Almost a year past...

This time last year I was getting ready to meet my new little man.  I remember I couldn't sleep and woke up super early.  Who knew I'd be so excited to go and have surgery.  I woke up and it was such a beautiful day.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky, I couldn't imagine a better day to have a baby.  And now here I am on the eve of Donato's arrival a year later.  Boy has time flown by...

It's amazing to watch these little babies grow everyday.  I cannot believe how much they can learn in a matter of minutes.  Just tonight he learned that he can fill up a bucket of water when the water in the tub is filling up.  I sat there for a good 10 minutes just watching him fill it up and dumping it out.  He quickly learned that he needed both hands in order to fill it up otherwise it dropped.  A true genius my kid is!

Having a second child is so different then the first.  With Isabella I always wanted her firsts to happen.  I couldn't wait until her 1st birthday.  I was so happy she was turning one.  Now it is bitter sweet with Donato.  After him, there may be no more babies, he could be the last.  So the thought of my last baby growing up really makes me enjoy every minute so much more.  I find myself getting teary eyed as I get things ready for his 1st birthday party.  I don't want to say I didn't appreciate Isabella when she was a baby.  But I guess I just appreciate things in a different way with Donato.  Now I know how fast things go because she's almost 5!  When people tell you they grow quick they aren't kidding.  I try and savor every little moment with him.  

He has just started talking.  His first word was "hi" and he sometimes will mutter "I love you." You wonder for so long what their little voices will sound like then when you finally hear it it's even better then you imagined it would be.  

In one short year he has turned into a handsome little man with his own unique personality.  I cannot wait to see what kind of little boy he's going to become.  Happy Birthday Eve little man.  Your Mommy loves you!

more veggies please

Isabella is a great veggie eater and always has been. The other night she put a heaping second helping on her plate of tomatoes and cucumbers.  Danny bet her that she could not finish them all.  Granted it was a lot of veggies but I would not bet $100 bucks against a 4 1/2 year old.  What did Isabella do?  She finished them all!  He tried getting off with giving her $1 but she quickly realized that it wasn't a one hundred dollar bill.  His mom and I insisted that he give her the money because it was him that started the whole thing.  He was a man of his word and did give her the money but being that he didn't have a hundred dollar bill on him, Isabella was happy to settle for the fifty that he did have.  Yesterday she went shopping and treated herself to some new pj's and a pair of shorts.  That will teach him to challenge her!

Dinner gone wild!

Well the time of wild, food throwing meal times has finally arrived!  With Isabella I never had any of these issues.  She was the neatest little eater.  Nothing was ever on her face or high chair.  She just got fussy when she was full.

Mr.Donato on the other hand is a true little boy.  This picture says it all.  Every day the mess gets bigger and bigger.  He swats at the spoon like he's trying to kill a fly.  He brushes his hair with whatever is on his tray.  This morning he used the grape jelly on his English muffin as hair gel.  I mean, why not right?

As annoying as his little habit has become, I love to see his little personality emerge.  He is a very stubborn boy who knows what he wants.  He likes to make noise and the louder the better.  As his first birthday approaches I can't wait to see what else this little boy has in store for us.

Open the garage

Trying to feed two very hungry children who eat two different things at the same time is not an easy task. I asked Isabella if she thought she could handle feeding Donato. Of course, in true big sister fashion she said sure! So I showed her how to do it and the rest is history. She's a pro!

I was in the kitchen listening to the antics going on in the other room and I hear a plethora of coercing going on. The best one was, "Come on Donato, open the garage because here it comes." I love it! She thought of that one liner all on her own. I swear she's a 40 year old stuck in a 4 1/2 year old body.

sleeping in...a thing of the past

Sleeping in has long been a thing of the past for me. Long gone are the days of sleeping until 1 in the afternoon. I have come to accept it as my new reality. When Isabella was small we would get up at 8 which is totally doable. Now, with Mr.Donato we get up at 6ish everyday. That's a tad early, but again doable. I never thought I'd see the day where I would not sleep until at least noon. It feels like just yesterday. Now, I don't think I could sleep till noon if I tried! When Isabella was small and she would have a sleep over we would be impressed if we slept until 9:30. Donato hasn't slept away from me since he was born but I would imagine I'd be up by 8 in his absence.

Let me preface this statement with, I know I sound like my mother. But I feel like the whole day is wasted away if I sleep too late. As a mom, there are just so many things that need to be done. If you sleep in you loose at least 2 hours of precious time. Time that can be used in an insurmountable number of ways. If this mommy didn't get up in our house Donato would still be in his crib, Isabella would eat candy for breakfast and Bronx would still be barking at the door to go out. So next time you are tired from getting up early think about all you accomplish while everyone else sleeps. Think about what wouldn't happen if you stayed sleeping. It's nice to feel needed.

