Getting ready for Molly's 2nd Christmas

Yep, we're still here! I can't believe how fast November and December have just flown by. It seems like just minutes ago it was Thanksgiving and now we are 4 days away for Christmas, and only 2 days away from the beginning of our celebrations!

We start Christmas early around here. Since we have 3 families to visit, John's family started celebrating on the 23rd, which is wonderful and I'm so happy they let us do this so we don't have to try to pick between families. So we'll be at Grammy and Poppy's on Sunday night, then up to Coventry during the day on the 24th and Aunt Cathy's Christmas Eve. Then to Grammy and Poppy's for breakfast Christmas morning and then down to Gramma's house in Greenwich. I can't wait to take a nap on the 26th!

I am just about ready for Christmas, a few presents still to wrap and still haven't found anything for my dad yet. I'm hoping for good luck at REI today. If not, I don't know what I'll do. Maybe a gift card to a restaurant at the casino. He loves the casino. That might not be a bad idea anyway.

Hopefully you received our Christmas card, if you didn't and want one, let me know. We also went to see Santa, Molly screamed when I sat her on his lap. I thought she would be fine, she was giggling and waving to him and marched right up until she got about a foot away. Oh well. Maybe next year. We had much better luck at Kiddie Kandids. We were supposed to go to JCPenney, even though I was reluctant to try them again. I wasn't too happy with them last year, but for the price it's hard to not at least try them. But we got a snow storm the day of our appt so we went to Kiddie Kandids. I think they came out great! Fortunately Grammy was also at the mall that day and was able to walk with Molly after pictures. Molly wasn't in the mood to stay patient while I picked which pictures to get.

So that's it from here. Dinner with the Brights tonight, dinner with Old Man Kelly tomorrow night, and hopefully a stop at the Congressman's house on the way home Saturday, and then we start Christmas! Yay!

Oh, and here are a couple pictures for ya :).

A year, and 10 days

Every time I come to update my blog and I am so embarrassed that it has been as long as it has since I last posted. I don't know where the time goes, other than to say that I am a stay at home mom to a 1 year and 10 day old and I am a personal wine consultant, and that keeps me a little on the busy side. But now that I am getting the hang of this wine thing, I *think* I might be able to calm down a little bit.

Sooo...you're going to get Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures.

Ok, so my little girl turned one. No tears, she's too cute to tear up about. She is having so much fun walking and "talking" and she makes me laugh so much. Of course there are days I want to cry because she has been clinging on to me and whining all day....but I don't think those are the tears people talk about when they say they cried when their child turned one.

Birthday week was a big one. Started with my big wine event here at the house on Friday night. Thanks to everyone who was able to come! Then we had Stephen T.'s birthday on Saturday and the first of Molly's many birthday celebrations on Sunday. We headed up to Grandpa and Grandma Jo's house for a party with my dad's side of the family. Almost all the cousins were able to come which was a lot of fun.





We also had two costume parties! Molly was a lady bug.

She really enjoyed hugging her friend the Pumpkin.

And she was a princess! This is one of her latest sweethearts, Tegan.

She also ate her first piece of PIZZA!!!!! I really hope Molly grows up to like pizza...it's so yummy...





We also went Trick or Trunking in a local park with our playgroup. It was a lot of fun, we lined up the cars and kids were able to go down the row and get some treats! Molly was a lady bug again. She didn't really care so much about the trick or treating, but was really interested in the rocks in the field.



Finally the big day came!!! Halloween. Molly turned 1. John brought her next door to the neighbors and then she helped hand out candy to all the kids. She kept trying to follow them out of the yard. Very cute.


The Saturday after her birthday we had the last of the parties here at the house. Molly had a ton of fun. She loves having all of her friends over to play. And after a piece of chocolate cake she was ready to go!




So this is my beautiful one year old. *tear*.

Walking...and apparently not napping today

As usual we've been busy here. Sorry about no updates, I've been busy learning all about wine! And chasing after Molly. She has been napping really good, but for some reason today she is screaming her head off. At this point, I think she's over tired. But she has so much to explore, it's hard for her to relax.

