Merry Christmas!

We're having a GREAT Christmas! On Christmas Eve we visited with Matt's family at Maddie's Aunties' (Alyx and Pam) house. Pam made us a wonderful turkey dinner. I had my first glass of wine since February when we found out I was pregnant. (I only had one and she had pumped milk for the next feeding.)

Maddie had her last feeding at home around 11:30pm and slept until 5:00am!!! Yay baby! We then fell back asleep a few times and finally got out of bed at 10:00.. that's for sure going to be the last time we'll be able to sleep in on Christmas morning.

We opened gifts that Santa brought and just enjoyed our day relaxing and watching the Laker game.. well, Matt and Maddie watched the Lakers and I worked on an easy ham dinner that's sure to feed us for at least a week.

We loved all the gifts that Maddie received. She got a mobile from her mom and dad that makes her kick her legs while laughing and shouting out in delight. Daddy got her a white teddy bear and a few other toys that make noises and light up.. including her first cell phone.. oh boy!

Papa Dimino and Grandma Lena sent a huge box stuffed with clothes to fit all throughout next year. I can't wait to take photos of her in her fuzzy bear outfit and share with everyone AND Matt loves the Bronco stuff that's perfect for next season.

Uncle Erik and Aunt Sarah sent a box with a great blanket that matches her favorite PJs and the cutest pink/brown outfit along with a bunch of little monster animals and books.. soo cute! Matt kept pulling them out of the box there were so many!

Aunties Pam and Alyx went all out with toys that Maddie will soon enjoy, a cute outfit, and a kit to make a baby's first ornament with hand/foot print. I can't wait to do this because she seems to be growing so much every day.

Grandma Phyllis wrote a really sweet card and gave her a toy piano that attaches to her crib. It has different settings that make it easier to her to play with as she gets older.

Great-grandma Behling sent a cute brown teddy bear seen in her photo. AND check out our video at the very end.. please oh please ignore my baby talk.. geesh didn't realize how bad it sounds until you see it played back.. note to self.. save baby talk for private time. :)

She got so many other cute things from friends and family.. thank you all so very much. She doesn't know what's going on yet but her Mommy and Daddy sure do! (Sarah thanks for putting her gift from Izzy in that stocking.. it matches our new stockings perfectly and now the cat has one too!)

As far as milestones, this past week our baby girl has been full of smiles and shows excitement when she's happy. She loves getting kisses from mom and dad. We had our first case of projectile spit-up this morning while changing her.. it literally flew across her changing table AND last night it shot down my back and all over the couch.. nice! Remind me to bring a change of clothes for myself when we go anywhere.

Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas and may your 2009 be as wonderful as our 2008 was. We thank goodness for our family's health and good fortune!


(click to view larger if you wish)

Dear Santa.. for Christmas I would like peace on Earth....

Maddie met Santa for the first time today.. too bad she won't remember it because she was sleeping the entire time! We tried to wake her up and got a few screaming photos but decided the sleeping baby was much cuter!

Don't you just love her pretty red dress?

Happy Turkey Day!

We have so much to be thankful for this year!

First and foremost our family and friends who have been so supportive of us as we started our own family. Matt and I were just thinking about how 5 years ago we celebrated our 1st Thanksgiving meal together with no idea of how things would change in just a few years time. Must have been my homemade pumpkin pie that won him over.
Now we're married with our very own Butterball!

Thank you to all the troops fighting to keep our country safe. We're able to be together because of your sacrifices and we're truly grateful.

We're also very thankful for our health and all the love we have in our lives. We're wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday.

Too young for a turkey coma? (Heidi notice the background? All three of us had our feety jammies on this morning as we ate our pumpkin pancakes!)


A turkey made from Maddie's hand!

Online friends

I wanted to say thank you to my online friends at bestdestinationwedding.com. This is the site I used to plan our beautiful Cabo wedding and these ladies have been a part of my life since October 2006. Many of us have transitioned from planning our weddings to planning our babies. (My friend Sarah happens to live here in Simi Valley so we've been able to meet up in person.) The rest of us keep up with each other on the forum. In fact, the morning my water broke, I posted a thread to let everyone know I was going into labor and returned to the computer when we got home to find so many well wishes and true excitement in the fact that baby Madelyn was almost here.

To our surprise we received a beautiful baby gift in the mail yesterday that I wanted to share. It's a piggy bank (complete with change for good luck) that's painted like Maddie's room. It's absolutely adorable and will always remind her of her room and how it was especially created for her before she was born and of all the time we spent in there together when she first arrived home.

