Summer is half over already?

I can't believe how fast the summer is going by, which confirms my theory that this pregnancy will go by fast...I think I already discussed that. But when it was July 25, Christmas in July, the other day I realized, wow still 6 months until Christmas???? That seems really far away when I think of it that way. One day at a time, right?

So things are good here. Baby bump is definitely getting bigger. More pregnancy like. I've thought I felt a couple little flutters and even a kick but it seems early. So who knows. I like to think it is because I didn't get the doppler this time so I'm going crazy between doctor visits. It seems like such a long time to know that everything is ok in there. My next visit is August 7th. Only another week. I also think I'm going to start monitoring my blood sugar. The doctor told me there is a chance I won't have gestational diabetes again this time, but I highly doubt it. I took a test after dinner tonight and I was fine, but didn't really have a lot of carbs. It was actually a pretty decent meal for me. But I feel like in the late afternoons I'm starting to feel really sick, could just be the heat and pregnancy in general but I'm wondering if it's my blood sugar levels going wacky already. They say that GD shouldn't kick in until 24-26 weeks...but who knows.

We have been pretty busy, and seem to be having a good week. Molly was having some serious biting issues over the past couple weeks but I started putting her immediately into time out in her crib whenever she did it. I try not to use the crib as time out, but she generally won't stay in time out and runs away laughing at me. So into the crib she goes and I think she may finally get the idea that it isn't acceptable. I've also tried the "Mommy Likes Kisses" Theory so I get a lot of those now too.

On Thursday I leave for my wine convention in Boston for 3 nights...yikes! I'm really excited, but nervous and kind of sad to be leaving John and Molly for that long. John and I haven't been apart that long since I moved in here...crazy I know, but we've never had a reason to be apart for that long. They will have fun though and it will be a much needed break for me.

Here are a couple pictures John took of Molly at dinner tonight. She thinks she's so cute :). And another one below from a visit over at the Hannan's a while ago, but I never got around to posting it.

12 weeks, almost 1/3 done!

Trying to stay positive right? Actually, the timing of this pregnancy seems to make things go faster because it really doesn't seem like the fall and the holidays are that far away...I know they always come so much faster than expected.

I had my 12 week appointment yesterday and everything was great! I heard the heartbeat, although he wasn't able to find it at first and had to do an ultrasound (aww shucks :)!) I wasn't really that nervous though because I know 12 weeks can be early to hear the heartbeat, I think last time it wasn't until 14 weeks when I heard it. I also had a feeling he wasn't listening in the right area. Which was the case, he was listening too low. So I got a little sneak peak of the baby and it has grown so much already. At 8 weeks it was really just a little bean and now it really looks like a baby. Amazing. So I have another appointment at 16 weeks and then the big ultrasound at 20 weeks, which will be the first week of September I believe. And yes, we will be finding out the gender this time around. I'm excited to know this time.

Ok, so apparently Molly isn't sleeping anymore. I ventured out to the beach this morning which was lovely, but I really wish I had a child who would sit still for more 30 seconds. We get to the beach, set up. Molly plays in the sand for maybe a minute before she is heading back up the stairs. Up the stairs, over to the boats, back, oh wait more stairs...eat, eat at table. Fishies!!! Swing, slide, beach, stairs, more stairs. I'm one tired Mommy. And the worst is that she fell asleep as we got off the highway, which means she napped for 10 minutes and is now apparently done. I should just get her up and try again in an hour or two.

Yawn.

Summer is finally here?

The weather today was absolutely beautiful. I wish all days were like this. Not too hot, but plenty warm.

Things have been going well here. My belly appears to be expanding quickly, who knows maybe it's always been this big and I just have an excuse now :). But I don't feel like I can suck it in anymore. I guess that is a little bit of a difference. My legs have been hurting a bit. I didn't really have that happen until after 20 weeks last time, so that isn't much fun. I'm trying to do some exercises to see if that will help. I read that it might. I also think I might look into getting a pre-natal yoga dvd. I looked at Target the other day and couldn't even find exercise DVD's...but I was running out of time with the Molly girl so I didn't get to really search. I should just check ebay or amazon.

