Well, that's done. It went amazingly well. Even easier to take out than to put in. Easier than a pap, but pretty similar. A tiny bit of cramping, even still, but that's what happens when something goes through your cervix, right?

She was so happy for me. I love the midwives at my practice. She gave me some prenatal samples, and an rx, and we talked boobies (they had a great poster).

Here we go again!

We had Nino's birthday party (s) this weekend. It began with playgroup. He was non too keen on sharing, which prompted some of the other moms to say "welcome to 2". ;o)



Then Saturday night we had a family party, casual but not small. It was so easy since I catered by Costco. Deli platters and all. No one minds one bit.

Here he is the next day, after I assembled that crazy crane thing. He was too excited to even put pants on. The one box said "over 100 pieces" like somehow that's a good thing. It's not. That crane thing in the middle took forever.


Here is G kissing his sweet girl cousin, who came to visit and left this morning. I miss them already. He loves her, except when she wants to sit in his chair, wear his clothes, or be held by his momma.

Good weekend all around here. Yesterday had friends over for Christmas tree cutting and donuts. We have a beautiful tree, but the smell is the best part. It smells wonderful. Like Christmas and oranges.

And I think I'm going to do Catering by Costco for his party this weekend. Frozen pizzas or a deli tray or something. No one will notice the difference anyway and it'll be so much easier. Evenings this week will be cupcake construction central.

So this morning, when I was asking Nino what he wanted for breakfast, he said "more donuts?" Yikes. He had a whole-wheat waffle.

Beyond thrilled. I was wrapping Nino's gifts and realized that he doesn't have *that* pile that Santa always brings. But he has so many toys and doesn't need anything more. I just felt like there's some magic in the heap of toys.

So I was bringing his 18-24s up to the attic (sniff, sniff) and found this huge garbage bag from SIL that had a fire truck, some blocks, and this big barn in it. I'm totally wrapping them up for him. Now he's got that heap and I'm not out $100 for toys he may or may not use.

And, last night he fell in love with some blocks at a friend's house. Real wonderful old wooden blocks. He's getting some of those.

I'm beyond excited. Rachel and I are having a business (haha) coffee date tomorrow. I can't wait to see her and her sweet girl again. And we'll just get to hang out and talk. I love my Fridays off.

I'm a sewing fiend lately. Last night I started a doll who I am in love with. He is adorable. I love the boy dolls with their little dreadlocky hair. I've got two more orders to do, and sent a cute child order off this morning. I'm feeling very productive.

I'm also a hormonal hothead lately. Today I walked into the toy store to get some stuff and the lady told me I couldn't come in with a drink. I'm freakin 29 years old, I've done it before, there's no sign. I wanted to turn around and walk out, but she said "you can leave it on the counter". Like I'm a chocolate covered 4 year old. I spent my $.95 and left. I planned to spend more but no. It's a small little business downtown, I want to support them, but they'll have tons of pedestrian traffic. Rrrg.

I think that your body tells you when you're ready to have a child. There's more biology involved than I think. A month or so I started having relatively normal cycles again, and I started *really* wanting a baby. And I feel like Nino is ready, probably readier than either mom or dad. It's always a big leap, you're never really ready to make the decision, but you go for it. We did last time and it's a million times better than we'd ever dreamed.

I'm also bummed that people think that blogs are a place to leave crap in the comments. A handful of my friends have to go through and prune out bad comments or spam comments. What purpose does it serve? I don't know of a single person who is going to change their thoughts, or buy something, based on a blog comment. All I know is it makes people mad.

We saw Santa today.



I also took my eighth exam. I think it went well. I have no clue. It was a six hour exam, and I was done in half the time, but I also skipped the mouse tutorial. Really, if you can't use a mouse, do you have any hope of passing a computerized design exam? 4-5 weeks until I find out. I don't feel like I forgot anything or had any major gaffs.

Wow. I just made an appointment. January 24th, fertility will return. Very nervous, very excited. I hope I can relax about the whole thing. I want there to be some time until we really "try", March-ish.

Nino knows who Santa Claus is. I had no idea. He's not even 2. Yesterday we got a photo of Sophia with Santa, and when I asked who it was, he said "santikloss". I had to point out the baby in the sea of red velvet. He also knows that it's Mick Mouse on his diapers, elmo, cookie monster, bob builder, and worst of all, barney. I try to have him talk about the "dog" or "tiger", but somehow the "bear" became "poobear". Not the worst, and he's such a smart kid. It just bums me out that all orange fish are Nemo. It wasn't like this when we were growing up. Or I'm going to pretend it wasn't.