And if Dad slept in...well that's a story for another day!

Through a Gigi's eyes

We are so blessed to still have my Grandma (Gigi) around. She has been spoiling me my whole life but my kids get all her love ten fold. When my sister and I were small my Grandma was still working so she enjoyed us but not as much as she enjoys my kids. She doesn't work anymore, maybe one day a week for bingo money but can ya blame a gal?

She wants to be with my kids any chance she gets. She drives to our house 1 or 2 days a week, 45 minutes one way to see them. It started out her coming because I needed help with the baby but he's now 10 months old and she's still coming. I don't know who is happier to see who when she arrives, the kids or Gigi.

I love to watch her watch them. They truly make her happy. She gets such a kick out of the quirky things Isabella says. You can tell how much she loves them and that makes me happy. I feel like I have given her a gift, I guess there is no better gift then great-grand children. She is so proud of them. All the ladies at Bingo know who Isabella and Donato are and are always asking her about them. She shows their pictures off every week. Every now and again the kids and I make a guest appearance at Bingo on Monday night. You would think a celebrity walked in the way people flock around the kids. I actually had someone stop me in the grocery store and say hi to Isabella. The woman recognized her from a picture Gigi had shown her.

Lots of people have grand kids but how many people have great-grand kids? It's like a bonus God gives to people. I have so many fond childhood memories of my Grandma. I hope my kids will have those same memories of her. They all get so much joy from being around each other. I hope this can continue for many more years. There are many more memories for Isabella and Donato to make with their Gigi.

Down at Fraggle Rock

I usually dread morning cartoons. In my opinion, the quality of cartoons has gone down hill since my cartoon days. Well this morning, with some resistance I put on the Hub for Isabella and to my surprise Fraggle Rock was on! It took some convincing but I got her to watch it. In the end she was just as delighted with it as I was.

Our kids don't know what a good cartoon is. Remember Gummi Bears, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, David the Nome, Duck Tales? Now that's a good Cartoon. There needs to be a throw back cartoon channel with all of the above. Sure there is Boomerang but it lacks in the bulk of goodness that was the cartoons of the 80's.

But in the mean time....

"Dance your cares away,

Worry's for another day.

Let the music play,

Down at Fraggle Rock."

Baby's best friend

Bronx has single handily or single pawed in this case helped Donato become a speed crawler. Donato tries with all his baby might to catch Bronx. Bronx will be sitting, chewing on a toy and Donato crawls full throttle to get him, Bronx gets up and runs away. It becomes a game of baby and dog. Dog always wins. You think Donato would realize that he's never going to catch Bronx but he never does. It reminds me of Bronx chasing squirrels or birds. He's never going to catch them but he never gives up.

I can tell these two are going to be best friends. While I was pregnant Bronx would lay on my stomach, almost as if he knew his best bud was in my belly. Ever since we brought Donato home Bronx is the first one waiting outside his door when he wakes up. I love to watch their little friendship grow. Bronx takes a lot from this little guy...it's baby's best friend.

The word "no"

The word no simply means, Not any: "there is no excuse". Simple right? Not so much! The word no, to a child means something completely different. It means: maybe if I ask again the answer will change, maybe if I wine a little more she will say yes, maybe if I ask louder the answer will no longer be no, oh wait, how about if I wait a few minutes dad won't say no, and the list goes on and on. We have heard them all. Kids lack patience, they don't like to wait for things, they need instant gratification. The word no does not allow for that. They want it now not in 5 minutes.

As I sit here and type this post I am having a conversation with my 4 1/2 year old about getting her clothes. So fitting considering I am writing about this very topic. I told her no, I am busy, not right now, I will come and get you when I am ready to help you. It has taken me 10 minutes to write this and she has come in here about every other minute.

I guess that's where being able to tell time will come in handy. When I say in 10 minutes it will really be 10 minutes and not every minute. They have no concept of time, there for the word no doesn't really fit into their vocabulary. I guess that is the joy of being a child. Living in a world of yes and living in the moment. I think adults should revisit that world every now and again. Then maybe there won't be so much hate. We need to say yes to the good and no to the bad. We think so much about so many un-important and irrelevant things. We need to take the time to focus on the good things every once in awhile.

Maybe I should take my own advice and stop saying no to my poor little girl who just wants to get dressed? I think so! Hope you all have a blessed day!

drive throughs

How can you not have a drive through with a kid?? they are the best! often determine what errands will actually get accomplished

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!! We are looking forward to a fun filled day with family. It's a beautiful sunny day here in New Jersey. Last night we went to my moms house to have Easter there. It was a great time and Isabella had a huge Easter egg hunt in the woods! Half way through she gave her basket to her aunt because it was too heavy!

