Taking on The World With Our Boy

5 on Friday

2012-01-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Out of no where last weekend, Marino announced "You and me and Daddy love each other."

4. Several times this week, Marino has woken up very happy. One morning he woke up and shouted down the steps "Mommy, I had a really good nap!". When he came downstairs he said "I just want to lay down and snuggle with you on the couch!" A couple days later he woke up in the morning and announced "I had a perfect nap!"

3. On the way to work/school the other day, a car in front of us hit a baby deer. After we left the scene of the accident (no one was hurt, aside from the deer), the following conversation took place...

Marino: "What happened to the baby reindeer?"

Mommy: "Um, he fell down, but someone is going back to help him."

Marino: "Is a superhero coming?"

Mommy: "Yes."

Marino: "Is Superman coming?"

Mommy: "Yes"

Marino: "I think Superman is going to bring all the Superfriends to help the baby reindeer. And they are going to fly him back to his mommy and baby deer sister. "

Heartwarming, right? Then three minutes later he announces "Um, Mommy? I think a wolf is going to come eat that deer. "

2. As I was dropping him off a preschool the other morning he said "Bye, don't forget to bring money!" I asked why I need to bring money and he said "So you can take out some of the teachers!". Then he popped his head out the door when I was half way to my car and said "Mommy, you need to get to work, so you can come home and snuggle with me!"

1. And last, but most significant, Marino is potty trained! Its definately not a flawless process, but he's gone over a month without wearing diapers with very few accidents (even overnight).

New Years Eve Trip to Great Falls

2012-01-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

The afternoon of New Year's Eve, we went over to Great Falls (Maryland side) for a walk. Would you believe that I've been living here 7 years and this is my first time visiting Great Falls? We all had a great time and we enjoyed amazing weather (60s). Only the dog was cold!

Marino asked about 60 times if we could get on this boat.

I love this picture of my boys!

We'll definately be back for more hikes in the Spring!

Goodbye My Friend...Meg Misove Case

2012-01-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

One of my closest friends growing up, Meg, passed away unexpectedly on January 11th. She wasn't sick or hurt in anyway...she just died her sleep at age 35. It's hard to process.

I can't even remember when we became friends. I just remember her always being my friend, from 6th grade on. We lived in the same neighborhood and this meant we spent tons of time together. We rode the bus together, hung out after school, spent every snow day together (we grew up in NY...there were a lot of snow days). She went to Florida with my mother and I - the first time I ever went on a plane. I remember us in Florida, forcing my mother to play wildly inappropriate tapes in the rental car, like R. Kelly.

Meg was already riding horses when I started, but we had even more fun doing it together. For a few years, we spent every extra moment at the barn. We both loved everything about being there - the horses, the smell, feeding, bathing the horses, mucking stalls, painting the jumps. We just loved being there and learning as much as we could. It was a really special time in my life, and Meg was a huge part of that.

Meg taught me how to drive. She had this big white Blazer and we rode to school together every day. We grew up in upstate New York, where snow and ice are on the road 75% of the winter. One morning, while she was teaching me to drive, I rear ended someone after sliding on ice. Ugh, I've never felt so guilty about anything in my life. I remember calling Meg and her saying "I'm mad at you, Sara, but I really don't want to be." She was mad at herself for being mad at me. I think that's a good representation of who she was. She lived in the moment, she saw the good in everyone. That was the closest we got to ever having an argument. Meg was a loyal friend - she didn't have expectations of me - she was just happy to be doing whatever we would be doing. I was a much more polarizing figure in high school...people tended to love or hate me. Not Meg. She had no enemies. Everyone loved her - she had friends within the various cliques and groups in our school.

We lost touch after high school...she never really got into Facebook or email and those are pretty much the only ways I communicate these days. I saw her in 2006 at our 10 year high school reunion, and instantly, our bond was intact. She was so happy to see me and had such kind things to say. It was clear we missed each other, and we exchanged numbers and talked on the phone, though certainly not as much as I liked. The last time we "chatted" was one of her rare occasions on Facebook, we talked about how she wanted to start her own family and the trickier aspects of being a stepparent. She had just gotten married to a great guy in 2009. They were the first couple to be married on The Walkway Over the Hudson. Her husband is collecting donations to install a memorial for Meg on the Walkway. I love the idea of having a tangible reminder of her there.

I wish I could hug her one more time and tell her that I loved her. Sometimes we forget that we don't have all the time in the world to spend with the people important to us, and to make new memories. Meg was a really amazing person, and I'm grateful for the moments that made up our friendship.

Last Days of Our NY Trip

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

My mom and stepfather were nice enough to take Marino to the Hudson Highland Nature Museum in Cornwall to visit some local animals. He really enjoyed himself, especially checking out some very active mice and a talking crow. I had no idea crows could talk, but apparently, this one says "hello." Marino was very impressed.

The amazing talking crow!

Checking things out with Grampa Ray

The last day of our trip was really special because I got the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. Lauren was one of my roommates in college and has been an amazing friend to me. She's one of those people in my life that came along at a time when I really needed her, and she's fiercely loyal and hysterically funny (great combination). We hadn't seen each other in years, but we met up (with Marino) at The Beanrunner Cafe in Peekskill. The cafe is great, they have a gated playroom with seating for adults so you can have a conversation while you watch the kids play - I wish there were more places like this! Marino decided he loved Lauren in no time, and I had a great time catching up with her...I'm looking forward to seeing her again soon!

I know, she's gorgeous, too!
Can't wait to catch up again!!

Baby Alana

2012-01-20T18:30:00.001-05:00

I am so behind...here I am still blogging about things that happened last month, but these are special pictures below and I need to share them!

The Tuesday after Christmas, Marino and I headed to NJ to visit Sonia, Wil and the girls, including new addition, Baby Alana. All the kids were cute with her...even Marino was very interested and concerned. At one point she cried and he said "Oh, its the tv! The tv is too loud; she can't sleep!" Her sisters totally adore her - its so sweet to see!

3 amigos: Marino, Cat & Siena. The kids had a great time playing together, as always. Siena and Cat singing lullabies to Alana Smushy, sleepy baby - what's better?

We love our new baby friend!!

5 on Friday

2012-01-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The other day, Marino looked at a picture of Evan and I on our wedding day. He said, "Mommy, you were a princess!"

4. Funny or sad? Last week we had to give Marino a suppository because he'd gone 5 days without pooping and was obviously in pain. As we were positioning him to get the suppository he said "You guys, this is the best!" We stopped trying to sell it at that point, since, clearly, it was not going to be the best (although he did really well, considering)

3. On Monday, Sabrina and her friend Zahra came to my dad's to hang out with Marino while I went to a wake. I said, "Marino, the girls are going to stay here and play with you." "No" he said "They can't. These are the bad girls."

2. Marino is very interested in the concepts of being "big" and "small" (old/young). The other day in the car, he asked my mom, "Gramma, when I'm a big giant boy and a daddy, can I drive the front of the car? And you will sit in the cow seat?" (his car seat has a cow print).

1. Lots of conversations these days start with Marino saying "When I was a tiny tiny baby..." The other day he said "Mommy, when I was a tiny tiny baby, you would hold me in your arms and I would cry like this 'wah wah'. And I looked just like Baby Megamind!"

First Train Ride!

2012-01-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

The Monday after Christmas was filled with Marino's favorite thing - trains!

First we took Daddy to the train station so he could head back home (he had to work Tuesday; Marino and I were off all week). Marino was really excited to see the train come and go.
After dropping off Daddy and getting a quick lunch, Marino, Gramma and I headed to the Catskill Mountain Railroad for a special train ride. The train is really awesome. Perfect length of time for young kids, the train is open air so they can get an amazing view, and the ride is very affordable. All of the staff work as volunteers, and it's clear they love their work and the kids. Oh, and they give you candy on this train, which won me over!

Marino and Gramma

Not so sure about the ride through the tunnel.
My friend Jill, her husband Charlie and sons James and Parker joined us. The boys were sleepy (past their nap time).
Charlie, James, Parker and Jill
Santa was on the train!! Normally, Marino is afraid of Santas, but not so after Christmas! He immediately thanked Santa for the gifts and said "Santa, you ate all the cookies I left for you! And the carrots, too!" It was sweet.

Can you tell he's happy to be on the train?

He wanted to get a look at the tracks.

Looking forward to another train ride in the Spring (when its hopefully much warmer!).

Sweet 16

2012-01-13T06:35:00.000-05:00

Can you believe this gorgeous girl is sixteen years old today?
It's hard to believe its been sixteen years since the snowy night she was born.
I'm so proud of her and I love her to pieces.

5 on Friday

2012-01-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Last week, Marino announced, "Mommy, I just want to hug girls. Not boys. Just girls." At the time I was downloading mp3s and he saw a picture of Rihanna. "I want to hug her" he said.

4. When Marino is mad at Evan or I, his new insult is "You're not my family anymore!"

3. We had our first (tiny) snow fall of the season on Monday. "Mommy, is all the snow down yet?"

2. Marino is slightly obsessed with the concept of a "best friend". In his world, best friend status changes daily and sometimes hourly. But the other day he said "Mommy, Aunt Sonia is your best friend." (this is true).

1. Marino's language skills are great, and he really picks up a lot of the nuances of adult conversations. It's always a bit surprising when your 3 year old asks "How was your run, Mommy?" or "Mommy, you don't feel so good? That's too bad." I just love this boy so much!

More Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T18:30:00.002-05:00

After opening gifts and having a yummy breakfast with my dad and stepmother, we headed up to Saratoga (about 2.5 hours away) to my Aunt Mary and Uncle Gordon's farm. It was great to see my extended family and Marino really enjoyed getting to climb on a real tractor.

Evan and I on Christmas day (with Marino giving us a dirty look in the background)

Aunt Carol and Mom skyping with my brother in Dallas. Isn't technology great?

My cousin Clare snuggling with my aunt Carol and Chloe.

More snuggle time with Clare's aunt Rashni.

Uncle Gordon patiently teaching Marino all about the tractor.

Of course, after all that explantation, his two questions were "How do I make the tractor move?" and "Can we get the tractor to pick up that car?"

Looking forward to visiting the farm in warmer months soon!

