The Rossi Kids!

Photos from May & June

2011-06-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Brothers.

Alexander's first day of school!

Ben!

There is so much more but I'm too tired to put more up tonight.

:-)

More Photos

2011-04-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Benjamin!

2011-03-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Maddox Rossi was born Friday, March 25 at 6:40 p.m.. He weighed 8 lbs, 8.5 oz. and was 21" long. Everything went very smoothly and Amanda and Ben are both healthy and very happy to be home from the hospital. Alexander was very excited to meet his new baby brother. And so begins life with 2 boys!

Waiting for Benjamin...

2011-03-23T16:49:00.001-07:00

1 week and 3 days to go until Benjamin's due date, although the doctor is saying it could be any day now. I started maternity leave on Friday (a week earlier than I'd planned) because I was sure he was coming soon. Well, it's Wednesday, and he's not here yet, and I'm starting to think I may indeed be pregnant forever. We are all getting very excited, though!

Benjamin Maddox Rossi

2011-02-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

5 more weeks until our second little boy is due. We're all very excited and can't wait to meet Baby Ben! He will definitely be joining a family that loves him very much!

It's a boy!

2010-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yep, we are having another boy. The ultrasound tech was pretty sure at the first screening but this last visit confirmed it.

You can see his arms around his face in the image above. Everything appears to be progressing well and mom is doing great. Two boys. Ummm.....

Monday was play group with costumes. There are a couple of attempted group shots below.

As always, click on a photo for the larger version.

:-)

Photo catch up

2010-10-24T15:23:00.001-07:00

We got 8 cubic yards of playground wood chips delivered to our driveway. Alex loved climbing around in that huge pile!

A big cardboard box is the best.

Alexander & his pal Jack

Maniac tractor driver at the
pumpkin patch.

Alex watching the trains.

Halloween costume preview!

Trick or treat?

Gigi did an awesome job sewing Alexander's lion costume.

As always, click on the photos to see a larger version.

:-)

Alexander's little brother or sister

2010-09-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

We had an early screening ultrasound today. Everything is looking really good and the baby is quite active. It is still very early so there was no definite answer about whether the new baby is a girl or boy. The technician said she was leaning toward a boy but would not be willing to bet money on it... so I guess we will wait a while longer before knowing. The experience of seeing our new baby is so powerful!

We love our boy so much and we can't wait to meet the new kid!

- Marc

First day of Spring - 2010

2010-03-21T18:21:00.001-07:00

Life is moving along so fast! We have sold our house and bought a new one (to us) across town. The move is in early April which can't come soon enough... but is also coming too soon. Alexander is doing great. There is a new video posted on YouTube so click the link below to see it. Great stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4s0vy77WI

Getting so big.

2010-02-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

Fun new video posted on YouTube (video link)

Alex went in for his first X-rays today. He took a twisting fall the other night and is still limping today so we went to the doctor to be safe. She wanted to check for small fractures and the X-rays looked clear. The limping is slowly getting better so the diagnosis is leaning toward a sprained ankle. Alex has switched over to more crawling and does not seem very bothered by the whole thing. It is sad to see our little man hobbling around!

There are more and more words coming out each day. It is so amazing how fast the changes happen. Our baby is growing up.

Cheers,
Marc

Lots of stuff:

2009-11-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today was Alexander's 18 month check up. He is doing great. His growth is at just over 75% for height and weight and 90% for head circumfrence. No big head jokes! That is all brains. I posted 3 new videos and the photos below are from Halloween at the zoo.

Click for Video One, Video Two and Video Three .
- click the "HQ" in the lower left of the video and then make it full screen -

- click the pictures if you want a larger version -

:-)

Singing & Dancing!

2009-11-04T13:04:00.001-08:00

Alex has been singing and dancing a lot more lately. I tried to capture it on video this morning but he will not do it as much if he sees the camera. It is still a cute video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnpBd37M_Wc
- Click on the "HQ" in the lower left corner for better resolution

:-)

Halloween photos

2009-10-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Assorted Halloween photos...
- click on the thumbnails to see a larger version

Texas Cowboy!

Brownie monster

Tractoring at the fair

Most of our play group

and with some moms!

