Finger Sucker

Who needs a thumb when you've got a perfectly good finger?

A BIG Happy Birthday!

To my dear sweet daddy or "The Monopoly Man" as Andy called him the first time he met him.  He turns 58 years young today!

AND...

To this sweet little girl who turns 7, Andy's little sis Destiny.

Happy Birthday!!!!!

An Epidemic Has Taken Over the In Laws BUT...

This past Saturday the annual routine of Andy's family getting a stomach bug, which spreads like dominos through his family members, started with his youngest brother.  As expected it spread to 2 more members Sunday, then 2 or more members after Monday and I believe there's only 1 left in the household yet to be infected.  Andy talked to his dad and learned that his dad doesn't know if he's getting sick too or if he's sick from the horrid smell of vomit and the nasty d word (aka number 3ariah) which have taken over their house!  Since this is Noah's current daycare facility and my husband is a fanatic germaphobe who hand sanatizes even after washing his hands with soap and warm water, we are not bringing Noah to nana and papa's this week (at least not unil Friday if the evil germs are gone).  Which means, Andy is working a half day today (so only half a pay for today) until I get off work. Who knows what's going on tomorrow. Thursday I'm sneaking and working from home since my boss will be out of town, and hopefully Friday will be disinfected enough for Noah's return.

BUT...on a few positive notes:

1.) The Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl to face the Giants once again and will hopefully get their revenge!  This makes daddy and Noah vey happy (although they only look mildy happy in this photo)

2.) Our house is currently stomach bug free! :)

3.) We officially move this coming weekend and I get a 5 day weekend for the purpose of moving

4.) Noah and mommy had a great and lazy Saturday morning watching reruns of Extreme Makeover Home Edition (which ALWAYS leaves me in tears)

He was interested for a whole 5 minutes or so until...

Sleep consumed him.  But I still got lots of cute baby cudde time!

5.) Finally, last night we came to the realization that Noah is truely happiest when stripped naked, laying on his playmat looking at his reflection while talking and laughing at himself!  I love this little boy!

The Working MaMa!

I have to say that one of the biggest challenges I've faced since becoming a mommy is the dreaded day I had to go back to work.  Going from spending every waking moment with your little one to leaving them for an extended number of hours at a time is very tough.  Hopefully one day it will be in our plans to allow me to be home, if not for good, at least be home more.  That is, once all of our unecessary debt is paid off.  I have found some ways to help cope with leaving, although it will always be difficult.

1. Since I'm breastfeeding, I've been given a private place to allow me to pump when needed everyday.  This gives me time to relax and while there I usually give my sweet hubby (who stays home with baby D every Monday and until 1 Tues through Fri) a phone call.  This for one gives me a chance to talk to Andy, who I also miss dearly, but also lets me hear Noah make his cute little coos which are his great attempt at talking to mama! 

2. When I'm back at my desk, I have a little family shrine of photos.  Whenever I get to missing them I just look over at my photos of some great memories I have with them.

My computer's desktop background is our family but what you don't see is the hundreds of pictures that flash by on my sceen saver.  It's a big incentive to let me stop working for a few minutes so I can see them!

I didn't forget my dear old ma and pa and my sweet little doggy, Derby, back in Ohio.  They are also there to keep me company.

3.  Since I work fairly close to home and I get an hour lunch, I always make a much enjoyed trip back home for lunch with my boys!  I get to nurse Noah which gives me much needed quality time. I also enjoy a bite with Andy.  And even though leaving Noah for a second time during the day is also tough, it definitely helps break up the day and gives me something else to look forward to along with leaving work for the day at 5 to pick up my little pumpkin!

These have helped me cope but let's face it, not everyone is able make a trip home for lunch or is able to make random personal calls during work.  But anytime you do have a break, reconnecting to that sweet little bundle you love oh so much will help.  If you don't have a desk to personalize, maybe there's something else.  Or if not, then maybe having something which reminds you of your baby love, such as a photo or keepsake, will give you something to smile at during the day until you are back at your favorite place, home, and with your favorite people, family!

