Dana Daily

My sister delivered her second baby today. Anthony Joseph (AJ) was born at 1:21pm and weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 19.5" long. We are all so excited to have a new little baby to love. I love that William, her oldest, is right in there age-wise with the girls, and Seth will have AJ to hang out with as they get older. Initially I thought this baby would be a girl, but his heart rate was inline with where Seth's had been, much slower than the girls had been, so I wasn't surprised to hear she had a boy. Here he is just a few hours old. We popped into the hospital briefly just to meet AJ, but plan to return on Monday when I have the girls so they can see him. I'd like to visit longer once they're home, but vacation will be over soon so we'll have to see how that works out. Inevitably everyone asks if holding him makes me want another, and I can honestly say, no. I love newborns, I love the squish, their sweetness, and just holding them for hours, but I am perfec...

To celebrate our third anniversary, Sal planned an evening out in Pittsburgh. He wanted to start with a tour of The Frick , but they had overbooked their 4pm tour so we had to come up with a Plan B. We had dinner reservations for 7 so we had about three hours. I looked up Heinz History Center , but they closed at 5 so that didn't fit our time frame. Sal suggested Phipps Conservatory . We didn't realize that they have their candlelight winter flower show going on right now so that was a sweet treat. There was no street parking so we coughed up $10 for valet parking, which ended up being worth it. It was cold and the valet parking is at the entrance and they set up huge heaters for those waiting for their cars. We arrived right around 5pm so it wasn't horribly crowded yet. By the time we left, the line was out the door. We hadn't been to Phipps in a couple of years, and never to the Christmas show. It was beautiful, and warm. A win/win in my opinion. We were able to...

Today is Sal's birthday so I stopped at Walmart to pick up a cake (have you had their to-die-for icing), and we ordered pizza for dinner. I know, fancy. Seth thought all the candles on Sal's cake were pretty cool, and in just a couple of months, he'll have his own when we celebrate his second birthday. I have Sal a shaving cream set from the Art of Shaving. I get this for him every year for either his birthday or Christmas. Both of us had gone to work so our evening was kind of rushed, but we have a date planned for this Saturday which will come us some much needed us time.

I generally work at home on Wednesdays, but I needed to be in the office today. It was also a long day for Sal. We have a date night planned for this Saturday, but neither of us felt like cooking. We headed to Eat-n-Park for a quick dinner with Seth. The traditional gift for third anniversaries is leather so I bought Sal a card with our initials engraved in leather hearts on the front. I also found him a leather steering wheel cover with the Indians logo on it. He gave me a black and white Mickey and Minnie card with the most perfect message inside. He also gave me one of our wedding pictures engraved in leather and framed. It's so cool. Sal is truly is an awesome husband, a wonderful stepfather and role model, and a great daddy. We have our little moments, like every couple, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over and there's no one else I'd rather be "doing life" with. I can't wait for the rest of our forever.

When I was a kid we had set routines for each one, which was great, but over the years times changed and it was really difficult to break from tradition. For example, every year my maternal grandparents hosted Thanksgiving so we would drive to their farmhouse for the quintessential Thanksgiving experience. When my grandfather passed in 1997, it left me reeling. I felt like the holidays would never be the same, and in reality that was true. They haven't been the same since, and it took a long time for me to find the joy in Thanksgiving again. I put a good show and pretended we were moving on, but I still longed for the Thanksgiving of my childhood. After over-thinking and reflecting on the holidays, I decided our Thanksgivings wouldn't be the same year after year. I want to change them up, do different things, celebrate different places, etc so that my children don't fall into the "holidays are ruined because they're not the same anymore" trap. This is why ...

I really hate to cook and bake, and spend time in my kitchen in general. It's just not my thing and I get Sal to do as much of it as possible. It's something I want to like, I just don't. That said, I come from a long line of women who, at the bare minimum, actually like to cook so I know more about it than I should. The recipe I found said that using an immersion blender would give the cranberries a smooth texture, and that's what I want. I'm not into chunks :-) Lucky for me, Target had small appliances on sale for 20% off so I bought one. This is weird too. As much as I hate spending time in the kitchen, I love kitchen gadgets. I actually use my steamer, a mini food processor, and now my immersion blender pretty regularly. Anyway, we bought fresh cranberries at Shop N Save and I went to town making the cranberry sauce. It was as easy as I had hoped, and Seth and I loved watching the cranberries pop, although at first he thought it was pop-porn (popcorn). W...

Remember that stomach bug from hell Seth had last month? Well, Sarah came down with it Sunday. In the middle of the afternoon she ran into the bathroom to throw up. With her though I wasn't sure if it was maybe just related to her sinus issues, but when she got sick again later in the evening, I knew that it wasn't. Sure enough, Monday she was feeling fine, but knowing what we were up against I kept her home from school. Her dad texted me this morning and said she had been vomiting for three hours already. I told him I was sure she was at the tail-end of it, but that it's a bad one. She did recover more easily than Seth had and didn't require a trip to Children's. I'm thinking it's going to be one hell of a winter.

