V for Vitarelli

Two and a half

2011-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I mentioned to Violet that she recently turned two and a half. At the time, I think she said something like, "Oh." And that was the extent of that conversation. Well, on Friday, I took her to my company's Halloween party (everyone brings their kids and the decorations are over the top) and when one of my colleagues asked her how old she is, she answered, "two and a half." Seriously! I couldn't believe she remembered that!

First Earthquake

2011-10-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

Violet felt her first earthquakes today. One this afternoon and one tonight - both were about 4.0. It's official, she's a California girl!

That Face

2011-10-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

So this has quickly become known as "the picture." My dad took it a couple of weeks ago when he was here for a visit. Just look at those eyes!

Pancakes!

2011-10-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've done one posting in three days... so much for one posting a day! Oh well, this video will hopefully make up for it. It's from the same day as the last video but I had to split them up due to size of the file. Violet has discovered the deliciousness of pancakes. So whenever she is pretending to cook, she is often making pancakes.

All By Myself!

2011-10-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

My lack of postings is pathetic. Violet has completely transformed in the past 6 months and I've done a terrible job of documenting these changes. So, I am challenging myself to post every day over the next week.

"All by myself," is something that Violet says a lot these days. She is extremely proud of all the things she can do all by herself. Pee pee in the potty? Yes, "All by myself." Grab the milk from the fridge? Yes, "All by myself." Turn on and off the lights" Yes, "All by myself." Take a shower? Yes! "All by myself!"

Ice Cream!

2011-08-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Violet has discovered the joy that is ice cream. Simple as that. Just look at her face!

Easter

2011-05-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Easter was last weekend and we had so much fun coloring easter eggs with Violet. She loved the whole process and now calls all eggs "easter eggs" regardless of how the eggs are being prepared.

Us: Violet, would you like scrambled eggs for breakfast?

Violet: Easter eggs?!

Us: Yes! Easter eggs!

Violet: Yay!

Here are two videos of the easter egg making process. Very adorable.

To view all of our photos from Easter click here.

Violet is 2!

2011-04-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

Violet turned two a couple of weeks ago, on April 14th. We had a party for her the weekend prior to her birthday and the difference between last year and this year was incredible. Looking back at last year's video of singing "Happy Birthday" she looked confused as to why all these people were singing to her and I blew out the candle. This year, she sang along (she had been practicing "Happy Birthday" for about a month) and she blew out the candle. She's such a little girl!

To see all the pictures from Violet's birthday party click here.

More trips and fun

2011-04-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

My posts keep getting less and less frequent. It's almost like a quarterly update. Here is a synopsis of January - March.

January
We've kept ourselves busy with more traveling the past few months. In January, I took Violet to Seattle for what is now becoming an annual trip for us. We had so much fun visiting with my friend, Liz, and her parents. Here she is drinking coffee with Liz at one of my favorites coffee spots in Seattle, Vivace. Although Violet's "coffee" is just steamed milk in an espresso cup. Violet has known the word "coffee" for some time now and likes to enjoy a cup with the adults.

To see all the pictures from Seattle click here.

Violet also still loves to talk on the phone. In this adorable set of pictures, she is talking to my dad. She looks so comfortable chatting on the phone, it's crazy. And don't think that my dad was doing all the talking. This was definitely a two-way conversation!

To see all the pictures from January click here.

February
In February we took an incredible 11 day trip to Hawaii to visit family and relax together. Violet loved the beach and swimming in the ocean. Chip and I had a blast building sandcastles while Violet had fun destroying them as fast as we could make them! It was so wonderful to see Chip's family. We even got a date night out while Chip's cousins watched Violet.

To see all the pictures from Hawaii click here.

March
Our good friends Deb and Sean came for a visit with their kids, Austin and Eli. They stayed with us last summer and Violet loved the boys. Once again, they all got along famously. Violet and Eli even had their bath time together, which was really fun to watch. It was a very rainy weekend and Violet loved the boys' matching raincoats and umbrellas, so down the street we went to get Violet her own set. They have come in very handy too, since we've had so much rain this season!

