It’s Mother’s Day – possibly my favorite holiday EVER. See 2011(part 1 and part 2) and 2010

I get to be mommy for these precious babies…

Marco

Stabler

Roux

Chloe (with her sarcastic face!)

And that is reason to celebrate.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mommies – whether it be people babies or fur babies!

 

Yesterday was my first day back at work, and though only a half day, I found myself exhausted!

So, now I’m feeling a little lazy, and figured a post of photos from my iPhone was the least tiring type of post

New Year’s Eve countdown with Marco

Marco and his aunt Chloe are silly geese

My beautiful, sweet friends Adrian and Micaela visited me last week to cheer me up, keep me company, and fatten me up a little, LOL. In addition to the Gott’s lunch we had (complete with milkshakes!), Adrian brought Timmy and I dinner – a tasty lasagna! Her recipe is HERE

Flowers from my bosses and coworkers

The best way to wake up in the morning!

I love my flats! – REPORT ‘Foley’ 

Dinner at home – black bean ‘burger’ in pita bread, with spicy hummus, yellow bell pepper,tomato and fat-free feta

My pretty girl, Roux

Creepy kitty… ha ha poor Stabler

I can’t believe how grown up he is. One minute he’s a tiny baby…

…and the next, he’s a ridiculously handsome little man!

June 2008 – 6 weeks old

Happy 3rd birthday to our adorable boy cat, Stabler!

He eventually shared some tuna with Roux; he’s a gentleman.

Stabler and Roux checking out Stabler’s birthday present – a scratching post/apartment.

Crazy cat lady.

I finished my first round of antibiotics last week, and, unfortunately, the strep did not die off. I had to go back to my doctor today, and this time I got the business end of a sharp needle in my butt cheek (THEY called it my hip – riiiiiggghhht), and a new prescription. This had better work!

Luckily, even strep didn’t keep me from enjoying my weekend. The three of us had a fantastic brunch at Gillwood’s. Marco loved his scrambled eggs and avocado.  I managed to hit the gym for an hour, too (worked off the brunch, lol)! After running errands and playing outside (‘This little piggy’ about 100 times- it’s Marco’s favorite – and crawling around the lawn, eating bits of grass), I arranged my flowers from Whole Foods. I love spring! That night,  Tim and I fired up the grill and made a feast of fresh veggies and chicken for dinner.

Sunday, we had a birthday party (Isabella turned 1), and more errands to take care of (never ending). Marco enjoyed himself eating cake and visiting with friends at the party.  Tim and I closed the evening by loafing around the house, and eating snacks.

Alright, onto the pictures!!

Isn’t my boy getting more beautiful by the second!? Oh, and yes, those are my favorite jammies. The last picture is also something of a proud moment for other reasons: Marco has successfully transitioned off of the bottle, and it was far easier than we anticipated (suh-weet).

Last night, I sipped a delicious blended mojito and nommed chicken tacos at Compadre’s (happy hour!) with a few of my coworkers. I’d never been a huge fan of the food there, but they always have fantastic drinks – and the crispy tacos were actually very tasty this time! Maybe they changed recipes since I was there last (which, to be fair, was several years ago). Anyway, it was an enjoyable evening, and I’m hoping that I will feel a little less lonely at work.

Tomorrow night, Tim and I have our long-awaited date. We’ve been planning it for, oh, two months now… it was supposed to be two weeks ago, but I was so sick that we had to cancel.  Tim and I are thinking of seeing ‘Hanna’. Anyone see this? Should we see ‘Source Code’ instead?

As a kitten, Stabler loved to crawl onto Tim’s shoulders and just chill. On New Year’s , Tim decided to see if our cats would like to revisit.

Unfortunately, after a few comfortable moments, they got a little nervous and the claws came out:

I laughed ’til I cried when I saw the preview of this picture on the digital camera. HA HA

Sorry, Timmy! I HAD to post this!

Christmas morning finally arrived! Santa left some interesting packages under the tree…

Marco digging through his stocking!

Cool shades and board books

Presents from Santa Claus! Don’t worry, those LifeSavers are from MY stocking.

Woo hoo! Ready to hit the open road!

What’s THIS…?

My Pal Scout!!

This toy is so cool…it can be programmed to say your kid’s name, favorite color, animals and food. Plus, the songs aren’t annoying and can be swapped out whenever you want. Marco loves it.

Tuckered out!

Tim and I opened our gifts too…

I received a pair of rain boots (whee! gimme some puddles to play in…), the latest book in the ‘Scarpetta’ series, a docking station/speakers for my iPhone so I can listen to music at work, and a new lens. The lens hasn’t arrived yet, but I can’t WAIT to use it!! I hope it shows up tomorrow.

I gave Tim a couple of guitar stands, acoustic picks, and two guitar hanging devices. Now all of Tim’s instruments can be displayed in the front room. Marco gave his Dad a copy of ‘The Dark Knight’ on Blu-Ray.

