baptism - part 2

Matteo and his godparents

Vincent's baptism is in less than a month and I have a party to plan. For Matteo's baptism we had 50+ people in the backyard, a keg, tons of food, live music and a photo booth. See?


godfather and father of the baptized baby

This time around I have some ideas brewing but need to get hopping if I'm going to pull it all off. These are not your traditional post-baptism parties.


post-baptism ouzo

first trip to the dentist

Matteo went to the dentist for the first time this morning. He did great! Did you know that these days they give the kids a choice of sitting in the chair themselves or sitting on a parent?

Guess which he chose?



We've always thought Matteo had unusually pointy canines and this was confirmed by the dentist. It's caused by his bite, which has worn down his teeth into perfect triangles. See what I mean?



I was really proud of him. He was very cooperative the whole time and highly enjoyed the visit, especially after being introduced to the treasure box.

our growing baby

Over the last three months I've taken a zillion photos and videos of our growing family. But not having any free time, combined with a terrible redesign of flickr that leaves me shaking my fist at the computer when I spend any time with it, has made organizing everything a challenge.

I hope to get it all under control again soon so I can share more of what we've been up to. But in the meantime, one of the things I have been able to keep up with is a monthly photo series of Vincent. Just like I did with Matteo, I'm trying to take a photo of him each month on the same blanket with a monthly calendar for reference. At some point, I'd like to post side by side close-up shots of each of them to see how much they resemble each other. But for now, I can at least share the monthly instagram shot from each session.


6 weeks (I missed the one month mark, whoops)


2 months


3 months

hello!

Yes, I know I've taken a very long hiatus from this blog. I knew things would be spotty for a while after the baby arrived but I didn't plan on going totally MIA. Sorry about that.

Vincent David Miota joined our family on April 4 at 10:37 p.m. He came in at a whopping 9 pounds 6 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. 

A lot of wonderful things have happened over these last (almost three!) months and I promise I'll start catching up this week.

 

mama bird

On one of my walks with Matteo last week I took this picture of our shadows. I didn't see it at first, but as soon as Matt saw the picture he said, "You look like a bird!" (My brother's comment: "Hitchcock!")

Isn't it strange? I'm holding a stick and an oak leaf we picked up along the way but I look like a bird sitting on a branch. How appropriate for a week that I spent tending to my little babies and feathering my nest for a new spring arrival.

easter 2013

Matteo was quite thrilled with the Easter Bunny this year! Every time he tried a new candy he'd yell, "Thank you, Easter Bunny!"

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our last days as three

Tomorrow, if the baby doesn't come on his own, I'm going to be induced. I'm okay with this. There is a part of me that wishes he would come out on his own and choose his own birthday but as I approach 42 weeks I accept the decision to go ahead and give him a little nudge. Plus, I'm almost 4cm dilated and am already 80% effaced. I've been in some stage of early labor for weeks already so the conditions are all favorable for a smooth and healthy delivery.

I was so certain he would come last week that when he didn't I was initially disappointed. I had been thinking that the best case scenario for us would have been for him to come while Matt was home for spring break so we would have an extra week together. And I was also feeling stressed and strange that I was home from work without having had the baby yet.

But as the week went on, and the baby chose to stay inside for a few more days, the opportunity to enjoy these last days with just the three of us became a wonderful gift. We went out to eat, we took long walks, we played baseball, we watched 'E.T.' for the first time (which Matteo loved). It was the best possible way to spend the break.









I have such a different mix of emotions with this baby's birth. Before Matteo was born I was excited, but had no idea what I was in for. There was such a greater sense of heading into the unknown. This time around I feel much more confident, and even MORE excited to meet this little one now that I know how much I love being a mother. But the flip side of that is I also feel really sensitive to the transition Matteo is about to go through, going from the only child to having to share me with another baby. Knowing this will be challenging for him makes me sad, although I know he's going to be a wonderful big brother.

My goal with Matteo over these next few months is to make sure I try to say yes more than no. To look at him when he's talking to me so he knows I'm really listening. And to remember that he is just a small child and no matter how big he's going to suddenly seem once there is a newborn in the house, he's also my baby and he needs me just as much as he always has.

Here's a little video of him and Matt playing baseball last week. He picks things up so quickly it's amazing. Here he's hitting a full-sized softball with a tiny aluminum bat our friends gave him for his birthday last year. That's my baby.

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