No-longer Living in Arizona

Giuliana is almost 16 months

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:39:00 +0000

But she is already wearing mommy's shoes. This was taken today. It pretty much demonstrates what we are dealing con nostra prima donna!

Che bella piccolina!

Some updates and videos

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:49:00 +0000

It has been a really long time since we last posted a update about our family.

The latest goings on with us are that J has a guitar and makes up songs. It is hilarious.

Here are a couple of Joseph's original songs:
This one is about Jesus in his Palace.

This one is about Jesus and J's imaginary pet kitty cat Singalo... and a pirate kayak.

We can't make this stuff up. He's sooo precious!

When it's too quiet, beware

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:37:00 +0000

It happened again this morning. I was in the kitchen, cleaning things. I had just checked on J in the family room playing in his "fort". Giuliana was sleeping. All children accounted for and occupied. Maybe I could clean up from breakfast? Dare to dream.

Then, I realized it was very, very quiet. I heard something in the bathroom.

Yep! It had happened again. J had opened all of my fabric paints and was playing with them in the bathroom. Colors all over the sink.

Now, in truth, if you are going to play with paint when you know you aren't supposed to, playing the bathroom is actually pretty convenient. Because we had to clean up the mess quickly, I couldn't get any pictures. I did get one shot of the paint in the trashcan... Yes, he had paint in the toilet, sink, and trashcan.

Clean up was fine and I think J has learned that he does not touch mommy's paint.

This is the second time this has happened to me. When the kids are too quiet, don't assume they are "playing nicely". Here is what happened the last time I left them alone thinking they were in the playroom.
First look:
Taking it all in:

Close up of the KIX:

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:59:00 +0000

As most people have seen all over the news, global warming is effecting us in new ways this winter. It's bitterly cold and there is a lot of SNOW! Now, when we knew we were going to move to New England, we were excited for the change of seasons and we were thrilled to have some of the white stuff. Were we really ready? Um...

You might think that my next statement is going to be some disparaging comment about snow and all things cold and winter. But not here! We love it. I mean, it's a lot and after the snow storm we are going to have next week, who actually knows HOW MUCH snow we will have accumulated in our backyard. I can honestly say, bring it! We have built an igloo out of our giant mound.

It is practically a small mountain. In fact, since I am from Florida, I think it IS a mountain. It's over my head and in Florida that's a mountain :-)

You might wonder how such a mountain forms in our petit jardin? Well, here's some video footage of our AWESOME plow-ers! We love them!

We are so extreme, yeah right...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:03:00 +0000

We are so extreme. That's us... the Extremes. I mean, so what that we moved to Arizona in the middle of July and we moved to Boston in November. Now, November is not an extreme month in which to move to NE. In fact, it is really a lovely time to move up to the Boston area. The trees were multi-colored and the bushes were lovely shades of red. And even Christmas week was lovely with a few inches. All in all our winter here has been quite beautiful. Now, my definition of a beautiful day involves sun. When the sun is shining I am happy girl no matter what the thermometer reads. So here's to all of our sunny abodes... from Out West to the NE!

A photo capture of our weather extremes:
- Summer 2009

- And then, today...

I also have to admit that I wasn't sure that the temp reader in the car read as high as 122, but it does. And, this morning for the moment that it sat at 0, I wondered if it would go into the negatives. It did. Car thermometers have quite a range.

Boston: Our New City... #6 Un-friendly City in US

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Yesterday, or maybe the day before, MSN released the most unfriendly places to live in the US. Boston ranked in at #6. Part of me was not surprised by this but part of me was... and here's why:

1) Never have I lived somewhere that the drivers are so conscious of pedestrians. What I mean is that I have almost rear-ended a few of my fellow MA drivers while in town centers, etc... because the car in front of me will suddenly stop to let some one pass.

2) In the same vein, never have I lived somewhere that when I am walking with the kids, cars will stop even when they have green lights to let me cross.

3) At least in West Medford, the gas-tank fillers, tellers, and grocery clerks are cordial. You might not get a full-out smile but you will get a hello and a thank you, which I think it better than nothing (like places in DC).

