Wow...what a year 2009 has been...
Yesterday, we enjoyed sleeping in and having family cuddle time in bed. B was up at 5 and I brought her into bed when she was up at 8. Erik was working while I was visiting the day care again. I just straightened up the house and organized the items for the Secretary desk which is arriving tomorrow. We ventured to Levin to check out a bedroom set we liked but even with their great "sales" the price isn't that much different than it had been and we still haven't found a set we absolutely love enough to justify the price tag (I like the Bassett West End but they don't carry it anymore so Levin's French Quarters was close enough).
We said from the beginning we were going to do a low key NYE and eat in and watch a movie and ball drop with Crosby and Brooklyn and reflect on all the great things in our life. Well, we then decided we were going to do a variety of appetizers so we stopped at Giant Eagle in Wexford and got a large antipasto tray (seriously, like 5.4 lbs of food for $20) with dolmades, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto stuffed peppers, capelloni onions, artichokes, etc and then paired it with some popcorn chicken, cheddar and jalopeno bites, along with a meat/cheese/cracker tray. We had our bellini's all night and watched Angels and Demons and reminisced of our trip to Italy. Seriously, it has been an awesome New Year's Eve and now with just minutes to go before the ball drop.....I can't wait to see what 2010 brings for us as it surely will bring a lot of firsts in our house.
2009 truly was a great year for us (probably one of the best ever) and we are so lucky to be at this position in our lives. I looked down on the sleeping Brooklyn in my arms and the sleeping Crosby between Erik and I and I just want to cry thinking about how perfect our life is right now (granted, there are plenty of things I would love to add to it but we are so happy as a family right now).
A review of the Decade:
2000: survived Y2K, finished my freshman year of college, was supposed to go to Greece but the trip was canceled because Bill Clinton cancelled his trip back in November 1999
2001: spent the summer doing research at Penn State in Hershey and working at the Hersey Grill; 9/11; turned 21, traveled to England with Erin and Kisa, Traveled to Cali and Chicago with Erin for American Chemical Society trips
2002: did my Senior Honors Thesis after a summer and fall of research on the tobacco hornworm; New Year's Eve in Times Square; med school interviews and accepted to my first med school (huge relief), Traveled to Orlando with Erin and Kerry for ACS
2003: $200,000 scholarship for med school (which made me change my plans from going to Pitt to leaving the state given the terms of the scholarship); graduated from college; cruise with my Erik, moved to Virginia; met Susan; kinda "separated" from the BF/now DH
2004: Traveled (Dominican Republic, spent the summer in Europe, traveled a few places in the US for conferences); reunited with Erik
2005: Vacay to SoCal with Erik, got engaged, decided I did not want to be a surgeon anymore, moved into townhouse with Erik
2006: decided my career field (dermatology vs anesthesiology), got married, honeymooned in Jamaica and traveled for conferences
2007: found out I matched to Pitt for residency and disappointed (blessing in disguise as we never would have realized that we could have bought our current house had this not occurred) in where I would spend internship; graduated from medical school, traveled for weddings and pleasure
2008: 10 year dating anniversary, bought our house; moved; finished internship and left Virginia; started residency; got Crosby (LOTS OF CHANGE this year), and had our big trip to Italy, Bought the Mercedes (accomplished Erik's goal of owning a BMW/Benz/Lexus before age 30).