We also went to "Zoo Boo" at the zoo but I have not gone through those photos yet.
:-)

Pumpkin patch visit

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hillcrest farms pumpkin patch in Reedley...
- you can click on the pictures to see a larger version

cool
Whoa!
push it down?
tractor time

Happy Halloween everyone.
:-)

Photo blast part 2...

2009-10-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

Move photos. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Whoa!
Strut.
Driving a fire truck!
Fire station open house.

:-)

Photo blast part 1...

2009-10-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

Time for a bunch of photos! You can click on the photos to see the larger version.

Cute boy
Playing at Shaver Lake

Boating
at Shaver
Devilish!

More to follow soon.

How about some nudity?

2009-09-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUEq62oV9Go

A fantastic short video of Alex dancing in a metal tub.

Good stuff.

:-)

Vacation

2009-09-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

We haven't been very good about keeping the blog updated recently--this might have something to do with the fact that we have been busy chasing around a very curious 15 month old with an endless supply of energy. Or not...

In August, we took our first family vacation and spent about a week exploring northern CA. We started in Sacramento, hit the wine country around Healdsburg and Sonoma, spent several days in Mendocino, and then stopped off to visit Zia in San Francisco. We had a wonderful time and stopped to smell lots of flowers, met about 100 doggies, rode a pony, and generally slayed everyone within a 20-foot radius with Alex's powerful cuteness. Although we've posted lots of these to Facebook in recent weeks (so you may have already seen them), here are a few photo highlights from our trip. If you want to see even more photos (including some more recent shots), take a look at our Shutterfly site.

14 months old today....

2009-07-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

Alexander is 14 months old today! We've really slowed down with the picture taking but we do have a few recent ones we'd like to share.

The photos above are from a recent trip to the zoo in Fresno. Alex is pointing at the giraffes which fascinate him.

Alex and Marc at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz last weekend. Although he is much too young to go on any of the rides, we thought he would enjoy seeing all of the rides and the people. Unfortunately, I think it was a little too much for him...Here he is in the car after we left. I love the grumpy look on his face. This was exactly one second before he passed out asleep. Poor little guy!

New video posted on Youtube

2009-06-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Alexander is changing so quickly now! Our baby is definitely a toddler now. His walking is getting better all the time and the words are beginning to form. I posted a new video tonight of Alex being silly at the dinner table.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2-13CRu2E

Father's day was great. My sister was missing due to a wicked cold but the rest of us went for a beautiful hike and picnic in King's Canyon park.

click on the photo to see it bigger!

:-)

2009-06-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Alexander turned a year old on May 22nd. We threw a party on the 23rd to celebrate and invited all of his play group friends. Our friends, Matt and Suzanne, were there and took some great pictures of him eating his birthday cake. It was total carnage but he loved it!

Alexander laughing...

2009-05-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Wow. Alex was really loving this toy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3UuYN08MX0

:-)

Mother's Day card massacre!

2009-05-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

What do you get when you add a bunch of paint to an 11 month old boy? A royal mess! Alexander and I decided on a hand made card for mom's first Mother's Day. Photo and video evidence of the massacre below...

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95_M-FHqlv4

Click on the photos to see the larger version.

Mom really loved her card and was glad she was not here for the clean up!

:-)

Alexander's first haircut!

2009-04-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Alexander got his first real haircut on Sunday (4/19). He is almost 11 months old now. The walking, the desire to express his will and now the big boy haircut. It is almost too much to take! As usual, you can click on the photos below to see a larger picture...

Some before & after action!

I'm not sure I like this...

... still not too sure...

... there was a little crying.

My little baby is now a toddler. I guess the bright side to this growing up thing is that soon he will be riding bikes. :-)

Cheers,
Marco

Fun on tax day...

2009-04-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Click on the photos to see larger version.

New 1 min. & 40 sec. movie posted on Youtube.

check the spit bubble...
love to "look" through things...
really love it...
coming to get you...
watch out!

I love to sit on Cheerios!

2009-04-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Our little baby has become a toddler. Lots of opinions about everything!

Enjoy the photos of our little man struttin' his stuff and showing his wild side after bath time.

Alexander can walk!