4) Let's face it, no matter where you live - "friendly" or "un" - the DMV is never the most fun thing. But, my MA DMV experience was actually quite nice. The whole process was organized and efficient. The tellers I went to were willing to let me come back, not wait in line, and bring back the right paperwork. Now, this occurred the third week we lived here and I was blown away.

5) Overall, when we found out we were moving up here I was really nervous. I thought people would be really, well, yankee. Now, when I say this I am not exactly sure what I mean. But, I grew up in "the South". I went to school in Atlanta. I married a Virginian. I can openly say that I have yet to meet anyone openly rude or even curt.

All that being said, I have also observed that people are less "inclusive" than people in the DC area. And I think this is mainly because in DC, most folks are in a state of transition. It seems that every, of 2-4-6 years, there are exoduses in and out of the city. Whereas in the more residential areas of Medford, etc... people have been here for generations and plan to be for many to come.

As an example, J goes to a Preschool in Woburn. We live in West Medford. As the crow flies there is only about 7 miles between the two. But, it is about 2 towns away. The moms in J's class are amazed that I drive 20+ minutes one-way to bring J to and from school. Of course, to me 20+ minutes is nothing... especially since the average speed is 35 and it's through two, adorably quaint town centers - Winchester and Woburn.

In closing, I have to give a big BOO-HISS to MSN for listing Boston at such a rank. I whole-heartedly disagree. Here's to BOSTON and it's neighboring towns! Thanks for welcoming us in the dead of winter. We can't wait for spring.

Here are some shots of our wintry welcome to the NE:

OCTOBER already?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:04:00 +0000

And, not only October but practically the end of October! Where in the world does the time go? Oh! That's right? We moved from Phoenix 3 weeks ago. Mike started his new job in Boston two weeks ago. The kids have been with me visiting family and friends until we can move into our new place in west Medford on October 31.

I wish I could load up some pictures of how much the kids are growing and changing, but that would require a camera and it's cord, which are currently in the "big white box" with all of our stuff traveling across the country.

So, who else thinks it's pretty funny that we love extremes. We moved to Phoenix in July and we are moving to Boston in November. We can't wait for a white Christmas and four full seasons! We are thrilled to be heading back to the east coast and the adventure a new city offers.

We will post pics of the now 10 mos. old Giuliana and the practically 3.5 year old Joseph!

Love to all our sweet family and friends that read this!
The Vagabond Gretos.

August Over... Wha????

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:49:00 +0000

As I write this, the clouds are rolling in outside and the high temp is only about 100, which is so pleasant. It's about to rain and it has been raining at least once a week this month... which I don't remember from our two previous Augusts out here in the valley of the fun.

Over the past month, we have had a lot of fun! J has moved up to the official Preschool classes at his school. He is in the big boy 3-yr-old class and he LOVES it! He is learning so much and enjoying all of the new structure in his class.

This month we decided to go on a family camping trip. It was a ton of fun and, well, a trip we will never forget! It was a gorgeous plot with a view of Lake Lynx: And, here's a pic of all of us at the campsite:
And, I couldn't resist this pic opp of J on his travel potty out in the woods:

Now for the Giules! She is 8 months and officially mobile! She put crawling together ON her 8 month birthday. She is not very speedy but crawls about 5-6 feet and then stops and sits and plays. It's really funny. Here's a video of the crawler in action:

And, lastly, a little month to month comparison. A pic of Giules at 8 months, standing on the piano bench:

Then, a picture of Joseph at 8 months standing at the same bench:

Can you tell they are related??
And... on a closing note...

7 months and where is the time going?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Sorry we haven't posted in awhile. I am not really sure where the time had gone. And, I can't really believe that we have been back from our DC/VA trip for a month now.

Part of the lapse in time is due to the fact that we have not been sleeping well. The Thunderous Threes have been upon us in full force. And although it means that we can officially say J is 100% potty-trained, we can also say he has had some MAJOR regression in the area of going to bed and sleeping through the night. This has been a huge shock to us as J was always a really EXCELLENT sleeper and going-to-bed-er.

