My 1st Blogger Award: Versatile Blogger

I just received my first blogger award!  I received "The Versatile Blogger Award" from Selina over at Urban Granola.  I was so excited when she left me a comment to tell me about the award and couldn't wait to share it with my readers.  Thank you, Selina, for the recognition and for reading my blog.

Anyone receiving the Versatile Blogger Award must follow the rules to pay it forward, if you will. The rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell your readers seven (7) things about yourself.
3. Give this award to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news.

I like paying it forward, so I will definitely participate and share this award with others.  Now, here are 7 things about myself you may or may not already know:

1. I had a mole removed from my cheek when I was 5 and I still have a scar from it.  It could've been my "Cindy Crawford" mole and made me famous, but alas it was removed due to some changes in it and found to be benign.

2. I cried when I listened to our 1st dance wedding song (Book of Love by Peter Gabriel) and my Father/Daughter dance song (I Loved Her First by Heartland) when I was suprised to find our old wedding CD in the Camry's CD player while I drove to NH yesterday to meet some gal friends who coincidentally also got married in September of 2008.  A.R. usually drives the Camry now, so it was super sweet that he even still listens to that CD 2 1/2 years after our wedding. :)

3. I enjoy gardening and while I'm quite successful with our vegetable garden, I suck at growing flowers.  The tulips I planted by our mailbox are all lying on their sides!  I've killed ferns and most recently a pine tree my mother sent us for our yard.  In my defense, the tulips I planted under the fence in our yard are all upright. Dang it!

4. I love to travel and never feel complete without another trip itinerary in the works.  Our next voyage will be a camping trip in July with my in-laws (if my brother-in-law actually books it correctly this year) and then we're going on a cruise in August to Bermuda!

5. I graduated highschool at 16 with my GED and started going to college.  I double majored and had two Associate degrees (Accounting and Business Administration) by the time I was 19.  Then, it took me another 5 years to finally get my Bachelor's in Accounting (I worked full-time and went to school part-time, plus I moved from NC to CT in the middle of it all).  In 2009, I graduated with my MBA.

6. I was born in Attleboro, MA and moved south to NC when I was in the 5th grade. I didn't move back to New England to CT until I was 21.

7. I love all animals (except snakes) and rode horses competitively when I was a teenager.  My first love and specialty was Dressage and Eventing, but I did it all: rodeo (goat tying), western, hunt seat, and jumping.  I also bred my horse, Hartwin, and trained and sold him myself just before I got married.  I'm horse-less right now, but hope to get back into riding someday.  (Here's hoping Miss M likes horses and animals like her Mama!)

And without further delay here are the blogs that I would like to pay it forward to and award the Versatile Blogger Award in no particular order:

1. Cinderella and Princess Charming
2. ...Into The Womb
3.  Not-So-Newlywed Adventures
4. Three Legged Race
5. C is for Chocolate and Cheese
6. Newlyweds!
7. Pieces of Me
8. P, little B, and J
9. Simply Nesting
10. Life on 19th
11. Loving Baby M
12. Life with Mrs. T
13. Seriously!?
14. Growing a Lemon
15. City Love

Mom Purse

My newest love is what I fondly call my new Mom Purse.  I've been wanting to retire M's diaper bag for awhile now and what better way to do that than by paying a visit to my local Coach Outlet and upgrading to a more "Mom sized" purse.  Without further adieu, I now present you with my new side kick from the Ashley line at Coach: 

I must admit that I am not a fan of large purses. I don't have that much in my purse and it's awkward for me to carry them around. My biggest pet peeve with purses is when they slip off my shoulder because the straps aren't big enough (I am not a clutch girl at all). This purse is perfect as it comes with a removable shoulder strap or I can use the smaller straps which also fit over my shoulder.  The smell of the leather on this bag is so intoxicating and it is silky smooth.

My favorite part of this purse is the inside.  I love the color purple, but I wanted a more neutral purse that would hopefully last more than one season.  When I looked inside this one and saw the purple I think it called out, "Buy me! Buy me!".  Even M's eyes lit up when I showed it to her.  Ok, maybe that was just because she saw me and wanted me to pick her up, but the girl likes purse shopping.  I swear!  There are two zippered compartments and two larger pockets that close with magnets allowing any mom easy access to the contents inside be they wallet or cheerios.  It also has two pockets on one side 1) for my celly and 2) for M's sippy cup.  Could it be anymore perfect?!