Sal and I had a few errands to run this morning, and we were able to get everything done before church at noon. Our first stop was a quick trip to Target, but then we decided to run to Borics next door and get Seth a big boy haircut. He used to have beautiful curls, but a few haircuts ago those were all cut and now he just had straggly waves. It was time for a big boy cut. The stylist kept his hair longish on top and razored the sides. He looks so grown up now. It's next to impossible to take pictures of him because he runs toward the camera, but here's one I snagged. The weather was nice enough this evening that we took a walk around the neighborhood before dinner. Our neighbors across the street put up their Christmas decorations already, so I made it a point to bust out our new inflatable turkey. I always swore I'd never do inflatables, but we've gone to the dark side. Seth loves it so that makes it worth it.

With Seth's having one illness after another this month, my plan was to keep him inside and let the girls do the trick-or-treating. However, Sal was having none of this. So, yesterday, the day before Halloween, we hit three different stories before finding a Mickey costume at Toys R Us at 75% off. This darling costumer was only $8.75, and I had a gift card. A total score. Seth met "MiMi" this past summer when we went to Disney and instantly recognized the costume. The girls costumes were purchased online weeks ago. Sarah had been talking about being a witch since last Halloween, and Emmy was sold on something with a tutu. I did not try Seth's costume on prior to trick-or-treat so he had no idea what was going on or why. He was fine with it until I put the hood one. He freaked. However, he soon got over it when he realized he was outside and going to go for a walk. This little guy walked for over 1.5 hours collecting goodies and treats from the neighbors. We di...

Seth woke up crying at 7am this past Saturday. Normally he wakes up in a good mood and never that early, not even during the week. Sal went in to check on him and then came back a few minutes later with a shrug. We let Seth fuss a little more, and then I sent in to get him out of his crib for day. Seth greeted me with a gurgling sound and I realized he was going to throw up. I turned him over, and called to Sal that he was throwing up. We still had towels in Seth's room from his random stomach bug eight days prior so I grabbed on of them to catch the worst of it. Having not eaten since dinner the night before there was very little in his tummy to expel. We got Seth cleaned up and the sheets changed, and he seemed ready to go downstairs so we let him go. In the meantime, I had thought he seemed especially congested lately and decided to make him an appointment with the pediatrician. Maybe his sinuses were causing these stomach issues. We ran him out to Natrona Heights to see D...

To celebrate Seth's 20 month birthday we planned a big photo shoot on the North Shore. Ha.  Just Kidding. We did have our Christmas picture session scheduled though. Seth was as uncooperative as I expected him to be. The girls behaved quite nicely. Our photographer has the patience of a saint.  We won't receive images for a couple weeks yet, but we had a beautiful, nearly 80 degree day, and the perfect time of day. I saw previews on our photographer's camera, and I'm sure she captured some great shots and moments. It really was Seth's 20 month birthday today though, and I'd like to highlight some of his milestones. He's a really great workout buddy. He's learning how to march in place, move up and back, and kick along with my Leslie Sansone walking dvds. He's a great eater. All three of my children are actually. He still resists yogurt, but I can usually get a couple bites into him which is progress. That's really the only ...

Today we celebrated Emmy's birthday. My parents came down as well as my sister and nephew. Rather than a cake, Emmy wanted brownies so we baked those first thing this morning. They were delicious. I didn't have any room on my phone for pictures, but my mom took a few on her iPad. That's a lot of smoke for only eight candles. We also had sloppy joes and refried bean tacos. The tacos were Emmy's last minute request, and it was a good one because my sister isn't able to eat bread or rolls with this pregnancy so she put sloppy joes on a tortilla. I had strange food issues when I was pregnant too so we don't question such things, we just roll with it :-) My mom made macaroni salad and buffalo chicken dip too. I think she enjoys that aspect of birthday parties, thankfully. Emmy said she had a great birthday so I'm glad she was happy. I can't wait to see what this new year brings for her. Exciting times ahead, no doubt.

Happy EIGHTH birthday, Emmy. Maybe it's because Emmy acts (most of the time) older than she is (although not inappropriately), but it's surprising to me that she's *only* eight. For some reason's her birthday doesn't shock me the way Sarah and Seth's seem to. Her school doesn't allow edible treats, but the kids did sing happy birthday to her. She also picked Eat N Park for her birthday dinner. Sal and I gave her a flip top water bottle that she'd been wanting as well as a "handstand t-shirt." She was a happy birthday girl. She was hoping to get Seth in this picture with her, but he wanted no parts of that. However, it's important to get a picture of the birthday girl, so here she is. She's wearing her "Burchfield Dance" shirt. She takes tumbling on Wednesday evenings, and loves it. Sometime last year she set her mind to doing gymnastics and finally had an opportunity this year. She can do a perfect handstand and hold i...

