Our Family

So, what have you been doing for the past 2 years?

2011-07-18T13:05:00.005-04:00

It looks like it has been almost exactly 2 years since I updated the blog. Ooops!

What has happened in the past 2 years, you may be asking.

Well...
Allison happened! On September 1, 2010 at 2:10 am (after 41 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy) Allison Renee made her debut. I will add her birth story here later, but for now just a few more pics:

Sadly, the day after she was born, Scott's dad passed away. It was a difficult loss, but I firmly believe God gave us Allison at the perfect time to help ease everyone's pain. When you look at that gorgeous face you can't help but smile even when you're sad.

With Andrew's hilarious antics and Allison's uncanny ability to be absolutely adorable all the time, I am sure I'll find a lot to post about more often.

Yes, we are still here

2009-07-31T23:17:00.003-04:00

It's been forever since I've updated thanks to crazy summer schedules and our home construction/renovation. Here are a few "brief" updates on our world!

Andrew update 1: Still no teeth!! I swear my child's been teething since he was born, but they still have yet to poke through. I am okay with that from the perspective that late teeth are better, healthier teeth. I am NOT okay with that from the perspective he has 2 teeth descending at the same rate and look like they are about to pop through at the same time. I am not happy dealing with a child having multiple teeth coming through, but at least we'll just get it over with all at once.

Andrew update 2: Crawling! About a day after he turned 7 months old, he began motoring around the floor. He went from having zero interest in crawling to going about 90 miles an hour in the span of about 20 minutes. I'm amazed at how fast things go in Andrew-ville.

Andrew update 3: Walking! He has figured out that crawling can take him to vertical objects. These vertical objects are perfect for pulling himself up on and from there walking all over! He still needs to hold onto things to walk for the most part, but if he has enough objects that he can hold onto, he will spend an hour doing nothing but walking around a room.

Andrew update 4: Talking! When he was about 4 1/2 months old, he said "Hi" to my mom from his perch in his bassinet while waving. He still says, "Hi" a lot while waving to various people and has added "Dada", "Mama" and "Oma" to the list. Recently he has begun repeating, "A bath" when I ask him if he wants to get a bath. He also LOVES to have screaming contests with his Oma (my mom). He will scream loudly, she mimics him, then he goes soft and she follows suit. One day they did the back and forth screaming game for 45 minutes.

On the "Oma" note. I had been calling my mom Grammy since the day he was born. Andrew, however, decided about a month ago to begin calling her Oma. I find this wonderful, precious and amazing because my grandfather, my mom's dad, was Dutch. Oma is Dutch for grandma. I love that Andrew found his own name for her and that he picked one with a meaning so sweet for us.

Andrew update 5: Random! During the home renovation project, we had to dig up a lot of the plants around our yard and transplant them into pots. While we went through a dry spell, Andrew and I would water the plants together everyday. He loves it! We also attended some Parent & Me swim classes at the YMCA. We learned to look for the fishies in the water, to talk to them and to listen to them. He has had so much fun and we can't wait to take some more classes in the future! He also received a pretty special honor. He was in a photogenic baby competition recently. He was chosen to be one of seven finalists out of nearly 300 entries. Out of the seven finalists, Andrew won 5th place and now is the proud owner of his very first trophy! Of course pictures will be taken with the new acquisition!

As soon as we figure out why the batteries in the camera are being such a pest, we will be adding more picture of both Andrew and the home construction to the blog VERY soon. Until then...

Today

2009-06-08T14:32:00.004-04:00

Andrew is seven months old. I'm sorry, when did THAT happen??

My screensaver is rolling images of my boy in random order and it amazes me to see a picture of him like this:

Followed by a picture like this:

Where did this big boy come from and what happened to my baby???

Teething stinks!

2009-06-03T01:23:00.002-04:00

I swear Andrew has been teething since he was about 3 - 4 months old. He was a drool factory and would bite anything that came near his mouth with occasional, unexplained screams that seemed to come from no where.

Even though he's had some occasional rough moments, the past 5 days have been completely miserable for the poor boy and his teething has become much more intense. His drooling is unreal! Within 20 minutes of putting pajamas on, the entire top is soaked! His nose runs constantly and the wiping of said nose make him even fussier. Nothing makes him happy. He will sit in the exersaucer for 10 minutes, sit in his stroller for 10 minutes, play on the floor for 10 minutes, but nothing is a lasting solution. He has gone from biting and chewing things to full out gnawing on everything! When I can finally encourage him to sleep, he tosses and turns and is very restless.