Thank you BDW ladies! Our friendships will always be cherished!

Cutest Baby Face

Who wouldn't love a face like this?


Maddie had her professional newborn photos taken last Wednesday. While we did get some great photos she was a bit of a "poopy-pants"... literally all over everything. :)

If you'd like to see/order her photos they can be found at the photographer's site, under client proofs, Dimino Family. Password: baby

http://www.lindseyqphotography.com/#

Go Broncos!

Maddie and dad watched her first Broncos game tonight. Matt busted out the spirit fingers on one great touchdown pass. Good thing because "loud guy" can be startling when you're only 6 days old.



We had an exciting day of both getting peed on.. oh the art of changing diapers... lesson learned: sometimes a diaper isn't wet and when the air hits her bottom, the flow begins! We finally had a poopy diaper too.. we were getting a little worried as she didn't have any since Tuesday.. well, she made up for it with this one! WOW!

Maddie finally got to spend time with Grandma Doris today. We've been hogging her the entire week. I wasn't sure you'd get to see her before you had to leave and I'm really glad she made her appearance just a week after you arrived. It was nice spending time with you before Maddie came too.


Madelyn's first manicure compliments of Nails by Crista. Thanks Crista for coming down. (Actually I think Crista has been sleeping in our carport, waiting for an invite. lol)
She was born with incredibly long nails and now she isn't scratching her face... she loves her hands!


I can't stop staring at her.. she's just too stinkin' cute!!

Trick or Treat!!

Baby Dimino waited an extra week before making her appearance at (almost) 41 weeks of age. Maddie entered into our lives on October 31st, 2008 at 10:09PM weighing in at 7lbs 2oz, 20 inches long. She's absolutely perfect and has already captured all of our hearts!

Much love to everyone who has sent their congratulations and kind wishes as we settle together at home as our new family. As first time parents were getting through all the "firsts" that come along with our new responsibilities and enjoying every minute of it!

Sorry I haven't been able to return everyone's calls or even get an update on our blog since her arrival but our main focus has been on breastfeeding and of course, sleeping every spare moment that we can. We appreciate everyone's understanding.

We're waiting....!!!

Thanks to everyone for your calls but she's still not here.. Don't worry, you're all on our call list and you'll all be the first to know. :)

My mom is here from WI and is making the waiting a little easier. We went walking/shopping today to hopefully jiggle her loose. At my appointment last Wednesday I still wasn't dilated. Hopefully there will be more action before this coming Wednesday when I'll have a non-stress test to see how little Maddie is doing in there. She's been super active so that's a good sign that all is well. We are scheduled for an induction on November 3rd so I won't be pregnant forever (even though it feels that way right now). Hopefully she'll come on her own time before then to avoid the additional drugs and stress.

Here's my week 39 baby bump photo.

Farmer Matt Planted His Seeds in February 2008....

....in hopes of having a good crop. Nine months later they're expecting their first pumpkin.....







Two weeks to go!!!

Maternity Photos

I just received proofs from our maternity photo session last friday (end of my 35th week) and I LOVE them! I'm so excited. As one friend said, she's going to come over to our house and there are going to be photos of my pregnant belly all over the walls! I'll try to contain myself and save the space. Maddie is going to have photos done by the same photographer a week or so after she arrives. 

Here's a link to her site www.lindseyqphotography.com

and here are some of my favorites-

1st Baby Dream

I've heard of people dreaming of giving birth to a litter of kitties (Crista)- which apparently is pretty common, and one girl in my childbirth class had a dream she was able to walk into her uterus to visit with her baby. Last night I had my very first "baby" dream. The majority of it was boring, I was in an auditorium watching the taping of a show and I was towards the back of the room speaking with some of my co-workers and friends. When I looked down at my stomach, instead of a belly and skin I saw a clear plastic bag filled with a greyish fluid and little Maddie. The plastic bag was over her face so I pulled it away and she swished into the water. A moment later, still in her bag of liquid, she was laying on her back, on my lap, with her feet up in the air. I was able to grab both her feet and play with her as I continued talking to my friends. Then, I woke up....

Talk about strange and creepy! It could be that I saw her because the morning before I was talking to Matt about how excited I was to see her and to know what she looked like. I'm so curious to see who's features she got. Hopefully she doesn't have my Fred Flintstone toes and Matt is hoping she doesn't have his crooked nose. She'll of course be the most beautiful baby ever just because! :)

James and the Giant Peach errr Matt and the Giant Avocado

Our very first avocado from our holiday tree we've affectionately called "Billie" for the past few years. At the beginning of the year we saw tiny little avocados appear that were about the size of a lime.. because of Matt's love and care they've grown to a super size! We thought about entering it in the State Fair but our love of guacamole won. I can't wait to eat it!!

