The one where I blog about work....

I have said it before. I hate my job. Plain and simple. Why do I hate my job you ask? I shall tell you...
1. It has become the most tedious, unstimulating job known to mankind. Every year I update the same research leads on the same products and deal with the same incompetent attorney editors.
2. The team I am on has gone to shit in the last 5 years that I have been here. We got a new team leader last year and she is horrendous! She plays favorites, has never worked in editorial (she came from another department) and has no idea what we actually do. She will jokingly admit this too!
3. The people on the team are the most socially dysfunctional bunch (minus maybe 3 of us). It takes a pretty introverted person to work here and every now and then a few of us exotroverts slips through. They are the most impossible people to work with (this is in no way a slam against introverts, just the ones I work with).
So what has set me off today?
Two things really. For starters on of the guys on our team is getting married. he has not shared this with anyone, but somehow the most obnoxious, stupid person on my team has found out. he said no party, and she is planning one anyway! Now she is asking for contributions to his gift. I know for a fact that he NEVER gives for any gifts (as I am usually the event organizer) and I feel like I shouldn't give for his either - ESPECIALLY since he has stated he does not want a party! I emailed Ms. Stupid and she is all up in arms over this. She said I am ungrateful since they had such a nice baby shower for me (that was back when 2 of my friends were still on this team) and I should be "paying back". Oh yeah, way to make me want to contribute.
Seriously, I could write a novel on this women and her social ineptness as well as her complete lack of knowledge on what she does. Somehow she has people convinced that she is the world's greatest attorney editor and has been promoted twice (to the highest rank in her job). Me, on the other hand, I usually end up fixing her mistakes, or racing around to do my job because she took to freaking long and I have never been promoted. This could be because there is no promotional path for my job here (again leading us to believe we are not long for this world).
My second grip of the day? Ms. Stupid is being moved to a window cube!!! These are based on seniority and I ahve been here 4 months longer than her as has one of our editors who outranks her anyway!!! UNBELIEVABLE! And annoying.....
Why can't we afford for me to stay home???? I would probably not mind coming to work if it was actually a nice place to be....

Girls Gone Wild (sort of)

Ladies (and Gentlemen is any are reading) I have news.
I. WENT. OUT!
Yup, with the girls. NO BOYS! It was only the third time since Ryan was born that I have been out and it was fun!
I was the designated driver (boo), but there were reasons
1. Kara (the hottie in the pink top) is getting married Saturday and needed a night out to let loose
2. Cheryl (the hottie in blue) is always the responsible one and needed to "let her hair down".
It was a great night. First we went to dinner. We tried to hit the great little Greek place I love only to find out they are closed :( So we went to an old stand by, had a great dinner, a nice bottle of wine, and many laughs.
Then we hit a bar that we practically used to live at. It was pretty slow there so we moved on to the new country bar downtown and look what I got Kara to do....

She is probably going to kill me for posting these pictures, BUT I promised her I would ride the bull come my Bachelorette party and I now pledge to post pictures from that!
She did GREAT on the bull especially considering that she told them to "go easy one her". She stayed on for about 5 seconds. How cool is that (and how cute is her outfit)?!?!?
We hung out there for a few hours and then, sadly, headed home where I was greeted by a chipper, playing baby and a tired, stressed out Daddy. It seems that while mommy's away, the baby will play. Ryan refused to sleep for Rob. I felt kind of bad when I took him into is room and rocked him for, oh 2 minutes, and he was out. Sometimes you just need the mommy touch.
But this post is about my girlies...
I'll focus on KARA since she is getting married SATURDAY!!!
We met my freshman year of college. I guess that now, 13 years later, I can admit this, I didn't really like her at first. Not because of any personality flaws or anything, but because she was cute, and little and I saw her as competition. As we got to know each other better I realized that we were not competitors, but rather, we played off of each other and enhanced each other. We were roommates the next year! I have had so much fun with Kara over the years I don't even know where to begin. There has been some sadness in our friendship, like when we stopped speaking for a few months because she was so incredibly wrapped up in a relationship that turned out to be horrible. Thankfully she took up my offer to come for a weekend visit and hit the East End Festival. Once there she realized that there was more to life than the loser she was dating, dumped him, went back to him, found out he was a serial cheater, dumped him again - this time she SPIT on him (I still laugh picturing that), drove to my apartment where we declared that night to be the first annual Goddess night. How I wish I could remember the date of Goddess night as we should still be celebrating it!
I spent YEARS trying to get her to move to Rochester (from Buffalo) but it took a boy to get her here - one that she met, I might add, while out with me!!! But, she is here now and we are finally seeing a lot of each other so I am happy about that. She is Ryan's favorite babysitter, the person I got to for children's book suggestions (she is a reading teacher), my fellow Martha Stewart wanna be, and my best friend!!!
I can't wait for her wedding next weekend - not so much the wedding since I have to wear a bridesmaid dress and high heels, but I am staying at her parent's with her the night before and I have a whole "thing" planned for the morning of the wedding. I can't say what it is since she is the only in person friend who knows about this blog, but it involves a gift and a song! I'll share details after the wedding!!!

