Loving Two

I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship. Suddenly I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited. And I wonder: how could I ever love another child as I love you?

Then she is born, and I watch you. I watch the pain you feel at having to share me as you've never shared me before.

I hear you telling me in your own way, Please love only me. And I hear myself telling you in mine, I can't, knowing, in fact, that I never can again.

You cry. I cry with you. I almost see our new baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never quite have again.

But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty. I'm afraid to let you see me enjoying her as though I am betraying you.

But then I notice your resentment change, first to curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.

More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine. The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.

But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two. There are new times only now, we are three. I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other.

I watch how she adores you as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of her new accomplishments. And I begin to realize that I haven't taken something from you, I've given something to you. I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you. I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong. And my question is finally answered, to my amazement. Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you only differently.

And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I now know you'll never share my love. There is enough of that for both of you .you each have your own supply.

I love you-both. And I thank you both for blessing my life.

So many thoughts-I don't know where to start

Lately I have been in a very "thoughtful" mood. I once made fun of my friend because he had to take off 2 days-just to think, but I can kinda relate these days. Here is what is topping my list:

BAD MOMMY FEELINGS
The other day, we were at a local park and Annabelle got away from us and we did not notice. Italo asked me where Annabelle was and I had no idea. He started running one way and I started to run another. We found her at a public pool in the arms of a lifeguard looking for me, but those 10 minutes of not knowing where she was were, to say it mildly, HORRIBLE. I had so many thoughts going through my mind at the time I could not even process what to do. It was truly like running around with my head cut off. But, in the midst of running around and looking for her, I could not keep my mind off of what other people must be thinking of me. I was one of "those" moms who can not handle everything and who lost their kid just because I was not paying attention. To make matters worse, I was at a Youth group reunion with people who I had not seen in YEARS and who wants to be the one who lost their 2 yr old in front of people you have not seen in that long.

The following Monday night, we went to dinner for a friend's birthday and BOTH of the girls started crying and fussing at the restaurant-AT THE SAME TIME! Once again, I was one of those moms that could not keep it together and could not control my children. My friend had to leave-go buy a paci-and miss time at the gathering so that Maggie would stop crying. I seriously wanted to pack it up-run home with my tail between my legs and never leave the house again! But, Italo did not hear me when I asked if he just wanted to go home before we ordered, so we stayed and dealt with the crying. My friends are all very supportive, but I still felt like a bad mom. And-to be honest-I think I felt more embarrassed than I felt bad for my kids who were crying. That is just ridiculous! I should be taking care of my girls-not worrying about how other people are going to judge me.

Matthew 7:1 (English Standard Version) says "Judge not, that you be not judged." and I have to say that I have always read this verse as one saying that if we judge others-God will judge us. But, I am thinking that God allows us to be put in situations that we have judged other for so he can teach us humility. Will-let's just say-I am HUMBLED :) I usually leave most people to their business, but I have been guilty of looking over at the screaming toddler in line or at the restaurant and saying-My child would never act like that-or I would never do that. I don't think I have said that much as a parent, but before I was a parent I had quite a few ideals. God has really been working to crack those up!

But I am quite sad that when I do something less than ideal-my first thoughts go to what others will think of me and not what is best for the situation or the kids.--YUCK!

BEAUTY
The other thought I have been having is what in the world is up with being a teenager and having EVERYTHING about your friends depend on looks! This past month, we had a youth group reunion for the church I grew up at and I have been looking at LOTS of old pictures of camps. choir tours, Disciple Now etc. It has been so fun to look back on all those memories and the things that come to mind about people when I see those pictures are quite revealing. Why is that the one of the first things I thought about in High School upon meeting someone was how attractive they were. I do not do this in my adult life. I think about what they do, common interest or likes/dislikes, but I don't think "are they pretty enough for me to be friends with?" What is up with High School or was it just me? Who knows, but I think it is a little weird! And , I wish I could figure this out so I don't pass this way of thinking onto my girls. I THINK it must come down to giving my kids a sense of self esteem that comes from Christ and not from themselves. But, how do you protect their hearts from being devoured by world and all of the symbols of womanhood they will see. There will be much to explain to my girls as we walk through the next 16-18 years. Lord-please give me wisdom!!

The thing that is really strange to me as I ponder the whole "looks" issue is that everyone decides if your kids are cute or not based on their idea of beauty. There are some kids that are "beautiful" to everyone they meet and then there are some that are "cute" and then others that are not as immediately striking, but once you get to know them, you fall in love with a certain characteristic. But-why must we always comment on how cute a baby is (or think how NOT cute a baby is). Why is this acceptable? I have no answer.....