2009: Got pregnant, Lauren got married, had Brooklyn, Steelers Superbowl, Pens Cup (which Erik was fortunate enough to be able to actually go to the game), Erik wins his 2 FF leagues (they were his first wins ever and he's been in the leagues for 10 and 7 years so his wins are like my wins), limited travel this year :(
A review of the Year:
January: Chronic Pain rotation, an extremely cold January with lots of snow (almost the entire month), almost lost Crosby as she took off (unleashed) through 18 inches of snow running down the road at mom and dad's, Ski weekend at Decker's, Steelers Superbowl, did well on my AKTs
February: PACU rotation and a week on pain service (really like Regional), found out we were pregnant February 13th and cleaned out Babies R Us of all 0-3 month Christmas items at 88% off and bought the "I'm the Big Sister" shirt for Crosby, told Erik on February 14th using said shirt
March: Magee ORs, really liked my limited OB experience, told Lauren of the news, went to conference in DC, did well on my ITE, Lauren's Bachelorette Party Weekend at the house
April: Presby, Easter, saw the peanut on US on 4/9, told the parents on 4/10 when we came home for Easter using said shirt, had a week off where we landscaped and cleaned the house, Erica's Bridal Shower
May: Magee OB, trying my first stint of maternity clothes and loving the stretchiness, BBQs, Doug's wedding, Lauren's and Erin's Bridal Showers, watching Pens playoffs seemingly every night I was on call, finding out that our little Peanut was a girl
June: Magee OB, 10-year HS graduation anniversary, Lauren's wedding, Penguins Cup, Going to Game 4, Erik going to Game 7 (seriously, Game 7...how fricken' awesome), watched all of the games essentially of the playoffs, Erin's wedding, finished the ceiling
July: ICU hell...seriously 30-hr call shifts almost every 3rd or 4th night...ugh...Gary and Erica's wedding, painted the basement and got furniture, painted the nursery and bought furniture
August: ICU hell, Lauren came out to visit, finished nursery, our 3rd anniversary
September: Neuro, starting to get more difficult to move, FF party out here and home to NC for FF Draft #2, our big Garage Sale, Baby Shower here and Baby Shower in NC
October: Southside Regional (absolutely loved this), home for Katie's baby shower, my birthday weekend with the parents out here while we all decorated for fall, PSA meeting in Harrisburg, B's arrival on October 23rd after lengthly debate about induction, Halloween
November: spending time with our Brooklyn, home to meet the family, 10-year high school reunion, Thanksgiving with the family
December: home for dad's birthday, Christmas, baptism....December was quite the blur
Best of 2009 series of questions:
December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)
I really didn't have resolutions, but rather goals for the year. I wish I had been better in keeping the house more organized and cleaned more frequently (yes, I have been told many times that our house is always so organized, put together, clean, etc but in my mind, it's not). I really would rather have quality time with Erik, Crosby, or now Brooklyn than worry about the last the hardwood floors had been hand scrubbed as I'd rather just run the Dyson over them.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Another 2009 in Review
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
We had a baby =)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes and no, I didn't quite accomplish all of them (such as losing weight but I had a wonderful excuse), but we stuck pretty well to the everything has a place organization of our house and our goals to be more green. I would like to lose that extra baby weight and then lose some that extra post-marriage weight.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, our friends Melanie, Rachael, and of course moi
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one close but my great aunt did pass away
5. What states/countries did you visit?
For the first time in about 10 years, I did not leave the country...in fact, with baby on the way, we didn't travel much. I did visit Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and DC...holy heck was this overall a boring travel year.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Aside from extra money to work on some of the projects that we would like to do (it's not that we don't have the money...we just don't like to spend it)
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 31st-February 1st - a very important weekend (do the math), the ski weekend and the Steelers Superbowl
February 13th - the day I found out I was pregnant
February 14th - the day I told Erik
April 9th - the day we first saw the peanut on US and she actually looked like a baby
May 29th - when we found out our peanut was a girl
June 6th - Lauren's wedding
June 12th - Penguins win the Cup and Erik is there to see it (I felt like I had just accomplished my lifelong goal knowing he was there to see it)
July and August - 2 months of hell in the ICU
October 23rd - Brooklyn Sydney changed our lives
November 28th - our first Thanksgiving here
December 25th - Brooklyn's first Christmas
December 26th - Brooklyn's Baptism
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming a mommy
9. What was your biggest failure?
Realizing it's almost impossible to keep an impeccably clean house anymore
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope...except for being in the hospital for the first time overnight when I had Brooklyn
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Nikon D60 and the theater room
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Don't really know how to answer this one...probably Erik's for being an awesome dad and Crosby's for being a wonderful big sister and getting along with B so well
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one's really...except maybe Tiger Woods and another person in my life disappointed me more than anything else.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills and my 8 page American Express Credit Card Statements
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Brooklyn and when we first saw her smiles and coos
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Probably "My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride or "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? slightly fatter - I just had a baby
c) richer or poorer? richer (in love)
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing, appreciating all the blessings we have in our life (we do this all the time but really, we are so lucky, fortunate, and blessed to be in the position in life we are now)
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Housework, worrying, and stressing over little things
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve by driving into NC, spending time with my grandparents then Erik's grandparents then home to change and off to church, then off to Erik's mom's then home for opening gifts at my parents then waking up Christmas morning and having our family dinner then spending time with relatives