Donato got up super early this morning, he must of smelled the Bunny that hopped into our house last night. He played for about 25 minutes before he spotted his basket and slowly tore it open. Isabella slept in, but ran right down the stairs to see what the Bunny brought her. Loved everything in the basket but her favorite was the pink baseball glove she got.

Now it's off to get the troops ready for church and then it's off to Grandma's house we go. I hear the bunny left the mother load at her house!

RIP Lennon Baldwin

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/morristown_teens_suicide_being.html

This really hits home....this boy lived just 10 minutes from us. It is heart wrenching that this ever happens. Bullying needs to end, plain and simple. As parents we all need to sit down today, right now, and explain to our children, on an age appropriate level what bullying means and how if affects people.

Kids may think it's all fun and games now but I have never heard of a grow-up who used to bully be proud of what they did. Most likely them are ashamed of their childish behavior. And only now can they see what affects their actions had on people. It can truly eat away at people for years told come. Almost as a pay back for all the years of bullying they did as a youngster.

I recently heard a story of a father who went into a counselors office at the Feeding Center. He walked into her tiny office and just began to sob uncontrollably. After cried for about 10 minutes he told her he did this. (His son was born with a cleft lip and palate and was missing an ear.) She assumed that he had a relative with a cleft that he passed down to his child. He just kept saying he did this. He told her he used to bully kids so badly when he was younger this was god's way of getting him back.

Parents and teachers need to educate children on what bullying can do to people. The after math of both bullies and the kids that are bullied follow you long into adulthood. It has to stop somewhere because it's never going to go away unless people step up and do something. I know I sound like a broken record but the squeaky wheel gets the most grease! So if you see someone being bullied say something! It's so wrong on so many levels. These poor children are killing themselves!

Thank you Tessa

Yesterday I participated on a family panel at my children's cleft team. We spoke for a group of students studying to be speech pathologists. I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful 16 year old girl who was born with a bclp. The wisdom and maturity this young woman had was far beyond her years. She told the audience that she was once asked if she could go back and be born without her cleft would she. Her answer was no. She told us that it has made her who she is today, it has taught her so many things that many people will never know. It brought tears to my eyes hearing her speak. I worry everyday about my daughter and meeting Tessa made me feel so much more at ease. My daughter is going to be okay and grow up to be a normal teenage girl, worried about all the usual teenage girl things. :) Thank you Tessa

Baby fever

If Babies-R-Us doesn't give you baby fever nothing will! From the moment you walk into the store you are overwhelmed with the smell of a fresh newborn baby. I love, love, love it! I love every single thing about babies. I could buy something in that store every time I walk in. Lucky for me it's close to my house so we go there at least once a week. I just walk the isles aimlessly and reminisce of the good ol' newborn days. They grow so quickly, almost too quickly for my liking.

I have always said that Babies-R-Us and Bye Bye Baby are gold mines! People are always having babies, always. It's a business that is fool proof, it's never going to die as long as people keep reproducing!

They continue to come out with new things. These new things make you wonder how people surrived, even 10 years ago with out them. It also makes you wonder do we really need them? Nope, probably not but they are sure fun to have.

Thank you Babies-R-Us for letting me roam your isles and getting me to buy something every time I'm there!

Baby proofing 101

Well the time has finally come that we had to baby proof the new house. I almost made it a year but no such luck. It happened in what feels like over night. Donato is now in full on crawling mode which lead to the beginning stages of climbing. There were 2 very scary corners on the edge of the fireplace that he found first, so off to Babies-R-Us it was to buy covers for that. And since it's only a matter of time before he finds the outlets, I entrusted the job of putting on the outlet covers to my trusty assistant/big sister Isabella. She took extra care in making sure that they were pushed in all the way and didn't miss a single outlet. (with my supervision of course) Gone are the days of the baby you plop down in front a pile of toys. Onto the new pastures...the baby who gets into everything!

bully this...

I cannot even put into words how sad it makes me that the children of today have to grow up in such a scary place. You always hear about school shootings, bullying and children committing suicide because of pure stupidity. Not stupidity on their part but the part of others. It is inconceviable that a child could feel so badly due to what others have said and done that leads them to end their own lives. They were bullied so badly and felt so alone when all they needed was a friend. Horrible! When I grew up, sure we had kids that were made fun of. I'm sure at one point or another I was the one doing some of the teasing. Thankfully, I was never a frequent recipient of being bullied, but I can only imagine how horrible it can make someone feel.

