Merry Christmas Everyone!

What kind of driver are you?

I read this article this afternoon and thought it was interesting!

Traits That Reveal What Kind of Driver You Are
By: Dayna Davis (View Profile)
We all probably know by now that not all drivers are created equal. Everyone has those friends who terrify us behind the wheel with their aggression and speed and other friends who drive slower than our grandparents do.

Believe it or not, statistics compiled after reviewing car accidents tell a lot about the kind of drivers we are. Who knew that our occupation and even our astrological sign could predict the likelihood that we’ll get into an accident?

These statistics reveal some important information about who to watch out for on the road.
Professions Most Likely to CrashResearch conducted by the price comparison site, moneysupermarket.com shows that bus conductors are the most likely to have an accident and engravers are the least likely. The report does specify bus conductors are the most likely to crash their own cars, so that’s a relief for us commuters.

The research was derived from insurance quotes of 10 million consumers. Other professions in the top ten most likely to have an at-fault accident are general practitioners, psychologists, and surgeons. Hmm … maybe the stress of saving lives all day gets released on the road?
Horse dealers, butlers, golf caddies, au pairs, and zoologists are among the least likely to crash. The same report lists army officers as the most likely to speed on the road.

September 2008 study of over 115,000 car insurance claims by Accident Exchange, a British accident management company, analyzed car accident rates by astrological sign. And sorry, Gemini, but your sign tops the list as the most likely to be involved in an accident. The next two most likely signs to crash are Taurus and Aries. Interesting data since that means drivers most likely to get in accidents are those born between March and June. Scorpions and Sagittarians were ranked the least likely to get in an accident.

So the next time you get in a car with a friend, make sure you know her sign before accepting a ride. And if you’re a Gemini, Taurus, or Aries, take extra caution behind the wheel.

A State Farm Insurance report shows people living in New York, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania are the most likely to hit deer on the road. The report shows 1.5 million car crashes involve deer each year, mostly between October and December. In New York, the odds of hitting a deer are one in 141. In West Virginia, one in forty-five cars collides with deer.
If you’re worried about hitting a deer, move to Hawaii, where the odds are one in 11,000.
Most (and Least) Likely Cities for Road Rage If you live in Miami, New York, Boston, Baltimore, or Washington DC, your city is one of the top places where drivers are likely to have road rage.

The survey, conducted by Auto Vantage and Affinion Group Media, also ranked the most courteous driving cities, which are:
Pittsburgh
Portland
Seattle
Minneapolis
Cleveland

The survey also found younger drivers are the most likely to honk their horns and those with the longest commutes are the most likely to use obscene gestures. Some other “most likelies” from this report are:

New Yorkers are the most likely to tailgate
Miami drivers are the most likely to cut off other drivers without notice
Baltimore, New York, and Tampa drivers are the most likely to eat or drink on the road
Denver, Houston, Miami, and Phoenix drivers are the most likely to text behind the wheel
Washington DC drivers are the most likely to slam on their brakes
Drivers in Miami and Tampa are the most likely to run red lights

Now that I know the stats, I’ll let the Gemini drivers speed past me on the highway and I’ll keep an eye out for surgeons on the road.

The Weekend...part deux

Here's the new couch (kind of)...we have it basically reversed with the chaise on the right and so on, and it's going to be cardinal red with coordinating pillows. Hopefully, we will get it before Christmas. They say 4-7 weeks for delivery since it's a special order. I am hoping it's on the 4 week side!!

After checking out a few other furniture stores, we ended up back at store #1 on Sunday and found a different salesperson to help us. I can't imagine why the first guy walked away from us on Saturday - maybe he thought we looked like scrubs and weren't going to purchase anything? But when we went back Sunday it all worked out so I am happy. Yay!

More later. Gotta get back to work!

The Weekend in Review

So, even though the weekend is still underway and I am in no rush for it to be over, it has been great so far.

Friday was a good day at work. Busy, but not too busy, yet productive. I left at 2:30 to pick up N so we could hang out for a while until I had to go pick up M from work (my car was in the shop for scheduled maintenance, so I dropped him off on my way into the office.) But I saw that the traffic on 495 south was starting to get thick and it would only get worse from there, so I made the executive decision to head directly there from the daycare. I am so glad I did because it took me longer than expected to get there, and in the meantime I had a little time to kill, so we went to Target, where I picked up some things, including a few Christmas presents for my niece. They have really cute clothes there - and they are very reasonably priced!