5 on Friday

2012-01-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week (I'm a week behind):

5. On Christmas Eve, Marino declared "I just love Santa so much!"

4. Over dinner at Jennifer's house, we asked Marino to sit down and eat. "I can't!" he said, "I'm too play-ee!"

3. While we were at my dad's house, Marino asked "Can we go see Gramma with the white hair?" (this is my mom). He calls all of his grandmothers "Gramma" so he has to find innovative ways to differentiate which one he's referring to.

2. While we were at my dad's house, he asked my dad, "Pap Pap, are you my family?" My dad said yes and Marino said "Let's be a family of ghosteses. WOOHHHWOHHH" and started pretending to be a ghost.

1. Evan and I have been very impressed with Marino's control over his own body (not so much the withholding his poop for a week at a time to avoid the potty). He can roll his stomach and raise one eyebrow at a time on each side. This must be hereditary, since we skyped with my brother the other day and he could do it, too.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

I have tons of adventures to post about, since Marino and I spent a full week in New York with family and friends (Evan was with us the first 4 days). Christmas this year was really special, as it was the first year Marino "got it" and was anticipating Christmas and Santa's arrival. He truly delighted in every part of the season - every house decorated with lights, every Christmas tree, every gift. It was a joy.

Our trip started off with a bang - quite literally! 15 miles from home, in holiday traffic, the car in front of us hit a stopped car going 65+ mph, and then swerved into our lane...we coasted parallel with the careening car until we both came to a stop just inches from the guardrail and each other. To say we were lucky is an understatement. All the cars involved in the accident were totaled. A dog was thrown from the stopped car and was injured. It was very scary but after doing what we could to help and giving a statement to the state troopers, we continued on with our trip. Let's just say that experience did not make the next 5 hours of driving any more enjoyable!

Our first stop on Friday was at my stepsister Jennifer's house. She, her husband Hagen and their daughter Bae-Corine hosted a great dinner for us. Marino and Bae-Corine had an amazing time, as always. Those 2 really love each other and its so fun to watch them together.

I mean, how adorable are these two?

After our fun dinner, we headed to my mom's house for a good night's sleep. Saturday morning, I had my first success at getting Marino to poop in the potty (FINALLY! We've been at this for 6 months!).

Late Saturday morning, we headed over to my dad's house (about 45 minutes away). Marino was ecstatic to finally get to watch the Polar Express with my dad. He LOVED the movie. While he was engrossed with the North Pole, Bernadette and Sabrina came over to visit. Sabrina is turning 16 this month, I can't believe it! I mean, she looks 25, but if she's 16, that makes me officially old!! I remember the night she was born...the snow storm...ahhh! How was that 16 years ago?!

Christmas Eve, Evan and I did some last minute shopping while my dad and Barb watched Marino. He is in love with these musical penguins they have...here he is dancing to the penguin music.

They also baked cookies for Santa, which Marino was quite proud of.

So, of course that night we left out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas morning we woke up (Evan woke us up; he was so excited) and asked Marino if Santa came while we were sleeping. "No, he didn't" he said "I didn't hear him." We decided to go check and Marino couldn't believe that Santa had come and brought his beloved space station he had been asking for.

Special spy plane Santa brought for Marino for pooping on the potty the day before...

Reading The Polar Express with PapPap
Snuggle time with Gramma and Grampa Ray

5 on Friday

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The other day we were reading a book in the bathroom and we came across a picture of a whale. Marino said "This whale wants to go back home". He pretended to scoop up the whale with two hands and put it into the ocean.

4. Marino is in love with Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread. But it never fails to shock me a little when he asks for it, since he calls it "human bread." He must confuse the words "cinnamon" and "human."

3. The road we take to school every day is decorated for the season with lit up leaping deer with ribbons around their necks. Marino said "Look, Mommy, its a super deer! He has a cape! He flies!"

2. The other night I was talking to him about how we would be visit Aunt Sonia and her new baby, Baby Alana (born last Tuesday!). He was excited and a little while later said "We're going to visit Aunt Sonia and a baby llama!"

1. Marino loves the book Polar Express. I told him that my dad has the movie and we can watch it when we go there for Christmas. Yesterday when we passed a light display of doves (they "fly" around earth with the words "Peace on Earth"), he said "Merry Christmas, birdies! See you when we get back from Pap Pap's house! He has Polar Express!!"

Early Christmas Party with Our Family

2011-12-21T18:30:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday we had an early Christmas party with our families. We had a really great time and it was fun to get together with all our local relatives from both sides of the family. Unfortunately, I only took a few pictures since I was busy socializing.

Here's Marino and his favorite cousin, Pacey, making "cheese" faces and eating strawberries...

At one point I went up to Marino's room and this was happening...all his toys were piled on the bed! I asked why they did that and Pacey said "because we're travelling." Miranda asked where they were going. "To the store" Pacey said.

Miranda, Samantha, Aunt Kerry and Pacey

Marino bonding with Monique (Evan's cousin)

Serious scrabble game (or "Words with Friends" as the kids nowadays call it...)

L to R: Dexter, Sammy, Evan, Richelle and Monique

I wish I had more pictures since there were many other special people there!

It was a really fun night!

5 on Friday

2011-12-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry I missed last week; between traveling and a Marino illness, I was a little frazzled.
Here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino did great while I was gone but the day after I returned, he was sick and extra snuggly. Throughout the day, he would say "Come here you" and give me a big bear hug.

4. While standing at the potty the other day, Marino announced "KABOOM! Its a pee pee volcano!"

3. Marino is so excited about Christmas - we talk about it numerous times every day. Last year, my friend Rachel sent us a bunch of beautiful, hardcover Christmas stories, and we have really been enjoying these books. This whole month, we have read nothing but How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Polar Express, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and the Olivia Christmas book. I was surprised he enjoyed Polar Express so much, since there is a much greater word to picture ratio than the books we usually read, but he loves it. It's really been a joy experiencing this season with him this year.

Even more adorable, last night we were reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas when we got to the page that is just a picture of reindeer. Marino announced "This reindeer is Flyer. This one is named Doctor Rahman [his pediatrician] and this one is Hugo [the name of Jen's puppy]".

2. The other night we discussed that we were having a little family get together for Christmas this Saturday. "Are people bringing me presents?" Marino asked. "Yes, some of them might bring you presents," I said. "Well, can I give presents to everyone, too?" he asked.

1. My sister-in-law Rianne showed me a You Tube video of a toddler singing "Don't Stop, Don't Give Up" from Yo Gabba Gabba. She said it was her inspiration for getting through finals week. Little did she know, this is the song we sing on the potty every day! So I made her this little video for further inspiration. Does this boy have energy, or what?

A Sunday with Some of our Favorite People...

2011-12-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Marino and I headed to Virginia to hang out with Jen. Matt, Sydney, Noah and Justin. As always, we had a great time. Marino and Sydney play really well together, except when they don't ::smile::. We just love our buddies!

Here's Marino and Syd playing with the dinosaurs Sydney and Noah got him for Christmas.

Here they are channeling their inner T-Rex...

Their new puppy, Hugo. Isn't he adorable?! He's also very snuggly!

National Building Museum

2011-12-12T18:30:00.000-05:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Jen and I took the kid's to the National Building Museum. The museum has a special building-related playroom for kids, which, as you can imagine, was a big hit. It was one of those rare 70 degree days in November, so the kids also had an opportunity to play outside.

I actually had a lot of fun with the architecture blocks as well...it reminded me of my Urban Planning school work!

Noah, looking just like his Daddy!

Marino and Sydney love each other (most of the time)!

They decided this part of the sculpture was a slide - here Syd is pushing Marino down the "slide"

Beautiful and fun day! On the way home, we passed McPherson square, where Occupy DC is headquartered. Marino insisted we go there "just for a little while" and actually cried when he said we couldn't!

Back from Dallas

2011-12-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, I flew out to Dallas to visit my brother. As I've mentioned, he is knee deep in a battle with cancer. The day I flew out there, he got the results of his latest PET scan and they were not good. The cancer is now throughout his lungs and has moved into his bones.

I was really glad to get to spend some time with him. Although he is very sick, it was nice to be there to keep him company and hopefully help out a little.

Here I am with my big bro (we're 6 years apart)

And here I am with my wonderful sister-in-law, Holly, who is doing an amazing job balancing a full-time job and taking care of Brendan.

While I was there, I had an opportunity to meet up with some friends I've known online for 6 years but had never met before. We had a great brunch and I really loved meeting their little girls.

In the back is Annaleise, Jaime and I. Taylor and Amie are up front.
Please pray for my brother - for his health and his spirits. He needs all the support he can get.

This was my first time leaving Marino overnight, with the exception of the 36 hours I spent in the hospital in Philadelphia in 2010. I was very nervous, but he had a great time with Daddy. It's nice he's at an age where he understands that I will come back and also that we can talk on the phone and skype.

Christmas Time Is Here!

2011-12-04T16:15:00.001-05:00

Marino is so excited about Christmas this year and we're having a lot of fun with the holiday. Last Saturday, we went with Aunt Chelle and cousin Sammy to see Arthur Christmas, which he absolutely loved and got him a lot more excited about Santa. He also rocked out the Justin Bieber video at the beginning of the movie - you should have seen him dancing!

After the movie, Aunt Chelle, Evan, Marino and I picked up Shi Shi (Director of his old daycare) and we all went to the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens. Every year we plan to go but it ends up being freezing on the day we plan to go, so this year we went on a day it was 68 degrees!

We had a really good time - it was a lot of fun to walk through the lights rather than drive through them, since Marino could experience them at his own pace.

Howling with Daddy and the wolf

Marino and Shi Shi

On Monday, we put up and decorated our Christmas tree. Marino was so excited. Every ornament he unpacked, he would shout "I found the Grinch!" "I found a reindeer!" It was a lot of fun, although Marino said we need presents under the tree:)

Marino insists this is "his" Christmas tree. We're so looking forward to Christmas this year.

5 on Friday

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Sometimes this boy is so clever it's scary. Last Friday, he went came into the kitchen wearing my slouchy boots and announced "Look! I'm Quintyn Boots" (Quintyn Boots = Puss in Boots - he insists the cat shares his brother's first name).
4. Marino saw a picture of himself from two Christmases ago. He said "Mommy, that's me with 2 teeth." (he really did only have 2 teeth).

