One word...

Norovirus!

We have arrived home for the holidays and we brought more then just gifts...we brought the norovirus (or at least that is our diagnosis).

What is the norovirus? A group of viruses that cause the “stomach flu,” or gastroenteritis, in people.

The good news is that it is a hard and fast illness. We think Gianna started it last Wednesday when she was home from day care because of vomiting. She recovered quickly and all was good until Friday night when Mike woke up sick. We weren't sure if it was food poisoning (we went out to dinner the night before) or possibly the flu. Not knowing exactly what it was and seeing as though I felt fine, we decided to hop in the car and head to out next destination. Half way there, I started to feel sick which typically wouldn't be a big deal but I was driving. By the time we arrived, Mike was driving (because he felt better) and every joint in my body was aching.

Fast forward 18 hours and I healed.
12 hours later - my mom had it (for 3 days).
12 hours later - my dad had it (for 1 day).
We were able to break the cycle with my sister - who lived with Lysol in her hands!

Oh and by the way, there are no antibiotics and just a few basic ways to avoid the norovirus such as washing hands and staying away from infected individuals.

'Tis the season to share with friends and family right?

Learn all about the norovirus on the CDC website.

35th Wedding Anniversary Memories

Not only did we get to celebrate Christmas with our families but this week was also my parents 35th Wedding Anniversary! Every year we take them out for dinner for their anniversary but this year we wanted to try something different. We figured with Gianna it would be a little bit more difficult to manage her at a nice restaurant so we decided to bring in a personal chef.

Brenda Monahan, owner of My Thyme, Your Place - blmcmp@rit.edu, came over to make an amazing dinner for everyone. With Brenda's help, we personalized a menu that we knew my parents would like which included an appetizer, a salad, a main course with two sides, and dessert. Brenda made ample portions and we have a bunch of left overs for a second meal. She was very personable and the meal was amazing. Thanks Brenda.

Our first sick day

It all began yesterday with some vomitting after Gianna's morning feeding. Ok, I can't lie, it wasn't some vomitting -- it was a lot of vomitting. After I dried both of us off, I took her temperature and she didn't have a fever. I figured it was just something I ate the night before, the fact that I had a hard morning workout, or a side effect of the shots she got the day before. I mentioned it to Bina so she could keep me posted if she kept vomiting.

I spoke to Bina around noon and all was good!

Then at 4:30 my cell rang and "Bina" popped up on the caller ID. (Talk about your heart stopping because I knew she wasn't calling to say hi). She wanted to let me know that Gianna has been sleeping a ton and just threw up her 3:45 feeding. She thought I should call the doctor just to make sure everything was ok.

After leaving two messages for the on-call doctor and waiting an hour and a half, I finally got a return call.

The diagnosis (so far): .a small stomach bug.
The solution: keep her home from Bina's, smaller feedings more frequently, alternating breast milk and Pedialyte.

Since she woke up this morning, we have had two small feedings with very little spit up and she's down for her second cat nap. Keep your fingers crossed.

From a work perspective, I'm going to see if I can keep some of my afternoon conference calls but am willing to move them if I need to. Only problem is that if I need to reschedule I wouldn't be able to meet again until middle of January as my schedule is booked. It's a good problem to have but I feel bad for the people I might need to move. Flexibility is my middle name.

Chunky Applesauce Recipe

At our Christmakkah party this weekend, I brought the Famous DeBergalis Family Homemade Chunky Applesauce. It was such a hit that I was asked to post the recipe on the blog - so here it is...

Ingredients:
4 apples, washed, peeled and cut into pieces
2/3 c water
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c raisins
1 packet Splenda

Directions:
In saucepan, combine apples and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender. Use a fork to mash undrained cooked apples. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and Splenda. Keep on low until served. Serves 4.

Christmakkah Party and Rice Cereal

Now, some of you are probably either trying to pronounce the title of this blog or if you can say it, you're probably wondering what it means. Well "Christmakkah" (Christ-mah-ka) is the combined celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah, picture Santa Claus and dreidals . So last night we were invited to a Christmakkah party with a bunch of friends and here are some pictures. By the way, don't you love her Christmas outfit?? Mike now knows what bloomers are!

My eye's are still blue!


I'm sitting up like a Big Girl.


My BFF's Olivia and Tyler



Daddy, Can I have some of your beer?

Also the Doctor has given us the OK to start Gianna on rice cereal. So far so good -- we have cereal on her face, cereal on her bib, cereal on her seat although I'm not sure how much cereal is going down her throat. Oh well, at least we're having fun.

Gianna's 4 Month Birthday

Another month has passed and we have new stats.

Of course there are the 4 month birthday pictures -- can't forget the birthday hat. I wanted to take this picture in her 'birthday suit' but Mike wouldn't allow it. Maybe for her 6 month : ).






Along with the 4 month pictures was a 4 month doctors visit. She was supposed to have another round of shots but with her cold, we decided to hold off a week. We got the go ahead to start introducing rice cereal with a spoon to get her used to feeling a spoon in her mouth. Once she is good with that we can do Stage I foods, but only 1 per week so we can track any allergies. We have all of her updated stats. She is right on track for her age.

Height 25 in (75%)
Weight 14.1 lbs (75%)

Over the weekend, although Gianna had a horrible cold, she was still in a wonderful mood. Mike started to get Gianna's cold on Sunday so he was banned from touching her. In order to entertain her, he would do funny things to make her smile. One of the things that she really loved was his Bullwinkle interpretation. She was laughing so hard and we were able to capture some of it. This video makes our day...Enjoy!

Online Coupons

My latest thing is trying to find online coupons not only for shopping online but also for grocery's. Mike and I don't get the paper daily (or even on weekends) so I have resorted to the Internet to find printable coupons to take to the store. Even today, there was a segment on the Today Show that recommended some different sites to use. I've taken a look at those sites as well as other's that I have found and here are some of my favorites. (The site that I used a lot in the past was retailmenot.com although it appears as if companies have learned about this site and are no longer allowing codes to be posted. )

*FAVORITE* coupons.com - Love this site because you put in your zip code and they personalize the main page for coupons in your area. To print them out, you check the box and when you're done all of the coupons you checked are on one printable page

ebates.com - This site has a lot of information and is difficult to navigate but is still use full

cellfire.com - This is a unique site. This is a online coupon site for your cell phone or PDA. You download the program (for free) to your cell or PDA. Then you browse the coupons that are valid in your area. When you find one you like, you save it and then when ready to use it, show the code to the cashier. No paper coupons required. It is still brand new but I definitely think it will catch on.

In a quest for knowledge sharing, which online coupon sites do you love?

Thanksgiving vacation - in pictures

~The tallest with the smallest~


~Cousin Francesca & I~



~Me on my butterfly mat~



~4 generations of DeBergalis/Cimineri's~


~4 generations of Gurowicz/DeBergalis/Cimineri's~



~4 generations of Cimineri's~