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, on Friday, October 23rd
22. What was your favorite TV program?
I really liked Glee ;) Top Chef, Next Iron Chef, Next Food Network Star and a few other Food Network and Bravo shows have always been my favorites.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't have time to hate people
24. What was the best book you read?
Since I didn't do much pleasure reading since I have a pile of textbooks to read, I would say Happiest Baby on the Block since it saved our sanity the first week home
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I guess Glee and probably realizing that B loves music
26. What did you want and get?
My camera and a healthy pregnancy
27. What did you want and not get?
I didn't get my house completely finished with the basement bar or the outside patio
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think we watched Marley and Me this year...I also really liked Up
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 and was 38 weeks pregnant. I worked, then came home and napped. Yep, that about sums it up! However, the day before, my parents, Erik and I went to the Springfield for my birthday brunch while the waitress looked at me with evil eyes while I drank my glass of champagne
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Pretty much nothing (except maybe winning the lottery) as 2009 probably was our best year ever
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Scrubs :) My favorite....I have no fashion concept. My husband picks out my clothes on the rack in the store and then I just find the size to fit. I admit I have no style and wish someone would nominate me for What Not To Wear as I would rather wear jeans and a casual shirt, scrubs, maternity clothes (at the time and even for the first 6 weeks or so because I loved the loose fit and elastic waistbands until I was forced by he-who-shall-remain-nameless to buy new jeans)
32. What kept you sane?
Given the 2 ICU months, probably milkshakes and chocolate =) and in reality, Erik who managed to keep me sane and grounded
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Sidney Crosby
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Health care
35. Who did you miss?
Some of my old friends from MCV that I've not seen in over a year
36. Who was the best new person you met?
New person...besides Brooklyn, I feel like I just formed better relationships with the people I already know
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Live in the moment and cherish each fleeting second because they will be gone before you know it. My little B is growing and changing each and every day and I won't get a second chance at these moments with her
38. What was the single best thing that happened this year?
Brooklyn's birth
39. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Finding a balance between wife, mother, doctor, sister, daughter, friend and all the other hats I wear.
40. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Kinda an expected joy but having a daughter and realizing how much I love seeing her smile and laugh
41. What was an unexpected obstacle?
42. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of 2009?
Starting 2009 hoping to become a mother by year's end and ending the year as a mommy
43. In what ways did you grow,
emotionally? Having a deeper understanding of love
spiritually? Having a connection far beyond this physical world
physically? More like increased size, like about 15 pounds more
44. In what ways did you grow in your relationship with others?
Most importantly, I grew more in love with my husband by seeing him as a father
45. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Definitely with Erik and now with Brooklyn....having a better relationship with my parents knowing what they went through in raising baby
46. Who did you miss?
I miss some of my girlfriends and other friends who I haven't seen in a long time...
47. Who was the best new person you met?
Um, Brooklyn ;)
48. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
I'd say this year it was landscaping the outside and finishing the theater room
49. What was your most challenging area of home management?
I'd say it's probably putting away the clothes and keeping our breakfast table clutterfree as that's where mail and everything accumulate....I did make great strides in keeping the counters clear and hopefully the secretary desk will help with the breakfast table.
50. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this year?
I would say Facebook and the Nest have to be a tie.
We had a baby =)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes and no, I didn't quite accomplish all of them (such as losing weight but I had a wonderful excuse), but we stuck pretty well to the everything has a place organization of our house and our goals to be more green. I would like to lose that extra baby weight and then lose some that extra post-marriage weight.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, our friends Melanie, Rachael, and of course moi
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one close but my great aunt did pass away
5. What states/countries did you visit?
For the first time in about 10 years, I did not leave the country...in fact, with baby on the way, we didn't travel much. I did visit Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and DC...holy heck was this overall a boring travel year.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Aside from extra money to work on some of the projects that we would like to do (it's not that we don't have the money...we just don't like to spend it)
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 31st-February 1st - a very important weekend (do the math), the ski weekend and the Steelers Superbowl
February 13th - the day I found out I was pregnant
February 14th - the day I told Erik
April 9th - the day we first saw the peanut on US and she actually looked like a baby
May 29th - when we found out our peanut was a girl
June 6th - Lauren's wedding
June 12th - Penguins win the Cup and Erik is there to see it (I felt like I had just accomplished my lifelong goal knowing he was there to see it)
