Welcome to the World, Max Peter

We are truly in love with our new son, Max Peter Morales. He entered the world two days before my due date. We left the house at 2:45 am and he was born at 4:27 am!!! Our lives are so blessed by this new addition to our family! We are all doing well and enjoying this very special time together. We are most grateful for the love and support of family and friends (especially our kind and generous moms who are taking great care of all of us) right now and thought we would share a few pictures of us as a family of four. Gio was sick and was unable to meet 'baby Max' in the hospital but he has welcomed him with open arms and plenty of kisses since we arrived home..... more to come soon!!

This might just be the cutest thing ever! He loves this silly dog!!

so very thankful

Thanksgiving-what a wonderful reason to stop from the hustle and bustle of this extra busy time of year and truly appreciate all of life's blessings. (I say extra busy time of year because I cannot believe how busy this fall/football/birthday/anniversary/Thanksgiving/baby season has been for this family).

Although different from any other, we had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. We are used to-and certainly missed-extended family gatherings with too much food and non-stop fun and activities. However, due to my being 38 weeks pregnant, travel to visit either family was not possible and we enjoyed a very quiet holiday at home in Pittsburgh.

I said from very early on that I was not going to make a full Thanksgiving dinner for just the three of us but as one could guess-of course, I did! I did take a shortcut on making only a turkey breast and some purchased stuffing but the rest was from scratch and I'm somewhat pleased knowing that this far along into my pregnancy, I can still do a lot! Thankfully, I made the food and the mess and Bryan did the cleaning up afterward because if it were left up to me, the dishes would probably still be in the sink! I think the biggest hit was the homemade apple pie. Today at dinner Gio, who was eating his leftover turkey, gave me his plate and said 'apple pie'-he is just like his mother!! We ate early so that we were literally able to do nothing the rest of the day-a rare treat for Bryan and I. Gio truly loved having our undivided attention and a special treat of watching 'dogs' aka 101 Dalmations!

We cherished the day as a family of three, knowing that things are about to change very, very soon!! This is such a special time in our lives with Gio. It is so much fun to share in his world and we cannot wait to experience all of this joy again with another baby! We are so thankful for the blessings in our lives and yesterday was a great day to sit back, relax, and focus on just that.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all!!

Happy Birthday, Gio!

It is so hard to believe that two years ago today, we brought our little guy home from the hospital and our lives changed forever..for the better, of course!!

We had a great day celebrating our little boy this year and although it was a very low key celebration--it was still plenty busy. I find myself becoming much more tired much more quickly these days and Thursday was no exception but it was totally worth it to just see the joy in his face throughout the day.

Bryan and I have plenty of different family traditions from our upbringing. In regards to birthdays, he grew up opening presents first thing in the morning and I grew up opening presents after dinner and before cake. So, as we so often find ourselves doing, we compromised. Gio woke up to open a few gifts from his daddy's family and the rest were saved for the evening. He also received his kitchen from Aunt Carrie in the morning since daddy was so nice to put it together for him the night before. He loved all of his gifts and is so lucky to be loved by so many generous people!

I took Gio to a mommy and son breakfast at Panera and although Panera isn't that original, he really loved being able to take his bagel and sit at the fountain at a small indoor mall we have near our house. He threw in his obligatory pennies and had fun 'dip, dip' dipping his bagel in the cream cheese. He loves fountains and I wonder what he wished for on his special day! I know that I wished that special moment would not end. I truly love seeing his sweet personality emerge.

We also took Gio's two year old pictures on his birthday before we met daddy for lunch! What a treat that was for all of us! We love spending time as a family and have not been able to do that very often lately as Bryan has been very busy at work. It was nice to have lunch at a restaurant (Gasp) where one of us wasn't running around, someone brought us extra silverware to replace that which was dropped on the floor, refilled our drinks, and even did the dishes. It was glorious to sit down with my guys...I didn't want to leave but Redbeards probably wouldn't have waited on me all day. Oh, the name of the restaurant was Redbeard's, not the server.

The rest of the day was picture perfect-naptime, dinner as a family (this time at home), and cake time!! Gio waited patiently all day for his cake even though he wanted it as soon as he woke up because the previous day we told him 'tomorrow you can have cake'! Well, he is pretty smart and expected it immediately!!

At two years old, Gio has certainly reshaped our lives and I'm sure his baby brother will do the exact same all over again! We never imagined that we would find more happiness in staying home raking leaves or kicking a ball around the track then going out and spending money. He has certainly helped us become better people, enjoy the little things, and smile much more often. I have always been a relatively happy person but he brings so much more happiness into our lives-it is amazing. Every time he runs to give us a hug, says our name or just smiles at us melts our hearts. We are truly blessed parents of one amazing little two year old! Happy Birthday, Gio!!

