The Izadi Family

Catching Up

2010-02-28T20:49:00.003-05:00

Well, although I gave serious consideration to abandoning this blog altogether, I've decided to finally post something. It's been a while - and for good reason: when things aren't going so great, I tend to shrink away. I don't like talking about them, and from about the time of my last point until the birth of our precious Mia, things just weren't going so great!

2009 was certainly a challenge for me. Keith and I had decided to try for another baby. This was a hard decision for me, because my pregnancy with Luca was difficult. For the final 2 months, walking had become excruciating for me, and I felt awful. I was having a hard time just managing myself, let alone my daughter who wasn't even 2 years old. Although his delivery was truly a breeze, I suffered with post-partum complications I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Thus, when I decided to give it a go one more time, I knew that it was truly going to be a physical sacrifice for me - and I was right.

During the first four months, I was nauseated 24/7. Feeling like that while trying to care for a 3 and 5 year old was quite the challenge, but somewhere around the beginning of May, the nausea subsided for the most part and I could finally start feeling like a mom to Bella and Luca again. At that same time, however, Luca and I were in a pretty bad car crash. Luca was fine, but I had suffered a hematoma on my 4.5-month-pregnant placenta. It was during all of the post-crash ultrasounds that we found out that we were going to have a baby girl! Soon after that at the dr's office at a follow-up ultrasound, the news wasn't so good. He noticed something wrong with her heart - cardiac echogenic foci - and that's where everything about the pregnancy changed.

We were referred to a perinatologist, who did "screens" (very in-depth ultrasounds, in which the little baby is just analyzed piece by piece) every month. What we found out is that our baby had several markers for a genetic abnormality - most likely Down Syndrome. I can't even begin to explain the kind of emotions that you find yourself feeling when you are hit with something like that. Keith and I were shaken. I began to question everything, including myself and the feelings I had about the possibility of parenting a child with special needs. I wanted to know for sure... I wanted to be able to prepare myself, so I wanted to have an amnio. However, because of the hematoma on my placenta, the risks to the baby from the amnio were ones that Keith and I were not willing to take. So we had to wait. For the next 5 months, Keith and I privately feared, prayed, and prepared ourselves to care for our little baby, no matter how her chromosomes would turn out to be. I was offered counseling by my OB-Gyn, but by that point, I was at peace with whatever God decided for us. In the end, we were going to love our little girl, regardless of whether or not she was "perfect" in the eyes of medical professionals or society.

My pregnancy became increasingly difficult and painful. Again, managing my other little ones was barely something I could handle day-to-day. My joints were so swollen and painful, and again, I could barely walk. I was ready to have this baby! Then, on September 21, 2009, on our way in the doors of the hospital for some tests, my water broke. I was 38 weeks pregnant, and since my water had broken with the other two kids, we just laughed, called my parents who were visiting at my house, and told them we wouldn't be coming home for a while! We got settled into the hospital and a few hours later Mia was born. This little one was almost delivered by her daddy, because she didn't want to wait until the dr. arrived, but I managed to hold her off until he got there.

The moments which followed her delivery are a bit of a blur to me. But I remember watching the neonatal nurses looking her over as they were cleaning her off. She was tiny. She had big eyes... I could see that. But I was waiting to know what we had been questioning for the last 5 months. The nurse looked at me and started telling me what I wanted to know. "No Simian crease, Mom!" "Nuchal depth is normal, Mom!" "She has good tone, Mom!" And I knew that these were all good signs. Then, she said it... "She looks perfect, Mom."

And she was. From that point on, we didn't have to wonder how our life would be changed. We were humbled. We were overwhelmed. And we don't know why things turned out the way they did, or why God decided to give us Mia with all of her chromosomes "normal," but He did. And we are blessed.

Mia Gianna means "My God is gracious." Her name has profound meaning, and one thing Keith and I have learned through her birth is the gift of His grace - in both recieving it, and giving it away.

Mia is now 5 months old, and is such a blessing to us. She is the most pleasant, happy baby I've ever met. Every day I thank God for such a gift. I am amazed at her contentment, and I know that this little one is special. I am sure that God has big plans for our little Mia... and I can't imagine our lives without her!

Big Boy Bed

2009-05-26T21:49:00.002-04:00

Our little guy is growing up! Ever since we found out that we are expecting our 3rd child this September, we've been slowly preparing Luca for the arrival of his "big boy bed." We figured, first take care of the bed... then prepare him for the baby!
His bed was delivered this afternoon, and we worked feverishly to get his room put together by bedtime this evening! Luca was very excited about the new bed - especially the sheets with cars on them. He's now fast asleep and I can't wait to go and take a peek!

So proud to be a "big boy!"

March Birthdays!

2009-03-19T11:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Bella's 5th birthday. While we were in Puerto Rico, Luca celebrated his 3rd birthday with a McQueen cake at Nonna and Pappy's. We then had their birthday party when we returned with a Mickey Mouse theme. Bella's birthday finally arrived and she chose a Care Bear cake. Now that we've exhausted all possible birthday themes, next year should be a challenge!

The video shows Keith bringing Bella her present - a Hello Kitty bike with PINK tires! She really doesn't show much excitement, but she rode at all over the house last night as well as all morning outside today.

We waited until yesterday to give Luca his presents from us, too, since there was so much going on at their party. The video shows him opening a John Deer talking tool belt and hat - these kids (and Keith) are John Deere people! The very sight of a green tractor evokes so much excitement.

Luca also got his very own Leapster so that he doesn't have to fight for Bella's anymore.

Puerto Rico

2009-03-19T11:13:00.002-04:00

I realized that I really didn't post any pictures of the Puerto Rico trip after we had finally arrived... so here are a couple. The first one is a view from the balcony of our hotel room and the second is taken of the city wall of Old San Juan.

Keith and I had a great little getaway despite the rain for all but the last day and a half we were there! We managed to still have a great time sightseeing, hitting the spa and relaxing. I have learned, though, that going on vacation during your 1st trimester of pregnancy might not be the greatest idea! Bathing suits are a total drag, there are no fruity drinks to enjoy, and going out to dinner at your peak nausea-time can be a challenge. However, we truly loved San Juan and plan to visit again - whether or not we'll bring the kids is still up in the air!

Big Trucks!

2009-03-05T21:08:00.004-05:00

These days, Luca is obsessed with construction vehicles... diggers, fork lifts, cranes, bulldozers and dumptrucks. Anytime he sees them - anywhere, he announces it with great joy!

Keith and I are still in Puerto Rico, but the kids are having a great time with my parents! As you can see in the picture, my dad made Luca's day by taking them to one of the new toll road construction sites in Brownsville. Bella gets almost excited as Luca does - I think she feeds off of his enthusiasm. Christian was there, too, and I was glad to see that the kids are having a good time while we are away!

As for Keith and me, we are enjoying Puerto Rico. The weather is very warm, but has been rainy, so we're missing out on some sun! We have managed to relax and spend some much needed time together, so we're really having a nice time. Tomorrow is our last full day, so we're hoping that the clouds will go away so that we can soak up some rays before we have to go home to the cold!

Nice Sign

2009-03-04T17:06:00.002-05:00

We Made It!

2009-03-03T00:20:00.002-05:00

This is what tired looks like.
Today was the first time I ever fish-tailed in an airplane. We finally took off from Philadelphia at 6 pm this evening. Despite watching the snow plows work on the runways all day, it was still covered in ice when we took off, causing the plane to swerve all over the runway just before we got into the air! A few palpitations later, we were safely above the clouds and said good-bye to all of the messy snow and hello to a 4 hour flight to San Juan.
We are now finally here - it's 1:30 am (we are 1 hour ahead of east coast time), and I'm ready to hit the sack! I'm also ready to wake up to some sunshine!
We also found out that Verizon Wireless doesn't have service here, so the entire trip will be cell-phone free! Thank goodness for e-mail... I can keep up with the kids that way. There won't be anymore pictures until we get back because I forgot the USB cord for the camera and my cell phone won't work, so I'll post in a few days!

Stuck in Philly

2009-03-02T13:54:00.002-05:00

So I think we just may have picked the worst day of the year to try to fly.
We got up this morning at 5 am to get to the airport. When we got there we realized that our flight to Charlotte had been delayed, so we were going to miss our connection. We did, however, manage to get a flight to Philadelphia where we will have a 6 HOUR layover, and then leave for San Juan early this evening. As you can see, the runway was pretty scary when we landed.
We are optimistic, though, that we WILL wake up in sunny Puerto Rico tomorrow morning! Airports are so fun.

Kiss Me!

2009-03-01T18:21:00.002-05:00

We're back in Pennsylvania, and Jilli and Bella are having another great reunion! Here is a picture of them at Ruby Tuesdays last night. It's not collagen, the big lips are actually lollipops that they earned by eating a good dinner!

We came into town for a baby shower for my sister-in-law Jen, today. It was a very nice time!

Keith and I actually leave tomorrow for Puerto Rico for some much needed R & R. We are really looking forward to a break, as the kids will be here with my mom and dad for the week! I should have some very tropical pictures to post later!

House Tour

2009-02-21T11:20:00.009-05:00

I've had some requests to post more pictures of our home, and since we had no "house projects" planned for the weekend, I finally got around to taking some pictures.

Since we've moved in in October, I had all winter to concentrate on decorating the inside of our home, and it's almost finished. The finished basement still isn't finished, but for the most part, we can finally take a breather. (And Keith is happy about that!)

We have one room that isn't pictured - the NEW BABY's room! He or she is due to arrive in September, so that room will be my next project!

