New Practices--Part I

We are constantly evolving as a family of five. In this evolution we are making changes, adjusting, tinkering, and hopefully finding the right mix in raising our boys. Thankfully, I am happy to report a few recent changes have made huge differences in our day-to-day. Turning over a few new leaves in Gasperini-Ville has been just the antidote to cure some building ills... The results are worth reporting. We have found success and it feels awesome!! I thought I'd take a couple days to talk about a few of these changes, the resulting adjustment, and eventual success.

For some readers, our anecdotes may provide a light bite and opportunity for laughter; for others, I hope it offers you some food for thought as you take on the daily challenges of raising children. I am always eager to hear what's working for other parents... If anything, this will offer a distinct look at life in Gasperini-Ville for posterity (read: when our grandchildren are acting up, all we'll have to do is look back and see how much work it took to raise their fathers! lol.)

You see, we Gasperinis are not he most patient, most attentive, most obedient lot in the world. And who is? Yet a mama's intuition was sensing we needed CHANGE and now. We were all beginning to buckle under some dreadful old habits, which were fine at one point in our evolution, but now needed some sprucing and updating for our survival. In general, the kids are getting older and with age comes greater responsibility. We laughed the other day when pulling into the church parking lot as M said, "I don't want to be four anymore; I want to be three again" because he didn't want to attend Mass, but rather head straight to the church nursery. ;) And while it is tempting for parents to give in and "baby" their precious children, GG and I know in our hearts that challenging our little guys will do wonders for their future maturity, responsibility, etc. I have been especially inspired by the book Parenting With Love and Logic, by Foster W. Cline and Jim Fay. It has helped to equip me with a proper perspective as I face the daily battles ensuing in Gasperini-Ville!

One of the first slight alterations we've made of late is the requirement of boys to be dressed in order to be served breakfast (I also applied this one to myself!). I know this change might seem rather insignificant and something the rest of the world figured out years ago, but remember, we're Gasperinis. Such a change has made waves in Gasperini-Ville--and good ones. We had gotten into a horrible rut of rolling out of bed and into our day, facing the day's tasks unkempt and unenthusiastic. I was constantly having to will the boys to get dressed--who wouldn't want to stay in his jammies all day? It wasn't uncommon for me to have to take clothes to the car because someone wasn't yet dressed before we headed out on an errand. When I would finally have them dressed, clothes would often be strewn all over the house (and car!), beckoning my extra energy to round them up in order to get laundry done. What a mess!! Something had to change.

So GG and I made the simple rule that no one was to be served breakfast without being dressed. The first morning we instituted this iniative, we met disaster. We managed a tearful and overly dramatic M, who is often rigid in the midst of change. In the heat of the moment, GG and I were tempted to get annoyed with one another and back down, BUT WE DIDN'T! We stuck it out and tried to maintain relative peace and order (at least with one another). After thirty minutes of tantrums and general unhappiness, the boys and I found ourselves dressed and around the breakfast table, ready to tackle the day. Day one was over and accomplished. Whew!

The next day, M (having had a recent birthday) had new toys with which to play and was engrossed. "Breakfast will be served for the next 20 minutes," I said as I laid his clothes outside the playroom. T had already decided to get dressed (his appetite winning him over) and was eating his cereal. The three of us (Baby J included) had an enjoyable breakfast and delightfully cleared our places, going on with our day. At this point, I gave M one last reminder that breakfast was soon to be over. No response--he was too enthralled with playtime to make getting dressed and eating breakfast a priority.

An hour and a half later, M came running up to me, "Mom, I'm so hungry. It's time for my breakfast." Mind you, at this time, he was completely naked, having tried to dress himself so that he could receive his meal. "Oh, I'm sorry, " I replied, "breakfast was over long ago. You'll have to wait for lunch, which we'll be having soon." "But I want my cereal," M retorted to which I replied, "Well, you'll have to look forward to that tomorrow. Why don't we get you dressed and ready for lunch?" And that was the end of it. Can you guess who was first to be dressed and ready to go the next morning? Now, I can barely get out of the shower before I have M running up to remind me that it's time for breakfast! Nice change!!

