Baby Dominic has Arrived

Dominic Massimo Vitale was born via c-section on Saturday, August 7th at 8:37AM. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. He is healthy and doing well! Mom and Dad are a little tired these days which is why it's taken me so long to make this post! There will be a lot more pictures to come so stay tuned!

"Flat Iron my Hair"

What does one do while on bed rest? I decided to flat iron Giana's hair and she LOVES it! I had no idea how long her hair was! I caught her dancing around and rubbing her hair on her back. She still likes her curls and was wondering how she could "get them back." She has asked me twice since to flat iron her hair and I've had to explain to her that we can't do that all the time...I'm afraid it will damage her hair!

38 Weeks Pregnant

I'm only posting the following two pictures for my son so he can see what I looked like while I was carrying him. Dominic took these two photos. The first one is OK. I had to crop it because he was unsure of how to use the zoom. It's centered and you are able to get a good idea of what I looked like and the size of my belly. The second picture has not been altered. He cut off my head! God bless him but he's so bad with picture taking. I had to post it because I find it to be so funny. Looks like I have to give birth and take pictures, too.

"I don't want to come home!"

You're probably thinking that it's this baby I'm carrying and he just hasn't wanted to "come home" but I'm actually talking about Giana. More on the baby in a minute.

We sent Giana to Cleveland last weekend to spend four days with Dominic's Mom, Dad and sister. My blood pressure was rising and my swelling was getting bad. So after spending a few hours in labor and delivery at 37 weeks, I was sent home on bed rest in order to continue to carry the baby a little longer. Giana had so much fun in Cleveland but we missed her so much. I was talking to her on the phone and she told me she didn't want to come home. I guess going to a parade, carnival, swimming, a play date with her cousin, riding bikes, water coloring, etc...would make one three year old pretty happy. We are thankful to have the help and I'm glad she had fun.

While Giana was away, I obeyed the doctors orders and was able to get my blood pressure down and the swelling has subsided. Dominic and I did make a run to Der Dutchman for dinner and I brought back a whole butterscotch pie. YUM! We've been taking it very easy the past week and I'm happy to report that I just past 38 weeks and the baby and I are both doing well. He seems very content to stay put. I'm uncomfortable...didn't carry Giana this long so this is new territory for me. It's difficult to sleep and I feel like I live in a bathroom because he's resting on my bladder. I wanted to make it to August and here we are. A c-section has been scheduled for this coming Saturday, August 7th. So unless baby decides to arrive on his own this week, we will have a son in 6 days (or less!)

Vacation Bible School

We decided to send Giana to VBS this year at her preschool and I'm so glad we did! She had a great week! I was worried about the separation from me and her adjusting to "school" but she did well. There were only a few tears on the first day but her friend, Sarah helped me out and was able to console Giana and make her feel comfortable. The theme was "Keeping the Earth" and she took it to heart. She was sweeping the garage a few days ago and told me that she was "doing her part to keep the earth healthy and clean." She now gets very disgusted when she sees litter on the ground. So cute! We are hoping this week made a positive impression on her and that preschool in the fall will go just as smoothly.

Class photo. This is a picture of a picture because I wanted to cut off the school name for security purposes. Giana is on the far left. It apprears the three left kids are being silly. Should we be worried?

Giana and her friend, Sarah

Class project. She brought home so many cute crafts from the week.

Early Birthday Present!

Dominic's sister has been wanting to buy Giana a car for awhile now. Since we lived in the apartment, she just didn't have any place to drive her "vehicle" so she held off...until we moved. Dominic's parents, sister and brother decided to go all out and get Giana a Barbie car for her 4th birthday. They came to town last weekend and gave it to her so she would have time to enjoy it during the summer. It's a hit and she loves it! We had it set on the lowest setting (2.5 MPH) but felt she could handle the higher speed (5 MPH) and she can...but we are on the look out watching our toes and flower beds!

Mommy's Helper

I feel like I've been running a marathon trying to get the new house unpacked, baby's room in order, cleaning, window treatments up and visiting with family...all before the baby arrives. Why is it that I have to have it ALL done? Well, that's just me and it has to be done. I can officially say it's all done...maybe at the expense of my high blood pressure but my to do list is complete. On occasion, I have a little helper and all projects take twice as long but it's been fun watching Giana grow and get excited to meet her brother.


Putting the bouncy seat together.

Unpacking the last box.

The final touches...planting flowers with Aunt Deanna.