What a year!!!

   Dear Isaac!
   What a year it has been! Exactly one year ago last Sunday I was eating a loaf of bread in the Philly airport wondering what was with this crazy stomach ache....and exactly one year ago today I was puking my guts up with worst morning sickness ever! I slept through New Year's day COMPLETELY! Amazing how different a year can end from the way it began! Now I would be excited to get a half hour nap!
   So much has changed it is hard to believe that only one year has gone by! Within 1 year i have spanned more clothing sizes than I could have ever imagined! It feels like a lifetime ago before thoughts of Sir Isaac consumed my head! What did I used to think about? What was important then? How did it feel not to be tired all the time? I can barely remember!! Did I really used to get dressed before leaving the house?
    2009 has been a year I will never forget! Daddy and I grew closer than we could have ever imagined. Pregnancy was an amazing experience I will never forget! Birth was the scariest, most thrilling, most emotional moment of my life! Sir Isaac has been nothing short of a miracle in our lives, albeit the loudest, crankiest, sleepless little monster ever, you are still our favorite little miracle!

    The end of the year has brought so many new fond memories for the 3 of us! Isaac bravely survived his first flight! Everyone was right, I was way more nervous than I needed to be! It added a whole extra 3 minutes to our airport time!
    Our first family trip to NEPA has been a blast thus far! Isaac's introduction to the whole clan was amazing to see! Nona loves singing to him and covers him daily in enough holy oil we can fry our little piggy up like bacon! Krissy has become so maternal, Nono has decided he is too old to change diapers and Noni just loves have the whole house full again (although I am not so sure why!)  Packing for the little monster was a complete waste time. Noni's "few things" was more like a whole new wardrobe! I should have known better! Daddy and I are getting a little to used to all these extra helping hands and our new found free time! Uncle ronnie better be willing and able when we get back to Vegas!
    Christmas with Sir I was so much fun! I know he is way too young to know what is going on....but it was still so much fun dressing him up like a little elf! Johnnie JUmperoo has become our new best friend! It is so fun to watch him jump and play for such a length a time without freaking out! Gramma Berta flew in for the holiday and we all had a great time...although I wish Noni and Nono cooked a little more...ha! I can only foresee the following holiday times to be more special with each passing year!

    Little man donned his first tuxedo for his Christening on the 27th. He was so cute!! All in his white silk suit! What a stud! Aunt Gina and Uncle Ronnie were the proud godparents. Isaac did so well..until the picture portion. Then he had a meltdown in classic Isaac style! The reception after was a lot of fun too. The whole family got to meet and see him - and surprisingly Mommy let everyone hold him too! But if one more person said "this baby doesn't cry at all" I was going to flip!! If only we had the party at 2 am!!
    Sleeping has become a major issue these days.  Luckily everyone is here to witness it so I don't feel like it is just me overreacting to the baby crying all the time. We are now on the sleep pattern of: sleep 1 hour, wake up and cry 2 hours. If it sounds fun  you are oh so right! All night....cry cry cry. I called the doctor for some advice but all i got was "take him to an urgent care". HA. Karma is having a blast with that one!
   Finally tonite we will wrap up one helluva year! I cannot imagine topping the excitement of '09! Maybe Krissy will give I a cousin..hahahahahahaha...just kidding my dear! I look forward to watching how much our baby Sir I will grow in the next year and all the great experiences Daddy and I will have with our new family! I wish all the best to my friends and family in the new year - and hopefully we will see more of you in '10! '10???? How weird??? We are so old! - and to my dear old friend Rich, congrats with your twins! You will be amazed at how much your life has been completely changed in such an instant! It is an amazing journey we can only experience to describe!
     Merry CHristmas and Happy New year to all!

On our way to NEPA!!

It is almost time! Seems like just yesterday I bought the tickets! 6 weeks have passed and in a few short hours we will be sitting high in the sky on our way to Noni's house in NEPA for the holidays! I cannot wait! I think Sir I knew something was up too...He has been Baby Hell Boy all week! This time tomorrow Daddy and I will sitting fireside with some hot toddies pretending we dont hear him crying for Noni!!! Doesn't that sound great???? I can just hear Noni now trying to sooth the bedtime beast!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! How sweet it will be!!! I can almost taste the Frangelico in my cocoa now!

