Once a month

My parents give me such a special gift every month. They give me a night out. Dom gets to spend the night with them and Rob and I venture out into adult world and have some fun. It is such a wonderful luxury that we have. I’m so thankful to have that time to recharge my batteries and cut loose a bit. And Dom LOVES staying over there. First thing he did on Saturday morning was grab his suitcase and start filling it with his books and toys. “Yia Yia! Bapou! Boss!”

I had so much fun on our night out. We met up with Lanie and Jeff, Tina and Jorge and Boss and Megs at Westside for some dinner and beers. Taryn showed up too (thanks Boss!) and joined in on the fun now that she’s 21. After about 6 pitchers of beer and lots of yummy grub we headed back to Lanie’s condo (we had designated drivers, of course) and continued the fun there.

It’s so important to get a break every once in a while. Time to hang out with friends, and especially Rob. I’m so thankful that my parents allow me to do that.

Yes

Yes, Dom has matching sunglasses like mine. Yes, he’s the cutest little kid your eyes have ever seen. Yes, he continues to get funnier, smarter, good looking as the gets older. Yes, I’m all kinds of proud of my boy.

New Foods

Dom loves to eat fruits and veggies, but when it comes to his main course, he’s become somewhat picky. Ok, maybe not picky, but he wants the same thing every time, Either mac n cheese or turkey dogs. I can totally understand why. I’m the same way. To this day, I still order the same thing at whatever restaurant I go to. Red Robin? Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich. Rubys? Cheeseburger with low fat American and grilled onions. Mimi’s Café? Asian Chicken Salad. You get the idea.

I decided it was time to try and introduce Dom to some new foods that he could mack on at dinner time. I’ve tried in the past with spaghetti o’s and it didn’t go so well. Next up was meatloaf. He put it in his mouth and spit it out. Hmm. Ok. This was going to be harder than I thought.

While I was working out with Lanie on Wednesday night, I get a text from Rob. It was a photo of Dom eating a plate of his Dad’s spaghetti. Wow! Finally, something other than turkey dogs and mac n cheese. I was doubly surprised because I had fed him dinner before I left. Seems like we may have another one to add to the list!

I think I will give cheese quesadillas a try next. Or maybe I should have Rob give it to him since that worked last time:)

Rules

Seems simple enough, right?

Say Cheese

Every photo I have taken of Dom has been a natural shot to some extent. Sometimes I do something funny to make him laugh but most of the time, I just catch him at the right time. This photo was taken on the way to daycare this morning and for the first time ever, I told Dom to say “cheese!” And when I did, he made this face. Can’t you just hear him saying “cheeeth!”

I love that little face!

Family Fitness Fun

Weekends are the time we get to spend time together as a family, so it’s something I always look forward to. This past week was a busy one.

On Saturday, Rob signed us up with memberships at LA Fitness. I’m not really a big fan of the gym, but the thought of going together sounded like fun so I figured I’d give it a shot. Somehow Rob convinced me to take a spin class and it was brutal. We lasted 25 mins of the 1 hour class, but I was proud of us for giving it a shot. Honestly, I could have stayed longer if the damn seat wasn’t so uncomfortable. My lady parts were not happy with me, seriously so uncomfortable!

During our class, Dom hung out in the kids daycare at the gym. He was very upset about going, and cried when I left, but I knew once he calmed down he’d have a great time. Sure enough, when we went to go get him, he was playing with blocks and dinosaurs.

Sunday afternoon we decided to go for a bike ride. Dom saddled up on Robs bike and I jumped onto my trusty beach cruiser and off we went. We cruised down the lake and Rob found this awesome park hidden behind the trees. They had 4 jungle gyms and a huge pirate ship. Dom had so much fun climbing around and going down the slide. That kid had no fear. He’s get to the top of the slide, throw his legs out and whoosh back down. He loved it! We rode our bikes back to the house just as the sun was going down. Total it was about 3 miles but felt like nothing because we had so much fun!

