The Gaga Diaries

Where does the time go? It really does seem to be measured differently once there are children in your life.  Yesterday we celebrated a big milestone for this sweet little lady. 

The day was full of energy. 

Giggles. 

Singing.

One too many CHEESEBALLS!

And, of course, cake. 

With all the birthday celebrations in the family this month, Baby Gaga is growing quite accustomed to having “Happy to” cake and candles almost every weekend.  While everyone else in the house was busy playing and talking, he spotted the cake the second it was pulled out of the box and frantically chased it around the room until it was time to be cut and served. 

My gorgeous niece, full of life, spunk and personality, you are loved more than you will ever, ever know.  Happy Birthday, cutie pie big girl! 

Happy 1st Birthday to Cousin Gagita, the feistiest chiquita in pigtails we’ve ever met.  We love you baby girl and can’t wait to celebrate with you this weekend!! 

Cousin love.  Killing time with a photo shoot while we were waiting for our meal at the adorable Flatbreads in Amesbury, MA over Labor Day weekend.  I have a feeling these three (soon-to-be-four!) are going to get into a lot of mischief together as they get older! 

When the sun is blazing and the summer gets hot, 

Water Country’s a very cool spot, 

There’s no better place to feel or be young, 

Water country…. water country… have some FUN! 

If you’re from the New England area, you should know how to sing that jingle in your sleep.  If not and you happened to just click on the link to listen to it, I apologize that it will now be stuck in your head for life. 

This week I took Baby Gaga to his very first water park.  Water Country in Portsmouth, NH was one of my favorite destinations every summer when I was a kid and it has probably been a good twenty years or so since I had been back there. 

I’ve got to admit I was a little apprehensive when Uncle Gaga suggested we take the kids on Monday for the following reasons: 

• getting into a swimsuit at 17 weeks pregnant (that kind of is she/isn’t she stage)
• the 3:2 kid to adult ratio
• being out in the sun all day with my very fair-skinned baby

But I am happy to report that all five of us had a blast AND made it out without a single sunburn.  Woohoo!!  The weather was perfect, it wasn’t too crowded, and the kids loved splashing around the pirate pool and lagoon, going down the water slides that were just the right size for them, and running all through the caves in the Ollie Octopus area.  The park is huge and we barely touched the surface of what is has to offer.  It’s only going to get more and more fun as we bring them back each summer.

I’ve got to admit that there was a little part of me that wished we had a babysitter along with us only so that my brother and I could run off for a few minutes to go relive our childhood on the black hole slides or battling the crashing water in the wave pool that is probably way more tame than how I remember it from when I was 9 years old! 

And apparently not everyone thought I was just sportin’ a beer gut because a lifeguard who looked to be about 17 years old sidled up to me in one of the splash pools to mutter “can I just say how much I hate morning sickness?!” and then go on (and on AND ON) to tell me how she is “2 weeks pregnant” (mind you, you can’t test positive usually until you are 5 or 6 weeks pregnant) despite being on the birth control shot and hasn’t told her boyfriend yet, but he’ll be really excited since they’ve “been trying for a long time.” Can you count how many things don’t make sense in that sentence?! Somehow I manage to attract all the interesting ones out there, that’s for sure. Despite crazy lifeguards, however, I still can’t wait to go back with Papa Gaga and the rest of the fam!  

Water Country… Water Country… Water Country… have some FUN! 

Last Sunday we had fun playing tourist in our own city.  It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve done this.  We didn’t have guests from out-of-town visiting or anything, just Baby Gaga’s uncles and cousins who live in the ‘burbs now and felt like driving in for a “soak up the city” day.   So that’s exactly what we did.  

We walked over the bridge into Boston and along the gorgeous esplanade that follows the Charles River.  We stopped for several playground breaks, ice cream, and some deliciously tart raspberry lime rickeys from J.P. Licks before we made it to the Boston Common Frog Pond for an afternoon picnic and swim. 

Baby Gaga and I spent many days here last summer, but that was before he could get around on his own.  This was our first visit this year and he LOVED it.  Even the part when Cousin Gaga so graciously “taught” him how to hold his breath and go under water.  Yeaaaaah.  I guess that’s what big cousins are for, right? 

We are so lucky that Baby Gaga has a cousin one year younger than him.  Not only are these two extremely adorable to simply watch interact one another, but it’s also great practice for him to get a little taste of what life with a baby brother or sister will feel like in six months! 

