Bathing Beauty

Who says you don't get any "firsts" with a seventh child? Here is Natalie having her first real bath, and she is the very first of the Di Silvestri children who did not howl and scream all the way through it. In contrast, she seemed to enjoy it very much!

Couldn't resist posting this photo. She is so very precious.

Happy Birthday Lindsey

I love technology. This is a current photo (I'm talking minutes old, folks) of Lindsey doing what she is still doing right this minute: celebrating her 9th birthday by skiing with her dad. Here she is on the ski lift, where my thoughtful husband was kind enough to not only take a photo of her but to email it to me right away so I could see how their day was going. And now I can share it with all of you while she is still on the slopes. Isn't it great?!

We are fortunate enough to live 45 minutes away from a ski area, and since you get to ski free on your birthday, this was a no-brainer birthday celebration! I'm glad she can spend some daddy-daughter time, too.

Lindsey, happy birthday, my oldest daughter. What a lovely young lady you are. I am proud to be your mother!

So THAT Explains It!

I am reading a totally fascinating book on Feng Shui. I was looking for some furniture-arranging tips for our family room, which has always felt a little sterile to me. Instead, I believe I have found the answer to the very puzzling question of why we have so many kids.

According to the Feng Shui octagon, our bed is located in the "children" section of our master bedroom.

Mystery solved!

Cinematic Redemption

I had a rare date night with Jay tonight. We went to see Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. As you may guess, this was Jay's choice. I would have preferred The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but it is so rare that Jay is adamant about seeing a movie that I easily caved.

In this one film, Jay has redeemed himself from every bad movie he has ever forced me to sit through (Bad Santa, anyone?). This movie was absolutely fantastic. I laughed, I cried (not that it is hard to make me cry, I'll admit, but I would have cried even without the hormones). It is beautifully done, and we both loved it. Really, don't miss this one!

Did You Know...

...that clothes and hats from Build-A-Bear workshop fit newborn babies perfectly?

Well, they do.

Don't ask how I know, I just do.

What's In A Name?

Isabella is learning to say the names of her brothers and sisters. This morning I was so surprised to hear how well she said Tony's name that I asked her to say everyone's name.

"Can you say Joey?"
"Woey."
"Can you say Lindsey?"
"Eensie."
"Can you say Sam?"
"Ham."
"Can you say Natalie?"
"Baby."

Good enough!

Fun With Photos

Our church is doing a picture directory. Many of you have probably participated in something like this before...Olan Mills comes to the church and takes your family portrait, entices you with a free 8x10, a free sitting and a free copy of the directory, and then makes their money selling you additional pictures.

This year I was open to being sold a picture of the kids (normally, we just sit for the directory and that's it). I don't have one with all seven (obviously!) and I happen to have a nice spot on my wall where I would love one. So, it was with high hopes--yet realistic expectations--that we entered for our sitting.

We chose the time slot right before Natalie's baptism so we wouldn't have to dress up twice (good thinking, eh?). I warned the photographer about Isabella (have I mentioned before on this blog that our sweet daughter actually has two personalities and can switch on you at any moment?) and he assured me that he was a professional and that kids like her didn't scare him. I raised my eyebrows at that one, but he was so very confident that he could handle her that I decided to let him.

At first, it went very well. Isabella was happy to sit on my lap and giggled prettily along with the older five children every time his SpongeBob puppet made a tooting noise behind the camera. A classy bunch, my kids.

As soon as Jay and I were removed for my requested "kids only" portrait, however, things went south very quickly. She refused to sit without me, screamed and beat her fists and fell down on the floor in a classic limp noodle move. None of the other kids could hold her and the frustrated photographer finally gave up and started taking photos with just the cooperative six. I let him know pretty quickly that I was not going to purchase as my "big deal" picture a shot that did not include Isabella, so he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and got double busy with SpongeBob. To no avail.

Finally, we had to do exactly what we did in our Christmas photo (see below). Jay had to lay down on the studio floor and hold her up from the bottom while she screamed. The photographer looked as if he really wanted to find himself another job.

But you know what? We got what is sure to be my all time favorite photo of the kids: Isabella is hoisted up by an invisible hand, face contorted into a scream, and every older child is looking at her and laughing. Real belly laughs, not silly "for the camera" grins. I loved it and promptly bought a 20x30 for my wall (to Jay's utter horror, although he, too, loved the picture).

The best part of this whole experience, however, came later. Our friends, who have four children 7 and under, went in for their portrait sitting later that day. Their 1 year old daughter was fussing and they apologized to the photographer who said, "Oh, she's nothing. You should have seen the family that was in here earlier today. Now THAT girl was a piece of work!"

That's my girl!

The Di Silvestri Children, Christmas 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009 to all--may this new year be filled with every kind of blessing!

