Once Upon A Dream

Gillian had Gymboree today, and here is a picture of her (4th from the left) on the air log with Daddy. After her afternoon nap, we walked to the library. There were some fun activities going on because today would have been the 103rd b-day of Dr. Suess! This is a picture of Gabriella and Gillian with our favorite librarian....Ms. Barbara.

Gabby is about to turn 4 years old. We will be putting some information about her on the blog everyday to celebrate. This information will be retrospective of her time on earth...It will also include some current information! We are so proud of her, and we can't believe she is almost four.

Some Stats....
Height: 37 inches
Weight: 30 pounds
Favorite Color: All of them, but mostly pink and blue like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella
Favorite things to do: Color, paint, go outside, dance, sing, read new stories, cook, and play with friends
Exciting accomplishments this year: Writing letters - upper and lower case/knowing all the sounds, crossing the monkey bars, roller skating, and eating ice cream.....it was too cold for her in the past.
Most life changing moment in the last year! - Got a baby sister

Sample art work of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella

The Hair.....
The most shocking thing about Gabby's birth. We were totally unprepared for the HAIR! Labor started Saturday at midnight (March 8th)...We went to the hospital on March 9th (around 5pm), and Gabriella Grace Pizzolo was born at 5:30am on Monday, March 10th, 2003. She was 7 pounds and 4 ounces. She was 20 inches long. She was 22 inches long measuring her hair. She shares the same birthday as her great grandmother, Barbara Curran. Here are two sonogram pictures. The first is around 10 weeks gestation, and the second is around 20 weeks. There is a pictures of her in her isolet in the hospital and a picture from her birth announcement at five days old.

We had a purple day at church today with Grammy. All the girls matched. Gabby made a lion because she was learning about Daniel and the lion's den. Gillian had fun playing with Linda in the nursery. Aunt Mandy and Gabby whistled to one of the Veggie Tale songs that was playing, and Gillian fell asleep hard and fast in the car on the way home.

We don't know what happened. When our beautiful baby girl was in the hospital she looked and acted like this....

But when we got her home....
She did this everynight for about 4 months...

She was a happy/smiley baby during the day...and she was such a joy! Here is a picture of her smiling/laughing with Meme during their first meeting (Gabby was 4 days old) and Gabriella's first Easter - 6 weeks old. Last, here she is again with her first pigtails at 4 months.

Warning: Next Birthday entry...we're going mobile

Gabriella has always been a little monkey. She started to push up on her hands and knees to crawl when she was five months old (pink), and by the time she turned 6 months, she was crawling everywhere.

It is so exciting to see a baby do new things, but it is also sad because you can't stop them from growing. At this point, Gabby wanted nothing to do with being held and cuddled....She just wanted down! A few weeks after she began crawling, she figured out how to pull up and cruise (7 months).

Aunt Lena was responsible for introducing Gabby to her first candy around Halloween. Gabby was a ladybug! (7 months)

This child was a climbing machine. We couldn't stop her. We just had to spot her. Here are some climbing pictures of Gabby before she turned 8 months.

First Thanksgiving - constipated (Gabby not Papa)

Gabby took her first steps during Christmas of 2003 (9 months), and she was running by her 10 month b-day. Her baby months went too quickly.

Gabby had a first birthday party on Staten Island at Gymboree, and she had a first birthday party in St. Marys at her Aunt Becky and Uncle Louie's house.

These are some portraits that Gabby had taken during 2004.

Summer - 15 months, Autumn - 18 months

Christmas 2004 - 21 months

Gabby and Daddy found a crafty way to win at memory. The new technique was then passed on to Grammy who thought it was pretty clever.....And we thought this old table was ready for the garbage.

Gabby and Grammy went on a birthday trip into Manhattan today. They went for lunch, to FAO, and to the Disney Store. Gabby had a great time playing on the giant floor piano, and she picked out a new dress up tutu for her birthday. Gabby and Grammy brought a hat back for Gillian. Thanks Grammy! Gabby had a great time! XOXOXOXOXO

Gabby had a Dora the Explorer birthday party when she turned two . We invited a bunch of her little friends, played games, and rode a pony that came to our house. She loved Dora so much, and one of her first words - 10 months- was back pack.....(gak gak).

Thank you Grandpa Mike, Grandma Cathy, and Aunt Lauren. We got our birthday surprise today, and there was a little something for all of us to enjoy. Gabby loved everything in the box as you can see, Gillian had fun trying to touch all the paper, and mom and dad had a real hoot vaccuming all the confetti! (hahahaha) XOXOXO - Thank you very much!

We celebrated Gabby's 3rd birthday at Kiddiepalooza. She had an eventful year, and she made a lot of new friends at dance class and at the drop off program that she attended at Gymboree. Here are some shots taken at the party and during that week.