Normally our mornings run like a well-oiled machine. We have a routine and while there may be some slight variation, things stay on course. NOT. today. Oh.my.word. It was picture day for Sarah and the outfit we had chosen, but not tried on, just wasn't working for her. We dug through her closet to find an alternative. Then she wanted me to style her hair. She just doesn't understand her hair looks best when it's just left alone. It lays nicely and frames her face. We finally made it downstairs, and with no time to eat breakfast, she grabbed a package of muffins only to leave them on the counter as she ran out the door to meet her bus, which she almost missed. I hadn't made Seth's lunch the night before, a big mistake, and opened the refrigerator only to realize there was no leftover spaghetti from last night. Scrambling for a back-up plan, I sent the mac and cheese that Sarah couldn't fit into her thermos. I didn't even know if he liked it. Emmy to...

A friend of mine from our St. Ursula days invited several of us over to her house for lunch today. I don't typically leave the house when I work from home, but I made an exception for this get together. Stephanie is one of the best cooks, and let's face it, homemakers, I know. This was not an invitation to turn down. Seth and I arrived just before noon and were the first to arrive. We raided the toy room and found a few things for him to play with. Eventually the other guests arrived and we enjoyed butternut squash soup garnished with a star anise, turkey sliders, home made mac and cheese, a salad, and cookies. It was all so delicious. While I felt supremely guilty going out for lunch on a work-at-home day, it was good to see these ladies again.

Emmy wanted curls for school picture day. Already by the time we got to daycare to drop Seth off, and for her to get the bus, the curls were falling out. Grrrr. But, isn't she adorable!

I spent the weekend at my parents, and came home Sunday to soupy ice cream and a puddles where there once had been ice cubes. I'd been cursing our refrigerator and praying for it to die, but perhaps I should have asked for it to happen at a more convenient time LOL At any rate, I went out Monday morning and did some shopping. I knew I wanted a top freezer model, and with the space we have designated in our kitchen for the refrigerator this was really our only option. Refrigerators keep getting bigger, and our kitchen isn't brand new. I was so happy to see the side-by-side leave our house, that I hugged its replacement. Really. We would like to redesign our kitchen in a few years and the plan is to put this refrigerator in the garage or laundry room at that time.

I have been the sorriest blogger since about the time school started. We've just been so busy with the day-to-day stuff and nothing anybody really wants to read about it. The girls have adjusted quite well to Shaler, and I don't hate it. There's actually a lot to like about it. They've also started CCD (Sunday School) since they're no longer in Catholic school, and apparently the program has come quite a long way since I had to attend. At the risk of sounding like Bible Beaters, their dad's girlfriend's term, they admitted liking it. Seth turned 18 months, and then 19. He's such a little boy now. His vocabulary increases every day as well as his pronunciation of words he's been saying forever; sock, for example. Recently he's been attaching the "k" on the end of it. His favorite word is probably "book," and he loves Mo Willems. As much as I dislike Fall, I do get excited about all the upcoming holidays and decoratin...

1. All Day Long with Jesus, by Matt Anderson 2. On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman 3. A Big Guy Took My Ball, by Mo Willems 4. Me and My Mom, by Alison Ritchie 5. Spot Goes to the Beach, by Eric Hill 6. One More Swim, by Caroline Pitcher and Jenny Jones 7. How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends, by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague 8. Oh, the Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss 9. Hic-Hic-Hiccup, by Warner Brothers Looney Tunes 10. Sid the Squid, Underwater Adventures, by N/A 11. Elmo Loves You, by Sarah Albee 12. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods that Make My Day, by Jamie Lee Curtis 13. Baby Animals, Gyo Fujikawa 14. Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown 15. George and Martha Best of Friends, by James Marshall 16. George and Martha, by James Marshall 17. Peter's Chair, by Ezra Jack Keats 18. Tell Me Again about the Night I was Born, by Jamie Lee Curtis 19. Once Upon an Alphabet, by Oliver Jeffers 20. Five Silly Turkeys, by Salina Yoon 21. The Very Hungr...

Look at Sethy's new (size 6) hi tops. I had my eye on them for a little while at Gymboree, and then they finally went on sale.

