Dec 31, '10 11:17am: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

At this point in the year, when we reflect back on the year, its important to take a moment and recognize the ones we love. I wish to say "Thank You" to my Wife (Angela) and my Son (Anthony) for making 2010 something to smile about. I love you both.

Dec 30, '10 11:43pm: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This post is a little late, but Daddy has been relaxing (for once). Anthony once again made out like a bandit, and Mommy and Daddy are in danger of making a spoiled child. But Anthony accepted his gifts with grace and typical little boy excitement. He got all the presents he asked for...and then some. He also got a lot of clothes. We have over 2 hours of video of opening presents, but sadly no photos. We just turned the video camera on and enjoyed ourselves. Daddy decided to not load that video. (It's really big.) We took notes on which gift came from who, and Angela will soon be sending out some thank yous. We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas...or what ever holiday you celebrate. As long as we're all celebrating at about the same time for the same happy reasons, it's all cool. Now...on to the next holiday.

Dec 22, '10 11:24pm: Catching up from November to Now

Ok... we're all caught up now. Lots of pictures and video and information from August to now. Yes, we've been that busy. And what we posted wasn't everything that went on. There were lots of play dates, school fun, visits from friends, etc. To put everything up on Facebook would require a lot more room than they would allow, which is another reason we maintain this web site. A lot went on in November. Daddy had a few minor successes at work that made life seem a little better, Mommy started having fun as a Tastefully Simple representative (with Anthony and Daddy benefiting from the yummy foods), and Anthony enjoyed lots of his friends coming over his house to visit. And of course, Anthony's third birthday party. Thank you to everyone that came and/or brought presents. Anthony talked about the fun he had for weeks afterward. He now walks around showing people with his fingers, "I'm this many years old." Thanksgiving was subdued and relaxing. Grandpa and Cousin Mark came over for some food, football and some good scotch, while Anthony munched on a huge turkey leg. Now that December is here its Christmas Time!! Anthony has already seen all of the childrens classics and repeatedly asks for the Charlie Brown one. (That's my boy.) Anthony's school put on a little Christmas party where the kids sang danced and told stories (the older kids) for the parents. It was so cute to see all the kiddies dressed up. Earlier that same day Anthony got to see Santa and sit on his lap. He didn't cry and even asked Santa for the exact gift that Santa already made for him. (way cool). Anthony's most recent minor adventure was on a bungee swing at a local play gym. He named it the "rocket chair". More info and xmas pics coming soon. Merry Christmas!!! ....from the Amatos.

Dec 12, '10 6:07pm: October happenings and things

Well, Daddy is slowly catching up with updating this web site. We use this web site more so than Anthony's Facebook page for many reasons: 1) waaay too many videos and photos being loaded at once; 2) Facebook can't claim unlimited access to our photos/videos; 3) we have control over the content and presentation; and 4) we have a live cam; and many other reasons. The video problems we've had as of late are nearly solved. ........ Thing's are going very well around the Amato homestead. We'll be updating you on that within the next couple weeks. But first, let's take a quick jump back to October. ....... Anthony has been transitioning to the Bigs Class and is doing very well. Check out the photos of some of his log book to see at the links below. All the students have accepted him. He's a fast learner. His hand-eye coordination is excellent. His problem solving skills surprising. He's a big help around the house with his elephant like memory. He's a full talker now in full sentences and is doing well at picking up reading and writing. Anthony's school had a chance to go to the Nicasio Pumpkin Patch near the end of October, but went with Mommy and Daddy earlier on. Anthony is quite the athlete too. He's doing very well on his bike, big wheel and climbing and running (he's very fast). Mid October we had a chance to see the Blue Angels while relaxing on a boat on the Bay. Daddy loved every minute of it since he misses his old boat that he had to sell. (sigh) Anthony was a little scared, but LOVED it. All those jets, and planes and smoke. The photos/videos are at the link just below. Anthony also had his heart exam in October. The doctor gave him flying colors. All the details and a link to the history of his past hospital stays are available at the links just below. And by the way.....Go GIANTS!!! Anthony is starting to get in to Baseball. :) Daddy's going to start working on all the photos and stuff from November, which should be posted up shortly. Thanks for coming and reading. Stay tuned for more.

