Every day, in my mind, the same voice, “Must write more, must record these fleeting moments as they occur so that someday I can relive them through words”. And every day the same weary response, “I worked so hard today, so tired. I will write tomorrow.” Alas, tomorrow comes and there are no words, no memories recorded, no new page in the baby book or witty blog to remind me of the time that is flying by much too fast. So, today at least, fueled by annoyance with myself that my last baby book entry for Giovanni was his FIRST birthday, today, I will write.
Giovanni is growing up so fast, too fast, before his doting mother and father’s eyes. He is a beautiful boy with sparkling eyes that appear dark brown but, when the sunlight hits them just right, they are the most amazing hazel color, filled with hues of green and gold. He turned 2 on November 16th and we had a pizza/play land extravaganza at Out of this World in Hillsboro on the 16th followed by a big home birthday bash for him the following Saturday. The party was a big success with a custom made basketball cake, play doh sculpture making contests, musical chairs, pin the nose on the clown, and of course lots and lots of friends and food in the house. The highlight of G’s party was when his dad presented to him a wooden table top train set, each piece lovingly picked out and the table hand painted by Johnny. Johnny had spent weeks on this special gift and the pure, innocent joy on G’s face as he ran towards the set made all the hard work more than worth it.
Not to be overshadowed by birthday fun, Thanksgiving quickly came rolling in. G was getting over a cold and slept most of Thanksgiving day while we made a 13 lb turkey accessorized with stuffing, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Johnny watched football most of the day and it was a beautiful, relaxing time for our family. The Saturday following Thanksgiving we took Giovanni to cut down a tree at a Christmas Tree Farm. The outing was far from the idyllic adventure we had imagined with Giovanni crying to be held by his father the whole time, whining, falling in the mud and acting generally perturbed that we would dare take him out when he was just getting over his Thanksgiving cold. We picked out a medium sized tree quickly and got it home to get our cranky boy out of the cold and down for a nap. The next day I took Giovanni to Target where he picked out his first ornament. It is an adorable little blue penguin and I wrote the date and Giovanni’s name in glitter glue on the back. The next morning, when G came downstairs and saw his ornament hanging on the tree he kept pointing and shouting “Bood” (translation: Bird) and “Tee” (translation: Tree).
Along with all of the wonderful holiday memories we are making this year, there are 2 more that stand out in my mind. The other day Johnny and I took Giovanni out to breakfast at a little place on Hawthorne that we both enjoy. The name of the restaurant is the Saucer Cup. Giovanni had some blueberry coffee cake while Johnny and I enjoyed a garden scramble and a breakfast sandwich. After breakfast we decided to walk down Hawthorne and look at shops. It was the first sunny day in a long time and, although a bit chilly, the warm sun felt fantastic in contrast and we were all in a good mood. Giovanni wanted Johnny to hold him and I turned this into a game of tag with Johnny running ahead of us, Giovanni running after him and me running after Giovanni. When he would catch up to Johnny, Johnny would swoop him up and I would come running up from behind to tickle Giovanni while he laughed hysterically, G looked so cute with his little golden curls bouncing in the wind while Johnny ran with him. We took him to a toy shop called Kids At Heart where they had the most amazing selection of unique, quality children toys. Johnny bought Giovanni’s Christmas presents there (a little cloth bowling ball set and a wind up boat that goes in the water for bath time). We also got him a tiny cat figurine (background: G is OBSESSSED with cats, our cat Jazz, included). The whole ride home Giovanni carried the cat figurine in his hand, staring at it and saying “Cat” repeatedly. The next morning I had to laugh when, getting G out of his crib, I found the cat figurine in his bed, near his pillow. He must have taken it to bed with him for his nap the previous day.
Yesterday, at my work, they had the 29th annual Festival of Trees put on by Providence. I had to work but Johnny brought Giovanni (all snug in his brand new stroller-an early Christmas present from my dad) down to the event and Giovanni got to decorate his own cookie, visit with Santa (still not a fan-see last years holiday post) and visit the Teddy Bear hospital where they gave him a free teddy bear and bandaged up any boo boos it may have incurred in the process of shipping and handling. It was so great to take a small break from work and visit with my boys. Giovanni was tired but looked so comfy in his cushiony brown and green stroller complete with snack tray, cup holder and a warm blanket to snuggle into.
This holiday season has been so full of memories and adventures (and it’s not even Christmas yet). I am so thankful this year for the little things , like a child’s first ornament he picked himself, a new stroller so my baby travels in comfort, a cat figurine and family to share the love with. In the bigger picture, I am overjoyed with the feeling of new life growing inside of me. Every flutter and kick jumpstarts my heart and my imagination into daydreams about the feeling of snuggling, caring for and bonding with this soon to arrive new born bundle. I am so blessed to have a life overflowing with love. Even if some of the pages in the baby book go blank, or a month or two goes by without a blog entry. I carry each memory with me, in my heart. That way, no matter where I am in the world or what my circumstances, I will always have them close by to remind me of just how lucky I am.