Front Entrance

Foyer

Foyer

Music Room

Dining Room

Great Room

Back Stairs

Kitchen

Breakfast Room
Family Room

Family Room

1st Floor Guest Room

Play Room

Master Bedroom

Master Sitting Area

Master Bath

Bella's Room

Luca's Room

Basement Bar

Bar Area

Theater Room

Weight Room

Basement Guest Room

The Real Groundhog Day

2009-02-07T22:09:00.002-05:00

Noah's Appointment

2009-02-06T17:17:00.002-05:00

Noah had his follow-up appointment at Children's today. The doctor was pleased with his progress. She decided to leave him on the IV antibiotics for another 10 days, and then switch him to oral antibiotics for 2 more weeks after that. That means that Noah will still have the PICC line for 10 more days, as long as everything is okay with it (i.e. it is functioning well and doesn't get infected.)
She actually removed a stitch that remained in is chest wound, which is healing okay (not perfectly, but okay!)
On Tuesday, Noah will have a cbc done (bloodwork) to make sure that he is doing okay with the antibiotics and to check on his anemia. He will have a chest x-ray in one month!
That about does it! The report was good and we're all so glad!

All is Right with the World (of Football, at least!)

2009-02-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

Noah News

2009-02-04T15:06:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a couple of days since an update on Noah, which is actually a good thing. He had a great Super Bowl, although still pretty weak. Luca was especially happy to see his buddy and wanted to play with him - a lot. After we explained that Noah was sick, Luca let him rest and all was well. Especially the end of the Super Bowl... GO STEELERS! (We are so proud of our team!)

Noah still has is PICC line in and is receiving IV antibiotics every day. A home health nurse came on Monday to document that Jaime (a home health nurse, herself) could administer the meds and care for the PICC line. From that point on, Jaime has been giving Noah his meds, dressing the wound in his side and caring for his central line.
On Friday Noah will see the ID doctor at Children's again. She had called Jaime and told her that she will most likely keep Noah on the IV abx for 2 weeks because it took so long for him to become afebrile. Their goal is to prevent any further fluid accumulation in the lung and keeping him on the abx for an additional week may help.
Noah went back to school yesterday, and had a bit of a rough time with the transition. However, today went much better! Jaime said that he still is very pale, though, and we need to continue to pray for increased strength for Noah.
Thank again for reading this update. He's in the homestretch!

Post Op Day 3

2009-02-01T14:26:00.002-05:00

During church today I got a text from Jaime with great news (no, I do not normally text in church!).
Noah will have one more dose of IV antibiotics today and will be discharged later this afternoon!
He is apparently very excited to see his cousins, Bella and Luca, and they can't wait to see him.

Noah will still be on the IV antibiotics at home through his PICC line until Saturday. On Friday, however, he will go back to Children's to be examined (and have a possible CT scan) to determine if he is in fact ready to come off of them.

We are very excited that Noah will be with us for the Super Bowl, and he is looking forward to the party!
Again, thank you so much for all of your prayers. Your support for this family has been overwhelming, and they are so blessed to have you.

Please continue to pray for Noah's healing, as we don't want another repeat appearance at Children's Hospital ER! This week we need to pray for the remaining fluid to be dispersed from his lung and for the infection to clear (meaning no more fevers.)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Happy Birthday, Noah!

2009-02-01T14:13:00.005-05:00

Here are the pictures I promised from the hospital...

A thumbs-up in "Big Ben" fashion.

(To let you all know that he's okay!)

We're finally here!

He switched out the hosiptal gown for a new Polamalu Jersey

We were so happy that Noah actually ATE his cake!

Uncle Tony & Aunt Judy

Family photo

Getting packed in!

Happy 8th Birthday!

Post Op Day 2

2009-01-31T19:30:00.002-05:00

Today is Noah's 8th birthday. We were able to visit him this morning and he had the coolest room in the hospital, due to Jaime's awesome Steeler decorations. Many visitors came throughout the day (all dressed in black & gold) for his birthday. They even managed to convert a Browns fan medical resident to a Steeler fan with all of their Steeler Spirit!

Noah was doing much better today, and he had a much better night last night. He was in pretty good spirits when we were there, and I took lots of pictures (but managed to leave my camera at the hospital!) I will post them tomorrow after I get it back!

A few hours ago, sugery ordered a chest x-ray to determine if they could take the chest tube out today. It must have looked good to them, because they pulled the tube a few minutes ago. This is a very good sign that Noah is progressing extremely well. He was actually up and around a bit today and managed to take a "walk" around his floor.
Noah will have another chest x-ray in 3 hours to determine if any air was let in during the removal of the tube. If that x-ray looks good, surgery will most likely sign-off. Then it will be up to Medicine to decide when he can be discharged!

Look for another update tomorrow afternoon with pictures!

Post-Op Day 1

2009-01-30T10:59:00.002-05:00

I just spoke with Jaime a few minutes ago. She said that Noah had a bit of a rough night. He pretty much had a constant fever - which actually was to be expected. The surgeon said that since the operation stirred up the infection, his next few days may be a little rough. He is hopeful that the chest tube will be able to come out on Sunday. We really don't know when Noah will be able to come home, but hopefully shortly after that.
Aside from the fever, Noah is naturally in pain and has some nausea. Please pray for his comfort during this expected rough patch.
Jason is at the hospital with Noah now, as Jaime was able to get away for a few hours to take a much needed shower. As you can imagine, she has had no real showers, no sleep and no appetite through all of this, so please pray for strength for her as well.
Keith, the kids and I will be leaving late this afternoon to go to Brownsville. We will finally be able to visit the little guy (just in time for his 8th birthday tomorrow), so we look forward to seeing him for ourselves!
My next post will be tomorrow. I will bring my camera so I can post some pictures!

Out of Surgery!

2009-01-29T21:51:00.002-05:00

At 8:50 pm I learned that Noah was out of surgery and in his room! Jaime said that everything went very well. Noah was tired and a bit crabby, but much better than after the previous procedure which failed a few days ago.
The surgeon was able to get most of the infection out of the lung and was optimistic that after allowing the chest tube to drain for 2-3 days, Noah would be ready to come home.
Well, we can all thank God that the day went as it did. As it turned out, the schedule being the way it did landed Noah a great team. The nurses told Jaime that Dr. Kane was "the best" and that he was the one they would want for themselves!
I truly wanted to post this earlier, but this all happened while I was in the middle of putting the kids to bed!
We are all so relieved... Jaime really sounded good, which made me feel good. Jaime and Jason will both stay with Noah at the hospital tonight - they are in the process of trying to find Jason a chair to sleep in!
Again, Jaime sends her thanks for all of the continued prayer, love and support. We are so greatful to have such faithful friends and family.
God is so good and we are very blessed.
I will continue to update the blog with any additional news!

In Surgery

2009-01-29T18:26:00.002-05:00

Noah went into surgery with Dr. Tim Kane a few minutes ago. Jaime went back to the OR with him until he fell asleep, and he did fine. They said that it would take until about 8 pm. I will update when I get news!
Thanks for your prayers!

Delayed!

2009-01-29T13:58:00.003-05:00

Argh!!!
Noah's surgery has been moved to between 4 and 5 pm. The wait is frustrating (and the poor kid can't eat anything)!
Oh well, that gives us more time for more prayers! As soon as he goes into surgery, I will update.

The Latest on Noah

2009-01-29T12:55:00.002-05:00

I know that we are all kind of just waiting today, so I wanted to give a bit of an update. Noah's surgery will be at 2:30 pm. This time is likely to be delayed (as OR times often are), so just know that I will post an update as soon as I get any news.
Thank you all for your outpouring of support and prayers for Noah.

Noah Update

2009-01-28T14:38:00.004-05:00

Thank you all so much for your prayers for Noah. We are actively recruiting all of the "prayers" that we know to lift this little guy up before the Lord.
Anyway, the latest news from Children's is that the docs have decided to forgo the TPA (the medicine they were going to put into the chest tube to lyse the adhesions). They feel that it will just probably not work.
Noah is on the schedule to have the VATS tomorrow. This SHOULD work, and is actually what Jaime was hoping for instead of just waiting for things to get worse.
This is surgery in the operating room which involves general anesthesia. If you are interested in learning about the VATS, click on this link: http://www.thoracicsurgery.medicine.pitt.edu/content/Video_Assisted_Thoracic_Surgery.pdf

We ask that you all please pray for him tomorrow. We do not yet have his surgery time, but we know that he is on the OR schedule.
Jaime is so grateful for all of your love and prayers. (Oh, and don't forget to pray for her and Jason, as well.)
Thanks all!

Noah is sick...

2009-01-28T09:47:00.004-05:00

The cutie in this picture is my sister's 8-year old son, Noah. Shortly after Christmas, Noah came down with the flu. Shortly after that, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics. After he continued to spike fevers, Jaime had a chest x-ray taken that confirmed that Noah had a pleural effusion (infected fluid between the lung and it's lining). He was admitted to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh where he had IV antibiotics and was watched for a few days. He was then discharged to home. Noah didn't improve at home. After another visit to his PCP the following week, Noah was sent back to Childrens. He was admitted again 2 days ago. A CT of his lung showed that he had now developed necrotizing pheumonia with several cysts and adhesions in his lung. He underwent a procedure yesterday to try to drain it, but he had too many adhesions and it didn't work. They did place a chest tube, however, and it is under negative pressure to try to drain the infection. At this point, Noah is in pain from the tube, and just waiting. Tomorrow the doctors will inject TPA into the chest tube to try to lyse the adhesions and facilitate drainage of the infection. After this, they will wait to see if that works. If it doesn't, he will have to have a VATS procdure (video-assisted thoracic surgery) to debride the infection.
This is a pretty serious situation, and everyone close to Noah is concerned. I'm writing all of this because my nephew and his family (Jaime, Jason and Jilli) need your prayers. If you are reading this, please pray for Noah. We believe that he will be healed and recover, and we are asking God for strength for Noah, encouragement and comfort for Jaime and Jason, and wisdom for the doctors who are caring for him.
Thanks!