Nov 27, '10 10:38pm: Happy Thanksgiving and Happy 3rd Birthday to Anthony!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! And Happy 3rd Birthday to Anthony! But before we talk about November we'll have to jump back to September to get caught up. Anthony got a new bike back then, and since then hasn't really rode it. There was a time when some older boys were riding their bikes out front and Anthony joined in and rode up and down the block with ease (and with training wheels). It was a joy to watch. Since then he just hasn't been in to it. Not sure what's up with that yet. He used to be quite adept around and in water. He was able to hold his breath for a full 5 count. Now he doesn't want to do it. It is true that we haven't kept up with his swimming, so we're having to go back to square one a little bit. There are a number of indoor rec-centers around here, so plenty of opportunities. Anthony loves helping me around the house fixing things. He always wants to know how things work. I love that. He's so cute about it too. We brought him to the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park where he had a blast. Also in September Anthony got a full dose of the real ocean. We brought him to Invernes, which is a cove that's quick to get to on the cost by us. It's a mix of fresh and ocean water. Cold has hell, but we walked out in the water and chased crabs and little stingrays (I held Anthony as the water was about 3 foot). Later that month we drove down to Santa Barbara and went in the waves. He was skiddish about all that "big water" (as he called it), but he didn't freak out and wanted to try again. Gotta love that attitude. More amazing was his great attitude on the trip down and back. He only got squirmy on the last one hour or so, but no big deal. Now we know his flying and driving limits. We visited friend's of Mommy's and had a really great time down there. Anthony actually developed a little crush on the 3 year old girl that he met down there, Violet (the daughter of Mommy's friend where we stayed). Anthony was sooooo cute with her. Anthony is progressing well socially. He has his best friend, Miles, and has regular play dates with about 5 other kids. He tends to bully the littler kids lately, but a few time-outs have reduced that frequency. At school he receives some of that same treatment, so it's a matter of teaching him how to deal with it. Overall the teachers say he is doing great and that he shows high aptitude. They may say that a lot, but in a parent teacher conference they need to be honest, and we trust their judgment and status reports. They all say Anthony is quite smart for his age. We try to encourage him as much as possible on figuring things out by himself. Objectively speaking, he is quite good at seeing the big and small picture of things as he approaches a problem. He has a very logical mind. We're quite proud of him. Anthony has crossed two cool thresholds. First, he no longer uses his little potty anymore. He asked me to store it in the garage and if he could use the big potty all the time. (Awesome request.) He only wears pulls ups at night, and 50/50 of the time wakes up totally dry and asking to use the potty. It's regular underwear all day long with only one accident every couple of weeks. Way cool. We converted his crib in to a day bed with no gate. We called it his "big boy bed". He did fall off a few times, but didn't seem to mind. Every now and then he asks us to put the front crib gate back up (Daddy just velcros it in place resting on the floor, so Anthony can climb in and out). He asks for the gate to be off more often. So all in all progress for Anthony is very good on all fronts. We are very proud of his kindness and attention to the things in life that really count. Mommy and Daddy get lots of hugs and kisses from him. We're spoiled now, because that will most likely stop in a couple years. Well.....that's it for now. In the next few updates we'll get you caught up on Mommy and Daddy. For now enjoy some pictures and videos from the entire month of September. (PS – Daddy fixed the video problems some of you may have had in the past.)

Nov 7, '10 5:50pm: Here come the updates

It's been a long time since we’ve updated this web site. There have been a few things on Facebook at Anthony and Mommy’s sites, but not much else. Facebook is ok, but not everyone is on Facebook that we know, so having this web site is the best solution. To date, there have been no problems reported with this site, but if you see any (broken links, videos that don’t run, etc), then make sure to drop an email at the link to the left. Daddy has been working hard to get photos and videos ready for a HUGE web site update stretching out over the next couple weeks. We’ve got tens of videos and hundreds of photos and lots of information coming. So, we hope you don’t mind but each update will be rolled out over the next week or so. We’ll also try and give some insight on each update. So sit back and enjoy. First up: A trip to Golden Gate Park for a ride on a row boat followed by Glamma and Poppies’ visit back in August. Coming soon are picture from Anthony’s recent birthday party.

