Princess, Part Two

The tie breaker has arrived and we have another princess! Nora Elizabeth made her debut at 1:23pm on Monday, June 15th and she is PRECIOUS.

I was convinced this baby was going to be a boy...I told everyone I met that I thought so, had the GREATEST boy name picked out (Jude Patrick) and bought the cutest boy-coming-home outfit...so imagine my surprise when the doc says, "it's a girl!" I was almost stunned into silence. (almost). My exact words in response were "GET OUT!", channeling my best Seinfeld.

It took me about a day to grasp the fact that she was a girl and there would never be a Jude Patrick DeFelice (the only upsetting thing about this whole situation). A friend suggested we get 2 dogs and name them Jude and Patrick and so I think we will, problem solved.

Nora's big sis and big bro are so sweet with her and I love to watch the 3 of them together. I am thankful she is so healthy and part of our family. An interesting thing I realized is that all of my kids were born with a 3...

Dominick at 4:23pm

Margot at 7:03am

Nora at 1:23pm.

Meant to be together, me thinks.

Summer Fun for the kids

1. Gogo ruling the playground with friends

2. Dominick's awesome Lego design

3. Gogo and daddy cruising

4. Dominick picking up chicks

Could these guys be any more precious?

GoGo Grows Up

My Gogo turned 4 this past Saturday-so hard to believe. At this age, ALREADY, she is asking if she looks beautiful, asking for bling like mommy's and parading around as if she is on Broadway. What will 14 bring?

I absolutely love that she can be such a girly-girl but can also throw dirt around with the best of the boys. My wish for her is to continue to be that girl until she is old and decrepit.

I love you sissy!!!

Paranoid Patty

I can't help it-I am one. If my kids have a headache, they must have a brain tumor. If my leg hurts, I have bone cancer. It's exhausting sometimes being this much of a hypochondriac.
All of this insanity is not without some merit-cancer runs in my family on both sides and in a major way. At 36, I have outlived my mother by 5 years. Kind of puts things into a different perspective...
I am pregnant with my 3rd and have only gained 20 pounds with 2 weeks to go which for most normal women, would be fantastic news. Not I. I convinced myself that a spot on my leg was melanoma and therefore the reason I hadn't gained as much weight this pregnancy was because the cancer was raging rampantly throughout my body. So I anxiously awaited my appointment with the dermatologist, just knowing he would send me straight to surgery from his office to remove this thing.
My husband, family and friends all laughed as they know me well enough by now to understand that at least once a year I "have cancer". So I go to the doc and he takes one quick look and says to his tagalong-23yearold-resident-student "What is that"? And she promptly says, "age spot". WTF?
Upon review of my entire very prego body, they surmise I have several other "age spots" and once I'm done nursing they can all be fixed with some magic potion the doc has. Which, I will be buying by the GALLON since apparently I'm not dying, I'm just old as hell.
I have to say I felt like a giant weight had been lifted by all of this, I just hate to admit to my hubby I was wrong.

Fun but not much Sun

What a great weekend-lots of food and time with friends and my kids were EXHAUSTED from it all-even better!

Only bummer was no sun and tons of rain but I still managed to hit the farmers market, ride in a '65 Corvette, watch my son ride a Sea-Doo (how do you spell that), celebrate Go-Go's bday a bit early and score a Blue Moon! sshh...don't tell the doc!

I'm so proud of my Dominick-he picked out TWO learning-to-read books at the book store today in lieu of some BatMan or other Boy Power books...and tonight he read about 2/3 with a bit of assistance. Bring on kindergarten!

Emotional Roller Coaster

My kids had their last day of preschool yesterday and for Dominick that means his last day there FOREVER. I was so happy and sad for him. This has been a common theme running through the last week or two of my life. I just wish my kids could stay there forever because it's safe, loving and just full of warm fuzzies.
But, D did tell me he was excited about going to his next school, which were the words I hoped to hear after this year so mission accomplished! On to "big" kindergarten, school buses and cafeteria food. Plus, I heard him singing "I Shot the Sheriff" in the car today so I know he's ready for public kindergarten.

I see a summer full of pool time, playdates and good times ahead-Happy Memorial Day!

I Love My Kids

because they are so different...

My Dominick is a thinker, a builder, cautious, thoughtful, easily frustrated (like his mother), loving, an explorer and handsome!

My Margot is uber-confident, funny, center of her own universe, loving, easy-to-please, strong willed, thoughtful and beautiful!

Dominick graduated from TK yesterday complete with "Pomp and Circumstance" as well as caps and gowns. I was so proud and proceeded to demonstrate said pride by crying and whimpering like a lost puppy. It was such a range of emotion coupled with my pregnancy hormones, that I just freakin' lost it. I was so proud, happy, sad and anxious all at once.

Proud for how far he's come this year-like a different kid in many ways.

Happy for him and all the new things he's learned, great friendships he's built and confidence he's developed.

Sad because this day came so quickly.

Anxious because I wonder if I've done the best I could for him up to this point...did I read to him enough, hug him enough, yell too much, play enough?

Too much more of this and I'll be finding my nearest therapist...