Happy 1/3 Birthday !!

Today Ajax is 4 months old. He woke up today and was in a great mood, giving us tons of smiles and laughing a lot. He is so funny and ends up making everyone laugh too. Tomorrow he goes to the doctors for his 4 month check up. He is getting so big, it will be interesting what his official measurements are this visit. I'll put up the numbers on Monday.

Last night cousin Greg came over for dinner. We had apple cider baked haddock with seafood stuffing, glazed carrots and pasta on the side. It was delicious, filling and not to hard to make up. Greg got lots of smiles and giggles out of Ajax last night, he loved having someone else to entertain.

Kansas City Here We Come!

Jamie and I have booked our trip to Kansas City!! We'll be visiting Jamie's brother Justin and his wonderful family out there, we are very excited about it. We are going in April so the weather should be good and Ajax will be about 5 months old by then. It's going to be a real fun time playing with the boys and being able to see Justin and Bridget.

We can't wait to see you guys!!!


I came across a new website that has all inspirational stories in it, http://www.forallthewaysyoucare.com/ Take a look and read some of the stories if you are looking for a good heart warming story. Some of them are amazing, some are long winded and I think almost all are written by women :o)

Traffic Cam Site

Traffic camera's on Aquidneck website: http://www.tmc.dot.ri.gov/comment/camcenterMapView.aspx#

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I hope you all had a good one. Jamie and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner of lobsters for our special day. It was very delicious and a perfect dinner for the two of us. I made up a cake for dessert to top it all off.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there!

Women & Money - Free

Suze Orman was on Oprah yesterday and is giving away copies of her book online for free today! Check it out at http://flv.oprah.com/suze_orman_eng.pdf

It will only be available till 2 pm today so get a copy quick. I love Suze Orman, I always watch her show and I have read her book The Young, Fabulous & Broke book three times now.

Let's See Where You Stand

I found an interesting website: http://www.pricegrabber.com/survey/start/?office=1

It asks you questions on the issues of the 2008 election and then matches you up with the person who aligns most with you. Give it a try, get involved, vote, and care. You can also see the latest standings at: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/

Nana Jeanne's

Ajax at 3 months and giving Nana big smiles!!


A short clip of Uncle Jamie and Brendan - Feb. 10 at Nana and Papa's house. (There's no sound on this one but still cute)

This weekend we went up to Nana and Papa's house for Sunday dinner. We had a great time and had a wonderful meal. Jon, Erin & Brendan came over to visit as well. The boys are getting so big!

This weekend cousin Melissa had her baby too!! Maya Elizabeth was born on Saturday Feb. 9 early in the morning. We are so happy for her and Mike and we can't wait to meet the new little addition to the family. Congratulations!!

Online Shopping

I ordered my new digital camera! I'm very excited about it and can't wait for it to come. I went with the Olympus FE-340, it can do the short video clips like my brothers and it comes in red which I was very happy about as well. So once I get that and figure out how to use it expect some more video postings.

I had a whole online shopping extravaganza time this past week. I also ordered the detox kit from Method, I love their products so much. They are all non-toxic and safe to use around kids and pets as well as being some of the best cleaners I've used. They are good for the environment and they also use recycled plastic for their containers. I'm a big fan especially of the daily shower cleaner, left my shower sparkling clean!!

I also ordered a kit from footpetals This is another great site that has all sorts of cushions and stuff for your shoes to make them more comfortable, even high heels. I had heard about them from some of the message boards that I read and had heard great things about them. I had a pair of shoes that I really liked and were almost wearable but you know that you couldn't really go a whole day in them so I had ordered up one of these kits to make them feel much more comfortable. FYI use coupon code FPVIP081 before 3-31-08 to receive 20% off your order, can't beat that! It also says on the site you get a free gift of orders over $25.

I also ordered flowers online as well through usaflorist
I had found them through my works discount program but they ended up having some great specials that were even better then what you got with the discount. With Valentine's Day right around the corner this might be something to consider. FYI if you do go with www.usaflorist.com then use this hint: fill in the infomation on the deliver to and bill to page, making sure to include your email address at the bottom. Hit continue to bring you to the next page, once at the next page close the page. You'll lose your info so no need to fill it in all correctly the first time but make sure to do the email address. They will then email you an offer to complete your order and skip the 13 dollar service charge! Use the link in your email to receive the free shipping on your flower order.

Also check AAA/discounts for other great discounts if you are a member. There are discounts at Circuit City, Dell, DirecTV, CVS, FTD.com, Mill Stores, New York & Company, and Target.com as well as a bunch more.

Here are some of the deals I found with AAA:

- Bob's Stores: All members of AAA SNE are invited to shop at any Bob's location and receive... 25% off their entire purchase!* This specially designed week long shopping events runs from Sunday, February 24th through Saturday, March 1st. Employees and members can present their AAA card at any Bob's Stores location to receive 25% off clothing, footwear, cool gear and much more.

- Linens 'N Things: Download the exclusive AAA coupon and you can choose either a 10% off your total purchase, or take $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. Link to coupon

- Reebok Outlet Stores: AAA members save 20% everyday!

