Friday, December 31, 2010

Another year comes to a close


I can’t believe another year is coming to a close. I often say “where did the time go?” and I’m still wondering. It seems like just yesterday Dom was a little newborn and now he’s almost 18 months old and a toddler. He has changed so much over the past couple months. He's gone from eating finger foods to eating with a spoon or fork. In the morning he loves to eat cereal and milk and I can't help but look at him in amazement.


His vocab is growing and he will try and repeat a word if you ask him “say…” Here is a current list of the words he knows:
Ball
Banana
Car
Truck
Grape
Please
No (one of his favorites)
Yes
Mine
Ice
Boss (Marcus)
Lex (Lexi)
Lala (Lanie)
Ena (Tina)
Yia Yia
Bapou
Mama
Dada
Foofa (from Yo Gabba)
Dodo (Dora the Explorer)
Baba (Gabba)
Dede (Dino Dan)
Babei (baby)
Watch
Hat
Bath
Buba (bubbles)
Wawa (water)
Cold
Phone
Dance (he loves this one too)
Woof woof
Frog
Bye
Hi
Coo (cool)
Wow
I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but those are most of them. He is really trying to communicate now and gets frustrated if we don’t understand what he’s asking us for. It seems like every day he is learning more and more and showing me all these new tricks he can do. To see his little face light up when he dances or to feel his little head on my shoulder when we snuggle, there is truly no greater feeling.


This year has really flown by but to look at Dom and how much he’s changed, it’s been a year packed of lots of learning, growing, loving and laughing. And some big occasions too. Dom turned one on July 3rd, 2010 and he was baptized on September 19th. Lex and Luciano got married on October 23, 2010! Three big moments in our life!

My life is very much about being on a schedule. I get up at 6:30am with Dom, get him dressed and give him breakfast, take Sophie out to go potty, feed Sophie breakfast, take her back out to go potty, get ready for work, drop Dom off at daycare, go to work, go home, tidy up, do laundry, dishes etc, pick Dom up from daycare at 5pm, come home and give him dinner, make dinner for Rob and I, hang out with Dom and play, give him a bath at 6:30pm, read him a story and bedtime at 7:00pm and then plop down on the couch ready for bed. That’s my life. Every day, all day. Monday-Sunday. I never thought this would be my life, but it is. And I love it. I sometimes marvel at myself that I’m able to do this every day, over and over again. Before you say “people do this every day, it’s not that big of a deal,” let me explain. I was always big on sleeping and not cooking. I wasn’t ever what one would consider a domestic goddess. Not even a domestic princess. Nothing close to the word domestic. And now, I cook dinner every night!


It’s amazing how you can change when you have a kid. I found a strength and desire in myself that I didn’t know was there. I found a love that I didn’t think could be real. There is nothing in this world that gives me as much joy as my baby boy. Just seeing his little face makes my whole day.


It’s funny how life just goes on. Something major could happen in your life, and it feels like the end of the world, or that things will be never be normal again. But somehow, the days continue to pass, the sun rises and sets. And suddenly a year has gone by. The beginning our journey was bumpy to say the least. But now it feels like we were always right here. My life feels like this is where I’m supposed to be. I love my little family and am continually thankful for all I have in my life. I can't wait to see what next year brings!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Double Ear Whammy

Dom went to the doctor today and it turns out he has a double ear infection! I had no idea! He hasn’t been sleeping as well as he usually does and has been putting up a fuss when it comes time to go to sleep, but I figured he was just testing his boundaries. He has never had a fever, never rubbed his ears etc so I was surprised to find out both of his ears were infected. Poor baby! We got his meds from Dr. Christianson and hopefully it will clear up quickly. I feel terrible that I didn’t know and he has been in pain, but he never displayed any of the tell tale signs. He just seemed a bit crankier than usual. What a tough cookie!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Bye Bye Bottle

Dom and I have made a deal. On January 1st, he will relinquish his bottle and make the jump to sippy cups to drink his milk. Doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but it really is. It’s time to say goodbye to the beloved “Dr. Brown” bottles that have been a life saver over the past 18 months. It’s time to be a big boy and drink his milk like a toddler, not a baby. I don’t know how this is going to go down, but I’m hoping it won’t be too tough on him. I know he loves his bottle. A lot.I guess if all else fails, I'll just give him a straw. He's learned how to use it and now he loves them!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Puppy Love

If you know me, you know how long I have wanted a dog. I drag Rob out every chance I get to Fashion Island, Main Place Mall, pet stores and animal shelters…just so I can hold the doggies. We have talked about it a lot over the past year, especially the past 6 months. Is it too soon? Is Dom old enough? Do we have the time to dedicate to a dog? Is the expense too much? Are we ready to have our hands full? Well, I guess the answer is YES because today we brought home the newest member of our family, Miss Sophie McCool! We got a dog! A Bulldog puppy to be specific. She’s 8 weeks old tomorrow and she is the cutest lil thing ever. We got her from a breeder, and for whatever reason, we both just knew that she was the one. I’m so excited! Yes, it’s a lot of work, but I think our family really needed a doggie. It just feels right.