That is enough pondering for a Monday afternoon-unto more productive things!

Happy Daddy's Day!

Italo-your three ladies think you are simply AMAZING!!! As a husband and partner in raising our wonderful kids, you are always there to do what needs to be done. If I call and ask you to get Annabelle because I have to work late, you are more than willing-even excited! You allow me time away to go to a movie or get a cocktail with a friend and you even plan awesome date night with me so you can romance me! I can not imagine going on this parenting ride with anyone but you and I am so grateful that God blessed me with you as a husband. Everyday I am thankful that you are the man that will teach my daughter's about God and how they should expect to be treated by men. You are an excellent model and they will have such an easy time understanding love because of you!

Annabelle loves to play "Find Daddy" with you, bounce on your back and say "Go Daddy", tickle your tummy, have you tickle her tummy or give some silly raspberries on her tummy and of course you are still her absolute favorite dancing partner! She has the best smile when she sees you and I LOVE seeing you guys together!

Maggie was in love with you before she made it out of my tummy. She jumped and kicked every time you talked to her and looked and you in amazement when she was out and could see your face! Her favorite place to be is still in your arms!

We ALL Love and are so grateful that you hold the most special place in all of our hearts!

Playdates, Outings and Community

So....next week I go back to work. I really feel like I had a nice "sabbatical" from the routines of work and feel like I got into a nice non-working routine with my girls! It feels much more natural to stay home and play with the kids than the first time I stayed home for an extended period of time with Annabelle. When I was on maternity leave with Annabelle, I was quite overwhelmed with the demands of adjusting to a newborn baby. Trying to get used to the idea of your life no longer being your own, is a hard concept for a 30+ person to deal with. I remember one day when I was trying to take care of Annabelle early on, being floored by the idea that I could not go to the restroom when I wanted to unless it was "ok" with Annabelle. I could not believe how completely this new person changed my life, my routines, my desires and my day to day activities. Annabelle had to make me "Mommy" and it was not an overnight transition. In fact, I think it must have been sometime after her 1st birthday that I felt like I had a clue how to really manage all of that change. 2 years later, I love my role as a mommy and feel like I know what I am doing most of the time. Maggie's arrival has been a challenge, but not as overwhelming as the first time around.

One of the things that have made my time at home so wonderful this time around is the fact that we have lots of friends with kiddos now! When Annabelle was born, Landen was the only little guy we had to play with and his mommy was at work so we could not get together very often. This time around, I have been able to get together with mommies and let Annabelle play with them while Maggie slept! We have gone to the galleria to play, a very fun bounce house called Pump it Up, Open Gym, Going Bonkers and this week we are having tons of fun at Music Camp! Annabelle wakes up each day asking for her friends, and I LOVE the days when I can tell her that, yes you are going to see Ryland, Avery or Landen! She loves them and looks forward to seeing them-the activities we do are probably not very important, but the time with them makes everything fun! For me, it has been priceless to get out of the house and talk with mommies while Annabelle is entertained and not running around the house getting into trouble!

We have also been so blessed to be fed by some of the best cooks around! Our friends and family completely spoiled us by bringing us yummy dinners for 6 weeks!!! Several times, our friends and family stayed to eat with us....which we love....and we got to visit and get to know them better in the process. EVERYTIME someone spend the evening with us, Italo and I would walk them to the door and Italo would look at me and say "That was so fun"! When you have 2 little kids, making your way out of the house is a CHORE and trying to entertain them in non kid friendly places is near impossible so it makes getting together with friends very hard. But having folks come to YOUR house and talking or playing games is wonderful because the kids are happy and we can actually visit! Such a wonderful treat! And not to mention getting a break from cooking, cleaning pots and pans and planning meals has been wonderful as well. THANKS!!!!


During this time at home, Annabelle has been going to daycare most days for at least some of the day, but at least once a week, she has stayed home with me to go on a playdate or play with me. However, the first week of June Ms Jane, the daycare provider, took a trip to see her grandson graduate from High School and take a vacation to the beach. So, Annabelle stayed home with me all week. We went on an adventure each day and had a wonderful time together! That Monday, we went to the Galleria and let her play on her favorite climbing toys. I met an older lady who was there with her grandson and enjoyed learning about her life while I held Maggie and let Annabelle run and play. We then had the pleasure of meeting up with Daddy for lunch at McDonalds! YAY! On Tuesday, we went to the Science and Nature Museum and Annabelle had a great time digging for dinosaurs, driving a firetruck, playing on a farm and discovering all kinds of new things. Maggie was content to sleep in the carrier and just went along for the ride! Wednesday we FINALLY figured out where Open Gym was and had a great time letting Annabelle bounce and run. She loved it! And finally on Friday we meet lots of fun folks at Going Bonkers and Grace and Annabelle run around on all of the fun levels with slides, swings and bouncy areas. It was lots of fun and I really appreciate Grace for helping Annabelle make her way around the maze of fun! We then had an adventure at Chick-Fil-A. 3 adults trying to fed 8 kids was quite a sight!!!