Molly is doing well. She is crazy. She learned how to climb/fall out of her bed. It happened for the first time yesterday. I was on the phone with my mom, Molly had just gone down for a nap. When the phone rang I heard her make a few noises but figured she would fall back to sleep. Next thing I heard was her shouting, Dee Dee (what she calls her pacifier) followed by a loud thud. Crying. I ran back there to find her sitting in middle of the floor saying owwww, deee deeee, oowwwww, dee deee.....she was fine, which is the most important thing. I knew it was only a matter of time the way she climbs EVERYTHING. I should have known yesterday would be a crazy day when I found her standing on the steering wheel of her princess ride on scooter trying to open the screen door to let Tigger inside.

So now we have to decide about a toddler bed....she hasn't really tried to get out again, yet. I think the fall scared her a little so it might be a deterrent for a few minutes.

I don't have another appointment until July 8th. Can't wait. After that I should be able to get a doppler. I feel tempted to get one now, but I know it's early. But I definitely am feeling better, other than the leg pains....it's just to be able to have the reassurance that everything is ok.

I might get around to pictures eventually

I will do a brief rundown on the rest of Disney. I can hardly believe we came back a month ago!

When we last met, I believe we were discussing Day 5. Spent the morning at the pool which was very relaxing.

Went in for an early nap and then headed over to Epcot. I really like Epcot, so much to do and so much to see. I feel like I have never really had a chance to go through everything, but that's why we keep going back right? We went to see Nemo and went on the new ride there, which was fun. Molly enjoyed it. Also loved the aquarium. Stopped in for a snack at The Land and got our fast passes for Soarin, which is a really fun ride. We were able to go back to ride that after dinner at the Rose & Crown. I had hoped to get a reservation a little bit later so we would be able to watch the Illuminations from there, but it was all booked. An early dinner ended up working out well for us though, since Molly gets hungry and then we could wander around. After dinner we headed towards Germany and had a tasty glass of Kabinett, a fruity white wine similar to a Riesling. We also stopped at a little play area where Molly got to spin around on these things.



The evening hours seemed to go by relatively quickly and before we knew it, we were rushing to get on the Maelstrom and the ride at Mexico before the fireworks. What a great way to end the vacation!



Day 6: Headed over to Downtown Disney for some last minute souvenir shopping and then we were back on the Magical Express and headed home. We left Florida and it was a humid 90 degrees and got back to White Plains to a cold, rainy 45. Really pleasant. The plane ride was decent, other than Molly going to the bathroom twice, the second which was slightly explosive and we were going through turbulence and had a sleeping guy on the outside row which meant we couldn't get out to change it. Thankfully it was towards the end.

After a slightly longer ride home due to the rain, we were back in Hamden at about 8:30. Unpacked the car and I rushed off to Rite Aid. We had a wedding the next day and I had to know whether or not I could drink....

What a great way to end a vacation :). Came home, took a test and the baby is due January 18th :). 9 weeks as of today. We had the first ultrasound last week, saw the heartbeat and baby is measuring on target. So keeping fingers crossed that all continues to go well!

Day 3+

Alright, where was I?

Day 3: We are on our way to Hollywood Studios, formerly known as MGM.
This park doesn't have a ton of stuff for little ones, but this is where Playhouse Disney Live is and since Molly has been watching Little Einsteins since she was born and knows to go pat pat pat to make Rocket fly, we knew had to go. We weren't disappointed.
She was thrilled to see the mural of the characters including Mickey, Pooh, Handy Manny and Rocket and couldn't wait to go in but we had another 45 minutes until the next show so we headed over to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was good, but a little on the scary side. I don't think they had to do quite as much with Ursula the Sea Witch, but I also think I read this show is on its way out as soon as Little Mermaid is out on Broadway. So I'm glad we went to see it. Mermaid ends and we rush across to Playhouse Disney and make it into the 10:30 show. Molly is thrilled to see Mickey and all the characters. She was dancing, clapping and having a great time. Next I went to get a fast pass for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. John decided he didn't need to ride it and would stay with Molly. I love roller coasters and with the fast pass I was able to get right on after lunch. I also won another prize, some Mickey ears!


