Author: Michael Pellegrini

Today I woke up early with Elise and made breakfast for everyone. Last Sunday we decided that we were going to make Sunday morning breakfast a family tradition. It’s nice to get everyone together for a morning meal and there’s so many different directions you can go with breakfast. This morning I made oatmeal with brown sugar and French toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar. It was my first time making French toast and I was happy with how it turned out. I’m not sure how this never came up during the last 6 years but I found out this morning that Jessica hates oatmeal. She tried to eat a little of it but couldn’t do it. I love it and was happy to help out.

After breakfast the four of us headed down to Idylwood park in Redmond. A couple guys that I work with brought their wives and kids down to the park and we all had a nice time hanging out and playing on the beach. Ava wasn’t very interested in being a part of the group activities, which meant I spent the majority of the time there following Ava around and keeping her out of things. I was glad that Jessica got a chance to meet some of my co–workers wives and hang out for a bit. Elise drew a fair amount of attention today, including random strangers that came over to say hi and ask about her.

Since we had lots of fresh produce from yesterday I decided to make a nice dinner for Jess and I before I had to leave for the soccer game. Brenda showed me how to make kale chips in the oven yesterday with a little olive oil and salt, so I made those, plus some breaded cod and a warm corn salad with heirloom tomatoes, basil, garlic, lemon, cayenne pepper and brown sugar. It turned out really tasty and we were able to have a nice early dinner before Ava woke up from her nap.

Speaking of cooking, Jim had a great idea yesterday of doing a family recipes website that everyone could contribute to. I really love the idea of having a central location to share everyone’s family recipes and it sounds like a fun project, so I’m slowly going to start working on that in my free time. Obviously there isn’t an abundance of free time available right now, so the project will progress slowly, but it will be a lot of fun and more than worth it in the end. If you’re reading this and you have some great family recipes in mind be sure to write them down. We’ll be asking for them soon enough.

Going to the soccer game tonight is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. I can’t believe its taken me this long to get to a Sounders game, but I definitely picked a good one to start out with. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we were playing the Portland Timbers, which is a big rivalry, and we’ve now got Clint Dempsey on our team, who is a true superstar in soccer. It turned out to be the biggest soccer game in Pacific Northwest history, with over 67,000 in attendance! Although I’ve never been to a college football game, I imagine that tonight’s crowd was more inline with that type of event than any other pro sporting event that I’ve ever been to. There was such an incredible energy amongst the crowd and surprisingly little tension between Sounders and Timbers fans.

Seattle ended up winning the game 1–0 on a corner kick header by Eddie Johnson. It was such an exciting play and the entire stadium went nuts. There were several close calls going down to the last minute, but we were able to hold out for the win. After the game I ran into an old restaurant friend that I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was definitely a lot of fun and Sean seemed to have a great time. His birthday is a couple weeks away and he’s a huge soccer fan so this seemed like the best way to celebrate.

Time to call it a night and get ready for another busy week at work. This was definitely a great weekend that I will not forget. Looking forward to the company all–hands meeting this Tuesday. We do them every 6 months so this will be my second one. It’s pretty exciting to see all the cool new stuff that is going on throughout the company. Also looking forward to Rick and Chris arriving for their visit this week. We should be in for another good weekend with them in town.

I’ve had a lot of great times with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda over the years but today has to be right around the top of the list. Jim and I have been talking about going to the shooting range for a while now but today we finally went and did it. It was a treat for my birthday and ended up being so much fun. I’ve only gone shooting twice before, most recently a couple years ago with Tom in San Diego. I’m not going to lie, I’m mostly into shooting because I’m so into watching the Tv show Top Shot. Jess and I have seen every episode and its sparked an interest in shooting for me.

Jim brought a couple revolvers, most notably a Smith & Wesson Performance Center .357 magnum, plus he rented the Smith & Wesson .50 caliber revolver. This thing is an absolute hand cannon with a 10 inch barrel. Unbelievable gun. Most of the time was spent shooting Jim’s .357, and I’d say it was my favorite of the 3 we shot. That thing is so smooth and accurate… I totally want one now. We also shot a little snub nose revolver and surprisingly enough, that little gun hurt your hand way more to fire than either of the big ones. I definitely want to get back out there with them again sometime soon. I told Jessica this morning when we woke up that all I wanted to do was shoot a bullseye with the .50 caliber. Mission accomplished.

