TEN months

Wow, I have fallen behind on my regular posts because I have been diligent about getting my thirty days of thankful posts up each day. I never thought that posting each day would be so stressful ( I kid, I kid).

sit still? haha. yeah right, mama.

But something worth blogging happened this past week.

Sal turned TEN months old.

If there has been any one month that I've seen the most dramatic change in both growth and development, it's been these last four weeks. Four weeks ago, we returned from our trip to the states with a little 18 pounder who was just learning how to stand holding onto somthing for dear life. He could pull to a stand, freeze, and trust-fall with no one to catch him. And now, I sit on the sofa, marvelling as my 20 pound son re-arranges furniture ( namely, kitchen chairs) around the house. Slick tile and hardwood floors make for awesome chair sliding. Who needs a walker when you've got chairs?


Movin' chairs

Not this guy.

He pulls himself up, and maneuvers with ease. He can bend over and pick something up with one hand. He has a better awareness of his surroundings, and falls much less than he did just last week.

It's amazing. It really is.

He also got his first haircut, by yours truly, and although I was afraid I'd hack it, it didn't turn out half bad. We also started brushing his teeth since he now has eight teeth, with two more on the way. This kid seems to get his teeth in fours. Cah-razy.

Along with the cutting of teeth, we've also been victims of sleep disturbances over the past few weeks. At first I blamed jetlag, then I blamed teeth, and now, well---I'm not sure what it is. He is waking without fail,every night at 10:00p and sometimes again around 2:00a. We let him cry it out, and he goes  back to sleep 75% of the time, the other 25% it escalates, so we get up and change his diaper, feed him and put him back to bed.

He had a visit with our pediatrician here this past week, and he has grown 5 cm (1.5 inches) and gained just under 1 kilo ( 2 lbs) in 5 weeks time. Perhaps all this growing is contributing to the nightly wake up? Who knows, but that's a whole heck of a lot of growing to do in such a short period of time. It's been his biggest spurt yet.

Sal is an eater. His favorite foods this month have been spaghetti with dad's sauce, blueberries, fresh pumpkin and mama's homemade goldfish crackers. He'll try anything once. Sometimes even twice. The only food he continues to refuse are peas. I find it funny, because he will eat things like capsicum and kidney beans, but not sweet peas. He has also decided that breastfeeding-is-so-last-month and has weened himself off on his own accord. I finally gave up trying to force the issue, and grumble, grumble my way into the kitchen to scoop out the formula. It was a good run while it lasted. To be honest, I never thought I would last as long as I have and am totally okay with being done.

The toy of the month.

As far as playtime, this month has been so fun. It's so rewarding to watch him grow up into this little man. We spend a lot of time with other children, generally a year older than his age, and he does his best to keep up with them. He's quite observant and there are times it looks as if he wants to say, "Hey guys, throw the ball to me!". I want to tell him, "It's just a matter of time, bubba..You'll be off running with the boys, having the time of your life." He has a fondness for anything with wheels, so I treated him to a few little construction trucks that he has spent hours rolling around on the floor, sofa, and his dad.

We love you Salvatore!

Grateful: Day 19: 35 Years of Life

I turned 35 today.

Just a drop in the bucket, right?

At 35, I feel like I finally know who I am, and what I'm doing, and it's nice to have let go of all the insecurities that I carried through my early twenties and the feeling of needing to keep up with the Joneses that happens to so many Americans. At least for me, that's how it's been. Maybe that's just a California thing, but I'd venture to say it's pretty common across the board.

At 35, I'm happy with where I am.

I appreciate the little things now that I've got some years under my belt.

Instead of flaunting some fancy designer jeans, a designer bag covered in logos or a new something-or-other for my birthday, I'm thankful each and every day to have a husband  that I can't wait to see walk through the door every night at dinner time. I know that he has a choice, and the fact that he chooses me each and every day is probably the best gift ever. I'm thankful that we finally have a living, breathing, healthy young man to call our own.

Call me simple, but isn't love the best gift of all?

