Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving dinner was at our house this year so Mom and Dad came down from Ogden.
Before dinner, Dad and Mike introduced Leo to "carrier landings". As you'll see in the video, it requires sliding along a table on one's belly. The original version that Dad did in the Air Force was a drunken slip n' slide which involved dress uniform (preferably whites), a table soaked in beer or red wine, and stopping without using your hands before you slid off the table (like on an aircraft carrier--hence the name). Our version was a lot less messy, but still got a lot of laughs from everyone.

Dinner, featuring Dad's amazing smoked turkey, was delicious. Leo ate a bit of everything, and loved the garlic and artichoke dip that was our appetizer. He is constantly surprising me by how many foods--even strongly-flavored dishes--he likes! We got some video of pre- and post-dinner with Leo (see below). Leo decided that gravy could do double duty as a styling product, which explains the state of his hair.

Swinging and Dancing

Here's two new videos.

1) Leo learned how to dance a couple of weeks ago. His signature moves are swaying side to side and sometimes doing "happy feet" (a quick run in place move). He'll dance to any music, but especially loves the songs from the "radio" on his playhouse.
2) "Swing Time" is from our trip to the park this weekend and includes Leo's first time solo on the swings.

Leo's first haircut

Leo was starting to look a bit shaggy (see the "before" pic at top) so it was time to get his first haircut. We went to a place that specializes in kids' haircuts, where he got to sit in a seat shaped like an airplane and watch an Elmo DVD (and the other kids in the salon). He took it in stride--no tears, no fuss--and now he looks even more handsome!

Applause!

Leo clapped his hands for the first time yesterday and now does it often. Its so fun to see how pleased he is with himself. He's also learned to drink from a sippy cup and has a new high chair (the old one was off-kilter and he always sort of fell sideways).

New favorite foods this week: green beans, scrambled eggs, and well-watered-down juice (from a sippy cup, naturally). We tried chicken and potato, but neither were hits.

Burninating the countryside....

Aunts Jill and Carrie from LA have waited almost a year for this....Baby Trogdor! Sorry its a fuzzy picture--he only held still for a moment before he crawled off to...burninate all the peoples and their thatched roof cottages!!!

(Thanks, Aunties--seeing Leo in this onesie made my day!)

Lost? Watch the video and read the lyrics--and thanks for indulging this bit of silliness:
http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/s/strongbad21993/trogdor567838.html

Who needs toys?

Leo is proving the old adage that kids can turn any regular thing into a toy. Here's a list of some of his fun, favorite non-toy things:

• Baby wipes packages: they crinkle and have a baby's picture on them
  
• Wooden spoon: fun to gnaw and bang on things
• "Jingle ball" cat toy: Leo stole it from the cats and won't give it up
• Any strap, cord, or string: the drawstring on Daddy's pajama bottoms is a favorite.
  
• Anything round (buttons, screws, etc.)
• Our cats: Leo adores the cats and has a special squeal he uses when he spots them. He enjoys chasing, tackling, and giving "loves" by rubbing his face in their fur.
• "Squishy" pillows (see pic at right): Leo tackles them and uses them as a "roller" under his belly to move faster when he crawls. I think they're also cat-capturing practice.
• Any tiny object on the floor: There's no problem with Leo's eyesight--he can spot minuscule items on the floor from yards away and usually hustles himself over to whatever catches his eye.
• Cardboard boxes: I got something in a Priority Mail box the other day and Leo immediately commandeered it.
• Magazines: Leo loves to turn the pages--and eat them.
  

At the Children's Museum

We had a wonderful time over the Easter weekend with my sister Christina and our niece Rachel. One of the highlights was this visit to the Discovery Gateway, Salt Lake's children's museum.

Leo's "tricks"

This video from when Leo was 6 months old contains many of his "tricks":

• Happy hands: when Leo is happy or excited, he turns his wrists in circles
• "Stevie Wonder": Leo's soothing/happy movement is to move his head in a figure-eight pattern (hence the name)
• Glasses grab: Leo loves to grab Daddy's glasses.

Catching up

I am finally getting my act together enough to post an update on the last couple of months with the Napolitano clan.

January:

• It snowed. A lot.
• Leo started daycare and absolutely loves it. He is the youngest child there and most days when I go to pick him up there are 2-3 new friends among the older kids hanging out and playing with him.
  
• Leo turned 6 months old on January 28. Its so hard to believe that it's been only half a year since he came into our lives--we can't imagine life without him.

