Last Post for a month

This will be the last post for a month, until we return from Northern Maine. Unfortunately, they do not have internet up there. So, this is it until we return!

Dominic is recovered from his cold, but he still has a bit of a cough and runny nose. He is just about running as fast as his little feet will carry him and he is mastering going up and down stairs.

Two days ago we turned his car seat around so he is now facing forward. I think he really enjoys looking out the big window and seeing things as they happen and not as they have passed. Tomorrow will be our first adventure in seeing how entertaining this new position really is.

Grandma Mo bought Dominic a "Minke" sleep bag. It is like a sleeping bag with a tank top. It works really well. She got it for Dominic as he uncovers himself during the night and thought it might be one of the reasons he wakes up so frequently. His room is also much colder then the rest of the house and we end up sweating just to keep his room at a decent temperature. Last night and today were the first time using it and I'm sure it will come in very handy when we go to Maine as well. Plus, it is so soft and plush. I want one for myself!!!! :-)

Wish us good luck on our long journey/adventure! I'll write all about it when we return and post pictures as well. (I know that is something I have not done in a while, but with Dominic being sick since Jan.8, there hasn't been much to take or time to do it. ) Hopefully, we will get some good pictures in the next month!

The cell phone call

One last thing I forgot. Two days ago Dominic was playing with my cell phone. It is not uncommon for him to desire to play with my phone at all. So, he flips the phone open and holds down a button, which proceedes to call Aunt Angie. I'm saying "no, no, no" to him and trying to get the phone fast enough to hang up. Apparently,I was not fast enough as Aunt Angie called like a minute later. Then I explained to her that Dominic was playing with my phone and decided to call her.

I guess my lesson here is that now that he knows he can operate the phone it can no longer be used as a toy! He is depressed by this news!!

Post-Check UP

Ever since Dominic went to the Doctor's Jan. 8th he has been sick. First, it was because of a vaccine that he received. Then one day after he cleared up from that he came down with a cold/flu like thing. For a week he has been going on a roller coaster ride of good/bad nights. Last night I thought for sure it would be better as he was acting like himself during the day, but low and behold the night was a nightmare! He was up from 3-5:30am. I am truly hoping that he will kick this thing soon and it will be done and over with.

Aside from the sickness, he is working on his vocabulary. He tries to say book and block, cracker, door, Jezzie, and dog. He has his own version of the word, but it is clear that he is trying to say that specific word as they are always pronounced the same. He is just lacking a bit of the pronouncing. Jezzie is more like Jezah, cracker-cacker, block-bach, book sounds a bit like block.

Finally, the last bit of new is that we completed nursing on Jan. 19th. That was our last morning feeding. I'm not sure how much of him misses the feeding and how much of it was habit as that has been the area of trouble with him going back to sleep the last few days. However, there are other factors to consider (he wants to get up and be with Matt when he gets up at 5:30am) or maybe it is because he is still sick and feels congested? I'm not sure, but I know that we are on our way and in a few weeks we will again have a new routine in Northern Maine.

Personality is shining through!

Dominic's personality is now truly shining through. What a character he is!!! Wed, last week is the first day I noticed him shaking his head in a no response, like "no I don't want that". On Fri. we went to Grandma Mo and Pupo's house for dinner. As we were getting ready to leave Pupo was holding Dominic as Matt and I got our coats on. We said to Dominic "want to go bye-bye, go home, go nite-nite?" He closes his eyes, pinches his lips together and shakes his head side to side "no". It was hysterical!!!

On Sat. we went to visit Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Ron. Grandma Cindy was holding Dominic and Grandpa Ron said "come on, want to come and see me?" Dominic again closes his eyes, pinches his lips together and shakes his head no, while holding on even tighter then he had before. It was very funny and even repeated three times to see if there would be a change. I guess he is just like his mother in that he knows what he does and does not want and is not willing to compromise that.

Today our day has been filled with Dominic helping me do the wash. He practices going up and down the steps, as we live on the second floor and the washer is in the basement. He holds onto my hand and the wall with the other hand and steps down the stairs just like I do, only with little tiny feet. On the way back up he finds it easier to do it his own way on hands and knees. Next, we finger-paint. He loves to get messy and messy he gets. Luckily I had some forethought today and decided that I was going to wash the floor anyhow, so we finger-painted on the kitchen floor. However, the paint ended up all over the floor, his smock, jeans, hands and everything he got his hands on before I scooped him up to wash his own hands in the sink. (He loves washing his hands in the sink. Actually, he loves to play with the water and the bubbles.) After all of this mess making it is time to clean up. I sweep the floor while my little buddy watches my every move. Then I prepare the bucket to mop the floor. I tell him "hot' and he backs away. Once I am moping the floor, I look over and see him swaying just like I am and the hands moving like he is moping on his own with an imaginary mop. I couldn't help but laugh. After cleaning Dominic sat down on the floor and began to read books, my sign that he is ready for his afternoon nap.