The following morning, my belovedly stubborn T was having a rough one. In his two-year-old wisdom, he was unwilling to get undressed and submit to the 2 seconds of being cold in order to put on his clothes. I knew how hungry he was, so I knew that despite his stubborn nature, he'd come around. At the steps he cried, "Mommy, I want breakfast." I replied, "We'll enjoy having you once you're dressed. Are you ready to put on your clothes?," "No!" said T. This exchange went back-and-forth for a little while, until M and I officially began eating and (overly) enjoying our breakfast. "Wow, this is so yummy. I love waffles and syrup," I exaggerated. This was all too much for our T, who immediately said, "Mommy, I'm ready to get dressed. Will you help me?" "Sure," I smiled--this was all music to my ears.

Since then, it has been smooth sailing and somewhat amazing to have this new practice as part of our daily routine. We are more efficient with our time; we are ready to go at a moment's notice; we are higher functioning and generally more pleasant in the mornings. That is, unless it's Saturday. Saturdays are off-limits. PJ's are allowed in full force at breakfast... and as long as the boys would like to wear them. Now, isn't that nice? I just love a little compromise.

As I mentioned in my last post, we've still have many hang-ups in our days, but I would venture to say they'd be a lot worse without this new practice in place. I am less frazzled and more patient as a result. 

Next Up Tomorrow: our new bib-wearing policy--get excited!! ;)

God bless you today, even if you ate your breakfast in jammies!!  Hugs and prayers,

Just Checking In

Hello wonderful friends!

How are you on this beautiful Saturday?

I am glad to report that Gasperini-Ville is "full systems go" this morning:

*The boys are off with Mimi and Papa to the train depot, having an amazing time no doubt.  Thank you M and P for thrilling them and loving them (and giving mama a great break!)

*GG is off to Canada(!).  Yes, we put him on a last-minute airplane this morning in order to make a dear friend's wedding this afternoon.  Our college buddy (and GG's roommate), Andre, will be married today in Mississauga, Ontario.  We had hoped it would work out to have some Gasperini representation at the wedding, and indeed, it did.

*Our dear Gramz is off this afternoon, heading back to Ohio.  What would we have done without her these past weeks?!  Thank you, Mom, for being an incredible lifesaver to us!  We love you so!!

*Sweet J is sleeping adorably in his bouncer.

*And I am here at the computer, enjoying being back connected with you all.  

Plans for the day include writing up my labor and delivery tale...  Check back in and have a blessed day!

Saturday Fun

Water + Sand = Messy Goodness

Happy Saturday from Gasperini-Ville!

Dinner Al Fresca

What a beautiful day it was today in Gasperini-Ville... the sun shone, the humidity was down, the breeze was cool.  It was the perfect day to enjoy dinner outside!  The boys were thrilled to have a dinner "picnic" and Gramz, the chef, made a wonderful dinner for all of us to savor. Meanwhile, our beloved GG continues to slave away in preparation for his bar next week.  We love you, honey!!

Can't believe tomorrow is Friday!  God bless you as you finish up your week...

The gang at dinner

Mom and the boys--my belly is hiding behind the table!

A shot by M, our budding photographer!

As Healthy as a Horse

When the sun set this evening, it was hard to believe it was the same sun that rose this morning.  What a full day!  From a sleepy beginning to an elliptical workout to a Costco trip (which the boys loved, by the way) to a Mimi lunch to a mama doc appt. to a trip to the airport and Gramz (my mom) arrival!! to a Red Robin dinner (yum) to boys' bedtime to ahhh...  

Yes, it's been full.

Yes, I am trying to take it easy.

I really am. :)

Yes, I do promise tomorrow will be a lot more relaxed.

I promise (wink, wink!). 

Thankfully, the doc reports, "You are as healthy as a horse."  