Yes, the Molly girl is a walking machine! She is teetering all over the place. One of her favorite activities is climbing onto the bottom of the baker's rack, sitting, standing up and climbing back in. She is sooo proud of herself everytime she does it. So cute too. She also really likes to climb into her walker. Which is strange, she when she was in it before she could walk she usually wanted out...at least when I was around. She always knew to show off for the grandparents.

Hmmm...quiet....shouldn't actually type that, I think she knows when I type the word quiet.

So yeah, I'm officially a Personal Wine Consultant with The Traveling Vineyard! Woohoo! I am really excited about it. I went to my first tasting with my Team Leader last Saturday and it was a lot of fun. I already have 5 tastings planned, and I haven't even had my first event yet. Hoping to get some bookings from those! And I have a list of people who have said they are interested, so I have to pin them down.

Enough about me and I'll get to what you've really come here for :). Yesterday we went to a pumpkin and animal farm. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Molly, Haley & Jenn

11 months!

Our little pumpkin is 11 months old! Unbelievable. She's growing up so fast! She took her first steps on Friday, and is getting more and more comfortable with them each day. Not really walking yet, but steps. She's so cute.

I had my surgery last Tuesday, that was fun. Spent the night in the hospital, think I might have gotten more rest at home with all the poking and proding they do throughout the night. And how come nurses and doctors can't remember to shut the door after they leave in the middle of the night? Do they really think I want to hear the nurses and have lights shining on my face all night? That being said, I can't imagine going home the same day which seems to be the standard care in a lot of hospitals, so I guess I was lucky I had a good surgeon. Recovery is going well, Mom was here to help on Thursday and Friday, and Dad & Jo and Melissa came on Saturday while John was at UConn football. Aren't I the best wife for letting him still go :)? I really wish I could have gone, but knew it would have been too much.


So that's it from here. I'm laying low for a bit, have my peapod order ready to go, which I think might be a better option for me anyway. I spend far too much when I go to the store. I was having a hard time getting to the $50 limit!

Molly is a big girl standing up!

It's still faster to crawl

Getting ready for Halloween, our Birthday Princess!

Ultrasounds and Bloodtests, but not the fun kind

I have heard that serious ailments can increase your popularity, so in an attempt to "one up" Emily K. I decided to go ahead and get some gallstones. Yes that's right, gallstones. And....I even get to have surgery! Woohoo! Way better than just a broken arm and a cast :).

But seriously, this week has been an interesting one. It started Sunday night when I was having really bad upper abdominal pains. I'd had the same kind a few times in the past month or two but these ones were awful. I couldn't sleep, couldn't lay down. Finally, the "attack" went away at about 2:30am and I got to sleep around 3:15am or so. Fortunately Molly slept until almost 7:30. During the time I was awake in the middle of the night I started doing some google searches and found that the symptoms really sounded like gallstones. Little did I know gallbladder issues run in the family, which my mom told me the next morning. So off to the doctor I went and was immediately sent for bloodwork and an ultrasound. The u/s confirmed the gallstones but they also wanted me to go for an MRI to check out my liver, which they thought might be fatty. Which is even worst than gallstones because it could mean no more wine...yikes! Fortunately the tests came back and the liver seems fine, I have to go in 6 months to get another MRI to double check that everything is ok but for now no worries. The MRI did confirm several gallstones so I am going forward with my appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday. Now the doctor hasn't officially said that I'm getting surgery, but that I needed to meet with a surgeon.......I'm putting 2 and 2 together.....

This has put a slight damper on my big plans for becoming a wine tasting consultant. Similar to Pampered Chef, but you get to buy wine. Way better than pots and pans if you ask me. You'll be hearing more about that soon...and for those of you who might not be able to drink wine right now...well...we'll save you a glass :).

So that's it from here. Molly is getting close to walking. She's now doing "one handed" and is getting quite fast, especially if she sees Tigger. Last weekend I said I'd give her 2 weeks, so we'll see where she is next Saturday.

