Some Unconventional Thanks

Thanksgiving is here which means it is time to give thanks for all the wonderful things we have.  Of course we are thankful for the usual stuff - family, friends, home, life blessings.  But this year, we thought it would be fun to share some of the things we are truly thankful for that don't always make it onto the Thanksgiving dinner table list.

• I am thankful that Nordstrom decided to centralize their buying offices making it that much harder to get off the sales floor and into a buying office.  When I left, I started a career within the non-profit sector leading me to have the best job I have ever had.  EVER.

• Both Ed and I give big thanks to BFF Jim Graziano who convinced me to move up to New York in the summer of 2006.  It was that Labor Day that Ed and I met and the rest, as they say, is history. :)

• We are all thankful that Safari Stan decided to open their doors in Westbury in the summer of 2009.  Our visit during their opening weekend to buy cat food led to our bringing Lucy into the Mangiaracina family.

• Thank you to the key people at Sprint who helped Ed receive a transfer to the VA office thus causing our move and leading us to find our beautiful new home.

• Thanks to musical artists like Jewel, Lisa Loeb and Jack Johnson for writing children's music that is not annoying to listen to after the 150th time and makes our little man lull into a deep sleep each night.

• I am thankful for the good people at Apple Inc. who invented FaceTime.  It makes my monthly trips to New York a little bit easier.

Believe me, we are thankful everyday for all that we have.  But we are even more thankful for the little things that have helped us shape our wonderful life. :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Picture People

A few weeks back, we took advantage of a great gift I received at my baby shower (thank you Kim Newland!) and this week, we received the goods.  The Mangiaracina's met with Erica of Elevee Photography at the Sully Plantation on a chilly day in October to do our family photo shoot.  When I called Erica to schedule the shoot she told me that she was 100% booked until the end of the year (boo!), but she was able to squeeze us in if we could do a week day (yah!).  Luckily, we all had Columbus Day off so that was our day.

We all dressed in our finest and headed to the site to meet the lovely Erica.  She was fun, bubbly and a Mom herself to 3 young girls so she totally related to all of the baby-isms we encountered during the shoot. And believe me, we encountered a lot.  Like  A LOT a lot!!  Our typically happy, smiley, giggly little man decided that this was the day he would not crack a smile.  We did everything in our power to make him smirk. There was dancing and singing and bouncing and swinging but nothing worked.  NOTHING.  He was more interested in checking the place out than to give a big smile for the camera.

But despite this obstacle, Erica was able to get a bunch of really great photos.  At the end of the 2 hour shoot, she caught the one smile of the day and actually got 2 photos of it!  And since she is such a great person, she is actually offering us another session at half price since James was so serious during this one.  Score!  Hopefully this time, he'll give us a peek at those pearly whites he's been working on so hard.  :)

Enjoy!

 



 

 

Psst:  The video is a little grainy when viewing it on the blog.  Check it out on YouTube using this direct link.  Enjoy!

Baby's First Halloween

I've never really been a huge fan of Halloween.  I mean, when I was a kid I loved it - who wouldn't?!   Getting dressed up and collecting candy all night long?  When you are little, that is the dream!  But as I got older, the excitement waned.  Not only was it frowned upon to trick or treat after a certain age, I started to feel pressure to come up with a costume that wasn't lame.  There were a few good years here and there, but overall, I would rather stay holed up in the house and pass out candy to the little ones dressed like Batman and Tinkerbell.

This year, that all changed.  Having a little one brings back all the magic of Halloween - even if your little one is only 8 months old!  James' first Halloween began last week at the party Willowcreek Academy threw.  All the kids were dressed up and even some of the staff joined in on the fun.  James dressed as Sheriff Woody from Toy Story and he could not have been cuter.  Too bad he fell asleep and missed most of the party!