To see all the pictures from March click here.

What Violet just said

2011-02-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

"No Mommy, that mine, I need that." And then with the cutest smile ever she said, "Pleeeeease!"

Yes, this is no joke. Just in the past week, Violet's sentences are getting much longer and more complex. She's been surprising us every day.

Oh, and in case you're wondering what it is that she was asking for, it's the computer.

Three in One

2011-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

It has been months since my last posting and we've had three major holidays in that time: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We moved at the beginning of November and with the holiday season essentially already upon us, it was incredibly difficult to sit down long enough to do a posting. So, in this one posting I am going to cover all three holidays.

Halloween

This was the first year that Violet was able to begin to enjoy Halloween and we were really excited for her to experience it. Not so much the candy aspect of it, since honestly she doesn't know what candy is, but rather the dressing up and hanging out with other kids part of Halloween. And we thought all was lost when Violet wouldn't take a nap that day and then fell asleep in the car during a 5 minute drive to our friends' house. She slept in my arms while everyone ate dinner and kids ran around. And just when we were about to head home, she woke up and was ready to join the party. So, on went her costume and out we went. The streets were packed and we couldn't get over how well she did with all the activity and people in costumes. There was only one costume that scared her, and honestly, it scared us too!

To see all the pictures from Halloween click here.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with our good friends, Kerry and Alan and their family and other friends but instead of Baker Beach, they had the spread at their flat in the city and we had two birds: deep fried and roasted. It was fun watching the the deep frying of the bird. I've never seen it done before.

To see all the pictures from Thanksgiving click here.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas. Chip's parents came out for the week of Christmas and my dad and mom were here. Christmas eve we walked Thompson Street here in Alameda, which is known for going all out for Christmas. Every house is decorated with lights and displays. It was really fun to watch Violet's reaction to it all this year, since last year she was so young. She was especially taken with the Thomas the Train display, since she is generally in love with Thomas these days. She insisted that we spend some time at this display and she hugged and kissed the life-sized Thomas. It was so cute!

To see all the pictures from Christmas click here.

Oktoberfest 2010

2010-10-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Last year, Violet was just about 6 months old for her first Oktoberfest. Too young for a dirndl (at least I couldn't find one for an infant) and too young to being to enjoy the festivities. This year, Violet looked so adorable in her first dirndl. My dad came again to celebrate but my Aunt wasn't able to make it. We'll just have to wait until the annual "German Dinner" she throws the weekend of Thanksgiving.

To see all the pictures from Oktoberfest click here.

To see all the pictures from September click here.

No more b-o-t-t-l-e

2010-09-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

You know you've become a parent when you start spelling words to each other. "Bottle" is a perfect example. Saying the word could illicit a very loud and strong response from Violet. And given that we've been slowly cutting her back over the past few months means that we've found goods reason to spell it to each other.

Scene: Violet getting upset or otherwise being fussy.

Chip t0 Amy: "Should we give her a b-o-t-t-l-e?"

Amy: "Sure, why not." (Because I know it will make her happy and she'll stop being fussy.)

It's been a big weekend for Violet. She has officially kicked the habit. Not without some fussing and crying, but she doing great and I'm really proud of her.

So, in honor of the momentous occasion, I thought these pictures taken by Chip just a couple of weeks ago are fitting.

Just because...

2010-09-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything really new to report. I just had to post these pictures that Chip took last week while I was out of town. How adorable is she?!?!

Violet at the Playground

2010-09-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Violet is growing in leaps and bounds these days and nowhere is this more apparent than when we go to the playground with her. One day something is too much or too big for her and the next day she's mastered something new that she couldn't do before. Here are two examples of this. The first is Violet walking along the border of the sandbox. She saw an older boy do this and not to be outdone, Violet immediately set her sights on learning to do this herself.

The next video is of her going down the slide all by herself. Opa (my dad) came for a visit last week and he went to the playground with Violet and Nana (my mom). Later that night he's telling us how Violet was going down the slide by herself and Chip and I looked at each other like, "Yeah, right." But sure enough, we took her to the park today and away she went!