It has a been a WONDERFUL and full 9 weeks and I will miss all the fun activities and time with the girls, but it is time to get back to REALITY!

Baby Boot Camp Conclusions

Maggie's Favorite Activity

Sorry I have not been able to provide updates to our progress----not that anyone has been losing sleep as a result of not knowing----but we have had a busy week. Annabelle's day care provider took a week of vacation so Annabelle and I have been going on adventures each day so she does not get cabin fever at home all week. More on that later but I wanted to let you know that although I can hardly say that Maggie is on a schedule, I do think I have unlocked the secret to her success in having a better night sleep. Each day has been a little different-some better than others but I know that there is a time each day that Maggie is open to staying awake for an extended period of time during the day. On day 2 that was broken up for a chunk in the morning and some time in the early evening, On day 3 she slept ALL day-except for the feedings I forced on her-but then she stayed awake for almost 5 hours before we all went down for the night. It looks like she is not ready to give up her middle of the night feeding yet, but as long as I play with her as long as she will stand it as much as I can during the day, she will just wake up once to eat and will go 3-5 hours at night without waking up. The hardest part is that I never know what time of the day she is going to be up for playing and it is really tempting to out her in the swing or the bobby and let her go to sleep after each feeding---just so I can get things done around the house that are piling up on me. And to be honest-this part really makes me realize how selfish I am. I have such limited time with Maggie at this age and I can never get this time back-but I am willing to miss out on her smiles just so I can watch a tv show or play on the computer or do a chore. I know I have things I have to do and Annabelle needs attention and food has to be cooked and laundry has to be done, but some things I would rather do instead of playing with the girls do not HAVE to be done. I hate that I am so short sided when it comes to time with the girls-but I am just being honest! So-that is where we are leaving off with schedules and what I learned from the experience! We will see what the next lesson will be for me :)

Pictures of our fun!

Annabelle taking her new baby doll for a ride
Faster Sister!

Annabelle trying to play with Maggie's Activity Mat

Beautiful smile!!!

Smiling at Mommy!

Maggie in Annabelle's Doll cradle

Times are tough-even Maggie has to downsize!!!

Baby Boot Camp-end of day 1 and beginning of day 2

So last night was not so bad-except my husband let me fall asleep on the couch for 3 hours while Maggie was supposed to be eating and he was playing a video game! He said he thought I was just watching TV! So-I missed a big part of my bed time sleeping and had a major neck cramp but Maggie did go from 10:45 to 3:30 without needing to eat. She woke up once at 2:30 but a paci and a few rocks of the cradle and she went back to sleep. She woke up again at 6:30-i got up to fed her because Annabelle heard her crying and woke up-but after a few minutes of eating she was out again. So she slept til 8:00 and then she was really ready to eat.

What I learned from her yesterday is that with the floor time and increased attention to keeping her intriqued, her tummy was much less upset and she was more ready to sleep last night! SUCCESS! I cant say she has a consistent schedule by any means, but we do have a routine that is working. Eating-then playing as long as she will take it-sleeping and then it is usually time for the next feeding. I have to wake her up for the next feeding, but she is more than happy to go along with it.

The other benefit of this new plan is that Maggie and Annabelle are starting to interact more. They played with Annabelle's dolls, played on the activity mat together and Annabelle loved seeing eye to eye with her in the Bumbo! I even got some great pictures of Maggie playing like one of Annabelle's dolls and some smiles from Maggie that I will post in a little while. It is time for Maggie to eat so I have to wake her up from her pleasant dreams!!!

Baby Boot Camp-Day One

Italo reminded me about an Oprah yesterday (sorry to out you for watching Oprah babe) we watched several years ago about having a baby merge into your schedule and lifestyle instead of merging your schedule into the babies. I have been thinking about it for the last few days and I realized that my basic approach to Maggie's arrival has been very different than Annabelle's in that I was much more determined to get Annabelle on a schedule than I have been to get Maggie on one---well now it is catching up to me! The main reason for the change is because I have just been in survival mode and was mostly concerned to go a few hours without someone crying in my house rather than trying to get everyone on a schedule----needed but not really the approach that will work for us long term as a family.

