Christmas 2012

One advantage of having a child during the holiday season is that your family comes to YOU.  This is the first Christmas EVER that Michael and I spent it in our own home since we have been together.  And it was amazing!

My parents came the weekend before Christmas.  We They spent lots of time food shopping, cooking and completing household projects around the house.  They were VERY helpful.

On Christmas Eve, Auntie and Uncle Scott arrived.  Mikey found a new BFF---Scott---and he kept him busy playing all day (whether Scott liked it or not!).  That night Mikey opened his gifts from Auntie and Uncle Scott.

Mikey saw the gifts from Santa that morning (we were able to keep him in our bed with us until everyone was ready to go downstairs).  The train table and trains were on display first.  That was the ONLY thing he cared about/wanted to play with.  After everyone came back from church, we ate breakfast and started Round 2 of opening presents (now Mikey was ready to dive in!).  We had a nice dinner together and Mikey crashed early from all the excitement.  We topped off the night playing a fun game of Apples to Apples.  It was a great time.

The next day Grandpa Bob left to go to work and Mandy and Scott headed back to New Jersey as well.  Grandma Anita stayed for a few more days.

The weekend before New Years the Scialabba family came to celebrate Christmas Part 2!  Pam and Fred arrived on Friday night and Mark, Meredith and Timmy arrived on Saturday.  We spent the day together opening presents and eating!  (It was also Pam and Fred's 39th wedding anniversary that day as well!)  Mark and Timmy got Michael a turkey fryer for Christmas which is what we used to make our dinner that day!  I prepared all of the sides ahead of time and the guys did the turkey.  It turned out to be snowing that night so cooking it got a little tricky.  In the end, everything was delicious and we had a good time together.  Due to the significant snowfall (we got 8"!) everyone left the following morning to head back to NY.

Thank you everyone for traveling to Massachusetts so we could spend the holidays together!  It was a Christmas we will never forget!

Christmas Eve 

Christmas morning:

                                                

 Nicholas wearing a hat from Great Grandma Rinder & Honorable Ernie

                               

Nicholas Week 3

Here are some highlights from our third week together:

-Mimi spent the first of your third week with us (Thursday to Tuesday) and Papa Fred came for the weekend;
-more periods of wakefulness;
-likes to be held;
-likes to be held by MOMMY;
-no longer having long stretch of sleep in morning;
-looking bigger/different;
-tummy time---turns head to one side to clear airway.  I haven't observed turning head to both sides while on belly yet;
-Wednesday we decorated the tree while you slept in the swing nearby;
--Friday home with Mommy and Mikey by ourselves for the whole day!  We did it!;
--You are more HUNGRY now.  You like to eat every 2.5 hours during the day.  You can go for one three hour stretch at night but otherwise you are up every 2ish hours.  Some nights are better than others in terms of sleeping---you either go right back to sleep or engage in a staring contest with Daddy or I and cry when you are put down.  This results in one of us coming downstairs and sleeping in the living room.  You eventually fall asleep and stay asleep in the pack 'n play.

 Mommy, Daddy and Mikey went to Volante Farms in Needham to get our Christmas tree while Nicholas stayed home with Mimi and Papa Fred

 Daddy and Mikey came home early from work/daycare so we could decorate the tree together as a family

Mimi brought LOTS of fun activities to do with Mikey---decorating cookies, window stickers, filled and hung a bird feeder were just a few! 

 Mikey is getting the hang of this "big brother" role.  He asks to hold the baby and loves to give him his pacifier.

And now we are ready to celebrate Christmas with our two most amazing gifts.....

our children.

Nicholas Week 2

How has another week passed so quickly?!?!

Sunday was our first day together just the four of us.  We had a nice breakfast together and then had cousin Emily stay for the day to visit.  She was able to participate in the first bath and also got to snuggle with a VERY sleepy Nicholas for the rest of the day.  The first bath was not very enjoyable for Nicholas (the water temp cooled off quickly) but he did enjoy having his hair washed.  Mikey helped with a washcloth of his own, washing his arms and belly (and then made a big watery mess on the floor!). 

On Monday, Daddy worked from home in the afternoon (Mommy juggled you and your brother for the first time that morning "all by myself") and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were spent home with Mommy while Mikey went to Eva's House.  On Thursday afternoon, Mimi arrived for a few days to help out while Daddy had lots of work to attend to (moving his Peabody office on Friday and  having an all day conference on Monday). "Papa Fred" came for the weekend, too. 