July and August - 2 months of hell in the ICU
October 23rd - Brooklyn Sydney changed our lives
November 28th - our first Thanksgiving here
December 25th - Brooklyn's first Christmas
December 26th - Brooklyn's Baptism
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming a mommy
9. What was your biggest failure?
Realizing it's almost impossible to keep an impeccably clean house anymore
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope...except for being in the hospital for the first time overnight when I had Brooklyn
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Nikon D60 and the theater room
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Don't really know how to answer this one...probably Erik's for being an awesome dad and Crosby's for being a wonderful big sister and getting along with B so well
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one's really...except maybe Tiger Woods and another person in my life disappointed me more than anything else.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills and my 8 page American Express Credit Card Statements
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Brooklyn and when we first saw her smiles and coos
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Probably "My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride or "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? slightly fatter - I just had a baby
c) richer or poorer? richer (in love)
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Relaxing, appreciating all the blessings we have in our life (we do this all the time but really, we are so lucky, fortunate, and blessed to be in the position in life we are now)
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Housework, worrying, and stressing over little things
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve by driving into NC, spending time with my grandparents then Erik's grandparents then home to change and off to church, then off to Erik's mom's then home for opening gifts at my parents then waking up Christmas morning and having our family dinner then spending time with relatives
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes, on Friday, October 23rd
22. What was your favorite TV program?
I really liked Glee ;) Top Chef, Next Iron Chef, Next Food Network Star and a few other Food Network and Bravo shows have always been my favorites.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't have time to hate people
24. What was the best book you read?
Since I didn't do much pleasure reading since I have a pile of textbooks to read, I would say Happiest Baby on the Block since it saved our sanity the first week home
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I guess Glee and probably realizing that B loves music
26. What did you want and get?
My camera and a healthy pregnancy
27. What did you want and not get?
I didn't get my house completely finished with the basement bar or the outside patio
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I think we watched Marley and Me this year...I also really liked Up
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 and was 38 weeks pregnant. I worked, then came home and napped. Yep, that about sums it up! However, the day before, my parents, Erik and I went to the Springfield for my birthday brunch while the waitress looked at me with evil eyes while I drank my glass of champagne
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Pretty much nothing (except maybe winning the lottery) as 2009 probably was our best year ever
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Scrubs :) My favorite....I have no fashion concept. My husband picks out my clothes on the rack in the store and then I just find the size to fit. I admit I have no style and wish someone would nominate me for What Not To Wear as I would rather wear jeans and a casual shirt, scrubs, maternity clothes (at the time and even for the first 6 weeks or so because I loved the loose fit and elastic waistbands until I was forced by he-who-shall-remain-nameless to buy new jeans)
32. What kept you sane?
Given the 2 ICU months, probably milkshakes and chocolate =) and in reality, Erik who managed to keep me sane and grounded
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Sidney Crosby
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Health care
35. Who did you miss?
Some of my old friends from MCV that I've not seen in over a year
36. Who was the best new person you met?
New person...besides Brooklyn, I feel like I just formed better relationships with the people I already know
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Live in the moment and cherish each fleeting second because they will be gone before you know it. My little B is growing and changing each and every day and I won't get a second chance at these moments with her
38. What was the single best thing that happened this year?
Brooklyn's birth
39. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Finding a balance between wife, mother, doctor, sister, daughter, friend and all the other hats I wear.
40. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Kinda an expected joy but having a daughter and realizing how much I love seeing her smile and laugh
41. What was an unexpected obstacle?
42. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of 2009?
Starting 2009 hoping to become a mother by year's end and ending the year as a mommy
43. In what ways did you grow,
emotionally? Having a deeper understanding of love
spiritually? Having a connection far beyond this physical world
physically? More like increased size, like about 15 pounds more
44. In what ways did you grow in your relationship with others?
Most importantly, I grew more in love with my husband by seeing him as a father
45. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
Definitely with Erik and now with Brooklyn....having a better relationship with my parents knowing what they went through in raising baby
46. Who did you miss?
I miss some of my girlfriends and other friends who I haven't seen in a long time...
47. Who was the best new person you met?
Um, Brooklyn ;)
48. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?
I'd say this year it was landscaping the outside and finishing the theater room
49. What was your most challenging area of home management?
I'd say it's probably putting away the clothes and keeping our breakfast table clutterfree as that's where mail and everything accumulate....I did make great strides in keeping the counters clear and hopefully the secretary desk will help with the breakfast table.
50. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this year?
I would say Facebook and the Nest have to be a tie.
2009 Goals in Review...
Last New Year's Day, I made a list of my 2009 goals to accomplish....
Thpost from last year....the italicized posts are the items we were able to check off this year!!
2009 is here...it's my last year in my 20s...it's the last year of the decade...hopefully it holds great things for us!
We have a long list of stuff to do to enhance the house or other goals for our life...some are extensive (hmm, basement ceiling and others are quick like caulking the bathroom)...
Just a "short" list:
Living Room:
-Finish shelf for Audio Tower with basket organization: completed in January with 2008 Christmas gift from Heidi that we put together
-Wire living room for final surround sound speakers: done in January during one of the snowy weekends
Main Level:
-Get Secretary desk with central organization area for mail, stamps, etc: um, we finally got on that and to make my life easier, we asked mom and dad this for Christmas and it was finished on Christmas Eve but they're bringing it down tomorrow for New Year's Day since we didn't have enough room
-Paint Power Room: um, not enough time...on the 2010 list
Upstairs:
-Tags for linen closet baskets: thanks for reminding me...printed today ;)
-Reading nook with rocker and table: we brought back the wood rocker we received as a wedding gift and set it up with a nice blanket on the landing
Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
-Apply silicone to bathroom seals: was the first task completed in 2009
-Paint Master Bathroom
-Paint Master Bedroom: done in May when I went home for L's bridal shower so I wouldn't be exposed to the fumes
-Organize jewelry armoire: will complete this this weekend...it's on my list (I swear)
-Go through clothes and throw out old clothes (including all clothes in guest bedroom closet and dressers): we did this in late January but I need to do it again post-ba
Office:
Basement:
Outside:
Garage:
Thpost from last year....the italicized posts are the items we were able to check off this year!!
2009 is here...it's my last year in my 20s...it's the last year of the decade...hopefully it holds great things for us!
We have a long list of stuff to do to enhance the house or other goals for our life...some are extensive (hmm, basement ceiling and others are quick like caulking the bathroom)...
Just a "short" list:
Living Room:
-Finish shelf for Audio Tower with basket organization: completed in January with 2008 Christmas gift from Heidi that we put together
-Wire living room for final surround sound speakers: done in January during one of the snowy weekends
Main Level:
-Get Secretary desk with central organization area for mail, stamps, etc: um, we finally got on that and to make my life easier, we asked mom and dad this for Christmas and it was finished on Christmas Eve but they're bringing it down tomorrow for New Year's Day since we didn't have enough room
-Paint Power Room: um, not enough time...on the 2010 list
Upstairs:
-Tags for linen closet baskets: thanks for reminding me...printed today ;)
-Reading nook with rocker and table: we brought back the wood rocker we received as a wedding gift and set it up with a nice blanket on the landing
Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
-Apply silicone to bathroom seals: was the first task completed in 2009
-Paint Master Bathroom
-Paint Master Bedroom: done in May when I went home for L's bridal shower so I wouldn't be exposed to the fumes
-Organize jewelry armoire: will complete this this weekend...it's on my list (I swear)
-Go through clothes and throw out old clothes (including all clothes in guest bedroom closet and dressers): we did this in late January but I need to do it again post-ba
Office:
-Finish the craft room, including desk, craft organization: done earlier this month with the assistance from mom watching B
-Organize my medical-related stuff, including articles (maybe even the 4GB jump drive from Staples on Sunday to store my articles and presentations): slowly done but not yet complete...have the jump drive started and working on the articles to cut down in the filing cabinet
-Organize bills, receipts, statements, tax info, etc in the filing cabinet: NYE through this weekend project
Basement:
-Sell extra med books on Amazon or to PittMed: or more like donate since they're old
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: this is semi-done...we had the great yard sale of 2009 to get rid of a ton of stuff, we just have a lot of stuff to get rid of and sort through
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: this is semi-done...we had the great yard sale of 2009 to get rid of a ton of stuff, we just have a lot of stuff to get rid of and sort through
-Start and finish ceiling: thanks to the great Paul Glasgow and a hefty check, this was done in June
-Paint: this was done in July
-Finish baseboards: we didn't really get to this until August but it was done!