3. Marino's preschool is connected to a church (in body only - religion is not discussed aside from in the context of culture). The only time we've been in the church portion was for a preschool-wide dinner in the Fellowship Hall. When I was dropping him off the other day, he said "Mommy, that's a church." I said "Yes, do you think you get blessings there?" He replied "There's no blessings in there. Just food."

2. The other day we got in the car and "Watch the Throne" (Jay-Z and Kanye West) came on the radio. Marino said "Mommy, you can't listen to this song. This is Daddy's song. It's not for girls."

1. Last night we were "waiting for pee pee to come" at the potty. Marino looked at me and said "Mommy, you have red thunder in your eyes?"
Red thunder = red lightning = veins in my eye

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

We had a nice and mellow Thanksgiving. We headed over to my mother--in-law's house in Winchester and spent the day with her, her boyfriend (Mr. Don) and Aunt Chelle.

My sister-in-law, Rianne, is spending the semester in London, so we skyped her into our Thanksgiving feast.

Dinner was delicious, of course, particularly the special sweet potato casserole that my mother-in-law made for me!

We went around the table and asked what each person was thankful for. We asked Marino first what he was thankful for. He thought for a while and said "Animals." So sweet!

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday!

5 on Friday

2011-11-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The other day we were watching Super Friends and after something exciting happened, Marino said "WHOA! I didn't see that coming!"

4. Yesterday, Marino was standing outside under our tree with his hands up. I asked what he was doing. "I'm trying to catch a leaf" he said (there are only about 3 left on the tree).

3. Marino asked for a piece of candy yesterday. I said no and he stopped away. I asked him if he wanted to watch something and he said "NO! I'M TOO ANGRY!"

2. Around 4:30PM I asked Marino if he wanted to go for a walk before it got dark. "No, it's too late!" he said.

1. Marino has been expressing interest in geography lately, asking what state we're in, what city, etc. Now he knows the name of the town we live in and the city his school in. Its sort of strange when your 3 year old asks "Mommy, are we in Rockville?"

November NY Trip

2011-11-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Marino and I had a 3 day weekend, so Marino and I headed to New York to visit my parents.
As always, Marino loved seeing his grandparents.

Saturday, we went to lunch at Soul Dog with our buddies Jill, Charlie, James and Parker. After lunch, we headed to the Walkway Over the Hudson. We had a good time, although it was pretty windy on the bridge.

Parker, James and Marino after creating leaf bouquets.

Pretending to sleep in the wagon.

Me and my favorite boy.

Searching for trains...

Parker pulling Marino in the wagon.

Charlie carrying both of his tired boys.

After our trip to the bridge, we headed across the river to my mom's house. Sunday morning we went to a fun playground, which Marino loved, of course.

Snuggling with Gramma and Grampa Ray.

Can't wait to see everyone at Christmas!

5 on Friday

2011-11-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The other day we were in the car during an especially pink sunset. "Look, Mommy, those are fire clouds" Marino said.

4. Our new favorite bookstore is housed in a historic building, built in the 1700's. Since we started going there, every time Marino sees a historic looking building, he says "Hey, that's the bookstore!"

3.& 2. Marino FINALLY went #2 on the potty at home. Literally as he was doing it, he said "YAY! Now I get the Joker!" (I had promised him an Imaginext Joker if he went #2 on the potty at home). After I gave it to him, he ran around saying "Yeah, baby! I got the Joker!"

1. Marino has started with 3 year old bathroom humor....

In case you missed it, he sang "twinkle twinkle little star/how I wonder where you poopy."

(Play)Date with Delaney

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm behind in posting this but 2 weeks ago, we met up with Marino's best friend/girlfriend, Delaney, from his old daycare. These two were inseperable (literally) for a good 18 months and now they had gone 3 months without seeing each other. It only took a few minutes before they were two peas in a pod again.

We met up at the Playseum on the day of the (bizarre) October snow storm (more of a sleet storm here in Maryland). We hadn't been to the Playseum in a while and they had made some (positive) changes.

As always, Marino loved checking out the animals.

Delaney ready to fight fires.

Taking a ride with his girl at his side...

Painting pumpkins

After playtime, we headed over to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant for some pho - perfect for a chilly day. These two are just too cute together!

5 on Friday

2011-11-11T06:30:00.001-05:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Today is parent's day at Marino's school. I told Marino that Daddy and I were going to go to his school to play with him. "Hey, that's my job!" he said.

4. The other night, Marino asked me to sit up while I was laying in his bed. I did and he flipped the pillow over. "This is the cool side of the pillow" he said, "This should cool us off". Its funny because I am also partial to the cool side of the pillow, but I don't think I figured that out until I was about 25.

3. I stopped at home on my way to the doctor the other day to pick something up and Marino and Evan were home (Marino was still sick). I said "It's really nice out, maybe you can go ride your bike." Marino said "No, no, no. I can't ride my bike. I need to take a nap first, THEN I can ride my bike."

2. The other day I was painting my toe nails and I had toe separators in between my toes. Marino asked "Hey, why you got marshmallows in your toes?"

1. Monday, I took Marino to the pediatrician (he has a sinus infection and pink eye). He kept asking her "Is this going to hurt?" She kept saying no and he would confirm "It doesn't hurt. No hurts today."

Fun with Leaves

2011-11-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

My poor boy is sick with pink eye and some sort of cold, but after a nap and some Tylenol, we spent some time outside enjoying a gorgeous, mild fall day.

Marino wanted to help me rake leaves, and by help I mean he wanted to have me rake them into a pile for him to jump in. It was fun.

Attempting to help rake...this lasted about 15 seconds before he announced "This is hard, Mommy".

Hoping we can get a doctor's appointment early tomorrow to get my boy feeling well again!

5 on Friday

2011-11-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino told me the other night "I'm going to be a Dad when I grow up." "Good", I said, "because I want to be a Grandma when I grow up." He looked puzzled. "I'll be a grandma to your children and Daddy will be a grandfather like Pap Pap." "So, you'll be like Gramma Barb?" he asked. "Yes, but I'll be Gramma Sara." That blew his mind. "What? Gramma Sara? What?!"

4. Evan is taking Marino to a UMD basketball game tonight. Last night we asked him if he wanted to go to the game and his response was to pretend he fell asleep and was snoring. Let's hope it goes better tonight!

3. Marino LOVES animals so much. Tuesday we went to visit my Aunt Kerry and Marino was really adorable with her cats. He kept saying "I like his tail" and "She's talking to me. She said 'meow, Marino'". He followed those cats everywhere until they came up with more effective hiding spots!

2. Post on this coming soon, but we saw Marino's BFF from his old daycare, Delaney, last weekend. They were incredibly adorable together. On the way to see her, I asked Marino what he was going to say when he saw her. "I'm going to give her a big kiss like this" ::smacking noise::

1. I really think the boy has an amazing memory for his age. In the car yesterday, he asked if we could see "Puss and Boots" (he got a Puss and Boots happy meal toy on Wednesday, which sparked his interest). Evan and I agreed to take him this weekend. He immediately said, "We saw New Cars....then we saw Winnie the Pooh...but NOW we're going to see Puss and Boots in the movie theater [pronounced theat-e-er]. YAY!!"

Halloween

2011-11-03T18:03:00.001-04:00

Monday after work, the three of us headed to Virginia to spend Halloween with our buddies Jen, Matt, Sydney and Noah. We went trick or treating with them last year and had a great time, so we knew this year would be just as fun. The kids remembered Halloween from last year so they were VERY excited for trick or treating.

How cute are these kids? Check out Sydney's heels! She walked in those all night.

Noah did not want to wait to enjoy his treats!

Oh, I love this face. She's too adorable!

Ready for Halloween fun

Jen's family

Our family (Evan and I have pockets full of candy)

After every house, Marino would say "I want to do that again!"

Enjoying the scenery...

Checking out some eyes in a tree

The infamous "scary house". Marino has been talking about this for a year. We stepped inside and he immediately announced "I want to go home!" Evan and I enjoyed it!

Checking out an static skull

Back at Jen's, ready to eat pizza. These two love each other!

Sydney told Jen "I love having Marino here" and Marino said "I want to stay here. I don't want to go home."

"Oh, you want to live with Jen and Sydney"

::nods head::

"Jen will make you use the potty."

"NOOO, I don't want to" Marino yelled.

"We have diapers, Mino" Sydney offered.

I love them!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

Halloween Festivities

2011-10-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a bit behind on posting about our weekend activities. Last weekend, we were invited to a Halloween party at the new site of Marino's old daycare. We really had a wonderful time. The party itself was so fun and it was wonderful to see our old friends and teachers. Marino got big cheers when he was spotted - these folks were like a second family to us for two and a half years.

Marino's buddy Ariana

Dancing super hero!Reading with ShiShi

This Friday we went to a haunted house with Aunt Chelle and Daddy at a new independent bookstore near us, Novel Places. It was fun and just scary enough for Marino. We're looking forward to spending a lot more time at this place!

Happy Halloween!!

5 on Friday

2011-10-28T06:30:00.001-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino and I often have these conversations about what we like. Marino is such a comedian. The conversation usually goes like this.

Marino: Mommy, do you like bees?

Mommy: No, not really. Do you like bees?

Marino: ::scratches head, looks up at sky:: Hmmm...let me think...No, I don't like bees.

4. He has taken to sleeping with at least half a dozen stuffed animals at night, which may be hereditary, since I used to sleep with about 30. He tells me every night "These are my night animals" or "These are my sleeping animals."

3. The dog had some mysterious red bumps on his body on Tuesday. When I was checking them out, Marino started petting him and saying "Aw, Maxis, you have boo boos? You will be okay, Maxis. I will kiss them for you. Don't worry. "

2. Proving once again that he is an enigma of toddler eating, the boy ate two bowls of succotash (and nothing else) as his lunch on Saturday (at his own request).

1. Evan goes fishing almost every day. The other day he said to Marino "Let's go catch a fish." Marino said "Yeah, I want to get that big orange one" (as in the big orange one in our fish tank).