On the actual day, James had more Halloween fun.  He dressed as a skeleton during the day and got LOTS of compliments on his oh-so-scary costume.  :)

Due to some unforeseen circumstances (aka spit up), James changed into his Sheriff Woody costume for trick-or-treating.  This time he was bibbed as to not ruin this costume.  We did a little photo shoot before hitting the streets - he was more interested in eating the camera case than smiling for the camera. :)

Because we have the greatest neighbors in the world, they invited us to join them as they walked the neighborhood for candy.  We bundled Sheriff Woody up in his carriage, tucked in his trusty steed Bulls Eye and hit the road.  

The neighborhood kids had some AMAZING costumes this year.  Nate was the powerful Voltron, Connor was an adorable Thomas the Tank and Ariana was a beautiful princess.

Everyone had a great time walking around, collecting candy.  Thomas the Tank needed some assistance up and down the stairs, but luckily there were many adults around to assist!  The men of the street may have had more fun than the kids this year - they had their own kind of candy to make it through the night!

Ed was his usual self and showed more interest in collecting candy than the kids did.  He carried James' pumpkin around and made his way to each door to get his coveted treats.  I think he may have knocked over a kid to get a full sized Hershey bar!  :)

Some of our neighbors went ALL OUT and decked our their houses.  We saw ghosts hanging from trees, a HUGE Grim Reeper, a smoke machine and a clap-activated demon.  Well done Little Rocky Run residents!!

We had a great time trick-or-treating and I think James' really enjoyed himself.  The best part for him was that we were outside in the dark and he got to stay up later than normal.  Ed and I already dove into his candy loot - it's not like he can enjoy it for a few more months!

Happy Halloween!!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Eight Months Old

Eight months ago today we were at INOVA Fair Oaks Women's Center awaiting the arrival of our baby boy.  We were filled with all sorts of emotions - excitement, nerves, exhilaration and fear.  He was an unknown factor for 9 long months and the time to meet him was upon us.  Our OB was late so our 9:30 am c-section appointment turned into an 11:09 am birth time.  But you know what, he was worth the wait.  :)

So here we are, 8 months old and a TON of milestones to report.

• James is officially crawling and doing a really, REALLY good job at it!  He is all over the place exploring every nook and cranny of our main level.  And not only is he crawling, but he is pulling up on anything that will hold him and some things that won't.  We haven't had any major falls yet.  And I stress yet because it is coming!

• As of October 29th, James is now a student in the Infant II class at Willowcreek Academy.  Because he can crawl, he graduated out of Infant I and into the bigger kids' class.  It's the same room, but a different side of the all important divider.  Apparently he was bugging all the smaller babies as he cruised around the room so it was time for him to graduate and play with the bigger kids.

• Because of all the crawling and pulling up, James' crib mattress is now at the lowest point that it can go.  It's not uncommon for us to find him standing in his crib each morning and after naps.  Because of this, Ed purchased some crib teething covers to protect the wood.  Our little wood chuck was able to chomp on the rails for a day or so, but we are now protected.

• Life has changed in the way of the food he eats.  He's now down to 4 bottles a day and up to 3 solid meals a day.  Breakfast begins with oatmeal and fruit (favs are pears, peaches, apricots and prunes) followed by a veggie/fruit lunch.  Dinner consists of more oatmeal, veggies and a fruit.  He is a big fan of carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes and broccoli.  We have started introducing finger foods like Cheerios and Gerber Puffs, but so far he's not so interested.  When he puts one in his mouth, typically he gags, but we are going to keep trying until he gets the hang of it.

• James has sprouted 2 more teeth to join in on the fun.  His 2 top front teeth have made an appearance and are causing some pain for the little man.  EVERYTHING is in his mouth to help ease the pain.  His favorites - Sophie (of course!), a cold wet wash cloth, his fingers.

• This kid is GROWING!  We don't have an official weight, but he has to be close to 20 pounds.  He is now wearing size 3 diapers so we know that he is putting on the weight - in a good way.

Happy 8 Month Birthday James!!!