Hot, Hot, Hot

It has been between 84 and 96 degrees for the past 7 days with just 1 day cooler (Sunday was 75). Not to mention the 2 weeks prior also in the high 80s and low 90s. It is like SUMMER! Wish I didn't have to work on these days so I could sit at the pool and just enjoy. Luckily, I am working half day Fridays for the first few weeks in June so I can get out and enjoy.

Check out our little man....he is at the most fun age running around all over the place and talking up a storm.

Keeping Up with Ben

Ben is such a handful most days it is hard to get his picture!! He is either too fast or too interested in looking in the camera with me. The funniest development is that he "gets" cameras now. As soon as he sees it out, he smiles!! I am trying not to let his new found, non-stop mobility limit my ability to capture all of his moments, but most of the time, I would rather be playing with him than standing behind the camera. Anyway, here are a few good ones we have been able to get lately.

Daddy's Proudest Moment



Feeling sick and cuddly, but still smiling....that's Ben.



Ben stoops to touch the soft rug



Ben wants to sit at the table like Mommy for breakfast



I know I can get Mommy's attention during her work conference call if I climb in here and peek out!



Even 800 miles cannot stop Daddy from spreading the Red Sox love.



Ben is abusing his chair with endless curiosity.

Raleigh Winter Recap

As we seem to be fully settled into spring, with our temps staying in the range of 70-80 and higher, I thought this would be an appropriate time to say farewell to winter in NC. Below are the pics documenting our winter snow. Let's hope next year is a bit more mild!

80s today!!!

So, the temperature broke 80 degrees today!! Awesome!!!

I love the weather here. While we did have some "cold" days this winter (translation - we actually had to wear hats and gloves), the weather in general has been awesome. While my contacts in Massachusetts wanted to brag that it was in the 50s today, I merely scoffed at their delusion that 50 degrees was warm. 50 degrees is warm when you are used to the teens. But, to a normal, warm blooded person, it is still quite cold. But, after enduring a New Englad winter, you can start to convince yourself that the so-called spring weather that may or not come in March (or as late as April) is enjoyable. Average temperatures in NC over the next several months will be between 70 and 90 degrees. I can tell you that I prefer the sweltering heat to the bitter cold that plagues Massachusetts for months on end.

Looking forward to our nice warm spring!

Ben and Cam in Motion - Playspace

Review, Raise and Promote

I find myself questioning what it is that I want from work. Sometimes I want to make a ton of money and do whatever it takes to make that happen. Other times, I am just happy with what I have which is decent money, awesome flexibility and a job that can be crazy busy at times, but is mostly fairly easy and without pressure.

This time of year, everyone at work is nuts. It is review time for all of us. We all await reviews and even more, our bonues, raises and promotions. Last year, I got all of the above which was awesome because we had just started Ben in day care and basically covered our day care expense with that raise. A year later, though, I cannot believe that my check just isn't enough and I am wondering how the company is going to help me now.

I will definitely get the raise, and to be fair it should be decent as I work in Biotech and money flows like water for your "strong" employees. But, I am also looking to move to a new position which would also be a promotion opportunity. The promotion is really the only way to get a very good jump in pay. But, to get this promotion, I know I am going to leave behind my steady, even paced job for one that is super busy (at least at the beginning) with the possibility of more travel. While I was waiting in the airport this weekend, I was making my pro/con list and it was something like this....

PROS
- more money
- more interesting work
- more visibility in company
- positive step towards next position
- ideal candidate from the boss perspective so I don't have to work too hard to get the job
- step away from my currently monotonous position

CONS
- VERY busy to get up and running
- increased travel (though I would be happy to go to San Diego and Europe once or twice a year!)
- Like most companies, the whole process will probably take way longer than necessary to complete so even after I make the decision, I will be wondering if I did the right thing....until I get the paycheck I guess....

Obviously the pro list is longer than the con so you should think my decision is easy. And, I think I really know I want to go for this new role. But, there is still the fear of the unknown. I think if I stay in my current role, I will leave the company by this time next year. If I take the new job, I would probably stick around at least 2 more years until I have a wider skill set to move on with. I hate the idea of leaving Ben to travel, but I could just as easily bring him along on some of the trips and make them a mini vacation after my work is done.

Anyway....work just makes you crazy I think. I will be glad once we get to March and all of this madness is behind me one way or another. Then I don't have to think about it until next February when it is, once again, review, raise and promotion time.

Ben Tackles Daddy

Ben's newest passion is tackling his daddy. Any time he is walking by and notices daddy sitting on the floor, he takes the opportunity to knock him over. Always the gentleman, he does lend a hand to help him back up....even if it is only to knock him back down again.