Slow recovery from vacation

Why is it so much work to come home from vacation? So much unpacking, sorting, laundry....we are almost there. Finally. It hasn't helped that Molly hasn't been 100% in the health department. Hmmm...where to start...

Last Monday we headed north to camping with Molly's cousins. We had a great time. Molly did pretty well camping, until she started with runny nose and then a fever. She still slept ok until about 3 am when she'd wake up and want to sleep with us. We still had fun though, we went up the Gondola at Wildcat:





Hiking up Sabbaday Falls:





And general goofiness around the campfire:






She also went swimming with all of her cousins:


I have so more pictures to share, but Molly is awake from her nap so I'll have to get to them later.

An easy way to update my blog

I realized yesterday that people are always taking pictures of Molly at our meetups, and of course I never remember to bring my camera. So why not just share those ones?


Today we went to a beach in Guilford, it was really nice. Molly immediately took over Isabelle's chair. We didn't get her a chair this year but think she'll be ready for one soon enough!



Molly is supposed to be napping right now but is crying in her crib. Yesterday, she also refused to nap in the afternoon but she really needs to or she will be---make that IS---miserable. Hmmm...quiet.....yesterday I let it slide since she napped until 3 pm, today it was only 2 pm so more sleep is required...we'll see if she stays quiet...nope....


I also started an Amazon.com Wish List for Molly for her birthday and Christmas (link is on the left.) I figured it would help me organize what things I think we'd like to get her, and when other people ask I can refer them to the list or at least look at it. It also helps me when I see things at other people's houses I can add them and not forget them 2 months from now. If anyone has any suggestions for the list, let me know :).

Long Day

Today was a very long day. I started with a dentist appointment at 8:30 am, yuck. It wasn't so bad, I hadn't been in a long time so I went for a cleaning 2 weeks ago and had to do 2 follow-up appointments to replace a few of my old fillings. I am one of those rare people that prefers no novicane (sp?) but it always makes my entire face numb, and sometimes even my ear. So if it isnt' too bad, I go without and I survived. I also figured if I could give birth without any drugs, I could get a tooth drilled. Breathing techniques work well at the dentist too.


So after getting home from the dentist, I fed Molly breakfast and then she napped. I got a few things done around here then off to Target and a playdate. The playdate was so much fun. We had probably 30 people there, it was great. The only bad thing was Tahnee's dog stole my sandwich while getting Molly's stroller so she could eat lunch :( because she can not sit still long enough to eat a cracker without being tied down. So instead of sticking to my diet like I planned, I ate chips (fat free at least) and some grapes. I guess it could have been worse. Molly had so much fun playing in the sprinkler.




But a lot of the time I was chasing her around because she is on the go non stop.



She also enjoyed the swing!



And still smiles pretty for the camera.



After the playdate, Molly fell asleep in the car. We were home just long enough for me to get the floors mopped and she woke up and refused to nap anymore. That was at 3 pm. So by 7 pm she was exhausted, I am exhausted. From 3 to 4 pm she basically cried because she was still tired. Then she got better but then I had to change her diaper, more crying. You get the picture. Speaking of diapers, we had to borrow one from a friend because apparently we went through all the ones in my bag (no idea when) but we tried a Luvs, not so bad. She said she switched because her son was getting diaper rashes from the Cruisers, and this was the first time in I don't know how long that Molly wasn't a little bit red somewhere. I may buy a package to check them out, they are way cheaper than Cruisers, so if they work that would be great.


John finally got her to bed, but it wasn't easy. I swear she knows when I either say or type something about her going to bed rather easily, I always knock on wood and say we are very lucky, but she just likes to mix things up.

Sunflower Maze

Today we went to the Sunflower Maze at Lyman Orchards. It was alot of fun. The bees weren't too bad, they were more annoying at lunch! I really don't like yellow jacket season, one of the worst parts of the end of summer. Well, Molly apparently woke up, so here are the photos.

Molly & Me in the maze

The Sunflowers

Molly, Me, Jenn H. & Haley

2 in one day!

