That's my mantra for the next couple of weeks. If you find me chanting it under my breath in a catatonic state, you might want to chat with me later. How is life? Life is stressful, overwhelming, and quite busy at the moment. I feel like selling a house, building a house, and having a baby during all of that...all in one year has aged me a good extra 5 years in 2011. And I now have gray hairs to boot. Didn't have those in 2010.
We are moving into our new home by the end of the month. It's finally here. A few months past the initial deadline, but it's actually going to happen. In less than 18 days. Life today is all about toilet choices, grout color, hardwood floor guys, appliance deliveries, moving dates, front porch materials, and subcontractors. Along with a healthy daily dose of baby spit up, little boy shenanigans, swimming lessons, playdates, VBS, and 12 hour night shifts at the hospital. Somewhere in there I throw some food together and call it dinner.
We have tried oh so hard to keep life as normal as possible for us and the kids through this transition time. Same kind of schedule every day. Same routine to go to bed at night. Mommy and Daddy are always here...doing their best to not let the temporary craziness of life inflict on our family unit.
Surprisingly, when we first told people we were building a house, the answer I got several times over was, "Well, I hope you don't get divorced over it." I was initially shocked that people would say that to me. But after the months on end of the high level of stress involved with building a home, I can understand it completely. I am oh.so.thankful. for a wonderful husband and a strong marriage that not only has stood the test of time, but has become even stronger through all of this. He gets me, and I get him. We had a few ugly spats here and there cause, Lord knows, we are not perfect. But in a couple of weeks when we move in, I am going to wag my finger at those marriage naysayers and say, "Don't think so!" Not only are we still married, we still like each other too.
We are definitely excited to finally move in to our new home. I packed quite aggressively when we sold our home on Blueberry Lane and moved into our small rental for 9 months. We've lived on just the basics, so I know it's going to feel like Christmas in July when we unpack boxes that I packed almost a year ago. And then again, I think...do we really need that stuff that we didn't use all this time? Maybe Goodwill is going to write me a large tax deductible receipt when it is all said and done. Yes, the house is nice and new and everything we picked out. (Picking stuff out...not as much fun as you imagine it to be). But it is just a house...looking at it that way really makes a lot of this stress seem quite trivial at times. More importantly though, I'm most excited about feeling settled. To truly be home in a place that is ours. To hang curtains. To decorate the kid's rooms. To scrub my own toilets. To work the soil in my own yard. To walk out the front door and put Abby on the bus for her first day of school this fall. Yes...after typing all of this...I am definitely too blessed to be stressed. :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Life With Hannah
In case you were hiding under a rock this past month...
Hannah Josephine Chiodo was born on March 4th at 9:24 a.m. She was 5 lb. 14 oz. and was 19 inches long. And she has red hair to boot. Three redheads...that is one strong recessive gene we each have. She was tiny compared to the other two...I questioned the nurses and doctors a lot about it. They just said, "She's full term and 100% healthy. She's just tiny." She is eating like a champ though, and I'm guessing she's well over 8 lbs. by now.
Here she is!
Bonding with Mom...
Going home (Abby's favorite picture of her)
We've had several questions about her middle name so here's the scoop on it...We just like the name! I have loved the name Joseph for a long time. If she was a boy, his name would have been Joseph. And Jason and I both put a lot of stock into the meanings of our children's names as well. Abigail means "a father's joy"; Benjamin means "my son"; and Hannah means "grace of God." Just for the record, picking a name for your third kid is hard. At least it was for us. For awhile, she was going to be Emma Claire. But I (the non-dreamer) woke up in the middle of the night when I was about 8 months pregnant and had this deep, all-knowing dream/feeling that we needed to give her a Biblical name. And after all of my hours spent on talking, debating, wondering, and googling of names...just like that-I got up that morning and said, "We should name her Hannah." And it was a done deal. Abigail and Benjamin are Biblical names but we didn't really start off with going the Biblical name route. It just kinda happened. Somehow we like to combine classic and Biblical together to get our name choices. For a middle name, we had talked about Joseph early on for a boy's name. It means "Jehovah increases" which I think is very meaningful for a third child especially. One thing led to the next and Josephine (same meaning) was our favorite pairing with Hannah. So there you have it.
Our sweet Hannah is four weeks old today. And it's April 1st, which means March was a big ol' blur to me. I am determined that this child will have pictures and a scrapbook and all that fun documentation that somehow starts off strong with the first child and completely disappears by the third child. So here's some blurry details about life with our new addition...
1. My c-section recovery with this kiddo has been way easier than my recovery from Ben's birth. Granted, he was almost a 9 lb. child and she was almost 6....I'm thinking that made a difference on my body. I thankfully didn't have one ounce of the joint pain I had after Ben. My incision has healed great, and my energy is back to full force.