(Side note: my niece can't read yet, so I am not worried about spoiling the surprise on whatever she's getting for the holidays. And if my brother in law reads this, he probably wouldn't care or remember...haha)

So then we picked up M from work and headed home to relax and get ready for our big night out. We had a babysitter so we had plans to go out to dinner with friends of ours. We went to Truffles Grille and Wine Bar, which was INCREDIBLE. We loved it and we will definitely be back there at some point. It was pricey but well worth it - the wine was excellent, appetizers, including the Formaggio Platter, and Grilled Tenderloin Pizzette were just the perfect thing, and then we got entrees, which were delish as well. I think I would have eaten the plate - I had actually not eaten very much on Friday so I was starving by the time we got to the restaurant. Everyone was laughing at me because I was eating everything in sight. I am surprised P didn't ask me if I was pregnant. Ha!

We picked up N after the restaurant and she was sleeping soundly, even while in transit from the babysitter to the car and then into the house. So it was a good night for all.

Today was a really busy day. I had a dentist appt (I love going to the dentist) and then I was going to get my nails done. I really needed it, as my sis tells me my nails were a "hot mess". I had been planning to go to her salon but I couldn't get away for that long - it's quite a ways away, and I just needed something quick, so I went to a place near us, which is excellent (and cheap). I'm extremely picky when it comes to nail salons (given that my sis does it for a living) so trust me when I say a place is good. So I got the mani/pedi and now I feel like a million bucks.

After I got home, we fed the baby and then decided to go out and look at furniture. For those of you who have been to our house, the couches in the downstairs family room are just atrocious. So we're biting the bullet and getting some new stuff, because we don't want the baby to eat the stuffing that's leaking out of the couches due to the cats' wrath.

We found a gorgeous couch at place #1, and we were ready to buy it then and there. However, the salesman walked away from us for another customer, (I don't get why) so we left because he was taking too long and we didn't want to press our luck with N, it was getting close to a feeding for her. Sheesh. There weren't that many people in the store, couldn't someone else have helped us if he was too busy? That was poor customer service so we are going to continue our search elsewhere tomorrow at a couple other places. If we don't find anything else we like as much as the couch at place #1, then we will go back there and we will not let the salesperson leave us until we complete the transaction!!!

Anyhoo...right now I am wrapping up the edits on my friend's wedding pics, they have taken forever to go through but they look pretty good! I think she will be pleased. I am aiming to get them online tonight/tomorrow once they are done.

I'll post an update tomorrow on the couch situation after we return from shopping. N has had a slight fever so as long as she's up for it, we'll go. If not, we'll revisit it in a few weeks, probably after Thanksgiving!!

Just playing around...

Boy she loves that hat!

A Belated Happy Halloween!

I think this is the cutest pic...she didn't hate being in the costume too much, as long as she could chew on the neckpiece. :) We did not go trick or treating, because I was really sick with bronchitis, but here is N as a strawberry for Halloween!

Dunkin' Beat Starbucks!

Carla...this one is for you!!! As if there was ever a question!

http://www.dunkinbeatstarbucks.com/default.aspx

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Yesterday we went shopping at David's Bridal for our dresses for JS's wedding. We made a decision and here is the winner...
http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids_detail.jsp?stid=2795&prodgroup=110

I will post pics soon of all of us in the dresses for your viewing pleasure, even though MM has threatened me if I post any pics of her on here. *evil smile*

A few more cute pictures...

Waiting for the Great Pumpkin

Last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch where I had a lot of fun taking pics with N, our neighbor's daughter, and my friend's nephew. I never would have guessed how crowded it would be, but we totally came at the right time. It was great and we got some great shots of the kids.

I do think N had quite the busy weekend, because on my day off from work, Monday, I took her to have her 6-mo pics taken and we are waiting to see them. I got a little preview and they were super cute, of course! She was so wiped out Monday night she went to bed right away without any fuss.

The past week has been a flurry of activity! Work has been so busy, and it will continue to be busy until probably Thanksgiving. Open Enrollment is all consuming, and I'm managing the whole shebang, so I feel particularly anxious to make sure everything goes well. Not that I haven't done this before, but I'm at a new job so the pressure's on.

