and now there are TWO!

Man, it's been a long time since I've posted! My apologies if you're an avid reader who's been waiting patiently for an update... ;). Let's start with Dominic- he's awesome! He's about 20 months now and is just becoming more and more of a big boy. He loves balls and anything with wheels (car, truck, tractor...). He always goes right for those toys in any setting he's in. He knows a lot of his body parts, and loves LOVES to read. He's always carrying books around, bringing them to us, or sitting down on his own to "read" them, which means he sits there turning the pages, babbling at the book... it's adorable. He's learning so much and has such a great memory for things; I'll point out different things on the pages of the book and as we go through it he can point them out when I ask! That's probably normal for his age, but it still makes me really proud and makes me think he's just the smartest boy in the world =). He knows words and can say quite a few, but he really doesn't talk very much (speak English.. he's always jabbering but rarely says things we can understand). I think he's just taking his time, but his pediatrician wants to keep an eye on his verbal skills so I guess we'll see. He's a little tough guy- he falls all the time, but it really takes a lot to get him crying about things, and even when he does cry it usually doesn't last long. He's very tough about stuff like that, and I've actually heard that's common among gastro babies because they went through so much when they were infants. He's perfect.

On July 14th, 2010 I gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Scarlett Isabella! She was 8 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches long, and absolutely perfect and healthy. I went all-natural with NO drugs or anything, and yes it hurt, but it was over really quickly (4 hours total in labor), and I would definitely go natural again! It was an amazing experience. Bringing home a newborn was new for Rick and I, because Dominic was almost 3 months by the time he came home. Scarlett was exactly 3 lbs and 3 inches bigger than Dominic at birth, and she's a chunk! It's so strange because I had one teeny tiny baby for so long, and now a big ole chunky monkey- she was in the 94% for weight at 6 weeks, haha. Now Scarlett is about 3 1/2 months and she and Dominic just love each other to pieces. He's so sweet and loving with her and always gives her kisses and hugs. If she's fussing, he'll go right over to her and pat her head or belly, or try to rock her bouncy seat, or just try to help in general. Sometimes his efforts lead to him squishing her a little bit, but he's never intentionally hurt her. In fact, the few times he's accidentally hurt her and made her cry, he starts whining and crying and looking at her- he gets really concerned about her till she stops crying. It's so sweet. And Scarlett just smiles and smiles at him, and everyone else. She's the happiest, smiliest baby ever and I love it! I spend large parts of my free time just talking to her and making goofy faces because it's so rewarding to get that smile from her.

Kids are healthy, husband is happy, I couldn't ask for more.
Thanks for reading!

Stephanie