Bringing Home Baby

We brought Tyler home from the hospital this morning. It was a smooth ride home and were able to be home before lunch time! Tyler's first day at home was quiet and peaceful as the kids have been spending time at Nonna and Pop-pop and Mimi and Popi's house. They won't be home until Friday so we will get to spend a few days homes just enjoying Tyler. He was been a wonderful baby thus far! He hardly ever cries, even when he's hungry and he has just been so relaxed and calm. He has even slept 3-4 hour stretches at night! We hope he continues with this pattern and can't wait to see what his little personality will be like!

Welcome Tyler Anthony Harbold

 

We are happy to announce the birth of Tyler Anthony Harbold on December 27 at 12:41pm. He weighed 9lbs 9ozs and was 22.5 inches long. Tyler's middle name was chosen in honor of Laura's grandfather Anthony Campisi, who passed away in early 2008. Laura opted for a c-section since we knew he was going to be another big boy. The surgery went smoothly and she will be recovering in the hospital for 4-5 days to make sure her incision heals and she is able to move around. 

We had a lot of family in town to welcome Tyler into the family. Mimi, Nonna, and Aunt Lindsay were at the hospital and got to meet him right away. Popi and Pop-pop were at home holding down the fort with Caitlynn and Luke. There were able to bring the kids to the hospital after dinner to meet Tyler. Uncle Rusty came down from Lancaster after work just to meet his new nephew.

Caitlynn was in love with her baby brother and wanted to hold him right away! Luke was not as excited about him and didn't show much interest in holding him. We think he will eventually warm up to him! In the mean time, Caitlynn will get to enjoy all the extra "baby holding".  We can't believe we are finally a family a 5 and certainly now feel complete!

Christmas

We celebrated another wonderful Christmas at home. This year, Caitlynn was really excited about opening presents and we think she enjoyed ripping off the paper more then looking at her gifts! She was able to open most of her gifts in under 30 minutes! Luke really enjoyed playing with each gift as he opened it so opening his gifts was an all day event! This year, Nonna and Pop-pop spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us so they were there to watch the kids open their gifts first thing in the morning. Mimi and Popi joined us mid-morning and got to enjoy the kids opening and playing with their gifts. Uncle Rusty and Lindsay joined us for dinner and the kids just loved showing off all their new toys to them! This year for dinner, we decided to order Chinese from a local place in Columbia in true "Christmas Story" fashion. We all enjoyed eating with chop-sticks this year! It was a great day where they kids were spoiled from Santa yet again!

37 Weeks,.. into the home stretch!

Laura is now 37 weeks pregnant and into the home stretch of the pregnancy! She had a doctors appointment today with an ultrasound to find out the baby's weight. Baby boy is currently 8lbs 8 ozs with a head circumference of 40 weeks. No one is surprised that he has continued his growth above the 95%! Laura and Ryan talked to the doctor about delivery options because of his size. We all agreed that a C-section would be best at this point and we are scheduled for December 27th. We are all so excited to have an "exit date" and to finally get to meet baby boy! Now the question is,... how big will be turn out to be! We can't wait to find out in 2 short weeks!

Santa!

While in PA, we took the kids to see Santa at Mimi and Popi's mall. This year, both kids had made "lists" to give him of pictures of toys they had cut out of magazines and circulars. Caitlynn said she was going to sit on his lap and Luke said he could just stand next to him. Everyone was fine waiting in line but once we saw him up close and personal, Luke had changed his mind and wouldn't even get close enough for a picture! Caitlynn was very brave, gave him her lists, and told him what she wanted (which is apparently make-up!). We were able to squeeze in a family picture outside before we left which is the best we can do this year! Maybe is baby boy comes early, we can try again with all three kids on Santa's lap! We will have to wait and see!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving Day with the extended Harbold family at Aunt Margie's house in PA. We always start the day off with raking leaves, then eating a traditional turkey meal for lunch, and last is piñata fun for the kids! It was a cold day but that didn't stop the kids from playing outside and jumping in the leaves. We were 'thankful' we could see Grandmom Harbold (who is 95 years old!) and spend the holiday with family.