- Payless Shoes: SAVE* 10% on all regular priced merchandise in stores or online, Simply enter your three-digit AAA club code (240) as a coupon code at check out.

As you can tell I've been on a discount hunt lately, I'm not sure what got into me but it's come up with some great savings. If you have any online shopping to do make sure to check for discounts, a good place to start is www.retailmenot.com

Have a good weekend, the weather is cold and snowy out so might as well shop from home :o)

Almost the Weekend; Almost SuperBowl

Can't wait for the weekend over here. I'm excited for SuperBowl as well, not so much for the football that goes with it but for the food and getting together with family. Should be good times.

I checked out a few charities that have a click here once a day to help support and I put up the link in the top left corner of the blog. I checked all of them out on www.snopes.com and they are all honest and official websites that help people and animals out. So check them out and if you can click on them once a day.

I joined a book club and we are trying to figure out what book we should start with. They've been throwing around the idea of The Senator's Wife, I haven't heard of it but I like to read anything so I was up for it. It's not official yet so if anyone out there has any suggestions on what would be a good book club book please let me know, I'd love to hear it.

In response to Jen's question on where we came up with the name Ajax:
We had looked all through the baby name book and came up with a long list of ones we liked. The baby name books didn't help that much though, the names we liked they didn't even bother printing. Picking a name turned out to be much harder then I ever thought that it would be. Jamie liked Greek names, I liked unique names, and we wanted something that went well with Heos. We were willing to go away from the norm because honestly this kid is going to be a house when he's older, there really wasn't any worry about other kids picking on him over it.
The list was about 20 names long and we had a heck of a time picking our top 5 and then from there a hard time picking just one. We like that it's strong and a short name, easy to spell and is Greek.
I didn't want to officially pick a name until we saw the baby so we had 3 lined up, though by we I mean me, Jamie had just Ajax and was sold on it for a few weeks before he came. Jamie and I both really like it, I hope he does too when he gets older. If not he can go by AJ or even Joseph or some form of that. He's got the perfect name if he becomes a professional sports player though :)

Nana K on the Job

My mom came to our house Monday morning to start her new ‘job’ taking care of Ajax two days a week. It was great to have her over and watching him. The stress of trying to get ready in the morning was much less as well as was me worrying about him through the day. I went home at lunchtime and fed him, it was so much easier not having to run all around getting what I need done in time. Nana K slept over and be watched Ajax again on Tuesday. He has a great time and Nana loves it too which is the best part.

I’ve decided to put my classes for my Masters on hold for awhile. There was another class starting up the same week that I returned to work and it just seemed like to much to take on right now. Between everything I felt that I would be stretched too thin and it just wasn’t a priority for me right now. Plus I’ve learned more then I ever want to know about the Theory of Elasticity from being pregnant, or at least the lack there of.

Easing back into work is going better; I’m getting into a routine some what now. I’ve been packing up and getting ready the night before which is helping out a lot. Turns out I can’t make any decisions or figure out what needs to be done at six o’clock in the morning. I don’t think that I was ever good at it but with baby brain there is no hope at all.

I’m looking into getting a digital camera. Since Dax took that short movie clip of Ajax I’ve been hooked on the idea and can’t shake it loose. Jamie and I have been doing some research and checking out prices. Hopefully I’ll be able to get one and then I’ll be posting clips on here all the time.

Back at it

So I’m back at work now and back to blogging. Three months went by faster then it has ever before for me, Thanksgiving and Christmas felt only a week apart. Ajax is doing great; he has already doubled in weight and grown 5 inches longer. How a person grows 5 inches in 3 months I honestly don’t know.

It’s strange to be back to work now. I feel like I never left at some points, same old thing and routine. I am always thinking about how he’s doing and miss taking care of him all day but he seems to be doing ok at daycare. The daycare is close to work so I’ve been able to go there at lunch time and nurse and see him and put him down for a nap which is great. He seems dazed by all the stuff to look at when he is at daycare. Heck I feel overwhelmed with everything going on there when I’m there too! Music, other babies, bright colors, toys and swings everywhere. It’s a lot to take in.

I’m still trying to figure out how to make work and nursing and pumping all go smoothly. So far I’ve failed but I’m going to keep trying. Today is the second day of work for me and forgot a part of the pump at home so that I couldn’t pump at work like I was planning. Then as I’m about to get back to work from pumping and nursing I realize that I’ve forgotten my ID badge at home, ugh. Hopefully tomorrow will go smoother but who knows, this is tough.

I remember at a Woman’s Network meeting I was at I was asking if we could have a speaker come in and talk about how to balance working full time and feeling fulfilled as a mother. This sounded great but turns out you have to either sacrifice work advancement or your time at home is what I kept hearing from others. Seems like this is what everyone is looking for and no one has totally figured it all out yet, so I’ve decided not to put to much pressure on myself to get it perfect and just do the best that I can. It would be great if someone could figure out how to do it though.

Ajax Joseph

October 28, 2007, 10:57 pm during Game 4 of the World Series Ajax Joseph was born.

