I've been tagged

My friend Claire has tagged me for a meme. Here we go...

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was working as a manager in a Call Center, doing lots of micro-managing as any good Call Center manager does. I was also gearing up to meet Dennis in a few months in said Call Center... ;)

2.) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
OK, today's almost over, so here's my list for tomorrow -

• Wrap presents for Chrissie's baby shower (nothing like waiting 'til the last minute!)
• Get the oil changed in the Pilot
• Fold laundry
• Portion out and freeze the family pack of chicken breasts sitting in the fridge
• Vacuum out the coils on the refrigerator...after the fridge died while we were on vacation last summer, I swore I was going to do this religiously every 3 months...I think it's been about 6...

3) Snacks I enjoy:
All of them, especially every single new thing that comes on the market

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• Buy homes in all my favorite places
• Fly our families to any of them whenever they wanted to go
• Buy a huge piece of property and open up a rescue operation for all kinds of animals

5) Places I have lived:
CT and MA - not too exciting, huh?

6.) Jobs I have had:
Secretary/bookkeeper in a church rectory, clothing store clerk, bank teller, bank trust department client service administrator, customer service representative in a call center, manager in a call center, project manager, manager again, assistant director

7.) 6 peeps I wanna know more about:

• Gini
• Christopher
• Allison
• Denise
• and anyone else who stops by....

Out for a drive

One of our favorite things to do is venture out on the weekend for a drive, just taking in the scenery and the beauty of nature. Since I didn't grow up in these parts, Dennis is in charge of planning the route. And let me just say - he never disappoints.

This Monday we decided to head out on just such a drive, despite the fact that gas is over $4.00 a gallon. Seriously, folks, something's gotta give. When is this craziness going to stop? Ugggh....don't get me started...

Anyhoo....we took a nice leisurely ride, heading out to the Berkshires by way of Southwick, Granville, Tolland, Sandisfield, and Monterey. It was a gorgeous day - windows down and such, and the ride could not have been prettier. Thank goodness we have a child who doesn't mind his car seat and loves looking out the window because we purposely went the looooong way. We ended up in Tyringham, somewhere we've gone before. There's this beautiful stream behind the town library, where Dennis' Uncle Matt (yes, Matthew's namesake) used to take him fishing. We've fished there before, and decided it was time to introduce Matthew to this little honey hole. While we were there, we saw four fish jump - oh, to have had a license and a pole! Here are some pics of our visit...


We left the library and headed further down the main road, taking detours down a couple of side roads to follow the stream through some amazing farms. Made us want to have a farm of our own -minus all the hard work and getting up at the a$$ crack of dawn, that is. Along the way, we stumbled upon these fellows....how cool are they??

By this time, we were famished, so we headed into Lee to have lunch at our favorite little place there - Salmon Run Fish House. I highly recommend the buffalo shrimp - so yummy! We had our fill and headed out. As tempting as it was to stop off at the outlets in Lee, we decided it was time to get Matthew home. We made it back with about an hour of daylight (and a 1/2 tank of gas) left.

The day left me wondering if Matthew will grow up with our same appreciation for the beauty of nature. I wonder if he'll enjoy the journey as we do, with no special activity planned, just reveling in the fact that nothing manmade can even come close to the awesome wonder of nature. Somehow I know the day is right around the corner when Matthew and Daddy will come home just before dark, exhausted from following that stream and catching a load of fish. I can't wait.

Starting solids

We've noticed lately that Matthew has been paying attention when we eat and drink, following things as we move them toward our mouths. So, when he went for his four-month checkup this past week, I asked the doctor if it was OK to try giving him solids to see if he was interested. He was happy to see that Matthew has great head control, so he gave us the green light. As is typically the case, he suggested we start out with rice cereal, so we thought we'd give it a try.

Here are a couple of pictures of the first attempt....

I don't know - I don't think he's too interested. Maybe we should try some Cranberry Almond Crunch - something with a little pizzazz.

