Tristan and Olivia

It's been almost a year since blogging and I wondered what to do. Do I abandon the whole thing (after all who's checking in on this after being MIA for so long), do I try to recap the last year, or just file for chapter 7 blogging bankruptcy and start with a clean slate. So I'm doing a little of both-I'll do a quick recap and move on. I'm sorry for the long hiatus but once again we're back!

In the past year Tristan has turned two and has become quite the talker. Olivia is a month away from her first birthday and I wonder how that is humanly possible. Life in Dayton has been so much about family (as we're now within driving distance), and we've been able to have frequent visits with both sides of the family. Paul has done a great job of balancing school and family (I feel so blessed to see him as much as I do) and I have passed the time by making new friends and learning to be a better runner (this past year I was able to run in 2 half marathons-and loved doing it).

Here are some family pictures from the spring that I'm quite fond of.

Crazy

Any of you out there who have at least two children, know that there is a certain amount of adjustment that takes place when you go from one to two children. Well, over the past few weeks I have been learning to adjust and adapt, and most times juggle (I feel like the performer juggling bowling balls, pins and chairs-all at once). Things have been crazy, but I'm learning and figuring things out (going to the gym in the morning with a baby in her carrier and a toddler takes some planning). Unfortunately for our blog-it's suffered. But if that's the only real casualty, well I'm OK with that (the house is clean, the kids are fed, and the laundry is being done!).

Today when I grabbed a spare minute, I thought I'd share these few pictures that I'm fond of. I was lucky enough to find a photographer here and in time to get some newborn pictures of Olivia. These were taken when she was a week old (I know, I know-that was weeks ago-I'll work on getting some updated pictures).

Besides the craziness that is adjusting to a second child, things are great. Olivia is a great little eater and sleeps pretty well (daytime is good, but at night she's waking up a couple of times just from congestion-the poor girl sounds like a pug). Tristan is being sweet and learning how to be gentle. On the downside with Tristan (he's always presenting me with some sort of challenge, that I find myself asking friends and family about)-he's boycotting his one nap. He still goes down for a nap, but he doesn't end up sleeping. As we speak he is playing in there with his truck. If someone was to say to take away the truck, well than I wouldn't be able to get him in the crib at all. So...if anyone has any suggestions about getting an almost 2 year old to sleep at nap time (instead of play) please send them my way!

As the Christmas season approaches, I find myself feeling very blessed for family and friends. We were blessed this Thanksgiving that my Mom, Dad, and sister Laura were able to visit. We loved having them all (especially my Mom as she had stayed a few weeks just helping out), and are delighted that we are now within driving distance. Soon we will be driving to NY for Christmas and enjoying the company of family. We hope that during this holiday season you will be filled with the love and warmth that comes as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Olivia

Olivia Angelina Domm was born on Wednesday November 4th at 6:15am, and weighed approximately 7 lbs. 14 oz.(there is a story-ask me if you're interested). After a swift delivery (two pushes) this fuzzy little one joined our family.

Grandma and Grandpa Domm were here for the week and we couldn't feel more blessed. We were so happy to have them here, as they were a tremendous help with Tristan.

It was wonderful to have Chuck and Joanne here when Olivia was born, for Tristan was 6 months old when they saw him for the first time.

Tristan's curiosity has only been peaked with the arrival of Olivia. We've found that at least one of us has to play defense on him while she's in the room.

We're Still Alive!

It's been almost three months since our last posting and I'm sure some of you out there have wondered if we've dropped off the face of the earth. Well, here we are-still on the earth, just on the other side. Since our last posting we were able to fit in one last vacation (to the beautiful Italian island of Sardegna), move from Germany to Dayton, and visit family in NY. In addition to this, we have been readying our new home (at lightning speed I might add), and getting ready for our new sweet little girl (who is due in two days). To say the least, we have been busy. Unfortunately, because of being so busy I have neglected to take many pictures in the last few months, but here's what we have taken. When we do get more we'll pass them along your way.

