Will post update tonight...

Sorry it hasn't been so exciting to check the past 2 days. I am still adjusting to being home with 2 and recovering from having the baby. I will make it a priority to update the blog tonight with pictures though. That way you can all see how he has grown (ok, not really evident in picture form, but I assure you he has grown gangbusters) and get a picture fix to end the work week!

Hope all is well.

Lyrical Hands?!! Watch out John Mayer and James Blunt...

Fin had his first doctor appt Monday. Since we were released from the hospital less than the 36 hours they normally like to hold babies, we agreed to have him seen on Monday to make sure he was still doing well. Ladies and gentlemen, he is "thriving"! Which is a wonderful word for a mom to hear, especially when she is exhausted from late night feedings. He has not only regained weight any initial weight loss, but he has surpassed his birth weight already. So Fin is doing great and we can continue as we have so far.

Anyway, to the title of this posting...
As we were waiting to get Fin weighed, the nurse was marveling over how cute he was and how he moved his hands so gracefully. She referred to them as such "lyrical hands". Apparently Fin has a way with the ladies already and he has yet to even utter a word. John Mayer and James Blunt may be good with the voices, but our son can capture them with a flick of the wrist. This may be a good thing for Fin if he continues to have that grace because anyone who heard his grandpa Paul sing in church knows if Fin takes after his musical ability, then he will need a more redeeming trait. (My father was almost tone deaf, but he loved to sing! A funny combination)

The weather here has not been good which works to our favor this week because Mike can work from home today (Tuesday). Always good to have backup nearby, although he will have to knuckle down and keep from getting distracted with hoopla that is our home. We will see how it goes...

Some photos of our first days home again...

Fin on his way home for the first time.

Fin napping at home.
Even his premie hat is too big!!!
Who knew we could have a baby so small?!!

Renate cuddling Fin close.

Ella is warming to her brother.
This was her attempt to hug him...
it was really cute.

Daddy getting a look at Fin.

The two male Salernos getting to know one another.

We think Ella was trying to teach daddy some yoga moves,
but since we still can't understand all of her unique language,
it is really just a guess.

Ella smiling, a good photo with which to end this blog.

New Fin Photos

A tired Renate holding Fin close.

Ella touching her brother for the first time,
very carefully and with much supervision.

Grandma Engelhart holding Fin close.

Ella and Gma Engelhart looking closely at Fin.
Ella has a fascination with babies lately,
but we will have to wait and see how she reacts
when this one comes to her home.

Ella did quickly bore of her brother
and started playing hide and seek.
Can you find her?

Here she is!!!!


We have made it through day one. Fin, Mike and Renate are all recovering well, even if still suffering from exhaustion of a early morning birth. Fin is eating very well and consistently. He is looking a lot cuter with each hour as the swelling goes down. Fin is also starting to more closely resemble the newborn features that Ella had, although there are definitely differences already. He so far has been a lot quieter about his demands, and he likes to doze off a little more.

Renate is starting to recover from the hip separation and quick, intense labor (active labor including pushing was 1hr 37 min!). Just having less pressure has made a huge difference in the ability to shift and function. A shower and a homecooked meal will make a huge difference in her attitude. Renate does not like hospitals a lot, well not enough to vacation in one.

Mike is recovering from his big night of supporting a whiny Renate and Fin. Even though the hospital had a more comfortable place for daddy to sleep compared to Phoenix, the nurses are just too good at their jobs and come to check on the new addition every hour or so. Thus, a good nights sleep is hard to come by.

We are all looking forward to being home and having all our family together! We will update with more photos as we get some good ones, and settle into our routines.

Welcome Griffin Paul Salerno!

Fin arrived at 12:37am on the morning of January 25th, 2008. He was 7 lbs, 11 ozs, and 19.5" long. Both mom and baby are doing well. They should be able to head home on Saturday morning. More details and pictures to follow. It's been a long day!

Out of catchy titles...

