I just can't pass up the opportunity to immortalize a very profound conversation I had with my OB/GYN at my last visit.
After scheduling the c-section for our fourth child, I stand to shake his hand and leave. As I stand, I, of course, put my hand under my belly as if it is going to help hoist me up...it does not. My MALE doctor tells me, "you know, they have these velcro belt things that are supposed to help support the weight of your belly." Now, I have tried such an apparatus, and maybe a small population of the world found these to be comfy and helpful...I was not one of them. I grinned a slightly sarcastic smile and "politely" asked him if the last time he was carrying the equivalent of a 20 pound bowling ball in his stomach, if a girdle worked well for him?
That got him going =).
He proceeds to tell me that he has experienced lots of things like a woman! Once, while running in a race, his jersey rubbed his chest raw...sore nipples. (Really!? For one whole day!? Try being acutely aware of a part of your body that you usually just forget is there, so much so that you can't wear a shirt for a week...Despite this pain, another living thing recieves ALL of it's nourishment from said body part every 2- 3 hours...if this pain produces blood and 3 months of pain...then I'll listen.) Nice try...
Next up, he says that he went on a guy's weekend hiking way up in the mountains and after a few days of rigorous trailing climbing he began to experience bleeding...from somewhere down there...yea, too much information...but this seemed to give him the insite into a woman's period. (Talk to me after it occurs every 28 days, brings on fits of tears and rage, and causes you to eat your body weight in chocolate.) Anything else?...
There was this one time he was sick and it caused him to have severe cramps for the better part of a day...just like labor. (Now, I've only experienced heavy contractions for the few hours that led up to Elijah's c-section, but on behalf of all the women who actually labor and give birth...i had to tell him that I wasn't impressed.)
Dr. M...thanks for the laugh. I appreciate your attempt, but true empathy you have not.
p.s. i feel like i should add that my doc has a very good sense of humor, and this was not him being totally serious...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
save the date...
Well, we had a very important doctor's visit this past Friday!
First, I had the routine weight check...I know ya'll are dying to know...but I'm not spilling =) Next, I had the progressively more difficult task of peeing in a 2 inch wide cup from something I haven't seen since September...bullseye! Then it was ultrasound time!
Some startling revelations were made in that tiny room...the baby is squished, it has the same mouth as the other 3, as a family we have no clue what to look for as far as genitals, and with 2 weeks left the baby is already measuring 7 pounds 1 ounce (sigh). Seeing a tv monitor with a picture of your baby is pretty incredible...it never gets old. My favorite part is when they scan around the babies face. This go round our bambino had one arm across it's forehead (think scarlett o'hara...maybe a dramatic girl in there?!). We saw the mouth opening and closing...I could see the same beautiful lips that have greeted me with each of my other 3...can't wait to smooch them! We told the tech we didn't want to know the sex, but truth be told Tad didn't want to know. Myself, and my inlaws were very ready for her to slip and say a pronoun. I can wait 2 more weeks...I just didn't really want to =). She tells us that "it" was on the screen a good long while...we still have absolutely no clue.
After the ultrasound, I have my blood pressure taken and fight back sarcasm as the nurse asks if i "have any complaints?". (I can barely walk, breath, sleep, or eat without heartburn, but of course answer "nope".) The doctor comes in and marvels at the belly for a minute, then checks for any progress. High and closed (not going to explain...just know, it means that I'm not going into labor any time soon).
We finish there and pile into his office to talk dates! Based on the due dates from the 3 ultrasounds we've gotten, it looks like
FEBRUARY 11TH!!!!
Holy cow...we have an actual date for our baby to arrive! I have lots of feelings that well up with this immense knowledge, but will lay those out in another entry.
This gives us 2 weeks to make final preparations, both mentally and logistically. February 11th will never be the same again...I can't wait for it to get here.
First, I had the routine weight check...I know ya'll are dying to know...but I'm not spilling =) Next, I had the progressively more difficult task of peeing in a 2 inch wide cup from something I haven't seen since September...bullseye! Then it was ultrasound time!
