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:)