He's had a few doses of Hyland's teething tablets. They may help some, but they aren't a complete solution either. Rescue Remedy seems to have helped him sleep a little better tonight.

This is one part of motherhood I don't think anyone can prepare you for. The helplessness of seeing your little one miserable and being at a complete loss for how to remedy the situation or explain to him what is going on is awful.

Any teething tricks or advice would be much appreciated. Although our beloved RR seems to be helping him sleep tonight and even though it is an herbal supplement, I don't want to over medicate him with that and build up an immunity to RR.

My Eight!

2009-05-13T12:40:00.002-04:00

8 things I'm looking forward to...

1. Andrew's first words
2. Andrew's first steps (which may be coming sooner than I expected!)
3. Andrew's first tooth (notice a running theme here? Yes, my life revolves around my child)
4. Being pregnant again
5. Our home renovation to be DONE
6. Taking some weekend trips this summer with hubby and baby
7. Scrapbooking the dozens of cute Andrew pictures I have
8. Getting Andrew's 6 month pics back from the studio

8 things I did yesterday...

1. Went to Giant Eagle
2. Bought soda for Nana Debbie's surprise party
3. Came home
4. Went to the chiropractor
5. Was asked to give a talk on the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy, post partum and for infants
6. Came home
7. Went to Nana Debbie's surprise party
8. Came home

8 things I wish I could do...

1. Pay to have all the home construction work done in a week
2. Buy all new appliances
3. Buy a Dodge Journey
4. Have another baby right now (yes, I am crazy)
5. Take a long vacation in the Caribbean
6. Buy new couches for my living room
7. Find bedding that I like
8. Get back into all of my pre pregnancy clothes, not just some of 'em

8 shows I am currently watching...

1. American Idol
2. Prison Break
3. Nanny 911
4. 30 Minute Meals
5. Everyday Italian
6. Decorating Cents
7. World's Strictest Parents
8. Fox News

I am supposed to tag 8 people, but instead this is up for grabs for anyone who wants to do their own eight.

Anyone have a brick I can borrow?

2009-05-11T23:12:00.003-04:00

I need it to put on my son's head. He is growing up way too fast!

Two weeks ago we saw the pediatrician and weighed in at 13 lbs 12 oz with a length of 26 inches.

This morning he decided to pull himself into a standing position all by himself.

Then he capped off the day by walking around in his exersaucer/walker for a while.

Can not handle the growing up stuff!!

Andrew & Daddy

2009-04-27T21:59:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: The cuteness is overwhelming. The author of this blog is not responsible for spontaneous aww's and ooh's. Furthermore, the author is not responsible for any work that is ignored or performed incorrectly when viewing the adorable little boy with his much loved Daddy.

Andrew Scott Catalano

2009-04-21T12:06:00.003-04:00

Born November 8, 2008 at 8:04 pm

Dedicated to the Lord April 19, 2009 at 10:00 am by Pastor Cliff Reynolds.

Andrew had an awesome dedication. Dave performed a beautiful song flawlessly, as we all expected, Pastor Cliff said a very sweet prayer and we were honored to have Grandma, Nana, Pappy, Auntie Linn, Cousin Wesleigh, Aunt Joanna, Uncle Jim, Aunt Jamie, Uncle Bryan and Cousin Cody all come to his special service.

Pictures are soon to follow, but Andrew isn't quite giving Mama enough time to do that right now.

Oh the woes of being a little

2009-04-07T22:20:00.002-04:00

Poor Andrew has to rely on his Mama to update his blog... and his Mama has to rely on her laptop. Unfortunately Mama's laptop has to work and, right now, her laptop is not functioning properly thus the lull in lots of Andrew cuteness.

Much more shortly forthcoming as soon as Daddy breaks out the tools :-)

Andrew laughing

2009-03-13T23:19:00.004-04:00

Since Andrew and his Mama have finally recovered from their colds (that Daddy so generously shared with us!) we decided to share a video for our first post in a very long time! Andrew has a great laugh, but tends to stop all signs of joy when the video camera comes out. This time, Mama decided to tickle some laughs out of him to share with everyone. Enjoy the cuteness!