The perfect Day

What a wonderful Halloween we had yesterday. Gio's Halloween fun started a little early with Aunt Carrie arriving on Friday night. He was adorable at the airport waiting for her, crying "Kah-eee" and was very disappointed when she was not included in the large groups of travellers coming down the escalator. When i told him he had to look for Aunt Carrie, he would put his arm over his eyes as though he was searching for her. Of course, when he did finally see her, he was shy as could be and only wanted mommy!! Although Friday was a beautiful fall day, Saturday was not so great!! We had plans to meet several friends for the Mt. Lebanon Halloween parade but that quickly turned into an impromptu Halloween party at our house because of the wind and rain. Although the kids probably would have had fun, their ages ranged between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and we knew that they would probably never remind us that we ruined their lives by not taking them to the parade!!! We all had a great time in the warm house with good friends and a sweet peacock, cheetah, lion, and dragon!! The kids all did amazingly well and played so nicely together. It was great to see Gio just have an all out fun day! There aren't many days when he is able to have a cupcake and cookie for lunch but he loved it and was totally in his element running around the house, energized by his little friends (and the sugar). Of course, the sugar and excitement meant that he did not nap but he was quite funny trying to wake daddy up from his!! Bryan was very sweet, leaving for work on a Saturday @ 5:45am so that he could be home to enjoy the festivities!! He enjoyed a great walk with Aunt Carrie, exploring every square inch of the street, every leaf, and every acorn he came across. I'm not sure who had more fun, though! It is so fun to see him explore his surroundings and soak in all that is around him. Our little lion loved his costume and when Carrie showed him his whiskers in the mirror, he thought he was a cat! He was excited to go 'tih-tea' and after the obligatory pictures, he set out with mom and dad to hit the neighborhood. Trick or treating started at 6 and he was home by 6:30!!! He was adorable and could have cared less about receiving candy from the neighbors, he just wanted to follow the big kids. As we walked in the street, he just said 'kids', 'kids' and would run after the other kids!! By the time he came home, we watched a little bit of the the Charlie Brown Halloween special (obligatory, we think) and he looked like the most tired little lion we have ever seen. I was just so impressed by what a great little boy he was yesterday and was so proud to be his mom. He had such a blast with his friends, playing with his Aunt and just enjoying the joys of being a little boy on Halloween. He has his big day on Thursday and we find so much joy in seeing Gio laugh at ring around the rosie, enjoy this simple things like a new pumpkin flashlight, and being an all around happy little boy that has steals our heart a little more every day!

Dad.Out.Door

After what seems to be months (and months) of deliberation, we were FINALLY able to come to a decision and purchase Gio his toddler bed. We knew this time was coming as baby brother is only 7 weeks away and pretty soon we knew he would need that crib. We certainly wanted to avoid baby brother coming home and that night kicking little man to a sleeping bag on the floor-that would just not be very nice!! This event goes into the category of Before I was a parent, if someone told me that I would have spent so much time and effort into making this decision, I would have laughed at them!!! We didn't know if we should just buy him the twin bed or a toddler bed. Everyone I have spoken to says the toddler bed is a waste and just to buy the twin bed. however, because we know we are having another boy, they will ideally share a room eventually and we would like them to have bunk beds, so either way, we'll be buying more beds in the not so distant future. So, we made the trek to IKEA while my dad was visiting last week and bought him a simple, character-free bed! It was such a nice luxury to actually shop for something without having to run after Gio-thanks, dad!! Although not luxurious, it's a bed...for a toddler...and will serve the purpose we need it to serve!! Bryan set the bed up yesterday afternoon and Gio continually tried to go upstairs into his room to nap on his new bed. He would bang on the door and say 'boy' 'bed' 'new'. He was desperate to go to bed~even at 5pm!! When finally bedtime arrived, he was not interested in the regular bedtime routine that both Bryan and Gio have grown to enjoy. Bryan closed the door and when I saw his face, he looked terribly sad. He said "I was evicted". Apparently Gio did not want to read a story but rather told Bryan "dad", "out", "door"....and he slept soundly until this morning!Bryan joked that he was going to wake up asking for coffee this morning but thankfully our little boy still wanted only one thing-Mickey!! If we knew it was going to be this easy, we would have done it months ago!! PS-yes, I know he needs a real pillow and blanket but let's be honest-he doesn't use either at this point. He HATES blankets and is off the pillow within minutes!

The Great Pumpkin Patch Adventure

Well, by 'Great' I simply mean wonderful way to spend a day as a family!! I was so excited to take Gio to the pumpkin patch this year because I thought he would really enjoy it much moreso than last year. Last year, he wasn't even walking at this time and really hated the petting zoo. We were going to try a new farm but decided to stick with the standby which is very nice because I'm not much of a risktaker and wanted to make sure we showed Maribeth a fun time!! Ha Ha! Everyone's fun times in Pittsburgh are much different from those they have elsewhere. We are definitely the quiet, low-key part of the family but we're also definitely ok with that! As we walked into the barn, I said that I wasn't going to let price determine whether or not we went on a hayride because I really wanted to go and the others were going to just agree, right?...how do you disagree with a pregnant lady on something like that? Unfortunately, when we realized it was going to cost Bryan, Maribeth & I $25 to take Gio on a hayride to pick out a pumpkin, I made the executive decision to pass and we bought our fill of pumpkin and gourds instead. I'm assuming he probably would have cared less if we were able to pick out a pumpkin in a field compared to out of a big pile!! So, nonetheless, he had great fun climbing to the top of the pumpkin piles. I couldn't believe what a great job he did climbing. He amazes me every day with a new skill or new word he learns. Yesterday's word was 'bes' for his Aunt Betsy. If she was out of the room, he would just chatter 'bes', 'bes', 'bes'! You'll notice in the pictures that although he loved climbing the big pumpkins, he was perfectly content holding the tiniest pumpkin around with him throughout our adventure! It is so cute to see that his pumpkin made it in so many of our pictures. He is still playing with it today...I'm just not sure if it will last until Halloween!! In other news, we're just 9 weeks away from welcoming baby brother into our lives. We had such a crazy summer that Bryan and I haven't even taken the time to prepare for our new addition! We have just started to gather clothes and baby necessities and I already forgot how much stuff little ones need! Gio loves hugging my growing stomach and feeling the baby kick but we are well aware that he will not know what hits him when his baby brother arrives!!! Although nervous, we are just hoping for these next two months to go smoothly.