Valetines Day Surprise

I didn’t really expect anything for Valentine’s Day. Rob isn’t a “flowers” kind of guy, and as much as I love him, surprises and romance are not his strong suit. So you can imagine my surprise when I was sitting at my desk this morning and he walked in holding roses and a Jamba juice! I had told him last week that Jamba was having a limited addition item called a “sweetheart smoothie” and that it sounded so good. Well, not only did he hear me, but he remembered that I was dying to try it. Big bonus points for Rob!

Needless to say, he made my day. It’s amazing what a small gesture can do to brighten someone’s mood. It was really special to me that he took the time to come surprise me at work. And the best part? We agreed to do Valentine’s Day on Friday night, so this was totally unexpected. What a good man I have!

As if that wasn’t awesome enough, my day ended with picking Dom up from daycare and getting my first ever handmade gift from him. Its a little foam postcard that he put some heart stickers on and it says “love, Dom.” Ugh, I wanted to cry right there. This is what it’s all about. I can’t wait to be “that Mom” that saves every macaroni necklace and hand turkey that he makes.

Valentine’s Day 2011 was a big success, thanks to the two loves of my life, Rob and Dom xo

Chatterbox

Sometimes I look at Dom, and want to cry. Not in a bad way. No, no, more in an “oh my gosh, how did I get so lucky?” kind of way. He’s just such an awesome kid. Look how cool he is. I mean really. It’s really not fair to all the other kids. How could they possibly compete with Dom’s coolness? He has such a rad personality, and I love that about him.

He’s talking more and more lately. He’ll tell me he wants to go “owside” (outside.) He likes to play on his little jungle gym, going down the slide and climbing all over the place. He tells me that his cup is “coow” (cold) if I just took it out of the fridge. When I ask him what he wants for “brefas” (breakfast) he sometimes wants “sreal” (cereal.) He lifts up his shirt and points to his “beybut” (bellybutton) whenever he sees a pretty girl who’s attention he wants. He happlily exclaims “daunce” (dance) when he hears music and then busts his moves..which are pretty sweet. He’s got kind of an O.G. Snoop Dog thing going on. He pick up Sophie’s leash and want to take her out for a “waal” (walk.) When we go, and Sophie goes potty, Dom reinforces her by saying “goo grrl!” (good girl!) He’ll say plis (please) and “tad da” (thank you) when prompted. And he gets so super excited when he sees something he likes. To see him understanding and repeating words is so amazing and rewarding.

But I have to be honest. My favorite word in the whole world that he says is “Mama.” He’ll say it nice and loud and then we play a little game. “Mama!” and then I say “Baby!” “Mama!” and I say back “Baby!” and then he giggles. There is just no way to explain how it feels to hear my baby say my name. Ever since he was born, I would tell him “say hi Mama” and now it’s here, it’s amazing. It fills my heart up every single time and makes me feel like superwoman.

My precious son, you make me the happiest Mama in the whole world.

A bicycle built for two

I love this photo of my boys! We went to Wal Mart today and Rob got this really cool bike seat for Dom that attaches to the front of the bike instead of the back. It makes me feel a lot better knowing he’s where we can see him, not trailing off in the back somewhere.

Dom wasn’t totally sure about getting on in the beginning. He fought us getting him strapped in, but once Rob pushed down on the pedals, he loved it. They went up and down the street and Dom’s face was just priceless. I can’t wait to go on a family bike ride!

I never met a french fry I didn't like

Having a weight problem sucks. Having a weight problem your whole life sucks even more. I feel like I have been on some kind of diet on and off for the past 20 years. And I have to say, I’m just tired. I’m tired of counting everything I put in my mouth. I’m tired of wondering how many points something is. I’m over not being able to just eat what I want. I know, wha wha wha, right? It’s totally my fault that I have a weight problem. Years of eating the wrong foods and a soft spot for anything unhealthy have put me in a constant state of being on a diet. It’s exhausting.

