Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Thank you to everyone who voted for Dominic for the "Obama Babies Picture of the Week"! Dominic received 39 votes and placed 3rd!! Not too shabby for his first time entering! Here is his "prize" I'm so proud!! This prize will have to do until he gets his next "major award"..

Here are some pictures of Dominic from this week.

Look who's looking LEFT!!!

"Awww Mom, no more pictures!"

Our sweet little guy

"Gimme that camera!!"

Instead of sucking his thumb, Dominic tucks his thumb in with a kung-fu grip and licks an imaginary ice cream cone. It's hilarious-but hey, it certainly makes him happy!

Look alikes?

Here is a picture of Louie around 6 weeks old and Dominic at 8 weeks old. Whatcha think? :o)

Week 2: PT Update

Today we took Dominic to his 2nd week of physical therapy. Ann Marie (his therapist) was very impressed with the progress he made in just one week. He is facing forward over 90% of the time, and is looking far more left than he has before. She stretched him out for a while--Dominic had been woken up from his very short afternoon nap and was not a happy camper. Although he moved far more easily than last week, he cried & screamed. I believe mostly because she had him on his back and he'd rather be upright. She completed the exercises & gave Dom some love to settle him down. Our homework: We will continue with the exercises we were given last week and have added 3-4 new exercises to work on neck strength. These new exercises are not torticollis treatment-but stretches & exercises to help aide in his physical development. Ann was extremely impressed with Dominic's neck strength & ability to hold his head so steady. We know now, that as hard as it is to force him to do the exercises--it IS working. Hopefully, he will continue to improve every week! :o)

Here's a picture of happy Dominic in his overalls from this weekend:

Insert Rocky theme music...

Getting strong now.....Won't be long now.....Getting strong now...

Torticollis..

Dominic has been diagnosed with a mild case of torticollis. Basically it is tightening of the neck muscles due to the way Dom was laying in utero. He tends to favor and look to the right because of the tight muscles. It's easily treated with stretches & exercises. Dominic started physical therapy this week and will continue to go once a week for six weeks. Along with the physical therapy, Louie & I are responsible for the physical therapy here at home three times a day. This does NOT leave us a happy baby. We can tell that the stretching gives Dominic discomfort and leaves him sore. It breaks our heart to hear him upset during the exercises but as the muscles loosen up-we know it will get better.

We also have to live in "opposite" world. We put him on the changing table the opposite way, turned his bathtub around, and ALL of his toys are on his left side. I guess we are trying to show him how lovely the world is to the left!!

We are already seeing improvement with his "tummy time", and yesterday Dominic rolled from his belly to his back!! (He was propped up on his arms) Hopefully these six weeks fly by and our little guy is back to his happy self! :o)

Torticollis reminds me of tortoise so I decided to dress Dominic for the occasion!!

History..

Regardless of how you voted, anyone will admit that today is a historical event. Something that Dominic will learn about in school and I wanted to make sure I had documented proof that he was a witness!

Afterall, Dominic was a part of this way back in November!!

Your Dominic Fix...

You will probably be seeing a lot more bibs on Dominic in his pictures. We have quite the drooler on our hands..and clothes..and everything else!

Here are Daddy & Dominic this morning, just relaxing!

Watch out TMZ!

We have a video function on our camera that I wanted to try out last week...lucky for us, Dominic was in a great mood after his nap!! Enjoy!

Mommy's little helper..

Some people say it's tough to get things done around the house with a baby..lucky for us, we have a great helper!!

First, he helped Mommy with the laundry--sorting through ALL Daddy's socks!

Then he helped clean up his toys!

Finally he helped Mommy straighten up the downstairs while he practiced sitting!

Two Months Old!

What a big boy!!

Two Month Check Up

Today we took Dominic for his 2 month well check up & shots. Once again, Louie & I wagered on what we believed DT weighed and how much he had grown...

Lou-10 lbs 8 oz, 22 inches long

Brooke-10 lbs 6 oz, 22 inches long

Now we knew that he had grown out of all his newborn clothes and figured he was a bit longer--but we were both floored to find out:

Dominic=12 lbs and 23 1/2 inches long!!!!

