Our Drummer Boy!

"Boom-Booms" are what we hear day in and day out!  We wake up we hear "boom-boom" we get out of the bath we hear "boom-boom" we go to a restaurant we hear "boom-boom".  I don't know anyone that loves his "boom-booms" more than our little drummer boy Massimo.  If you follow our blog you might recall Massi's 2nd birthday present... a 5 peice drum set, equipped with cymbals, stands, sticks and stool. 

Typically, birthday presents fade... not this one.  To this day, Massimo is our wake up call in the morning and our entertainment at night.  He cannot be separated from his precious drum set!  To celebrate his passion for drums,  I wanted to share a special activity we do with Massi every week...

...The Marching Band!  Every Saturday morning around 10 a.m. we pack the stroller with snacks and walk about 1/2 a mile up to the High School to watch the marching band practice.  This has become our favorite weekend activity.  In fact, Massimo has become the honorary mascott for his dedication and enthusiasm.  Typically, the band practices several sets together in a large group but this past Saturday was very unique, Massimo had 1-1 time with the drum squad.  Here is a short video of his big debut with his "heroes".  His cousin Cole is also an elite member of the squad and as Massi will tell you he holds "BIG drums on his belly".

Massimo & Cole

Being that tomorrow is Halloween, there was no better costume for our big boy... 

Meet our Drum Major! (more pictures to come post Halloween)

Getting Big & Loving Each Other...

What was I thinking scheduling both children for a well visit on the same day and time?  Thank the heavens Nick was free and could join us because I would not have survived alone!

Yesterday, we had two very important check-ups; Massi's 2 Year and Bella's 2 Month!  I went in with high expectations for Bella's weight gain.  After all, she eats around the clock and has the cheeks and thighs to prove it!  Massimo, on the hand, is still a little munchkin barely fitting into his size 2 clothes and taking after his Pappa VH with his long and skinny frame.

As a family, we sat in a tiny 4X4 room, with a small window (thank GOD), 2 naked children and a new pediatrician.  We went through the drill for over an hour... vaccine schedule, flu shots, height/weight percentile, sleep patterns, etc.  In the end we have two very healthy and happy munchkins...

Massimo weighed in at a whopping 24 lbs!  The dr. advised us to chuck the paci asap and focus on healthy sleep patterns... I won't get into the details there but let's just say "we're working on it!".

Isabella is as healthy as it comes!  She weighed in at 11.6 (Mamma's a little disappointed and was guessing she would be in the 13's) and has all the signs of a well fed baby. YAY!

Besides the blessing of healthy children, I have to admit that everyone in our household is HAPPY these days.  Massi loves Bella & Bella loves Massi!  The question I often get from friends & strangers is, How is your toddler with the baby?.  During the first month, my answer was always "oh, he's still adjusting but doing fine".  This month, I would say with confidence that he adores his little sister and takes such great care of her!  I was able to capture a few of their special moments together as brother & sister....

"Mommy, she's a bit heavy on my lap" 

"Oh, I love this big brother stuff" 

 Watching Oprah in bed together!

 "Isabella, I'm about to give you a BIG kiss"

smack!

she loves the attention... 

We delight in Fall!

FALL... there are so many amazing things about this season and time in our life that I'd like to share what's making us happy!

• Sleeping until 8 a.m., hanging in our pjs for hours and deciding day by day what we're going to do (some may think this is just lazy, I call it BLISS)
• Watching Massi head straight to his drum set every morning before his eyes open
• Being with Mommy 24/7 while she's on maternity leave 
• Sitting at Starbucks watching the CHOO CHOO train come and go
• Watching our beautiful two month old smile and coo with delight
• Thankful for cousin CarCar who takes such great care of Massi and gives me a few hours to myself during the week :)
• Bringing the kids to visit Juju at work
  
• Being close to family and friends for visits, coffee dates and just a quick hello
• Tuesday morning bible study with great woman; my mom, Aunt Sheri & cousin Carli
• Seeing mums, cornstalks and pumpkins as you pull into the driveway
• Visiting my brother's gym with the entire family & even getting a great workout in
• Long bike rides with daddy through town and visits to the park
  
• Family dinners each and every night!
• Football Season!!
  

