Probably time for a picture post

My friend Pamela, who left me and moved back to PA, took a few pictures before she left. It was right before Lily's birthday and we laughed that it would make a great birthday picture...

Blogging about work

I am smart. I don’t blog about my job…until today. I won’t bash my company or my boss…actually I want to applaud them. My boss is very involved in helping the community, from working with kids in need to hosting fund raisers for all sorts of charities. My company is also very involved in the community. They paid everyone’s entry fee into the Susan B. Komen race and had a bake sale to benefit a therapeutic riding program. My smaller department is hosting a family in need for Christmas and we also have a giving tree where people take a tag with a person’s holiday wishes. The kicker…instead of having a big, fancy holiday party for the employees that included dinner and dancing at a very ritzy Denver hotel, they are offering the meal to people in need. The initial intention was to have the employee holiday party but changed their minds. I believe most employees are very happy, not only do they not have to attend a stuffy work function but we are actually helping people. Tomorrow night is the event and I have volunteered to be the story reader to help entertain the kids.

Ya know the movie, Pass It Forward, and the whole meaning behind the saying? Well, goodness is intoxicating and contagious. Randy and I are participating in the family to family holiday program. We told them how much we could afford and they matched us to an 8 month old baby girl in foster care. Her name is Arianna. My initial thought was that I wanted this baby girl. I wanted to get her out of foster care and in my home, where I know she is safe. Not that all foster homes are unsafe. I don’t know anything about this baby, besides needing clothes and toys. I haven’t stopped thinking about her all morning. I did some shopping for her over my lunch break and not only do I love to shop, but I felt so good doing it. I was doing something good for someone else.

I’m blogging about this as a way to “pass it forward.” I hope this holiday season will bring joy to your hearts and a great way to do that is to GIVE.

It takes two

Life with a husband…
1. I can go downstairs/upstairs and grab something.
2. I can go to the bathroom.
3. I can “run” to the store.
4. I only have to clean ½ the house.
5. I can cook, which I love to do, before Lily’s bedtime.
6. I can eat dinner.
7. I don’t have to do all of Lily’s baths.

I am loving life with a husband. Now all the things above are tasks but best to mention the best thing about having a husband back is that I love him and love to be around him. He did purchase a new gaming system which I like to refer to all systems as a Nintendo but his actual system is the Xbox 360 cuz the Play station 2 and Xbox somehow aren’t good enough. I won’t try to understand a guy’s desire to have every new gaming system. I’m not the type of person dying to have the new Jimmy Choo shoes or Kate Spade purse. Maybe if I was that way I would understand. Anyhow, this Xbox 360 makes him happy and that’s all the matters. He is currently at home, playing this system and rotting his brain, which is his plan for now. Soon enough he will be back at work, writing his thesis.

We did venture out the day after Thanksgiving and did some shopping. My blog hasn’t been around long enough for people to know what the day after Thanksgiving means to my family. I have posted before how crazy they are but I don’t think I included the black Friday shopping day. An example is that I called my aunt Julie at midnight (I knew she was up otherwise I would never call this late!) and she was in line at Best Buy with my uncle Larry and cousin-in-law Joey. This was a bit extreme, never before has a family member waited in line this early. My other cousins met for breakfast around 3AM before shopping which has been the norm for the past 3-4 years. Randy and I, on the other hand, opted to sleep in a bit and started shopping around 9AM. We did get everything we wanted and more. I have approximately 65% of my holiday shopping done. We also purchased our Christmas tree but it’s bare in our living room, waiting to be decorated.

Opinions please...

What do you all think?

Blonde Jenni










or


Brunette Jenni

I only have 3 minutes...

until my hair color is done. Anyhow, Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday as much as I did. I am very thankful for wonderful family and friends. We hosted a lovely gathering of family (sis-in-law and kiddos) and great friends, 13 people total. Nathaniel and Staci came with their 2 little girls, Randy's co-workers, Money and Trav and Money's sis. California Dave and Sara Rose also joined us. A extra nice part of the day was that everyone helped out and brought yummy food. We didn't take any pictures but it was funny to see 3 tables of people squeezed between our dining room and living room. Nice and cozy. :) Oops...my 3 minutes is up.

My husband's a rocket scientist

Just a quick note to say the rocket launch was a SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are few words to describe seeing that rocket take off and watching it disappear into the night sky. AMAZING is the best description. I am very, very proud of my husband.

More info, including details and photos to come in the near future. Gotta actually do some work myself.

Rocket launch was delayed because of an issue that was out of Randy's control. Unfortunately the delay came about 30 minutes before the expected launch last Friday night. I don't know how Randy keeps it together but he does. Through all the tests and problems he has maintained a very professional and respectable demeanor. All the stress may likely take it's toll after the launch. Good thing I'm a nurse. He will need a personal nurse when this is all over.

Here is a few pictures of Lily exploring the hotel room...




















It took a few minutes to get her out of this end table...


















Here is Lily at Old Town Mesilla...
