There are two basic approaches to the early days of kids that are floating around in the world today-one is to let a baby build a schedule that fits them best and the other is to teach a baby a schedule that fits into your lifestyle. With Annabelle I remember the first few weeks of her arrival being EXHAUSTING and I have been wondering why I have not felt that way with Maggie. I thought it was that I was more used to being a mommy and used to schedules but now I realize I have been really just letting Maggie do what she wants to do in terms of sleeping. I have been waking her to eat at designated times, but she sleeps most of the day except for right after she eats---and I have just been letting her. BUT-she does not sleep well at night as a result. What I remembered last night in the height of my frustration that Maggie only let me sleep for about 1 hour was that babies sleep when they get bored---so I had to make sure that Maggie was only sleeping when she was tired during the day and not just because she was bored. That way she was actually tired at night so she will sleep more than 2 hrs at a time!

So today we started Baby BOOT CAMP! Just because I want to remember what I did-I will be journaling how it is going and what I am doing. The basic premise is to get Maggie Eating, Sleeping and Playing on a schedule that fits our lifestyle instead of what comes naturally for her. I am kinda middle of the road when it comes to schedules in that I believe the schedule needs to have some input from the natural cues of the baby rather than 100% dictated by the parents so I will start the process with a day where I pay extra close attention to Maggie's preferences and cues. After today's "Observation", I will determine her schedule and then try to stick to it for a few days. The only changes I made to her natural inclination today has been to wake her for feeding times and to play with her until she is tired after each feeding.

So far here is how the day went:

8am-Eat for 45 minutes
8:45-9:45-Play on the activity mat, holding her and singing, playing with Annabelle etc.
9:45-10:30-Sleep
10:30-Eat for about 30 minutes
11:00-11:45-Activity Map, Bath
11:45-12:30-Sleeping
12:30-1:00-Woke on her own and played on my lap
1:00-1:30-Eat for 20 minutes-from a bottle this time-we were in a movie :)
1:30-3:30-Sleeping on my chest in the movie---NOT ideal for boot camp but needed for Mommy!
3:30-3:45-Eating from a bottle after the movie-she did not really wake up...dream feed in the middle of the afternoon
3:45-4:15-Sleep
4:15-5:30-Playing ball with Annabelle and other fun activities
5:30-6:00-Nap
6:00-Getting ready to feed her--with a clogged milk duct-----OUCH-I hope she helps me work it out!

So-I will let you know how the rest of the day unfolds and how she does tonight. I hope she will be tired and ready for a good long slumber with minimal wake up tonight!

My view of things!

Pregnant Belly
Sleeping Baby on my arm

It has been just over 3 weeks since Maggie has joined our family in a way that we can all enjoy her. She has been part of our family since August of last year when we found out she was coming but now here she is for everyone to hold! The pictures above are random pictures I took oh how I see things for Maggie. It is never quite the same as how others see her and very different from her Creator, but none the less, it is my view. As a sit and think about her life, I wonder how I will see her in a yr, in 5 years or in 2o yrs. I cant imagine all the laughs, tears and concerns her life will bring to me, but I know that she is here to teach me something and I just PRAY I am in tune enough not to miss it!

Her sister has taught me to slow down and enjoy the moment, to look at things with fresh and BIG eyes and to always have a hug and kiss for anyone who wants one!

Her daddy has taught me that there is not ONE way to do things, I am not as smart as I think I am and how to forgive and love. And of course he has taught me that there is always time for silliness!!!!!

I love each member of my family and am so grateful for who they are making me----day by day!

Annabelle and Maggie

Annabelle at 1 day old

Maggie at 1 day old

So-the million dollar question...Do Annabelle and Maggie look alike? When I first saw Maggie, thought she looked just like Annabelle. In fact, there were many times I felt like I simply time traveled back to 2007 and was re-living all of the events of Annabelle's birth. But comparing the pictures side by side, I guess they don't look as alike I thought. But, they are both gorgeous!!!! If I can brag a moment :)

Last day at the Hospital

Annabelle had to be woken up this morning, so she wasn't excatly happy to start out the day. This is a little bit of an oddity, as normally she is up and cooing at about 7AM. Today, however, I woke up at about 7:45 and she was not up yet. I got her through the morning routine with a little bit of a struggle, but managed to motivate her ultimately with the thought of going to see mommy and Maggie.