I would be remise, if I didn't share with you some of our "pangs" :)

• The 3 hour (on the minute) nightime wake up calls from Bella
• A certain 25 month old who loves to sleep walk his way into our bed every night around midnight (we can't resist his curls!)
• The chilly weather that is quickly approaching here on the east coast
• Getting the kids in and out of the car, especially when running more than one errand.  I'm desperate for more drive-thrus!
• Laundry after laundry after laundry
• Trying to squeeze in a workout to find that I have 20 minutes
• 4-7 p.m.
• The sound of DRUMS all day long - 24/7
• I'll quit with my "pangs"... the good always has to out do the bad :)
  

2nd Child Syndrome

If you know me well, you know my passion is PHOTOS!  Mainly photos of friends, family, children, etc.  To this day, I have a photo album for every possible event; Dance Recitals, Sr. Prom, Weddings, Baby showers and more.  I really didn't think my obsession could get any worse.  Today, I have over 200 online photo albums dedicated to Massimo and 120 online videos uploaded of his early years.  I think it's fair to say my obsession reached a whole new level when children came into the picture! :)

When Isabella was born, I vowed I would never let the "2nd Child Syndrome" hit me.  This is when a mother has zero time to dedicate to the things she used to do with her 1st child; take pictures, videos, write the weekly blog, etc.  

Although, I've held strong to my promise at taking an abundance of pictures of Bella, I have slacked off on the video side.  However, it dawned on me today, the reason for so many videos of Massimo was because we lived 3,000 miles away from family/friends and that was my way to of showing everyone our little boy!

Regardless of where we live, I still think it's important to capture your little ones and I aim to improve in that area.  Yesterday, I took my first video of Isabella!  Although, I'm not happy it's taken me this long, I am thrilled with the results and couldn't wait to share our little girl with everyone.  For those that have yet to meet her, she is a little piece of heaven.  

Meet Ms. Bella (9 1/2 weeks)...

Happy 2 Months!

To My Sweet Isabella!

It is 10.10.10 today and you have officially been in this world for 2 months... WOW!  I remember like yesterday, you came home from the hospital in a little preemie outfit ready to take on all the love we could give you!

You have come a long way since August 10th.  You've doubled your weight, your hairline is filling in nicely and those beautiful blue eyes keep getting lighter and lighter!  You have a feisty personality that only your parents know best (thanks to your older brother Massimo).  You sleep best on Mommy and your favorite hobby is eating!  You seem to be the best dressed newborn in Bergen County, NJ... thanks to Nana Juju and you are quickly outgrowing size 0-3 at only 2 months (that a girl!).

Isabella, you have swept me off my feet with LOVE!  You are my little "belle" and I love you so so much...

Love,

Mommy

Cape Cod!

This past weekend we packed our SUV to the brim, locked up the house and headed North!  What was intended to be a weekend wedding getaway for me and Nick, turned into a family affair.  With the men driving, Juju sitting in the 2nd row with both kids and Mamma Leone relaxing in the way back we made our way up 95 in what appeared to be a monsoon.  4 1/2 hours later including a stop at McDonalds & Friendly's (yes, both!) we arrived at Nick's sister's home in West Falmouth.

The plan was to enjoy time with Nick's family, most of whom live on the Cape or surrounding area and then head to our friends wedding in Osterville Saturday night (kids @ home!).  Nick is the youngest of 7; 5 sisters and 1 brother.... so, when everyone's together you are guaranteed lots of stories and laughter!

This trip to the Cape was long overdue, as our last journey here we had just became engaged and I was meeting everyone for the first time.  A lot has changed since then... we are married, have lived on the west coast for 5 years and have two children!  Massimo & Isabella are meeting their aunts, cousins and even Granpy for the first time!

Our weekend was filled with beautiful fall weather.  Days were spent with early morning bike rides along the beach, trips to town to get new "Falmouth" gear, "Chowda" on the harbor for lunch, walks to the beach with Massi in the Radio Flyer and fun dinners with the Leone clan.  Nick and I had a blast at our friends wedding and enjoyed some alone time!

My personal highlights of the trip were seeing Massi play with his older cousins Connor & Patrick, watching Nick's sisters love little Isabella and visiting Nick's brothers farm.  Most of all it was being together as a big family.  Before I met Nick, I dreamed of marrying a big Italian family and that's just what I got!

We arrive in West Falmouth!

 The Leone Men...

 The Leone Ladies...

Kathleen loving Bella... 

Visiting Bogside Farm! 

Early morning chat with Patrick!