Someone called Isabella ugly in school last week. Granted they are only 4 and the other kid probably didn't even know what she was really saying, but I lost it. I know any parent would be angry to hear someone called their kid ugly, but it really hits us hard due to the whole cleft thing. All I wanted to do was march into school and ask the kid what the hell she was thinking, then I remembered that I'm an adult and I need to set an example. So I turned it into a teaching experience. I explained to Isabella how we never want to hurt other's feelings. Because just how it hurt Isabella's feelings it would do the same had she said something harmful to someone else. I told her we never want to make someone else feel bad no matter how angry we may be.

It breaks my heart that my children have to grow up in fear. It's so terribly sad that someone else thinks they, for whatever reason, have the right to threaten children in a place they are supposed to feel safe, in school. Today I got word of a suspected gunmen in around a near by high school threatening to shoot children, causing all area schools to be placed on lock down. A few months ago there were threats at my college Alma mater against gays and lesbians which lead to snipers being placed on the roofs of buildings.

Gone are the good old days of letting kids play outside alone with friends on nice days. You have to be on constant guard for fear something terrible will happen to them. I try and not convey my fear to my children rather educate them on an age appropriate level. I want them to be able to experience a childhood like mine, free of worry with the ability to just be a kid. It really scares me what the future will be like for my grandchildren. What on earth are they going to have to worry about? Something needs to change for these kids and fast.

the dumping ground

I don't know about you, but it seems that I am constantly cleaning everyone else's stuff out of our room. Some how, some way the kids clothes, toys, blankies and anything else you could possibly imagine of theirs is always in our room! It's amazing every night I make 2 piles on my dresser, an Isabella pile and a Donato pile, to be returned to their rooms. It would be one thing if we lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment and they shared a room, but no we don't. I could see Isabella bringing her stuff in my room to escape the boy stuff but no. Each kid has their own room. My room seems to be the abyss for children's items, I could start a small consignment store just with the items left in my room on a daily basis! Do you other mommies feel me? Or am I the only one with this unexplainable problem?

the balancing act

It's so hard to find the time to balance "me time" and "family time. " I'm sure all moms have the same problem. I am struggling terribly to lose these last 10lbs of baby weight. It's not going anywhere any time soon. Granted I don't watch what I eat or exercise, but still it came off last time without doing anything. I've accepted that I need to get off my butt and take matters into my own hands, the question is how? I guess what they say is true, the older you get the harder it is to lose weight.

I really want to know how other moms do it. I only have 2 kids and can't squeeze working out for just a half hour in my day. There is always something else that needs to be done. Laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, yard work, basically everything except working out gets done around here. I feel horrible about the way I look but do nothing about it. It's a vicious cycle that I am on.

A big part is motivation and truthfully I always have an excuse. I can't completely blame the lack of time and having other things to do. I always find an excuse not to work out. ie: the baby is going to wake up, I have to make dinner, I'm sure you know them all. I would even wake up earlier to get a quick workout in before everyone else gets up, but they wake up at different times everyday, I can't win!

So my question to you all is what works for you? How am I going to find the time and motivation to lose these last 10 lbs? Help. Please.

think you're alone now...

I recently read an article about having a child with special needs. Which is what lead me to write this blog. This is something I have been feeling for a long time now but never talk about. Having a baby with any kind of issue makes you feel very isolated from the world.

People always ask how are things going and may be sincere in asking, but eventually stop asking or just ask because it's the right thing to do. It feels horrible to feel so alone in something that should bring people together. Trust me it's no fun having to stay home because your kid had surgery or miss out on things because you don't want people starring at your baby.

You don't want to really tell your friends what's going on or how things are really going because you don't want to drown them in your problems. It feels awful as a mother to have to lie. You just tell them things are going great when in reality your child was up all night screaming.

The following is not necessarily personal to me but just a general statement. People often asking if there is anything I can do let me know. Well, yes there is something you can do. People never want to inconvieance you so they never ask. It makes us feel weird. So just give them a call and offer! Just say, "Hey I was thinking about coming by what's a good time?" Don't give them an optioin just say I'm coming over! Trust me they want you there and no you are not bothering them.

I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck in the house with one of the kids, feeling so alone because they were having issues with their NAM or cranky from a recent surgery. I would of loved for someone to say they were gonna stop by. It's nice for someone to come over and break up they day and talk about something other then your life's draining issues.

bribery

Don't judge. You know you do it! I'm sure all parents, at one time or another bribe their kids. Either to have them do something or behave a certain way. Whatever the case may be you do what you have to do. And there is nothing wrong with a little bribery every now and again.

