12.18.2013

8 months





Today Calli is 8 months old. We are having a BLAST.
She is crawling so fast, EVERYWHERE! She is eating just about everything. Mostly pureed but recently we tried chunks of chicken and some veggies. Last night we had pastina and she LOVED it. Lately she has had some trouble sleeping through the night. I figure it is because she is so mobile and learning so many things. I hope it ends soon; mama needs some sleep. She has pretty much grown out of the 9 month clothes and I need to start to incorporate the 12month stuff. That is blowing my mind! Every day she looks bigger! She loves to play and listen to music and spends a lot of time babbling, screeching and and laughing. We are having so much fun! She really loves the Christmas tree.
Can't wait for the break so we can have some fun!
Ciao for now peeps!!
xxoo
S

12.16.2013

Christmas fever!!!

I have a fever.... a CHRISTMAS fever.
It all started Friday night when we went to get our Christmas tree. Even though it was SO COLD and the traffic was a nightmare and Calli probably shouldn't have been out we braved it all and went out to pick a tree. Growing up we always got a real tree; it smells amazing and is so festive. In the past couple of years I have secretly considered getting a fake tree; get rid of the cost of tree ever year, the needles everywhere, remembering to water it, having the tree sit on the lawn for a couple of months before it got thrown out... Then Friday happened... Hubby let baby girl pick out the tree.
It was adorable. I double dressed her because it was really cold and she wasn't really in the mood to be out there. Hubby walked her around the lot and let her look at every tree. She finally grunted when she got to one and that is the one we bought. It was really sweet. It is really crooked and short and fat but it is the MOST BEAUTIFUL tree we have ever had. And to see her face every time we walk in the room... here comes the fever. Saturday afternoon we blasted the Christmas Carols and hauled out the bins of ornaments and trimmed the tree. Usually it is hubby and I and we get it done as fast as possible. This year was super special to share with baby girl and my mom. We talked about all the ornaments and told my mom stories of trees past. It was so fun. Then I spent a long time working on Christmas cards. Usually (and I hate to admit this) this is a total after thought. I used to only send cards to people that sent them to me... if that! This year I photographed Calli and went on to a website and designed the card myself. And even though it didn't turn out like I wanted (and this would have been the kicker for me... I definitely would not have sent them) I am so excited to send them out!! Wahoo the fever is coming! Then to top off the weekend we brought Calli to meet Santa. It was a small "family" type party with about 15 kids visiting Santa... who was a close friend ;) and it was GREAT. Although Calli seemed to like the postcard from Santa more than the gift, we still had a GREAT time. Bring on the cheer and fa la la la la! I'm ready!
Merry happy y'all!
xo
S



12.12.2013

All I Want for Christmas...

  • is Calli's tooth to come in
  • my MBA program to be over
  • enough hours in the day to get it all done
  • an automatic washing/dryer/folder/putsitaway machine
  • new wardrobe THAT FITS!
  • is to never rush anything/anyone again
  • a FABULOUS/ EXOTIC vacation
  • a house that stays cleaner longer or one that self cleans... like an oven.
  • more time to read all the gifted magazine subscriptions that I have gotten this year
  • is not to have to have handed in a paper that I know was not my best work
  • is to be able to drink regularly caffeinated coffee again
  • and never to have to clean a breast pump flange or bottle again
Happy Merry!!
xo
S

12.08.2013

Lists....

To do...
-write this paper
- christmas shopping
- get a tree
- decorate the tree and the house
- christmas cards
- clean
- return the baby gate and get a new one
- get the dress
- figure out what to make for office party
- buy and make stuff for office party
- WRITE THE DAMN PAPER
- countdown to vacation (15 days! then 13 days off!!! whoa!)

To do on vacation...
- wrap presents
- daytrip with the family
- get school books for next semester
- visit friends
- buy shoes, and hose for wedding
- get the dress altered
- clean the car
- get Calli's clothes in order (store and donate)
- clean, clean, clean!
- go through the piles of paper on the desk and file
- start reading more to Calli
- get Calli on a good eating schedule with more protein
- go to the library and get some good books to read especially in a snow storm
- go to the gym!

To do this week
- lunch with friends x2
- hand in paper (after you write it dummy)
- lots of meetings
- DMV try #2
- get a christmas tree
- buy stamps for christmas cards
- make lists of christmas gifts
- write this paper.
- you can start anytime now
- probably don't need to add to the list because you should already be working on it.

 I'm a procrastinator forever!!!

xo
S

12.06.2013

Teeth

Calli has her two bottom teeth and about two weeks ago got a tooth on top. Yesterday I noticed that the other front top tooth is just about to break through. Teething is probably the hardest thing that we have had to deal with. She doesn't have any way of telling us that something hurts or that she is uncomfortable. She is usually such a happy go lucky baby, that when she does start to whine because of the teething or from her shots, my heart breaks for her. Tonight was exactly one of those. She was super happy when I got home from work. She ate her dinner really well and ate a lot. Afterwards we sat and were playing a bit and she started to whine. She usually does at about 6pm so I thought she wanted to nurse a bit, which she did, and fell asleep for about 40 minutes. She woke up really cranky and not able to be soothed or distracted by anything. I finally took her upstairs to get ready for bed and it took me almost 45 minutes to get her to relax and go to sleep. Mind you 10 or so minutes were spent trying to get the massive boogers out of her nose. She hates when I clean her nose and the boogers just sit there and get really hard and difficult to get out. That was probably TMI, but if you are still reading then maybe not!  In any case it was a tough night for Calli girl. I sense that she won't sleep all night and may need some acetaminophen to help her sleep later. She fights me on that too... she's a tough one this one!! Ok. Enough about boogers and teething...