-Redo windows: along with the basement renovation but we still have to paint the window frames but at least the windows are now glass block
-Reseal door/window frames: done with the basement redo
-Create bar area: on the 2010 list...bar area may go by the wayside in favor of kick ass play area (since we didn't really have that in mind last year)
-Create entertainment area: aka our new Theater Room....we bought the furniture in July after the ceiling and renovations were done and then the Pioneer Kuro in September along with the audio system
-Create Wine Cellar: eh, Erik wasn't too fond of this idea
Outside:
-Landscape outside and remulch: done in April
-Plant around electric boxes: done in April
-Redo stairs off deck: deferred to 2010 where we focus on this area
-Sand and restain deck: done in June
-Enclose under deck either with structure shed or built shed: deferred until 2010...we thought about putting in a hot tub or enclosing but we'll probably just pour concrete and use as a play area and BBQ area
-Create patio area outside back door: see above
Garage:
-Paint bookshelf and convert bookshelf to shoe/winter storage: decided to use shelf as it is
-Bring back Craftsman tool storage thing and redo tool storage: done in January
-Create workbench area and additional enclosed storage: done in October
-Hang a second hanging rack: done in April
-Paint wood in color scheme: eh, simple task to finish
-Storage above garage doors: deferred
Nursery:
-Go through boxes and get rid of stuff: slowly over the past few months
-Hopefully decorate, hehe!: Yay...our biggest accomplishment of 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The New Computer...
You may have noticed a blog post today....yeah, that's because after 6.5 years with my handy dandy computer, I have finally retired her in favor of the my new love, Hamlet. Yes, I named my computer Hamlet and well, I probably would've been more productive during the past 9.5 weeks of my maternity leave if Hamlet had joined my life sooner. The screen, the speed, everything just makes my heart sing. I've been more productive today than I have been all week b/c I HATE SLOW COMPUTERS. So, expect me to finally catch up on the 30 blog posts I have waiting to finish for the past month.
Anyway, since Monday night failed miserably at trying to recreate the luxurious sleep we had over our Christmas break at my parents' house and we didn't get B to bed last night until 9:15 after feeding her at 8:45 since we were out restocking the shelves, we didn't do a dream feed last night and well, I'll be, she slept until 3:15 (are you following? That's 6+ hours!!!). I can handle that! Then, she was up again at 7:30 and we brought her into bed with us for our cuddle time and pillow talk. I'll refrain from commenting on what time we eventually got out of bed out of fear of jealously when I reread this blog in the future.
I spent some time catching up on some things that were due while Old Faithful (my nickname for my old computer) was under the weather. Finally, we got ready for the day and after some play time and Bumbo time, we headed out the door.
B had her 2 month visit today (she's officially 9.5 weeks old or 2 months and 5 days old).
She weighed in at................drumroll..............
2 month stats: 10lbs, 12 oz, 22 3/4 inches
For the recap:
1 month stats: 8lbs, 1 oz, 21 1/4 inches
Birth stats: 7lbs, 1 oz, 19 3/4 inches
Needless to say, the peanut has become a little lug. She finally has filled out the baby fat and she's growing well. The pedi addressed all of our concerns and pretty much reassured me that we are not sending B down a pathway toward lifelong psychotherapy for not meeting her every need. She kinda laughed when I said about her 10 minutes of fussing here and there, mainly before feeding and said that they really don't get concerned at her age until that's about an hour or more. Um, yeah, we're lucky. I did ask about Gripe Water and Mylicon and as I suspected, she supported my decision in that there are no studies that show any benefit (although there is one that suggests Gripe Water may help). I think we'll stick with what's working and getting us through the day. She was impressed at the production of 30-ish ounces of milk per day. As long as I can maintain the 3-4 pumping sessions a day, I hope I can still provide the sole source of nutrition for at least the next 2 months until we introduce cereal and given B's successful weight gain the past month, she appears to getting more than adequate nutritional intake despite her shrieking cries at the end of every bottle.
What was hilarious was that B was smiley, giggly, and so happy while it was just she and I in the room. Even when the doctor walked in, she still was happy and laughing at herself in the mirror. As soon as she sat down next to her and B took one look at the doctor, she had the biggest pout and then started crying. It was as if she knew the doctor was the bearer of impending doom.