Not only did Jim take me shooting, but the three of us went to lunch at Arturo’s Mexican Restaurant in Des Moines. I designed and built the website for Arturo’s about a year ago when we were living in San Diego. Until today I hadn’t met him or been to his restaurant. We ended up having a great lunch and it was really nice to finally get to meet him. When it was time to go home Jim and Brenda sent me with a bag full of my favorite chocolate mint cookies, a red wagon for the girls, and a bag full of fresh produce, including sweet corn that was picked in the fields that morning. This was so nice and thoughtful of them and we all appreciate it very much. You’ve always been so good to me and it means a lot.

While I was gone today Jessica took the girls downtown for a visit with Laurel. They spent time walking around Belltown, Queen Anne, and got to go to the sculpture park. Jessica stopped by El Gaucho for the first time in quite a while and got to say hello to a couple people. It sounded like they had a really nice time. We had to try out the new wagon with Ava tonight so the four of us did an evening trip to the park. Ava ran over to the wagon the second she saw it and was more than happy to get in and go for a ride. I have fond memories of my Dad towing me around in a little red wagon so I’m glad to be doing it now with the girls. A wagon is one of those things that has to be a part of every kid’s life so I’m glad that Ava is so into it.

Tonight we’re going to make a nice dinner with a bunch of the fresh produce, then tomorrow we’re meeting some of my friends from work at Idylwood Park in Redmond. It’s a beautiful park on Lake Sammamish and its only about 5 minutes from our house. Several of the guys I work with have young kids so we thought it would be fun to get the families together before the summer officially ends. I’m not sure who all is going to show up but as long as the weather holds out it should be a lot of fun. Then tomorrow evening I’m taking my buddy Sean to the Sounders game for his birthday. I’ve never been to a soccer game before but I love watching the World Cup, so it should be a lot of fun. It’s a huge rivalry game with Portland and I heard they were expecting 60,000 people!

There a link down below the pictures to see my first shot with the .50 caliber. Here’s a few pics from today.

Ava loves her new wagon

Guess which shot was last…

First time shooting the .50 caliber –– click here to see

Jessica and I both had busy weeks this week so now we’re enjoying a nice relaxing weekend at home. At this point I think she’s got it down watching two babies all day but it can still be challenging at times. I had a pretty crazy week at work, which I’m sure will resume tomorrow morning, but it’s all good. Although the novelty of my new job has worn off, I still enjoy the work and the people on my team very much. Having Garth, my web development mentor, join my team and become my direct co–worker a couple weeks ago is going to be very beneficial for my career. I’m already learning lots of new things just from being able to spend everyday with him.

Next weekend is going to be the opposite of this one, meaning that I have a lot going on. Saturday my Uncle Jim and I are going to the shooting range to fire a few different hand guns, then we’re going to have lunch at Arturo’s Mexican Restaurant. It’s about time I finally eat there considering I built their website a while back. Sunday night I’m taking my good friend Sean Beavers to the Sounders game for his birthday. The timing worked out perfect because Sean is taking a few weeks off work and there’s a home game that Sunday night. I’ve already got my Sounders jersey and am getting really excited. The only soccer game I’ve ever been to, other than ones that I played in as a little kid, was back in High School. I’ve certainly never seen professional soccer in person so it should be a great night.

Our little girls are both doing really well. I hate to compare Elise to Ava all the time but I’ve never spent much time around babies before having my own, so Ava is all I have to compare her to. Elise turned a month old this week and is doing great. She had a checkup with her doctor on Thursday and everything looked good. She’s definitely a bit more needy than Ava was at this age. By that all I mean is that she likes to be held all the time. She’ll be crying about something, then as soon as you pick her up everything is fine. I don’t remember Ava being that way as a newborn, although she’s a bit more like that now.