Hope you are enjoying your Friday night!
Calli's teething

ciao,
s

PS. I think she looks like me in the top right hand pic. :)

12.02.2013

Thanksgiving and weekend run down

I can't believe I didn't post one thankful thing all weekend... and especially when I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.
Calliope's first Thanksgiving was awesome. She enjoyed mashed potatoes, a little turkey and some butternut squash. I bought the most adorable turkey bib and forgot it at home. She was still pretty cute though.
The other pics are of Calli with baby E and hubby. Calli being super crabby because I couldn't play with her and lastly with her newest best friend.
I spent the rest of the weekend getting my car fixed, writing a paper, visiting family and eating pumpkin pie. The newest trick Calli has is that she is crawling! She debuted Wednesday night and wowed everyone at dinner on Thursday. She is also getting her two upper front teeth. Lots of unexplainable complaining. Lots of growing.

Hope you all had a wonderful time with your families and friends for the holiday. Bring on the season!!
xo
ciao
S



11.19.2013

7 months




Yesterday Calli turned 7 months. We are having a blast. We figured the eating thing out... or rather we figure it out anew every evening. Tonight she ate so fast I could barely keep up. Last night she really enjoyed watching herself eat in the mirror. It was hilarious. She eats sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, brown rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, pears and sometimes apples or bananas. Much to our shock she didn't love the pastina the few times I made it. I will try that again. She also didn't love avocados the first time we tried that. Sometimes in the morning I give her a piece of banana in the mesh teether and she goes to town on it. Mostly gives herself a banana facial and banana hair treatment and cleans the highchair with it.
Calli loves to play and continues to put everything in her mouth. Even my shirts, the towel, her socks, her own shirt... I think she might be getting another tooth. She has been increasingly vocal and has added gurgling to her repertoire. She grunts and shrieks and sometimes even talks herself to sleep. Most nights I nurse her and she falls asleep as I am placing her in her crib, but some nights she just isn't tired after nursing so I sing a few songs to her and when she still isn't tired I put her in her crib to figure herself out. The other night she talked herself to sleep... no crying (or very little), no screaming, just babbling away.
She sits up on her own and loves to scoot around on the floor. She isn't crawling yet but she sure gets around and fast. Lately she gets to her hands and knees and then gets to her toes and then can't figure out where to go from there. It is so interesting and fun to watch her try to figure it out. Hubby and I just sit and laugh and cheer her on. She is really getting into bath time and loves to splash and play with a few toys.

Love her.
S





11.11.2013

Today

 Today Calli would not eat the food that I lovingly prepared for her. Why? I am not really sure. She cried, and fought me with each bite. Sometimes if I caught her off guard she would take the bite and like eating it. Otherwise... not so much. She also decided to wake up at 3:30am this morning and cry for an hour and then not nap (except for an hour this morning at about 9:30). She slept this evening a bit and is sleeping now. I feel like we are experiencing something and I'm not quite sure what. She also wanted me to be with her all day today. I assume that her teeth are acting up because everything ends up in her mouth. She already has two teeth. She is super congested but has no fever and isn't coughing. Ugh. I feel like a detective and the only answer lies in a mute non-communicative wizard that doesn't want to help me. Ha!

This is the stare down


I threw this photo in so you could see the smiles that I usually get

10.27.2013

11 years and 6 months

Respectively. 11 years ago (on the 25th) my hubby and I said 'I do.' 6 months ago (on the 18th) Calli was born. October is a super busy month. I LOVE IT! The trees are colorful, the air is brisk.
On our wedding day the sky was bright blue with big white puffy clouds and the air was cool and crisp. My favorite. It was a gorgeous day and we had such a great time. We wanted to go out to eat to celebrate the other night but hubby wasn't feeling well so we postponed a week. So looking forward to a night out. We will leave Calli with her aunt and cousins and they are really looking forward to baby-sitting. 11 years have gone by in a blink. Makes me worry that the next 11 will fly too.
Hubby- thank you for our beautiful daughter. I remember the day that we decided that we wanted to try again to expand our family and I know that it wasn't an easy decision for us (a lot of people in that gallery know that it wasn't an easy decision for us! wink wink). I can't for a millisecond imagine our lives without Calli. I know that she is heaven sent expressly to us. I love our family and I love you. Watching you be a father is the most amazing thing... I thought I knew you, and Calli brings out a whole new side to you and it is amazing. You are a great father and husband.
I brought Calli for her 6 month appointment the other day and all is well. She weighs 18 lbs 3 oz and is 26 and something inches long. I can't remember... but both are 75-90 percentiles for her age. She is doing so great. She is really so much fun right now. Big smiles and giggles now and then. Most of the time she is very contemplative and will only give you a smile if it is really deserving. She love love loves the jumper and her activity center thingy. She also loves to jump in your lap while you hold her. She notices everything and everyone and is distracted very easily. She likes to sing (the only way I can describe her constant noise) and practices using her voice. She loves to chew on her hands, toys, clothes and toes. She has two teeth coming in on the bottom. She seems like she is getting ready to crawl... she gets on her hands a knees and then get on her tippy toes... like a modified downward dog. So funny. She is still a pretty chill gal and doesn't give us too much trouble. I think she is saving it for her tween and teen years!
There is so much going on these days but not really much else to report.
Ciao for now!
xo
S

