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!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Baby Boot Camp Conclusions
Maggie's Favorite ActivitySorry 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 :)
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