I find that I really love the age that he is at. He can hug and cuddle back, plus he is making faces, noises, and imitations like crazy, which is very funny. I love that I can set him down when my arms are full and know that he can stand there. I love when I walk into his room first thing in the morning when he is just an ear to ear grin of happiness. There are so many things that I love, like when I ask for a hug and he gives one, followed by a kiss noise. :-)

I have also found him to be a walking sponge lately. He looks at objects and wants to know about them. I can see him processing the information and storing it for later. He recently, (yesterday) began to say "cracker" although it is not perfectly pronounced correctly, I can make it out. He also says "woof" for dog, ish- for fish.

Finally for today I will end with a cute little situation of last night. I was getting Dominic ready for bed and generally when he is ready I take him in with Matt while I get his sippy cup of milk ready. Well he was walking around the floor of our bedroom last night when Matt went to the computer. Dominic followed, wanted up and was looking at the computer. I said to Matt "he wants to watch the fish". See, every night for the last week and a half the two of them watch a fish movie (just fish and music) together for a few minutes each night (maybe 5-10). Sure enough Dominic climbs into his lap and says "ish" while pointing his little finger to the monitor. :-) Creatures of habit we are from even an early age!

First Year Check Up

Dominic had his one year check up on Monday Jan. 8th. He is currently 31 inches long(75 percentile) and 20.1 lbs (25 percentile). I'm a little surprised at how little he has gained as he eats a ton. However, he is extremely active and he probably burns most of what he eats off!

At the Dr's-as soon as I laid Dominic on the table to undress him he started to cry. I think he remembered being there fromt he last time. He cried all through getting weighed and measured (he actually was clinging to me and didn't want me to put him down). He stoped crying for a little when we were in the room by ourselves and I was reading to him, but as soon as the dr. came in he began again. He cried all through his physical until she left the room.

He began again when the nurse came in to give him his shots. (With good reason!)

After the shots we got him dressed and had to take him across the street for blood work. I figured it would be best to get it over with in the same day. No point dragging it out further.

It was challenging for me as I had to hold him during his blood withdrawl. The lady needed a second person because he is so small. I had to hold him down and he cried so hard that he had hives. The lady drawing the blood wanted to check both arms before deciding which to draw blood from. Unfortunately, she decided to go with the first arm she checked. By now he has been crying for at least 3-5 minutes. When she finally inserts the needle all you hear left is huge gasps for air. Upon drawing the blood with the vial only 1/4 full and she needs 2, the needle comes out! UGH!!!! At least she was nice enough to have us wait in the waiting room while she sent it up to the lab to see if there was enough for both tests. Thankfully, there was!!!

Home and right to bed he did go. He was a sad, cuddly little boy. Up all night with a feaver and feeling miserable. Tuesday, just wanted to be held and cuddled. Lots of books. Little to eat. Still running a feaver. Ate a better dinner, cool bath and to bed. Up all night again. Wanted to be held and cuddled back to sleep. (I'm exhausted!! Don't know how I made it 8 months being up all night!) Wed. a little better, played with toys, not much appetite. Lunch time got him to eat apples and blueberryies, three spoonfulls of yougart and he threw up. He just wanted to cuddled. More books and sleep. Around dinner time he started to peark up a bit. By 6:30pm he was ready for bed. In bed at 7pm and fast asleep. Woke up at 1am, desired water and laid back down himself. Woke up at 3:45am, hungry, drank water and ate 1/2 a bannana. He wanted to be rocked. Less then five minutes later I placed him in his crib and he didn't wake till 7am. Up at 7 and he acted like himself. He ate breakfast, but not his normal amount. Nap at 8:30am and slpt till 10:30am. Acting a bit better (about 75-80% himself) as he playes with his toys and makes a mess of the house, but cries easily (not normal for him) and desires to be held often. There is no feaver today!!! 1/10/07

As a note to myself, I didn't realize how soon children remember things. He was last at the Doctor three months ago for his shots. He remembered getting his shots and the Doctor's office from 9 months old! I only know this as he has never acted or reacted like this before. It is highly unlike him. He is usually warm and smily to everyone.

It is amazing that not only did he have the prior knowledge, but was able to place it and retrieve it at the correct time!

Dominic's Birthday #1

Dominic had a great first birthday. Mommy and daddy made chicken parm. dinner. Dominic loved it. He had on a cute sweater, but took it off for the dinner. He had the pasta everywhere. I guess that is the thing when you eat with your hands, it is going to be everywhere! After the dinner and socializing with family, came cake.

Chocolate cake and chocolate frosting for the first birthday. He really enjoyed everyone singing to him. However, when it came time to blow out the candle he did not know what to do. So, I opted to try and show him. He still didn't want to attempt it, so I called cousin Christopher over and he helped do the honor.

Next, was time for presents. At first he still wasn't sure what to do about opening them, but with help from Pupo after about the third gift he knew what to do and enjoyed opening them.

I know that I have only given a breif taste of what the day was like, but it is vivid in my memory and will be a lasting one. It was a fantastic birthday and what made it so special was most of his family was able to share this day with him. That is really important!!! Thank you family!!!

