Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is in the air. I know this because I see presents everywhere, more cars than normal at the malls and more food has entered my mouth in the past weekend than I care to admit. Strangely enough, though, it is like Christmas in (Massachusetts) July down here. Ok maybe not July...definitely May though. Yesterday the girls were out shopping while the men were home watching the Patriots. We were out in light shirts and no jackets and it was Christmas Eve. It is so nice to not have to be bundled up to get to your car and then overheating in Target. I love it!! While I was hoping to see a few flakes fall just to get into the Christmas spirit, I am happy that our Christmas travels will be enjoyable....for the whole 1.8 miles we have to drive to Todd's house.

Ben is still asleep, obviously not a child who understands Christmas since it is almost 7. I think he will enjoy the presents we have for him here. At Cameron's birthday party, Ben loved the paper and the action....in fact, I dare say he enjoyed it more than his own party a month ago. Now that he is walking all over the place, I think he can really get into it.

Anyway, have to get ready to start the day and then get Ben up for some presents before heading over for our real Christmas where I am willing to bet he is getting a crazy amount of gifts from everyone. Since my mother cannot even remember what she bought at this point because she bought so much, I think it is a safe bet that we will take some gifts for playing now, and use the rest to fill up the minimal remaining space in our storage unit until we move.

Presents and food...what could be better??

Hope everyone enjoys their day! Merry Christmas :)

Ben Walking to Mommy

Ben is really getting this walking thing down!! He loves to chase his mommy and daddy and the Phoebe cat. In this delightful video, Ben has learned to walk and talk on the "phone" at the same time. Hopefully these videos will be a lot more clear once we start using our video camera instead of our digital camera. Enjoy!

The first 9 weeks

We have been in NC almost 9 weeks now. It has been a great experience so far. I feel like we are so carefree here. We still have most of our responsibilities from MA (work, Ben and general life things), but it seems like we can just be out and about without a care. It is wonderful. We spend every weekend exploring some place new and checking out the sites. We are starting to know which roads lead where and how to get to different towns.

This past weekend, we went to Chapel Hill, home of UNC. It was nice over there. The street signs around the college are Carolina Blue and there are lots of restaurants. A very college feel. Even the McDonalds had a UNC theme (mascot painted on the wall, ACC competitors logos on another wall).

Things to get used to in NC:
1. tax on clothes
2. What it means to take "the Beltline"....I know its a highway....I'll get it someday

Things to love in NC:
1. Being home from work before 4:30
2. Not selling your first born to buy a nice home
3. Feeling like Ben is dressed too warm in a jacket and long sleeved shirt
4. 75 degree days after Thanksgiving :)
5. Not wearing a winter coat yet and it is December 4

Note the theme on the last 3...it is warm here. No, not Caribbean warm, but warm. Like, once the day is started, I don't wear a jacket (and I am one of the coldest people I know!). A long sleeved shirt will do. No sweaters have come out of their drawers yet. We had the AC on last week and fans on, at least during the afternoon hours, everyday. It is awesome.

Anyway, I have rambled enough. I didn't have anything to really write about, hence the lack of blogs. I am trying to spend as little non-work time on the computer. I have been pretty successful except for Christmas shopping. Usually it is a battle to keep Ben away from me long enough to write an email anyway.

And on the Ben note, he has learned to turn. Until today, all of his walking has been in a straight line, only to drop to the floor when he is done. Now he turns, both left and right, to get where he wants to be. He is hell on wheels and we love it. He also loves the phone. I think he is so used to me talking my mom on the phone that he developed a habit of pretending to talk on the phone by copying me. And, whenever I am on the phone, he pretends to talk to and sometimes steals the real phone away to chat. Luckily, Grandma can entertain him pretty well.....she likes to try and entertain Ben even though he typically only recipricates with a grunt, groan or some heavy breathing.

First Thanksgiving in NC

Our first Thanksgiving (and first real holiday) in NC was a hit. I cooked over at Todd and Tina's so we could have some extra space and it worked out really well. The turkey cooked in the time I planned (about 2 1/2 hours) and all of our sides finished on time for everything to make it to the table hot and delicious! Even Todd had to admit how delicious my turkey was (thanks to my Williams Sonoma brine the night before!) Ben took a 4 hour nap from 11-3 so he missed everything from cooking to eating, but woke up in time to enjoy some pie.

And just because I cannot resist his sweet little face, the picture in today's blog is Ben at his first Thanksgiving. Remember this little guy???

Happy First Birthday, Ben

Where has the time gone? Our boy is 1 year old today!! He has gone from a blob to a thriving pre-toddler. Our lives have changed in so many ways and every day brings something new. One more step, one more word, one more food to try.

Yesterday was Ben's party. He was more interested in playing with Cam's toys than anything else, but when he is older, I am sure he will appreciate that his whole family was with him to celebrate this occasion. Ben really got into his cake by smashing the whole piece right into his face. Fortunately for me, there was no frosting!!

Cheers to Ben on this special day! I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!

Our Little Lion Starts School in NC

Special Message from Ben's teacher...Ben's First Day:

"Ben made lots of new friends today! He ate lunch with his hand on the back of one child's chair. Outside, he played with a ball and sat next to another child. His favorite friend today, though, was the duck chair which he discovered after nap time! :)"

Ben had a great day! We are so proud of our boy. When we arrived to pick him up this afternoon, he was sitting down eating his snack like a big boy! Several people commented on what a great first day he had.