2. I think the BIGGEST difference for me was having lots of help afterwards. My mom and stepdad were here for 10 days so when I came home from the hospital, I had extra hands to do the laundry, cooking, cleaning, chasing after Ben, and playing with Abby. Plus when those good ol' pregnancy hormones went crazy on me a few days later, I had my mom here to listen to me blubber and cry for no apparent reason. You know you are loved when you are a complete mess...you cry and you have no idea why and then you apologize for crying and then you cry for knowing you look like a complete mess for apologizing for crying because you have no idea why you are crying. Right?!? Gotta love those hormones. Thanks mom for being there for me! Jason is thanking you too. :)
After they left, Jason took the next week off. Having him to get Abby to school, take Ben out in the morning, help around the house...it was like the cherry on top of it all. I was a little nervous about him being off and home a lot...let's just say my hubby likes to be on the move. But it was great, and at the end of the week, he sat down and said, "I have no idea how you do this all the time! I gotta go back to work to get a break!" :)
My third blessing is that our wonderful friends have been bringing us meals a few times a week. That is such a huge help, and we feel so blessed by all the yummy food coming our way. I'm in complete denial that it will stop at some point. :) After it does, my crockpot won't know what hit her. Strange, my crockpot is a girl in my mind.
3. I almost don't want to say it out loud, but Hannah is a really good baby. Shh...don't tell her I said that. Don't get me wrong..Abby and Ben were good babies, but they also did their fair share of crying and fussing. This girl is one content kid. She sleeps, she eats, she poops, and she cuddles. Not a lot of crying. Not a lot of fussing. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but so far, so good. Is this what a laid-back personality is like? See, I don't really know what that looks like so I'm not quite sure what this is?!?
4. Abby and Ben have been awesome with Hannah. I was a litle nervous that Abby would be trying to pick her up and put her in places like her doll bed. And I was very nervous Ben would be jealous or rough with her. Abby has been wonderful. Having a 5 year old daughter with a newborn is a mother's treat. She is a big helper and bosses everyone to wash their hands before touching her. She gives her lot of head kisses and says, "I just love her, Mom. I just really, really love her." So far, there's been no picking Hannah up or putting her in a doll bed. :) Ben really doesn't pay much attention to her at all. He's like, "Yeah, that's nice. I'm gonna go play with my trucks now." He is all into copying Abby these days so he will give Hannah kisses on her head like Abby. Other than that, he's just mildly curious is this new lifeform.
5. Now for the crazy part of life...when the clock hits 5:30 p.m., I feel like life turns into a disaster in our home. The kids are either running around after each other laughing like hyenas or fighting over something silly. Hannah is wanting to eat and/or be held. If dinner is not brought to us from a dear soul, then I'm trying to finish putting something together one-handed while hollering at the two older kids to "slow down!" "be nice!" "watch out!". Having dinner as a family is important to us, but if Jason is running late, those 20 extra minutes feel like 20 hours. By the time we sit down, and I hear Abby say, "Eww, this is disgusting. I'm not hungry," I basically want to go lock myself in the bathroom and go visit Calgon. Amazing how a good day can instantly go bad in a matter of minutes with Mom losing her cool. So....definitely haven't figured it all out yet. Still working on it. A lot.
But for the record, I will say that going from 2 to 3 kids has been much easier than going from one to two. (Going from 1 to 2 kicked my butt). You just do everything faster. Everything. You even pee faster. You are used to the lack of privacy. You are used to multi-tasking. You are even used to eating while standing up. Now, you just crank it up a notch and away you go. And now I'm off to change my shirt that just got baby spit-up all over it, roll the toilet paper back on the roll, and pick up my kindergartener at the bus stop. It's a little crazy, but I love it. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Hannah Josephine Chiodo was born on March 4th at 9:24 a.m. She was 5 lb. 14 oz. and was 19 inches long. And she has red hair to boot. Three redheads...that is one strong recessive gene we each have. She was tiny compared to the other two...I questioned the nurses and doctors a lot about it. They just said, "She's full term and 100% healthy. She's just tiny." She is eating like a champ though, and I'm guessing she's well over 8 lbs. by now.
Here she is!
Bonding with Mom...
Going home (Abby's favorite picture of her)
We've had several questions about her middle name so here's the scoop on it...We just like the name! I have loved the name Joseph for a long time. If she was a boy, his name would have been Joseph. And Jason and I both put a lot of stock into the meanings of our children's names as well. Abigail means "a father's joy"; Benjamin means "my son"; and Hannah means "grace of God." Just for the record, picking a name for your third kid is hard. At least it was for us. For awhile, she was going to be Emma Claire. But I (the non-dreamer) woke up in the middle of the night when I was about 8 months pregnant and had this deep, all-knowing dream/feeling that we needed to give her a Biblical name. And after all of my hours spent on talking, debating, wondering, and googling of names...just like that-I got up that morning and said, "We should name her Hannah." And it was a done deal. Abigail and Benjamin are Biblical names but we didn't really start off with going the Biblical name route. It just kinda happened. Somehow we like to combine classic and Biblical together to get our name choices. For a middle name, we had talked about Joseph early on for a boy's name. It means "Jehovah increases" which I think is very meaningful for a third child especially. One thing led to the next and Josephine (same meaning) was our favorite pairing with Hannah. So there you have it.
Our sweet Hannah is four weeks old today. And it's April 1st, which means March was a big ol' blur to me. I am determined that this child will have pictures and a scrapbook and all that fun documentation that somehow starts off strong with the first child and completely disappears by the third child. So here's some blurry details about life with our new addition...
1. My c-section recovery with this kiddo has been way easier than my recovery from Ben's birth. Granted, he was almost a 9 lb. child and she was almost 6....I'm thinking that made a difference on my body. I thankfully didn't have one ounce of the joint pain I had after Ben. My incision has healed great, and my energy is back to full force.
