Sunday, April 22, 2007

Updates: April 22nd

Another week or so has passed in the life of Mario. We haven't done many eventful things this past week. But, I'll catch you up on what has been going on.

Sunday, April 15th, we had some good friends of ours, Kurt and Bridget, and their 1 year old daughter, Julianna, over for dinner. We enjoyed catching up in person and seeing how much the kids have grown. Bridget and I plan to get together several times in the upcoming weeks, because, if it all works out, she will be watching Mario for at least a few days a week when I go back to work the middle of May.

This week Mario and I were back to being on our own all five days, as it was a normal work week for Dom. So, we enjoyed getting back into our routine and having some quality Mommy/baby time. He is really getting expressive and we love to laugh and play together.

The weather is back to being nice and spring-like so Dom got a lot of work done outside this weekend, including tractor preventative maintenance, string trimming, and lawn cutting. He also got some wiring done in his workshop in the basement. We started talking about what we'll put in the gardens this year, both flower and vegetable, and coming up with the game plan for getting them prepped. I took some time and ran errands while the boys hung out together. So, we had a great weekend.

While I was at Costco today, I got a new stroller. Dom had seen it there last weekend and wanted me to go look at it to see if I agreed we should get it. It is a dual purpose jogging stroller/bike trailer and is very nice. It can hold either one or two kids and has lots of storage room. It also has a nice mesh flap that can keep the bugs out and a clear plastic flap to keep weather out. We took it for a walk this evening and you can see pictures of it on our Picasa site (liked in the picture update post). It's very nice and I'm know we'll get lots of use out of it. Now we have to find a bike helmet for little Mario so we can hook it up to the bike and hit the bike trail. I need to do some research as to when it's acceptable to do that with him.

Mario also has a nice case of cradle cap going on now. So, Friday night, I got out the baby oil and put some on his head to let it set for a while. Then we gently combed it with the baby come and washed his hair in a bath. It's not a really bad case, and hopefully it won't get to be. But, for now, we'll just periodically do the baby oil thing.

I think that about does it for family updates for now. Time for me to go to bed, the boys are already there and sleeping soundly (of course, I had to sneak out after putting little man to sleep ;) ).

Pictures - April 22nd

Mario Pics April 22nd

Friday, April 13, 2007

Updates: April 13th

Little Mario has been a busy guy the past couple of weeks. So, I will try to catch you up on what's been going on.

On April 3rd, we went to one of my co-worker's/friend's houses to have lunch and spend the afternoon with Stephanie and her little guy Trieg. Trieg and Mario were due on the same day, so Stephanie and I often compared notes of our pregnancies and doctor's visits. As you know, Mario didn't make it to his due date and neither did Trieg, he was born on February 21st. We had a great afternoon together and Stephanie and I enjoyed catching up and comparing new baby notes. We plan to continue to get together and let the boys have playdates as they grow. Unfortunately, this day was the end of our warm, sunny, spring weather. After that it turned cold and icky. Would you believe we had snow over Easter??? Ewwww. . .

On April 6th, Dom, Mario, myself and the dogs loaded up the Pilot and headed to NE Ohio for Easter weekend. Mario was pretty good in the car on the way up. We did stop once at a rest stop outside of Columbus so I could nurse him, but he slept a large percentage of the trip. Our first scheduled stop was in Massillon at The Breastfeeding Center, where my sister-in-law, Corissa, goes for breastfeeding help and support. Corissa met us there with Owen, of course. Dom dropped me and Mario off and then took the dogs over to visit with Ryan and their house. It was nice to talk with Betsy there and get some tips and advice. I also got a long overdue bra sizing and bought some new, better fitting, nursing bras. After our time at the center, we went to Canton to Ryan and Corissas to visit with them and friends Craig and Christine. We enjoyed good company and good food before heading to my dad's house, where we were staying for the long weekend. At dad's we visited with him and Priscilla, as well as Judd, before retiring to bed for the night.

