The Tripoli Family

Anna's NICU story

2011-05-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Two months ago today Miss Anna Kathryn Tripoli came into our lives. She has been an amazing blessing, but gave us a little scare at the start! At birth Anna had low blood sugar and spent 24 hours in the NICU at St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown. Having a newborn admitted to the NICU was terrifying. Although the doctors and nurses reassured us that low blood sugar is not all that uncommon, Matt and I were on edge. Every three hours we went to the NICU, scrubbed up, and I'd nurse our baby girl and then supplement with formula. The nurses were just amazing. They took such wonderful care of Anna and made Matt and I feel as comfortable as possible. Every three hours they checked Anna's glucose level. If her levels remained under 60, they would reduce the amount of glucose in her IV fluids. If they were above 60, she would stay at the same level for the next three hours. It was really a wait and see game. My worst fear was being discharged without Anna. Suddenly at 7:00 p.m. on March 18th there was a knock at my hospital room door. The nurse wheeled in Anna's isolette. Luckily after 24 hours her levels had been low enough to admit her back to the regular nursery. Having her in our room during our second night in the hospital was wonderful. I'd taken that for granted when Alex was born. We were discharged together on March 19th and spent our first week together as a family of four.

Arriving home from the hospital. Having that
"AH! We have TWO kids" moment.

Newborn Anna

Anna at 1 month: 4/17/11

Anna at 2 months 5/17/11
My how she has changed!

Still here!

2011-05-16T17:20:00.001-07:00

Well, things around the Tripoli house have been pretty crazy for the past two months. We are so happy that Anna joined our family and are all adjusting well. Alex loves his little sister. He loves to "Tickle, tickle, tickle" her belly and often says, "Look at her little hands Mama!"

When he walks into the room and sees her he says, "Hi Pretty Girl!" It's the best feeling in the world to witness the sibling bond materialize between my two little ones.

Despite still adjusting to our new addition we've been quite busy. We've made a few trips to Danville, had our first Easter in our new house, visited the Philadelphia Zoo, spent time at the Crayola Factory, and been out and about with our Mom's Groups.

My two cuties

Enjoying one of the few warm days we've had. After his toes were in the
water for a few seconds Alex declared the water to be "too too cold!"

Anna enjoying the warm weather in her bouncy seat.

Alex with his cousins Ben, Ethan, and Lauren at Easter Dinner

Having a blast with Daddy at the Philadelphia Zoo

Anna Kathryn has arrived!

2011-03-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

Green Eggs and Ham

2011-03-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning Alex asked me to "cuddle". Basically, this means he wants to lay on our bed and watch a show. He knows his mommy will fall for the "cuddle" line every time, so its a pretty easy way to get me to let him watch TV.

Yesterday morning instead of turning on the TV I brought out our new copy of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. We read the story and then Alex said, "I want to eat green eggs!"

We went down to the kitchen and scrambled some green eggs. Alex added the food coloring himself (a little on the heavy side) and enjoyed them quite a bit!

We decided to leave the "green" out of our ham!

Posing with a cheek-full of egg

Alex told me, "I like them Sam I am!"

Birdhouse

2011-03-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Alex and Pa built a birdhouse together:

Settled

2011-02-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Finally, after 5 weeks we are pretty well settled into our new house in Allentown. This week Matt and I even hung a few pictures!! I guess we're here to stay;)

Alex has made the transition beautifully, barely skipping a beat. He LOVES his new house. We have so much more space to spread out and play.

The weather was awful during our first few weeks here, so we weren't able to get out much. However, in the past 2 weeks I joined an awesome mom's group, we've gotten to go the library, taken a few trips back to Danville, and EVEN played outside a little bit! Spring is on the way.

I have been an awful picture-taker during the past few weeks. I've been mostly using my iphone (since my regular camera was often lost in piles and boxes). I will upload soon and get some pictures of the house on the blog!

Crazy Days

2011-01-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

Things have been mildly chaotic around the Tripoli home this week. We closed on our house in Allentown Thursday. Matt, his dad, and my dad all spent Saturday painting. Sunday we ran around like crazy trying to get some last minute things accomplished before we actually move this week.