Some startling revelations were made in that tiny room...the baby is squished, it has the same mouth as the other 3, as a family we have no clue what to look for as far as genitals, and with 2 weeks left the baby is already measuring 7 pounds 1 ounce (sigh). Seeing a tv monitor with a picture of your baby is pretty incredible...it never gets old. My favorite part is when they scan around the babies face. This go round our bambino had one arm across it's forehead (think scarlett o'hara...maybe a dramatic girl in there?!). We saw the mouth opening and closing...I could see the same beautiful lips that have greeted me with each of my other 3...can't wait to smooch them! We told the tech we didn't want to know the sex, but truth be told Tad didn't want to know. Myself, and my inlaws were very ready for her to slip and say a pronoun. I can wait 2 more weeks...I just didn't really want to =). She tells us that "it" was on the screen a good long while...we still have absolutely no clue.
After the ultrasound, I have my blood pressure taken and fight back sarcasm as the nurse asks if i "have any complaints?". (I can barely walk, breath, sleep, or eat without heartburn, but of course answer "nope".) The doctor comes in and marvels at the belly for a minute, then checks for any progress. High and closed (not going to explain...just know, it means that I'm not going into labor any time soon).
We finish there and pile into his office to talk dates! Based on the due dates from the 3 ultrasounds we've gotten, it looks like
FEBRUARY 11TH!!!!
Holy cow...we have an actual date for our baby to arrive! I have lots of feelings that well up with this immense knowledge, but will lay those out in another entry.
This gives us 2 weeks to make final preparations, both mentally and logistically. February 11th will never be the same again...I can't wait for it to get here.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
ladies and gentlemen...the president of the united states...
Future leaders of America standing with applause for the President of the United States.
It's not all about whether we agree, it's about making sure our boys begin to understand the respect due to our national leaders. Not sure how much understanding happened, but they at least got a kick out of all the standing and clapping.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
12 hours of cooking...whew....
I have some pretty ambitious and amazing friends. Kelly and Kristy are always planning something...and luckily I get to be involved. One evening after a meeting, we were drinking coffee at a coffee shop (delaying going home as long as possible =) ), and the idea was brought up to have a "Day of Cooking". I was pretty excited as it was going to be scheduled before baby #4 was coming, and it meant that I would have a freezer full of food!! I can't say that I had much to do with the coordination of it all. I pretty much just agreed it was a good idea, and helped plan out what meals we should cook. We would meet at 9am, with as many crockpots, stockpots, knives, and plastic baggies...and wouldn't leave until we had cooked 5 different recipes. We also planned it on a day where we wouldn't have our kids until about 2pm...we could get it mostly done by then...right?!
So, the night before Kelly and Kristy got together to chop all the bell pepper, celery, and onion (the trinity as we call it down here)...I hear it took about 4 hours! I showed up the day of with a 6 qt crock pot and a huge stockpot. Kelly has this thing with organic meat, and luckily all the things we needed were on sale at Whole Foods that week! She had done most of the grocery shopping minus a few things we got from Walmart. They had started the chuck roast the night before and soaked the beans as well. Now...where do we begin?! Although there are probably lots of stories that could be documented over our next 12 hours, I will do my best to condense it down to what I really feel should be remembered from this day...
Cooking with friends is actually so fun! We visited and caught up on SO much stuff...I learned things about their families that I had no idea about, we shopped for furniture on craigslist (which we bought!), we listened to mellow music and rambled on and on about what artists we enjoyed, and of course compared cooking notes and styles from 3 different families. You learn a lot about people through cooking. Kelly is a "foodie". Kristy is more of a "wing it" kind of girl. We had lots of time to relax...and then 2pm came. Here is where the day got interesting. Once the house filled up with 9 little boys...we were then thrown into multi-tasking...yikes! We had a good flow going before that, but now the food was beginning to finish cooking and needed to cool before dividing it up amongst the families. So we begin to put the food out on the back patio. Unfortunately, this means the boys are now stuck inside. The husbands eventually show up for reinforcement. We feed the kids some of one of the meals we had just cooked, and the adults chow down on soup. Dads begin to load kids up and take them away...the mommas were pretty darn tired by this point. It wasn't until 9pm that we finished putting things into bags and into the freezer.
I feel I should mention (for sake of truly remembering this day), that I was almost unable to stand/walk/sit/crawl/dance the entire day! My back and pelvis were so incredibly achy, I was pretty much good for nothing =). (This meant I got "sit at the table and cut up raw meat duty"...it was the least I could do for all of their hard work, so I tried not to complain!)
