"These Are a Few of my Fav-or-ite Things"

Milk : $2.50 a gallon

Ski Hat : (don't know the price since it was a gift)

Pink Tutu : $5.00


All three of these items caught in the same picture...plus snuggling with Dad:

PRICELESS!!!!

Cookie Mania

So, the Sunday after our wonderful date night, my brother and Kelly decided to have our family over to bake Christmas cookies. This worked out great for us because everything we needed was already at their house...including our kids. It was awesome to get to their house and hug Maria and to see little Omi smile! Jeff had already started on some of his cookies. Soon, my mom and Galen showed up and so did Marc and John.

The house smelled of cookies, pizza and Cinn-a-bun chapstick, which Maria decided to have for a snack. She found some in their guest room while she was "napping" and decided to eat some and smear it all over her face. It was kind of funny, but gross. She did break out a little on her face. There were no other negative side affects from it besides stained clothes.

Family, football, cookies and Christmas! What a great day!

Our Big Date

Some of you know that Gerry and I had planned on going out of town the day after Halloween to see 'So You Think You Can Dance' in Kansas City. This was the first season of the show that we watched and we both really liked it. The season started right around the time I came home from the hospital with Naomi, so Gerry and I would DVR it and watch it during those early morning feedings/struggles with a new baby.

I guess you could say he and I kind of bonded over the show. I was actually surprised that he would sit through a reality/game show like that. So booking tickets to see them live just seemed like the natural thing to do once the season ended. One big problem: they came to St. Louis on Halloween! Bummer! Then we realized they would be in KC the day after Halloween. Gerry suggested we find a sitter for the kids, pack up our stuff and drive down there for one night to see the show. I was excited! We hadn't really had a night out since Naomi was born. (which was MAY, for those of you who don't remember.)

Unfortunately, 3 days before the show my mom (the babysitter) got really sick. We weren't sure if she was going to be better by the weekend, or if we should try to make other arrangements. My brother tried his best to work something out with us, but since we'd be in KC on a Sunday night, it made it hard for him to figure out the carpooling situation for Hailey on Monday morning. The cards were not in our favor and we had to cancel our big weekend. We wound up eating the tickets because we couldn't find anyone who wanted to drive to KC for the show.

Needless to say, I was very sad. I had been waiting so long to get away with my husband and it broke my heart that we couldn't go. It wasn't really even about the show...it was about spending time together. I honestly couldn't wait for the 5 hour drive to talk and catch up on things and just be together. My brother knew how much it bothered me and he graciously offered to take the kids over night for a different weekend. So, of course we took him up on it.

This past Saturday (December 12)Gerry and I dropped the kids off at Jeff and Kelly's at 10:00 in the morning. We started the day off with a shopping spree for clothes for us. We got some great deals at JC Penney and Kohl's. I got several new dress shirts,a new pair of shoes, some long sleeve T-shirts, some comfy sweats, and a new dressy coat. Gerry got some shoes, a few shirts and ties and a new pair of work pants. Next was lunch at the Olive Garden. We sat at the bar and got the all you can eat soup and salad lunch special. We had a few glasses of wine which made for an interesting afternoon of shopping. (FYI: We didn't drink and drive. All the stores were in the same plaza as the Olive Garden. Okay, so maybe we drove through the parking lot.)

After we finished shopping, we headed out to the Lumière Hotel and Casino. We had awesome Sushi for dinner and headed over to the black jack tables. We were a little rusty, but wound up ahead. Coincidentally, Gerry's sister, Karen's work Christmas party was in the hotel lobby. So we harassed her and John for a little while, then decided to do some more gambling. This time, we didn't do so hot. Of course we wound up losing everything we won...and a little more. So we decided to wallow in our sorrow by having a burger at the Burger Bar. One word describes this hamburger : WOW!!! Yes, they are a little pricey, but it was the best burger I have ever had in my life...and I would definitely go there again!

One of the things Gerry and I were so excited to do on our big weekend out?? SLEEP!

I can't really remember the last time I slept for an entire night without being woken up from someone crying. My body literally ached for an entire night's sleep. So, we were in bed before midnight and slept in until 8:00 am. It felt terrific!

The entire weekend was awesome and I will never forget it. Thanks to my husband who just understood how much we needed this time away. Thanks for planning the whole day and for making me feel special. I had an amazing time with you and I can't wait to do it again!

Thanks, also, to Jeff and Kelly for taking the kids! Words cannot express how much this meant to us! We appreciate everything!!!

We didn't take that many pics from the weekend...only a few of ourselves being silly. (Also, my feet were killing me from the heels I was wearing so I had to switch shoes half way through the night...which meant I also had to change my shirt. That's why I am wearing 2 different shirts and Gerry isn't.)

Mr. Giammanco Goes To Washington

Gerry left yesterday for a workshop in Washington D.C. He will come home late tomorrow night, but still...it feels like forever.

This is the first time he has gone out of town since Naomi was born.

That means this is the first time I have taken care of 2 kids by myself for more than a typical work day.

Wow. After today I really have a new respect for single parents. I don't know how anyone does this day in and day out. I guess they really don't have a choice. And maybe it's safe to assume that most single parents aren't staying home with their own kids all day long. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids. But let's be honest...one is 2 and the other is 7 months. They are definitely not self sufficient in any way, shape or form. If I could teach Maria how to give Naomi a bottle things might be a little easier.