If you are interested on reading a medical article outlining exactly what Noah is going through, click on this link: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1001747-overview

A Great Day in History

2009-01-20T14:19:00.002-05:00

Today is a great day in history. On this day in 1912, my Grandma Rohland was born! She is 97 years old today and still keepin' on!
Happy Birthday, Grandma.
We miss you and love you!

A picture of Grandma holding Bella at only 5 months old!

Going for the Six Pack!

2009-01-19T15:30:00.001-05:00

Yeah... we're a little excited! It was a beautiful night in Virginia as we watched Pittsburgh trounce Baltimore. The cool thing is, for as close as we are to Baltimore, there seems to be much more support for the Steelers around here, which is very comforting to me! It was awesome to go to church yesterday and see some black and gold jerseys. Many of the folks here have nothing but great things to say about the steel city, and I couldn't be prouder to bleed black and gold!

Go Steelers!

Go STEELERS!

2009-01-11T20:04:00.003-05:00

How proud are we of our Pittsburgh Steelers?? Even though we've lived in San Diego and now Virginia, I am a Pittsburgh girl at heart and we'll always root for the Steelers as our home team! The difference between tonights great game and some in the past was that the Steelers played like they truly belonged there. Even though we are quite fond of the Chargers, we couldn't be happier to see the Steelers advance in the playoffs!

Bella and Luca now totally respect the fact that sometimes, Mommy and Daddy just have to watch football. Today when the game came on, they each ran to their rooms to grab their Steelers jerseys!

Post-game victory snack. Hey... the Steelers won - they can have a little sugar!!

Back to normal!

2009-01-10T15:44:00.003-05:00

We've been home from our Christmas trip to my parents for almost a week now, and I feel like we're finally getting settled again. It took quite a while to put away all of the new toys and gadgets, but now everything has a place! Bella and Luca are really enjoying finding something different to play with every day! I figure we should get a few more days of that, then it will be back to business as usual. Speaking of business as usual, the Christmas decorations are all put away, Bella is back to school, and I'm fighting the urge to get bummed out that it's all over. This time of year is tough, so I'll have to line up some more decorating projects to keep my mind occupied!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas Chapel

2008-12-19T14:58:00.005-05:00

Today was Bella's last day of preschool before Christmas break. It was also the day of her school's Christmas Chapel. Above is a video of one of the songs her little 4-year-old class did. Needless to say, Bella was one of the loudest voices there. If you have 2 mintutes to spare, check out the video. I apologize in advance for the shaking - I had to laugh at what turned into a volume contest between three of them!

After the service, we went to Bella's class for some of Jesus' birthday cake. Luca just walked in and sat down at the table with her classmates! It was really cute. He really can't wait to go to school!

It was a very nice time, and Fredericksburg Christian Preschool's Stafford Campus did a great job at kicking off Christmas!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-16T16:13:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we decided to take a little jaunt through some nasty weather to spend some time at Nonna and Pappy's house. We were so glad that we did, because on Saturday morning we had a great time playing in the snow!Did you know that my parents lived across the street from Clark Griswald?

Keith and I got in on the fun, too!

Bella is always so excited to see her cousin, Jilli. This was a reunion shot - the first time they'd seen each other in weeks!

This was Luca's first time playing in the snow. He had a blast! His little cheeks got all rosy and cute!

Let's plow, Pap!

Christmastime!

2008-12-09T10:28:00.007-05:00

I've been a bit sluggish on the blogging... can't believe I let Thanksgiving go by without even 1 post! We were very thankful to have our family from Brownsville, PA come and stay with us for a few days. We had a houseful and it really was a lot of fun! We stayed up to late, drank too much, ate too much, and basically needed a week to recover - but fun!

I wanted to post this picture for 2 reasons - one, becuase I wanted to show off the ginormous solid poplar shelves that my dad painstakingly made for our grand room niches. Don't they look great? Now all of our medical books have a good sturdy home! The second reason is the Christmas tree, of course. This year it's our only one but we think it fits the bill!

This weekend we're off to Nonna & Pappy's for some before-Christmas preparation. After that it's going to fly! Merry Christmastime!

Rainbow

2008-11-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

Maybe I have been living in a hole,
but I don't recall ever seeing the entire arc of a rainbow!
I took this picture outside of my house at 5 pm today. This was the kids' first rainbow, and they were pretty excited to see it.
I was, too. It was a great reminder to me that God is always in control. It was like He was giving us a little sign, saying, "I am still here..." That's reasurring!

The pictures don't do it justice, is was beginning to get dark - but I really wanted to share it!

Fall Fun

2008-10-29T16:16:00.001-04:00

Dont you just LOVE fall?
We sure do... especially here where fall looks like fall! I'll get over having seasons again, soon - I promise.
Anyway, here are some pics of the kids having a great time outside. The cold doesn't seem to phase them one bit (I, on the otherhand, find that my best friend is now my down vest!)

Sibling LOVE!

Luca just doing his thing.

Bella and her best friend of 3 years - Baby.

Yes, mom... I'm using my good eye.

Pretty in pink!

100th Post

2008-10-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

I've just noticed that this will be my 100th post on my blog. I honestly never thought I could stick with it this long. Although the posts get fewer and farther between, I'm still at it.

Anyway, I wanted to post a couple of pictures of Bella taken yesterday at her school. She really doesn't have much to say about the Firefighter's visit, except that when she grows up, she wants to be a firefighter. I guess he made a good impression! She still loves her school, and every time Keith and she leave to go, Luca cries. He wants to go to school, too! I've investigated a couple of two's programs (yes, actually school - not daycare), but there isn't any space for him. I'm actually kind of glad... I'm not ready to let him go just yet! (Although HE seems to be chomping at the bit!)

We're doing pretty well here - the leaves are slow to change in our neck of the woods, and that makes it nice. I'd say they're at their peak right now, and very beautiful. Soon they'll all be on the ground... especially after the wind we've been having here. These winds are COLD (nothing like the warm Santa Ana's we had gotten used to!) We are looking forward to a trip to PA for the weekend. The kids will be happy to get back to Nonna and Pappy's for a few days!

Moving right along....

2008-10-10T17:18:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm finally getting a minute to post on our blog. The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind for our family, but we're settling down and taking a minute to breathe!
It all started last Saturday when our moving truck arrived with all of our things that have been in storage since May 23!
It was a long, hot day, but thanks to the Vesley Bros. crew (who we love, by the way), it all went pretty smoothly. We also had a huge furniture delivery scheduled so that Luca and Keith and I would have a bed to sleep on, but that didn't happen. Oh well... for that to be the only thing that went wrong, we consider ourselves blessed!
It was like Christmas for the kids when we started unpacking things. They hadn't seen their toys for 4 months, so they were very busy and excited.

My parents and Aunt Lisa were here for 5 days to help with the unpacking and organizing... and I must say - they were GREAT. My dad also did some major projects here, which I will display as soon as I get things all pretty! He's awesome.
We got pretty much everything put away, which is unheard of in 5 days.

We also had a little 33rd birthday thing for me, because my birthday was on Oct. 6. I'm totally quitting counting.

October 6 was not only my birthday, but also Bella's first day of preschool at Fredericksburg Christian. I can't believe that I just couldn't hold it together! I was a mess, but she did absolutely great. She loves her school as well as her excellent teacher, Mrs. Hoilman. We're so happy and relieved that she's happy!

Well, that about sums it up (the short, painless version, at least)!
We are finally here and extremely happy! We think our new neighborhood (which is mostly trees and big pieces of land) is great, and we are loving that Keith is so close to the office.
The kids can't get enough of riding their quads, digging and exploring in the big back yard. We think that we couldn't have picked a better place to call home!

Thoughts at the Bottom of a Beanstalk

2008-09-03T15:36:00.001-04:00

For my cousin Amie and other moms on their first day of school! This is exactly how I felt last year when I tried swallow the lump in my throat on Bella's first day of preschool. I got this from her teacher here, and I thought other moms would like the encouragement!

Thoughts at the Bottom of a Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about the climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand new book bag. Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last ear, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.

Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should've held Jack out a year... Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder, and smiled down at him.

She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word. He walked forward, grabbed a low growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside. "Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk."

She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing. "I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk, and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications.

"It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. "Today's the day he starts practicing for them... and today is the day I start practicing something too: cheering him on and waving

good-bye."

Back to School

2008-09-03T15:13:00.001-04:00

This was the 2nd year that Bella shared in the excitement of Jilli's first day of preschool. We just happen to still be here in Brownsville, so we enrolled Bella again at Fort Burd Preschool for the month of September.
This year was much different than last year, when Bella was nervous and apprehensive for the first day. This morning the girls ran up to the door and couldn't wait to get started!
Bella had a great day, and said that she "loves Mrs. Popsickle." (Her name is Mrs. VanSickle, and she just happens to be our cousin.) It looks like she will be enjoying her time there until we move at the end of September!