Hut, Hut...Hike

One of the main reasons for our trip home was to take a trip to South Bend for the Notre Dame Michigan State game. We were worried for awhile that we might not make a game this year but we are so glad that we were able to make it. In our family, it isn't fall without a trip to South Bend. Thankfully, this year's journey was much more calm than last year's trip in the pouring down rain which turned into flooding in Northwest Indiana. We were blessed with absolutely perfect football weather, fantastic company and waaay too much good food.

Gio loved playing bean bags with the boys. Ok, he really loved taking the bean bags out and standing in the hole but he'll learn eventually!! He is now tall enough to reach any food on any table so we kept the veggies and chips within his reach but moved the cookies and brownies just a tad because I'm pretty sure he had 2 or 3 before 9 am!! He also enjoyed searching through the cold coolers and handing out beverages of choice. Aunt Carrie even put him to work passing out jello shots-thankfully he was not in the least bit interested in trying one of those tempting treats.

Bryan, John-Paul and my cousin Lauren and I enjoyed a walk onto campus, stopping by Bond Hall and the Basilica. We also saw the team walking from mass to the stadium and took a back path to avoid traffic and head back to the tailgate. While walking, I asked Bryan if the Coach walks because it is a long walk for someone with bad knees. Although Bryan didn't know the answer, I received my answer when just about a minute later, a 'bike cop' asked us to move over and we saw Coach Weis in a golf cart going to the stadium. Our favorite part of our encounter was when he waved to us, said hello, and apologized because we had to move out of his way. His coaching decisions some may questions, but his love for Notre Dame...I don't think they well-how classy. We wished him good luck and maybe that's what helped them squeak past Michigan State-we like to think so!!

Although some of our family went into the game, most of us just relaxed and enjoyed the fall weather (and again, more food). I am so grateful for everyone who helped chase after Gio because my bad back was taking its toll on me. My cousin Lauren's youthful energy was essential as she chased him up and down the sidewalk as he ran, ran, ran for what seemed to be hours. His favorite game was throwing his football at complete strangers, expecting them to play "Hut, Hut" with him. A few obliged and thankfully no one was hurt! My mom took him on a walk to the Grotto and I envisioned the two of them playing by the lake watching the ducks but when they returned, I learned that he slept the entire time!! Maybe next year.

Speaking of next year, it is hard to imagine that next fall he will be the big kid at the tailgate!! We are certainly starting to prepare for 'baby brother' and at the same time enjoying this beautiful fall season with our little boy!

There IS more than corn in Indiana

There are dairy farms, too!! We had a great trip visiting family in Indiana this past week. Everyone was amazed how much Gio has changed since our last trip in July. It is amazing what new white tennis shoes and speech therapy do for a little boy. Seriously, I think he looks older every time he wears his big boy shoes. We took what will probably be our last flight with him being a 'lap child' aka 'free child' and thankfully the flight was only a little more than an hour because it wasn't terribly comfortable for either of us since my stomach is growing bigger every day with baby brother. Gio was so excited to see his grandparents and great-aunts and uncles. Actually, he even saw his great-great aunt and great-great uncle-what a lucky boy. One of our favorite outings was the trip to Fair Oaks Dairy Farm. It is the perfect place to take a little boy who loves 1. trains 2. cars 3. mooooo's and 4. ice cream!! He had a blast the entire day from the bus tour to seeing the birth of a baby calf, from riding the john deer tractor to indulging in some homemade ice cream. As you can see from the pictures, he wasn't very interested in sharing with Gigi. Gio was so lucky to see all of his aunts from my side of the family (and Uncle Jay, too). For an entire day our entire family was together, which is a rare treat. Of course, we ate too much but laughed plenty and had a great time. Although he loves his family, he most loved his Aunt Marcy and Uncle Jay's beagle Penny. She is, by far, the sweetest, calmest dog we have ever met... a far change from our very sweet but not so calm Lucca! Penny was just the right size and he loved giving her plenty of hugs at every opportunity! Thanks to all for being so generous to our little boy who is loved beyond words by both sides of his family-what a lucky boy!

baby morales

What a whirlwind of a couple of weeks we had had this month! Bryan and Gio enjoyed their visit to Arizona to spend some time with Bryan's parents in beautiful Flagstaff. Although it was rough for me at first, we all survived the seperation...some better than others :) Once they arrived back in Chicago, we packed up to come home to Pittsburgh but had an unexpected stay in Sandusky, Ohio with some car problems. Although we didn't have the opportunity to take in Cedar Point, we made it home in time for our ultrasound with baby #2! With Gio, Bryan wanted to find out the sex but I did not want to so I told him that he could find out for the next baby. So, for the past two years, bryan has had the time to weigh his decision. Bryan said he enjoyed not knowing so much with Gio, that he probably wouldn't want to know, and of course, I did!!! Although I was torn, I felt comfortable with whatever decision Bryan made. Well, the day before our ultrasound, he told me that he did not want to make the decision, that I could. ALthough very nice of him, that was way TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!!!! It would have been one thing if I had been given advance notice, but the night before? What was he thinking. Seriously, we were in the parking garage of the hospital when he told me he was not going to make a decision either way-oh, the stress. While in the waiting room, I suggested we flip a coin. Heads-we find out, Tails-we don't. It was tails. I think I said with some drama for added flair 'oooooh, it's tails' in the same tone that you would expect eyore to say it. I think that if our summer was a little less eventful than it has been, I would have been perfectly happy waiting for December to find out our baby's gender, but I was in the mood for some happy news! Once we walked into the room, we were still unsure and the tech said she could write it down for us if we chose to look at it later. Who are we kidding? If anyone reading this knows me just a little you would know that would be a waste of time, I would open it before we got to the car. So, we (err, I, with bryan's blessing) decided to find out the gender and we're so excited to welcome a baby BOY into our hearts and our home this winter!!!! In addition to being thrilled, there is some nervousness-two boys-yikes!! I thought having a girl might give me a break from the non-stop energy of boys. Maybe they will run around together so much, it might give me a break-yeah, right. I think that a houseful of boys gives me a perfect excuse for more frequent spa trips and girls weekend....I'm going to start convincing bryan of that now!! In all seriousness, we are just overjoyed to have been able to see pictures of our healthy baby boy and know that in about 20 weeks, our lives will be twice as blessed with his arrival.