Other than not sleeping too well, we have been busy! We try to hit the pool every-other day or so. We get to see a few of our friends that are still in town and we enjoyed VBS last week. It was really a ton of fun. Here is a video of Joseph singing the main song:

But, onto the real purpose of this post. Our little Giules!!! She is now 7 months old! I cannot believe it! She is wearing 6-9 month clothing that is fine width wise but seems to be running a little short. We think she might be a taller drink of water, which would be nice since I'm a shrimp (mom writing, not dad). She is weighing about 14.5 LBS and wears the 2-3 diapers and is 26.6 inches long. She is eating her multi-grain cereal, peaches, plums, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash... and carrots and avocado are reluctantly eaten when mixed with some other more favorable fruit or veg. This week we are going to introduce pears, apples, and bananas while continuing to enjoy the squashes and veggies.

She is able to sit up for quite a long time on her own. She also will purposefully roll down from sitting and do what I call the "spinner". This is where she balances herself on her tummy and rotates around in a circle. She is also rolling from place to place... mainly to try and get at anything she shouldn't. And, she is practicing getting up on all fours to crawl... Mobility is not far off.

As for her temperament, she is incredibly happy and smiley, unless hungry or very tired. But, even when exhausted, if you smile and engage her or take her outside to watch the trees, she is happy as can be. She loves to float in the pool and is even getting used to her big brother swimming and splashing all over her.

Now, for what most of our family and friends have been waiting for, PICTURES!

How many birthdays can one little guy have?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:05:00 +0000

It's been way too long since I posted. It's mostly because we have been soo busy with life and summer. The big guy turned 3 on June 10 and man was he celebrated!!!

On this actual day, he received a fabulous red firetruck from his sister and special music time at his school care of daddy! Here are some of the pics!

The next day, he received his big birthday present from us: the red scooter!!!

Then, the next day, we had a little party with some of our friends. J is missing his closest buddy but he did have Jon Miguel from his class there!

Oh, you think we are done... but we aren't!

Then we headed to VA. He had about 3-4 parties and cakes and singing! Too much! I think his 4th birthday will need to be chill. The 10 days of vacation began with a great Nationals game with the Cannons!

And the kids:

Then he had a birthday cake at another party...

Ok... so this is getting long but there was one last birthday and Joseph was sung too as well!

Happy 3rd bday J-monkey and happy 93rd birthday Mom-mom G!

First Camping Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:35:00 +0000

On May 20, 2010, Daddy and his buddy Linc took on the fun and adventurous caper of taking Joseph camping. They rented a large, two room tent, packed up blankies, animals, LOTS of unders, and tons of FOOD. They picked up Joseph from school around noon and headed north into the Prescott National Forest.

I think pictures and video will really tell this story best:
Here is a view of the campsite and tent set up

Here is a tour of inside the tent:

The first S'Mor ever!!!

Early morning rocking out at the camp - brace yourself, this is really cute!

Classic daddy and son shot:

We are going to plan another trip soon. The next time we will take Giules and mommy! Not sure when it will be considering the summer heat has started in AZ.

5 Months May 18

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Giuliana turned 5 months old yesterday! Where in the world does the time go?

She is a sweet little thing, weighing in at 12.5 LBS. She is 25.5 inches long. Her latest tricks are to roll over, drool everywhere, spit up A LOT, and chatter away! She also LOVES her Daddy and her brother. The minute one of them walks in the room, she just lights up. She loves her mommy too, especially at 10Pm, 3AM, and 6:30AM -- the times she gets up to eat. She usually begins her day at 7-7:30. She takes two naps, first around 9:30 and then another around 1PM. And her day is OVER by 5:30PM. Yep, folks. She is our sleeping little thing.

Although several of her birth-buddies have moved (Igna and Matias), she still has her closest girl friends around: Quinn, Gabriela, and Lexi. She gets to see them at least once a week. But, we are preparing for the departures of Quinn and Lexi. Fortunately Gabi will still be around for playdates.

So, what everyone has been waiting for... some pics and some videos.

She is getting used to the bows. Mommy is a little nuts with them:

And here are a couple from our little 5mos photo shoot:

Everybody does it....

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:04:00 +0000

Yep, you guessed it, Poo! We all do it and there's a book for children about it. It's aptly named, Everybody Poops
Our household, being a musical one, would not really be OK with letting this one slide. We saw Everybody Poops listed on Joseph's daily activity sheet last week and immediately thought of nothing else... but the REM song "Everybody Hurts"

So, here's our rendition of everybody poops for J to the tune of Everybody Hurts by REM. Another note is that we are battling with poo... it's not really happening in the potty... it's staying in the pants. So, maybe this song will help get it where it belongs.