I know what you’re thinking. Why not just lose the weight once and for all and be done with it. Ha, funny you should mention that. I lost most of my weight in 2008 and felt truly happy with my body for the first time ever. And then I got pregnant. I only gained 26 lbs during my pregnancy and after having Dom, I lost some of it pretty quickly. But the way the weight that was left distributed on me was completely different then before when I was just overweight because I ate the wrong things. Now I have a tummy that just won’t go away, even after losing 20lbs. (Ok, 16lbs. It was 20 but then I got off track, like I always do.) I only weigh 5lbs more than when I was at my happiest but my body looks nothing like it did. Pretty depressing but Dom, you were TOTALLY worth it!

It’s totally my bad. If I could just stick to some kind of physical activity, the rest would come naturally. Hmm...maybe not naturally, but a lot easier. What got me there last time was going to jazzercise with Lanie 3 times a week. I can’t do that now because the time is right smack in the middle of Dom’s dinner/bath/bedtime. I miss it. A lot. It’s the only thing that has ever worked for me.

Ok, enough of the sob story. I just need to re- focus. I need to set some goals for myself. I need to shake things up and get excited about it. I’d really, really, really like to lose another 20lbs. It sounds so simple, right? 20lbs. What’s that? That’s nothing. But it is so hard for me. Damn, why do I have to love bad food so much?

Fight for love

When you find yourself in love, I mean really in love, you would do anything for that person and to be with that person. You would go to the ends of the earth to make it work and the thought of not sharing your life with them is unimaginable.

When you first fall in love, you look forward to spending all your time with that person, no matter how mundane the task. Going to the grocery store, running errands, watching paint dry. They have the ability to make you feel like the most important person in their life. They can pick you up when you’re down. They can make it all better just by opening up their arms and pulling you close. You feel over the moon when they give you a compliment. You feel proud to hold their hand. You want to shout from the roof tops “this is my love!”

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Together, you feel like there is nothing you can’t get through, as long as you have each other. When you’re apart from them, you ache. When you’re together, you can’t get close enough. There is absolutely nothing you can’t share with each other. You never have to hold back your feelings for fear of seeming over the top, because they feel the exact same way. You share everything with this person. And they listen. Intently. You feel safer than ever before. You can’t stop smiling. Every song reminds you of them. You listen closely to the lyrics and feel your heart swell. You heart races when you’re about to see them. You pour over every email from them, again and again. Reading each word makes you fall more and more in love with them. When you’re together, you can’t take your eyes off each other.

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They always know the right thing to say. Total strangers come up to you and comment on how intense and electric your connection is. You want to make that person the happiest they have ever been. You know that you’ll always have each other’s back, no matter what. You talk about big plans for the future together. It just feels so right. You finally understand why everyone is always going on about this “love” thing. It’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever felt in your life. It’s a feeling you have never experienced before you and you hope it will always be like that.

Over time, things can change. Along with all these euphoric moments, the rush of new love gives way to real life. You find yourself in routines and ruts. there are also times that you feel hurt, sad, mad, misunderstood, unloved, under appreciated, and overwhelmed. The romantic emails stop. The gushing of feelings are now barely a trickle. It’s not that the love is no longer there. It is, you both know it. But there is lots of other things going on that take up your time and energy. Work, raising children, dealing with ex’s, pets, bills, budgets, expenses. It’s not all fun, all the time anymore. And even though you’re still happy and in love, you sometimes wish you could have a taste of what it was like in the beginning. To feel invincible in your love, even just for a second.

That being said, when you do have a moment to connect again, it feels pretty great. When you hold hands, lie in each other’s arms, find a note left by your loved one..it pretty much makes your whole day.

There are definite differences to the beginning stage of dating and then really being in a long term relationship. There are ups and downs and sometimes it’s just a straight road for a while. If you find yourself in a situation like this, feel lucky. It means that your love still holds up under real life pressures. Yes, there isn’t as much romance as the start, but through all the madness of day to day living, you’re doing it together.

If you can still look across the room at your partner and feel butterflies…you’ve still got it. If they can still make you laugh out loud, even (especially) if no one else thinks it’s funny…you’ve still got it. If after a long day, you favorite place to be in curled up in bed together, watching TV and chit chatting….you’ve still got it.

