I'm a dork!

I just paid $2.49 to get the password for the pre-sale of Bon Jovi tickets....
DORK!
Anyway, even on presale the best we were able to get is not the best. There is still that tiny chance that we will be getting free tickets complete with back stage passes, but I am not counting on it.....
In other, less dorky (or not) news: Ryan seems to be coming down with something. His nose is a faucet and he woke 4 times last night crying and rocking back and forth in his crib. His spirit was fine this morning though....
Another new talent - Ryan can now pick himself back up after falling without holding on!
Amazing isn't it?
Have a great weekend - tomorrow night is my bachelorette party - I am sure I will have fun pictures to share! The girls and I are having dinner at a lovely Mexican restaurant and then hitting the bars - YAY! Unfortunately, Rob is working Sunday morning, so you can only imagine how fun THAT will be - chasing after monkey boy with a hangover....

wanna see something weird?

Here is a picture of my sister at a year old: And here is a picture of my son at almost a year:


Freaky, isn't it?

Fall fun!

Rob has this Saturday off -- I think it is the first weekend day we will all be together and how does he want to spend it? At his brother's house watching baseball!!!
I told him that isn't going to happen - we should be spending time together doing something fun! I know Ryan is still to little to remember these things, but we will! My mom still talks about how I picked my first pumpkin (at just a few months older than Ryan) and has pictures to show from it!
Finally he relented and we are taking Ryan to Springdale Farm ! They are having a harvest fest so in addition to all the farms animals we can pick pumpkins, have cider, and play in the hay (oooh I better remember my Claritin!). I am so excited! I hope Ryan LOVES it - how could he not given his fascination with animals and Bas (as he calls anything round, including pumpkins!).
Tomorrow afternoon I am putting up all the Halloween decorations! You have to understand, LOVE fall! LOVE Halloween! So much so, that my kitchen is decorated in a pumpkin theme year round. Labor Day I put out all the fall decorations and changed the flag, last weekend I added the scarecrow to our porch and tomorrow all the Halloween stuff comes out of its 2 rubbermaid containers! I can't wait! I'll have to take some pictures of my favorites for you!

Wedding stuff - 3 posts in one day!

Rob just called me at work to let me know:
1. The jeweler called and my ring is in!!! YAY! I am so happy about that
2. We got a big box from Bed, Bath.... containing BROKEN crystal wine glasses. That sucks, but what can ya do other than take it back.

Girls are dropping like flies from my bachelorette party - boo! I am being blown off for football, a boy, and lack of funds (that one I can totally understand - especially since all my major life events are in the course of one month and these people are a part of all of them). It should still be fun though!

I ordered our programs for the ceremony today - they are beautiful!
I really need to start on my thank you notes from the shower! I meant to do them on my lunch today, but ended up running home to let the dog out as he wouldn't go this morning and to take dinner out of the freezer!
okay I am out for the day! LATER!

One last thing....

I found a midwife I think I am going to like! I ahve an appointment on October 11th at 3:45. I am not going to transfer my medical records until after the appointment in case it doesn't work out, but they are affiliated with a good group of doctors so I don't anticpate any problems.

A Calgon Morning....