But lets be honest....until we are comfortable - and I mean COMFORTABLY sitting at 30,000 feet I will be a nervous wreck about Little Baby Dynomite exploding on the plane! I may start the drinking early!!! Ha! After weighing all the pros and cons, hmm's and ha's, we have decided NOT to bring the carseat on the plane. I hope it is the right decision! We will know tomorrow morning for sure if we are buying a new one to fly back with! :)  Little man hates the seat though..so why lug it thru the airport if he is only going to sit on my lap? I know it will be easier for when he DOES fall asleep...but I'm sure those 20 minutes are not worth the hassle!

In other news we are officially 18 weeks old today... We had our 4 month Dr. visit and completed our shot records (for now).  I always feel like an idiot when the Dr asks me how is it going? I tell him the baby cries A LOT and he looks at me like "are you expecting him to bark"Because then i just think maybe i am a horrible mother who cant hack the crying? But really this kid can wail like no other! And he is damn good with the will power too! He will scream his bloody head off and then smile and coo the second you get in his face! 18 weeks old and the kid can already play me like a fiddle! He preys on weakness - I am sure that is a Nardell trait....Anywhoo...the Dr  then reassures me that Isaac is  right on track and probably just "going through a phase"....and to myself I think "an 18 week phase?" But I suck it up...really? what's one more night of mommy crying the shower afterall?

So we shall see how he does in NEPA...he was an ANGEL at GRamma Berta's house....and if he cant find enough to keep himself stimulated at Noni's then we are in trouble!

I will be sure to keep you all updated on the success of our trip! Thanks so much for all your tips - for some reason Dr's are HIGHLY against the benadryl suggestion so we are just going to stick a bobba in his mouth and hope for the best! If they ground us in Ohio and make us vacate the plane I will be sure to send our Season's Greetings from Cleveland! (God I hope not!)

Here we come East Coast!!!! I hope to see you all soon!

10 day countdown!!

10 more days until we board the plane and head East for the winter...we are like the snowbirds that got it backwards!
I cannot wait to land!! All the preparation for the trip makes me nervous! (of course!) Will he cry the whole way? (Probably!) Will Security be a pain in the ass? (most likely) Will people be coughing and sneezing all over him? ( I will kill them!) Is he allowed a carry on bag? Ugh!

All these questions and more! But I know once we land it will be well worthSir I will get to see his Noni again (yeah!!) and finally meet his Nono and Nona as well as Aunt Krissy, Zizi, and Uncle Mark and everyone else!! I figured I wont even pack a bag for him because all I hear is that "no one bought him (really) anything...." Yeah rite!!...knowing my family that means he will have more things there than here!
Mommy and Daddy cannot wait for our Vegas break either! A few weeks in snow and winter weather will be a refreshing break for both of us! Not to mention the constant influx of babysitters...(Bratty!!)
THere is nothing like being home for the holidays! And no one does Christmas better than Noni! She "doesn't shop", "doesn't decorate", and "doesn't cook/bake much" like no one's business!! But Mommy's whole goal for the holiday vacation is to hit the gym!!! There is nothing more fun than having a 4 month old and trying to "SQUEEZE" into my maternity clothes! Danko's here I come!!!

Christmas will have an added bonus this year as Gramma Berta will be spending I's first Christmas with us in NEPA!  Hopefully the onslaught of the entire family at once won't send her running back to the high desert in a hurry! So everyone better be on their  best...okay, better...behavior!
Also We are trying to get Sir's Baptism set up for the 27th.  It is  just as hard to work with Ronnie's schedule as it is Baby Jesus's! Hopefully most of you will be in town! But there are not any definite plans as of yet!
Well stay tuned for more CHristmas countdown and holiday extravaganza for the most wonderful time of the year! And remember, as I hope to teach Baby I,  it's not about the gifts under the tree but the people around it! Happy Holidays!!