It is Sunday night. Nearly 9pm. The boys are in bed. We had a busy weekend. One of those weekends when you get a ton of stuff done that has been lingering. We had fun too. Brent finished the tile backsplash and it looks great! I got the front porch and walkway cleaned. It was long overdue. Brent and Max were attended the Grand Prix of Sonoma on Saturday. Finn and mommy had some time for themselves and just played and went for walks. We went for family bikerides both Saturday and Sunday. Brent went surfing Sunday morning. I had a great time at the park with the boys. I'm exhausted. Good night!

The boys...

Cousin Masao

We met baby Masao today! Max wouldn't have made it one more day..he has really been looking forward to meeting his new cousin! Here are some photos from our visit and the beautiful little guy.

We had an awesome day. I gave my sweet husband six special occasion bottles of wine in a wooden wine box with a note about each of our six years together. He liked that.

Brent brought me roses and then he and Max went for some errands while Finn took his morning nap. They got back and Max came to see me. This is how the conversation went;

Max: Mom, do you want to go for a bikeride?

Me: Sure, maybe after lunch.

Max: No, Mom. You are supposed to say - "Max, I can't, I don't have a bike".. Let's try it again. (the truth is that I have a bike but it is a moutain bike that I don't ever ride. Brent uses it mostly).

Me: Oh, Okay. Let me try again. "Max, I can't, I don't have a bike."

Max: Come look to see what's standing in the driveway! Close your eyes...surprise!!







There was this super sweet beach cruiser! It is turquise and very comfortable to ride. Better yet, FedEx delivered a package that held a bike seat for Finn. We were all able to go for a ride together, the whole family. We rode over to the Santa Clara university after lunch and later in the day, we rode all through the Rosegarden neighborhoods and over to the Cuban restaurant off of Race Street for dinner. We sat outside on the patio, bikes nearby and the food (and mojito) was great.

We had a great anniversary. Our little munchkins both behaved themselves pretty well all day. Yep, the day was nothing short of fabulous!

Happy anniversary honey!

New cousin

Max and Finn have yet another cousin as of today, August 17th! Masao Vincent Cannatelli decided to show up a few weeks early and arrived at 12:31am this morning. He weighed 6 lbs., 11 1/2 oz and measured at 18 3/4 inches. He is healthy and little Masao and parents Amanda and Scott are all doing well. We can't wait to meet him and hope to do so tomorrow.

What's Finn up to?

Finn is a busy little guy. He is especially busy getting into things that I wish he wouldn't. He scares me half to death on a daily basis when he gets up onto the tile ledge built up around the fireplace, and while turning around to sit down, nearly falls into the fireplace and onto the many candles I have standing in there. He knows it is a "no-no". He even waives his little pointer from side to side while sitting there and says; nej-nej, just like I do to him. He also likes to go into the bathroom any time the door is open. He may take a "bite" out of the toilet paper right off the roll...or open the toilet seat to see what could potentially be thrown in. FInn has learned how to climb up onto Max's bed and until yesterday, he didn't know how to get back down. He wants everything Max is playing with, right then. He is not afraid to tell his brother off when Max's hugs are just too much or big brother is just being too rough. His vocabulary pretty much consists of; titta (look), Dada, Mama and nej, nej, nej. He waves hi and goodbye, he "blows" kisses, he points, he tries to "roll up" the patty-cake as in the patty-cake song and tries to show how the sun rises up when itsy-bitsy spider climbs up the spout again. And, he waves that pointer from side to side when telling me nej, nej, nej. He loves to be outside and cries when he has to go in. Yesterday, he brought his shoes over to Daddy and sat down in Brent's lap. It was pretty clear he wanted the shoes put on and to go outside. He now has six teeth and two more on the way. He loves doggie blanket and sleeps with it by his side every night.

Our boys

Finn's 1st birthday!

Finn turned 1 on Monday, August 9th. The night before, Mommy & Max baked cupcakes. Max got to try one to make sure it was okay..

The next morning, after breakfast, we sang for Finn and the boys each had a cupcake. I thought, better to have the sugar in the morning vs. the evening..(right?). At first, Finn wasn't interested in his cupcake..but as soon as he got the taste of the chocolate icing, he was all over it! We used the birthday train received as baptism gift from cousins Sam and Maj. It is so cute!

Almost 1...

It is the night before Finn's 1st birthday. My little baby is turning 1. I remember it all so well. The night before my scheduled C-section was to take place, Brent and I went out for dinner all by ourselves to Los Altos Bar & Grill while GiGi and PopPop stayed with Max. I wore a black top, one of many maternity tops I borrowed from my friend Electra. I have a photo of me and my big belly. I think it was larger than when I was pregnant with Max. We also took a photo of me and Max on the couch. The last day of Max being an only child. The next morning, we had to be at Good Sam's Hospital at 5am in order for the surgery to begin at 7. It seemed so unnecessary to be there that early, being that I was the first operation of the day. What could they possibly be doing for two hours. Somehow, the two hours of time flew by while I signed waivers, received my IV and talked with my Doctors. I had requested Dr. Jameson to be my anesthesiologist once more since he was so great when I gave birth to Max. I was nervous. I walked into the OR together with Dr. Jameson who gave me a local injection for immediate numbing. Dr. Rosenberg was there together with several nurses, preparing for the operation. The smell of the sheet hanging in front of my face as I laid on the operating table smelled strong from plastic. Almost overwhelming. Brent sat next to me on the right side, holding my hand. Dr. Jameson was on the left. The clock showed to be after 7. I asked if they were about to begin the surgery and Dr. Jameson answered that they already had. Dr. Rosenberg commented on how great the scar looked from my first C-section, performed by Dr. Belton. Dr. Jameson informed me what was happening, one step at a time and prepared me for when I would feel it become difficult to breath, as one of the nurses lay on me in order to help push Finn out. At 7:41 am, Finn was born. We heard him begin to cry which was a relief. I caught a glimpse of him as Dr. Rosenberg briefly removed him to suction fluid from the lungs. Finn was wrapped in blankets and when brought to Brent's arms. Finn weighed 6 lbs, 14 oz, exactly 1 lbs less than Max, and measured at 19.5 inches. He was beautiful. We had become parents of another baby boy. A precious little baby to love and to hold. A little brother for Max. Dr. Rosenberg quickly performed the rest of the surgery and by 8am, I was removed from OR and transferred into the recovery area. I held my beautiful child. I recovered very quickly and was able to feed Finn almost immediately. Brent's parents arrived shortly thereafter and since I was already feeling fine, we all went to my hospital room and the maternity area. Max was at pre-school for a portion of the day since I didn't know how long it would take for me to recover and I didn't want him to see me until I felt okay. Later that afternoon, GiGi and PopPop came back with Max. He was shy when he entered the room. He came up to my bed and asked to see his little brother. He stared at Finn. He wanted to hold his little brother. He sat in the vinyl covered guest chair (the one that unfolds to a "bed", however super uncomfortable) and patted his brother's head over and over, very carefully. Max looked very proud.

All that happened one year ago tomorrow. Finn has been in our lives for a year already. He was so small and made so much noise. I'm sure he was colicky. You would never know, today. He is healthy and happy. Still noisy. Thank you Finn for joining our family. I love you so very much. Happy almost birthday my love. -Mom

San Fransisco outing

Outing to SF on Saturday, August 7th - we went to Coit Tower (amazing views) and to North Beach for lunch and some playtime in the park. It was beautiful and 70 degrees - fabulous!