Wednesdays are the toughest. Rob has to be to work at 6:00 so I have zero help with Ryan in the morning. Here is a run down of this particular Wednesday morning:
6:03 - alarm goes off (weird time I know)
6:10 - 11 month old alarm goes off - really Ryan is a total morning person - waking up happy and standing in his crib calling for someone, anyone.
Get Ryan, come back to my warm bed and turn the news on. Yes, we have a t.v. in our room - it was per Rob's request, but there are rules. Really we use it to watch the news in the a.m. and occasionally a 10:00pm show that I KNOW I am not going to make it through/
6:15 - Ryan-proof upstairs - gate on, guest room door closed, bathroom cleaned up and cabinets locked
6:18 - shower. This morning I didn't so much have to worry about where Ryan was since he decided to pull back the shower curtain every 2 seconds to say "hiiiiiii"
6:30 - chase Ryan around trying to get the home pregnancy test that he found in the only unlocked drawer in the bathroom (it is left over from a few months ago when I thought maybe I was PG - they came in a 2 pack).
6:45 - In bedroom getting dressed, hear Ryan shut the guest room door - the one that sticks.
6:46 to 6:58 - try desperately to open the door -- Ryan and the dog are in the room, my flat iron is turned on, and now Ryan is crying b/c I am making so much noise trying to open the door
6:59 - FINALLY get door open, hug baby, kiss baby, and continue getting ready for work
7:10 - wrestle Ryan out of Martian jammies and into decent clothes.
7:15 - carry Ryan, a pack of diapers, and the dog downstairs (while wearing heels I might add)
7:16 - chase dog back downstairs twice before deciding that he can pee his proverbial pants for all I care
7:18 - wrestle dog food out of Ryan's hands and listen as the screaming commences (thisclose to allowing it - he can use the protein!)
7:20 - make lunch, get my bag, Ryan's bag, the diapers and Ryan scooped up and into the car
7:22 - remove Ryan, his bag, and the diapers from the car, deposit at sitter's, remind her again to give Ryan a veggie at lunch (the boy can not live on bagels and turkey alone)
7:40 - arrive at work. Have co-worker tell me I look tired. Tell her to

Bite me (in my head of course, I need to stay employed).
So, how was your day?

Blog filler

By request from Jess:
10 years ago I was...
* a senior at Niagara University
* Working at Victoria's Secret
* Driving a 1988 Ford Escort
* wearing my hair in "the Rachel" - what was I thinking!

5 years ago I was...
* working towards a Paralegal degree
* living back at home after having my own apartment for 6 years
* meeting the jerk off cheating boyfriend of my past
* a size 2

1 year ago I was...
* anxiously awaiting my beautiful baby (who's due date was yesterday!)
* HUGE (see above)
* sitting at the same desk, editing the same books as today


Yesterday I was...
* playing hooky because my back hurt and I had lots of shower gifts to weed through
* having the first fitting of my wedding gown!!!!!!!!!
* very tired
* grocery shopping with my monkey who can climb out of carts now - eeek!

5 snacks I enjoy...
* cheese and crackers
* brownies
* warm chocolate chip cookies
* salt and vinegar chips
* Klondike bars

5 songs I know all the words to...
* Star spangled Banner
* The Fifty Nifty States (you know "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, etc....")
* The number song from the laugh and learn home
* Livin on a prayer
* I give up - this is hard!

5 things I would do with 100 million dollars...
* pay off all our debt and our families debt
* set college funds for all my nieces, nephews and children
* adopt a child
* start a non-profit organization that gives low-income families books
* pay for a Moosejulie meet up somewhere fun - Vegas?

5 things I would never wear...
* White after labor day
* granny panties
* clogs (they make so much noise!)
* spandex
* a fanny pack

5 favorite tv shows...
* LOST
* ER
* Law & Order: SVU
* Entourage
* Desperate Housewives

5 bad habits...
* procrastination
* blaming (I can pin anything on anyone but me!)
* snacking
* picking scabs (gross I know)
* drinking juice from the carton in the middle of the night

5 biggest joys...
* RYAN
* knowing Rob is always there for me
* watcing the boy figure out something new
* RYAN
* spending time alone with my guys

5 favorite toys...
* anything that entertains Ryan while I am making dinner
* My new Hoover Floormate - LOVE IT!
* The Eureka Maxima vaccum
* The kitchenaid mixer
* the internet

5 fictional characters I would date...
* Sawyer (on LOST) - not so much to date as to have a steamy affair with
* Jackson Landry (Shelby's husband) from Steel Magnolias - Tall, dark, handsome, lawyer, and RICH
* Dr. Ross (George Clooney on ER)
* Mark Darcy (from Bridget Jones)
* Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) - yummy southern lawyer with morals!

5 people I challenge to do this...
* anyone, everyone!
I hope you all had fun reading my blog filler - I am bored and brain dead so this is all I can handle right now!

Happy last day of summer

You've been a long, hot, bitch of a summer. Please send fall with crisp air, fallen leaves, and warm apple pie my way now.
Thank you!

Dream a little dream...