I did take Friday as a vacation day which was awesome. M and I went to Mohegan Sun for the day to check it out. He did well with poker, but I didn't fare as well with the slot machines, so I decided to window shop for a while. I saw a gorgeous Coach bag that I wanted to buy, but the only thing preventing me from buying it (well, 2 things actually...) was 1) that I left the $50 off coupon I received to use at Coach, at home and 2) that my credit card was at home in the pocket of the pants I had worn yesterday when I stopped to get gas. Now, I do have another credit card in my wallet, but it's for emergencies only and I hold myself to that rule. I don't think M would agree that a plum Coach bag qualified as an emergency. In fact, it would be an extremely long ride home if I had to try to explain that one. No matter; I'll think about it and maybe buy it as a treat after Open Enrollment is successfully completed.

Today we went to lunch with my friend A, and I met her fiancee J for the first time. He was super nice and I was very excited to meet him. He clearly is very much in love with her and that makes me so happy. I think they are trying to plan a wedding fairly soon, I just hope it's not while I am away in California so I can be there!!! But I guess it all depends on what dates are available.

Tomorrow will be a lot of fun too. I am meeting up with MG and the other bridesmaids in JS's wedding, so we can try on bridesmaid dresses for the wedding in July. I can't wait-this is going to be fabulous. I like the color of the dresses she has in mind, and the styles she's been looking at are adorable. I don't know if a decision will be made tomorrow, but we'll all have fun. I think we're going to try and do a late lunch afterward which I hope happens because I really haven't seen JS in a while-schedules haven't worked out at all.

Busy week ahead...

So, first and foremost...I'm so glad that the Pats won against SF yesterday. I didn't watch the whole game (was flipping to Tommy Boy whenever M left the room) but from what I saw, it was a good game :)

I was looking forward to having a 4 day weekend this weekend, but already it's jam packed with so much stuff to do, I'm not sure when we're going to get a chance to relax! Sigh...and there is a lot of driving to look forward to (or not to look forward to)!! Remind me again why I moved out to the middle of nowhere???

Oh well. Lunch break is almost over. I have new videos of N so will post those later tonight :)

A girl and her hat

Here's a pic of N with her favorite purple hat. She likes hats lately, and is particularly attached to this one, which I bought at Baby Gap. She even gets mad if they try to take it off her head at the daycare.

That's all for now! Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm sick.

I absolutely feel like death today. However, I'm a trooper and came to work today. I have so much going on I felt bad taking a sick day. I will leave early today though and see if I can get some rest. Well, that is, after I take N to her check up appointment.

I'm curious to find out how much she weighs at this point. She definitely feels heavier, but I wouldn't dare to step on a scale with her to find out. I just don't want to know how much I weigh...haha.

I slept last night from 6:30 pm to 5 this morning. But I still feel exhausted, and I have to give a brief presentation at 3 pm. I know I can do this...I just have to psych myself up for it!

This weekend, I have 2 weddings that I am working at. I'm looking forward to it - I just hope I can kick the cold (or at least get it under control) by tomorrow morning!!! Otherwise, it will be hard!!

And the excitement continues!

A is ENGAGED!!! Woo!

I found out when we all met up to go to the concert on Sunday that it just happened that weekend! Not sure what the plan is for a wedding but I think that it will happen before baby arrives. I'm excited!! A- if you are reading this I'll be happy to take pics for you.

So...about the concert - we had a blast. NKOTB really put on a good show - the beginning and the end were the best IMO. But I enjoyed the whole thing, even though my jacket got drenched with beer and the people behind us were smoking (eeeeewwww). It would have been great if we had seats with A-she was pretty close to the stage. Oh well, when they come back in 10 years, I'll spring for the better seats and N will be old enough to come along with us. :) I'll post a few pics soon.

In other news, this week E and H found out they are having a boy, so now I can begin shopping!

More excitement!

MG won the first prize in the Deerfield Fair cake decorating competition. Here's a picture of her award winning cake! It is so beautiful!

Exciting News!

The cat is finally out of the bag and I am excited to share the news that my friend A is having a baby in February! I am so excited for her and J, even though I haven't met him yet - but we will plan to make that happen soon. She is in the process of moving closer to me so I am hoping this gives us an opportunity to get together more often.

I am so excited that I was one of the first to know - it means a lot to me!!

This weekend, I'm going to the NKOTB concert with A, MG, and a group of others - it will be a lot of fun! I'm glad we're going to the Sunday concert and not tonight's - Friday nights are tough especially after a long week of work!

I knew it was coming...but...

So I bought a new car - my first new car, EVER - this past spring, 2 weeks before N was born. I love this car so much - it's like a second baby. (Well, not really, but I take good care of it!!)