Happy Birthday, America!

We are so excited to spend the 4th of July holiday with my parents and family in Munster. We arrived on Thursday and have been having fun relaxing, playing with the dogs, and trying to catch Gio before he puts another bruise on his forehead or his knees (i have lost track this week alone). Today brought back a flood of childhood memories as we took the little guy to his very first parade. This is the ideal parade to take a toddler to, it is at the end of the street and lasted about 10 minutes! The parade literally consisted of The Color Guard, 1 Boy Scout troop, 4 firetrucks, and about 60 neighborhood kids riding their decorated bikes. We had a blast when we were kids decorating our bikes with crepe paper and waving to our parents as they proudly watched from the sidewalk. So, today, it was so sweet for me to take my son to the parade that was such a big part of my childhood. It was also nice because all of the children other than Gio were actually IN the parade so he received full attention from the firemen and the kids in the parade. He was not phased by the loud noise and just loved the firetrucks. We have been reading him "Curious George goes to the Fire Station" every day for the past month so I'm sure he was looking for a curious little monkey to be on top of the truck! Some adorable kids even had their own stash of candy they threw him but we split up the tootsie rolls (a parade necessity) between the adults. Since he was not in the parade, he missed out on the juice box and Ho-Ho's at the end but he was worn out and ready for a nap! Although we had hoped the rain would stop for the afternoon parade as the weathermen suggested it would, they were of course wrong and the rain persisted. We braved more rain for the Munster parade and Gio loved watching the firetrucks,the big bands, and most importantly, Grandpa, marching in the parade! The rain didn't bother him, he did not want to leave and so enjoyed every aspect of the day! Bryan did make me cry at the parade (ok, first the Pearl Harbor survivors made me cry) because he commented that it is sad to think this is one of our last holidays with him as an only child. We are elated to welcome a new addition to our family but we are trying to make the most of every minute with our sweet little boy before he becomes a big brother in December. I look forward to many more occassions of celebrating holidays like this as a family of four, making their childhood memories and waving to them proudly from the sidewalk! We are truly blessed to live in this great country and I am so grateful for all the men and women who have fought to maintain our freedoms. I may go have another piece of cheesecake to celebrate just that:)

summer fun

Well, here we are at the end of June and it seems as though during the months of January through April, I long for this time of year and once it arrives, it goes by too, too quickly. Maybe this month has gone so quickly because some days we are so busy trying to keep up with our son that we don't know whether it is winter or summer. I'll never forget June 11, 2009 because this is the day that I woke up with a sadness in my heart. I just said to Bryan that he is not our baby anymore, he is a little boy. He just had that look to him and I think it happened overnight. I can't really explain what that look was but it seems as though he went to sleep a baby and woke up this little boy with so much personality, so much determination, and so much spirit!!! I think he is finally starting to put on a bit of weight (I know this because some of his pants actually fit him and don't fall around his bottom when he walks) I do what I think many parents do a lot-complain. I admit that I complain about the little things-him shrieking in the grocery store, him being a daddy's boy even though I'm the one who spends just about every waking hour with him- but I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything. The hugs and the "mmmmmmwah" sound he makes when he gives you a kiss make up for it all. Gio is truly developing at a rapid pace and he is learning so much, so quickly. He started some speech therapy and has an appointment to see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor since we are on ear infection #8...and counting. I don't want him to be in any pain and if tubes will help him be able to verbally express what he wants/needs, they would truly be a blessing. He is learning a few words "out" is his favorite, not to be outshined by "dada" and "more". I was a bit disappointed when even his speech therapist said it was odd that he doesn't say "mama" :( Whether he says mama, dada, or lucca, the most important thing is that we have a happy, healthy little boy and so, really, we have nothing to complain about! Gio loves to play outside and he is such a little boy. He walks around the track at the school down the street from our house and it is so much fun to see him watch the other runners and then start moving his arms and take off-he just loves it. He looks like he has lefty tendencies just like me, especially when he throws a ball and swings the bat. I'm amazed that he has the ability to even make contact! Here's a video of him running and playing on the deck a few weeks ago...he loves watching himself in the sliding glass door! Other than keeping up with the little man, bryan has been busy tending to his garden he built for this season. We are all excited that his hard work is starting to pay off. His project began in the fall when he built a stone wall into the hillside and continued this spring preparing for our harvest. I'm impressed to see the variety of vegetables that we have growing and cannot wait to make some friend zucchini in the coming weeks! Gio loves helping dad water, even though most of the water ends up on himself, it is one activity that keeps him busy for...minutes!

Horses, elephants, and gorillas...oh my!