So, here are the stats for the day:
-menu-
1. chuck roast BBQ
2. baked parmesan chicken
3. red beans with sausage
4. potato and corn chowder
5. broilermaker chili
6. chocolate mousse (leave to the preggo to be in charge of the dessert)
-meals-
including feeding the kids and adults on the day of...we made enough for each family to get 13 meals!
-funds-
even with Kelly's need for chickens who were pampered and cows who were massaged before slaughter (aka whole foods), we figured that each meal cost less than $10!
-time-
4 hours of chopping & 12 hours of cooking and storing
Don't think we will make this a totally regular occurrence, but what a fun day of hanging with two of my favorite people. Bon Apetit!
So, the night before Kelly and Kristy got together to chop all the bell pepper, celery, and onion (the trinity as we call it down here)...I hear it took about 4 hours! I showed up the day of with a 6 qt crock pot and a huge stockpot. Kelly has this thing with organic meat, and luckily all the things we needed were on sale at Whole Foods that week! She had done most of the grocery shopping minus a few things we got from Walmart. They had started the chuck roast the night before and soaked the beans as well. Now...where do we begin?! Although there are probably lots of stories that could be documented over our next 12 hours, I will do my best to condense it down to what I really feel should be remembered from this day...
Cooking with friends is actually so fun! We visited and caught up on SO much stuff...I learned things about their families that I had no idea about, we shopped for furniture on craigslist (which we bought!), we listened to mellow music and rambled on and on about what artists we enjoyed, and of course compared cooking notes and styles from 3 different families. You learn a lot about people through cooking. Kelly is a "foodie". Kristy is more of a "wing it" kind of girl. We had lots of time to relax...and then 2pm came. Here is where the day got interesting. Once the house filled up with 9 little boys...we were then thrown into multi-tasking...yikes! We had a good flow going before that, but now the food was beginning to finish cooking and needed to cool before dividing it up amongst the families. So we begin to put the food out on the back patio. Unfortunately, this means the boys are now stuck inside. The husbands eventually show up for reinforcement. We feed the kids some of one of the meals we had just cooked, and the adults chow down on soup. Dads begin to load kids up and take them away...the mommas were pretty darn tired by this point. It wasn't until 9pm that we finished putting things into bags and into the freezer.
I feel I should mention (for sake of truly remembering this day), that I was almost unable to stand/walk/sit/crawl/dance the entire day! My back and pelvis were so incredibly achy, I was pretty much good for nothing =). (This meant I got "sit at the table and cut up raw meat duty"...it was the least I could do for all of their hard work, so I tried not to complain!)
So, here are the stats for the day:
-menu-
1. chuck roast BBQ
2. baked parmesan chicken
3. red beans with sausage
4. potato and corn chowder
5. broilermaker chili
6. chocolate mousse (leave to the preggo to be in charge of the dessert)
-meals-
including feeding the kids and adults on the day of...we made enough for each family to get 13 meals!
-funds-
even with Kelly's need for chickens who were pampered and cows who were massaged before slaughter (aka whole foods), we figured that each meal cost less than $10!
-time-
4 hours of chopping & 12 hours of cooking and storing
Don't think we will make this a totally regular occurrence, but what a fun day of hanging with two of my favorite people. Bon Apetit!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
smile!...
8:45am..."Mrs. Patella, can you get here for 9:20?" "Um,sure." "See you then."
The dentist can squeeze all three boys in for an appointment on MLK day?! When we are already off of school?!...sweet! Now, how to get all four of us out of our pajamas, into the car, and 20 minutes away...with only 35 minutes til showdown?
Elijah was a champ and kicked into full big brother mode, offering to go first and encouraging Dominic that there was nothing to be nervous about. Of course, Dominic has a much different experience at the dentist than Eli. When he was 2, he had his four front teeth knocked out during an unfortunate dump truck/slide incident...sigh....life with boys. Because of this he wears a "pedi-partial" which is basically dentures held in place using his back molars. Anyways, he pictures the upcoming morning's event a little more dramatically than most 3 year olds. Then there's Joel. Happy go lucky, not knowing at all what is about to go down. This is his first dentist appointment.