Daddy's Little Girl

2010-08-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Before Violet was even born Chip bought her a backpack. It was one of those impulse buys one day when he went to REI and saw this adorable little blue backpack with a frog embroidered on it. Violet now loves to imitate her daddy by putting on her backpack and bike helmet (the two things she sees Chip put on every morning when he gets ready to bike to BART) and dance around the house or ride on her pony.

To see all the pictures from August click here.

Funny Girl

2010-08-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

How can a 15 month old be so funny? Violet finds new ways every day to crack us up. The best part is that she cracks herself up too. Case in point, watch this video...

Funny Girl from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

4th of July

2010-08-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful weekend for the 4th of July up North on the Eel River with our friends. I think we counted 10 kids in all - the youngest was 7 months and the oldest was 9 years old. It was so much fun. Violet had a blast playing with all the children and she loved playing in the water and sporting her shades.

To view all of the pictures from that weekend click here.

DC - Violet's First Trip to Our Nation's Capital

2010-06-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of June we went to DC for our annual trip to Chip's hometown. last year we didn't go since Violet was just born in April, so it had been a couple of years. Our dear friends, Lucy and Todd, threw a big BBQ for us so everyone could see us at once. It was so great to see everyone and see how the kids are growing up.

For Violet, this was her first trip to DC but her third trip involving an airplane. Just as before, she did really great. For the flight home she slept 3 1/2 hours of the 5 hour flight! She really enjoyed herself in DC. She seemed to get that we were on vacation because we were somewhere new and every morning, mommy and daddy were still there, waiting to hang out with her all day. For the first time ever, we were actually waking up before her. We don't think she ever adjusted to east coast time - she slept in late every morning and stayed up late every night. It actually worked out really well and she didn't go through any adjustment phase when we came home. A couple of mornings in DC we even had to wake her up because she was sleeping so late. What a change!

Violet also went swimming for the first time and loved it. We bought her some sunglasses knowing that it would be sunny in DC and we'd we out a lot but she always hated them when we put them on her in the store. As soon as we got outside and in the pool, she completely got it and loved wearing the sunglasses. They are her favorite new accessory!

To view all of our pictures from our DC trip go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157624373900144/

Violet Turns One

2010-05-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Violet's 1st Birthday from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

Yes, she turned one a month ago. But what can I say? Life with kids is busy! Anyway, April was a fun-filled month. First we had Easter and then shortly after, Violet's first birthday. We did exactly what the books tell you not to do for the first birthday - invite a bunch of people and hire entertainment. But we know Violet and knew that she would enjoy it. And did she ever! "Twistyman" was great with all his magic tricks and balloon animals. And Violet loved all the excitement and kids running around. It was great.

To view all of our pictures from her birthday and April go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157624076663296

It's No April Fools Joke - Violet is Walking!

2010-04-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

It's official - our baby doesn't crawl anymore! We came home tonight to a little girl who walks. She didn't crawl once! Anytime she fell down, she'd get right back up and start walking again. And I was just reminiscing on my drive home how a year ago today was my due date and I just went on maternity leave and was waiting for Violet to make her arrival.... crazy.

So, since I've obviously missed posting any videos of her crawling (and she's an adorable crawler), I feel like I need to bring everyone up to speed.

Violet began crawling right at 8 months old and pretty quickly she discovered that she preferred a "downward dog" position while crawling - legs straight, butt up in the air, her knees never touching the ground. Then she discovered that if she found something to put her hands on and push, she could crawl even faster. Here she found a magazine and really went crazy!

Violet "Surfing" While Crawling from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

Then, a couple of weeks ago my mom bought Violet a wonderful wooden push toy and she took to it immediately. She had already been crawling and pulling up on furniture and then began standing up in the middle of the room. Here she is trying out the push toy for the first time.

A new toy for Violet from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

It didn't take her long to really get the hang of it.

