Auntie Sissy

To have a loving relationship with a sister is not simply to have a buddy or a confident -- it is to have a soulmate for life. - Victoria Secunda


Today, Miche and Jimmy announced that they are buying a condo!!! They are buying a condo unit on Grandview Drive, which is where Matti and I lived for a few years. It's a perfect location - close to work and school, and there are many updates - especially in the kitchen. We are so thrilled and proud of them! They deserve every happiness in the world!

R.I.P.

Good-bye shitty Volvo!!


Heeelllooo Mr. Tundra!!



That's right! Matti FINALLY has a truck! We bought it last week and he loves it!! It must be nice for him to finally have heat during the winter and A/C during the summer! Yay Matti!!

Dear Michelle,

As some of you may know, we have another website for Cadi, which we are actually in the process of taking down. There are some posts I want to keep, so I am transfering them over to my blog. This is one of them...

I have been thinking of all the things I wish someone had told me before I had a baby that I want to pass along to my sister. I decided to start a list and add to it as I think of advice for her when she gets pregnant (and yes, I know that won't be for a while!) but still...

1. You are beautiful. You have never been so beautiful as you are right now, even though you may not feel that way. You are carrying your husband's and your child - it honestly doesn't get any better than that.

2. The first 2 months are hard. Really hard. You will be exhausted, sore and emotional. You will hate your husband sometimes. That is ok. The three of you will make it through.

3. You can handle labor. If I can, you can. Just take it contraction by contraction and lean on your husband for support.

4. I'm sure you have heard this before, but you have no idea what love is until you have a child. It will take your breath away.

5. Listen to your mom, mother-in-law, sister, etc. and any advice they have to give you...then do what you want. Your motherly instincts will kick in when you have the baby, and it doesn't matter what anyone or any book says - do what is in your heart and what feels right.

6. Enjoy this time with your baby, because it flies by.

7. It will take a bit of time to get used to your body after the baby gets here. You may have some stretch marks, you will leak milk for a while, etc. It takes some getting used to, but eventually your body will return to normal.

8. Your husband will love you more than ever after you have his child. It sounds corny, but it's true. You have given him the best gift in the entire world.

9. It isn't until you have your baby that you realize that you have been saving a piece of your heart just for him/her...you think you are happy before you have a baby, but them he/she comes along and you realize that you can't live without them and can't comprehend how you ever did.

Professional Pics

A few weekends ago, we got our family portraits done by a local photographer, Melissa Brott. She just e-mailed me a few pics, so I thought I would share them. I will post more when we get the rest!!

Guess what we started??

Solids!! Last week, we started Cadi on rice cereal. Here are some pics:


What the hell is this stuff?!


Ohhhh! Me likey!!

So it's true...

there really IS a God!! Cadi slept last night from 9:30 until 5am!! I nursed her and put her back into her crib, and she slept until 8:40!! Oh yeah! **dancing**

Great friends, Good fun!

Tonight, we went to the Ronner-Bland Clan's house for dinner. I don't know that you could find a nicer family than these guys - they are just genuine, friendly, bubbly people. I have known Ky since I was a toddler and have known Dan for a little less than ten years - it's crazy that they have been together for that long! They are just an amazing couple and have the cutest little boy I have EVER seen. Tonight was such a fun night - yummy food, good wine, great conversations and even better friends!

Can you BELIEVE it?!

Our little girl is 5 months old! Ok, ok - she is actually 5 1/2 months old - I meant to post these pictures a couple of weeks ago!

Happy Anniversary Matti!!

I promise to be true to you,

In good times and in bad,

For richer and for poorer,

In sickness and in health

Until death do us part.

From this day forward,

If you fall, I will catch you,

If you succeed, I will share your joy,

If you cry, I will wipe your tears.

You are my perfect soul mate,

The one person I was meant to be with.

You will be the father of my children,

You will be my best friend for life,

You will be my supporter when I need it most.

And if my last day should come before yours,

I hope your face is the last thing my eyes see,

And your voice the last thing my ears hear.

My best friend, my soul mate,

I love you.

The Definition of Romance

Before you have a baby, romance is candles and wine, late night dinners followed by a walk on the beach, cards and chocolates and take-out eaten in bed, sleeping in late on Sundays and cuddling, giggling over nothing, staring into each other's eyes, holding hands while watching tv.

After you have a baby, romance is when your husband tells you to stay in bed when the baby cries at 2:00am and he goes to make and feed her a bottle. It is when he does the laundry when you are too tired. Cooking dinner and taking the garbage out. Telling you at the end of a long day to grab a glass of wine and take a long soak in the tub while he puts the baby down to sleep.

Yes, my definition of romance has definitely changed. But last night, I surprised Matti for our anniversary, and we snuck away to a hotel for a night of much needed rest and romance. We went to a local pub for yummy burgers and drinks. We held hands along the way to the candy store and book store. We checked into our hotel room and took an afternoon nap. We soaked in the hot tub and swam in the pool together. We stared into each others eyes over a romantic dinner and smiled and laughed for no reason at all, besides the fact that we were happy. We held hands while we enjoyed a delicious bottle of wine. We talked to an elderly diner eating alone who told us that he reads to his wife every night before bed until she falls asleep. We walked slowly back to our hotel, hand in hand, and looked forward to a good night's sleep.

