Evelina is 4!!

Evelina is one lucky 4 year old.  She had a wonderful birthday weekend filled with fun, family,  friends...and Frozen.  What more could you ask for?   On her actual birthday we kept up with the tradition of visiting the Southwick Zoo.  Saturday, we had a tasty and sweet girls lunch at the American Girl store.  Sunday was her Frozen birthday party.  Click HERE for some photos.  

Frozen Photo Booth

Evelina is "Frozen" obsessed.  The child loves all things "Frozen" and is constantly asking me when it's going to be Winter so she can build a snowman.  Is she really my child??  For her 4th birthday, we celebrated with a Frozen-themed birthday party.  When I saw these Anna and Elsa cut-outs, they just screamed photo booth. I debated for 5 minutes about having Anna come to the party, but she looked too fake in her costume.  I personally preferred the cut-outs and the kids loved posing with them too!!

Click HERE for more pictures from the photo booth. 

Gingerbread Fun with Friends

Evelina had been requesting that a few of her pre-school BFFs come over for a playdate.  I came across a cute gingerbread playdate idea on Pinterest and when I found a gingerbread village at Michael's I thought it would be perfect for them.  It was such a fun little day to plan for her and her friends.  They all had such a great time decorating their gingerbread houses and men, decorating their gingerbread chains and eating gingerbread shaped sandwiches.  Of course, my favorite part of the playdate was watching Evelina and her friends interact.  She can be so shy around others, but not these little girls she sees everyday.  They were so cute!!

Daphne's 1st Birthday

A beautiful day(s) for a beautiful baby girl surrounded by a loving family.  Couldn't ask for anything better to celebrate ONE!!

Click HERE to see some photos from Daphne's birthday and her 1st birthday party.

2nd Birthday Photos

Click here to see some photos from Evelina's 2nd Birthday and party.  

UMASS Medicine Cancer Walk 2011

The Ciano Family Getting Ready to Walk (or nap)

On Sunday, Chris, Evelina and I participated in the UMASS Medicine Cancer Walk as members of the SXC/MedMetrics team (the company Chris works for who was once affiliated with UMASS Memorial).  It was a wonderful event to remember those who lost their life to the terrible disease, support survivors and raise money to support cancer research. We have all been impacted by this horrible disease and it is time to find a cure!!  

The SXC/MedMetrics Team

The SXC/MedMetrics team was the top fundraising team with almost $12,000 raised.  Team Ciano raised/contributed $1,115!!!  Way to go team!!!

Photo credit:  Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Can you spot us in the photo above? 

1st Birthday Party Recap

Even though the weather Gods decided to change the weather forecast 24-hours prior to Evelina's 1st birthday party from party cloudy and 70s to rainy and 60s, we still had a lot of fun.  Evelina's empty playroom was the perfect space for her toys and the space kept all of the kids busy for hours.  Phew!!  

While we were planning Evelina's party, I was frequently asked if we would be having a 1st birthday party for Evelina. When I replied yes, everyone would roll their eyes and say, "She won't remember it anyway." This I know, but it was still a day to be celebrated...a celebration of life, a celebration of Chris and I surviving the first year of parenthood.  A life changing and amazing year!!  Something to truly be celebrated with the ones we love and those who helped us make it through.  Because, it really does take a village!!  

If you'd like to check out some pictures from Evelina's 1st birthday shindig, click here.  I regret not taking more photos but it was a busy day.  Thanks Charity and Auntie KK for taking over. 

12 Months of Evelina :: In Pictures

You know I couldn't let Evelina's 1st Birthday milestone pass by without a video in pictures, so without further ado, 12 Months of Evelina, in pictures (and yes, I know she isn't a boy, I just fell in love with the song). 

PS: Sorry it is so long. I honestly think I took more photos of her in the past year then have been taken of me in my entire life. I need to get better about using the Flip video camera.

Oh, Happy Day

One year ago today 2 little lines appeared that would change the course of our lives.  This most wonderful year has been full of anticipation, excitement and fear with the arrival of our precious, sweet and beautiful daughter. We can't wait for the next year, and the next, and the next.....