You will find no buyer's remorse here!  The shoulder straps have been working great and while it is still a bit awkward for me to carry a larger bag around everyday, it's still a million times better than lugging a purse and a diaper bag.  I have two diapers, travel wipes, a couple bibs, toddler snacks (yogurt melts, cheerios, cereal bar, and mini fig newtons), a small tube of diaper cream, and travel size baby powder inside in addition to my usual essentials and there's still plenty of room to spare.  I hope to buy a Diaper Pod (perhaps a Ju Ju Be??) soon to actually put my diaper changing supplies in that can easily slip in and out of my new Mom Purse.  I puffy heart the Coach Outlet store and the extra 30% off I scored on this awesome bag. :)

Personal Chef Mommy At Your Service

I am not only a girlfriend, woman, wife, and mommy, I am now a Personal Chef as well.  Having tasted the nastiness that is jarred baby food during a baby shower game at A.R. and my co-ed baby shower what seems like eons ago, we were both on board to make all of M's baby food.  (Yes, this post is long past due and I have since lost the photos I had taken to post with it sans a broken hard drive and M isn't even eating purees anymore, but I digress.)  I especially wanted to aspire to make anything that involved meat for her myself as the jarred baby food with meat in it is just horrendous and I wanted her first meats to be organic, free-range, hormone free meats.

Baby food babyshower game- See the closed eyes?! Grossness.

Making baby food doesn't require any special tools or gadgets (aka a pricey Beaba) besides what you probably already have in your kitchen.  All you need are some ice cube trays that have covers, a decent blender, and a way to steam or bake veggies and fruits (a steamer, oven, or microwave are sufficient).  I happened to have a Cuisinart blender/food processor that we got as a wedding gift that I finally was able to put to use.  I actually found that some of the veggies (the less water based ones like potatoes and pumpkin that I baked) pureed better in the blender rather than the food processor attachment.  All of the watery fruits and veggies (apples, pears, peaches, squash, etc.) that I steamed were a sinch to puree in the food processor attachment (once I figured out how to assemble the darned thing).  I used the website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ as one of my guides in addtion to this book my sister-in-law bought me for my first Mother's Day:

After pureeing the foods (meats, fruits, and veggies), I poured them into the ice cube trays, covered, and froze.  You can even mix and match the purees before freezing to accomplish the same thing the baby food companies do with mixed purees- just be sure to try the foods solo first to make sure your little one doesn't have any allergies to either of them.  Once they were frozen, I popped out the food cubes and stored them in gallon sized freezer bags labeled with the food name and date made.  Kept frozen, these cubes last several months in the freezer.  It was so easy to puree up a vegetable or fruit or both while I cooked our dinner at night.  I'd steam or bake the foods I was preparing, allow them to cool while I played with M, and then either A.R. or I would puree and package while the other began M's nighttime bath and bed ritual.  Yes, folks!  A.R. even got involved and helped make a good portion of her food.  I think having tasted the jarred food himself he wanted to be sure we never got lazy enough that M ended up having to eat it.

On of the main challenges I ran into was over the winter when a lot of the fruits I wanted to work into her diet weren't available in New England.  When this happend, I did buy her organic baby food.  Some of it was made by Gerber (I made sure the labels just listed fruit, water, and maybe some absorbic acid- Vitamin C) until I discovered the Ella's Kitchen and Plum brands that come in squeezable pouches.  They are super easy when you're on the go because you don't even need a spoon!  You can squeeze directly into your baby's mouth and a lot of the fruit purees even include some disguised veggies.  One thing I did find was M NEVER would eat any puree that contained banana in it.  Having tasted a few of them, I tend to agree with her taste buds.  Pureed packaged banana just doesn't taste the same as the real thing.  I had to be careful to not buy any purees that had banana in it (not an easy feat if you've ever perused the baby food aisles and noticed the options).  I rarely buy pureed fruits anymore with Spring looming and M devouring table food now, but I keep a pouch of Ella's Kitchen food in her diaper bag at all times just in case we need a snack on the fly if I'm out longer than expected.

Another challenge we faced was the meats we pureed drying out from being frozen.  Our trick to solving this issue was to just add a little water to the dish I used to reheat the meats in the microwave.  Once we did that we had no issues and M would chow down.  I found that the meats did best when boiled or baked as they tended to lose less juices that way and stayed tender.  For red meat, we made mini meatballs for her and then grilled them until just brown and didn't cook through until reheated from the freezer.  We never had problems with fruits and veggies being reheated in the microwave.  Just be sure to stir well and check the temperature on your lips before feeding to baby in case there are any hot spots in the food.