On April 7th, we headed over Granny's to visit with her, my Uncle Jim and Aunt Jill, Brynn, mom and Mick. We enjoyed a nice afternoon and evening together with more good food and great company. Dom even set Granny up with some new phones and prints of Mario pictures. The only unfortunate thing was that Jill broke her finger. She didn't find out it was broken until the next day, when they went to the ER to get it x-rayed, though. It was a pretty uncommon break, called a Jersey finger. She just had surgery on it yesterday (April 12th) to fix it and will be in a cast for about 6 weeks.

On April 8th, Easter Sunday, we went over to the Ferreri's for some visiting time with them and Easter dinner, and, of course, lots of pictures. Mario and Owen looked all spiffy in their Easter outfits and everyone loved the double baby time. Nick and Alana got each of the boys stuffed bunnies, that sang songs/made noises. Mario also got Easter baskets from Grandma and Grandpa Ferreri as well as Ryan, Corissa and Owen. We also gave Grandma and Grandpa some Mario pictures. After a great Easter dinner we welcomed the neighbors and family friends(Tom and Velma as well as Jennifer and Sharon) for some visiting and dessert. We even got a picture with the expanded Ferreri family. After that we headed back over to Granny's for some more visiting and Mario got another Easter basket from Grandma Scipione. In turn, we gave Grandma some Mario pictures. Finally, we went back over to dads (Grandpa's) and visited more with him, Priscilla, and Ashley. He also got Mario pictures.

On April 9th, we visited with Grandpa in the morning and then packed up to start the journey back home. We stopped in Mansfield to visit with my Uncle Fred and Aunt Ginny for a while and stayed for dinner with them. Finally, we made it back home. We enjoyed seeing everyone, but I think all of us were glad to be home.

This past week I had some sort of bug and was under the weather for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dom then got it Thursday and Friday. So far, Mario hasn't gotten anything, or if he did it was really mild and he was just extra clingy. That could have just been him reacting to the commotion of the weekend though, who knows. Mario also got his Easter stuff from the Easter Bunny, as you can see in the pictures. So far, he's played on his playmat gym thing a few times and really seems to like that.

Thursday, Mario had another weight check with his pediatrician. He is now up to 10 lbs, 10 oz and is 22 inches long. She is very happy with how he is doing and our next appointment is a regularly scheduled one for his 4 month check up on May 3rd. That's another big shot appointment, so I'm sure he won't be too happy about it, but we've got a few weeks before that!

I think that about does it for updates. Have you gotten your taxes done yet? Remember the deadline is in a few days. Don't worry, ours have already been done and our refund is in the bank :) I think this weekend will be spent enjoying some quiet family time and staying warm. It's supposed to be a wet (rain/snow/mix), cold, windy, dreary weekend. We want our spring weather back! I miss walks with the family. Take care and "talk" to you soon.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Updates: April 1st

It's no April Fool's joke, Mario's getting to be a little man (as opposed to the wee man he was when he was born). He weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 oz this past Thursday. His doctor is very happy with how he's doing and said we can skip a week and go back in 2 weeks for the next weight check. She's just monitoring his progress, not concerned about anything. He has been doing well with the straight breastfeeding and I've been working on getting my supply in sync with his demand. I'm pumping less often and only when I really need too for my own comfort. Dom's happy about that too, because the breast milk bags have really taken over the big freezer in the basement, leaving little room for grown-up food! Now Mario just has to improve his efficiency and we'll be golden. Of course, that will come with time, as it does with every baby.

After his doctor's appointment on Thursday, we met up with my co-worker, Tanya, for lunch. Mario was very good and slept in his carrier the whole time. He woke up for a brief period, but went right back to sleep.

He got another dose of the Synagis vaccine on Friday. He wasn't too happy with getting a shot, but he's a tough little guy and only cried for a little bit. He has one more dose of it to go this year, the end of April.

This weekend we had lots of company. Friday night, Aunt Corissa, Uncle Ryan and cousin Owen came down and we hung out. Then, on Saturday, Uncle Nick and Alana joined us. We all enjoyed each other's company and some good food, courtesy of Dom. We're looking forward to lots of similar get-togethers so the boys can play with each other as they get older.

Pictures - April 1st

Mario Pics March 31st