Santa and silliness

Not much new around here. I just wanted to post 2 things I already posted on Facebook. Here's Gianna with Santa. She loved him from far away, but even with keys for pacification, Santa's lap was far too close.

And here is a video of Geebs playing under the bathroom sink. So cute!

News, haricut, and Thanksgiving

It's been a busy couple of weeks for us! The weekend before Thanksgiving we went house hunting in NJ. Gianna was remarkably well behaved despite the serious disruption in her schedule and being dragged in and out of the car dozens of times. Luckily, we were able to give her some joy by staying with my cousin and her family who provided Gianna with a lot of entertainment. We are so grateful to them for their generosity! And to top it all off, we found a house and got it! We were supposed to close on January 2, but due to loan/moving issues of the current owners that date has been pushed to January 16. It's annoying, but we'll get by. And, Mom and Dad, if you're reading this before I tell you...we're moving in! :) Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.weichert.com/search/realestate/PropertyListing.aspx?P=21810912&cityid=43639&minpr=250&maxpr=290&minbr=3&minba=2

Moving on...Last week, I finally got tired of Gianna's refusal to let me put something in her hair. Resulting in hair in her eyes and ridiculousness like this:

I was afraid the haircut was a little mullet-ish at first, but have decided that it's cute! (This is right after the haircut, which, by the way she did NOT enjoy!)

Thanksgiving was quite the DeAngelo family affair. We went to Doug's aunt and uncle's home in NC where we met up with Doug's parents, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and our niece. Between all of us, our hosts, and their 6 children, we were quite a crowd! We all had a great time. We were so happy to see everyone, but especially to see Gianna's cousin Isabella. The girls are getting so big and don't really seem like babies anymore. It seems their 2 month age difference has shrunk to nothing since they can do basically the same things. Though, Isabella is a much more accomplished dancer, marcher, and mover in general! So cute! We miss you already! Here are some pictures of our visit.

As you can see Gianna really enjoyed herself. She LOVED her Uncle Nick. It was so funny that she was always asking to be held by him and giving him kisses. Maybe she thought she had two daddys. Too cute!

Gianna also took the opportunity to show us how much she can talk during the Thanksgiving weekend. She's said a few things here and there in the past, but not enough for me to be sure that she was saying certain words. But she was trying out all kinds of new words this weekend. It seems her favorites are "go," "mall," (I swear we don't go that much!), and "Pop-pop" (Doug's dad). I'll try to get these on video. In the meantime, here are her animal noises. They're a little hard to hear/understand, but she does get them all right except for cow.

Coats with legs

So I bought Gianna this winter coat. Doesn't she look like a coat with legs? I just had to take a picture even though I returned it! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite roomy enough to guarantee that it would last all winter long. So I bought her the pink one. It's a great coat! Multiple layers, room for her to grow, super cute...it has it all! I just think she looks so hilarious and cute in it...especially with the hat.

We've had our first couple of really cold days so we had to break out the winter wear. Today there were some snow flurries, which were quite fascinating to little Geebs. She just couldn't catch them like she wanted to!

This last one is of GB doing her latest favorite activity: jumping and flopping on the bed. She loves it when Doug knocks her over!

P.S. I'm not sure why the above text is being treated as a hyperlink...I don't know how it happened and I can't make it go away.

Don't mess with Texas

Last weekend our friend Kelly from HBS visited us from Dallas. She is a dear friend and I think Gianna definitely remembered her...and if she didn't, she was won over by her presents. This is where the pink cowboy hat came from. And here's another of her with the box her toy purse came in.

We had a lovely weekend. On Saturday we went to the zoo and Gianna just loved it. We made a point of visiting the bird house because she seems really into birds these days. She loved them and even gave the ducks numerous applause! The highlight for me however was seeing a hippo out of the water and really close up. This was followed by the hippo pooping and using it's little tail to spray the poop at it's admirers. Luckily, Gianna and I got away just in time...I don't think everyone was so lucky!

On Sunday we went to Great Falls. It was the perfect fall day! Gianna loved the leaves and the dogs the most. Here are a few of Gianna enjoying the leaves and a video of her REALLY enjoying the leaves!

Thanks for a great visit, Kelly! And for your photography...especially at Great Falls! We loved getting to see you!

Since I haven't posted in a while I should give an update on what Gianna is doing these days. Napping has become very unpredictable. I won't bore you with the details...let's just say it's a work in progress. That's the only negative though! In the past few weeks, Gianna has begun to sign like crazy. She signs eat, more, change, and drink and she tries to do all the others I show her. "more" is her favorite though...and the only one she does unprompted. She is starting to talk a bit more too. She says nothing very consistently, but she can say mama, dada, balloon, ball, duck, hi, and I think she said cracker yesterday. And yesterday she also added monkey and lion noises to her repertoire. She also loves to dance and "jump" though both feet have yet to leave the ground! It's so much fun to see her learning so much and so fast. We're loving every minute!

