I Never Thought

Before I had kiddos of my own, I never thought that I would:

• wake up every single morning by 6:30.


• consider sleeping until 7 "sleeping in"
  
• be able to function with almost no sleep night after night after night for about the first six months of their lives.


• have toys in almost every single room of my house ( I used to think that people that kept toys almost all over the house were messy or unorganized - ha, little did I know)


• sweep and mop the kitchen floor at least 2 times a day.


• have adult conversations in 10 second bursts.


• forget how to have an adult conversation


• look forward to the 'wait' in the Dr.'s office so that I can have a little bit of peace and quiet to read my book or magazine. ( I was actually upset this last time I went in to see the Dr. because I was in and out in an hour).


• place all my phone calls in the car while running errands.


• forget to take a shower and sometimes brush my teeth (okay, that was when they were newborns).


• order online - and wish that more stores offered online service.
• have company everywhere that I go - even in the most private places (shower, potty)


• actually use curbside service at restaurants, dry cleaners.


• buy gallons of milk weekly


• pack up heavy equipment, bags of essential baby items, booster seats etc., for a 30 minute outing with the girls. (it actually takes longer to pack up the stuff than the actual outing itself).


• have to run the dishwasher every single day.


• pack up heavy equipment, bags of essential items, walk around holding the girls' hands, hunched over, end up with a backache, just to see them smile.


• make plans around nap time.


• think that people that use the drive thru service and don't have kids are just being lazy (they need to be reserved for mothers of small children).
• have a list this long!

Another Wild Child?

Today I had my routine OB visit - and everything is going well. The nurse just checked my blood pressure, weight, and the baby's heartbeat.

Georgina's heartbeat has been consistently high - at about 155. When I was pregnant with Giuliana, her heartbeat was also high and greater than her sister's -about as high as Georgina's is right now. MG and I laugh about this and tell ourselves that we are going to have another 'wild child', or as Mimi puts it, 'another Michael'. HEHE!

Sleeping Update

Hurray - the girls are sleeping in the same room together - at night time and for naps! It was a bit rough for the first few nights - but once they got used to having each other in the room, it actually improved both of their sleeping habits.

Giuliana no longer cries when she wakes up. In the morning, her and her sister stand up in their cribs and laugh and talk to each other. Michael and I wake up to the sound of laughter, whereas before, Giuliana's crying was our wake up call.

Gisella on the other hand, used to cry out in her sleep all the time - at least once a night - this usually happened pretty early - about an hour or so after we would put her down. We never knew why she did this - at times her crying was inconsolable. She no longer cries out. I am not sure if this is a result of her sister being in the room, maturity, or a combination of both.

MG and I finally have our bedroom back - we can actually watch t.v. or read a book before going to sleep - alas, we have only 3 more months of this newly acquired freedom before Georgina comes and becomes our new roommate. Oh well, we would not have it any other way!

Tea Party

Yesterday the girls and I were invited to a tea party play date. I dressed the girls in their brand new dresses and shoes that Nonna had given them. I also had to get dressed in something besides my uniform (sweats and t-shirt) and being pregnant, getting dressed is somewhat of a struggle for me (clothes don't fit, out of breath, sweating since it is already so HOT, etc., etc.,). Finally, about an hour later, we were on our way to the party.

When we got there, Giuliana insisted on walking into the room wearing her sunglasses. My little movie star diva did not want to take them off - she had to make her grand entrance.

Gisella, my sweet little one, behaved like a little lady, sitting on her chair, while sipping on her apple juice.

SpawGlass BBQ for Grandpapi

Today we went to a BBQ for Grandpapi's retirement from SpawGlass.

By the end of June, Grandpapi will retire from the company where he has worked for forty years - a lifetime. We are happy for him as he embarks on a new journey but yet know how difficult it will be for him - a large part of him was defined by his job.

Grandpapi, we know that SpawGlass will miss you!

Mothers Day '09

On Sunday, we went to Nonna's house and went swimming. Giuliana and I have similar body shape!

Gisella already looks like she got a tan - and looks so pretty in her white dress.

Here's our "Wild One" (Giuliana) over at Mimi's. She actually looks a bit scary . . .

The Saturday before Mother's Day, Giuliana and Gisella had fun running all over Mimi's house. Mimi did not mind - in fact she also did not mind that the girls left toys all over the playroom, pushed little tables around the dining room table, and left pool toys all over the backyard. She just wanted them to have fun - thank you Mimi-we definitely had fun!