Daily Walks

We have started taking Ben for daily walks. Sometimes to the grocery store, sometimes to the mailboxes and around our complex. Today, we walked up to the shopping center across the street. We went to Target and the Party Store. It is so nice to be able to go out and get some fresh air after working all day and not seeing the oustide world. It is a bit cold here lately (only mid to high 50s lately), but the afternoons are great. I am home by 4:30 which gives us plenty of time for a nice walk before dinner.

Everyone at work says I should be able to go out like this for most of the year. I hope so. I am tired of months being trapped indoors. And, it is so great for Ben to get outside after a day indoors.

Almost Thursday which means almost the weekend!!

No time to blog!!

So, I cannot believe we have been here 2 weeks already. We have been keeping so busy I have not even had time to blog.

Some things of note... I love it here already. I work until 4 and I am home before 4:30. Who knew that was possible?? I get an extra hour of sleep every day because my morning commute is so short. And, even better, I get at least 3 hours a night between work and Ben's bedtime which is fantastic.

Our apartment is working out fine so far. It is an apartment...not much else to say about it. We have more space for Ben's toys now which is nice. And, we have tons of shopping and restaurants across the street or a quick drive from here so it has been a great location for us so far.

Anyway, have to get moving for the day. Ben is always one the go. He NEVER sits down. Even when we get him up in the morning, he is already standing up in his crib and ready to go.

I am going to try and get more pictures up soon.

gd

Ben's On The Move

Ben is really getting into the whole walking thing now. He is SO CLOSE to walking on his own...he just doesn't know it yet. He loves using his new walking toy to get from his "playroom" to the kitchen. But, anytime he hits anything and stops, he gets very unhappy.

Ben Plays Catch with Daddy

Ben's plays catch with Daddy. As you can see (or more accurately, hear), he really enjoys throwing the ball again and again. I think his favorite part is making daddy chase the ball!

My Dad's Shoulder Replacement

Just want everyone to send well wishes to my dad today. He is having his shoulder replacement surgery early this afternoon. I hope he is not too nervous! I would be freaking out (which is ok to say in my blog because he does not read it, but I would never admit it to him!!)

Anyway, please keep him in your thoughts today and during his recovery. I hope this surgery takes away all of the tremendous pain he has been dealing with so he can return to his old self!!

We are here......where's our stuff?????

We arrived late Friday night...about 10:30. Not too far off from our original estimate of 17 hours. We actually would have made it more quickly if it were not for the 3 hours it took us to go about 40 miles in Virginia. Lets just say that was fun. Ben was awesome. He actually slept all but about 3 hours of the trip, basically waking up when we stopped for food, gas or a diaper changed. And, surprisingly enough, he even slept all night at the hotel. How do I spell angel child?? Amd Phoebe was a champ. She had a mild sedative before we left and while she was awake the entire time, she was fairly peaceful for the ride. Not normally the most affectionate cat, she has been so sweet since we got here. I am not sure if she is petrified or if the pills were mood altering!!

Anyway, we are here in our apartment with no stuff. Our things were supposed to come between Saturday and Monday (with the emphasis on Saturday) but still nothing. I am on the floor to type this blog with one of our 10 belongings we brought down from MA (work laptop). Supposedly our furniture, etc will be arriving first thing today. Lets hope so. It has been exciting to be here, but really, we just need our furniture and start to get settled in so we can really enjoy our exploring.

Basically at this point, we have a new desk chair, but no desk. A new wireless keyboard and mouse, but no computer. Cable and internet access, but no TVs. We have eated out a lot which you would think is great, but I really just want to make something normal. My stomach is not used to all this take out and restaurant food!

Hopefully our delivery will come early this morning as we were told and we can begin the unpacking. Our new apartment seems really great so far and I am assuming it will only get better with our belongings being in here. We really need Ben's toys. I think he is starting to get bored (thats how I interpret his constant need to climb on us!). He is sooooo close to walking I just want his push toy thing that is supposed to help babies walk. I bet once he gets that, he will be up and running in no time. We have a playroom in this apartment that is just waiting for Ben and his toys.

Anyway, will report back once we get some stuff.

Transition Week

So, we are in the midst of our transition week. Staying at ma & dad's house. This worked out ok since they are in Europe, returning very late on Tuesday night. So, basically, we are only in their way 2 days before we leave. They are not working Wednesday so there is only 1 day we will all have to be getting ready at about the same time in the morning.

Things are going ok being here. We got settled in Sunday night after a weekend of rushing here and there, saying final goodbyes to friends and family. I guess compared to the packing and chaos of the past, this week should be fairly low key. One exception being that by the time Tom gets home from work, it is bedtime for Ben, meaning I get him at school, get him home, fed, bathed and sleep ready all alone. Not all that fun. We should be nice and exhausted come Friday morning when we are trying to leave at 4am!!

Counting down the days now. All that is left is to pack up the car, buy some snacks for the drive and go on our merry way!!!

Almost Packed Up

So, we are almost all packed. We packed for 2 straight days, breaking only for snacks, meals and to buy more boxes.

It actually was not too bad. Once we got on a roll, it seemed to just go by fairly easily. The hard part now is maneuvering through even more boxes than before (we went from 12-48 boxes!!) and keeping Ben safe. He has been doing ok with the boxes. They are helping him walk around all but about 2 feet of living room perimeter. We have been able to block him from any remaining cables by using boxes. His new found mobility is almost certain to get me and Tom into fantastic shape in no time. I think there is about a 50/50 shot of him walking before we move. Time will tell.

Anyway, all that's left is to pack up our remaining clothes and the stuff we will be bringing in the car with us and off we go. Woohoo!!

