WOW!

I'm beyond floored at the generosity of others! Thank you so much! Welcome to our new team members--Pete & April!! We are at $175 of our $250 goal--in LESS than a week!!!

If you'd like to donate or join our team..go here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?team_id=164305&fr_id=9572&pg=team

Daly Miracles

For a few years now Louie & I both discussed how we wanted to do a walk or run for a cause. We are relatively healthy individuals so why not walk for those who can't. The cause we chose was easy. We have decided to participate in the MS Walk in Cleveland on May 16th for Multiple Sclerosis. This cause is close to our heart, my mom is living with MS. I have seen this disease first hand and am ready to do everything I can to help find a cure! We are excited to raise money for the National MS Society to help fund research and find a cure! We have set a team goal of $250. We would love love love to get much more than this!

Our team name is "Daly Miracles". So far this team consists of Myself, Lou, my brother Brett, and best friend Becky. My mom is also going to walk with Dominic (in the stroller) along the route. It's a 2 mile walk through downtown Cleveland! After the walk we are planning a fun team activity to celebrate! It's going to be a super fun day-and it's ALL for a great cause! Here is the link to our page. If you are interested in joining our team you can sign up here, or donate to our team! :) Every little bit helps!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/dalymiraclesteam

I'm going to post the link every Monday-you can join our team &/or donate at any time! Thank you!

3 Words Thursday

Peek a Boo!!

PT Week 7 update & MORE!

I've really been neglecting this blog...Dominic has started taking more of an interest in his surroundings and therefore, is hardly napping at all...leaving me very little "me" time, or time to do much of anything else!! It's worth it though!

Today we took Dominic back to PT. Dominic was awake in the waiting room, which was nice because we didn't have to wake him up and deal with "the wrath of Dom". The first thing Ann Marie said was "OH he looks great!" I was holding him and Dom's head was steady and controlled. This was BY FAR the fastest PT appointment we've had so far! Ann Marie said that Dominic looked "fantastic" and showed no signs of torticollis at all! :) (YAY!) Then we heard the words we've been longing to hear..."Dominic will come next month-and then I don't see a reason for him to continue with therapy" The ONLY reason she said she wanted to see him next month was to see if his neck muscles tightened up during a growth spurt. Dominic also showed off his rolling skills *see below* and was VERY talkative! We were sooo happy with all the progress! We are really grateful that we caught this so early with enough time to correct it!

Last week was a HUGE week for Dominic! He started cereal and has done great! He has also been soooo much more talkative in the last week. In the mornings I hear him cooing and telling Louie about his dreams and then he seems to recap his day with Louie in the evenings! He's also giggling up a storm when I tickle him....he also pulls my hair when I tickle him--I've had to repremand my 4 month old already! I'm losing too much post partum hair for him to pull out anymore!!! He's also taking much more interest in his toys all of a sudden-reaching for everything and playing with rattles. SO CUTE!

The biggest accomplishment this week was that on Friday evening, Louie & I both were there to witness Dominic roll from his back to his belly (the harder of the two) for the first time!! He was reaching for a toy (Sophie) that was out of his reach when he decided to roll over! He's gotten so strong--he "swims" while on his belly now..which is right on target for his developmental age! I caught a few pics of one of his rolls! :) We're so proud..and so so glad that we were BOTH there to witness this milestone!!

Getting ready to roll! The toy is in sight!

Here we go!

Getting closer...

You can't see, but he grabbed the toy and rolled over!

"Look Mom! I got it!"

Three Words Thursday..

I decided to snag an idea from Jenni's blog (Carter's Corner). Every Thursday I will post my 3 words for the week w/a picture! :) This week's photo was taken last spring--but seemed fitting to mark the beginning of spring! This weeks 3 words are..

*Here Comes Spring!*

Cereal!

Dominic has started rice cereal!! We were going to wait-but he's eating so much at night & still hungry for more, we needed something with more substance! He seemed to like it for a while, but then got frustrated with the slow, small feeding. We are going to keep at it! I can't believe our little guy is eating with utensils! ::tear::

Here it comes!

What great table manners he already has! Elbows off the table, hands in your lap!

Not quite sure what to think yet..

Mmmmmmmm!

"I wanna do it!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Our Little Leprechaun!

DT's first road trip!

This weekend we took our first family road trip. We drove down to Dayton for Cooper's 1st birthday party. In order to do this-we had to plan it out carefully to maxamize Dom's sleeping time. We knew we couldn't expect him to sleep 8 hours in one day so we needed to break it up in 2 days. We decided that it was best to get Dominic all ready for bed and then leave on Friday night, get a hotel & have more time on Saturday morning! Here's the breakdown of our adventure!

8:15-Gave Dominic a bath, dressed him in his PJ's, and fed him

9:02-Left the house for Dayton!

