the one where Ava is 11 months old

Ava Estelle

Eleven Months

 

Size:

Ava is about 22 lbs give or take and wearing size 12-18 months
 

Health:

She has a runny nose and cough which sucks. Poor girl. I hope this isn't a sign of what is to come this winter.

Feeding:
 

11 months breastfed and going, going, going. I give her solids during every meal time and she lovessssss food. Especially nuggets.. and cheese.. and chicken.. and eggs.. and yeah, everything.

 

Sleep:
 

Ava is waking up once a night or not at all. I am so ready for no more middle of the night wake ups its not even funny. Her naps are either.. one morning nap and one afternoon nap or one super long middle of the day nap.

 

Extras:

-She dances!!!
-She loves to give hugs.
-She makes dinosaur noises.
-Can drink out of a straw.
-Her hair is much longer at this age than Tori's was.
-She loves playing peek-a-boo.
-She loves to facetime.
-She loves looking at pictures of her family.
-Loves music and lights.
-Hates getting her nose wiped.

Cant believe we are planning her first birthday! Such a fast year!

 

the one where Trump and I go way back

Lets rewind to a little girl being raised in a traditional and old school Italian family. I knew at a very young age (I'm talking elementary school) that I didn't want to marry into another Italian family. No exaggeration, 7 or 8 years old and I knew that.
My family is off the boat Italian. Not the never-has-seen-Italy kind. The legit, born and raised in Italy kind and they have Italian culture deep in their soul.
When I was growing up.. the girls did things like cleaned off the kitchen table because I mean, boys don't do kitchen things. My brother took out the trash because well, girls don't take out the trash. I hated that. I hated that my role was very early on supposed to be that of the "woman role" (along w my sister) and my brothers role was immediately to follow in that of the "man role". I watched at a young age as women like my Mom, my Aunts, older female cousins.. worked in their husbands, dads, uncles pizza shops.. because when the pizza shops were first starting, they couldn't afford to hire too much help because they just didn't have the money to pay anyone. So these same women.. went to work.. 12 hour days.. with their husbands.. and took their kids along. So while they were assisting their husbands with things like answering phones, making food, cleaning tables, mopping floors.. they were also changing diapers, playing, kissing boo-boos, helping with homework. I saw them as Super Women. Wow. They really did it all. These same women who did it all.. went home.. and then did some more. They did laundry. They washed dishes. They scheduled appointments. They vacuumed. They put away clothes. They went to the grocery store. Literally, did it all. I watched as a lot of these women did it ALL and never asked for a thank you. Never asked for a break. I watched as some of them (my mom included) did get those things. They got thanks. They got gifts. They were appreciated. I also watched a lot of them not. I watched a lot of "you don't do enough". I watched a lot of women getting run to the ground. I didn't get it. I didn't understand why I could watch some of my boy cousins play video games for hours on end while I got asked to help set the dinner table. I didn't understand why those same cousins could come eat and then go right back to playing video games while I had to then clean off the table. I didn't understand why the boys could play outside in the dark but I had to come in before it got dark. Or why they could make jokes about girlfriends but I couldn't date until late high school. Or why I had to get good grades(obv not a bad thing) and they didn't. I didn't understand why I would be told to learn how to cook for my future husband. I didn't understand why comments were made to me about my weight and how I looked or dressed. I felt at a young age that men had it "easy" and had a "privileged" life... a life where I would  never feel that way, no matter what I did because as a woman, nothing would be enough.
I have already been fighting so hard for this to not be what my daughters see. I want them to know in their hearts they can truly do anything and everything they want. They can be anyone they want to be. That marriage is a TEAM. That a relationship does not define them. Equality. They have choices. That they are enough.

Trump emulates everything that I hated in how I saw men. A guy who thinks he is above everyone else because he has money. A man who thinks women are here for the sole purpose of his wants and needs. He brings out the feeling I get at the thought of women not getting to make their own reproductive decisions. He brings out that feeling of rape being the womans fault if she was drunk. He brings out the feeling I get when I imagine how men look at women as objects. He brings out the feelings I get when I think of women being unappreciated.
I actually do not consider myself a democrat or a republican. I have beliefs that fall under both. I just really, truly, hate everything that Trump stands for.

