Blizzard of 2010

This is periodic video footage of the snow falling over Friday and Saturday taken from our sunroom. Keep an eye on the bench, armrests, umbrella pole and the birdhouse. Enjoy!

Hanging Out in The Bouncy Chair

It has been quite some time since our last post, so we thought a little video clip would be a nice way to give you a quick update on the star of our family.  Here is our little princess at 4 months old. You have to listen closely to her responses to her papa's questions.....

Our Little Reindeer

Our little reindeer Chiara was trying to log as many miles as Santa Clause for her first Christmas.  Just like Santa, Chiara apparently likes 12 inches of snow on the ground to start her holiday visits.  The first day of the road trip was spent driving through a blizzard and lasted until after midnight, when we finally decided to sleep in  Fremont, Ohio.  After a very short night of sleep, we got off to our newly defined early start of 9:30 a.m.  We made it into Windsor, Canada for a quick visit to meet her Bisnonno for the first time.  Despite the exhausting drive, the only real casualty was that Chiara’s little butt was almost as red as Rudolph’s nose from all of the hours logged in her car seat!

After meeting her other Great Grandparents and great Auntie Susan, she got to meet her (Uncles) Winston and Oliver (well, o.k. ---  they are actually Grammy’s two dogs), all for the very first time.  She braved the usual Christmas pace.  Even though she did not prepare a dish to pass, she wound up being the most well received guest at each of the family dinners.  She attended midnight service on Christmas Eve at the same church where her parents were married.  Finally, one last meal at Bisnonno’s in Windsor, Canada and she was heading back home. One more lovely evening spent right off the Ohio Turnpike and Chiara declared, “Virginia or Bust”!

Despite logging over 1,200 miles, Chiara made an attempt to venture up to see her grandparents in NJ.  Unfortunately, the traffic was so bad that her parents had much less stamina than her and they had to turn back home.

All totaled, Chiara traveled approximately 1,320 miles and logged over 25 hours on the road, with about 21 hours spent in her little sleigh (seen pictured here)!  Chiara has already elected to play Santa next year instead of one of his reindeer.  She is particularly interested in the role of eating cookies and drinking milk next to her own Christmas tree rather than the part of flying through the night and delivering packages to all of the other children! ;-)

"B" is for....Belch!

Mama and Papa received an incredible surprise this week.  Our little Chiara came close to belching the alphabet before actually saying it!

Body humor can sometimes be crude and tasteless, but it is typically funny anyway.  When it relates to such an adorable little baby like Chiara, we are hoping to get a social grace pass for sharing this with you.  If you lived through our "2" posting, you have nothing to worry about with this one!

As some of you know, we are sort of "blessed" by how easy it is to burp Chiara after feedings.  It is almost unsatisfying, because as soon as she makes it to an upright position, you are treated to her favorite tune and a nice wiff of her last digested meal.

Anyway.... earlier this week mama and papa were sitting in the dining room around lunchtime.  Chiara was sitting on mama's lap and out of nowhere lets out this incredible BELCH!  We both looked at each other in disbelief.  We did not know whether to call Ripley's Believe it or Not or a Priest!  No exaggeration... this belch would have won a contest on any college campus for length, pitch or volume.  It was almost as if every burp up to that point was just a wrung on a ladder to this sort of Belch Everest!

Without actual proof we decided against calling Ripley's or even Guiness.  Her head never turned more than 45 degrees and there was no greenish hue to her complexion, so we ruled out the need for a priest.  One thing was certain....this was going on the blog!

When we were thinking of the best way to explain just how amazing this belch was, we both happened to think of Booger from Revenge of the Nerds.  The fact that we both thought of that at almost the exact same time is kind of weird and is an embarrassing example that Chiara's parents are soul mates.  In any case, for those of you that spared some brain cells and never watched Revenge of the Nerds or for those that forgot (certainly not Auntie Rachy Rach) the particular scene that came to our mind, we have attached a clip for you.

To really feel the moment we experienced, we suggest clicking the Booger clip below while viewing the picture of our sweet Chiara!

What's Wrong with This Picture??

Mommy here.  After a long absence from posting -- and way too many "daddy posts" -- I had to sign on to share a certain photo with everyone (see above).  What's wrong with this picture?  Hm??  I'll give you a hint just in case your monitor is on the fritz or you've developed a sudden case of color blindness: in a certain baby's room, there's a closet full of BROWN ... and 2 pink frocks! (courtesy of Auntie Susan and Miss Jackie)  Although daddy may have boasted about his paint job in outfitting the nursery, mommy notes that he surprisingly never 'fessed up to our loyal readers that he's commandeered poor little Chiara's closet!  In the spirit of full disclosure, this is daddy's closet #2 (he also has clothes in the "guest room")... Better make way, daddy -- pink's not your color!!        

New Twist to an Old Remedy

A hot water bottle is a container filled with hot water and sealed with a stopper, used to provide warmth, typically used while in bed, but also for the application of heat to a specific part of the body.             

     

Containers for warmth in bed were in use as early as the 16th century. The earliest versions contained hot coals from the dying embers of the fire, and these bed warmers were used to warm the bed before getting into it.

An electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. This modern version of a hot water bottle was developed in 1912 by American physician Sidney I. Russell. Electric overblankets were introduced in the United States in 1937. In 1970, the Thermega company brought a blanket heated by the circulation of warm water to the market.  

A Chiara is a cute little baby girl filled with gas and food.  When she is not getting rid of said food in her pants and not strengthening her vocal chords by letting us know she needs more food and/or for us to make room in her pants for her to get rid of her next meal, she can also be used to provide warmth and comfort for either parent.

This precious bag of heat has only been in use for a few weeks.  However, there are already signs of some considerable advantages to the Chiara over the electric blanket and the hot water bottle.  Chiara maintains a steady temperature of approximately 98 degrees Fahrenheit, you do not have to plug in the cord used during her manufacturing to operate Chiara, and there are no risks of minor skin burns or catching clothing or bedding on fire.

There is also a random massage mode (usually to the eyes, throat or ribs) and the Chiara can shift along with or even assume the same sleeping position of its operator a.k.a. exhausted parent.

Greetings from Chiara!

This week was bittersweet for Dad. Chiara is wearing the very first outfit she grew out of in this clip! Looks like a trip to the newborn clothing department is in order....