2009-03-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Holy cow. Today was the day to let go. Alexander walked without holding onto anything for the first time today. Granny is visiting from Texas and got to see it. A video from tonight is linked below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8QuX31XWPU

Or higher rez version: http://www.archive.org/details/AlexanderCanWalk

Life has changed!

:-)

Alexander's first bike ride!

2009-03-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today was our first trailer adventure. We rode about 4 1/2 miles round trip from our house, up to the grocery and then back home again.

Alexander was looking great in his new helmet. As any overly cautious first parent would do, I added a lot of extra padding to the inside of the trailer! Overall I would say he enjoyed the ride (but cruising the grocery store was better). A few seat adjustments will be necessary to make room for the back of his helmet. Click on the small photos for larger versions. :-)

Who is that toddler?

2009-03-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

First, and most importantly, there is a new video posted of Alex REALLY enjoying his bath...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPBxxgyvFOI

Alexander is beginning to exercise his will. Our mellow, complacent, go-along-to-get-along baby is morphing into a (still pretty mellow) toddler. Along with his big laughs and smiles we are now getting some guttural growls and seriously loud protestation! His walking is getting better every day and he is transferring between pieces of furniture to get around. The kid is quite a character.

I hear him waking up and the broccoli in the steamer needs to come out. Enjoy the new movie.

Mr. Silly

2009-02-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures we took of Mr. Silly this weekend. He will be 9 months old in less than a week and is becoming quite an active little guy. He wants to stand up and "walk" all the time (with us holding his hands) and can even stand on his own for several seconds now. We're pretty sure he's just going to skip crawling all together and have bets on when he will take his first independent steps.

Alexander knows how to play peek-a-boo now, too, and has a great sense of humor. He finds our dog, Maya, particularly amusing and cracks up anytime she gets near him. Other than our ongoing struggles with getting him to sleep, he is doing wonderfully and keeping his parents endlessly entertained.

Here's a new video posted on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSi_7RPN_zA

Bumpers and bumms

2009-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Photo of Alex utilizing the new crib rail bumpers his Grandma sewed for him. Very cool!

This morning was blueberries with tofu for breakfast. Apparently the blueberries were quite tart because I got some hilarious faces! A little apple sauce in the mix made it all better. Now he is sitting across the table from me making a royal mess of some rice crackers and water mixed in with the blueberry sqeezins.

Two new movies are posted a Youtube. I'll warn you, one of them has gratuitous nudity in it. Lucky for you, it is Alexander...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk1BPk3bbn4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgCetVPFhEE

Cheers,
Marc

Alexander the opera singer!

2009-01-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

My dad got a singing birthday card from his sister for his 60th birthday. Alexander loves it. I posted a short video on youtube of Alex singing along while making his Papa hysterical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u0zpZtQZaE

Enjoy
:-)

Alexander is 8 months old today!

2009-01-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it. How did our baby get so big and where did the time go? I guess sleep deprivation distorts things a bit... Alexander is looking more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby everyday.

I posted a short video on youtube of our breakfast this morning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01mE01Hu48

:-)

2 new movies

2009-01-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

I posted 2 new moves on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc45RBOaEcI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7GMrOxchbw

Amanda is back to work full time and I'm settling into my new position as a stay at home dad. Alexander and I are having a ball!

More pictures from Christmas

2009-01-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

Gary & Sharon put up some more photos from Christmas...

http://garyrossi9.home.comcast.net/~garyrossi9/December%202008.htm

:-)

Christmas in Palm Springs

2008-12-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

We just returned from 6 nights in Indio. My parents scored us a couple of condos so we could all spend the holiday together. Grandma, Papa, Auntie and the 3 of us enjoyed a fun holiday. When we were not all staring at Alexander... we took advantage of the beautiful weather. On Christmas we took the aerial tram up to about 1o,000 feet to visit the snow and on Christmas night my parents treated us to a tremendous dinner at the JW. We also visited the zoo & botanic gardens, hiked the oasis canyons and took a day trip to Joshua Tree. It was a great vacation.

Big changes for our family!