Thanks doc. :)  Just what I love to hear in my 38th week--I am equivalent to a horse.  lol.

There are many reasons that's a great thing to hear, though--the baby is well, my blood pressure is normal, and my body shows no signs of labor.  Excellent.

It feels so funny at a time in the pregnancy when women hope to be done, I am praying for it to continue!  The doc laughed today saying, "Most women are begging me to get the baby out.  You're one of the few who's hoping he stays in!"  Too funny.

That is until next Wednesday afternoon when my beloved finishes his bar quest!  Then we will reunite as a family and the party will really start.  Baby J can come anytime after that...  ;)

Have a blessed Tuesday evening!  I will leave you with a couple shots of the boys' artistic Baby J shirts...  T-baby's wins the contest and will be worn home from the hospital!  God bless!

Super Saturday

The day started today with relative peace and quiet.  Mimi and Papa indulged again last night with a little boy sleepover...  We all had dinner together and then the boys stayed over while mom got to come home and have a peaceful night.  What bliss! :)

I walked in this morning to these adorable faces (and how much more adorable they are after being away for 12 hours! lol):

M and T-baby were eating pancakes and enjoying champagne grapes and strawberries.  They were, of course, surrounded by Papa's trains, which have become beloved toys for visiting whenever we're there!  Good, ol' Papa. :)  We had such a nice visit with Mim/Pop before getting on our way to a morning of errands.  Not to forget mentioning the somersaults both boys executed before we hit the road.  T-baby has never even tried to somersault (ignore the beginning tears! :), yet here's some great footage of one of his firsts!  Pretty cool!

On our errands, we first hit Costco for $3.85 gas.  I was shocked to find it $.10 cheaper here than in our suburb neck of the woods... yet still wound up with the most expensive bill I've yet to pay in total for gas!  I'm such a dork and took a picture to document it for the blog!

Next we rolled on over to Babies 'R Us to make a return and buy a few other sundry items for Baby J.  M conned me into letting him try the JayJay the Jet Plane ride, but unfortunately it was broken.  At least he didn't seem to mind too much...
Our next stop was for T-baby's first professional haircut.  We stopped at another locale first, but they were too full.  Unfortunately at this previous stop, I tripped over the curb and brought M down with me.  Ouch!  We both had a few skinned places (thankfully Baby J was unscathed!) and ended up being helped by a bunch of older women at a granny salon!  lol  They saw the whole thing happen and rushed to our aid with towels, a bathroom, band-aids, and lollipops.  Praise God for the Good Samaritans of this world--they were the sweetest! :)

T-baby survived his haircut with tears the whole time, but at least we "got it done".  He was in dire need of a neck and ear trim...

Finally, finally we stopped in at Michael's to buy some fabric markers for the decorating of some side-snap baby shirts I bought earlier.  At Texas Mommy's suggestion, I am going to have the boys decorate these for J and bring them to the hospital.  Baby J will wear one home for his proud brothers.  Too cute!  I'll definitely show you the finished product once we're done...
So that's a true morning look at life in Gasperini-Ville.  Not too many thrilling events, but enough to keep us busy and keep B-mama from watching the clock tick and her belly move in anticipation of our little one's arrival.  GG is, of course, slaving away like a good pre-bar guy.  How much we love him so!!  Hugs!

And as usual, God is watching over us all and blessing us in the little things.

Hope you are having a great Saturday.  God bless!!

Cowboys and Such

I'm happy to report an incredible date last night with my beloved. It was just what the doctor ordered--GG and I had such a nice time being together and enjoying one another's company! We went to P.F. Chang's and saw Hancock afterward. Props to Will Smith on yet another movie that is (relatively) family friendly (a few bad words thrown in) and entertaining. I think the two of us just really enjoyed getting out above all things! :) Many thanks to Mimi and Papa for taking such good care of our precious cherubs...