Halloween...piggy style

Our little piggy loved Halloween...even if she only tolerated her costume! She did not like wearing the hat, but we managed to get a few pictures with her wearing it. She really enjoyed being out and about with all the other kids at Nonna and Pop-pop's house. Their neighborhood was crawling with trick-or-treaters! Mostly she loved walking and "running" up and down the street. I think she would have walked right out of town if we let her!

Thank goodness things got better after this piggy trial on Halloween morning!

Piggy with Mommy and Nonna

E-i-e-i-o

This is Gianna's latest trick. She loves to say e-i-e-i...she can't say the "o." Sorry about my singing! She loves to mimic us, which on the weekends involves a lot of arms up in the air (touchdown) and clapping. Hilarious!

Monday Funnies

Here are some funny pictures I've taken over the last few days.

Mom, it's too early, and that light before the flash is too much!

Um...this may make switching to sippy cups difficult.

A Halloween preview...I'm trying to assure that she will keep this hat on for Halloween...otherwise she's just a girl in pink jammies.

Our Punkin at the Pumpkin Patch

Today, Gianna and I went with Grandma and Grandpa to Cox Farms in Centreville (way more than a pumpkin patch...actually not a pumpkin patch at all, but that's beside the point).

Anyhoo, it was a ridiculously hot day (for October anyway), so you will note Gianna's outfit change. Gianna would have gone hog wild if she was a bit older, but I think she still had a great time. She loved looking at the animals and was especially interested in the chickens.

Mostly she loved walking around and picking up wood chips and hay.

All in all, a fun day!

Patience and pasta salad

Way back in July Gianna had multiple pasta salads that she could not get enough of: namely, her Aunt Elizabeth's and La Madeleine's (a restaurant). Since then I have tried to make a pasta salad that she would enjoy. After at least three tries, I was ready to give up. Apparently, though, today I have happened upon the right combination of correct pasta type, correct dressing, and correct amount of cheese on top. My the princess is hard to please! I'm glad my efforts have not been totally wasted!

Also, meant to mention yesterday that over the weekend Gianna seems to have said her first words: "hi" on Friday, and "mama" on Saturday. She says neither with consistency and not always at appropriate times. But she does say them correctly often enough to know that she's really saying them!

Lately

I haven't posted much lately...and there's not been much to say, but nevertheless here's what we've been up to. We've been celebrating my birthday numerous times and taking advantage of babysitters, so that has been nice. Last weekend Doug and I went out to a Japanese steakhouse (a meal I've been craving for months for no apparent reason!) and to see Ghost Town (very enjoyable) while my mom and dad babysat. Apparently, Gianna had a great time at the Cheesecake Factory! Doug was out of town for my actual birthday, which was kind of a bummer, but my parents came over to celebrate and help out with Gianna. Gianna looked especially cute in her jumper (courtesy of Nonna and Pop-pop) that day.

This past weekend was momentous for Doug. He got Lasik surgery on Friday morning and is now glasses- and contacts-free for the first time in over 20 years! He's very excited, but hopes that the light sensitivity he's experiencing gets better. After a good day's rest on Friday, he was ready for a night out with my parents while Aunt Jenny babysat. We had a delightful gourmet French meal! And it was nice to spend time with my parents without Gianna...though we all missed her!

Today, though a holiday, Doug had to work, but Gianna and I got to spend the afternoon with my parents and grandmother, Nana. We had a lovely visit. I think Nana really enjoyed getting to see Gianna toddle all over and play since there's not much room or opporunity for this in the nursing home. Thanks for hosting Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa)!

And on a, "Are you kidding me?!" note...We got a bill for our trip to the urgent care center (see Doctor Drama entry). Luckily, we only owe $50 as a co-pay. But the total cost of the visit was $288. Are you kidding me? It cost $288 to sit in a room for 90 minutes, spend 5 seconds with a doctor, and get prescribed a cream that our pediatrician "wouldn't put on a kid," seriously? Oy!

Terrible 1's?

So I thought that Gianna's bad mood last week was just the effects of her shots, but it lasted for quite a while! Things have gotten better in the last two days, but she was a crazy woman Sunday night. Hopefully this is the beginning of her returning to her old self.

I was reading Dr. Brazleton's Touchpoints book and he described the typical one-year-old as basically full of baby angst: constantly struggling between dependence and independence, frustrated by the many decisions she has to make every day, crying a lot day and night as a result. When I read it early last week I thought, Gee I'm glad Gianna's not like this. Now I'm wondering if she read the book while I wasn't looking! She's been crying out during the night, begging to be held, but then squirming to get down, and throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her way.

BUT, despite these things, she is just getting sweeter and really developing an adorable personality. Our days are also full of spontaneous kisses, running to me to give me hugs, and laughing with glee when I chase her or jump out from hiding from her. Here's a video of her enjoying her slightly deflated Elmo balloon.

This bites

I thought I'd post this picture of Gianna's mosquito bitten face. It's pretty funny. I saw it happen, in the car, of all places, and I couldn't reach her to stop it. For some reason, she didn't understand me motioning to brush it off her face. Go figure!