We made sure that today Annabelle and Maggie were in matching outfits. Upon arrival, Annabelle started to play with Maggie right away. They both were really cute together. Maggie was really alert during this play time, which made it all the more fun. :-)



The Witts have been such a help to us. They took Annabelle home yesterday for nite nite, and again today for her nap in their really cool Traverse that they are borrowing for the MommyMadness. Annabelle has been having a ton of fun chatting with Ryland. From what I hear, they are laughing and giggling all the way home. They have been such a help, that I'm asking for everyone to vote for Sherah. :-)

That is all for now. I have a feeling that our next post will be made after we arrive home today.

Annabelle and Maggie Video

Here is the video of Annabelle and Maggie meeting the first time (as promised). Enjoy! :-)

What a wonderful feeling!!!

I hope you all have enjoyed all the hard work my wonderful husband has done with the blog and facebook while I have been relearning how to care for a newborn and recovering from surgery! I
am feeling great and Maggie Rose is doing perfectly! I was in quite a bit of pain early this morning, but then realized i had not had any hard drugs for quite a while-so we resolved that and I have been up and about this morning without any trouble at all.

Maggie slept great last night. I had a REALLY hard time waking her up to eat and staying awake myself while I constantly reminded her she was supposed to be sucking instead of sleeping last night, but I was so glad to learn that in between feedings so slept the whole time. The nurses said that had a baby boom yesterday and had an usually large amount of newborns screaming all around Maggie and she just slept! She was very alert last night in between her 8pm and 10:30pm feeding so I am sure that had a lot to do with it. I will be the happiest mommy ever if this cycle continues for the next few nights!

All in all, I have had a wonderful experience with Maggie-so different from Annabelle and I have enjoyed everything so much! It was the best thing in the entire world last night to have my complete family together. Annabelle was so cute with Maggie and was so snugly with me that I enjoyed those few hours more than most moments in my life. This morning Annabelle and Daddy got up exceptionally early and headed back to the hospital and the Frigolis spent all morning together in my room.

Annabelle was SO EXCITED to see Maggie this morning. She was running around the room asking for her so she and Daddy quickly went to the nursery to get her. I heard her little footsteps coming down the hallway a few minutes later and she came running into the room announcing that Annabelle and Maggie were here. It was a moment I WILL NEVER FORGET!!! She wanted to hold her, then she wanted me to hold her and then she wanted to see her toes and knees and such again. She was great with her! She has left to spend some time napping, but will be back this afternoon.

Our hospital offers the new parents a wonderful lunch of steak and lobster which Italo and I are going to enjoy in a little while so I better run to feed Maggie so we can enjoy our lunch.

By the way-I have a HUGE victory that I want to share with you just because I am so thankful that God heard my prayers and answered them. This is TMI so skip if you don't like knowing about breast feeding. But my bum anatomy has taken a turn and Maggie and I were a good team trying to make things works so I am nursing WITHOUT accessories--which means I will not have to pump until I go back to work!!!! This will be amazing and I am soooo excited to be able to have this experience since I did not with Annabelle. PRAISE GOD!!!

One more thing-look for an AMAZINGLY cute video of Annabelle and Maggie meeting each other last night. It is so cute!!!

Annabelle and Maggie

They have met finally! I guess it is always a parent's cocern of how one child will react to a brand new sibling. Our case was no exception. I knew Annabelle loved other, smaller children than herself (even though she does steal the toys at times). She has always been rather proper and respectful.

Today was no exception. Annabelle was quick to label Maggie as "baby". We were quick to correct, and let her know that she was Maggie. She paused for a few seconds initially, but then was letting us know all of Maggie's features. "Maggie's Nose, Maggie's lips, Maggie's ears, Maggie's hair, Maggie's eyes" Annabelle said. With that, Annabelle was just as excited as could be with her. From that point, she was running all around the room, but was quick to find Maggie when she started crying. All in all I am very excited and happy about how Annabelle is acting around Maggie.

We later followed up the event by singing Happy Birthday to Maggie. Annabelle was given a cupcake, which is her favorite! Maggie couldn't have any at this piont, but I'm sure she will have a lot of it in 364 days! :-)

Maggie is sleeping

Maggie is just such a little cutie!! :-)

With all the activity here this morning, it is a little tough to get some updates into the blog. I promised pictures in Facebook, and right after there was a ton of activity. Anyways, I'm at a lull now, so I'm able to get a few words typed.

Anyways - just wanted to post a few pictures for now. More updates will come soon. :-)

Spending the night

The hospital staff makes no bones about the fact that Amy and Maggie are the patients, and I am not. With that said, I'm give a recliner that can lean flat and makes itself into a make shift bed.

