So, I always thought that having a baby meant that your mum and a couple of friends would chip in and give a few clothes, diapers and of course socks, to the new arrival. Grandma and grandpa would spoil the kid, friends would oogle "haven't you grown" and strangers would smile and congratulate you on your new pooping,burping, eating, sleeping and constantly peeing machine. Well some of that we have found to be true but... we have been astounded at the generosity of people we hardly know and in some cases we know not at al. who havel sent us gifts from everywhere. Feels like Christmas every week for us. So here goes with more thank you's

Firstly, Randy Gibson sent us a stack of books that are going to be great reading for Angelisa, well for us actually, since at this stage she can't do it herself. Thank you, they are already invaluable reading material for her. It keeps her busy even when we open one of the pages of "Taggies" and she stares at it for minutes on end ( thanks for that one). Then a big thank you to Carmel Macpherson, yes, Carmel that's you. The bamboo wash cloths, towel and blanket are exquisite and very elegant. (And before some of you go "Bamboo? isn't that a little rough on her?" it's not RAW bamboo!!!!.... Then Victoria Speechley for a little addendum to her Heritage Bear present with the gift of a Pumpkin patch outfit. She'll look very cute in that when she grows into it which at the going rate will be any day now.

NOOOOOOOWWWWW.. I had to write that because the last thank you is a long one. Well, long in many senses.Long in the list of name who donated to it, long in the sense that it came from people all over the world and long because it will go a long way towards the pictures that we will be constantly taking of Angelisa during the coming months and years. I am talking about the donation collected from HLWW, and I won't be crass in telling you how much was raised those that donated know the amount, but a big thank you from our family, for a present that is truly immortal to;
Alexsana Donne
Valoise Armstrong
Selena Barker
Bonita Blackwell
Sylvia Boucher
Gail D'Eon
Shawn Dempsey
Mika Elizonda
Linda Freeman
Alexandra Fried-Uehleke
Janet Fuller
Randi Gibson
Sharon Gobioff
Aine Gliddon
Mary Glynn
Teresa M Haycraft
Karin Heindl
Erica Hudson
Kathleen Johnson
Eleanor (Nora) Jones
Beth King
Carmel Macpherson
Sharon I Miller
Laurie O'Dear
Sarita Oertling
Elizabeth Pevec
Johannes Ruthenberg
Sharon Rollins
Rachel Shelton
Beverly Shihara
Jo Ellen Teasdale
Patricia Thompson
Elaine Lee Walch
Sharon Westerberg
Cheryl Whitt
Joanna Wilkins
Nicolette Zachary

So that's about it. Thank you again to everyone. Next one we write will be about how Angelisa is doing some strange thing or another (of course she's my daughter)

Angelisa had her 2 month check up, and all looks good. She is in the 90th percentile for height and weight and 50th for head circumference (don't know what these mean exactly but we've been told she's perfect....we think so too,LOL.) Watching her change and grow everyday has been amazing so far. She recently started to smile, real smiles. First, they were just little grins here and there, mostly during her sleep, but now we get to experience big gum showing smiles! She has even started to reach out for things, we are not sure if she realizes that her arms are actually "hers" but she is using them more and more everyday. Soon Alex will have to tie her hair back or be in fear of it all being all pulled out, she has really a strong grip! The lucky little girl received more gifts today, and I would like to thank those who sent them. It seems like all of a sudden there was a knitting competition because all 3 gifts that arrived were knitted :)

Thank you Kathy Johnson for the 2 beautiful knit outfits, they are very precious, and the blanket that matches is something she has already started to love. Thank you to Elizabeth Levec, from Canada for the "Peace" knit blanket, it is beautiful. And finally thank you To Linda Arfsten and Rileah Ringo for putting together something Alex has wanted to do but has just not found the time; A scrap book. It will be something Angelisa can look at years from now! Also, thank you for the knit blanket, now that she is drooling and spitting up, the more blankets the better.

And the winner of the best knit blanket goes to.........all of you, they are all pretty and will show this little girl just how loved she was/is.

So people have asked. "How is Dino doing with the new addition?" Well, at first he was a little too interested in the squealing bundle that we brought home. We were told he should be kept at least three feet away from her for the first three to six months so that he understood she was an alpha in the pack. So that is what we have been doing. His initial avid interest in the tiny screams have turned into "oh my god not again, I want to curl up and cover my ears.... Someone give me a bone.." Now that he has calmed down the only issue is taking food off the table, which he has done VERY rarely in the past few years. Last night he polished off two take away packs from the Cheesecake factory and scratched the table in his efforts. He was in trouble. We didn't realize he'd done it until later. i thought the two packs on the floor with the fork next to them was a little gift of left overs from Alex. Investigating a little further I found out the truth. Apart from that he has gotten used to the baby carriage, the smell of poop and baby barf and I think eventually he will be a great big brother to Angelisa.