My little "cowboys" dragged their grandparents to Chik-Fil-A to get a free meal by dressing like cows.  Mimi picked up some cow material to whip up the cutest kerchiefs with bells.  Sadly, the get-ups only earned the bunch free entrees, but who's complaining!  I find these bovine boys to be absolutely scrumptious (albeit naughty!)  They are perched on their favorite plaything of late--the couch pillows.  Mom has nixed the previous fun game of diving off the main cushions and armrests onto the pillows on the floor.  Hello broken necks?  Now, the boys are relatively satisfied with running on the carpet and jumping into pillow swamps...  Oh Lord!  Are you now beginning to see why yesterday morning was so out-of-control???  What is a mother to do!!!

One last fun Saturday detail was the opportunity to see The Alley Family again this morning.  The kids played while the parents connected--this time both GG and Will were with us!!  Too fun...  Alas, more togetherness will have to wait until Will has finished his chaplains' course and conquers the 1st Cav and Iraq.  God speed, brother!  We send our love with the whole family as they head back to Texas!

Clinging to what is good

"But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you... and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

-1 Thess. 5:12-18

I can't help but emit tears while reading this passage today. It offers a beautiful message--in sharp contrast to the ugliness that has been our morning. It is definitely what I need to read and hear. It is definitely God's call for me as we've been anything but joyful and prayer-filled and full of thanksgiving at the start of today. Lord, have mercy. :)

The boys have been anything but well-behaved. Their mama has been anything but patient.

Enough said. The day can only go up from here... Yet isn't this how some days seem to go?

From the moment I rolled out of bed, things just felt "off". And not to mention my body is failing me as I attempt to accomplish and discipline and gain some sort of control.

Yesterday's adventures were a mirror image of what we're seeing today. Antsy boys, impatience, poor behavior...

Though in the midst of it, a small precious jewel emerged from the van's back seat:

"I love you, Mommy."

Really?

"I love you, M. That makes Mommy so happy to hear. Thank you."

Thank God for you.

I am desperately attempting to focus on these little things; these tiny, precious tidbits that are the small miracles of every day. And thank goodness its Friday and praise God for a date night tonight for GG and me! Mimi and Papa to the rescue... :) This will be our last "together time" before GG is off and away to study for the Bar 24/7. The final push.

Thanks for listening today. Just had to share the highs and the lows too!

God bless you on this Friday!

Hodge-y Podge-y

Today has included a rather random array of activity...

some reading at the library

storytime with Clifford

playing trains at Mimi and Papa's house

sipping on pomegranate spritzers (so divine!)

sharing a fine feast to celebrate Mimi and Papa's 31st anniversary!!!!  Happy Day!!

styling our hair with ranch dressing (of course!)

dressing our dear cousin, Jackson, to help "swaddle" him 

through the thunderstorm (sorry Uncle C! lol)

Yes, it's been a rather hodge podge mix-of-a-day, but blessed nonetheless.  

Above all else, this mama got a nap, so it must have been a good one!!

Hope you enjoyed a blessed day too.  Warmth tonight from Gasperini-Ville...

Pleasantly Prego

I am happy to report (finally) my visit today to my new OB!
It had been almost 2 months since my last appt. and baby J was getting restless for some good pre-natal care! Nothing like moving and changing health coverage to throw off one's regularly scheduled visits...

Thankfully, I have great reports. Baby J is doing wonderfully and appears to be healthy and hanging out happily for the time being. My body is showing no signs of labor... yet. ;) The doc predicts I will go into labor right when GG takes the bar just because things seem to work out that way! lol. Let's hope she's wrong. If she's right, though, I am confident all will go smoothly and be blessed. Such a situation would be ripe for His Mighty Hand.

I am measuring on target and J's heartbeat is in the 130's. My blood pressure is holding steady and all seems to be well. Let's just pray that continues! I now have appointments every week from here on out... Lucky for you to get more regular updates. ;) (whether you like 'em or not!)

God bless you on this Tuesday. It's Taco Tuesday in Gasperini-Ville.
Why don't you bring the fam on over for supper? We'd be over the moon to have you.