Ben's Ears

I have a personal vendetta against Ben's ears. My poor boy just cannot catch a break. He is still battling an ear infection that he has had since early August. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and got a stronger prescription so lets hope that helps out.

The past week has been the worst. I think he has just had enough of the ears and to top it off, he has more teeth just waiting to pop through his gums. (Even his pediatrician said he feels sorry for him because there are several teeth ready) He has been so clingy I can never put him down at home and he just seems really irritated by his ears and mouth. Ugh....

I am optimistic that this new drug will work. He was in a much better mood this morning and even allowed me to put him odwn to play on the floor without crying. Hopefully he will be even happier when I get him today from school. At least I get to hang out with him for the next 3 days to make sure he is feeling ok and gets the necessary cuddles when he doesn't feel well.

The big weekend is here. Hunkering down at home and getting through the rest of our packing. We have SOOO much to do at this point I just hope we can get through it all. Packing up stuff, packing suitcases for the week we are transient and packing things to get us through some time in NC before our stuff arrives....Our stuff gets picked up Friday so we have no choice I suppose, but it still seems like an awful lot to do.

Scooter Boy!

The last 20 seconds of this video make it worth watching. Our life has become a non-stop "who can get to him first" race to baby-safety. It is so much fun.

Apologies to my devoted blog fans out there for the lack of posts. I have had, yet again, a sinus infection, on top of yet another ear infection for Ben. That, coupled with horrible traffic and general life congestion, there has been literally no time for blogging. Hope to get back on track shortly!

gd

Money & Love

Whoever said money can't make you happy was obviously poor and stupid. On a daily basis, I think how much better (richer, fuller, more fun) life would be if I had more money. Today I found out that I need to come up with $x to buy my dream home, where x is a totally doable amount of money....if I had not just paid for movers, put a huge deposit on daycare and had my husband give notice at his job. Now, I am wracking my brain trying to figure out a no-fail, no-strings-attached way to do it. Topping the list....rob a bank? Haha..not really, but the thought did occur to me. Sell off my personal belongings....that would also maybe save on the cost of the move! Dress up like a homeless person and beg? Not sure that would get me very far and really I am much to proud to beg.

I have found in my life that everything happens for a reason so I am refusing to believe that this will not work out and that lack of funds will get in the way of us buying our first home. I know if we are determined enough (which we totally are!), we will find a way to make it happen.

I said to myself this afternoon, "I hate money", but that is far from true. I love money. I love my job primarily because it gives me money to do all the things I love to do (shop for Ben, by things for the apartment, eat good food). I do, I love money.

I am REALLY going to love money when I move into our new house and I get to buy some new things to make it even more fabulous than it already is.

Babies

In the past year, I have known 8 people to have babies...friends/coworkers and ME. Thats a lot of babies.

I have one more waiting to have her little boy in about a month or so.

Yesterday, I got news of 2 more babies, one in March and one in June (though I won't say who until I know the news has spread).

And, I have 3 (possibly 4) more friends hoping they will have news to share soon as well.

Thats a whole lot of babies!!! It is so much fun to share in the excitement with all of these women in my life. I hope they have all the luck that I had with Ben, from pregnancy and beyond.

Makes me realize how big my baby is getting. He is doing so much now (crawling is the newest art). I miss those baby days, all swaddled and sweet. I am so glad that with all the preggos or soon to be preggos there will be more babies to fall in love with to remind me of Ben's baby days.

People Say Stupid Things

I stumbled across a blog.... "People Say Stupid Things" that I think I am going to get into. It makes me laugh....and some of it strangely made me feel like I was reading something I wrote myself.

When I named my blog "what I said was....what I meant was..." I had these people in mind. All these people who do or say annoying things force me to smile and nod but turn and say various things to myself...what an ass...seriously? (my personal favorite for people who are saying particularly "interesting" things)..."oh no you didn't" (one I don't currently use, but probably should cause it is pretty fun when said with the appropriate accent!)...I have a whole inner monologue that takes place when I find people to be particularly superfluous in my world.

I developed the inner monologue to allow myself to say what I really mean without insult to another individual in my presence. I guess it is part of growing up to filter your feelings a bit and not just jump to insult someone's inane comment. I have stopped explaining myself and my actions because I found I was defending my self way too much and getting agitated when my defense still received a raised eyebrow or a disappoined remark. I used to laugh at my mother in the car when she would be mouthing conversations to herself, deep in thought. But, I guess that is sort of what I do now...though my lips are still. I just sit there and rehash a prior conversation with all the other things I should have said to this fool before me.

But I digress. I thought I would clue you in to this blog for some comic relief if you, like me, find it necessary to laugh at people who say stupid things.

Enjoy!

Expanding Vocabulary & Mobility

Ben is working hard to expand his vocabulary. He has added "yuck" to his entertaining words. We are up to "Mama", "uh-oh" and "yuck" (well, more like uck actually). He has also learned to make "ga" sounds which is really cute.
He is quite verbal. He loves to babble away when he is playing and eating and going to bed and waking up......

He is also really starting to get around. Ben is taking some small steps when you hold his hands and is totally able to scoot along on his belly to get where he wants (the DVD stand, computer chair, my laptop cables....) It is so awesome to see him develop literally day by day. I am truly amazed at how quickly he changes. He is really trying to crawl, too. He can now get his feet up under him which is pretty new, but then he just hangs out in that position and stares at me until I help him out or he decides to roll away. The hardest part is that he gets so frustrated because he wants to be standing all the time, but he cannot do it on his own and is definitely not stable enough holding on to things to just leave him. As much as I don't want him to walk and get into trouble, it will be a huge savings on my back to not have to hold him upright all the time.