She's A Walkin' Girl

Just shy of 13 months old, M started walking on her own today!  I found out when A.R. emailed me to say that his brother had called and told him she walked from couch to television while at my mother-in-law's house this morning.  (My mother-in-law watches M while we're at work and my brother-in-law has been helping her out while my father-in-law is in Puerto Rico.  She also watches two of my nephews everyday and occasionally my eldest nephew who is out of school this week.)  I actually instantly proved that I am a cheesy mom by proceeding to tear up at my desk at work as I told my closest coworker 1) because I was so proud and 2) because it killed me that I was at work and missed it.  It's missing milestones like this that make me HATE being a working mother.  I should be there to cheer her on and see her stick her tiny arms out straight in front of her and take those first wobbly steps.  Instead, I was dealing with yet another accounting system bug at work and answering another broker inquiry.

To further rub it in (not intentionally) that we were absentee parents, my mother-in-law called A.R. later in the afternoon to say that after her morning nap, M walked a few more times from couch to chair to television and back again completely unassisted and not coaxed in any way.  Of course there was no video proof, so I say it didn't happen until A.R. and I say it did! :)  My mother-in-law was just as proud of M as we were, so she just wanted to share it with us as it happened which I think is sweet.  As soon as I got to her house this evening she told me M had walked and I think her smile was bigger than M's. Such a proud Abuela to see her first granddaughter take her first steps on her own without being coaxed at all.  I am so thankful (and blessed) that M gets to spend her time away from me with family and someone who I know loves her just as much as I do.  The free Spanish lessons she gets everyday are an awesome bonus, too. :P

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The second book in my book club was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  The first thing I noticed was that it was almost 650 pages!!  For a working mom that doesn't have a lot of free time to begin with that was pretty intimidating.  I did jump right into reading and definitely liked the idea of the storyline; however, the author used a lot of detail including adding a lot of historical data so at times I found myself getting lost.  It was like I was back in my high school history class with my teacher speaking "Muh, muh, muh" ala Charlie Brown's teacher. :)  Everytime I sat down to read, I'd end up falling asleep.  I don't do good with a lot of historical data/facts/and figures, but I did grow quite fond of the main characters, Claire and Jamie. 

I actually sat down and read the first 300 pages and then I just couldn't keep going (I'd taken way too many naps!), so I skimmed the last 350 pages.  Throughout the 300 pages I did read, I did like the storyline, but there was a bit too much detail.  I had a few favorite characters along the way including Claire, Jamie, Mrs. Graham, and the women who first helped dress Claire at Castle Leoch (her name escapes me now).  Maybe, I liked Claire because that was my maiden middle name?  Nah, I liked her personality that came through the author's writing, her nature, and demeanor.  And I'm sorry, but everything about Jamie in the book just screams HOTTIE!  I loved the idea of Jamie and Claire together and how fitting that she chose to stay with him rather can go back to her "normal" time and Frank.  I loved how the author ended the storyline with Claire being pregnant, too.

Once my book club goes through our list of books, I would consider reading the second book in the series, but I believe I'd listen to it on disc.  An online friend of mine said that Jamie's accent on the CDs is hot. :P  Hearing a hot accent might help the 600 page second book be a bit more bearable if it has just as much detail as the first novel.

Next month's book is: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
I'm totally bummed that Chris was at my local library (not 5 minutes from my house!) this past Wednesday, but I couldn't make it as I had to play Dr. Mom and wife to M and A.R.  :(

The Great Cake (#1)

Have you ever been so proud you just can't stop smiling or maybe even gloating a little bit?  Well, that was me when it came to my first attempt at making an entire cake with fondant decor from scratch for M's first birthday party.  I had some serious doubters (including A.R!) that didn't think I could actually pull it off with everything else on my plate (including getting a house ready for 50+ party guests and a few out-of-town over night guests) and not end up with an emergency cake sans our local grocery store.  Well, to all you haters...I DID IT and if I do say so myself, it turned out darned good!  Perhaps, it turned out even a bit better than I, myself, thought it would.  I will never admit that, though!