So now that Ryan has (finally) figures out that sleep is a good thing, and the consecutive sleep is even better, I should be sleeping well too - right?
WRONG!
I know have all the wedding stress doing funky things to me - like causing terrible wedding drama related nightmares. I can't imagine another month of this! Last night takes the cake though... I had probably 400 mini-dreams about wedding disasters.... Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but here are the ones I can remember:
1. It was 2:00 and all my bridesmaids and I were at the salon still, no one had their hair done yet AND nobody knew where their dresses were.
2. For some reason I moved the location of the photographs before the ceremony and never told the photographer, so he was MIA
3. I forgot Rob's ring. Now, I know that it is not my responsibility that day but for some reason it was in this dream. I think I used a twist tie in place of a ring!
Yup, it's official - I have LOST it!
oooooh, speaking of LOST -- season premiere is TONIGHT!!! Rob and I have been talking about it for weeks! We are such dorks, but we are really excited about it!
In addition to the wedding stress, we have Ryan's birthday party in 18 days! UGH! At least I got the invites out over the weekend, and now I just have to order the deli trays, finish the favors (they are candle holders made out of baby food jars -- I saw it in Parents magazine MONTHS ago and thought it was cute!), buy the paper goods (since we got slightly flooded on Friday and weren't able to get to the store), and add one more picture to his digital scrapbook so that I can have it printed up and available at his party. Oh, and I should buy him a gift, huh?
Those who's babies have just or are celebrating their 1st birthday's soon (Joana, Rachael, Mrs. Flinger) what have or are you getting them as a present? Anyone else who has idea feel free to answer!!!
I have seen a ton of toys that I think are cool, but Ryan has so much that I can't imagine him ever needing more. He doesn't need much in the line of clothes (although my sister is going to buy him his winter coat - a pea coat! He will match Daddy AND Mommy - we are such preppy dorks!). I know he will get so many presents from his generous friends and family that I feel we don't need to spend much. Honestly, I don't remember ever getting elaborate birthday presents from my parents -- that's what grandparents are for!

Vacuum and Bon Jovi (so not related)

Rob and I had a "couple's shower" this weekend courtesy of his mom. It was a super sweet gesture and we really did appreciate it. HOWEVER, only 3 couples that we are friends with were able to make it, so it was all Rob's parents friends. AND there were games! Not just any games, but Toilet Paper Bride like games. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate all things tacky including games! Anyway, I feel I was a good sport about it and I even wore the tacky baseball hat with the veil (it matched my gaucho pants and sparkly tank top perfectly!).
The best part of the shower was this! Our house is mostly harwoods, but the family room, where we spend most of our time, is carpeted and our vacuum sucked (or didn't as the case may be). I was excited that I wanted to vacuum as soon as we got home!!! I contained my excitement and didn't pull it out until Sunday morning! It kicks BUTT!!! So powerful, so sleek.... so worth getting married for (just kidding!)
Ryan spent the evening with a paid babysitter. A 15 year old girl from the Girl Scout Troop I used to lead. He was perfect, especially considering he boycotted his naps on Ssturday. She says he went to bed at 7:15, which is an hour earlier than normal, but we was sound asleep when we got home!
BON JOVI
As you all know I am a freak for Jon Bon Jovi! Today is my lucky day! IN honor of the release of "Have a Nice Day" - the new album, Xmradio is playing all Bon Jovi all day on one of its stations!!! How cool is that? How cool are we that Rob's car has Xmradio and we get an internet account with it? YUP! I have been listening to vintage and new (like the whole new album) Bon Jovi all day! I am actually bummed that I need to leave early today and that I don't have it in my car yet (Santa - are you reading?).
Sooooooo, lots more going on - Rob may be moving to a different restaurant soon, but would have to work out of town for 4 months. I'll post more when we have more details.
I feel like going home and vacuumming some more now!

Can I get an AMEN?!?!