Fall is here, time for more SHOPPING!! I had Ben in jeans and a jacket when we went out today. I am really excited to get him some new things to wear!! I wonder if we will still need shorts when we get to NC. The average temps in Raleigh in October are only in the 70s but we will probably still have some shorts-weather when we get there.

Back to Reality

As if a 20 degree temperature drop in less than 24 hours is not enough, the looming dread of a Monday morning is all it takes to feel like vacation is over.

I use the word vacation loosely as you can imagine our vacation was more work than pleasure. We had a good visit with Todd, Tina and Cam which included much entertainment from the energetic 2 1/2 year old I can happily call my nephew. But, we spent the majority of our time researching....finding a place to live ( a rental), finding a place to buy (our dream home...coming soon if all goes well!!) and finding someone to watch for Ben while we make the $$ to pay for all these things.

We accomplished our 2 main goals without any hiccups (the place to live and day care) and when we finally saw our dream home in person (until our vaca, the house was just floorplans and virtual tours) we knew it was the place for us, confirming further the fact that we had made the right decision to pursue this move. No further details until we have something set in stone (I am not a fan of jinxing these things by talking about them too much)....But, once that happens, expect pictures and details and a whole lot of gushing over our HUGE, built-to-our-specidications house!

Our trip also brought with it a sick baby (can I just say double ear infection and a new tooth, with 2 others not far behind) and a sick mommy (massive sinus infection including mind numbing head and facial pain). It certainly made flying a joy. Ben was actually great on the plane...but kept us up several nights SCREAMING and basically boycotted daytime naps. We both crashed when we got home to our own familiar beds.

Anyway, back to work and the daily grind. With lots to think about and only a few weeks until our departure, I think the upcoming days will be full of excitement and decisions and planning. So far, we are just excited, not nervous. I hope it remains that way (or at least we can pretend to feel fully confident in all these decisions).

To Do List:
1. Reserve Movers
2. Reserve Car Movers (We have made decision (I think) to drive my car and ship Tom's (Makes sense to save the money I guess even though I have to wonder what this will be like with a 10 1/2 month old!)
3. Register Ben for daycare
4. Tell Ben's existing day care we are leaving (so hard because I love this part of his extended family)
5. PACK!!!

OH yeah, and I am back on my quest to pick a NC college to support. I am going to do some research, but I may be leaning towards Duke. I have been told that they play til the death, even against the weakest opponents. Sounds like a team I would like. I like a team that will trounce their opponent without guilt.

Naked Baby Photos

So, just reading the title of today's blog, you will think one of two things....Ben Folds Five (awesome album by the way!) or, taking pics of Ben post-bath.

Well, this post is nothing like that. I have a friend who had a baby earlier this year. Every so often I get pictures from her to show the baby's development. In a large majority of these pictures, I see my friend's husband naked. Nothing inappropriate of course, just more than I need to see. In one picture, you just see his hairy chest, in another, he is in his shorty robe and in yet another, he is wearing shorts (or at least I assume) but with the way he is holding the baby, he looks pants-free.

So, for anyone reading my blog who may be tempted to send out family photos, here is my advice. We love pics of your kids, your dog, your mother. But, please, when we get naked pics, or pictures that leave too little to the imagination, just remember they should be of the baby...not your free-as-a-bird spouse!

Planet Relocation

I feel like I live on planet relocation right now. All I think about is our trip and relocating...when to go, how to get there, where to live, and the list goes on. I am starting to feel like I live on planet relocation where the only thing that matters is relocating.

I am getting a bit anxious at this point, a combination of not knowing answers to any of the above, getting super excited for our vacation (albeit a working vacation) and knowing that by the time we come home, we will have most of the answers. It is such a fun time. I just hope it all goes smoothly.

Tom and I tried to work out our "plan"...dates and all that. We really can't say for sure until we go talk to a few people next week, but I think it was helpful to get it all on paper.

We are still trying to make our last minute plans to get together with our MA friends prior to our departure, no easy thing when everyone is busy with summer plans and we are travelling, etc. Once we get back from our vaca and have some answers, we will need to start packing...hopefully we will manage to get a bit of time with everyone before we go.

Can't wait to map it all out next week. By the time we get back from our trip, only 5 weeks until we are supposed to move....

Birthday & Work

So, I have decided today that I will never work on my birthday again. A birthday is supposed to be a celebration. I had a wonderful lunch at The Cheesecake Factory with the ladies from work which was really nice. I tried a new dish (Fish & Chips) and we shared (the 5 of us!) one piece of Tuxedo cheesecake (pictured above)....DELICIOUS!! But, it was not like pampering myself or indulging in some birthday relaxation.

Tonight when I got home, my parents were waiting in the parking lot to wish me a happy birthday (and bring a surprise present!!) It was nice to have them here when I got home. Made it feel like more of a birthday to have a quick visit.

Maybe I am getting to old to celebrate my birthday. No, I know, I am not old. But, I may be too old to celebrate birthdays. I am not getting old, just wiser right? Well, my new wisdom as I turn 27 is that I will never work on my birthday again. Advice that will work for at least the next 28 years (wishful thinking!!) or so until I retire.

Birthday

I used to love my birthday. Having a birthday smack dab in the middle of the month, I have always enjoyed the entire month of August...preparing for and then enjoying the newness of my new age.

