Baby it’s cold outside…

It sure is a winter wonderland in Chicagoland. It did warm up a bit today. It is now 1 degree Fahrenheit instead of -7 (this is before wind chill is factored in). They say that it is -31 with the wind chill. That’s cold. I did learn a pretty cool fact though…my car registers negative numbers. I never knew it could do that.

Carmella is growing like a weed in the warm summer sun (minus the warm and minus the sun). She is exactly 2 months old today and weighs in at 12 pounds 8 ounces. She is a tall baby too measuring 24 and a quarter inches. Both measurements place her in the 95th percentile.

She had to get her first round of shots today. She wasn’t too happy about it, but she was a trooper. She only cried a little then relaxed and fell asleep shortly after I placed her in her car seat to go home.

There is so much more that I want to blog about, but such little time. In case I don’t get to write more before Wednesday, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

[Ella in her new Christmas outfit that her Auntie Kathy and Uncle Jason got for her. She is so excited her hands and feet are moving like crazy.]

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything on our blog. My computer crashed last week and was off getting fixed for a few days. But it’s back and so am I.

Carmella and I have been busy lately. We spent a cold and snowy day in Chicago two Saturdays ago. Our new, but dear friend, Heidi, her daughter, Hanna and Hanna’s friend, Ruth accompanied us on our outing. We spent most of the day at Macy’s and ate at the Walnut Room where there is a massive Christmas tree in the middle of the dining area. Ella just adores Christmas trees and the lights so it was just perfect. The cheese platter was to die for.

Busy, busy, busy doesn’t even begin to describe Mark’s schedule lately. He amazes me—really! He has done such a good job at balancing work, school, new baby and role of husband. Thankfully he took his finals for this term this past Saturday. What a relief to be on a bit of a break. Monday morning he said, “It feels like I am forgetting something because I don’t have to carry any school materials with me on the train.” Yea!! Freedom for a few weeks.

This week we have guests visiting from out of town, a Christmas party to attend, and Mark is travelling one day (if he doesn’t get snowed in). The last two mornings it has been under 10 degrees—just the beginning of a Chicago winter. The streets are still icy from a rain storm a few days ago and we are expected to get some more snow today. It has put a damper on walks in the park with Ella. I am going to have to become one of those “mall walkers” to improvise.

Here are a few pictures from this weekend. Enjoy.

A Christmas Blessing

Mark and I debated for several days whether to get a real tree or purchase a fake one for our home. Since we will be in Boston for Christmas we knew that a real one would have to be taken down before we left—what fun is that? The last thing I want to do the day before Christmas Eve is to tear decorations off the tree and put the tree on the curb. It’s a sad thought. However, fake trees are extremely expensive and I couldn’t see spending the money.

In the end we decided to go ahead and get a real tree. Thankfully our plans were thwarted by severe weather conditions. The very day we wanted to pick one out God decided to bring on the rain, sleet and eventually dump several inches of snow on Chicagoland. Needless to say, it was a little too cold and wet to go Christmas tree shopping that day.

Well, it was a good thing we decided to wait on getting the tree…The very next day our neighbor mentioned that he wanted to get rid of their tree. He said that they had it in the garage and we could have it if we wanted it. That very night Bill (our neighbor) brought it to the house and I unpacked it immediately. It took me all night to fluff out all of the branches, but when I finished I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. We now have a nine foot tree standing in our living room. What a wonderful Christmas present. God is so cool.

Carmella is just fascinated with all the lights. I place her on her little play mat and she just stares up at the tree as happy as can be.

A Snow Day at Home With Mommy

Carmella and I played in front of the sliding doors and watched the snow slowly and peacefully cover the patio, lawn and swing set in the back yard. She was mesmerized by the bright lights the white covering provided outside. Soon enough she will be asking to play in the snow and build a snowman. But today we enjoyed the first snow of the year from the warmth of our living room.

Later that day I strapped on the Baby Bjorn and Ella helped me pull out all of the Christmas decorations. We are one stocking shy of a complete mantle. Ella and I will have to go shopping today to get one that will represent her as part of our family.

Here is a short video clip of our snow day playtime.

Thanksgiving in Ohio

Carmella went on her first road trip this Thanksgiving. We travelled 5 ½ hours to Shelby, Ohio to celebrate the holiday with Sharon’s family. Our little pumpkin did very well—sleeping most of the way to and from Ohio. She was meeting everyone for the first time. Grandpa S. was especially happy to meet her since he didn’t get to come out with Sharon’s mom right after Carmella’s birth. She also got to meet her Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jason as well as the extended family including all of her second cousins.

The trip brought back memories from Sharon’s youth. The entire family used to gather at her grandmother’s house every Thanksgiving and do a Christmas exchange, changing Thanksgiving to “Christgiving”. The house was always filled with the smells of turkey dinner, the sounds of laughter and the warmth of being with a loving family. It was said this Thanksgiving that not everyone is as lucky to have such a loving family and one that you look forward to spending time with instead of dreading the holiday get-togethers. We do feel very lucky. I know that little Ella felt the love as she got passed around.

On the way home Ella had her first restaurant experience. Her mom and dad really wanted a break from driving so they stopped along the way (somewhere in Indiana) for a bite to eat and stretch break. She was a perfect angel during the meal…awake and not screaming…that’s all we can ask for at this point. The waitresses sure did ogle over her. She was as big a hit as the pumpkin pie.

The day after we got home it started snowing. We were going to get our Christmas tree that evening, but it was miserable outside (a mix of rain and snow) so we decided to save it for another time. Hopefully we will get one up and decorated by the end of the week.

Here are a few photos for you to enjoy…

[Ella and her Auntie Kathy...who is expecting by the way... Ella is helping her practice]

[Second cousin Anna plays with Ella.]

[All bundled up to take a stroll outside.]

[Grandpop S. getting acquainted with Ella. They shared some precious moments together.]

[A little drool never hurt anyone. I get that way too when I smell good cooking all day long.]