Here is the beauty:

This Friday we're going to one of hubby's clients' holiday parties. It sucks. 6:30-10:30 pm, on a godforsaken *boat*. So you have to stay the whole FOUR hours. And it's freakin December, so we'll all be huddled inside with our hot toddies, so we won't get to enjoy the boat part. It'll be like being at the Marriot ballroom, but that we can't leave early. Now we have to find childcare from 5-11. And try to get into Boston for 6:30. It all sucks. I think I'm going to schedule things such that we're "accidentally late" and miss the boat. I will know exactly 3 people there, one of whom I share my bed with. I just hope they have good wine.

I'm also trying to sort out Nino's birthday. I wanted it to be low-key, just family, but I wanted to have it at home so that his sitter could come. SIL wanted to do it, but she's an hour away, so sitter wouldn't come. And my family wouldn't feel as welcome. And then it's notsomuch my thing. Not that it's a big deal but I wanted it to be simple. Ugh.

I feel ten thousand times better about my projects. Slings will hit the mail tomorrow, christmas cards are near complete, I did some studying, finished one scarf, decided not to even get to the calendars for a bit, did some ironing, and the house smells fine again. Additionally, I'm really pleased with a new style of sling I made and can't wait to hear how Tru likes it. The only thing is that the cats are bothering my allergies.

After the single puke on turkey day, I thought we were all set. Nope. Yesterday was a puke filled day. Today was a sleep filled day. He slept all morning, has been awake about 4 hours, eating like a horse, and is asleep again. Poor bean. At least I'm ahead of the laundry and cleaning up for now (knock on wood). Nothing smells too bad anymore.

On another note, I have too many projects. I decided to make our christmas cards (done but for about 15 envelopes), calendars for gifts for family members (not even really begun), scarves for the girls (half done), doll for sophia (done) and am keeping on top of sling orders (1/3 done so far). I hope tomorrow is a productive day. I need to get these slings in the wash.

Our Turkey day was punctuated by a few fun things.

• Nino choked on some turkey, which caused him to puke good. He got a nice mid-meal bath. I didn't get to really finish up.
• He, who will eat fresh or frozen blueberries by the gallon, does not like blueberry pie. Or any pie, for that matter. He liked the crust.
  
• We were reading "who's hiding in the jungle?" and afterwards he asked me "who's hiding in momma's boobies? Momma milk!" He's a comedian.
  

Santa and the boy last year. I can't wait to take him this year. Probably not for a couple of weeks though.

I feel super bad, as Nino still has his ear infection. It seems amoxicillin didn't touch his particular infection. Now he's on bactrim, with a flavor shot of banana. It smells nasty but he seems to be fine with it.

I'm just thrilled that it's a short week, and I get to snuggle with him for several days in a row.

Last night he asked for yogurt drink instead of momma milk. :(

My day yesterday.

fruit_lover: I can't decide, apples or oranges. What do you like and why?
apple_farmer: Some people say oranges give them stomachaches, but they don't know not to eat the skin. If oranges give you a stomachache, try tangerines.
fruit_eater_1: I love apples. I didn't think I would but once I tried it, I liked it.
orange_farmer: Apples are ugly. You'd look better holding an orange.
apple_farmer: I have an orange tree, but my oranges don't grow so well, so I don't sell them.
fruit_eater_2: I had trouble with both apples and oranges.
orange_farmer: Mr Apple farmer, stop telling people how much better apples are!! My oranges are good and I love selling them!! Besides, you're not supposed to eat the skin!!

So at 8:15 this morning, Nino was still asleep. So hubby was like "he needs to get to bed earlier". Duh. At least we're now on the same bedtime page. You can't wrestle with him at 830 and expect him in bed within 15 minutes.

Not to mention, the boy is still sick. He pokes in his ears and tells me they hurt, asks for "ty-nol", and is running a bit of a fever. Not what I need.

I also called Ikea about having the chair-bed sent to us. It will cost $40 for the frame, I already have a mattress, and the cover is only available in store. Did I mention that shipping was $51.18? Ugh. I see a trip to the big blue box in my future. It's worth $51 for me to drive the 2.5 hours. Not to mention that it won't be exactly what I want. I just wish there were one more Friday between now and the big tree day.

Today was Nino's day. I love my Fridays. My house is clean, my laundy drying, and I feel really connected to my son. We spent tons of time outside, at the park, playing with the dogs, in our yard. It was just fun and a little mid November surprise. In fact, he's now sitting on my lap just not doing much.

I was in a rotten mood this morning and now feel like I took it out on hubby. I told him as much and I think he felt the same way. We get like this at the end of the week, as we haven't seen each other and we're at peak stress time. By Monday we'll be sore from all the laughing.

