to grab a few things on our list before it gets too crazy. I am bound and determined to be completely done shopping by next Friday so I won't have to go out next weekend so we'll see how I do!

1. Butternut Squash soup
This week I used a Barefoot Contessa recipe and made a delicious butternut squash soup. I am a huge fan of soups, Gianni is a little pickier when it comes to soups but even he loved this recipe. We skipped the curried condiments and just topped ours with croutons and I pulled some out for Gabriella before adding curry to the soup. It was great and you could definitely add more curry to make it spicier. If you like butternut squash, the recipe is here! 

The cat wanted to know if she could help out

 2. Another winner from Nancy Tillman
I mentioned in a previous post how much I love Nancy Tillman books so when I saw The Spirit of Christmas at TJ Maxx, I grabbed it for Gabriella. All of her books are so sweet and this one is just as special. We have the board book version but I am pretty sure it's available in the classic hardcover style and is a nice little story for kids!

3. The Nutcracker
Our niece Kate is an incredibly talented dancer and this year she is Clara in the Nutcracker! We are beyond happy for her and are looking forward to seeing her perform next weekend. If you are in Connecticut and a Nutcracker fan, she dances for the Ballet Theatre Company in West Hartford and tickets are available here! They perform at The University of Saint Joseph and Kate will be Clara in both Saturday shows!



4. Professional photos
We were given a gift when Gabriella was born of a photo session with Sandra Costello Photography.  We decided to hold it until she turned 1 and we are so happy we did. She took beautiful photos that really capture Gabriella's personality. We have ordered some prints for our house and are using one for our Christmas card. Here is a sneak peak that she shared on her facebook site!

5. Gabriella this week...
This week Gabriella started "sharing". More accurately, she wants to give things to us all the time. And when I say "us", I mean anyone or anything in the house.
Here she is giving her snacks to her lion..

Offering me some food...

And her favorite, giving things to the Christmas tree...

This weekend we are going out to dinner with some friends, getting Christmas shopping done, and making gingerbread houses with my sister-in-law and the kids. I hope you have a nice weekend and don't get stuck in too many shopping lines :)

xo,
Mary

Growing girl

Gabriella is growing like crazy! She's still a little peanut but all of a sudden she's acting like a toddler instead of a baby- complete with a big attitude. Her latest word is that ("dat") and she will point at whatever it is that she has her mind set on. Usually it is something dangerous (kitchen knives) or easy to destroy (cell phones, glasses, ornaments, etc) and she will arch back and yell when she doesn't get what she wants. But as ornery as she can be, she is as sweet and loving as ever. She loves books and climbing in our laps, she will crawl over in the middle of playing to give a hug, and loves to yell "Dad!" as loud as she can if Gianni isn't looking at her and she wants some attention. She also listens now for Gianni's car pulling in after work and she will stop what she's doing, look up, and say "oh dad" if she hears him.

She's eating more and more "big kid" foods. She has had grilled cheese, french toast, grapes, pieces of turkey, cheese, and avocado, and loves it all.

She is also constantly observing and figuring things out. She is fearless and climbs on anything and everything. She loves climbing up couch cushions and stairs and has no problem trying to climb down head first. We are working on feet first! She has figured out how to stand on top of things to make herself taller and reach things that would normally be out of her reach.

And walking! She tries to  let go but isn't steady yet. She will cruise along furniture and uses her little walker. She will start out by pushing it and "walking" on her knees and then stand up after a few strides. She gets quite proud of herself :)

She loves all of the Christmas decorations and while she doesn't understand the holiday yet, watching her get excited over the lights turning on and off and touching all of the ornaments has made this the best season yet.

Our Christmas cards have been ordered and will be here soon! We are starting to get cards ourselves and it is so fun to see the photos of our friends and family.

Have a great Tuesday!
xo,
Mary

Baby Gift Ideas {0-12 months}

'Tis the season for gift buying! And while I am by no means an expert on baby things, I wanted to share a few things we were given or bought over the past year that we used (or still use) all the time. I am always asking friends and family with babies a little older than Gabriella for ideas so I wanted to share our favorite items for anyone looking for good gift ideas for 0-12 month olds.

1. Leap Frog Violet or Scout. My cousin gave us Violet for Gabriella and Ben has Scout and at 13 months and 4 months, both babies are crazy about this toy! It's incredibly easy to set up; you plug it into your smartphone and you are able to customize the toy with your child's name, favorite color, animal, and food. We keep ours in her crib and she will wake up from her nap and play for a good 10-15 minutes with Violet. The songs aren't annoying and it is really funny to hear this stuffed dog sing, "Let's sing a song about me and my pal Gabriella"!

2. Smart Trike. My parents gave us this bike for Gabriella and she loves it. It is a 4 step bike that she can grow with. Right now we have it on the lowest setting so she doesn't control the peddles or the steering and we push her along. She is strapped in a 3 point harness and is very secure. We bring her for walks all the time with this bike; she feels like she isn't trapped in a stroller and is so happy.

