November 22, 2022 - While the sun warmed the window overlooking the valley where we call home, a miracle was delivered by the most incredible woman I know.
How on Thanksgiving week we are so blessed, I cannot know. But this year will be a special one indeed. Our little love has entered the world today and his name is Vincenzo "Vinny" James Ciambotti. A child that will be adored by many and bring joy in return simply by his presence.
November 22, 2022 - We got about 3 hours of sleep! Wasn't the Holiday Inn Express, but we are ready for Delivery Day. We were expecting to be just checking in right now, so we are well ahead of schedule. Dani is in good spirits because she is no longer feeling the contractions thanks to some good modern medicine!
10:00am -
Rich: "Dani, what do you want to say on the blog?"
Dani: "I am hungry and can't wait for mashed potatoes"
I think that pretty much says it all...
1:12pm - Long wait, but finally some updates. We are getting very close. Everything still looking fine. Doctors are in final preparations now. I will probably be offline for a few hours, but I will get back on and update as soon has he has arrived.
Love to all.
Richard and Dani
November 22, 2022 - It is 1:09am and we are here in Delivery ready to go! Dani said about 9:30, perhaps we should both try to sleep a little because "it won't be long now." Turns out, it was about 2 hours from us loading up the car and cruising to the hospital.
2:49am - Dani is now hooked up to every machine at Mt. Nittany. Everything is progressing along normally. We are jamming to some Chris Stapleton. The Doctor will administer the epidural and then hopefully she will be able to rest for a few hours before the grand finale. Dani has her game socks on!
November 21, 2022 - The DUE DATE has arrived. We are walking into the final appointment to make arrangements for delivery. The car is full of provisions and we are ready to go at a moments notice. I will keep everyone posted on here as to the next steps.
November 20, 2022 - This weekend, Dani and I (and Seve) spent a lot of time resting and preparing for the big day. The house was super quiet for the last time in a looooong time, I'd guess.
Bags are packed, car seat and transportation is all set up. We are so excited to get this week going! Tomorrow (Monday) is the due date. This will be a wild week being that it is also Thanksgiving and Jack and Maggie will also be at the house to celebrate.
What more could we ask for! More tomorrow....
November 17th, 2022 - The number one most selected day for the poll is coming to a close! Dani went to her weekly appointment and they let us know that they really suggest, due to her age (approved statement), she not go past her due date. So, if baby boy doesn't arrive by Monday, we have an appointment Monday to schedule an induction on Tuesday. A love to hold in our arms on 11/22/2022! If this happens, Dani's mom would be pleased because that is her birthday!!
November 15, 2022 - We had the first snow of the season here in Pleasant Gap. No baby yet, but we are inside of one week until the due date! Everything is prepared here at the house, except for the crib (that will be this weekend's project for us. He will have several other accommodations prepared for him until he is ready for his crib!
November 12, 2022 - We are officially under 10 days until the due date! Dani is also done with full time work (at Penn State) until February, wooohoo!
Today Dani went Planet Fitness with her friend Barb, and I ventured to Wally World for some supplies. We decided to skip the stadium today and stay home. We cooked chili, watched a lot of football, and put some more things together in the baby's room. Here is the great changing table we received from Dani's mother, sisters and nieces:
November 9, 2022 - Dani and I went to our 38-week check up today and everyone is healthy and ready to go! Dr. Patel told us that he is in good position and gave us some indication of size - though since we have people still guessing in the poll, I will hold off on sharing :)
Dani has a few more days at work before she can go into part time mode. Once the baby is here, she will have around 12 weeks to stay home with him. I will be continuing full time and getting ready for Basketball Season to begin, with tryouts on the 18th. For those who don't know, I took the JV job at State College Area this year, so I am looking forward to my new position with my old school!
The nursery is slowly coming together (photo below). Dani and I will probably be cooking some chili, watching PSU football and putting a crib together this Saturday! There is an unbelievable amount of books, toys, diapers, blankets, and other baby accessories from all the showers. We are incredibly grateful for everyone's generosity. I'd be lying if some of the inscriptions in the new books didn't bring us both to tears. I cannot wait to prove all the haters wrong about who is going to read the most to him ;)
November 8, 2022 -Today is the first date that anyone (Grammie) selected for "the day." As of 1:34pm, no baby yet. If you would like to get in on the action, please throw in your guess in the comments section. Guesses also included height and weight of the baby as well, if you want to add those in.
On the house side of things, we were able to put together a nice rocking chair in the corner of the living room. It is exactly like the one that Pap Pap G.R. used to sit in while watching Tennis tournaments and re-runs of M.A.S.H. in the old house in Altoona. Here I am as a spitting image (same haircut):
Dear Family and Friends,
Instead of trying to keep up with sending texts to everyone over the next few weeks with "updates," Dani and I decided to share the noteworthy updates on via a blog so that everyone can check in on their own schedule!
November 7, 2022 - Today is Dani's birthday and we are two weeks away from the official due date. However, early results from the polls have November 17th as the favorite day for his arrival. Dani is "ready to go," though the nursery is still a work in progress at the new house.
On that note, we want to thank everyone for the help with the move and all of the generosity over the past few weeks; from gifts arriving in the mail, to the multiple showers and all of the love via phone calls, emails and texts.
Best story of the week from my side... I sent a photo of the car seat in the back seat of my car to some friends with the caption "'This hits different', as the kids say." Immediately Nick replied, "Isn't it supposed to be facing the other way?" HA! Although it hadn't been "installed" I will still chalk that up to mistake 1/1,000,000 for me!!
I will try to get a little something up every single day from now, until the little guy is here. Please feel free to share this link with other family members who may not have received the initial blast!
November 22, 2022 - While the sun warmed the window overlooking the valley where we call home, a miracle was delivered by the most incredibl...