That's right...he gained 3 pounds and grew 3 inches in ONE month!!! The nurse was shocked and can't wait until we come back to see how much more he'll grow! After his measurements, Dr.Flask took a look at him and once again called him "perfect" and "soo cute" (things we already knew! ha!) He does have to go to physical therapy though due to some tight neck muscles. Dominic always lays looking towards the right side--therapy will teach us some exercises & techniques to loosen up his neck muscles.

After his check up the nurse came in to give Dom his shots. I held my brave little guys hands and shut my eyes while they adminstered the vaccinations. I could tell the exact moment they injected him because he squeezed soo tight and started wailing. Then they gave him PINK bandaids(??), we snuggled him and he fell asleep. It broke my heart to hear that cry!!

I didn't bring my camera to the appointment because I didn't want to have pictures of him in pain--so here are a few pictures from the weekend to brighten your day!

Before I was a Mom...

I found this online, it's so true!

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on.Pooped on.Chewed on.Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a MomI never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Rub a Dub Dub!

Louie & I have been trying to get Dominic used to the same bedtime routine every night. Although we don't always stick to the same time every night--it has REALLY made a big difference! Dominic has gone from screaming at bath time to laughing & smiling in anticipation for his bubble bath! As soon as his feet touch the water-he seems immediately calmed, leans back on his bath pillow, stretches out his arms and takes a gander at himself in the mirror.

He just stares at himself

He'll hate me for it later--but it's TOO cute not to post!

After bath, we bring Dominic back into his nursery & put him in his bedtime onsie (and diaper of course!). Then he listens to his "prayer bear" say a prayer, gets his hair brushed by Daddy, and finally gets a leg massage by Mommy. Then Louie goes to clean up the bathroom while I put Dom in his sleepsack and read him his story. Although he has no idea what I am saying, he looks intensely at the pictures in the book. After his story we start his mobile and he watches his "bees" go 'round and 'round..we let him lay there quietly by himself for a few minutes (sometimes he coos & talks to his bees)

The last page of "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"-there's a lot of colors to look at
Watching his Bees

Finally, he gets fed then (hopefully) falls asleep. In the beginning bed & bath time were a nightmare but I really think the routine has helped us all relax a bit in the evenings. Plus, it's always nice to spend that 45 min together giving Dom special attention from both Mommy & Daddy!

Here Comes Trouble!

Not really, that's just what it says on his shirt....

Our little Buckeye..

The little guy slept through his first OSU bowl game--considering the outcome, maybe that was good thing!

Here he is with his Uncle Brett's OSU helmet.

Leave us a message!

I added a "shout box" to the right side of our page. Here you can leave us a message without having any "Google ID". :o)

Grasso Goals for 2009

As we are both against "resolutions", we decided to post our "Goals for 2009". If it's in writing and up for the world to see--it will be even more reason to achieve them! Here they are in no particular order..

Brooke's Goals:

1. Retake the Math class she withdrew from 9 months pregnant and get at least a "B" (I really want an "A" but c'mon--Math + Brooke = do not mix!

2. Become more organized

3. Knit one item other than a scarf--Have my Oma teach me!

4. Take LOTS of pictures of Dominic--he's growing so fast that I truly want to remember EVERY moment!

5. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by working out & eating well! We both want to be at our very best for Dominic!

6. Keep in better touch with family & friends. It's so tough with a "newborn" (can he still be considered this?) but I want to make more of an effort!

Lou's Goals:

1. Lose 25 more pounds and maintain that weight for an entire year

2. Run at least a 5K (maybe a 10k)

3. Study and sit for at least 2 parts of the CPA exam

4. Spend as much time as possible with my family and be there for every moment I can as Dominic gets older.

5. Send a birthday card to my nieces & nephews on their birthday

6. Have at least one "date night" each month with my wife. (hint hint..we'll need 12 babysitters!)

So there it is...our goals, and we hold all of you responsible for making sure we keep them! :o)