Memorial Day 2009

It took us two hours to get out of the house for a small-town parade that lasted approximately twenty two minutes.

Then we headed to a barbecue with Nah-die (formerly Nonnie) and Mumps' (formerly Mumpy).

And what's a summer shindig without cupcakes and sprinklers?

DJR @ 2 months

At two months, Dominic loves to chill out in his Fisher Price swing or Mommy's HotSling. He is our sweet angel baby unless, of course, he's hungry. Then his fiery Italian temper flares and you better have a pacifier on hand to buy a bit of time if you need it. For the most part, though, Dominic is easy to read, easy to soothe and sleeps almost anywhere, if not for very long. Three and a half hours is the current record, one and a half hours is the norm. He tolerates his sister (who gets so excited to be near him that she inevitably hugs too hard or pokes him in the eye) and his mother (who calls him by embarrassing nicknames like Love Muffin); but, if the truth be told, I think his favorite family member is currently the other laid back dude in the house: his daddy.

GFR @ 23 months

At 23 months, Gabriella is everything I ever dreamed of in a daughter. She is a girly girl, through and through, who just loves to dress up.

She is an avid reader of books, magazines, newspapers, you name it.

And she is musical with a real passion for the piano and guitar.

But, most of all, Gabriella is the perfect mix of sugar ...

... and spice.

Child labor

Some would consider this child labor. I prefer to think I'm raising an independent, self-sufficient human being.

Gabriella used to cry when we washed her stuffed animals. Now, she is a cold-hearted laundress who chucks Jeffers and Elmo into the washing machine with glee and cracks up as her fur friends spin around and around in the warm soapy water.

I'm going to teach her how to do dishes next.

Picnics in the Park

Now you know why this is my absolute favorite thing to do these days.

Dominic and I slept like babies last night.

9:30 bed time

Midnight snack

12:30 back to sleep

1:45 awake

3:00 asleep

4:30 awake

5:00 asleep

5:45 awake

6-7 Brought Dominic into bed with me as a desperate, last ditch effort to steal just a bit more sleep before the day began. And that was a relatively good night.

Happy Mother's Day 2009

Papyrus cards signed with crayon
spa gift certificate
a windy walk to City Square
cafe mocha and muffins
helicopters and airplanes
the crane and the cod
dandelions and grass
afternoon naps
Regina pizza
Coldstone's ice cream
Sesame Street on television
Annie on the iPod
goodnight, sweet girl
goodnight, beautiful boy
thank you, God
dreams really do come true

Discipline is love.

Me (to husband): Gabriella's hitting me!
Husband: Um, she's your daughter, not your sister. Don't tell on her. Discipline her.
Me: Oh.

Both my mother and mother-in-law tell me discipline is love, and I believe them. But when I look into Gabriella's big gray eyes and hear her sing-song voice, I'm pretty much a sucker ... even if she is clearly manipulating (or worse yet, physically abusing) me at the time.

All Clean!

Our little boy has graduated from sponge baths to tub time ...

... and true to his nature, Dominic took the whole experience in complete stride.

The Kitty Cat and The Tiger.

Gabriella loves repetition. Our pediatrician assures us that this is perfectly normal and, in fact, beneficial to her development; however, I must be honest: at times, her desire to say and do the same things over and over again seems more like a form of Chinese torture.

She'll flip the light switch on and off for minutes on end, ask you to call the pizza man on her toy cell phone until you cleverly distract her and hide the damn thing, sing the same songs, read the same books, watch the same "Sesame Street" episodes ... all without ever losing enthusiasm. And each time we set out on a walk in the neighborhood, Gabriella calls for "The Kitty Cat and The Tiger." Now, these two random Charlestown landmarks have captured her heart and must be visited on each and every stroller ride or there is (quite honestly) hell to be paid.

PS We're quite aware that the tiger is actually a lion but can't seem to convince Gabriella of that.