the castaldo clan

Fall Fun

2009-10-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

We made it through another month as a family of four! I can't believe that it has only been 8 weeks since Luca was born... it seems like 8 months but life with Luca has gotten much better. At his 2 month check up he weighed 11lbs 5 oz and is doing great (in regards to his heath and development). However in regards to his temperament, aside from the irritation of reflux, our doctor said he is just a 'high maintenance' baby! Strangely enough I was kind of comforted by the information.... at least now I know that all his crying is not because he is in pain all the time! But we did switched him to soy formula and he isn't crying as much. He is still not wanted to nap in his crib during the day but will at least take a nap in his swing... praise God! Now we just have to work on him not screaming at the top of his lungs whenever he is in the car!

Bella is going great... having a blast getting to play outside now that it is not 100 degrees! For Halloween, she went trick-or-treating with cousin Luke and Ali. The first few houses she wasn't so sure about it and cried (which has to be alarming to the adults giving out candy... when one of the trick-or-treaters is bawling) but she soon got the hang of it and loved it. We then took the kids to a nearby church carnival and they had a blast!

Cousin Dave, Luke, Ali, Bella and Marc

Tinkerbell Ali & Ladybug Girl Bella

Luca (2 months) & cousin Seth (4 months)

Bella helping me blow out my birthday candles. By the way, I turned 31 but my MOTHER put 40 candles on the cake.... not funny!

Our pumpkins and scary pumpkin head scarecrow

making cupcakes

daddy & Luca

Crazy hair day at Bella's mothers day out school

Luke feeding Luca

Fall carnival fun

We made it through the first month... barely!

2009-09-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

Yea!!! We made it through the first month of Luca's life... but just barely! Let me start off by saying that the Lord knew what he was doing (of course) by not blessing us with twin... if that would have been the case I probably would have committed myself by now. I never imagined how hard having two little ones would be... no one could have ever prepared me. And although Luca is a sweet, precious little angel... he also cries most of the day, rarely sleeps and has reflux and colic! He is however a great eater and has gained 2lbs since birth... which is what is most important. Bella adores Luca and has surprised us all by how sweet, gentle and loving she is with him. She does occasionally want Luca to "go in his chair"... AKA his swing... so she can occupy my lap all by herself... but overall is doing great with no longer being the only baby in the house.

Bella and Sara at Luca's 'coming out party'

Bella and Sophie... little BFFs

PopPop and Nonna came down for a week to meet Luca and help me. They were such a BLESSING and not only loved on the babies but let me get many nights of sleep. PRAISE GOD!!

Welcome Luca Davis Castaldo!!!

2009-09-04T20:26:00.001-07:00

We welcomed Luca Davis Castaldo to our family on Saturday, August 29 @ 5pm. He weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20 inches. I was SO blessed and the birth was completely painless... seriously, no pain. And because the birth was so easy we were able to leave the hospital 24 hrs later and take our little boy home!

Big Sister Bella meets Luca for the first time!

Papa & Luca

Auntie Em & Luca

Nini & Luca

Bella LOVES Luca and always wants to help take care of him. She wants to hold him all the time.... but only for short periods of time and then she says "Mama, take IT!" :)

Daddy hanging it with his little man.

So handsome... and yes, that is blond hair!

At our first doctors appointment, the doctor was a little worried Luca might have jaundice. So Bella kept him company while he got a little sun. After seeing the doctor today, he has been given a clean bill of health and is up to 7lbs 8oz after dropping a few oz after his birth.

Couldn't resist including this very rare picture of Bella smiling for the camera. So precious!

Bella's 2nd Birthday

2009-07-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Our little baby is 2 years old! We can't believe it has been two years since we meet her for the first time. Our whole family has been blessed by her in our lives!

We had a wonderful family birthday party and Bella went straight for her cake.

My wonderful mother and sister made Bella's cake. I didn't think I would have the time or patients (in my condition) to attempt the cake and am so thankful they took over. After 5 hours, this is their masterpiece. Thank you Nini & Emmy!!!! I love you!

Our present to Bella this year was a kitchen and thankfully she loved it!

Her Nonna and PopPop gave her a precious table that she already has had many tea parties on!

Nonna and PopPop came in town for Bella's birthday and we went to the Dallas World Aquarium.

I have been feeling guilty about how much time Bella has been having to spend inside due to me refusing to be outside in the heat.... so I have been trying to come up with fun new things to do. here is Bella finger painting......

which quickly turned into body painting!

Pregnancy Update: In pregnancy news, I am OFFICIALLY ready to get this baby out of my body! I seem to be part of the small percentage of pregnant women who get morning sickness at the end of their pregnancy..... yeah me! But thankfully it is not quit as bad as the first few months but it is still not fun. It is not official, but I think the doctor will be inducing me on Aug. 27... if he doesn't come sooner. I am super excited and can't wait to meet Luca!!!

4th fun

2009-07-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

On the 4th, we usually go to the Ft Worth Symphony's music in the park series with the fam. If you haven't been, you should definitely go... the music & fireworks are amazing! BUT this year, many of our family members were in Europe and I am super pregnant and miserable.... so being in the 102 degree weather was out of the question. We still had a lot of fun over at my parents house. Good fun, family and fun!

Bella and Uncle Bubba riding in the mule.

Guitar lessons with Uncle Bubba.

A room for little Luca

2009-07-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

A few pics of Luca's room

The art work I painted

Bella practicing to be a big sister.

Baby Luca Update: 8 months & counting...

2009-06-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

About 8 more weeks to go and I am counting down every minute!!! Baby Luca is doing great... growing, moving and kicking A LOT but mama is struggling a bit. I have been having a lot of back problems and was even put on bed rest for a few days last week because of it.... along with that, it has been 100+ degrees here for the past three days. My doctor has promised to induce at 39 wks (the last week of August) if Luca has not already made an appearance... so it will all be over soon and we will have a precious little baby boy to love. I'll keep you updated!

Summertime fun

2009-06-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

As an extremely pregnant mother of an extremely active 23 month old, I have been trying to find every possible indoor activity in the area. I feel a little guilty that most of Bella's summer is going to be spend in the A/C but I am sure she won't hold it against me for to long! Thankfully our new house has a lot of trees and our yard is very shaded, providing some relief... but it is just the beginning of our hot Texas summer!

Bella recently figured out how to take many of her clothing items off and is very proud of herself!

Little drummer girl
Hanging with Dada

Play dough with cousin Ali & Luke

Bella & Sophie at Abbey's Playtown. Abbey's playtown is going to save me this summer. If you live in the area, you have to check it out. It is an indoor play area for 0-3 yrs. Bella loves it! http://www.abbeysplaytown.com/

Dress up time... thanks to her cousin Gianna for all the fun clothes!