Little Flipper

2008-09-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

The kids spent most of Labor Day in the pool. Thanks goodness my dad won't be closing it just yet! I just thought I'd share our little fish, Bella's swimming progress - I took this video after she suprisingly did what she calls a "flip dive" off of the diving board! I thought she did a great job... it won't be too long before she gets all the way around!

You can also hear her negotiating for a popsicle. Oh, well... sometimes bribery gets you videos!

Hooray for Kennywood!

2008-08-17T22:37:00.001-04:00

This weekend we decided that we've waited long enough this summer - it's time to take the kids to Kennywood! Keith and I had put it off all summer, because we just didn't want to brave the sweltering heat. This weekend was perfect timing. Although the lines were long (we went on a Saturday), it was certainly worth it. The weather was great - high of only 78!

Bella and I rode the Jack Rabbit (a traditional wooden roller coaster, for those of you who aren't Pittsburgers) first, and to my surprise, she really didn't like it! I thought that we'd be standing in that line at least 4 times this year because she loved it last year. She said that she thought she was going to fly out on the "double-dip!"

Luca was a blast this year, and loved pretty much everything he rode. Both of their favorites were the Whip and the Kangaroo (which just happened to be my favorites when I was a little kid!)

We spent most of the day in Kiddieland, which was okay for us - we really didn't go there to ride the Phantom's Revenge! I was mainly interested in Potato Patch fries and a funnel cake, which we did manage to fit in before we called it a day.

Our Expedition

2008-08-11T15:24:00.000-04:00

Luca snoozing during the car ride.

Taking a picture in front of Bella's new preschool - the Stafford campus of Fredericksburg Christian School.
Keith with three of his office staff - Jill, Becky, and Jennifer.
Bella in front of our new home in Stafford, VA. We just love it!

I've not been doing well with the blog lately, and I'm sorry, Mama P! Here are a few pics to get you caught up on our latest expedition.

This past weekend the kids, my mom and dad and I took to the roadways for the 4.5 hour jaunt to Fredericksburg, VA to visit daddy and our new home. This was the first "long" car-ride for the kids, and after they figured out that asking "how many more minutes?" wasn't going to make the trip end any sooner, they settled in and did pretty well.

We all stayed in the Homewood Suites where Keith has been calling home for the 3 days we were there and my lifesavers (a.k.a. my parents) took care of the kids while Keith and I tried to do some furniture shopping for the essentials. (We sold pretty much all of our furniture when we left SD, so we had a lot to do!)

As far as an update on the house, my last trip to VA was to meet with a builder who was going to be building our home. We went over plans and got everything settled. However, we also saw a home that we just couldn't get out of our hearts! We decided that we wouldn't have to build after all and bought a wonderful home in Stafford. We took the kids to see it and they couldn't get enough of the enormous back yard, walking in the woods, picking out their rooms, etc. We also met the very gracious people who live there now and Bella and Luca made fast friends with Natalie and Luke, who will soon be moving to California! (How ironic!)

We are back in town and I spend every spare second shopping on the internet for furniture, rugs, design ideas, etc. This is the second house I get to decorate in 3 years!
We are all very excited to move in at the end of September.

I hope this gets everyone up to date. A lot has happened and changed, but this is the scoop! I'll try to be a better blogger!

Salute!

2008-06-28T16:18:00.000-04:00

Luca was proud to have his first "taste" with Pappy Joe this week. For those of you who don't know, a "taste" is Pappy's drink - Old Grandad with Pepsi. If you want to get on Pap's good side, you always have it, and you always offer him some when he comes around. When we were little, we used to like to have "tastes" with him. It made us feel big, but most of all, we liked having that special time just sitting down, sipping on our little jelly jar glass of Pepsi (only Pepsi) with Pappy Joe.

It made me smile watching Luca, so taken with Pappy the same way we were, happy to be sitting (not running around) and sipping with him.

It was also funny seeing him have is very own glass of Pepsi for the first time. It was a bit it hard for him to get it down, but he loved every second of it.

Wild for Idlewild!

2008-06-17T14:44:00.000-04:00

The second week we were here, we joined our Church's annual picnic at Idlewild Park in Ligoneer, PA.
It was an extremely hot and humid day, but that didn't stop the kids from having an amazing time.
Bella LOVED story book forest - they even got to sit in a one-room schoolhouse for a lesson!
Luca had his first pony ride and really enjoyed the trolley ride in Mr. Rogers' Neighboorhood. Even now he keeps repeating, "Come along, come along, to the castle hugginsong!" (If you've been there like most of us from western PA have, you know what I mean!)

The Soak Zone was a bit hit, too, on such a hot day - we all suited up and cooled off. Bella got a second wind after that and was able to ride the Rolo Coaster and the Whip one more time before we left to go home!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-17T14:39:00.000-04:00

I know that I'm a bit tardy on the Father's Day post. I just can't seem to keep up these days!

Keith has been driving up on Thursday nights from VA to spend the long weekends here in PA with us, so we were all together on Father's day. We had a nice lunch at my Uncle Tony and Aunt Judy's after church, and then we hung out in the pool with the Brownsville crew in the afternoon. It was a nice Father's Day, and we hated to say goodbye to daddy as he had to make the 4.5 hour drive back to Fredericksburg to go to work on Monday!

This week I will drive down to begin house hunting! So much to do!!

A New Beginning...

2008-06-02T10:57:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted something... well, actually I can. Considering everything our family has accomplished this past month, blogging was last on my "to do" list!
After 3 good years in Encinitas, CA we've packed up and moved back to the east coast!
Keith and I have been looking for a good opportunity to move our family back for a couple of years now. After much answered prayer, we've finally been able to do so!
We have purchased an oral surgery practice in beautiful Fredericksburg, VA (the closing was today, so now I can finally make it public!) Last weekend with the help of my parents who flew out to SD the week prior, we packed up our home, got the kids on a plane and left for good.
We were very excited to go back east, considering we never felt like we fit in on the "left coast." However, we were very sad to leave our friends, neighbors, Bella's super preschool, and especially our church.
For the summer, the kids and I will be staying with my parents while Keith gets the practice running. He already has a packed schedule and we are so blessed to have been given such a wonderful place to call our new home! Now a new house search begins as we begin to settle in here with most of our belongings in storage for the summer. The kids are loving it, though, being so close to their cousins and staying with Nonna and Pappy. They don't like being a 4 hour drive away from their daddy, though. That will change, soon, we pray!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of those angels out there known as "Moms."
To my own mother ~
Happy Mother's Day... thank you for giving me life. Thank you for continuing to daily give me and now my children pieces of your life. You have sacrificed so much, and we notice!
You are an amazing mom and I love you!

Mother's Day Luncheon

2008-05-10T18:45:00.000-04:00

On Friday at noon, Bella's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day luncheon. It was adorable. The kids prepared two songs for us moms - above is a snippit of the first one. Then we had a great little lunch together on the playground. After the lunch, Bella and I got to share a Mother's Day treat - pedicures! It was great to spend the afternoon alone with her.... not something I get to do too often anymore!

Beach Day

2008-04-30T01:04:00.000-04:00

Here in San Diego we had somewhat of a heatwave last week! It reached 94 here in Encinitas, and I've never seen my thermometer get that high! It finally cooled off today - back to the normal 72.
We decided to hit our beach on Monday since Keith was off and since it wouldn't be it's normal chilly windy beach day!
Bella was in all brights and couldn't wait to get there - she loves the beach. Luca wouldn't go near the water - it was too cold for the likes of him!
Luca wasn't the only one who wouldn't go near the water. Ever since the fatal shark attack in our neighboring beach, people are being a bit more cautious - I've never seen our beach so empty.
We did see lots of dolphins, though, and that put our mind at ease. If there are dolphins, there won't be sharks - at least that's what my Dad always said!

Deja Vu

2008-04-13T18:19:00.000-04:00

What are the chances that you'll get to be your dad and mom's patient at the same time in a make-shift OR in your own house?
Pretty well if your dad's a plastic surgeon, your mom's an anesthesiologist and you're a little wild man.
The crazy thing about it all is that this wasn't unfamiliar territory for Keith and me - last year we had to do the same thing for Bella!
Today, it was Luca's turn. As he was fleeing his dad to escape nap-time, Luca tripped and fell in our bathroom - right into one of the tile steps leading to the bath. Luca suffered a deep gash in his forehead, and Keith instantly knew that we would once again be sewing one of our kids up at home.
Luca was a trooper, and with a little help from Mommy's medicine, he did just fine. Keith was just finishing up the 10 stitches in the video above.
Needless to say, we are grateful that we are able to spare our toddlers the trauma of going to the ER, but hopefully, we won't be needing to do too much more of this!!

Luca's ABCs

2008-04-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

This was too cute for me not to post (plus, I want to make sure my parents can stay caught up!) I know that it seems like the "Luca Show" lately, but he's doing so many new things that we can't help but be excited about it. He was truly a "late bloomer" when it came to speech (or talking whatsoever), but in the past few weeks he's come a long way. We're very proud of him, and he's proud of himself, too. The grin on his face when we can understand what he means when he talks says it all.

This is an adorable attempt at singing his ABCs (as you can tell, Keith has got his down pat)!

Broccoli!

2008-04-06T19:49:00.000-04:00

A very exciting thing happened in our house the other night. Our extremely picky eater, Luca, ate BROCCOLI and loved it! As you can imagine, having Luca continuously turn his nose up at anything that doesn't look like elbow macaroni is extremely frustrating. Especially since our firstborn, Bella, always ate just about anything from sea bass to jalapenos to fillet mignon. I honestly thought that somehow "those picky kids" could be made to eat anything if us parents just handled it right.