2008-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

December 19 was my last day working for Jamis Bicycles. My new position as full time stay at home dad has started! I am excited (and a little scared). Amanda starts working 5 days a week after the new year. This will be a huge adjustment for all of us. Her position at the university allows us the flexibility to launch into this endeavor and I am grateful for it. Right now this all just seems like an idea. I'm sure once we get a few weeks into January the reality will be quite an impact.

He changes so fast!

2008-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

The past month has been busy! Alexander is eating rice cereal now... and LOVES it (big surprise). We will be introducing more foods now which will be entertaining. How can a 28" tall person make such a tremendous mess with a few tablespoons of food? Alex continues to change daily in so many ways. His recent check up put him at the 95% for weight and 90% for height.

A big change for us as a family starts next week. December 19th is Marc's last day with Jamis bicycles. After that he will assume the role of stay at home dad. Amanda's position at the University gives us this opportunity and we are very excited about it.

So that is enough words... on to the photos of Herr Smoochyface...

2008-11-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

On Halloween we dressed Alexander up in his custom monkey suit and paraded him around the Tower District. He got a LOT of attention! Alex did not mind wearing the costume at all and it was a lot of fun showing him off.

And in case you need some more monkey fix... check out the video below!

2008-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we tried Alexander's Halloween costume on him. It was a big hit!
Granny (Amanda's mom) did a wonderful job sewing the costume.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl340HQWY08

Oh... my... god...

Alex in his Boo Suit

2008-10-16T20:55:00.001-07:00

Alex will be 5 months old next week! He's starting to be able to sit up on his own and is really interested in the world around him. His Granny gave him this cute little ghost onesie so we had to take some pictures as a warm up to Halloween. Granny is also making his first costume which we'll definitely be posting pictures of soon.

First time in his high chair!

2008-10-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

While we haven't introduced solid food quite yet, we thought it would be fun to get Alex into his high chair. He really seems to like having a bird's eye view of us while we eat.

Trip to Texas!

2008-10-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Alex made his first trip to Texas at the end of September to meet his aunts and uncles, see his Granny again, and had the opportunity to be held by his cousin Keely. Poor kid.

Gratuitous baby booty shots...

2008-09-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Fun after our bath today!

And a milk coma after lunch!

New photos

2008-09-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Click this one to see it larger :-)

Beefcake stands up!

2008-09-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Yeee-ha for baby!

And another video on Youtube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOagI0bzok4
- an 8 minute slide show of Alexander's first 3 months

3 months old!

2008-08-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Alexander is now 3 months old! Yesterday we took him to the pediatrician and he weighed in at a whopping 16 1/2 pounds. He's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. They told us he's about average...for a 5 month old!

He has been getting cuter and cuter every day. He smiles and talks a lot and is a very happy baby. We took him on his first overnight trip to San Francisco last weekend where we visited his Aunt Alexis and saw the Chihuly glass exhibit at the De Young museum. He really got a kick out of all the bright lights and colors.

Professional photos of Alexander

2008-07-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Our friends Matt & Suzanne made the long (although scenic and refreshingly cool) drive out to meet Alexander a few weeks ago. Lucky for us they are wonderful photographers and they brought their photo gear! You can see a few of the photos on Matt's blog: http://www.mmayphotography.com/blog/ (scroll down a bit). Just above the photos of Alex there are some pictures of our friend's beautiful kids playing in the pool with their dad. Matt's website, http://www.mmayphotography.com/ , is fun to look at. Make sure to peep at "the places" section. Just make sure you've got some vacation time coming before you look...

2 new videos

2008-07-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

There are 2 new videos of Alex up on Youtube.com....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hdvfXmoVb3A

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6EyKGRP1Jr4

New pictures

2008-07-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Alexander is 7 & 1/2 weeks old! He's about 13 pounds and is really smiling and making a lot of eye contact now. We've been having a lot of fun with him and have enjoyed watching him grow and figure things out.

Photo Shoot

2008-07-09T15:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a sample shot from Alex's photo shoot with Matt and Suzanne a couple of weeks ago. What a beef cake! We'll post more as they come!

Father's Day in Tracy, CA

2008-06-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Amanda, Katherin, Alexander and I drove up to Tracy, CA, to celebrate Father's Day with some of the Rossi family. Today was also our first time to see Bradley, our new cousin who was born a few weeks before Alex. It was fantastic to spend the afternoon with everyone. I ate too much (including some Graeters ice cream - the best in the world!), laughed a lot and had an all around great time.