The other night I was putting Isabella to bed. She asked me to rub her back, so I did. She didn't like the way I was doing it, she wanted me to actually massage her back. So I did it for a few minutes then told her I was going to bed. Her response was, "Come on Mom I'll give ya $100 bucks!" Ohhhhh Isabella, the things that come out of that child's mouth. Maybe we're bribing a little too much that's she's beginning to bribe me?

The joys of parenthood!

a week ago today...

...a week ago today Donato had his surgery. I remember saying to myself last week by this time next week this will all be over and here we are. I said a prayer this morning with Donato that who ever Dr.Podda was operating today have a speedy recovery like Donato has had.

He's not totally back to himself by any means but he's getting there. I took his no-no's off last night and he crawled away! He crawled for the first time a week after having surgery. I was pretty impressed.

We go see Dr.Podda on Wednesday and I'm hoping for a good report! I think as soon as he gets the no-no's off and gets the hang of drinking his bottle with his new found roof of his mouth he will be a-okay!

We have taken the advice of some experienced mommies and their tips seem to be helping the little man. A Vicks Vaporizer works wonders, for both babies and adults alike. Sleeping elevated helps the little guy and swinging in a swing to fall asleep does the trick! So thank you ladies!

the power of some poop

Last night I was giving the kids a bath, all went well, nothing out of the oridnary. I got Donato out of the bath and my mom stayed with Isabella while I got Donato dressed. Gave Donato to my mom in order to finish Isabella up. She tells me, as I'm draining the water that Donato pooped in the tub. I looked and didn't see any poo. She proceeds to point out a tiny little poo drop, about the size of a quarter on the bottom of his bath seat. Well I don't know what she did, either smelled it or touched it but in true Isabella fashion her poop adversion kicked in! She started dry heaving. Which is what she normally does if she smells a particurarly smelly poo. I know this is all probably TMI, but it's all very relevant to the story. As I always do I tell her to hold her nose, but it was too late. And out it came! Dinner and dessert all over the tub! I guess that's one way to get me to clean the bath tub!

Someone Like You

The power of song is amazing. With Isabella I thought it was just a freak thing that whenever Bon Jovi's Wanna Make a Memory came on her cries would stop instantaneously. It was like magic. She could be hysterical crying and boom, Bon Jovi=crickets! And now with Donato we have the same situatation with Adele. He does the same thing with Adele's Someone Like You. He loves it so much so that even Isabella can sing him the whole song from memory.

One could argue that the baby heard this song while they were in the womb, but no in both cases. Each song came out after both kids were born. I don't know what it is about each of these songs but they work wonders for my kids. So thank you Mr.Bon Jovi and Ms. Adele for bringing your amazing songs into our lives and quieting my children at the same time.

All of this makes me wonder if other mommies expereince the same thing with their little ones? Does your baby have a favorite song that puts them at peace?

quick update

It was 9:50 at night and I finally broke down and let them give him morphine for the first time since this the recovery room. He didn't seem like he was in pain but they told me it would help him sleep. Finally he rested peacefully in his own bed and Mommy and Daddy were able to get some sleep throughout the night.

I'd say he slept about 6 hours in total in his own bed. Which I am very happy with. I expected alot worse but he proved me wrong. In this case I am more then happy to be wrong! We played alot with his toys and 2 plastic spoons I got from the cafeteria this morning. As usual the spoons were a big hit. I think that tired him out because he is finally sleeping again without being held. And that didn't come a minute too soon because I think our arms were about to fall off!

We're just waiting now for Dr.Podda to come in and discharge us so we can go home! He doesn't seem to be in much pain, which I'm thankful for. Thank you all for your prayers! As far as I'm concerned the worst is behind us...onto a life surgery free for a few years :) (knock on wood)

Here's a picture of the little guy...I'll get a better one once his IV is out and he gets all cleaned up!

Prayers for my little man

You would think that things would be easier the second time around. But, nope not at all. I know I've said this before and I'm gonna keep on saying it, ignorance is bliss. This morning I had to do one of the hardest things a mother can do, walked Donato into surgery.

My happy go lucky baby is going to wake up one unhappy little man. I know this is necessary but it doesn't make it any easier. He fought the anesthesia and would not fall asleep. But I was there to hold his hand and sing his favorite song, Someone Like You by Adele. I managed to keep it together until I walked out of the operating room. It was then I lost it. What is the purpose of having a cleft lip and palate? I can't think of anything. God works in very mysterious ways, because I see no good coming from a cleft. No good comes from lots of things this one is just close to my heart.