Chloe, Roux, and Stabler were very happy with their treats and toys. Stabler and Roux also got a kitty-condo, and so far, Stabler likes having his own place:

I SWEAR, the last Christmas post will go up tomorrow!

…at the library! It’s not quite finished yet (still need to install the chandelier), but I wanted to give you guys another preview.

My assistant librarian, Stabler, is tuckered after helping me organize my books.

Time for some new Converse, so I ordered these All-Star Slip-Ons in Black, from www.Zappos.com (I’m a VIP!! Free Overnight Shipping, OMG!)

Can’t wait for them to arrive! Stabler and I love Zappos boxes.

Long post today- you’ve been warned!

May has always been one of my favorite months (the others being September and December), and I am so glad it’s here!  This year, there may (LOL) be even more occurring this month than the usual. Our ‘dating’ anniversary is May 9th (7 years!), and our wedding anniversary is May 21st (5 years! OMG!). But yesterday we received the information that we will be sharing our ‘month o’ love stuff’ as we call it, with our son’s day of birth. Initially, when we first figured out our due date, we’d say “Oh, I hope that he’s born June 1st instead of May 31st, because May is OUR month!”.   However, the excruciating pain that he puts me through every day has given us a change of heart, and we’re happy to share our month with Marco – but I don’t want to share my anniversary!

Right now, if he doesn’t make his appearance by 38 weeks, it’s 99% sure that we will induce. I’ll be 38 weeks pregnant on May 17th.  I’ll do the damn thing May 20th or 22nd, but NOT May 21st!! I have to make sure to tell the doctor that, if they decide they want to wait until I am 38 weeks + 2 days or something.

Sunday is both our dating anniversary and Mother’s Day, so  Tim and I are going to relax together, since I’m very restricted on traveling far from the hospital too often - sorry, Moms!   Timmy is taking me to an early dinner at Bottega, Chef Michael Chiarello’s Italian restaurant in Yountville. I am very excited; we’ve heard so many great things about the food! Mmmm, pasta and bread….

Next Sunday, I have my 2nd baby shower to attend, and I am looking forward to it – I just hope that Marco doesn’t decide to come out while we’re in Livermore!  I’d have to keep it together for the almost 2 hour drive to the hospital; I would NOT want to be in Tim’s shoes either, though- I can imagine the yelling, ha ha! 

MAY
Watching:  very little. watched ‘House’ on Monday night, and will probably watch a movie tonight with Timmy.
Reading: finished ‘On Becoming Baby Wise’ (parenting philosophy – sleeping, eating, etc.) and read through a few Agatha Christie mysteries that I love. Haven’t started anything new today.
Listening: the records that I used to love when I was a kid! Lots of Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Violent Femmes, and even some UB40 (oh yeah, we’re jammin’ the ‘Red Red Wine’ on my record player!!).
Cooking: Last night I made tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwiches, lightly brushed with olive oil, black pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Mmm, maybe I’ll have another for lunch today!
Wanting: more sleep, less pain.
Promising: Stabler that I will still scratch under his chin after the baby arrives. Chloe isn’t worried, she’ll just shove her little nose into my palm until I pet her.

The questions..

1. Are you superstitious? There are some silly things that I do, I guess: I keep my fingers crossed when I drive by a cemetery, I try not to walk under ladders (though that’s just common sense – what if it collapses!?), and if I spill salt then I throw it over my left shoulder. But, I don’t worry about black cats (in fact, my next cat will either be all black or a ginger) and I would never carry around a rabbit’s foot.

2. If you were an animal..what kind would you be? I have no idea which animal I’d most likely be, but the animal I’d most LIKE to be would be a housecat; namely, Stabler. He’s got food, water and all the attention and belly rubs he wants. He’s got toys (OMG boxes!) and can spend a good hour tracking a fly like it’s Public Enemy No. 1. Stabler is ridiculously adorable, and is guaranteed a kitty treat or bit of milk if he hops into my arms like he’s hugging me, and purrs loudly.

3. You would never catch me wearing………? Ugg boots or sweatpants (yoga pants around the house, sure. Actual sweatpants?! Eww), a skirt with ankle leggings (too 80′s), ‘Mom’ jeans. Basically, you’ll never catch me in anything ugly.

4. If someone posts a VLOG..do you watch it? If it’s a blogger that I follow, and the topic is interesting.

5. Have you ever waxed your girlie/manly parts..or any other part of your body? Eyebrows and lady parts. The last is too painful.

6. Are you a spender or a saver? I suppose I’m a spender. I’m not great at saving money for a rainy day, but I am good at keeping costs down while I spend – using coupons, discount cards, and shopping around to find a better price on things I need.

7. If you were starring in a movie..who would you want to play your leading man/woman? Hugh Laurie, because he’s a fantastic talent (and I adore him); or Taye Diggs, because he’s delicious, like Mmmmm. If it was to be a woman, I’d want Cate Blanchett, because she’s so beautiful I could cry.

8. Smoker..never smoked..social smoker..or smoked back in the day? Tried a cigarette once. Coughed. End of smoking relationship.