After the roller coaster, we went over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and Molly had a great time going up and down the stairs and once she found the little slide it was even better.

After spending some time there, we decided that we had seen most of what needed to see and were heading back to the hotel by 1 pm. Molly was able to take an almost 3 hour nap (I was able to sneak in a short one too) and then we were back at the pool. John went to the fitness center while we rested. There were only 3 other people in the fitness center and one of them was Nick Lachey! Yep...that was his big excitement of the week.

After naps and the Nick sighting, we went to dinner at the Turf Club, the restaurant at the hotel. The food was delicious. Service was a little slow but ok overall.

Back to the room and in bed early again.

Day 4: Time to see the Animals! I love Animal Kingdom. When we went last time it far surpassed any of my expectations. The safari is great, and the rides are fun too. Molly seemed to enjoy herself as she kept shouting "Anmals!" Sounds a little similar to Elmo...but we realized she was saying animals, which made sense because we kept saying we're going to see the animals today.




A rare Jiminy Cricket sighting:



There were two things I didn't like about the Animal Kingdom. Since we were there last time, the Tusker House has turned into a sit down restaurant rather than counter service. So the whole pavilion area outside of the safari is not available for eating and there were limited options at the counter service places we found. Had I realized that Tusker House wasn't available anymore, I would have done more research. They do have some great fresh fruit options though, and Molly ate almost an entire apple.

The other thing that was tough was how crowded the park seemed. It was mostly in Africa and Asia, and I joked that they wanted us to know how crowded it was over there...but maybe there is some truth to it. Despite the crowds it was well worth it.

Went on the Kali River Rapids (got SOAKED!) and the new Everest Expedition ride, which was fabulous! So much fun. Could have gone on it again.
But it was time to head home and get ready to go to dinner. It was our night out alone, woohoo!

Grammy and Poppy went to dinner early at the Turf Club so we could head over to Wolfgang Puck Cafe. It was nice to get out and enjoy ourselves without Molly needing to be out of her highchair after 15 minutes. And the food was great too. I had the NY Strip with horseradish mashed potatoes, John had the red snapper with garlic mashed potatoes. As I mentioned in the other post, we were shocked that the prices were actually less than Fulton's. And quality was just as good if not better. At Fulton's my filet was more well done than medium. At Fulton's we got to eat outside, which was great. But Wolfgang's had a fantastic view too and if you are there when it's super hot, you might prefer the air conditioning.

After dinner we went over to Raglan Road for a pint and some Irish music and then wandered around before heading home. As my sister says, she could come on vacation with us to watch Molly because we would be home by the time she wanted to go out anyway.

Day 5: We started the day at the pool and were expecting a visit from my childhood friend Angela but unfortunately her daughter woke up with a fever and she wasn't able to visit. Hopefully next time we are down there it will work out.

Ohhh...time for Grey's Anatomy. Must take a break now.

Back from Disney!

We had a fabulous trip. It was so much fun, I'm glad we decided to go. Of course I have wanted to go back to Disney as soon as we left the last time. But Molly was definitely old enough to enjoy a lot of it and will only grow to love it more.

I'll try to do a recap, but can't guarantee it will be as thoughtful as Becky's vacation summaries.

Pre vacation: We actually left Saturday at 4 pm...wait turn around, we forgot the stroller! Leaving again at 4:07 pm .... on our way to the airport to drop off Grammy and Poppy and spend the night at my mom's house so we could see her before Mother's Day. We were flying out of White Plains which is a great airport. It is tiny, only 2 gates. Also only 10 minutes from my mother's house. We spend the night, don't have to get up super early and on the way home she watches the arrivals online and when we've landed they leave the house. By the time we get luggage, they are there.