We are enjoying this beautiful Memorial Day weekend in Pittsburgh. Sunday we visited a new park (not so new to Gio and me but new to Bryan) for a family picnic, pint-sized fun on the playground, and meeting the horses. The county police horses are housed at a nearby park and the little guy loved them! He loved walking as close as he could to them and would have touched them if we let him. Oddly enough, as much as he loved the horses, he loved the sound of motorcycles even more. His face would light up every time he would hear/see one....I hope this doesn't mean he is going to be a rebel! Today we were joined by my dad for another fun outing, this time to the Pittsburgh Zoo. It is nice to have such a wonderful family zoo located to close to us. Unfortunately, it does not rank as high as Lincoln Park or the Phoenix zoo, both which were spectacular. I really don't think that Gio noticed the difference one bit, we all had a lovely day. The fools that we are went on Memorial Day afternoon and it was pretty crowded but the animals were still beautiful. Gio loved watching the flamingos, the elephants, and the gorillas. He even loved petting the cockroach, which I find disgusting but he seemed to enjoy it. Let me clarify that there were zoo employees holding a turtle, an iguana (or something that looked like an iguana), and a hissing cockroach. He laughed and turned away from the first two, but went right for the cockroach. He recently learned to say 'more' to accompany his sign for more and the entire time at the zoo, he continued to say 'more', 'more', 'more' and when I thought he wanted more crackers (of course, food is always on my mind), Bryan informed me that he wanted to see more animals-it was precious.

we're baaaack

wow, it seems like so much has happened since our family last updated the 5 people who check out our blog. We have been very busy traveling to Indiana for Easter, extending our visit because I threw out my back, and welcoming lots of visitors to Pittsburgh to help take care of Gio. I have always had minor back problems but never something so debilitating as this. Those who don't think it is important to bend from the knees when lifting 21 pounds about 21 times a day....I am living proof....bend with your knees!! Thank you, thank you, thank you again to everyone who helped us with our little peanut. Speaking of our little peanut, i have to find a new nickname for him now since we learned that he is allergic to peanuts. I suppose calling him 'peanut' is, well, mean. Thankfully he is a Class 2 on a level of 6 so it is not severe but serious enough that we have to see an allergist in June and carry an epi-pen on us at all times just in case. I had no idea that peanuts are in so many things that you wouldn't imagine. Pretzels, chocolate, and chic fil a are all off limits for now since they are produced in a facility that also produces peanuts or share machinery with peanuts. I'm having the most difficult time coming to terms with the fact that he will not be able to reese's peanut butter eggs at Easter...but I'm sure I'll get over it! Thankfully, the peanut butter i gave him, he didn't actually eat but he just played with it and then touched his face, which resulted in him breaking out in a rash on his face. The following day we had his 18-month well visit, which resulted in a double ear infection and blood work-what a lucky, lucky boy. When we have stressful weeks like this it is easy to overreact but it is important to remember that we have a wonderful, mostly healthy little boy and we are so very blessed if these are our biggest worries.

bored, bored, bored

I sit here on a Saturday night in Munster visiting my parents for an extended Easter and I am bored, bored, bored. My mom just took the little guy to mass but I was not able to go because I knew there was no way that I could sit in a pew for an hour. I have known for awhile now that my back was on the verge of going but, of course, I didn't do much to prevent it. I tote around my 21 lb boy often, probably more often than I should, because it is so much quicker than waiting for him sometimes. I'm sorry but sometimes I would rather just walk up to his room, put something away, and move on to the next task rather than waiting for him to pay attention to me, come with me, climb the stairs, and eventually decide to come into his room with me. Well, now, I am paying for it. I have had my fair share of back pain in my lifetime but nothing like this. Although frustrating, if it did have to happen, I am so glad that it happened here so I can have some help. Some help, I'm sorry, I mean more help than I could ever imagine! Thank you mom, dad, aunt mary, aunt bonnie, uncle eddie and lauren for taking care of Gio for me. There have been many times in the past 17 months that I have dreamed of sleeping in, having others wake up and feed my son so I could just get a little more sleep and now my time has come. Be careful what you wish for. Now, I'm so sad that I'm not the one seeing his handsome face in the morning or rocking him to sleep b.c. I can't pick him up or put him in his crib. Thankfully, although it has only been a couple of days, he still lights up when he sees me. I finally know what it feels like when bryan walks in the door after work and that little boy runs to his daddy. He just needed the chance to miss me.

Practice Makes Perfect

As Gio is growing more and more active, it is increasingly difficult for me to find ways to entertain him in the house. We have tried coloring...he eats the crayons...and then laughs. I tried making a construction paper Easter egg where all he has to do is 'pat, pat, pat' the shapes onto the egg. He really enjoyed this until he found it more enjoyable to remove all of the shapes, too. Now, his egg is hanging on the fridge looking very, very sad. We finger paint with pudding but sometimes that takes two-three times as long to make the pudding and clean up the pudding than he will sit and play and is not really worth the effort unless Bryan is here to help.

I have had some success recently with little activities for him. He loves the $1.75 mini dust pan that I bought him and he is very helpful in dusting away. This lasts for about 10 minutes which is quite impressive. I usually last about 2 before I am bored with housework. However, the best investment I have made in my son this past month would be the $1 I spent on plastic Easter eggs. He is completely crazy for his Easter egg hunts. We had our first hunt a few weeks ago and I was pretty amazed at how quickly he took to it. I will hide the egg, say, in his toy barn and will ask him to go to the barn to find the egg and, without hesitation, he proudly walks to the barn and grins as he finds the egg and puts it in his basket. He points #1 as he does this so he thinks he is pretty cool. I am not exaggerating when I say that this egg hunt will keep him busy for at least an hour. It is a pure miracle that I never knew could exist that this little boy could focus on something for that length of time.

Although I enjoy the fact that we have a new way to spend our afternoons, I'm so glad to see that although he does not speak much, he truly is absorbing so much on a daily basis. He can't always express that he knows the egg is under the table but he can find it. To this mom, that is all I need to know that he is doing just fine.