I call Tad...and bless that man....he hears the slight panic in my voice, and takes a really early lunch to assist. We get there 10 minutes late...oh well!! The lobby of the dentist is really quite nice. There is a projector tv playing some fairy movie, "silly" chairs (as Eli called them) shaped like high heels and hands, and manipulative tables to play on. The boys immediately dig into the atmosphere and no one seems too concerned with our reason for being there. We are really lucky to have Aunt Jackie as one of the assistants at the dentist...she makes sure that mommy and daddy can come back with the boys (I think I have a reputation here of being a little overbearing...again, oh well!!), and all the ladies we deal with are VERY sweet with the boys.
Elijah gets set up in one room, while the rest of us pile into the room next door. Tad takes him to get his Xrays and then back to relax in the chair. There are tv's on the ceiling, so Eli is content and only "a little nervous". I stay back in the other room and it's time for Joel's first check up! We take a picture of this momentous occasion...
He lays with his head in Aunt Jackie's lap, while the rest of him is on Mommy. He screams the whole time, and I have to hold his hands down...it was over in about 3 minutes...AJ is good =) Tad gets Dominic set up on the table and begins to start with the consoling. Dominic begins to get nervous...Mommy exits to check on the big one. Elijah lays still and does a great job. I go back to check on my middle man, and he has had his teeth removed. The cement on one side was loose, and it will need to be cleaned and refitted. Tad keeps busy singing songs, telling jokes, and anything else he can think of to distract our little buddy. He needs Xrays, so I take him. The whole time we are waiting...he keeps asking why they took his teeth out? He is pretty upset. This just breaks my heart...he looks so different without them. It wasn't much of a decision a year and a half ago to have his teeth "replaced". Call it vanity if you want, but I couldn't let my baby be identified by his smile. He does great with his Xrays, and we head back to the room. His teeth are put back in, and after a few minutes of continued torture...the dentist comes in, checks all three, and we are good to go.
As we leave, the boys get a bag with a toothbrush and stickers, and get to get a toy out of the tower of junk. Luckily we don't have to do this again for another 6 months...can't say I enjoy such visits, but guess they are necessary. Having Tad there was a lifesaver...as usual =). Until next time, I'm looking forward to lots of pearly white smiles from my 3 cutie pies.
The dentist can squeeze all three boys in for an appointment on MLK day?! When we are already off of school?!...sweet! Now, how to get all four of us out of our pajamas, into the car, and 20 minutes away...with only 35 minutes til showdown?
Elijah was a champ and kicked into full big brother mode, offering to go first and encouraging Dominic that there was nothing to be nervous about. Of course, Dominic has a much different experience at the dentist than Eli. When he was 2, he had his four front teeth knocked out during an unfortunate dump truck/slide incident...sigh....life with boys. Because of this he wears a "pedi-partial" which is basically dentures held in place using his back molars. Anyways, he pictures the upcoming morning's event a little more dramatically than most 3 year olds. Then there's Joel. Happy go lucky, not knowing at all what is about to go down. This is his first dentist appointment.
I call Tad...and bless that man....he hears the slight panic in my voice, and takes a really early lunch to assist. We get there 10 minutes late...oh well!! The lobby of the dentist is really quite nice. There is a projector tv playing some fairy movie, "silly" chairs (as Eli called them) shaped like high heels and hands, and manipulative tables to play on. The boys immediately dig into the atmosphere and no one seems too concerned with our reason for being there. We are really lucky to have Aunt Jackie as one of the assistants at the dentist...she makes sure that mommy and daddy can come back with the boys (I think I have a reputation here of being a little overbearing...again, oh well!!), and all the ladies we deal with are VERY sweet with the boys.
Elijah gets set up in one room, while the rest of us pile into the room next door. Tad takes him to get his Xrays and then back to relax in the chair. There are tv's on the ceiling, so Eli is content and only "a little nervous". I stay back in the other room and it's time for Joel's first check up! We take a picture of this momentous occasion...