I feel lucky enough to say, we’ve still got it. I love my man so much that I would fight to keep loving him. Does he make me mad sometimes? Yes. Does he hurt my feelings sometimes? Yes. Do I get frustrated and upset at times? Yes. But at the end of the day, I value our love and cherish our commitment to each other. The fact that we gave up so much just to be together, the fight for a love that we believed in, all that we had to endure, it was worth it. And even though we’ve been through the ringer, made it through the fire and have found a happy life with our baby boy, I truly believe the best is yet to come.

I love my job

Being a Mom is a hard job. It’s right what they say, you never get a day off. You’re on the clock 24 hours a day, no sick days, no overtime. You could get called in at 2am, 4am, you just never know. Regardless, you will drop everything and be there. Oh, and did I mention there is no money to be made? No paycheck, no health benefits, no 401K. But you know what? This is my favorite job I’ve ever had. Even more than House of Blues, and that was a fun gig!

Every day I get to see my boy grow up, learn something new, amaze me. He makes me laugh, like really laugh, and that’s pretty cool for an 18 month old. He has a cheeky personality on him..not sure where he got that from (cough cough) but I love it. He’s so smart and curious about everything. I often look at him and can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be his Mom.

Trust Me

When life is good, it seems like it might have always been that way. When life is joyous and goes in a direction that feels good, the dark days seem to fade away. That’s the beauty of being happy. Content.

Making change in your life can very often shake up those around you more than you yourself. When I told my family I was getting a divorce, they were flabbergasted. They all thought I was crazy and just being over dramatic. I think they really felt a sense of panic. For me. For them. I don’t blame them. Divorce is a scary word. I’m sure to them it came out of nowhere, but it never really does. Lanie and I were talking about that the other day. You see married couples and they seem so happy and put together. They seem like they have it all figured out. But the truth is, you have no idea what happens when they get home. You have no idea how they are really doing as a couple. As partners. And when you find out someone is splitting it, it’s always such a shock. But the truth is, if it’s come to that, there was probably something going wrong for a while.

The overall feeling I got when I shared my news was it felt like they thought I was giving up. I was turning my back on my marriage without even trying. They had never seen us fight or be angry at each other. They had never seen me crying because he was mean to me. Those things never happened. But it’s not always a mean spirit that breaks up a marriage. Sometimes things just fall apart on their own.

We had a good life. A beautiful home. Lots of friends. Trips, parties, celebrations. I wasn’t unhappy, in fact far from it. I was having the time of my life. But amongst all the good times, there was something was missing. And we both knew it. Passion. Chemistry. Most people think that’s not enough reason to walk away from such a perfect life. And maybe their right. But for me, all that good stuff couldn’t fill me up. There was always something missing. No matter how much I partied, drank, danced, shopped etc..there was always a something that didn’t feel quite right. When it was time to go to sleep, and I’d lay my head on the pillow, staring into the darkness. The silence was deafening and I had nothing left to distract me.

Do I just stay where I am spare the hurt feelings and shocked whispers? Or do I get truly honest with myself and brave the fall out that would surely come with my decision? I don’t think anyone understood how terrifying it is to make a decision like that. What if I’m alone for the rest of my life? What if I never find this connection that I’m yearning for? Is it better to just stay in my marriage and come to terms with the fact that not everyone has passion, chemistry and a perfect relationship? But the truth was, I wasn’t looking for perfect. I was looking for that deep connection. Something that tied my heart to someone elses. I thought time would fix it, but it didn’t. Fear of the unknown was staring me in the face.

Once the news was out, people were (as predicated) shocked. And there was fallout in the biggest way. But there was also support. My family didn’t understand and probably didn’t agree, but they were right there. They had my back, regardless of how upset they were. 95% of my friendships disappeared, but two stuck by me. No judgment. No trying to talk me out of it. Just there for me.

I think over time it became clear to everyone that I was never giving up. It’s actually the opposite. It’s about not giving up, especially on yourself, and just having the guts to start over. Finding happiness within yourself is truly difficult and something we all strive for. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it was worth it. Things I wasn’t sure I’d ever have are now all mine. A good man who I’m totally in love with, a precious baby boy who is my whole world and a drive and motivation within myself to be the best that I can be.