Well, we took our little guy to his very first Easter egg hunt this weekend and, oh boy, what a hunt it was!! I was shocked at the mass of people attending this Easter activity-truly blown away. I was also shocked at the number of eggs they had scattered on the lawn for what seemed like hundreds of children. I don't know who stuffed all the eggs with tootsie rolls but I did feel sorry for them. He did great, picking up 5 of his very own eggs and putting them in his very own Easter basket.

Now, did I ever think that Bryan and I would be so excited to take our 17 month old to an Easter egg hunt? No. Will we be sure to go next year as well? You bet! We had just as much fun as he did. The pictures probably make it look like we had more! Happy Easter to all!!

How did I ever survive

without my camera phone? Rewind about 2 years ago and it was time for me to get a new phone. By now we had moved from Florida to South Bend to Rome back to South Bend and just bought our home in Pittsburgh. We were sure that we wouldn't be moving for awhile and I finally had finally had a job with a real 40-hour a week paycheck so I felt like I could splurge. By splurge, I mean upgrade from the free phone options. I was just out of my first trimester at that time and felt like after those weeks of feeling horrible, I deserved something nice and shiny. Since jewelry wasn't in our budget, a new phone I could manage (even though bryan who receives his blackberry from work said that we'll have to tell our unborn child "I'm sorry, you cannot have braces, mom needed a new fancy phone"-he really cracks himself up). After much deliberation, I finally decided on the phone with an actual keyboard so that I could text with much more ease. Well, my 'fancy' (i take joy in the simple things in life) keyboard was soon outranked by the camera phone I had never used before November 5, 2007. After Gio's birth, I quickly learned the real reason camera phones were created. What a great way to immediately send pictures of our little guy to our family and friends across the country.

Now, as I am at home with Gio for the 12 or so hours Bryan is at work, I have the opportunity to take, well, a few pictures of the little guy. I don't think anyone who receives a picture understands how much time goes into getting just one cute picture when he doesn't come out looking like a large blur-it is quite humorous to watch me try, though. This wastes at least 4 minutes of my day, leaving a good 11 hours and 56 minutes for me to entertain him until Bryan comes home. I find it essential to have this camera in my back pocket at all times with the hopes of capturing a silly moment. I love that I have his first visit to Chic-fil-a captured on film (as does my chic-fil-a loving family), his first Pirates game (in white sox gear, of course), first time falling asleep in his high chair, smelling the flowers at the farmers market, and other pictures that help capture the joy he brings to my life daily. I love sending a picture to a family member who needs a smile during the day or an extra pick me up. I appreciate that I can do that and I think they do as well. Although I do my fair share of complaining about being away from family right now, I know for certain that down the road, I am going to miss these precious moments just the two of us, being silly, somehow finding a way to fill those hours during the day and loving just about every minute of it. I'm so grateful that technology helps this forgetful mom share these moments with those we love.

These pictures are from that first fancy cell phone i had which is now my son's play phone as he dropped it one too many times forcing me to buy a new one. This one, however, does not have the fancy keyboard like I once 'needed'. It does, however, have a great camera!

you can click on the slideshow and see the pictures larger with captions.

Happy Times

I am not a very organized individual. Don't get me wrong, I certainly put forth the effort but my results are often disappointing. I will make a list for the grocery store...only to arrive realizing that the list is on my kitchen table thus I forget several items which forces an unavoidable return to the store in the very near future (honey and peanut butter were the missing items just yesterday). I think Bry's favorite is the fact that more often than not, I will write the check and envelope for church, bring it upstairs, place it on the table and then...you guessed it...forget it. I will make new lists to help stay organized around the house and I am dedicated to staying on top of these to-do lists for at least 3 or 4 days....only to see that 5 or 6 days later I inadvertently did not check off anything on this list. I will, however, keep trying to improve upon about 75 things that I can do better but I'm sure I'll lose the list of these things, too. This all brings me to my blog topic, I have about 25 different things to write about but they are all floating around my head in disaray that I do not know where to begin. We have been quite busy and our little boy has been learning so many things that I am having a hard time keeping track of it all. I used to be so diligent about writing down even his smallest accomplishments (i.e. new foods or skills) but now I just tell myself that I will remember the day and that is just not the case. I was told that I can use the fact that I am a new mom as an excuse until he is two. I may need to push it to twenty-two. He is a little behind in his language development for his age and he had some great breakthroughs recently. He may not be able to enter the spelling bee quite yet but if the spelling bee was titled "words that start with the letter D" he would would definitely take the Gold! He has been saying "DaDa" for about 15 of his 16 months on this earth with "MaMa" no where in sight. However, is also learning "down", "duck" and "dog" and you would think that he recited Shakespeare by listening to his parents cheer for him. We are trying to increase his vocabulary by reading to him....a lot. I don't mean reading him The Fuzzy Duckling or Let's Go Irish once or twice a day, I mean, reading him The Fuzzy Duckling or Let's Go Irish about 30 times a day. I can't get over how he loves these two books. He will bring the book to me and then curl up in my lap and smile in anticipation for his favorite story to be read. How could any mom resist this preciousness? I'm fairly certain that he will say "Leprechaun" before he says "Mama" but as long as he continues enhancing those skills, that will be ok with me...at least that is what I am telling myself. We recently came across a tv show that I think I enjoy more than Gio called Yo Gabba Gabba. Of course, when he wants to watch it, he will say (with remote in hand) "ga ga" (Yes, i have noticed that he can say the name of his favorite show but not mine, no need to point that out). How can I resist turning on this crazy show? Here's a video of him getting ready to watch it.