Tonight is our last night in our house here in Danville. It's just Alex and I (Matt's staying at the new house because he's already working in Allentown). It's such a bittersweet night. I'm excited for the move, the new house, and the great job opportunity for Matt. However, this house is very special to me. While it was technically Alex's THIRD home, he accomplished so many of his "firsts" here! He started to crawl right after we moved in, walked shortly thereafter, said his first words, ate his first real food, moved from his crib to a bed, and on and on. We've made some great memories here.

Snow Fun!

2011-01-08T06:31:00.001-08:00

We finally have a little snow outside! Yesterday morning Alex and I bundled up and ventured outside to play. Our industrious little guy decided we needed to dig out the driveway to help Daddy. He's such a great little helper! At one point Alex got some snow on his face and in his mouth and started spitting and sputtering to get it out. I told him it was okay to eat a little snow and the rest of his time outside was spent licking snow off of his mittens. "MMmm, Mmmm! That's good!" He would tell me. After over an hour outside I had to bribe him with candy to come inside. My toes were freezing!

I didn't take any pictures from yesterday's snow adventures, but Matt took Alex outside this morning and I very briefly ventured out in my jammies for some photos.

Play

2011-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Today Alex and I were stuck at home for the morning waiting for our new (king!!) mattress to arrive. Our friends Holly, Natalie, Jenn, and Jacob came over and brought lunch to help occupy our time. The kids hadn't played together in quite a while because of the craziness of the holidays. I think they missed each other!

They had so much fun running around, playing play-doh, eating cookies, and being silly. It was a great way to pass an afternoon! I'm going to miss our Danville friends so much that I can hardly stand it. Its hard to believe that we won't be here 3 weeks from now...

Budding Chef

2011-01-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Alex loves to help me bake and often asks if we can make something together. Today at breakfast he asked if we could make pie. Since we were waiting around for a contractor to come look at something for us, I figured we might as well have a project to occupy our morning. I started to get out the flour and butter, but Alex quickly dismissed those ingredients. He had his own plan. We pulled a chair over to the counter and Alex brought with him a handful of grapes left from his breakfast. He also requested the apple juice from the fridge and a pie plate.

He mixed his ingredients together:

Then he decided he needed to make "mussins" (muffins).
We took out a muffin tin and he got to work!

Once he'd distributed his apple juice among the muffin cups,
he asked for raisins. He took such care in putting raisins in each of the cups!

Finally, we were able to taste his creation. He declared, "That a good recipe Mama!"

So far behind!

2011-01-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today I am owning up to something that I've known for a very long time. I am terrible at keeping up with my photo albums and memory books. I am currently downloading pictures to my computer from August. I haven't put a picture in an album since Christmas 2009. Alex's baby book is largely empty.

I keep putting these things on the back burner. No more. Time is slipping by so quickly, and while I try to live in the moment, I really need to spend more time capturing the moment. Anyway, I am going to try to hold myself to this resolution for 2011 despite many changes on our horizon.

We move in 2 weeks.
We have a baby due to arrive in about 10 weeks.

I am determined not to fall this far behind again!

I leave you with a picture of my two favorite guys from our wonderful Christmas!

Long time, no blog.

2010-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated this blog in a very, very long time. I think my laziness in uploading pictures keeps me from writing. In my mind a good blog post has a few pictures to go along with it. Anyway, I am sitting on my laptop and don't have pictures, but want to write a quick update on Alex and all of the new things he is doing!

Alex's language has really exploded since Christmas. He says over 40 words and adds to that list all of the time. Here are just a few of the words he is saying:

Dada
Ma
Ball
Shoe
Bird
Dog
Bus
Spoon
Fork
Shoe
Uh Oh
Hot
Cold (Brrr)
Book
Shirt
Sock
Choo-Choo
Tree

Alex loves trucks, cars, and trains. When we are driving in the car he gets very excited to see any truck we pass. Today he kept pointing and saying, "Oh! Cool!" It was so funny to hear and I'm not sure where he picked up the word "cool". I'll have to pay attention to how often I use that word!