This is what I do when Amanda & Alex take a nap...

2008-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Amanda & Alexander are getting a much needed nap so I decided to post a few more recent photos. Granny is still visiting with us and it is awesome (help with everything and lots of delicious food)! Today Amanda and I got out for a nice lunch and ice cream while the baby stayed home with Granny. Alex got another good review at his doctor appointment. He is up to 10 lb., 6 oz... so that means he gained a pound in 8 days! What a bruiser!

The wonder of it all...

2008-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

This video is a beautiful window into our new lives.

Make sure you speaker volume is up at around 23 seconds.

:-) Marc

More baby pictures and movies, please!

2008-06-01T08:48:00.001-07:00

Hello. It's Marc again. Amanda and Alexander are catching some much needed sleep. Well, needed for Amanda... Alex sleeps whenever he feels like it! We have taken another 13,412 photos and movies in the past few days so I thought I would post some of my favorites. Enjoy.

Spectacular baby in moving pictures!

2008-05-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Amanda made the mistake of giving me the password to the baby blog. Now I'll be posting approximately all 67,341 photos we have (as of today) of Alexander!

My wife and son continue to amaze me.

- Marc

Pictures!

2008-05-27T00:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome Alexander!

2008-05-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone....

Well, our little guy is finally here! Except that he is not as "little" as we had expected. He's a whopping 9 pounds, 5 ounces, 21.5 inches long, and is absolutely beautiful! He was born on May 22 at 12:31 p.m. after almost 24 hours of labor. Marc and I are doing well, although we have had very little sleep and are trying to adjust to the full time job of having a newborn. Marc's family has been an amazing source of help to us and we have been well taken care of these last couple of days.

Alexander is a wonderful baby with a great temperament who likes to sleep (thank goodness!) He is in perfect health and was cleared to go home almost immediately. He has beautiful dark hair and the cutest little nose and chin imaginable.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of us these last several months and continue to be so as we help Alexander adjust to life in the world. It has been (and continues to be) an amazing adventure that we couldn't even imagine embarking on without all of you!

Best wishes,
Amanda

Still waiting!

2008-05-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone....
Well, we're still waiting on little Alex to show up. It has been 2 days now since our due date and there are still no signs of him coming in the very near future. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow where we'll find out more, but I think we are in for a little more of a wait.

We'll post something as soon as anything happens, though. Just a few more days!

6 days until our due date!

2008-05-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on the progress of Alexander's imminent arrival. We've got less than a week to go before his due date but the doctor thinks he could arrive any time now. So, for now, we're just waiting patiently. We'll post again as soon as something exciting happens!

2 & 1/2 weeks to go!

2008-04-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but it looks like we've only got about 2 and 1/2 weeks until Alexander's due date! Of course, he may decide to delay his grand appearance by a week or more but we won't know for sure until we get there. The doctor won't let us get more than a week or so past our due date (May 16) so, either way, we know he'll be here very soon. We're all doing great and there have been no complications or causes for concern so far. We're just playing the waiting game now!

Here's a shot of me at a little over 37 weeks. It really looks like there's a good sized baby in there now!

1 Month to Go!

2008-04-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

As of today, we have exactly one month until Alexander's due date (May16th). Of course, he could arrive anytime he wants to. He is very close to full term so we keep telling him that he should come sooner than later. He's got so many people out here that want to meet him!

We've started taking Lamaze classes and are really getting excited about the big day...whenever it comes. We've also decided to hire our Lamaze teacher as a doula. For those of you who don't know what a doula is....

From the website, Childbirth Connection: "The word doula ("DOO-lah") is a Greek word meaning "woman who serves". Today, doulas are trained professionals who "mother the mother". During labor, doulas provide continuous support that includes physical comfort measures, emotional reassurance, and information and suggestions to improve progress or ease discomfort. A doula can help you understand what your health care providers are saying and can help make your needs clear to hospital staff or other birth attendants. She is also a resource and guide for your partner." Check out the Doulas of North America website for more info.