I am glad to be posting lots of good things right now since I feel like I spend a majority of my blog time whining!!!
So here it is, THE TOP 5 GOOD THINGS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW:
1. HAIR
I went last night for the consultation on my wedding do and can I just say that I HEART my stylist!!! She did exactly what I wanted and in less than 20 minutes. She is the greatest! I also questioned about how much the bridesmaid's up dos would be since I am planning on paying for everyone's hair (there are 5 girls) and they decided to only charge me for 3 hair dos! Crazy isn't it? Well, Meg reasoned that 1. I did follow them when they left the salon my sister worked at and I have referred a bunch of people to them and 2. if I took everyone to my sister's salon I would get 50% off so they feel the need to stay competitive and 3. they consider me a friend! I love these girls! They are the girls who fight over cutting Ryan's hair and then don't charge me (and I mean fight to do it and a "I don't want to cut that maniacs hair - he is really good there HONEST! Could be b/c his first hair cut was at 5 months old!)
2. SLEEP
At the risk of cursing it, Ryan has slept straight through the night for 4 nights in a row!!!

He has also done this without a bottle meaning that he has now gone a week without a bottle at all!!! Honestly, I wasn't trying to wean him off it, he just seemed ready. All that's left is the pacifier and I am letting him keep that for a while since he only takes it at night now! My baby - so big, so fast!

3. BIRTHDAY STUFF

I am ALMOST all set for Ryan's birthday. I have one more gift to buy him, paper stuff to get (which we are doing today), and I have the invites done, I just need to send them out - my mom has the address labels and the envelopes right now, but I'll be getting them tonight. I am a stamp freak who tries to match stamps to occasions, so I got the Disney stamps for the invites. Ironically, they are the ones I used for his birth announcements!

This is the picture we used: I cut out the background on it first, and yes, Ryan is having an Elmo party! He has honestly seen about 2 minutes of Elmo's World, but his favorite toys are all Elmo toys and he says "OOOOOO" every time he sees an Elmo somewhere. It just had to be done!

4. MIDWIFE

I think I have found a midwife I like -- I talked with the office manager and they are letting me schedule an annual exam without transferring my file in case I decide to stick with my OB, but I think it is going to be a good fit. They have a practice of back up doctors right in the same building and they offer labor support and breast feeding assistance (which I need being the flunkie that I am) so I am excited. I need to actually schedule the appointment today. That brings up an interesting point. I am now on CD 33. My cycles are normally 30 days, I am also 18 DPO. Very strange indeed. I took an HPT yesterday morning because late is late, but it was negative - which is good with the wedding in 5 weeks, but I still find it perplexing. I have felt like AF is coming any minute for 2 days so perhaps she is just slow this month... I am not concerned about it at all (yet, sort of, well, maybe a little....)

5. PICTURES (and I promise this is it!)

FINALLY I have some decent pictures of my whole family! Ones where Ryan is (sort of) looking at the camera, and Rob doesn't have the "how did I get here?" look he usually has in pictures. So, without further ado, I present: US

The Family The Boys The monkey & his parents

Disappearing post

I had written a long post about Ryan turning 11 months old and it disappeared! DARN IT!
So, my baby will be one in 26 days - hard to believe it! I think it really hit home this weekend while I was at a local art show. I remember being very pregnant at the show last year and not having a CLUE what my life was going to be like this year. I think the whole concept of babies is very abstract until you are right in the midst of raising one. I knew there would be sleepless nights (who knew they would last this long!) and dirty diapers, but I never could have imagined the shear joy I could get from watching my little one play, eat, and occasionally sleep.
Enough melancholy for the day! I now present
RYAN AT 11 MONTHS

• Ryan finally figured out how to crawl on his hands and knees (over the combat style he preferred a month ago)
• He then decided walking was the way to go! Ryan took his first tentative steps on August 27th. He can now walk the length of the family room (20 feet or so)
• self-feeding is still his preferred method of eating, only now he tries to use utensils! He is pretty good with a fork and can dump the contents of his spoon on his head or the dog pretty well
• His vocabulary is growing daily! "Mommy" and "Daddy" are used in the proper context. "Doddie" (doggie) is used to describe everything else that is living. it is too funny to watch him "read" his Baby Einstein animal book - he flips each page and points saying "doddie". "ba" means bottle, ball, balloon, sippy cup, and book. Anyone know what "boppy" means? And no, he never uses the boppy pillow anymore!
• He will randomly kiss people while he is playing or when you get him out of bed in the morning!
• Waves Hello and Bye (sometimes will blow kisses when waving!)
• Stairs are his friend -- although he does try to go down them head first still.