Well, we're definitely getting older and our New Year celebrations are starting to reflect this undeniable fact (I'm not complaining, by the way, simply reflecting...). As is our custom, we spent our New Year's Eve with dear friends enjoying a fantastic dinner of prime rib, chicken piccatta, shrimp and tiramisu. We all have children the same age and the kids had a ball playing together all evening while the adults visited. We always enjoy this event.

This year, however, reflected a few changes. First of all, we now have so many small children that need our attention that it is nearly impossible for the stars to align such that both Jay and I can sit down to dinner at the same time. Technically, this is not a change, as this as been our state for last decade. The emerging difference is that our sensible friends (who stopped having children long ago) are no longer similarly interrupted, thus making our plight much more noticeable.

Second, the "big moment" isn't what it used to be. In fact, when midnight arrived last night, it found the children enthusiastically counting down with Dick Clark, Jay asleep where he unintentionally stayed after laying down with an injured Tony and a tired Isabella at about 9:30pm, and me doing what I am always doing these days...nursing Natalie. The tide is turning: the children are becoming the revelers and the adults are snoozing in the corner. Scary, but true.

Dick Clark was an eerie reflection of all of this last night. Did you see him? Post stroke, only a shadow of who he was before, but there he was, plugging along nonetheless. I related to him in a strange way. The people around me last night were questioning why he was still there, why he was doing what he was doing in the state he was in, but I understood: he loves it and doesn't want to give it up, even though he is paying a price for it. It's who he is. So it is with having so many kids--they definitely take their toll, but I wouldn't change a thing. So what if we're sleeping/nursing/not celebrating New Year's Eve in a "cool way" at the midnight hour? It's who we are!

Morning Affirmation

This morning Tony walked by me and said, "Mom, you count."

I thought about this for a moment and felt warm all over. Doesn't everyone need to hear this from time to time? I matter to someone! I count for something in his book!

As I sat there, feeling loved and appreciated, he came back by and repeated it: "Mom, you count, I'll hide."

Oh. I get it. I needed to hear the rest of it to understand exactly what he was getting at.

Ah, well. Playing hide and seek with your 3 year old is just another form of affirmation, is it not? I'll take what I can get.

Winter Wonderland

Holy snowflakes, Batman! We got some serious snow, a total novelty for this native California family. Some photos of the amazing past 24 hours here at the Di Silvestri house...

It snowed all day, from 6:30am to midnight, without letting up even once. All told, we got somewhere between 6 and 10 inches (it took awhile to stick, so it is hard to say exactly) and at times the dry, fluffly snowflakes were the size of 50 cent pieces, like this:

The view from our 2nd story window at about 4pm yesterday:

What we woke up to this morning:

The scene as I drove Natalie to her first doctor's appointment this morning, along with all the other people in town who have no idea how to drive in the snow:

The kids went sledding this afternoon, as the snow quickly melted and turned to slush around them (that is Lindsey sliding down in the blue coat). They had so much fun, as school was canceled again today!

After sledding, they all thawed out in the hot tub, because what could be more fun than hot tubbing in the snow?! A priviledged life? I think so!

The kids all prayed it would snow this year...thank you, God, for answering this prayer in such a thorough and wonderful way! We have had so much fun.

A December to Remember

A new baby and snow, all in the same month?! What have we done to deserve this?

School was canceled today (it doesn't take much snow for us Californians to throw in the towel) and, as you can see, the kids have been busy since they woke up. They are pulling the snow off the ground faster than it can accumulate...although at the rate it is currently snowing, they won't be able to beat nature much longer.

They have gone off to sled on Quartz Hill. What novel fun for us all!

That's My Boy

Joey finished his amazing football season last weekend by defeating not one, but two previously undefeated teams in the Jr. Rosebowl Tournament in Orange County. The Hawaii State Champions and the Torrance Panthers both fell to the mighty Rebels in intense competition (followed by much deserved revelry at Knotts Berry Farm). Congratulations, Rebels, what a season!

However, this post is not about Joey. It is about Sam.

Jay took both boys to Orange County for this tournament weekend while I stayed close to home with the little ones, also making sure Lindsey got to sing with her choir at the creche festival (which was lovely, by the way).

On Saturday morning, Joey had to be at the field for weigh in at 6:30 am. The game began at 8am. Jay dropped Joey off and took Sam for breakfast, spending the last of his cash. Jay called me about 7:30 frantic because his ATM card wasn't working for some reason and he needed cash to get into the game. We spent the next hour and a half on the phone with Bank of America trying to get it sorted out and then with American Express trying to get emergency cash so Jay wouldn't miss the game. Jay and Sam went from place to place, with instruction from American Express, to find a Western Union that would open before 10am. It was incredibly frustrating for Jay, as various places told American Express they would be open and then when he arrived they were closed.

Finally, at about 8:30 I remembered that grandma had given Sam $20 for his good report card just before he left. I told Jay to ask him if he had it on him.

Jay said, "Sam, do you have $20?"
"Yeah."
"Are you kidding?"
"No. Why?"