I was actually dreading the whole stay last night. With Annabelle I spent one night in the hospital, and being woken up every 3 hours made me grumpy when it was actually time to get up. Last night, however, it was a much more pleasent experience. I remember waking up once throughout the night. One of the nurses thought it would be fun to turn on every single light in the room before checking on my wife. Thank goodness she only came once last night. The other nurses that took care of Amy and Maggie were a lot more discrete.

All in all I woke up rested and without aches. So I can't complain this time around.

Maggie out of NICU

Katie blessed us with a visit today. No small task, as it is quite a hike to get to the hospital.

Anyways, at about 7:15 today Maggie was brought into our room. We are excited to share that she is out of NICU and doing very well.

Not much else to share at this time. Amy is still recovering and Maggie is just a vibrant wiggly bundle of joy! :-)

Amy is doing better - and so is Maggie

We fed Maggie at 4:00 today. She is disconnected from the IV, yet still being monitored. The Doctor mentioned that she is all good now, and will move to the nursery at 7 (during the shift change).

We got to feed her, and she is one healthy hungry little girl.

On our way out we were greeted by Annabelle. She unfortunately was not allowed into the NICU, so she has not yet seen her little sister, and with the schedule she has, she probably won't till tomorrow.

Annabelle has been a lot of joy in her own way - and we sure do appreciate the help our family has provided us in taking care of her (you know who you are and we really do appreciate it!).... :-)

I'm sure they will bring Maggie to us for her next feeding, and I am so excited that she will be out of the NICU. Tomorrow Annabelle should meet her new sister- I can hardly wait. :-)

Got the laptops up and running

Finally go the laptop up and running. So I can finally post some pics here in the blog!! :-)

I'll try to go back and edit the privious posts with the addition of pictures.

Anyways - I did visit Maggie at the NICU again. This time without Amy though. Maggie is doing very well. She has really good color to her, and she is breathing very well. The Doctors seem to think she is ready to be moved into the nursery. That is great news, as it means that Maggie can come visit Amy! The update we received is that this may happen this evening. We are very excited about the news as everyone may imagine.

Amy is recovering very well. She is currently resting/sleeping.

Anyways - I'll keep this blog posted as there are developments to share.

Visiting Maggie

I have been trying to post a few pics here, but I cannot seem to get it to work from my phone.

We went to see Maggie at the NICU a few minutes ago, and she is doing very well. Her color has improved quite a bit and she is not working as hard to breath right now. At this point she will probably be there overnight as a precaution.

Maggie is here!!!!!! :-)

She is 7lbs 12oz and 19in. She is in NICU due to some breathing issues but we do not think it is anything serious.

It is happenning!

Being moved

Amy has been moved to be prepped for the procedure. Looks like things will happen fairly quickly once she is all set.

At the hospital

It is 6:40 AM. We have made it to the hospital and Amy is all hooked to the IV. We are all ready to go. Just waiting on the doctors at this point.

Here We Go.....

It is a weird feeling to know that tomorrow is the day I will greet my newest baby. Everything happened so quickly and unexpectedly with Annabelle that I did not have time to process anything until many weeks-or really months after she was born. In many ways, I do not really even truly think of my time with Annabelle in womb as the same baby as the one I hold now. It seems like two different experiences that have never gotten mixed up together in my mind.
I guess not seeing your newborn baby for so long after you deliver will do that do you, but none the less, that is how I feel. Everything has been so different with this pregnancy and I am sure that the two babies I will hold in my arms tomorrow will be very different as well. But, I can't wait to experience this journey and have all of my questions answered...What will Maggie look like? Is Maggie really going to be a girl? Is she going to have any complications? Am I going to have any complications? How will Annabelle react? Am I going to be able to physically handle the demands of a newborn? How will I ever have enough love to show to my precious husband and to 2 children?

As I write this, I have so many questions and only one answer---GOD WILL PROVIDE ALL!!!! He will provide the answers to my curiosity, the physical needs, the emotional needs and the understanding of it all (maybe not here on earth, but the understanding will come one day). I am just praying that I will be PRESENT for everything that happens. I have a very bad tendency to separate the events that are occurring from the emotions of what is occurring and I never experience an event in its whole as a result. So-whatever happens tomorrow morning at 7:30am, I know that God will provide and He will also allow me to fully experience all that he is providing! I am sure I will write more soon and Italo will be snapping pictures lefts and right! Talk to you all soon!

The Famous Moon Boots!