I have to say that I am very jealous of my friends who have had time to figure out how to put pictures up much better than me. Mine always just come out in one big bunch at the top. Doesn't matter if I cut and paste or anything...I'll have to work on that. Can you believe two posts in one day? Crazy I know :).

So what have we been up to. Well, as I mentioned, Molly is a little maniac. Crawling, cruising, you name it. She's into everything. And she is soooo fast. I don't know how her little body goes as fast as it does. We went to her 9 month (!!!!) doctor visit on Wednesday and she weighs 16 pounds 10 ounces, and is 27.5 inches. That puts her at about 15% for weight, and 50% for length. She went down a little in the weight department, doctor didn't seem concerned though since she is doing very well developmentally. I guess I should just keep feeding her those carbs she loves so much. The girl can't get enough cookies and crackers.

We're still having fun with our meetup group, and looking forward to Vicky and Jenn H. to join us at some events soon. I honestly don't know what else has kept me so busy, but it seems like I'm going non-stop.

Tonight we are going to dinner at a German restaurant with John's parents, uncles and Dan, Dawn, Avery & Sadie. Molly is staying at home with my mom so we have the night off. We're also going to the movies before we go to dinner to see The Bourne Ultimatum. John LOVES those movies and they say this is the best of the three.

Hmm, what else. I've been looking at daycares. I think I'm going back to work in January just for session, I'm going to talk to the bosses more about it in September, but that is the plan.

That's it from here for now. Let me see if I can figure out how to put a picture at the bottom. Woohoo I did it! Cutting and pasting didn't used to work...maybe the upgraded or something. These are some more photos from the beach:

Here is a picture of Molly giving her cousin Michael kisses.

And another photo on the beach

Still here

Ok, thought I'd have a couple minutes to post but Molly has decided to leave the computer room....now you know why I haven't posted much recently! She's on the go....that's what we do, we chase Molly around and attempt to keep the house in order.

Here are a few pics though.

Back from the Beach

Wow, what a crazy two weeks! Sorry I haven't posted, we've been at the beach in Old Lyme for the usual festitivies. It was a lot of fun, first time Melissa and I spent the whole week together down there since we were young. Of course I wasn't at Little Beach til the sun came up like she was, but still had lots of fun.

Well enough about me. Sure, vacation was fun but not nearly as thrilling and exciting as the news we received the night before we left. I know a few of you have heard the news, but figured I'd do a quick recap. On Monday, July 2 we were sitting at home waiting for Grammie and Poppy to stop by because it was Grammie's birthday and they also had the car in the picture below for Molly. Thanks Sadie and Avery for letting Molly borrow it!

Just as the car pulled up, the phone rang and it was the Hannan's. John talked to them for a bit inside then came out and handed the phone to me. I thought it was just to confirm some details about going to the casino later in the week while we were at the beach, but they had some much better news to share. They had been selected for adoption!!!! *starting to get teary again* AND....the birth mother was already past her due date!!! They would likely have a baby in the next few days. So the next couple of days were sooooo long. I can't even imagine how it was for them. But for us, we got a couple phone calls and text messages to let us know things were going along ok but slowly. Jen K. and I talked more than a few times, begging John and Steve to call to see what was going on but they just kept saying we needed to give them time. Ugh!!! They tried to induce the birth mother late Tuesday night but it wasn't working. Finally, at 9:21 pm on Thursday, July 5, 2007 Brian and Jenn were able to welcome their new little girl into the world, Haley Lauren Hannan. John and I can't be more happy for them, and Molly can't wait to play with her new bff. It still seems so unreal, but seeing Haley and how beautiful she is makes it real.

So on Saturday, July 7th we headed home to gather all of Molly's goods (swing, bouncer, bassinet) and a bunch of newly washed clothes so Bri and Jenn would be as prepared as possible to become parents. As far as I can tell, they are doing an amazing job. Yesterday we had a baby shower, and this little girl looks like she is going be well taken care of by parents, friends and family!

So that is the news and here are a few photos. And a couple of Molly from the beach. More to come.