A Peek at Life as a Natic

On Sunday we planned to hang out with Andrea and Ryan for the Atlanta Home Show.  Since we got back from Athens on Saturday night rather late we knew getting up early for lunch with Andrea and Ryan would be tough.  In addition Andrea had mentioned that Nico may not be feeling well so we sort of banked on lunch not happening – apparently this was a bad idea LOL.

I got a text on Sunday morning from Andrea that said something along the lines of No Mas lunch at 11:00?  I didn’t realize that No Mas is a restaurant LOL – I thought that she was saying no more lunch at 11:00 – sorry guys!  We would have loved to do lunch but we would have needed to make it a little later.  ha ha.

We had a good time checking out the home show.  It was not quite what we had hoped that it would be but we still got to spend time just hanging out.  We checked out the show and grabbed some coffee afterwards before heading home for the night.  It was great seeing them again and we are looking forward to Maggianos next weekend for Alisha and Ryan’s birthday!

Dont forget to check out our photo gallery for pictures of the Atlanta Gay Pride Parade at pictures.neilnatic.com or here

On Sunday morning we woke up and tried to figure out what we wanted to do.  We had been talking about heading down to Andrea and Ryan’s house as we had not seen them in a while but were not sure what to do for the morning.  Alisha then got a call from Kara who was heading down to the Gay Pride Parade in Midtown Atlanta so we decided to go as well.

It is no secret that Alisha and I support gay couples and believe that they should be treated equally and we figured, why the hell not?  Let’s check it out.  We hauled ass to meet Kara, Lin, and their friend Bobby down at Kara’s apartment.  We then headed off to find parking and get a spot for the parade.  We certainly underestimated the parking situation as we got down there but it all turned out fine.  We had to walk several blocks to the parade but at least we got to check it out. 

The parade was NUTS!  There were so many people there to watch that I NEVER would have thought it would be such a long parade.  We were there well over 2 hours and it was still going.  There were just a ton of groups walking to support their cause and it was a good time.  It was really incredible to see so many people support equality and pride for gays.  While we were certainly outnumbered as a straight (pregnant) couple, but our support was certainly welcomed by everyone.  It was a good time even though it was as long as it was. 

Check out our link above for pictures from the parade.   

After the parade we headed out to Ryan and Andrea’s house to hang out and have dinner with them.  When we got there Andrea had told us that they also invited their friends Nathan and Sarah over as well.  We had not seen them in a while and really like to hang out with them as well so it was a great surprise.  We brought Andrea our Kitchen Aid mixer so that she could whip up some of her oh so delicious pumpkin cookies.  DAMN those things are soooooo good!  You just can’t stop eating them.  MMMMM!!!  Ryan and I took Anthony and headed out to his data center down town to grab some pictures for their website while the ladies baked away.   Shortly after we returned Nathan, Sarah and the kids came over and we threw some chicken and pulled pork on the grill to get dinner started.

As always, we had an excellent time with the DiRoccos.  We dont get to see them as often as we wish we did, so it is always a great time seeing them whenever we can.  Thanks for having us over Andrea and, of course, thanks for the cookies… I wont thank you for the 5 lbs I’ll gain eating them though LOL

Dont forget to check out our photo gallery for pictures of Dominic Gerard DiRocco at pictures.neilnatic.com or here.

Dominic and I

This past Wednesday Andrea headed to Northside Hospital (Perimeter) to get induced!!!  After a short labor, Dominic Gerard DiRocco was born!  CONGRATS GUYS!!!!

We headed to the hospital after work to spend time with them and see the baby.  He was sooo tiny born at 6 lbs 7 ounces 20 inches at about 12:30ish in the afternoon.

Dont forget to check out our photo gallery for pictures of our night at Capital Grille with the DiRoccos at pictures.neilnatic.com or here.

I made a comment on our blog regarding going to Capital Grille now that we know we are having a baby boy and Andrea offered to join us.  We had not seen them in a while so we made plans to head there on Friday night. 

Andrea and Alisha both Pregnant

As you know, Capital Grille is by far my favorite restaurant!  The calamari, steaks, and truffle fries are to die for…. and the flourless chocolate cake (topped with espresso) is even better than all of it combined.  While at dinner, Andrea gave Alisha a present for Preston.  It is his first Lovie embroidered with his name.  We had a great time at dinner celebrating Andrea and Ryan’s pregnancy as well as ours.  Andrea does not have too much longer before she has her third little boy!

Thanks for joining us guys!

Friday night we headed over to Ryan and Andrea’s house to spend the evening with them and the kids.  We have not made it out there as often as we would have liked, so we decided to make the drive. 

We ate a quick dinner and then headed out to the park that is in their neighborhood.  They live in Tributaries in Douglasville GA which is an excellent neighborhood.  The people are great and the neighborhood is gorgeous.  They have all of these little parks and stuff throughout the main phase that really leads to people being social and becoming friends.  They were doing a movie in the park last night so we grabbed our beers and blanket and headed out to grab a spot. 