This year is different though. I have realized how quickly my life is passing by without much time to slow down and just enjoy everything I have. I have also made that transition to the "late 20s" which doesn't sound old or anything but just signifies that the 30s are right around the corner, only to be followed by the 40s and so on and so forth. And, as i get older and the time just flies faster and faster, I realize before I know it, I will be old.

This year, with so many other life events pending, I am planning on a very low key birthday. I have asked Tom to skip my present this year since we are saving for our impending move. I am happy to just get a card and go to dinner (lobster of course!!). From others I have suggested gift cards. I don't see the need to get more stuff to move and since I know we will be buying things when we are in our new place, gift cards would make the buying process a lot more fun and guilt free (American Express or Target if you want ideas!!)!

We are planning lunch...me and the girls in the office. This is my first birthday I have ever worked. We are going to Cheesecake Factory for cheesecake and coffee...maybe appetizers, but skip the real food. Sounds like a good celebration to me...as long as no singing waiters make their way towards my table.

Martha's Vineyard

We are taking Ben to Martha's Vineyard for the day. Last time he was on the island, he was tucked soundly in my belly. We decided against Nantucket as a day trip because it was very expensive to take the ferry and it is a very long ride, which did not seem reasonable for a casual day.

It is supposed to be a beautiful sunny 80 degree day so I am looking forward to our relaxing ferry ride and a day of walking the island, stopping only for some sightseeing, food and ice cream!

First Word!!!.......and other developments

I feel like we should call the Boston Globe and have them announce it publicly....For the first time, Ben deliberately called out to get my attention. He called for his mama. He has made the dadadada sounds for a while now, but never to call Tom. He was just using his voice. But, based on the sound, I thought for sure he would be calling daddy before me.

A couple of weeks ago when Tom and I were on our way out for the day, Tom was holding Ben walking behind me and we heard a husky little voice say "mama". When I looked at him all excited he smiled and then went about with his typical baby babble. I half-doubted that's what he said, though the mommy in me really wanted to believe that was what I heard. But, this week, he definitely started to say mama....and not in the baby talk way, but in the "hey lady, I am calling you" way. Monday while working from home, I was in the kitchen out of Ben's sight and he called out Mama. Not mamamamama.....that would just be baby babble, but a very deliberate Mama. The next night, he was in his high chair and Tom was standing between Ben and me and again, the little voice called out Mama. Since then, it is like the flood gates have opened. Sometimes he reverts to the babble of mamamamamama (which only a few weeks ago he could not even make the mmmm sound). But, now it seems to just be very normal for him to call out Mama.

Other developments....
Tooth number 2 has arrived, right alongside #1

Ben stands anytime he can get a solid grip on anything. Ben now STANDS at his play table. He needs a bit of help, but generally plays by himself while holding on. (Check out his video!)

Starting to get mobile....not crawling, but he flounders around on his belly to get where he wants to be.

Trip to the beach

So I have been slacking off a bit. No post in over a week. My objective is twice a week, though things are rarely entertaining enough to necessitate that.

Anyway, we took Ben to the beach for the first time on Sunday. We went to Old Silver in N Falmouth and the water was so warm. It was so much fun. We took Alicia with us to help entertain Ben a bit. She was so great with him (as usual). She has endless energy and was a big help in keeping him happy. Ben loved having his feet covered in the sand and seemed to really like the water (not a surprise since he LOVES the bath). It was really fun. I remember back in the day, we would pack a cooler and towels and go to the beach. It was very easy and relaxed. This trip definitely required more stuff....umbrella, chairs (got a good sale on "end of summer" clearance chairs!), diaper bag, cooler, camera (can't miss out on a scrapbook page!)but we still had a great time. Just more of a mess at the end of the day.

I will get some pictures up soon.

Can I love College Sports??

Since we are moving to a place were college sports are a hige part of the culture, Tom is teaching me the basics of the teams in NC. Do transplants need to pick a team to fit in to the culture? If I have to choose, I think I have narrowed it down to NC State and Wake Forest, since Todd likes Duke and UNC. This is what I learned so far...

1. UNC - Tarheels, Light Blue & White
2. NC State - Wolfpack, Red & White
3. Duke - Blue Devils, Royal Blue & White
4. Wake Forest - Demon Deacons - Black & Gold

Perhaps I will lean towards Wake Forest. They sound the toughest....how can you beat Demons? Sounds tough and scary to me and since I have nothing else to base my decision on, I think I need to go with what sounds like it could kick every other teams butt.

The end of an era (The Age of Accounting)

I have never considered myself an accountant, though I suppose many people have for the past 8 years or so I have worked in accounting departments. I do not have an accounting degree (thankfully) and therefore can never be an accountant. My degree is in Finance and Management Information Systems. And, with only 6 more business days in Accounting, I am really looking forward to making the transition to the information world of reporting and project management. Sounds exciting, no?

All I can think about at this point is getting through the earnings release on Wednesday of next week. My reward?? A trip to the beach (see my to do list below). I want nothing more than to just sit on the beach with a cold one in hand (a cold IBC root beer is our usual beach bev)and chill out. No phone, no computer, nothing except me, sunblock and the beach (and Ben, Tom and Alicia!) I need to get some sort of tent/cabana for Ben. Otherwise, we are good to go.

Let me know if you have seen any good "end of summer" sales on beach chairs. We have not purchased any so far and have gone back and forth on whether or not they make sense since we will be hours from the beach next summer and they will probably not get much use. But, since I am seeing the summer clearance already, I may break down if there is a good deal. I love the chairs that are low to the ground so you are almost in the sand, but get a little back support so you don't have to just lay on the ground.