We had a great day yesterday getting more household chores done around the house (like all the ironing that I had put to the side for MONTHS). We also got some of those pesky Christmas returns done that had been hanging over my head. Kathy (Mom to Renate), Renate, and Ella met Mike after work at Best Buy to check out fun electronics. Then we took the night off from cooking and had a good dinner at Red Robin. Let's face it, you know it isn't going gourmet when one of the attractions is the balloons for the kiddies, but man, that burger was tasty!

Ella had her hair half pulled up for the first time. She won't let mommy touch it, but Grandma can! So Grandma (Kathy) got to put her hair up now. Here are some pictures of the evening with the hair up and balloon fun.

Just an Update about baby:
We will be given a set time by Friday for an induction next week, if nothing happens this week.

Standby Induction

As of now, the doc is thinking induction is wise, but since the practice and its affiliated hospitals fall to the more natural side of medicine and standards generally mandate a 10 post due date wait, I am on standby. Yup, they have standby for flights, and apparently inductions. Who would have guessed?! The doctor will call with a tentative time after consulting the hospital, and then we can try to not get our hopes up as we would be the first bumped in the event of too many babies coming at once.

I am still hoping that the doc may have done the trick to coaxing him out on his own. We will all just have to wait and see...

Still waiting...

Wish there were exciting updates, but still waiting. Another doctor appt. today where the doc wants to talk induction times, so we may have a worst case possible end date by the end of today. While I am still not sure how I feel about induction, maybe the baby just needs a kick in the pants, or maybe like his mom, he is a procrastinator and he is just waiting to know when the last possible moment he can arrive on his own is. As always, if the doctor thinks that induction is the best step, then we will go with that plan, and just hope he beats that time and arrives on his own. I just keep thinking, what if I hadn't taken that last pill Christmas Eve to stop the contractions, would he be almost a month old? Ah, hindsight!

Honestly, after the initial part of this pregnancy I started to understand how people enjoyed being pregnant and how wonderful that time was. Since Thanksgiving, where the baby was coming "any time" and I was on meds to stop that from happening, to now where we are talking about forcing him out, it has been an emotional and physical rollercoaster! We we all be so thrilled with his arrival that all of this will be a distant memory in even 3 weeks. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Someone please remind me of how much I want him out in 3 weeks when we are all suffering from exhaustion!

I am sure that Mike is tired of hearing that today could be the day, we are both so excited to meet the little man. I also imagine him jumping anytime I call him at work, even if it is just to ask how the day is going. Hehe! I have limited calls to him for that reason. I think both of us have really been trying to spend as much quality time with Ella as we can right now, but he has been amazing. When he gets home from work, it is as though she is his only focus. You can really see why she is such a daddy's girl, and why her whole face lights up when she hears the door open.

I have had to postpone starting work again for another month. I was supposed to begin Jan. 28th, but since the baby has yet to appear, I think that I will have to make February my goal now. Frustrating since I had hoped to have started in November, but good things come to those who wait, right? Or maybe it was the early bird catches the early worm... Hmmm, things to think about and not give thought to again. At least that is just for the training and I can start helping friends looking for houses in an official capacity as soon as I can schedule the exam. That will be done ASAP!

My mom has been a wonderful help. I don't think I would be leaving the house without backup right now. Her help with making sure Ella has all the attention she needs right now has been incredible too, but what are grandparents for right?

We hope everything continues to go well for all of you, and that wherever you are right now, that you are staying warm!!!

Love, The Salernos

HOLY COW!!!

You should see her with the power saw...

Ella is a daddy's girl all the way!

After dinner she got a new towel from Grandma E.
that had her playing with the trunk for a while.

YEAH, Giants win! Daddy's girl is happy too!

GIANTS WIN AGAIN?!!!

Does that mean if we have the baby tonight, that we should name him Eli? Don't worry, that name isn't even on the short list.

We had a great day of relaxation. Ella helped daddy fix the vacuum cleaner, Grandma E. helped Renate sort too small Ella clothes, and naps were had by all. We also got a couple of photos of Ella walking around the house in her new elephant hooded towel. Really pretty cute kid when she wants to be. Tomorrow (Monday) was our original due date for baby #2, so I hope he gets the idea soon that we are all here on pins and needles waiting for him!