Learning to Walk with Her New Push Toy from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

And then, a few days later, she stood up and took her first couple of steps. They were quick and she'd fall down, but it was only a few more days after that (on 3/22) that she took several steps at one time and it was official, she was walking. Which brings us to today, about 10 days later, with Violet walking all over the place. Clearly, she is very happy with her new found skill.

Violet Walking from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

Violet goes vroom vroom!

2010-03-17T22:58:00.001-07:00

This is from back in November when we were in Seattle visiting my friend, Liz. I'm just realizing that Violet doesn't really do this anymore... (so sad) but she used to do this thing with her hands and Liz said it's like she's going "vroom vroom" riding a motorcycle.

Violet goes vroom vroom! from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

Bath time

2010-03-17T22:15:00.001-07:00

Ok! So I've been having some technical difficulties with uploading videos to our blog but I found a website that explained a workaround, so I'm going to upload a bunch of old (as well as new) video. This one is fairly recent - from February. Violet loves her bath time. Enjoy Gramps and CeCe!

Bath time for Violet from Amy Vitarelli on Vimeo.

Photo Shoot for the 2009 Christmas Card

2010-02-27T20:05:00.000-08:00

Way back on Thanksgiving in 2009, we celebrated with our good friend Alan and his family on Baker Beach. They've been doing this for over 40 years, or something crazy like that. Anyway, this is when Chip had a brilliant moment (one of his many), realizing that the picturesque Baker Beach would be a great backdrop for our first Christmas Card. It all sounded so perfect - Violet on the beach with the Golden Gate behind her. What could be more perfect? And while it did turn out great, it was touch and go there. First, there were a lot more people than we expected. It was actually a pretty nice day. It was sunny out at Baker Beach and there were plenty of people out enjoying it on Thanksgiving day. So just trying to capture a picture without someone right behind her was challenging. Then, there's the unpredictability of a 7 month old. First time we tried, she was hungry and wanted nothing to do with our little photo shoot. After feeding her we tried again a little later and she was in a better mood, but then we couldn't get her to look up. Chip stood behind me, waving his arms, calling her name but Violet was way more interested in her feet than in anything else at that moment. Luckily, we had a toy that rattled in her diaper bag and with Chip shaking that behind me, she finally looked up.

I think I took about 50 pictures and really only one was the best that ended up on the card. But these are a few others that we really like. To see even more pictures from that day go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157623398953605

The Holidays - WAY past due

2010-02-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

Wow - so the holidays came and went quickly and yes, it's taken me longer than I'd hope to get around to posting about the holidays. They were great. At the beginning of December my great-Aunt Virgina came for a visit. We had a nice family gathering down in Los Gatos to celebrate the latest in my mom's remodel projects. The only thing that wasn't yet done was the painting but even still the place looked amazing. A completely different kitchen! Violet loved my great-Aunt Virginia. They both were very taken with each other. And for me it was the closest thing to my daughter meeting my grandmother/her great-grandmother, who passed while I was pregnant. Virginia is her sister and they are alike in many ways. I really enjoyed talking with her about old stories of her and my grandmother.

Then Chip's parents came for the week of Christmas and we had a nice relaxing time hanging out at the house. My mom and Susan were here for Christmas dinner and my dad came the day after Christmas. Violet enjoyed herself immensly, visiting with everyone, working on her crawling technique and learning how to open presents. And my mom made an incredible Christmas dinner. She may not eat meat, but she sure does know how to prepare it! For once I was her sous chef and it was a nice break.

To view the pictures from my great-Aunt's visit go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157623279000278/

To view all of the pictures from Christmas go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157623279253172/

Violet's Crawling!

2009-12-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

Violet started crawling today! One day before her 8 month birthday. My mom was playing with her in the living room and suddenly started yelling to us that Violet was crawling. Sure enough, it looks like she's figured out how the arms work in this crawling thing. Before, she would get her butt up in the air and then use her forehead as leverage to move forward. Very entertaining but not very graceful. I'd say her crawl now is "the army crawl," where she's using her forearms (instead of her forehead) along with her legs. Note how she kicks up her legs as she moves forward.... adorable!

