Gio's Haircut

Up until last week, getting Giovanni's hair cut was an absolute nightmare. There would be screaming and wailing and gnashing of teeth. That was before we discovered Cool Cuts 4 Kids. I heard about it from another mom at swimming lessons and it was a dream come true! When we arrived there last Tuesday, we signed in then went to this cute little play area that had PBS playing on a tv, a Lego Duplo table AND a Thomas table. Gio was in heaven. He got to play there for about 25 minutes before he was called. When it was his turn, he got to pick out a movie (he chose Cars) and sat in an adorable little red fire engine. The hair stylist let him play with the clippers before she started so he'd be comfortable with them and know they wouldn't hurt. Then the haircut began.....and he was cooperative! He REALLY liked looking at himself in the mirror and especially to view the end result. I was so proud of him, after the whole thing was over, when he actually said, "Thank you for the haircut!" and I didn't even prompt him to do so!

Is it a puppy or a chicken?

My favorite thing to tell people when they look at my growing belly and ask, "Do you know what you're having?" is, "I'm pretty sure it's a puppy. Or a chicken." Well, I finally have something to tell everyone. Last night, Ryan and I were fortunate enough to have an hour long ultra sound session with Julie's brother, Todd, who's in ultra sound tech school. I'll tell you this: this baby has a big head, big feet and big, well, he's definitely a boy! Thank you sooo much, Julie, for hooking us up with Todd. It was a really neat experience to see our precious little one with a tech who took his time. Ryan and I are in shock, to say the least, imagining life with two Gios. We were even joking last night that maybe the Bishop would give us permission to hold Sacrament meetings at home to keep the reverence at church!

It's here!!!

I'm soooo excited! My sweet adoring husband, who not only greeted me at the Stake Center with two dozen roses when I returned from Girl's Camp but also had a fantastic week with Gio while I was gone, ordered Breaking Dawn for me while I was up there, too! It just arrived from Amazon with the mail and I can't wait dive into it. Now, if I could just keep Gio occupied.....

TAGGED!!

The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.

1. the kitchen sink

2. the refrigerator

3. the laundry room

4. your favorite room

5. your favorite shoes (how's a girl to narrow it down?)

6. the closet

7. the bathroom toilet (is there any other kind of toilet??)

8. what your kids are doing right now

9. a self portrait

10. your dream vacation

So, now I tag: anyone who's even remotely interested in doing this themselves!

Girl's Camp

This past week at Girl's Camp was a good one. We shared the camp with another stake and, I'm not going to lie, the first couple of days seemed rough. Nothing more than the kind of awkwardness you'd expect. But by Wednesday, things seemed to be good. Also, as expected, I was pretty uncomfortable and probably did way more than I should have but no harm done. Overall, I'm glad I went. It was actually pretty fun! The day after I got home, I had my annual appointment with my massage therapist (I see her regularly throughout the year, this is just our standing appointment, the day after camp). I'm telling you, she works wonders! If anyone needs a referral, let me know! Unfortunately, I think she released too many toxins in my body and I've been pretty sick ever since (which is why it's taken me so long to post this). :( Oh, well, my back feels better!

Mommy & Me

Before I take off for Girl's Camp, I just want to report that putting Giovanni in the Mommy & Me swim class was definitely the best move. He had such a good time! He does all kinds of tricks in the water now: kicking, paddling ("ice cream scoopers"), going around the pool by hanging onto the side ("crab walk" or "Mr. Krab's Money Walk" or just "money") and blowing bubbles in the water. We're so proud of him! He also met his first crush, a life guard named Crystal. He could not take his eyes off her! One day, he even gave up his free time swim to get out and sit next to her on a towel. He's so sweet.

The Mind of My Gio....

Lately, Giovanni's been trying out joke-telling. He's even said, a few times this week, "Knock-knock" but doesn't really go anywhere with it, like, after you say, "Who's there?" he finishes with, "It's me, Gio." Tonight he was trying out a new one: he'd say, "Mommy, guess what!" to which I'd reply, "What, Gio?" and he'd answer, "Ephraim!" (his best buddy) Too funny.