This morning I got out of my car at work and noticed a deep, ugly scratch in the door that was about 1 inch long. Not something you can just rub out. I'm not quite sure how this happened, but I'm sad today. Of course, I'm going to have to get it fixed - I can't leave it like that. It's just hideous.

In other news, my sister is having surgery today, so I'm going to leave work early to go make sure she's all right and/or bring her food if she can eat it by the time I get there. She is having part or maybe all of her thyroid removed, so she will have to stay overnight for observation. I have to pick up N at the daycare and then head up north to the hospital she's at. It will be a day of driving around the world, but that's okay - I just hope I don't run into traffic. I'm trying to plan my visit so that I feed N her last bottle of the night before I get on the road to drive home, which means that, in a perfect world, she will fall asleep for the night.

I'll post an update later when I get home!

Jumping!

For the baby shower, N's great-grandmother bought her a Jumperoo. We put it together last weekend and she caught on pretty quick! She loves it!

Happy Saturday

Last weekend I went to a party for Bearette's son E. I was excited to see her and D and meet the baby. He's a cutie, and we talked about the possibility of E and N becoming boyfriend/girlfriend in the future. Hey, you never know, it could happen!
Here are a few pictures from the party! What a happy family! :) The party was fun, but sadly I had to leave so that I could get home in time to feed N her dinner bottle and settle her down to bed, as the party was an hour or so away from home.



Well, N is taking a marathon nap (she's been asleep for 2 hours) so I've been able to pick up the house and get some things done. M and I cleaned out the spare room and I had a ton of stuff I wanted to get rid of. Most of it I donated, but there were some things that I decided I'd sell on ebay. We thought we'd post all the stuff for sale on ebay last night, but apparently I am allergic to M's green pullover (which I was wearing last night in the house). I have to look to see what it's made of - maybe part angora? Otherwise, there's probably too much cat hair on it or something. So wearing this thing brought on a severe allergy attack and I had to stop the whole ebay operation and go relax. Weirdly enough, I started to feel better in an hour, but then I was tired so I just went to bed.


Anyway.

Tomorrow we are going to the Pats game - I'm excited. I haven't been to a football game in a while - we plan to tailgate for a little while, hit the game and then maybe go to Cafe 31 for ice cream after! Cafe 31 is a new Baskin-Robbins shop that opened up at Patriot Place, but they have really unique treats in addition to the ice cream - they have ice cream fondue, pastries and all kinds of other cool things. I'm looking forward to checking it out - I have heard a lot about it!

Tagged by Bearette (well…not really…I just pimped this from her blog)

This is a kind of original meme where you talk about 6 "unspectacular quirks"....
1. When I was younger, I used to dream up ways to torment my sister. Two very bizarre instances of this were: 1) hanging her Barbies from the ceiling with nooses, and 2) telling her that eating mud in the driveway was a good thing. It’s no wonder she has anger issues now!

2. I was able to write (not print) my name in cursive by the time I was in first grade.

3. I am the worst pack rat. It’s hard for me to throw anything away, but I am trying to get better.

4. When I as a kid, I loved fried chicken. But ever since I choked on a bone from a drumstick, I refuse to eat it now.


5. I crank up my radio in the car when I’m alone and sing to whatever’s on, even if I don’t know the words that well. I’ll just make them up.

6. I sometimes have a hard time letting go of a grudge when someone has betrayed me or done something to someone who I am close with.

It's Friday! Woo!

I have the day "off" today from my FT job because I am working at a wedding this afternoon. I am looking forward to it - I've not worked at very many this season! I love going to take pictures - it's so much fun and really if I could make a living doing it, I would do it!

The wedding is in Danvers, so I may stay there tonight and crash at my sister's - not sure yet, but I'll decide whether I'm okay to drive home! She just moved into a new place, so that's good - the last apt she lived in was in sort of a sketchy area, so I'm glad she moved to a safer place.

So I learned some awesome news about a friend of mine, but I can't disclose it here yet. She'll let me know when it's okay to let the cat out of the bag. It's something great and I'm so happy for her, but more on that later.

I will update more in a little while as soon as the pictures are finished downloading from the camera to the computer.

Back on the Wagon...the Blogging Wagon, that is!

Well, I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post much, but I wanted to at least give a little update and share some pics of the fam.

I started a new job a month ago. So far so good...everything is going well! It's so busy, but that goes with the time of year - it's always busy from August through December. I was hoping to take some time off this month to make a trip to see my niece, but that isn't going to happen. Maybe in November...I hope...