Grandma Engelhart Arrives...

Does that mean the baby can come now?

We picked Kathy up at the airport yesterday and then Renate took a nap, a new favorite habit. What a welcoming! Grandma Engelhart and Ella spent the afternoon discovering treasures in Grandma's suitcases and reading all of Ella's favorite books.

Today will be a fun filled day of the watching the Giants v Packers game, if baby doesn't decide to show up. Not too likely, but it will happen sometime. We will try to post some photos later today of Grandma and Ella.

Don't worry, we have someone lined up to update the blog within hours of us having the baby. So if it happens, you will know!

Movie Day=No baby

Can't even take her eyes off the credits!

Look we made it through the WHOLE MOVIE,
and we still have happy kids!

Eleanor Kathryn smiling at the top of the play ship.

Yes, Eleanor, what that boy behind you said to Renate really was appalling!
(details below)

Ella can do it!

Happy Girl!

Is this a plank, or a model runway for our sassy daughter?!

While you are all going to be rewarded with pictures of our fun day, there are still no baby pictures to be had. Hang in there, I have been assured time and time again that a baby has never stayed in forever (although I do like to defy odds and expectations).

We had a wonderful day! The mommy and me promo that the local theater runs here was perfect getaway for the moms without the guilt. There were maybe 40 people, including kids, in the whole theater that could normally handle at least 150 (probably closer to 200). The setup allowed the kids to have space to move when they got ants in their pants, yet the moms got to enjoy a movie. I hadn't expected to like Enchanted, but was pleasantly surprised that it was just the right amount of cheesiness and Disney mockery. Ella was almost as entertaining as the movie as she danced, clapped, and reacted at the perfect moments. I think we may have a future princess on our hands!

After the movie, we did some mall walking to try to convince the baby that this is the place to be. Then we let the girls play on the mall playground equipment. Apparently tact is something that children learn later because while I was chasing the 2 Ellas around the ship playground taking photos, a little boy (maybe 5-6 yrs old) started talking to me. He very much seemed interested in being photographed with his little sister, but since I don't want other people to do that to Ella I wouldn't even pretend such a thing. He told me all about his sisters and his name and what he likes to do. I guess I wasn't giving him enough attention because then he says, "you're like really fat". Thanks kid, I needed that today. Nothing says boy you are pregnant like a kid telling you that you are huge or a woman at a checkout telling you that you look...(insert uncomfortable delay here) uncomfortable.

It was a good day overall that has ended with a good dinner and will be followed quickly with an early bedtime. Unless something exciting happens, tomorrow (Friday) will be a day off from blog updates, as I intend to just stay around the house.

Dare I even hope?

Mike just left for work, Ella and I have a mommy and me movie date today and of course I just had the start of contractions. Do I even dare hope for the real thing? These are the first firm plans that we have made in more than a week, so of course he will tease me with contractions. I feel stupid even hoping to be in a lot of pain in 6 hours, but really, it is coming sometime, so I guess I have just reached the point where that is preferable to the life on hold waiting and sleeping sitting up!

Something about these contractions doesn't ring true (although I don't think I will believe it until I am on the way to the hospital), but all the same I will update late tonight with pictures of the mommy and me movie experience if there is no baby. So check back tomorrow for news!

New Friends

Our little artist with her first fridge posting.

Enjoying a snack at the now indoor kid picnic table.

Aiden and Ella petting the puppy.

Rebecca spinning Ava on the sit-n-spin.
Ella patiently waiting her turn.

Indy protecting his cookie monster.

This puppy looks so scared, but Ella just loves him.

This puppy loved the attentions, and licking her fingers.

Cabryn and Indy, host and hostess of the playdate!

So funny!

Oh poor Seahawk fan!

Ella has needed a little extra love and attention lately.
It really is as though she knows something big
(well really, they start out small)
is coming.

