Reunited With the DAMERY'S

Reunited With the DAMERY'S

(Lizzy, Sean, Philip, Nikki, Jonathan, Rachel)

So fun running down to Rochester to visit the Damery family! Everyone was back in town for the holidays! The big news is that Philip (Sean's best friend) got engaged to Nikki! They're getting married in the spring in Virginia! We are so happy and so excited for them both!

It was neat to see such good friends meet Rocco for the first time :) Thanks to Mama Damery for the excellent lunch! Can't wait to see you all out east for the nuptials!

Tacky Christmas Supper Club!

Tis the season for ugly sweaters...or shirts made to look like sweaters and vests. thank you Goodwill for a stellar selection of tacky garb this season. Sean and I had UGLY, i mean tastefully tacky, outfits. At least Rocco looked cute with his holiday outfit!

So fun hanging with Carolyn and Chip!

So fun having Christmas on the Bayaud!

Jumbalaya!

Jones!

Westcotts!

Glassicks!

Celebrity Charades!

Let the Holiday Parties BEGIN!

First Smile

Here's a look at Rocco's First Smile I was able to capture!

Father and Son

Here are a few simply sweet shots from the last couple weeks that I couldn't resist posting:

Here are a few sweet shots from the last couple weeks that I couldn't resist posting:

Rocco Tries a Bottle!

He came.

I pumped.

He conquered.

Sean was very easily able to feed Rocco for the first time from a bottle! He latched immediately and Sean felt so connected to his being able to take part in filling one of his basic needs. This little man surprises me daily how smart he is!

Way to go buddy! This means daddy can feed you whenever I need a break or whenever I make girl's night out plans!

Man, our kid is cool.

TURKEY

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Sean says that Rocco is decked out in perfect Thanksgiving formal wear...a nice button down shirt and sweat pants! Time to be thankful and to feast!

Rocco's First Days

I'm surprised by how alert and curious our little guy is already! Here are a few shots from his first week :)

BABY DILEONARDI HAS ARRIVED!

I went into labor 6 hours after my last post :) With my water breaking at 4:30 Tuesday morning and baby coming around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, let's just say, labor and delivery was AMAZING, FUN, CHALLENGING, REWARDING, and the MOST EXCEPTIONAL THING I HAVE EVER DONE!

Thank you SEAN

....you're an amazing husband and now...father! You were my strength! Thank you for advocating for me! Thank you for your patience! Thank you thank you thank you for a million things! I LOVE YOU!

Thank you MOM

....your level-headedness is contagious

Thank you ALLY

....your calm, soothing personality and sound, wise advice helped encourage me till the end! You are a wonderful doula and a wonderful friend!

Thank you NATALIE

....you are such an encouragement and could not have done this so light heartedly without you rooting me on!

Thank you DAD

....for all the support and encouragement!

Rocco James DiLeonardi

November 10, 2010

8lbs 6 oz

20.5 in

2:18 PM

Our attempts at Inducing Labor!

Man, I'm still pregnant! 40 weeks have come and gone. I also didn't know I would be waving goodbye to 41 weeks, too!

We tried a variety of things to encourage little Baby DiLeonardi to make an appearance. Outside of the given frisky events that most people know of to try inducing labor, I......

- ate pineapple (thanks Yvette and Randi!)

- went on daily walks

- went into the mountains for lunch

- more physical exercise (those leaves needed a good raking!)

- spicy food (resulted in stronger heartburn and no baby)

- bumpy road

- talking to baby

- relaxing (pedicure)

- pressure points on feet and palms

- fun distractions (farkle, baby quilt, and jelly making)

- prayed

After a long walk tonight, ending in Sean praying that little baby will come soon on it's own time and a great feast of Chicken A'la King, I'm turning in early to bed, with tiredness and a tinge of anxiety :)

At my Dr. Appt today, I was hooked up to a machine that showed baby's heartbeat and contractions :) Baby's doing great, I have 5 times the amniotic fluid than the average woman at 41 weeks, I'm having contractions, but baby? Are you too comfortable in there?

