Nicholas' First Halloween Festivities

Nicholas has been very festive the entire month of October thanks to the cute outfits by Grammy and Aunt Jeanne. We had a blast on Nicholas' first Halloween! We had lunch with Kim and her two kid's, Malcom and Lauren, and then after lunch we baby sat them. Nicholas loved getting fed his cheerios by Lauren!

We then went to our friends Joanna and Justin's nieghborhood to trick or treat with Nicholas' girlfriend Marley. She was a cute little butterfly. Nicholas tried to web her a few times! Thank you guys for having us over for dinner too, Mexican night was extra delicious! Nicholas got to stay up late on his first Halloween, he actually made it until 8:30, whoohoo!! Maybe he'll even sleep in tommorrow until like 8 am, doubt it :-). He was exhausted at the end of the day and so were Mom and Dad!

It is absolutley amazing how life takes on a new meaning and purpose with Nicholas, I have to say this was my best Halloween yet!

Please watch my slide show. The pictures are mostly from today, but a few are from last week when we went to the Keene Pumpkin Fest and met up with our favorite twins Mason and Sam.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

OH, Nicholas is feeling much better as you can see!

Happy Halloween!!!

Make a Smilebox recipe

Check back later for pictures and Halloween fun!

Sleepy Head

Poor guy has a stomach bug, aka: SEVERE diarrea. I'll spare the details, but lets just say it has been a MESSY few days. The most awful part is the diaper rash that comes with it. His bottom looks very sore, he is so raw. Nicholas is always a squirmer when he gets his diaper changed but now fights it even more because he associates it with pain. We let him crawl around without a diaper last night for a little while so that he could "air it out." I don't need to tell you the rest of the story, but we learned from that MISTAKE. We have tried two different kinds of pedialite, but he doesn't like either. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I took him to the doc yesterday but it wasn't much help.

So, we didn't leave the house today at all. We stayed in our pj's all day, it was the perfect cold gloomy day to do it. Nicholas really needed the rest, he took two long 2 1/2 hour naps and was still so tired before bed. His long naps gave me plenty of time to sanitize the entire house. I feel so bad, my stomach hurts for him :-( One thing after another since we returned from our trip.

I kept checking in on him during his second nap, he looked so peaceful. He is an official thumb sucker by the way. As of last week he does it all day long.




He was quite happy when he woke after all that sleeping!


That's my update, I hope he feels better soon. Especially for his first Halloween!

9 Months

Nicholas turned 9 months last week. He is such a cutie and it only gets better every day. He started to point to things yesterday, his favorite thing to point to is the ceiling fan, he seems fascinated! We get excited about every new thing, but that is part of what makes it so fun!

His 9 month appointment was on Tuesday. He weighs 18 lbs. and 14 oz and is 28 in. long. Everything else checked out good except that he had pink eye and a fever; now I have pink eye too. Oh, the joys of parenthood! We were in Philly again this weekend for Chris' cousin Pete's wedding. So, my mom had a little party for my brother's birthday on Sunday since he is back in the states again and I happened to be home. I knew Nick had pink eye because he woke up from his nap on Sunday with eye crust, his eyes looked a little pink, and he just wasn't content. When I mentioned that I thought he may have pink eye everyone thought I was being the worry wort that I know sometimes that I can be. Anyway, my intuition turned out to be right even though I wish it hadn't.

Here is a video of Nicholas not so happy after his appointment until Daddy lets him play guitar. You know it must be love for Chris to let him touch his guitar like this!


P.S. wedding pics and b-day party pics to come...

Happy Anniversary!

We are so glad to be spending this day with you! We can't wait to see you later today. Nicholas will be so happy and excited to see his grandparents! We just wanted to let you both know that you have been the most wonderful support system that we could ask for and an inspiration to us all!

Hand Gestures

Nicholas waves hi, does patty cake, claps, and occasionally blows kisses and does "so big." For a while he would get them all confused and if you asked him to do one he would pull out the entire arsenal of gestures. It seems that he is getting them all straightened out now. Anyway, every time he does any of them it melts my heart!

Here are two videos that catch a little bit of the fun! Press the play button to view.

Patty Cake...




Hi Cutie...

Beautiful Fall Weekend

We had a great weekend with nice weather! The fall foliage is at its peak! When it turns bare and gray in November we'll just have to think back and remember the beautiful colors of weeks like these. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Too busy looking at the big kids to pay attention to Mom and Dad


Such a climber, he climbed up by himself (not kidding!)



down town P'boro with Dad


A bowl of color, we hiked Mt. Monadnock with our friends Catherine and Brent. We shared a babysitter and left the kids home for this one. FYI: Mt. Monadnock is the 2nd most climbed mountain in the world, the first being Mt. Fuji in Japan, and it is right in our backyard! (Well, not exactly, more like 10 minutes away)
on our way to the top...
at the top with Brent, it was VERY crowded I guess because of the holiday weekend.

with Catherine










summit marker (3,165 ft.)

The Stone Age

Happy Birthday Uncle Christian

Today is Christian's birthday. Happy Birthday Uncle Christian! Nicholas is lucky to have a godfather and uncle who is as thoughtful, smart, funny, and caring as you! Nicholas is wearing his Monaco Grand Prix shirt today in honor of you. While my brother is not a racing fan, he was in Monte Carlo during the Grand Prix last year. Nicholas always gets souveniers from his uncle's worldly travels, lucky guy! We can't wait to celebrate with you very soon! Nick was clapping and laughing in this picture as I was singing happy birthday to you.

P.S. Nicholas got his third tooth today, a top one. If you double click on this picture you can see a good shot of his bottom two teeth.

September Visit Home

Nicholas and I came home a little before Lisa's wedding to spend time with grandparents, family, and friends. We were so lucky to have been able to spend a few days with everyone. I unfortunatley didn't take as many pictures as usual, but will share some that I do have. I feel like I missed many photo oppurtunties :-((specifically hanging with cousin Tyler who is a two weeks younger than Nicholas, and cousins Lucas and Aiden)

The weather was fantastic, summer like! That was very refreshing considering New England weather was a little chilly and rainy this past summer. Nicholas, my Mom, Tom and I got to spend time down the shore again; stay at Nana and Pop-pops in West Chester and see all the aunts and cousins; and hang with family and friends in between Lisa's wedding and Bachlorette party. Nicholas told me he loved getting a bath by Aunt Re in Nan and Pop's kitchen sink and he also loved Lucas, Aiden, and Aunt Jeanne rubbing his back in the tub at Grammy's! Nicholas LOVED the attention he got all week! The visit flew by, every time we leave we realize how lucky we are to have such great friends and family on both sides! No matter how many miles between us, I still feel very close to all of you and I know Nicholas will grow up feeling the same way!

Mr. and Mrs. Cardone - 9/27/08

Lisa is actually my first and oldest friend. We have been friends since 4th grade! She and Joe finally tied the knot after being together for at least 8 years, maybe even more? I am so happy for them and wish them much happiness! Here are a few pics from her wedding, we had so much fun! Thanks Lisa and Joe, I was honored to be a part of such a special day!










I had to include this one too! Yes, that is my mom :-)

Nicholas, the Jet Setter

OK, we're back! So many people have been asking why I haven't updated but we just got back from a hometown trip, and Nicholas and I both caught a bug when we got back. I guess we were worn down from all the partying! Nicholas is going through people and doggie withdraw! Pictures will be soon to follow...

Nicholas is use to the airport already :-)