Over the River and Through the Woods...

... to Grandmother's house we went this weekend. Although it was more like over a few rivers and through  construction on the New Jersey Turnpike.  We headed up to Grandma Mangiaracina's this weekend for a few reasons - partly because we had a wedding to attend on Long Island and mostly because James was finally going to meet some of his Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

We dropped Lucy off with Grandma and Grandpa Q. on Friday night and hit the road. The drive up was slightly brutal, but we managed to make it to Long Island in one piece. 

James was a trooper ~ he slept the entire car ride, had a bottle upon arrive, doled out some smiles and then hit the hay until the next morning.  First thing on the agenda: visit Gennaro Jewelers to have my engagement ring and wedding band re-sized.  I have not been able to wear them since about month 3 of my pregnancy so it is pretty awesome to get them back on my 1/2-size bigger fingers.

After our errand, it was time to head home and party like it was 1999 with the family.  James, thankfully, was in a good mood and let everyone hold him and kiss on him.  Don't get me wrong, there were a few fussy moments, but all in all everyone got to see our sweet little boy with smiles on his face.  Cousin Renee fell in love immediately. So much so that she would not give him up!! 

It was a great day, followed by a great evening.  We there to attend the wedding of Ed's good friend Patty.  The wedding was at the Garden City Hotel and it was black tie optional so it was a chance for Ed and I to shed our spit-up covered clothes and get all dolled up.  Aunt Adriana, Uncle John and Uncle Joe were on hand to baby sit and what a great job they did. We put James down before we left and he continued to sleep well into the night.  When we woke up, Aunt Adriana fed him, changed him, played with him and put him down again with no real drama.  What a pro!!

The wedding was lovely but unfortunately we were so tired from the drive and the day that we bowed out a little early. The bride looked gorgeous, the food was awesome and the band rocked so I'd say it was a huge success.

 

Wedding highlight ~ Bill Pinkey, one of the original singers from The Drifters, was there and put on a small concert for the guests.  Who are The Drifters, you ask?  Well they sing things like "Under the Boardwalk", and "Up on the Roof".  Apparently, he is a friend of the guy who owns that band that was hired to do the wedding. And the guy who owns the band is a close personal friend of the groom. And that is probably more information than you care to know, but needless to say, it was cool. 

So there you have it.  Lots of fun crammed into a short amount of time. We headed home first thing Sunday morning and once again, James managed to snooze the entire ride.  We feel very lucky that we have a kid who can adapt to our go-getter lifestyle.  :)  Later that day we enjoyed a birthday dinner with some neighbors at a Japanese Steakhouse ~ but more on that later. 

James' Monthly Photo Project: Four Months Old

So here we are again.  It is July 1st which means that another month has gone by and James is another month older.  4 MONTHS!!!

So much has happened and changed in these 4 months and we are happy to report that our little James is thriving!!!  Some milestones to report:

• James started daycare 2 weeks ago and is loving it!!  He is a big hit with all the teachers and fellow students and just loves all the fun activities.  It was tough to see him go, but we are really happy that he has adjusted so well.
• The drool faucet has officially turned ON which means teeth are just around the corner.  Not only is there a constant flow of drool coming out of his mouth, he is always sucking on his hands or my hands or whatever object is in his sight.
• And to that point, he now is able to grab something with both hands and bring it to his mouth with success.  Can you say stellar hand/eye coordination?!!  

But the biggest milestone that was hit this month and that made our hearts melt was when he laughed out loud for the first time.  I was making some silly "babababa" noise and he just thought it was hilarious and let out his first (of now many) giggle.  We both were there to witness it and it was the most AMAZING sound we'd ever heard.  

We know that lots of great new milestones are around the corner, but in the mean time, we are enjoying every moment of now.  :)

Happy 4 month birthday little man!!

Dinner Time

The other night, we all ate dinner as a family for the first time.  James has this amazing knack for knowing exactly when it's dinner time and he chooses that time to become extra fussy.  On this particular night, when the dinner bell rang, we plopped him in his Bumbo and put him on the table so he could keep us company while we enjoyed our meal.  To our excitement, he remained calm ~ even happy!!

Soon enough he will be in his high chair eating pureed fruits and veggies, but until then he just watched us while eating on his Sophie.

There is something to be said about eating dinner without having an infant on your lap. You savor every bite!

Happy Birthday Lucy Part 2

Hi everyone ~ Lucy here.  I know that my Mommy told you all that my birthday was last week, but I wanted to let you know that I got some really great presents from Mommy, Daddy and Baby James.  And really, why shouldn't I get great presents.  I put up with a lot around here, especially since that kid came around.  Don't get me wrong, I love my baby brother. But I miss sleeping at night without hearing that loud cry. And I used to love when Mommy and Daddy would come home from wherever they were and take me for a long walk.  Now they just put me in the back yard and yell out "Go Pee Pee!".  Hello ~ a girl needs some time to do her business AND I've already smelled everything there is to smell back there!!