9:15-Dominic fell asleep

10:05-Got gas in Ashland, I got Louie a cookie to keep him awake & I got a BIG cup of coffee to keep me awake. At this point I moved into the front seat of the car so Louie didn't look like a chauffer any longer Ha!

10:15-12:30 -We listened to Sirius radio & talked to keep each other awake. By the way, downtown Columbus is BEAUTIFUL at night, all lit up.

12:33-We arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn, it was just built in October & was extremely nice! They offered to have a pack n play in our room but we didn't need it. Very nice people!

12:45-1:20 -Settled into our room, got Dominic out of the car seat, fed and put to sleep.

3:30 am-Dominic wakes up to be changed

Dominic relaxing & watching some TV

Getting his diaper changed & dressed for the day!

Right as Dominic woke up..little sleepy eyes.

8:00 am-We all wake up to start our day! Dominic looked pretty confused when he woke up in the hotel room. Although he quickly found the TV and decided it wasn't such a bad place at all!!

We took turns getting ready and packed up our things.Daddy & Dominic, Mommy & Dominic




Our goofy family!

"Hmmm, what shall I order for breakfast?!"

11-1pm -Cooper's birthday party! Dominic got to "meet" so many new friends. It was great to see all my friends from college and their little ones. Dominic got a bit cranky so we decided to give him the bottle we had packed-->Dom wanted NO part of a bottle so he was fed in the handicap stall of the rec center. Ha! Once fed, he was in a much better mood-but still extremely tired. We went back to the party room..not even 10 min later we heard "it". It sounded bad, smelled bad...looked bad. Dominic had pooped all over his cute outfit. Good thing we packed an extra outfit for him. Changed & clean...it was time for us to go. Dominic was starting to rub his eyes and we needed him to sleep as much of the 3 1/2 hour drive as possible.

The birthday boy, Cooper & Dominic

The Markley twins, Cameron & Cora

1:02- On the road again!
3:00-Back at the Ashland gas station. We made AMAZING time back from Dayton! We were so close...just one more hour until we were home sweet home...I ran into the station for a snack & potty break. Once I got back into the car I saw two little blueberries staring back at me. Dominic was awake. Ok, maybe he'll be content...WRONG! Dominic began screaming, crying, & yelling. I couldn't do anything. I tried to give him the pacifier..nope, we tried singing to him...nope, a little fresh air...nope, shook rattles & toys...nope. I just had to sit there and let him cry it out. His face turned bright red, his eyes were swollen and his face was covered in tears. Finally....he fell asleep.

4:10- Back home! Yay!!!
We are so proud of ourselves & Dominic for making this trip! It was long, but we are so glad we got to see our friends, stay in a hotel and prove to ourselves that Dominic can travel!! We are already brainstorming where we can go next! :)

4 Months Old!

Today we took Dominic in for his 4 month check up & shots. As usual, Dominic was fussed over by the nurses--I think they liked the little mo-hawk I gave Dominic. :) We got Dom all undressed to be weighed & measured. (Our predictions were so off its too embarrassing to post lol)

Height- 25 inches
Weight- 14 lbs 9.5 oz

Dominic is in the 50th percentile for weight & head circumference. He is more towards the 75th percentile for height. Perfect! Dr. Flask came in to check on Dominic, he was happy up to the point where she was cleaning out his ears. (Gotta love having a pediatrician who is as crazy about ear cleanliness as we are!!) Dominic got VERY upset but as soon as I picked him up and he got his way he was happy as could be! He's the boss! Dr.Flask told us that we could start Dominic on rice cereal at any time..we are thinking we will start him around 5 months. He's ready now-he takes an interest in food, sits up in his high chair and has excellent neck control-we just want to wait a little longer. After Dr.Flask left, the nurses came in to give Dominic his shots....this is where I left to schedule the next appointment because I can't stand to see Dom's face when he's in pain. From what I hear from Lou, Dominic did really well. I came back in as they were putting the snoopy band aids on his chubby little thighs. (at least they weren't pink this time!)

We didn't even make it off the elevator before Dominic was asleep...luckily the office is right across the street from Target! We took advantage of Dom's nap and did a little shopping! :)

My little mo-hawk man!

A year ago today...

I found out I was pregnant! After I took the test, I went to Target to get a little surprise for Louie's surprise!

My, my, my--what a difference a year makes!!

Blueberry watch 2009

Yep! He's still got 'em!!