Our doula's name is Lisa Gartin and we really think she will be a great source of support during labor and after. Marc and I have already learned a lot in her Lamaze classes and are getting more and more excited about experiencing all of this firsthand.

Until next time.....

Amanda, Marc & Baby Alexander

My Birthday--31 Weeks!

2008-03-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here I am, on my 30th birthday and 31 weeks pregnant. We took a nice trip up to San Francisco where we coincidentally stayed in Room 315 (my birthday was on 3/15).

Alexander's Room

2008-03-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are curious, here are some pictures of the baby's room that we took a few weeks ago. We're not 1oo% done yet but we're pretty close.

30 weeks and counting!

2008-03-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

We have finally passed the 30 week mark and now only have about 9 & 1/2 weeks to go! Even more strange is that as of March 16th, we only have 2 more months to go before our due date. I wish I could say the time has flown by but it hasn't! We've got just about everything done in the nursery and have all the essentials we need to bring our little guy home. Now we just have to wait!

Everything has been going wonderfully health-wise and we have every hope that it will continue until the end. Aside from a few aches and pains that all pregnant moms have, I've been feeling great--although definitely a lot more basketball-shaped than usual. Oh, and this weekend I get to celebrate my 30th birthday. Of course, it pales in relation to the fact that I will soon be a mom, but it is a milestone nonetheless!

We've also finally decided on a name for our little one and have decided to share it with everyone instead of keeping it a secret.

......drum roll......

Alexander Dominic Rossi

Marc's middle name is Alexander and his Papa's name (and his father's middle name) is Dominic. So it has some history but is a name entirely his own. Of course, we'll probably call him Alex until he requests otherwise. So, now we have a name for our little one and can't wait to welcome little Alex into the world!

Baby Shower!

2008-03-12T21:57:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, March 2nd, Sharon and Alexis Rossi hosted a fabulous baby shower for us. Everything was gorgeous and it was a great opportunity for everyone to get together to welcome our little guy into the world.

The hostesses, Alexis and Sharon, and our friends Ivy and Linda (Ivy was responsible for the delicious dessert).

Marc stopped by at the end to greet everyone and see all the neat presents we received for our little boy.

Amanda's Mom Visits from Texas

2008-03-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

My mom, Katherin, was able to come for a short visit for the weekend of my shower on March 2nd. We had lots of fun and even took a day trip to Yosemite. There was a lot of snow on the ground (which makes for interesting hiking when you're 29 weeks pregnant!) but the views were gorgeous as always.

We also enjoyed a nice lunch at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel.

Baby Shower at the Library!

2008-02-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone at the Henry Madden and UCSF Fresno Libraries for such a fantastic baby shower on Thursday. It really was a wonderful surprise and all your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated!

Look at that cake!

23 Weeks!

2008-01-20T16:40:00.001-08:00

23 Weeks!

Registry Information

2008-01-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked if we are registered anywhere for the baby. We are in fact keeping a list of items that we think we need to buy at the Kaboodle site--available from the "Baby Wish List" widget on the right or by going to: http://www.kaboodle.com/marc_and_amanda/baby.html
You cannot purchase anything directly from this site--it is just a compilation of links to products we've found on the web.

We are also registered at Babies-R-Us under my name (Amanda Dinscore) or you can find it using the registry number (70996809). All of the items on the Babies-R-Us site are also on the Kaboodle site.

Of course, as I've mentioned elsewhere, these are lists that we've created so that we can keep track of the things we know we need to purchase. There is so much out there--and so many decisions to make!--that it can get overwhelming without a list. So, please do not feel obligated to purchase anything from here or anywhere else. The love and attention that our baby will undoubtedly receive from everyone once he arrives will be the greatest gift you can give!

Ultrasound Pictures

2008-01-07T19:37:00.001-08:00

Hello! We see you!

Kicking back and (apparantly) blowing bubbles.

A very buff looking little arm!

We're having a BOY!!!

2008-01-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

That's right! We're having a boy! We finally got to see our baby again today for our 20 week ultrasound and found out that we will be having a son. Although the technicians don't tell you much, everything looked really good--we got to see his little hands and feet and even his little mouth opening and closing. We were able to get some good pictures but the best part was the video Marc was able to take with our digital camera.