It seems that Nino now sleeps in his own bed. I don't want to jinx his sleeping through the night, but for a few nights now (barring the one hell night), I have laid him in his bed and he sleeps until 8 or so. For a while he was waking at 5 or 6, and coming into bed with us. Now, lately, I don't see him until after I'm up for the day, and he only nurses at bedtime. Both of which are making me very sad. I know that sleeping together wasn't actually "being" together, but now I feel like I haven't seen him much in the last few days. Not to mention that I hear as a child weans, hormones are nuts, and so that probably makes me weepier.

Yesterday was hell-day. After having no sleep, I brought Nino to the doctor. Infected, I dropped him at the sitters. I get to work, have all sorts of things to do, then call the place to pick up the boards. They were on white, not black. Thousands of boards in black, they will not accept my white ones. No charge is right, mr framer man. So I then drive them to another framer, to see if they can be salvaged. A waste of $50 worth of photos. En route, nosebleed. Have to then waste 2 hours, so I hit target (small victories). They fix it. I go to Boston, drop off, don't get a parking ticket. On the way home, I see blue lights. Not for me, thank god.

We all went to bed at 9. At least no problem sleeping for any of us. Nino is much better after 24 hours of pink yuck.

Nino has an ear infection. We had a hellish night last night which consisted of me being awake the entire time. At least he slept for a few hours. And this morning, the doctor could tell I'd been up.

Now I get to drive my sleepy ass into Boston to drop off some photos. Never a dull moment.

Boy has a sniffle. Not a big deal but I really couldn't justify taking him 5 hours in the car to meet the gals. Now I"m bummed. The pictures look wonderfully fun. And Ikea is always fun.

Meanwhile, he's been sleeping great at night. Like he never has before. I don't know who this child is who stays in his bed until 8:15 am. I don't remember the last time I could feel hubby and the blankets kept me warm.

Speaking of which, I'm freezing. It feels like January. The snow the other day is still here, which I'm not used to. Usually the first snowstorm comes and goes. We've had a fire for a few days straight. I like fire warmth. So do the critters.

I went to malden mills again yesterday. I really had a great time, although I found out they're having a *huge* remnant sale next weekend. Must figure out how to make everyone fleece christmas gifts, as I just love it.

Rach and I are going to do a business thing. I'm excited. God knows how long we'll be in it for or how big it'll be. But I can make slings, she can make diaper products, it'll be fun.

I bought bunches of socks and yarn last night. I want to make some more dolls for gifts anyway, and it will be good to have examples of different colors.

I'm such a coward. Tomorrow is veterans' day. This morning, boss said it's not a holiday for us. In previous instances if he says this, and we learn that last year we had it off, he'll give it to us. I looked it up and we had it off. But he was here for like 10 minutes and I didn't mention it. I don't want to be the one who's begging for days off, but I'd love to have a day off as a bonus. Not to mention I don't work Friday so it'd be a super long weekend. Oh well.

Maybe in the morning I'll mention it and he'll send me home early.

Sis came home this weekend. I love seeing that sweet baby of hers. Her man just got a new job and is working long days, and taking the car. She came back so that she could have a bit of help. We don't mind helping one bit. She got to do things like take a nap. Nino loved to see his auntie and Fia.

I went to the Malden Mills outlet Saturday. That place is a gold mine. The remnant bin is great. The only thing is, you have to be prepared to walk away with staticy hair and shocking every metal thing you touch. People make cute little things and sell them for mega bucks. Hats that take 3 minutes to make sell for $19.

Last night we went to see "I [heart] Huckabees". I enjoyed it. I haven't seen a movie like that in a long time, just silly and slightly artsy.

The entire state of Massachusetts is mourning today. Everyone knows why you have that look on your face. At least we still have great Senatorial representation, and all of my local representation is good.

And sad though it may be, the country decided, and we have to go with it. My gut feeling is that many of those who voted Bush did it for the wrong reasons, or were uneducated, or influenced by others. But still, the people decided, and that's how it works. I'm glad Kerry conceded early - Gore looked pitiful last time waiting so long.

Now it's up to us to decide if we want to stay and do all we can to make this a better place, or just take off and live somewhere fun for a while. We wouldn't be leaving only because of this - we'd talked about living overseas for years, and this is a great opportunity. Of course, I've already found homes on line . . .

Had a wonderful weekend. Friday was the big party at PaPa's work. Nino loved that - cookies, chocolate, kids, balloons. Saturday was a big rainy mess. We did lots of errands and cleaning. Yesterday we went North to house hunt. Found what we thought was ideal - dumpy waterfront camp. Turns out it was $1.5 million.

Nino really "got" trick or treating. At first, he wanted me to open each candy. By the end, he was running, full steam, to the next house, grabbing the air, yelling "mine". Thankfully, he's good at saying thank you too. ;o)

There are certain relationships that are too hard to maintain. Why would you bother to keep up friendships with people you hardly like and are ignorant and intolerant? I've got enough on my plate already. Goodbye marriage ladies, it's been . . . . something. Until then, I've got internet friends wth whom I can respectfully agree or disagree.