It's a whole new world.... for all of us. We just did the "crawl through" of the house - where you get down low and see all of the dangerous things that a baby can get in to. Our goal is to move anything exceptionally dangerous (cleaning supplies, anything small that could be a choking hazard) up high and anything not so dangerous down low.

Das ist gut!

2009-12-06T21:32:00.000-08:00

My family had our annual German dinner the Saturday after Thanksgiving again this year. My Aunt Bruni makes an amazing traditional East German meal, just like my Omi used to make. The potato dumpling (not bread dumpling , like you find in most German restaurants) is what makes it East German, in case you were wondering.

To see all of the pictures from the feast go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/72157622951686928

Experiments in Eating

2009-11-30T21:17:00.001-08:00

Violet has really taken to eating solid food. She loves carrots, squash, green beans, sweet potato... pretty much everything she's tried, she's liked. Except one day my mom and I thought it was time to try apples and well, they turned out to be much tarter than we realized. We were thinking, "Apples - sweet and yummy, Violet is going to go crazy over them!" Instead, Violet gave us this look. We just about died laughing.

To see way too many picutres of Violet eating go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622910761134/

Jaden's 6th Birthday

2009-11-30T20:03:00.001-08:00

Our niece turned 6 years old a couple of weeks ago. She's such a little girl now. All of the baby features are gone. Now she's lean and tall with the cute little girl haircut. It always shocks me how old she looks every time I see her.

To view all of the pictures go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622910666552/

Seattle

2009-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of November Violet went on her second airplane trip, this time to Seattle. We went to visit my friend, Liz, and Chip didn't join us so this also marked the first time I traveled alone with Violet. Thankfully there are "family travel" lanes at airports where other mothers took pity on me, helping me with all my crap. Seriously though, it wasn't too bad. Violet was once again amazing on the plane and of course made new friends with everyone around her.

To view all of the photos go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622768441331/

Violet's First Halloween

2009-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a full weekend. First we went to a party on Halloween night at a friend's house in Alameda. Then the next morning we went to our friend's annual Renegade party in the city. This was the 9th year! We've been to all of them and the bridge being closed that weekend wasn't going to stop us. It was a beautiful, hot day in the city and Violet had a great time. She was dressed up as a bunny. A very cute bunny, I might add.

Photo Shoot

2009-11-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

So we made the big investment and bought a SLR camera and we absolutely love it! It takes amazing pictures and we've been having so much fun taking even more pictures of Violet with it. These are a few of my favorites from October.

To view all of our pictures from October go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622765625835/

First "Fests"

2009-10-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Violet experienced her first "fests" last weekend. First was the Hardly Strickly Bluegrass on Saturday and then Sunday we got all dressed up and went to Oktoberfest. Violet definitely needs her own dirndl next year!

Maui - Violet's first big trip

2009-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Maui and all I can say is.... wahhhh! It's so difficult coming home. We had an amazing trip. We went for Chip's cousin's wedding. It was extra special because Chip performed the ceremony.

Violet loved all the sights and sounds of Maui. She even took her first swim in the ocean.

It was so much fun introducing Violet to all of her family that lives in Maui and Oahu. She even got to meet her great-great uncle, who is 98 years old. We will definitely be visiting the Hawaii Vitarellis often so Violet can get to know all of her family.

To view all our pics go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622345277897/

Where did all these kids come from?

2009-08-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Greg Tung, was in town recently and had his new baby girl, Dillon with him. Fred and Megan threw a little BBQ and the number of kids among our group of friends is growing fast! All the pictures from the party are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157622125784886/

2009-08-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

As if having a newborn baby wasn't enough excitement, we decided to move! At the end of June we became residents of the island of Alameda. Shortly thereafter a double-rainbow appeared... a good omen if you ask me! We upgraded from our 1 bedroom apartment to a 3 bedroom/2 bath house. We couldn't be happier!

For all of our July photos go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/

She's a Vitarelli alright, she's got the gift of gab!

2009-07-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

So I was telling my Mom the other day how much Violet talks and she said, "Well, between you and Chip she has to in order to get a word in!" Okay, so my Mom knows us well. Chip and I do love to talk... and it looks like our daughter does too.