5 on Friday

2011-10-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino has never seen the Power Rangers, but he has apparently heard about them from friends. However, he calls them by the (not so) very tough moniker "Park Rangers".

4. The weekend before last, my mom and stepfather took Marino to (Catholic) church. He loved it! He couldn't wait to tell me "I got a blessing.....on my head!"

3. After spending a total of 6 hours waiting in the bathroom for this to happen last week, Marino finally pooped in the potty at school. Who knows if it will ever happen again?!

2. Since starting his new school, Marino has taken to correcting any injustices he sees. The other day at the playground, there were two brothers playing rough. Marino yelled "Hey, stop pushing him! That's not nice!" He was very upset about it.

1. Marino's new thing is that he insists on "walking me out" when I drop him off at school. He likes to hold the door for me and he says "Have a good day, Mommy!". Its very cute!

Siena's 2nd Birthday

2011-10-20T18:30:00.001-04:00

Saturday, the three of us headed to New Jersey to celebrate Siena's 2nd birthday. The party was at Etsch Farms as it was last year, and they really do an awesome job with their parties. There's tons for the kids to do there and this weekend we had amazing weather. It was a REALLY fun party - all 3 of us had a good time

How cute is Siena?

Birthday tractor! Marino LOVED riding the pony. He insisted on also riding the miniature horse. Neither of them wore shoes, which I've never seen before (shoeless horses), but they said they only ride them on the grass, so its a non-issue.

Happy Catalina

How cute is Sonia's belly?!
Heading to the corn maze

Very scary witch (he keeps telling me he's going to be a witch for Halloween)
Decorating pumpkins

Corn maze...this was the easy one and we still got lost!
Birthday sweetie!
Excited toddlers ready for the hayride!
View from the hayride

The birthday girl and her parents (she's her Papi's twin)

Riding the miniature horse

Pinata time!
treats from the pinata
Birthday cupcakes for Siena
Siena is 2!
Enjoying the cupcakes
When this pinata broke, candy and treats went everywhere! It split in half rather than just a hole cracking in it. It was quite a sight!
Pumpkin head

Reading and cuddling with Marino and Siena
Marino was unusually friendly this day - see him snuggled behind Sonia's sister, Nikki?
Of course we had to break out our matching pumpkin hats...the kids were even less cooperative with taking pictures with these than last year! But at least they had fun.

Before we headed back, we met up with our friends Karen, Stu and Brandon (and new baby Wesley!) for a playdate at McDonald's. The kids had a lot of fun. Marino kept asking Brandon "Do you want to play with me again?". It was great to catch up.

Bee Sting Update

2011-10-19T06:30:00.000-04:00

At Butler's Orchard last week, Marino was stung by a yellow jacket. Not a big deal. It hurt him, but he got over it fairly quickly and within 24 hours, any sign of the sting was gone. Then 6 days later, the site of the sting became swollen and a splotchy red/white color, with a rash creeping up the side of his ear.

Ear 1

Stung ear...7 days later

Did you know bee stings can get infected? I didn't, but I'm not surprised it happened in our case, given Marino's history of eczema and subsequent bacterial infections in his skin. He's on a 10 day course of oral antibiotics and a 7 day course of topical antibiotics. Our pediatrician recommended we use the topical antibiotics at the first sight of an open wound, given his history.

Fall Festival at Butler's Orchard

2011-10-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

Preschool was closed Monday for Columbus Day, so I took the day off to hang out with my favorite boy. We had another nice day (although it was 80 degrees, so a bit hot) and we met up with Jen, Sydney and Noah at Butler's Orchard for their fall festival.

Seriously, how adorable are these kids? I love them all!

Our first stop was the hayride since there was no line. Marino insisted on carrying this Batman around with him...apparently Batman enjoys hayrides.

Within a few minutes, Marino and Sydney were warmed up and back to their normal routine - alternating between hugging and driving each other crazy! All three kids had a good game of "gotcha"

These two are too cute...I can't stand it!

All the kids loved the tunnel slide!

Ironically, as we were eating lunch, I asked Jen if she remembered when Marino got stung by a bee when we were at the Reston Zoo last summer. There were yellow jackets all over at Butler's Orchard! Well, of course, 10 minutes later, my poor boy got stung on his ear lobe. I pulled the stinger out and he shed a lot of tears, but he definitely got over it much quicker than his first bee sting.

Noah was totally enjoying the rubber ducky derby!

I love fall! It was so great to spend time with our wonderful friends!

Apple Picking at Homestead Farm

2011-10-13T06:30:00.001-04:00

My mom and stepfather came to visit this weekend and we had lots of fall fun, although it felt more like summer (80 degrees all weekend!). Even with the heat, the leaves are changing and its looking like fall. Marino loves his grandparents, so he was excited for the visit!

Sunday, we all went to Homestead Farms to go apple picking. Apparently, apple season started early this year due to the heat, so word was this would be the last weekend to pick apples.

Marino found this amazing butterfly snacking on an apple. We watched it for a good 10 minutes - it was really gorgeous!

After 10 minutes of "oohhing" and "ahhhing" over it, Marino asked "Can I step on it?" ::sigh:: boys!

Out of no where this weekend Marino started posing for pictures. I'm so happy! When we went to take this one, he automatically hugged my mom around her neck - so cute!

He really enjoyed apple picking!

They had some animals there, too.

Checking out a bird's nest with Daddy.

Tired boy and Gramma

But not too tired to jump!

Petting Mommy's head

Treating Asthma at Age 3

2011-10-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

I recently took Marino to the pulminologist to get a plan for this cold/flu season. We generally start a proactive prevention plan in September to get ahead of any viruses, since Marino's asthma only becomes problematic with illness (there are other times he is coughing/wheezing, but it doesn't slow him down).

Now that he is a little older, the doctor wanted to make some changes. The end goal is to have him not need oral steroids to control his asthma, even with an illness. Last year, he needed oral steroids 6 + times to get his breathing under control, and the pulminologist is not satisfied with that. So, instead of using a nebulizer to deliver asthma medication, we're now using an inhaler with a spacer. The spacer has a small mask, similar to the nebulizer mask, but without the ventilation holes. We spray one puff of the medicine (albuterol) into the spacer, and we need Marino to breathe in 6 times, let him take a break and repeat. We currently do this twice a day, unless he's sick, at which point we up it to 4 puffs 3 times a day and add in the breathing treatments via the nebulizer. Here is Marino and my mom using the spacer.

In case anyone is curious, our insurance covered the cost of the spacer/mask, but they run around $30 - significantly cheaper than a nebulizer.

We've also moved on to the chewable form of Singulair. Marino loves these and always asks for a second. This is also a lot easier to manage than the Singulair granules.

It remains to be seen if the changes will make a difference. He currently has his first cold/cough of the season and it hasn't gotten any worse since we stepped up the number of treatments. I have to say, the spacer is about a million times easier to use, quicker and doesn't require electricity, so we can use it anywhere.

5 on Friday

2011-10-07T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week.

5. Last weekend, Marino ate an orange for breakfast. When he was done, I noticed him picking at his teeth. "Do you have orange stuck in your teeth?" "Yeah," he said, "and the orange is saying 'HELP!' because I've got it in my mouth."

4. Marino is still madly in love with his cape (also sometimes called a "jet pack", depending on who he is pretending to be). He wants to wear it every moment possible.

3. The other night Marino woke up "crying" (it was his fake cry). He came into my bed and said "I'm crying." I asked "What's wrong?" He said "I need Mommy." "Why do you need me?" I asked. "Because I love you so much" he said.

2. We were in back of a truck yesterday that had a painting of a water drop on the back door. "Mommy, that's cartoon liquid." Marino informed me.

1. When my dad was here last week, we told Marino to say goodbye to him when he was leaving. He threw his arms around my dad's legs and said "I love you, Pap Pap!" ::hearts melted::

SuperMino & Super Grandparents

2011-10-02T18:30:00.001-04:00

I ordered Marino a custom cape and mask for Halloween. My hope was that I could pay a little more for something that would last longer than a typical Halloween costume. My goodness, this boy is in love with these things. He won't take them off! He runs around all day announcing ""I'm SuperMino!" I wish I bought them a long time ago!!

I mean, how cute is this?

My dad and stepmom came to visit us this weekend. We had plans to go to Oktoberfest but it was cold and raining all weekend. Saturday we went and got pho for lunch - my favorite rainy day food! Marino had a great time with Pap Pap and Gramma Barb.

The boy is lucky to have such super grandparents!

5 on Friday

2011-09-30T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. I've mentioned before that whenever Marino is tired, he says he's not. Of course, if he wasn't tired, why would he be thinking about it? The other morning he yawned, stretched his arms and said "I'm soooo not tired!" I'm thinking that means he was VERY tired!

4. After an evening playdate on Wednesday, Marino was tired. He laid down on the couch and said "I don't want to take a bath. I just want to hang out."

3. The interest in gifts and Santa has begun. I generally try to avoid taking Marino to stores with me, and this has prevented him from the knowledge that he can request things and/or things other than what's in his house and other people's houses exist. We went to the store the other day for a quick trip and he fell in love with this Buzz Lightyear pillow. I told him to put it back and the tears started, so I said "We'll put it on your Christmas list and ask Santa for it." Oh boy, did that get him excited! "Is Santa coming? Is it Christmas time? Is it snowing? Will you tell Santa to bring that? Can I tell him?"

2. In the past month, I sold lots of Marino's stuff at consignment sales. I bought him a pair of rainboots this week with some of the money I made. Marino LOVES these boots. He wants to wear them all the time. Yesterday morning he said "I want to wear my rainboots." I said "It's sunny, you don't need rainboots today." He was quiet for a minute and then said "I want to wear my sunboots."

1. Marino is doing well with potty training, but I still put him in a diaper or pull-up when he's sleeping or if I think we won't be able to get to a bathroom instantly (like in morning traffic). On Monday morning, Marino told me "I'm going to go pee pee in my pull-up." I said "No, Marino, wait 5 minutes until we get to school." "Oh, Mommy," he said, "you're so predictable."