[Best read with the video playing in the background and these words inserted]

When the day's begun and the pot-ty, the potty is yours alone,
When you're sure you've got to go to pot-ty, well hang on.
Just let yourself go, everybody does and everybody poops sometimes.

Sometimes it's tough to go. But put it where it belongs.
When your potty is alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like ya gotta go, (hold on)
Run for the seat and wait and, well hang on.

Everybody poops. Get comfy on your thrown.
Everybody poops. Don't throw a fit. Oh, no. Don't throw a fit.
If you feel like ya gotta go, go, go, go, go on the pot-ty.

If you're holding it all in then the days and nights are long,
When you think you've gotta go to poo, just hang on.

Well, everybody poops sometimes,
Everybody pees. And everybody poops sometimes.
And everybody poops sometimes. So, go on the pot, pot-ty.
pot-ty, pot-ty. So go on, pot-ty. Go on, potty. (repeat & fade)

P-Day Part Deux! Farewell to the Daytime Diaper

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 13 May 2010 03:58:00 +0000

Over the past few months, Joseph has been asking us to go on the potty or to "potty train". We think this is because he was hearing his buddies at school talk about it AND we also think it was because he truly was ready!

Since this is basically like our children's baby book online, we will recount the whole escapade...

About a month ago, mommy and daddy decided that a week after daddy graduated from his program, Joseph would begin his training to graduate to big boy underwear! The week before the big day, his teachers were very supportive and started to chat up going in the potty ALL the time. He was taken more frequently to the bathroom with his pullups on. Oh, he has been wearing pullups for about 3 months now. He only wears an overnight diaper for night time.

On Friday, Mike went to get Joseph and stopped by the grocery store. He picked up a blue poster board and some stickers along with a package of Matchbox construction trucks... way cool for Joseph right now because of the road work they are doing in our neighborhood.

I was sooo impressed with Mike! He had a plan to turn the poster board into a race track and every time Joseph used the potty he would get a Cars sticker to place on his race track. He hung the poster right in front of the potty, for inspiration.

Joseph came home from school and we made a BIG deal about hanging the poster and showing him the stickers. He immediately wanted to try the potty... and he went! Thus began our weekend!

Saturday we were a little nervous because it was a gorgeous day but we had heard you really needed to stay inside and focus on going to the bathroom every hour or so. We did that in the morning, but for the afternoon, we decided to have our friends come over (they would be leaving for Chile in just 4 days so we needed to spend as much time with them as possible). We hung out at the pool and the boys played outside... and we just continued to take him every hour. And he went every hour.

By Sunday, we were starting to wonder about something... where was number 2? He didn't ever mention it and we would ask him and he would say no. Sunday, being Mother's Day, we also had a couple plans... another BBQ and more friends over to swim. We also conquered another hurdle: public potties!

One of the reasons me and Mike had been delaying potty training was mainly because the thought of having to take him into the public bathrooms, etc... just seemed like a big mess! Well, we ran a couple errands and Mike took him on a potty "tour". Now, there was no successful public pottying but he did check it out. Maybe next time!

All in all, by Monday we felt pretty confident in his pottying capabilities... minus the poo! He has not had a pee accident yet... but he has had quite a few poo ones at the writing of this blog. We are going to have to work on that! I mean, really work on it! We live in AZ, we can't be doing this much laundry every night.

Here's a couple pictures of our proud potty-trainer!!!! Joseph, we are sooo proud of you, big boy! You have done so well!!!

Stay tuned as we continue to question, "who does number 2 work for"? And prepare to turn 3 in about a month!

Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Sun, 09 May 2010 19:48:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

We have been enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day. We are also potty training this weekend, but more on that later...

Mother's Day.