B then proceeded to fuss until I fed her. She checked out well except for some rashes under her arms and around her baby fat of her neck. Dr. J recommended using Lotrimin as this looked a little yeast like (but her diaper area looks great) and since I was on dicloxacillin for mastitis earlier in the month, it's better to just treat for yeast than let it continue (cue the: I-feel-like-a-crappy-mother feeling....do you know how hard it is to keep an infant dry when they're constantly spitting up and it settling into the folds of baby fat???)
After Dr. J left, in walked the nurse. She got her oral polio vaccine and then her shots for DTaP, Pneumococcal, and Rotavirus. She turned a deep shade of purple and let out a shriek. Then after some shushing, cuddling and singing, she quickly calmed down and was asleep by the time we got to the car.
I then finally picked up What to Expect the First Year and bought some baby signing books as that will be on the horizon before we know it. We picked up some Lotrimin at Target and got a Godfather sub from DiBella's on the way home.
We spent the evening cuddling downstairs as a family with daddy and Roo Roo (aka Crosby). We watched the Pens unfortunately lose to NJ and then watched the Truman Show. I think she is feeling a little sick from the shots as she's just not interested in eating much and spit up what I would call most of the bottle from earlier in the evening. While we like to put her down so she can play in her bouncer or on her mat, I gave her a reprieve tonight because of the shots and just laid here with her.
Dr. J did give us the reassurance that for now, while she's still doing 3-4 naps per day, that we don't have to have her in bed at 8pm. If we kept her up until 9 or 10 or even later at this point, then maybe she'll go back to those 7 hour nights like she did at home over Christmas.
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
2 of them...the one I liked the best I don't think ever was on TV...it was the T-Mobile Dance in the metro station where one person danced then slowly everyone else joined in. It made me think of how one person can make a change in a lot of people, how one's actions may affect dozens or hundreds down the line....it's the snowball effect
The other ad that makes me cry every time I see it is for the Animal Rescue where they show all of these sick dogs and cats that need adopted and I just want to bring all of them home. I know how much we love Crosby and how she is such a part of our family and I just don't know why some people don't care for their dogs or bring too many pets haphazardly into life. Then, it makes me think of all the unloved pets out there and then all the unwanted children and it just brings me to tears thinking about Crosby and Brooklyn and how much we love them and they are a part of our family. I can't believe how much these 2 beings have transformed our lives completely over the past 18 months...they've taught us such a deep understanding and form of love. Wow...it's powerful.
Anyway, since Monday night failed miserably at trying to recreate the luxurious sleep we had over our Christmas break at my parents' house and we didn't get B to bed last night until 9:15 after feeding her at 8:45 since we were out restocking the shelves, we didn't do a dream feed last night and well, I'll be, she slept until 3:15 (are you following? That's 6+ hours!!!). I can handle that! Then, she was up again at 7:30 and we brought her into bed with us for our cuddle time and pillow talk. I'll refrain from commenting on what time we eventually got out of bed out of fear of jealously when I reread this blog in the future.
I spent some time catching up on some things that were due while Old Faithful (my nickname for my old computer) was under the weather. Finally, we got ready for the day and after some play time and Bumbo time, we headed out the door.
B had her 2 month visit today (she's officially 9.5 weeks old or 2 months and 5 days old).
She weighed in at................drumroll..............
2 month stats: 10lbs, 12 oz, 22 3/4 inches
For the recap:
1 month stats: 8lbs, 1 oz, 21 1/4 inches
Birth stats: 7lbs, 1 oz, 19 3/4 inches
Needless to say, the peanut has become a little lug. She finally has filled out the baby fat and she's growing well. The pedi addressed all of our concerns and pretty much reassured me that we are not sending B down a pathway toward lifelong psychotherapy for not meeting her every need. She kinda laughed when I said about her 10 minutes of fussing here and there, mainly before feeding and said that they really don't get concerned at her age until that's about an hour or more. Um, yeah, we're lucky. I did ask about Gripe Water and Mylicon and as I suspected, she supported my decision in that there are no studies that show any benefit (although there is one that suggests Gripe Water may help). I think we'll stick with what's working and getting us through the day. She was impressed at the production of 30-ish ounces of milk per day. As long as I can maintain the 3-4 pumping sessions a day, I hope I can still provide the sole source of nutrition for at least the next 2 months until we introduce cereal and given B's successful weight gain the past month, she appears to getting more than adequate nutritional intake despite her shrieking cries at the end of every bottle.