Anyone know where I can get a bubble to put my kid in???

It is common knowledge among these parts that I am a world class klutz. Now it seems that my son is following in my foot steps! Yesterday morning I was going about my routine and Ryan was climbing all over everything including me. Oh he was also shaking the mirror while I was putting on make up (THAT explains the weird looks I got on my way into work - I am sure my eyeliner looks wonderful). Well, I had just finished straightening my hair and was in the process of pulling the cord out of his reach and BAM! Yup, Emeril appeared to make us breakfast! No really, Ryan had pulled the flat iron down! I screamed, he screamed, he cried and I checked for boo boos. None visible, but he kept rubbing his ear with his thumb. His ear wasn't even red, so off we went. During dinner last night I noticed that he has a HUGE blister on his thumb! HUGE like the whole top of his thumb. I feel so bad :(
A little research into how to treat burns and I panic! everything says that blisters mean second degree burns and to call the doctor right away! UGH!
I rationalize that most likely they mean big burns and lots of blisters. This morning it was big but not as big. I decided not to call the doctor.
In addition, the boy has had diarrhea for 6 days now. That is a long time and a very sore bum. I have not worried about it because he is still having wet diapers, but now the combination of the two has prompted me to place a call to the doctor. I am waiting for a call back....
Oh, and Rob called 10 minutes ago to tell me that Ryan split his lip trying to climb onto the bed (I guess he hit the bed frame)! First of all, what is a 9 month old doing climbing onto the bed and second, where can I get a bubble for him??? And some tranquilizers for me????

Harry Potter the end

I finished the book last night around 11:30 (about an hour and a half after my normal bedtime). I handed it over to Rob and he asked me what I thought of it. I can sum it up in one word "wow". Not the ending I would have expected, not the death I hoped for. I was, however, correct about the Half Blooded Prince. Who knew?
I am not going to say anymore since I know some of you have not read it yet and I certainly don't want to spoil it for anyone. If you have finished it - JOEY! and want to talk about it, email me! I am dying to talk to someone!!!
Unrelated miscellaneous stuff:
I am in the process of ordering the wedding invitations and HOLY EXPENSIVE! I was able to find a site that offered the invites that I want at 30% off. Wording has been decided (FINALLY) I just need to find the time to sit down, order them, proof them, proof them again, and click submit! So much more to do. I was reading through the information from the reception hall and it seems that they needed 1/3 of the total by 6 months before the wedding. Interesting though, we never heard from them about it! I wonder if my dad has already paid it or if it is still pending. I should probably call them and make sure we still have a place for our reception before I order the invitations!

For those who care about my cycle

Af is here with a vengance - perhaps angry that I doubted she was arriving????
Cramps, headache, exhausted - yup she's here!
While I am relieved to not have to worry about cramming a big pregnant belly into my very well fitting wedding gown, I am still slightly sad to not be pregnant.
That being said and all this current drama behind us, I am now going to start charting tomorrow morning! For real this time! I just need a thermometer that has a lighted display so that I don't have to turn the lights on....