Sardegna

For our last vacation I wanted to just relax and be bums on the beach. So...we found a little resort on the island of Sardegna and did something different-pretty much nothing. On this trip we didn't do a lot of sight seeing or marching miles across a big city, no this time we tried our hand at playing at the beach and just enjoying the balmy weather.

This was the view out of our room.


After a busy day at the beach Tristan enjoyed running around in the buff.

We did go into town a couple of days, and as usual Tristan slept great in his pack.

For those of you who have traveled to mainland Italy, Sardegna feels and looks very different. The architecture and landscape reflect the heat that is so common here. The buildings are bleached white from the sun (and I'm sure built with rocks from the nearby cliffs) and hillsides are filled with hardy vegetation and olive trees for as far as you can see.

A day didn't go by that we didn't have gelato. Here in the intense heat it was a necessity instead of a luxury.

I had to put this picture in here for all of you to enjoy. Here you can see the Italians working out in the Mediterranean. I wasn't motivated enough to join in (besides my bathing suit was already stretched to the max in my oh so huge pregnant state-I didn't want to push it).

One day we took a cruise around a portion of the western coast and visited some amazing caves called the The Grotto Nettuno (the pictures didn't turn out). I thought the boat ride was just as nice as getting out and exploring.

Here you can see Tristan trying to figure out the beach umbrella. Tristan had more fun playing with the umbrellas, going up and down stairs, and checking out huge insects than actually playing in the sand.

Back in Germany

We couldn't have made it those last couple of weeks without out the help of good friends. As our home was empty we were able to borrow bedding, air mattresses, pack and plays, and toys for Tristan. Here you can see the little guy reading while wearing our neighbor's helmet (with the arrival of the 18 month mark Tristan has become attached to an array of interesting things-here you can see his somewhat odd attachment to this bike helmet).

While Tristan was low on toys those last couple of weeks it didn't take much to entertain him-just as long as there was a car close by.

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to blog and I want our friends in Germany to know that it's no reflection of my feelings for them. I have such affection for the friends we were able to make there and feel blessed that we were able to live in that beautiful country and make such wonderful friends. They truly enriched our time and became our second family.

The States

After much anxiety over traveling to the States (traveling from Frankfurt to NY involved over 20 hours of travel), my prayers were answered as Tristan was an absolutely fabulous traveler. That day couldn't have been possible without our new portable DVD player (thank you to everyone who told us to buy one) and the largest assortment of treats known to man (fruit snacks in the shape of tractors have proven to be worth gold).

As we stayed with my family in NY for the first month, I was spoiled by all of their support and help with Tristan. I will be forever grateful for my mom helping with Tristan as I was extremely pregnant and extremely exhausted-while he was adjusting to the time change while getting four teeth in and having a cold. Thanks again Mom!

Tristan with Grandma on the Eastview carousel.

Tristan with his Aunt Laura at the Domm Cottage.

I know this picture is dark, but I had to put it in there. Tristan really wanted to wear his Halloween costume (somehow the pants came off), and obviously felt parched. I couldn't resist taking a picture. Seeing Tristan in his tiger suit brings an instant smile to my face (just as him in his monkey suit last year brightened my day).



Here's the little guy playing with his bus on the kitchen counter. Tristan was a real champ as our new home was pretty close to empty for two weeks.

Those last few pictures were taken by Paul on a nearby hike last week.

Lastly, before I end this mammoth posting I want to let you know that once again we've been blessed with a great home, great ward and our household goods have come in time for us to set up house before our new arrival (Before Tristan and now our little girl -our things have come 10 days before my due date). Paul has definatey been the mvp of our family-and the worlds most amazing husband as he has painted rooms, and hung up numerous pictures and paintings with no complaints. What would a crazy hormonal pregnant woman do without their extremely sane husband?! Well, now that our home is ready and we've become established here in Dayton all there is to do is wait-and that's what we'll be doing until the arrival of our new little girl. Hopefully we'll be posting again in a few days-wish us luck!