I had all these plans to get the house really clean so Gerry would think I actually did something really productive while he was gone. I had plans to do all the laundry...maybe even vacuum. Yeah... none of that happened. In fact, by 5:00 pm, I was so exhausted that Maria ate Eggo Waffles and yogurt for dinner and I ordered Chinese food.(I am so excited that I found a place that delivers to our house!!!)

I decided something tonight. I decided that I really miss my husband. Not because he is a tremendous help around the house, with the girls or the daily ins and outs of life. But because he really is my friend. I miss hugging him when he comes home from work, telling him about my day and goofing around with him while we clean up the kitchen after the girls go to sleep at night.

So, Gerry, if you're reading this...I can't wait for you to come home.

See you soon! I love you!

The Ones We Didn't Use

Since our Christmas cards went out earlier this week, I thought I would put up some of the pics we didn't use. Some of them were really cute!

Naomi is 7 months Old

December 8th was Naomi's 7 month birthday and what a difference a month makes! She is not quite sitting up or crawling yet but she has mastered the art of rolling herself around the room to get what she wants. When I put her down on her back in the living room and come back a few minutes later, she is 10 feet away from where I originally put her. She seems to be so close to crawling. I have seen her pushing off the floor with her forehead and her toes with her butt straight up in the air. If she could just figure out how to bring her arms up and use them to push herself up. She is so funny to watch these days.

I don't want to jinx it but she is sleeping better lately. Now that we have humidifiers in all the rooms (which are great sound barriers) we have let her fuss a little and go back to sleep on her own. Sometimes we have gone in to put her pacifier back in (which is something I said I would NEVER do) but it's better than giving her a bottle at 2 am. We are still swaddling her really tight when she goes to sleep and that seems to help as well.

The dietitian is coming back in 2 weeks to see if she's gained enough weight. She wants Naomi to gain 14 ounces a month, at least. So we'll see. Naomi is eating okay. We have good days and bad days. It's still hard to get 3 solid food meals a day in. Sometimes she just doesn't seem hungry and gets so angry when we try to feed her from a spoon.

Naomi loves to laugh and she loves her big sister, Maria. She is such a great little baby and I am looking forward to Christmas with her! Here are a few pics. I have decided to forgo the sign with her age on it because she just tears it up or tries to eat it (see last months pics). So from now on, I am just going to add text to the pics. It's easier than fighting to keep her from eating paper!

And the Stockings Were Hung...

This weekend was St. Nick's Day. We don't have a chimney so we hung the girl's stockings on the next best thing...the baby gate that runs across the front of our living room! I was so excited to get Maria up so she could see what St. Nick left in her stocking. She was more excited about the candy in the top, that she didn't even want to see what else was in the stocking. She figured it out soon enough and discovered that St. Nick left her some coloring books, a snowman Pez dispenser, Christmas Pajamas and Speed Stacking cups. She saw the cups on TV a few months ago was really fascinated with them. Naomi had a few things in her stocking as well. St. Nick left her some new pacifiers, Christmas Pajamas that match Maria's, and an inflatable rolling cylinder that is supposed to help babies learn to crawl.










After we played with all the new toys and ate lots of candy, we headed over to my mom's for brunch and to help put up outside Christmas lights. It was very cold, but Maria had a great time running around outside.

Friday morning I had my ever-so-delightful oncologist appointment. This is the one where the doctor checks every inch of my skin from head to toe...literally. I have to go every 6 months until I've been cancer free for 5 years. Here is the conversation we had when the doctor walked in the room:

Doctor: "Wow. You're really white!"

Me: "Uhhh...yeah. You told me to stay out of the sun."

Doctor: "Do you go outside at all?"

Me: "No, I'm actually afraid of the sun, now."

Doctor: "Well, you can't live in fear your whole life. Have you had your vitamin D level checked because you are REALLY white?! I bet it is low!"

(This coming from the doctor who, a year and a half ago, explained to me that I was to avoid the sun at all cost. She even told Gerry and I that we should consider only letting our kids play indoor sports because melanoma is hereditary, and that would lower our kid's risk.)

Doctor: "You can't live your whole life indoors and you have to get some Vitamin D. You need to wear sun protective clothing and always wear sunscreen. Are your kids as white as you are?"

Me: (feeling stupid for being so conservative and now worrying about Maria's Vitamin D levels...hoping that the giant amounts of milk she's been drinking are helping her in that department) "Yes...my kids are pretty white. They don't go out in the sun either"

Overall, the visit ended on a positive note. She didn't see anything on me that looked suspicious, which is great. I go to the dermatologist in 2 weeks. It will be great to go see him and for once, not have anything removed!

On Saturday, Gerry and I were adventurous and took both kids out to breakfast, then to the mall, then we even went to Wal-Mart! I know, we were brave! Actually the entire day was pretty successful. Both kids were awesome. The mall wasn't even that crowded, which was surprising. Now we are almost finished with Christmas shopping. Just 2 people left to buy for!!!! I've never been done this early!

Saturday evening, Gerry's family came over for dinner. We had baked mostaccioli, salad, bread, and cheesecakes for dessert. We are honored to announce that Karen and John officially asked all of us to be in their wedding! Now I have a year and a half to lose some weight and prepare myself to wear a strapless dress! Maybe I will even get a spray tan for the big occasion. I wouldn't want to scare anyone with my translucent skin! Ha ha!

That sums up our fun weekend! We hope everyone out there got a little somethin' in their stockings, too!