I have posted my two practice attempts here and here, but the final attempt was a bit scary as I hadn't practiced dying fondant black or making actual fondant cut-outs in the shapes that I would be using come party day (Minnie Mouse ears, heads, and bows).  The whole process from start to finish took maybe 5 hours, but I spread it out over a couple of days to make it easier.  Plus, the fondant had to sit at least overnight in the fridge after I made it to make it more manageable to roll out and place on the cakes.  I also owe a HUGE thank you to my cake expert friends (Brie, Karen, the Wilton website, and to a fellow anonymous blogger who I can't seem to find anymore).

Step 1: Making the Fondant
I made the fondant for the cake by hand on a Tuesday night (her party was on Saturday), but I could've even done it the week before and it would've kept fine in the fridge.  I made one and a half batches of Rolled Marshmellow Fondant.  I split the fondant in three separate bowls.  The first bowl, I had about 1/4 of the fondant and I dyed it black.  To get a true black, I altered the marshmellow fondant recipe above by adding half cocoa/half confectioner's sugar instead of all sugar and I used a black food dye gel.  Be forewarned that the black dye will get in your finger nails and cuticles (even if well coated with Crisco!), so if that bothers you consider wearing gloves while working the cocoa and sugar into the fondant.  My fingers had smudges of black for a day or two afterwards, but it wasn't too bad and definitely wasn't noticed by others.  The recipe doesn't call for an exact amount of the dye to use, so I put about a  1/2 tsp (via toothpick) in with just the melted marshmellows prior to mixing the sugar and cocoa in.  Then, as I kneaded the remaining sugar and cocoa to get the desired consistency, I added a smidgen more (using a toothpick) and kneaded it in some more. 

I then split the remaining melted marshmellow evenly and left one as is (white) and just added confectioners sugar until I got the desired consistency per the recipe and the second batch I dyed pink.  I used red food gel (instead of the pastel pink gel you can buy) to get the pink I desired mixing it directly in the melted marshmellow first before adding in the confectioners sugar.  Once you make the fondant once and see how easy and relatively quick it is, you'll never buy it again!  It's also MUCH cheaper and tastes better than store bought fondant.  Before storing the fondant in the fridge, I coated with Crisco and wrapped in plastic wrap.

On Thursday evening, I made the fondant cut-outs for the cake.  In the morning, I took the fondant out of the fridge to warm to room temperature (just the black and the pink) and I finally had a chance to work with it that evening.  It was actually relatively quick to roll it out thin enough and use cookie cutters to cut with.  I cut out black circles for Minnie's head and ears making sure that I had extra just in case they should be needed and I cut out 1" x 1/4" strips out of the pink for Minnie's bows for the bottom tier.  I then rolled out the black fondant to be almost a 1/2" thick and used a tuna can (I kid you not!) to guage the size of the ears and make an indent in the fondant that I could cut around.  Once the large ears were cut, I inserted two toothpicks into each ear about an inch at an angle leaving the rest of the toothpick exposed so that I could use them to place the ears on the top of the finished cake.  I then stored all the cut-outs I made in tupperware containers on my counter until party day.  Making and dying the fondant took an hour and making the cut-outs took a half hour.

Step 2: Making the cakes

I made the cakes for the two tiers from scratch using the Butter Cake recipe from Wilton with only one minor change- I omitted the almond extract and added an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Mixing the cake batter was quick and easy with my KitchenAid mixer, but I didn't plan well with the ingredients and ran out of butter.  I ended up sending A.R. to the grocery store to pick up more as I was one batch of batter short.  To make all the cakes that I did, I had to triple the recipe.  I only anticipated having to double it.  I baked the cakes in 6", 8", and 10" pans.  The 6" cake was just for M to play with the other two cakes were for her formal cake.  I had to increase the oven temp to 375 (convection oven) and it still took a good 30-40 minutes for each size cake to cook except for the smaller 6" cakes.

Step 3: Icing and Filling
I made Strawberry Cream filling from Wilton's website only I didn't buy pre-sweetened strawberries (couldn't find them at my local grocer), so I sweetened the strawberry mixture myself with regular sugar as I simmered them.  I also didn't trust that the strawberries wouldn't be too lumpy in the filling after they were simmered, so I pureed the whole mixture.  Bakers should note, that the mixture will still look pretty runny after it's done cooking, but once you chill it in the fridge it WILL stiffen up.  I added extra cornstarch as I was afraid that the filling was too runny, but I really didn't need it.