Click on the link below to see the video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6XIvCInBiSo

We'll post some more pictures in the next few days so check back if you want to see them. Otherwise, everything is going really well. The baby is moving around a lot and seems to be quite healthy. Only 4 1/2 months to go. We can't wait to meet him!

16 Weeks and Counting!

2007-12-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

I've been really resistant to taking pictures of my stomach up to this point. However, I figure I've got a pretty good excuse for showing off my expanding waistline these days. So, I finally let Marc take a picture, which we will try to do a few times throughout the pregnancy. I think it's pretty obvious now that I'm not just eating too many Christmas cookies!

I've started feeling the baby move around a little bit, too. It only happens every once in a while and I can feel it only if I am very still, but it is such a great feeling knowing there is a little person bouncing around in there. We had a doctor's appointment this morning and we heard the baby's heartbeat. It was going at a nice 140 beats a minute--which we were told is about average. Our doctor used the word "perfect" again which I am beginning to love him for. There is no better word to say to expectant parents!

We have the "major" ultrasound on January 8th--which is when we'll finally get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Although we could probably find out now, we're going to wait a little while so that there is less room for error. We'll definitely be posting those pics as soon as possible.

And for those of you who are keeping track, we are actually 16 and not 17 weeks right now. We thought we were a week later, but the doctor told us one of the original ultrasounds probably gave us the correct age. So, our due date is now May 16. In the long run, it really doesn't matter much, but it's nice to know.

Happy Holidays!!!

-Amanda, Marc & Baby

2007-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here's our friend Matt's interpretation of the ultrasound photo....

Marc & Amanda are having a baby!

2007-11-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. We're having a baby! It has been impossible to keep it a secret these last few weeks, so for those people who don't know yet, we're about 13 weeks along. Our expected due date is May 16. And, yes, we are definitely finding out the sex of the baby as soon as we can (which won't be for at least another month and a half or so).

We are both very excited, although it still seems pretty surreal to us at this point. We have seen the baby three times now, along with a tiny little flicker of a heartbeat. We just had our last appointment on November 6 and wanted to make sure everything was going well before we told everyone. According to the doctor, everything is progressing wonderfully (he used the word "perfect") and we have every hope that we'll be meeting this little guy or girl in about six months.

Above is one of the better ultrsound pictures we got on the 6th. Marc took matters into his own hands and brough the digital camera with us. The baby is now about 7 centimeters long and actually looks more like a little human being than the tadpole we saw in the other ultrasounds. We were able to see a little spine, legs, hands and even some facial features (although they're still very fuzzy). The baby is really active right now and was really moving around a lot during the ultrasound (making it somewhat difficult to get a good picture). Although the picture does not do it justice, you might be able to make out what looks like a little baby silhouette (with added graphics courtesy of Marc).

So, since we already consider ourselves to be pretty hip parents, we thought we'd start a blog of our baby's life from the very beginning. For those of you who are unfamiliar with blogs, you can submit comments by clicking on the word "comments" at the bottom of each post. We'll try to post an update every few weeks or so. Of course, we completely understand if you're not as totally captivated in hearing about every last detail as we are in telling you about it. We'll send you the link as we update it, but reading is, of course, totally optional!

Also, you might notice on the right that we've posted a link to a site called Kaboodle with some pictures of baby stuff that we like. Click on the word "Baby" at the top of the list to go to the full list on the Kaboodle site. This list is as much for us as it is for anyone looking for gift ideas--we just thought it would be a cool place to keep track of cute baby stuff we want to buy. And for all those pro parents out there, please let us know if there is anything essential that you couldn't have lived without. We are completely clueless as to what to expect and, if we were left to our own devices, our kid would just have a lot of cute stuffed animals and toys and nothing to sleep in, poop on, or eat.

And for those of you who might be wondering...although Marc and I do not share the same last name, we've decided to go with Rossi for the baby's last name. Oh, and we're taking suggestions for first names so, if you have a good one to share, we'd appreciate the input!

Here's a shot of some cute onesies that Grandma (Sharon) bought pretty much the minute after we told her we were expecting. And, no, we're not having twins. Check out the elbow pads on the boy's onesie...

Until next time.....Amanda & Marc