As Sal says, we have to celebrate the first time I turn 39. He planned an amazing evening for us.  Miss Shana, one of Seth's daycare teachers, was able to babysit for us, and arrived around 4:00. Seth seemed a little confused as to why she was at our house, but he didn't cry when we left. She took him upstairs for a diaper, and we headed out.  Our first stop was dinner at Altius on Mount Washington. The restaurant itself is amazing, as they all are on Mount Washington. The views of the city are spectacular, and the food doesn't disappoint. We started with complimentary Parmesan garlic popcorn, and then ordered drinks. I had a bourbon sour, and Sal had something citrus-y. We were offered bread, rosemary, sourdough, and bacon cheddar. I think the rosemary was my favorite. Over the course of the evening, I tried all three, naturally. They also brought a peach shooter, and I didn't know if it was supposed to be a drink or a soup, but it was delicious. We sta...

The girls are staying with my mom for a few days. Today they set up a tomato stand at the end of my parents' driveway and actually sold a few to perfect strangers.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a band camp crasher or not, but by Wednesday evening I knew I had to embrace the opportunity. Admittedly I was a bit curious about this whole camp thing too, what the camp itself is like, where Sal stays, what goes on, where it's located, the whole bit. Seth and I headed over to Steubenville to meet another band director's wife to follow her to camp around 4pm. We had dinner at Bob Evans, where I ended up leaving my phone in the booth (more about that later), and got to camp just before 7. I hadn't told Sal we were coming out, but I did clear it with Rick so basically everyone but Sal knew we were coming. Seth was super excited to see him and Sal was glad to see us. Seth had taken a four hour hap so I figured he could hang. We were up until 11, first watching practice on the field until it got dark and then watching the kids dress-up night, which was quite entertaining. Sal's room is cute, and housed in the building shown in thi...

My sister had William's 8th birthday party today even though he doesn't actually turn 8 until August 9. My mom wanted to get a couple pictures, which is always an undertaking with this crew. Someday maybe we'll be able to capture everyone looking at the camera, but it wasn't today.

Our day started out with a bit of an adventure. Sal had to head into Steubenville for a band camp work related thing so I got the kids ready, loaded them into the car, and put the key in the ingnition. Nothing. Dead battery. Fortunately Sal was still at home so he was able to jump my car and follow me to Advance Auto on Babcock. A mere $133 later, I had a new battery installed, and we were on our way. Since Emmy is switching into Shaler from St. Ursula's and most of the kids in this school have been there since kindergarten there isn't a formal orientation. I really wanted to get her acquainted just to make her feel a little more comfortable about this transition, so I contacted the principal and he met us this morning at 11. Mr. Rojik gave us a thorough tour of the school, but she won't know who her teacher is for a couple weeks. There is a meet and greet on August 24 that we plan on attending. Emmy was hoping for a female teacher, and lucky for her all of the third gr...

Homeward! The drive from Louisville to Pittsburgh isn't bad, and this wasn't the first time we'd done it. Basically you drive through the outskirts of Cincinnati and straight across Ohio into West Virginia and then head north. Easy peasy. We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch, just for something quick, and you would have thought we were trying to kill the children by feeding them fast food. Oh the horror. Then we saw an impaired driver, whether drugs or alcohol, weaving across lanes and almost hitting a semi truck and a guard rail. I called Ohio State Police with the license plate and hopefully they were able to catch up with him.  Anyway, we made it home in a thunderstorm, which was only fitting since we started our trip in a thunderstorm, and freshened up a bit and then headed to Mass at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was a tiring, but satisfying trip. Summer is over.

We had a busy sightseeing morning. We started at the Helen Keller house, then went on to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame , then we drove into Mississippi just because we could, and our final stop was at the W.C. Handy Birthplace in Florence. The whole reason we ventured out of Tennessee was so that the girls could visit the Helen Keller house. For some reason both of them really enjoyed learning about her in school, and since it was *only* give hours from Knoxville, I figured why not. We had an excellent tour guide and the girls were both able to answer some of her questions - like how old Helen was when she fell ill. The house is surprisingly small and we took some time to explore the grounds as well. Sal was looking forward to the hall of fame, and I thought I could find something that would interest the girls and I. I did not expect to see Alabama 's tour bus. Alabama  had number 1 hit after number 1 hit in 80s and 90s, and I loved them. We were able to walk thr...

Hi ho Hi ho, it's off to Georgia we go. . .or something like that. When we decided to tack Alabama onto our trip, I started researching a good stopping point between Knoxville and Tuscumbia. Chattanooga came up and a place called Lookout Mountain . We were under time constraints for our visit since we had to be in Tuscumbia/Muscle Shoals by 4pm for a tour of FAME Studio so we were limited in how much time we could spend exploring Rock City. We also had to eat lunch while we were there. When visiting Lookout Mountain, Georgia there are three popular options, Ruby Falls , an  Incline Railway , or  Rock City . Considering time, cost, and appeal we ended up choosing Rock City. At first I associated Rock City with rock and roll music, but I quickly realized that's not what it was about at all. The area that is now Rock City was the Garnet Carter family estate, and in the 1930s they were looking for a way to make money. Mrs. Carter had mapped out a path, now known as the En...