Happy Bastille Day - Violet is 3 months old!

2009-07-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since my last post but it has been very busy for us. We moved at the end of June so most of the month was spent packing and preparing for the move. Violet continues to grow right before our eyes. At her 2 month check up she weighed in at a little over 10 lbs. She loves being on her back so she can kick her legs and move around. She's not rolling over just yet but she's getting close! The biggest change over the past couple of weeks is how much she can hold her head up. Every day she gets stronger and pulls away a little more so she can hold her head up on her own. It's amazing to watch.

These pictures are from a couple of days ago on our drive up to Sacramento for Violet's cousin's 1st birthday party and of me with Violet and her Uncle Deryck.

In May, Chip's parents came to visit Violet. It was so nice to see them enjoy their granddaughter and Carol cooked the whole time - what a treat! You can view all of May's photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157621226689151/

And all of June's photos are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157621482185108/

Violet Turns One Month Old!

2009-06-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Violet had her 1 month check up. She grew 1 inch and weighed in at 8 lbs 12 oz. She's doing great! I did a little "photo shoot" to mark the 1 month milestone. I took over 400 pictures (crazy, I know) but posted only the best ones on our flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157619173788400/

Mother's Day

2009-06-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am a little late in posting about Mother's Day but given that it was my first one ever, it is significant, and so I will post - even if it was weeks ago! Our dear friend Alison made this beautiful quilt for Violet. Chip showered me with gifts including a gorgeous necklace with a violet in the center of it.

Before and After

2009-05-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

I know this is so cliché but... they grow up so fast! We brought her home in this cute footie pajama from the hospital and she was swimming in it. Now, just 4 weeks later she fits perfectly in it and next week she'll be off to college! Ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic.

Happy Baby

2009-04-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Who couldn't love this face?! I know, I know.... it's probably just reflexes but what can I say? My baby has good reflexes! She smiles more than any newborn I know. It makes the sleep deprivation worth it!

For the latest photos go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157617374507644/

Violetta "Violet" Isabella Vitarelli

2009-04-26T22:22:00.001-07:00

At long last she's here and at long last we are finally posting her arrival. After waiting 12 long days, we could wait no more and induced on April 13th. Everything went incredibly smoothly and she was born at 8:02 am on April 14th. We couldn't be happier.

To see all the pictures from the hospital through our first days home go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chamy/sets/72157616969287232/

And the wait continues...

2009-04-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

The idea is that we will post about all sorts of things that are going on in our lives but right now it's hard to think about anything else other than "when the hell is this kid coming out of me?"
At this point I am 5 days past my due date. She was due 4/1 but I guess she decided to play a little April Fool's on us and keep us waiting.
I keep explaining to friends that it feels like we've been preparing for the big earthquake that is never really going to happen. We've taken all the preparation classes, we've got all the supplies, we know the signs to look for, but really, in the end, it's not *actually* going to happen.
But people who have had kids keep telling me that she is indeed coming. And when I explained to my mother recently how it's strange to be sitting around all day just waiting for her to come she told me that very soon I will be wishing I had one of these quiet days alone to myself. The reality is I only really stopped working last week on my due date (yes, I have workaholic tendencies) and even then I've been checking email.
And so, the wait continues...

First post!

2009-02-26T23:16:00.000-08:00

Hello? Is thing on? Testing...testing....

Welcome to our new blog, V for Vitarelli, cause what else is "V" really for? Since Amy and I are just a little over 4 weeks from the birth of our first child, we figured it was finally time to start a blog to chronicle the adventures of the rest of our life - raising kids, continuing to love living in the Bay Area, camping, traveling, working, relaxing, and generally observing the world around us. It's as much of a dairy for us as it is for our family and friends we don't get to see as often as we'd like. Yeah - we know we're a little late getting on the blogging bandwagon (blogwagon?) compared to most. But, better late than never, right? This is gonna get interesting.........so stay tuned. Feel free to comment at will on our posts. I love good banter. Bring it on!