I, however, learned that you can't force these little buggers to eat. Over time, I've had to accept that Luca will broaden his menu selection in time, and that for now, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets will just have to do. Thank goodness he's always liked fruit - that gave me some consolation every time we gave him some form of pasta for a meal!

The other night at dinner Luca was eating his easy mac and bologna (another newly acquired taste) when he spotted his steak-eating sister scarfing down some broccoli. For some odd reason he pointed to it and acted like he wanted it! I obliged him and he really liked it! Needless to say, I ran to the camera to record this monumental occasion. Check out the video - you can also hear how cute he tries to say "broccoli."

Easter Best

2008-03-31T01:35:00.001-04:00

Keith did a great job on Easter Sunday! He got the kids dressed for church by himself, as I was there from 6:30 am until 1:30 pm to play and sing for the worship team. We had 4 services that day and it was a beautiful time!
Although it was so early in the year, our weather was very summerlike, as it was 78 degrees and sunny! Living here does have its perks, I guess.

Fun in PA

2008-03-31T01:27:00.000-04:00

The kids and I went back east for a week in the middle of March - and it snowed! Bitter cold aside, Bella had an awesome time visiting with her cousins!
Noah had gotten a new quad for his birthday and couldn't wait to let Bella have a ride. Uncle Jason showed her the ropes and she decided she didn't like riding through the woods - they were too bumpy!
We've got to get her out of SoCal before she becomes any more of a diva!
The kids had their second party with our family at home. This time it was a Backyardigans blast - one of their favorite TV shows.

Catching Up

2008-03-31T01:18:00.000-04:00

I'm a terrible blogger. Since my last post was over a month ago, we have some catching up to do!

The kids had birthdays this month - all month long! This picture was taken on March 4th. They were all ready for a little family party at Buca di Beppo's. Our cousins Amie, Matt, Garrett and Addison came as well as our cousins (Amie's parents) Jim and Natalie! Also there were my Aunt Lisa and Aunt Gina. They came here to visit for a week before helping me get the kids back for a visit to PA!

Testing, testing!

2008-02-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, in the midst of a double-ear infection, Luca had allergy skin testing. We were hoping to get some answers about which antibiotics he ISN'T allergic to, since he had reactions to many in the past. However, we couldn't test for the antibiotics yesterday - those tests have to be done in the hospital!

Anyway, we did get some good news - Luca's not allergic to some foods that we were suspicious of. We have more tests to go, but I was very pleased with the results, and with Luca's great behavior for the tests! He was a trooper, and he never even flinched!
As far as his ear infection goes, he is pretty sick and has a fever. The doctors came up with a plan to treat him, and so far, no reactions! We just pray that our little boy can heal, now.

This is a picture of his back a few minutes after the prick testing. He then got a reward for doing such a great job! - M&Ms!

When it was over, I was more relieved than anyone - these were much better than the allergy tests I had 20+ years ago!
I couldn't wait to give my big boy a hug!
Luca couldn't wait to dive in the fountain outside of the office!

2008-02-14T03:07:00.001-05:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

We're Still Here...

2008-02-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

I guess I got lazy and took a hiatus from blogging for a while. My last post was 38 days ago, and since then, not much has been happening around here.
For the most part, it was because I really didn't have anything good to say - we were sick. The whole time - sick... Bronchitis, stomach flu (a really bad strain), and then colds. Poor Luca has had the worst of it - he tends to just get one thing after another. I can't remember when he's had 2 weeks of straight "healthiness!"
Anyway, Bella and Luca are STILL snotting and coughing, but I think that we've turned the corner and we're on our way to getting healthy again.
It helps that our San Diego weather has come back. We actually had what felt like winter (okay, a really MILD winter compared to what you east coasters are dealing with), but it rained a lot and was pretty cool and yucky for a few weeks.
The last few days here have been beautiful and has really lifted our spirits. The kids love being outside and it has helped them tremendously (it's helped me, too!)

The first picture was taken today - this kids were having a snack outside - as you can see by the shorts, it's a really nice day.

The picture of Luca was taken last week at the playground by our house. He is getting bigger and so is his hair!

Let it Snow!

2008-01-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

On our last day in PA, we finally got what we were waiting for.... snow!

Bella was thrilled when she woke up in the morning to a fresh blanket of the white stuff. She rushed through breakfast, and we quickly dressed her in whatever snow clothes we could find - (we were not prepared this year). Even though everything she had on was too small, she had so much fun. It was great just watching her squeal with delight about it. I, on the other hand, was freezing my "California-seasoned" butt off... but stuck it out with her as Keith stayed inside with Luca who was too sick for such cold - again.

Now we are home, and there's no snow in sight - at least here in Southern California. Up north they're getting blasted, but here we're just getting lots and lots of rain.

We miss PA, and we miss everyone there. We can't wait to get back, but after the horrific time I had with Luca on the flight coming back here, I need a few months to forget about that.

Happy New Year!

Home for the Holidays

2008-01-04T16:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we just got back yesterday from a great vacation with our family in Brownsville, PA. As you can tell from the pictures, we had an activity-packed, fun-filled time!
The first picture is of my brother, "Uncle Chad" with all of the kids after they had opened presents from each other. Bella loved her Steeler jersey so much that she put it on right away! Thanks Uncle Chad and Aunt Jen!
Luca took to the tractor right away - just like every time we visit, and I couldn't resist such a cute picture.
My sister, Jaime, my Dad and I took advantage of a rare photo opportunity on Christmas Eve, which is spent at my Aunt Gina's house. The theme is a pajama party, and we have fish and pasta, as well as the first crack at the long-awaited Christmas cookies! We finish off the evening with Christmas Carols at the piano, and it's always a great time.
On Christmas morning, Bella was more than grateful to Nonna, who made sure that she had plenty of presents to open! This, in part, was the reason that we had to ship 4 boxes home before we left!
Keith's 42nd birthday was on Dec. 28th. We really try to give him his own day because of Christmas being so close, but this year, he had to share it with the Steelers. It's too bad they didn't win. Jilli, Bella, Luca and Noah were standing by as the candles were being lit!
We all had so much fun, and were truly not ready to leave. Thanks to everyone who made this Christmas so special for us!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T01:36:00.000-05:00

We decided to go totally Griswald this year and coordinate Christmas sweaters for out photo! I think it turned out pretty cute... cheesy, but cute!
I'm putting the finishing touches on packing this evening, and tomorrow we head east to have a "real" Christmas! You know - the kind with snow (hopefully), hats, mittens, icy roads.... what it should be like at Christmastime. We take to the skies for the 4th time this year with the kids, but the dread still persists. We are praying up, though, and can't wait to land at Nonna and Pappy's house.

This will probably be my last post until we return unless something really blogworthy happens while we are there so I'll get in my Merry Christmas post now.

I heard a story at church that I think bears repeating... if you've heard it before, bear with me - I have a point.
There once was a prince of marrying age who just couldn't seem to find the right match out of all the fair royal maidens in his kingdom. The time was coming soon that he should choose a bride, but he dispaired, for he did not find the one he loved. Then one day, on an errand for his father, the king, he passed through a poor village. His eyes fell upon a beautiful, but very poor maiden, and he was immediately smitten. The prince would often make up errands to run, just so he could see her or maybe even talk to her. But his heart was saddened - due to their difference in social class, she could never be his bride. The prince even thought, "I am royalty - I could approach her and demand that she be my wife." But he knew that she could never love him if she was forced to marry him.
The prince finally came to a decision... "I will be one of them. I will live among them, like them, know them, and woo her to become my bride." This is what he did, and the bride became his.
This is exactly what Jesus did for us. He came here as a poor baby to a cold world who didn't even know it needed Him. Jesus came as a human to live among us, talk to us, and know us so that he could woo us to become His bride. With this comes eternal life in His kingdom of heaven. What an awesome gift from the King of Kings.
With this, we say, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" and "Merry Christmas to all."

Christmas Program

2007-12-14T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today, Santa Fe Christian Preschool put on their Christmas Program, "A Child is Born." Bella played a lamb (as in "...the ox and lamb kept time..."). Her Bearcub class, the youngest of those at the Early Childhood Education Center, sang "Little Drummer Boy" and recited Luke 2:10. Watch the videos (don't forget to pause the music player on the left of the blog page) - Bella was pretty proud of herself, and I was proud of her, too!

Keeping it Simple

2007-12-14T17:49:00.000-05:00

As some may know, we have nicknamed our youngest child, Luca, "Destructor."
This is why, to my sad dismay, that we had to keep the Christmas decorating simple this year. Rather than our 2 trees, we decided to do one - the smallest one. We also put it on carpet rather than our hard floor, just in case one of the bulbs "fell" or landed there.
It turned out to be a good decision. Although Luca was very excited and curious about the tree, he obeyed pretty well when we told him not to touch it. However, during one busy moment, I failed to notice him taking off one of the bulbs. I heard a crash and realized that he threw (yes, threw) one of my oldest ornaments against the hearth. He must have thought that that Pitt Ornament that was given to me before I ever even studied at the University of Pittsburgh was a ball. I cleaned up the glass, called Keith, and cried.
Now all I have left of it is in this picture, and I am now very diligent about watching the two little lovelies like a hawk when they are near our very modest, very homey and cherished little tree.

We've also heard that here on the west coast, some homes with children that will be traveling east for Christmas will be getting a visit from Santa this weekend. We'll keep you posted!