10.15.2013

Neglect

Wow, this is shaping up to be my worst year of posting yet on this blog. I really truly can't imagine why?
HaHa
Stuff that is happening and on my mind:
- This weekend my friend from grade-school came for a visit for a few days. I haven't seen her in 23 years... can you believe that? We lost track of one another in our mid teen years and didn't reconnect until FaceBook a few years ago. It really was so very exciting to get the opportunity to get to know one another again.
- Of course this happens during my two most very busy weeks at work. Oh well. Such is life.
- I find myself very tired at the end of the day but not always sleepy. Weird phenomenon for me.
- I am definitely going back to real life classes next semester. I can't get into this online stuff. It is hard enough for me to find time to sit and read and get all the work done and now I have to monitor the website and the discussion boards and write meaningful comments... AUGH!!!
- I am in a crappy mood as of late and can't really figure out what the dealio is!?! Must be the stress of work and every weekend being busy and feeling like nothing ever really gets done. Not sure how other mothers deal with that feeling... I swear the dust bunnies are gonna get together and protest for better benefits or something.   :)
- We baptized Calli this weekend. She was a rock-star and I was a mess. I got us to the church late and then spent too much time freaking out over where people were sitting and forgot to just sit and have a good time. Once I did that it was awesome; too bad that was the last 20 minutes or so.
- These days have been so darn beautiful out. The sun shines and the leaves are just breathtaking. It always amazes me how quickly it all happens. One day you look out and there are a few red and orange leaves here and there. The next time you look it is just gorgeous and all kinds of colors are out there and every tree is just majestic. Then the next time you remember to look everything is brown and falling... then bare. Ugh. The only reason I am looking forward to the winter is so that Calli and I can snuggle.
- On top of some crazy days at work I have an exam to write this week. Yup. And honestly it is what I need to be working on right now.
Ciao
S


10.02.2013

Thursday is my FAVORITE day of the week



Thursday is the day that I pick Calliope up from daycare. Seeing her face as I walk through the door makes me so ridiculously happy, I can't stand it. It isn't the same look she gets when I walk in the house and she has already been home with my mom or hubby. I count the minutes on Thursdays; especially because I do the dreaded drop off every day. I take that back, it isn't totally dreaded but some days I swear I could sit there and play all day because the kids are so happy. The daycare provider tells me all kinds of stories about what Calli did all day and how the kids played and she watched or she talked and discovered something new. I think she is a different person when she is there than when she is home with me.

The new Calli news is that she cut her first tooth today. After I fed her this morning I put my finger in her mouth out of curiosity... sure enough there was the beginnings of a tooth there. I'm glad I discovered it with my finger first! She is growing up so fast I am already forgetting what is was like when she was a newborn. I know, I know... blah blah blah... sentimental crap... I've been sentimental a lot lately. Oh well.

Happy Thursday to you!!
Ciao for now!
xo
S

9.29.2013

ME time

Things are really crazy at work right now and things in my life are pretty crazy. I started an online class, we are christening Calli, I am in a wedding, my friends are having babies... not to mention I have a house and a marriage to tend to.
This weekend I had two bridal showers, one on each day. I have neglected my home, my homework and my husband. Thankfully there is football to entice my hubby so he barely noticed I was gone. Just kidding; he helped out by grocery shopping and doing laundry and trying not to let his crap pile up too.
Pretty baby.
I mention all of this because on top of not getting to do everything else, I've also forgotten to pay attention to me. And now that I really think about it I don't remember the last time I paid attention to me and I don't even really know how to do that anymore. Don't get me wrong... I TOTALLY (totes magoates) LOVE MY LIFE; I have a great job with a great boss and amazing colleagues, have a hubby that love love loves me, a daughter that melts my heart with her every inch right down to her stinky toes, a family that wants to go to the ends of the earth for me, and friends that are the bees knees. I just don't know how to be me anymore. I know that it is probably normal and that this is stage of life and blah blah blah... I just don't know the new me very well yet and I don't know how to go about getting to know her/me. What I do know, is that I can't start if there isn't any time to so that means that I need to start saying no again... and that isn't bad news. Doesn't mean I love my peeps any less just that I need to love on me for a bit right now. The hardest part of that is the baby part. Does she factor into this or not? I think popular opinion would be that I need to do this alone and spend some time with me and all that, but honestly folks I REALLY love spending time with baby girl too. This is the conundrum. Oh well, this is not getting answered at 9:48pm on a Sunday night when I REALLY should have been doing homework.

Ciao
xo
S




9.19.2013

5 months


Calli is growing so fast I can barely keep up with her. I think she has literally been growing overnight because every morning she looks like a new baby. She is starting to really fill out the 3-6 months clothes, so I've been checking out the stock of 6-9 months stuff and getting ready for the change-over. I found a whole other stock of 6month stuff and very little of the 9month stuff so a shopping I will go. I bought her some jeggings the other day and can't wait until she fits into them. This time of year also brings about the question what to wear... sweater? short sleeves? socks or none? I have a hard enough time dressing myself much less my darling daughter. Especially because she can't tell me if she is uncomfortable. We are all about the layers and lots of options in the diaper bag.
Calli continues to be the happiest baby on the block. Her new favorite thing is making raspberries with her mouth. She loves to do it and loves when you notice that she is doing it. She managed to keep the whole section of church amused this past weekend with her new trick. She loves her jump and go and exer-saucer, but not for long periods of time. She sleeps for about 9 hours a night. Still no rice cereal but she is pretty hungry lately so we will try that in a couple of weeks. I'm excited to see what she thinks of it!
She loves to play and put everything in her drooly mouth. These days I have to change her shirt because she has drooled too much instead of having spit up on it. Nice change of pace, I must say.
I don't have any stats because we don't go back to the doctor until next month.