7 lbs 12 oz
19.5 inches

TGIF

No baby yet but at my doctor's visit yesterday she said that I'm 85% effaced and 1 cm and she is thinking that he might come this weekend!! We'll see though. If he doesn't I'll have an ultrasound and baby stress test next week at the hospital to make sure things are still going ok.

Happy Due Date to Me!

So today is my big due date and no baby yet. World Series Game 1 is tonight at 8 pm, Go Red Sox! Maybe it will happen during the seventh inning stretch :o) Still no signs of our little guy coming any time soon though but you never know. Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment so hopefully she'll have some news for us.

39 weeks and 5 days

Still no baby yet.

The Red Sox game last night was great to watch, I stayed up till the end to see it. It was hard to stay up that late, I think I passed out 2 minutes after it ended. It was a such an amazing game to watch, I'm so glad they came back from 3-1 to win the series. Next in line is Colorado and they are coming here to Boston which is great. I'm glad that Colorado made it, I think Matt Holliday is a dream boat and happy as could be that he'll be hanging out in Bean Town. So get ready and fyi, Game 1 is Oct. 24th, our due date! I'm still behind the Red Sox all the way every day but Holliday's behind I could look at all day.

Statistically though, they say that only 3% of babies are born on their due date. 3% ?!! Why do they even bother to guess if they only get it right 3% of the time? I almost feel like I have a better chance with those odds of NOT having him on our due date. We'll see, I like being punctual so maybe he does too. ;)

October 21 - 39 weeks and 4 days but who's counting?

Still no baby yet. This is now how I answer the phone, or when I call anyone this is my opening line. Thursday we went for our weekly check up and things are all still looking good. My official due date is Oct. 24th, Wednesday of this week! Right around the corner.

I started my maternity leave last week, Oct. 12th was my last day of work for the year!! How strange to think of it that way. I'm glad I decided to stop when I did, I was really starting to feel sore and tired all the time. This week it's been even tougher but so much easier to deal with at home then at work trying to just make it through the day. I've been doing a lot of reading and resting. I watched some movies and got the house all cleaned up and ready to go. It's nice to be able to get these last few things finished up at my own pace and be able to stop and relax when I need it.

Not much else to report here except feeling big, sore and tired :o) and very very excited!

36 Weeks Picture

This is me at the Annual Harvest Festival on Sept. 29th at 36 weeks! We had a fun time walking all around, seeing the crafts and kids activites. What a big belly!!

Birthday Bash

Jamie's birthday weekend was a lot of fun! I got Jamie a Kevin Garnett Celtics jersey. I bought it awhile ago and had the hardest time waiting for his birthday to get here to give it to him, I had been tempted a few times to make it an early present but I'm glad that I was able to hold out. He loved it and it fits him great. Under all the tissue paper in the gift bag I hid the two Celtics vs. The Lakers tickets that I had gotten him as well. When he saw them he was amazed! It was like making a 3 point shot from mid court to win the game with this birthday gift!!

On Saturday Jeanne and John came down for Jamie's birthday as well. It was great to see them again and show Jeanne the baby's room all finished up. Everything is ready to go in there, now we are just waiting for the baby! John and Jamie installed a new mixing valve on the furnace so the hot water isn't scalding anymore. I was so thankful to get this done before the baby came. They also cut down a tree out back that overhung the pool. Its great getting it down before all of the leaves fell down and filled the pool.

We went out for lunch at The Mooring and it was spectacular! The Mooring is located at Sayer's Wharf in Newport right on the water. We sat out on the back deck overlooking the water and the docked boats. It was a great location and the weather was perfect, warm with a nice breeze of the water. The food was amazing and unique. We started out with scallop chowder, clam chowder and seafood fritters all of which was absolutely terrific. For lunch we got the lobster croissant and it was packed with tasty lobster meat. It was a great time and we were all happily stuffed by the end of it. It was nice to be able to relax, talk and hang out with Jeanne and John for the afternoon. Thanks for coming down, I know that Jamie had a great birthday weekend!

Apple Picking and Birthday Time!!

We had a nice weekend and got to do most everything I was hoping for. Saturday morning we walked up to Foodworks for breakfast. We hadn't been there before and it was good and it felt great to get out for a walk and enjoy the wonderful weather that we had. Jamie and I went to the Harvest Festival in Middletown later. There were a lot of people at the festival and plenty of games and crafts to check out. After the festival we went to my favorite farm, Sweet Berry, and did some apple picking! It was strange having the weather be so nice during apple picking, usually your fingers are frozen by the end of it.

After all that walking on Saturday I completely passed out for the evening. It was worth it though because it was such a great day, I enjoyed being able to spend some quality time as just Jamie and me. The whole weekend went great, we got lots done that we were hoping to but also took it easy and relaxed.

Today is Oct. 5th and is Jamie's birthday!!! Happy Birthday babe :o) Jamie's parents and Erin are coming down tomorrow to celebrate with us which is great. I'm trying to talk him into a lobster dinner on Sunday for his birthday ;) I'm not sure if he's going for that yet though. We'll have to see but I'm really hoping.