Grateful: Day 18: Surprise Guest Post

Hi, I’m Brie’s sister, Stephanie, and I am here to do a surprise guest post so I can tell you how grateful I am to have her in my life but first of all please join me in wishing her a…

(Her Birthday is 11/19 but since she is living in China, it's 11/19 there now.. so I'm posting this on day 18)

Brie is not only my sister but she is also my best friend and for that I am grateful.   Even though we were born 6 years part, we always played together and she will probably tell you that I was her 2^nd mother during our younger years (sorry Sis). She moved away for college and I missed her so much during that time so I was so happy when I heard that she and NZ were moving back to SoCal. Having her live a quick car trip away so I could call her to meet me for a day of shopping, crafting or reality TV has made me one happy sister!   Over the last 20 years we have found each other invaluable and we always find comfort in each other… she is always there for me, we lean on each other when we need support, we laugh together, cry together and most importantly we never judge.  I look forward to many years ahead with my sister by my side.

Last year when they (BZ & NZ) announced that they would be moving to China, I knew it was an opportunity of a lifetime for them and I was happy that they had this chance but I was also so afraid of having her so far away… Afraid that we would lose touch with one another and sad that I would miss watching my nephew grow up.  Once he was born, I drove down to their house 1-2 times a week (including a mini vacation with them while NZ was out of the country on business) to spend as much time with them before they left.  I am so grateful I had that time with them before they moved.  Now 6 months later I know that “losing touch” with my sister was just another one of my crazy insecurities.  I am so grateful for the internet that keeps us connected even though we are currently living 6,000+ miles apart. We communicate daily via Skype, texting & email. Wuxi is 16 hours ahead of California so I often wake up in the morning to find emails from her with links to cute clothes for Sal,  Pins on Pinterest to plan Sal’s 1^st Birthday (how did that happen, wasn’t he just born?), which makes me feel like I’m right there planning it with her and not missing a thing. 

It's not a secret how important she is to me…anyone that knows me, knows that I would do anything for her, at any time… this includes getting on a plane for 14 hours flying up the west coast, over Russia (the Bearing Sea yikes!), Japan and finally landing in Shanghi. In 157 days I will be on my first international flight headed to China to spend two weeks with the Z’s.  I can’t wait to see where they are living and come back home appreciating everything we have in the good ole USA.  I am grateful to family that made it possible for this girl to fly to China in style (you know who you are).

I will always be grateful for my beautiful sister

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sis! ! May all your wishes and dreams come true! 

XoXo Steph

Grateful: Day 17: 5k Monday group

One of my favorite things living here is the friendships I have made.

 

Every Monday, a group of ladies make a round trip walk to Starbucks and the vegetable market together. This is Sal's and my Monday activity, as we leave around 9:30a and return around 11:45a..just in time for lunch and a nap ( if he doesn't fall asleep in his stroller on the way home first).

 

Instead of calling it what it is--a walk to Starbucks so some of my friends can feed their fix so that we can enjoy a nice warm beverage with friends--it's been dubbed "5k Monday" because that is roughly the round trip distance from our complex to Starbucks and back.

 

We get a lot of walking in around these parts.

 

A lot.

 

Like, every day.

 

 

Walking home from the vegetable markt on a sunny morning

I can't think of a better way to spend our Monday mornings..Exercise, Starbucks and getting vegetables and fruit for the week with friends. 5k Monday ladies, I am so thankful for you all!

Grateful: Day 16: Stephanie

Thinking back now,  I have a hard time comprehending how my sister and I had a love/hate relationship growing up. Being six years apart meant that at the age when when she started having friends over, she also had an annoying and persistent little sister banging at her door to be let in..or worse yet, doing things to embarrass her ( I recall pantsing and murfs being attempted). I was a brat. I admit it.

Circa 1979

Even back then, my sister had a soft spot for her little sis. She would yell and scream at me like the best of them, but I usually ended up getting my way. My sister likes to make people happy-even her annoying little sister. 

And now, a few decades later, I can see that even at the worst of times of sibling rivalry, she was then , the same person that she is now. She's a protector, a peace keeper and a hell of a great big sister.