Day 1: 5:15 am, wake up. Is it time to get up yet? Nope. Can't get back to sleep. I'm like a little kid on Christmas morning. 6:15 am, hear Molly upstairs. Mom gets her. Lay in bed for a while longer until they make their way downstairs. 6:30 am, into the shower. 7:05 am out the door. 8:20 am on the plane and on our way to Disney!
10:50 am arrive in Orlando, get passes for the Magical Express and we're on our way to Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. We stayed at Saratoga last time we stayed too. We were quite happy with it again. The rooms aren't quite as big as the two bedroom at Hilton Head, but you don't really spend a whole lot of time in the rooms while you are at Disney. Molly fell asleep on the bus ride to the resort and got about 45 minutes of rest so we immediately head to the pool. Molly has a blast in the Horse Fountain.

Once she's had enough, we head up to the room so we can shower for dinner and head to Fulton's Crab House for dinner. We wanted to go to a nice place for Mother's Day dinner and the food really was fantastic, but slightly overpriced for the portions you received. Got a better deal at Wolfgang Puck (see day 4).
After dinner we wander around Downtown Disney and into the World of Disney. I wish we had our video camera, but never would have expected the reaction when Molly saw it for the first time. We walked into the Princess section and we let out this big, "Oh NOOO!" It was the cutest thing and she continued saying that anytime she saw something she was excited about. We tried to get her to say Oh Wow, which she would repeat, but it was Oh No that would come out. Too cute. Next we were on to Ghirardelli for sundaes. Not the most organized place in the world. Need to go up the counter to remind them to make our sundae after people 10 numbers after us were getting their food. Tasted yummy though. Eat our sundaes and then wander more and find a carousel. Molly and I go for a ride. She was a little nervous about the horses so we opted for the chariot. She really is a princess. Which by the way, all the cast members call all the little girls all the time. She giggled every time they said it. Ok, so finally we take the boat ride home to Saratoga and go to bed.

Day 2: It's Magic Kingdom time!
Fortunately Molly is still mostly scared of characters, so there is no waiting in lines for autographs or photos for us on this trip. Hopefully we'll get one more trip with out autographs...crossing fingers...Head straight for Space Mountain and walk right on since it is only 9:15 am. Woohoo. Grammy waits with Molly since she is unsure about getting in and out with the new knees. Convince Grammy that she can ride it, so her and Poppy go for another ride while we head towards Dumbo. First bit of advice, always get the fast pass. Always. Dumbo doesn't have one, but Winnie the Pooh does. We saw and said, should we? Nah...we'll go on Dumbo then Winnie the Pooh. The 10 minute wait at Dumbo is more like 25. I wait in line while John wanders around with Molly until the very end and she joins me in line. Weeeee!
By the time we get off Dumbo, the fast pass we should have gotten would have been good. Oh well, live and learn and get the fast pass and head towards It's a Small World. No wait, walk right on. Perfect timing because we were big winners of the Dream Fast Pass! As part of the Year of a Million Dreams, they are giving our prizes each day and we won the fast pass which gave us a fast pass for all of the rides that have them. It was the best thing because it allowed us to ride way more than we would have. Head towards Peter Pan and then to Winnie the Pooh.
Speaking of Pooh, it's time for lunch at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends. Super yummy food. I was full for hours. Molly loved seeing Pooh (which is what she calls all of the characters on Pooh) from a distance....




After lunch, I push Molly in the stroller until she falls asleep. Get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean with Capt. Jack Sparrow...and wow does he look like the real thing. Molly is still sleeping so we are off to Splash Mountain. Get soaked. I think Splash Mountain is actually my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom. Get off, Molly was woken up by some screaming kid. But she's doing ok. Take turns with Grammy and Poppy to ride Big Thunder Mountain. Head to Pooh's Playground. Molly could have stayed there all day. Make one last stop at Minnie's house where Molly starts to turn into Destructo so we decide it's time to head home. Go to the pool for a bit, get some food from the Artist's Palette and eat in the room. Molly is in bed by 8 pm, and we aren't that far behind her. Couldn't even stay up to watch the finale of The Bachelor.