All Jay and I could do was laugh, because Sam was totally unaware during all of this that Jay only needed $8 to get in the game and that he had the means to solve the problem in his pants pocket the entire time. Our incredibly bright, straight A student has so little awareness of what is going on around him sometimes that it can be nothing but totally endearing. That's our Sam, and I couldn't love him more.

No Less Miraculous the 7th Time

Here are some more photos of Natalie. What a joy she is!






I have spent all of my spare time over the last two days staring at her in wonder. Her tiny ears, perfectly formed features, little sighs and grunts are no less amazing to me than Joey's were ten years ago. I could never get tired of looking at this perfect little person, God's creation, who only a few days ago was hidden from sight in my giant belly. I know how fleeting these early days are, so I am trying to be present in every moment.

On another note entirely, take a look at the photo of Lindsey above. Notice the gorgeous, straight teeth? She got her braces off the very day Natalie was born. Congratulations, my dear, you are beautiful!

A Name At Last

For those of you wondering...we have finally chosen a name for our daughter.

Natalie Lucia Di Silvestri, welcome to the world!

More photos tomorrow.

Happy Baby!

Baby Girl Di Silvestri arrived safe and sound at 11pm. She weighed 8lbs 7oz and measured 20.5 inches. Mom is doing fine too. Labor was relatively quick once it got started, thank goodness.

Thanks for your prayers, all is well. We will let you know her name as soon as we pick one!

Finally In the Hospital

Well, my water broke early this morning and I have been sitting on a gurney in the hospital triage since about 10am waiting for a room to open up. One just did about a half hour ago and I am now, happily, in a delivery suite waiting to meet our new daughter.

Since I have not, in the 12 hours since my water broke, established any regular contractions on my own, they have just started me on Pitocin. This is definitely to my dismay, but I am actually glad that I had the time to sit and see what could happen rather than them going right away to the assist.

Hopefully, this will not be the marathon that Isabella's delivery was, but whatever comes, at least the time is here. We'll keep you posted. Keep us (and the grandparents who are watching all the kids and probably have a tougher 24 hours ahead of them than I do) in your prayers!

Jay insisted that I include this photo of me blogging at the hospital...for your amusement:

40 Weeks, 3 Days

This baby is now officially as late as Sam was (my only late baby, by the way). She is apparently interested in becoming the new family record holder for late deliveries.

At least I was able to enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving at home with our family and good friends. I wouldn't have wanted to miss that, so it's not all depressing around here!

In all seriousness, I am feeling fine, my blood sugar is good (even relatively so on Thanksgiving), and the baby seems fine, so I suppose there is no hurry. I am definitely ready to meet my new daughter, but in the meantime am enjoying this long weekend with my family and friends.

After all, it's just a few more days of waking up and saying, "I wonder if I'm going to have a baby today!" And you can't say that every day, now can you?

Further Evidence I Married the Right Man

He's prepared for anything (as a good Cub Scout leader should be)...


He goes to great lengths to ensure his children have a variety of positive childhood memories...


And, he looks fabulous, even covered in whipped cream!


Thank you, Jay, for being such a wonderful father.


Late Addition from Lindsey: "Make sure you tell them the kids were falling on the ground in laughter and that he got the most pies in the face."
OK, I will!

2008 Superbowl Champions

Congratulations, West Valley Rebels, on your 18-12 Superbowl victory over the previously undefeated Jets!

This was, hands down, the most exciting football game I have ever seen. I jumped up and down, I stomped my feet, I yelled until I was hoarse. Both teams were truly excellent.

The game was tied 12-12 in the 4th quarter with 56 seconds to go. The Jets got the ball due to an objectively bad referee call (really, we're not biased here) and we thought it was over for us. But then the Jets passed the ball, we intercepted it, and ran it in for the winning touchdown. It couldn't have been closer or more of a nail biter. Now that's football, baby!

I am truly sorry for the Jets who are nothing but stunned right now. Several of the boys were crying after the game. Many of them have played for 3 or 4 years and never, ever lost a game. I don't think it occurred to them that they could possibly lose. Which is exactly why I believe we won. As the Rebel coaches said afterward: You wanted it more. It showed from the minuted you walked on the field. I'd like to think that our boys would have been happy with the way they played even if the game had gone the other way in the final minute, as it very well could have. But I'm also glad we don't have to know for sure.

Well, if all that jumping, screaming and stomping doesn't bring on labor, I fear nothing well. Or--scary thought--perhaps I scared her into staying another week! Ah, well, if I did it was worth it. Almost, anyway.

And Yet Another Pregnancy Update

39 weeks, 3 days. But who's counting?

OK, I'll admit it, I am.

But so far, to no avail. I just returned from the doctor who reported that there are no signs whatsoever that this baby has any intention of leaving my body. Ever. (OK, I added that part). But since she seems to be the right size and perfectly healthy, this is not yet a problem. (For her, at any rate!)

Well, on the positive side, it looks like I'll make it to Joey's Superbowl tomorrow. Go Rebels!