He lays with his head in Aunt Jackie's lap, while the rest of him is on Mommy. He screams the whole time, and I have to hold his hands down...it was over in about 3 minutes...AJ is good =) Tad gets Dominic set up on the table and begins to start with the consoling. Dominic begins to get nervous...Mommy exits to check on the big one. Elijah lays still and does a great job. I go back to check on my middle man, and he has had his teeth removed. The cement on one side was loose, and it will need to be cleaned and refitted. Tad keeps busy singing songs, telling jokes, and anything else he can think of to distract our little buddy. He needs Xrays, so I take him. The whole time we are waiting...he keeps asking why they took his teeth out? He is pretty upset. This just breaks my heart...he looks so different without them. It wasn't much of a decision a year and a half ago to have his teeth "replaced". Call it vanity if you want, but I couldn't let my baby be identified by his smile. He does great with his Xrays, and we head back to the room. His teeth are put back in, and after a few minutes of continued torture...the dentist comes in, checks all three, and we are good to go.
As we leave, the boys get a bag with a toothbrush and stickers, and get to get a toy out of the tower of junk. Luckily we don't have to do this again for another 6 months...can't say I enjoy such visits, but guess they are necessary. Having Tad there was a lifesaver...as usual =). Until next time, I'm looking forward to lots of pearly white smiles from my 3 cutie pies.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
nights like tonight...
Tonight was nothing special...but it's nights like tonight that made me want to start this blog in the first place.
This has been a busy week. PTO meeting monday night (sad to say we were pretty excited to have a babysitter for this event, so it felt like a date =)...i bought the pizza). I had a meeting Tuesday night, and Tad had the usual training Wednesday. Tonight would have been Tad's first game of the season for his softball league, but because of the temperature drop...it was cancelled...I was excited already! So imagine my surprise when I hear Tad coming in the house...EARLY!!! Woohoo =) So here's the part that makes me want to sit and write...what did we decide to do with our family night???
We went to Walmart! But it's what we did at Walmart that I want to remember. We lived in the moment...in Walmart. Upon entering the store, the boys saw one of those machines filled with junk that you release "the claw" down into the pool of said junk in order to win a prize. Normally, the answer would be "No" followed by an explanation of how God gives us money to use for things like our house, food, clothes...you get the point. But tonight, Tad said "Sure". It's funny to see the boys expressions when they hear the opposite answer they were expecting...it takes a second for them to process. Long story short (sort of), I was the only one of the five of us to win...thank you very much...I am now the proud owner of a small spiky blue ball and a fair amount of bragging rights. So we go into the store and immediately head for the toy section. We spent about 30 minutes just perusing the aisles. Elijah rode a bike. Dominic scooted around on some Radio Flyer toy meant for an 18 month old. Joel stared at a video game demo pushing random buttons. Unfortunately it was here where the day caught up with me. Being 8 months pregnant, my stamina is rapidly declining. I actually sat on the floor of Walmart...so my boys could live in the moment...in Walmart. Tad of course has to help me up, and we decide it's time to grab a few groceries and go home. The boys help carry the things we need to make chicken tacos and potato soup (...i'm pregnant...don't judge). On our way out, we stopped at the Red Box and rented a movie...on a Thursday! Movie night was a success, 2 of 3 boys took a bath (we pick our battles), and they were in bed by 9.
Just another night at the Patella household, but full of things I don't want to forget. Every night when Joel gets out of the bathtub he gets wrapped in a towel, asks for the parent not bathing him, and repeats "baby" as he looks up at you with a cute little smile. Dominic goes through his typical drama of fussing "I'm cold! I'm cold" as soon as he hops out of the tub (nevermind the fluffy towel and bathroom heater blowing directly on him). Elijah gets dressed in his usual Saints jersey and batman pajama pants...I swear he's worn that 6 nights in a row!
I love nights like tonight...
This has been a busy week. PTO meeting monday night (sad to say we were pretty excited to have a babysitter for this event, so it felt like a date =)...i bought the pizza). I had a meeting Tuesday night, and Tad had the usual training Wednesday. Tonight would have been Tad's first game of the season for his softball league, but because of the temperature drop...it was cancelled...I was excited already! So imagine my surprise when I hear Tad coming in the house...EARLY!!! Woohoo =) So here's the part that makes me want to sit and write...what did we decide to do with our family night???