Well, that's all for now! I will try to update a little more often!

The Fair

2009-10-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday two of my good friends and I took our kids to the Bloomsburg Fair to see the farm animals (and to get some yummy food of course!). We first ventured to the children's ride area hoping to see an elephant show. Unfortunately it wouldn't begin for a while, so we just watched the elephants being bathed by their trainers. I was so sad to think that these elephants probably travel all over the country for fairs like this one. They did not look as healthy and happy as the beautiful elephants at the Audubon Zoo in NOLA.

The Stroller Brigade

After seeing the elephants we wandered around in search of a snack for the kids. One thing is for sure: you do not come to the Bloomsburg Fair without planning to eat. I still have my favorite fair foods from the past. We stopped and got Kohl's Orange Drinks and than continued on for some fresh cut french fries. Alex LOVES french fries which proves that he is most definitely my child. He polished off a small fry almost all by himself. He was kind enough to share a few with his pal Natalie though.

Next, we were off to the animal exhibits. We first saw the show dogs and then made our way to the dairy cows. I never realized how large cows are up close! Alex was entranced by them and kept pointing at different cows and looking at me with wide eyes. Toward the end of the exhibit there was a sweet four week old calf. The owners of the calf were allowing people take their children's pictures with her. Our three babies were so cute loving on this little cow. They petted her and had the best time! Alex still needs to work on his gentle touches though!

Being the social butterflies they are, Natalie, Alex, and Jacob were loving the attention passing fair-goers showered upon them. I guess living like a calf isn't half bad, because they would have stayed there all day playing in the hay and saying "Hi" to everyone who cared to look at them!

The next part of our trip was spent with the pigs. Normally, I consider myself a fan of pigs, but boy do they stink! It always catches me off guard because when I picture the fair pigs I have this whimsical view of Wilbur and Charlotte at the County Fair. I never imagine Wilbur smelling so awful!

We finished off our afternoon with a llama followed by some yummy funnel cake and ice cream. Alex had his first major public tantrum (are they really supposed to start at 11 months????) because he did not want to sit in the stroller, or leave the baby cow, or walk the way I wanted to walk, etc., etc., etc. I certainly have a strong-willed boy!

Natalie and Jacob watching the llama.

Jenn and Jacob

Enjoying some funnel cake

Holly and Natalie

Alex playing with his ice cream spoons.

Thanks for the great pictures Holly! We had a great time at the fair!!!

Growing up so fast!

2009-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Recent pictures of Alex:

How do these wheels turn?

Such a big shot running around outside!

What? I'm just checking for leaks!

A big Alex grin!

Hanging upside down from Daddy's lap

Alex is changing right before my eyes and its hard to believe that my little baby will officially be a toddler in a little over a month He is walking(running) everywhere and is suddenly so independent. He loves to play with toys and will take out one by one until you can no longer see the carpet in the room!

He loves to play outside and often stands at the door pointing at the doorknob long before we have even changed out of our pajamas. I guess I'd better get us some good snow pants, boots, and warm coats because I think his love for outdoor play won't be thwarted by cold weather.

Last week Alex cut another tooth. He now has three on the bottom and four on top. With this latest tooth he had a cold which led to his first double ear infection. Poor baby! He's been such a trooper taking his medicine for Mommy and Daddy. After a week of interrupted sleep and trying to comfort a cranky and sick baby all day, I also came down with a sore throat and bad headache. My wonderful hubby even stayed home from the Penn State game on Saturday to help me rest. (Of course, when Penn State and he didn't have to ride home soaked from the rain. I believe he was glad to be warm and dry at home).

Walking!!

2009-08-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Taking some steps:
(He really wanted Mommy's running shoes!)

First Steps!

2009-08-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last week my big boy took his first steps! I am not ready for him to be so grown up, but I am so proud to see him accomplish big milestones. After dinner we were on our screened-in porch playing. Alex was walking with his dump truck push toy (it was my brother's 18+ years ago!). I was sitting on the floor watching him. He stopped pushing, smiled, and took 3 big steps right to me! He beamed with pride and has been taking steps ever since. I wouldn't call him a "walker" yet, but he is up to 9 or 10 steps at a time. He's getting braver and more confident every day. It won't be long now! I have a feeling that my "rough and tumble" boy won't really walk though, he will RUN!