I wanted to also say a quick thank you ladies from the Pure Adrian Site (especially Penny, Mika, Cynthia and Shaila) who sent a great wine gift for Christmas/New Year to celebrate the birth of Angelisa ( at least someone was thinking of daddy's well being). The bottles are now being thankfully consumed and the bottle stoppers that arrived today will preserve the leftovers very nicely. Thank you.

More to come.

We have hit the 6 week mark and from what I have heard, sleep wise it gets a bit easier?! Although I am not complaining as she is now sleeping longer at night and up more often during the day, and this is completely her doing! She has also started (kind of) smiling, which always melts my heart. More packages arrived, lucky girl, so another round of thank you's to all that have showered her. Thank you to Vicky Terry for the play mat/quilt, the "Italian Princess" onsie, the elegant purple outfit, the 2 "Kissy Kissy" outifts (which happen to be one of Alex's favorite "baby" designers) and for the Shona bib, which was handcrafted by physically handicapped craftspeople in Congo. Check out www.shonacongo.com Also, thank you to Gayle Markus for the knit booties, bib and blanket, all done in the colors of the background of this web page, nice touch! And the last package of the day to be opened was from Victoria Speechley. A great keep sake, a Heritage Birth Bear, with her name, birth date and weight all sewn in, on the tummy of the bear, something she will come to cherish in the years to come, thank you Victoria!

The gifts keep on coming, and we are sorry if it has taken us a little while to send out thank you's, cause just when we thought Christmas was over......there are more and more packages to open, from friends, family and fans alike. So we wanted to say a big thank you first, to Sharon Gobioff for the adorable pink knit sweater and matching hat, the way she's growing she'll be wearing them pretty soon. Then there is Doris Jones, who has obviously had kids of her own, since she sent a huge selection of burp cloths, bibs and socks, Angelisa has already christened all of them, thank you :) And last but not least, a thank you to Beverly Whatley for her care package or should I say "mule train of goodies" that included a selection of Italian children's books, which is great, since I am speaking solely Italian to her! The Peace necklace and onsie, the "A rottweiler is my friend" T-shirt, the "watchers" onsie, the other cute outfits and Cd's, and the Christmas decorations for her first Christmas later this year. Ok, gotta run, and catch some zzzz's, while she's asleep!

Angelisa plus one month. The days and weeks have passed quickly and we greet each new day with new sounds and new reactions. Hearing her screams and cries we have become accustomed to each and what they mean. Jumping up to the "shrill" scream means, "I have wet my diaper, Change it NOOOOW!!! Picking her up while she is trembling while nothing else calms her means "FEEEEED MEEEEEEEE! Straight legs and a ten decibel scream is just gas, gas that is usually solved by four burping techniques. One is the regular, "burp over the shoulder", the next is the "shake in extended arm while facing me", then there's the "sit on my knee and see saw, followed by a pat on the back. The last and my favorite is :The milk shake. Facing her away from me, I jiggle her like making a martini. Shaken not stirred. One of these usually produces the desired effect, from one end of the other. But I think I have now become accustomed to her peeing, burping and pooping all over me. If anyone else did that they'd be dead meat.

So, it has been a little while since we posted, but so much has been going on. Erratic sleep filled nights , (although pretty good compared to what we hear from most new parents) filled with a lot of poopy and wet diapers to change, trying to find what works on our little one to get her to sleep and a baby photo shoot where my dear sweet angel pooped all over me. I wouldn't have missed a minute of it.She was weighed today and she is now 8lbs 2 oz. .....Little porker. ,, and has grown an inch and a half since her birth. Our pediatrician said he would have been happy if she came in at her birth weight of 7lb 3 oz, which is where most babies would be right now, but her current weight shows that this healthy little girl feeds very well. (I could have told him that one) So now we are over the first two week hurdle, the next ones should be filled with quiet nights and long sleeps. .......Yeah right, who am I kidding....

Oh, and by the way we want to thank everyone for the congrats on our new arrival. Thank you to Kellie, Jacob, Savannah and Christopher Ashby for the warm wishes and the goodies for our little one. Thank you also to Alexandra and Kira who sent, a hand-made teddy scarf, wow, very talented.To Nicolette Zachary for the Bosom baby nursery pillow, Alex loves it, what a handy little pillow, and finally to Valoise Armstrong for the beautiful knitted blanket, that must have taken a long time to make, and it is greatly appreciated.