Gabriella celebrated her 4th birthday princess style. We invited her friends and immediate family to the Created By You - ceramic studio. All of the girls were dressed up like princesses, and some of the boys came dressed up, too (knights and kings). They painted plates and put hand prints on them, played games, did crafts, and got a special visit from two beloved friends...(the princess and the pauper). Then they ate pizza and birthday cake. Gabby told us that it was the best day ever. She had a great time with her friends and family.

Here is the video ...

Gillian has been walking for a couple weeks now, and we finally were able to catch her on video. She was taking a few brave steps at first, and today....she went about 17 in a row across the living room and down the hall. It is amazing how fast they learn. Every day she becomes more balanced and less hesitant. Here she is walking to mommy from Aunt Mandy.

Photos by Aunt Amanda.....

Captain Hook and Tinkerbell came to our house to play.....

Gillian is officially 10 months old. During the past month, she started walking and trying a lot of new foods.... like lasagna. She even threw her first temper tantrum! Whoa...mommy and daddy...look out! She finally got her first tooth, and she sometimes takes one nap a day instead of two. Here are pictures of her with her favorite giraffe, standing alone, clapping, and drinking from her bottle....We thought we would throw that in there, because she will be saying so long to the bottle in two months......

We took the girls to the park tonight. They had a great time. This was Gillian's first time that she could really enjoy it. She loved the swings the most. She also loved licking every inch of playground equipment.....(classy)

Even though our children have an Italian (last) name, they are more Irish than anything else....

We spent some time up in the Syracuse area this weekend. It was a short and fun trip. We caught up with some old friends from college (Josh and Rachel), and we met their two sons for the first time. Gabby had a great time playing with them, but we didn't get any pictures....what were we thinking?.....The girls had so much fun at the hotel. Gillian slept in her pack and play....and Gabby slept in her own big bed. Her favorite spot in the hotel room was the window seat. She planted herself there...every chance that she got. We found the Budweiser plant....which is really just a joke.

Literally.....

Gabby got a new dress up outfit for her birthday. It actually plays music from the Nutcracker when you dance. It is so cool. Her friend, Ally, had one, and the rest is history. There are other versions available at www.musicforlittlepeople.com and www.actingoutdressup.com.

We highly recommend them!

Could this get any cuter. Six 10 month olds......It didn't last long, but it was fun! Gillian and Isabella with their four other Gymboree friends...Ryan, Michael, Kaycey, and Shayla!

We have been busy spending time with Sarah and Debbie Mercer during the last few days. We have been having a great time. Gillian had a sinus cold that went into her eyes. It hasn't been pretty. The poor thing has been very miserable. The doctor had to give us a prescription today, so hopefully we will be better soon. Uncle Tim (natalie's brother) is in the hospital in Ohio. He had a blood clot in his leg and lung. He is responding well to the medication, and will hopefully be going home soon. Get well soon, Uncle Tim!

Gabby, Sarah....and poor little Gillian

The girls met Gianna at the park today. Everyone was out because it was so beautiful.

We took a day trip to the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pa. It was so much fun. There was so much to do. The girls had a great time, and they came home very tired. We went with the Warner Family, and we brought Grammy along, too! There were so many great pictures. Here are just a few.

Gillian was excited to be in the car riding with all of her friends in the back seat. Gabby enjoyed doing the color wonder finger paint. Both girls used the tokens to get the authentic factory markers and crayons.

hot wax art, window markers, and crayon dude

Gabby draws a blonde version of herself, Gabby sandwich, and everyone points to his or her favorite color.....

Gillian had two big firsts today! She had her first day of coloring with real crayons. She only tried to eat them about 10 times, and she scribbled pretty good. She also had her first bowl of chicken noodle soup. Here is a picture of what was left. Then she went over to Gymboree to play with Gymbo and her buddy/cousin, Isabella. What an exciting day! Gabby had an Easter party at school yesterday. Here she is ready for school. She is wearing the new necklace that she got from Debbie Mercer. Thanks Debbie! xoxoxo

We got together today with Dave's sister, Milena.....Tony and Isabella. Grammy and Grampy came over, too, and we made it a big Easter celebration. We exchanged Easter gifts, and we exchanged 1st birthday gifts for Gillian and Isabella. They both got outdoor gifts, so we decided to exchange now so that they can start using the gifts in the nice weather. Aunt Lena, Uncle Tony, and Isabella got Gillian two bikes....one for indoor and one for outside. You will be seeing us on our new bikes very soon...Maybe tomorrow...weather permitting. After the present opening festivities, we colored eggs. They turned out beautifully! The babies really did well. Nobody even ate the paint...not that they didn't try. Here are our creations (the eggs at the bottom are Gillian's[left] and Gabby's[right])and some other shots from the day.