Ciao
xxoo
S

9.12.2013

September

The first two weeks of daycare were great. Calli thrived and I didn't cry...that often. :) Our daycare provider is a wonderful woman that really loves Calli. It is a small group of kids and they are all great. Lots of smiles and high fives and they all love when Calli gets there.
We had a great weekend enjoying the weather and outdoor activities as much as possible. We went peach/ pear/ plum picking; we walked around Franklin Avenue enjoying a small exposition of Italian cars seeing lots of old friends and spending time with my niece, nephews and of course Nonna. We had brunch with a good friend and did some laundry, cooking and cleaning for good measure.
I tried to relax a little in the afternoon and get some homework done before the craziness of the week began. I wrote that earlier this week...
Now we are ready for the weekend to come. Trying not to make serious plans. Only fun stuff this weekend. And homework, and clean the bathroom, and grocery shopping and homework.... oh well. At least I wish I could not do anything all weekend. :)
Today is my day to pick up baby girl and I couldn't be more excited. It will be our time. :) yay.
Ciao for now.
xo
S
This the wave of the future... crashing. :)


8.27.2013

Reality check

Calli's 1st day of daycare!
We've been living in the bubble of having the baby at home during the day. What a wonderful bubble it was. She was happy, I could call at any time to check on my family and hear her gurgling in the background. I could get a detailed minute by minute replay of what she did that day. All was great.
Yesterday the bubble burst and I brought baby girl to daycare. Ugh. I have to be honest, it wasn't terrible. I think it helped that I was back at work while she was home with hubby for a bit. She is at a home daycare in my neighborhood and that is nice too. I called (she said I could call as much as I want) around lunchtime and she was napping. I picked her up around 3pm (I could barely wait) and she was her usual happy-go-lucky self. I swear she looked different and seemed more grown up!
We celebrated by going out to dinner with Nonna at a new restaurant BonefishGrill. It was good. It's only been open a week.
The best part... baby girl slept a full 9 hours!!! She was doing that a month or so ago and then started waking up in the middle of the night and then reverted back to 6 or 7 hours a night. If the 9 hours is a side effect of the daycare, I am all for it!!! She was super happy this morning and feel asleep as I was dropping her off. I can only hope that this continues.
Tomorrow, hubby's students come back and I go back to the office and baby girl goes to daycare... that will be the real true test.
Have a great day!
ciao
S

8.22.2013

4 months and vacation highlights

Miss Calliope is four months old and doing spectacularly. She weighs 15lbs 7oz and is 25 inches long. She loves to play with toys and put them in her mouth. She chews on her fingers most of the day and drools the rest of it. She talks a lot and is starting to have a little giggle. She has started waking in the middle of the night but can generally get right back to sleep on her own. She seems like she will roll over any minute but she really doesn't like being on her belly so I'm not sure she even cares to try. Soon we will start to give her some cereal, we are so excited!

A couple of weeks ago (yep, meant to post about it earlier but life happened) we went to the cape of cod for a long weekend. We left on a rain Friday morning at about 6am and didn't return until Tuesday night. We had a great time and experienced lots of firsts for Calli and for us. It was Calli's first time at the beach and my first time breastfeeding in public without a blanket. I completely forgot the bottles and didn't keep up with pumping while we were away so when she started to wail at the lunch table I had no choice but to to feed her. We started under a blanket but it was so hot and she was having none of it; so I whipped it out in front of a super full restaurant, not to mention some close friends. Fun. We didn't adhere to Calli's sleep schedule at all and paid the price for it. She was up in the middle of the night every night and cried a bit as we walked around downtown at night. Fun. All in all we had a great time and I would do the whole thing over and not change a thing.

Now we are looking forward to the daycare transition next week!

Ciao for now,
S
xo

Four months and vacation






8.16.2013

Random musings of a first time mom

  • I smell poop all the time and can not figure out where it is.
  • I make sure that baby girl is dressed super cute, is clean, well fed and rested and I am a hot mess most of the time. My hair is never done and my outfit is ill fitting, probably dirty and way too casual for the situation. Not to mention I completely forget to eat meals. 
  • Parking lots should all have parking for moms. I had to practically tip baby girl out of the seat to get it into the car when someone parked too close to me.
  • The same goes for tiny bathrooms. What is up with that? I went to a restaurant recently that did not have a changing table in the bathroom and where the stall was barely big enough for me to fit in with the car seat. I had to change her diaper on the couch in the waiting area. Nightmare.
  • The next time you see a little baby, please fight the urge to touch them. PLEASE. I don't want to spend the rest of the day wondering where your grubby hands have been while baby girl sucks happily on her hand. 
  •  Breastfeeding in public is hard enough for baby girl and me without you staring at me. Mind your own dang business please, thank you.
  •  Please don't ask baby girl or me for that matter what is wrong when she is fussy. She is 16 or so weeks old and doesn't have the capability to tell us so I have to guess and your guess is as good as mine. I probably have a pretty good guess but sometimes the answer is that she is just fussy.
  • There is too much to think about and plan. I'm overwhelmed and scared most of the time.  And yet, I love being Calli's mom. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
  • Why oh why did I buy the car seat that is only good til 22 lbs. I bet she hits that before the year is out. Already researching car seats for the next stage.
  • I feel like this list is quickly becoming a rant and vent list. Not my intention. We'll see where it takes us next...
  • Baby girl is on the verge of laughing and we are so anxious to hear it. Her smiles are so great and her pre-laugh is amazing... can't wait. 
  • She is also on the verge of rolling over. I can't encourage her enough.
Enough for now. Soon I'll be posting about our mini-vacation.
Have a good weekend.
Ciao
S