2. I think the BIGGEST difference for me was having lots of help afterwards. My mom and stepdad were here for 10 days so when I came home from the hospital, I had extra hands to do the laundry, cooking, cleaning, chasing after Ben, and playing with Abby. Plus when those good ol' pregnancy hormones went crazy on me a few days later, I had my mom here to listen to me blubber and cry for no apparent reason. You know you are loved when you are a complete mess...you cry and you have no idea why and then you apologize for crying and then you cry for knowing you look like a complete mess for apologizing for crying because you have no idea why you are crying. Right?!? Gotta love those hormones. Thanks mom for being there for me! Jason is thanking you too. :)
After they left, Jason took the next week off. Having him to get Abby to school, take Ben out in the morning, help around the house...it was like the cherry on top of it all. I was a little nervous about him being off and home a lot...let's just say my hubby likes to be on the move. But it was great, and at the end of the week, he sat down and said, "I have no idea how you do this all the time! I gotta go back to work to get a break!" :)
My third blessing is that our wonderful friends have been bringing us meals a few times a week. That is such a huge help, and we feel so blessed by all the yummy food coming our way. I'm in complete denial that it will stop at some point. :) After it does, my crockpot won't know what hit her. Strange, my crockpot is a girl in my mind.
3. I almost don't want to say it out loud, but Hannah is a really good baby. Shh...don't tell her I said that. Don't get me wrong..Abby and Ben were good babies, but they also did their fair share of crying and fussing. This girl is one content kid. She sleeps, she eats, she poops, and she cuddles. Not a lot of crying. Not a lot of fussing. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop but so far, so good. Is this what a laid-back personality is like? See, I don't really know what that looks like so I'm not quite sure what this is?!?
4. Abby and Ben have been awesome with Hannah. I was a litle nervous that Abby would be trying to pick her up and put her in places like her doll bed. And I was very nervous Ben would be jealous or rough with her. Abby has been wonderful. Having a 5 year old daughter with a newborn is a mother's treat. She is a big helper and bosses everyone to wash their hands before touching her. She gives her lot of head kisses and says, "I just love her, Mom. I just really, really love her." So far, there's been no picking Hannah up or putting her in a doll bed. :) Ben really doesn't pay much attention to her at all. He's like, "Yeah, that's nice. I'm gonna go play with my trucks now." He is all into copying Abby these days so he will give Hannah kisses on her head like Abby. Other than that, he's just mildly curious is this new lifeform.
5. Now for the crazy part of life...when the clock hits 5:30 p.m., I feel like life turns into a disaster in our home. The kids are either running around after each other laughing like hyenas or fighting over something silly. Hannah is wanting to eat and/or be held. If dinner is not brought to us from a dear soul, then I'm trying to finish putting something together one-handed while hollering at the two older kids to "slow down!" "be nice!" "watch out!". Having dinner as a family is important to us, but if Jason is running late, those 20 extra minutes feel like 20 hours. By the time we sit down, and I hear Abby say, "Eww, this is disgusting. I'm not hungry," I basically want to go lock myself in the bathroom and go visit Calgon. Amazing how a good day can instantly go bad in a matter of minutes with Mom losing her cool. So....definitely haven't figured it all out yet. Still working on it. A lot.
But for the record, I will say that going from 2 to 3 kids has been much easier than going from one to two. (Going from 1 to 2 kicked my butt). You just do everything faster. Everything. You even pee faster. You are used to the lack of privacy. You are used to multi-tasking. You are even used to eating while standing up. Now, you just crank it up a notch and away you go. And now I'm off to change my shirt that just got baby spit-up all over it, roll the toilet paper back on the roll, and pick up my kindergartener at the bus stop. It's a little crazy, but I love it. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I Feel Like a Fluffy Marshmallow
Okay, we're at 38 1/2 weeks on this baby! It's really starting to hit me that she is gonna be here soon! I feel like I've been pregnant forever...starting back when it was summertime and there were flip flops and green grass everywhere. (I'm so beyond done with all this snow and cold weather). I'm trying to stay positive even though every pelvic joint in my body aches on a constant basis. I have one more shift to work this coming Friday, and then I get 4 glorious months off for maternity leave.
It's been a bit of a roller coaster for me with having a third child. Part of me is freaking out on the inside...wondering how in the world I'm going to be a mother of three and manage it all. Making sure all three feel special and loved and attended to. Wondering how I'll ever go to the grocery store with three "goats"...or the park...or the pool. Hoping that going back to work part-time eventually will be okay with Jason putting all three to bed two nights a week. I feel like the doubts and insecurities are piling up on me.
But, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this baby was meant to be. After having a history of miscarriages and high risk pregnancies, this pregnancy has been golden. There hasn't been so much of a hiccup with this pregnancy, for which I am so thankful. I know that God purposed for us to have this baby girl. And that alone trumps all the doubts and insecurities that come my way.
Of course we are also excited about her as well. Can't wait to see her, touch her, smell her, talk to her, kiss her, and see what she will look like (red hair or black hair?). I can't wait to fit her right into our little family and introduce her to Abby and Ben.
And as a sidenote: I'm also really looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel. Drinking more coffee, putting my wedding rings back on my unswollen fingers, sleeping in any position I want just because I want to, and working on getting skinny. Weight Watchers, here I come! My kids have been the snuggliest kids ever with me lately. They just want to snuggle all the time! In my mind I think it's because I'm such a loving and nurturing mother. But, I'm really starting to think that it's because I'm looking like a big ol' fluffy marshmallow.