(I would like to note that I am not a man hater lol. I have the best husband, ever. Like literally that has ever existed. Who regularly makes me feel happy and that I know appreciates me for what I bring to this family. A man who splits duties with me because we are in this life together. And another side note: things have changed over time as far as the cultural side of my family which is great and I am hopeful to continue to see a shift.)

the one where I review Luca

LUCA

436 W. James Street

Lancaster, PA

If there is one thing I really love in the food world: its Italian food.
Sauce on sauce on bread on top of more bread. I cannot get enough.
It is hard for me to find Italian food I love that can compare to my familys Italian food. My dads meatballs or eggplant parm, my mom's pasta with broccoli or lentils, my Aunts lasagna.. brb- wiping drool.
Enter: Luca. This place had a lot of hype surrounding it before it even opened. The owners also own a French restaurant in Lancaster (Maison) that people die for so Luca was supposed to be just as amazing. I couldn't wait. We have been there twice. Twice because well, its not exactly a standard for a Friday night dinner date. Its on the pricier side.. our kids aren't great at taking out to eat anywhere that doesn't include the atmosphere that comes with a "Buy one adult entrée get one kids entrée free" sort of thing. We save this place for special occasions. Follow me as I give you a play by play of the place, beginning to end.

Atmosphere:
The place is BEAUTIFUL. Exposed beams. This gorgeous, huge bar. You can see the kitchen area (which I love), think lots of wood... modern and yet eccentric. Swanky, if you will.
Staff:
In the two times we were there, our servers were nice and prepared with recommendations. I personally am not a fan of asking your server for a recommendation because well, everyone has their own likes and dislikes so I guess I just don't necessarily think they will like something I will. Anyways, their uniform is a t shirt and jeans which may sound super casual (and it is) but somehow it works. I don't know if its the color of the t shirt or just the fact that everyone looks so put together (nice hair etc) but it works. Its a little on the louder side since the kitchen and everything is open to the restaurant so you hear lots of movement, plates, etc.. but the place is very open so you don't feel like its over powering.
Drinks:
I only had one drink in the two times I was there and then my grandma had a glass of wine. The drink I had isn't on their usual menu, it was a special for the evening. It had a limoncello base and was super light and summer-ish and I really loved it.
Apps:
In the two times we visited we had: the handmade burrata, housemade ricotta and the prosciutto de Danielle. DELICIOUS. The apps were all super original and not just the typical things you find in an Italian restaurant. They make their own cheese there and although a little on the salty side, so good. The only thing about the apps that would be considered a negative is that they are small. Two people can have a serving of an app but there isn't much more than that. And you definitely cannot share it with more than two people.
Dinners/Pizzas:
I am going to review just what I personally had for dinner. The first time I went I had the Tagliatelle (pasta Bolognese). It was delicious. The portion size was perfect. It had the perfect about of sauce on it and they used homemade noodles. The second time I went I had the Piccante pizza. Pretty much a fancy pepperoni pizza. It was a wood oven pizza. It was DELISH. The pizzas are also a great size. I think I had two pieces and then we ended up taking the rest home, I was stuffed. I only stopped eating because I ran out of room in my stomach. I without question wanted to keep going.
Dessert:
This is 9 times out of 10 my favorite part of a meal. They make their own gelato there and my gosh it is amazing! They don't have their desserts on their online menu, I suppose because they change quite often so I cant remember exactly what the flavors were of the gelato but seriously, delish. I remember one of them was a lemon/olive oil type.. the flavors didn't sound like something you would walk into a shop and order. Super unique. We also tried their Italian donuts dessert which was just to die for. Little fried balls of dough, dipped in sugar and then served with this delicious raspberry glaze. Heaven.

*I would rate this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars. The only changes I would make is more dessert options and that there be less salt in some of the food items.

Check out their website to book a reservation or click HERE for the menu!

(Side note: the following photos are from their facebook page)