Happy Halloween!

Susquehanna State Park

 

We met Nonna and Pop-pop at Susquehanna Park. It's near Haver De Grace, MD. It was a beautiful day and the park was perfect! There was a play ground for the kids, lots of open space to run and plan, picnic tables for the sandwiches Nonna packed for dinner, and grills for roasting marsh mellows. We had a great time and will visiting there again in the Spring for more picnics with Nonna and Pop-pop.

Pumpkin Painting

Apple Picking

 

We went to Baugher's Farm to do our annual apple picking. Laura was hoping to make apple sauce and apple desserts just like in years past. This time, we were really disappointed in the amount and type of apples that were available for picking. We were only able to pick a small bag of apples, which we just ate. Though it was fun to go out for the day, we may have to go apple picking at a different farm next year.

Pumpkin Picking

While we were visiting with Mimi and Popi in PA, they decided to take the kids pumpkin picking. Luke loved carrying his pumpkin around the farm with him and Caitlynn wanted to get the biggest one she saw! We are happy to say we brought home 4 "kid sized" pumpkins this year!

OBX 2013

We just returned from a wonderful vacation to Outer Banks, NC. This year, we were able to go during the week of Labor Day due to Laura's part-time schedule. We stayed in Nags Head and got a house with friends from Ryan's work. The house was very close to the beach (about 100 yards) and had a pool and hot tub. There was little to no traffic which made the drive that much easier this year. The weather was perfect and we were able to go to the beach and swim in the pool almost every day. Ryan's Aunt Debbie has a house on the sound of Collington and we were able to visit with her for a day. It was nice to catch up with her as we haven't seen her in about a year! It was a great trip and we are already thinking about our next trip down in either late May or early September next year!

What will it bee?

We hosted a baby reveal party to find out the sex of baby #3. Laura's friend Jennifer made the cupcakes for the party, which were delicious! Nonna and Pop-pop, Caitlin and Emily, Mimi and Popi, and Rusty and Lindsay were all able to attend the party. We were able to Facetime with Aunt Kitty and Uncle Richie, Trish, and Owen. When we took a bit, we saw,... BLUE!!! Looks like Caitlynn and Luke will be getting a little brother come January!

20 Weeks,.. half way there!

Laura has reached the 20 week mark and is officially half way there! We went in for an ultra sound today and got to see some amazing pictures of the baby. The tech was happy with the baby's growth and development thus far and even said the baby's head circumference was in the 97%! Could this mean another big baby?! There was a small abnormality and because of this, Laura will have to go get additional ultra sounds throughout the pregnancy to watch the baby's growth and keep track of the baby's weight but we are happy to know everything is ok! We did decide to find out the sex of the baby this time around but won't know until Saturday. We had the tech put the baby's gender on a card and it went right too Laura's friend, who is making cupcakes for them. We are really excited to find out what baby #3 will be!

OCNJ,.. again!

Laura and the kids were in New Jersey visiting family and getting away from paving that was going on in the entire neighbourhood for a few days. Mimi and Popi happened to be in Ocean City the same week. Laura was able to go down for a day to visit with them. Even though the morning was a little cloudy, we still went to the beach and enjoyed the sand and water. Caitlynn of course was a water bug and spent most of her time with Popi jumping waves. Luke was a sand man and spent most of his time digging and building sand castles. The kids wanted to go to the boardwalk and got to go on rides at Gillian's Funland again. This time, Caitlynn and Luke went on the roller coaster with Mimi and Popi and they both loved it! It was a quick trip but we were happy to be able to squeeze in an extra beach day!

A new kind of ride!