Elise is still officially the loudest baby I’ve ever seen/heard. She’s sleeping better at night, but she grunts a lot and makes funny noises. She’s definitely got a big appetite just like Ava, and she’s spending more time awake everyday. I think her vision is starting to improve because she stares at me now and seems to react a little when I change expressions. I haven’t figured out how to calm her down as easily as I did with Ava. For some reason I’ve always been able to soothe Ava and get her to stop crying easily, but that hasn’t been the case so far with Elise. I’m sure that will all change once she gets a little bigger, but for now there are plenty of times where the only thing that will calm her down is eating, or pretending to eat even when there is nothing left.

Jessica is doing really well in terms of recovery and is almost back to her normal self. We’ve been going on long walks again and she’s getting a little exercise in at home. We’re hoping to start exercising more frequently here pretty soon, it’s just always tough to find time. Generally I come home from work and have to jump right into homework, then make dinner. Doesn’t leave a lot of time for exercise or fun activities but that will all change when I finish in June.

Speaking of school, everything is still going smoothly. The second half of the summer quarter starts today so I have two new classes to focus on. I like how they split the quarters up in half, meaning that you only have to focus on two classes at a time, but at an accelerated pace. I got A’s in both classes during the first half of the quarter so hopefully that will continue on.

The end of summer is just around the corner and we’re honestly not ready for it. Ava is determined to go outside and play everyday and Jessica isn’t sure what she’s going to do once the rainy weather arrives. I guess that’s something the girls are just going to have to get used to growing up in the Pacific Northwest. When the weather is good here, it’s really good, and it never gets very cold or snowy, but we get more than our fair share of rain. It’s times like these where you can’t help but miss San Diego, but that’s okay. We love it here and are so glad to have moved back. I think Rick and Chris’ visit for Labor Day weekend will mark the end of our summer, but that mean’s that football is starting, so I’m good with that.

The girls have a fun week to look forward to, including visits with friends and possibly a trip to the zoo. Jessica is working on getting all of Elise’s nursery letters together. Hopefully we can put them up soon. I haven’t had to travel for work in a while and love being home all the time. Time to make breakfast and get started on some homework!

Today the four of us attended our first annual Amazon summer picnic. I’d heard that this was a really fun family event with games, shows, live music, and food, so we thought it would be fun to check out. This year the event was held at Century Link stadium, which is the home of the Seahawks and Sounders. There was a big stage with a band playing right on the field and everyone was welcome to go out there. They had games and obstacle courses setup everywhere so Ava and I ran around for a while. As a football fan it was cool to be out on an NFL field looking up at the stands.

There were games and rides, a toddler zone that Ava enjoyed running around in, and lots of different types of food to choose from. This definitely puts all other company events I’ve attended to shame. I think it will become a fun family tradition that we’ll look forward to every summer. I ended up buying a Sounders jersey at the team store so that I can wear it to the game Sean and I are going to on the 25th. I’ve never been to a professional soccer game and we’re playing Portland, which is a big rivalry, so it should be a lot of fun.

Both of the girls did really great all day. Ava didn’t get her normal nap but she was a champ the whole time. I don’t think we’d made it 5 blocks in the car before both of them passed out. Probably going to lay low for the rest of the weekend. Here’s a few pics from today.

Elise already loves reading

Ava and I playing on the Seahawks field

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ava have this much fun

Today we had a visit from Uncle Jim, Aunt Brenda, my cousin Kristy and her daughter Madi. They came up to see us, meet Elise, and deliver lots of toys to the girls. I’m not kidding when I say lots of toys either. We’ve now got a Harley Davidson scooter, a bike, a drum, etch–a–sketch, toy phones, and so much more. Now that Madi is getting so big she’s decided it was time to move on from a lot of stuff and was so kind to give it all to us for Ava and Elise to enjoy.

Ava was a little out of sorts when they first arrived, mostly because she’s not used to having many visitors, but she quickly warmed up and we soon all found ourselves downstairs playing in the kids room. Of all the new toys in there Ava seemed most interested in the drum. I remember her playing drums on her high chair with plastic spoons, but now she’s got an actual little drum and two sticks to play with. The musician in me is hoping that she will take a genuine interest in any instrument, even if that means banging your head against the wall every now and then while they learn how to play it.