As I sit here in the waiting room waiting for Donato I noticed these other paretns who were both teary eyed. You never want to ask what is going on but I assumed it was a child they were waiting for. A nurse comes out and tells them they just made the incision and proceeds to talk about putting a pump in her heart. The mother begins to cry and assures her that her baby is in good hands. Suddenly Donato's issues don't seem so major. I always tell myself it could be worse and for those parents it is. Prayers for their little girl.

I ask all who read this to keep Donato and Dr.Podda in their thoughts and prayers this morning. May god guide Dr.Podda hands as her operates on my little man.

laundry, laundry oh my!

It's shocking how much laundry one little man can add to a household. He seems to think it's funny, but mommy not so much. It's not so much the doing of the laundry I loathe, it's putting it away. I will often let 2 or 3 loads pile up before I put them away. I hate it! I don't even mind folding it, it's putting it away! I have to walk to 3 different rooms, 4 if I do towels. I know there are much more trivial things in this world but I'm sure all moms will agree about my laundry loathing.

Toys, toys and more toys

We spend all this money on baby toys to entertain the kids. The million dollar question is why? In that sea of toys do you notice what my son is playing with? A TISSUE!! The actual toys do entertain him, but only for a short period of time. But give the kid a tissue and he's a happy for hours, well not hours but you get the point.

It cracks me up that babies always want to play with stuff they aren't supposed to play with. Things that are not actual toys are so much more appealing. One might say that's because we take them away when they get a hold of said thing, but nope. I put a clicker in with all of his toys one day and sure enough he goes for the clicker.

Another mystery is why do they have to have the real thing? All babies love phones. So you go to the store, search for and buy the "baby" cell phone and give it to them thinking you're the greatest parent. You think they are going to love this new toy. No such luck, they have no interest in the baby cell phone they want yours! Only if someone could figure out these fascinating little creatures.

Where have all the prizes gone?

As I poured Isabella's Lucky Charms into her bowl this morning I found this. Now, 20 years ago it would not of been surprised but today I was shocked, I thought I was seeing things. I could not tell you the last time that I found a prize actually inside a cereal box. I'm lying, I was 10.

Today kids have to send away for them. Kids don't want to send away for something, they want instant gratification. They want their prizes inside the cereal box! I mean can you blame them?

My sister and I would fight for the prize. My mom would have to stop us from emptying the entire cereal box as soon as we got home from the grocery store. That's how cereal was chosen back in my day, because I'm so old. We picked which cereal we wanted based on which ones had the best prizes. I know times are a changin' but really? Send away for prizes? C'mon Genereal Mills! I have a brillant way to boost cereal sales in America, spend the 5 cents it costs for the diddly prize and write prize inside on the outside of the cereal box. Sales will sky rocket! Kids don't even care what it is they just want the prize.

So thank you General Mills for putting this comic inside Isabella's cereal box. She now has a small example of what it was like when I was a kid, back in the good old days.

Shopping....ughhh

As a mom you do what you have to do to keep two kids quiet while shopping. It is always nice when you don't have to run through the store like a maniac because someone is getting cranky. There is nothing worse then getting home and realizing you forgot half the things on your list having to go back all because of a cranky kid.

We weren't even in the store 10 minutes before Donato decided he wanted to go home. Thankfully we were in the baby isle. I saw the teething biscuits and decided to give em' a whirl. It took some coercing, but once he got the hang of it, it was all over! He went to town! His entire outfit, face and shopping cart cover were destroyed. But the look of pure enjoyment and the hour of peaceful shopping was well worth the mess! Thanks little man!

Wake up and smell the diversity America!

Does it get much cuter then these 2?

It really bothers me that you never see kids with birth defects or kids that are "different" in the media & advertisements. It's always the "picture perfect" kid. Well I have news for the world, there are a ton of other kids out there that are just as cute! We try and teach our children from a young age that they need to be accepting of all kinds of people, not to stare and be respectful. This is a hard thing to do when you never see anything different in the media. So of course a young child is going to stare when they see someone who looks different then they do. If the media did a better job at putting kids that looked different maybe the world would not be such a critical place to live.

I know all moms think this but my kids are really flippin' cute. Despite the little line in their lip they look just like me and you. But have you ever seen a child with a cleft lip in an advertisement? Nope! A cleft lip is the most common birth defect in the United States, it occurs in 1 in every 600 births! How is it even possible that children with cleft lips have not yet been seen in our ads, tv shows and other media? It truly boggles my mind!

So if anyone knows anyone that is in the entertainment field please oh please go and shake the s*^t out of them and tell them to cast all kinds of people! All children are beautiful and don't always come out picture perfect. But I know one thing, all of those children are picture perfect to their parents. We love them no matter what. For that reason alone they should also have the chance to shine.