Bella's Before and After

2007-11-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are the before and after pictures of Bella's room. After seeing Jilli's, I figured I'd better get on the ball and post these.
Her crib transitioned very nicely into a full-size bed, and she's doing great in it!
The decor is way less "me" and way more "Bella!" We love that she now has a place to show off all of her art from preschool.

Happy Birthday, Chad!

Luca's Before and After

2007-11-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, after Bella's room was finished, we realized what a "baby room" our little boy Luca had. Before I knew it, this project was underway. It was much simpler than Bella's room - no furniture to change. We just wanted to give him more of a "boy" room than a nursery.
Ahh... done just in time to start decorating for Christmas!!

Argh!

2007-11-01T00:47:00.000-04:00

"Argh" just happens to be one of the only things Luca says, so I just went with it and dressed them up as pirates this year!

They both are very into pirates, thanks to The Backyardigans and Little Bill - so it was fun for them to get to actually BE pirates themselves! Keith was on Trick or Treat duty this year, as this is a huge thing in our neighborhood. I told him, "only 7 or 8 houses", and an hour and a half later they showed up with an impressive booty. (Way too much candy in pirate lingo.) Now I have to figure out what to do with all of it, because it surely isn't going into their little bodies! Okay, maybe some of it will.

Marathon Dad

2007-10-29T12:41:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, Dad, on running - and finishing the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC yesterday!!!
After training for what seems to my mom like an eternity, Dad and a few running buddies made the trip to DC on Saturday morning. The marathon, refered to as "The People's Marathon" began at 8 am on Sunday.
We don't know how he does it, but at the age of 57, we sure are proud of him - and hope that he will take a break now!
Great job, DAD - you did it!!
Oh, and sorry for the tiny pic - I swiped it from the marathon website, and this is as big as it gets... he looks good, though!

Fire Map

2007-10-24T00:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/newsreleases/102320077_1800hrsA_Evac_FirePerem.pdf

The above is a link to the most recent fire map, released at 6 pm this evening. This is the best news we've had all day, because we live in the green- the re-opened area.

To us, this means that we are out of danger... that tonight, we can go to sleep and not have to get up to look out the window to make sure the orange glow hasn't crept any closer to us. It means that we can sleep, not having to worry that the phone may ring, telling us that we have to get out in the middle of the night. It means that I can now stop thinking about which posessions mean the most to me, and making sure I have them ready to go at a moment's notice. It means that now I can stop thinking, planning, thinking, wondering, thinking, and doing.
This means that the chaos is almost over - for us at least.
For me, the stress is subsiding, and I can start to breathe a little easier - thanks in part to the wind clearing our air!
But as I can now take the focus off of myself and my family, I am starting to grieve. I not only grieve for what we just went through - the not knowing - the wondering what would happen and where we would go if it did. I grieve for all those who just weren't as fortunate as we were. Those who will go back home, only to realize that their home isn't there. I grieve for the families in the stadium and evacuation centers... for the little kids who are still sleeping on floors and stadium seats with only the clothes on their backs. I grieve for those who have lost more than I could ever imagine.
Please pray with us for those who are still displaced, for those who have lost their homes, and for those still in the fire's path of destruction - for their comfort, courage, and strength to face what is to come.

The next morning...

2007-10-23T17:11:00.000-04:00

I took these pictures from our bedroom balcony at 8:00 am on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007.
After a long night of relentless winds, we woke up to this. It proceeded to get worse throughout the day, just like the fires. By the end of the night, our air quality was terrible. It was raining smoke and ash, and we were under voluntary evacuation.
Today, the fires aren't much better. The one closest to us in Rancho Santa Fe is still out of control. The winds have shifted, however, and our sky is a bit clearer, but the air outside the house is still unbreathable. The beach just to the south of us is under mandatory evacuation, so we know it's a possibility that we will be forced to leave, however, we are staying put for now.
Why? For the most part, it's because there's nowhere to go! Basically everything is on fire, or covered in smoke and ash. Hotel rooms are booked well into Orange County, and if we go east, we will have to go WAY east to get away from the fires.
Today will be pivotal, depending on what the winds do, and if they can get the Witch fire under any control. Our local authorities called today very "volitile and crucial."
I am hoping that we can stay here in our home, even though the air quality is very bad, and will be for the next few days. The kids are comfortable here, and even though we're getting stir crazy because we can hardly open the doors - we don't want to have to go to a hotel somewhere or to an evacuation center with two toddlers.
I just wanted to post an update, and will do it again tomorrow - hopefully with good news!

Fall Sunday

2007-10-22T00:39:00.000-04:00

We're trying hard to pretend it's fall here, but the truth it's hot, dry, and windy - thanks to the Santa Ana winds.

I thought today would be a good day for the whole family to get into the Steeler spirit, too. We all dressed the part, but the look on Luca's face pretty much sums up how we felt after the debacle we watched happen in Denver. We can only hope that next week, they'll give us something to smile about!

On another note, we are all coxsackie free and feeling much better now. We found out that another little girl from our church got it, too, so it was probably picked up by Luca in the nursery.

We missed 2 weeks of church, 1 week of preschool, and are glad to again be back into the swing of things!

1st Night...

2007-10-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

... in her "big-girl bed."

After much reluctance to allow my baby Bella to transition from her crib to a bed, Keith and I caved when she started to insist that she was "too big for her red bed now."

Her feet did actually touch the end of the crib - when she tried - so we decided to go ahead and convert her crib to the full-size bed.

It really wasn't that simple, though. With a new bed comes new sheets and bedspread. With new sheets and bedspread comes new curtains. With new curtains comes new wall hangings, and on and on.

Her new room isn't totally done yet, but we really wanted to get the bed part overwith. I'll post before and after pics when it's done, and fill you in on her first night in her "big-girl bed!"

Pumpkins!

2007-10-08T18:54:00.000-04:00

Today, we visited Stu Miller's Pumpkin Patch in Encinitas. The kids were glad to get out of the house - since Luca was diagnosed with the coxsackie virus (a.k.a. "hand, foot, and mouth disease"), we've been stuck at home. The little guy was miserable for a couple of days, but bounced back pretty quickly. Since it's so contagious (thanks, My Gym), we missed church this weekend - his pediatrician told me to keep him away from all kids. We did manage to go out to dinner for my 32nd birthday on the 6th, so it wasn't a total bust.
Since we drove by the Pumpkin Patch last week, Bella hasn't stopped talking about it. Keith was off today, so when she got up this morning, it was the first thing on her mind. It wasn't until we got there that I realized that it was Bella now that wasn't feeling very well. She had a runny nose and glassy eyes, and then I saw them. The dreaded sores on her tongue! AAHHH!
We cut our visit a bit short and when we got home (after driving through KFC for mashed potatoes for lunch) I realized that she had a pretty high fever. It was off to bed - without resistance - for a nap.
So, this virus really stinks. The kids don't want to eat anything because their mouth is so sore. I'm now all stocked up with Jello, Pudding, Yogurt, Ice Cream, and potatoes to mash for the next few days. No preschool, no My Gym, no small group, just homebound - again!
We did manage to grant Bella her pumpkin patch wish, though, and got some pretty cute pictures, too!

Flower Girl Show

2007-09-19T17:52:00.000-04:00

On Friday, September 14th, we celebrated the marriage of my cousin Eric to his beautiful Jessie. This event was otherwise known to Bella and Jilli as "The Flower Girl Show." The two of them were quite cute and did a great job scattering petals before a breathtaking Jessie came down the aisle.

The wedding concluded our trip to PA, and now we are all partied out and back home. The kids made it through the plane trip (again) without too much havoc, and now we all are recovering from the time zone change!

It's like we left in the summer and came back to fall, and it's awesome - considering this is my favorite time of year.

I love the smell in the air (moreso in PA, but there's a bit of "fall smell" mixed in with the ocean air here, too) - I love hitting the trails and not sweating like a pig, I love mums, and I love football!!!

Go Steelers!

Hooray for Kennywood!!

2007-09-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

Kennywood was no let down for Bella, Luca, Noah and Jilli! This was the first time there for our two, and they really had a good time. Despite the 99% humidity and tiny little rain shower, my Mom, Dad, Jaime, Jason, Keith and I had fun, too!
Of course, Bella's favorite ride was the Jackrabbit... she rode it 3 times. (For anyone who's never been to Kennywood in Pittsburgh, its a great old amusement park with TONS of rides and real rollercoasters. The Jackrabbit is a rollercoaster that opened in 1921, and is such a blast!) I rode it, too for the first time in about 10 years, and laughed until tears streamed down my face! It was nice to be there again, considering I have so many childhood memories from there. Much of the time was spent reminiscing and telling stories about "Kennywood Days" from the past.
Keith rode LOTS - even in Kiddieland, as you can see. It was his first time riding the Phantom's Revenge and the Thunderbolt, which shook him up a bit.
Who could leave out the food? MY favorite part was getting Potato Patch fries and strawberries & cream!
All in all it was a hot, humid, but great day for all of us... especially Bella.

Oh, scroll to the bottom of the blog page and check out this awesome video ~

1st Day of School - again

2007-09-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of preschool for Fort Byrd Preschool here in Brownsville, and Bella was in attendance with Jilli!

Since we wanted to keep her in the routine, we decided to enroll her here, too. Now she'll be able to go when we're visiting, and spend more time with her best friend.

It was an adjustment for her because it was quite different from her 5 hour school day in Encinitas, but she warmed up to the 2.5 hours of singing, play and lessons after the first 2 days!

So Happy Together

2007-09-07T21:31:00.000-04:00

You know you're in Fayette county when -- you've owned your own ATV since you were 2!