Bella's first lacrosse lesson. So you may think it is crazy for us to give a 2 yr old a lacrosse stick. But Marc is an avid lacrosse player... playing in HS, college, currently and about to start coaching a HS team. Anyways, she actually really likes it and had a lot of fun. Marc says she's a natural!

In Baby News: I went to the doctor last week and they think I may have gestational diabetes. Yuck.... so I have to go in Monday for a 3 hour glucose test.... more yuck! Either way it looks like they are going to move Luca's due date up at least a week... yea!... making his new arrival time sometime during the last wk of August.

Better late than never....

2009-05-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

So, no more apologizing for how long it has been since my last post.... it is what it is. But I have missed sharing some of these precious pics with you.

Bella's new favorite game.... "Dada horsey"

Easter morning... sadly inside because it was raining! Notice there is candy in Bella's mouth in nearly all the pictures.

Poor baby Luca is not going to have anything of his own. Bella has already claimed Luca's bears.

Here are some pics from a recent photo shoot. It is extremely hard to get Bella to even look at a camera anymore, much less smile at it.... but the photographer was able to get a few. And of course she looks adorable.

Oh and here is most recent update.... 6 months and GROWING!!!!

My hubby!

2009-04-26T14:53:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to tell everyone how much I love my wonderful husband! I came home today from running errands and this was waiting for me, written huge across our driveway! He is so wonderful! Love you, Marc!

It's a BOY!

2009-04-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

We found out last week that we are having a little boy! We are super excited and can't wait to meet him.

5 months... and growing quickly!

Excited for Spring

2009-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Once again, I apologize for how long it has been since my last post... I am trying my best to get back in the routine of posting! Bella is so excited the weather is getting warmer and Spring is on its way. We got her a sandbox and she would spend hours in it if she could. We also got season passes to the zoo because it is one of her favorite places. Bella is a non-stop talker now but some of my favorites are.... I love you, (of course) no way, Gook (Brandon's dog 'Duke'), where Bunny?, hug, hug (which really means 'Pick me up') and Dada sleeeepy

Preggo progress

2009-02-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

I have had some request for preggy pictures recently.... so here you go! Sorry some of the pics aren't that great quality!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

... I'll keep you posted!

Our little love

2009-02-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I could lie and say our lives have been so busy and crazy but honestly I have just been sick and tired... literally. But I think I am finally over the hump. I have also been really bad at taken pictures of our little love... but here are a few from the past month or so!

Bella with her boys

Bella got a baby carriage for Christmas but thinks it is for her... and how can we say no. :)

Pony ride at the zoo

Baby News...

2009-01-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

A lot of people had been asking for more baby info, so here's what I have:

- official due date: Sept 1

- will we find out the sex? .... YES, we are not that patient!

- will we tell the name before birth? .... girl-YES ... boy-MAYBE

- Bella will be 26 months when Baby C is born, so that should be interesting, exciting and challenging!

- Mama is doing okay right now... still has morning sickness but praying everyday for it to end SOON!

... that's about it for now...

The Great Flood of '09

2009-01-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

As of today, we have all been living with my wonderful, gracious, patient parents for a week and one day.... because a pipe burst/leaked into one whole side of our house. We had to rip up the carpet in the living room, Bella's room and Baby Cs room. And because of the exposed carpet spikes, Bella can not live in the house until new carpet is put down. But it could have been worse... so we are very thankful for that.... and insurance! We will hopefully be back in the house sometime next week, but until then Bella is enjoying the extra attention!

Fun & Friends

2009-01-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

Things have been so crazy lately, I have not taken a lot of pictures or even gotten out of the house for that matter.... but here are just a few over the last few weeks.

Lashes and lunch...

Playing with her friend Maddy....

She's really into hugging lately...

At the hunting lease with the fam...

Goodbye Gallbladder

2009-01-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for the thoughtful phone calls, messages, gifts and letters! We are all at home now and Marc is recovering quickly. Marc started getting major stomach pains on Monday and thought they were from something he ate. The pains continued all through the night and into the next day. He decided to go to the doctor on Tuesday, which means he was in A LOT of pain because otherwise he rarely will ever go to the doctor! I think it is a man thing! So after a few tests, our doctor sent him directly to a surgeon who then sent us directly to the ER.... Marc had a golf ball size stone in his gallbladder!!!! It was blocking the tube where bile flows through and was causing him all the pain, along with inflaming the gallbladder. The surgery was scheduled for the next morning and went well. Thankfully the surgeon was able to do the surgery laparoscopically instead of cut him from side to side, but they still had to put 4 holes in his stomach which left him very sore. But all is well now and Marc even made it back to work today. Thanks again for all the well wishes and love.

Goodbye gallbladder..... and stone!

Random Vacation Post - Bahamas Dive Trip

2008-12-31T21:09:00.001-08:00

I was going through all of my pictures and came across a lot of vacation pictures from our "pre-Bella" days and thought I would post a few just for fun! Everyone in my family scuba dives and so Marc, my cousin Ken and I decide to go to the Bahamas on a 21 person liver board. It was my favorite vacation yet. All we did was dive, eat, nap and look out at the beautiful ocean!

Here's the boat... The Blackbeard

The hole down to our room that consisted of only bunk beds.... Marc & me on the bottom, Ken on the top! All of our clothes, toiletries, etc were kept at the foot of our bed and to open the door you had to stand on the bottom bunk so the door could swing in, otherwise it would hit you and would not open if you were standing on the floor.

Our view!!!
Marc & me

turtle... my favorite!

The best part of the trip was the shark dive. We knelled on the sand bottom of the ocean (about 20 ft) and the boat captain let down a shish kabob of fish. The sharks swarmed it while we watched and then when all the fish were gone they swam around the reef we were near.

Every once and a while you would turn a corner and be face to face with a rather large shark.

But, by far, the scariest part was when the dive was over and you had to go up to the surface... knowing the sharks were still below you. I kept my mask in the water the whole time looking down and tried not to look like a tasty shark snack!

The Plastic Palace

2008-12-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would live in a house with SO many plastic and/or rainbow colored things!

Our Two Christmases!!!

2008-12-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

We had two wonderful Christmases this year! The first one was Bella's first white Christmas and was in West Virginia with Marc's family. It was a wonderful time and Bella loved all the attention and especially playing with her cousin Gianna. Dress-up was one of there many favorite pastimes!

Bella and Nonna cooking

PopPop reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Would have been the perfect picture..... minus bunny, bunny!