Also, her one year appointment yesterday went just fine. She hated every minute of it, but she's in good health and didn't seem too affected by her shots. Although, I'm hoping today's extreme crankiness was a delayed reaction and will be gone by tomorrow. Here's a picture of how our day went too. Bedtime couldn't come soon enough! Isn't she still cute when she cries though?!

Birthday girl and general update

First things first, Gianna turned one yesterday! We had an extended family party for her on Saturday at my parents' house and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best day of her life. We were afraid she might be scared of all the people and the commotion. But, quite the opposite, she seemed to love all of the attention and to understand the day was all about her. She was all smiles and happiness all day. It was wonderful! We are so proud of our little Toot!

Now, let me catch you up on the events of last week. Elizabeth and Isabella arrived on Tuesday morning. We were so excited to see them! And Gianna and Bella seemed to take to each other nicely. On Wednesday morning I got Gianna out of bed after she had thrown up during the night. I didn't think too much of it since she seemed fine otherwise. So we all went to the zoo along with my mom. The girls seemed to like the animals. I, myself, haven't seen so much of the animals before I don't think. The pandas were actually out and playing and we saw an elephant get a bath. Super cute! Thursday we went to music class, which Gianna was slightly more interested in and Bella absolutely loved, and then we spent some time at the mall.

Unfortunately, this marked the end of our fun. Elizabeth, Isabella, and I managed to come down with the same stomach virus that must have affected Gianna. Only Elizabeth and I seemed to take it much worse than our girls! This ruined our plans to spend time with Nick and Nonna and Pop-pop after Nick arrived on Friday evening. Luckily, everyone was feeling better by Saturday so Gianna's party could go off without a hitch. However, Nick and my parents also managed to get sick before the weekend was over. So sorry everyone! But I feel that this has brought us closer together :)

Thanks to all for celebrating with us and special thanks to Elizabeth and Isabella for giving us such a fun visit! We miss you already!

Doctor drama

I was thinking Gianna might have a yeast infection or something like that since she seems quite bothered when I wipe her clean. So I called the advice nurse at her doctor's office. She thought that Gianna be seen by a doctor, but they didn't have any appointments so she suggested I take her to an urgent care place. I took her to one just down the street. We checked in and 12 magazines, 1/3 of a banana, 1 cereal bar, 20 laps around the waiting room, 1/2 an episode of the Price is Right, and 1 hour and 30 minutes later, we finally saw the doctor. She examined Gianna and 5 seconds later gave us the diagnosis of diaper rash. Awesome. I'm so glad I waited. I'm still worried that it's something else, so I will make an appointment for her whenever the pediatrician can squeeze her in. Lesson learned: do NOT go to urgent care unless it's really urgent or after hours. On the plus side for today, Miss Robin spent the afternoon with us and made Gianna's relative grumpiness much easier to handle! Thanks, Robin!

Hugs, sweat, and tears

Gianna just started hugging everything in sight yesterday. So this is an especially cute picture of her hugging her baby. But, despite appearances, Gianna actually had a pretty cranky day today. She also did more walking than ever today. She really seems to be depending on us less and less to help her get around...which is great! But I think all that movement must have tired the little girl out. She was great with her Nonna and Pop-Pop here for most of the afternoon/evening, but by 7:00 she was done. Luckily a quick walk around the apartment building alone with Mommy seemed to help her relax. And tonight she ended up taking the end of her bottle by holding it herself. Yes, she should have been doing this probably long ago, but better late than never. So between that and all the walking it was a big day for her!

The park

Today's outing took us to the park. It was actually a great day for it, fairly cool and no sun to worry about sunburns. I hate putting sunscreen on Gianna; she's a greaseball for the rest of the day! Anyway, back to the park. It's at the rec center down the street and is actually quite nice. There are a few things for little tykes like Gianna who can't quite climb, but can stand. Unfortunately, Gianna was much more interested in the wood chips than she was in the playground equipment. It was quite hilarious to watch her pick up a piece and carry it around until she found one she liked better! She still loves the swings so that was great fun for both of us. All in all, it was a fun afternoon in the park.

On a developmental note, Gianna has mastered expressing when she doesn't want something. It involves vigorous head shaking. When she is upset she has also taken to whining something that kind of sounds like "no, no, no." While this is mostly funny, it does, at times, make me nearly go insane! If I can get her doing it on video, I'll post it. Until our next adventure...

Music, music, music

Yesterday, I took Gianna to her first Kindermusik class here in VA. We'd done this in Cambridge and I looked forward to starting again; Gianna seemed to enjoy it. I think she'll enjoy it again, but yesterday mostly brought nervousness rather than excitement for our cautious girl! She didn't cry, but wanted to be held by mommy the whole time. She was very interested in the other kids and the teacher. I'm sure she'll warm up and will love running around with the other kids once she is more steady on her feet! Here's hoping!