We're just excited to meet you! Goodnight!

While we wait....

We'll Make Jelly!

And PLENTY of it!

Upon arrival to our home in Denver, my mom spotted our Concord grape vines in full bloom and ready to be harvested. I have to admit, you really couldn't escape it's fragrance as you milled around the house! We started our operation small. A meagerly batch of jelly. Pick-Clean-Boil-Juice/Cheesecloth/Reduce and Thicken/Can

We canned 12 cans our first batch.

Tried the jelly.

and fell in LOVE!

In the following days we made 64 Jars of Jelly!

I'll never forget such a sweet memory made with my mom as we waited for baby to arrive. It was fun talking about what we would do if my water broke and we were in mid-process with the jelly. It was fun seeing my mom so excited about teaching my the art of canning.

It was beautiful using a blooming creation to make something new, and tasty!

Can't wait to do it again next year!

Thanks for all the fun, mom!

Hello, Due Date.

Hello, Due Date.

Hello, Big Belly.

Hello, Rough and Tumble Baby.

Hello, Yoga Pants Every Day.

Hello, Golden and Red Leaves.

Hello, BABY?

When?

I'm ready.

Happy Birthday Banner!

I made little baby dileonardi a happy birthday banner to take to the hospital. The idea is to have it hanging on baby's birthday, take a picture, and we will use it as decor for all of baby's upcoming birthdays! That's our first attempt at starting a tradition :)

Here's a quick photo:

Caroline said to me today:

"Miss Lizzy, I'm patient. I'm more patient than everyone else. I'm going to keep my hand on your belly until the baby kicks. Now I'm going to kiss your baby. Now I'm going to keep waiting because I'm patient."

Baby DiLeonardi Guessing Game Pool

It takes just a minute or two.

Enter your guess for Gender, Day of Birth, Weight, Length.

The person closest to the actual due date and measurements will get a prize!

http://www.expectnet.com/games/Baby.DiLeonardi.Pool

The Dowry at Everyday Joe's in Fort Collins

Sean played a show at Everyday Joe's over the weekend and it was a blast! Matt even played with him! Pattie, Gretchen, and I hit up the outlets on the way and I picked up a little something something for baby. We met up with Sean, Matt, Laura, and Andy in Fort Collins and enjoyed the sweet tunes of the Dowry.

So fun to spend time with friends!

So fun to have a hazelnut mocha!

So fun to listen to Sean play a few new songs!

Here's a video with a new song, Please Baby, Please. Enjoy!

Look What I Found on the Changing Table!

The result of Sean practicing his cloth diapering skills :)

Band of Horses

35.5 Weeks and Cowgirl Boots!

Sean and I went out for a date night downtown the other night. We started off by having dinner at Scruffy Murphys, ordering a variety of 1/2 off apps for Happy Hour, including fried mac and cheese wedges! Yum! It was fun just being the two (three) of us, chatting, wondering if this will be our last date night before baby comes :)

We walked down the street and hopped in line at the Fillmore to get into the Band of Horses concert. We went pretty early because it's a standing-only type of concert with about 20 seats (first come first serve) on the side. We knew it would be difficult getting one of the seats, but we thought it was worth a shot. When we got in almost all the seats were taken, except for a row in the front. Sean hurried up ahead of me to ask about these seats and the lady just pointed to the handicapped sign. Then she looked at me and said, oh my, you're temporarily handicapped, please take a seat :)

Front row for Band of Horses? Yes please.

Thanks baby.

We know you had a good time too because you were rockin and rollin all night in my tummy.

Daddy thinks you're going to be a rockstar :)

Baby Quilt. Mission Completed.

Finally finished my first baby quilt! After a few hours of hand stitching the binding today, the quilt is complete! I'm not sure if I'm keeping it or giving it away as a gift. So fun to complete a project!

Name Applique!

Well, I had this idea that I just couldn't shake. I wanted to applique our last name onto a onsie, so I started hard at work trying to complete my idea! Whew! Each letter took forever.

Of course I loved my hard work when I was done.

Of course I made one for my sister's baby due in April.