Aunt Katrina bought the girls precious dresses to wear on Christmas and I got a glimpse into what it is going to be like to get two children to sit and smile at the camera at the same time..... pretty much impossible!

The snow starting on Christmas Eve.

The next morning Bella woke up at 4:30AM.... Marc and I didn't really mind because we got a lot of cuddling in but by the time we took her downstairs at 6:30 she was ready to go..... eat snow that is. She started to eat it off the logs Marc brought in for the fire and then I decided to just get her a cup full. She loved it.

The first snowman I ever remembering making... yeah, I know its a sorry lookin' snowman but I'm from Texas.... give me a break!

Then at 7:ooAM right as the rest of the fam was coming down for Christmas morning, Bella crashed and took a quick cat nap.

Playing at the Children's Museum

Just rockin'

I LOVE this picture!

Then came Christmas in Texas with my family. Santa got Bella a ball tent and chair.

PRICELESS!!!

The gifts started out reasonable...

......

... but then soon got out of control. Notice Bella is walled in by her own presents!

Bella and Meghan's new puppy, Stella

Miss Em

My parents gave Bella this climber and it was a HIT!

Bella thought the baby buggy was for her... to heck with those stuffed babies!

Katie & Stella

We hope you all had a blessed Christmas!!!

It's OFFICIAL....

2008-12-26T19:01:00.001-08:00

..... we are expecting another baby!!! We are so excited and feel so blessed to have received such a wonderful Christmas surprise. I will fill you in on more in the next few days.

"Santa!... some personal space, please!"

2008-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

We went to see Santa Clause today and all in all it went better than I expected. I had been talking up going to see Santa all day and Bella had been practicing her "Ho, Ho, Hos." We waved and talked about Santa while standing in line but I think things started to go down hill when the little boy in front of us in line started to scream the minute his mother started to walk towards Santa's sleigh. Bella watched the little boy scream through his visit but when it was her turn she ran to the steps leading up the the sleigh. With confidence, I picked her up and sat her down beside Santa! I think mainly she was freaked out by his overall appearance... but honestly, if you think about it, when else do you ever see a huge old man, head to toe red & white, with a long bread and funny hat. She didn't scream or cry but there was no way she was going to let him get anywhere near her, much less actually come in contact with her. I am sure Marc is very proud that Bella is already learning to stay away from strange men! :)

But she did cozy up to the huge ornament near Santa's set up.

Flashback Friday

2008-12-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

We are going to visit Santa tomorrow in downtown Ft Worth. I just hope she is as happy as she was last year, but I have my doubts!

"SHOOOOOS!"

2008-12-09T11:45:00.001-08:00

Let the clothes war begin!!!

I was a baby resale shop yesterday looking for a heavy jacket for Bella to take to West Virginia tomorrow.... and I came upon these precious pink boots! Even though money is VERY tight right now, I couldn't pass up a presh pair of $7 boots. I brought them home and it was over, Bella wants them on her feet at all times. I took them off her to put her in the tub last night..... screaming & crying fit. Then after the bath I made the mistake of not hiding the shoes and Bella wanted me to put them on with her Pj's... over her footies. They wouldn't fit which lead to more screaming & crying. When she woke up this morning the first words out of her mouth was "SHOOOOS!" Although I can't blame her.... they are wonderful!

West Virgina or Bust

2008-12-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

We are in West Virgina celebrating Christmas with the Castaldo's.... so I don't have time to write a lot. But here are a few cute pics for the past few weeks. Will post more when we get home!

Poop Trauma BEWARE may be too graphic for some audiences!

2008-12-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I consider myself to be pretty good with poop (Bella's, that is)! I don't gag or freak out when changing her diaper..... B U T .... I do, however, have MAJOR issues with poop being where it is not supposed to be.

Places poop is meant to be...

the toilet (always the best place),

diapers,

um.... okay, that's about it!

So, those are all the places poop is supposed to be. Small list, I know, but somethings in life have very specific designated areas.... in my opinion, poop is one of them!

Places poop is NOT meant to be...

in sleeping areas and/or bedding (i.e. cribs, beds, sheets, pillows, etc),

on flooring of any kind (i.e. wood floors, tile floors, especially carpeted floors),

in bathing areas (i.e. tubs OR showers)

and especially NOT in and down both legs of footie Pj's!!!!

I say all of this because one of my poop nightmares came true this morning (and, yes, I have more than one poop nightmare scenario!) Bella has recently started taking off her diaper. In the past, I have caught her early enough for anything bad to happen but this morning was an exception. I was making breakfast for Bella and noticed she was quiet and lingering in the entryway and... well, grunting.... which these days can only mean on thing... POOP! So I let her do her thing in peace and went to survey the damage when she was done. When I asked her if she had a dirty diaper she immediately shot off towards her bedroom for me to change her.... it was then that I noticed a medium-ish size brown stain on her backside. I assumed she had just leaked out and picked her up to head to the bathroom.... it was then that I realized something was very wrong. I could feel with my arm that her bottom had no cushion.... where was her diaper??? I laid her down on the tile floor of the bathroom {thankfully} and unzipped her footie Pj's to find a poop catastrophe!!! It was everywhere... covering her... waist to toes! Bella had taken her diaper off underneath her Pj's {a talent in its own right} and then shoved it down one leg. Therefore, giving the poop limitless freedom of where it could go! I tried to wipe some of it off but couldn't keep Bella's curious hands away, so I just put her in the tub.... poop chunks and all. After the initial scrub down, I then took her to our other tub and gave her a second washing. She was unfazed, of course, but I will be forever scarred. Our bathtubs will never be the same to me... no matter how many times I bleach and scrub them I will never be able to feel like they are clean again. There is just something about poop that ruins thing forever. And the precious Pj's with the little pink lamb heads on the footies... TRASH!!! I know that is so wasteful of me and reminds me of when Marc and I first got married and would forget something was in the fridge and when we finally discovered the leftovers turned science experiment... we often just threw it away... Tupperware in all. BUT these Pj's... that is different... poop is a FAR cry from mold. There is no way I could image washing those Pj's, much less putting them back on Bella's now clean body.

Even worse, I know there are probably even more hideous poop nightmares awaiting me in the future... mainly the one my mother keep warning me about. The scenario being... {One day while I think Bella is taking a peaceful nap, she will actually be taking her diaper off and smearing poop on her crib and walls!!!} There is hope though, I have heard not all babies smear poop... but unfortunately I think Bella is at a genetic disposition thanks to her father and stories I have heard of him as a baby!

But of course....

Bella is still our little angel....

even if she is a little poop angel!!!