This week I did something I have never done before. I watched two babies under two for two days since my niece’s usual caretaker is under the weather.  And you know what? Not only did we all survive with our hair still in tact, but we even managed to get out of the house quite a bit.  The first day we met up with a mama friend and her son in Harvard Square for a cup of hot chocolate and grabbed some frittata to-go on the walk home.  Today we were back over at Harvard where Baby Gaga participated in another study for their Child Development Lab. After that we also hit up the library and Whole Foods.

I know this may not sound like a big deal to many, especially to those without kids, but this was unknown territory for me.  I wasn’t sure how it would be to juggle two of everything — two mouths to feed, two bums to diaper,  two heads and sets of hands to bundle up for the cold etc.  Wrangling multiple children is no walk in the park, but I was excited to find myself getting out of the house relatively easily and realizing that this was do-able.  Baby Gaga was such a good sport and didn’t seem to get too jealous either.  I made a conscious effort to shower him with extra attention and praise, and he made a conscious effort to shower me with extra hugs and snuggles to be sure I didn’t forget about him, which was pretty adorable.

I also thought it was interesting how much more attention one attracts when traveling with two. Perhaps it was having a baby strapped to me and pushing a stroller along that made me really stand out, but I had so many people stop to smile at me, tell me to go ahead and take the elevator before them and their suitcase, ask if the babies twins (ha! for so many reasons), or even pull out their cellphone telling me about they can relate and proceed to show me photos of their FIVE children! 

I’m not sure exactly when the Gaga Family will expand (although I can promise you that I will never have FIVE children unless I miraculously have quadruplets next!), but it never hurts to sneak in some practice runs here and there.  Besides, how could I ever resist any opportunity to sneak in some snuggles and quality time with the adorable Cousin Gagita.  At three months old she is already developing the sweetest little disposition… and making Baby Gaga look like a GIANT. Amazing what a difference nine more months can make! 

Today Baby Gaga, his great grandmother, grandmother, uncle, two cousins and I all decided to trek to a local farm where we could play outside in the fresh Fall air and pet some animals, sip on warm cider, and enjoy some homemade apple cider donuts. Got to take advantage of Fall while it lasts especially after the crazy historic snowfall that just occurred last weekend! Look closely and you’ll see signs of it in the pictures below.

Baby Gaga loved all of the barnyard animals, but he didn’t seem to understand that the box of produce we had purchased was for them.  No matter how hard I tried to stop it, he kept stealing the apples that were intended for the pigs and goats.  Guess I can’t complain too much about having a healthy eater! 

Cousin Gaga wasn’t too crazy about feeding the animals, but he loved playing with Grammy Gaga and the Tonka trucks in the sandy area. 

Meanwhile, Cousin Gagita chowed down in the comfy arms of her proud great grandmother and enjoyed some cuddle time with her father. 

It’s amazing to me how quickly our extended family is growing.  In less than 22 months we’ve gone from having no babies around to three under two.  Simple days like this hanging out with four generations remind us of what a lucky bunch we are. And with another family wedding just a few months away and more members being added to the crew, I have a feeling it’s just going to keep getting bigger and more fun! 

She’s here! And she’s absolutely perfect. And oh so tiny! Last night Baby Gaga’s newest cousin finally arrived home after her birth in California exactly two weeks ago.  He’s not quite sure what to make of her yet or how he feels about sharing his Mommy’s arms, but he’s definitely intrigued.  And I am one proud Auntie who may or may not be coming down with a mild bad case of baby fever.  

October has always been a celebratory month in this family and it just keeps getting better. Today we welcomed Baby Gaga’s newest cousin to the world.  Cousin Gagita was born in the wee hours of the morning, shortly after midnight on the west coast. With two dads, one big brother, a granddad, uncle, and older cousin all nearby to look after her, this little lady is going to be well protected, that’s for sure. 

Up until now, Baby Gaga has been the baby of the family, but those days are over.  I can’t wait to see what the new big man on campus thinks of his baby cousin when she arrives home! I also can’t help but let my mind race ahead of me, imagining these little cousins playing and growing up together — riding bikes down the street after a family cookout, jumping in crunchy leaf piles and Trick-or-Treating in the Fall, building sandcastles at the beach on warm summer afternoons, hustling to the huge, decorated tree to see which presents Santa left for whom on Christmas morning. Things just keep getting more and more exciting every day.  Life is good!