Harry Potter the Halfway Point (and some other stuff)

Happy Monday!
Today Ryan went back to the babysitter's for the first time in 2 weeks. I was anticipating some apprehension, but he went to her with no problem. It's amazing to me how much he has changed in the last 2 weeks. I didn't realize it until I started telling the sitter all his new skills. WOW!
Nico....
Something is wrong with our doggie... Nothing physical, but he has clearly lost his mind and now thinks it is acceptable to poop in the house. He has done this about 3 times in the last week (and peed twice). He even does it when we are home now! No warning, no asking to go out, just poop on the only carpet in the house (of course!). No idea why but it is getting really old, really fast!
I am leaving work today - supposedly for an appointment, but really I want to hit the grocery store and read some more before Rob and Ryan get home!
HARRY POTTER
I have hit the halfway point of this book and will offer my review thus far (without giving away any major details).
As I said in my previous post, there is something interesting in the second chapter that carries through the whole book (thus far) and I still say there is more than meets the eye.
New characters are interesting. I am still trying to figure out if the new professor is good or dark. Supposedly there is another death at Hogwarts. It has not happened yet, but there have been 2 close calls so far.
The half-blooded prince has been introduced (sort of). We still don't know who it is, but I have a feeling who it might be and again there may be something sinister to it, but I don't know yet.
The characters have grown up a lot. There is some serious sexual tension floating around Hogwarts and it is an interesting element to a somewhat darker story.
I guess that is all I will say for now. I think once I finish I will post my whole report without details, but make a detailed one available via email for those who have already read it.
Okay, I should get some work done before I leave for the day!
Later!

9 month stats and the start of Harry Potter

Ryan had his 9 month check up yesterday (his shot free check up I might add!).
He is 18 pounds 8 oz (25th percentile) and 27 1/2 inches (also 25th percentile) - no concerns since he is holding steady on his curve and he is as healthy as can be.
Everything else was great! Once again the doctor said he is ahead of the curve developmentally (not by a lot, mind you, just enough to make me proud). As if on cue he blew her a kiss when she asked if he had any special talents! That's my boy - the flirt!
Harry Potter.....
Stayed up late last night with every intention of going to the store to get my book, but ended up feeling so ill I closed my eyes and fell asleep! I was so disappointed this morning when I didn't have my book to read, but I got it this afternoon and have already read the first 4 chapters. The second chapter is GOOD! I won't spoil it, but I will say that I think there is more than meets the eye in that chapter - if you've read you probably agree!
AF...
is still absent! I am still not concerned as it is due today. Not sure if I will use my last test tomorrow or Monday. BTW - Dollar Tree test are apparently very good. They can detect HCG at 25 whatever units it is, but that is pretty sensitive. The sucky thing is that you need to pee in a cup and use a dropper to do the test - ewwww!
Other weekend news...
Ryan had his portraits done today. They were cute (as all pictures of him are) but not the best. I bought about 4 picture sheets and I plan on taking him to the brand spanking new Target down the road this week for more. I figure they will be running big grand opening specials. I think the problem is that Ryan has such a big happy smile, but squints his eyes when he does it! Silly baby!
Festa Italiana was a BUST! First it was raining. Second there was hardly any food! Maybe 3 food vendors and then carnival food. No calamari, no arancini (rice balls), no freakin cannolis! We paid $3 each to get in, walked around, and left! We met my sister at a microbrew for burgers instead.
I think Ryan is sleeping now so I can creep back into the A/C bedroom to read my book - YAY! Oh, we don't co-sleep (not that I oppose it) but it is so hot and we only have the one air conditioner so Ryan is in our room. Most of the night in the pack and play, but many nights he ends up in our bed and stays there until morning. He is such a snuggler, but he snores! Like father, like son!

Oh, and as for the PG scare....

Tested this morning, got a big ole negativo. I am not surprised by that, but I am surprised that I was disappointed by it! Oh well, if AF isn't here by Monday I will test again, but I truly no longer believe that I am pregnant. Here's to wishing for a July baby (conceived on the honeymoon!).