It's been a bit of a roller coaster for me with having a third child. Part of me is freaking out on the inside...wondering how in the world I'm going to be a mother of three and manage it all. Making sure all three feel special and loved and attended to. Wondering how I'll ever go to the grocery store with three "goats"...or the park...or the pool. Hoping that going back to work part-time eventually will be okay with Jason putting all three to bed two nights a week. I feel like the doubts and insecurities are piling up on me.
But, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this baby was meant to be. After having a history of miscarriages and high risk pregnancies, this pregnancy has been golden. There hasn't been so much of a hiccup with this pregnancy, for which I am so thankful. I know that God purposed for us to have this baby girl. And that alone trumps all the doubts and insecurities that come my way.
Of course we are also excited about her as well. Can't wait to see her, touch her, smell her, talk to her, kiss her, and see what she will look like (red hair or black hair?). I can't wait to fit her right into our little family and introduce her to Abby and Ben.
And as a sidenote: I'm also really looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel. Drinking more coffee, putting my wedding rings back on my unswollen fingers, sleeping in any position I want just because I want to, and working on getting skinny. Weight Watchers, here I come! My kids have been the snuggliest kids ever with me lately. They just want to snuggle all the time! In my mind I think it's because I'm such a loving and nurturing mother. But, I'm really starting to think that it's because I'm looking like a big ol' fluffy marshmallow.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
2010 Chiodo Christmas Letter
Greetings from the Chiodo Family! We hope that all of our friends and family had a wonderful year and have more exciting things to come. This year has been a big adventure for us! Here are a few of the good highlights....I won't include the other parts of life... like the temper tantrums, sibling fights, pregnancy hormones, bad hair days, and moments of tears, frustration, and fears. That would be no fun to talk about. :)
Our Housing Situation: Here's the story behind the story... Jason loves real estate. And in loving a man who loves real estate, you have to be open to living the unconventional life sometimes when it comes to the roof over your head. In 2009, we bought a home after renting for a couple of years, and I thought that life would settle down for awhile. We loved the location, but we just felt so-so about the school system in the town we were living in. Since we moved to Connecticut, we have always wanted to live in the town of Trumbull. It is a wonderful town where we go to church, where there is a fabulous school system, and where the community is family-oriented. So in Jason's quest of looking for good deals in real estate, he found a house in Trumbull that was a deserted, dilapidated 800 sq. ft. home in a great neighborhood. One thought led to an idea which led to a conversation which led to a decision to basically flip the house we just bought and do a crazy thing....buy this little dilapidated home, knock it down, and build a house of our own. So here we are 6 months later and the zoning approval is done, the permits are done, the blueprints are done, and the house is being framed. Are we crazy? Sure. Unconventional? You betcha. Will I live in this new house forever? I hope so, but you never know. But, in the end, we are doing this thing called life together. And the ride is definitely an exciting one so far.
Our Baby Situation: Around the time that we made the crazy decision of #1, I threw out another crazy idea to have a 3rd baby. I sold it to Jason as a thing to just think about...you know-"It will take at least a good 6-8 months, honey....let's just see what happens!" What happened was me getting pregnant 3 weeks after that conversation! He is still making me eat my words on that one. :) After a few weeks of wrapping our brains around the shock of it all, we are ready and excited for this new addition to our family. Abby is thrilled to have a little sister. Ben just thinks everyone has a baby in their belly...including him with his little basketball under his shirt. Baby Girl Chiodo is healthy and growing and looking to arrive at the beginning of March.
Our Abigail: Abby turned the big 5 this summer, and started kindergarten this past fall. Her mommy did the ugly cry at the bus stop that first day to see her baby girl so grown up and heading off to school. Abby has a wonderful teacher, a fun class, and she is learning so much already. We hear all about the muscle words, rainbow words, music, gym, and art classes, and her favorite-library days. She is in a cute ballet class once a week, and she is also a Girl Scout Daisy this year too. She loves to read books, do fun crafts and coloring, wrestle with her daddy, and boss around her little brother. :)
Our Benjamin: Ben turned 2 this summer, and that boy knows how to keep us on our toes! He is a ball of fire with a personality that is sweet, snuggly, and stinker all in one. He has lots of Mommy time while Abby is in kindergarten, and I am soaking up the one-on-one time with him as much as possible. He is talking a lot (although I seem to be the only one to know just what he is saying), and he is on the verge of being ready to potty train. He loves playing with anything that has wheels, jumping on couches and beds, and copying anything that his big sister "Ab-Ab" does.