Baby Prayers

2008-12-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

Not all of our family and friends know this yet but Marc and I have been trying to have another baby for about a year now. We have recently been undergoing fertility treatments for the past 4 months. We got pregnant with Bella with the help of fertility treatments and were hoping that this time would be easier but my first few treatments have failed. Please keep us in your prayers!!!! The process is extremely stressful... emotionally, physically and $$$.... so we can use a lot of prayer!

Fall fun

2008-11-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

So after the glove incident at the zoo the other day, I bought Bella a pair of simple pink gloves. They quickly became her favorite new accessory! Many morning she wakes up and wants them on immediately. PJs + gloves = JOY!

Our precious friends, Kathryn and Sophie came to visit the other day. The girls spent a lot of their time playing and jumping on the couch... only resulting in 2 falls!

Hangin' with Apollo licking the window!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family! It was perfect... food, family, fun games & football (I had to add that in for Marc!)

As soon as our Thanksgiving festivities were over, I was ready to put all my Christmas stuff up. I love getting our decorations out & up.... but not as much as Bella! She was so excited about all the decorations and had to cuddle and hug every Santa and snowman she could get her hands on. She found the long strands of silver beads we put on the tree and thought we had bought her a new necklace. She walked around the house dragging them everywhere.

Bella rarely smiles for posed pictures anymore. So in order to get a smile (even if fake) I ask her to show me her teeth and this is what I get..... :) I love it!!!

Emily, Brian & I worked on this gingerbread house for 3 hours. We were obsessed!!!

Marc & Ken hanging our Christmas lights last night.

Bella really wanted to help Dada.

She LOVES being outside and is memorized by all our leaves!

Bella's Christmas tutu!

Marc & Bella taking a nap... well it was 6am but hey, you get it when you can!

a little holiday decor...

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Little Genius

2008-11-16T18:40:00.001-08:00

Okay... so I know all parents think their child is 'gifted' beyond all others.... but really, Bella is a GENIUS! Well, maybe not a genius but at least extremely intelligent! :)

While Bella is taking a bath, we practice learning animals... their sounds and body parts. For example, I ask her where her nose is and she points to her nose. So far she can show you where her....

.... hands...

.... ears....
... nose...
(her fav bc she can stick her finger up her nose while she shows me)
.... hair....
... tongue...

.... along with eyes, teeth, feet and her belly button. She also knows what sound a cow, sheep and horse make. Wow, I told you she was gifted! :) ..... hoping everyone knows I'm kidding!

Of course, every genius has a weakness... or two. One of Bella's would be the toothbrush. I have to be careful not to say "brush your teeth" to her when she is armed with a toothbrush bc she associates brush with a hair brush!

... now she got it!

Just a few other fun pics to catch you up...

Auntie Em was in town from school so Mom, Em, Bella and I all went to the Dallas zoo. It was an unnaturally chilly day... for Texas..... in November but we still had a lot of fun!

Em & Bella in the nest. Oh... and since it is Texas and we rarely have cold weather I didn't have any gloves for Bella and had to put my gloves on her.

Bella especially loved the bronze statues of animals all over the zoo....

.... the lamb being her favorite.... to nuzzle

... and ride!

Her first pony ride... the pony attendant said Bella had great balance! What can I say, she's a genius with many talents! :)

Bella's new piggies

Bella has an affinity for anything with a strap/cord (i.e. shower sponges, buckets, spaghetti strap shirts). She think they are all purses. Her newest purse being one of my bras.

Sleeping with her eyes open.

First fire in the new house...

So I know all the books say not to reward or sooth your child with treats/food.... so call me a bad mother, but it works. No matter how hurt Bella gets (this particular time her fingers were pinched in the guest rm door... thankfully not full on shut in the door) M&Ms always make her stop crying! How great would it be if that would last forever ;)

I have never met a child, until Bella, who could get chocolate all over her face from just 3 M&Ms.

Have a WONDERFUL week!

Ladybugs, pink eye and more!

2008-11-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

(Sorry the pictures are somewhat random but they downloaded backwards for some reason!)

Last Halloween Bella made it to one house before passing out and this year we got to 2 before having a meltdown.... so she's progressing! What more could we ask for! What really counts is how precious she looked in her ladybug outfit. She wasn't a huge fan of the hat that came with the dress, so we opted for a matching bow but did at least get a few pictures in the hat before she ripped it off!

Last week we went to Green Meadows, a petting zoo with pumpkins and a tractor ride. Bella has just recently dropped her morning nap and we are still working out the kinks... so she didn't last very long at the petting zoo. But before her meltdown she did get to play with some of the animals.... her favorite being the goats!!!

the meltdown!

Bella's most recent achievement is being able to put money in the piggy bank her Nona and PopPop gave her.

This week Bella has been trying to get over pink-eye and croup...

Being ill and having a bad hair day is never fun!

I was searching in the "family" barn the other day and found this precious rocking chair that is also a step stool when you turn it over. It was Cousin Katie's when she was little and she is letting us borrow it. Bella LOVES it and sits in it every morning with her Raggedy Ann doll.

Just some other favorite pics...

Yesterday we went to the Dallas Arboretum which has an amazing pumpkin display. These days we don't get a lot of smiles in pictures from Bella so I was ecstatic to get this one.... even if it was a fake smile!

I love October!

2008-10-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love October! The weather starts getting colder, you get to go pick out pumpkins and go on hayrides.... it's just fun!

Yesterday we took Bella to go pick out a pumpkin and unlike last year....

... there was no crying or pouting! :)

She had lot of fun looking at all the pumpkins but mainly enjoyed playing on the church playground nearby.

Mom asked Bella to kiss the horse, afterwards Marc said they were going to have to have a little talk about kissing! :)

When we got home, we got to work carving our pumpkins. Bella helped dig out the pumpkin guts and also thought she might have a little taste.

Many faces of Isabella Grace: Part II

2008-10-21T08:23:00.001-07:00

Too cool for school face...

her incognito face...
the unhappy tiger face....
happy to have escaped, unclothed face...

looking for treasure face....
help me face...
unhappy tiger.... NOW with teeth ...
oooohhhh face...
her Scrooge face...
wondering if those are really growing out of my head face...

the puppy dog face...
all gums and proud of it face....
not getting my way face....
no need for explanation face...
her flirting face....

oooooo..... look what I found face...keeping an eye on you so you don't take her chocolate face...
little old man face....
JOY, JOY, JOY!!!

Moving Day!

2008-10-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

YEA!!! We are finally in our new house. Last Wednesday was our first official night. There is still a lot to be done but for the most part, we have our little nest set up.