Heartwarming

For those of you who also track the Alley Family, you know what a special bunch they are, which is why it was such a treat for us to spend the morning with them today...

There are such deep roots there--GG and Will were high school best buds and shared countless football memories and hang time, GG served as Will's best man in their April 2002 wedding, and Will was a groomsman in our wedding May of the same year (which also happens to be the last time we all saw one another!)  The friendship has now spanned many years, miles, and babies (they have 2 sweet ones) with contact remaining through phone and email!  What a blessing it was to finally lay eyes on one another this morning (wives and kids sans hubbies!)  The boys and I had a great time seeing them--we could have surely eaten up even more hours before having to say goodbye! Hopefully the next visit won't be too far removed because we now live closer to both of their families! Yahoo!!

This last shot captured an oh-so-funny-and-frightening-all-at-the-same-time moment.  I picked up baby O for a quick snuggle before realizing that my actions had made T-baby quite upset.  "No Mommy.  No baby!" was heard through his tears...  Oh boy!  Only after I handed off O and picked up T did he calm down.  And little does he know of the future permanent reality of that scenario!  Please pray for him!!  He is my biggest concern with the upcoming birth of Baby J!  Any moms out there with tips for helping young ones transition to new siblings, I'd appreciate them.  Thanks!!

Hope your week has gotten off to a fantastic start...  Blessings!

Ripe for the Picking

We are truly revived after breathing some cooler mountain air and soaking up some much-needed showers after an overnight "out west"...  Thanks to Mimi and Papa for hosting us over a wonderful celebration of the fourth.  Sigh.

Friday evening included a beautiful bbq at the neighborhood clubhouse.  Here's my weekly promised prego shot (check out my ever-ripe belly!) along with a couple pics of the boys enjoying some croquet and badminton.  Too cute!  They loved the concept of a racquet sport and enjoyed trying to get the birdie off of their racquets.  Maybe tennis in our future?  We'll see.  Nonetheless, as you can see, the view of the mountains was gorgeous, the food was excellent, and company, warm and loving (as always).

 

More fun was to be had today upon a joyful visit to the peach orchard.  I have to say, one of my most favorite things to do in the world is to go fruit picking.  I was in heaven!  Everyone had a great time--there was just enough of a breeze to keep the bugs at bay and all of us relatively cool.  And who can beat finishing the journey with fresh peach milkshakes?  Excellent.  The boys loved it all and couldn't get enough of everything.  And can I say how good a freshly picked peach is?  M and I shared one for lunch and just about fell over, it was so tasty!  

Nothing like a blessed weekend to gear us up for this final stretch of our respective "races".  GG has one week left of bar classes followed by two weeks of independent prep before the Virginia Bar.  Go GG!!  I have 4 weeks remaining until "J Day", or baby J's due date.  We'll see if I'll make it that long.  I would so appreciate your prayers for his remaining time in the womb, health, and safe delivery.  Like all new moms, I'm beginning to succumb to worries about his well-being.  Lord, give us health and peace!

Thanks for tracking with us and hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. 

As always, it's great to be back in touch.  

Happy Lord's Day tomorrow and God bless.

Check your motherly expectations at the door.

Alternative Title: The Almost Splash Park

Today we ventured south of the river to enjoy an outdoor mall that has a fountain splash park within...  Such a great way to get moms and families out to enjoy the water (and the shopping! :)  Last year, we went to the same place with lackluster results--M wouldn't go anywhere near the water!  So, one year later, I had high hopes for his and T-baby's greater enjoyment.  

Sadly, the results were not much better.  Both boys lingered off to the side for much of our time there, only later wandering closer because of some Panera cups (for catching water) we brought from lunch.  Woe to a mother's expectations!!