It was really nice having everyone over and I want to make a point to get together more often. Kristy and I live about an hour apart but Jim and Brenda are right in the middle so that helps. Jim and I were talking more today about going to the shooting range so I’m hoping to do that within the next few weeks. Madi was very excited to get to hold a baby and she did a great job. She held Elise 3 or 4 separate times and looked like a natural. Elise even fell asleep in her arms a couple times.

We’ve been getting spoiled by having so many family members and friends coming over to visit. Everyone has been so kind and thoughtful. We definitely appreciate all the love and support we’ve been receiving from everyone. Their visit was definitely the highlight of our weekend. We’re planning on just relaxing at home tomorrow and getting ready for another busy week starting Monday. It seems that we’re getting more regular traffic here on the site so I’m going to try to write more frequent posts. It’s always nice to hear that people are enjoying the updates. Here’s a few pics from today’s visit, as well as the ‘Happy Birthday’ message I was greeted with after work on Tuesday.

Ava playing with Kristy

Aunt Brenda holding Elise

Madi did a great job holding Elise

Happy Birthday message from my girls

My Mom flew out to spend the weekend with us. It’s my birthday weekend, but more importantly it was her first visit with Elise. Bella and I picked her up Friday afternoon at SeaTac after spending the day at the office. I brought Bella to work for Amazon Doggie Days and she seemed to have fun. There were tons of dogs there doing photos and obstacle courses. Jessica was mostly happy because Bella got her nails clipped during the festivities. Laurel was over at the house when we returned and was nice enough to bring us dinner. We spent the evening making San Diego style fish tacos and playing with the kids.

We had a nice relaxing weekend at home and didn’t do much besides go on walks and take the kids to the park. The weather has been beautiful lately so we tend to find ourselves hanging out outside as much as possible. My Mom and Denny both finished their letters for Elise’s nursery and they both turned out great. My Mom’s letter has so many family photos that she shrunk down and pasted on. If I had to pick a favorite it would have to be hers. It’s like a visual history of our family.

Tonight I’ll be taking Mom back to the airport, which means we are officially on our own starting tomorrow morning. We’ve had help from Grandma’s for the last few weeks but this is a whole new ballgame. Elise still seems to have her days and nights mixed up so the last few nights have been a little rough. I’m a bit worried about Jessica watching both of them alone while she is still recovering but I know everything will be fine. Whatever phase we’re currently in won’t last long enough for us to get used to it before the next phase starts. It’s most important to not take anything for granted and enjoy it while it lasts. Before we know it we’ll be talking about what it was like when the girls were babies.

The month of August should allow us to get into a groove. School is cruising along and I’m within 11 months of graduation. Work is going great as well so I have no complaints. We’re all feeling very fortunate and loved lately. It’s been great seeing and talking with friends and family and we’re looking forward to seeing many more very soon. Next weekend we’re visiting with Jim, Brenda, Kristy and Madi so that should be a lot of fun. Then we have Rick and Chris coming out for Labor Day weekend. Finally, there will be a visit from Larry, Sherry, Amy and Tom in September. Lots of good stuff to look forward to. Here’s a few photos and videos from Nana’s weekend with the girls.

Ava and Nana playing a game on the iPad

My Mom holding Elise for the first time

Our little sumo wrestler

Smiling in her sleep

Elise and Dad hanging out after dinner

Click here to watch a video of Ava and Dad playing in the front yard.

Click here to watch a video of Ava and Nana reading ‘I Saw The Baby.’

Tomorrow morning I’ll head back to work after a week at home with everyone. It’s been a busy week full of adjustments, projects, and waking at strange hours in the night. All in all things are going well, and we’ve received a ton of help from Amy. We knew having two this young would be challenging so its been nice having her here to help ease that transition. The week has definitely gone by a little quicker than I would have liked, but its actually been pretty relaxing, all things considered. I’m sure I’ll be back into a groove at work in no time and I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Ava has been doing pretty well with the transition. She seems to understand that the baby is here for good and that they have the same Mom. Ava still cries sometimes when Elise cries but hopefully that won’t go on for too much longer. There has definitely been some acting out throughout the week but I’m proud of her. Her whole world has been flipped upside down and she’s dealing with it awfully well.