February:

• Still snowing.
• Leo started really "talking", offering babbled commentary on most of his activities during the day.
• We went to visit our wonderful friends the Kelleys in Berkeley. Leo did very well on both flights and handled traveling and new surroundings like a champ. We got to see lots of our friends and Leo's "cousins" Eli, Yael, and Ari Kelley had a great time playing with him. Mike and I enjoyed having some downtime and seeing the color green on trees, grass, etc.
  
• Everybody got sick: Leo got a cold, Daddy got the flu, and Mommy got pneumonia. Fun times.
• Leo moved to formula and starter solid foods. He's generally open minded and will try almost anything once, although peas were his first (and so far, only) "instant reject" food. Fruits and oatmeal are favorites. Veggies other than carrots are less enthusiastically received.
  

March so far:

• Still freaking snowing, after a taunting warm spell.
• Leo had his 6-month checkup. He is now 16 lbs 5.5 oz (20th percentile) and 27.75 inches long (75th percentile). His head measurement is 17.25" (50th percentile). He is doing very well developmentally.
• Leo got his first ear infections--both ears at once. They're clearing up now and he's mostly back to his normal self.
• Leo has learned how to: stick out his tongue (and mimic others who are doing so); "sidewinder" crawl on his belly; and sit up very briefly on his own. "Peekaboo" and "This is the way the Lady/Gentleman/Farmer rides" are his favorite games.
  
• We had one of our "hootenany" sessions at our friends, the Holts, home. Leo enjoyed singing along, in his own special way.
  

Time flies when you're having fun!

It's been a busy December and I apologize for the huge delay between posts. Hopefully this "mega-post" will catch everyone up on Leo's latest goings-on. I'll summarize the last few weeks here. Check out photos below.

We are in the process of converting the office into Leo's room. All of the furniture is on order, so he should be in his nursery by the end of January. Hooray! Leo had his second sleepover at Nona and Grampa Rocky's house so that we could get the work done to clear the room out.

We all had a lovely holiday season. Mom and Dad came to our house for Christmas Eve supper and we all enjoyed opening presents and watch Leo play with his favorite toy--curled gift-wrap ribbon. I unexpectedly got to take the week after Christmas off, so it was a great break and a chance to spend really good quality time as a family.

New Year's Eve was a quiet affair. We stayed home and had our friends Amber and Mark Anthony over for drinks and snacks. We watched Tropic Thunder, which was hysterical.

Leo started daycare (and Mike went back to work) on January 5th. Leo loves daycare--no crying or separation anxiety on his part, but I was a total mess the night before.

Here's some quick facts about Leo:

• Leo's eyes are definitely brown, and his hair is turning blond.
• Leo is eating formula regularly now, but we're still challenged with getting him to eat rice cereal (his first semi-solid food).
• An unofficial weigh-in put Leo at over 15 lbs. last week. He's also getting much taller. It will be time to graduate to size 3 diapers and a new car seat soon!
  
• He loves the "Jumping Jumperoo" horse that his daddy got for him. He stays in it for a half hour at a time just bouncing away!
• Leo also enjoys watching television. (Not sure if this is a good thing.)
  
• Leo hasn't quite mastered rolling from front to back yet, but he can roll from back to front like a champ.

First Thanksgiving

We had a good time at Mom and Dad's sharing Leo's first Thanksgiving. Leo was a little cranky, but all it took was some time with Grandpa to make him happy again.

More giggles

We captured more video of Leo giggling--enjoy!

Giggles

I was finally able to capture video of Leo laughing (which is, to us, the best sound in the world). Our friend William Holt paid us a visit and Leo was very happy to see him.

Uncle Junior

Grandpa and Grandma Napolitano sent these photos of Mike's Uncle Anthony "Junior" Napolitano. They think that Leo bears a resemblance to him, and I have to agree! These pics are Junior as a baby, at his first communion, and as a member of the NYPD, circa 1955. I think he was a handsome man and if Leo turns out looking like Junior he'll be quite a playboy!

Happy Birthday

I'm celebrating my 36th birthday in style--a four-day weekend relaxing at home with my "boys" capped off with a mini spa day featuring a facial and pedicure. Yay! Also, Mike got me a wonderful Flip video digital camera for my b-day/Xmas, so look for videos here soon!

Busy October!

Its been a busy month for the Napolitanos!