Happy Friday (and gratuitous Ryan)

This one of my favorite pictures of the boy! He looks so charming (which he is)!
I live for weekends! So much to do this weekend:
Today I leave work at 12:00 and then my mom and Ryan are meeting me for lunch and then I am going to order the wedding invitations (GULP!) - this makes it so real NOW I am nervous! Not nervous about marrying Rob - that is the easy part. But nervous about making sure everything goes smoothly and is up to my (Martha Stewart like) standards!
After that Ryan goes to the Pediatrician. No shots - YAY! And then I get my hair done and pick up my dress for the wedding I am in in 2 weeks.
Tonight we are going to the Zoo Brew (and Ryan is going to his grandparents for a few hours). AND THEN I get to go get
this!
I can't wait! I am such a big dork when it comes to Harry Potter books. I will be going to the bookstore at exactly midnight tonight for my book! The problem is when am I going to read it? Usually on the weekends I take advantage of Ryan's naps to clean the house. I think this weekend I am going to have to live with a messy house and read! Sunday I may go to my mom's a few hours before dinner so she can entertain Ryan while I read. Yes, I am that big a dork!
I guess that is it for today.
I'll post Ryan's stats tomorrow and let you know what I think of the book so far!

Heat, growth spurts,PMS, and everything else....

We are having the hottest summer on record! REALLY! All I can say is that I am glad I am not pregnant this summer! Last year wasn't that hot and was bad enough for me!
Our house is over 90 degrees by mid-day and this morning the thermostat read at 82 degrees! 82! It was only 75 outside - now that is HOT! My poor dog looks like he is wilting - all he does is lay on the wood floor in the living room. He spreads himself way out so that as much of his doggie body as possible is touching the floor. Is he smart enough to seek refuge in the bedroom which has A/C? Of course not - he would not be able to look out the window and bark at everyone (or everything - he howled at a garbage bag rolling down the street once) that passes. You can lead a dog to A/C but you can't make 'em stay!
Ryan is FINALLY having a growth spurt! The kid is still wearing 3-6 month clothes at 9 months! We went to the Dr for a weight check a month ago and he had only gained a half a pound in 2 months. Now, you look at pictures of my kid and think "he is kind of chunky. Why would they be concerned about his weight?" Well, it is because he dropped his curve so drastically in 6 months. He was in the 75th for weight and 95th for height at birth and 2 months, the 50th for weight and 35th for height at 4 months, and the 30th for weight and 20th for height at 6 months. The doctor was only mildly concerned about the drop in curve so we are watching it for a year. She said she is not surprised that he is on the shorter end since I am only 4'11 and Rob is only 5'5 (yes, we both should have procreated with taller people, but what can you do?!?!)
CRAP - I have a meeting!
I'll finish later!
okay, I'm back - you missed me didn't you?!?!
Anyway, Ryan has been getting up around 1 am for a bottle for the last 3 nights and sucking it dry in 4 minutes flat! My little chubber!
PMS.... I no longer think I am pregnant, but rather suffering a severe case of PMS! Quite honestly, my boobs don't hurt anymore! I was completely nauseous last night, but then it was hot enough to fry an egg on my kitchen floor so that really might have been it! That being said, I still plan on testing tomorrow. Tomorrow is CD 26 and I got a positive on CD 25 (sort of) and really on 26 when I was pregnant with Ryan. My reason for testing? Aside of loving to pee on sticks? I am supposed to go to Zoo Brew tomorrow night! Knowing there is only a small chance that I actually am pregnant I do plan on knocking back a few (very few as I am such a light weight these days) and I will feel better if I see only one line on a test tomorrow morning (and before I get bombarded with emails telling me that I could get a negative and still be pregnant, I repeat - I am fairly, like 90% sure, I am not pregnant and no, I would never do anything that could potentially harm my unborn child). Oh, and I am getting my hair colored tomorrow too! The horror!
I am having lunch with a work friend today - we are going to Olive Garden because I am poor and my lunch is free there - Rob is the Culinary Manager there. We are having Rob's parents for dinner tonight (with fava beans and a nice Chianti - sorry I couldn't resist!). I got a yummy rosemary lemon marinade for the chicken shish kabobs, and we are having rice pilaf and grilled zucchini fresh from future FIL's garden. Oh and Al's Lemon Ice for dessert - my absolute favorite! I love this stuff so much that my dad brought me some while I was in labor and the mean nurse wouldn't let me have it! Dad was crushed thinking it would have been okay since it was clear and all. Damn if I didn't catch my sister chowing it down!!!
Okay, now I really should get back to work!!!
Tomorrow's post: my weekend plans!