I cannot wait to see what Ben does at the beach. Thinking he might eat sand. He really loves his bathtime and loved the swimming pool, so I bet he will really like the water. And, since he adores Alicia, I am sure it will be a great trip for him. Another first for the list and page for the scrapbook.

aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh summer! I can taste the root beer already.

Summer To Do List

7 weekends until the official end of summer. SO here is the remainder of our summer to do list.... If you have any suggestions for our final Massachusetts summer, let us know!

1. Read 2 non-baby-related books
2. Go to Nantucket for the first time!
3. Check out WaterFire in Providence.
4. Get LOBSTER at Woodman's or revisit Barnacle Billy's
5. Turn 27
6. Take Ben for his first day at the beach
7. Go for my SPA SPLURGE (a Christmas gift from Tom)
8. Visit Raleigh, NC (which requires its own to do list!)

In a word.....IKEA

The Swedish sensation. This past weekend marked my first visit to IKEA. Much to Tom's dismay, I am hooked. He only has himself to blame. I mean, it is not often dear husband suggests we go to a store just to browse. And browse we did for nearly 2 1/2 hours. It was fantastic. "Why did you love IKEA so much?" he asks whenever I speak of this new love...well, I cannot really answer. First, I love furniture and even more, furniture stores. And, I love accessories for our house. No matter how fat I get, I can always enjoy shopping for household items. With our upcoming move, I found myself eyeing all sorts of wonderful odds and ends that I will gladly get for our new home when the time is right. One item I really enjoyed were the Vurm wineracks. I want to hang three of them (stacked) in our new kitchen. While we found most of the furniture to be a bit less than "high quality" (mostly plastic/inexpensive wood, Tom and I both agreed that the Fagelbo sofa bed with storage is the ideal relationship between functionality and form that we need for what will eventually be our guestroom/office. I could have ordered the sofa bed the moment I saw it....but then I realized we should probably find a place to live before we buy the furniture! We also really loved a table and chairs set that is sure to eventually make its way into our playroom. To be honest, I was mostly struck by the accessories. I loved the assortment of lamps and lamp shades. I really LOVED the curtains that they had on display and I found that many of the art pieces were quite attractive. And, to top it off, the prices just cannot be beat. I know we have spent well over $100 to have a print framed. At IKEA, there were endless possibilities in clsoer to about $20. We have very simple lamps that were about $60 each. At IKEA, similar lamps (including the shade) would run you around $10. I was also shocked to see the area rugs they were selling for about $15 compared to my $150. You can even get a kitchen mat for less than $2!!

All in all, IKEA strikes me as a fantastic place to go and pick up odds and ends. Maybe a table for a spare room or an entry way. It also gives you the option to mix things up a bit since the prices are so reasonable. I know when we spend a lot of money on an item, I want to get all the use out of it that I can. With the IKEA products, I think you could almost get away with changing your decor with the seasons. Or at least annually or however often you get bored with your surroundings. I think, in general, the quality is good enough that you would be proud to have it in your house. The true test will be to see how often their product lines change. I can see IKEA as the type of place I could visit monthly (this is a HUGE store....it takes at least 2 hours to really evaluate the selection). If I get through my second visit with the same stars in my eyes I had the first time, I will be personally signing the petition going around the NC area to get an IKEA built in our new neighborhood. Until then, I will be dragging everyone up to Maryland or down to Atlanta for my IKEA fix.

Netflix

So, by now, I think everyone knows what Netflix is...the deliver to your home video service. Tom and I started up on Netflix this past winter. We have been really happy with it so far. We have watched a couple of series we missed while they were actually on TV (we are half way through season 3 of Sex and the City, which I had started to watch, but then stopped when I was too cheap for HBO!)Totally loving it. We have basically seen 1 movie and 1 TV series disc a week since we started out.

Every time I watch SATC, I can see why people get these bizarre ideas on relationships and life. While I am really loving the show, I find myself saying, so thats why XXXX (fill in name here) doesn't wear a bra when she goes out. And that's why XXXX thinks I was so young to get married. At least I get it now. While the show is fantastic, I think people need to understand this is far from reality. Sure it is fine to not be married when you are 24 like I was, but women in the mid-late 30s with no serious relationship....that just seems like a setup for a really lonely existance...with or without a cosmopolitan. And the whole lack of a bra thing...I guess if you are Sarah Jessica Parker, floating through NYC and writing a sex column, it is acceptable. But for anyone else bigger than an A cup...please, PLEASE, wear a bra when we go out together.

Ben's First Tooth!!

Such a big day. We check every day when he wakes up to see if he has cut a tooth and we check again at night. I was so excited tonight when I was giving Ben a post-dinner fruit puff and I saw the little tooth that had appeared. Right there on the bottom, the right-middle tooth has arrived!

So, I tried to get a picture, but it is too small to really come out and Ben is just way more interested in sucking my finger to let me get a good shot. So, the silly cartoon will just have to do until we see more of those chompers!

He is so much fun. It seems like every day brings with it something new that Ben has accomplished. He is not crawling yet, but he turns himself in circles when he is playing on his belly (especially when trying to get to Phoebe!). He has learned to roll himself back and forth in his crib so we never know what we will see when we get him up in the morning (though I must say, he generally sleeps in the same position as I do...on his side, hugging his blanket with his leg flamingo style). He has also discovered that he can use his hands to lift his upper body onto things. He is not pulling himself to his feet yet, but with the way he is moving lately, that could definitely be soon.