From My Videos

As soon as I remember his other developments, I'll try to include those, too. But I'm sure you're not holding your breath.

all growed up

How did this happen so quickly? One day I am rocking my inconsolable little boy, trying to get him to sleep as he clings his sweet arms around my neck, and the next he is full of excitement and curiosity running to see the joy that awaits him outdoors on a crisp March day.

Milestones are around every corner right now, this week was no different. Our ritual for the past 10 months has been very much the same every night. Bryan walks in the door from his 12-hour work day and I punch my time clock letting him know that my shift is finished. Well, actually, my shift as 'mom' is over but my shift as 'gourmet chef and housekeeper' is just beginning! Okay, gourmet may be pushing it just a little but anything that is prepared on the stove and not the microwave is gourmet to us these days.

Bryan has always been the bath and bedtime guy and the three of us have grown to really love this ritual. I enjoy hearing the two of them laughing as Gio splashes and plays with his shark and Leap the frog singing the ABCs. I know Bryan loves the opportunity to unwind from a busy day by spending time with his son just as much as I love listening to them. As I listen to my guys, I prepare his room: dim lights-check, classical music-check, sippy hidden under the pillow so Gio doesn't see it too soon-check, a sweet kiss goodnight-check and it is back to father and son time with a rock in the chair before prayers and wishes for sweet dreams throughout the night.

Well, the day came where little by little he became less interested in the milk and more interested in jumping in the crib to catch some shuteye. We decided to just stop on Saturday and he has been sleeping soundly ever since. Bryan admitted last night what I had been thinking as well. "Wow, I'm a little sad he has outgrown his bottle before bed". I think that was the first moment I realized how quickly our little boy is changing right before our very eyes. I was so worried about stopping this ritual for the fear of how he would handle the change. I am so relieved that it was his choosing and he will not be scarred for life thinking that mom and dad took his bottle away before he was ready-oh, the therapy bills we have dodged for the time being!

Thankfully, as he turns 16 months old today, he still likes to be rocked when he is tired or hurt or just needs a hug and for that we are very grateful.

February-by the numbers

wow-I am so glad that there are only 28 days in the month of February. It has been one of the longest months and I have been counting down the days until March arrives! 6: The Number of Super Bowl Championships that the Steelers now hold. We had a great time celebrating the Steelers victory and Gio was even able to celebrate with his cute cheerleading friends for the big game. Steeler fans are like nothing I have ever seen before and they sure did celebrate! We noticed that church was much more crowded that Super Bowl Sunday-coincidence? I think not. I thought about taking Gio to the celebratory parade but thought that the two of us in the crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in the cold would not be a great idea. We watched from inside instead. 2: Number of visitors we have had this month-thanks so much mom and dad. Dad was nice enough to bring the rest of Gio's Christmas loot(err, gifts) and some old high school and college memorabilia for me to spend hours looking through. Thanks for making me waste even more time not doing what I should be doing. 1: Missing Luna bar which was stolen via the United States Postal Service from my valentine's card from C-lyn. What the heak? Who opens a package, steals the luna bar, puts the empty wrapper back in the envelope and proceeds to process the envelope? 5: Number of teeth Gio has teethed this month, including two molars and two eye teeth. Although he has been waking up @ 5:30 as a result, he has truly been a trooper. I can't imagine how much pain he is in all the time. 3: Visits to the Dr.'s office. I'm fairly confident that our co-pays have paid for the new office remodeling. I think that they should prepare a plaque in honor of us "This office remodeling has been generously provided by the Morales family, particularly the overly concerned mother" 4: Days Gio had a fever. He was most kind to get sick while my mom was here and although her visit was not as adventurous as we would like, she was a rock when helping me take care of him. He, again, did his best to maintain his energetic personality but certainly fell short at times-specifically in the middle of the night. 1: More ARE test taken by Bryan for a total of 2 so far this year and 1 scheduled very soon. It is quite admirable how he focuses and studies after working 12 hour days. Do I like it that he is locked in the basement? No, but it is admirable...I cannot believe the hassle it is to become a licensed Architect. Seven years of school AND he still has to hit the books every night. I suppose after 5 years of required undergraduate studies, you really know that you love this profession and he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't. 10: Days Gio has to take his antibiotic for his sinus infection. Seriously? After all the teeth and the cold and the fever...he came down with a sinus infection. He was also a 10 at the Dr.s office. The dr. said he really made his day and he wishes all of his patients behaved as well as our little guy. Wow, what else could a mom hope to hear? Let's hope he keeps this up for the next 18 years-give or take. 6: Number of deer in our back yard this week. Gio loved looking at them and quietly watching them graze. Of course, it was not as exciting as watching Grandpa Pete feed the buck by hand in San Antonio but watching them through the window is just fine by me. The thought crossed my mind to throw them some lettuce or carrots but then quickly left when I knew that they would be interested in these when we actually grow them in our garden this spring--we'll see how well that goes. 0: Number of the above mentioned things that I would change. Every adventure we go on we experience as a family, and although challenging at times, they allow us to make memories and learn things along the way. Gio is growing and changing so much that so often I catch myself wanting him to do something new and reach the next milestone but the real milestone is the three of us being here...together...enjoying this day that has been given to us. Taking the time to enjoy that is the real challenge.