May Shower

Over the weekend, Cashina and I were showered with love and gifts. Auntie K and Grandma/Mimsy/Mimi (TBD) planned a wonderful day, even down to the beautiful weather. I was so happy (as evidenced by my crying...it never fails!!) to see so many of the fabulous women in my life all in one location. I just wish we would have had more time to celebrate the pregnancy and soon-to-be arrival of Bambina Ciano. It all went by so quickly and a part of me can't believe that the next time I see some of my family and friends I will officially be a mom!! It is just incredible how fast this entire journey has flown by thus far...less than 2 months to go and only 45 days until my due date (gulp).

Some of my fave moments of the shower were:

• Seeing my sis and dad since I hadn’t seen them since I was about 15 weeks pregnant and barely showing
• Opening one of the most beautiful presents from my mom, a gorgeous quilt she made with so much love
• Skyping with one of my besties, Kate, all the way from Texas and knowing how much she wanted to be with us in person
• Revealing beautiful crocheted and knitted blankets from wonderful friends who are so talented they make me feel inadequate for buying baby gifts off of registries
• Having Bambina Ciano hear her family and my friend’s voices and hoping she remembers them when she enters the world
• Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the cake!! Yum!!

We received so many beautiful and functional gifts that I can’t thank everyone enough. I am sure with each outfit I put Cash in, each time I cover her with one of the beautiful blankets, or every time she is swinging or bouncing, I will be thinking of the person who was so generous….that is unless she is screaming and my mind is focused on quiet.

Thanks again Auntie K and Mimsy for planning such a special day…you are both the best.

XO, S.

Pregnancy Progress: Week 32

Today, I am 32 weeks pregnant!! Only 56 days (about) to go and only 1 week until my baby shower!! I’m excited for Cashina to hear her Auntie K and Grandpa’s voices in “person”. I’m hoping that they even get to feel her “partying” while they are visiting. I have a feeling that once the shower is over it will really hit me that Chris and I are actually having a baby in less than 2 months. I had dinner with a friend the other night and when I hugged him goodbye I said, “Take a look at me now because this is the fattest you will ever see me [in person]. The next time I see you, I’m going to have a baby!!”. It is just so weird and still so surreal for me that I am carrying around my very own little miracle of life.

Still no big complaints from me other then heartburn, right hip pain, some pain in my pubic bone, occasional low back pain, finding it difficult to get out of bed (literally) or getting up off the floor after giving Violet belly rubs, putting socks on or tying my shoes…and other things that are probably TMI for the blog. And my fave pregnancy symptom is back….nasal congestion. I thought I was through with this after getting rid of my horrible 1st trimester cold that wouldn’t quit, but I was proven wrong. Uggh….

This week, Cashina weighs approximately 3 ¾ lbs and is about 16.7” in total length. All of my pregnancy sources say Cashina and I will really start packing on the pounds this week…maybe up to a pound a week (with roughly ½ lb going to Cashina). She is likely to gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival in the outside world. So for all of you that are trying to guess how much she will weigh at birth, do you think she will be in the 7lb or 8lb range?

In other developmental news, this week marks a big milestone for Cashina as her lungs will have started to produce a substance called surfactant, which stops them from sticking together and helps them to expand. In other words, she is more likely to be able to take a breath of air unaided than ever before. YAY Cashina!! Now, she better not get any ideas about arriving this early…we still have 5 weeks before she is term so we want her to stay cozy and continue on her path of development to ensure her lungs and brain are ready.

Cashina is busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things (especially my bladder it seems!!), making faces, practicing her breathing, peeing and listening to everything around her which is pretty much what she’ll be doing for the first 3 months of life outside of the womb, otherwise known as the 4th trimester. Research has show that, at this point in her development, she is behaving almost exactly as a newborn and will continue to do so until her birth day.

On tap for this week, the second installment of our childbirth class, finish with the paint in the nursery and another pre-natal appointment/meeting with the scale. Oh, and I can’t forget to take a 32 week belly shot!!