It's funny how I can consider myself friends with people all over the political/moral/whatever spectrum, but when it comes to intolerance, I've got you on mental "ignore". It seems this has been coming for a while, subliminally for me. It feels great.

Last night I decided that Nino needs to be in bed well before his recent usual, 10 pm. So at 830 we started books (I'm starting slow), went upstairs and he nursed, I laid him down, and he just went to sleep. Who is this child? Tonight, we'll start a bit earlier. Especially with "falling back" this weekend, I need to get him on a better schedule.

Meanwhile, I hate feeling helpless. I know it's not my problem, but I hate that my sister is having relationship troubles. I hate being far away, and even if I were closer, what could I do?

Last night was our first Halloween party. I had the cutest spider in town. He's such a ham. He loves to dress up and have pictures taken. He kept his hood on the entire time.

Today I decided that (even though I'm not pregnant), I want another little boy. But now I'm wondering if it's a boy I want or just the wonderful experience I've had with *my* little boy. I loved those first days, I loved all of his little blue fire truck clothing. I love his interest in all things wheeled. I love seeing the world through his little boy eyes.

I know I'll love little girl stuff, too, but for me it's all about the clothes, not having had a girl. And I know that it's *him* and that a boy will be different, as a girl will be. I guess I just want a repeat of my sweet son.

Tonight is our first halloween party. Nino is a spider, or a "bug". I'm just wearing my pumpkin t-shirt, or "momma, punkin". Pizza at the neighbors' house, costumes, cupcakes. I love spending time with my playgroup moms. Hubby doesn't understand that that's *it* other than my "imaginary friends" for social stuff.

I just ran into cousin Anna and her mom on the street. I miss her, we don't see her nearly enough. She's 3 1/2 now and going to Montessori school. She's too big. I want her to still be the baby who surprised us all by not being a Joseph.

It's day 2 of slim fast and I'm still hungry. I only ate about 1500 calories yesterday, and my body will adjust soon. Last time I had weight loss success I was more motivated, or it wasn't as hard. Now I'm just hungry.

Go Red Sox huh? I really believe this is their year. I want them to sweep, obviously, but hope they win in 6 so the big win is in Boston.

Weekend was fun. Friday Nino got his flu shot (which he didn't cry one drop for woohoo), then we went to mcd's. as soon as we pulled in, he said "happy meal?". *blush* Saturday we met some friends at this crazy furniture store that has restaurants and stuff *in* it. It was a lot of fun, and a good central location for all of us mass'ers (and nh'ers too). Even if next time we meet at the mall or christmas tree shop or whatever, it's good to know it's there.

Our new neighbors moved in. They seem nice, which is good considering our houses are 6 feet apart. Saturday night a party at a friends, and the first baseball game. yesterday just hanging out and we went to see Team America.

Oh and overnight Nino started laughing in his sleep. It was sooooo cute. He'd laugh and go "that funny". Completely asleep.

Nino went #2 in the potty yesterday. He's really proud of himself so of course I feel like crazy control freak mom, but if he's in unders sooner, better for us all.

Friday Viv had her stitches removed. Well, actually, her one stitch removed, as she'd done the rest herself. The vet was very impressed with her healing, her spirit, her general health. My baby girl. I hope she'll give us many more years.

Nino has now gone pee on the potty twice. Yahoo! I'm in no hurry to get him out of diapers but I know there's a limited w indow where they're motivated. I need to get his sitter and grandmas potty seats. Happy halloween, let my child pee all over your house too.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have me totally overcaffeinated and Nino irritable. He wants to stay up and watch "baseball hats" and eat halloween candy. At times I can be a rotten mom.

Last night big milestone - pee in the potty. He constantly wants to sit on the potty when I am, and last night he was telling me "pee pee"- sure enough, there it was. He's so darn proud of himself. I'm not pushing him and don't want to call it "training" but he is obsessed with it so I want to take advantage. Even bought training pants yesterday.

We had a fun weekend. Neighbors had a party which was great fun. Great food, great music, great friends. Nino loved running around outdoors, decorating his pumpkin, and eating loads of watermelon and cupcakes.

Hubby is working late tonight, and I have to pick up the boy. I think we're going to do some shopping on the way home. I want a halloween tshirt and old navy has some really cute ones. And I'd love to stop by target, just because I heart target. I like to use my husband free nights as opportunities.

Just gave the boy a bath. We all ate ice cream in jammies and now he's playing with daddy. I love that laugh.

This afternoon Nino took a mega nap which made us late for Charlotte's birthday party. We still had a ton of fun, but he now knows how to unwrap dum-dums. He probably had 4. :( It was so bad that I was pushing cupcakes on him, thinking that they at least had more substance. He had a blast though and came home with a bag full of trinkets. Fake bugs, right up his alley.