Elise turns one week old today. I can say that I’ve now been pooped and pee’d on more in one week with Elise than in 20 months with Ava. I’m not sure what’s going on exactly, but every time I hold her she seems to have to go… a lot. One day we went through 4 diapers in 5 minutes. She’s still got her days and nights mixed up a bit but hopefully we’ll get her onto a normal schedule pretty soon. She’s spending more and more time awake everyday and even graces us with the occasional smile.

Jessica is doing really well and gaining her strength back. She’s not been getting the best sleep lately, due to the fact that Elise likes to eat about every 2 hours and Jess is the only one that can feed her, but she’s hanging in there. We’re starting to go on walks again and will gradually start increasing our activity in the next couple weeks. We’re hoping to be jogging at the local track by August 1st. We know that someday we’ll look back and laugh about times like these, but as usual, Jess is doing amazing. The girls are so luck to have her as a Mom.

Here’s a photo of Elise at 1 week old.

Today is a day that we will never forget as long as we live. Our sweet little girl, Elise LaFleur Pellegrini, has arrived! She was originally due on July 13 and ended up being born at 5:21am on July 14, so I think it’s fair to say that she was right on time. Elise weighed in at 7 pounds 8 ounces, and measured 21 inches long.

Jessica started going into labor yesterday around 4:00pm. She was having regular contractions about 8 minutes apart, so we decided to go for a walk to help expedite the process. Initially we didn’t want to get our hopes up because you never know if the contractions are suddenly going to stop, but by about 7:30pm we knew that this was the real deal. We tried to treat it like a normal night; I made dinner and the three of us watched a movie.

Jessica continued having contractions through the night, so at about 1:30am we decided to call my sister Dana to have her come over to watch over Ava. Jessica, Amy and I arrived at the birth center at about 2:30am and they were just getting all setup for her. I had already spoken on the phone with the midwife and she was just a moment behind us getting there. The whole concept of giving birth at a birth center is very different from your typical hospital birth. You’re in a ‘birthing suite’ containing a bed, jacuzzi, shower, and furniture. You have complete control over the atmosphere, so we had candles, dim lights, and music to make things more comfortable for Jessica.

The most difficult part of this whole process from my perspective was seeing Jessica in so much pain. She didn’t take any pain killers this time and was an absolute trooper throughout the entire experience. The three hours that took place between us arriving at the birth center and Jessica delivering Elise were some of the most intense hours of my life. To see your wife in so much pain and not be able to do anything other than be there and hold her is really tough. There were times when each of us questioned whether going to the hospital and getting an epidural would have been the right thing to do, but ultimately she toughed it out and did it naturally.

Surprisingly Jessica ended up preferring the jacuzzi because it made her contractions more bearable, so she ended up going in there two separate times. It was during this second time in the jacuzzi that Elise was delivered. I’ve heard of water deliveries before but never expected that to be what we would do, but it worked out perfectly. The best part about doing the natural birth was that we were allowed to go home less than three hours after Elise was born. Since Jessica hadn’t taken any pain killers she was able to walk, and Elise was looking perfect, so we were home before Ava finished breakfast. That was definitely the best part of the whole experience. We hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot when leaving the birth center before Jessica stated that this was a much better experience than we had at the hospital in San Diego. Getting to come home with Elise so quickly was amazing.

Here are several pictures from Elise’s first day of life. Words can’t express how proud I am of Jessica, and how much I love my family.

This was taken right before we went to the birth center

This is the first picture taken of Elise, just moments after delivery

Getting all checked out

Ready to head home

Elise being held by Auntie Dana for the first time

Elise and Laurel, the two birthday girls

Ava out enjoying the sun on Elise’s birthday

Holding my 2 girls together for the first time

Grandma Amy came into town on Friday night to stay with us for a few weeks and help with the new baby. Yesterday she and Jessica got a bunch of work done on Elise’s bedroom, and today they’re out visiting with Laurel while Ava and I spend the day at home. This is probably the last day that just Ava and I will have together for a while so we’re having lots of fun. I’m actually writing this from our front yard while Ava runs around climbing on stuff and collecting rocks.