New Year and a New Addition

There is something about watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (that is if I don’t fall asleep before hand!!!), watching the ball drop and listening to Auld Lang Syne that brings a tear to my eye at the beginning of each New Year. It is a combination of the lyrics, the happy and sad memories of the past year and the excitement and anticipation of what the next year will bring that makes me a little emotional. I am clearly a sap but I feel the same emotion each New Year’s Eve and I have no doubt that this year will be no exception.

Even though 2010 hasn’t officially launched yet (only hours away now!!), Chris and I know that it is going to a BIG year for the Ciano household since Bambino Ciano will make his or her official appearance sometime around June 19th. We couldn’t be more excited to bring a new addition into the world and share the experience with our family and friends. I am looking forward to meeting the little one and holding him or her for that very first time but I also can’t wait to see Chris as a father, my mother as a grandmother, my father as a grandfather and my sister as the best Auntie a niece or nephew could ask for. And, I think they may like to see me as a mom too since I have a feeling some of them thought the day would never come. I have to admit that I am curious myself!!

But for now we plan to enjoy the days leading up to that big moment, give as much love and attention we can muster up to our current only child, Violet, without forgetting about each other, because I think there may be some truth in the saying, “a baby changes everything”.

Despite all of the happiness and tears, changes and challenges about to come our way we are looking forward to the New Year….well, I know I am, we may need to poll Chris. All kidding aside, we wish you all a happy and healthy 2010.

Inaugural BBQ

Summer arrived for a few brief days last weekend so Chris and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to, as I like to call it, “grill and chill”. Our new grill was just screaming to be fired up and just waiting for steaks to sizzle on its virgin grates. We also got to enjoy our new patio set with the company of great friends!! Thanks Ang, Jeff, Aimee and Sean for joining us for our inaugural BBQ. Hopefully we can do it again soon….with a patio umbrella the next time so we don’t sizzle.

Photo courtesy of Angela Malone

Holiday Gathering - UNH Style

Click here for more photos

Between the hustle and bustle of the season, family time and just life in general, I have found that during the holidays it is difficult to get together with great friends. New children, new houses, house hunting, busy work schedules, distance and short trips to MA really don’t lend themselves to quality friend time. Well, not this time!! Thanks to the recommendation of Aimee and the perfect timing of Lisa and Bruce’s visit from AZ and Oz, we UNH gals got to celebrate while Chris and I got to entertain once again at 19 BHL. It was a very fun evening full of excellent potluck fare, lots of laughs, wine (no accident victims this time around!!), and Paul and Jeff even took a chance on the Diabolique. It also just happened to fall on the one month anniversary of our big move to the ‘burbs; Happy One Month Anniversary to us!!

We missed Kate, Delia and Wally but I have no doubt they will be dropping by soon…I hope anyway :-)

Thanks all for coming and we can’t wait to do more entertaining in 2009!!

Welcome Meaghan!!

I have to send out a congratulations to Jaime and Shawn for the birth of their beautiful and adorable (the cutest i've seen!!) daugther Meaghan. Meaghan was born on December 19th, 2008 checking in at 8lbs 4ozs 19in.

She is such a jem and one lucky little girl to have such great parents!! Congrats, good luck and enjoy Jaime and Shawn!!

Stone's Public House - Take 1 and 2

Before Chris and I moved to Ashland we had done some research on local restaurants and one of the first that came up was Stone’s Public House in the center of town. Now rumor has it that this house, built in 1834, is haunted by one or more spirits which is kind of eerie. As a kid, I couldn’t even watch shows about ghosts on Halloween (or any time of year) because I always thought our old farm house was haunted and that someone was watching me…especially when I was in the barn.

Even though I am older and wiser, the thought of ghosts still freaks me out but it wasn’t going to stop us from checking out Stone’s. What ghost would come out during the dinner hour? We went for dinner on Friday night and thought we would sit in the bar area but it was packed!! Who would have thought this would be an Ashland hotspot? The big fireplace was roaring, big and small parties dining on scrumptious fare and people were even standing. It was the place to be. We had a nice dinner in the quiet dining room while keeping our eye out for spirits of any kind.

