It's somebody's birthday!

Today our little baby Abigail turns 1! It may sound cliche but we cannot believe how incredibly fast this year has flown by!



Last year, on Sept. 23, I thought I was going into labor. I called Kerri to put her on notice (since she was going to stay with Grace when we went to the hospital) but I had to call her a few hours later and tell her that it was just false labor. So I stayed home from work the next day - the 24th.



I called my mom that morning to tell her about the false contractions the night before. She was fortunate to be here for Grace's birth and I knew she wanted to be here as close to Abigail's birth as she could. I remember telling her "if you were retired, I would tell you to just hop on a plane today!" She thought for a moment and said "I think you are going to have this baby soon. I'm booking a flight for tomorrow morning." I was thrilled and relieved to think my mom would be here!

It was a gorgeous day so I put on my walking shoes and went for a very long walk. It may be an old wives tale but you frequently hear that long walks can help move the labor process along. As it got closer to my due date of September 30, I kept wondering, "how will I know if I am really in labor". I asked the doctor and she assured me that I would know! (With Grace, my water broke before my contractions so I knew then that I would be going into labor.)

And then about 5:00 p.m. on the 24th, the contractions started again. Within a couple of hours the contractions started getting stronger and longer and I knew I was in labor this time around. I called Kerri and gave her a heads up that I would probably need her to come over at some point that night. But then about an hour later, when the contractions were just a few minutes apart, I called her back and said "you better come over now!"

As soon as she arrived (around 9:00 p.m.) we took off for the hospital. I had to wait for a room to become available and at that point my contractions were about 1 minute apart. It was definitely painful! The nurse asked if I would want an epidural and I responded "as quickly as I can get one!" Within an hour, I had a room and an epidural. Thank goodness for modern medicine (apologies to the anti-epidural people reading this).

And then at about 1:45 a.m. on September 25, the doctor came in and predicted that I would have a baby within about 15-20 minutes. And sure, enough, at 2:10 a.m., Abigail Elizabeth graced the world with her presence. Her arrival was much different than Grace's. There was no one else in the room except for me and Bruno and Abigail (after the doctor and nurses left). It was in the middle of the night so we didn't call anyone. After Grace was born, we were blessed to have my mom and Kerri with us and we called everyone we knew. But with Abigail we wanted it to be different and we just wanted to soak up those prescious hours with our new baby girl.

Abigail looked at us with her big blue eyes - yes, I know she couldn't really see us. But we could have stared at her for hours. She was perfect and beautiful and healthy and we couldn't have been happier.

And my mom arrived that morning to hold her granddaughter for the first time just hours after she was born. What a special moment! She stayed with us for about 10 days and we were so incredibly grateful. She is an amazing help and it's just wonderful to have that support with you those first few days when everything can seem so overwhelming. My dad also came just a few weeks after Abigail was born and of course got tears in his eye the first time he held Abigail!

Abigail has brought such joy to our lives and love to our hearts. She has made us laugh and we have watched her grow before our eyes. Babies change so much that first year.

She is our baby girl and now she is one. Happy birthday to our dear, sweet Abigail.

Couple of funny stories

First of all, little Nolan seems to be doing a little better. The procedure he had last week did not show any physical problems so we were all very relieved to hear that. He does have very extreme reflux and it is being treated in a variety of ways. But he has had a few nights where they have been able to lay him down which is a great step in the right direction. So, we keep him in our prayers and know that this is a rough road for Ryan and Erin.

Now on to a couple of funny stories.

Lima Beans - Last week, I gave Abigail some lima beans. Grace jumped up and down with excitement when she saw me pull them out of the freezer. So I also gave Grace some as well. Abigail loved the lima beans and ate a ton of them. So much so that Grace didn't get to have as many as she wanted and was upset. These eating habits must come from Bruno's side of the family. When I mentioned this story to my dad he said "lima beans - yuck... I don't even like to see lima beans on my plate!" I am so pleased that Grace and Abigail are such healthy eaters and it even prompted me to try a lima bean - they are not too bad!