If I get some good teeth pictures, I will add them for you all to drool over. I have tried to get pictures of him and his new found "mobility", but obviuosly that is tough with a still camera. If I get some video that is fun, I will post it.

Updated Pics of Ben

Check out our Online Photo Gallery (you can click on the link at the right of this post) for updated pictures of Ben. We got a little behind when our hard drive died in May, but we are back on track now. Enjoy!

Stuff for Ben

So, Ben has a ton of toys from Christmas he still has yet to play with. He is just too little. And, he is so happy with his current set of toys, there seems little need to open anything else up at this point anyway. So, we are waiting. Probably waiting until we move because we really don't have the space for the new toys at this point. And, when we move, we will likely have a play room so we will be able to bring out all the good stuff then.

Even his closet is jam packed. I am mostly to blame for this. We got a good amount of clothes for him for the summer months in the late winter/early spring this year. Mostly clearance stuff at Filenes. Then, I had some coupons at Gymboree that we used to "finish up" his summer attire. Well, little did I know that I would be unstoppable when it comes to buying baby clothes. I love it. I just buy anything I see on sale basically. I always have a reason....extra clothes for sweaty (or just messy) days, extra clothes for daycare. He needs them, for the most part, but it just makes you laugh when you open his closet and it is full. It has actually gotten to the point where I struggle to decide what to dress him in each day because there are so many cute options waiting to be chosen.

I realized today while waiting in line at The Children's Place outlet at The Wrentham Outlets that he has no clothes for fall. We are waiting to buy fall clothes until later anyway because we don't want to add to the stuff we have to move (and our summer will be extended down south anyway). But, I was thinking, what a bummer it is that he has no fall clothes. Then I got so excited!! MORE SHOPPING FOR BEN. It is not like shopping for me. Getting depressed as things don't fit, thinking things are too expensive or that I won't get enough use out of it or feeling like last year's stuff will be fine. Ben actually needs to clothes...there are no clothes from last year. And, at this age, things don't fit year after year.

I admit it, I am a shopaholic. Doesn't matter what I am shopping for. I love it. Someone said to me once while I was pregnant that the mother buys the cheap clothes and everyone else can pick up a more expensive outfit every once in a while. Haven't seen that happen yet. Sure we get the outfits from others. But, this mom has not been the sensible shopper......and I never will be. Why should everyone else have all the fun?!

I am done shopping for summer things now. Ben has an extra supply of extras at this point. He is almost out of hangers (the same number of hangers that used to handle 2 sizes of clothes!) For the next few months, I guess I will just have to remind myself that fall is coming and with it comes the new styles of fall fashion.

The not long weekend....

Why is it that we could have had a 4 day weekend, yet it is interupted by working on Monday? Seems silly that the good ole US of A didn't declare July 3rd a holiday...a 4th of July Eve if you will, for these occasions where it falls on a Monday. I must prefer the "always on a Monday" holiday. We considered taking Monday off, but decided it was best to keep the days for later this summer when we could make more use of it. Plus, Monday is my most productive day for work. Sadly, my day working from home is the day I get most work done. Apparently, entertaining a 7 month old is less work than entertaining the 20 & 30 somethings crowd:)

We have plans for the day in Boston and a cookout. Would like a beach excursion, but doubt we will get to that this weekend. Depending on the weather, we may even take a trip to the zoo. Not sure Ben will get it quite yet, but it would still be fun.

Enjoy the long weekend if you get it!!

Convenient Pods

Pod....the new word that has so much meaning in my life. It has everything I like in a word...short,succinct, easy....Pod has come to mean convenient in my life.

PeaPod. You know, delivered groceries. What an awesome idea. You pay a small fee for this delightful service, but you save infinitely on the convenience. We have not started this service yet, but I plan to shortly. I figure if I save 90 minutes per week for 52 weeks in a year, that is almost 5,000 minutes a year I can do something else with my time (like spend time with Ben!) I will review this service soon (coming soon to a blog near you!) so if anyone is interested in Peapod, stay tuned.

For mother's day, Tom bought be an iPod and the related accessories. I LOVE MY IPOD!! Sometimes I call him on his way to work just to tell him. I have a 6 CD changer in the car and I always had my musical library with me on my ride (the shortlist of "all stars" in my musical repetoire). But now, I have the iPod, currently a musical collection of 2,415 songs which amounts to about 7 continuous days worth of music. No need for messy CD cases floating around the car. No more having to decide which CDs make the cut and are loved enough to be the top 10 that live in the dashboard holder. I have them all there, waiting to be played whenever I want. I love it. So clean, so easy.

PodCasts....On the same line as iPod, I have now discovered Podcasts.....mini-shows/headlines/moveis...you name it. These bits of information are automatically downloaded to my blessed iPod (based on my "subscriptions") and available for me to listen to whenever I want. Now I don't have to try and catch up on movie reviews. Ebert and Roper have a podcase. Miss your favorite show? There's a podcast for that. Want a funny tidbit for the morning commute, check out "The Onion". I don't have time at work these days to hop online and catch up on events. And, when I get home, I have higher priorities than sitting on the computer (Eventhis blog is only allowed to be written by a later afternoon nap for Ben). The podcast has already been a great addition to my ride home from work. Time to catch up on my hollywood gossip!

All these convenient Pods...what will they think of next? Diaper-Pod to change the baby or maid-pod to clean my house?? I guess those are both too much to ask for, but it is nice to dream.

Ben Swims!!...sort of

Check out our video from the weekend. This was Ben's first time in a pool. He LOVED it!! The first time he got splashed in the face, he got all squinty (and adorable!), but then he just kept splashing away. The more water the got in his face the better....more to lick off with his speedy little tongue!!

