Hanging outside at Grandma and Grandpa's house

NAKED BABY ALERT!!

I'm sorry! I just couldn't help it... naked baby butts are so stinkin cute!

SHE PULLED HERSELF UP!!!

We all know that Guiliana has had no problem pulling herself up on you when you are sitting next to her on the floor or couch. She will just reach out, grab onto you, and pull herself up. Well, tonight I put her in her crib while I replaced the batteries in her aquarium and what would you know! I turn around to see my baby girl has pulled herself up into the standing position! Tonight was the very first time she has done this!! Greg did get to see it as she did it a couple of times but as soon as we got the camera out to record it she got all pissy because it was time for her bath. I am determined to get that on video! I realized tonight that 2 months from next Tuesday my baby won't be a "baby" anymore. Her first birthday is quickly approaching and its times like tonight that I truly cherish but get sad at the same time that she is growing up too fast!!

Guiliana's Room is all done!!

Thanks to Aunt Michele (her godmother) and Uncle Brandon, Great Grandma and Grandpa Tortora, Grandpa and Grandpa Tortora, and a some craftiness from Mommy... we now have ourselves a little girls room. I appreciate all of your generosity and I am so happy that we FINALLY got all of her Christmas presents put together.
Mommy, Daddy, Aunt Michele, and Uncle Brandon spent the afternoon building furniture and hanging butterflies. I am loving the outcome so much! Its fits our little girl perfectly! Bright, colorful, and cheerful!
Here are the pictures... u decide :)

Guiliana's 9 month check-up... but at 9 1/2 months

Around the time I had originally scheduled Guiliana's 9 month check-up was also when that we thought that she had another ear infection... and we were right. So, the doctor suggested that I just bring her back in 4 weeks to check her ears and if she was doing better than she would get her shot :(
So, here we are....
Today we finally had her check-up- She weighed in at 23lbs 7.5 ounces and 29in long which puts her in the 95th percentile (which I pretty sure is all her weight! LOL!) She checked out just fine. No ear infection (thank goodness because she has the crud that we all are suffering from, ya know - stuffy nose and chest congestion) and is progressing as she should be.
She is now eating 3 full meals a day and one snack. She is down to maybe 4 bottles (most of the time 3) a day and only 4oz. She would much rather eat than drink her bottle. Her use of the sippy cup is getting better as her teachers are working with her on that everyday. Her variety of food continues to grow. She eats the school lunch just about everyday - pizza bites, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, beef macaroni, bean and cheese burritos, and of course all the fruits and veggies they offer... carrots, corn, green beans, peas, pineapple, peaches... oh and her new favorite snack is chocolate pudding :)But she always has her fruit w/oatmeal in the mornings and on the weekends, we make her her favorite... eggs and french toast sticks.
She still does not crawl but often sits in the cheerleader position (you know, one leg in front and one leg back to the side, But, she scoots all over and turns herself completely around. She gets from the sitting position to on her tummy, hangs out for a bit, and then has enough.
Although she has bubbles in her bath every night, she all of a sudden noticed them, and as of 2 nights ago... she is now eating them!!!
She is now waving goodbye, but not hello... go figure! LOL!
She has changed so much in two weeks, I can't believe it!! Can't wait - tomorrow we are having a furniture building party. Aunt Michele and Uncle Brandon are coming over to help put together all of Guiliana's new furniture she got for Christmas. Of course I will be posting pictures!!!

School Art Project

Guiliana did some finger painting at school today. Here is her FINE piece of artwork!
o

A sweet moment...

After Guiliana and I got home from visiting Xavier and Sandra, all she wanted to do was snuggle with daddy before her bath. Had to capture the moment:

Having some FUN before bedtime!

Just some cute pictures that I took tonight after Guiliana's bath.

Guiliana's Room Make-over...

SO, when we first decided on furniture, we just concentrated on the crib and figured we would just get the rest later. We thought we would just use my old desk and dresser from when I was little until we found what we wanted and knew that it was just temporary. So, for Christmas she got a bookcase from her Grandma and Grandpa Tortora (which Mommy put together last Monday all by herself) and with her Christmas money from her Great Grandma and Grandpa Tortora she got two dressers for her room (and some other goodies) that we bought at IKEA. Her godmother Michele is buying her the nightstands that match the dressers and we should be getting those next weekend. We have said goodbye to the changing table days as she is much to active (and long) to be on it. Also, Daddy took apart her Bassinet, which we were using to store all of her stuffed animals. So here are some pictures of her room progress so far... I am super excited! Her room is getting so cute! (plus I totally enjoy any excuse to craft or decorate!)

Of course I had to add the flowers!



These flowers are actually lights!


Only at IKEA can you find a bright pink frame!


The bookcase I so proudly built!




So there will be more to follow in the next couple of weeks... Oh and we had to take the bumper out of her crib because she FREAKS out if she can't see out!! Silly Girl!!

Please meet Xavier Anthony Paterson!!

My best friend Sandra gave birth today to a little boy by the name of Xavier Anthony Paterson. He was born at 11:21 am this morning,weighed in at 8 pounds 3oz and was 20 inches. He joins his 5 1/2 year old sister Violet.
Congrats to the Paterson family! We love you!

Brooklyn's 2nd Birthday party!

So, we had a little family party for Brooklyn last night to celebrate her 2nd Birthday. She liked the heart cookie from Aunt Debra much better than her cake!
(I know what you must be thinking but she is like our daughter! LOL!)
Here are some pics:

She is not a puppy anymore...

So, according to Greg, when a puppy turns the age of 2 she is now a "DOG" and no longer a "PUPPY". While that may be true, Brooklyn will always be my "PUPPY" Brooklyn turns 2 years old today! We got her from a rescue shelter when she was only 6 weeks old. It was a bit of a rough road as she got very sick 3 days after we brought her home, but we got her back on track. She did the usual "puppy" stuff, like chewing up our old love seat, eating the molding on the walls, and oh... she actually chewed a whole in the wall (which all has been fixed!) But, she is a great watch dog and protector. We plan pretty much everything around her. We are kinda nerds and hate when we have to leave her home. She is very loved... Her Grandma and Grandpa Tortora and Uncle Paulie just adore her. Brooklyn loves going over and playing at their house. Brooklyn is such a huge part of our family and Guiliana is really starting to have fun with her. I know they will be the best of friends!
HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY BROOKLYN! WE LOVE YOU!!