Last night I had a wonderful time with some dear mommy friends out here. As we sat and enjoyed some delicious chocolate fondue and some wine, I was struck by how all we really talked about was our children. I have been thinking a lot about this lately... mommy-hood is just such an all consuming adventure. And, the more I do it, the more I realize it is the most important job, task, adventure, occupation, filler-of-time that one can do. No other thing in life holds the weight that being a mom does. We are shaping the lives of the next generation. We are leading, molding, and releasing people into society. It's a big job! I know I am often caught up in the monotony of it at times, and can even lose sight of the bigger picture. But, the big picture is right there, in front of you... I mean, it's in the mirror. It was our mommies who brought us this far and have been examples of what we are raising.

So, here's to ALL the mommies out there!
Thank you for all you do!
Love
Me

Last weeks of T'bird times

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:24:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

It has been a wild month. We are preparing to say farewell to our wonderful friends who have shared this amazing graduate experience with us the past 20 months. It is really hard to believe that it is coming to an end and in less than a week we have so many friends who will be back in their countries or states.

Here are a few pictures of the last of things:
The Last of the Tuesday Dinners:

The last of our playdates at Clau's house:

Last playdate with Bella:

There are a few more lasts but for now this will do... we love our friends so much and are so thankful for their love, support, and fun!

Easter! He is risen!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:11:00 +0000

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!
Now above the sky he’s king, Alleluia! Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!
Praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

We had a wonderful Easter with friends! A little taste of "home" out here with Aunt KD, Aunt Ali and Uncle PW!

And, here are my Easter bunnies:

Holy Week Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:12:00 +0000

This week leads up to what has grown to be my favorite holiday -- this is mommy typing. We have several Holy Week traditions... some we hope to begin again next year (Seder dinner) and some we have continued... We color Easter eggs, we spend time with friends outside and playing in the grass at the park, and we will attend Good Friday services and Easter Vigil/Easter Celebrations. We enjoy a good 1 or 3 Easter egg hunts and J especially loves the eating of the candy. We also make Easter cookies... YUM! Who says baking cookies just has to be at Christmas? Not us!
Here are a couple pics from the fun we have had! J with buddies, Bella and Sebastian:

The babies!
Giules after one of our Springtime morning walks:
J at the Thunderbird Campus Easter Egg hunt:
And our two cuties!

Holy Week and Easter have become my favorite holiday because it is the crux of what we believe as followers of Jesus. He is God's Son, he gave up his kingship to be here on earth. He entered Jerusalem and was sentenced to death. On Friday we will reflect on his sacrifice.

14 Weeks and 14 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:23:00 +0000

We thought it had been a little while since we had done a side by side comparison of the two Greto wee ones. I think these are a couple of the closest pics I can find of the two of them at about 13 weeks.

Do you think they are related?
Baby G #1:

Baby G #2:

The Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:43:00 +0000

The weather has officially become GORGEOUS here in the valley. We have been walking, hiking, and BBQing for about a week now. In fact, one day last week I actually got a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders (this is Meg, by the way, not J).

Weekends are great though because we get to spend time together all four of us! This past weekend, we went to Dim Sum with some friends:

We also love the weekends because we really enjoy our church. Gg went to the nursery too and had a great time. She was able to show off her new purple bow... mommy is trying to desensitize her to wearing bows since she is not really a huge fan:

And, since we are in the home stretch of time with many of our friends, we have started having weekly gatherings... here is a shot of the Daddies with all the kiddos:

Two Special Days in March

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:16:00 +0000

We know you have heard of St Patrick's Day but many people don't realize that similar to St Patrick's Day where the Irish (and those who wish they were) wear green, St. Joseph's day on March 19th is celebrated all over the world and folks wear red! Today is Joseph's Saint Day. In many cultures, your birthday is celebrated on this day and it is a holiday in Italy. And it is FEAST day!

Now, the second special event this week was Giules' 3 month birthday yesterday! Here she is! Growing like a weed as you can see next to her owlie toy:
We are pretty sure these baby eyes are staying BLUE!