I think I will start a new post with Day 3 and beyond since this is long and I haven't even added the photos yet, which won't happen until after American Idol is over. Sorry.

3 more days

I can't believe my 14 weeks are up and I am back to being a full time mom in 3 days. And even better, at this time next Sunday I will be getting off a plane in Orlando!!! The past 14 weeks have flown by. It has been fun, might go back next year again. All depends on things.

Let' see, what else is going on here? Usually 18 month old type of stuff. Climbing, jumping running, saying No to everything. Oh and the temper tantrums. But over all good stuff. It's going to be interesting getting into a new schedule. At daycare Molly doesn't usually nap until 12:30ish but at home she is generally ready for a nap much earlier. So not sure how that will work for getting out and doing stuff. I'd love it if we could do some morning activities, come home for lunch, nap and then get back out if we want. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Guess I'm not feeling particularly chatty this morning, and Molly has turned off the power switch for the TV so I should probably remove her from that area. Just wanted to say hi and let you all know we are still here...

Becoming a mom and other thoughts

Recently a friend of mine expressed concern about becoming a mom for the first time. She said she was nervous and didn't know why. She isn't pregnant yet, but her husband is ready and she just doesn't know yet. I can understand that. It's definitely life changing. But it also prompted me to think about all the positive things that come with becoming a mom, and why no time is the right time.

I couldn't imagine life without Molly. Sure, if we didn't have her I would probably be drunk at Anna Liffey's right now, but I also won't wake up with a hangover and instead will have her cuddling with me and kissing my cheek when I wake up. I also enjoyed a tasty homemade Shepard's Pie instead of a not so tasty corned beef sandwich from a chaffing dish. Yum. Sure the first few weeks and months are tough.....or so we thought. Now as she is learning to climb and says new words each day I realize the battle has just begun. I long for the days when she fell asleep on my chest, and realized how much I missed that when I got to "bounce" Haley H. to sleep on our ski weekend. 4 songs and the bounce and she was out. Made me think, maybe I don't want to wait until after session/Disney/Wine convention to get pregnant again....as it was I felt like we kept pushing the date our further and further. But it seemed to make sense.

I am a planner. I like to plan things. It's what I do. But some things can't be planned, and trying to can just make your life more difficult. And now I wish I didn't think so much because if I hadn't thought about it I probably would be having a baby sooner rather than much later. I was ready last summer, but wanted to wait until we got the year mark. Then I had gallbladder surgery, on hold for at least 2-3 months post op. I know I'm kind of jumping the gun, but the long and short of all this is that I have to go to the doctor again next week because I am pretty sure I have a hernia. Not sure if it is from the scar tissue from the gallbladder surgery, but once the nurse on the phone asked me if I had one, I did a little research and sure enough I'd be surprised if they tell me I don't. Which means I may need another surgery. I know I shouldn't speculate until after I see the doctor, but from what I've read it means either being pregnant with a hernia and possible bedrest and serious pain or having surgery and waiting up to a year before trying to have another baby only to have the risk of the hernia re-occuring because the mesh they use doesn't expand and then I would have to have another surgery. Like I said, going to the doctor on the 18th and I'm trying not to worry but can't help it. And it's not even the surgery that's bothering so much as it is messing up my plans. I hate when plans get messed up.

So the long and short....yes, having a baby will change your life. But you can't plan. You just have to make a guess at what might work for you and things will take care of themselves.

Good morning

Just a quick blog before getting ready for work. Molly woke up early today, maybe 6 am? Not sure exactly. By 7:30 she was absolutely miserable so I put her down for a nap and I am heading to work a little later than usual. I think she gets tired at daycare...she naps there but not enough. Not sure what to do about it. Only 11 more weeks.