8.05.2013

Summertime... and the livin' is easy

Calli stays home with hubby (sometimes to be referred to here as Dada from now on) and sometimes Nonna. Nonna comes and goes as Dada needs her and therefore Calli is SPOILED with love and attention. Nonna likes to hold Calli as she snoozes and spends most of her time entertaining her. So it's no surprise to me that on the weekends and at night Calli needs lots of entertaining and likes to be held for most of her naps. Ugh. I'm lucky that she doesn't expect to be held while she sleeps at night too!!
Nonna is a huge help to us and makes dinner almost nightly and is not adverse to the most smelly and messy diapers. But what Calli really loves is spending time with her Dada. She looks to him all the time and you can see how much she loves him.
This weekend a friend from our college days came to visit and meet Calli for the first time. It is amazing to see how much Calli loves to smile and play even with new people. She wanted to take us all out for a fancy dinner but I was hesitant not having taken Calli anywhere fancy yet. I had visions of blow-out poops and wailing and throwing her rattle (her newest toy). So we stayed home and ordered an amazing meal in. Just as fun. 
On Sunday we took her for a swim for the first time and she seemed to like it; there were no wails or crying so I'm assuming that she liked it. We also took a shower for the first time last night and again no wailing or crying so I assume she liked it. It was hard to look at her face and clean her at the same time.  Also a first, we decided to try a restaurant for dinner with just Dada and me. She was amazing. She ate her bottle in peace and played with her toys quietly while we ate. She also was sufficiently cute to all the waiters and other guests. Huge day of first that all went
super well.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer!
Ciao
Xo
S

7.30.2013

Post baby bump

Interweb friends I am outraged!! OUTRAGED I tell you.
Most recently the royal baby was announced and all was right with the world. Then the media started applauding Kate on her bravery of showing her post baby bump!!! The baby was less than a day old and they had the nerve to call it a post baby bump!!! And how women around the world should rejoice and be proud of their "mummy tummies"!!!! What the heck has this world come to. I mean come on. This is not a note worthy situation! It's annoying enough that women have to be conscious of their baby bumps while the baby is still in there but less than a day later we should be self conscious about it!?!?!? Mummy tummies are badges of honor no matter how long we have had them and no matter how big or small they are.
I am 15 weeks post baby this week and I have lost not only the baby weight but some more on top of it. I still have a "mummy tummy" and am proud of it. I've had a "mummy tummy" for the past two years and am proud of it. I'm proud that I have had the fortune to feed my daughter with my breast milk alone and the side effect of that has been the weight loss. I haven't done anything in particular to lose the weight, it just happened. For other women that is not the case. I hate that we as a society are so caught up with this sh*t and that women can't support one another to abolish these old ways of thinking! I will not be defined by how much I weigh.
Okay, stepping down from the soap box.
Thank you, carry on with your day.
Ciao
S

7.19.2013

3 months

Calli is three months old!

I don’t think I’ll ever be prepared enough to post on the actual date, but oh well.
Calli is three months old and having a blast. She is such a happy little lady with smiles for everyone. She has started reaching out into the world having recently discovered her hands and tries grabbing at toys, necklaces and everything else in her path. She loves to talk and tell stories. She is especially smitten with her Daddy and her Nonna these days as they are taking care of her for the summer. She is growing fast and is already into the 6 month clothes, which we have a ton of. I don’t think she will even get to wear everything once. She has recently started showing interest in toys and books. We try to read at night, but she is generally ready for bed at that point so we read at other times in the day. 
Next month she will have her first long weekend on the Cape, we are so looking forward to some sea air.
Hope you are all surviving the heat!
Happy Summer!

xo
Ciao
S


6.29.2013

2 months old

Calli is two months old (truth be told she is actually 10 weeks). I've been slacking on writing this post because she has been keeping me busy, as has my hubby.
This is our week off together to help hubby figure out the schedule and in true Campbell fashion, hasn't worked out one bit. Oh well. I throw him to the Calli wolf come Monday, ready or not. Although are we ever truly ready? I wasn't!
Here are the Calli stats! She weighs 12 lbs 14 oz and is 24 inches long! She is in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. She had to get her first shots at this last appointment and she did great. There were some tears and some sobbing but you couldn't tell if it was me or her. We both cried a bit. She didn't get a fever but she was MISERABLE. So we ended up giving her some acetaminophen to help her out. I didn't like it one bit, especially the part where she was miserable. She is generally such a good and happy baby that when she does finally scream and cry it is just terrible and worrisome. But we got through it and she was back to her happy self.
Calli likes to smile and coo. She especially likes to do this when she is being changed or fresh from a bath. She loves to suck on her fists and talk to her friends on the activity mat and in the lamb chair. She hasn't laughed yet but I think she is trying to. Lately (I hate to even write about it in case I jinx us) she has been sleeping an average of 6 hours a night. I'm constantly surprised and continue to check on her throughout the night. She also is falling into a great routine and schedule.

Thats all for now.
Ciao
xo
s

6.19.2013

Random thoughts and musings


  • People who say that you should pump or breast feed in a bathroom or worse yet bathroom stall have not done it nor do they understand the mechanics of it. 
  • Every time I sit down to eat baby girl fusses to be fed or picked up and I have a feeling this does not end for a long time. 
  • My car is in the shop again. Hubby's was there last week. Will it ever end. I feel like I'm making daycare payments to the mechanic. Also means that I am stuck at home! UGH!!!!!
  • Sleep is so much more important that I ever before realized. We celebrate when baby girl sleeps more than a 4 hour stretch. The other night it was 7 and I felt like a new woman.
  • I have a week and a half to go on my maternity leave. That makes me so nervous... and sad. Means baby girl is growing up.
  • There isn't really anything that was a huge surprise to me about having a baby... except for the magnitude of love that you can feel and have for another human being. I thought that I knew what love was... what did I know!
  • Why is it that we pine for the nice weather, and then as soon as it gets here we sit inside in the A/C all day?
  • Why won't she take the bottle now?