OK, OK, here are some shots of the real first attempt. It was pretty liquid-y, to keep it close to what he's used to eating, so you can see he got a bit on himself. Not bad, though, for a first try...

The second try went even better - he was actually leaning forward toward the spoon, and got annoyed if we didn't feed him fast enough. Have a look....

I can't wait to try out other new foods - veggies are next!

One downside, though, as all you parents out there already know. Introducing new foods also means a whole new experience in the diaper department....

I don't know about this...

My baby brother has challenged us all to post old pictures of ourselves so we can see who's aged the most in recent years.

So, here goes nothing.....This first shot is from September, 2000 - nice hair!! Notice how my big mop has completely obscured Gini's head.....

And here's a shot from last weekend at Long Meddowe Days.

Why did I agree to do this??

I must say - I've certainly aged in the last 8 years, but every bit of it has been worth it. I wouldn't have my life any other way.

Thanks for visiting!

Last night, Matthew got his first introduction to Mommy's side of the family. Uncle Bill (my sister's husband, for those who don't know) is out on the East Coast for business, and came by for a visit. He brought along his mom, Nancy (a.k.a. Mémé), and his niece, Jenna, who is also Matthew's third cousin. (I've always been unclear on the whole first, second, third cousin, once, twice, thrice removed thing, so I just looked it up, and by George, I think I've got it! In case you need a crash course too, here you go.)

Matthew had a great time hanging out with everyone - especially Uncle Bill. Check it out!



Thanks for coming to see us, guys! Uncle Bill, hope you had a safe flight home. See you in October if not sooner!

It's a hit!

Tonight Daddy put together Matthew's Activity Center. We decided to give it a quick try, just to see what his reaction would be. He was a bit fussy tonight - he had a slight fever and some swelling around where he got his shots yesterday - so we weren't sure how he'd feel about being put in it. Well, he LOVED it! The colors are awesome and there are so many cool toys to play with. He was mesmerized by all the options - that is, in between looking up to check on the Sox game!!! Check him out....



Thanks Uncle Chris and Auntie Allison!

I love it here....

There are times when it's easy to remember why I love living here (here being New England in general, and more specifically, Longmeadow). This weekend was one of those times.

Every year, our town celebrates Long Meddowe days, put on by the Historical Society. In general, the town tends to be a bit of a throwback, but this celebration really seals the deal. There are architectural tours of the 17th and 18th century houses lining the green, a cemetery tour, a town parade, and various other highlights commemorating the town's history. This was our second year attending (we didn't really know about it our first year here). I clearly recall last year's visit - I had just found out I was pregnant, and couldn't partake of the hot dogs the Boy Scouts were selling. Believe me when I tell you I partook this year. =)

Aside from the culinary offerings, there are all sorts of artisans displaying their wares, along with folks just looking to make a statement - you know, save the manatees, and so forth....

The weather was perfect on Saturday - low 70's, so we took a walk to the town green to check it out. It's so nice to be able to walk to places in town, and to see people coming from every direction. Now granted, the whole town is only 9.5 square miles, so they're not really coming from too far....but you get my drift.

On the way, we passed the police station, and saw this cool old police car....

Gotta love a police station that looks like that!

Once at the green, we ate our fill of hot dogs and kettle corn and french fries, all set up by local organizations. We picked up a few treasures along the way - a couple of new flags for the front yard and a fire truck magnet to hold a picture of Matthew. We had a great day - taking in the fresh air and feeling like part of a thriving community. We ran into a few neighbors, some who were meeting Matthew for the first time. He was all smiles, and looking oh, so cute. Here are a few pics we took throughout the day....

A woman passing by offered to take a picture of the three of us together - love this shot!

I can't wait until next year when we can take Matthew on the little train ride, or walk alongside him atop a cute pony. We moved here knowing it was where we wanted to raise a family, and it makes me so happy to think of all the fun times we have to look forward to.

