We Are A Family

So the other night (Sunday) around 8pm I was in our bedroom with Sophie. She has been sick lately, and has been finding it hard to get herself settled down at night. I figured a little slow dancing to XM Radio “The Heart” Love Songs would lull her to sleep. Sarah had been in her room reading books with Chris when she came in to see what I was doing. She saw that I was dancing with Sophie and decided to go back into her room to get her baby. When she came back, the four of us "girls" danced around for a bit.

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA

THE GIRLS DANCING

SARAH GIVES BABY A BIT OF A FLIP

Sarah eventually tossed her baby aside and went to go get her other dancing partner- her daddy. So, Chris comes in and starts to slow dance with Sarah. She then instructs him to hold her hand 'like this' and put his hand on my back as I hold Sophie. It was quite a scene. And then, without warning, while the four of us dance to whatever 80’s love song that was playing, Sarah looks up at us with a big smile and says “we are a family”. At that point, I lost it and started to cry like a blubbering idiot. It was a true Oprah moment!! I was so choked up that I could not speak- even when she asked me like 5 times “Mommy, why are you crying??”

Aaaahhhh- just another Sunday evening at our house...........

The Week in Review: In a Nutshell We Survived Another Long Week.

Anne-Marie

I managed to make it into my office in NJ one day last week- just in time to pick up my brand-spanking-new laptop. I didn't realize just how antiquated my old one was until I got this new and super-fast version. The little things that bring me joy… Now I guess this means I will need to do more work now that I will be operating more efficient than ever.

Finally got a pedicure after 5 months. I do not need to tell you what a mess that was, but I, like my laptop, am now new and improved!!

Chris

Luckily Chris did not need to bounce at the bar this weekend- so he was able to get a decent night's sleep-as much as one can get with 2 kids that get up at the crack of dawn. Ever the provider, he cooked 3-4 huge meals on Sunday (yesterday) to ensure his family had warm meals for the week and will not need to exist on cold cereal alone. My hero.

Last Sunday he went and booked the restaurant for Sophie's baptism. Another item "checked-off" our long list of things to do. Red Sox are off to a good start, and Chris is looking forward to a long and successful season- right up to the playoffs and World Series.

Sophie

A successful week of plain yogurt and a smooth transition to oatmeal, coupled with a slow and steady changeover of formulas provided Sophie a busy culinary experience. She is fighting off a bit of a cold and a cough -that makes her throw-up, but otherwise is awesome and happy. Her top snaggle tooth is also popping through- as I mentioned last week, so that is still a wet and slippery mess to deal with. She is moving like a crazy woman.

Video below demonstrates…………….

She rocks so hard in her bouncy seat- I am sure she will catapult herself right out. Sophie also likes to roll over and has discovered her feet.

Sarah

Sarah accompanied me for a manicure this week. She shows off her bright red nails for all to see. She also assisted me with some gardening this past weekend, and she was very helpful. I think I am going to be able to get a lot done this season now that my helper is willing and able. I am hoping she is able to power wash the patio and paint the siding as well as she was able to garden!!! Do we have child labor laws in NY???? wink-wink.

Maxwell

Maxwell ran away Saturday. He saw his opening and ran for the hills. Just when we thought he was gone for good, he returned. He must have had an adventurous trip, as he was panting and out of breath. Once dinner came along, he was sitting at attention waiting for his treats.



Anyway- that about sums things up for now. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.

Yo Baby and Baby Teeth

After a month and a half of switching between Tylenol & Advil, Orajel & Hylands Gel, and of course sopping up gallons of drool, the wait is over- Sophie’s bottom two teeth have finally broken through. I am not sure who suffered more- Sophie or me. How sad and frustrating when you can’t do anything to console this little person who pathetically sobbed as she jammed her fist into her mouth for comfort. I know that we all went through it, and as traumatic as it was back then- we have no memory of it, and have managed to go through life unscathed by that harrowing event. Even still, I felt bad. And now, only a few days after those two buggers showed their pearly whites, it starts over again- now with the upper tooth. Oy Vey!!