Not sure how many of you have heard about Italo and I's early dating stories, but one day we meet at Starbucks for coffee and PART of his ensemble were these sneakers! If only you could have seen the rest of the outfit-but it did not take long for him to hear my true feelings about those shoes! He loves to get them out and wear them for projects around the house. Luckily that is the only place he wears them, but I was really laughing yesterday when they showed up for him to mow the lawn. He was very excited to show them off for the pictures---notice they zip up and have a handy red lining in them to keep the foot extra safe and secure :)

OH my silly husband! I love you!!!!!!

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Annabelle trying out her new shoes.

Seriouisly-what is the big deal about having patience?

Since a was a VERY little girl when people would ask me about a trait that I did not like about myself, I would ALWAYS say-I have no patience. I get frustrated by slow processes, slow thinking, slow actions, slow people, slow movies and anything else you can think of that is not 100% efficient. As a result, I thrive in finding ways to make all chores and tasks done as quickly as possible. I think before I act, most of the time, but I also only give myself so long to think before I do something. But, for some reason-God has been trying to teach me patience OVER and OVER again. Right now it is dealing with HOURS of contractions EVERY day for a week with absolutely NO PROGRESS into labor. What is the point? I would have been fine to wait patiently for my scheduled c-section and not go through all of this pain. So-why do I need to have all of these contractions and not be able to do anything about them. With Annabelle's pregnancy, I was more than content to wait until things progressed but then the Drs kept telling me it would be ANY DAY because I was dilating (never felt a single contraction with her)--so I started to get inpatient. Now, the opposite is happening, I am having contractions and NO DILATION. Ridiculous!

Over the years there have been so many things that have happened in my life that I would say are teaching me patience-from jobs to relationships etc. etc. etc. I think about what all this is supposed to be good for and I can't think of the answer. I mean-really if we live with an eternal perspective, why do we need patience in heaven. We will have all the answers in moments and will not have to struggle with wanting something we can't have or even being frustrated. So-what is the reason that God cares if I have patience now....really....what is the big deal about having patience? And more importantly-when can I just finally stop struggling with everything that does not go as I think it will go.

I am so tired from not sleeping and am not in the mood for a life lesson right now! Frustration leads to impatience once again......story of my life :(

Easter!

Annabelle has an awesome book about an Easter Basket that she got last year for Easter. So this year I decided to try to recreate the colors in the basket so we could read it while she looked at the new treasures. Each item in the basket represents a part of the Easter story:

-The green is representing the palms that lay upon the ground for Jesus' arrival on Palm Sunday.

-The purple is representing the wine that Jesus and his disciples drank at the last Supper.

-The red is the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross-PRAISE HIS NAME!

-The Brown represents the dark place that was His grave.

-The white represents the bright Angel who said "HE IS RISEN".

-The yellow is like the bright sun that reminds us of this Easter and all that our Lord has done!

Annabelle's favorite was the white bunny that hops everywhere and the yellow bunny that is really bubbles! She has grown to LOVE bubbles!

We had a great morning eating breakfast and playing with the items in the easter basket. We then got dressed in her pretty easter dress and drove 45 minutes to church---just to get turned away from the service---we were the next to the last car to make it into the parking lot :( So we drove 45 minutes back home and waited until it was time to go to my grandparents house for Easter lunch. Annabelle was happy because I broke down and gave her a paci and blankie on the way home---9 months pregnant and a SCREAMING toddler don't go well for me so I decided it was an Easter treat! I wish she would decide that she can tolerate the car for more than 2 minutes without fussing-but after 2 yrs of this-I have all but given up on that dream!

We had a wonderful Easter lunch with the family at my grandparents house. Annabelle was entertained by lots of folks while we tried to play a game of Catan. The good news is that we have more family members hooked on the game-the bad news is that I lost the game! O well, it was worth it to have more people to play with!

I then spent the evening having contradations and thinking I was really going to get an Easter baby after all-but after 3 hrs, I decided it was just a tease and went to sleep. 10 more days of contradactions for nothing is going to get really old---Come on Maggie---Let me know you want to meet me as bad as I want to meet you!!!!!!

Annabelle' 2nd Birthday!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Annabelle's 2nd Birthday! We started the morning off by getting some pictures taken. Since I am 2 weeks away from delivering Maggie, we decided to get some "maternity" pics with me and Annabelle as well as her birthday pictures! They will not be ready until April 22nd so you will have to wait to see them, but they turned out really cute!

Then we went to meet Daddy for lunch, but this time Annabelle was OVER hungry and OVER tired so I can't say that the lunch was enjoyed by all-but Annabelle did LOVE seeing her Daddy in the middle of the day!

