Nico: some memories found

These photos are not from my iPhone. But I thought I'd go ahead and post them here, in case I am ever looking for some early memories of Nico. Obviously I can do without the memories of bad hair, wrinkles, and lack of sleep...but you take the good with the bad!

Does Bode ever take a bad picture? He is always adorable (to this mommy).

And I just love this pic of my baby girl. What was she thinking?

Thank you to my friend C for the memories! Now I must leave the photo memories and deal with real life!
Happy Tuesday.
xo

Nemo

The storm ("Nemo") wasn't so bad.  We lost power around 2 A.M. Saturday morning. Bode woke us up with a blood curdling scream.  It made for a long, interesting morning.  I sat with him in his dark room, talking about the snow storm and why we lost power. While we were talking,  a snow plow came into our driveway. We stood at his window and watched the snow plow push the snow out of our drive.  I think we both found watching the warm headlights of the truck moving around our snowy property very soothing. 

"Nemo" was kind to us. We got about six inches of snow.  And other than the interesting power outage, which lasted only a few hours (thank God!), nothing significant happened.

We were so happy because RWF came home on Friday night, after a very "Planes, Trains, and Cars" travel day.  He also had to drive through stormy Nemo to get home.  I am so thankful that he arrived home safely.

We did spend Saturday in bed (practically).  RWF and I were feeling very tired. He was jet-lagged and tired. I was tired from solo parenting and the early morning wake-up. And the monkeys, who were not tired at all (of course!), were more than happy to jump around us, laughing it up in our cozy bedroom. 

We hope that you had a happy weekend, safe and warm.
xo

Bode skis

Here is a short video clip of Bode skiing at West Mountain.  Today was a big day because he rode the lift for the first time!  This video was shot at the end of his class.  RWF joined him for a run down the hill.


Watch Bode ski here.

Go West, young man

Bode was feeling well enough to go skiing today with his dad.  I have missed seeing my little guy ski this winter.  Before they left, I asked RWF to take some snaps of Bode for me.  Somebody took these snaps of RWF and Bode today. I can see in the snaps that Bode isn't feeling that hot.

Skiing West Mountain

RWF actually took a video of Bode skiing for me. It was a lot of fun for me to watch.  RWF took the video on Bode's last run, and you can tell that Bode is just whipped. He crashes into RWF, which is kind of funny...  I will try to post it later.

What are your plans for MLK?  Bode and Gianna are trading sniffles, so we're laying low.
xo

Happy New Year

While I was making my traditional Hoppin' John for New Year's Day,  I looked out to the living room and saw everyone piled into one chair.  It made me so happy to see everyone so close, together.  I ran and got my camera to capture this:

Bode and Gianna love to sit with RWF when he is watching tv. They probably love watching tv, too, but they always want to sit with "Daddy" when they have the opportunity.

They have spent so much time with RWF over this holiday. It has been wonderful for them.  RWF took these shots today while out on a walk at Saratoga Spa State Park:

Super cute!  I wish I could be with them outside. I miss our walks.

Instead, Nico and I stay cozy inside.  I absolutely adore this baby.

In this photo (below), he looks like Gianna did when she was a baby.  He has Gianna's eyes in this photo at least.  And new hair growth is blonde, baby.  Is he going to look like Gianna?

I took Nico to the pediatrician yesterday. He weighs 14 lbs and 5 oz.  He is doing great. He cried after the nurse gave him a shot in the thigh (ouch). The nurse said, "You're not fooling me, with those thighs!"  Poor little guy.

Best wishes for health and happiness.

xo

First...father-son trip!

RWF and Bode went on their first father-son trip.  They went to Beaver Creek, CO to attend the Audi Birds of Prey.

They left on Wednesday morning. I was, quite frankly, shocked that it was actually happening.  One, I couldn't believe that I had agreed to this little adventure. And two, since RWF has been traveling so much for work, I honestly thought (hoped?) that he would not have the energy to fly across the country with his 4 year old son for a quick vacation.

But leave they did.  And the first photo RWF sent me was a snap of Bode inside the airport Starbucks. And a sob traveled up my throat when I saw my sweet boy's big eyes peering back at me. He was  holding a clear plastic container of milk in his hands, with a big green straw in his lips.   "What have I done?" I thought.  I proceeded to worry about all the things that could go wrong, all the things that RWF may not interpret from Bode correctly (i.e. to "our" way of doing things), all the rushing, all the forgetting to feed and sleep and pee/poo, etc. etc.  

Honestly, I trust RWF completely.  He is a great dad, and he is, if I am completely honest, much more patient and "reads" Bode better than I do. 

RWF called me several times on the way. But it was when they first got into their hotel room that it sunk in: they are really gone. RWF asked, "Which bed do you want, Bode?" and I heard Bode exclaim, "This one!" Despite the long day of travel, I heard joy in Bode's voice. 

Why did I do it? Why did I let them jet off across the country together?  Because it is important to RWF to have this time with Bode. Because it is special that they do this together. Because these memories are for the two of them. Because there are a dozen reasons to do it, and only one not to (selfish, scared me).

They had a great time. They rode on airplanes. They ate snacks. They saw the sunshine, the snow, the people, and some world class ski races. They hung out in their hotel room.They ordered room service.  They played at a park. They traveled (well) together.

