Sisters!

Yes, Nicholas is lucky enough to have two of them and they were both extremely excited to meet him on Thursday.  Due to the prevalence of RSV outbreaks in the winter, children 12 and under are not allowed to visit.  Caitlin and Kelsey had to wait until Thursday afternoon to meet him and were quite anxious by that time.

Blog Silence =

time for the birth of Nicholas Quinn Dinoia!

The newly-arrived baby brother to C and Kelsey bounced into the world at 4:15 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, the 20th of February, 2008.  He was born naturally in The Nest or Hreiðrið at Landspitali in Reykjavik, Iceland, on a beautifully snowy morning. 

As he was more than full-term, he outweighed his sisters quite a bit, coming in at 4070 grams or 8 lbs, 15.5 ounces and 52 cm or 20.5 inches.  He is currently occupied with much sleeping, eating, and gazing contentedly at his sisters. 

Enjoy the photos while we enjoy our special time with him!

You know that phrase, a watched pot doesn’t boil?

Well, turn your heads already so I can have this baby!  I have given up trying to figure out what he might be waiting for and actually lied about how far along I was to someone today.  I am even starting to get looks from folks here, who are so laid-back about pregnancy and other such topics.

Granted, I am getting most of my nesting urges settled and even Peter has stepped it up with regards to baby preparations.  Heck, we even have batteries IN the swing and the girls have tested it several times.  Thankfully, not with the cat in it.  I cleaned it once, don’t want to do it again until the baby has actually used it.

And, really, nothing else going on.  The girls were off from school the whole week and helped me nest whilst working on math and reading.  Nothing like the bribe of 30 minutes of that evil Disney channel to get them going on chores.  Of course, had we known I would not go into labor, could have taken a trip somewhere.  I used to be worried that I would have the baby too soon (not sure why, worried anyway) and now I am beginning to think we will be lucky if he shows up before our cadre of visitors in March! I am kidding, well, sort of.

Oh, and the snow is gone (except the black yucky stuff piled in parking lots) and the rain is back.  Boy, I sure missed the sideways rain (NOT) and the lack of motivation it gives us to go anywhere or do anything.  So, I will pray for a little more snow before spring comes along (in June) and hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
Since I forgot to include earlier…here is a photo of the girls from the first night of the Winter Carnival in Reykjavik.  We didn’t make it too terribly much longer, but we tried.  It was just a wee bit too cold and the dancers took much longer to arrive than originally scheduled.  The irony?  We looked out our (new) bedroom window when we got home and realized we could see most of dancing and pond action from the relative warmth of our house.  Live and learn!

Nada, zip, zilch…

In other words, Junior is still quite happy ensconced in his current home.  I pulled out one of my baby books today and found that I was actually a 41 week-er.  Granted, I don’t remember the details of the time, but I know Mom had often said I was quite overdue and she just went about her business, and eventually I decided to push my way into the world.

I pointed out this information to the girls today and promptly jinxed myself by saying, "Hey, maybe that means today is the day!"  HA!  Now, trust me, I am quite grateful as I am still not sick (with my fatal-to-the -baby, hard-to-pronounce liver disease), I am not terribly uncomfortable and half the time still don’t really feel pregnant.  For those of you (fortunate few?) who have seen our basement steps, yes, I can still zip up and down with full loads of laundry.  Sadly, my dream of not being able to get down to the basement for months on end did not come true.  On the other hand, there is a certain sentimental feeling one gets washing the baby clothes in Dreft for the first time….

Feel free to keep checking back, but as far as we know, our only plans for today are to get the car washed, finish putting the swing together, and maybe go for a swim this afternoon.  And, if you are local, we promise to text ASAP, should anything else decided to pop up (or out)!

“Baby Brother”

of the feline kind tests the play yard for any quality control issues.   At least it’s getting some use, as Junior seems pretty darn happy in his current campground.  He dropped well over two weeks ago but still kicks up a storm and seems to have no desire to relocate.

Keep checking back, though, we promise a photo as soon as Junior arrives!

Found!

The second part of a dramatic two-part series involving "Mr. Squirrelly", previously thought to have been abducted and held without ransom.  In fact, he was found safe and sound in the layette shipment, now only 3,000 odd miles from his home.

We don’t want the situation escalating, but suffice it to say, he made it without too much distress.   We are hoping the stray dog hairs can be kept on the down-low, as a visit from the Icelandic Department of Agriculture might be stressful enough to send me into labor!  Actually, given the lack of anything going on, that could be quite helpful…

Note to Mr. Squirrelly’s mom, Sandy:  We promise to keep him safe and sound and away from Bailey until your parents arrive to take him home to you!

The Name Game is over!

Well, will it be:

Nathan Thor
Oliver Alex
Leonitus Caesar
or
Marco Francisco Petersson?

The good news (for all involved):  we have a name!  A full name!  First, middle, and, oh, we had last already…

The bad news (for those of you anxious to know):  hold your horses.  You will know when Junior arrives and not a moment sooner.  The entire process was torture for something that should be relatively easy.  Amazing how one small decision can come to mean everything when the only thing you can agree on is how you disagree on ‘the perfect name’.  And before anyone feels slighted about our lack of immediate revelation, the girls don’t even know. 

Should you be truly psychic, you can feel free to email us your thoughts on the wee one’s future name  and we will let you know (after the birth) if you are correct.  And the prize if you are 100% correct?  Hmm, how about a free stay with us in our new home of ???????, USA?  Oooh, there’s a contest, guess the baby’s full name AND our new destination (which should be announced officially soon).