Dylan's First Christmas!

On Christmas day, Nonna and Uncle Andrew Drove made the long drive from Weedsport/Canandaigua to spend Christmas weekend with us. Dylan was super excited to see them!

I should also mention that Mimi and Papa drove up from Long Island, but we have no pictures of them:( We promise to do a better job of taking pictures next year!!!

What a big present!! Inside was Dylan's new Radio Flyer wagon! It was fun to use all our fancy stuff! Tim's in the background picking out some dinner music.

Isn't this the man's job??

We had sage roasted loin of pork with apple cranberry gravy, scalloped potatoes (courtesy of Nonna) and honey ginger carrots. Oh and lots of snacks!

We forgot pics of dessert! Again, we'll do a better job next year...we'd love to host again!

Dylan's First Christmas...Eve!

Christmas Eve was a bittersweet day for us. My grandfather's funeral and burial were that morning, which, of course, was difficult for everyone. It was a very nice service and so many people were there, which was a great homage to my grandpa. Because of the timing, we got to see cousins, aunt, uncles, and friends we weren't planning on seeing for the holidays this year.

After the services, instead of going to my parents' house as we had originally planned, we spent the holiday at my sister's, which is much closer to the cemetary. Once there, the mood was jovial and we were able to celebrate the holiday, as well as my grandfather's memory.

Many of us were going our separate ways for Christmas day, and none of the cousins were going to be seeing each other, so there were many presents that needed opening!!

With 4 girls, it was kind of a sea of Barbies, Princesses, and My Little Ponies...Dylan needed a little help:)

Thank goodness it's not a Barbie!
For the record, Dylan was in a very handsome outfit for the first part of the day...and we took no pictures of him in it:( Because he was still feeling so sick, I changed him when I put him down for a nap. And this sleeper is sooo not festive. Oh well. Here he is, looking sleepy and slightly under the weather.
Poor Gracie was sick too...here she is sharing a cuddle (and some germs) with Papa.

As Dylan's gift to us, he slept the whole 2 hour drive from Aunt Lisa's house to ours!!! Merry Christmas!

Over 95 years...

Just before Christmas, my grandfather, Raymond Rossi, passed away after a long, happy life filled with love, laughter, family, and friends. He served in World War II, had 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren. Up until about 4 months ago he was still living on his own, in his own apartment, playing pool and cards with his buddies, and even driving (day time only!). He was 95 and died in his sleep, of heart failure. If you knew him, you'd wonder how that was even possible - maybe his heart was just too full of love:) He died with dignity, still able to walk, talk, and even crack jokes. I am so happy he was able to meet our little boy before passing on. Dylan will certainly hear all about his great grandpa and what a great man he was.

Here he is, looking on as my dad holds Dylan.

Baby's 1st Snow Storm! And 1st cold:(

Last weekend we got our first big snow storm of the season. Actually, it was two storms! On Friday morning, Dylan and I got out to the grocery store to stock up on food, nice and early, before the snow started. He seemed super sleepy in the store but I just thought it was because it was so early in the morning. We got home, I put Dylan down for a nap, and then the snow started around noon. And it kept going! Tim came home a little early from work. By that evening we had tons of snow! And poor little Dylan had a fever:( By the next morning the snow had stopped and it was a beautiful, but cold, day. Dylan still wasn't feeling well so we stayed in. That night and the next morning, we got even more snow! By late afternoon, the snow had stopped and Dylan no longer had a fever, so we took him outside to play in the snow!

Unfortunately, the next night, Dylan was again running a low grade fever, sounding hoarse and congested - and waking up every ten minutes! We brought him into the doctor on Tuesday morning and he was officially diagnosed with a cold. He had a rough few days, but is definitely on the mend. Dylan's been very generous with his germs - and so now Tim and I have some serious colds.

Happy Birthday Katie!

On Dec 21, Katie turned 5 years old! We all celebrated a little bit earlier in the month with a "Barbie and the Diamond Castle" party. How fun does THAT sound!?

Here's Dylan with Jamie, my cousin Michele's daughter. She is a month older than him - and all dressed up for Katie's special guest......SANTA! Santa made a special appearance at the party.
Dylan wasn't as big of a fan of Santa today as he was the first time they met.
He much preferred my lap:)

Happy Birthday, Katie - we love you!

7 months!

Dylan is seven months old! We didn't remember to take his picture on his "birthday" but this is a pic from the next day, at his cousin Katie's 5th birthday party.

Dylan is a pro at sitting by himself on the floor and like to stand with assistance.

He loves to eat prunes, plums, pears, and sweet potatoes. Not as much a fan of avocado and peas. Looks like he's inherited mommy's sweet tooth! He thinks cereal is yummy but his digestive system begs to differ. He likes to eat pieces of fruit in his mesh feeder and likes to play with his sippy cup. No water bottle is safe in Dylan's presence - he will cry and fuss until you let him take a sip. And then he won't let you put it away! Actually, nothing within an arm's reach is safe from Dylan's grasp - he is interested in touching and mouthing everything! Such a curious little guy! He makes babbling sounds like ma-ma, ga-ga, and gee (haven't heard many da-da's yet - sorry Tim!) and has just started blowing raspberries. He does this really cute thing when he is super excited about getting something in his mouth (like a spoonful of prunes or my orange water bottle) where he says "hee ah hee ah hee!". When the treat is finally in his mouth he lets out a contented "ahmmmmummumm". Dylan's two bottom teeth are almost completely grown in, looking quite cute but causing much trouble for both him, myself, and Tim!

Taking a bath is still Dylan's favorite activity and Daddy does a great job teaching him to kick his legs and splash. Dylan is still not a fan of the car, despite his switch to the big boy, convertible car seat. The new seat is much more plush and cushy but still rear-facing. I think he just doesn't like to be contained in one place for any extended period of time. Also on the list of things he doesn't like is SLEEP. We're still working on getting Dylan to sleep through the night and on establishing a regular napping schedule. Things like teething and travel have complicated this situation somewhat! Dylan just doesn't want to miss a thing, he'd rather be hanging out with mom and dad and looking around at stuff than getting any shut-eye. Also he is SO nosey! He wants to know what everyone else is doing, at all times. And he thrives on being around people. He makes sure everyone we encounter gets a glimpse of he adorable smile. Future heartbreaker? Party animal? Community Organizer? President!?? He seems to be getting an early start on all these things.

A Playdate in Brooklyn

After having to cancel and reschedule several times, last weekend we finally got Cy and Dylan together for another playdate. They hadn't seen each other in two months and both boys have gotten so big since then!

Dylan borrowed Cy's high chair to eat some lunch while Cy napped. It's a great wooden chair that used to be Adam's (Cy's dad).

Poor Cy had barely woken up when we made the boys do an impromptu photo shoot. So cute!