Poor Mya

Poor Mya was the subject of what we thought was hilarious fun..
The things she'll do to make her parents happy! Let's hope she's never lost so this picture doesn't get posted around town for all of her friends to see.

My Most Embarrassing Pregnancy Story (so far!)

We've been taking a 3 part series of childbirth classes through the hospital in which I'm going to deliver. (tonight is our last class in that series). Leslie the instructor has been wonderful. She's been a labor & delivery nurse for 20 years so she really knows her stuff.

There's allot of discussion on deep, calm breathing instead of the hee-hee-hee type. She's also really good at explaining what our coaches can do to help in regards to keeping us calm and massaging our backs/shoulders, etc.. basically anything we want them to do. :) Matt has been doing a great job paying attention and rubbing my shoulders and back.

Last week Wed during the last 10-15 of our class she had us sit on the floor, with Matt behind me. The couples were spread out around the room and it was just us and one other couple in our area. She took us into a very relaxed state with our deep breathing techniques. Matt was rubbing my belly as I leaned back against him. The only sound in the room was her voice.. that is until I let out the biggest FART!

(OMG, I'm crying with laughter even as I write this!) As if the loud noise wasn't enough, I could not stop laughing. I had tears streaming down my face and I had to sit up because ever time I thought about it, I'd have a laughing fit again and couldn't stop shaking. The instructor kept talking about letting yourself go and every word she said seemed (at the time) directed at me and my loud gas explosion.

Back story: When you're in your third-trimester your digestive system slows down and constipation/gas pains are more prevalent. That entire week I felt backed up and that day in particular I had horrible gas pains... pains so bad I had to stop moving and gasp a little before the pain passed. I was starting to feel better after dinner, right before our class so I wasn't really worried about it.

Apparently belly rubbing is the trick! Tonight is our first time back since "the incident". I'm a little embarrassed still because I left there giggling with tears in my eyes. I didn't actually try to make eye contact with any of the other moms and dads. As to not have a repeat tonight, I woke up early to take a walk, have been eating lots of fruit, and drinking lots of water... wish me luck! (I wonder if the same couple will sit near us again?)

Erik & Sarah's Denver Wedding 9.13.08

First of all I'd like to congratulate the new Mr. & Mrs. Dimino!

Matt's brother and his fiance were at long last married in a beautiful church in Denver Colorado this past weekend. We enjoyed a great (but very quick) weekend with family. Originally when we booked our tickets we weren't sure if I'd be up for travel while in my 33/34 week but I felt great the entire time.
The bride Sarah, was absolutely gorgeous in her mermaid style dress and the boys all looked so sharp in their suits!

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining in through the church windows. Alyx (Matt and Erik's sister) did a bible verse reading along with Sarah's dad, Ben. Father Tom's ceremony was perfect for the couple.

Their colors were red and black and the details that Sarah put into everything were amazing. Each table was named with a story and photo about the couple. They had a cute slideshow created that played during their cocktail hour... it showed photos of the two of them growing up and then when they first met in collage. Everything was special from the tears of joy packets to the great CD mix they created as a favor.

We did have a few raindrops towards the end of the reception so instead of shaking our booties on the rooftop venue we took it downstairs and continued the party inside! I can't wait to see the professional photos. Below is a quick slideshow of some photos I was able to capture. (I was limited to 50).

I'm wishing Erik & Sarah all the love that Matt and I have shared and more in our first year of marriage.

Baby Bean Dimino's name revealed!

In just a few short weeks  we'll be welcoming Madelyn Grace into our family!

We'd like to thank Crista and Sheri for throwing us a really fun baby shower on Saturday that got the girls and guys involved. (pics tk) We really had a great time and feel so spoiled by how generous everyone was. Our family from out of state was also so great to send us gifts and share in the celebration. Our living room was filled with packages that we once again ooh'd and aah'd over on Sunday. We had fun playing with all of our (I mean Maddie's) toys and gadgets.

Baby clothes for girls are sooo freakin' cute!!! The Tennant family got us a special gift.. outfits for holidays in Maddie's first year.. We have Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Her 1st Dodger game!, Fourth of July, and Halloween (2009) covered! What a great idea for a gift and I have no idea how Crista was able to find all these holidays in the fall (and the correct approx. sizes!)