We were up at Stowe this past weekend skiing, sorry we missed Nolan's birthday party (Amy I owe you an email, sorry). We had a great time though. We were supposed to leave Friday at noon but when the storm predictions said it would be in CT by 6 am Friday we made a last minute decision to head up Thursday night. Looks like we made the right choice. We got to the ski house at about 11:30 pm, Molly slept the whole way up. John was able to ski Friday, Molly and I just hung out at the house and watched the snow fall. Very relaxing. Here are a few pictures.

Molly & Grace

Molly on the Sled

Molly & Emily

The Plunketts

Molly & Haley

The Mountain

One week down

We survived our first week at work and daycare. Phew!

It started a little rough, but I think we are doing ok. Hopefully the weekend doesn't mess things up. Molly went for two trial visits to daycare before I officially started work and everything seemed fine. But her first real day there she wasn't quite as happy. She cried when John dropped her off :(. The teachers said once she got playing she was fine. But then after naptime she screamed whenever someone wasn't holding her. I could tell as soon as I walked in she had been crying a while, her face was all red and puffy. I felt so bad.

So the next day we sent her in with her bestest friend ever, Elmo. She loves Elmo. I did drop off that morning and when I left she had Elmo tucked under one arm, her sippy cup under the other and her bink in her mouth. She wasn't excited to see me leave but she didn't scream and she had her "security" items with her. When John picked her up she seemed fine, face looked a little puffy but she wasn't crying and teacher said she had been ok all day.

Finally yesterday drop up went perfect and when I picked her up she was playing and laughing and when I walked in she ran over for a big hug but then wanted to get down so she could show me the red chair with Elmo on it. I really don't know what it is about that little monster, but they all seem to love him. She was fine staying to play but once we got her jacket on she was ready to head out.

So that's our story from here. Work is going well, it's good to see everyone again but I'm sure the novelty will wear off. Only 13 more weeks!

Thomas does tricks

Riding the Lift

A joke

Giving up Wine

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?"

"No I had to stop drinking years ago", the homeless woman told me.

"Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?" I asked.

"No, I don't waste time shopping," the homeless woman said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."

"Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?" I asked.

"Are you NUTS !" replied the homeless woman. " I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!"

"Well," I said, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight."

The homeless Woman was shocked. "Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting."

I said, "That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine."

Molly Recaps Her Day at the Mall

It's your lucky day bloggers....you get video!

We're sick

Happy New Year everyone! We started the new year kind of rough. Molly started with a little cough and felt a little warm last Sunday. But she is also getting more teeth, so didn't think much of it. So off to my mom's we went to visit with my aunts and uncles. I had some tasty meatballs and no sooner did I finish eating when I had some horrible stomach cramps..emptied my stomach and ...laid in my mother's bed for an hour rather than visiting.

I felt better the next day, Molly was still a little warm but not overly fussy. So we went out New Year's and she stayed with Grammy and Poppy. She had a wonderful time and so did we! It was so nice to sleep until 9:40 in the morning.

Wednesday morning Molly woke up with a fever of 101.3 and the cough was getting worst. She was pretty miserable Wednesday but Thursday seemed to be getting better until the evening when her fever shot up again. So when she still had a fever Friday morning I took her to the doc. Poor little Molly had an ear infection on both sides and signs of pneumonia. I feel so bad for her but she is on the mend. The wonders of ammoxicillin. We made it 14 months with no antibiotics, pretty impressive. Hopefully she doesn't continue to get sick once she is in daycare, but I guess it is inevitable.

So she's getting better but I have a sore throat and I'm hoping it's not strep. Yuck. I haven't had it in a few years, I'm probably due.

Good things going on? I got a new laptop! Woohoo! Now I can play on the internet in the living room...maybe that means I'll update my blog more often.

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you :).

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*.