Marriage Laws - Last night Bruno was putting Grace to bed. She told him that a boy in her class wants to marry his mom. Bruno said "well, that's against the rules." And Grace said "you mean, against the law?" Bruno said "yes". So Grace then thinks for a moment and says "well, that makes sense. His mom is much taller than him!" Bruno of course was cracking up laughing! Ahhh - the innocence of childhood!

Mom and Dad visiting - We are so excited that my mom and dad are visiting this weekend! Grace wanted them to come for the whole week - which we would love - we just need them to retire!

Labor Day Fun

We were so excited to have Maurilia, Victor and Ava come visit us over Labor Day weekend. We did a lot of sightseeing, had some great meals and just had fun being together.

Ava took three steps toward her favorite auntie (that would be me)! She is such a happy baby! She and Abigail had fun watching each other and taking toys from each other. Grace had fun playing with Ava too! Grace is just waiting for the day when she can boss them around - ha!

Since the weather had on the warm side on Saturday, we decided to do a night tour of the momuments. It had been years since Bruno and I had seen the momuments at night and I forgot how gorgeous they are at night. And to our surprise, there was a red/harvest moon that we saw rise over the Washington Monument.

We are so glad that they took the time from their busy schedules to come visit us! It is so nice to have family in town to spend time with and not have to worry about anything!

First Day of Kindergarten

So after the past two posts, I need to sneak in something light-hearted since I will be back to the serious ones next week as Nolan goes into the hospital for a few days to be monitored for his eating/breathing habits, etc. and will have a procudure on Wednesday - more to come on that but please keep him and Ryan and Erin in your prayers next week.

Two weeks ago, Grace had her first day of kindergarten. She was so excited and didn't even seem nervous! There were no tears shed - by either Bruno, her or me! She looked so adorable in her little uniform heading off to the Catholic school.

Of course I was anxious to pick her up (she only had a half-day her first day - she will normally go a full-day). I asked her how it was and she said "Well, there sure are a lot of rules in kindergarten!" I asked, "like what?" And she said "You have to raise your hand to even talk to the teacher! And we had to practice walking in the halls quietly about FIVE times!" Of course I was laughing at this point. So a little later, I asked her if she thought the day went fast or slow. She responded by saying "well, all those rules equals a long day!" HA!

My friend Jami also had a great story about her daughter's first day of school. She asked her who she sat by at lunch and her daughter responded "I have NO idea!" Ahhh - to be a fly on the wall on the first day of kindergarten!

Despite all the rules, Grace was ready to head back the next day and stayed at extended day that day. I picked her up a little early from the after school program and she was upset that I was there early. It actually made me feel good to know she was having so much fun!

She does know one little girl from preschool that is in her class so I think that has made the transition much easier. So far she loves her new school!

We can't believe that our little baby Grace is now in kindergarten - where does the time go!? She is such a big girl now and such a joy in our lives!

September 11

I have been wanting to post about Grace's first day of school; however, I thought it would be cuter if I could include a picture from her first day. But, it's been such a busy week - meetings, late nights working, school homework for Grace, getting up with Abigail at 5:30 a.m. - that there has not been time to upload a picture! And I have been so busy that I didn't have time to reflect on today - September 11.

It didn't hit me until I was driving back to my office from a meeting I was at downtown this afternoon. The highway was closed because of a procession to the Pentagon, the streets downtown were clogged and the flags were at half-staff. It was drizzling, cloudy, dark and windy. Not at all like the day eight years ago.

I just read a post that my friend Fannie put on her blog. She has an incredible way of painting pictures with her words. She said "the day was crystalline eight years ago"- what a great word! Fannie and Tim were living in Texas at the time but I would describe the day in Arlington, VA using the exact same word - crystalline.

I was working from home in 2001. I had just opened the window in our little house. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue, the sun was warm but the air had a cool fall feeling. I turned on the Today Show and heard about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. And then I watched in horror as the second plane hit. I called Bruno, who was at work at the House office building across from the Capitol. We couldn't believe what was happening. We hung up and I continued to watch the news coverage.