By the time the movie was over and we headed back to Ryan and Andrea’s house it was about 11:00 so we headed home.  It was a good time as always at the DiRocco’s.

I am sorry loyal readers I have not updated in over a week – so here is a quick update.

On Friday night I caved in a decided to go to take Alisha to Maggianos. Ryan and Andrea also joined us for the evening with Nico. We had a great dinner and took some time to catch up. Unfortunately, I regretted eating it like crazy so I sent all of my leftovers home with Ryan and Andrea. I just felt terrible after eating so I decided it was not a good idea to eat it again for lunch on Saturday. I am sure Ryan didnt mind taking a little extra home that night

On Saturday we had a busy day. Since we are going on our cruise at the end of May we remembered that we REALLY need some luggage. The luggage that we have has unfortunately not weathered the storm and has fallen apart. This time we decided to get some higher quality stuff and see why some costs more than others. We were not looking to go top of the line by far but wanted better than we had picked out last time. Andrea had told us to head over to Macy’s to check out theirs as they ALWAYS have sales. She was totally right! We headed out there and picked up 2 medium sized rolling lightweight bags, a carry-on bag, and a garment bag. Thanks Andrea! We needed it badly!!!!!

In the afternoon we headed over to Myrna and Louis house to celebrate their children’s accomplishments in the Catholic Church. We had a good time hanging out with friends and family as well as eating some Spanish foods. mmmm.

After hanging out there for a while, we headed up to Twisted Taco in Roswell to meet up with a number of our friends for Krystle’s birthday gathering. We spent a few hours hanging out and having a great time with our friends before headed home for the night.

On Sunday, I unfortunatley left Alisha for most of the day. In the early afternoon I met my dad at the shooting range to shoot a few rounds. It was his first time ever shooting and we had a great time doing so.  We had been wanting to go for a while but because of the shortage of ammo these days it was very difficult to go.  It is total bullshit that you cant find any ammo anymore. 

After the shooting range I headed over to the other type of range to meet the Solanas for a round of golf at Old Atlanta Club!  I had a great time playing with Joe, Carol, and Joey.  It was a blast and they always kept me laughing.  Sunday was a perfect guy day although I wish Alisha would have come. I had a great time and it was one of the best Sunday’s I have had in a while!

On Sunday we went down to Florida, I mean Douglasville to spend the day with Ryan, Andrea, and the boys!  It was great to see them again as we have all been so busy that we have not been able to see each other as much as we wish we could.

The ladies went shopping, the guys watched football and played Tiger Woods Golf, Nico ate Pop Rocks, and Anthony wore fuzzy boots.  We had a great time with them and can’t wait to see them again on Saturday night at Maggianos for Ryan and Alisha’s birthday dinners.

See ya next weekend guys!

 Don’t forget to check out our photo gallery for pictures of Nico’s First Birthday at pictures.neilnatic.com  or here.

They are added to Nico’s album from his birth

So not yesterday, not last Saturday, but the Saturday before that (damn am i behind ) we went over to Andrea and Ryan’s house for Nico’s First Birthday party.  We spent some great time with Andrea, Ryan, and their family / friends and celebrated with them.  Nico got a bunch of gifts and of course, most importantly, got to eat his first cake all by himself. 

At first he was a little hesitant, but then he dove in like a pro.  Before long 90% of the cake was either on the floor, in his belly, on his hands, or on his face.  We have 3,000 pictures of his birthday, but I only posted a few.  Alisha had our camera in turbo mode taking pictures. 

Andrea, if you have any up on your site, send me a link.  I will add it to this post.

Yesterday we made plans to head down to Douglasville to hang out with Ryan and Andrea for a Labor Day get together.  We got there at about 2:00 or so and got to hang out with Ryan, Andrea, Matt, Jessie, Gary, and Bradelle.  It was nice to see everyone again.. it had certainly been a while.

When we got there we cooked out on the grill and enjoyed some beer.  We all ate, drank, and had some desserts (mmmm S’mores brownies!) and just talked for a few hours.  Before long Matt, Jessie, Gary and Bradelle headed home and we stayed to enjoy the rest of the evening with Ryan and Andrea.  We chilled around the house talking and then played some Wii.  We then headed out so that Ryan and Andrea could try to get us to move there with them as we went through many of the houses that are still for sale in Tributaries.  Me and Ryan were drinking before we left so of course we had to bring our unfinished beers with us.  With two car seats in the back we fit Ryan (in Anthony’s car seat), Nico (in his car seat), Andrea and Anthony in the driver’s seat, and Alisha and me in the other front seat.  It was ridiculous :crackup:  Soon after me and Ryan decided to walk but Andrea offered the trunk to us.  Both of us ended up inside the of the trunk with it open while drinking beer and touring the neighborhood.  We then recruited a neighbor to come down and hang out with us while we cooked up some of the left-overs.  It was a great time!

It was great to see Ryan, Andrea, and the kids again.  We look forward to doing it all again sometime very soon.