Next, I made buttercream icing from Wilton's website and it was yummy...a lot better than other buttecreams I've tasted in the past.  I just flavored mine with a little vanilla extract.  To start stacking the cakes, I first used a serrated knife to level them and then I piped buttercream frosting around the edges of the layers before adding in the filling.   Then, I added the filling and stacked another cake layer on top.  Each tier consisted of three layers of cake.  For additional stability I inserted plastic straws into the bottom tier where the upper tier would sit and I also inserted a few straws in the upper tier as the layers were sliding a bit due to the filling.

Last, I coated each cake with buttercream frosting and then covered with fondant.  The 6" cake I just covered in buttercream as I didn't want M to have to work through the fondant to get to the good cake part inside.  I dyed that buttercream pink to match her Minnie Mouse theme.  Minus the extra grocery store run the whole cake baking/icing making/filling cooking time took about 3 1/2 hours.  I multi-tasked on most of this- simmering the filling and mixing the buttercream icing while the cakes baked.  I also took the fondant out of the fridge earlier in the day to warm to room temperature before placing on the cakes.

Step 4: Ta-DA!!!
Once each cake was covered in fondant, I stored in the fridge uncovered until party day.  I made the cakes and covered in fondant on Thursday as I wanted to do nothing but enjoy Miss M on her actual birthday (Friday).  On Saturday morning when I woke up I took the cakes out of the fridge to warm to room temperature before I decorated them with the fondant cut-outs.  To add the fondant cut-outs it was actually super quick and easy.  I had a tiny bowl of water and just dipped my finger in the water and rubbed a little water on the back of the cut-outs before sticking to the cake.  If you use too much water the cut-outs do slide down and if using a darker colored fondant (i.e. black) on a lighter background (i.e white) it will leave a mark if you remove it, so place them carefully the first time!  The border on the bottom of the larger cake is actually a ribbon I bought and just wrapped around the cake three times.  It held itself in place.  The black border on the upper tier was fondant that I rolled and cut myself.  The bow on the top of the cake was real ribbon that my little sister made.

I didn't stack the cakes until right before the party (literally a half-hour before) as I was so scared they'd fall over or cave-in or I'd drop them!  I added in the Minnie Mouse ears just before guests arrived at 4pm.  I had nothing to fear as the whole cake held up well until we cut into it at close to 6 pm.  Minnie's ears fainted a bit, so I would use longer supports than toothpicks if I had to make this cake again.  All of our guests were so surprised that I not only decorated the cake myself, but everything on it/in it was made entirely from scratch.  Shoot, even I was surprised I pulled it off!  The decorating process took about a half hour total.

Party Time!

I have to say that as exhausted as I was after the fact, planning M's first birthday party was an absolute joy to me.  I find party planning addictive and I could've gotten a lot more out of control with the spending than I did.  Sometimes, I think I should become a party planner just so I can keep doing it, but not go broke spending my money to do so. :)  M's 1st birthday creeped up on us oh so quickly.  I had originally started thinking (and planning) her party in January.  By the end of January, we had decided on a Care Bears theme and I had most of the basics purchased from EBay and 1st Wishes on-line.  Well, in early Feburary A.R. and I were going over what we had, the guest list, what we still needed to buy, etc. and I came to the realization that I wasn't 100% happy with our Care Bear theme.  I had originally offered him two ideas for her party theme: Care Bears and Baby Minnie Mouse.  He (like a typical male) half glanced at my email and only opened one of the two links I sent him with party supply pictures.  Which link did he open?  Of course, just the Care Bears one.

I was quickly coming to the realization that I was pressed for time and if we kept the Care Bears theme it would involve a lot of DIY projects.  On a whim I happened to Google Minnie Mouse first birthday party supplies one last time and came across this banner.  I showed A.R. and we both stared at each other in silence and knew that we'd change the theme going forward.  How could we not when presented with such cuteness?!  I sold the Care Bear stuff I had a aquired on EBay and I bought pretty much everything I would need online within a day (yup, I was a mom on a mission) of us changing our minds.  I also felt a huge amount of relief at no longer having to find the time to DIY on anything but the cake (a cake post to come!). 

Party day dawned overcast and chilly, but no snow or rain.  I had a lot of help setting everything up thanks to my siblings and A.R. and we had the food catered from Stop & Shop and Casa de Mother-in-Law.  We asked my mother-in-law to just make a half tray of Spanish rice and we ordered the entrees, salad, bread, and got some appetizers from Sam's Club.  Of course (as usual) my mother-in-law ignored our pleas to NOT cook more than the rice as we didn't want her stressing out and to just enjoy the party.  HA!  She brought a double tray of rice, 4 roasted chickens (on top of the 80 pieces of fried chicken we already ordered), and 2 huge pork shoulders with her.  We had so much food left over our freezer will be full until Thanksgiving!  (We tried to donate the extra food and couldn't find a shelter over the weekend that would take it.)