Our Better Half: Jason got the P90X workout DVD set this year, and he loves it! He is eating healthy, exercising regularly, and looking good! Since I work many Friday nights, Saturday mornings have become his special daddy time with the kids. He takes them to Home Depot kid workshops, and on many visits to the library, zoo, aquarium, playgrounds, parks, and hiking trails. I haven't scrapbooked one bit this year, but I would love to change that soon. But I love to read a good book, make a few hairbows for Abby, and have the occasional date night with Jason. I also asked for a nail gun and air compressor for Christmas because I have become a wee bit obsessed with woodworking and carpentry. If you look at my Top 10 list, you'll understand. :)
Our Travels: This spring I flew with both kids by myself (never want to do that again!) to Georgia to see my brother Jay graduate from Army Ranger School. That was a proud moment to see him become a Ranger after he returned from a year of combat in Afganistan. For Thanksgiving, we wanted to spend it in Oklahoma with my whole family. After finding plane tickets to be over $650/each, we decided to drive there and back. Again, we were called crazy, but it was a fun adventure. The kids were fabulous, and the two of us were road warriors. We set up the third row in our minivan like a bed, and took turns sleeping and driving. We drove straight through in a little over 24 hours. Swollen ankles, thousands of sunflower seeds, a few kid movies, and numerous ABC games later....it was well worth it to make the trip. Will we do that again anytime soon? No way. But we loved seeing my family, and we spent way less than we would have if we had flown.
Our Visitors: We had some fun visitors come see us up in Connecticut this year. My brother Jeff had business in Boston and came for a few extra days to visit with us. Cool Uncle Jeff was very popular with our kids, and Abby decided she needed to be a surfer like him. Our very dear friends, Jimmy and Bethany Jones, stopped by for a week on their adventurous roadtrip across America. Their daughter Kayla and Abby had a lot of fun playing at the sprinkler park, running around like horses, and seeing who could boss whom the most. :) We had a lot of fun memories from that week...too much good food, some good laughs, and a lot of talking and catching up. My mom and stepdad came out for a quick visit this fall. We put them to work since it was the weekend that we moved, but we definitely could not have done it all without them. We also had a fun trip to the apple orchard with them, and the kids always miss them too much when they leave.
Our Jobs: Jobs are the same, although I did switch to work the night shift at Yale in the PACU. Working 7 p.m.-7 a.m. two nights a week has been much better for our family. No more tears on the way home because I missed an entire day with my children. No more children being away from home for long hours. No more husband coming home from work and having to do everything...dinner, bath, bedtime. Now we have more daytime hours together, more dinners togethers, and more happy people in our family. I am so very thankful for a job that allows me to work flexible hours and still be a hands-on mom.
Okay, that's about it in a nutshell. Through all of our ups and downs, we thank God for taking care of us and leading us each step of the way. We are thankful for many things...good family, good friends, a good church, and a good marriage. I'm kinda hoping that next year's letter will be a little more boring than this one. I could use a good dose of boring. :)
Our Housing Situation: Here's the story behind the story... Jason loves real estate. And in loving a man who loves real estate, you have to be open to living the unconventional life sometimes when it comes to the roof over your head. In 2009, we bought a home after renting for a couple of years, and I thought that life would settle down for awhile. We loved the location, but we just felt so-so about the school system in the town we were living in. Since we moved to Connecticut, we have always wanted to live in the town of Trumbull. It is a wonderful town where we go to church, where there is a fabulous school system, and where the community is family-oriented. So in Jason's quest of looking for good deals in real estate, he found a house in Trumbull that was a deserted, dilapidated 800 sq. ft. home in a great neighborhood. One thought led to an idea which led to a conversation which led to a decision to basically flip the house we just bought and do a crazy thing....buy this little dilapidated home, knock it down, and build a house of our own. So here we are 6 months later and the zoning approval is done, the permits are done, the blueprints are done, and the house is being framed. Are we crazy? Sure. Unconventional? You betcha. Will I live in this new house forever? I hope so, but you never know. But, in the end, we are doing this thing called life together. And the ride is definitely an exciting one so far.
Our Baby Situation: Around the time that we made the crazy decision of #1, I threw out another crazy idea to have a 3rd baby. I sold it to Jason as a thing to just think about...you know-"It will take at least a good 6-8 months, honey....let's just see what happens!" What happened was me getting pregnant 3 weeks after that conversation! He is still making me eat my words on that one. :) After a few weeks of wrapping our brains around the shock of it all, we are ready and excited for this new addition to our family. Abby is thrilled to have a little sister. Ben just thinks everyone has a baby in their belly...including him with his little basketball under his shirt. Baby Girl Chiodo is healthy and growing and looking to arrive at the beginning of March.
Our Abigail: Abby turned the big 5 this summer, and started kindergarten this past fall. Her mommy did the ugly cry at the bus stop that first day to see her baby girl so grown up and heading off to school. Abby has a wonderful teacher, a fun class, and she is learning so much already. We hear all about the muscle words, rainbow words, music, gym, and art classes, and her favorite-library days. She is in a cute ballet class once a week, and she is also a Girl Scout Daisy this year too. She loves to read books, do fun crafts and coloring, wrestle with her daddy, and boss around her little brother. :)
Our Benjamin: Ben turned 2 this summer, and that boy knows how to keep us on our toes! He is a ball of fire with a personality that is sweet, snuggly, and stinker all in one. He has lots of Mommy time while Abby is in kindergarten, and I am soaking up the one-on-one time with him as much as possible. He is talking a lot (although I seem to be the only one to know just what he is saying), and he is on the verge of being ready to potty train. He loves playing with anything that has wheels, jumping on couches and beds, and copying anything that his big sister "Ab-Ab" does.