Pierce Street Re-Do

Last night Rob and I went out to celebrate Steve's birthday. A group of us went to Karl Strauss for dinner and then to Pierce Street for some drinks and dancing. It was so great to go out with my man and have some fun. One of my favorite place to be with Rob is on the dance floor. It just feels so good to be out there, dancing close, letting loose. I look at him and feel so much love in my heart and the smile cannot be wiped off my face.

The last time I went to Pierce Street was, well, a total disaster. It was last August for my 35 birthday and I drank way too much. I drank Long Islands and shots all night and I'm sad to say, i don't remember much of the night. When I woke up in the morning I felt extremely embarrassed and mad at myself. I was told that I had a great time but I don't remember it. I was bummed that I drank so much that I didn't dance, which I love to do. Later I saw photos, and there I was on the dance floor. I was so mad at myself. It felt like a total waste of an evening because I didn't remember anything that happened. It's almost like I wasn't there. It left such a bad taste in my mouth and I guess you could call it "my bottom." I couldn't shake the feeling of shame and disappointment in myself. Rob and I both made a deal the next day that there would be no more long islands in our future.

Since that night, I have very rarely drank. When I have, it is has been in moderation. I haven't gotten drunk by any means. Even at Lexi's wedding, I had some wine, got a little bit of a buzz and stopped there. I think there was a part of me that was scared to drink too much for fear of getting into the state I was on my birthday. The great thing is, I haven't missed out on anything. I have a couple beers or cocktails and still have a great time without the hangover or guilt the next day. There have been birthdays, weddings, bbq's, get togethers, game nights and lots of other occasions, but I have had no desire to drink more than I can handle.

Last night was so much fun and it was even more great for me because I went back to the scene of the crime (Pierce Street) but this time I remember every song I danced to, every conversation I had, every funny moment, and I still had an awesome time. I had three beers with dinner and then when we got to the club I had one beer and two cocktails (Jauger and Red Bull.) It was the perfect amount to just get a slight buzz but still be in total control. And the bonus? instead of looking like a drunk idiot in the photos, I just look happy:)

Snip Snip

Dom is a professional at getting his haircut. He has had about nine or ten since he was born so he knows the drill. we used to take him the fancy kids place with the cartoons playing and cool firetrucks to sit in. But now that he's so experienced, he now goes to Supercuts like a big boy. It's so cute how he sits in the chair and knows to move his head. Only 18 months old and acting like a big kid:)

Chompers

The past two night Dom woke up in the middle night, crying inconsolably. I brought him into our bed because the poor thing was definitely not feeling well. I was worried that his ear infections hadn’t cleared up all the way since the last time it took two rounds of the antibiotics to make it go away.

Wednesday morning he woke up at 2:00am and I could tell he was in pain. He has different cries and I can tell if he’s just trying to play me or if he’s really crying. Something was wrong so I brought him into bed with Rob and I, but even that didn’t work. He laid down with me and after about 30 seconds popped up and said “hi!” I could tell he was tired because every now and then he would lay down with me and then shoot straight back up. I was thinking it must be his ears because it hurts to lay down. Rob got up at 4:00am to get ready for work so we all went into the living room and Dom figured it was a good time to play his drums and break out his blocks. By this point, I was crawling on my eyeballs and just wanted to sleep. I managed to get him to lay down with my about 5:00am and kept him there by showing him “Yo Gabba Gabba” clips from You Tube on my phone. He was totally into it and just wanted one after the other until he finally fell asleep.

The next morning he woke up at midnight and I was up with him until 2:00am. This was just not like him so I made an appointment to go back to Dr. Christianson to see what was going on. Well guess what? It wasn’t his ears. Poor Dom got his first molar!!! No wonder he was in so much pain. That’s a big tooth to rip through the gums and it defintily explains the crying and not being able to sleep. Now we knew what the problem was, I knew how to help him. Before bed he got some Motrin for the fever and pain, some teething tablets and lastly some Orajel to numb the guns. I got him into bed and prayed it worked because I was running on fumes and needed a good night’s sleep. He went to bed at 7:00pm and woke up at 6:30am, right on schedule. Phew!