It's Paczki Day

Happy Paczki Day! (pronounced poon-ch-key)

We started our day by taking Bryan to the Party Cake Shop to pick up some Paczki for the office. As we waited in the car for him, every couple of minutes there were people walking out with paczki by the dozen. It was hard to not ask them for one but I was able to keep myself busy by singing along with Gio's cd (and yes, he was in the car). Finally,after what seemed like hours, bryan arrived in slow motion with the golden donuts. Oh my, I just wanted to eat mine in the car right there but I thought I could have some self-respect and wait until I was able to pair it with a cup of coffee. I mean, what would bryan think if I dropped him off at the "T" with sugar and chocolate all over my face and the steering wheel?

I paired my chocolate-filled paczki with a cup of joe and Gio paired his with a sippy cup of milk. Like with most new foods, it took him a few tries before he became accustomed to the taste but he eventually took a few bites. I'm pretty sure it was the sweetness of the sugar-covered donut filled with jam that shocked him a bit. He still preferred the banana to the paczki so there is hope that he takes after Bryan after all. And, no, he did not eat an entire days worth of calories in one paczki but just had a few nibbles after I scraped off most of the sugar and the jam....Yes, Yes, family, I know I am just a terribly mean mother. Don't worry, I didn't let any of it go to waste!! I love living this quiet life in Pittsburgh with Bryan and John-Paul but today is a day that I wish I was closer to my family. Although Bryan enjoys a good paczki once a year, these are certainly things that I enjoy sharing with my sister.. We are so obsessed with maintaining our Polish traditions (err, primarily those that involve food) that we do not judge, yet we embrace, our love for a glorified donut (or six) on Fat Tuesday. I've also included a few pictures of John-Paul's romp in the snow yesterday. I made the mistake of dressing him in his coat, snowpants and mittens first before getting myself ready. I will only make this mistake once. I felt so bad for him but also found it just a little bit humourous that he had to work so hard to stand up on his own. He has mastered walking but that extra padding made it extra tough for him to move around. He kept holding his hand out for me to help him walk-it was precious. I was glad to have a fun little activity for us to do since we had no plans to leave the house yesterday. Unfortunately, by the time we were opening the garage, I realized how foolish this mom can be at times (most). I thought to myself 'is it really the best idea to take a little boy out in the snow who is just getting over a cold?' hmmm...probably not. So, here are a few pictures of our 2 1/2 minutes (seriously, that's it) playing in the snow and playing in the dining room-which was just as fun!

Happy early birthday to Maribeth---who, as luck would have it, celebrates her birthday on Ash Wednesday. So, Bets, go ahead, eat that extra paczki!

visitors galore!

Wow! 2009 has been off to a fantastic start for us here in Pittsburgh! The Steelers are Superbowl Champions and we have been blessed with a houseful of visitors to help us celebrate the New Year (and the victory)!! When Bryan and I moved to Pittsburgh, we never imagined how generous family and friends would be with their time and plan many wonderful visits to keep us company and keep us connected! I cannot even count the number of times my sister Carrie has been out this year alone! We had a wonderful, relaxing time ringing in the new year with Carrie and Chris, relaxing and laughing with Heather and Lindsay, becoming true Steelers fans at the Strip District with Maribeth and reading stories with Grandpa John. My mom also arrives this week and we hope that Bryan's mom will be able to make a visit this March as well. I need to get better about visiting others as well...maybe when it is warmer and I feel less like a hermit! John-Paul has been growing and changing daily and it is such a joy to see him develop. Yesterday Bryan and I just loved teaching him 'Ring around the Rosie' because he looked like he loved every second of it. He walked around in a circle holding our hands and fell down and giggled-it was precious. We need to take some video for sure!! He is really enjoying being read to right now which is just wonderful. He will bring you a book and sit in your lap and actually listen to an entire story. In the past you would be lucky to read a sentence before he was off to play with something else (usually that playing would include tearing every book off of his bookshelves). He hasn't quite caught on to talking too much yet--he must take after his quiet daddy. Everything he wants is 'dhat' . Cookie =dhat. Book = dhat. Shoe = dhat. there is one exception to his 'dhat' rule and that is dada. Dada is always dada and momma is always dada as well! ah, one day he will start saying momma and I will probably give him lots of hugs and kisses for doing so. For now, I will just give him lots of hugs and kisses for being my sweet, wonderful little boy!

Happy 2009!

looking back...looking forward

Why does this time of year go by so very quickly? We plan and plan and plan some more and then I procrastinate, procrastinate, and procrastinate some more and before I know it-it is over. It is such a beautiful time of year that we all love so much and it is so sad to see it come to an end. This year, I must admit, was a little bit different. I didn't rush around in a buying frenzy and I still haven't shipped all of my presents to my family in Indiana (sorry about that guys). I wasn't necessarily in the Christmas spirit this season as I usually am but when I was, I just wanted to spend time listening to music with my little boy and relaxing at home. We had it easy this year because Gio doesn't quite understand Santa so we have another freebie year and will definitely have to be better about being prepared next year. However, we so badly want to try and celebrate the true reason for the season and not let ourselves get too wrapped up in the commercial aspect of Christmas. I'm sure that is most parents' goal, but when you want to give your child the very best of everything, that goal can easily go by the wayside. Check back with us in December and we'll see how it is going.... 2008 was a great year for our family and we are so blessed to have witnessed this little boy grow and develop into such an amazing little toddler. I can't believe in just a year he went from being our little baby to our little boy-it truly is a miracle. I know that 2009 will be filled with much more laughter and many more big accomplishments for Gio. I am confident that our family's guardian angel will protect us and bring us daily smiles and we look forward to this new year and can't wait to see what 2009 has to offer us. We wish all of our familiy and friends the very best that life has to offer this year. May each day be a new beginning full of hope. May you always know that you are cared about. May you grow from each challenge you face. May you be surrounded by the love of family and friends always.