Merry Christmas...a welcome gift!

This morning, bright and early, our second child, SAP was born.  S, aka Mama from now on, woke me up at 2ish in the morning.  Winter break from school had begun when we both left work that afternoon.  Apparently, again, she didn't want to waste any of her maternity leave bonus time from having a vacation involved.  Despite declaring she would not have a baby on Christmas or Christmas eve, her is our little S (officially S, from this point forward), and our little, but growing, family.  Merry Christmas!

The Big Race

Today, K ran her first ever race.  So, after some limbering up, and some yoga, pre-race, K went for a run.  It was supposed to only be 50 yards.  But, when we go there, the powers-that-be decided to only have a quarter-mile, and a mile race (there was a half-mile discussed, but never run).  K did great.  Both Daddy and Nana also had races of their own.  Everyone did their best, and everyone got medals.  Most importantly, K had a blast!

C is for Cookie!

Tonight, doing his best Mama impression, Daddy convinced her that she wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies, the way she used to trick her sisters into making brownies.  K helped to prepare the batter and bake.  Like her Mama, K loves to be in the kitchen.  But what she REALLY loved, was licking the beaters when everything was done.  Daddy loved it, too.

Not a bad summer night!  Pics to follow soon...

Dinosaurs!!!

Last night, we took K to see "Walking with Dinosaurs."  She's a big dinosaur fan, which is cool by Daddy.  The show promised live action, real-life dinosaurs*.  We knew going in, K would either love it, or poop her pants (there was actually a good chance of both).  The first few seconds, K was a little worried.  But, as the dinos started to emerge, she was roaring along with the show, while cheering and applauding with the crowd.  It was a great night.

On the way out, they were giving away $1 Bluefish Tickets, for the end of the game.  We caught an inning, and K went to her first game, too!







*or really life-like replicas

Birthday #2

K on her last day of being a 1 year old...K first thing on 2nd birthday, and finally with her little ice cream cake (before the family party).

Halloween and Such

This weekend was Halloween. K started the day by going to a 5k that Daddy was coordinating. Though it was a bit misty, K made the best of the day. She loved the walkers with dogs, bananas, bagels, and especially yelling for the runners to "GO FAST!!!"
Afterward, it was the family world-tour. K, as you can see, was dressed as a monkey. She was excellent at making monkey noises. Still, she didn't really like saying "trick-or-treat" when we arrived at somebody's house.
The following day was Daddy's first chance at doing yard work in a LONG time. K had a ball chasing Sydney and jumping in the leaves. Overall, a productive weekend.

Columbus Day Weekend

This weekend was very full. K spent most of Saturday cheering for her Daddy as he ran a marathon!

It was very tiring...for K :)

Sunday, K went apple picking (sorry no pics :( ), and ran around the orchard. She loved playing "I'm gonna get you" with Mommy at the orchard. Afterward, K, Mommy, and Daddy went to a park to go on the slides and swings.

78 weeks, and counting...

There have been some important happenings lately. For instance, K is now 78 weeks old...or a year and a half. This past week has been big...It started with K's cousin L being baptized. Then, Wednesday, we all went to Grandma & Pop's for dinner. Where K and the cousins (N & L) posed, and K played politician (kissing babies). Thursday, K went to dinner with Mama and Daddy because it was their 5th anniversary. Saturday, we went to the Southington Italian Festival (which ranks right around the Ponte club feast...in the rear... behind #1 The Cercemaggiore Festa in Oakville, and #2 the one at my parent's church [LEMON ICES!]). Finally, we celebrated K's HALF birthday with HALF an Elmo cupcake this Sunday. The results...were just as messy as 6 months ago.

K's Big (long) Weekend

I can't update fast enough! There was father's day. K's got another cousin. BIG THINGS! This weekend was sort of a long weekend. Mama and Daddy had their birthdays, a wedding, and threw a bbq. All this meant a big, long weekend for K!

Thursday-K went to the Festa at Grandma and Pop's church...Daddy wanted Lemon Ices, but

there weren't any. Still, K got a balloon, and met a friendly chihuahua.

Friday-Mama's birthday party at Nana and Oji's...with Bobbi too. K clearly loved her icecream.

Saturday-Mama and Daddy went to a wedding, so K spent the night at Grandma and Pop's. She went to an amusement park, road the carousel and the train. That night, more icecream at a local farm, where K saw live cows...WOW!

Sunday-The BBQ...look at patriotic K and her monkey, "Monkey."

Monday-Back at Grandma and Pop's...K ate corn and icecream. Then, since K got messy, and took a bath with her cousin, N. K made sure to point out N's belly, among other things.