Even monkeys deserve to be cuddled

2009-02-18T14:36:00.003-05:00

Since Grandma nicknamed Andrew "monkey" while still in utero, he has quite the stuffed monkey collection! And now that he's getting a little bigger, he has taken a bit of interest in them, especially his Ty Beany Baby monkey. Of course we had to take pictures to prove the lovin'

Andrew's First Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T18:27:00.003-05:00

At Andrew's Grandma's church they had a 50's themed Valentine's party complete with a movie, root beer floats and sundaes. And a costume contest for the best 50's themed costume. Yes, Andrew participated.

Of course, he won. :-)

It's all because of me!

2009-02-04T18:24:00.003-05:00

You can thank Ben Roethislisberger for being a fantastic quarterback. You can thank Santonio Holmes for catching a game changing pass. You can thank James Harrison for making an awesome interception. You can thank Mike Tomlin for being the best coach in the NFL.

But we all know who was really responsible for the Super Bowl win.

Andrew. In all his Steeler glory, cheering them on all the way!

A year ago...

2009-01-29T14:47:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this on January 26, but between Andrew being sick and my computer being defiant, I never got to around to doing so.

January 26, 2009 was a very emotional anniversary for me. It marked one year since the beginning of my last menstrual period. It marked the beginning of the cycle I finally became pregnant and stayed pregnant on. However, I didn't know it at the time and seeing another cycle come devastated me. I should have been almost in my second trimester with the child I lost. I was heartbroken that yet another cycle passed without a positive test. It was cycle #17 since we began trying to conceive.

January 28, 2008 was the day I called my OB and asked him if we could restart the infertility testing we began on the October cycle I became pregnant on, and subsequently lost. I clearly remember him telling me that since I became pregnant, further tests wouldn't tell us too much since we knew I could get pregnant. Instead he gave me a prescription for Clomid that he wanted to test for a cycle to see how it made me ovulate.

And now, a year after entering yet another cycle with SUCH despair, I have my precious little boy sitting beside me chattering away and grinning like crazy.

What a difference a year makes.

Andrew loves his Christmas gift

2009-01-07T18:46:00.003-05:00

And Momma has issues holding the camera still. In my defense, nearly six months after buying it, I am still figuring out how to use the silly thing because before Andy was born we never used it and since he's been born Daddy's mostly been monopolizing it. :-)

My how you've grown!

2009-01-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

Andrew had his second well baby check-up today. I have to say that I LOVE our pediatrician (who is actually a family practitioner)! He is very respectful of our parenting decisions and, while he informed us of what he usually does at an 8 week check-up, but said, "I completely respect whatever your wishes are and always default to the parents' choices." I love the fact there is NO pressure to follow the mainstream.

Andrew weighed in at 9 lb 1 oz and 24 inches. He is in the 90th percentile for his height, but only the 10th percentile for his weight. Apparently we have a long, lean bean! The doctor said as long as I am nursing on demand and there is some growth, he isn't concerned about where he falls on the charts.

Also, my brilliant son decided to show off some of his favorite tricks and charmed the doctor by smiling, babbling, holding his head up strongly for the entire visit and bearing down on his legs. Needless to say, our doctor was thrilled with him and says he is "very bright".

No more appointments until March! Can't wait to see how much more he has grown by then!

Proof he talks

2008-12-27T13:07:00.004-05:00

The worst thing that ever happened to my son? His parents buying a DVD camera.

Because smiling wasn't enough

2008-12-23T11:00:00.001-05:00

Just a few hours after my last post, Andrew decided to up the ante a bit. We were rocking in our glider with him laying in Momma's arms when he started grinning at me like crazy and then...

He laughed.

Yep, Andrew's now smiling, laughing and talking (well, baby babble, but still...). My little guy is growing up.

And we have a smile...

2008-12-20T18:08:00.004-05:00

About two weeks ago Andrew began truly smiling. Now he will happily smile anytime someone he knows well talks to him and smiles at him. It is absolutely adorable. When he smiles, his eyes smile too and he glows. I may be biased, but the boy is absolutely gorgeous when he smiles.

Capturing said smile, however, has been a little more difficult than getting him to smile. As soon as I pull out the camera and get ready, the smile is gone. It has taken quite a bit of effort to get a picture of Andrew in all his smiley glory and I have the evidence to prove it!

Finally, we struck gold

Getting bigger and bigger

2008-12-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

After doing a fantastic job of napping in his Pack 'N Play for two hours at a time when he was only 2 weeks old, Andrew went on strike. Not only was he not napping in the Pack 'N Play, he wasn't napping for longer than 20 minutes at a time and only when in someone's arms or in the car. Not fun for a mother who still has a house to take care of and a holiday to prepare for.