Now that we are expecting baby #3, we knew it was time to look for a larger vehicle. Ryan was very excited to start shopping for a van but Laura still didn't want to give up her SUV. We found a 2010 Honda Odyssey with low mileage in Lancaster, PA and got it for the right price. It's totally loaded with leather heated seats, DVD player, back-up camera, and navigation system. Even though Laura is a little sad about officially becoming a van owner, she is happy she is happy she was able to find something they both liked. We're sure this car will come in handy very soon!

OCNJ

We just returned from a week at Ocean City, NJ. Nonna and Pop-pop rented a house about 2 blocks from the beach. Ryan was only able to stay a few days as he had to come back home to work but Laura and the kids stayed the entire week. Though it was hot and humid, the ocean temperature was perfect and the waves were small and just the right size for Caitlynn. She spent most of her beach time in the water jumping, splashing, and "swimming" around in her inner tube. She loved going out with Ryan and Pop-pop. Luke was still not a fan of the water and only wanted to go in if Ryan held him. We went to boardwalk where Laura got to enjoy her favorite pizza, Mack and Manco's (the name has changed to Manco and Manco's but it's still the same great pizza!). The kids enjoyed some rides on Gillian's Funland. Caitlynn even went on her first roller coaster ride! It was a fun time and we were glad we could spend another vacation at the beach!

Happy July 4th!

Big News!

And baby makes 5! We are happy to announce that Laura is expecting baby #3 on January 2, 2014. She is now 13 weeks along and almost through her first trimester. This has been a pretty difficult pregnancy as she has gotten sick most mornings and is very nauseous at night. We are all hoping this will pass once she gets to her second trimester. We have also decided to find out the sex of the baby this time around to better prepare and plan as someone will be sharing a room with the baby in the near future. Caitlynn and Luke can't wait to find out if it will be a little brother or sister!

Luke's 1st Buzz Cut

 

While in Rehoboth Beach, Laura finally decided to let Popi give Luke a haircut. Popi has been wanting to cut Luke's long hair every since it stared growing past his ears (which feels like his entire life to us!). Popi broke his knuckle right before the beach so he wasn't able to cut the entire thing on his own and needed a little extra help. Ryan and Uncle Mike were happy to help and make sure his first buzz cut was nice and even. Even though Laura is very sad about all of the long locks that were cut off, we are sure Luke will like his shorter hair much better during the summer months!

 

 

Rehoboth Beach, DE

We just spent another great vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE. We have been going there with Mimi and Popi since 2009 and staying at their good friends house. We got to see Mimi and Popi, Uncle Mike, Aunt Jill, and Hannah while we were there this time around. This year, Caitlynn wasn't afraid of the ocean and went in! She would let Ryan or Mimi hold her or happily go in with her inner tube with anyone. She loved swimming in the ocean and spent most of her days in the water. Luke, on the other hand, was not a huge fan of the water. He did let Ryan and Mimi take him in but didn't want to stay in very long. He was more of a "sand man". We had great weather and really enjoyed our time on the beach.

Popsicle Fun!

Nonna's Surprise Party

We were able to pull off a surprise 60th birthday party for Nonna! Richie, Andrew, and Laura have been planning this party for over a year and were able to pull it off with Pop-pop's help. Nonna had no idea that we were planning this for her and thought she was going out to dinner with Richie and Trish. She was certainly surprised to walk in and here everyone say "Surprise!" to her. She was most surprised to see Andrew and Hilary, who came up from North Caroline to help her celebrate. It was a very nice dinner and were so happy so many of her closest family members and friends came out of help us celebrate with her.

Easter in NJ

We spent Easter in New Jersey with Nonna and Pop-pop again this year. The kids were able to participate in an Easter egg at the park close to there house. There were a lot of kids there so they didn't get many eggs but had fun collecting anyways! I think Luke loved eating the candy inside the best! On Easter Sunday, Nonna and Pop-pop had the entire Campisi family over for dinner. We were going to have an Easter egg hunt outside but the weather was not cooperating so we had it indoors instead! The kids didn't seem to mind at all and loved running around the house to see how many eggs they could get! I think we hid about over 90 eggs and each one was found! Trish's kids, Emily, Caitlin, and Owen, were really good about making sure the smaller kids all had the same amount of eggs. They were even willing to trade their eggs with them! It was a very busy day but we had a great time being with family and watching all the kids laugh and play together!