My meme

No, I'm not referring to my grandmother - it's meme, not mèmè, and besides, I'm not French...

By definition, a meme is a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. In cyberspace, a meme is basically a list of questions you see or are "tagged" with, that you then answer yourself.

So, I've been tagged by my sister with the below meme, so here goes...

Five Things in My Bag:

1. BabyGap socks
2. Frog bib
3. An angel medallion
4. A Max Restaurant Group gift card from the Mehan's
5. 16 Big Y coins - including one red one that I won last night - the coin gods must be reading my blog!

Five Favorite Things in My Room:

1. Matthew - Yes, he's still sleeping in our room. Yes, I know he's almost 4 months old. And your point is???
2. My mother's Madonna statue (as in The Madonna, not the singer) This statue started out as part of an arrangement at my grandfather's funeral, then was used at my mother's, too.
3. The giraffe Dennis built me at Build-A-Bear. It wore my engagement ring around its neck on Christmas Day, 2005.
4. My jewelry box (and its contents!)
5. Our featherbed and duvet

Five Things I Have Always Wanted To Do:

1. Go for a ride in a hot air balloon.
2. Go back to Italy, and make it to Sicily this time.
3. Learn to swim. I know - how ridiculous is it that I'm thirty-some-odd years old and I can't swim? Chalk it up to nearly drowning as a kid when my sister and I pretended we could swim. Smart.
4. Own a goat - a brown and black one.
5. Marry a wonderful man and have a beautiful baby -technically, no one said it had to be something I haven't done.... =)

Five Things I Am Currently Into:

1. Making Matthew laugh
2. Reading parenting magazines
3. Sabra Greek Olive Hummus
4. Finding reasonable airfare to Vegas so we can visit this fall
5. Blogging, actually....

Five People I Want To Tag:

1. I got nothin'.....the only people I know who blog have already been tagged....to everyone else, I say
2. Start
3. Your
4. Blog
5. Now!
   
   
   
   

My first Mother's Day

Lemme just say - I am spoiled! For obvious reasons, Mother's Day took on new meaning for me this year. Aside from the best present ever - being a Mom in the first place - I was showered with some lovely cards and gifts. On Friday, when I picked Matthew up at school, I was given a scrapbook page with two great pictures - check it out...

Then, on Saturday afternoon, I got a delivery of beautiful flowers. Since I hadn't showered yet, I asked Dennis to answer the door when the doorbell rang, expecting it to be one of the neighborhood kids selling something. Lo and behold, it was a delivery man with an arrangement from my two favorite guys. Look how pretty.....

Yesterday morning, I found these Cape Cod earrings on my pillow.....(they match the Cape Cod bracelet I got for Christmas two years ago)....

When we made our way downstairs after snuggling with Matthew for a while, I found two cards and yet another present on the coffee table - two new charms for my Pandora bracelet - our birthstones, to go with Matthew's which Dennis bought me when he was born.

We had a nice breakfast and then headed over to Nanna and Poppy's for lunch with the Egan family. Matthew gave his Nanna a keepsake book for her to fill out for him, detailing her favorite memories from her life, including some juicy tidbits about Daddy. I got even more presents there - a beautiful spring planter and a gift certificate to my favorite spa. I can't wait to go get a massage!

We then made a trip to the cemetery to visit my Mom. How I wished she could be here to meet our precious son. It made me realize more than ever how much I need to keep our family traditions alive - those things that shaped my life and still mean so much. Here's a shot of Matthew during our visit...

It's hard to believe how quickly we've gone from this....

to this....

Thanks, everyone, for an amazing Mother's Day. Love you.

It's our day!

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!!!

The bane of my existence

Here it is, folks. The thing that is driving me mad these days....