My Big Brother

2011-09-28T18:30:00.002-04:00

My big brother, Brendan, is sick again. Back in March, I blogged about his battle with squamous cell cancer. He had surgery to remove the cancer from his tongue and his lymph nodes and then underwent a grueling combination of radiation and chemotherapy. While he was undergoing this treatment, the cancer spread to the lungs, which is not typical behavior for this cancer (is that an oxymoron?). The cancer is not curable, but it is treatable. He starts chemo again next week. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

This is a long battle and he needs strength to fight it.

Here's a couple old pictures of us. This one is from this place called The Catskill Game Farm, which is no longer open. We loved this place.

And here's my whole little family around 1980. I am about 2 and Brendan is about 8 in this picture. My parents look like kids, too! They are about 26 and 27 in this picture. The picture is from my grandparents old house, which was amazing. Not only did it have a giant inground pool, but the rock steps in back of us led up a hill, and at the top was an apple orchard! We loved it there.

Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayer!

Roller Skating

2011-09-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Evan, Marino and I met up with Jen, Matt, Justin, Sydney and Noah to go roller skating. We watched a Team UmiZumi episode about skates this week, so Marino was really excited to go roller skating. That is until he noticed the big kids and adults wearing lace up skates. Oh my, the tantrums he had over not being able to wear the big skates (they don't make them in his size). He was taking off his skates and shoes and sitting down in protest. Sometimes the hardest thing about being a toddler mom is the sheer ridiculous nature of the complaints. ::sigh:: He was also annoyed because he wanted to skate faster.

Anyway, Evan and I enjoyed skating and the rink also had a big indoor jungle gym that all the kids loved. Marino also enjoyed when they turned the lights off in the rink.

Here's Noah, looking tough with a black eye!

My little buddy Sydney. She's always willing to pose for me. I love her!

Hopefully, we can go again and the boy will be less crabby. I'm on the lookout for skates that look more like big kid skates!

Raiden is 3!

2011-09-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we headed to Virginia for Raiden's 3rd birthday at Chuck E Cheese's. Marino has only been to Chuck E Cheese once before, back in March, so I was surprised when we pulled up and he said "We're at Chuck E Cheese's! I'm not shy with Chuck E Cheese's!" Needless to say, he was pretty excited. So much so, we barely got a chance to talk to anyone at the party, but Raiden was having a great time celebrating.

Marino loved this simulator thing...he stayed on here for 20 minutes!

Raiden's sister, Kaia, just turned 1!

It was nice to see everyone!

Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey

2011-09-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, Evan, Marino and I headed up to New Jersey to visit Sonia, Wil, Catalina and Siena. As always, we had a great time visiting them and the kids got along wonderfully. I am excited to meet the 3rd sister in December!

Saturday, we headed down to Camden to visit the Adventure Aquarium. I've never been to an aquarium I didn't like, but this one was amazing. I would make the trip here over going to the aquarium in Baltimore - it is that awesome. It's very interactive - lots of hands-on stuff for the kids, which, at this age, is really the key to keeping them engaged.

By the way, if you think you want to go anytime in the next year, buy tickets online now! They're on sale for $15 (normally $22.95) and good for 12 months from the purchase date.

Here's a picture of Sonia and I with the kids. Doesn't Sonia look amazing? She's the tiniest pregnant woman, ever! Cat insisted on wearing this bandaid on her face after a run-in with the wall.

They even had hippos at this aquarium. They are sort of cute, but very smelly!

The girls call Wil "Papi" and Marino started calling him that, as well, apparently not realizing that Papi is equivalent to "Daddy." When Marino saw this picture he said "There are two Papis in this picture." Watching the sea lions. Marino sat down and said "I want to watch this movie". I said "This is real life, buddy!"

Is that a big crab or what?!

How cute is Nena?

Best part of the day - touching the stingrays. Marino is still talking about this "I touch the stingray with 2 fingers. Not 5. The stingray is squishy."

Dancing with Daddy.

You could also touch a shark. Marino's arm wasn't long enough, but Evan got to touch one.

Cat and this shark match!

Is this eel creepy or what?! AHHH!

He looked liked this a lot while we were there!

Love this!

Can't wait to see everyone next month when Siena turns 2!

5 on Friday

2011-09-23T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Last week we were discussing the rain and I was saying how I don't like rain. Marino said "I become a superhero and I make the rain go away."

4. We're knee deep in potty training and on our road trip last weekend, Marino needed to pee while we were on 95. Evan pulled over in the grass on the side of the highway and showed him how to pee in the grass. He loved that! 15 minutes later he said "Daddy, put the car in the grass. I need to pee pee again" (to his credit, he really did go).

3. On the way to preschool one morning this week, Marino said "Mommy, I miss my old friends so much." I'm trying to set up a playdate with friends from his old daycare now!

2. I know a lot of people thing kids watching tv is awful. But Marino loves Diego and he really learns a lot about animals from the show. Yesterday morning we drove past a statue of a hawk. Marino said "Mommy, that is a giant bird statue. I think he soars in the sky like a macaw."

1. On the way to school, he was looking at this paper with games (mazes, etc) on it from his goody bag from birthday party we went to a Chuck E Cheese's. He said “Mommy, I read this to you. Once upon a time, there was Chuck E Cheese’s and he had monies [there was a picture of coins on the paper]. The end.”

5 on Friday

2011-09-16T06:30:00.001-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. The boy has finally gotten the hang of riding a bike. It's his favorite thing - he asks to ride it constantly - at night, in the rain, etc.

4. Conversation with Marino at bedtime last week: Marino: "I am a kid. And Daddy is a kid."
Me: "Is Mommy a kid?"
Marino: "No, you are a doll."
Me: "You mean an adult?"
Marino: "No, a doll. You are a Barbie Doll."

3. Potty training is a challenge. The other day, I spent 30 minutes in the bathroom with Marino trying to convince him to use the potty. It didn't work. I finally agreed to go back downstairs, at which point Marino said "Aw, don't give up now!"

2. On Friday, Shi Shi came over for dinner and Marino told her "Daddy picked me up from school in his car. He likes me because I say "Daddy, daddy, daddy".

1. Marino has become very interested in sight reading. When I read to him, he asks me to point to which words I'm saying and then identifies the words on other pages. I'm really excited about this development!

Silver Spring Jazz Festival

2011-09-14T18:30:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, Aunt Chelle, Marino and I went to Silver Spring and met up with my friend Megan at the Silver Spring Jazz Festival. It was a warm, sunny day and it was sooooo nice to be outside again after a week of non-stop rain! We listened to some jazz and walked around downtown Silver Spring.

I took this picture of Marino and I love it! I love his face here and the bubbles make it look whimsical.

Marino was super crabby, so we went over to Ben & Jerry's to get ice cream. Who can be crabby when they're eating ice cream? But, allergy moms beware - all of Ben & Jerry's ice cream is made with egg yolks! They have sorbet that is milk/egg free, but no ice cream. Anyway, we made the best of it with sorbet and sprinkles.

We headed over the dancing fountains (or "geiser", according to Marino).

Marino was iffy about getting wet initially, but he got brave and had a great time.

He needed Megan to show him the ropes!

Thanks for hanging out with us, Aunt Chelle and Megan!

Forever Friends

2011-09-12T18:30:00.001-04:00

Our Labor Day trip to New York was wonderful. We threw a baby shower for one of my best friends, Rachel, who is pregnant with her first child. Sonia, who is pregnant with her third, is due a month after Rachel.

Rachel and her husband moved to Miami last year, so we haven't got to see them much, but we were so happy to be able to shower them with love. I can't wait to meet the baby!

After the shower, most of the guests headed over to the Walkway Over the Hudson. This was my first time on the walkway, and it was beautiful. I can't wait to go back when it's a bit cooler (Labor Day weekend in NY was extremely humid).

Here's a picture of me and my forever friends. We've all been friends for almost 20 years! It's really amazing to have friends who have been there with you through everything - both the sunshine and the rain.

Left to Right: Rachel, Bernadette, Sonia, Me

The shower was at River Station in Poughkeepsie, which has AMAZING views of the Hudson River and the Mid-Hudson bridge. Here's Sabrina in front of the windows after we hung the (pre-designed) onesies for decoration.

Wrenford and Rachel opening a gift from Beverly (Sonia's mom), an amazing quilt for the baby. Wrenford is from Jamaica, so she made a quilt with a tropical feel to it.
We asked everyone to paint onesies of various sizes. This "Bomb Baby" onesie was made by Sabrina as an homage to what we wrote on Bernadette's baby shower cake when she was pregnant with Sabrina - "Welcome the Bomb Baby." What can I say? We were 17. And she is the bomb!

This one was my favorite...private joke between us girls.
The parents to be: Wrenford and Rachel
The boys had a "bottle" chugging contest...it was definately entertaining!
The contest winner, Rachel's dad...

Ok, not really, he totally cheated (opened the top). Wrenford was the winner!

Rachel and Wrenford had a competition to dress a doll...Wrenford's godson, Naresh stepped in to offer some assistance.

At the Walkway
Hugs from Naresh...
My beautiful friends
The boy loved the bridge!

5 on Friday

2011-09-09T06:30:00.001-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. At my dad's house last weekend, Marino said "Mommy, PapPap has a moustache." I said, "Yeah, I know. Do we know anyone else with a moustache?" He thought about it and said "Um....Mr. Potato Head!"

4. We started Marino in a Montessori preschool on Tuesday (more details to follow). On his first day, we were running late and Marino was nervous. "I think we are too late to go to school." he said, "We should just go home."

3. I think this is cute (Evan does not). Marino's new thing when he wants something from us is to say "Please, please, pleeeeeeeese!" in this cute little voice. It's very effective when he is asking me for something!

2. Marino has made friends at his new school quickly. When Evan picked him up on Wednesday, a little boy ran over and said to Marino, "Bye, Superman!" and Marino said "Bye, Batman!"

1. Wednesday night I put some new pajamas on Marino. This is the conversation that followed:
Marino: I like these Lightning McQueen pajamas.
Mommy: Yeah, Gramma got those for you.
Marino: Gramma and Grampa Ray got these for me?
Mommy: Yes, they love you.
Marino: Yeah, they like me and they miss me so much!

Conversations with my Boy about the Weather

2011-09-08T19:11:00.004-04:00

It's been pouring for days. Roads are flooding, people are building arks. Here's Marino's commentary on the weather today:

"I don't like this rain. We like the sun. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden Sun, won't you please shine on me?"