Time's flying

K's talking up a storm. She can sing the ABC song (along with Twinkle, Twinkle and Baa Baa Black Sheep [same tune]), and count to 10. She runs around like a firebolt, and regularly jumps on her pup (she now calls the pup Sydney [sounds like Ssss...ITNEY]). K can even pull herself up onto the couch.

This weekend, K went to track practice with Daddy. She was amazed by high jump, and clapped and cheered for finishers as they did their laps and 200s during practice. It didn't matter what rep they were on, she cheered just like she cheered for the runners last week while Daddy ran the Iron Horse Half Marathon. Especially fun for K was trying to pick up the shot put, and jumping on the high jump mats while she was at practice.

K also visited Nana and Oji's because Auntie Niff was in town. She played with Aunto and Auntie Niff, and chased Cammy and Sydney. After dinner, K enjoyed a grape popsicle.

Finally, K got a new chair that's just her size. It's for the patio, but is currently in the living room. Maybe it will keep her from jumping on the pup...but I doubt it!

K Walks...Sort of

Fun times at Nana and Ojii's tonight. K even did a bit of psuedo-walking with Daddy. Auntie Niff did the video with Nana's camera. Sydney makes a cameo... Also, I stole some pictures from Nana's camera of K over the past few months. They've been posted to Snapfish.

Lazy Day

Back from Hiatus~K and I got to stay home today. There was no daycare. The provider was not available, and that's fine with me, because I got to use my last personal day. Not bad to spend a day playing Daddy.

Today has been a pretty big day already, and it is only 11:30. For instance, this morning, K, Sydney, and I went on some errands around 9 am. K and I first got the pup a new license, and then got a recycling bin from the public works department. All the people at town hall thought she was SO cute (typical).

Afterwards, we went to get the pool water tested. While this is pretty boring, it was more fun because K kept looking at all the toys and colored bottles and jars at the store. That was pretty fun. Plus, I got a free cookie, and it had M&Ms in it. K missed out, not having teeth and all.

When we got home, it wasn't quite time for K to eat. So, I tried something. Sesame Street was on, and I popped her in front of it, while I folded her clothes. This turned out to be a good choice. On today's episode, Cookie Monster sang C is for Cookie, and Ernie sang Rubber Ducky. Daddy got to sing for K, and knew the words, so she was pretty amazed...or just happy. Plus, to top it off, there was a Super Grover appearance, which K kept laughing at (Though, I'm more and more concerned why Miss Piggy and Grover have the exact same voice).

After K ate, she was a crank pot. So, we tried some different things out. Played for a while. Danced a bit. Then, finally, I sat down for a while because we were tiring Sydney (and I) out by moving all around the house. Within seconds of sitting down, K's head was buried in my arm, and she was asleep.

Not a bad day at all...

Life of a Parent

Living as a parent can be hectic. Aside from getting a new garage door, having an electrician and a plumber visit in the past two weeks, K has turned our world upside down...twice. What was life like before a child? What was life like before pregnancy? Who really knows...Life has changed...Life goes on...Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da! (also one of K's favorite songs to dance too)

Seriously though, Mama and I wouldn't change it for anything. Though Sydney is kind of mopey, things are pretty awesome. She might smile...she might have gas. It's not just a cliche, it's a way of life now. That's pretty cool. Plus, it's fun to take naps with the bugger (which the dog seems to like, too), and rock her to sleep when I get up for late night, weekend feedings (right around the same time pizza used to be ordered during college, go figure). Hope the pictures above satisfy the appetites of the fans.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Just wanted to share a few photos that I love so far...

A nurturing mom...


A loving family...


A beautiful celebration...


And an elated aunt and uncle!

This week...

Over the past week or so, K has taken a nap with Daddy and Sydney (really just tummy time), taken her Daddy's nose, celebrated her first Valentine's Day (Sydney was her Valentine), pooped on her Mama, been to a swim meet, gone to different states, gone to TWO restaurants, and screamed like a banshee through her first real bath.

My favorite photo so far

How cute is that?

-Auntie J (Or should I be Auntie N?)

Update and More pictures: Family and Friends

Do you see yourself? If you visited K at the hospital, then chances are you've made the blog.

K has been home for 5 days now. She's eating well, and sleeping through most of the night. Her weight is up, and the jaundice is disappearing. One thing is for sure, she poops a lot...like more than I ever expected. And that's saying a lot, since she's mine...

K and her Mama are doing great, and big sister Sydney is still quite the helper.



For more pictures, visit the Snapfish page for the hospital and homecoming pictures.