And the Sox got rained out. I hope it's not an omen. Everyone at the gym today was wearing Red Sox gear.

And Viv is doing loads better. She ate tons today, is peeing on a regular schedule and normal volume, and is her spunky self. I so hope that her recovery is a full one, and that her life hasn't been shortened significantly

Surgery is complete

Vivian's surgery is over. She seems to be fine. Only time will tell how she does long term. I can pick her up this evening, probably. She was so happy to see the doctors this morning. She just loves everyone and had no idea they had it in for her. I hope they give her lots of treats and good pain meds.

On a funnier note, Nino's new favorite word is "boobies". Yesterday he looked down Sue-sue's shirt, said "boobies" and then asked her about milk. How do I deal with a toddler realizing that all boobs are potential snacks? I tell him that only Momma's boobies are his, and those are only for home, but it's not working. "momma milk?" is his standard request, wherever we are. He's so cute how can I fault him?

Sunday morning we went to Maine to look at properties. We initially thought we could make a ton of money on our house which we got super cheap, and pay off all mortgages and really do some good college saving. Turns out that's not going to happen in the area we're talking about. We have to change our mindset. Ideally, we'd build a brand new house, but maybe we need to look into a house that has expansion possibilities. Really, it's all about the location. What we have is nearly perfect. Great neighborhood, great neighbors, nice quiet street, beautiful view, water frontage, big lot. Not hard to find right? ;o)

If it weren't for the taxes and the fact that ILs live in and are very involved in town, we'd stay. Now it's a less agressive schedule, just waiting for the right thing to come our way. And expanding our radius. I wouldn't go any further north, but maybe west along the river.

I talked to Miranda the other night. It was fun. I don't just sit and chat with people on the phone so much any more.

She's just a dog, right?

Vivian has enormous bladder stones. There are two of them, baseball sized. She's having them removed Wednesday. But harder still is that the kidney damage may be irreparable. She's just the best, sweetest dog ever. She's only six, so I'm hoping that her youth and spunk will help her recover. I just fear that we're going to spend $1000 on surgery and she still won't be okay. I shouldn't be this sad but somehow I am. She was an abandoned puppy set to be put down and is, bar none, the best dog I've ever known. The smartest, the cutest, the nicest, the spunkiest. *sniff*

they asked when we got back, where we went, and then proceeded to tell us about the 18 times they've been to disney parks. Some of these stories are 40 years old. Most are over 25 years old. But did you listen to us at all?

I really don't hate them, but I do hate spending time with them. I never, ever, get a word in. My recent tactic was to only say "mm-hmm" and see if they catch on. nope.

I'm glad they gave me dh, and I'm sure that they did a great job raising all of those kids, but I think they're taking the selfishness of their retirement too far.

Short week

I don't work on Fridays. So today, my second day, is my last. And Monday is a holiday. I'm beyond thrilled. It's beautiful out today and will be so for the foreseeable future. I want to go check on my pumpkins, get back to the gym, do laundry, mop floors. I really want my house to be at a baseline level of cleanliness that it just doesn't have. Not to mention I'm in a big hurry to get the kitties fixed so I can teach them to poop outdoors. I hate litter boxes.

By the way, the cats smell like poop. Or at least one of them does. I thought cats were self-cleaning? Would they hate me if I used one of the dog bath wipes on them?

On vacation I lost somewhere in the 2-3 lb range. All that sweating did it I'm sure. I hope it did something to my metabolism and now I can get started.

I had scheduled an appointment with an endocrinologist to determine if I have a thyroid issue or insulin resistance. It was to be November 9. They called me to reschedule for April. What kind of bs is that? I want to be pregnant in April, so no thankyouverymuch. Stinky dinky doo.

The trip to meet the Mouse

We got there thursday night. We were with my parents, older sister (special needs), younger sister, her boyfriend and 2 month old baby. Checked into the villa (Old Key West), went to Downtown Disney for dinner. We weren't in Disney mode yet so we didn't realize that you need reservations everywhere. Ended up getting sandwiches and ice cream - fine by us. Next morning, up early and to the Animal Kingdom. It was over 90 every single day. But we rode on the safari, Nino loved seeing all of the animals. "baby moo" (for some reason, he thinks elephants moo). We saw a few more animals, went back to the hotel for a nap and a swim. That evening, we went to Epcot's Morocco for dinner. Fantastic food, walked back to wonderful fireworks and light show.

The babes together:
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Next morning, we went to the Boardwalk for breakfast. We wanted to rent the surrey bikes, but that wasn't an option. So we just walked around the lake, hung on the faux "beach", shopped a bit. Returned to the room for a nap, then went to Saratoga Springs resort for the pool. Wonderful for little ones. Great play area and tiny water slide (big one too). Dinner again at Downtown Disney - Portobello Yacht Club. Yum.