Jul 11, '10 12:03am: Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!! Its Daddy's birthday today (poor bastard). He's old now. You should see how he plays on a gym set (it's pathetic). Bad back, sore shoulder, out of shape, losing sleep, stressed out....middle age has officially arrived. Daddy can't decide on a birthday gift. It's a toss up between a Ferrari and a Harley. Daddy's birthday is a play-it-by-ear day as Anthony currently has a low grade fever of 100deg. (That's a photo of the Little Guy from 2008 to the left.) He's had it for 2 days and it should be breaking by today. We'll see. He's not acting like he has a fever, though. Overall Anthony is doing wonderful. He's just now at 36.5" tall and just tall enough to ride the rides at the fairs. You can see that in the links below. In school Anthony is doing stellar. His report card link is below and shows how well he is doing. Socially he's a bit on the shy side, but jumps in once he's comfortable. He's also smart enough to have Mommy and Daddy wrapped around his little finger. He's entered a phase where he tells us all the time that he loves us. The other day he pointed at me while passing by and said, "I love you, ya know". He is such the cutie pie. His vocabulary is exploding and he absolutely loves to sign songs. His personality is not over the top, but he loves to entertain. ..... The rest of the family is doing fine. Mommy is doing much better with her knee. Both surgeries went well and she's been doing great recovering. She's not able to go on a hike just yet, but she's getting stronger all the time. GrandmaP was staying with us for the month around Mommy's second surgery. It was really nice having her here. Anthony was especially sad when she left and still asks where GrandmaP is. Things have been quite busy lately, so updates are few, but we'll be doing more soon here and on Facebook. For now have fun checking out the photos/videos section for more details on what's been going on at Casa Amato. Cheers.

May 31, '10 11:37pm: More pictures to shake a stick at...

Ummm yeah....a lot has been going on. Mommy got her hardware removed from her knee and can start getting back to full health (slowly). The two of us mentioned just yesterday that with her knee and my back issues neither one of us can jump without risking injury. ...... Anthony is doing really really well. He's getting a lot of good praise at school and growing socially. He's a bit of a control freak, but it's tempered by the fact that he enters every situation with some caution and shyness. He's over 35lbs and is about 36" tall. (We really need to make a height chart for him). Grandma P is in town to help out with Mommy while she heals for about a month or so. Anthony loves Grandma P (as do Mommy and Daddy). Grandma P may not feel as loving as she has caught bronchitis. There's a nasty cold/flu going around that obviously was still in the air. Daddy had it for about three weeks. Grandma P went to see the doc and now has some killer meds. She'll be better soon. Lots more news and stuff coming, but it's late and Daddy needs his beauty sleep. Have fun looking at the entire month of May.

Apr 11, '10 10:18pm: How we be doin' n stuff

This update brought to you by Mommy (Daddy worked on all the pictures and videos).

Life has been so full and busy lately. It always is but the recent busyness has prevented Joe from doing website updates. The process takes a while, so please know that when there is a delay, it is for good reasons. No one is more committed to the website updates than Joe.

That said I am doing this blow-by-blow written update that covers the period from early January through to the end of March.

As many of you know, I fell in November 2009 and broke my kneecap in half as well as rupturing the connective tissue on both sides which had to be sewn back together. I am still in the long recovery and am still officially handicapped. My mother was here from December 1 to February 15 to care for us but finally had to leave (cabin fever plus she had to deal with her own life). I am immensely grateful for her help and have no idea how we would have managed without her.

Since her departure, I have taken over cooking duties and have started working at the office more. At the end of the day my leg is terribly sore so I am still icing and elevating regularly. I am much better but am not out of the woods until they remove the hardware and I recover from that. The hardware is what is creating the daily intense pain. The procedure is scheduled for 5/20, and my Mom will be arriving the day after to help out for a month.

Anthony is doing fantastic. He is very popular with both his teachers and classmates. His school has several age groups and grades: a preschool program (age 2-3); next level (age 3-4) and the Kindergarten (age 5-6). Anthony has managed to gain the affections of everyone, especially a couple of Kindergarten girls who just adore them. The feeling is mutual. It is very cute to witness. Additionally, I have been told by one of his teachers that he rides his scooter like a 6-year old. You have to realize that he has wanted a scooter since he first saw one over a year ago. He took to riding it right away and is fast and coordinated. His is a busy boy, athletic and has a ton of energy at all times.

Anthony is VERY independent and insists on doing everything by himself. He is looking more and more like a little boy and less like a baby. It is amazing watching the transformation that occurs during the toddler years. I feel so blessed to be his mother. He does have tantrums but usually we can work through them fairly easily. Since my injury, my authority over him in those moments and my ability to play with him in fun times has been taken away. Over the next few months I look forward to regaining those roles in his life. Right now I am a Mommy with a big boo boo. :o)

Joey is working and stressed. He is making the most of his situation but always seems to be struggling to get some air. That feeling has been exacerbated since my injury and hopefully will ease up as my recovery continues in a positive direction.

I just turned 39 on February 19th. We celebrated by going to see The Blind Side. It was a heart warming movie and I am thrilled to have celebrated my birthday that way. Grandpa has been really wonderful helping out with Anthony on Sundays and Thursdays. Anthony loves the time with Grandpa and it gives us an opportunity to take care of errands, etc., so that when we spend time with Anthony, he has 100% of our attention. Thank you for that Grandpa.