On Sunday, Debi and Paul dropped by for a surprise visit so we decided to check out the bar again and chat/catch some football on TV. Still no sign off ghosts but there was a Ouija board in the corner which we all decided we would never play in this place!!

I guess this post would have been more interesting if we actually saw a ghost or evidence of one, but alas, we didn’t. We just saw some eerie looking pictures of John Stone himself and others. Stone’s Public House offered great meals and company and we will surely go back in the near future for grub, live music and maybe even Trivia Thursdays…that is only if Paul is on our team :-)

Debi and Paul chillin' on the new couch

Annual "Guys" Gathering

Every year during the Christmas season we have a get together with Chris's group of guy friends and their lovely wives. We usually go to one of their homes or we meet at a restaurant but this year we decided to take advantage of our new home and invite everyone over as long as they upheld the laws of the Ciano's sanitary environment (aka, no shoes in the house!!). It resulted in quite a stressful week putting up the tree, unpacking more boxes, hanging pictures, shopping for the house, food, etc. in an effort to prepare for more than 4 visitors but it went off without a hitch and we had a great time. Only one accident victim didn't survive the party but it wasn't due to black ice on Badger road, it was more because of Chris's brut strength.

I had to take a picture of Chris in the kitchen...it may never happen again :-) Just kidding, his antipasto platter turned out great!! Of course, for most of the night, everyone congregated in the kitchen per usual. But what about the new couch?? Pic of me with Maria and Christine; Steve and Larry; sanitary environment police on patrol, no tickets were issued; accident victim

Weekend of Fun

Chris was away on business this weekend so I got to spend time with some of my other favorite people and Lilly :-) Debi visited (I forgot to take pics!!) and we tried out a decent local pizza place and watched a movie while experimenting with the new home theater system. I don't think Forgetting Sarah Marshall qualifies as an optimal surround sound producing movie but it was still hysterical. Thanks for coming over Debi and I can't wait for future girl's nights!!

Kerry then arrived from Pittsburgh and we spent the rest of the weekend cooking and shopping. If you haven't been to the Container Store, you should go. It is so incredibly fabulous and I am already planning another trip back this week. For an organizer like myself, it is perfection.

Mom and Jim arrived with Ms. Lil and we had a fantastic dinner. I have determined that we have used the dining room more in the last week then we did in our entire 4+ years in Charlestown. It is great!! Oh...and kudos to Lilly for being a very good dog and only doing her business in the backyard :-)

Kerry and me cooking....well, really Kerry cookingJim and Lilly watching football.

Cheers; we miss you Chris.

Getting Settled

I have found it difficult to get into a routine being in the new house. With so much unpacking to do, shopping for things we need (gotta keep the economy going!!), cleaning/feeding/playing with my pet on Facebook or just wanting to relax with friends and family in front of the fireplace and new LCD, it has been tough to get motivated to update the blog.

Over a week has passed since the big move and we are living comfortably. For the most part, the kitchen, office/den, master and guest bedrooms and bathrooms are all appointed with everything we need but they are screaming for decorations which will come with time. We can't wait for our new bed frame and sectional to be delivered in the next month...hopefully they will both make the house have less echo.

Here are some pictures of our biggest unpacking project in the house...the kitchen. It took about 2 days to pack it up but only 1 to unpack thanks to my mom and sister-in-law Joyce's help. It was like my bridal shower all over again since we finally unpacked all of our fabulous presents and actually put them away in cabinets. I am making a pledge to myself to use every single platter, pan, knife, gadget, etc.

First Family Dinner

After a long day of unpacking, installing mirrors and bathroom fixtures, and running errands, our first day in the new house ended with the first family dinner at 19 BHL. Mom, Paul, Jordan and Joyce were sooo incredibly helpful that the least we could do was share Jim's famous baked ziti with them in our new dining room. Now we just have to get a dining room table that can seat 8 and has 8 matching chairs...but for now, our existing table will do. Our family has been so great to us through this process and we thank them tremendously for all of their love and support. They are the best!!

Mom and Joyce chillin' in the living room.