3.Nancy Tillman books. Pull out the box of tissues when you read these sweet books by Nancy Tillman. They are the sweetest books and I promise you will love them. We just purchased the Spirit of Christmas and it is just as wonderful as her others. My friends and I joke that if you read them when you are at all hormonal, be warned that you will be crying an ugly cry :)

4. Baby moccasins/soft leather shoes. These were recommended to us by both Gabriella's physical therapist and pediatrician. There are a million and one different brands. We have used 2 different brands (1 purchased from zulily and the others were hand-me-downs) and have loved both. Gabriella wears them daily; they are comfortable, soft, easy to clean, and durable. Because the bottom is soft, they are recommended so that babies can learn to walk properly and not on their tip toes.

5. V-Tech walker. We were given this walker by friends when Gabriella first came home. We first pulled it out when she was doing tummy time; the face plate is removable and we would put it on the floor in front of her. As she started sitting, she could sit in front of the walker and play and now as she is standing, it is the walker that she used to take her first steps. The wheels have a 2-step feature so she can stand with it and no go flying across the room. It is the only toy that I can honestly say we have used for a full 8 months, almost daily.

6. Solly Baby Wrap. Gabriella is a baby that loves to be wrapped. The Solly wrap is lighter weight that other wraps so I found it to be easier to tie and not as hot to wear. We started baby-wearing when she was 8 pounds and it helped SO much during her colicky reflux days. There were days that I would wear her from 4pm until 9pm. It can be used up to 25 pounds and there are still occasional days that I will still wear her. It has helped with teething and whiny days when she doesn't want to be put down.

7.Boppy Lounger. In my opinion, this is an absolute must-have for new babies. We used it every single day for months. Non-rolling babies can be swaddled up and kept cozy in the lounger wherever you need. We would rest Gabriella on the couch with us, on the table or floor while we were in the kitchen, on our bed when I was putting away laundry.  It was also great to use for tummy time. She outgrew it by the time she was rolling but we used it constantly up to that point.

8.Munchkin brand mesh teethers. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law introduced me to these teethers and they came in handy not only with teething, but with teaching Gabriella to hold things and bring them to her mouth. We put everything from plain ice cubes to avocado to frozen mango in ours. We  used them almost every night when we were away this summer; we actually were able to sit down and eat dinner with everyone because she was kept busy in her high chair with this teether filled with ice or fruit. She still likes them now!

9.Todd Parr books. Another favorite author of ours is Todd Parr. His books are bright, colorful, and simple. He has a book for every topic possible... everything from feelings to families to peace to underwear :) Gabriella lights up at the bright colors and I love how the messages in the books can grow with her.

Now it's time to run around and get some work done around the house... the baby is napping after a morning of craziness with two top teeth cutting through and her learning to say the word "no". It's been a really fun Tuesday :)

xo,
Mary

Thankful

Every year social media is flooded with the campaign of 30 days of thankfulness. You are supposed to take the 30 days of November and share with the world everything you are thankful for in order to get in the spirit of the holidays. Every year I start out strong, and then life happens and I've shared about 4 photos of Gianni and our family and that's about it. And keeping with tradition, the same thing happened this year. I've decided instead to share here, all at once, the things that am extremely thankful for, this month and always.

1. Gianni. He will always get top spot but this year in particular he deserves a big shout out. He has worked so hard to support us and I don't thank him enough for everything he does. He is pretty humble but most of you know that several years ago he worked for Lego and loved the company but was in the wrong role. He was in a department that didn't fit with his goals and because it is such a small company, it was hard for him to move in the direction he wanted with little experience. He left and took a job at a large insurance company, in the career field he wanted to be in, to get as much experience as possible. He worked his butt off and really grew professionally. His hard work was just rewarded as he was offered an amazing opportunity back at Lego. I am so proud of him for being so focused and driven on his big goal.

2. Gabriella. "Though she be but little, she is fierce". She is only 1, but amazes me daily. I am lucky to be her mom; she makes me laugh, is spunky and can be a little stinker, but gives the sweetest little hugs and bites kisses, and is the best little person I know.

3. Our family. They are our rocks. They have supported us throughout our whole lives. Every crazy thing we have done, they have been there supporting us 100% and are our biggest cheerleaders. They pulled us through our hardest days and we wouldn't trade any of them in :) You can't choose who you are related to, but we would still choose them every day.

4. Our friends. We are so lucky to have a wonderful group of friends who make us laugh, help us be better parents, and are a true joy to be around. Whether it be coffee, a walk, wine, advice, or hand-me-downs, we have an amazing support system.

5. Our coffee pot. Here's my confession... my name is Mary and I am a coffee-aholic. I am grumpy and irritable until I've had a cup every morning. I just love it so much. We had a Keurig for years and honestly it drove us crazy. It stopped working 3 different times, each time we would bring it back and get a replacement. Finally, we had enough and pulled out the $15 Target 12 cup pot and it hasn't failed us yet. And a little holiday tip that my mom taught me... add a little cinnamon to the coffee grinds before you brew it and YUM.

6. This holiday season. This year is our first year with Gabriella home with us. It finally feels like we are a family, creating our own little traditions and memories and I love it. I am making an effort to take in every moment and truly enjoy the season. My goal is to have Christmas shopping done by December 18 so there is no last minute rush. We are creating a little "Christmas Bucket List" so the season doesn't zip past too fast. I'll share once we have it made!

  

 Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving everyone!!
xo,
Mary