Ciao
xo 
S

6.14.2013

What's up?


  • 8 weeks. Calliope is 8 weeks old. She likes to smile and stare at her toys on the activity mat and in her lamby chair. She is sleeping 6 hours in a stretch at night. She loves the black and white images that I taped up next to her changing tables. In 2 weeks we will go for her 2 month appointment and I will update her stats. 
  • I am going back to work July 1. A little over two weeks. Originally I hoped to stay home for 12 weeks, but hubby will be done with school next week so we decided to stay home together for a week and then he will take over. I will take over again when he goes on tour so that will make up for the 2 weeks. I am sad but really happy at the same time. We feel really lucky that we haven't had to go to daycare yet and that daddy gets to stay home with her for the summer.
  • It has been raining forEVER!!! It feels that way anyway. I am waterloaded. We can't go for walks and that stinks. I might try walking the mall if this doesn't let up, although we are supposed to have a nice weekend. 
  • My favorite thing these days is snuggling with my girl. She loves to cuddle up.
  • I am really excited about the summer and the walks and the weekend trips and all the possibilities.
  • One of my BFF's is going through some pretty rough times right now and my heart breaks for her. My other BFF is coming for a visit today and I CAN'T WAIT!!!
  • Sunday is Father's Day.... don't know where to begin for hubby! He has pretty much everything he wants. I was thinking of getting him a carvel cake... fudgy the whale!!
  • We are considering going to the cape for a weekend in August! Would be our first family trip. hmm.... Any pointers? Definite musts or must nots?
  • I've lost some weight beyond the baby weight and now my clothes don't fit. Ugh. Headed back to work and need some new duds. I don't know where to begin other than my own closet. I'm going to try to get some stuff next week. Starting with a pair of nice summer shoes and a skirt.
  • All this rain! It's almost enough to put the heat on. Hate that I just wrote that.
Ciao for now!
xo
S

6.09.2013

Night Owl

Feeding Calli in the middle of the night is not easy. Getting up every three hours on demand to change, feed, burp and put back to sleep takes about 45 minutes or sometimes longer.
But then there are nights like tonight... Calli ate at 9pm, went right down, slept until 3:40am. When she woke up to eat she had the biggest smile for me. She ate quickly and fell asleep in my arms with a grin on her face. Love that little face.
We've been giving her a bath every night and it puts her out for at least 5 hours or almost 7 like tonight.

Back to bed!
Xo
Ciao
S

5.31.2013

What's up?

I know that I have mainly posted about Calli lately, but wouldn't you? She is ADORABLE!!!
So this is my attempt at not only blogging about my beautiful daughter...

  • So being home is not that bad; except when my husband gets home all I want to do is talk his ear off and all he wants to do is not talk. It can be a little challenging but we are making it work.
  • My computer sucks. I have owned this thing for almost 7 years and every time I turn it on I am afraid that it is going to die!  I just don't want to put too much money into this thing if it isn't going to last... I haven't upgraded the operating system so I can't even do all the new fangled stuff on it! SUCKS! I hate to say it but I don't think my next computer will be a mac. It just doesn't pan out in the end. It is the biggest reason why there aren't more pics on this blog. 
  • I love hot days. I don't mind the heat. I hate sitting in air conditioning all day. I know, I'm weird.
  • We got offered a weekend away in August. I can't believe I am considering going away with an infant. I always said I wouldn't be that mom.... but the idea of a walk on the beach might just be too appealing!
  • My oldest nephew is graduating high school this weekend. He was at my high school graduation!!! Can't believe how time flies. His prom was last night and he looked so handsome.
  • I am struggling lately, trying to find something to read. I started the Night Circus and couldn't get into it. It wasn't a bad read just not my speed right now.  I guess the fact that the only chance I get to read is during middle of the night feeding doesn't help. 
  • I also didn't think I would turn into a frumpy mom overnight. I swear, every time I look in the mirror I am horrified. Nothing fits me well and inevitably I leak breast milk on all my clothes. Sure as hell wasn't ready for that!
  • I was a nervous Nelly during my pregnancy and have become a little neurotic with a newborn; is this normal? My mom and sister and all tell me to just relax... easy to say.
  • Because of the nerves I am trying to take Calli out at least once a day so shout out if you want a visit!!!
  • Here are a few things I am LOVING right now: my chicco stroller travel system, my squeezebox, the boppy, my iphone and ipad, mary kay cleanser and moisturizer, my gorgeous Calliope.
That's all for now! Have a great weekend!
xo
Ciao
S

5.24.2013

1 month

I have been trying to write this post ALL WEEK!
Monday we had our one month appointment.
Calliope is doing GREAT!!!
The stats are as follows... She weighs 10 lbs. 10 oz. and is 20.25 inches long.
I've noticed that she is a lot more alert lately and is more likely to catch your gaze. She crosses her eyes when you get real close and it is adorable. She is starting to coo and gurgle a little too. She is still eating like a champ and soon we will start to introduce a bottle into the mix.
I'm starting to tell the difference between the "I'm tired" and the "I'm hungry" cries.

Couldn't resist! i love her little toes!!