It wasn't until I was a freshman in college and she was in her twenties that we really saw each other eye to eye. You know how they say out of something bad, comes something good? Well, that's what happened to us when my parents divorced. My sister and I became inseparable after their split.

She's been by my side through thick and thin ever since that day.

I love her for that.

See what we do to him?

And now with the arrival of Sal into our family, she's even more a part of my life. During the month of March, she spent over $400 on gasoline coming to and from my house...sometimes even twice a week to visit us before I took her nephew half way across the world.

She's a proud auntie, with so much love for our son. And I know without doubt, when we return from the states, that I will be inundated with "can I go to auntie stephs?" from Sal because she will spoil the crap out of him....and he will quickly learn that auntie Steph makes the best cookies and cupcakes  in Santa Barbara.

Behind ( literally) the scenes for one of our "photo shoots" of the boy

We share a love of family (obviously), crafting and baking. Our latest venture has been doing photo shoots inspired by Pinterest. Some of them work, others do not, but we had a lot of fun trying. Many laughs, lots of tears (from Sal, not us) and so many great pictures that capture the moment. 

Photoshoot fail. Wagons and babies don't mix. At least not this particular day.

Nuzzling his auntie. The baby whisperer.

Sissy, I am grateful for you not only today, but every day of my life.

Grateful: Day 15: Parents

With the events that have transpired this past week (Read here) and the loss of my grandfather last month, I am reminded just how lucky I am to have two parents & two step-parents who are very much a part of my life. 

My mah is always the first one I call. She has always been a quiet, but firm supporter behind any decision  that I have made in my life-even when I'm pretty sure she's thought to herself, "what the heck is my daughter thinking? She wants to whaaaat?" She's always let me figure things out for myself, and I appreciate the freedom she has allowed me to do so. And when things haven't gone as planned, or when I just need my mah..I know that I can call her and she will be there.

Mah & Bob

As an adult, I look back on my childhood  of which was spent with my dad working out of town all week, only coming home on weekends--and can appreciate and understand that sacrifice that he made much more than I could as a kid. It  couldn't have been easy for him. But he did it, because he loved us. He did it so he could provide for us. He did it, because that's just what dads do. From watching him, I have learned what hard work and sacrifice is all about. 

Because of my parents, I had a wonderful childhood. Both were involved with my #1 passion, gymnastics. I think in my entire career, from ages 10-20, they maybe missed two meets, tops. No matter where my dad had been working the week prior,  he would hop in his truck at quitting time so he could join my mom in the bleachers at my Saturday morning meets. 

That's love. 

I am thankful that throughout my childhood and teens, my parents were married. They divorced shortly after I left for college, and have since added step parents into my life, who have sweetly adapted to inheriting two adult children into their lives. 

Pop & Mary

Thank you mom & pop for always being there for me. Love you.

Grateful: Day 14: My sunshine

How did I make it to day 14 before I mentioned how thankful I am for my husband?! Well, I just couldn't think of the right words to convey how much he means to me up until now, so forgive me for the delay. 

Do we like rodeo? Why, yes we do.
2004

My husband is the most important person in my little world. He's the logic to my emotions, he's the left brain to my right brain, he's the milk to my cookies. I am grateful for the sacrifices he makes so that his family can have what we need. I am grateful for our shared values, his desire to maintain traditions, and the importance he places on family first.  This man is the definition of hard work, and an example of what it means to be a stand up man.

I can only hope that our son watches his dad lead by example, and grows up to be just like him.

I'm also grateful for the good times we've had over the years, and all the ones to come. I'm grateful that my sunshine lets me call him "sunshine", and really be myself--bad habits and all. I love our inside jokes, our ability to make each other laugh, and the fact that he watches Jersey Shore with me.
(Did I just sell him out?)

Perhaps what I am most grateful for these days, is the fact that my sunshine gets to be a father to his son. Watching those two together, and seeing him show Sal how to do things like slurp spaghetti noodles, or get down to a LMFAO song just makes me love him even more.