sick day.

(santino at animal kingdom, post-diaper blow-out, no spare clothes = tigger outfit)

it's been awhile since santino had a sick day.
but here we are..
two days before his first birthday.

of course,
by 9am he seemed perfectly fine.
but i had already called out of work
& scheduled a sick visit.

all is fine,
quite possibly a virus.
or something just didn't settle in his belly.
finding out that his ears were clear
made all the tube drama feel so much better.

even though i'm running low on PTO time.
i kind of needed this 'sick day' too.

i find myself forgetting i'm pregnant all the time.
maybe it's because my life revolves around santino.
i have no qualms with putting myself on the back burner
for my one year old.

yesterday i felt the baby kick.
it felt so good.
i've had a rough few weeks with stress,
back pain & cramps.
& i was really worried about the
baby growing in my belly.

i have to keep reminding myself,
to take care of me..
means taking care of another child too.

santino is becoming a big boy so quick.
everyday he takes more steps,
stands for longer periods.
makes more sounds..
more facial expressions..
more drama.
no doubt he is his father's son.

we've been cosleeping a lot.
we hate hearing him cry..
and i need my sleep too.
it's just easier.
but seriously,
we need a king size bed
before baby number two arrives.

we've given santino a ton of freedom lately.
which means he's always covered in dog hair..
no matter how many times a day i vacuum.
he's basically eating all table food.
yet he only eats what he likes..
bagels & cream cheese, grilled cheese,
fruit, sweet potato, avocado..
i still sneak veggies on his tray
& love his faces when he bites into a pepper or tomato.

saturday's his first birthday.
we're celebrating with a mickey mouse party
at my mom's.
where has a year gone?
(& yes i cry hysterically everytime i read these posts from last april/may
stupid pregnancy hormones)

wedding fun

i remember almost six year ago moving into my freshman dorm at VT.
mom & i had spent hours at bed, bath & beyond and target,
preparing for dorm life.
we thought we had done well.

kristina was moving in next door.
she had custom window dressings,
with coordinating bedding & pillows.

i was so excited to attend her wedding,
knowing her mom & her would prepare a lot of the details..
just as they had prepared her dorm room.

it's amazing that it's been five years since we graduated.
but it felt like just yesterday i was hanging at her apartment
(all decorated  & coordinated of course!).

so great to see my hokies.
here are some adorable details.

the flowers were a mix of gerber daisies, tulips and fresh herbs!

perfect for the blonde husband & brunette wife!

mr & mrs G

the bride & hokie friends!

yummy candy bar!

april

well, hello there.
april has been busy.
and isn't over yet.

we've just returned from 8 sunny&warm days in florida.
visiting mickey mouse.

and swimming in grandpops pool.
but we're not done.
off to virginia this weekend for a wedding.
a husband & wife escape.
santino will be getting spoiled by grandmom.

then someone turns one at the end of the month.
& i'm so not ready for that.

early easter.

we celebrated in nj a week early,
since we will be arriving in florida on easter.

santino is finally able to play with his cousins.
he just loves to chase them
& climb on them.

they're getting use to him being around too.

i love that he doesn't hesitate
& gets right in there to play.
one of the pros of day care..

everybody loves his hugs.

since he was trying to steal his cousin's cupcakes,
he got one of his own..
minus icing.
he obviously loved it.

11months.

today was a cranky day.
mostly to due with my previous post.
we had ear tubes placed in santino's ears this AM.
seriously, worst feeling ever to watch your baby come out of anesthesia.
add in some minor complications,
anesthesia causing a vocal chord spasm,
needing extra meds & an IV,
& this momma's a wreck.

luckily,
a few hours later.
our boy is enjoying zucchini & red pepper cheese quesidillas.
smiling & playing.
children's resilience astounds me.
maybe tomorrow or this weekend i'll get in a true 11 month photoshoot.
for now,
some of the 365 photos of late.
pictures make me happy.
my boss caught me yesterday watching videos of santino on my phone.
they crack me up.
they make me cry at work.
but i need that connection.

goodbye fleece jackets & snow hats.
hello short sleeves & baseball caps.

santino thinks they're bffs.
everyday we sit on the deck when we get home from work/school.
santino laughs as minion prances around the yard,
and squeals if minion generously gives him so face licks.

santino thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of pinecrest pancakes.
& i'm happy to enjoy weekend tuscan omelets
 (spinach, roasted red peppers & provolone.nomnom!)!

my barefoot boy.
it's a normal day if he loses a sock at daycare.
shoes usually last 5-10minutes.
maybe when he starts walking he'll take some interest in shoes.
for now, he like the feel of the wind on his feet.

the ear issue.

around 7 months i stopped being able to keep up with pumping.
i slowly switched santino to formula at daycare
& eventually at home.

to add on to my guilt about stopping bfing,
santino had his first ear infection.

it took two rounds of antibiotics to beat that ear infection.
in the next two months he had a total of three ear infections.

we scheduled an ENT appointment at CHOP,
but had a three month wait.

next week we finally get to see the ENT,
we'd gone two months with no ear infections.

i'd hoped that maybe when we went to the ENT
i could convince the doc that he was over his ear infection stage.

yet today after a 10day cold he woke up pulling his ear.
we went to urgent care and he's back on antibiotics
for a double ear infection.

i barely take antibiotics myself,
i think most of the time they're useless.
but when your infant is in pain,
it's hard to say no.

i have so much resentment and anger
over these silly ear infections.

anger that he's in day care,
even thought he loves attending everyday.

anger over my dwindling milk supply,
but knowing the little baby growing inside of me had something to do with that..
and not being able to hold the anger.

but sometimes you just have to stop
& realize:
he's happy
& he's going to be okay.

and i've made the switch to PICMONKEY !

celebrations.

so many things to celebrate.

PURIM @ santino's school.

he's always the king around here.

one month to florida!

less than two months to someone's first birthday!

sunny, 70 degrees in march!



oohh and some other stuff..

he's really excited..

he's kept a secret for a few months..