Our Better Half: Jason got the P90X workout DVD set this year, and he loves it! He is eating healthy, exercising regularly, and looking good! Since I work many Friday nights, Saturday mornings have become his special daddy time with the kids. He takes them to Home Depot kid workshops, and on many visits to the library, zoo, aquarium, playgrounds, parks, and hiking trails. I haven't scrapbooked one bit this year, but I would love to change that soon. But I love to read a good book, make a few hairbows for Abby, and have the occasional date night with Jason. I also asked for a nail gun and air compressor for Christmas because I have become a wee bit obsessed with woodworking and carpentry. If you look at my Top 10 list, you'll understand. :)
Our Travels: This spring I flew with both kids by myself (never want to do that again!) to Georgia to see my brother Jay graduate from Army Ranger School. That was a proud moment to see him become a Ranger after he returned from a year of combat in Afganistan. For Thanksgiving, we wanted to spend it in Oklahoma with my whole family. After finding plane tickets to be over $650/each, we decided to drive there and back. Again, we were called crazy, but it was a fun adventure. The kids were fabulous, and the two of us were road warriors. We set up the third row in our minivan like a bed, and took turns sleeping and driving. We drove straight through in a little over 24 hours. Swollen ankles, thousands of sunflower seeds, a few kid movies, and numerous ABC games later....it was well worth it to make the trip. Will we do that again anytime soon? No way. But we loved seeing my family, and we spent way less than we would have if we had flown.
Our Visitors: We had some fun visitors come see us up in Connecticut this year. My brother Jeff had business in Boston and came for a few extra days to visit with us. Cool Uncle Jeff was very popular with our kids, and Abby decided she needed to be a surfer like him. Our very dear friends, Jimmy and Bethany Jones, stopped by for a week on their adventurous roadtrip across America. Their daughter Kayla and Abby had a lot of fun playing at the sprinkler park, running around like horses, and seeing who could boss whom the most. :) We had a lot of fun memories from that week...too much good food, some good laughs, and a lot of talking and catching up. My mom and stepdad came out for a quick visit this fall. We put them to work since it was the weekend that we moved, but we definitely could not have done it all without them. We also had a fun trip to the apple orchard with them, and the kids always miss them too much when they leave.
Our Jobs: Jobs are the same, although I did switch to work the night shift at Yale in the PACU. Working 7 p.m.-7 a.m. two nights a week has been much better for our family. No more tears on the way home because I missed an entire day with my children. No more children being away from home for long hours. No more husband coming home from work and having to do everything...dinner, bath, bedtime. Now we have more daytime hours together, more dinners togethers, and more happy people in our family. I am so very thankful for a job that allows me to work flexible hours and still be a hands-on mom.
Okay, that's about it in a nutshell. Through all of our ups and downs, we thank God for taking care of us and leading us each step of the way. We are thankful for many things...good family, good friends, a good church, and a good marriage. I'm kinda hoping that next year's letter will be a little more boring than this one. I could use a good dose of boring. :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
The 6th Annual Chiodo's Top Ten Favorite Things
1. Ana-White.com: Here's a little secret...this website could be life-changing. I'm just warning you before you take a look at it. This is definitely my most favorite thing this year. Just happened to find her blog, and I have become a bit obsessed. Ana White is an Alaskan stay-at-home mom who makes stuff with wood. Her website used to be called "Knock-Off Wood" but she recently changed it to her name. She is one amazingly talented woman who can look at furniture at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Land of Nod, West Elm...draw up her own knock-off version of it, and then make it from scratch in her garage. This summer, Jason and I made a kid picnic table from her plans, and I can't wait to make more furniture soon. She has only been doing this for about a year, and her popularity has soared off the charts. She has definitely caught the attention of Pottery Barn and also TV executives. There is also talk that she has her own TV show in the works.
2. The Pioneer Woman (thepioneerwoman.com): My second most favorite thing of the year. She cooks, she homeschools four children, she calls her husband the Marlboro Man, she lives in Oklahoma, and she makes me (almost) wet my pants with her funny stories. You must sit for a spell and look at her blog. I love, love, love her (and her cookbook).
3. Amazon Prime Membership: I signed up for their free trial month of Amazon Prime earlier this year and became hooked immediately. As a busy mom, I do a lot of my shopping online...many times at Amazon and usually at the last minute. With Prime, you get free shipping with no minimum purchase, and the shipping is super fast. Totally worth the annual membership fee.
4. Becky Higgins (beckyhiggins.com): I have followed her for several years from when I first started to scrapbook. This woman is just a neat, neat person. She has great ideas on everything from decorating, organizing, cooking, and scrapbooking. She is very simple and real in how she goes about life. Her newest invention is called Project Life....a very fun and easy way to scrapbook/record the most meaningful moments of your life (without all the hours of scrapbooking).
5. Contigo Travel Mugs: We are big fans of these mugs. Costco sells a 2-pack for $19.99 and they are worth every penny. They are stainless steel travel mugs with a vacuum-sealed lid. They do not spill (ever!); they keep your liquids hot for a long time; they are dishwasher safe; and they are perfect for gifts. They seem to be more popular these days...they are for sale in several places now like Amazon, Kohls, or Target.
6. L.L. Bean Personal Organizer: For traveling, this item is a must have. It comes in various sizes and colors and can be personalized as well. I bought us a large one to use as a family when we were away. It keeps everything organized, easy to get to, and is very convenient to zip up and travel with without worrying about spilling toiletries all over your bag. For a personalized gift, the price is awesome too!