Marc unloading my parent's garage where all our boxes were stored.

Isabella's room

Painting the living room...
Post painting...
Before: entryway... Marc is 'hammering' up the original, not so beautiful tile and grout.
After: entryway

Before: breakfast area.... YIKES!
After: breakfast area
the rest of the kitchen
Before: formal dining (note the metallic, barren tree wallpaper on the left)
After: dining... we are still working on replacing the western star light fixture
I'll post more pics once everything is a little more in order.

Here are just a few quick pics of Bella

Cuddling with Tucker!

Spaghetti face
Lovin' her new purse and blowing kisses!
The boys always seem to be in her way...
... but she showed them who was boss! :)

Enjoying the last little bit of summer

2008-09-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming to an end and I just wanted to share a few fun pics...

Playing in the fountain at Nini (or Nana which Bella seems to have changed it to)

Feeding the ducks with the boys
Bella first rain... well, the first time she went out in the rain. I was interested to see how she would handle being soaked.... and she loved it!

Sorry so blurry... but yes, that is Bella in a punk metallic wig and fairy wings! :)
More dress up....

Flashback Friday

2008-09-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

(I stole this idea from my dear friend, Emily, and will try my best to keep up with it.)

Our beautiful little girl.... how much she has grown!!!

September 2007

September 2008

Another fun trip to the zoo

2008-09-08T14:38:00.001-07:00

The zoo is always a big hit with Bella... so on Marc's day off we packed up and headed to the zoo. We all had a great time but there was one minor incident where I nearly peed in my pants!

Now that I have a very cute little one, I am always a little leery of the large animals with "reputations"...i.e. lions, gorillas.... basically the animals with large teeth that have escaping their cages and mauled people at the zoo. So... with that being said, we started off our zoo adventure by going to look at the HUGE, silver back gorilla. The HUGE gorilla was close to the glass, so we went over to look at him. I had Bella on the ledge of the window and she was pressed up against the glass pointing and talking to the gorilla. The gorilla (did I mention he was HUGE)slowly inched closer to the glass.... at this point I quietly mentioned to Marc that the gorilla was creeping me out and I felt like he was looking at B as if she was an afternoon snack! Right as he got up to the glass he slowly started to turn around... I assumed, as I had seen many times before, that he was going put his back up to the glass and snub us. Instead, the MASSIVE beast ....who had been moving as fast as an injured turtle earlier.... flew around with all of his body weight and slammed his gigantic hand against the glass right where our faces were!!! It was all I could do to not scream and run... but I didn't want to scare Bella. I looked down at Bella and her eyes were as wide as I had ever seen them and her mouth wide open. She didn't make a sound, just looked to me to see whether or not she should be scared. Marc and I both smiled and kind of giggled at her but inside I was freaking out.

Other than that... the day at the zoo was great!

Keepin' busy

2008-09-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Without a house to tend to, I have had A LOT of extra time on my hands. I am trying to keep busy but am running out of ideas... well, really just running out of money for my many projects.

The headboard I made for our bed (its upside down)...

wall art I made for Bella's room to match her bedding....

shirts for Bella and friends...

In other news, we will officially close on our new house on Sept 23! YEA!!!! We can't wait to have everyone over.

Dress Up Time!

2008-09-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, much to my happiness, Bella has been loving accessories! Tutus, headbands, necklaces... you name it, she wants it on.

Not only is she pushing her doll, phone receiver, my make-up brush and a banana in her stroller.... but she is also walking her dog. What a multi-tasker!

Bella was desperately trying to teach Sadie where her nose was....
but wasn't getting much response...
so she went ahead and helped her out.
She loves this VCR tape case.

I love this look!

In other news, Bella's only two bottom teeth are being joined by FOUR top teeth.... all at once! She is such a trooper.

Benefits!

2008-08-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

Today Bella learned one of the major benefits of living with grandma.... the icing spatula!!!

Walkin' wonder

2008-08-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Bella is officially a walker! She had been taking a few steps here and there but a few days ago, she just started strolling around the house. She is constantly in a state of excitement at her new talents. It is so fun to watch her and how happy her new freedom makes her.

Bella's new words: baby, ball, bird, nana (banana), Papa, Nini, Bubba (Uncle Brandon), more, No-no, good girl.

More birthday fun!

2008-08-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

These are a little late.... but here are a few more pictures from Bella's birthday celebrations!

Sophie & Bella scoping out the b-day loot
Beautiful girl!
Kathryn, me and our girls
Marc manning the grill
Molly and Maddy taking a bottle break

Bella had a great time!

Music Man... a family affair

2008-08-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was fun.... a few weeks ago I was in a musical production of The Music Man, along with many of my family members. We all had such a good time!

Judy, me, Katie, Cheryl & Scott

Homeless but happy.... and more updates!

2008-08-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

We are still officially without a home and are living with my wonderful parents until we find our "WOW" house. We have already put three contracts down on different homes but none of them worked for one reason or another. We are putting another offer down tomorrow and hope it all works out. Please keep us in your prayers... we need them!!!

In the meanwhile, we have been very busy and having a great time spending time with the fam.

Nini & Bella feeding the duck. I push car Bella is in is my first garage sale purchase and the best $5 ever spent!!!

Working up a sweat with Papa.
Yes, that is Bella, Tucker and Papa all in the tunnel!
My mom gave Bella some wooden puzzles and she loves sniffing the backs of each piece.

Sleeping beauty!
The crib at my mom's house has wider gaps between each slat than Bella's crib at 'home' and her favorite thing to do is stick her feet outside the crib and swing them back and forth.

Start the Birthday Celebrations!!!

2008-08-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated... and that I am just now getting around to posting Bella's b-day pictures. Ours lives have been a crazy mess and our computer is packed in a trailer right now... so please forgive me!

Well, we have moved in with my wonderful parents until we find our 'WOW' house.... and the way it is going, we may live with them forever. They have assured me that they will be okay with that living situation but hopefully we can find a place of our own someday soon. After being lied to by our realtor and loosing our mineral rights at closing.... putting offers down on two homes.... loosing both... we are now looking for a new realtor and trying to stay positive! We have prayed a lot about our housing dilemma and know it will all work out in the end.

Enough about that... Bella had a wonderful first birthday and loved every minute of it!!!

Not so sure what to do with her HUGE cupcake...

She caught on quickly!

Feeding Dada...

A little clean up before presents....

Emily and her beau, Brian
Bella examining her new book.

Playing in her new tunnel/tent with Dada
Cousin Sarah and Bella
The end to a wonderful first birthday...