The Night the Lights Went Out...

Yup! We had our first official brownout of the summer last night. Of course, I was just drifting off to sleep in the cool, air conditioned bedroom with the boy snoozing next to me in his pack and play and Rob was downstairs watching the All Star game when it happened. I thought I had blown a circuit in the house since Rob is always complaining about how I let the air run to high and too long all day (I like to keep the room cool).
ANYWAY, all my neighbors were hanging outside sort of waiting for the power to come back. We stayed out for a little while and then the bugs started so we went in and waited it out. It came back on around 1:00am or so
In other news, I am either 1. pregnant or 2. having the worst PMS of my life. I am so exhausted, bloaty, and my boobs are so sore that my bra actually hurts them. I did talk to Rob last night about it and he is of the mind set that we shouldn't worry about things prematurely and that another baby would be great. He is right about that, but he doesn't have to try and squeeze another baby into a wedding gown like I do! I am on CD 24, so I really shouldn't worry unless AF isn't here by Sunday. But I am a compulsive worrier!!!

The one where I blog about everything....

I am so incredibly bored at work today. I am waiting on a few projects and hesitate to take anything else on since I won't have time to work on them in a few days. So I sit. I blog stalk - Congrats to Mama C-ta on the arrival of her baby boy, I google people, I have made 20 trips to the ladies room to check on the progression of a pimple. Oh yeah, real exciting day! AND there are 2 hours left! 2!!!
UGH!
Tonight I am supposed to have dinner with 2 of my girlfriends, but I don't want to. I don't know why, dinner with the girls should be fun. Oh wait! I know why! Because one of them is pregnant and is the most miserable pregnant women I have ever met. Serious negativity and EVERY pregnancy malady you read about she has. It is pretty annoying. Plus we are eating at her house and she thinks she is a great cook, but isn't AND I am on a diet so why eat lousy food? Also, she has cats. I have allergies - enough said!
The other friend who is coming to dinner tonight is trying to get pregnant. She has been trying since her miscarriage a year ago. She is hard to read - sometimes she wants to talk about it and other times she gets upset when I talk about how great a baby Ryan is. I completely understand - I can only imagine what she must be going through right now. I love her, but I am too tired to deal with her tonight. Actually to deal with either of them. Does that make me a bad person? I hope not. I think I am going to bail - I am using the lateness of dinner as an excuse. They want to meet at 7 and I want to be home by 8 so that I can take my walk tonight when it cools off a little bit.
You know, I feel like a truly awful person saying these things about them, but I really would rather be home with my boys. Oh wait - they are going to Rob's parents tonight. hmmmmm. What to do......
In other news, I am still pretty paranoid about what I posted yesterday. I dreamt of implantation spotting last night! Crazy! I am debating going back on the pill until the wedding, but I really don't want to - I really don't feel well on artificial hormones and I really want to get pregnant ASAP after the wedding.
Speaking of wedding - I am trying to find the perfect spot for pictures. Somewhere indoors since the weather can be so crappy that time of year. I called the Eastman House (home of George Eastman - founder of K*odak) and they charge $400 to use the house for pictures! $400!!!! Holy crap, batman! Back to square one on that!
Is it wrong that Rob is more into the wedding details than I am? The only thing I am looking forward to is meeting with the baker. Oooooh, maybe I'll use that as an excuse to get out of dinner tonight. A forgotten appointment?? The bakery doesn't take appointments!
Okay, maybe the new diet is making me cranky. That and PMS. Yup. I best stop blogging now!

Oooops!