Ben Loves Blocks

Ben has really shown improvement in the area of hand-eye coordination. Also, look at the knowing glance towards the camera before he demolishes the tower of blocks he built with Daddy.

Who's Sleeping in Your Bed?

One of the dangers of daytime television is that these shows are geared towards women who are home all day taking care of their house or their children. Problem is, sometimes those of us who don't spend their days cleaning house tune in and hear shocking and horrific news that turns their opinion of all things fluffy sour.

Today I had Rachael Ray's talk show on while I was giving Ben his snack. Rachael had a segment on "Whos Sleeping in Your Bed", an expose on the creatures that live in mattresses, pillows and stuffed animals. Granted, nothing I heard today was news to me. I have seen the pictures of bed bugs, heard all about mites that live in your blankets and pillows. But, now that I am a mother to a 14 month old who orally explores his world, I am aghast at all the germ traps that I expose my family to on a daily basis. I actually found myself sitting here thinking of all the things I needed to clean in hot water and burn if that didn't seem to do the trick. Ben doesn't have too many stuffed animals at this point. But, I find myself evaluating what he does have and determining the best course of action with them.

I am not so extreme as to let this realization ruin my life. We need a mattress and a pillow and blankets, regardless of the fact that they are a breeding ground for unwanted bedroom visitors. But, it is really making me re-think my cleaning habits and the frequency of "weeding out" Ben's toys. And, imagine all of the things you pass on from one child to the next.....yuck.

I always knew that basket of stuffed animals was up to something.

Thursday's Craziness...Snow in NC!

Have no fear, it is back to the mid-50s by Monday!

My Men: Ready for the Cold!

This is what North Carolina boys look like when the temperature dares to drop below 50 (was only supposed to be 45 today!! Don't they look cute??

It is FREEZING here. Everyone you see is bundled up...hats, gloves, winter coats. It feels like winter today. Not really like the miserable New England winter we are used to, but cold enough for my liking. Too cold if you ask me. There is some talk of snow showers tomorrow. I guess that would be nice. I can go to work late if we get snow :)

With the onset of our Southern winter, I did not want Ben to miss out on the cold weather. So, I taught him how to fake sneeze. It is really cute actually. When I picked him up today at day care, he looked me right in the eye and said "aaah CHU" and smiled. Kind of like our secret code for winter hello.

What's happening in January

We have had more 70 degree days than days in the 50s. The weather here is so weird. I never realized how nice winter could be. Usually I am full of hatred for the months of Janauary-March (actually, probably November and December too except that the holidays make the time more tolerable). Being down here, life remains uninterupted by weather. We can still pretty much go wherever we want and do whatever we want and not have to dread being out in the cold. I think there have been 2 days where BEn and I have worn sweaters and (spring) jackets at the same time (though Tom is still wearing short sleeve shirts and a light jacket). Have you heard it before....I LOVE IT!! While we still have some obstacles to overcome, I think the underlying theme is that this has been a great move so far.

On the Ben front, it seems the latest development is that you can tell Ben what to do and he understands what you are saying. Admitedly, he only listens when he wants to, but at least the understanding is there. Several times now, I have told him to go get a book. He walks into his room, rummages around a bit and comes out, happily holding a book out to me. I was starting to get agitated because he has so many books and basically has just pulled them all off of the shelf and walked away with no interest. I actually thought of boxing them up for a bit. But, now he loves them. On our daily sheet from the day care yesterday, it said Ben spent almost the entire day in the book area.

Ben is also quite fond of his newest DVD, The Best of Elmo. This was HIGHLY recommended by cousin Alicia and Ben LOVES it. I mean, it is to the point where he pulls movies off the shelf until he finds it. Yesterday, I hid the movie on him and he literally took every DVD off of the bottom shelf and looked at me all sad because he coudn't find the video. When I took the box from behind me, his face lit up and he walked as fast as he could over to get it from me. This is also the first time he has really sat down and watched something for an extended period of time. I would say he watches about 20 minutes of the 30 minute video right now. Pretty long time for a 14 month old.

Ben is also trying the whole self-feeding thing. It does not make his parents particularly happy, but he seems to enjoy himself. He actually does a fairly good job of getting the spoon from food to his mouth. But, he hasn't gotten the scooping down so it is usually only a small taste that gets to his mouth. When we help him load the spoon, he gets somewhat resentful and it ends up in his hair or in the high chair. Not a clean process, but I guess he needs to learn sometime. So, we will keep working on it.

Thats all for the update today.

Happy New Year.....ok so it is a bit late....