Right now dad is in town visiting. I always love to see him but it's hard having someone in your house for more than a couple days. You know? I know I don't have to entertain him, but I at least feel like I should hang out!! I think he is leaving in a few days to go back home.

This weekend we have plans to go to the drive in movie theater nearby-that should be a lot of fun! I am really looking forward to it. I've never been! "The Rocker" and that Ben Stiller comedy is showing so it's cool, you get 2 movies for the price of one, and we can bring the baby, who will sleep!!! Thus, saving money on a babysitter!!!

I'll review the movies after the weekend!!

Stuff

First and foremost, let me say...happy birthday to Bearette!! I am sorry we could not make it to the party, but I promise to buy you a ridiculously decadent dessert when you come to visit in September.

**
So tomorrow is my last day at my job, and I'm taking a couple of days off before I start the new one. Thursday I am going to get a haircut and mani/pedi. Friday, I'm getting an oil change for the car. Can you stand the excitement? :) Actually, I might take N to the lake or state park one of the days so that we can hang out and go for a nice walk. Depends on the weather though! I think it might rain Thurs or Fri.

**
So I was googling to look for some (easy) directions on how to make a diaper cake. Not being crafty and all, I need directions that a child could follow. Has anyone ever done this, and if so, I'd love some advice!!! There are a lot of things out there and I just can't make sense out of anything. This should not surprise anyone who knows me.

Maybe I should just see if I can buy one already made, but where is the fun in that?

I can't sleep.

Now that the cat has woken me to feed him, I can't sleep so I figured I would check my email and pick up around the house. You can see what I felt was the bigger priority here. :)

I really can't wait to get through this week. It's been the week from hell. At least I have a fun weekend to look forward to! Friday night, I'm going out with the girls to celebrate at the Melting Pot. I am excited - we went there for Mel's b-day and it was delicious and a great time was had by all. Since I don't have to drive, I plan to have a few glasses of wine!

Saturday I have a Tastefully Simple party. I just hope it's not too hot as our central a/c installation keeps getting pushed back. Oh well. I may just have to break out the blender and make some frozen drinks to keep people cooled off.

Do you notice a theme here? Did I mention it's been the week from hell?

Yummy Yummy Cupcakes!

Today, my coworker made these cupcakes for me...y'all know what today is, don't you?!?!?! They were OUT OF THIS WORLD. I've had 2 so far, the first one at 10 am. Heck, I can eat whatever I want today!!! :)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup good cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
• Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

It's a rough day...

I have been up since 3 am and this day has felt eternally long. Is it 5 yet?

I was sleeping very peacefully, but before going to bed I must have mistakenly turned the baby monitor to volume 10. At 3 am, I heard N making noises, but at high volume it sounded like a monster breathing down my neck. Needless to say, I jumped a mile and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went downstairs with the monitor and watched 2 episodes of Cold Case that I had DVR'd. Then, I took a shower and got dressed for work and woke the baby at 5 am so I could feed her.

The amusing part about all of this is that M never even budged with the noise. Not even a twitch. Either he is deaf or chooses to ignore because I am there and he knows I'll get up.

Hmph.

I don't really know why I'm so anxious to have the workday over right now...I have an unpleasant task waiting for me at home. I need to scrub the kitchen floor. It's a disgrace. If I wasn't having a gathering on Sat, I'd probably blow it off for now. At least if I do the hard work now, I can just do a quick touchup on Saturday morning.

You won't believe this!

I went out on a limb, and bought a dress this week. M is taking me to dinner for my b-day so I thought it might be nice to wear something other than black pants (or black capri pants...). I saw it in the window of Ann Taylor Loft so I took a chance and tried it on. It looked really cute and different, so I bought it! What do you think??

It's so nice to start the day with this face!

Dang!

Christina won Hell's Kitchen last night!! Darn it all...now I have to wash both cars. I'm waiting till the weekend though. Maybe the rain that is coming will loosen the sap that is cemented on...ugh!

***
N's 3 month pictures are online at the photographer's website. They are too cute! If you are interested in seeing them I'll be glad to forward the link. I am excited to get more taken in September, when she will be 6 months old.

So excited!

I am thrilled to get positive feedback from J & P - the couple for which I took engagement photos a few weeks ago. I am photographing their wedding in October - my first solo gig.

I may post a few pictures from the engagement session here, but I have to ask them if it is okay first. I am slowly but surely building my portfolio! I may consider building a separate blog for the photography things. Opinions?

%^&$%&$& Tourists!!