7. Make It Fast, Cook It Slow Cookbook: I seriously could not function in life without my crockpot. It makes me look like a good wife when my husband walks in at the end of the day and the house smells like I've been at the stove for hours. I love having dinner prep done and cooking at 10 o'clock in the morning before life gets busy and kids get cranky. This cookbook is written by the woman who blogged about cooking with a crockpot for one whole year. She picked out her favorite recipes and made a fabulous cookbook from her experience. What I love about this book is that the recipes are very good and include pantry items that you normally have on hand. She also has her recipes written as gluten-free which is fabulous for anyone who can't have wheat.
8. Pottery Barn Kids Preschool Backpack: Each of my kids has this cute little backpack. I got it for them when they were around 2 years old. It's perfect for a little coloring book, crayons, a few small toys, a diaper, and anything else that you might need for your child for a little outing. The kids love to put their backpack on and wear it...and it saves you from hauling a big bag of stuff by yourself. It is smaller than a normal kid backpack...so even though it is too small for school use, it is great to use for many other times when you are out and about.
9. Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer: We use these at Yale for taking patient temperatures because they are so accurate. I think I have sold many for Walgreens because patients and their families always comment on them. I bought one a few years ago to use at home...my kids love them, especially since I don't use the old-fashioned method on them anymore. They are accurate, simple, and very easy to use.
10. Little People Nativity Set: Jason and I are of the belief that Christmas is really about Jesus' birthday. We tend to act like Santa Claus is a fun character like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. We try to instill in our children that Christmas is also about giving more than getting as well as spending time together as a family. I thought that this cute little set would help explain the story of Jesus a little better since it is a fun, hands-on toy to play with. It definitely does the trick in making it more real for them. Silly me thought that I could hide it with Christmas stuff and bring it out once a year. They always find it and play with it year round....Abby says she "needs to play with Baby Jesus all the time, Mom!" So there you have it.....
Thursday, December 9, 2010
My Name is Jennifer. I am a Slacker Blogger.
As many of you know, this year has been one kind of crazy. Last year at this time, I would have laughed out loud if someone would have told me what was in store for us. I believe I was of the mindset that I was done moving and done having kids around that time. Life lesson #1: Never say never...especially when married to Jason Chiodo. :) Since my last post in July, I've been a wee bit busy. Growing Baby #3, packing and selling and moving, making decisions about a new construction house, having Abby start kindergarten, and then chasing Ben away from the emergency room the rest of the time. Oh, all while working the night shift at Yale two nights a week. Never mind the cooking, cleaning, laundering, driving, and everything else that moms do on a daily basis. All that to say....my deepest apologies that I just couldn't seem to fit blogging in there with the rest of it.
There were many a day I wanted to sit down and type out my quirky thoughts. And I would look at other blogs and be a wee bit jealous with all their cute and thoughtful posts they somehow managed to write several days a week. The truth of the matter is this: the time that I have to sit down and write is around 3 a.m. when I am at work on a rare night that we aren't busy with patients. But then I hesitate because I'm not quite sure my ramblings would make sense at 3 a.m. And I tend to lose my filter when I'm tired and thinking about random stuff in my head. Lord knows I can get in big trouble when my filter isn't in place. :)
Today I'm sitting here letting my kids watch one to many Max & Rubys so I can sit and actually blog. And it's 3:30 p.m., not a.m. I have realized that I haven't put hardly any pictures on here (sorry, Mom!). I do good just to get the dang pictures uploaded to my computer and put a whole season of them on Facebook a few times a year. But I will put some pictures on here soon....
So how is life right now? I'm 7 months pregnant, and so thankful that this baby girl is healthy and not causing me any problems. I think this has been my easiest pregnancy to date. I'm just too busy to pay much attention to her. I feel like taking my prenatal vitamin daily is a good accomplishment. So I swallow it, pat the belly, and say, "There you go, baby girl. Thanks for hanging in there with me." Haven't picked a name yet...we're down to about 3 choices. I think I'm overanalyzing them a wee bit too much.
We put our house on Blueberry Lane on the market this fall, and it had an accepted offer within 2 weeks of listing it. That wasn't really in the plan, but it was a good problem to have to deal with. So we sold it the end of October and found a little house to rent in Trumbull for 6 months. It's close to Abby's kindergarten and our construction. Abby and Ben are sharing a room which is 80% great and 20% crazy. I think they like it so much they are going to want to share a room in the new house. Maybe I'll end up with a spare guest room after all.
The new construction house is starting to finally pick up. There were some very slow-moving days where I had one too many hissy fits to get something done. I will admit that I was not ashamed to blame it on pregnancy hormones when I needed to. :) But after the long process of getting zoning approval, applying for demolition and building permits, finalizing a houseplan (holy moly)....the new foundation has been poured, the old house has been demolished, and there are currently 2 new walls framed as I sit here. Yeah for progress! I'm finding that the way to a construction worker's heart is through their bellies. So I'm throwing on the apron and whipping up some baked goodies with some hot coffee. Might as well make them fat and happy while they work.
The kids are great. Abby loves kindergarten and she is enjoying ballet classes and Girl Scouts. Ben is very close to being ready to potty-train. I would love to tackle that before March.