Next morning, off to Epcot. Went to the Living Seas which had a wonderful aquarium with dolphin, manatee, sharks. Spent a long time in there. Did some of the other rides (hardly any lines, woohoo), walked to the World Pavilion. Took our time, got free gianduja chocolate in Italy. Met parents for lunch in Norway, which Nino mostly slept through. Saw the rest of the countries, went back to the hotel for a swim. Sis and I and our families had dinner at Downtown Disney (Bongo's). Eh food.

Here's Nino in a sombrero in Mexico.
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Monday morning, Winnie the Pooh character breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. Nino loved the characters, which we weren't sure about. We thought he might have been afraid. Piglet was his favorite. "Pig pig pig."
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DH then left to go back and work. We rode a few rides, walked around (Nino loved the steam train). We were all so hot and that was the most crowded park so we headed back to the hotel. Got freshened up and headed to the Boardwalk (Flying Fish Cafe) for dinner. Here's Nino at dinner. He was soooooo good.
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Tuesday morning, got up and packed. Ate all of the leftovers for breakfast, went for one last lunch together, went to the airport. Nino fell asleep just before takeoff and slept the entire ride. It was wonderful. We flew Delta's Song, which has dish tv in every seat. However, I was the only one watching SNL that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson hosted and was hysterical really LOL while everyone else was watching the Red Sox. Oh well.

Now I'm back. Back at work, Nino's back at the sitter. I miss my sister and baby already, I miss having someone else make the bed. Glad to see the animals, and put a sweater on. It was hot.

One of the tropical storms has turned into a nor'easter up here. It's been raining for 2 days. I'd love to see the sun. Hopefully this evening I can get out to the garden for a bit of a harvest for the ILs or whoever wants them.

I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow. I can't wait to see baby S. It's been 5 weeks since I've seen her, and when you're 2 months old, that's a lot.

Crap. Thunderstorms.

It's the mundane things that take up my entire day. I'm on hold right now with a stroller manufacturer, as we inherited a stroller without a sun shade. I'm hoping I can get a replacement before the trip. I hope they can send it to the hotel. I'm not sure which one we're staying at, however. That's a whole different story. We were all good to go to stay at "Old Key West". Fine, I don't really care. But my mom really wanted to stay at "The Boardwalk". Now, because of hurricane craziness, many people are cancelling. So we may be able to switch to mom's top choice. It really really doesn't matter to me, but I want to stay somewhere with a wading pool and I don't want to move halfway. No biggie, right? I hope that's how it stays.

Thank heavens. Combi is sending a new sunshade, 2 new baskets, express shipping, for the cost of regular shipping and one of each. Still, $28 for accessories that are in SIL's attic is annoying, but the stroller itself was free so I can't complain.

I am having a helluva time working today. I still have one more day of work before vacation. This is bad!!

Another beautiful day. Just went to a meeting with a structural engineer who always makes us feel stupid. A good reality check mid-day. In case you were getting too confident. "Why would you do that?" seems to be the mantra. So many people just don't understand architects.

My mom cancelled out child care this morning. I love that Nino is with Meme one day a week but I have to say, she's not the most reliable. Taking care of my sister throws a huge wrench in it all. Luckily Sue-sue is able to take him, and since she won't have him Thursday, it's an even trade. I'm very lucky to have the childcare I have. He's the only child everywhere he is. Then he plays with the "kids" at the gym for his socialization fix.

Well, my priority is now getting the house in order, laundry done, all packed up before vacation. I wish I had another weekend day to prepare, but that's not happening, so I have to work with what I've got. After our talk this weekend, I realize that our vacation has to be about us relaxing. We don't have to go to a park every day, or spend the whole day with the entire fam damily. In fact, we should set up some ground rules - we'll have dinner with you if nothing else. I know that hubby won't be happy operating at anyone else's speed but his own. And really, we'll be just as happy seeing the family for a few key times, it'll still feel like we're vacationing together.

Meanwhile, I have to figure out how to pack lightly, while still bringing all that a toddler needs. It's all about mix and match outfits.

Today we went to the fair with Rachel and Kate and families. It was very nice although its a looong ride out there - about two hours. Hubby has pretty much told me he's never going again. And he was constantly on the move, which made it hard to stay with 6 other people.

Nino loved the animals. All of them. The cows he touched, the sheep, the baby chicks, the goats, the dogs, the pigs. And of course the tractors, and the food (especially strawberry shortcake).

And of course on the way home he was telling me all the reasons he shouldn't have gone, and how next year we're going somewhere closer. Which is fine but I got it the first time and now I just feel bad for dragging you out there.