I think we made the right choice in changing the theme.  M LOVES Minnie (and Mickey) and the party turned out to be a huge success.  We had 50+ family members and close friends in our house including my parents and younger siblings who flew up from North Carolina and my older brother who flew up from Florida to be there.  We had a dozen or so kids there who had an absolute blast.  We did two classic party games:  a pin the bow on Minnie's dress game and a pinata.  The scrambling to pick up all the pinata candy was hilarious.  All the parents got a kick out of the swarm of children on our floor trying to gather their goodies.  I was concerned M would get nervous when we all sang, "Happy Birthday" to her, but she handled it with ease and a look of confusion on her face.  I presented her with her own cake to smash and she did not disappoint.  Everytime she stuck her hand in it, the crowd gathered round her highchair in a semi-circle would awe and she'd smile, kick her little legs, and dig in again to get another reaction.  She even dove head first into her cake at one point!  Despite the sugar high, she was out for the night at 8:30 and officially welcomed into toddlerhood with a bang.

Happy Birthday, M!  Momma and Papa love you very much!

I am a mother. To a toddler. ::Gasp::

I know every mother says this and I know you hear the old adage over an over (especially when pregnant), but time does fly when there are little people involved and you should cherish and revel in every second.  I don't know what makes the clock seem to tick faster and the calendar pages change sooner, but it does and in the blink of an eye your sweet newborn is an honest to God real little person.  A toddler.

My sweet baby girl was born at 3:10AM on March 25th, 2010 weighing in at 8 pounds 6 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long.  One year later she is a toddling (not quite walking), cruising, crawling, babbling, whirling dirvish weighing in at 18 pounds 10 ounces and 29 1/4 inches long.  I swear someone played tricks on us and skipped a day, a week, or a month here and there during 2010 and early 2011...how could it possibly have been a full year since I first gazed in awe at my baby girl as she lay dazed on my tummy right after being born?!  She looked at me with a, "what the heck is this place", expression before letting out the most adorable baby wail you could hear (so I say).
                   

CHEEEEESE!!

There were some scary moments with M's birth and I'll never forget her first moments and telling the nurse over and over again that I couldn't see her as they cleaned her up and suctioned out her tiny lungs and then realizing that my bleeding wasn't stopping and both the resident and attending physician (who was an absolute saint) had gloves up to their elbows covered in blood from me.  I started silently crying in fear that I wouldn't get to glimpse my baby girl again if the darned nurse wouldn't lower my bed railing while the doctors worked on me.  I got a shot of something in my IV that made my heart flutter and me feel loopy, to help my uterus clamp down.  It was then that A.R. took his eyes off M and realized what was happening to me.  He came over and held my hand and told me she was beautiful...we were both still shocked we had a baby girl.  The first girl in A.R.'s family in many years- he's the youngest of 4 sons and we have 4 nephews before M was born (there's a 5th nephew six months younger than her).  As I laid there, watching the doctors work and trying to steal a glance at M again it ran through my mind how sad it would be to leave M and A.R. behind at her birth.  It was a fleeting thought, but one that haunted me for awhile afterwards.  We all sighed a huge sigh of relief when after what seemed like hours (probably more like 5 minutes), the medicine and doctors skilled hands stopped the bleeding and I was stitched up.

A.R. held our precious girl after a she got the final all-clear from the on-staff pediatrician after the cord had been wrapped tightly around her neck twice.  A.R. is still bummed that he didn't get to cut it- the doctor did it before she was even fully born.  Then, he handed her to me with the biggest smile on his face and the nurse helped me get her to latch for her first feeding.  My mom had been outside the door during all of this and we finally let her come in to meet her first granddaughter.  It was the still of the night and we all stared at this tiny little one snuggled up to my breast.  She is and always will be my Angel Baby.  Absolute perfection even down to the tiny brown birth mark on her little calve.  I hope she doesn't hate it when she's older...I call it her little spot of Puerto Rican.  (I know, I know.  It's not politically correct, but she IS half Latina and I hope she can Somba and Bachata with the best of them someday.)  I whisper, "Goodnight, Angel Baby. Sweet dreams. Mama and Papa love you very much," into her ear every night before I lie her down.  I've done that since day one when she was already sound asleep and I do it now as I lie her down semi-awake as she snuggles up to her Taggies blanket and lovey.