I will post a video of him taking steps soon!

Nine Months Old!

2009-08-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Alex is nine months old! He is so full of energy and such a happy, pleasant baby. In the past month he started saying "Hi!" to everyone we meet. He loves to "socialize" when we are out shopping and always makes everyone's day with a BIG smile.

This morning Alex was playing in the living room and I was sitting next to him. He started to crawl into the kitchen and stopped. He turned around and waved to me. Clear as day, he said "Bye Bye!" and kept on crawling!

Other words he's "saying" are "Da" or "Day" for Daddy, an occasional "Mama", and "Ba" for his bottle.

He is getting VERY close to walking. He can stand on his own for about 10 seconds before he plops down on his tush. He is cruising, pulling up and loves to push his walking toys around the family room. I watch my friends with little ones who are walking (running) everywhere and I know I am in for it soon!

Happy Anniversary Kelli and Stephen

2009-07-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

One year ago today...

Sand isn't so bad after all!

2009-07-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last night we celebrated Gram and Pop Tripoli's 50th wedding anniversary with a lovely surprise party. They are still so in love after all of these years (and 8 children)! Alex had a great time with his great uncles, aunts, and cousins. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera! The D.J. gave Alex a tambourine and he went crazy! He ran (with Mommy or Daddy helping) all over the dance floor shaking his tambourine and "dancing" with his great aunts.

My handsome boys ready for the party!

Alex looking cute in seersucker

Today we went to the Knepp Family reunion at R.B. Winter State Park. There is a small lake with a sandy beach and Alex had a great time playing in the water and in the SAND!

Mommy and her water bug!

Sweet Lauren posing as "Ariel" (notice the sand fin)

Alex playing in the sand

Playing with Daddy

Ethan playing in the sand

Beach Bums!

2009-07-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

We spent last week in Ocean City, MD with my family and had a fabulous time. The weather was beautiful and experiencing Alex's first trip to the shore was so much fun! Alex loved swimming in the baby pool and wading in the bay, but did not take to the sand or the waves. When we would try to put him down on the beach he curled up his little feet in protest! It was so funny. However, he LOVED to play on the beach chairs and could easily have spent all of his beach time doing just that.

Having a blast on the beach chair

Swimming in the baby pool with Daddy

Swimming in the big pool with Mommy

During our vacation Alex was quite spoiled by his Grammy and Grandpop Jensen. Not only did he have an almost constant audience to show off for, but he tried many new foods too. He had pizza, doughnuts, macaroni and cheese, and french fries all for the first time! In fact, now that we are home Alex doesn't seem to like his usual healthy fare as much. Hmmm...I wonder why??!

In my mind, one of the best moments of vacation came on the very first day. We were waiting for our order to arrive at our favorite breakfast spot, The Dough Roller (YUM!). Alex was sitting with my mom and getting very antsy. To entertain him she picked up a crayon from the tin on the table and started drawing on the paper placemat. In that moment, Alex's eyes just lit up. My mom handed him the crayon and he drug the crayon back and forth across the paper. His eyes got so big when he saw that HE was the one making those marks. He LOVED it and laughed with such pleasure! Seeing Alex learn new things just melts my heart! My baby boy is growing up!

Alex Coloring:

Busy month!

2009-06-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty crazy around the Tripoli household. We closed on our new house at the beginning of June and are (finally) getting settled in. The move went very smoothly until I sprained my ankle stepping down from the fireplace hearth (I'm such a klutz!). I am finally recovered from my injury, but was moving slowly for a few weeks! Last week I began teaching mommy and baby swimming lessons at the Community Center. It is so much fun! Alex is my "helper" and we get to play with other babies in the water every day! He loves swimming! He splashes in the water and kicks his little legs like he's been swimming all of his little life! He's a natural! Of course, Daddy wants him to be a wrestler and Grandpop wants him to be a baseball player. I still hold out hope that he'll take up mommy's favorite sport!