We're out!!!

2008-07-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's official.... we SOLD our house... YEA!!! We close on the 30th but will be moving in with my parents on the 22nd. We have found a home we really like, put an offer on it and are now waiting. It is stressful and I am trying not to fall in love with it until it is ours... although I already have all the new paint colors picked out in my head! :) We have put it in God's hands and that's all we can do right now. I'll keep you updated!

Happy 4th!!!

2008-07-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Bella absolutely LOVED the 4th of July. Every year the Ft Worth symphony plays some great music and puts on a firework show in the Botanic Gardens. We were a little iffy as to how Bella would handle the heat, late night and fireworks.... but as usually she proved us all wrong and was a perfect angel. Not only did she not have a meltdown but she loved the fireworks. We all had so much fun!

Bella got VIP treatment and was wheeled in her new wagon to the show!

Pre-fireworks with Dada
The Castaldo Clan
Bella's favorite.... Cousin Katie!

She DEVOURERS watermelon!
Sisters... Em & me

Watching the fireworks w/ Mama

Bonaire

2008-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time in Bonaire! The diving was great and other than cousin Ken's jellyfish incident.... there were no injuries!

Emily & Dave

The men sunning!

Our casa

Beautiful girls... Em & Momma

One of the beaches had strange structures built all over it for miles.... using the thousands of shoes and plastic bottles washed up from sea. So we decided to build one of our own.

Mom & Dad at dinner one night

Separation anxiety...

2008-06-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Marc and I are off to Bonaire tomorrow to go diving for SEVEN days with our family!!! I know we are going to have a wonderful time but it will be the longest we have ever been away from Bella. She is going to have a blast hanging out with Chery, Scott & Katie for the first few days and then her Nonna and PopPop for the last part of our trip.... I am sure she will not even know we are gone! Please send a quick prayer my way that I will only cry a few times while we are gone :) and that everyone traveling and at home will remain safe in God's hands!

Promise to post pics when we return!

Baby steps!

2008-06-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Bella has taken her first steps.... YEA!!! My wonderful husband was so patient with me last week when I woke him up early one morning (after he had gotten home from work at 4:30am and just falling asleep) to show him how Bella could step/tumble towards me. It was a big milestone and I knew he would not want to miss it. We are both relieved to witnessed the big event.... as I had been stressing we would miss it while on vacation in a few weeks. I think my cousin and in-laws (who will be watching Bella while we are gone) are equally relieved that they will not have to lie to us, as they were instructed to should she start walking while we are gone!

Flirting with cousin Katie at a family party.

Mommy's favorite face.

Just a naked bottom picture for fun.

Bella loves to crawl under & in things, so I made her a fort/cave in our living room with couch cushions. She drug all of her stuffed animals in with her so they could enjoy too.
Holding court with her stuffed animals.

Dallas World Aquarium

2008-06-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

I can not believe I have lived in DFW for all my life and have never been to the Dallas World Aquarium.... it was amazing! Marc, Bella and I went last week and had a wonderful time. It is basically an indoor rain forest and is so authentic looking that I had to keep reminding myself I was inside a building in downtown Dallas. It is set up so none of the animals seems to be 'caged' or at a zoo. I told Marc that if I was a monkey, I would want to live there.

5 story waterfall ...

... that fed into a lagoon with turtles, manatees and lots of other fish. In the middle of the lagoon is an island with lot of different birds and monkeys.
Bella had a great time and loved looking at all the animals.

On the top level was a really good restaurant that over looked another waterfall. Bella has a lime in her mouth in the picture below. She loves limes and lemons.... I know, crazy!
Below the lagoon where you can see all the animals up close.

This tunnel reminded me of Jaws! There were all kinds of rays and sharks swimming around.

By far, Bella's favorites were the penguins... and they were equally fond of her!

This was our sign that it was time to go... rubbing Bunny-Bunny on her nose, but we had a great time!

Fun in the Sun!!!

2008-05-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

After bathing Bella from head-to-toe in sunscreen, we were off to our backyard for her first official playtime in the water and Texas sun! We got her a little water pad that gently sprays water... in hopes of not overwhelming her with too much and at the same time allowing her some freedom.... since she does not like to be imprisoned in objects for fear of being expected to take a nap (e.g.; she hates her pack n play). She wasn't sure at first... I think mainly due to the fact that the water was not 90 degrees like at swim class, but ended up having a great time.

50% of her time was spent playing in the pool....

.... while the other half she investigated the hose,
grass....
and why this guy didn't have a nose.
Then we went to go look at Mommy's tomatoes. After her first choice, dirt, was "NO, NO"-ed ...

Bella went for the tomatoes.

Needless to say, she enjoyed picking them more than eating them!

10 months and growing...

2008-05-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, Isabella has officially hit double digits.... 10 months! She is just the happiest little angel we have ever met and we are so thankful to have her! She is getting so big and learning so much. I would guess that she will take her first steps some time in the next few weeks. I hope so because Marc and I don't want to miss it and have made the family members keeping Bella while we are on vacation promise they will not tell us if she starts to walk while we are gone. They are just going to let us think we saw the first step... even if it is not! :)

Bella loves books... but mostly turning the pages!

This is a few minutes before a much needed nap.... she's zoning out!

Currently, my favorite facial expression.
I LOVE her SO much! What a face!

Testing out Auntie Em's new luggage

There's my favorite face again

Underwater pic from swim class.
Mother's Day!

Miss Em's birthday weekend!

2008-05-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

We had a huge birthday celebration this past weekend! Our family has a lot of May birthdays but Emily, my little sister, had an especially special birthday.... her 18th!!! I can't believe she is an 'adult' now AND leaving for college soon. I am so excited for her and all the changes in her life but am going to be SUPER sad to move her off to college. Anyways.... Friday was her birthday and Mom and I had been working for weeks on surprise signs to post on her drive to school. Then the family members who could make it were waiting with balloons and breakfast in the school parking lot. Emily was so surprised and loved all the attention!

Fam waiting in the parking lot...

Later that night my mom, Aunt Judy, cousin Dave, Brandon, adopted sis Talor, Emily and her beau, Brian and I went to an amusement park with thrill rides (bungee, sky coasters, etc).

Dave and Talor

I just went to watch and be apart of the fun (due to my fear of heights)... but was tricked into going on the sky coaster.

Not fun!!!

Dave and Brandon

Dave and Brandon hurling head first towards the ground!

Em and Brian

To finish the birthday weekend, we celebrated all the family birthdays in May.

Ali Grace swimming.

Luke testing out his new mask and flippers.

The Castaldo Clan w/ shades!