This morning was Lily's third birthday party. They have such a perfect yard for it. Nino rode the rent-a-pony, and loved the bunnies, chickens, and ducks that accompanied. His favorite was, of course, the dirt pile. He wanted a minimum of 2 trucks at any time, which wasn't good when others wanted to play too. He wanted no part of the pigs in blankets, so guess who got to eat them? Ugh. No wonder I'm fat. He did, however, love the cupcakes and popcorn cake.

Meanwhile, he is now in mega-nap mode. He's been asleep near 2 hours, on the floor (sleeping bag, don't worry). He is so damn cute. He sweats when he sleeps and his head smells like boy-sweat. The snaps on his overall-shorts come undone every time he squats, so he's sweaty and undone and still a bit dirty from this morning and he's perfect. Kitties are asleep on the couch and I get a few minutes to myself. Laundry is done and my outfit for tomorrow is ready.

We're headed on vacation Thursday. We had a big overnight fight as hubby said he "couldn't go". He's known for months and had a meeting that same day. Rather than try to reschedule his plane ticket, he was going to stay home. Because Disney World will be sooooo much fun by myself with a 2 year old. I thought he was looking for an excuse, as he's not thrilled about spending 5 days with my mom and sister who "treat him like crap". Yes, they do, but you've been known to respond in kind. Meanwhile, he thinks that I think his job is easy and his working ridiculous hours is by choice. Why is it that it takes a huge blowout fight 3 times a year to make our relationship stronger? If we could just communicate better in between, it wouldn't happen. I love him so much and only want to be with him, so this came as such a huge blow.

Not to mention that people say stupid stuff when fighting and he said some hateful things. I wish it could be undone and he said he didn't mean it but I always feel like you do mean it, sort of, in order for it to be in there. He didn't even remember and when I repeated to him, word for word, he looked sad and embarassed. Then it was my turn to feel bad. Now we're in the fight honeymoon stage. It'll be fine, he'll make do with a laptop and pricey hotel internet, and we are staying in a different villa from my parents.

He has this toy where he stacks up blocks, pushes down a fake TNT thing that knocks them over. It didn't take long before Noah's animals are on the blasting platform.

We have a neighborhood playgroup on Friday mornings. About a dozen kids, it's utter madness. Nino really likes it but by the end is in dire need of personal space and turns into a screecher. I have no idea what that is about. Probably the fact that I'm talking with the other moms and eating all of the rice krispy treats.

We just had such a lovely night. Earlier this summer we got this little pop up screen room, so I went and bought some bread and cheese and tomatoes and olives, packed it up with some beers and a decadent chocolate bar, and we sat under the stars and bright moon on the beach. Nino was very fun other than throwing sand all over us, it was beautiful early fall kinda cold, we were all bundled up and under blankets, and heard the water. I should eat like that more often. Stuffed after 1/3 baguette, 1/2 ball mozzarella, olives and tomatoes.

I'm going to ramble about my son now. He's a beautiful boy, 21 months old, the second love of my life. Born on Christmas Eve 2002. I was due Christmas day, and as he is my first, I fully expected to be late and not have to worry about the birthday/holiday fiasco that will happen when he is 9. Now I do have to worry. Hopefully in a few years we'll begin having half-birthday parties for him, a big summer outdoor event that is certainly *not* Christmasey. This year he likely won't notice, and the year he was born I was an emotional wreck who cried at carols about baby boys as special gifts. Actually, I'm sure those songs will always get me.

I thought I wanted a daughter. Funny how that is. I wanted a girl to bond with, to dress in pink and talk boys with. And I still do want a daughter, but I can't imagine life without a son now. I do have moments of panic - I could now become the mom of 4 boys. All those boys. "Here come the I boys" they'd say. And I wouldn't mind being a mom to all girls, but the fear of not having a daughter exists. But when I imagine having four boys like Nino, its not so bad. He's perfect. Sure, he's almost 2 and acts that way, but he's himself. I wouldn't want him any other way.

We call him Nino sometimes. It's the traditional Italian nickname for his name. It's pronounced nee-noh, although I do think it appropriate that it is spelled the same as a storm system. His favorite words include "bang" and "dump".

We think he's a genius. It's probably that I have never watched so closely the development of a person. He learns so much every day. He repeats words and figures out what they mean. He identifies colors and groups like objects. He gives the most wonderful hugs and kisses. He holds out his injured finger for a kiss, and kisses me when I kiss it. He wants to wear a hat in the sun. He wants his shoes to be tied and tries so hard to tie them. He eats tomatoes and raw onions and peppers and cheese and pickles.

He is a real person. I can't imagine celebrating my anniversary without him, so we're all going to picnic on the beach.

Here he is the day we came home:

What he's grown into:

Four years ago today . . .