Thursday we celebrated the 4th of July by going to the festivities in downtown Issaquah. There was a small parade, playground, pony rides, slug races, slides, and lots of food. Ava seemed to enjoy watching the parade, then we ran around the playground for a bit and went down the slide together a few times. She wanted to keep walking when we were leaving and ended up walking at least a quarter of a mile back to the car. I was impressed that she could go that far without stopping.

We got a chance to say hi to Dana on the phone Thursday afternoon and wish her a happy birthday. She and Brad were doing their annual trip to Leavenworth and were having a great time as always. That night we were able to watch two separate fireworks shows going on over Lake Sammamish from our front yard. It was a surprisingly good view from where we stood, but maybe next year we’ll have to get up on the roof to be able to see the whole show.

School officially started back up today. Having the last two weeks off school has been really nice but I’m happy to be back in. It’s mostly all programming work now and that’s what I like doing best. We were hoping Elise would arrive during my break from school but no such luck. I always do my homework early so I’m not too worried about turning in late work when she does decide to make her appearance. We’re totally ready and waiting at this point so hopefully it will be this week. The sooner the better as far as Jessica is concerned.

I don’t have to worry about any work travel for now so that’s nice, especially considering its Summer. Its been pretty hot here lately, including a couple days in the 90’s, but then I talk to my Mom and hear its been 115 in Vegas. Kinda puts things in perspective. I’m just glad we still have our portable air conditioner. Moving it from room to room isn’t very fun but Jess would be dying without it. I’m pretty buried with work right now but I’m probably only taking 3 days off when Elise is born so I won’t get too far behind. With any luck this will be the last post before Elise arrives.

Earlier this week Jessica was doing one of her regular checks on the website to see if Bruno had been adopted and she couldn’t find him. She emailed her contact at the shelter and we found out that Bruno has been adopted by a new family! Apparently the shelter had already turned down at least one family because they wanted to make sure they found the perfect fit for him. As we know, Bruno requires lots of outdoor time and exercise; something that we were no longer able to provide him with. His new family has teenage kids and they are very active, outdoor people, which is perfect for Bruno. We were very excited to hear the news, even though we still miss him and think of him often. He was such a character, and will never be replaced, but I’m very happy that he is with a family that can give him what he deserves.

We’re getting very close to Elise’s arrival. Our friends Leon and Jodi just had their son Miles on Friday, as did our friends James and Amanda, whose daughter Winslow was born the same day right down the hall. This means we’re the only ones left so hopefully it will be soon. Jessica hasn’t been feeling very good today so she’s resting in bed. It’s great having her home all the time but I know she’s getting anxious. I’m just glad she held out while I was traveling for work earlier in the week. I won’t be leaving again for a while.

Ava is doing great and absolutely loves going outside to play. Rain or shine, she wants to be out there everyday and doesn’t take no for an answer. In a way its a little bit sad that these are the last days we’ll have with her as our only child, but that sentiment is largely overshadowed by the excitement of the impending arrival of her little sister. Ava got to spend some time this week with Uncle Butch and Aunt Carol while we attended Kallan’s high school graduation. As usual she spent the whole time chasing their dog Max and playing in the yard.

I finished my final project of the quarter today which means several things: First it means I’m on a two week break from school. It would be so perfect if Elise could arrive during my break so my fingers are crossed. Next, it means that I am done with all of my prerequisite classes; no more math, no more economics, no more project management, etc. From here on out its all programming classes, which is exactly what I joined for. Getting classically trained in computer programming is going to help my career as a web developer quite a bit, so I’m excited to finally be at that stage in the curriculum. Finally, being done with this quarter means that I’m officially in my final year of school. Exactly one year from now I’ll be graduating and it feels good to know that I’m getting so close to completion.

Here are a few recent pics

More whip cream please