He also decided that when he went to sleep for the night it would only be when laying beside Momma. Daddy wasn't good enough for that task.

Tonight, we've done a little bit of growing up and have, so far, slept for an hour in the Pack 'N Play.

The downside is that I will need to remove him from said Pack 'N Play which resides in the living room and take him upstairs for bed, but I will take what I can and do whatever tasks I can while he's sleeping to get something accomplished.

Things people never tell you

2008-12-11T22:48:00.003-05:00

No one ever mentioned to me that I could have an unmedicated, pain-free childbirth due to prayer and faith. No one ever told me that motherhood could be a task you slip into easily. No one ever said that the best sight I'd ever behold would be my son's peaceful, sleeping face knowing that the milk my body made created that serenity.

And no one ever told me that pregnancy and childbirth can completely trash your gall bladder! I have read dozens of books on pregnancy and childbirth. I've read hundreds of articles online as well. And I've talked to everyone from a doula to a midwife to an OB and not a single person ever mentioned that you may wind up with a cholecystectomy within the first six weeks after delivery.

Guess what I had done yesterday? Yep, my gall bladder was removed due to attacks I've been having. Three of the attacks occurred during the pregnancy and then cleared up on their own and never created another problem until I was a week post partum. They came back with a vengeance, bad enough to send me to the ER twice with pain.

All went well. Actually, it went much better than I expected. I was disheartened to learn I'd need general anesthesia not the la-la land twilight stuff I was hoping for. The main part of general anesthesia that bothered me was the whole intubating thing. I didn't like the prospect of having a tube shoved down my throat, but my anesthesiologist was a great one and made sure I was extubated before I even woke up so I never knew what was going on.

Everyone at the hospital was great actually. They had no problems with Scott, my mom and Andrew being with me every step from pre-op to recovery except for when I was in the OR for the surgery. They never made one comment about me having Andrew with me and were very considerate with my breastfeeding needs pre-operatively. The doctor also gave me post operative pain medication that is breastfeeding friendly.

I am recovering. I expected it to hurt more in some ways and didn't expect it to hurt as bad in other ways, but overall it is pretty bearable. The worst part is only being able to nurse on one side especially with a son who likes to dictate which side he eats on. We are coping though.

Poor Scott now feels the entirety of his "in sickness and in health" vows since I can't do much with Andrew other than nurse. The incision in my belly button makes it difficult to sit upright and play with him and the incision that is right at the bottom of my ribcage in the middle makes it uncomfortable to hold him in a cradlehold. Scott has been wonderful and waited on me hand and foot and doing an awesome job of caring for Andrew. I don't know what I'd do if I was on my own with a baby and four incision sites. I am so thankful to have a husband who is a very hands-on daddy as well as a considerate husband. The fact he had the same surgery and remembers the pain it caused helps as well, I am sure. ;-)

One Whole Month!

2008-12-09T14:43:00.002-05:00

Andrew is officially one month old!!! I can't believe how fast the time is going and how fast my little man is growing! He had his first professional portrait session with our friend Pam who is a fantastic photographer. I can not wait to see how they came out as they were awfully cute to watch!

And then we did our very own photo shoot at home for Christmas cards. After 30 minutes and lots of crying (from both Andrew and his Momma) we still didn't have a picture good enough for Christmas cards, but some cute shots that I just love.

Christmas Dinner

2008-12-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

Andrew went to his first Christmas dinner on Friday night... and quickly went to his second the very next night! The cuteness was quite overwhelming as he looked like an adorable little preppy college boy. :-) There were shoes to match, but they were quickly kicked off.

Here we go Stillers*

2008-12-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

We brought the Steelers luck a few weeks ago by wearing our adorable Steelers outfit:

And this week Daddy and I brought them LOTS of luck in an unusual way... by sleeping through the game!!!!

*=Spelling is correct if you live in Western PA :-)

Andrew's First Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

He didn't really get too excited over Thanksgiving... probably has something to do with the fact that he was only 2 1/2 weeks old when Thanksgiving happened. And solid food really holds no interest for him right now. Mommy milk is all he needs to make him happy. But when Momma tried to eat her food? Yeah, he decided it was time to eat too.

And yes, he did have three Thanksgiving outfits. Momma and Daddy both decided to go a wee bit overboard.