We went to Walmart! But it's what we did at Walmart that I want to remember. We lived in the moment...in Walmart. Upon entering the store, the boys saw one of those machines filled with junk that you release "the claw" down into the pool of said junk in order to win a prize. Normally, the answer would be "No" followed by an explanation of how God gives us money to use for things like our house, food, clothes...you get the point. But tonight, Tad said "Sure". It's funny to see the boys expressions when they hear the opposite answer they were expecting...it takes a second for them to process. Long story short (sort of), I was the only one of the five of us to win...thank you very much...I am now the proud owner of a small spiky blue ball and a fair amount of bragging rights. So we go into the store and immediately head for the toy section. We spent about 30 minutes just perusing the aisles. Elijah rode a bike. Dominic scooted around on some Radio Flyer toy meant for an 18 month old. Joel stared at a video game demo pushing random buttons. Unfortunately it was here where the day caught up with me. Being 8 months pregnant, my stamina is rapidly declining. I actually sat on the floor of Walmart...so my boys could live in the moment...in Walmart. Tad of course has to help me up, and we decide it's time to grab a few groceries and go home. The boys help carry the things we need to make chicken tacos and potato soup (...i'm pregnant...don't judge). On our way out, we stopped at the Red Box and rented a movie...on a Thursday! Movie night was a success, 2 of 3 boys took a bath (we pick our battles), and they were in bed by 9.
Just another night at the Patella household, but full of things I don't want to forget. Every night when Joel gets out of the bathtub he gets wrapped in a towel, asks for the parent not bathing him, and repeats "baby" as he looks up at you with a cute little smile. Dominic goes through his typical drama of fussing "I'm cold! I'm cold" as soon as he hops out of the tub (nevermind the fluffy towel and bathroom heater blowing directly on him). Elijah gets dressed in his usual Saints jersey and batman pajama pants...I swear he's worn that 6 nights in a row!
I love nights like tonight...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
one week down...51 to go...
So we have officially closed out the first week of the new year! We rang it in at the home of the Cabiro's...we lasted til about 11pm which I thought was pretty good =)
This was the last week of holidays for Tad, we have enjoyed shortened work weeks and lots of family time this season. The kids got back to school and were excited to see their friends again. Mommy was glad the boys had somewhere to go so I could learn to miss them again =) The start of 2011 is going to hold a lot for the Patellas...we are currently looking for a new house, we are due to have our fourth child in February, and Tad's new position at Entergy will begin to really pick up. As far as the house goes, I have been having a hard time wrapping my head around the huge weight that this decision holds. We know we would like more space (a stay at home mom with 4 kids needs some elbow room, people!), both inside and out. We also know that the neighborhood we settle into is going to be one we will be digging our roots deeply into...we felt the sense of community at our last house and long to find more families to share our lives with...it's way more than a house. And as it is always said...location, location, location! Now there is definitely something to be said for being centrally located, but it's also about being located close to where your life happens. With my family living in North Carolina, and Tad's family leading normal busy lives...I have found that my support system since having kids has been my friends. Tad and I have put a lot of weight on friendships over this last year, and are really beginning to understand the importance of working on these relationships. That being said, we want to remain in areas where it is convenient to gather with our friends! Tack on my longing for charm, character, and potential and we have quite a refined search going =) We are confident we will find the perfect house...patience is a virtue.
We have about 6 weeks until the arrival of our 4th bambino. With all the hoopla involved in packing, moving, the holidays, and life with 3 kids and a husband, I haven't been able to stop and get excited about our newest addition. But, I am happy to say, I finally felt it...that little flutter of excitement about bringing home a tiny new life, full of possiblities and cuteness. I was in a little boutique in uptown New Orleans (Zukababy...ya'll should go=) ), and stumbled upon the cutest cloth diaper sized just right for a newborn. It was precious. My heart melted a little as I realized that I was again about to have a little human whose tushy was tiny enough to fit into this thing...welcome back excitement, I have missed you.
Other weekly happenings...Gigi (Tad's grandma) went into the hospital for a couple of days, but seems to be fine. Lots of emotions rise up with those kinds of phone calls. She is such an important woman in Tad's life, and has been my surrogate grandmother since high school...there will be more visits, phone calls, hugs, and "i love you"'s coming her way =) On a lighter note, we celebrated "Little Christmas" with Tad's other grandma, Katie...complete with muffelata's, family, and lots of junk food...a cute tradition that we hope to continue as long as possible.