Hello out there! Check out my crazy neck, tummy time skilz!
And lastly, here at 3 months, she loves to suck on her hands... we think she might eventually find the fingers she wants but we shall see

Big Brother and Little Sister hanging out

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Here are a couple shots of the two of them. They have a lot of fun together and J really is a wonderful big brother! He is sweet with her and only when he hugs her too tightly do we have to intervene :-)

And watching Sesame Street together the other morning:

And lastly, J is developing a very sweet tenderness for friends when they get hurt. Just Sunday at the park his little friend got sand in his eyes and was crying. J stopped what he was doing and ran over to ask if Seb was OK? It was very sweet and melts our hearts to know that we have such a gentle souled little one. So, last night when he wanted to get his "owie star" for Thomas' friend I was a little puzzled. He ran to the fridge and grabbed his cold-pack star for a character in his Thomas the Train coloring book. Toby the Tram had a sad face because he derailed and J wanted to comfort him. Tooo funny and at the same time sooooo sweet!

Funny dinner conversation

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:52:00 +0000

Lately, in the evenings, Giules has been going to bed about 5:30. This means that dinner time with Joseph is quite a nice treat and we have many fun topics of conversation. It typically revolves around the construction site that is all around our apartment. The state is widening the highway right outside our complex... and there are many wonderful BOY things to watch. We have diggers, loaders, cranes, and all manners of construction going on outside our parking lot.

Our evening chats are usually about these things. However, the other night Mike made us a couple of Old Fashions (our "signata" drink), and Joseph said, "Mommy, I need some bourbon." Just as plain as day and as flat as if he had asked for a glass of milk.

He is funny...

P-Day!?! It's a BIG one!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:17:00 +0000

We know you have heard of D-Day and V-Day but have you heard of P-Day? P-Day like these other two days, is riddled with tears and small victories. You are probably really curious to know what we are writing about... well ...

We are an officially toddler-pacifier-free home now! On Saturday, Feb. 20, the "last" paci broke at bedtime. The little comforting tool was on it's last plastic thread. Mike came in and we had a quick chat about how we worried if he sucked it off he could choke. So, at story time, when Joseph was asking for his pacie, we explained that it was broken and we didn't want him to choke. We said it was time to throw the broken part away and he pulled it off. He put it in the trash can, but then walked toward his door. I asked where are you going? He said, "Mommy, I have to go to the store to buy more pacies for me. They have them at the store." We tried really HARD not to laugh! But, he was so serious and intent on just walking out to the store. Well, we talked how it was late and stores were closed. We explained that he could still sleep with his pacie handle - only in that moment the only name for that part of the pacie that came to me was "pacie stump".

A few minutes later, he was in his bed with his usual suspects - Elmo, Stutsey (a bear from Stuttgart), Cookie Monster and his Panda (Tian Tian from National Zoo) AND the now named pacie stump! The stump made a couple tumbles off the bed while he was trying to sleep. At one point, we heard his bedroom door open, he didn't say anything. Mike peaked in the hallway and he was under his toddler bed searching for his pacie stump. He had opened the door for some light to get his new little comforty. We went in the room and got his stump from under the bed, got back in bed and redid prayers, songs, and cuddles. By 8PM he was asleep, soundly and didn't wake up once!

Here are a couple images of the new "pacie stump". Here it is waiting in bed like a good pacie:
Just waiting for Joseph to come to bed...

The stump:

One more closing note of how J has been handling this BIG CHANGE! At naptime on Sunday, Feb 21, I was laying with him and we were reading stories and singing... he had his stump and would lay on his back, place the pacie stump on his mouth, and just lay there really still, feeling the pacie on his mouth. Poor guy... but we are SO PROUD of him! He went to bed with no issues and not once has he asked to go to the store for more pacies!

Now, the next challenge, POTTY training. I think it will take more than one day to get that feat accomplished. But, you never know. I really thought getting rid of the pacie would take a long time.

2 months old today!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike, Meg, Joseph and Giuliana) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:07:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

We cannot really believe that it is February 18th! Not only does it mean that we are now into counting the number of weeks Mike has left in his program on two hands, but it also means that Giuliana is 2 months old. It is so hard to grasp how quickly time seems to be passing. But, we are living up our time here in the desert in February with many walks, lots of time with friends, and just plain having fun in the sun.

But we digress... what you all really want to see are pictures of Giules and how much she is growing! And, growing she is!
These days I am really full of smiles! I am taking a couple naps a day but I really enjoy being awake and playing on the floor. My big brother makes me smile and coo a lot too... See how long I am getting?

I am also learning that my hands are mine... I like to play with them...

See you next time! Smiles and hugs until then...