We are really excited to get him signed up for his infant swimming lessons that start on Saturday.

Our Second Anniversary

So, our weekend was even better than expected. First off, anyone who told me I will never have a weekend away once I have kids, all I have to say to you is :P. This is pretty much what I wanted to tell you when you said it, but didn't...just in case. Ben has proven once again to be a perfect angel. While it was a tad difficult making him go to bed in our room with the TV and lights on, we managed to do so fairly easily. Other than that, we were out and about all day long both weekend days enjoying the beautiful 90 degree weather. We went to this fabulous restaurant for our anniversary dinner in Portland where we got to sit outside and enjoy martinis, appetizers, dinner, dessert and cappuccino. This is the restaurant we would have gone whether we had Ben or not. He woke up just in time for us to sit and eat, but it was really delicious and wonderful.

Two years of marriage. Hard to believe it has been two years already. But, we have been busy. So instead of blabbing on and on about the nice weather, the shopping, the pool, strolling along the beach in Ogunquit, fancy dinner, lobster for lunch, and all that good stuff, I would like to show you just how busy we have been.

June 2002 Graduated College
April 2003 Got ENGAGED!!!
June 2004 Got Married
September 2004 Moved
September 2004 Tom started new job
October 2004 Gretchen started new job
March 2005 Found out about our little peapod
June 2005 Moved again
August 2005 Tom lost his job :(
November 2005 Had BEN!!
December 2005 Tom got a job....and a big raise!!

I ask Tom what we do now. He says get settled, enjoy life. Sounds boring, huh? So, I guess once we move in October, buy a house and find Tom another new job, we will work on getting settled. Whatever that means.

Oh yeah, and be sure to oooh and aaaah over the beautiful yellow roses in the picture at the top of my post Tom sent to me Friday at work for our anniversary! Isn't he sweet :)

Weekend Getaway

My mother and father have given us the weekend away for our anniversary (2 years on Monday!!). We will be going to Portland, Freeport and Ogunquit to check out the sites. We are really excited. We plan on taking Ben in the pool for the first time which is kind of cool. If he likes it, we will be signing him up for infant swimming lessons at the YMCA which start up next weekend.

Stay tuned for our update on our first weekend away with Ben.

Getting your ducks in a row

There is this weird part of life where you suddenly realize you need to get everything in order and settled. I always thought this was something that happened to old people who were preparing to die. Hahaha....For the first time in my life, I was wrong.

Since having Ben (maybe even started when I was pregnant), I have felt this need for order. My brain never shuts off to this constant desire to get our life in order and settled so we can provide the best life possible for our family. Its exhausting. But, I think we are finally there. We have a plan, a budget and a baby. Can't really get much better, can it?? Well, until baby #2 (Yes, I know Ben is only 7 months old, but it does not hurt to plan).

Anyway, I guess the point of this all is that getting your ducks in a row is not just for old people before they "get rolled out feet first" (to quote my mom) it is for those of us who cannot turn their brains off.

Ben Rolls Over!

Ben is becoming mobile. He started by rolling from his tummy to his back. He did this a couple of times and was pretty proud of himself. Though, that might have had something to do with the fact that Tom and I gushed over this simple event.

Then on Sunday morning Tom stepped out and Ben decided to make his previously feable attempts at rolling from tummy to back (There's a lot of boy there to rollover!) a thing of the past. After a few attempts, he did it. And he was THRILLED!!! Until he realized he had more work ahead of him to rollover yet again so he could play.

We spent a lot of time watching him wiggle across the floor and roll around. He is not quite up for crawling, but he is starting to turn himself in circles and get to things we put just out of his reach.

All these events in his life are so exciting for us. But, if I can take a moment to be 100% mommy, my heart is totally broken with each accomplishment. My baby is turning into a little boy right before my eyes.

Back on track

I finally feel like we are up and running with this whole web idea. I have been trying to think of a way to get our most recent pictures out to everyone and also just keep everyone posted on our way too interesting lives. I think once we are in NC this fall, the web will be the best way to give people access to the goings on of our lives.

After toying with the idea of setting up a new website and adding pictures and videos and stories there, only to find it is way more work than I want to commit to, Tom has finally figured out what I need to do to accomplish this task with very little pain....behold the blog with links to other great stuff I want to share.

So, I am officially a blogger. I keep asking myself why I think I have the time in my life to maintain a website when I don't even have the time to file my nails, but somehow, I am excited to do this.

Foot massage

Tom gives me a foot massage pretty much everyday. I love it. I must I think it contributes to my inability to stay awake after 10pm...ok sometimes 9pm, but I just love it. I feel like there is something missing from my evening wind down process if I go with my foot massage.

And, to top it off, he never asks for anything in return. Well, he has made several attempts to put his own feet in my general vicinity, but we both know that is not in the cards. I hate feet.

A day for firsts

It seems appropriate that my first blog be on my first mother's day. Ben is six months old now and he is the reason I was able to celebrate this day. Only 6 months of being in my life and he is the most important thing in my world. That was something that happened on day one. This is not to say I do not love my husband. That is a fact I could never dispute. But my love for Ben is all encompassing. When I tried to explain it to one of my non-mother friends, I couldn't even begin to describe the love. After contemplating it now, I guess I would just tell her it is warm and it is sweet....and the rest she will figure out when she has her own children.

Anyway, I am not in the mood to be all cheesy and mushy about being a mom. I just want to use this space to pretend that I have something interesting to get off my mind.