Thank goodness we don’t remember these occasions. Can you imagine the pain of having a tooth rip through your gums? We still have some sleepless nights ahead of us because the tooth isn’t all the way out yet and let’s not forget the other big ones that need to make an appearance. But as long as we stay stocked up on Orajel and Motrin, it hopefully won’t be as bad as it was. You know what? It’s crazy to me that Dom is getting his molars. I remember when he had no teeth, just gums, and it seemed like he be like that forever. Then two bottom teeth sprouted and it was the cutest thing. Now all of a sudden he has a mouth full of chompers. Where is the time going?

Milestones!

Today is a day of milestones in our home. Sophie held going to the bathroom in her crate all night (10pm-7am) for the first time. This is a first for her and a big step in her crate training.

The second milestone is not as exciting. Dominic has figured out how to climb out of his pack n play. He’s only in it for about twenty minutes in the morning (while watching and dancing along to Yo Gabba Gabba) while I get ready for work. But this morning he threw one leg over and escaped. Rob and I knew It was coming…I just didn’t think it would be so soon. I’m not sure what I’m going to do now when I get ready for work. It seems he’s hitting all his milestones with stride and not looking back.

Bottle Be Gone

Dom and I made a deal a few weeks ago. Once the end of the year came, no more bottle. He wasn’t very pleased about this deal as he absolutely loves his bottle. I was kind of dreading how it was going to go, but I figured that if I gave him some warning that it was going away, it wouldn’t be too bad. I began the weaning about three weeks before D day. In the morning I would give him his milk in a sippy cup instead of his bottle and he would just throw it right on the floor. “nooooo!” Hmm, ok, this isn’t going as well as I’d hoped. In the evening he was allowed his bottle because I didn’t want it to effect his night time routine. As the weeks went by, I kept trying to give him is sippy cup at night but he was very sure of what he wanted. “Baaabaa!!!” That broke my heart. He’d run into the kitchen and point at his bottles, crying. What am I doing to my child? I’m depriving him of nutrients, healthy supplements and his God given right to a bottle! Ok, I was being a little dramatic, but you have to understand Dom’s bond to the bottle is also somewhat shared by me.

I had always planned on breast feeding. When I was pregnant, Rob and I talked about how it would cut costs but was also the best option for our baby because it’s packed with more good stuff then formula. Everyone referred to it as “liquid gold.” Ok, no problem. I got this! Then Dom was born and guess what? My boobs failed me. I tried for hours at a time trying to get more than a drop out, but nothing. The first week of Dominic’s life I tried frantically, every hour when he was hungry, to get into the right position, have the pillow in the right place, holding his little head, just trying to get him to latch on. He wasn’t having it. I tried pumping. All day. Every day. Rob even bought me a fancy electric pump that does the work for you, but there was just nothing there. Eventually, we just had to see it for what it was. Dom was going to be a bottle baby, and that was hard for me to take. I felt like I had let him down. My body couldn’t produce what he needed. My first duty as being a Mom and failed. So we put the boobs behind us and moved on. Dom loved his bottle. He would chug down his little 2 ounces of milk like he was in a beer drinking competition. Eventually, that 2 ounces per bottle grew to 4 ounces. Then 8 ounces. Then he was holding the bottle by himself. Then he would tell me “Baba” when he wanted his bottle. And now, here we are. 18 months later and no more bottle. Dom and I went through a lot with his bottle. The bottle did what I couldn’t do, and for that, I am so grateful.

It’s been a week and yesterday we made some progress. I gave him his sippy cup during dinner, with milk instead of his usual water. He actually drank some! Hallelujah! When we went out to dinner, he drank milk out of his sippie cup without a fuss. He hasn’t asked for his “baba” so that’s promising. I just can’t believe my baby boy doesn’t use a bottle anymore! He’s growing up so fast and is a toddler, not a baby. He amazes me every single day and I love him so much!

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!

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!