Ella can't get enough of the crayons! So we have our first Ella gallery going on the fridge. So far, no actual coloring on the fridge, but I have had to wipe the crayon marks out of a couple of books. She has started running around the house chasing no one in particular and either singing or pretending to be a car and making a bbbbrrrrr noise. Really cute!

Baby #2 and I are still hanging on together, so far so good.

Mike had an eventful commute to work yesterday involving many a detour, ice skating, and walking the last mile or so after parking at Home Depot to avoid icy hills. Thank goodness he got there safely, but Bellevue WA had some serious ice problems the past 2 mornings. I hope the weather continues to improve as we get out of this winter freeze!

Promise will update 1/16 by 3pm E.S.T.

Slacking again, but will update by this time unless baby shows interest in appearing. If I give myself a deadline, one or the other will happen! Check back soon!

Conspiring Universe

While Mike is really excited about the Giants winning, I am completely beside myself, green with envy. I never thought that I would be someone who envied Nicole Richie, Christina Aguilera, David Allan Grier, Toni Collette, Courtney Thorne-something or any other celebrity for any reason, but gosh darn it I do today. Why? Because all of these people are enjoying their first week with their new babies. Really, this has to be the universe conspiring to drive me to the point where I am asking for an IV and to be induced (which will probably never happen) because has anyone else ever heard of a weekend where there were 5 celebrity (albeit, some D or E list celebs, but still) babies were born?
What I wouldn't give to be cuddling with our new baby today...

To make matters worse, one of them used a name that we had been considering! The nerve! Why didn't they consult us before choosing their child's name? Isn't that just a considerate thing to do? Call everyone expecting a child and make sure that they don't intend to name their child that in the next week. I guess I will have to let it slide and go with our other name idea, this time...BUT next time Nicole Richie, its on!

While Mike and Ella watched the Giants game, I went for a walk with Claire Capobianco, formerly Coates, and caught up a little. I think we walked hard for about 2 miles. Still no baby, but it was great to have an old friend to chat with. I find it amazing how many people that she hears from that went to high school with us. I don't know how she finds the time to do all that, be a third year resident, and manage to be so put together, but she does it effortlessly. I am so glad that we have good friends here already, both old and new. It is just amazing and we feel really blessed.

As for this week, provided that Baby #2 delays his appearance, Ella and I start out the week with a playdate. I will take the camera and try to add some pretty photos for everyone to enjoy. Anyone have tricks for getting your almost 2 yr old to quit grimacing or squinting for the camera?

Giants Win!

That is all.

Blog improvements

As everyone feared, the number of posts has dwindled in recent weeks. I assure you, I am not giving this up though! In fact, I added a counter feature today so that I am even more motivated to update the site by seeing the number of people that visit the site. Don't worry, it doesn't give me any specifics, just the over all number of times that the blog was viewed. So I have no idea if my mom maybe logs on 7 times a day to see the video of Ella dancing with the piggybank. I say that so that we don't discourage anyone from coming back to check as often as they like! The more the merrier!

On the Salerno front this weekend...

Renate and Ella are going to have a quiet day in. With some laundry on the agenda and maybe some baking. Before Ella was born, we baked a birthday cake and had it all ready for when she arrived. Maybe this baby is just waiting for that tradition and that is why he isn't coming out. So if I can get motivated to bake, Ella and I may bake and decorate a birthday cake for the new guy. If you can't tell, I am running out of ideas to coax this baby out and at this point would be open to any crazy idea. If we get a chance today I may play dress up with Ella as well and have a fun photoshoot at home.

Mike is going to head downtown to visit our friend Mike Marsolek (a former co-worker from ASU, who now teaches at a university in Seattle). The guys intend to get into the Seattle football scene and head to a sports bar to watch the game. I just hope that Mike M is discrete in his midwestern (he is originally from Wisconsin) support for Green Bay while they are in Seattle 12th Man territory!

All of us are kind of just waiting for the baby to arrive and all plans are tentative right now. It is an annoying position to be in, but one that is full of such permanent excitement that it kinda makes up for the stress. Hope to have more exciting posts in the future!

Busy Days

Ella in her chef's hat at a playdate with the Brindisi's.