What was hilarious was that B was smiley, giggly, and so happy while it was just she and I in the room. Even when the doctor walked in, she still was happy and laughing at herself in the mirror. As soon as she sat down next to her and B took one look at the doctor, she had the biggest pout and then started crying. It was as if she knew the doctor was the bearer of impending doom.
B then proceeded to fuss until I fed her. She checked out well except for some rashes under her arms and around her baby fat of her neck. Dr. J recommended using Lotrimin as this looked a little yeast like (but her diaper area looks great) and since I was on dicloxacillin for mastitis earlier in the month, it's better to just treat for yeast than let it continue (cue the: I-feel-like-a-crappy-mother feeling....do you know how hard it is to keep an infant dry when they're constantly spitting up and it settling into the folds of baby fat???)
After Dr. J left, in walked the nurse. She got her oral polio vaccine and then her shots for DTaP, Pneumococcal, and Rotavirus. She turned a deep shade of purple and let out a shriek. Then after some shushing, cuddling and singing, she quickly calmed down and was asleep by the time we got to the car.
I then finally picked up What to Expect the First Year and bought some baby signing books as that will be on the horizon before we know it. We picked up some Lotrimin at Target and got a Godfather sub from DiBella's on the way home.
We spent the evening cuddling downstairs as a family with daddy and Roo Roo (aka Crosby). We watched the Pens unfortunately lose to NJ and then watched the Truman Show. I think she is feeling a little sick from the shots as she's just not interested in eating much and spit up what I would call most of the bottle from earlier in the evening. While we like to put her down so she can play in her bouncer or on her mat, I gave her a reprieve tonight because of the shots and just laid here with her.
Dr. J did give us the reassurance that for now, while she's still doing 3-4 naps per day, that we don't have to have her in bed at 8pm. If we kept her up until 9 or 10 or even later at this point, then maybe she'll go back to those 7 hour nights like she did at home over Christmas.
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
2 of them...the one I liked the best I don't think ever was on TV...it was the T-Mobile Dance in the metro station where one person danced then slowly everyone else joined in. It made me think of how one person can make a change in a lot of people, how one's actions may affect dozens or hundreds down the line....it's the snowball effect
The other ad that makes me cry every time I see it is for the Animal Rescue where they show all of these sick dogs and cats that need adopted and I just want to bring all of them home. I know how much we love Crosby and how she is such a part of our family and I just don't know why some people don't care for their dogs or bring too many pets haphazardly into life. Then, it makes me think of all the unloved pets out there and then all the unwanted children and it just brings me to tears thinking about Crosby and Brooklyn and how much we love them and they are a part of our family. I can't believe how much these 2 beings have transformed our lives completely over the past 18 months...they've taught us such a deep understanding and form of love. Wow...it's powerful.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Ah...to wake up in our bed
It was so nice to wake up in bed this morning. I'm so glad we decided to venture back through the snow instead of staying another night. Today was a pretty lazy day but filled with lots of tasks...
The morning was full of unpacking and washing and putting away the 3 loads of laundry. We put the Christmas gifts under the tree (must take pictures....yet another epic mothering failure of not taking pictures with the child and her presents). I had my eye appointment this afternoon. Then Erik made a wonderful Mango Pork Stirfry.
We then headed out to do a big restocking grocery trip at Target, Walmart and Costco and put all of the groceries away. Man, it was COLD today...like 16-20 degrees.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Anytime I can hear Brooklyn poop or fart or burp from the other room. Seriously, baby body noises are so loud they rival any adults. Brooklyn just cracks me up with her laughs and big gummy smiles. I love (and purposefully sometimes) bumping her and seeing her go into her thriller pose with her hands. God love the Moro Reflex! She'll hate me one day.
The morning was full of unpacking and washing and putting away the 3 loads of laundry. We put the Christmas gifts under the tree (must take pictures....yet another epic mothering failure of not taking pictures with the child and her presents). I had my eye appointment this afternoon. Then Erik made a wonderful Mango Pork Stirfry.
We then headed out to do a big restocking grocery trip at Target, Walmart and Costco and put all of the groceries away. Man, it was COLD today...like 16-20 degrees.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Anytime I can hear Brooklyn poop or fart or burp from the other room. Seriously, baby body noises are so loud they rival any adults. Brooklyn just cracks me up with her laughs and big gummy smiles. I love (and purposefully sometimes) bumping her and seeing her go into her thriller pose with her hands. God love the Moro Reflex! She'll hate me one day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)