Giuliana - the wild one - looking back

Giuliana.

Where do I even begin?

At exactly 6 weeks of pregnancy, we heard Giuliana's heartbeat. She was my "Baby B" - so labeled due to her position in the womb. I believe that from the moment of conception, she was ready to go. Not sure where, but she was ready.

Giuliana was born 6lbs 5 oz. and has always been bigger than her sister. Michael and I used to call her Chubs when she was born because she had such cute chubby cheeks. She never had problems eating. The nurses in the NICU were so impressed that she could suck and eat so well. That has never changed. Giu-Giu loves to eat!

Giuliana had such a hard time as a newborn - she had really bad reflux - so bad that we had to put her on medication so that she could sleep. In addition, about one week after we got home from the hospital, she developed "Baby Acne" - red bumps all over her face.

One night after we got home from the hospital, Giuliana cried. All night. And then proceeded to cry EVERY SINGLE night. Until she finally stopped and then cried all day, every day. This lasted the first 4- 5 months of her life. I remember calling my poor pediatrician at least weekly to tell him about her. Dr. Boardman would stay on the phone to reassure me that I was doing everything that I could. He told me that she would outgrow many of the 'conditions' that concerned me. Dr. B. you were so right.

Giuliana is loud and demanding - has to have things her way. She steals food, sippy cup, toys and anything else from her poor sister.

Giuliana is also so much fun. She loves to laugh and play and mimic my movements. She is an active baby - always on the go. She is so funny and emotional. She loves to be the center of attention - when she wants to be. She is larger than life!

Gisella - the sweet one - looking back

Gisella was my "Baby A" so labeled due to her position in the womb. When we were very first pregnant with the twins and went for our 6 week ultrasound, we did not hear Gisella's heartbeat - but we saw a sac - that was when the ultrasound tech labeled her as "Baby A". I remember going home that day and praying that we would have twins. Hoping that the 'empty sac' would have a heartbeat. Of course, I would have been so blessed with just one baby - but with two? I could not even imagine.

When we went back for our ultrasound at seven weeks, we heard Gisella's heartbeat and knew that for sure, we would be having twins. Throughout the course of the pregnancy, Gisella's heartbeat was always a little lower than her sister's - in the healthy range of course - but still lower.

Gisella was born 6lbs .5oz. and due to the fact that I developed a fever during labor, she along with her sister, was placed in the NICU. The NICU nurses at Women's Hospital are so kind and loving and took such great care of my babies. Gisella's heartbeat on the monitor was still so much lower than her sister - I used to worry about it - now I realize it is who she is - a laid back - easygoing little girl.

Gisella, as a baby, loved to sleep. She preferred sleeping over eating. Michael and I were always so worried about her not eating. (Things have not really changed). She was such an easy baby - we could put her in her crib and she would just go to sleep - no complaints from her. When we took her out into the world, not a peep would come out of her. If I had had only Gigi - mothers would hate me because I would be the one stating how easy this parenting thing is. I realize that it had nothing whatsoever to do with me (well, at least at this stage) - it was all my sweet Gigi.

Our Little Bundle

On Monday, May 4th, Michael and I went to have our level 2 Ultrasound where we found out that we are expecting a healthy baby girl. Yes, another baby girl - a little sister for the GGs. We were so excited to find out that our precious little one is growing and is healthy.

Michael, of course, would have loved to have had a boy, but I know that he is going to be spoiled by his three little girls. During our session with the doctor, Michael could not contain himself and had to ask what the gender of the baby was at least twice before we were actually told. The first time he asked, the doctor had not even squeezed the gel on over my stomach yet. The second time, he asked, the Dr. was looking at the baby's spine (yes, far more important than the gender). Finally, the Dr. had to stop and actually look for the gender so that MG would stop asking. Of course, before we left, Michael asked the dr. if she was absolutely sure we were having a girl.

Poor Georgie. Yes, we are thinking of naming the baby Georgiana and calling her Georgie. (Okay, I am thinking about calling her Georgie). Not sure about the spelling yet though. I have seen it spelled Georgina and Georgiana. I like it spelled Georgiana only because I saw the movie The Duchess and the Duchess' name was Georgiana spelled with the extra A. I guess I have some time to think about it.