Sometimes, it is so easy to get caught up in the every-day-stuff and we realized this weekend how important it is to take some alone time for ourselves, as husband and wife. To put a little of the "pre-baby romance" back into our lives. Until we can have another weekend like this one, I think I will be satisfied with Matti changing Cadi's diaper at 1 am...

I heart MOPS!!

So, my cousins Kimmie and Kirstin did MOPs for a few years and loved it, and so I thought I would give it a chance. I told myself I would do it for one year and see how I liked it. If I like it, I will continue with it.

Tonight was our first meeting, and I already LOVE it! MOPs stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. We meet twice a month on Tuesday nights, and every year of MOPs had a theme. This year's theme is "The Home". Different topics we will be discussing this year include: Home Finance, Building your Child's self esteem, Intimacy in Marriage, Travel ideas with kids and there is even a spa day! We also get dinner during the meetings, and from what Kirstin says, it's really YUMMY!! I am so happy K & K told me about MOPs!

To read more, visit: http://www.essexalliance.org/189426.ihtml

Already?!

I can't even believe it, but it is almost time for Cadi to start solids!! I am going out today to buy her some sweet potatoes. I have decided to make Cadi's food and I'm really excited to start. Later this week, I will be making my first batch of food for her - crazy!! I feel like she was just born and already she's eating sweet potatoes?! She will be starting rice cereal soon and after that, we will introduce the potatoes and then avocados. I will definitely be posting pictures when we start!

Ouch!

Our poor little girl went to the Dr. today and had to get THREE shots! The appointment was at 12:45 and she has been sleeping pretty much all day. It is now 7:20 and I have a feeling it's going to be a long night. She's been waking up screaming and it's breaking my heart. She just woke up again screaming and by the time I ran in there, she was already sucking her thumb and halfway asleep. Tell me this - WHY, with all the technology we have today, can't they just give her a spoonful of medicine instead of having to have shots?? I hope that someone invents that.

Stats

I thought I would post what Cadi has been doing lately - as much for myself as for everyone else. It's so easy to forget how much they are sleeping, eating, etc., so this will be a good reminder for me when I look back at it in a month or two.

• Cadi weighs about 13 lbs. (we will find out tomorrow for sure how much she weighs, because we have a Dr. appt).
• She is rolling over like crazy!
• She loves, loves, LOVES to read. We got a few great books at her baptism that I have been reading to her throughout the day.
• We just started a new bedtime routine: bath, fresh diaper, lotion massage, read a book, nurse her, then down to bed.
• Her bedtime is 8:30
• She wakes up 2-3 times a night
• She usually wakes up around 8am for the day
• She eats 4-5 ounces
• We are starting solids next month and I am going to start making her baby food soon (you can freeze it for a few months)
• She loves being in her swing - she used to take all her naps in her swing, but the past week, we have been transitioning her into her crib for naps
• She usually naps about 3-4 times per day. She can make it about 2-2 1/2 hours awake, then it's time for a nap
• Toys she likes - She loves Leo the Lion, her rattles, her giraffe blankey

That is it for now. I'm sure I will update more tomorrow after her Dr. appointment :-)

Another fun day

This morning, we went to have our family portraits taken. Melissa was SO sweet and took a bunch of different pictures. I can't wait to see them! She is going to download them onto her flickr account soon, so I will post them when I can.

After that, we went home and I wasn't feeling well. I took a short nap and woke up feeling much better! I went to my grandma's house and visited with A. Brenda, Bonnie and Grandma.




Last, but definitely not least, we went out with my in-laws to Tortillas. Great company, great food, and a perfect way to end a great day!

Family Photos

Tomorrow morning we are getting family portraits done by Melissa Brott. She is an amazing photographer and we are SO excited to be having professional pictures taken of our little family. Check out Melissa's website: http://www.melissabrottphotography.com/

The Women in my Life

"Mothers and daughters are closest, when daughters become mothers."

I used to wonder how my mom raised Miche and I as a single mother and how my grandmother raised three children without most of the "necessities" we have today. But now that I have Cadi, I have even more respect and admiration for them. I am almost thirty years old and I still rely on my mom's opinion daily. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have these two role models in my life!

Goodbye Uncle Sammy!

Today our good friend Sammy left to go back to Colorado. He moved out there a month or so ago, and was back in Vermont for a couple of weeks. He has an amazing website of his photography that is in the middle of being worked on, but I will post the link when it's finished. His talent is beyond anything I have ever seen. The pictures are just breathtaking. We will miss you Sammy!

Getting ready for winter...

My mom, Cadi and I went shopping today for winter clothes for Acadia. Here are some pics of her in her new hats!!

I am sad tonight...

I just put yet another dress of Acadia's into the storage bin. How is it that she is growing out of her clothing so quickly?? It makes me so sad. I know she is only five months old, but it feels like I had her just yesterday. She is getting so big and changing every day. Oi vey. I feel like I am going to blink and she's going to be in the first grade. Why does time fly so quickly?