Happy Holidays!
-New Mommy In Town
Giovanni is growing up so fast, too fast, before his doting mother and father’s eyes. He is a beautiful boy with sparkling eyes that appear dark brown but, when the sunlight hits them just right, they are the most amazing hazel color, filled with hues of green and gold. He turned 2 on November 16th and we had a pizza/play land extravaganza at Out of this World in Hillsboro on the 16th followed by a big home birthday bash for him the following Saturday. The party was a big success with a custom made basketball cake, play doh sculpture making contests, musical chairs, pin the nose on the clown, and of course lots and lots of friends and food in the house. The highlight of G’s party was when his dad presented to him a wooden table top train set, each piece lovingly picked out and the table hand painted by Johnny. Johnny had spent weeks on this special gift and the pure, innocent joy on G’s face as he ran towards the set made all the hard work more than worth it.
Not to be overshadowed by birthday fun, Thanksgiving quickly came rolling in. G was getting over a cold and slept most of Thanksgiving day while we made a 13 lb turkey accessorized with stuffing, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Johnny watched football most of the day and it was a beautiful, relaxing time for our family. The Saturday following Thanksgiving we took Giovanni to cut down a tree at a Christmas Tree Farm. The outing was far from the idyllic adventure we had imagined with Giovanni crying to be held by his father the whole time, whining, falling in the mud and acting generally perturbed that we would dare take him out when he was just getting over his Thanksgiving cold. We picked out a medium sized tree quickly and got it home to get our cranky boy out of the cold and down for a nap. The next day I took Giovanni to Target where he picked out his first ornament. It is an adorable little blue penguin and I wrote the date and Giovanni’s name in glitter glue on the back. The next morning, when G came downstairs and saw his ornament hanging on the tree he kept pointing and shouting “Bood” (translation: Bird) and “Tee” (translation: Tree).
Along with all of the wonderful holiday memories we are making this year, there are 2 more that stand out in my mind. The other day Johnny and I took Giovanni out to breakfast at a little place on Hawthorne that we both enjoy. The name of the restaurant is the Saucer Cup. Giovanni had some blueberry coffee cake while Johnny and I enjoyed a garden scramble and a breakfast sandwich. After breakfast we decided to walk down Hawthorne and look at shops. It was the first sunny day in a long time and, although a bit chilly, the warm sun felt fantastic in contrast and we were all in a good mood. Giovanni wanted Johnny to hold him and I turned this into a game of tag with Johnny running ahead of us, Giovanni running after him and me running after Giovanni. When he would catch up to Johnny, Johnny would swoop him up and I would come running up from behind to tickle Giovanni while he laughed hysterically, G looked so cute with his little golden curls bouncing in the wind while Johnny ran with him. We took him to a toy shop called Kids At Heart where they had the most amazing selection of unique, quality children toys. Johnny bought Giovanni’s Christmas presents there (a little cloth bowling ball set and a wind up boat that goes in the water for bath time). We also got him a tiny cat figurine (background: G is OBSESSSED with cats, our cat Jazz, included). The whole ride home Giovanni carried the cat figurine in his hand, staring at it and saying “Cat” repeatedly. The next morning I had to laugh when, getting G out of his crib, I found the cat figurine in his bed, near his pillow. He must have taken it to bed with him for his nap the previous day.
Yesterday, at my work, they had the 29th annual Festival of Trees put on by Providence. I had to work but Johnny brought Giovanni (all snug in his brand new stroller-an early Christmas present from my dad) down to the event and Giovanni got to decorate his own cookie, visit with Santa (still not a fan-see last years holiday post) and visit the Teddy Bear hospital where they gave him a free teddy bear and bandaged up any boo boos it may have incurred in the process of shipping and handling. It was so great to take a small break from work and visit with my boys. Giovanni was tired but looked so comfy in his cushiony brown and green stroller complete with snack tray, cup holder and a warm blanket to snuggle into.
This holiday season has been so full of memories and adventures (and it’s not even Christmas yet). I am so thankful this year for the little things , like a child’s first ornament he picked himself, a new stroller so my baby travels in comfort, a cat figurine and family to share the love with. In the bigger picture, I am overjoyed with the feeling of new life growing inside of me. Every flutter and kick jumpstarts my heart and my imagination into daydreams about the feeling of snuggling, caring for and bonding with this soon to arrive new born bundle. I am so blessed to have a life overflowing with love. Even if some of the pages in the baby book go blank, or a month or two goes by without a blog entry. I carry each memory with me, in my heart. That way, no matter where I am in the world or what my circumstances, I will always have them close by to remind me of just how lucky I am.
Happy Holidays!
-New Mommy In Town
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