On Friday, December 14 you had your two week check-up at the pediatrician's office.  You currently weigh 8 lbs 3 oz and are 20" long (why they say "long" and not "tall" is beyond me).  We went together while Mimi and Mikey went to My Gym.  The nurse practioner was very impressed with your weight gain (about an ounce/day).  My concerns revolved around the fact that you only nurse on one side (not a problem since you are gaining weight), your red tushy (due to your constant pooping schedule), and the fact that you do not want to sleep at night (we deduced that it was possibly too quiet since during the day we are so LOUD to keep you up!  The NP recommended using a white noise machine to add some noise and help you sleep better).  One night you and I slept in 20 minute chunks.  You tend to sleep better in the pack n' play versus the cradle upstairs (with the incline/positioner) at night, so Mommy or Daddy will take you down there to avoid waking your brother and letting the other parent sleep.  During the day you will sleep ANYWHERE. 

You still only cry when you are hungry or when you have gas/poop.  You love being cleaned up with warm water (I'm not bathing you since your skin is still peeling and a little dry) and watching your big brother do ANYTHING---play, sing, eat, etc.  One night we all layed in Mommy and Daddy's bed and Mikey, Mommy and Nicholas all read books together.  This week Mikey is really interested in giving you kisses and including you in the routine.  Then there are other times when he wants Mommy and Daddy's attention to himself---which is very appropriate---you are very cooperative with sharing our time.

On the few occassions that you have been in the car (three times this week MAXIMUM and that only includes driving Mikey to Eva's--you aren't even taken out of the car--or to your doctor's appointment),  you have slept the entire time.

In your two weeks of life you have already become a celebrity.  One of the pictures that I took last week was of you in your new outfit from Uncle Timmy and Emily.  You made a funny expression when I took the picture and knew Uncle Timmy would enjoy it.  He showed it to his co-workers at the newspaper and now that picture is a daily running advertisement for others to wish a "Happy 1st Christmas" to other babies in the area.  Between the "Post Star" newspaper and all the pictures Grandma Anita has been circulating throughout her school building, you are definitely the most talked about "celebrity" of the week.....hands down.

And here are more "Pictures of the Day" for week 2:

First bath

Big Brother helping out

I cried most of the time excluding getting my hair washed

                             

                            

                              

 Meeting cousin Emily

                                           

Nicholas Week 1

Dear Nicholas,

Our first week with you has been a dream!  We stayed 2 nights in the hospital and then brought you home on Sunday, December 2.  In the hospital it was the same business as usual: you slept, we worked on the breastfeeding techniques (it's amazing how much I forgot in three years!) and we had lots of visiting time with your brother, grandparents, Uncle Timmy, the "two Emily's" (cousin Emily and girlfriend Emily!) and Bob & Katie Perniola.

Once you were home you were either sleeping, eating or pooping.  You cried mostly when you had gas/needed to poop.  Once it passed, you were quiet as a mouse.  You do A LOT more sleeping than your brother ever did.  During the day, I would wake you to nurse every three hours and overnight you slept for one 4 hour long-stretch and then woke about every three hours otherwise.  After your 6:00ish morning feed, you tended to have another long stretch of sleep (until 9) which helped immensely as Mikey was then waking up and needed to get ready for the day.

Grandma Anita stayed with us for the week and spoiled us as usual.  Auntie came on Sunday night and stayed until Tuesday of your first week as well.  They went grocery shopping for us, made all the meals, played with "Big Brother Mikey", helped us get all of your baby "stuff" organized/washed/put together, and of course, snuggled with you!  "Bob" also helped when he came back the following weekend with a list that I compiled for him!  (He wasn't allowed to leave until the list was complete!)  Needless to say they were a HUGE help and I was sad to see them go. 

While Grandma was here, you participated in your first "Face Time" session with some of Grandma's co-workers!  We also strived to get the ideal "picture of the day" to send to family and friends.  I think the camera made you look 10 pounds heavier---and I thought that only happened to people on TV.  You have chubby cheeks but some of the pics make you look really chubby.  Make no mistake...chubby cheeks or not....you are perfect no matter what!

On Tuesday, December 4, you had your first outing to the pediatrician's office for the standard weight check.  Daddy met us there.  You left the hospital weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and at this appointment you went back up to 7 lb 10.2 oz.  This was a huge relief for Mommy since I was very paranoid after caring for your brother and his weight gain issues in the beginning.  No worries with you, my friend!  Even if you only eat on one side, you are obviously getting what you need!  Eat up!

Here are some shots from your first week:

Making the "o" face with Auntie

This picture made Nicholas famous in the newspaper in Queensbury.  Uncle Timmy used it for an ad at work!

Dinnertime

The big brother NOT cooperating for the camera (there was a lot of this behavior going on this week)