Updates

I've been pretty bad about posting. We've got a number of things to cover here...our little fellow now has four teeth on the top and two on the bottom. Holy mother of mercy! His sleep has been dreadful, and I'm starting to understand why...he popped out 3 teeth in two weeks. Let's hope he'll give mom and dad a break tonight.

Amedeo had his first haircut. Looking at the pictures makes me realize how perilous it is to trim an 8.5 month-old's hair. He is lucky to have both of his ears intact.

Emily came to our house last week to sew a non-sock monkey for Jack. We decided to put them in the same outfit...


The day before Halloween, Emily, very kindly hosted a party. It was terrific fun to see all the babies dressed up. We learned an important lesson: as they get older, they start expressing their opinions with more volume. I'd say that was the loudest gathering yet!

On Halloween, we went to storytime at the library. It was amusing to see the little kids' costumes.
This weekend, we had date night on Saturday. We went to the cheesecake factory for dinner. Our waitress looked a lot like Jennifer Coolidge. No kidding. It amused me the whole dinner. Pietro ate a raw piece of fish...he said it was rare...I like fish, but I go to restaurants so they can COOK for me. I can stay at home and eat raw meat straight from the refrigerator. I had a pasta dish with shrimp, garlic and enough butter to choke a horse. By the end of the meal, both of us were ready to fall asleep in the booth. Thank you very much gramma and grampa!!!

I'm way way behind on stuff...

Hee...I should be working on A's halloween costume right now, but I've got to post a little something about our trip to Missouri.
Here we are waiting to leave the house:

Amedeo was the perfect angel on the airplane. Here's a preboarding pic:
We've started to notice that he is extremely well behaved out in public. When he gets home, he lets loose all of his pent up badness. That's our boy.

It was wonderful to see my brother, Morgan (stay-at-home-dad),

and his wife, Debbie (brilliant entomologist),


and their son, Finn (very good with sticks).


The first full day we were there, we went to a swimming pool...there's a playground in the water and a "river" to float around...from 11-12, it only costs $1 to enter!!


We went for a little hike off the Missouri river.


I didn't bring a stroller, so, Amedeo rode on me.


And, that was ok with him.


Grandma bought Amedeo and Finn matching outfits. She accidentally switched them, so at first, Debbie was trying to cram Finn into a 12 month size, when he wears the 24 month size. (Finn is 16 months old.)


Here we went to eat out at a restaurant. Finn is sleeping under the table, no, really!!! (He didn't want to miss anything, so he almost never took a nap unless we drove in the car.)



Amedeo played with all of Finn's toys.



We visited lots of different playgrounds. This one was HUGE! I only took pictures of a few of the areas...it was crazy.



Here is how Morgan fills up his day: He's a playground.


He's chasing Finn.


He's a comedian.
What a nice daddy! To give him a break, we got Finn a tire. (Since he never gets tired...hee hee hee.)


Now that we're back, Amedeo has cut another tooth on the top. Four teeth and counting. He's developed the annoying habit of grinding those four teeth together. I'm going to call the doc tomorrow and ask her if it's a bad thing...it certainly sounds bad.

Morgan, Debbie, and Finn: Thank you for taking such good care of us and for entertaining us!!!

In Loving Memory...

Hobbes Dailey

August 1, 1990 - October 23, 2008

Our beloved friend, Hobbes, passed away last night at home in his sleep. He was born in a horse barn. Another family took him home, but they quickly returned him to the barn until we decided to adopt him. We named him after Calvin's stuffed tiger, Hobbes, in "Calvin and Hobbes." The name matched his genial nature, intelligence and exuberance. He had always been more of a lover than a fighter. He adored being the center of attention. He joined us on walks with our dog, Amy. Furtively, he skirted the woods, watching us as we made our way on the path.

He was a cat, but he seems so much more to me. When he came into our lives, I was in grade school. I went to high school and then college, got married and had a baby. Hobbes witnessed my adolescence and my maturation into the person I am now. I can't begin to think of him as a part of my past instead of part of my present. But, he is gone. He was my friend and I will always remember his gentle and wise spirit. He slipped away day by day of cancer. It took away his vitality, but never his kindness, his love of being stroked and held. Never will there be another cat like you, Hobbes. Always and forever, I love you and miss you.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Amedeo in his new robot pyjamas.


We're leaving for Columbia, Missouri on Tuesday morning. I'm supposed to be packing right now, so you can see that my procrastination abilities are right at their peak.

Amedeo had his 8 month birthday on Friday. We went to pick up his birth certificate, so the airline would let him fly for free...gigantic baby that he is. On Saturday morning, he started propelling himself forward. Yay for forward motion!!




We're going to be away until next Wednesday. I'm really excited to see Finn, Morgan and Debbie. I hope I survive the nights without Pietro...Amedeo and I are going to be sleeping in the same room...it should be interesting.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post from MO...my bro has DIALUP!!! Can you believe that?!?!? We're entering the dark ages.

Jumpsuits and Ravioli

Today we went to the library in Elkridge for storytime. (ok..they call it "Playpartners" but I think that's a silly name.) The room was very nice...much bigger than the one in Columbia. I do enjoy a little elbow room. Though, now I've had "The Ravioli Song" playing in my head for the last 9 hours.

Amedeo wore his red jumpsuit. Why is it that babies are the only people who look good in jumpsuits? Here are two pictures to compare.



I will not be joining the 2008 jumpsuit fashion trend...sorry.

Diaper Box Derby, Here We Come!!!

Emily (http://www.thekentobeans.blogspot.com/), has issued a challenge: make a derby car out of an empty diaper box. Here we go!

Here I am preparing the box with some help from my technical advisor, Violet.



Amedeo doesn't like the looks of the crew...they don't look very competent.


Amedeo tries to convince Violet to join him as his copilot, with little success.

A good view of the rocket thrusters...imported from Fiji.


This derby model has a state of the art control panel.

It's hard work being a derby champ...

Thanks for the suggestion, Emily...I had a good time! (And Pietro spent 20 minutes playing with the box too!)

Happy Birthday!!!

To my mom! She is going to be 32 this year, right?!?!


Love and kisses!!!

Brenna and Amedeo