I went back to work on October 7th, which has been exciting and a little bit overwhelming. Mike's at home with Leo now for the rest of his family leave and is doing a great job as "Mr. Mom". I come home at lunch time to feed Leo, so I never go more than a few hours without seeing my two favorite fellas. That makes it a lot easier to enjoy being at work.

Earlier this month, Mike's folks (Mike Sr. and Sandy) drove in from Florida to meet Leo. It was wonderful to see them and they had a good time hanging out with our little guy. They brought Leo some great clothes and blankets from his Aunt Carol and Uncle Andy and then had a ball buying some more clothes for Leo while they were here. Leo is a clothes horse, which is a good thing because he seems to be getting bigger by the day and has outgrown many of his 0-3 month clothes.

Last week, we all took a trip. Mike went to Las Vegas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his move to San Fransisco from New York. He had a fantastic time hanging out with the three buddies (Ian, Clark, and Austin) who made the original journey as well as his other good friends from Utah, New York, and California.

Leo and I went with my Mom to Chicago to celebrate Great Grandma Gert's (GGG) 93rd birthday. Leo is named after GGG's late husband, Leo Schiavone, so it was very special to see them together. Leo also got to hang out with his cousins Kate and Rachel and his Aunt Christina, and met the rest of our Chicago gang (Uncle Dave, Aunt Marianne, and my cousins Mark, Sarah, and Paul). We had a wonderful weekend and the capper was a great birthday party for GGG. Leo traveled like a champ (although I probably would have had a nervous breakdown if Mom wasn't there to help!) and had many admirers in the airports. We are not the only ones who think he's pretty dang cute!

Happy First Anniversary!

What a wonderful and crazy year it has been for us--married, honeymoon, pregnant, and baby all in 365 days! But we figure we started on this journey together later in our lives, so we had to get crackin'. :o)

Mike and I took an overnight trip this weekend to celebrate. We dropped Leo off at Nona and Grandpa Rocky's house on Saturday afternoon for his first sleepover. Then we went up the Ogden Canyon to have a good dinner at the Jackson Fork Inn and then went to our hotel, the Red Moose Lodge in Eden (photo at left). The autumn leaves are at their peak right now, and the stars shine brighter away from the city lights, so the setting was just beautiful. We had a lovely time relaxing and just enjoying being together alone for the first time in a couple of months.

Leo Week 7

I was finally able to capture some photos of Leo's wonderful smile. Other developments this week include holding his head up for a full minute and almost sleeping through the night (which is nearly as thrilling as his smile!). Leo also experienced his first campfire and hootenany at our friends the Holts--we gather around their firepit and eat good food, play instruments, and sing songs.

For not yet being two months old, Leo sure gets a lot of mail! :o) Thanks to Mia and Jonathan for the cuddly snow suit, to the Wogomans for the care package of clothes for Leo (and delicious lotions/soap for me!) and to Aunt Christina for the very cute sleeper and pants. Thanks also to Leo's "California Aunties" Jill and Carrie for the adorable tie-dye onesie.

First smiles!

This was a great week with Leo--he is starting to give us his first smiles! They are still somewhat erratic and we haven't caught one on camera yet, but we'll keep trying. Its so gratifying to see that smile and know that Leo is aware and happy.

Other fun stuff this week: Leo and I have started taking daily walks and/or errands to get out of the house and enjoy the very fine September weather we've been having. We went to a small neighborhood park on Friday where Leo encountered several firsts including a puppy, laying in the grass on a blanket, and staring up at a giant oak tree. These all brought smiles and lots of arm and leg waving.

Leo also received a very nice gift this week from our friends the Owens in California. They sent a very loveable first doll and the book Goodnight Gorilla, which is one of cousin Rachel's favorites. We are very happy to have our own copy for Leo to enjoy.

New photos soon!

Christina and Rachel visit

My sister Christina came from Arizona with her daughter, Rachel, to visit Leo last week. They came directly to our house from the airport to meet Leo. Rachel immediately and accurately identified him as a baby. :o) On Friday, Leo and I went up to Ogden to visit with Nona, Grandpa, Christina and Rachel. The highlights for Leo were napping on Grandpa's lap on the balcony and getting a bottle from Nona. Highlights for me were getting some quality Zia (aunt) time with Rachel and visiting with Chris. On Sunday, we all visited the aquarium in Salt Lake City. Rachel had a wonderful time looking at all of the fish--she loved the octopus so much she kissed the glass of his tank. Leo, characteristically, napped the entire time.