Hmmmmmmm, something happened last week while we were on vacation that is causing me to worry....
Sunday night, while we were baby-free, Rob and I partook in some "alone time". As an aside, it was MUCH needed! Anyway, the responsible smart girl that I am remembered to pack lots of condoms. The idiot scatterbrain that I am forgot to use them. I didn't think this was a big deal at the time, thinking my period was due this week. Then when we got home I happened to glance at my bedside calendar (every month I have the best intentions of actually charting, but instead just mark when my period starts) and I realized (with a sinking feeling) that we did the dead on cycle day 14!!! Um, big deal since I usually ovulate around day 14 to 16! UGH!
So here I sit, a week away from being able to test, stressing out over whether or not I might be pregnant!
Now I realize what a blessing it would be (since I only have one ovary, scar tissue, etc), but the timing couldn't be worse! I would be 16 weeks pregnant at the wedding and there is no way that my dress can accommodate a 16 week belly (esp. with a second baby).
Okay, let's look at this rationally:
1. There is only a 20-25% chance of getting pregnant on any given month
2. I don't feel pregnant (but then again I never did with Ryan either)
3. I can't possibly get pregnant the one time in a MONTH that we actually have sex, can I?
DEEP BREATH
I figure Friday is the earliest I can test, but I am really chomping at the bit to test now...
On the plus side, I started having some cramps today and since giving birth I have been getting crampy around mid cycle and they last until my period starts. Not to open up a whole other can of worms, but anyone else get this? Should I worried? When is the earliest I should test?

Where were you...

9 months ago today?
I was in a bed at Rochester General Hospital anxiously (okay, painfully) awaiting Ryan's arrival!
So hard to believe that it has been 9 months already!
He goes for a check up next week so I don't have any physical stats to report, but here is a list of Ryan's achievements:

• Crawls (combat style), pulls up on everything, sits when and where he wants to (paying no attention to the dog's head he just sat on)
• Says "Dada" "mom-mom" "da" (that is dog) and "up"
• Eats everything! Ryan decided he no longer wants baby food, so he is self-feeding more meals than not now
• Claps
• waves
• plays peek a boo
• can put the right shapes in the right hole on all toys and actually tried to hammer in a ball that didn't fit
• loves swimming (pools, bathtub doesn't matter)
• sleeps 8 hours at night - most nights. Let's face it - this kid will never be a good sleeper!

Those are his big "milestone" achievements. Some other funny ones are:

• Peed standing up in the tub last night
• tries to tell me that he is mom (a game we call "I'm mom")
• mimics me blowing my nose
• coughs for attention - especially during meal times if people are actualyl have a conversation without him
• cries when the ice cream cone is taken away (and whoevers cone it is has to hide to finish it)
• "pets" Nico - translated to sees dog, squeals, race crawls to him, grabs fur, and bites. Yes, we are working on this
• My favorite: Will randomly grab your face and plant a big old slobbery open mouthed kiss on it!

HAPPY 9 MONTH BIRTHDAY, RYAN

Amazing how this tiny little
baby has become

This fun loving, 9 month old wonder!