Attention talent agents! Start casting what real kids look like, I know a handful of kids born with a cleft lip among other birth defects that would be amazing little actors or models. Wake up and smell the diversity America!

I know alot of people read my blog so if you reads this and knows someone who can do something about this issue email me... daniellebaranowski@hotmail.com

your baby vs. "email baby"

First I have to give a big congratulations to the NY GIANTS!!! SUPERBOWL XLVI Champions!!

I don't know if it's just me, but it cracks me up when I get those weekly emails, you know, "your baby at 34 weeks." It amazes me how Donato is actually doing the things the email says he should be doing. I have no idea why I am so amazed by this because most babies do certain things at particular ages. For instance, it drives Danny crazy that Donato is constantly dropping things on the floor. Donato drops one things and Danny's right behind him picking it up. I tell him he should wait until he drops everything and pick it up all at once. Danny thinks he does it on purpose but the email says otherwise! But that's a whole other story.

So today I get an email from the Bump and it says how baby is now dropping everything on the floor! I love it! It's like, oh thank goodness, my kids a genius because he has been doing that for weeks already. But I'm pretty sure that all mom's think their kid is a genius and is going to grow up and be a doctor or a lawyer. We can hope right?

It's the little things :)

1 kid, 2 kids, 3 kids, 4

There are so many differences between your first and second child. With your first child you do, or try to do everything by "the book." You want someone there with you at all times, because lord only knows what would happen had you been left alone. You wake up every hour to check if the baby is still breathing. On the rare occasion that you are left alone and you try and take a shower you take the baby into the bathroom with you. You know because at 1 month old they can climb right out of that baby safe crib! You think that the sleep deprivation you are experiencing will NEVER end. I remember it felt like an eternity of not sleeping.

Then along comes number 2, or 3 or 4 or whatever may be. All of the above goes out the window. You no longer need help 24/7. You know the sleepless nights will not go on forever and you can see the light at the end of what once seemed a never ending tunnel. Showers are much more frequent then they once were and oddly you don't seem as tired this time around.

So hang in there new moms, it gets easier, I promise.

the dentist

Pediatric Dentists have, in my opinion the hardest job of all dentists. Their patients are so innocent and unaware of the pain a dentist can bring. It can go one of two ways. The first being the way it went with me when I was 4 years old. I went to the dentist to have a cavity filled and was traumatized. The man shouldn't of been a dentist on a corpse never mind a child. Or the way it went for Isabella today.

Due to Isabella's cleft lip her bite and her tooth don't line up properly and she wore away at the enamel and it turned into a cavity. The news of this "cavity" devastated me. It would be one thing if she never brushed her teeth and ate candy all the time but that's not the case. She brushes twice a day and uses anti-cavity mouth wash without even being told. We take her to the dentist every 3 months to avoid, what now seems was inevitable, a cavity.

Since we found out about this 2 weeks ago it's been looming over my head. She enjoys going to the dentist believe it or not because they are so incredibly nice and paint her nails when she is done. I thought after she had the cavity fixed she would dread going to the dentist as I did as a child.

I wanted to tell her so badly that it was going to hurt and she was going to get a needle but the doctor told me that wouldn't be the best way to go about it. I suppose in this case ignorance was bliss and she wouldn't of gotten in the chair had I told her that. So we went and she made it out alive!

Me on the other hand...not so much. I heard her crying and moaning which simply broke my heart. I was trembling and couldn't breathe, it was a border line panic attack. I too brought some support, the support of my Grandpa, the guy who first took me to the dentist 25 years ago. He tried to keep my mind off of her moans and groans but I could still hear her. I had to leave the lobby and go stand in the hallway. The hygienist came out and told me she told the doctor that mom was crying so she wanted to ensure me she was fine. She told me Isabella was not crying in pain she was just moaning because she didn't like the drying out her mouth to do the filling. These poor people have one of the hardest jobs. They have to deal with frightened children as well as their basket case mothers!

So after the procedure she didn't run out of the room screaming she went and had her nails painted. The doctor, who reminds me of snow white with the soft voice and all came out with Isabella's I-Pod, blankie and giraffie and told me how it went...they listened to Rhianna the whole time and she did great. So thank you Pediatric Dental Arts and Dr. Melissa for making Isabella's first "scary" dental experience a not so scary one!

A round of applause please

Mr. Donato is growing up so fast!! Within the past few days he has learned to clap his hands. Whenever he hears music he bursts out clapping. He is also tirelessly working on crawling. He goes backwards now, having a hard time getting his belly off the floor to get the momentium to go forwards. Before I know it he's going to be crawling all over the house! I better start baby proofing!!