THERE'S DEFINITELY NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

Did She Mention Ghost Hunting?!?

Why yes I did mentioned briefly my love of ghost hunting in my about me.  Actually, I'm not the only one who enjoys this kind of a "unique" hobby, Andy does as well.  That's not even the strangest part of our spooky story.  Andy and I actually met each other while ghost hunting with SyFy's Ghost Hunters at the gorgeous but haunted Mt. Washington Hotel in NH. 
It's an absolutely GORGEOUS hotel with the most spectacular views however it is a bit pricy. 
Here's a picture of the day Andy and I met in the lobby.

So now you are probably wondering "How on earth did you decide you like/want to ghost hunt and how did you find a husband while doing it?".

When I was younger I had an unexplained event happen (which I might explain some other time) and have since then wondered what else was out there that can't be explained.  Because of this strong interest in the "unknown", I've always enjoyed creepy paranormal shows and movies.  One day I stumbled upon a show called "Ghost Hunters" and watched an episode, then was hooked!  People always asked me, "do you think they fake stuff" or "don't they think EVERYTHING is caused by a ghost?" but my answer to both is ALWAYS no.  They have a unique approach of trying to debunk, or disprove, a hauting.  In fact they will themselves say that they debunk at least 85% of what they investigate.  So unlike some of those other shows which give ghost hunting/ghost hunters a bad rep, these guys are legit!  If you haven't seen the show, you should totally check it out!

The ghost hunters, also known as TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), started hosting ghost hunting events at places they investigated in their show.  SWEET a chance to actually get involved and try experiencing some of these things with the guys from the show!  The first event I went to with them was the Mt. Washington event where I met Andy, who lived in Vermont (hence how I'm no longer a flat lander).  Once signing up for the event I was wanting to connect with others going which lead me to a forum posted on one of the leaders of TAPS myspace page.  That's where my very first interaction with Andy came as well as meeting some cool new friends.  A group of us communicated almost daily about the event and eventually met at the hotel and basically the rest is history.  Ok so it's a little bit more than "just history" but it would take forever and a day to explain in detail.  But in general, that's a short story of how I got into ghost hunting and met my husband while doing it.  After the first investigation at the Mt. Washington, Andy and I later went back there for another event with TAPS. We've investigated the Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo NY at an event hosted by those guys.  But mostly we do our own personal investigations.  Some are places for fun which we've heard of being haunted and we want to prove/disprove it for ourselves, and some for friends and/or family who question paranormal in their own home.  No matter what, it can lead to some pretty awesome spookie nights!

If you ever find yourself with a desire to explore the unknown, have some extra cash, and want to get experience with the experienced and the beginners like yourselves, check out TAPS website which lists their current events!

Long Time No See

Well actually it should be long time no start!  2011 was crazier than expected that I completely abandoned the thought of running this blog, SHAME SHAME SHAME on me!  Well to sum up my year...my dear sweet hubby and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary
Got Pregnant...

Yes I was only 34 weeks here!

and had a baby BOY!

Noah James was born September 15, 2011 at 2:14pm

Weighing in at exactly 6 pounds and was the most perfect little peanut we could ask for.

If I had been better about getting this site up and going, I'm sure I would have taken you through the many woos of pregnancy.  He arrived about 5 weeks early, his due date was October 19, when my water broke at 5am...YIKES!  Approximately 9 hours later, Noah made his GRAND entrance.  At 6 pounds, he would have been at least 8 pounds full term, he was a good size and healthy preemie.

Beside the "small task" of having a baby, yes that's pure sarcasm, I've just been enjoying spending time with my wonderful little family. 

It's been such a blessed year and I'm so grateful!

Now if I can just keep this blog going this year it would be even better.  Maybe that should've been my New Year's resolution!