While I know it was a simple outing with simple hopes, I had expectations nonetheless.  And I was disappointed.  Just chalk it up to another lesson learned in motherhood: sometimes my kids are not going to act/behave/enjoy things the way I hope they will.  Take, for instance, last summer's trip to the beach and M's sheer terror of the merry-go-round (and any other ride at the boardwalk carnival.)  I was shocked and so disappointed with the outcome.  How could my child be the scaredy-cat?  I jumped off the high dive in kindergarten and rode the Demon Drop later that summer!!  How could the offspring of such a whirling dirvish mother end up so timid?  Expectations, expectations...

And yet I am forced to swallow my pride, love my precious boys in all their eccentricities and individualities, and move on-- the true essence of motherhood.  By unconditionally loving my children, I am called upon to do just that--love them in every and any condition and essentially, without condition.  They are my boys and they are perfect as is.

No doubt these expectations, hopes, disappointments, and failures will surface again.  School performance, college acceptances, life choices...  

Yes, they are all waiting to be celebrated...  

No matter what the outcome.

Saturday Shots

As promised, I'm going to try and give you a glimpse of the growing belly each week!  Here are  Baby J and I at almost 35 weeks.  GG and I laughed at the difference in views--the one from the side is so much more extreme than that from the front!  lol.  

Gasperini-Ville was up and at 'em at 5:45am this morning!  Nothing like early boy risers to get mom and dad out of bed before we'd like to be.  Thank goodness for the blessing of our sweet cherubs! ;)  I'm happy to report, though, that the morning hours have proven quite productive--2 loads of laundry folded and put away, 3 in the works, the dishwasher emptied, coffee brewed, dishwasher unloaded and reloaded, pancakes griddled, and boys' room curtains started!!  I managed to get the fabric for two of the panels measured, cut, and pinned for ironing and hemming later today.  This is going to be quite the project!!  I'll try to take some pictures of the progression for posting later on.  

GG is off to study for the morning and the boys are playing cars and trains "nicely" in the living room...  Oh, blissful Saturdays!  Now we are off to make a racetrack on the swingset slide.  Anything to get these boys outside and keep them from getting bored and antsy!!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful day with people you love.  God bless!

**Quick Note: for anyone interested in some BOB Duallie Revolution insight, I've posted some thoughts here, particularly for AR's and J's mama.  Enjoy!! :)  

The Choice

You, ladies, are wonderful in that you've affirmed my intuition...

... to choose #2!!   The Variegated Stripe Indigo
Thank you to all who voiced their thoughts in the previous post!  You had great things to say.  I had been leaning in the direction of #2--not too extreme, but also not too plain for the room with all of its basics.  The larger striped pattern is still an option, though I'm definitely thinking of doing more colorful patterns, ginghams, and stripes as room accents (pillows, etc.) which echo some of the subtle "fun" of the quilt.   

As you can see in the room shots above, we currently have some navy blankets hanging to cover the windows (notice the sleeping cherub in the crib shot!) and I do like their overall look, so the hint of stripe on the navy will be just enough to add a little pattern to the room.  Heidi also made a fun suggestion to add buttons and hooks at the top for a cute, boyish finish.  I definitely think we may do something of the sort-- some hook clips like these that might offer a little playful variety (and make my sewing venture even easier--I'm quite the novice!)

I'll have to keep you posted as the project progresses...  

Before that, though, we meet tonight with an interior designer(!), whose services come free(!!) if we order furniture through Norwalk.  I just about fell out of my chair when she told me she would help us design our family room, choose furniture and fabrics, and coordinate our ideas... for nothing!  Whew!!  What a relief that was!  GG and I have no clue what we're doing on the design front.  We desperately want to do things "right" because we plan to be here for awhile, but are operating on a tight budget.  Thankfully, April visits tonight and the family room design process starts!  I'll be sure to fill you in on the latest. ;)

Blessings to you all for a *wonderful* Wednesday.

Tomorrow I promise pics of M and the week-long Bible school he's been enjoying.  T and I have been joining him and another family afterward to picnic and play on the church playground.  How nice this time has been for us!  Praise God for His Provision of friends during this new Virginia adventure...  God bless!