Of course I made one for my friend Joe's baby due in November.

Of course it took forever.

But I'm happy with the result :)

The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park

32 weeks! Sight Seeing with family! What could be better? http://www.royalgorgebridge.com

After church, we packed up the car with drinks and lunch and headed south west to the Royal Gorge. We were anxious to see this natural wonder boasting "A place that brings together the scenic beauty of the Grand Canyon and the human achievement of the Golden Gate Bridge. "

It was spectacular! This picture is taken at the bottom of the gorge next to the Arkansas River. How did we get to the bottom you ask? We took the Incline Railway straight down! Here's a complete description:

Built in 1931, and traveling at a 45-degree angle, America's steepest Incline Railway is still considered one of the most difficult structures ever built. Here, timeless granite walls loom all around as you descend over 1,500 feet to the canyon floor, a mere 50 feet at its widest. Looking up, the Bridge appears as a delicate ribbon cutting across the sky.

Stepping off the car, you'll enjoy the cool spray of the roaring Arkansas River, while whitewater rafters brave the Class 5 rapids below your feet. One can only imagine what it must have been like with guns blazing and dynamite exploding as early railroad officials hired Bat Masterson to protect their crew and materials in the Royal Gorge War.

Riding over the suspension bridge, funnel cakes, rootbeer, laughing, instant lotto tickets at the gas station and more made this adventure perfect for a family outing!

Enter: Thrifty Organ

Today, we went thrifting at Arc with Mom and Aunt Becky. Sean immediately spotted this beauty in the furniture section and couldn't take his eyes or paws off of it for the entire time we were at Arc! Naturally, the organ was half off and how can you say "no" to Sean? ha!

Thanks mom for picking up the tab!

Thanks sean for adding this new piece of furniture to our home!

Hope you have a great time with it :) Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Welcome to Denver Mom and Aunt Bee!

Full Day for us Girls!

- pick up from the train station

- go to Snooze: Sweet Potato Pancake, Hashbrowns, Juan's Breakfast Tacos, Caprese Benny, and a Hot Chai Latte

- unpack at home

- Celestial Seasonings tour, tasting, and shopping in Boulder

- Root Down for dinner: Rosemary Lavender Lemonade (mom got it with vodka), Edamame Hummus with Wonton Chips, Colorado Lamb Slider with Harissa Aoili, Udi’s Challah Bun & Arugula, Organic Sweet Potato Fries w/ Curry Lime Sauce, Veggie Burger Slider w/ Tomato Jam, Sprout Salad & Udi’s Challah Bun, Sweet Potato "Falafel" w/ Lemon-Tahini Yogurt, Israeli Salad, Sesame Seeds & Serrano Oil, Sean and Aunt Becky enjoyed local brews :)

- Matt and Laura even met up with us for dinner!

- Exhausted, mom and I tried to stay up to watch a movie with no success.

A jam packed day full of fun! Welcome to Denver Thelma and Louise!

Thrifty Cake Plate Project

Classic Glass Plate = 4.99 at 50% off = $2.50

Glass Candle Holder = $2.99

Super Glue for Glass = $3.99

Total = $9.48

So Easy, So Fun!

Just had to clean the plate and candler holder ahead of time. Apply nail polish remover where I was going to bond the two pieces together. Bond, let set, bake a cake :)

Applique a Gift, eh?

One of my childhood friends, Theresa, called us over the weekend to tell us she's pregnant! Completely elated with the news, I tried to think of a quick gift I could put together and mail to her to help celebrate in the excitement of the little one on the way! Her due date is far off but I hope this onsie will help continue the momentum of great joy they will be experiencing in the months to follow!

Again, I used a button-hole stitch. The bird was the simpilest of simple appliques, the bird is actually a print on the fabric! I didn't need to trace or freehand a single thing! The onsie was a $0.50 purchase at a garage sale. It had a minor stain on the c

hest that my little applique covered up quite nicely.

With that being said, I think it's fair to say that the shipping of this gift back to Chicago will cost more than the actual gift itself!

Here's to babies and the fun of applique!