::2 minutes later::
"Sun, sun, Mr. Golden Sun, don't shine on me."
Mommy: "NO, don't say that"
::Marino laughs hysterically::
::repeat 12 times::
"Mommy, I think this storm is mad. Mr. Sun, I just kidding. I don't want to fight anymore."

Family Time in New York

2011-09-08T18:30:00.001-04:00

This past weekend (Labor Day weekend), Marino and I headed up to New York. It was great to get a chance to visit with my family, especially my parents, who Marino ADORES!

We also got a chance to see my step-sister, Jennifer, her husband Hagen and daughter, Bae-Corine, who Marino loves.

I LOVE this picture of them!!
We had an awesome dinner at Cosimo's in Newburgh. Gluten-free pasta pomodoro - yum!!
Marino got to spend lots of time with my dad and stepmom, too. Pap Pap actually watched him all day Saturday while I was at a babyshower. He thinks his Pap Pap is the best!

More stories about our New York trip coming soon!

5 on Friday

2011-09-02T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino's favorite phrase last weekend was "how you been?" Everytime Evan walked into the room, he'd ask "How you been, Daddy?"

4. Marino loves pretend play right now and has quite the imagination. However, his imagination is limited when it comes to naming his toys. They all have quite literal names. The other day, his plane was introducing itself to Muno (from Yo Gabba Gabba). "Hi, I'm red plane" it said. "Hi, red plane, I'm red Muno" said Muno.

3. Marino is working on his understanding of time. If you tell him something is happening tomorrow, he'll ask "[is it happening] in a little while?" Yesterday in the car, we talked about going to NY. He said "How many houses until we get to Gramma's house? Mommy, there are 3 trees until we get there."

2. On Sunday, we were without electricity for 15 hours so we went out to dinner. It was a gorgeous evening and we sat outside. On the way to the restaurant, we walked past a fountain. "Oh, look," said Marino, "its a geiser!"

1. The other night he said "Mommy, I want Max [our dog] to sleep with us. He is not a wild thing.", you know, in case I thought he meant Max from Where the Wild Things Are (a current favorite).

He turned his head while Evan was cutting his hair last week, so he ended up needing to shave the whole thing off. It was shocking at first, but it's grown on me.

5 on Friday

2011-08-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. We've been working on potting training and Marino has been requesting to read the book Once Upon a Potty. The book is not my favorite, for a variety of reasons, but primarily because the "potty" is not actually a potty but a pot of sorts. Naturally, this is confusing for Marino. While reading it the other day he announced "This is not a potty! This is a pitcher. It has milk in it." I told him we should just pretend it's a toilet, but really, it looks nothing like any potty he will ever use.

4. Wednesday we met up with Sharon, the director of the daycare Marino was at until the end of July. We met at the lake by our house and on the way there, I told him I had a surprise for him. When we saw Sharon, I said "look at your surprise!" He took her hand and said "Shi, Shi, let's go find my surprise!"

3. While we were at the lake, we came across some ducks. "Look at these ducks," he said, "they are so cute. Hi ducks!!"

2. Sunday, the three of us went to a birthday party at Bounce U. Everyone, adults included, had a blast! Marino couldn't eat the cake, of course, and giving into some sad faces, I promised to bake him an eggless cake when we got home (to which he announced "Eggs make me sick"). We had to stop at Home Depot on the way home and Evan ran in and left Marino in the car. After a few minutes, Marino asked me "Is Daddy in there baking my cake?"

1. Still thinking of the party when we got home, while watching "Superfriends", Marino announced "Superfriends are super fast, just like me at the bouncy house!"

Myrtle Beach

2011-08-17T18:30:00.001-04:00

The week before last, Marino and I headed down to Myrtle Beach. We had planned a trip with Jen and the kids but they have some difficult things their family is dealing with right now and couldn't make it. We missed them! But they very generously let us stay at their family's condo, which is just amazing. The resort where the condo is located is so beautiful and quiet. It's really just so peaceful there...you never even hear people talking unless you go to the pool (which is always stocked with playmates for the kids).

I don't have a ton of pictures from our trip (by my standards at least), since we spent most of our days in the water (pool and beach).

On Saturday, my friend Chandra and her daughter Hannah were able to come up from Atlanta and visit with us. Chandra and I worked together for several years in Atlanta and we hadn't seen each other since we both had babies (just a few months apart). It was great to see her and meet the adorable Hannah!

We had a rainy day on Saturday, so after swimming in the pool (in the rain), we headed over to Broadway and let the kids go crazy on the rides.

Marino riding the train with Chandra and Hannah.
Can you tell he liked this train ride?!

In this picture, he's showing me the "awesome" palm tree "with spikes on it".

Sunday was the perfect beach day. We went out early in the morning before the crowds and enjoyed the waves.
...and the sand

Marino kept telling me "the waves are kicking me!"

It was super humid (the whole time we were in SC). My camera lens kept fogging up!
Marino loved the tide pools.

Another early morning on the beach (our last day). Marino loved having so much sand to play in!
Most of our vacation it was just Marino and I and it was a good bonding experience.

He's good company!

Unfortunately, we both ended up with a cold shortly after we got there. This triggered Marino's asthma, and we ended up needing to go to the ER briefly because he was having chest retractions. I knew he just needed oral steroids, but it wasn't like I could just pop over to the pediatrician. The ER gave him a double dose of prednisone and a breathing treatment and by the middle of that night, he was breathing much easier.

New Allergies/Worries

2011-08-14T23:19:00.000-04:00

Last week, I took Marino to the allergist to go over his updated labs for food allergies. We had agreed to avoid shellfish and nuts until he was 3 and then do a blood test before giving him those foods, since they are such common allergens (I have a shellfish allergy myself).

Honestly, I was less concerned about nuts than I was about shellfish.

Unfortunately, we found some new allergies.

The most surprising was a moderate allergy (RAST score of .8) to sesame. Marino has been exposed to sesame on a regular basis - he eats hummus several times a week. In doing some research on it, I found that sesame allergy symptoms can be insidious, sometimes manifesting as unexplained eczema or asthma flare ups. Obviously, I am now removing that from his diet and keeping tabs on hidden sesame oil other foods (like the Vietnamese food we love).

The other new allergy is a severe allergy to peanuts (RAST score of 6). While I feel like peanuts are the most well know of allergens, it still gives me another food to worry about. The allergist felt confident he would likely need an epi-pen shot if exposed to peanuts, so we will have to keep a close eye out for them.

Perhaps the most disappointing was that his RAST score for eggs jumped from a 44 to an 84. Now, keep in mind that his allergy to sesame with a RAST score of .8 is a moderate allergy. A RAST score of 84 is astronomical...the measurements stop at 100. The allergist tried to reassure me by saying the testing just captures a moment in time, and his score could be somewhat more or less if we tested another week. But he also said that with a score that high (and increasing rather than decreasing), if he outgrows the egg allergy it won't be in the near future.

This visit coincided with Marino's starting a new preschool next week...one without nurses and with 3 times the number of kids in his class than where we were before. I am definitely concerned.

The Boys

2011-08-13T23:00:00.000-04:00

The boys and I had a lot more fun the week we were off together. Tuesday, we went to Ocean Dunes Waterpark in Arlington, VA. We all had a lot of fun and there was plenty there for both boys to stay entertained (and for me to stay cool).

Wednesday was a rainy day, so we headed to Port Discovery in Baltimore for the morning. It was sort of crazy there - there were several summer camps visiting and it was a little too crowded for Marino. Quintyn was having the time of his life in the tree house and Marino and I headed to the new section designed for kid's 3 and under. Ahhh...that section is like an oasis of calm!

Thursday, was our last day together (Friday morning Marino and I left for the beach; Quintyn left Friday night) so I gathered the boys to take some pictures. Quintyn is the only one who is pleasant for picture taking out of the 3!

Saying goodbye was tough. When we explained to Marino that Quintyn was going to be leaving, he refused to say goodbye or give him a hug and hid in the closet. He definitely seemed to understand the concept, since he told every stranger at the beach "My brother Quintyn went back to Iowa with his own mommy."

We definitely miss him a lot and hope to see him soon!

More Brother Adventures

2011-08-12T22:08:00.000-04:00

The second week Quintyn was here I took off of work to hang out with both of the boys. We had a lot of fun and of course it was such a joy to see the boys bond and get to know each other better.

Monday, we went to the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. I can't say enough good things about this place (thanks, Jen, for recommending it). The staff were remarkably friendly and helpful. The place is big enough for a toddler to run around without getting in other people's way (I did end up needing to get the stroller ohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifut of the car, which is a rarity...I wore my step counter and we walked 2.5 miles while we were there. The place is enormous). Oh, and it's free (there is a $15 parking fee per car). And there's a McDonald's inside.

Quintyn absolutely loves military stuff so he was in heaven there (in fact, his aunts took him back at the end of the week so he could see more). I let him use my camera and he took over 100 photos there - he was so excited.

They had a real space shuttle there - so cool!

Later that evening, we took the boys over to the lake in back of our house to do some fishing. Evan LOVES to fish (he goes almost every day...its nice to have a lake 20 steps from our yard). He bought both boys a fishing pole (Marino's doesn't have a hook...but the turtles were big fans).
They all had a lot of fun attempting to catch fish.

Marino looked at this picture and said "Daddy helps me."

Even cuter than this picture itself is the fact that Quintyn told me to take it:)

5 on Friday

2011-08-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. My portable DVD player broke right before our 7 hour car ride to Myrtle Beach last week. Luckily, Marino did a good job of entertaining himself. He has this large Optimus Prime figure he got for his birthday. At one point, he was saying "It's ok, I'll change your diaper." "Mommy, he can't sit down [legs don't bend] so he can't go poo poo in the potty. I have to change his diaper." After changing him, he snuggled Optimus Prime and told him "Shhh...it's ok". In the meantime, he's pressing the button on Optimus' chest and he's announcing "DECEPTACONS! INCOMING!"

4. Marino is all about superheros right now, which he nicknames "supers". One of his favorites is Batman, which he calls "DatMan." I find this hysterical but Evan insists on correcting him. I asked him what Batman's super power was the other day and he responded "he kicks balls."