Christmas Day

It was long before Thanksgiving that it was decided how we were going to spend Christmas Day. While we were in Maine last year it was not even a consideration. This year, with Dominic, being home and my mom having the first Christmas off in three years, we decided to spend the morning home, then go to Grandma Mo's and Pupo's for lunch, and end up at Grandma Cindy's house. I wanted to fit going in to see Grandpa Chris and Grandma Becky, but they were leaving after dinner and there was no way that we could make it in time. It was sad for me, but there is only so much time in one day and only so much one can do. (Especially because we planned it so far in advance.)

At home it was a quiet morning. Daddy helped Dominic open his gifts as he had not gotten the idea yet. It was the only year that the presents were able to stay wraped under the tree right up till Christmas day. :-)

Then we went to Grandma Mo's and Pupo's house. We opened preasants and had a wonderful morning. Dominic however got a wonderful much desired gift from his grandparents, a john deer tractor. I have included some photos of Dominic's face when he first saw it and then while he was playing on it. The funny part is I don't know who was happier. Pupo going to get it and seeing Dominic's experssion or Dominic.


Dominic has loved Pupo's tractor since he was five months old and got to ride on it with him. Then each time we went over there (as he got older) he would sit and drive the thing. He loved to just sit on it and pretend he was driving. Now he has his own mini version that in the spring will be the perfect size for him to pedel around.

After a wondeful dinner we headed up to Grandma Cindy's house. Se was excited to see us all on this wonderful day. (Although in 29 years, I cannot remember a non-white Christmas in Upstate NY. This was the first Christmas without snow!)



This was a mask that Ronald put on and we wanted to see if it would scare Dominic. As you can see in the following picture he was more curious then he was scared!


Nope!! Not scared of him at all!!















Grandma Cindy enjoying all her grandchildren.





We had snack food, which was great after filling up on a heavy Christmas dinner. Then we enjoyed good company and when Aunt Mandy and Uncle Chris and the kids arrived we opened gifts. It was a wonderful evening! We headed home around 8 with a very, very tired little boy.

Christmas Eve

The day before Christmas Eve we went to Massena to visit Dominic's Nana. Pupo stayed behind to recover from an unexpected surgery and Uncle Anthony stayed as well to help him out. So, Aunt Angie, Grandma Mo, Matt, Dominic and I headed up for the day. Nana was pleased to see little Dominic and the whole bunch of us. She made fantastic Gnocchi! She hand made them and said it took her about an hour. I thought it would have taken all day. Who knows, but they were wonderful. There was so much food to eat!! Lasagna, and Italian meat (not exactly sure as I'm not a huge meat fan) but Matt loved them. There was also a salad, meatballs and sauce. Then for desert there was a wonderful cake and tons of cookies.

Dominic enjoyed playing and destroying Nana's house. We enjoyed the day with her. Dominic refused an afternoon nap and decided to play with Nana's walker instead. During dinner he walked right into the bar of it. I don't know why he didn't see it, but he got a little bump and knew for the next time. Mark stopped by a couple of times. The first was to say hi and pick up Nana's prescription to drop off. The next time was to bring his little dog for a visit. Actually he brought two. One was a little on and one was a big one. The little dog came in the house and Dominic fell in love with the thing. It was the perfect size for him, 6lbs, about the size of a cat. He enjoyed playing with the little guy. However, when the big dog barked (she was on the porch) Dominic calmly went over to the door and shut it so he couldn't see or hear the big dog. It was very comical!!

After we ate dinner with Nana we headed to Mark & Linda’s house as Linda couldn't make it to Nana's house and she wanted to see Dominic. So we visited for a little bit. She was really taken with Dominic and wanted to hold him. She only was able to hold him for about 30 seconds. Dominic was too interested in all the nick knacks around the house to sit for long. He also got another opportunity to play with the dog!

That was it for our long drive home.



12.24


- Christmas Eve was a busy day catching up on things I would have done on the 23rd. In the evening we went to Aunt Mandy's house for dinner and a quick visit with Uncle Jon, Kim, Grandpa Chris & Grandma Becky. Then we were off to church, which was packed. It was the day of Imagin's baptism. It was a beautiful night with no snow for Christmas Eve. Imagin was baptized and we hung out for photos then headed home with one exhausted little boy. It was a great night, but so busy that there was a lot lost, sadly. Or, rather I would liked to have spent more quality time with people, but due to circumstances found myself unable to do so. Plus, this was the first Christmas with Dominic and we needed to be home earlier so he could get some much needed sleep.

One Month Later

I can hardly believe it has been a month since I've posted. A lot happens in the span of one month. Aside from Dominic growing he is now capable of saying "baby", he points to things he wants, hugs, makes kiss noises, climbs everything like it is a jungle gym and more. It is daily that I find new things he is capable of doing.

Two days ago I packed up his rubber bath tub as he is now in the big tub. He loves the ability to move around and have space to play with his toys. Bath time has new meaning now. It is also impossible to have him playing in the bathroom while I take my morning shower. Reason being, he has the new found habit of sliding into the tub while I am taking my shower so he can play. He doesn't care what he has on as long as he can play in the tub with the water. So, now I either get up earlier then he does to take my shower, or wait till he goes down for his morning nap.

I love his ablity to walk and do things for himself! He is truly an individual!