Working on 2010:Part 2...and will upload pics as soon as I can find that dang USB...this house is a mess =)
This was the last week of holidays for Tad, we have enjoyed shortened work weeks and lots of family time this season. The kids got back to school and were excited to see their friends again. Mommy was glad the boys had somewhere to go so I could learn to miss them again =) The start of 2011 is going to hold a lot for the Patellas...we are currently looking for a new house, we are due to have our fourth child in February, and Tad's new position at Entergy will begin to really pick up. As far as the house goes, I have been having a hard time wrapping my head around the huge weight that this decision holds. We know we would like more space (a stay at home mom with 4 kids needs some elbow room, people!), both inside and out. We also know that the neighborhood we settle into is going to be one we will be digging our roots deeply into...we felt the sense of community at our last house and long to find more families to share our lives with...it's way more than a house. And as it is always said...location, location, location! Now there is definitely something to be said for being centrally located, but it's also about being located close to where your life happens. With my family living in North Carolina, and Tad's family leading normal busy lives...I have found that my support system since having kids has been my friends. Tad and I have put a lot of weight on friendships over this last year, and are really beginning to understand the importance of working on these relationships. That being said, we want to remain in areas where it is convenient to gather with our friends! Tack on my longing for charm, character, and potential and we have quite a refined search going =) We are confident we will find the perfect house...patience is a virtue.
We have about 6 weeks until the arrival of our 4th bambino. With all the hoopla involved in packing, moving, the holidays, and life with 3 kids and a husband, I haven't been able to stop and get excited about our newest addition. But, I am happy to say, I finally felt it...that little flutter of excitement about bringing home a tiny new life, full of possiblities and cuteness. I was in a little boutique in uptown New Orleans (Zukababy...ya'll should go=) ), and stumbled upon the cutest cloth diaper sized just right for a newborn. It was precious. My heart melted a little as I realized that I was again about to have a little human whose tushy was tiny enough to fit into this thing...welcome back excitement, I have missed you.
Other weekly happenings...Gigi (Tad's grandma) went into the hospital for a couple of days, but seems to be fine. Lots of emotions rise up with those kinds of phone calls. She is such an important woman in Tad's life, and has been my surrogate grandmother since high school...there will be more visits, phone calls, hugs, and "i love you"'s coming her way =) On a lighter note, we celebrated "Little Christmas" with Tad's other grandma, Katie...complete with muffelata's, family, and lots of junk food...a cute tradition that we hope to continue as long as possible.
Working on 2010:Part 2...and will upload pics as soon as I can find that dang USB...this house is a mess =)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
out with the old, in with the new...part 1
January- Thinking back this far is tough...so we went to our pictures to see what we thought were memorable moments at the time. The first pics of the year are of one my worst decisions to date. (well, probably not really...but i still roll my eyes at myself everytime I think of this) A big package came in the mail from my mom. In it were a few gifts, and a WHOLE lot of styrofoam peanuts. Boys: "MOM! Can we jump in the box and make it look like it's snowing in the living room?!" I think to myself...I feel like I am always telling them "no". I need to relax and let them be kids...sure, it'll make a mess...but what a fun thing to let them do...Emmily: "Sure! Go ahead!" What ensued was a chaotic mess of static electricity that took Tad and I over 5 hours and cost us one shop vac motor to clean up. I cried at least 2 times. Glad I have the pictures ( and now the text ) to remind myself of such a wonderful night...Ya'll should have seen Tad's face when he came home...that was actually funny.
Other than that, we took the boys to their first Monster Truck Show and we watched the Saints win their playoff game sending them to the Super Bowl!
February- Of course the biggest news out of New Orleans in February of 2010 was the Saints win in the 44th Superbowl! We spent the night down the street at the home of the Porche's with some of our amazing neighbors...it was SUCH a fun night! Next up was Mardi Gras...we met up with Arnold's for the truck parades in Metairie. This turned out to be such a fun and relaxing day...we will hopefully be doing more of the same in years to come. Now, the biggest news out of the Patella household this February was Tad turning 30! He has accomplished so much in his first 30 years...I can't wait to see what he does for his next. To celebrate we had a room at the W Hotel downtown...which we rode to in a stretch limo! It was such a fun way to start off the celebration. (Of course it did cost a pretty penny, so we took a cab back home =) ) We ate dinner and then Josh and Jackie and our friends Jon and Leslie met us for drinks and fun in the hotel's posh lounge. Breakfast at Mother's and then back to reality.