I could not imagine before motherhood, how much one tiny being could make me so in awe, so proud (eg. I cried when she laughed for the first time- not a tear in the eye, I mean I cried.), so exhausted, and feel so blessed to be able to call her my daughter.  Watching her explore, learn, and test her environment is my new favorite hobby.  She was an easygoing baby...all smiles and babbles.  Now, she is a toddler.  She points out things she wants and when she doesn't get her way I can see a bit of me in her.  M resembles her Dad- she's a spitting image of him- but she sure has my spunk, my stubborn nature, and my determination.  I think that's all a nice way of saying the girl has a temper. :)  She threw herself on the floor last night for the first time because I wouldn't let her take the books off of the bookshelf for the umpteenth time.  A.R. and I glanced at each other wide-eyed with the telepathic "Awe, shit- we are so in for it look" that we're slowly getting accustumed to.  She will also arch her back and throw herself backwards when you are holding her if she is deprived of that one thing she HAS to have that very second.  If we don't put food on her tray fast enough, she screams with both arms outstretched reaching for what you're slicing.  The girl is a week into her first year...how the heck are we going to handle the terrible twos?! 



An old favorite of mine...



I look forward to watching M continue to explore her environment, play with her dogs, get her courage up enough to take more walking steps (she's taken 5 in a row so far, but only with coaxing), finger paint, and doggoneit grow some more hair so I can give her the pig tail look of a "real" toddler!  She cut her two top front teeth in the last week and had a tough time with them (the first four came in with no issues), lord help me when it's time for the molars in a few more months.  At the end of my day at work, I get a smile on my face because I get to finally pick her up and steal a quick snuggle before she's crawling off to her next big adventure.  When I drop her off it pangs me to have to leave her yet again (other moms told me it would get easier when I first went back to work when she was 9 1/2 weeks old- eh, still not easy.  It flat out sucks.).  She loves bath time and I know she loves me (I have the milk tap afterall!), but she adores A.R.  M has always smiled the best for him.  Whenever he walks into the room she lights up...a true Daddy's girl.  Watching them together is intoxicating.  I wish I had a spy cam to catch him dancing like a lunatic singing the theme songs to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Dora the Explorer to her at the top of his lungs while she dances and smiles and babbles along.  I'll walk in the room and interupt their little world and both of them look up at me with the same smiles and I know I am home.



After all is said and done, I love being a mother to this little girl.  Right now A.R. and I are her world and all is right with our world.

I love IKEA!

How can you not love this store when you score such cute play things as these for your little one while shopping for more adult things at the same time?!  (See photos below)  M loves to "help" me in the kitchen and she even now has her own drawer that I have been filling with various children's sized pans and utensils.  I scored these adorable pots, utensils, and even a cloth cutting board with accessories from IKEA this weekend.  They are all under the product line named, Duktig.

Breakfast kit (made from cloth for $4.99):

Pots & Pans $9.99:

Utensils $3.99:

The Duktig line also has a coffee/tea set, vegetable set, fruit basket, and dessert set in cloth along with a baking pan set, flatware, and tableware.  It took all my resolve not to walk away with this adorable kitchen set, too!  I think I may try and convince A.R. to go ahead and let me get it (you know, just in case they discontinue it) to put away for M for next Christmas.  You know, thinking ahead and all. :)

Fun with Fondant (and CAKE!)- Round #2

Last weekend I decided to do another test cake to prepare for M's 1st birthday fiesta. I wanted to try to make a cake recipe from scratch, practice putting the fondant on the cake again, and try attaching some cut-outs to make sure they would adhere nicely to the cake.  I had leftover fondant from my first attempt that I had stored in the refrigerator by coating it in Crisco and then wrapping it in saran wrap and placing in a ziplock freezer bag.

I first made a Butter Cake using a recipe I found on Wilton's website.  The recipe called for both almond and vanilla extract, but I found the almond extract overpowered the cake and I will eliminate it when I make M's party cake and double the vanilla extract instead.  This cake is pretty heavy and should be good for stacking.  It was also quite moist.  I think it'll be delicious without the overpowering almond flavoring.  I didn't test the filling (I'm just going to wing it), but I'll be making a Strawberry Cream Filling to go in the layers of her cake.  She's already had pureed and whole strawberries, so I'm not worried about allergies with her.  I was going to make a raspberry filling, but I think it'll be easier and less time consuming to just double the strawberry filling recipe and make only that.