This month has also been a big one for milestones! Alex hit 7 months and simply decided he wanted to start GOING! He started crawling at 7 months and 1 week. The next day he started pulling up on furniture and now he is cruising! Slow down little boy! You are growing up too fast!

**I will add pictures of our new house and Alex crawling ASAP! Our home office is not quite organized yet and I can't find the USB cord for the camera.

Cousins!

2009-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last week Alex met his cousins Ben and Tyler Weader for the first time. (Actually, they are Matt's first cousins, but are close in age with our little guy) Ben is almost 2 1/2 and Tyler is 5 weeks old! They are both such sweet boys and we enjoyed spending time with them. I loved hearing Ben say "Baby Alex" in his sweet little voice!

Little Tyler

Alex and Ben

Alex also took his first trip to Knoebel's Amusement Park with Ben, Tyler, Ethan, and Lauren. Knoebel's is a such great place! I spent many, many fun days there as a child. Being there with Alex made me so excited for all of the fun times we will have over the next few years! Alex loved watching all of the activity.

We played the fishing game (everybody wins!)

We watched Ben ride in the red car.

We also were soaking wet because of the unexpected rain! We waited out a few heavy downpours under various covered locations (food stands, ticket stands, trees) and then finally decided to take Alex on the Merry-go-round. Just as the ride was about to begin Alex fell asleep on Matt's lap! Oh well! We will certainly be back to Knoebel's again soon!

Daddy and Alex at Knoebel's

Mommy and Alex

What a big guy!

2009-05-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Alex had his six month well-baby visit yesterday. As we expected, he is at the top of the charts for weight and length! He is 27.5 inches long and weighs 22 pounds. Our pediatrician was very impressed with Alex's development, but was surprised to hear that he still wakes up two or three times per night! She wants us to try feeding him 3 meals a day of solid food and see if it helps him sleep through the night. Mommy and Daddy are trying to hold out hope, but are pretty sure our guy enjoys his middle of the night cuddles. I'll keep you posted!

Six Months Old!

2009-04-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Alex is six months old today! He is growing up so fast. Alex is such a blessing and Matt and I are so thankful for our wonderful boy! Here are some "then and now" photographs to showcase just how much change took place in these short months.

Playing

Then (watching the ceiling fan)

Now

Laying on the Boppy

Then

Now

Swinging

Then

Now

The Little Red Wagon

2009-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and the weather is finally taking a turn for the better. I've been desperate to spend time outdoors with Alex, but its been a cold spring. I suppose I've gotten used to the warmth of Louisiana, so the cool weather is a shock to my system!

With warm weather in the forecast, Matt and I decided to buy Alex a red wagon this week. I think every little boy needs a wagon! Today was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70s and plenty of sunshine. Alex and I spent most of the day outside and we took his new wagon for a spin. Alex loved his wagon ride and its something we will do often.

Faster Mommy! Faster!

This is so much fun!

I could get used to this!

Mommy, how many pictures of me in this wagon do you need to take?

2009-04-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Alexander Cole Tripoli arrived on Thursday October 30, 2008 at 12:00 p.m.

First Family Portrait

Alex and his godmother, Mary Noller Gerth

Alex and his godfather, Justin Gerth

Alex meets Papa John and Grammy Wendy

Alex meets Grammy Sue and Grandpop

Soon after Alex's arrival we moved to Pennsylvania.
Alex and Mommy flew together for the first time. What an adventure!

We were lucky enough to be in Pennsylvania for Alex's
first Christmas. We spent a lot of time celebrating with our family.

In January we traveled back to New Orleans for

our goddaughter Frances Gerth's christening.

The Gerths came to Pennsylvania

in March for Alex's Christening

A Blog?

2009-04-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided (after a little prodding from Mary Noller!) to join the world of blogging. It will be a good place to share stories about Alex with our friends and family. Alex is nearly 6 months old and seems to be changing by the second! His first six months of life have been very eventful. We've moved across the country and are about to buy a new house. Here are a few picture "highlights" from Alex's life to this point.