3. While we were at the beach last week (post to come) he told me "I love palm trees! They have spikes on them!"

2. Spending time with his brother has given Marino a whole new vocabulary of boy-speak. On the car ride home from the beach he was telling me "Oh no, Mommy. There's a ghost...it's like an alien...no, it's like 2 aliens. They're so creepy!!"

1. Yesterday we went to see Marino's allergist. He told the doctor "We're here to talk about my allergies. My allergies are very sad."

Family Love

2011-08-08T08:55:00.000-04:00

The second weekend Quintyn was here, we had lots of quality family time. Saturday, we headed out to Winchester to visit with Gramma Deb and Aunt Chelle and Aunt RiRi, who just got back from a summer internship in India. We went to Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Winchester, which the kids enjoyed. The people there were very nice and the kids enjoyed feeding the animals.

After visiting the animals, we headed back to Gramma Deb's for a cookout. Auntie Jane (Evan's great aunt) came over with her grandkids and all the kids had fun playing together.

Family photo

Aunt Chelle, Quintyn, Evan, Marino, Gramma Deb & Aunt RiRi

On Sunday, Evan and the boys headed up to Philadelphia with Richelle and Rianne so they could visit the boy's great grandparents. Evan forgot to get pictures with Mom D, but here's one of Quintyn with Donna and PopPop.

and Quintyn with his great grandfather.

lots of family love this weekend!

5 on Friday

2011-08-05T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. I overheard Quintyn telling Marino about a dream he had the other night. He was saying "I had the money, I had the girl..." and Marino interrupts with "You had the power?" Where do they get this stuff?!

4. We have a local church that has a very active pro-life group that demonstrates about a mile from our house every day. They have a billboard truck that drives in circles around where we live with enormous pictures of aborted fetuses. As a firm believer in a woman's right to choose, this makes me mad. As a mother, it makes me down right angry. I should not have to explain to my 3 year old what that picture is of. The truck drove by the other day and I said "I don't like that truck." Marino said "I don't like that truck either. It makes me mad!"

3. Marino becomes more dramatic as his vocabulary increases. The other day he woke up with an apparently sore leg. As we walked down the steps he said "Mommy, my leg hurts. Mommy, this is really hard for me. It hurts with every step. I can't do it; it's too hard!"

2. Tuesday, I took the boys to a pool/water park. Marino amazes me with how great he is in the water this year. The week before at North Beach was the first time he willingly put his head in the water. On Tuesday, he was having me count down and jump down under the water with him, having me chase him, etc. So much fun!

1. Marino did a little playdate at his new preschool yesterday (he starts on Aug. 15th). He did ok, although they said he cried a little about 30 minutes after I left (when he realized I wasn't coming back). When I put him to bed last night he kissed me and said "I missed you so much today, Mommy. I even cried. I was so sad." ::heartbreaking::

Brothers

2011-08-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

The weekend before last, Marino met his brother, Quintyn for the first time. Quintyn, my stepson, is 11 and lives in Iowa. I was initially concerned that Marino would be confused by the concept of having a brother, or not understand the importance of this family member. Those fears were unfounded. He seemed to intrinsically know that Quintyn was special and to be his best friend.

This picture was taken just a couple hours after Quintyn arrived.

Evan and his 2 boys.

Quintyn has a baby brother (11 months old) so he has big brother experience. For the most part, he is excellent with Marino, although at times he expects Marino to play on his level instead of vice versa (I heard them playing upstairs the other day and Quintyn saying "No, Marino. You need to come up with your own battle plan!") They definitely can get on each other's nerves, as brothers do, but for the most part, they are as thick as thieves.

On Sunday, we picked up my cousin Samantha and headed to North Beach. It was super hot (about 100 degrees) but that meant the water was warm and the beach wasn't packed. Marino has gotten significantly more brave in the water this year and was willingly dunking his head in the water and "swimming" around. Prior years he would cling to us like a spider monkey but he was "swimming" away from us on this excursion.

We saw some cool stuff on the beach - lots of (dead) crabs (all the better to pick up!) and when we first arrived, a man put in our sand bucket a small minnow he had caught. As an aside, I wanted to mention how amazing being a parent is...it connects you to so many different people...the love we feel for our children is universal. This man didn't speak English, but he knew this fish would make Quintyn and Marino happy, so he silently came over and gave it to them. The boys had lots of fun with it until I had mercy on it and let it go after Marino repeatedly picked the poor thing up.

We had a great time! Lots more brother adventures coming soon!

Pacey is 3!

2011-07-29T19:30:00.001-04:00

I am woefully behind in blogging about recent events. I have the next 2 weeks off of work, so hopefully I will have time to catch up!

Marino's (and my) cousin Pacey turned 3 a couple weeks ago and we had a great time at her party. Pacey and Marino get along wonderfully - they have very similar energy levels and interests, so its always fun to see them together. Marino asked her to be his best friend at the party.

The kids had a great time splashing around in the pool, and there was even an egg-free cake for Marino (which he thoroughly enjoyed).

Pool + Ball - what more do toddlers want?!

How cool is this cake? I love it!

My handsome boy

I love this girl - she's always so animated!

She was really hamming it up while we sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

So sweet!

Boys are so predictable - these 3 were all too excited about a passing airplane.

She's too much!

Happy Birthday, Pacey!

5 on Friday

2011-07-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. We went to the beach over the weekend (pictures to come). Marino usually clings to our necks in the water, but he was very brave this day. He was "swimming" around by himself and even dunking his head in the water. We had to spend some time teaching him how to say "dive" because he kept telling us "I'm going to die in the water".

4. Story from ShiShi (daycare director):

We were finally able to get back outdoors!!!! Marino wanted to go to the top part of the playground and asked me if I wanted to go see “Cars” with him. He took me to the piece of equipment that is at the top far corner of the playground. It has places to sit. I naturally thought he was taking me to the theatre. BUT he was doing something to get the movie started (I later figured that he putting in the DVD) because he then picked up a rectangular wood chip and pushed on it and proceeded to state that the movie was on. He was using the wood chip as the remote. He also brought me some ice cream. Great date! We obviously did not stay for the entire movie because we went away and came back a little while later and he stated that the movie was still on.

3. The other day I had a major migraine after our trip to North Beach (way too much sun for me). I laid in bed the rest of the day. I told Marino I wasn't feeling well and he said "I need to get your keys. I need to go in the car and get you some medicine so you feel better, Mommy."

2. Marino is turning into quite the backseat driver. The other day we were waiting to turn left at a light. Marino said "There's a green light." "Yeah it is", I said. " Well...maybe we can go?" he replied.

1. Marino's 11 year old brother Quintyn (my stepson) is visiting for the first time since Marino was born (he lives in Iowa). The connection between them was immediate - especially amazing since Marino tends to take a while to warm up to people. He told me that night "I love my brother. He's so wonderful and he's so pretty." Every morning he wakes up and says "We gotta go wake up Quintyn so I can see him." He doesn't have any jealousy towards him. Pretty beautiful stuff.

6 on Friday (Bonus this week!)

2011-07-22T06:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 6 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

6. My dad mailed Marino a dragon to go with his Melissa and Doug castle. When Marino opened it, he announced, "Oh, it's a dragon! This is so wonderful!"

5. The other morning, Marino said "Come here, Mommy. I need to tell you something." When I sat next to him, he said "I need to tell you to lay down and snuggle with me."

4. At Pacey's birthday party on Saturday, Marino and Pacey were having a great time together. At one point Marino asked her "Pacey, will you be my best friend?"

3. One of the toys that lives in my car is Buddy the T.Rex from Dinosaur Train. Buddy is interactive but he ends up talking pretty much every time we go over a bump. The other day he started chattering after a bump and Marino said "Oh Buddy, just be quiet"

2. Its about a billion degrees here right now so last night we met up with Sarah and Claire at McDonald's so the kids could play in the PlayPlace. You would have thought we were at Disney World all the fun they were having. At one point, 2 older kids (11ish and 9ish) were standing in front of the entrance to the tree house. Marino took one look at them and announced "I mad at those peoples!", crossed his arms and stomped off. The kids (and I) thought this was hilarious and tried to convince him to come back.

1. Marino has been doing awesome with his potty training. He pees in the potty several times a day, even waking up to go and holding it for 10 minutes yesterday in traffic until we made it to school. It's still a work in progress but I'm really proud of how well he is doing!

Tony is 2!

2011-07-20T18:46:00.001-04:00

July is always a busy birthday month for us! The weekend before last we headed to My Gym for Tony's 2nd birthday party.

Marino and the birthday boy both happened to have on the same shirt.

As you can see, everyone had a great time. Tony is adorable and growing so fast!

Sabrina

2011-07-14T18:30:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned, Sabrina is the daughter of one of my best friends. I've known her since she was born - literally - I was in the hospital driving her mom crazy discussing inane 17 year old gossip while she was in labor. Her whole life, we knew she was special. You know how some kids just have that sparkle - they are born leaders and command attention everywhere they go? That's Sabrina. She's beautiful, talented (she's a dancer and an awesome basketball point guard) and, at 15, still wonderful and fun to be around. I'm so incredibly proud of the woman she is becoming and I can't wait to see what amazing things she will do in the future.

We had a great time visiting Georgetown while she was here - having lunch and shopping. Awesome girl time!

I know, she's beautiful!

Visiting with Old Friends

2011-07-13T18:30:00.000-04:00

After Marino's birthday party(ies), we got a chance to visit with some of our favorite people. My best friend, Sonia, and her family spent the night with us, which was wonderful for us and the kids. And Sabrina, my other BFF's 15 year old daughter stayed with us for a few days.

Evan came up with the idea to build a fire to keep bugs away at night and roast s'mores. The only probably it was like 90 degrees, so the fire made it pretty unbearable (in my opinion, Evan likes the heat). Here's Wil, Evan and Sabrina sweating...

How gorgeous is Sabrina?!

Are these 3 adorable or what? They love each other and it melts my heart. This one below with the BIG HUG is my favorite!
A third sister is on the way in December!
Sunday night, my mom took us out to dinner to celebrate Marino's birthday. We went to my favorite restaurant, Taste of Saigon. Marino LOVES pho and was happy to have "spaghetti soup" for dinner. This was Sabrina's first time eating Vietnamese and she loved it, too.