Baby Simba

Donato was baptized on Sunday and it was an amazing day. He was surrounded by all of the people who love him. In true Father Owen fashion he held Donato up like Baby Simba and presented him to the parish as it's newest member. He really puts on a great show.

sleeping in

Correct me if I'm wrong, but how come every time one of my kids sleeps later then they usually do I automatically think the worst. I suppose even the tiny humans like to sleep in on occasion. I run in there and just stand there waiting to see their chest rise. Then I stand there for a few minutes to make sure they keep breathing.

I think I've said this before but it's kind of like the first night your child sleeps through the night. You would think this is a glorious night for all but nope, you're up every hour wondering if they still breathing. Why is it that we always assume that kids are terrible sleepers. I always expect someone to wake up crying or come into my room in the middle of the night. I guess if I set myself up for the worst every night and no one gets up, I will never be disappointed.

the witching hour

I know all of you Mommie's know what I'm talking about when I say, "the witching hour." Why does it always come when it's time to make dinner? Babies must have an internal clock telling then it's 5 o'clock and Mommy needs to make dinner now so start crying! I remember this distinctively with Isabella. She would get so cranky everyday around 5 for no reason at all. Now that I have two kids she gets mad when he starts crying and she can't hear her shows. I quickly remind her that not that long ago she was crying and I couldn't hear anything. She patiently tries so hard to entertain him so he will stop crying. But quickly gets frustrated when nothing helps. Then she says to me, "Geez Mom play with the poor guy!" Kids say the cutest things!

But as I write this at 5:45pm I must go because a "witching" baby awaits!

why hello smiley!

I love walking into Donato's room to see a happy smiling baby! He wakes up and just rolls around playing with his toys. Bronx (the dog) usually hears him first and goes and sits by his door waiting for me to open it. Then he runs in, jumps up and puts his paws on Donato's mattress and stares at him. That's another bond that amazes me that we will save for another day. When I get to the crib I see a big toothless smile staring up at me. L.O.V.E. it!! So happy to see me, such love for that little man!

Isabella on the other hand is getting to the age that where she doesn't want to get up. She walks down the stairs, comes into the living room looking all disheveled, hairs a mess and with her raspy morning voice says, "Good morning Mommy." It takes her a little while before she's her happy little self. She reminds me of me just in a pint sized body. I swear she's a 30 year old stuck in a 4 year olds body.

good morning sunshine

I love walking into Donato's room to see a happy smiling baby. The look they give you is an indescribable one. I love feeling so needed. He is truly happy to see me. It's rare that you get looks like that from people. You gotta love your kids for being able to do that for you. It's kind of like a re-payment for taking care of them. It's their way of saying thank you.

Babies have a great knack for telling you things without saying a word. They give you looks, smiles and coos or in other cases, wines, screams and cries. It's amazing how they can communicate without speaking any actual words. You never really think about it, but it's amazing how you know what they need without them telling you.

Then you have the older child "good morning" or not so good morning in some cases. It can go one of two ways. In our house it's like this, they come in your room and wake you up or you have to go in their room to wake them up. I love when Isabella comes in my room in the morning with her raspy voice and wild amazon woman hair. She sees that we're still sleeping and oh so kindly goes downstairs and turns on the tv. She reminds me of myself. If I wake up before everyone else I sneak downstairs to have some peace and quite before all the crazy begins. I love how much she like me!

I'm not looking forward to next year when I will have to wake up for school. Now I know how my mom felt when she had to get my sister and I up. No parent wants to do it. They spend the first 5 years of the child's life wanting them to sleep in then all of a sudden you have to wake them up! Craziness to me!

all we need is love

Look at these faces....I flippin' love them to pieces!!

If this picture could talk it would say, "Mom are we done yet? I mean really more pictures of us in the paper? All we want to do is play with our toys!"

It's really crazy how much we love our children. You think when you see them for the first time you have never loved something more. You think the kind of love you have for them could never multiply but it does. Every morning we wake up and have our morning routine. It's better on days when there is no school of course. Donato wakes up between 7 and 8, then Isabella soon there after. We lay in bed drinking our bottles, sippys or coffee and watch the news or cartoons. We all just snuggle. It's times like these that I tresure and will look back when they are grown and miss.

Not only does the love I have for my children amaze me but the love Isabella and Donato share is like no other. I have never seen a little boy light up more then when his sister makes him laugh. She has the abaility to make him hysterically laugh like no other person. He just looks at her with those big eyes as to say, "ok I know what you're supposed to do. You're the girl whos gonna teach me how to do bad things and when we get caught you're going to blame it on me and that's ok." But that's what brothers and sisters are for right?