Shortly after Annabelle woke up from her nap, her birthday party quests starting to arrive and we had a WONDERFUL evening celebrating our little 2 yr old with family and friends! I made a couple of different kinds of pasta and then we had some cupcakes that all the kids seemed to really enjoy! I realized later-I never really got to eat the food or the cupcakes so I hope they were good :)

After eating, we opened presents....OH MY GOODNESS---this was a chore! I was Exhausted by the end of the experience but Annabelle seemed to have a great time discovering new treasures! It has been sooooooo fun the last few days watching her play with new toys! It is so neat to see what comes out of her personality when a new toy is given to her. She is pretty intense about figuring things out at first and then she starts to play and imagine. I love watching her. She has so many new spring clothes and Pjs and awesome "big girl" toys! THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping get her stocked for fun in the coming months!

She was so tired by the time she finally got to go to bed-but we had a great day celebrating her life and all that God has blessed us with in our lives! SO GRATEFUL for all that the gifts he bestows on us!

Which Dress???

Annabelle needs a fashion vote! Which dress do you like better as her Easter dress? This dress will also double as her 2 yr old picture dress so there is a lot of pressure to get the right one! :) - BTW-please pardon the tags-the loser has to be returned!

Things to do with a Box

We have been leaving a box in the living room for a while because Annabelle has been enjoying playing with it. Today, we videoed her favorites:

My husband with his girls....

I LOVE Italo! He makes me laugh all the time for so many reasons! This morning, I was folding clothes and this is what I hear from the other room:

Annabelle saying-"Daddy!"
Italo saying, "Annabelle, I want to show you this great car video"
I hear the video play several times with no reaction from Annabelle
Then I hear Italo say, "hufffffff-okay, let's look at the American Girls dolls (in a defeated voice)"

I had to laugh! When we found out that Annabelle was a girl, Italo was pretty quiet....Finally-after probably an hour he says---Do you think Annabelle may like to play legos? It was so sweet---and I could feel him trying to get used to be a daddy to a little girl. Now we will have 2 little girls and Italo is THE BEST daddy in the world to little girls. He dances, and hugs, and kisses, and plays dolls with Annabelle all the time---These are her favorites. He also gets the lego down and plays with cars and she likes that too. But he is so patient to let her have her favorites and truly enjoys what she likes. I just hope that Maggie or Annabelle will like Legos too :)

Saying goodbye to old tires

The time has come again for new tires for the Frigoli vehicles. My car in particular has needed them for probably 3 months now, but I have been waiting for Inspection time to come around before I did anything about it.

I found a great deal on some tires are tire-easy.com. Head and shoulders above what any other tire store locally could do for me. So I purchased the tires, and they arrived the last Friday of January to the house. They look fantastic in comparison to my current balding set.

The idea was to have them installed on Saturday, but that didn’t quite work out as planned. Amy’s car ended up needing new tires as well, and the time needed to change my tires slipped away.

The more I thought about my situation, the more I really wanted to have fun with it. Amy and Annabelle were very supportive of the idea of burning through the old tires before putting the new ones on. On Friday after work we are looking for somewhere close by to do the burnout, but Annabelle was getting hungry and we called it off.

Saturday morning we decided on the place to do it. We went to breakfast, and then went to our secret location. Amy got out of the car and went to the side to take pictures, and we put up a tripod with the video camera to capture the event.

I’ll be honest – this was my very first time doing a burnout. I failed 3 times before getting it right, but here was the final outcome. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we did making it! :-)

Annabelle making Valentine cookies

We tried to make some cookies for Annabelle's school friends...but Annabelle was more interested in eating all the cookies---and the icing!

Valentine Cookies

Here is a video of Annabelle "decorating" the cookies for her friends!

Christmas Outfits and Silly Pics

Annabelle got tons of clothes for Christmas. So many, that we have had a hard time finding places for her to wear them all! But today we were going to a SuperBowl party so we figured it was a good day to break out the party outfit! Before we left, she was taking her baby for a walk and I was able to snap some pictures!

Andrea gave Annabelle the outfit above. She really went all out in finding something that went together nicely. She even dyed the tights to match :) Annabelle enjoyed dancing to Bruce Springsteen during the SuperBowl party tonight in this fun skirt :)

This adorable outfit was given to Annabelle by Uncle Andy and is so super cute! This picture was taken right after Christmas, but she has loved wearing it lots of time!

There were lots more clothes, but I have not been able to take pictures of them all :)

Thanks everyone!!