At this time there is not a determined date for the rocket launch. We will know more tomorrow. It's most likely to be Tuesday but possibly tomorrow. I'll keep you posted...

Greetings from New Mexico

Hello,

Lily and I joined Randy in New Mexico last Saturday. Randy has been very busy with the rocket so we haven't seen much of him. We have been keeping busy with playing and finding things to do in NM. Our families joined us over the past 2 days. More info to come when I get more time. Luckily I was able to hand Lily over to my mom for a few minutes of peace and blogging.

Keep your fingers crossed for a successful rocket launch. I'll keep you posted...

Today I feel like a million bucks

But I didn’t feel this way the past 2 days. I had the flu and I blame the elections. I had all the lovely symptoms: nauseous, dizzy, abdominal pain, GI issues, fever, chills and body aches. Lovely, yes, indeed. After I was hiding out in my work locker room I went home and stayed there until today. I do find it amusing that everyone’s first reaction is that I’m pregnant. I’m not… for anyone still asking. 

A few updates on Lily…not walking but getting closer. Definitely would call this baby steps. One day she will walk all over with my assistance and the next day will refuse to put weight on her legs when I try to walk with her. She turns to a limp noodle when she doesn’t want to walk. Yesterday she let go of her support and reached for my hand. There were no steps involved but overall this was drastic improvement.

Lily is getting a feisty personality. We are dealing with occasional tantrums that include flinging herself backward not caring if anyone or anything soft is there to catch her. Now no one really told me or prepared me for a 1 year old having tantrums. Why? I thought the terrible 2’s were another full year away. Maybe this means since we’re going through it at an earlier stage…it will be over earlier??? Heehee. I can hope.

Don’t get me wrong Lily isn’t naughty all the time. She is mostly full of hugs and kisses and learning new words and exploring new things. She will try and repeat a lot of words like balloon and cow. She even said “Hi dada” and “Hi cat”. Joy witnessed the latter one so I have extra proof. Sometimes Lily will say something and I am excited, thinking I heard it right, but not know for certain. Having someone else around confirms it and makes me know I’m not making it up.

Joy watched Lily yesterday evening. My plan was to clean, clean, clean and prepare for our upcoming trip but the flu had other plans. I did get to clean in between bouts of rest and Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil was quite interesting…it was about sugar daddies. A 40 yo man met an 18 yo girl online. He is rich and likes to buy her things and she claims she loves him for him, not his money. It was perfect therapy for my illness. I couldn’t have asked for better day time TV.

Here is a photo of Lily. Last weekend she came across a note pad and pencil and started making scribbles. Now, no one has taught her that. She just did it. So smart.

Halloween pictures

I know this was a late stop but we hit the pumpkin patch after Lily's doctor's appointment. Randy was busy working and Lily...well...see for yourself...

Here is the result of my last minute pumpkin patch stop. I carved the pumpkin and fed Lily dinner, all within 30 minutes. It might not have been the nicest carving but it worked and Lily obviously liked it...


Lily the extra cute giraffe...

Feelings of honesty whether you agree or not

Imagine this…you set a goal, a long term goal. It was hard, tough work but you reach that goal. Actually, you surpassed that goal which makes you feel even better. You expect a plaque or ribbon or a trophy. You expect high 5’s, applause, congrats from everyone. But…you don’t get any of it. Maybe a few comments here and there saying you did good but not what you expected your accomplished goal to bring.

Honestly, I feel this way about breast feeding. My goal was to last 6 months. I made it 12 months and we are still going. I don’t know why I have such expectations from other people. Probably because it’s a hot topic and very debatable to which is better, breast or formula. I didn’t chose to breast feed because it was the right thing to do as indicated in so many baby books, commercials, ads, etc. I did it cuz I wanted to and after I tried it, it worked. It was very hard work and something that Randy really couldn’t help with. Although he does a great job of tucking us in with blankets and propping us with pillows.

I think the kicker, which led me to blog about this, was at Lily’s 1 yr appointment yesterday. I expected the pediatrician to provide a high 5 and applause but instead he (yes, he’s a he) talked about when to wean. And another kicker, hey it’s my blog I can write badly if I want…a close person jokingly said “so much for breast feeding helping with allergies.”

I want to congratulate everyone with children, whether they are breast fed or formula fed. Many times I thought running downstairs-warming up a bottle-running back upstairs at 2AM would be much harder than having my sleepy husband bring a hungry baby to me…never leaving my warm bed. I am excited and hesitant to stop breastfeeding. I’m excited that I could sleep in while Randy takes over baby duty. I’m excited at the thought of a vacation with my husband only and not having to worry about the baby getting fed. I’m hesitant because I love the time in the early morning and right before she goes to bed. It’s our time. We are cozy with a comfy recliner and our honey bear blanket, snuggled together. She lies in my arms perfectly and that ½ hr is shut off from the rest of the world. Sometimes she will play with my necklace or push my face to the side, smiling as much as she can while still trying to maintain her latch. I don’t know when I will wean her. I do like knowing I made it this far and deep down I know I don’t need anyone else to say good job. It’s not about anyone else, just my baby and I.