Tiring, fabulous, enlightening, amazing, not sure how many adjectives I can find to express those first few hours and couple of days. The doctor was fantastic and the hospital staff catered to anything and everything we needed. They were so good. We are blessed that Angelisa is a healthy girl who feeds well, and continually changes expressions that delight and amaze us. That of course goes with the healthy amount of poop that she is producing and I never thought I would be so excited about changing diapers. Anyway gotta go, it's burp time...

Firstly Happy new Year... Next, Wow things are getting closer and more hectic, well not hectic, but more real I suppose. Onesies, baby furniture, car seat installation, nappy changing, cradle positioning, CPR classes, baby care classes ( I now know how to bathe an infant...well I think I do) What happened to the good old days when the women had the babies and us men stood outside and shirked the responsibility? Spose that went out with the caveman dragging his female prize back to the cave...ahhhhhh the good ol days...Well I hope I am now prepared for one of the biggest roles I will ever play. I'll let you know soon...

The top 3 dog breeds most likely to bite a child are poodle, chihuahua and cocker spaniel. Would you have thought that?!

Getting mail has been like opening Christmas presents everyday these past few weeks. We are being showered with gifts for our "soon to be" little girl, and even though in the beginning I said "no pink", I suppose I am now starting to get used to seeing it, hey I might even start wearing it (ok, maybe not). I want to express my gratitude again to the fans who have sent gifts.

A big thank you to Teresa M. Haycraft for the necessities off the registry like milk storage bags, and pacifier, but especially for the baby bouquet toy and the Bjorn potty trainer (ahhhh yes, potty training a little girl, I can only imagine what I will be getting myself into...I guess being a guy I would think teaching a boy would be easier "just point and shoot, son", what am I going to tell my little girl?!

Another big thank you to Ann and Alberta Rothenbeger for the plush blanket, which will soon be her favorite and for the towel hoodie (that I just figured out how to use...baby care is a whole new learning experience, I tell ya)

Oh, and another thank you to a "mystery" Maureen, who sent pacifiers, pacifier pocket and wash cloths, I don't have a last name but I am sure you know who you are!!!!

Last but not least, thank you to all who put together a package via the forum; Appeace, Astrid Paulissen-Vink, Valoise, Alexandra, Shelly Michel, Angela Ghirxi, Eva-Maria Achatz - BlackCloud, Bren Evans Lathan, Patricia Robinson, Elizabeth Pevec, Nora, Alexandra Fried-Uehleke and Victoria Speechley. The items are great, it all came in a huge box which included; wash cloths, (after the infant care class I took, I am sure we will go through a bundle) hats, car mirror, grooming kit, blanket and for the travel crib, which we will be bringing EVERYWHERE!!!!

Hope Santa was good to you all this Holiday season, thank you all for making ours even more special!

Took a CPR class last week that also ran over safety tips for a baby around the home and one of the obvious topics was pets and a new born. The question was raised" Which are the top three breeds most likely to nip/bite a child?" Anyone know? Rottweiler? Chihuahua? Pekinese, Shepherd, Pit Bull, Chow....????? Back soon for the answer

As time marches on to b day, events are falling into place. Today were we at the Montage Beverly Hills for the baby shower hosted by one of my best friends, Bill. The color scheme was pink, purple and gold (the boys had no say in that one). We feasted on the likes of Beef wellington, omelets, crab Benedict, waffles, smoke salmon and an array of small desserts. We also received some great gifts for the baby from our friends, as well as some from fans, so I would like to say thank you to; Sheryl Siminoff for the cute polka dot outfit: to Kathy Johnson for the soccer pacifiers and peace holder as well as the adorable ruffled body suit... oh and of course the breast pump car lighter adapter (I hope we're not arrested for indecent exposure on the highway for that one). The weather was beautiful after three days of torrential downpour and the one game we played was actually for our friends. They had to write down choices that they thought we should, could or would name our lil girl. We are now going through those lists having a good chuckle. Lord help us

Brain is on overload, did 2 prenatal classes in one night!

The first just info on where to go when the big day is here, where to park, who to call, an idea of the rooms (a few even have a jacuzzi tub in them!) Then, an infant CPR class, where we all had dummy babies to practice on. Might be nice if real babies were quiet like that. Doubtful.

However it was informative and I'm glad we took it, one of those classes you want to take, but hope you never ever have to use! Next class...

Pain management........