We became a family. It was a day much like today, warm and sunny. It got cloudier as the day went on, and by the time we drove to the hotel it was raining. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck, so we had the benefit of good weather for an outdoor wedding and the luck. It seems to be working.

Being married doesn't seem like it should "mean" anything, but somehow it's one of the most amazing things that's happened to me. It's tied with Nino's birthday as the single greatest day ever. An entire day dedicated to committing ourselves to one another. Great friends, great food, great fun. It was so wonderful to have a big outdoor party, with children everywhere, family travelling to see us. Our top priorities were spending time together, and sitting down for dinner as a married couple at our own table was wonderful. I loved that it continued on for hours, and friends all came to our house afterward. Somehow it was the perfect balance of really bonding with each other, while enjoying the company of those who celebrated with us.

The next day, after a frenzy of opening gifts and cards, we left for Iceland. Simply amazing. Go if you get the chance. Bring sweaters and bathing suits and be prepared to use them both, outdoors, on the same day trip.

Planning ahead did *not* pay off.

There are two bridges I can take to work. Both drawbridges. The more convenient one, they've been working on this week. This morning, I planned ahead, went the alternate route and what happened? A sailboat. I was the third car back as the bridge yawned open. I watched the clock tick right on by 9 am. I can *see* my office from this bridge. Rrrg.

Stupid boy dog

The dog just charged into the kitchen where the kittens are. I'm fairly certain he would have eaten one or both of them. Luckily my yelling at him made him stop and I was able to corral him. All I saw were two streaks, one white and one black, across the kitchen. And I'm fairly sure it sent some sort of lethal gas out of them, if not hidden poop. I can't find anything but the place where they had been sitting smells like death.

Bobbleheads

Last winter Life cereal gave away MLB bobbleheads in cereal boxes. Perfect choking hazard size. And of course, Nino's favorite toys. Mike Piazza and/or Ken Griffey Jr. Not even any Red Sox.

Seriously now

I need to lose like 40 pounds. It is so hard I can't believe it. I've been actively working on it for about a year and a half and have gained about 10. You know if I wanted to stay the same I know how to do that. I can either stay the same on salads and cottage cheese or hershey kisses. And in all honesty I'd prefer the chocolate. I have spent thousands of dollars on a personal trainer and look a tish better but seriously. I want to enjoy exercise. I want to go for a jog with my hubby. I want to hike a mountain and feel great.

I pay for the gym if I go or not. And Nino loves the "kids" there. My new resolution is cardio and lots of it. 30 minutes 4 times a week. I've also already paid for weight watchers online so might as well use it.

I lost 35 lb in pre paration for my wedding 4 years ago on WW. I was happy and it seemed easy. I'm old and post birth now I guess. I can no longer survive on yogurt and cereal. Or I can but it doesn't work.

Hurt feelings

Feel so much better after working out. I guess 6 days of slug-ness made me hypersensitive and a few iffy emails brought me down. Silly me. 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer with a parenting magazine and life is good.

First day of fall

Background: I'm 29, married for four years tomorrow to lovie #1, and mom since December 2002 to lovie #2. DH fancies us colonial house pioneer types and we have lots going on at our 2 acre plantation - 2 dogs, 2 cats, fruits and veggies, shed, tractor, water frontage with snapping turtles. It's going to be a fun place to raise kids, if he doesn't convince me to move even further from civilization.

This weekend I'm meeting Rach at the fair. I'm almost too excited. It's like high school. I'm fat, I have a zit, I'm having a bad hair day, I'm not that cool in real life. I know that she likes me for my boobs though and those are sure not to disappoint. I'm sure Nino will help demonstrate their functionality.

Next weekend, just over a week away, we are going to the House of Mouse. That's right ladies and gents Nino is going to Disneyworld. I'm so excited to take him to see the animals, not to mention the characters. Travelling with him is not too hard, but the nature of travelling with a toddler is. He loves being at the airport but not so much the sitting still part. We're going with Meme and Papa, and Auntie A. Auntie W and her family (including 2 month old miss S) will meet us there. I'm excited just to have a villa and someone else to make the beds.

Must exercise some day.

Cats and Nino love the box from the new truck toy. Cats both climb in. Rather cute. Nino looks at the pictures of the other trucks in the series. Not even 2 and prey to commercialism. "momma dump truck!"

tonight I made MIL's recipe for apple pan dowdy. it is very yummy and I can pretend I'm having healthful fruit. it is good with a glass of milk.

had an odd dream about the gym. subliminal guilt that I haven't been in days. I was in a bathing suit and a fit employee made me cover up because I have "too much back fat".

Yellow armbands

I am now chic. 10 LiveStrong armbands are now my property. Nino loves them. He then takes the yellow ring from his stacking toy and wears it as well. He's a bloody genius.

Pit-eee-full.

Today I joined mommaville.

Changed my life. Har har.