Seriously, even though Sophie was a bit of a cry baby- she still managed to be happy, giggly and overall a trooper.

We went to the Doctors on 4/4/08 for her 4 month visit. She is 16.4 lbs and 26 inches long – 95th percentile. What an overachiever, and at such a young age! She is also turning over quite a bit. She is very active and it makes me nervous. I am afraid if I turn my back for too long, she will grab my car keys and will waddle out the door.

After my trip to NC last week, I started Sophie on Yo Baby Plain Yogurt. Per my Doctor, the acidophilus is great for her and it’s a nice start to getting her on whole/real foods. Sophie hasn’t figured out the whole tongue-spoon-mouth coordination yet. She actually looks a bit like Colonel Sanders with her white moustache and goatee. We are only three days into the yogurt-taste test so I will be sure to update you on how we progress. (On Day 1 she semi-vomited on Chris, so it’s been looking up since then)

I would be remiss if I did not comment on Sarah. She is great! We went to a belly dancing and hip-hop lesson the other day with her school. She liked the belly dancing-mainly because the scarf with the charms made a jingling sound when she wiggled her hips. Hip-hop was a bit of a flip-flop because she was verging on a small meltdown by the time we got to it. She just wanted me to hold her. So as I tried to mimic the very young and skinny girl giving the hip-hop lesson, while holding a 30 lb toddler in my arms, I sweated my buttocks off and wondered why I didn’t just stay home!!

Genius Alert: Sarah knows her address, how to spell “Mommy”, “Daddy”, and “No” (added to Sarah- which she has known for a while) and can interrupt our conversation with “guys, guy, guys”-her version of a not-so-gentle nudge for us to shut up so she can speak. Chris bought her a laser star projector for her room so at night she can look at the stars. She points out the shooting stars as they fly overhead. When we try sneak her into bed early and turn the projector on, she happily informs us that it is not dark yet, that its still light out and that the stars can’t go on (meaning- I am not going to bed) Sometimes a little too smart for our own good!!!

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Easter 2008

Even though I am two weeks behind, here is a snapshot of our Easter.

It was so much fun this year with Sarah! We went on an Easter Egg Hunt at Penning's Farm on Saturday. She and I (AMM) discussed our strategy on how we were going to pick up as many eggs and as much candy as possible. We got only a few eggs and some candy, but overall successful considering half the county turned out in full-force. We had only a small basket compared to some kids that had bushel-sized containers. A little over-confident I think- but to each their own.

On Sunday morning Sarah picked up all her eggs that trailed literally from her pillow, down the stairs, through the living room to her Easter basket. She was so happy and Chris & I were tickled right along with her. Sophie drank her bottle, not quite sure what all the fuss was about. She has only a milli-fraction of a tooth, and it hurts, so candy did not excite her in the least.

Later that day, we went to Chris' mom's house (aka Nanny) to gather more goodies, eat tons of yummy food and mingle with the other Manasiers (from Stony Point and Saratoga respectively) Sarah and her cousins enjoyed playing together, chasing each other around, eating candy, and basically doing what kids do during the holidays. It was great. Sophie got passed around like the Stanley Cup for various Kodak moments. Again, she can't understand what the fuss it all about. She just wants her vibrating bouncy seat, a pacifier and a nice warm bottle. Her version of the Good Life!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Pickles & PickCheas??

So, I know you are asking, "What is Pickles & PickCheas??"

Pickles, it just so happens, is the latest word-obsession of our oldest daughter, Sarah. Pickle-head, pickle-face, pickle-farts, mommy-pickle, daddy-pickle…..you get the idea. Who knew this crunchy, kosher deli cuisine could become the root of Sarah's every-growing compound-word vocabulary?

PickCheas is actually Sarah-speak for Chick Peas. Chick Peas is her day care. For weeks she kept saying "Good Morning PickCheas" and we could not figure out for the life of us what she was saying. Finally when asked what school she went to, she proudly proclaimed "PickCheas Day Care." How cute.

So, our family blog name was 100% inspired by Sarah Emilie Manasier. Sophie Grace, our 4-month old, unfortunately did not have any interesting words to add to the title - yet.