Those of you who live in the Northeast (or have lived here) will recognize this little puppy. It's a silver coin from Big Y, a chain of supermarkets in this area. Like most stores, Big Y has a card you can use to take advantage of special sale prices, all the while giving the store a complete record of the food and products your family uses. Small price to pay, I say, especially in these times of escalating prices for everything. Well, Big Y takes it a step further. There's a slot machine style game you can play on a touch screen at the register to try to win coins, which can be used for extra savings on specific items that change each week. For those of us not living in the Vegas area, where there are real slot machines in the supermarkets, this is the next best thing.

More often than not, you end up with a No Winner, but now and then you hit the jackpot. By jackpot, I mean you win a silver coin, the lowest possible prize. In God knows how many years of shopping at Big Y, I've won maybe five red or blue coins, and have never even seen a gold coin - I personally don't think they exist.

So, these coins get you pretty good savings - that is, when you remember to actually use them. I must have a dozen silver coins in my purse, and probably 20 more at home. As I shop, I'll pick things up, knowing that I can turn in some coins and save some coin. But do I do that? Well, no....because I'm too busy playing the stupid game trying to win more!! And to make matters worse, the Big Y in town has taken to giving out two surprise silver coins everytime you shop, whether you play the game or not. No wonder my purse weighs 10 pounds.

That's all for now.....I have to go drink some of the 128 oz jug of Tropicana Pure Premium No Pulp with Calcium orange juice that would have been $5.44 if I had used my coin...and I need to call Gamblers Anonymous.

Just venting.....

I've been trying to upload a video (of Matthew, of course) since Monday evening. Blogger is being incredibly temperamental, and keeps giving me an error message. It then displays a ridiculously long ID # and suggests you contact support at a link they provide. Clicking the link gets you nowhere but chasing your tail in a sea of FAQ's that tell you to follow the steps you've already followed.

Gee, thanks for the "support" - NOT!!!

The ole switcheroo...

Today we shook things up a bit. Dennis had to get an extra early start since he was teaching a Junior Achievement class to a group of 7th graders at a school in Springfield. Since the class began at 8:00 a.m., that meant he wouldn't be able to drop Matthew off at school. So, we switched roles today, me dropping off and Dennis picking up. Little did I know what I was in for....

Despite the disruption to our usual routine, we did quite well timing our morning preparations. Dennis left around 7:15, and Matthew and I headed out just before 8:00. Matthew was in a great mood, and stayed awake on the ride to school. Dennis has come to prefer the morning drop off when Matthew is awake, so I was happy he hadn't fallen asleep. He doesn't like envisioning him waking up wondering where he is, and I totally get this.

So, we arrive at school, and I sign him in for the day. We go into the infant room, and one of the teachers gleefully (no really, it was gleefully!) announces "Matthew's here!" I proceed to fill out his little book so his teachers know how his morning has been - what time he woke up, what time he ate, when his last diaper change was, etc. Then, I take him out of his car seat and into the main area, where his primary teacher is waiting. I snuggle with him for a while, smothering him with kisses and asking him if he'll miss me. I knew sooner or later, I'd have to leave. What I wasn't prepared for, though, was this.....


Someone else is reaching for my baby, and waiting for me to hand him over.

Seriously?

Now granted, she only had two hands, not three, but she might as well have had 50 - that's how it felt and how unprepared for it I was. God help me when Matthew starts reaching back.....

Why couldn't he have just been sleeping soundly in his car seat? No, you're right, I wouldn't have liked that either. I should instead be so thankful that they adore him like they do.

So I handed him over and went off to work.....

This afternoon, Dennis got out early and went to spring Matthew from school. He walked in to find him hanging out in his bouncy chair. I know the scene, and somehow, in a way I can't define, he looks so different when you see him in that setting. He collected all his stuff and took him home. Funny - he liked picking him up about as much as I liked dropping him off. I guess we're in the roles we're meant to be in.

On a positive note, Matthew's backup teacher bestowed on me yet another present Matthew created. It was Parent Appreciation Week, so the teachers and kids did something special each day for the parents. Since Matthew doesn't attend on Thursdays, we got yesterday's present today. Check it out...guess this explains why he had no socks on when I picked him up on Wednesday!