Philadelphia Zoo

While visiting New Jersey for Easter weekend, we took a day trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. Uncle Richie has a zoo membership and we were all able to go. Nonna, Emily, Caitlin, and Owen joined us for the day. Caitlynn and Luke loved checking out the Reptile and Monkey House. There favorite part had to be the giraffes! We don't have any in the zoo close to our house so it was neat for them to see them up close. We had a great day there and everyone was ready for a little snooze on the ride home!

Visiting NC

We took a trip down to North Caroline to visit Uncle Andrew and Aunt Kitty. We were supposed to go over New Years but the kids and Ryan weren't feeling well so we had to reschedule. The weather was much nicer this time of year so we were able to spend some time outdoors. We went to a children's museum where the kids could touch and feel everything and it had a lot of animals. There was ever a little zoo outside with tigers and monkeys. The kids loved watching the animals the best! Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without some painting with Aunt Kitty. Caitlynn was very excited to get into the painting and loved using all of the colors. She mixed them together on her canvas to see what new colors she could make. Luke was finally able to paint without trying to eat it or just paint himself the entire time. We were also able to go check out there new house that they bought in Greensboro. It's a rancher style home that they completely gutted and are renovating. It's mostly studs right now but it will be really neat once it is complete! We had a great visit with them and are so glad we were able to make it down to spend some time with them!

Luke is 2!

 

Luke is now 2 and we can't believe how much he has grown in the past year! He recently went to doctors for his 2 year check-up. Luke weights 30.2 lbs and is 33 1/3 inches tall. He is finally in the 50% for both his height and weight. Even though his height now means he could be 5 ft 6in, the doctor thinks he will be much taller than this. Ryan certainly hopes so! He is talking in two to three word sentences and is much easier to understand now. He can recognize and name all of his immediate family members by name (such as his aunts and uncles) and is starting to count and say the letters of the alphabet. Luke had to get some shots but hardly cried at all! The doctor thinks he is right on track for his growth and development.

 

Luke is definitely very brave and seems to have no "fear factor" when it comes to heights. He loves climbing up on things and will jump right off if he thinks it will be a safe landing. One of his favorite things to jump on is the couch and from the ottoman to the couch. He also loves the bounce house he got for Christmas (which is probably a safer choice for him!). Though he does like to play with Caitlynn's toys, he is starting to gravitate towards his own toys. He is starting to play with his trucks and cars, trains, and tool set. He has discovered his "hammer" can make loud noises when he bangs it on different objects in the house. He always turns around to see if someone is watching him!

One of Luke's favorite phrases is "I do it!". He no longer wants any adult help to do much of anything! Whether it is getting in and out of his car seat, getting dressed, or cutting up his dinner, he really wants to do everything by himself. Though it can get messy at times, especially with food items, it is fun to see him become more independent and try to tackle new tasks on his own! Speaking of food, Luke continues to eat almost anything you put in front of him and even likes to eat things off of our plates too! If he sees someone else eating it, especially Caitlynn, he wants to "Have some". He doesn't always like everything he tries but at least he is still willing to try things still!

Luke's 2nd Birthday

It was an Elmo Party for Luke's 2nd birthday per his request! It was a small family occasion where Nonna and Pop-pop, Uncle Richie, Trish, and the kids, Mimi and Popi, and Uncle Rusty and Lindsay came. Mimi made the Sesame Street inspired fruit and veggie trays and Nonna made the cake. Luke got lots of clothes for the Spring and Summer, which is just what he needed! He also got some more cars and alphabet puppets (there is a puppet for every letter of the alphabet!). After he opened his gifts, he enjoyed relocating them to Popi. It was a great way to celebrate his day!