Carmine's First Christmas

Carmine spent most of his first Christmas Eve sleeping, so he missed out on all the amazing gifts he was given by family and friends. Christmas Day he behaved very well, despite not taking too many naps! He even got held by Nonno for the first time! It's a Christmas Miracle!! Nonno never held Rick or Nancy when they were infants, so this was really his first time holding a baby! Too bad Nonno had an accident with an axe the week before and hence the raccoon eyes! After he held him, we put Carmine on the ground for some play time, and he just kept smiling at Nonno who was saying both in English and Italian "I love you very, very, very, very, very, very much!

Carmine and Daddy - hand in hand!

Carmine crying right before going to sleep and all the present opening!

Carmine being held by Nonno for the first time!

At the end of the day, we were able to get a picture of Carmine in his second Christmas outfit of the day, and his reindeer hat!

2 Months Old

At Carmine's 2 month check up he weighed 11 lbs 8.4 oz (44th percentile) and 22 3/4 inches long (41st percentile). The doctor was really happy with his weight gain and we can now let him sleep through the night if he chooses to!!

First Real Bath

Carmine's first bath was not something he enjoyed! We tried it on the kitchen counter, next to the sink. He was sliding and scared, and I think he picked up on how nervous we were. The tub worked well for the most part though and we survived it. That night, he slept really well. However, we need to find a new spot for the baths.

The next bath was done in the hall bathroom upstairs. We filled the tub more and it was much more comfortable for Carmine. Not so much for Rick and I. Therefore, the next attempt will be in our bathroom where there is more room. Fingers crossed!

Carmine and Aura

Carmine loves to play on his activity mat. He kicks, swats at dangling items, and occasionally works out some gas! So far, he loves to kick is right leg but swats best with his left hand. Funny how that works!

Aura is getting used to having Carmine around, and likes to spend time near him when he is playing quietly. Yesterday, she licked him on his head (terrible picture, but that is what is going on)! Carmine tried looking at her once she had done it and stared at her for a few seconds before moving his attention back to the orange mirror.

Then, she lay down near him to just watch. Such a good kitty! She still has 8-10 pounds on him, but Carmine will catch her eventually! Then, I'm sure she won't be as happy around him.

Thanksgiving

Carmine is just beginning to smile and we got some great pictures of it during his first Thanksgiving! While we couldn't be with the Spetch/Mader/Bryan clans this year because of Carmine's age, we spent the day with the Rizzo clan. Momma Rizzo made turkey just for me; I ordered kringle to have on Thanksgiving morning; and we did do a little black Friday shopping at Kohl's and Sears. No Olive Garden for lunch, but we did have pizza for dinner!!

No really good picture of the "First Thanksgiving" bib...this was the best one.

Lots of smiles and faces!!!

By the end of Thanksgiving, Carmine was completely worn out. That didn't stop him from staying up all night though! Luckily, both Friday and Saturday night he slept much better (3 hours straight!!!)

One Month Old

The first month with Carmine went by really fast!! He is finally starting to gain some weight, so he is looking more like a chunk, and you can't feel his ribs under his skin without hitting some fat. We had many visitors over the month, but we also started getting into a routine once Rick went back to work. Now, if only he would sleep between 10pm and 2am!

Nose to Nose!!

What a face!

Asleep on the MamaRoo!

One Month Old! Still not too big, but definitely getting bigger!

Welcome to Carmine Alexander Rizzo!

I know most have probably seen these pictures, but I wanted to share them just in case! Carmine is officially back up to his birth weight, so hopefully we can keep him growing!!

The morning of October 17th. We needed a belly shot!

After the craziness of the delivery, Carmine is here!!! Let the sleepless nights begin!

Still my favorite picture. Every time his brow furrows, I can't help but love him more!

Three generations of Rizzo men! Rick, Carmine, and Carmine together at home!

The Nor'easter of 2011

We had a HUGE Nor'easter today!! I don't remember having this much snow at one time! It broke all the state's records! We definitely got over 2 feet in 24 hours!

Mike came around in the morning to help plow out the driveway! Thank goodness he did!!

This is the snow piled up on our deck!!

Our table was piled with snow! I couldn't get a good shot of the grill, but it looked like a black and white cookie...being dunked in milk!

What retaining wall? It got completely covered by snow!!

The driveway after we finally got it shoveled. Note how high the sides are!

Rick posed in front of the snow pile left by the plow near our driveway. This was the small pile!