Week 6 PT Update/Weekend news

This morning we took Dominic to his 6th PT session. Ann Marie was once again really shocked at how big Dominic has gotten in the last 2 weeks. I don't think Dominic has quite adjusted to the daylight savings time change (although he slept better than EVER last night) and was pretty cranky to wake up once it was time to start. He showed a lot of improvement keeping his head up, straight and still. She practiced rolling with Dom on the mat and he drooled all over! We go again in 2 weeks (at 8 a.m. again..ugh) and then Ann Marie said that we will go month to month from then on. :) Yay! **A little side note--while Dom was crying & fussing during PT, a little boy came out of another room to check on Dominic. He had the most concerned face! Ann Marie had to explain she wasn't hurting Dominic..he was just upset. It was so cute and the little boy really looked like what I imagine Dom to look like as a toddler.**

We had a pretty busy weekend here...Dominic, although doesn't seem to have a cold, has a pretty nasty cough. At times he coughs so aggressively that it looks like he's struggling to breathe. Being the first time parents we are, we made a doctor's appointment last Friday morning. Dominic was weighed (14.9 lbs) and measured (25 inches), then brought into the exam room. The nurse who usually sees Dominic "oohed" and "aahed" over how much cuter he gets every time, to which DT smiled and cooed right back at her. It helped that he was in just a diaper and Dominic LOVES to be naked! ha! I hope he grows out of that! Dr Flask came in and checked Dominic. She explained that his lungs sound perfectly clear --no fluid etc. and that he probably just has some build up that he needs to cough up. We were told to keep using the vapor bath, humidifier etc. Our poor little guy. We are trying everything she told us, along with baby Vicks on his feet, inclined bassinet, and standing in the bathroom with the hot shower running...this left mommy with some VERY frizzy hair!! He hasn't shown much improvement (besides sleeping so well last night) but has his 4 month check up on Friday so we will see Dr.Flask soon. OH! I also voiced my concern that Dominic may be teething--sure enough--Dr Flask looked inside Dom's mouth and there they were...two little teeth buds. She said that is most likely the reason he is chewing on his hands so much and drooling like a faucet. It looks like we will be seeing teeth sometime in the next couple months!!

Saturday we attempted to take Dominic to Toys R Us for a couple staple items we needed. Dom did NOT want to be in his carseat so I took him out & carried him around the store. We played in the toy aisles and even performed a little puppet show!! :) Sadly, we left the store with diapers and some bigger onsies for him to wear to bed...nothing fun!

Just a little Dominic for your fix!
Sunday we went over to the Sayers' house for a brunch with them and the Bally's. If you don't know the background story, here you go:{ Ryan, Matt & I all grew up together in Elyria-we were all inseparable. Ryan moved away (although still spent most his time in our neighborhood) and attended Lorain Catholic where he became one of Louie's best friends. I heard ALLLL about Louie growing up. Matt & Ryan both tried to get us together after college, eventually did, and here we are today!}

Welp, Matt and his wife, Robyn had a baby girl 2 months ago (Ryann) and Ryan and his wife, Elena had a baby girl 2 weeks ago (Madison). They both had two daughters already (Reagan & Emma). So it was all ELEVEN of us for brunch!! We had asked Dr Flask if it was ok to bring Dominic around the new babies and she said yes, as long as he didn't sneeze, drool etc on them. (he didn't touch them). Dominic seemed very interested in all the girls-especially Emma! He was charming as usual-smiling and talking up a storm. He also enjoyed playing with all the new toys that were around!! I really think it is the most amazing thing that we all grew up together and now our children will grow up together!!! <3

Here are the boys & babies before the addition of Ryann & Madison...Three Men and THREE babies!

Sophie the Giraffe!

For months I have read so many great reviews about a certain teething toy called "Sophie the Giraffe." Mom's on message boards RAVED about how much their baby loved this toy. I decided to look into it-at first glance this toy looks completely ancient, but the cuteness of the giraffe kinda grew on me the more I looked at it online.

Here are the benefits of Sophie:

Sight: The dark and contrasting spots all over Sophie's body provide visual stimulation and make her easily recognizable to baby. She soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object.

Hearing: Her squeaker keeps baby amused, stimulates his hearing, and helps him to understand the link between cause & effect.

Taste: Sophie is very flexible and has lots of parts for baby to chew (ears, horns, legs). She is perfect for soothing baby's sore gums when teething and is completely safe. Made of 100% natural rubber and food paint.

Touch: Sophie is perfect for baby's small hands. She is very light and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip. She is very sofy to the touch, just like mommy, stimulating soothing physiological and emotional responses.

Smell: The singular scent of natural rubber (from the Hevea tree) makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for you child to identify amid all his other toys.

So once Dominic started gnawing & gumming on everything, and his current teething toys are too heavy & awkward for him to hold for long periods--we decided to give Sophie a shot! Yesterday Sophie moved into our house! We quickly opened the box and handed her over to Dominic. He immediately grabbed her by the neck and started sucking on her ears! This morning I took some pictures of Dominic playing with his new toy!! Success!!

Confessions of a growaholic!

We used to have a closet packed full of cute clothes for Dominic. Little did we know how QUICKLY he would grow out of most of them. We tried to get him in each & every outfit but as I went through his closet this week-I realized that there were tags still on many of them! It was also tough to pick up tiny little clothes and remember just how little Dominic was just months ago!!! Looks like we are going shopping soon!!

Piles & piles of clothes, hats, socks etc!

All going into a storage bin! ::tear::

3 month pictures