The trip

So, we left Rochester Friday afternoon. I did something I swore I would never do - I sat in the back with the baby and not up front like a big girl! I had good reason - I wanted to keep Ryan awake as long as possible!!! We got slightly fussy just outside Niagara Falls, but all was well when we stopped at Mighty Taco for dinner - yummmmm. Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Buffalo, NY you MUST stop at mighty.
We then proceed to the border where we are allowed into Canada with a minimal fuss since we were not carrying weapons, produce, or illegal aliens with us. The boy slept straight through to Windsor, Ont! YAY for him! However, he then proceeded to be wide awake once we got to the hotel! Finally at 1:00am we all went to sleep.
Saturday Ryan got to swim in a real pool and he loved it! That boy is such a little dolphin - it was fun to watch him "swim". We had dinner with Rob's parents, his cousin and his wife and son, and their grandma. It was so nice to see everyone and to meet N. who was born in February. We had a baby gift for N. that we have had since before he was born (I crocheted an afghan and we got them a gift card to Babies *R Us). I am so glad they didn't ask me how much the gift card was for - I honestly don't remember!!!
Anyway, this kid is 5 months old and spends over 8 hours a day in a bouncy seat or swing! WOW! That is a lot of time to be immobile at that age. I checked Ryan's book when we got home and by 5 months he was rolling in all directions and rolling to get to things he wanted. By the end of that month he was sitting unassisted. Needless to say that I feel that N. needs some time out of a bouncy seat, but I am not one to give unsolicited parenting advice. Oh, and he is getting a sibling in March - yup, 13 months apart! God bless them
Dinner that night was at a Hungarian restaurant. Guess what I found out? Not such a fan of cabbage rolls - what exactly was that meat in them? Ewwww.
Sunday I met the rest of Rob's aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had fun - Ryan especially. I loved seeing Rob's grandparents with him - so cool that Ryan has 5 great-grandparents and one great-great-grandmother.
Sunday night - awwwww, Sunday night! Rob's parents took the boy for the night! I was so excited about this, but when it came right down to it I cried! YUP! here I am leaving my baby one room away with two people who think the planets revolve around him and I cried! But Rob and I got some much needed alone time (nudge, nudge, wink, wink!).
Monday was spent with even more family and then I got to go to Dairy Queen for the first time! It was pretty good, but what I really wanted to find was a Sonic! Where, exactly, do they exist? We don't have them here, they didn't have them in Detroit, but, OH MY GOD, those commercials make my mouth water! Seriously! A huge onion ring on a salad? Who thinks of such genius! Oh well.....
The trip home was not fun! We noticed a small leak on the passenger side floor and by the time we got home there were 2 inches of water on the floor and the car reeked! UGH! It is mostly likely a disconnected hose, but we will know for sure Friday. Thankfully it is still under warranty so it shouldn't cost us anything. Ryan melted down while we were in line for customs, so of course the customs officer pulled us over. Because clearly we must have been smuggling drugs into the country in our child or some other illegal activity to make him cry like that! Then Ms. Customs decided to quiz Rob on Ryan's birth certificate. I saw trouble brewing when she asked what time Ryan was born. I cringed, looked at Rob's panicked face, and saw us being thrown into Canadian jail. But Daddy pulled through (sort of) with "uh, um, a little before 4pm?" Good enough (it was 3:54 for those inquiring minds) for them and we were allowed into the U.S. of A!!! HURRAY!
Home was great! So were the 5 loads of laundry and $80 in groceries I had to take care of between 6pm and bedtime......
All in all, a great trip! I think the family liked me - and how could they not? Everyone is planning on coming to the wedding (leaving me to find 45 hotel rooms!) and Ryan was well loved by all!

We're baaaaack!

Our trip was wonderful! I have so much to share including my impressions upon meeting all of Rob's extended family (all good), traveling with a 9 month old (not all good!), Ryan's first big pool swim, the return of my MOJO (it's about damn time!), and our car troubles.
But for now, I give you pictures:
Detroit pictures

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY (AND CANADA DAY)

We leave this afternoon for 4 fun filled days in Detroit! Am I ready? Heck no! Will I be before we leave? I hope!
I leave you with two things:
1. A handful of Ryan pictures from the last month
2. A test! Here is a link to the U.S. Citizenship test
- these are things all Americans should know about our country - how do you rate?
As promised, RYAN:

Ryan's first day in his new pool (we would live there if we let him, and really that does sound like fun!

Batman REALLY Begins (this was Rob's doing, of course)

My boys on Father's Day
Ryan's first ice cream! Actually it was frozen custard from Abbott's - a Rochester tradition and rite of passage

I hate MONEY!

Okay, I like to have money, but therein lies the problem - I have none!
Today is payday, so I went to T*im Hortons this morning to buy Tim Bits and an iced cappuccino. The Tim Bits were to share with my co-workers (who I really don't care for) and the I.C. is my addiction. I only give in once in awhile, but when I was pregnant I was all over them! So much so, that I really had no reason to be surprised when I failed my one hour glucose screen (I actually had one on my desk when the doctor called to tell me I failed!)
I digress...
So I stopped to get money and was told I had $8 in my checking account!!! ON PAYDAY!
Panic set in - is today not payday? Will the check I wrote yesterday bounce? What am I going to have for breakfast???
All is well now, but really how much longer am I going to have to live check to check? Oh yeah - the rest of my life! UGH!
Edited to add: I am a whole wheat bagel AND an iced Javaccino from Bruegger's Bagels - very yummy!