Don’t forget to check out our photo gallery  for pictures of Nico at pictures.neilnatic.com or here.  Videos will be added for download in Nico’s album in the photo gallery soon.

After meeting up and Wild Wing for Dan’s B-Day dinner, Ryan and Andrea took Anthony to our house for the night so that they could get ready for the new baby.  We were asked to make sure that Anthony could be there when the new baby was born so that he could be the first to see him.  On Tuesday night we got the call that Andrea was asked to be at the hospital to be induced at 6:00 AM on Wednesday morning so we woke up early to make sure that we could have everything on time. 

I woke Anthony up in the morning and he immediately asked me to take the lid off of container with the toys that were in the room.  As i was heading out of the room, Envy followed and cries of “Envy play toys?!?  Play toys Envy?!?  Envy????” came as Anthony wanted a playmate.  It was adorable.  I went back in the room and took the toys to my room while me and Alisha finished getting ready. 

On the way to the hospital, we stopped by Target so that Anthony could pick out a stuffed animal and flowers for his new brother and mom.  He picked out a cute bear and a boquet of yellow gerber daisies.  We also grabbed a card and headed up to the hospital. 

We arrived at Northside Hospital around 10:30 and found Ryan’s parents who were in the waiting area downstairs.  We sat with them and kept Anthony entertained.  Ryan’s mom bought him a new toy and I think i ended up being more entertained than he did.  I sat their and tied them all together and played for an hour easily.  Before long, Andrea’s mom, dad, and brother arrived and sat with us as well.  We all got lunch from the cafeteria and just talked while eagerly awaiting the news. 

Ryan came down at 2:00 to let us know that the baby was born at 1:32 PM at 8 lbs. 2oz and 21 inches.  They still did not have a name at this point and Ryan took Anthony upstairs to see his new baby brother and to decide on a name for him.  Around 3:30, Ryan and Anthony came back downstairs and let us know that they had a name for him and we could all go see him… unfortunately Anthony forgot the name and Ryan refused to tell us until Anthony did himself.  So we were all eagerly trying to decipher what Anthony was saying so we could figure it out.  Unfortunately it did not work and we spent 5 minutes in the room with the baby before Ryan told Anthony what it was and had him say it.  It was so funny to see all the suspense to see what his name was.

We all gathered around when the nurse came in to give Nico his first bath.  After seeing Anthony’s hair and  Ryan’s  brother mentioning a mohawk, the nurse gave Nico one and posed him for some pictures.  Soon after his bath everyone took turns holding him.  Alisha even convinced me to hold him for a picture.  I just don’t feel right holding something so fragile… I just feel like i am going to drop something that small…  but I will say he was adorable!

Andrea got word of which room she was going to be put into and we all rushed down there to decorate it for her.  We had balloons, flowers, and tons of baby boy decorations to hang up for her.  Shortly after we left as Ryan and Andrea needed some sleep desperately.  They had not gone to bed from hanging out with us at Wild Wing yesterday and it was taking its toll.

 Congrats Ryan and Andrea!  Your baby is finally here!!  We will see you guys soon.

Don’t forget to check out our photo gallery  for pictures at  pictures.neilnatic.com or here.

Saturday afternoon we headed down to Douglasville to spend the day with Andrea, Ryan, and Anthony.  Andrea enticed me with her amazing pumpkin cookies if we came and brought our Kitchen-Aid mixer.  I obviously agreed… I could not resist her cookies and a day to chill with them to see their new neighborhood.

Andrea and Ryan recently purchased a house in Tributary in Douglasville and wanted to show us the awesome amenities and future plans for the neighborhood.  When we got there Ryan and I headed out for the essentials (beer) and groceries while ladies prepped to make the cookies and relaxed.  Once we got home it was football time as we rooted for opposing teams… I was favoring Georgia of course!  Ryan… not so much… he is a Florida Gators fan.   

Around halftime, we headed out to check out the neighborhood.  It was amazing how large it was and what amenities they were planning to build as well as what was already there.  The place was REALLY nice.  Everything from little town square size parks to dog parks to nature trails were part of the shocking amenities.  We returned to Andrea and Ryan’s and watched the rest of the game while the ladies made the pumpkin cookies. 

By the time the game was over, a large amount of the cookies were done thanks to Andrea’s new bad ass ovens.  These things are SWEET!!  Anthony got curious over what was going on at the island and decided to make some of his own confections.  He mixed sugar, flour, nutmeg, baking powder and cinnamon in his mixing bowl and even tasted it a few times to make sure he liked it.  It was so cute!!

After he finished mixing, he headed to the living room to steal the cushions and make a sofa fort.  He would bury himself in all of the cushions and pop up like peek-a-boo.  He was getting such a kick out of it. 

We ate dinner and relaxed for a while before heading back home.  It was a ton of fun, as usual and we can’t wait to see them again… except next time there should be a new family member with them as Andrea is expected to deliver the new baby over Thanksgiving!!!!