Then suddenly the Today Show reported that the Pentagon had been hit by a plane. I called Bruno immediately and he had not even heard the news about the Pentagon. He decided to leave work right away and luckily beat all of the traffic leaving DC. I finally got a hold of my cousin Kerri (cell phone coverage was very spotty) who was also working on Capitol hill and she was headed to a friend's house downtown. There were rumors of another plane headed for the White House or the Capitol. And now we know that thanks to the bravery of some incredibly heoric people, that plane never made it to its final destination.

I couldn't wait for Bruno to get home. He didn't have a cell phone and this was before everyone had a blackberry so I just had to sit and wait. I stood outside waiting for him and realized that I couldn't hear any planes in the air (they had shut down all air traffic)... the only noise in the beautiful blue sky was the sound of fighter jets patrolling the sky.

When Bruno came home we just hugged each other for a very long time in complete disbelief of what had happened. Of course our efforts immediately went to making sure our family and friends who worked in NYC and at the Pentagon were safe - it would be hours before we would know for sure. And my parents were in Italy on the vacation of a lifetime, worried sick about how everyone was doing. Luckily we were able to communicate via e-mail as many of the phone lines in the DC area were jammed. We watched the towers fall and the side of the Pentagon burn.

I spent days just watching the TV - I just couldn't turn it off. It was surreal and scary. Eventually we turned the TV off and eventually we would drive by the Pentagon to see the horrific hole in the side of a building that symbolizes the strength of this country.

I will never, ever forget moments from that day. And I will never forget what a beautiful morning it started out to be.

Our prayers and hearts go out to those who lost loved ones on that fateful day.

The C-Section Date

Today was the day that Nolan was scheduled to be born. Erin was due close to September 8th, so many months ago the doctor wanted to schedule the c-section for September 1. We have a lot of September birthdays in our family - Len, Kerri, Abigail, my dad and Bruno - so we thought Nolan would join the rest of the crew.

We all focused on the September 1 date... we usually have a family bet that occurs with the birth of each baby and for this one, we disregarded the due date because that was already determined (or so we thought).

And then in mid-July, Erin started having contractions. It was a roller coaster ride with trips to the doctor, medications to try and stop the contractions, going to the hospital and ending up on complete bed rest. Erin received medication to help little Nolan's lungs grow more quickly in the event that he would be born early. She had a test that was supposedly 99% accurate and the results showed that she would not deliver within two weeks of taking the test. I can't remember the exact number of days (Erin and Ryan remember) but just a few days later, little Nolan James graced the world with his presence.

It has been a very rough 6 weeks for Ryan and Erin. Nolan had to spend time in the NICU but they were able to bring him home the week we were in Michigan. He has had a tough time with reflux, strider, potential allergies to breastmilk and certain formulas. He has tried numerous medications in various strengths. And he is unable to sleep lying down (even propped up in a swing or car seat) - someone has to hold him all night long.

There have been countless trips to various doctors and a trip to the ER. Throughout all of this, I have never heard Ryan or Erin say "I'm so exhausted" or "I don't know how we will manage". (That's not to say they haven't said it or haven't thought it - I have just never heard it.) All I have ever heard is them say "We are just so worried about Nolan and it is so hard for us to see him so uncomfortable." This is what is called unconditional love. To love someone you had never met until 6 weeks ago so much that you stay up all night holding them, walking them, trying every medication, searching the internet for tips and ideas, calling the doctor and seeing specialists - all in an effort to help this ease a little baby's pain.

I wish we could do more to help them. Erin's family has been incredible in helping Erin out - with her mom staying there most of the time since Nolan has been born. My mom and dad have taken some weekend night shifts, watched Owen and made meals. Nora and Len have made meals and visited. Other friends and family have also chipped in. Bruno and I wish that we could take a few night shifts and make some meals. But unfortunately, the 500 miles that separates us doesn't allow us that opportunity.

We send our love and our prayers to them today on Nolan's due date and every day. We are so blessed to have little Nolan James in our lives - he is keeping everyone busy but he is a miracle to all of us and we love him unconditionally.