The girls... Emily, Mom, Bella and me.

Our 6th Anniversary

2008-05-18T07:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, for our 6th anniversary,Marc and I went to back to San Antonio where we got engaged. It was so much fun! We stayed at a wonderful inn called the Inn on the Riverwalk. It was located right on the river and we could walk every where we need to go. The innkeepers were a young couple and extremely nice and helpful. If you plan on going to San Antonio any time soon, I highly recommend it.... http://www.innontheriverwalksa.com/.

Here is a picture of the main house at the inn.

This is our balcony....

our view of the river....

our cozy room....

Marc had never been to Sea World, so we spent the day there on Saturday. The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

On our way home!

Teeth, tantrums and Tucker

2008-05-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Marc and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last weekend in San Antonio... (hopefully I can get some of the pictures posted next week.) Anyways, Bella stayed with my parents. It was the first time we had been away from her for more than 24 hours. Yeah, I know she is almost a year old and I need to cut the cord but she is (usually) such a joy to be around that there is really no reason to need to get away. But our anniversary was one of them! We had a great time but I don't know that my parents did. Bella is/was teething two teeth at once and she is/was fussy and had fever all weekend.

Along with the pains of teething, Bella has entered a new phase in her life: throwing screaming tantrums. Well, I don't know that they can officially be called tantrums, but they are as close as a 9 month old can be to throwing tantrums. Someone seems to have flipped a switch on her one day and now whenever I tell her she can't play with my cellphone.... she screams. If I don't follow one bite of food immediately with another.... she screams. If she can't shred my grocery list while shopping... she scream. Needless to say, I will not be sad to see this phase fade out!

But even through the teething and tantrums.... she is still such a little angel and SO much fun! She is learning so much, it is hard to keep up. She has

.... mastered clapping and waving
...somewhat able to say "bye-bye"... although it comes out "dye-dye"
... learning how objects can go in and out of containers
... can stand on her own without holding on to anything for a few seconds

... can open cabinets, toilet lids and flip phones! :)

.... but the overall favorite new skill she uses everywhere we go is FLIRTING!!!

Bella wants/demands the attention of everyone in the room, whether she knows them or not. She plays peek-a-boo, offers them toys & Cheerios, waves and bats her eyes at anyone who will pay attention.

Below are a few recent pics:

Bella found Tucker's chew stick and really liked it...
.... and being the sweet girl that she is, she offered it to Tucker

( sorry, I accidentally erased the picture and can't get it back here!)

... who gladly accepted!

But then we he did not give it back... things got a little hairy!
Max then took the stick from Tucker, but Bella was ready to fight for it no matter who had it!

Bella's new play spot!

New favorite treat.... GOLDFISH!!!

In, On, Under & Above

2008-04-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Bella has quickly become a little tornado! She is in to everything... or on it, under it, chewing it, unrolling it, opening it, unplugging it, etc, etc!

Here is her first venture into the dishwasher.

It was going great until she realized she didn't know how to dismount!

By far, Bella's favorite pastime is sorting through our DVDs. She will talk and sing to them for as long as I will let her.

Another recent discovery... the dog's water bowl!

We got her this push along toy and she is so proud of herself for figuring out how to walk behind it. The toy also has a 'sit and scoot' feature but Bella was already to big for it....

... so I traded it in for a newer model. Bella is happy with the trade because she upgraded to a model with music and lights! ;)

... inspecting my strawberry plant (unfortunately the birds keep eating them all!)

I just love the lips in this one...

Loving on Apollo...

We went to the zoo today with some of the Mommy's and little ones from music class. It was a lot of fun!

Grant and Bella holding hands.

so cute!!!

9 months and growing

2008-04-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

I know I say this with every monthly update.... but I desperately want Bella to stop growing and stay this way forever! But then again, everyday she becomes more fun and I guess that ties in with growing! :) Bella's first tooth has finally made an appearance and it seemed to have very little effect on her.... other than a little fever.

There was little cooperation in this picture due to the strange new objects Mommy put on Bella's feet.

... and even after the newness of the shoes wore off, Bella rarely sit still anymore.

This is what most of my shots end up looking like. But she is still beautiful.... close or far!

Last week we went to the Dallas Arboretum with my friend Kathryn and her precious daughter Sophie.

Kathryn asked Sophie to sit down so I could take a picture of the two of them and Sophie sat on Bella's lap.

Bella gladly accepted the new seating arrangement. I was so cute!!!

I love this picture of Sophie... her skirt blowing in the wind.

Bella loved the pinwheel Kathryn brought.

After seeing Bella's excitement over Kathryn's pinwheel, how could I deny her her very own! Yeah, I know she is spoiled but it was only a dollar and she is too cute not to spoil! :)

More swimming pics...

2008-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

I just love these swimming pictures....

Daddy's Little Yankee

2008-04-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Daddy is so proud of her team choice....

More "dada" love....

Bella has learned how to kiss and is very generous with them. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

On the move...

2008-04-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

My mom got Bella a walker.... and she loves it!!! She doesn't use it for walking as much as she does for RUNNING!

... Bella is wondering why I am taking pictures instead of helping her out of the grass!

.... snack break....

Joy's many blessing

2008-04-12T20:32:00.001-07:00

Eight years ago I was in college and packing up my things for one of my MANY moves. As I was wrapping my things in newspaper, I came across the face of a precious, smiling girl. The picture was from her obituary. It took me many tries before I could actually read it in its entirety through my tears... but when I had I was blown away by what her family had written!!! Their relationship with God had allowed them to stay strong and know that their daughter was in a better place with Jesus. And because of their beliefs, they knew one day they would join her. I was so blown away by their strength during such a horrible time that I immediately looked up their address and wrote them a letter.

I have prayed and thought about their family many times in the past 8 years but for some reason today I was struck again by what I read so many years ago. I was sitting on the floor playing with Isabella when I thought of Joy.... and her family's loss hit me in a totally different way than it ever had before. My heart broke eight years ago for their loss but today it was ten fold.... looking into my own angel's eyes and thinking of my life without her. I jumped up and went searching for the letter and picture Joy's family had sent me in reply to my letter. Ironically, Joy passed away almost 8 years to the day, April 10, 2000. I know that none of this is a coincidence and that God put Joy's picture in front of me eight years ago for many reason.... but mainly to bless my life! In college, I was blessed by her family's unwavering trust in the Lord and his plan for their lives... and today she has blessed me by reminding me that I am not guaranteed a lifetime with my daughter, husband, family or friends and that I need to love and cherish each moment I have with them.

Below is Joy's obituary. I hope you are equally blessed!