Okay, I think that's enough ramblings for now. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I get asked here and there, "Are you really doing okay?!?" Truth of the matter is this: I really am. Working the night shift makes me a bit of a zombie, but it's so much better than working 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and missing my kids so much I would cry on the way home from my shift. I don't mind working...I have good friends there, the money and benefits are good, my brain gets used, I talk to adults, and my Love Bucket is all ready to get filled up again when I get home. I do have days where I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and it's just not quite good enough by my own standards. I'm late for this or that, dinner is sometimes a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and the house is definitely not perfect. But my husband thinks I'm doing awesome and I definitely couldn't do it without him.
Okay-until next time (which will be sooner rather than later). :)
There were many a day I wanted to sit down and type out my quirky thoughts. And I would look at other blogs and be a wee bit jealous with all their cute and thoughtful posts they somehow managed to write several days a week. The truth of the matter is this: the time that I have to sit down and write is around 3 a.m. when I am at work on a rare night that we aren't busy with patients. But then I hesitate because I'm not quite sure my ramblings would make sense at 3 a.m. And I tend to lose my filter when I'm tired and thinking about random stuff in my head. Lord knows I can get in big trouble when my filter isn't in place. :)
Today I'm sitting here letting my kids watch one to many Max & Rubys so I can sit and actually blog. And it's 3:30 p.m., not a.m. I have realized that I haven't put hardly any pictures on here (sorry, Mom!). I do good just to get the dang pictures uploaded to my computer and put a whole season of them on Facebook a few times a year. But I will put some pictures on here soon....
So how is life right now? I'm 7 months pregnant, and so thankful that this baby girl is healthy and not causing me any problems. I think this has been my easiest pregnancy to date. I'm just too busy to pay much attention to her. I feel like taking my prenatal vitamin daily is a good accomplishment. So I swallow it, pat the belly, and say, "There you go, baby girl. Thanks for hanging in there with me." Haven't picked a name yet...we're down to about 3 choices. I think I'm overanalyzing them a wee bit too much.
We put our house on Blueberry Lane on the market this fall, and it had an accepted offer within 2 weeks of listing it. That wasn't really in the plan, but it was a good problem to have to deal with. So we sold it the end of October and found a little house to rent in Trumbull for 6 months. It's close to Abby's kindergarten and our construction. Abby and Ben are sharing a room which is 80% great and 20% crazy. I think they like it so much they are going to want to share a room in the new house. Maybe I'll end up with a spare guest room after all.
The new construction house is starting to finally pick up. There were some very slow-moving days where I had one too many hissy fits to get something done. I will admit that I was not ashamed to blame it on pregnancy hormones when I needed to. :) But after the long process of getting zoning approval, applying for demolition and building permits, finalizing a houseplan (holy moly)....the new foundation has been poured, the old house has been demolished, and there are currently 2 new walls framed as I sit here. Yeah for progress! I'm finding that the way to a construction worker's heart is through their bellies. So I'm throwing on the apron and whipping up some baked goodies with some hot coffee. Might as well make them fat and happy while they work.
The kids are great. Abby loves kindergarten and she is enjoying ballet classes and Girl Scouts. Ben is very close to being ready to potty-train. I would love to tackle that before March.
Okay, I think that's enough ramblings for now. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I get asked here and there, "Are you really doing okay?!?" Truth of the matter is this: I really am. Working the night shift makes me a bit of a zombie, but it's so much better than working 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and missing my kids so much I would cry on the way home from my shift. I don't mind working...I have good friends there, the money and benefits are good, my brain gets used, I talk to adults, and my Love Bucket is all ready to get filled up again when I get home. I do have days where I feel like I'm doing the best that I can and it's just not quite good enough by my own standards. I'm late for this or that, dinner is sometimes a store-bought rotisserie chicken, and the house is definitely not perfect. But my husband thinks I'm doing awesome and I definitely couldn't do it without him.
Okay-until next time (which will be sooner rather than later). :)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Little Announcement...With A Heartbeat
Hmmm...I wonder who reads my blog and will discover big news gets put on here?!? Here's a little story.....
Once upon a time, there was a young couple (30's is still young) who went out on a date night one breezy night in May. They had two young, adorable children at home who they love with all their hearts, but who also used every ounce of their patience, sanity, and godliness (thus the date nights). Over a few glasses of wine during the date night, the couple discussed having another child in the near future. The wife told the husband, "It will take many months before anything happens! We should just go the natural route and see what happens." The husband huffed and puffed a little and finally said with a grin, "Okay, let's go for it!"
About five weeks later, the wife is preparing to host a fun-filled 4th of July get-together at their home. After thinking of the past month's timeline and the anticipation of having a wee sip of alcohol for the night's festivities...she thought, "I might take a pregnancy test just to make sure. I know that I am not pregnant because I just stopped birth control and my body is still regulating itself. But just to be on the safe side..." Then from across the room, the walls could hear the frantic shouts of "HOLY CRAP!!! HOLY CRAP!!! HOLY CRAP!!!" coming from the bathroom. (Who says "HOLY CRAP!!! when you find out you're pregnant?) That would be me, of course. So the wife and husband spent a few weeks a little freaked out and wondering how life would be in a short 9 months. A lot of trepidation but also moments of excitement and anticipation. After an ultrasound at 8 weeks, the parents-to-be saw a little peanut growing inside with a beautiful heartbeat. They thank God for this new life He had given them, and pray for the little one to be healthy and whole, and for an extra dose of patience, sanity, and godliness to be bestowed on them before March. It's not like we are planning on selling, building and moving houses in the next three months or anything. We'll be fine! We can do it! No sweat. To be continued....
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