March- Mimi (my mom) came in for a visit! The boys always look forward to being tourists in thier own town when she comes in. (They also look forward to the animal cookies she brings them!) This visit we went to the zoo and took the boys to their first Imagination Movers concert at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Fun times! During my mom's visit we received Elijah's letter that he had been accepted into Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies...I can't believe my first baby boy is going to be in Kindergarten...so proud of him!
April- We started the month of with a little getaway to Jellystone Park in Robert, LA. We took our time on the way up, and stopped at an awesome playground in Covington. The accomodations were not what we expected...Tad described the room as a cross between a hospital and a motel. (Needless to say, Joel was not allowed on the floor and spent all indoor time in the pack and play...aka "cage".) Besides the funky sleeping arrangements, the boys enjoyed nature walks, putt putt, and fishing with Daddy.
April is one of our big birthday months! First, Dominic turned 3! To celebrate I picked he and Elijah up from school along with his best friend, Nathan and Nathan's 2 brothers Micah and Jonah. Back at home the boys made personal pizzas, got tattoos, picnicked in the backyard, and ate ice cream sandwiches. Tad came home for lunch to add to the fun. That night Pops, Granny, Katie and Gigi came over for a special birthday dinner and cake...we got him big legos.
One thing that starts in spring is baseball season, and our two big boys joined the ranks of the Harahan Playground Dodgers Tball team! The team was a little unorganized, and somehow Tad and I became coaches...right. Games = Practice, and both boys on the same team...definitely not going to be this easy in the coming years.
The end of the month brought another big birthday...our baby turned 1!!! Holy cow! We had his party at the house, with inflatable bounce houses, cupcakes, a photographer...the works =) Joel has such a sweet demeanor, and has definitely been our "easiest" baby yet. (writing this he is now almost two, and boy has his personality exploded since his first birthday!)
May- Bring on the beginning of summer in the South! The end of preschool is a big deal...if you didn't know. Elijah ended his year of being a Snoopy...he learned to read! Dominic graduated from the Winnie the Pooh class...we love, love, love his teachers and will miss them next year. The big boys each had end of year programs in which they sang in front of the whole school. Elijah was definitely one of the loudest performers, and Dominic singing "You Are My Sunshine" has made it one of my favorite songs to sing to my boys.
With the arrival of the warm weather....the Patella boys begin to spend as much time outside as they can. The Guttuso's gave us a slip n slide for Dominic's birthday, and we used it every chance we got! Don't have any pictures of Tad, but he had just as much fun on it as the boys.
June- We're pregnant! Although I already knew in my heart that #4 was on the way, we got blue line conformation a week before Father's Day. I was going to try and surprise Tad in a Father's Day card, but keeping something like that inside was more than I could handle. After the boys had gone done one night, Tad and I were sitting in the living room relaxing. I had sent him a text earlier in the day that said "guess what?"...to which he replied "chicken butt". (Yes, we are this cheesy). He mentions that when he had gotten that text earlier, he really thought I was about to tell him I was pregnant. (Insert nervous laugh.) So, from across the living room I send him another text that says "guess what?". Now Tad has some big beautiful blue eyes...they were the size of saucers. I had to convince him I was for real! Here we go again!!!
For the last two years we have taken swimming lessons with Mrs. Kelly. This year Dominic got involved too! By the end of their 2 weeks Elijah could swim from one end of the pool to the other, and Dominic was getting comfortable putting his face in. Unfortunately, we don't go to a pool very often, so we had to continue practicing our skills in the bathtub.
If there is one thing I have learned about Tad since having 3 boys, it's that he is still such a kid at heart! While Mommy might not always be up for a marathon session of wrestling, tackle football, and bug searches...chances are Daddy is just as excited to dig in as they are. Summers in New Orleans are usually pretty wet...and if you've ever met our boys you know that staying inside from morning til night doesn't tend to end well. On rainy days, sometimes you just have to go out there and find something to do in the rain...
The end of June brought the close to our first year of Tball...and an impromptu awards ceremony (Did I mention it was a little unorganized!?). The boys thought that getting a trophy was pretty much the coolest thing ever, and we kept them displayed in their room for the rest of the year. At this rate, we'll need a trophy room for 4 kids worth of childhood sports...sigh. Not sure if we'll do it again next season, although we'll have more than enough kids to cover the outfield by then.
stay tuned for more...
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