All of the gifts were so thoughtful and meant allot to us (especially the ones from other moms that knew what we'd really need- besides cute clothes!) The Schatz family put together a basket of.. well you name it, it was in there! Heidi also made us this super cute wreath that I can't bear to take apart and use. We're going to have newborn photos taken and can't wait to show off the "Baby Mangela" and "Baby Bean Dimino" onsies that Heidi's mom embroidered.. Soooo cute!!

Matt's favorite gift from the party! He's all set to turn little Madelyn into a Bronco fan and auntie Alyx and auntie Pam are helping the cause!

Looks like I'll be all alone during football season while Dad and Maddie hang out in the Lazy-Boy!

Thanks again to everyone that was able to join us for the baby shower and for those that couldn't for sending us love in your mailed packages and cards. Everything was greatly appreciated and now we just wait for her make her appearance!

Week 32 Baby Bump

Here's the baby bump photo from my 32nd week.. she's been very active this week. We had a childbirth class last night (1st of a 3 part series) and she made me giggle throughout because she was so active. My belly looked like it had something in it that wanted out... even Matt looked over and his eyes got wide because it kept moving. So funny and what a strange feeling.

We bought a camcorder recently so I'll try to video it next time and post for everyone to see. That is if I can figure out how the camera works! :)

Happy belated Labor Day! Matt and I had a great weekend. We took delivery (do people really say that?) of our long awaited nursery furniture on Saturday. It looks sooooo good! Of course everything in a large furniture store looks smaller than when we put it in our tiny baby's room. Good thing we measured because we barely have enough room for the actual baby! I'm very thankful that delivery also included setup because it made the entire process stress free. I highly recommend BabyTown (http://www.babytownllc.com/) in Reseda. They delivered as promised and their delivery guys were great.

We spent most of Saturday night taking turns in our new glider and looking around the room wondering what it's going to be like to bring our baby bean home.

I also started and finished my wall letters that spell out the baby's name. I bought them from an e-bay vendor and they arrived painted fushia with a dark brown ribbon attached. I had paper that matches the baby's bedding, cut out each letter (guess how many letters!) and used the modge podge to glue to the letters. I chickened out and didn't modge podge on the top of the letters. After practicing on a picture frame, I thought the brush strokes and general mess might ruin them and I waited 5 weeks for them to come in the first place. If I feel like I should seal them later on, I can always do that. You know, in my spare time between the 2am and 4am feedings. :)

Hey! She has an "a" in her name.. any guesses?

Our crib bedding is here too! I searched high and low online and at local stores to find baby bedding that was cute, girly, but not too "babyish". I wanted something that complimented our "birdy" theme but wasn't too matchy-matchy. I finally decided to have a women from Texas that I found on etsy.com make bedding with fabric that I also tracked down. The fabric is by Amy Butler and I absolutely adore it. It's something that our baby girl will be able to use as a toddler and in the beginning of her "I'm a big girl" stage. (Did I mention her crib turns into a toddler bed, a day bed, and then a full size bed?) We're thinking ahead here! Now if I was paid for the number of hours/days I spent looking for fabric it would have cost us allot more, but in actuality it was very comparable to stores like Baby Gap and other stores that sold separate pieces. 

The bedding turned out just as I imagined and even a little bit better. My new found friend Maggie (store name: marmalade skies by maggie lou) created the skirt, bumpers, and the cutest baby blanket. For those of you not familiar with etsy.com, you should check it out. There are wonderful vendors on there that that make anything imaginable and many, like Maggie will work with you to create anything you can think up. I would love to have a diaper bag (later to be used as a purse) made with the same Amy Butler Gothic Burgundy material (outside of bumpers). I'll have to put that on my Christmas wish list this year. I used Etsy.com to have my bridesmaid earrings made and have had great luck so far with different vendors. It's a bit like e-bay where you pay using paypal and can check out feedback that others have left.

(Click photos to see patterns up close) No sheets on the bed yet. :)

It was an exciting weekend with packages arriving and nursery projects being finished. Our co-ed baby shower is this Saturday. I'm really excited to see all our friends/family and chit chat with the ladies about babies and such. We've gotten great advice and have heard some not so great horror labor stories. Thanks ladies!

The best part about this entire process is knowing with confidence that Matt and I will figure this whole "baby thing" out. I guess that's why they give your baby 10 months to cook before making his/her appearance. Our parents did it, our friends did it, and now it's our turn. As long as we trust our instincts and follow our own rules, we'll be just fine! (now can someone remind me of this post when I call you up crying hysterically, all freaked out that I'm being a bad mom?!)