Well, we're back east, and Bella and Luca couldn't be happier to be back together with their cousins! So far they've spent most of their time in the pool - Bella has been practicing "without her swimmies," and she's been making good progress. It helps that Jilli has already mastered the feat, and it gives her some motivation.

Tomorrow, we look forward to taking them to Kennywood for the first time - Keith's first time, too! Since she had such a blast at Legoland, we figured she'd really get a kick out of all of the roller coasters here.

I'll post more after tomorrow... we're just hoping it doesn't rain!

1st Day of School

2007-08-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

Today, Bella went to her first day of preschool at Santa Fe Christian Academy. She is in the Bear Cub class (3-4 year olds), and her teacher is Miss Sujey!

As expected, I was a bit of a wreck, but Bella did great! She gave me a hug and headed straight for the kids on the playground. Holding it together was harder than I though it would be, but it was comforting to know that Bella was so excited. She will be going 2 half days a week, which I know will be good for her.

Luca also, will get the benefits of having Mommy all to himself - something that he hasn't had until now!

I will have more time to post to the blog now - the house seems so quiet with just Luca here!

I'll make sure to give an update after I pick her up today!

Beach Bums

2007-08-21T12:59:00.001-04:00

For living so close, we actually don't go to the beach very often, but we decided to give Luca a test run a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure if he would like it - the last time he had been there he was 4 months old!
As it turned out, he loved it! So now we're making it something we do whenever we get the chance. The weather here has been HOT (82 degree-ish) and sunny, and the beach gives us a nice breeze. The water is nice and warm, too (for here - about 70 degrees).
Bella and Luca both love to chase waves and then run from them! It's really a lot of fun to watch. I won't ever be able to get used to watching Luca eat sand, though! Yuck! What is it with this child? His favorite snacks are snails, dirt and sand. I guess you could say that he's definitely all boy!

Whee!

2007-08-13T01:07:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything, and that's due in part to the fact that we lost our camera! We broke down and bought a new one, because Nonna and Pappy were in town and we didn't want to miss anything!
This is a picture of Bella on her very first roller coaster ride. It was the Coastersaurus at Legoland, and obviously, she LOVED it! Of all the attractions at the park that day, this was her favorite, so we waited in the long line for her to ride it again before we left.
We had a great time watching her have so much fun. No, she may not remember this in 15 years, but we will!

Buddies

2007-07-19T01:01:00.000-04:00

Well, we are now back at home in Encinitas, and getting back into the swing of things. It was a
great time for all of us... nobody got sick (except for me - a little cold), and the kids got along really well together (most of the time).
I felt very bad the morning we were leaving when Bella said, "Nona, I don't want to go home," but I'm glad to know that we'll be back again in September for my cousin Eric's wedding!
We are thankful that Luca is doing much better on the plane (with a little Benedryl and a lot of prayer!) and won't dread the next flight as much!

Growing Up

2007-06-28T23:56:00.000-04:00

Well, these two sure have been keeping us busy.

Bella outgrew the seat adjustment on her bike, so she and daddy "fixed it." Now her knees won't hit her chest anymore when she pedals (no, not really.)

Little Luca has an obsession with the telephone. If you've ever tried to have a conversation with me while he's awake, you know what I mean.

However, I found the most awesome toy phone today. I don't know why it took a genius to figure out that even toddlers know that real phones don't come in primary colors, have huge buttons, and bear the likes of Elmo, Strawberry Shortcake, or Shimmer from Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends (to name a few that we have tried to fool him with) on them.

This one looks just like Keith's cell phone - it's gray, has working buttons and a screen with display! I was so excited that I bought two. Hopefully, this great find at Gepetto's will help to make the big plane trip on Saturday a little more bearable.

Yes, we're headed back east again to visit home and swim with Jilli and Noah!

Zoo Fun

2007-06-16T12:07:00.000-04:00

Keith was off on Wednesday, so we decided to put off getting their 1 and 3 year portraits to go to the zoo! It ended up being an atypical day here in San Diego - HOT! Despite the heat, the kids had fun petting the animals, playing on fake gorillas, and seeing the "big animals." The favorites were the elephants and giraffes. It was a lazy day for the two of them as they relaxed in their double stroller as mommy and daddy pushed them up and down the hills!

I Insist!

2007-06-11T22:18:00.000-04:00

These days, Luca insists on feeding himself - which always ends up in a picture like this...
In other news, he's getting his 8th tooth, and has two speeds: sleep and full speed ahead. This child literally RUNS everywhere and all of the time. It's his only means of transportation right now and this need for speed really keeps us on our toes!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

R & R

2007-05-29T00:07:00.001-04:00

This is how Luca spent much of Memorial Day... we hope yours was full of rest and relaxation, too!
I've been slacking on the blog... sorry. There will much more to come on what's been keeping us so busy!
Have a great week - it's a short one!

New Look

2007-05-08T17:58:00.000-04:00

Ever since spring sprung this year, we've been going crazy with house projects... one of which was having the exterior painted.
The white had become somewhat "dingy" and all of our fence was showing damage from the moisture - mainly the marine layer that hangs out here in the morning.
So here's what we did. We wanted to make it appear "warmer." Also, we changed all of the exterior light fixtures, but you can't see them too well on the photo.
On the interior, Keith changed all of the hinges and door knobs while we were visiting my parents. What a saint!
We are proud of what we've done so far (and except for the paint, we did it ourselves!)
We're just about done with projects - for now. I'm sure it won't be long before we find something else to keep us busy!

A couple of firsts

2007-05-04T18:13:00.000-04:00

We came back from visiting my parents last Sunday, and after getting over a horrific plane trip and 3 colds, we are getting back into the swing of things here at home in Encinitas!

The kids really had a nice visit with our family - at least until they got sick (which seems to happen every visit!)

Luca had a very tranquilizing first tractor ride with pappy. Cutting your own grass (more than .1 acre) is something we take for granted here!

After hearing that Jilli had her tooth fixed by pappy, Bella was chomping (get it?) at the bit to go the the dentist, too! She had her first cleaning (yes, the recommended age is 1 year, not 3... she gets good dental care at home) by Sherri, and Uncle Chad did her exam. She was a GREAT patient. I didn't even go in with her... I only snuck in at the end to get a picture. She was very cooperative, agreeable and had no cavities! Thank goodness.

1st Haircut

2007-04-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

Luca had his first ever haircut yesterday!
He was so well behaved... the face you see in the picture was how he looked the whole time!
I was really afraid to cut it, because his has
these beautiful curls that I didn't want to lose. However, the curls are here to stay, because even after the cut, they remain and are adorable.
I don't think Luca will ever have a "short" cut - maybe living near the beach in southern California has something to do with it. On the other hand, it seems a shame to let those little curls go to waste!
On a different note we will be leaving tomorrow morning for Nonna and Pappy's, and Bella is ecstatic. We pray for a smooth and uncomplicated trip, as we are making it without Keith this time. My cousin, Nicholas, has been here for a few days (and even got his hair cut with Luca). He will help me get us there!
The next post will probably be when we get back!

Bumper Bonnet

2007-04-06T17:02:00.000-04:00

Just in time for Easter! Luca's got a new hat, and this one isn't mandatory!
Now a proud Doc Band graduate, it seemed a bit scary to let Luca take to the hardwood floors without some kind of protection for his little noggin! Call us paranoid, but this kid has already been through so much. I found this little bonnet at One Step Ahead, and it gives us peace of mind when he's running around the house - especially with his partner in crime, Bella.
These two have become friends lately, for the most part. Bella has started competing less with Luca, and playing with him more. The problem is, she gets a little rough with the little guy - hence the new bonnet.
We hope you have a great Easter weekend. I will be playing for 4 church services on Sunday, so it will be a bit hectic for us. However, we will not forget why we are celebrating the greatest sacrifice ever given for mankind.
He is Risen!

Spring Beauty

2007-03-28T14:39:00.000-04:00

Spring is here! We've had some cool and windy weather for a few days, so when the sun came out today, we made sure to get outside.

We've been doing the typical spring stuff around here... planting flowers, mulching, and getting ready to plant the garden!

The house projects are lining up, too, so there's a lot going on here!

Keith's dad is coming in on Friday to spend Easter with us, and the following week, the kids and I will be making a last-minute-decision trip home!

Bella really looks forward to seeing Nonna and Pappy, and was pretty relentless that I hurry up and "get the tickets!"

The weather seems to be pretty nice everywhere, so get out and enjoy it!

Bubble Birthday

2007-03-19T10:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Bella's third birthday (Luca's was March 3rd), and we had a small party with friends and neighbors for the kids. This was the 2nd party for them, as we had an early one with our family when everyone was visiting from back east.
Our beloved Miss Cathy got them a bubble machine, and it made an otherwise foggy day a celebration! Luca couldn't get enough of them - he squealed, stomped and danced! Bella was tickled as well, and had a blast running through them.
When cake time arrived, we decided to let Luca tear into his cake since he no longer has the cast on. He was tentative at first, but then went for broke, as you can see.
We had a great time and great company. Bella especially, will remember, and talk about, her birthday for a long time to come!

Cast Away

2007-03-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

On Friday, Luca got his hand back! (No, his left arm didn't disappear, he's just enjoying running free without his "blue torpedo".)
We learned that his 4th metacarpal his still not totally healed - as it was pretty crooked from the break. The bone will remodel over time, and become straight again someday!
After multiple washings, the stink is almost gone, and Luca is slowly starting to use his right hand.
Also, I took this picture because he is finally enjoying the grass. He was afraid of it for a long time, but recently took his first few steps on it. Now he's running like crazy everywhere, and we're wondering if getting his helmet off in 2 weeks is a good idea!