All in all, life in 2010 has been pretty good. We have made the most of our situation. The pictures we have are mostly of Anthony on weekend trips with Daddy since I cannot do those things at this time. I look forward to joining them for their adventures. As you can see, Anthony loves to do everything and enjoys every moment of fun that we can provide.

Please enjoy all the photos that we've taken over the past few months. Love Angela, Joey and Anthony.

Apr 10, '10 9:00pm: Past Pics

Daddy has been really really busy lately. His work has been more stressful than should be allowed for any one human, and that's after getting more help on his project. Hence, updates have been really hard to complete before Daddy collapses in bed just to loose another nights sleep from being all stressed out. He's been working and picking through lots and lots of pictures and videos from the past two months. This update is for 6 pics and 2 large videos. There's about 70+ pictures waiting in the wings to be uploaded. More info and wordier updates coming soon. Enjoy.

Mar 2, '10 11:01pm: Past Pics

Things have been really busy around here lately. Daddy's days are filled more so now, because Mommy just can't do some of the things she used to do. Her knee is healing well, but it's still quite painful, especially at the end of the day. We'll be providing a much more detailed update on Mommy, Anthony and everything (including videos) real soon, ....but for now please enjoy some old photos we just posted. The hiking photos were a joy to take. Anthony has so much fun on those hikes.

Feb 14, '10 12:49am: Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo's
....and a great big mmmMMMMWWWAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Jan 3, '10 10:04pm: It's been awhile.......

OH MY GOD.....where do I start? A lot of you know what's been going on at the Amato Homestead, but many don't. So sit right back and enjoy this little story. I'll make it as brief as possible. Mommy broke her knee cap on 11/23 just one week after Anthony started at his new school. Mommy went in for surgery and was home on Thanksgiving Day. The same day the turkey almost caught fire. That night and in to the next 5 days Anthony got sick all over his crib with vomit and diarrhea. (It wasn't food poisoning.) Daddy got the same sickness the next day. Mommy got it the day after that. Not good to have all three of us in bad shape and Mommy just out of surgery. Daddy took care of the house, baby care and Mommy while he also was sick. Grandpa helped out with watching Anthony during the day. Grandma P showed up a few days later to stay for two months ....and promptly got sick too. (must have been a virus) During this time Anthony's world was turned up side down: new school, getting sick, witnessing Mommy fall, Mommy going away, coming back all injured, breast feeding stopped, Daddy doing a lot of the care, Grandpa around more.... Anthony's still a little freaked and keeps falling on purpose and asking for help. He's not doing it as much now, but it's obvious he's still affected by Mommy's injury. (Poor kid). We'll keep you posted. ......... Christmas came and went and Anthony had a great time. He got his prized gift from Santa (a scooter) and a bunch of other fun toys, books, puzzles (he loves puzzles) and clothes. Daddy and Mommy got a new computer and a new printer (yeah). .... A lot of you have asked about how Mommy is doing with her knee. Here's and update in Mommy's own words:

"Well December was a challenging month. My knee recovery will take quite some time. It is a slow recovery process. On top of breaking my patella in two, I also tore the quadriceps reticulum. That had to be sewn together as well. That said, it will be months before I can be as active as I was. Maybe even a year. My mother is in town and staying with us until February in order to help with errands, my appointments, all my care and helping around the house. She has been terrific. Joey hasn't really enjoyed his time off as he's been busy a lot, as usual. Anthony is growing and thriving at preschool. He has adjusted really well, although my fall completely changed his reality, as with mine. He practices falling all the time now and his toys have knee injuries like mine. It has been hard on all of us. I cannot play or care for him at the same level and has been emotionally extremely difficult for me. Joey and Grandpa have been doing most of the Anthony play time. As thrilled as I am that he is getting the same level of activity, I wish I was more available to him. By February 1, 2010, I will be able to walk with a cane. I will not be able to lift anything or run until May or June according to the doctor. All of this has taught me to be grateful for the little things. The things that all of take for granted like walking or cleaning or playing, or making food. In a split second life can change and it is so important to embrace every minute and enjoy it."

More updates will be coming soon. With all of what is going on it's become much more difficult to maintain any social web site updates. Mommy has more time being in bed most of the time, but Daddy is swamped and unable to truly provide a lot of the updates. Thanks to a lot of you who are still checking in. ....FYI: I use Anthony's Facebook page to announce all updates here, so send a friend request if you want to receive a notice of when pictures, videos and updates are available. Talk soon. Happy Holidays!!! –The Amatos