Smiling with Gramma.

Monday was the 4th of July and we were all pretty lazy (especially Marino and I, who took a 3 hour nap). We went to watch fireworks in the evening but ended up having to watch them from a nearby field. Marino still talks about them...they definitely made an impression. Sabrina was Marino's stylist while she was here...she picked out lots of cute outfits for him!

These two drove each other nuts, but they love each other!

3 Year Stats

2011-07-11T18:30:00.000-04:00

We had Marino's 3 year check up today. Everything is great - his lungs were clear, his development is great (advanced, even) and everyone was super impressed with his language/vocabulary.

His weight is 31 pounds (this number is debatable...he was 29 lbs just 2 weeks ago and was squirming around on the scale), which puts him in the 43rd percentile.

His height is 37 inches, which puts him in the 29th percentile. The doctor said she would guess he will be around 5'9 or 5'10 when he's finished growing.

5 on Friday (on Saturday)

2011-07-09T22:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I'm a day late on this post!
Here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Marino has a special name for passing gas in the tub; he's named them "bubble toots."

4. On the way to school the other day, Marino announced "I'm the Daddy. Delaney is the mommy. Chance is the baby". After we got to school, he put a doll in a stroller and announced "I'm a dad!"

3. Wednesday was my birthday and Marino insisted on the way to daycare that he didn't want to go to school but wanted to go to my birthday party. He was really confused and upset when I explained I wasn't having one. I asked him who he would invite to a birthday party for me and he said "Pap Pap, Gramma, Grampa Ray, Aunt Sonia..."

2. The other day we were reading the story "I Love You, Too", which is about different animals (and people) giving gifts to their mothers (they call all the mothers "mama"). "Are you the mama?" Marino asked me, "I love you. You give me a big hug, please?"

1. The night before Marino's birthday party, as I was putting him to bed, I told him that the next day was his party and it was a special day where we would celebrate him and that he was my favorite person in the world. "Yeah" he said, "I'm the king."

Marino's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-07-07T18:30:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday was Marino's big birthday bash. We had his party at Romp N Roll again this year...I really like the help with set up/clean up and the climate control (Maryland tends to be oppressively hot and humid in July). Marino had a great time celebrating with about 20 friends, along with their parents and other family members.

My friend's daughter, Sabrina, asked me how I knew everyone at the party and it was amazing to think of how I know all the amazing people in our life. From friends Evan and I made in middle school, to friends made in the NICU, at daycare, work friends, family friends, college friends, cousins, friends made in swim class, on a preemie message board...we are so blessed to have so many diverse, interesting and loving people in our lives.

I made the mistake of trying to make a fancy cake by myself. NEVER AGAIN! Luckily, three year olds are not judgemental about cake aesthetics...

After the party, we had a small cookout at home with our family and family friends. It was a hot day, but not getting outside until 5pm made it bearable. The kids were loving the new inflatable pool (birthday gift from Pap Pap).

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us!!

Today You Are 3

2011-07-03T03:49:00.002-04:00

Dear Marino,

Today you are three years old. I remember when you were a baby thinking that three was so old and that when you were three you would be more like a little boy than my baby. Thankfully, you are both. In so many ways, you remind me of an older child, and it's so fun to see you evolve into the person you will be. And yet, you still "need" us for so many things (especially cuddle time!).

You are still super athletic and you continue to surprise us with the things you can do physically, like somersaults (off the couch, sometimes) and throwing a ball in the air and hitting it with a bat. You love to climb and jump and throw a ball. Your pitch is pretty fantastic...I see baseball in your future.

You eat like a grown man most days and I am afraid I will go broke trying to feed you and Daddy when you are a teenager. You love all food, with the exception of beef, black beans and olives. Sometimes when you ask for something strange, like raw pumpkin or raw corn on the cob, we nudge each other as you try it, assuming you will hate it. And yet, you never do! Your current favorites are similar to years past: popsicles, mac and cheese, pizza, fries (or anything with ketchup) and catfish. But you also happily eat vegetables, all kinds of fruit, and more unusual things like quinoa. You start off each day with a cup of orange juice...you would drink that all day if I let you. Who knows where all this food goes? You are a very skinny boy, still just shy of 30 pounds. You have the beginning of a six-pack and even defined pecs! You are pure bone and muscle!

You are definitely a mama's boy. You are fiercely protective and possessive of me and shower me with love and affection. It can take you a while to warm up to other people, even people you know. You are not a fan of large groups of people and will need to take small breaks of quiet when we go to parties. You need personal space and unless you want to be held, you make it clear you need a good 6 inches of personal space at all times, even when it comes to your closest friends.

Daddy and you have lots of fun together - the two of you make me cringe when you wrestle but you both love it! You are lucky to have a daddy that teaches you all kinds of "guy" things, like how to throw a ball, how to whistle and to be respectful of your mother. You also really enjoy your grandparents and ask for them often. Your warm up time with them is generally only a couple minutes before you are dragging them around and saying "come on, let's play."

You love tv and movies (maybe a bit too much). Current favorites are "Go Diego, Go," "Dora the Explorer", "The Adventures of Chuck and Friends," and "Shrek". You and Daddy tend to watch older cartoons like "Scooby Doo", which you also love. Sometimes I think you are destined to be an actor. You love to give everyone "lines" to say and hate if we say what you've decided is your line! You have a variety of different voices you use to make me laugh. You like to try out different sounds and share them with me "Mommy, you like that sound? No? What about this one?". You are introverted away from home - you need to take quiet breaks when we're in crowds or at parties. But at home, you never stop talking! You hate it if I'm not talking back to you;"Mommy, just talk!!" you demand.

You still hate sleeping and never sleep through the night. You begin each night in your own bed but end up in bed with me every night. You love to sleep snuggled up and you tell me "I need you, Mommy" and "I have to hold your hair." We definitely need to work on getting you to sleep alone and to use the potty in the next few months (you are not particularly happy about the prospect of doing either).

You still love all animals and know about so many different ones. In the past few weeks you've started imitating a dog often...you walk on all fours, with your tongue out and ask me to pet your head. You and Max are good pals and you still delight in seeing Max every morning like it's the first time you've ever seen him. You make sure he wakes up at the same time as us and generally like to boss him around.

Marino, being your mom continues to be the greatest joy of my life. I am so proud of the boy you are becoming and the obstacles you've overcome to get here. Every day I think it's not possible to love you more than I already do and yet my love for you continues to grow.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Babycakes!

Daycare Picnic

2011-07-01T19:00:00.002-04:00

Last Friday, Marino's daycare had their annual family picnic. The daycare is moving ::sob:: and this is the last picnic that will be held in this location. They went all out this year, with a dinosaur shaped bounce house, a snow cone machine, a clown and a balloon artist. The "balloon man", as Marino called him, is actually Jake the Magician and if I was planning Marino's birthday party now, I would have done something where I could hire him. Marino is terrified of clowns, but loved a regular guy acting like a clown! I've never seen him laugh so hard...he was laughing so much he was crying! It was so fun to see!

Marino, "Shi Shi" and Ariana in the bounce house

Marino and one of his BFFs - Cameron

Marino and his buddy Jake the Magician

Yummy snow cone...hence why Marino is wearing 2 different shirts and no shirt in various pictures...the snow cones were a bit messy!

Marino, Shi Shi and snow cones! What's better?

You see how he loved Jake the Magician?!

Marino and his girlfriend, Delaney

Such a fun day!!

5 on Friday

2011-07-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Conversation with Marino at bathtime...
Marino, playing with toys: "Mama" (said to duck)
Me: "Yes?"
Marino: "No, you're not mama. You are mommy."
Me: "You used to call me mama when you were little."
Marino: "Well, I'm not little anymore."

4. We were watching "The Aristocats" the other day and, to the tune of "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" (Marino's favorite), Evan sang to Marino "Everybody, everybody, everybody wants to be your dad". Marino smiled and sang "Everybody wants to be your boy." We were pretty impressed he put that together in his head so quickly.

3. My dad and stepmom got Marino the Melissa and Doug folding castle for his birthday. It's pretty awesome. They also got a royal family set to go with it. Perfect timing, since Marino has been really into Shrek lately. Anyway, he declared that the king in the set was "the bad king." Last night I quizzed him about the rest of the family. As it turns out, the whole family is rotten. No good prince or princesses in the bunch!

2. The other night we read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" before bed. When we were done, Marino said "Mommy, you are a beautiful butterfly." :)

1. This is so exciting! This morning, Marino woke up and I took him downstairs to change his diaper. When I took it off, he announced "I want to use the toilet." We went to the bathroom and I asked if he wanted to sit or stand. He wanted to stand and...he peed in the toilet! Standing up! Evan and I were sooooo proud!!

First Movie!

2011-06-29T19:47:00.000-04:00

I was looking forward to this past weekend for a while but it started with a bang when I woke up with Coxsackie virus on Saturday morning. Marino had it a couple weeks ago and I noticed one small blister on my throat earlier this week. Well, but Saturday, my throat, tonsils and the back half of my tongue were covered in them. Those of you whose children haven't had it yet, let me tell you, when they do get it, feed them as many popsicles and italian ices as they want. It hurts so so bad. I have to take Tylenol every 3 hrs or I feel like death. It's pretty awful.

My dad and stepmom came to visit this weekend. Marino was in heaven - he LOVES his PapPap! My Aunt Kerry and cousin Samantha also came over and Marino had an early birthday celebration with all the new toys he got! Check out his new Mater shirt from my dad and Barb...

Perfect for this!

All of us took Marino to see his first movie - Cars 2! Marino LOVES Cars and especially Mater, so he was excited to go to the movie. I was a bit concerned with how he would feel about being in the theater but he was AWESOME! For the first half of the movie, he sat on the edge of his seat, completely engrossed in the movie. At some points he wanted to sit with me or his PapPap, and sometimes he wanted to stand (and dance), but he was really interested the whole time and well behaved. He even remembered to whisper (most of the time). It was really great and he was better behaved than some older children we saw there.

Here's Marino and PapPap playing with his new drum set from Aunt Kerry (he LOVES this thing).

It would have been a perfect weekend, were it not for this plaque!