And most important of all, Bode got to spend time with his dad, all by himself. He got his dad's undivided time and attention for 3 whole days while taking a very special trip. And hopefully, he will remember this trip forever.  And even if he doesn't, I will remind him of it for as long as I am able to.  Because Bode is a very lucky boy to have RWF as his daddy.  And I am very lucky to have RWF as my partner and father to my children.
xo

Sunday in pictures

Sometimes, while Nico is sleeping, Gianna or Bode will add some kind of...embellishment to him. It could be a hat, or a pumpkin, or even a toy (sometimes, all three!).  Sometimes, Gianna will just walk by and toss a blanket over Nico. It's not malicious. She's just thinking that he's a baby and he needs a blanket. She doesn't understand that the blanket shouldn't be covering his head.  Needless to say, good intentions or not, I've really got to watch out with these two around the baby.

This Sunday, Nico was sleeping peacefully in his swing (yay) when Gianna decided to hook him up with a hot date.  Meet Brooke:

Nico was not so impressed.  First, his sleep was interrupted and second, this chick is taking up a little too much space. It appears to me that Brooke was a little too forward, a little too eager to make a good impression on Nico.  So naturally, he ignored her.  Brooke needs to learn to play it cool around the boys. I'm surprised that Gianna hasn't schooled her on this yet, because Gianna is an expert at playing it cool with the boys.

Gianna and Bode were there with Nico as chaperones. But really, the date was going nowhere.  I mean, doesn't Nico seem to be saying, "Let's just order dinner already and get this over with."

Later, after Gianna's nap (but nobody else's!), we went to a pumpkin patch. I guess all my heavy hinting finally got to RWF, because after I had said to him, "Well, I guess no pumpkins this year, right. I mean, Halloween is two weeks away...."  He said, "Let's go. Let's do it now."  (uhm, to his credit, he did speak with more enthusiasm than that short response conveys.)

Because it was late afternoon, and we are old parents that don't like to have any fun, we skipped the pumpkin patch - you know, the "carnival atmosphere" pumpkin patch with the 20 different rides, face painting, balloons and mazes. Right now, the babies are young enough that we can get away with skipping these amusements...so we figure that we need to use this to our advantage while we can. Soon, they'll know about these things and we'll have no way of avoiding them!

We went to an apple orchard with pumpkins instead.  As you can guess, I was really happy to be there with my little fam, picking out pumpkins for our house.  RWF and I decided that even though we really like the new-fangled pumpkins that are bright orange, white and green, we are really traditionalists. We like the classic pumpkin.

Bode dressed himself (hence the shorts and no socks).

The babies picked out three pumpkins.  One for Bode, one for Gianna and one for Nico.

My favorite part was trying APPLE CIDER DONUTS!!!  (yes, that deserves ALL CAPS)  I have never had them before. They were cooking them in the little store.  I spied them immediately and whispered to RWF, "Is it possible for us to get three donuts?" (I had to clear it with the other parental unit/my partner before injecting my children with the horrible, awful sugar)  The cashier thought I was asking him, and he replied, "Yes, it is POSSIBLE to get three donuts." He was in high school and probably thought the "possible" was a weird way of me asking. The donuts were incredible...crunchy/crispy exterior with a nice pillowy, airy cake to them, and covered in sugar.  And, they were hot.  Delicious.  I am already daydreaming about driving out to the orchard again, solo (well, with Nico), and just indulging in all the donuts I can eat.   Apple cider donuts? Count me as a fan.

Time to make the donuts.

HAS = #1 fan of apple cider donuts

Who needs fresh, healthy apples when you can mainline sugar from apple cider donuts, I ask you. (just kidding!)

We didn't pick (or buy) any apples. I think the apple picking is over, for the most part.  And we didn't need any apples because I had just bought some at the store! Bah.  Next time, and I do see a next time, we'll go to the orchard and buy some from there.

The weather felt spooky to me: the sky was grey, the air cool with a bit of wind. It was the perfect day for picking out pumpkins (and eating apple cider donuts).
Happy Monday.
xo

Homecoming

This photo says it all:

Nico's homecoming

Bode and Gianna have welcomed baby Nico into their lives with big smiles and open hearts. They have been loving, excited to see him every chance they get, and always quick to help me by letting me know, "Nico's crying!" (Gianna is especially concerned when she hears the baby cry.)  Bode is so sweet, always saying, "I want Nico to be happy."  and "I will help you."  Both embarrassing for me, and hilariously funny is when it is time to feed baby Nico, and Bode always lifts up his shirt and says, "I will feed him!" 

Am getting used to little people waking me up during the day by jumping on my bed:

Am getting used to coloring in bed, as well as stickers and stories (as well as the stray crayons/stickers found in my sheets when I am sleeping):

Bode and Gianna  have accepted that Mommy stays in bed (with Nico) a lot. They have been so great about accepting this huge change, and adapting it to their needs as well (see coloring and stickers pics above).

RWF has been such a great Daddy to them both, and I feel like this has been monumental in how they've accepted this drastic change in their lives.  RWF has been with them 24/7 for the past 2 weeks, taking them out to play, feeding them, dressing, bathing, reading, etc. etc. He has been a "single dad" and done great.  The smiles and love radiating from Bode and Gianna every day is the proof!

When things do get crazy (and they do), RWF has secret tricks in his back pocket:  dance parties, music, and snacks.  I have to remember these tips for when I am solo-parenting!

I [heart] my little family.

xo