The other Ella in her Chef's hat and hotmitt!

Ella and Emily at the playdough playdate,
done with playdough!
On to the books!

Ava, Renate, and Ella at the playdough table.
I think my belly was either squashing or kicking poor Ava!

Aren't some babies just so patient?
Toby looked so funny with his new look.

Toby and Cooper playing at the baby activity table.

Ava in the sunlight!

On Tuesday Ella and I went to 2 playdates! Aren't we social butterflies? Nah, just anything to get us out and about with friends. We started out the day at a playdough lunch playdate where we have TONS of fun. Veronica (Cooper and Emily's mom) hosted and it was a big success with all of the kids enjoying the toys and the soft, edible (thank goodness!) playdough. We finally got a chance to play with Ava (another little girl close to Ella's age), and get to know her mom, Ashley, better. It was relaxing and informal which was exactly what we needed.

Ella was exceptionally clingy and kind of anti crowds at first. She opened up as the day went on though and by the end was the biggest playdough eater of the day. Ella apparently is working on becoming a magician because no matter how many times we emptied her hands, the playdough appeared magically in her mouth. AMAZING!!! Why do kids like licking playdough so much?

Well then we headed over to the Brindisi's to see them after their trip to Alabama for the holidays. Ella gave the other Ella and Layla a set of chef's hats and hot pan pads. Layla is a little too young for them yet, but that just means that the 2 Ellas can play together until Layla wants the hat. We had a great time catching up and watching the girls play.

Wednesday started out with a doctor visit to check on my contraction status and the baby. After hearing that all was good there, we drove 10 minutes north to the Brindisi's to play with Cassia and kids, Rachelle and Toby, and Jenn and her girls. It was another fun day that wore us out. When we got home Ella and Mike went to bed early and I got a lot of work done around the house. I AM REALLY READY FOR THIS BABY TO ARRIVE.

Today, we did nothing, absolutely nothing productive. It was fantastic! Ella took a nap in the big girl bed for the first time. She slept for 2.5 hours and was so pleasant when she came out on her own to play again. My girlfriend, Rachelle, cooked us a wonderful casserole to make things easier leading up to the baby. I am looking forward to its cheesy mexican goodness tonight! Tomorrow will be another fun day at the Brindisi's for Ella and I, and Mike has a work field trip.

Love the multimedia!

Have you noticed a trend? That we load up the blog with updates 2 or 3 times a week, and then don't sit in front of a computer otherwise...

For those of you who have told me that you check this daily, have no fear, once the new baby arrives and we get settled, there will be updates galore!! With a new baby, there is something new everyday. And I will try to resist the urge to post video of him sleeping, because really, that is about as exciting as paint drying. However, I will not hesitate to post the still photos of Senor Cuteness (at least I hope he is cute!) snoozing.

This little video is just of Ella enjoying her piggybank toy in the aftermath of the holiday party this weekend. It is amazing the amount of toys that 7 kids can use in 3 hours, and that playing brought old toys back out into circulation. Well done kids, get more use out of them! Hope this makes you laugh too!

Holiday Party!

Rachelle looking lovingly at her Toby.

Toby playing with the toys.

So we forgot to take the photos before we started the grazing,
but at least we took some of the spread!

Cassia loves the babies!
How can you not with these precious boys?
(L=>R, Toby, Cassia, Cooper)

Cooper's smile is wonderful! 2 teeth and all!

Ella decided to take a bite out of mommy!
Maybe we should have fed her at some point...

Ella did remarkably well sharing her toys,
even the coveted crayons!

Mike tending the fireplace and some of our
holiday decorations still up for the festivities.

We had a great time hosting an after Christmas holiday party for some friends in town. The idea was to include as many people as possible and kick back enjoying the time together rather than getting swept up with the stress and scheduling of the pre-Christmas excitement. I think it worked!!! We had some last minute cancellations, but overall it was a great turnout. Most importantly, I think that everyone had a great time! I know that our family did. Best part for me was that cleanup was easy since I sent so many leftovers home with guests!