But anyway, my birthday was great and I got some great stuff - including 3 new toys, some new chicken treats and even my very own birthday cake!!

 

 

I loved my toys the best ~ especially my Lamby.  It has the BEST squeaker that I of course broke within the first 10 minutes of play.  You gotta love me!!

Then, when I thought the fun was over, Nate and Conner (the cute little boys from down the block), came over and brought me MORE presents!!!  They are such good boys! :)  What did I get?  Well, not only did they bring me an awesome dinosaur toy, but they also brought party hats and a card with a drawing of me in it!!! I was so excited!!  The card is on the refrigerator.  And I made Mommy work really hard to get my party hat on. :)  I love my birthday!!!

THANK YOU NATE AND CONNER AND MOMMY AND DADDY AND JAMES!!!!

A Father's Day Gift

When we first bought this house we couldn't get over how big it was. There was so much space and we thought, how could we ever fill it up?  Well, it was easier than we thought and we now look for new ways to organize and store things.  Since we don't have a garage, one of our biggest challenges is where to store outdoor things like rakes and shovels and all the tools that are necessary to make a tiny garden look like this:

So, for Ed's first Father's Day, James and Lucy treated him to a brand new shed for the back yard.  We had been talking about adding one to our yard for a while, but had to really mull over what size to get and where to put it.  We don't have a ton of space back there and have to stick to some HOA rules, so our choices were limited.  After lots of internet searches and trips to Home Depot and Lowes, we decided to go with the Suncast Vertical Storage Shed.

Since I am in no shape to pick this up from the store on my own (James really is no help with the lifting), the kids treated Ed to some Home Depot cards.  Nothing says Father's Day like "Pick up your own gift and build it yourself!!"  :)

Since neither of them are any good at holding things, Lucy and James were on hand for moral support.  Lucy was very interested in something on the stairs and James couldn't get enough of his Sophie toy.

In the end, it turned out pretty great. We had to do some shuffling of things so that it would fit on the deck, but with a quick relocation of the potting bench, we were good to .  The best part ~ it's big enough to fit lots and lots of junk!

 

 

And because we are from NY, the shed was outfitted with one of these. :)  You  can never be too safe to protect your junk.  :)

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

Our little Lucy girl is celebrating her 3rd birthday today - where did the years go?  We can remember when she was a sweet little puppy, warming our hearts and driving her kitty brothers crazy.  Now she is a sweet big girl, warming our hearts and driving her brother James crazy.  :)

For her first birthday, we were living in my parent's basement.  She had a good time, but I think her second birthday was better.  We were living in our new house and she got all kinds of loot including her very own birthday cake.  

Today she was treated to all kinds of toys and treats including another birthday cake. We'll have some photos to share, but in the mean time, here is a look back at a smaller Lucy girl.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lucy Girl!!!  We love you!!!

Beach Bums

The last week of my maternity leave was spent with the family basking in the sun at Bethany Beach.  We have been going up to Bethany for many years now as a family and are lucky enough to stay in the Doyle's beautiful house (check out the tour here).  This year was especially exciting since it was James' first time as well as Grandma Mangiaracina's first visit.  

The weather was beautiful and we took advantage of all the sites ~ well, as many as you can with a 3 month old baby.  Going to the beach now is not quite the same as it used to be.  In what way, you ask? Well, for one thing, we didn't step foot on the sand.  The sun was so hot and James is just too little to be basking in it.  We kept saying we'd go at dusk to enjoy "our time" (shout out to Petherton Peeps!), but we never quite made it happen.  That's okay - James still got to wear his cool-man shades. :)

We did manage to hit the pool and James was decked out in his swimming finest.  He wasn't a big fan of the water but he did manage to catch a few zzz's.

Bethany is an adorable town with a cute little boardwalk. We took in the sites on night one and indulged in some beach ice cream.  Doesn't ice cream just taste better at the beach?! James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself.

One of the best parts about being in Bethany is that it is so close to some other great beaches including Rehobeth and Ocean City.  Rehobeth is a cute little beach town with a great boardwalk complete with Fisher's Popcorn, Thrasher French Fries and Dolles Taffy.  We spent an afternoon taking in the sites and enjoyed some Mexican fare at Dos Locos.  James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself.

We did lots of outlet shopping, celebrated Ed's Birthday, Dad's Birthday, Lucy's Birthday and Father's Day and even managed to get in some valuable tummy time for the little man.  Lucy was a BIG fan of the vacation and got lots of joy watching the golfers outside the front window.

On our last night in town, we decided to check out the Ocean City boardwalk ~ something we have not done in many years.  James slept, but I know he enjoyed himself. Notice a theme??  Actually he was awake for some of it.  Although being that it was Senior Week, I'm not sure it was anything I wanted him to see!!

All in all, it was a great week and we were sad to see it end.  Even though it didn't feel like a true, relaxing vacation (not sure that is possible with an infant), it was nice to get a way.  We especially liked all the extra hands to help out with James.  

I think next year we are really going to enjoy ourselves - especially since James will be an eager toddler ready to build sand castles!