I left work a bit early today so that I could pick up N from daycare. Since I'm still in the city I have to take the train home, which means leaving enough time to get to the station to get on the train. It takes about 10 minutes to walk there, but that is at a fast clip with no obstacles.

How soon I forget. It's summer. And the area in which I work is rife with people. People upon people upon people. Ridiculous. They should have a fast lane for the people who work in the building so we can get our business done quickly. Why hasn't anyone suggested this yet???

Oh, hell...I don't care...I only have 10 more days to deal with this. At least I ended up making the train on time and collected my very happy, smiling baby. And now I am very happy and smiling because she is sleeping very peacefully.

***

Tonight, the Hell's Kitchen finale is on. I really hope Petrozza wins because M and I made a bet. If I win, he has to wash both cars, inside and out. If he wins, I have to do it.

I really do not want to do this task. Please, Petrozza ...win tonight!!!! :)

I was just thinking about how anti-social we have been this weekend. We really didn't do too much with other people, with the exception of visiting the in-laws yesterday, which was nice. We thought several times about inviting some friends over, but the weekend has just escaped us.

I did take N for a nice long 3 mile walk today. She loves her Bob stroller and I think she would hang out in it all the time if we let her. It's like a Lexus for babies.

We are thinking of taking a plane trip to visit my brother-in-law so N can meet her cousin, who is 8 months old. Not that she will remember anything, but it's an excuse to see them. We haven't seen our niece since Christmas and I am sure she has changed so much since then!!! Not sure how the traveling will go with a baby, but I'm willing to try it. M is very nervous about it, but I think we can pull it off. Might as well do these things now while we don't have to pay for a plane ticket for her!!

Ranting and Raving

I took this video the other day of N ranting and raving :) Cute, isn't it? She was happy until the end, when I started to lose her - you can tell that she is about to erupt.

I feel like she almost said "Yeah" the other day, but I am not sure...I feel like she will talk early though. Time will tell!

Stress at Work

Yesterday, I gave my notice at work. I had been debating about what to do as far as returning to my job in Boston. Now that I have N, it's too long of a commute for me so I worried about being able to spend time with her. Fortunately, I have accepted a new position closer to home, which is also a great opportunity for me in terms of career growth. More about that later. But at least the hard part is done! I will miss the people here, but I look forward to the new job!

Hell's Kitchen

Hey, did anyone watch Hell's Kitchen last night? I thought it was the finale last night, but it looks like they managed to stretch out the suspense another week. I was excited that Petrozza won the challenge last night. I like him a lot and I want him to win!!! Christina, while intelligent and a great chef, is way too immature to handle being the executive chef for Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant. Just my .02!!!

Baby Weight

So I went back to work last week and a number of people have commented on how quickly I have lost the "baby weight". I do feel like most of the weight I gained was in my stomach, of course, and I am fortunate that the majority of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit me now. The exception is, of course, any pants that are suitable to wear to work. How frustrating.

I suppose one of the side effects of having a baby is that your hips may be wider than before, which is what my problem seems to be right now. But, since I can't go to work nekkid, I had to go buy some things. So far I have spent $300 on new clothes for work. *SIGH* Oh well.

A resolution I made when going back to work was that I would bring my lunch to work every day. I did well with this for the first 3 days, but woke up late Monday so I only had time to grab breakfast and N on the way out the door so I could bring her to the daycare before I needed to get the train. However, we got takeout from the Cheesecake Factory (yes, not the healthiest option, I agree) and I got the "Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich". It was a toasted brioche bun (I only ate half the bun) with grilled eggplant, melted mozzarella, avocado, and garlic mayo. Yes, it was incredible!! I would definitely get it again.

I did make my lunch for today, though, so I am vowing to stay strong with this. I work in a place where it is too expensive to buy lunch every day, yet I see many people I work with do this. It's an unbelievable waste of money!

I have to go wake up N to feed her before we bring her to daycare. I heard rustlings earlier, but I am getting better at knowing when she is really ready to get up as opposed to just having a dream or something. According to the monitor, she seems to be ready for the day now! :)

First Post

So here I am, finally creating a "real" blog. I've been keeping my blog on myspace, but decided I don't like it anymore. It's too much of a pain to update and besides, I feel like myspace is laden with viruses and stalkers.

Right now I am going to treat myself to a Reese's Pieces Sundae. Heaven in a cup! When I was pregnant, the baby liked to eat one per week. I truly believe this is why she is so good natured!

I'm exhausted today so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. More tomorrow!