Daylight Savings Celebration!

2007-03-12T02:12:00.000-04:00

The weather here has been soooo beautiful lately that it just seemed appropriate to celebrate one extra hour of daylight (and playtime) with a BBQ!
Amie, Matt and Garrett came over this afternoon, and we had good sun, good company, and good food.
I've only lived here a little over a year, so I still get amazed at the "niceness" of the weather here. Luca has been having a great time exploring things like grass (now that he'll walk on it) and flowers. He loves going for walks in our new wagon - I take his helmet off and let his little head air out in the breeze and sun!
We're kind of like kids on vacation, but we'll get used to it - eventually!

Off and On

2007-03-02T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well, today Luca got his smelly, food-laden cast off! It was such a relief to be able to wash his little arm and trim those long fingernails! But Luca wasn't too happy about getting his blue weapon removed, as it had become a part of him!

I had to bring out the reserve lollipop to help him through it. (NO, I DO NOT advocate letting a 1-year-old enjoy such a potential airway hazard, but desperate times call for desperate measures!)

Then it was off to x-ray, only to discover that those little bones just weren't healed enough... therefore, Luca was the proud recipient of a brand-new blue long-arm cast. It was decided that since he is basically unstoppable at this very active age, we are "protecting him from himself," as the doc put it. This one will be on for another two weeks, and then hopefully off for good!

Luca seemed relieved to get the cast back on... I think he missed it while it was gone. He was an angel this time around - he just leaned back and let them do it!

I was truly hoping that by his 1st birthday, which is tomorrow, all of this - the Doc Band and the cast - would be behind us. Yes, we are disappointed, but we have faith that God is molding him into just the perfect little guy He wants Luca to be.

Boys will be Boys

2007-02-09T17:59:00.000-05:00

It seems our little "Bam Bam" had to prove just how much of a little bruiser he is...
Yesterday, Luca walked away from me and into the living room where he pulled an occasional table over onto himself. At first, I didn't know what was hurt, but I knew it was pretty bad, considering I had never heard him cry like that. I then saw that his little hand was turning purple and blowing up like a balloon. Later at the radiologist's office, it was confirmed that Luca had fractured his 3rd, 4th, and 5th metacarpals in his right hand. We thought that we were going to surely find out that it was just a bruise, so the news was devastating to Keith and me.
This morning we saw a pediatric hand orthopedist who recommended that Luca be casted beyond his elbow because he is so little (and would find a way to wiggle out of a shorter cast).
So my little 11 month old boy now has a blue cast to go with his white helmet.
He was a trooper, though, through it all and especially last night - he got much more sleep than I did! He is already used to the weight of the cast, and would rather not wear the sling. He has been walking and crawling up the steps like he never missed a beat.

We are so thankful for our great neighbors, who took care of Bella through all of this... Bella was a good sport and had a great time, actually, at the Porterfield's last night and this morning. We consider ourselves truly blessed to have them, and are thankful that the Lord took care of all of the details to get Luca taken care of!
What can you say? Boys will be boys, I guess.

Reunion

2007-01-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Bella was excited to have a playdate with her little friend, Alana, who moved away before Christmas last year. It's not the same on our block without the Moldens - all 7 of them - and needless to say, it's too quiet!
The girls got right back into the groove, and it was good for Bella to have some closure, since they never really got to say goodbye.
One thing we've learned living here, is just when you start to get attached to someone, they leave. Most people here are "transients," which hopefully will be our case, as well, although we really are settling in and like it here - a lot!
We miss you, Moldens.... best wishes for a great life with your family in Oregon!

Catching up!

2007-01-24T17:32:00.000-05:00

Since we don't have anything really exciting to report these days, I thought I'd just post a couple of pictures of the kids being cute.

Luca has discovered the stairs, and is quite good at getting up them anytime the gate is down. He's even learning how to go down them, which I think is pretty good at the ripe old age of 10 months.

Bella was all dressed up for a family date night in an outfit that Nonna got her for Christmas. She's pretty fashion savvy these days, and really likes to wear clothes "like mommy wears." In other words - brown.

The weather here is getting back to normal, which means that I should have more outdoor pictures to post. It will also do the kids good, because they've both been sick since we left Pittsburgh! Being stuck inside with two miserable and snot-filled kids isn't the most fun thing to do, but the warm weather brings the light at the end of the tunnel!

Let's Play!

2007-01-20T01:44:00.000-05:00

Bella was very happy to be reunited with her good buddy and cousin, Garrett this week. Even though we've had this weird cold snap here in San Diego, it can be pretty nice during the day when the sun is out. Bella and G took advantage of the sun and hit the playset together!
Tonight, we actually had a family double date with Amie, Matt, and Garrett, which had Bella very excited. After dinner at Pat and Oscars, we watched the two of them circle a wall built around a tree about 50 times before we decided that it was entirely too cold out!
It can't get back to normal here soon enough! These 30 degree nights are devastating to us now... I guess we've already become So Cal wimps!

A Good Report!

2007-01-12T00:04:00.000-05:00

No, we didn't slip Rogaine in his bottle... this is a wig that my sister, Jaime, wore in the musical 42nd Street. The kids were playing at her house when the grown-ups were summoned into the room to see Luca! It puts me to mind of Welcome Back Kotter... don't you think?
Anyway, Luca had a physical therapy appointment today, and the therapist confirmed what we were thinking... that this once little baby with the tilted head and weak neck has now become a "level-headed" little boy! Carla, who was a great therapist -and motivator for me, has discharged Luca from P.T.. She was thrilled with his progress - he now has full passive range of motion in his neck, which is very exciting to us. This means that not only is he not tilting his head anymore, he now has proper vision, and the muscles will not influence the way the bones in his skull are growing. Looking back in his newborn pictures, he always tilted his head. Now - as you can see - he is perfectly level!
Keith and I are very glad that we don't have to hold Luca down and stretch his neck as he screams in protest, and I am relieved that this will be one less appointment we need to take him (and Bella along) to!
It is amazing to see how God has already worked in Luca's young life. For us, waiting was the hard part. We have learned that the Lord is not interested in our timetable or schedules. He just asks that we remain steadfast in our faith and trust Him and His timing. In this, we have seen a great reward, and continue now with renewed strength and hope for continued progress and good reports!

We're Back!

2007-01-09T00:51:00.000-05:00

Well, now that I've had time to unpack, take down the Christmas decorations and clean the house, the holiday hiatus is over, and I resolve to get our blog back up and running!
We had a bumpy start to our trip back home... leaving on Dec. 23 to make a trans-continental flight may not have been the best idea. Needless to say, it was mass chaos, and the delays caused by the Denver snow had affected most all flights. We had some bumpy air ourselves, and spent about 2 hours with terrible turbulence, when then caused poor Luca to get sick on the plane. We made it, though, and pulled into my parent's house at almost 2 am on the 24th!
After that, it was smooth sailing! The kids had a great time and got right into the groove with their first cousins without missing a beat! Bella and Jilli loved playing dress-up together, as you can see. They were pretty good buddies - most of the time!
Keith celebrated his 41st birthday at Jakes at the Galleria (good BBQ!) He rather enjoyed his complimentary coyboy hat!
The last few days of the vacation, Bella and I came down with something - which hit me very hard! I made the flights home with chills and aches, but with everyone's prayers sustaining all of us, we got home with no complications!
Now that we're back, it's back to life as usual. Although taking down the Christmas decorations was a little depressing, it was the beginning of a fresh start... and a push to move ahead! Luca had an appointment with Cranialtech, and is doing awesome. He has PT this week as well.
Bella is getting used to her solititude again, and misses Jilli, Nona and Pappy the most... but mentions just about everyone several times a day.
It is always with mixed emotions that I start a new year, but I'm excited to see what God has planned for us...
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-23T01:22:00.000-05:00

This will be the last post on the blog for a while... I had to take a break from packing to do it!
We remember all of our loved ones - friends and family, far and near, this season and wish you all a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year.
As we embark on the celebration of the birth of Christ, remember...
a little child was humbly born on this cold earth to save us from sin and from ourselves. The Father above knew that each of us needed a savior, and ours is Jesus. It is for this reason that we need to remember the amazing fact that Jesus isn't the "reason for the season".... WE are.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
With love,
The Izadis - Keyoumars, Keri, Bella and Luca

Deck the band...

2006-12-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

... with lots of stickers!
Luca spread some holiday cheer with his DOC band, and caught some obvious attention! Sadly, after we cleaned it (with alcohol, like we do every night) the stickers were beginning to peel off. I removed them because I was afraid of them coming loose in his crib, so we're back to the clinical white look for now!
I sent the top picture in to Cranial Technologies' website, and it will be featured in their January photo album! I'll be sure to keep you posted as to when it comes out.
It's off to the pediatrician tomorrow for flu shots and Luca's anemia finger prick... another fun-filled day in toddlerland!

Merry "Almost" Christmas!

2006-12-18T02:19:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what Santa will do for a few extra cookies!
Today was our San Diego Christmas for the kids, since we will be leaving to go back east this weekend.
Bella was really excited this year, which was fun. However, her favorite gift was Luca's Drop n' Roar Dinosaur. Luca's favorite, on the other hand, was Bella's Dora house. Doesn't it figure?
I now will be joining the support group for wives of video game-players, as Keith finally got his XBox 360. It's amaing what I will do when I'm desperate for something to get him!
It was a great day, but I am super excited for the real thing... going home for Christmas!