5.05.2013

2 weeks 3 days old


Calli is two weeks old and is growing strong. Wednesday at her doctor appointment she weighed in at 9 pounds. She is almost official turkey size!
Wednesday was a big day out for us. Lots of first. We had an appointment at hubby's work to fill out some paperwork, then a visit to school followed by a doctor appointment. Long day out. I tried feeding Calli under the nursing cover for the first time and she ended up vomiting the full contents of her stomach all over me and her. I was afraid to feed her for the next couple of hours, so she really probably weighs more but was on a super empty stomach. 
The posts are few and far between because I can't seem to get my self together enough to sit down and post. I can't believe that the days are flying by so quickly. We wake up around 9 or 10 and when I turn around we are finishing dinner and thinking about the nighttime feedings. We've been tying to get out a bit so that we can get used to that before hubby goes back to work. Yesterday I took her out by myself for the first time, it was only an hour down the road to my mom's apartment but a solo trip nonetheless. 
I will work on posting more pictures, I promise. There isn't much else going on in my life other than keeping Calli fed, clean, clothed and happy so the posts will probably be short.
Later peeps.
xo
S

4.25.2013

Calliope Viola Campbell

Wow is really all I can say. She has arrived! And what an arrival she made.

(DISCLAIMER- I am recounting my labor and delivery and some of it is gross and TMI)
On Wednesday morning at about 3am I woke up to use the bathroom. I was feeling lots of pressure, but neither of those things were strange or out of the ordinary. When I got to the toilet there was a huge gush of water before I could even get started. It being 3am and me not quite having my wits about me I wasn't sure if my water had really broken or not. I went back into the bedroom and asked my husband if he would get up and take a look and tell me what he thought. Even now when I write that I'm not really sure what better he would have known than me. But as we walked back to the bathroom there was another huge gush of water that confirmed my original suspicion. So first of all let me say that my water breaking was the funniest most comical things that has ever happened to me. It was nothing like the movies or TV shows because for me it didn't just drop in one big gush and was over. My water kept spilling for like 15 minutes, even in the shower, so the whole time I was laughing my ass off. The funniest part was my hubby, he kept saying ok, let's go to the hospital and I was busy trying not to get water everywhere I went. I had to dictate to him everything I needed from one spot because I wasn't interested in having a trail of water all over my house. 
We left for the hospital immediately and started the long labor. Right away they put me on pitocin to jumpstart contractions. That was the deal all day long. My body was just not responding and they had to give me the maximum possible. So around 5 or 6 pm I got an epidural thinking that things were getting going and that the baby would be coming soon. Not so much! The epidural slowed things down a bit and we didn't make any progress until 10pm. By then I was fully dilated and ready to push even though little lady's head was still not completely there. I didn't care, it felt better to push through it than to wait. So I pushed for about two hours and little lady arrived at 12:31 am on Thursday morning. She weighed 8lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. While everyone was gushing over the baby I wasn't feeling well. The pitocin worked for my labor but was not working on getting the placenta out. The doctor was having some difficulty and I was losing lots of blood. My BP dropped and I was feeling terrible. My doctor was a rock star and pushed on my belly to get the placenta to come out and my uterus to start contracting. The rest of my visit in the hospital was awesome, lots of cuddles with my little lady. 
She is perfect.
Today she is already a week old and it took me that long to sit down and write this post. Whoa. This is not gonna be easy. 
Ciao, more soon.
XO
S

4.14.2013

Dear Daughter

Today is April 14, 2013, a perfect day for you to make your arrival. You have a ton of people out here waiting to meet you and that keep asking when you might make your grand entrance. I really truly thought today would have been the perfect day, but apparently, until this moment you disagree. I really don't want us to start on the wrong foot here... I know that you will come when you are ready but won't you listen to my wise and sage advice and come tonight? I'm in a good place at work and the house is clean. The crib is here, your room is ready, there are lots of clothes and diapers to keep you happy. Our bags are packed for the hospital and sit by the door, just in case!
I've been trying lots of things to entice your arrival; I ate a ton of pineapple yesterday, cleaned like crazy today, I'm making a super spicy dinner for tonight... not sure what else you are looking for. I'm not above trying the yoga labor inducing dance , but I was hoping that you would come on your own.
Ok, tomorrow is Monday and back to work for me. I hope that you think about coming before our induction date because I think that would be ideal but I understand if you are just chilling and waiting it out.
We all love you already so much and can't wait to meet you.
Love
Your Mamma

4.05.2013

The view from where I sit

No big announcement! Not ready yet. This lady still needs some time to cook.
But I felt like I needed one more post to pull it all together. A sort of "State of the Union" address.
Today I am 37 weeks pregnant and unless I go into labor naturally over the next two weeks my doctor will consider inducing me at 39 weeks. There are two reasons for this; 1) anxiety 2) She is a big girl and there is no reason that she can't come and meet us all at 39 weeks.
Which, if you at home are counting, puts me at about 2 weeks until this darling daughter comes into my life. It still doesn't seem real, but more real than it did 20 weeks ago. My belly is huge and I am starting to feel the constraints and limitations of being 9+ months preggo (I know, depends who you ask...). Sleeping is getting more and more difficult. Leg cramps, heartburn, turning over, little feet jabbing you in the ribs and just general feeling uncomfortable leads me to sleeping less and less. The days are less dramatic. Yes I am waddling and there is a lot of pressure everywhere but it is much more manageable. Now that the end is in sight I am less apt to complain. I do think I will miss this belly. I love rubbing it and seeing her move and shake and get the hiccups. But I am so excited to meet her and get to know her and start our life together. I am still working and plan on it until the very last day. Although I would love a day off, I think I might go stir crazy if I took too many days. And anyway Greg is home on April break the week of the 15th and I can get him to do all the things I would have been doing had I been home. Win- win!! He is also getting really excited. I think having a date in mind put things in perspective for both of us. Now all we talk about is what we need to get done.
So that's it... for now.
Ciao
xo
S