Kick... kick... kick!!!

2008-04-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Bella and I have been going to swim class every Monday for about 2 months now. She loves being in the water and flirting with all the other kiddos.

She especially loves lounging whenever given the chance.

... or gnawing on the side of the pool.

She is up to staying under for 6-7 seconds now... which may not sound long to you but is eternity for me (and to any grandparents who might be sitting on the sidelines)!!! When she first started the class, going under was a huge surprise to her but she has quickly caught on and as soon as I place her on the side of the pool to start my count down... "Ready, go!"... she makes a very unhappy face! But always seems to hold her breath and come up smiling.... well, most of the time!

Love the face!!!

Puppy love!

2008-04-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Just a quick glimpse of Bella's puppy love....

8 months and growing...

2008-04-05T19:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry the 8 month post is a little late! Bella is doing wonderful and learning something new everyday. Marc and I are constantly amazed and just know she is the smartest baby EVER! :) Recently Bella has started to clap and loves to play "patty cake." She also loves to clap for herself. During bath time, Bella will pull herself up on the side of the tub and stand up... I tell her no and to sit down so she doesn't hurt herself. As soon as she sits down I tell her "good girl" and she claps for herself. But because she is so happy with her good behavior she continues to stand and sit over and over so she can then clap for herself.

Bella in her oatmeal sandbox! I got the idea from a magazine.... it is just a storage box with oatmeal in it. She plays in it on the porch or inside and if any oatmeal gets on the floor, I can just vacuum it out! Bella loves to run her fingers through the oatmeal and dig her feet down to the bottom!

Using Mommy's legs as a seesaw!

Bella in a box....

I was dusting our entertainment system and Bella crawled in one of the section and started to shriek because she could hear her own echo!

Getting love from cousin Sara...

Wiped out!!!

A week full of extra love!

2008-03-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Our family had a wonderful week! Marc's parents were in town for Easter and Bella loved the extra hugs, kisses and overall attention. She had two adoring grandparents to sit in the backseat with on every car ride... crawl around on the floor with and basically lavish her with love 24/7. She was in heaven and couldn't get enough!

Marc's parent (Nona & PopPop) on Easter.

A trip to one of our favorite places... the zoo!

...compared to the same picture 5 months ago.

I really wish she would stop growing.... it is all going by SO fast!

Bella showing her ice cream that PopPop shared with her.

YES... we let her have a few bites of ice cream now and then and YES, I am wearing overalls. No comments needed for either! :)

All the kiddos at Easter. Poor baby... she never get any attention!

I just love the look on her face!

Hanin' out with PopPop.

I bought some Easter eggs for Isabella to play with and they were a hit. But the smallest ones were to large to swallow but just small enough to shove in her mouth. Although she was adorable crawling around with an egg in her mouth...still made me nervous, so I threw them away!

She loves to swing!

My sister, Emily, took some beautiful pictures of Isabella so I could give them to the grandparents for Easter. They turned out great!!!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!!!

The many faces of Isabella Grace

2008-03-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Isabella Grace

happy girl...

time for a nap face....

trout pout face...

"who me?" face...

pretending to ignore you ...

deer in headlights ...

rock star scream ...

hungry baby bird ...

very disapproving ...

all gums...

even more gums ...

her Dr. Evil face...

turtle, turtle face...

feeling yucky face...

"Momma... Momma" face...

realizing she can breath in and out of her nose...

Joy, Joy, Joy!!!

Daddy's little 'Princess Bella'

2008-03-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

Marc is a huge Star Wars nerd... oh, I meant fan! So our friends Sarah & Landon gave Bella this onesie. To some it could have been a fashion challenge, but Bella looks beautiful in anything! :)

On the move!

2008-03-07T18:15:00.001-08:00

The last two weeks have been huge for Isabella... she has started to crawl, pull up and say "Dadda" and "Momma"!!! I am still in a little shocked at how it all seem to happen at once, but Bella is loving her new found freedom. Her main motivation for crawling was to get closer to the dogs. They are still confused as to how they are supposed to act when Bella is near... since most of the time I am trying to keep them at a distance (at least from licking her last meal off her face.) I am sure the boys will get used to her grabbing their tails and pulling at their jowls, but for now Apollo is scared and runs away and Zeus sticks around until he gets annoyed... which isn't long.

Some other fun pics....

B helping with the laundry...

... showing off her new hair accessories, which later were destroyed by my parents dog!

This is Bella's inquisitive look.... I love the pursed lips!

Fun with the little one

2008-02-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Just some fun pics...

Playing with Daddy... who she adores!

Airplane with Mommy...

Slobbering on Mommy....

Bath time is Bella's favorite!!!

Tastes like chicken...

Her V-day PJs!

the castaldo clan

Fall Fun

We made it through the first month... barely!

Welcome Luca Davis Castaldo!!!

Bella's 2nd Birthday

4th fun

A room for little Luca

Baby Luca Update: 8 months & counting...

Summertime fun

Better late than never....

My hubby!

It's a BOY!

Excited for Spring

Preggo progress

Our little love

Baby News...

The Great Flood of '09

Fun & Friends

Goodbye Gallbladder

Random Vacation Post - Bahamas Dive Trip

The Plastic Palace

Our Two Christmases!!!

It's OFFICIAL....

"Santa!... some personal space, please!"

Flashback Friday

"SHOOOOOS!"

West Virgina or Bust

Poop Trauma **BEWARE** may be too graphic for some audiences!

Baby Prayers

Fall fun

Happy Turkey Day!

Our Little Genius

Ladybugs, pink eye and more!

I love October!

Many faces of Isabella Grace: Part II

Moving Day!

Enjoying the last little bit of summer

Flashback Friday

Another fun trip to the zoo

Keepin' busy

Dress Up Time!

Benefits!

Walkin' wonder

More birthday fun!

Music Man... a family affair

Homeless but happy.... and more updates!

Start the Birthday Celebrations!!!

We're out!!!

Happy 4th!!!

Bonaire

Separation anxiety...

Baby steps!

Dallas World Aquarium

Fun in the Sun!!!

10 months and growing...

Miss Em's birthday weekend!

Our 6th Anniversary

Teeth, tantrums and Tucker

In, On, Under & Above

9 months and growing

More swimming pics...

Daddy's Little Yankee

On the move...

Joy's many blessing

Kick... kick... kick!!!

Puppy love!

8 months and growing...

A week full of extra love!

Happy Easter!

The many faces of Isabella Grace

Daddy's little 'Princess Bella'

On the move!

Fun with the little one

Poop Trauma BEWARE may be too graphic for some audiences!