I guess those are the highlights, and now some pictures:

Ryan walking

Ryan enjoying sauce

Ryan riding his Hi-Ho Silver horse from Papa Tony

A fish in the tub!

Milk it does a body good!

This past weekend Ryan graduated from formula to cow's milk. A whole month ahead of schedule I know, but he really wanted nothing to do with bottles anymore and enjoys a sippy cup with his meals. Also he has been eating dairy products for many months without any problems so I thought we should give it a try. After all, when I was a baby we were given cow milk at 3 months! Do you believe that?!?!? So much has changed in 30 years....
Anyway, I gave him his first glass Friday afternoon after his nap (when he would normally take a bottle). I put it in his sippy and gave him a few animal crackers as a snack. he picked the cup up, started drinking, and then got this big huge grin on his face! He looked at me and went "yummmmmmmmmy, mommmmy"! He drank 4 ounces! And another 6 with his dinner that night! So far, 5 days later, we have not had a problem with it! I am so relieved. With the exception of his possible egg allergy or intolerance, we are on easy street as far as food is concerned.
I do have a milk question for everyone:
Do you use hormone-free milk? Now, I looked at the organic milk and I really can't justify the cost. It would cost me more than formula on a monthly average. A local dairy makes a milk that is from cows that are "certified to be RbST and antibiotic free". This is only 10 cents more per gallon.
HOWEVER, they only make it in skim and 2%. Everything I have read indicates that babies should have whole milk until they are 2. I guess I need to decide what is more important - milk fat or hormone free milk....
I do have another grocery store to try - I have heard that they may have a hormone free whole milk available. I guess I will check it out after work.
So what does everyone else give their kids?

Pass me the aspirin....

Yes I have a massive headache and it could be caused from many things. Let's take a look shall we?
1. More wedding drama. A few different things really. Rob's cousin thinks they are bringing their 9 month old child to our adult only reception. I picked my veil up yesterday only to find that it has a tear in it! UGH! I called the shop and the clerk tried to tell me that I must have put it there!!!
The actual conversation went something like this:
ISG (idiot shop girl): Are you sure that it didn't happen after you left the shop?
BB (blushing Bride): I am very certain I didn't rip it
ISG: Are you sure you didn't rip it?
BB: Actually I did rip it. I didn't think there was enough drama in my wedding plans
ISG: (silence)
BB: Please leave a message for the shop owner to call me back about this. Thanks!
See, why me? I get all the crazies... I also made the mistake of telling my mother who started stressing about it and threatening small claims court, etc. STOP THE DRAMA!!!
2. Work sucks! Seriously sucks. Morons are being lauded for things that yes they have done, but at the expense of everything else. I am stuck with a crap load of work because someone on my team feels that kissing ass is a more important task than her actual work load. I also have a company wide project I am working on, but it is fun and not to time consuming.
3. I may be allergic to the perfume the girl in the cube behind me wears. I seem to have a headache every afternoon lately....
That or I need new contacts - which is more likely it!
Anyway, good news....

• We got 10 RSVP cards in the mail last night!!! So much fun! I love mail. Everyone is coming so far!
• I have been poking around my registry - Kohls and Bed, Bath, & Beyond if you care and LOTS of great things have been purchased!!! I am getting all new cookware, towels, silverware, kitchen accessories (spoons, serving pieces, etc.), a water filter, new bedding, sheets! My friends and family ROCK!
• I visited my best friend and her new baby last night. He is adorable, and I know it is a cliche, but I don't remember Ryan being that small EVER (and I know he was). He has the most dramatic little cry so I have started calling him Drama.
• Anyone else watch Entourage? I love it! Jeremy Piven is a hottie. Yes, I have very weird taste. My fave celebs are: Jeremy (hyper hottie), Harry Connick, Jr. (Cajun Hottie), Jon Bon Jovi (Rock hottie), and Tommy Lee (dirty hottie). No one can say I am not eclectic, right?
• Ryan slept ALL night again! HURRAY!!!
• Oh, I bought a breast pump (gearing up for number 2) from Stacy. She gave me a good deal - thanks, Stacy!

All right I am going to work some more so I can go home a little early and let the dog out and check the mail!!!