3.26.2013

March 26, 2013

My due date is April 26, 2013= things that make you go HOLY MOLY!!!
Hahaha not really. But we are in full preparatory mode. The room is painted. The dresser and crib are on the way (I assume since I ordered them months ago and they said they would get here). We are building the bassinet this weekend. The car seat is about to get unpacked. The clothes are getting washed. The bag just came out of the closet and I will pack it as I go along. Whoa. Lots doing in these parts.
35 weeks is crazy. Baby girl is big and that means I am big. And uncomfortable. Then I go my appointment and get an ultrasound to see how baby girl is breathing and check her fluid levels and I don't feel so uncomfortable anymore and I realize that before I know she will be in my arms. Today she flexed her foot for me and all I could think was that I will be kissing that foot so soon!!!
We are all anticipating her arrival. These days I go to the doctor once and week and we will start to make some plans. Next week I get another ultrasound to check her growth and that will be the real indicator on what comes next. Wahoo!!! So excited.
In other news:

  • The job is still going great and we have hired a boss that will start April 10... probably moments before I start my leave... not really but it feels that way.
  • Hubby's birthday is this week and we are still not making any plans. I will make him a special dinner, get him a cake and call it a night! Just what he wanted.
  • This weekend is also Easter so we will get together with my family and my in-laws. It will be the last holiday we spend without our babygirl!
  • The weather finally looks like it might want to cooperate and bring spring. Up until today it has been iffy, but the sun came out and it warmed up a bit and gave us all a little hope. The evenings are so nice because it stays light out until late. Lovin it!!
Watch out for my next post!! It could be the big announcement! Wahoo!
ciao

S

3.08.2013

Another snow day

Again the predictions were wild. Some channels said 1-3 inches and some said 4-8; we probably got around 10+ inches in some areas. I can't really tell because I haven't been out much.
Hubby and I had to go out this morning for a dr appt. On the way back I was pretty sure that I wasn't making the trek into work. The roads were ridiculous. There were spin-outs everywhere and the radio was saying that there were accidents everywhere. Neither hubby nor I were looking forward to me on the road alone. I called and said that I would wait a few more hours to make a decision and when it didn't let up I decided to stay home. I've been working so I hope I don't have to take it as a day off; I'm hoarding my days for maternity leave... we'll see.
The appt this morning was interesting. Had another NST. Very different experience than in the hospital. This gal is big and uncooperative... much like her dad.
Today we talked a lot about inducing and c-sections. But I don't want to get ahead of myself.
ok, gotta get back to snow day work day.
Ciao
S

3.01.2013

March

February out!
Whoa. That was a doozy of a month. Started out at a conference in Boston, which was great. Then a week later was the blizzard of the year! Some say the decade or even longer. We got 30ish inches at my house and stayed indoors for about 4 days. It took my hubby about 6 hours to clear it all. I felt so helpless to watch him from the window while he was doing all the heavy lifting. I was def ready to return to work after that, anything to get out of the house! The week after followed up with Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday (I spent in NY with my boss on a bunch of visits), Valentine's Day and then my birthday. Hubby and I tried to get reservations for the Sat night of my b-day weekend but most places were booked solid for V-day leftovers. So we stayed in and had a great time. We actually ended up going out to dinner the week after and had a super lovely time at one of our favorite restaurants. This weekend is just busy as all the rest have been; surprise dinner for a friend tonight, gym, taxes, groceries and a work event tomorrow and more visits with friends on Sunday! Whew.
Today marks 32 weeks pregnant. Baby girl is big (confirmed by both the crazy kicks in the ribs and the ultra sound from yesterday). The doctor is mildly concerned and we are working together to keep an eye on this. They are being really great to me and I appreciate it so much. I feel lucky to have such a great team looking after me and baby girl.
March also brings a b-day celebration for my hubby. For once in the 17 years that I've known him, I am going to abide by his wishes and not do a darn thing for him. He has said forever and a day that he hates his birthday and does not want to celebrate and every year I make him do something. I am the one that love love loves to celebrate and therefore don't understand his non celebratory stance. But not this year. He gets his way this year.
Not really much else to report. I am still loving the job and looking forward to welcoming a new boss soon. It has been a challenge to steer this ship with limited staff and I am excited at the prospect of building a great program here with someone that has so much experience. Not to say that I am not looking forward to my maternity leave too and glad that someone will be here in my absence.
One last nugget: This morning on the radio they said that meteorologically today is the first day of Spring... not sure what that means but BRING IT ON!!! (btw 9 days til Daylight Savings begins!)
Ciao for now!
xo
S

2.17.2013

Thirty Six

Today is my birthday. I am 36 today. Yup.
A few weeks ago my plan was to have some peeps over to celebrate the last birthday that I would be responsible for only myself, but that never happened. I don't have a lot of room for focus these days. I am preoccupied with work and getting ready for this baby. I am not sad that I didn't have a last hurrah because I don't want to think that this baby will change my life for the worse but for the better. I have been waiting and dreaming about her for a long time, I cannot wait to meet her and see her and tell her all kinds of secrets and dreams. So instead I woke up to a delicious breakfast cooked by my hubby with some super tasty coffee (half caf). My mom stopped by to give me a hug and spend some time with me and my mother in law talking about what we need for this beauty that is coming into our lives. Hubby and I were supposed to go out to lunch or dinner but cuddling on the sofa and talking about the future seemed like a better choice at the time. Then we indulged with a double chocolate fudge cake, YUMMY!!!
Life is good and calm and we are happy.
Thank you to all my family and friends for all the amazing birthday wishes. I am the luckiest gal in the world.
Ciao
xo
S

2.15.2013

30 weeks!

Getting there!
xo
S