Once the cake had cooled, I leveled with a serrated knife (the cake slicer I bought, SUCKED!) and frosted it with buttercream frosting.  I took the fondant out of the fridge in the morning and didn't work with it until evening so it had time to warm to room temperature.  It was so much easier to work with coming out of the refrigerator rather than straight from being mixed.  The first time I placed fondant on the cake it took me 5 attempts.  This time I did it on the first try!  I used some star cookie cutters to make some fondant cutouts and practiced applying them to the cake.  I just dabbed my finger in some water and applied it to the cutout and then stuck it to the side of the cake and they held fast. One thing I have to remember to do before I decorate the cake is to wipe it down with a teeny bit of water to get the confectioners sugar used while rolling it out off the cake as it leaves a powdery look to the fondant.

I have a cake decorating kit from Pampered Chef that I dug out and practiced writing with.  The writing tip is a little wide so the lettes are pretty thick, but I think it'll still work.  I plan on just writing Mariela's name on the cake board as more of a decoration instead of writing directly on the cake.  I feel much more confident now that I'll be successful making her cake now that I've practiced twice.  I had a bad dream a couple weeks ago that it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" to her and I realized I forgot to make the cake!  Perhaps, I was worried about it subconsciously?!  Stay tuned because the next post will be the finished product and I also made a 2nd smaller 6" cake (see below) that I let M smash for an impromptu photo shoot which turned out adorable. :)

"Digging to America" by Anne Tyler

Disclaimer: This is my opinion and mine only.  Take it with a grain of salt or a cup of coffee...however you'd prefer.  :)

I recently joined an online book club with my fellow March 2010 due date Mommies.  We're all in the same boat of juggling growing toddlers, work, and home life while wanting to still make the time to persue our own interests.  Reading has always been a joy of mine, but I've let it slip to the wayside in the past few years for other endeavours (i.e. mostly internet surfing, grad school, baby raising, house cleaning, and flat out laziness).  Well, it's about time I went back to basics and read a real book with a spine and pages that smell like a library- you know that musty paper smell that can be oh so addictive?  Our club picks one book a month to read and then we discuss online in a chat room on the 15th of each month.  Each mom gets to pick a book of their choice for the group to read.  February 15th was our official start date.

Last month, I joined my local library and was pleased to find out I still remembered how to use a catalog system to find the first book on our list on the shelf.  Luckily, it was in stock and I checked out my first book from the library since perhaps I was a middle school student!  I hope to show M the ropes of the library as I partake in this book club and when she's a bit older, I'll even get her a library card of her own and we can make visiting the library a regular thing.

The first book on our list was Digging to America by Anne Tyler.  I didn't even read the description of the book before I picked it up, so I had no idea what it was about.  Come to find out, the first chapter opened with the adoption of two Korean girls and their families waiting for them as the plane arrived at the airport.  I cried.  Not from sadness, but from joy.  I know it's just a story and the words really weren't even that moving, but adoption is close to my heart and I can imagine the joy of couples in real life who get to experience this momentous occasion.

After the first chapter, I felt the book moved rather slowly and it was hard to get through the next few chapters.  By the time I made it to chapter 7, it became an easier read and I flew through the last few chapters.  I didn't quite get the closure I look for at the end of a novel, but the book was okay.  It was a great story of adoption and family.  There was also some culture mixed in with a lot of reference to Iranian and Korean traditions which I found interesting.  I like that fact that it implied that family wasn't just a mom, dad, two and a half kids, and a house with a white picket fence.  Families come in all different forms.  Would I recommend this book to others?  Possibly, but it wouldn't be on the top of the list.

Stay tuned for my next review:  Book #2 is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and needs to be completed by April 15th.

It's My Party, & I'll Cry If I Want To!

I can't believe I'm officially IN my thirties now.  It feels weird when I realize I am old enough now to have a husband, a daughter, my own house to clean and care for, my own flower and veggie gardens, a car, a job that I've been at for 5 years and counting, I've had time and money to travel the world, I'm done with school after getting a Masters degree, and I could go on.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was playing M.A.S.H. with my bestfriends and thinking that turning 18 was so old?!  Yet here I am with a few stray strands of grey hair (yes, I looked and I even pulled a few out...I so hope that Old Wives Tale isn't true and that they don't multiply now), a husband of almost 2 1/2 years, a beautiful daughter, a home we built together from the dirt up (crazy!!), two cocker spaniels, a good career, and ::gasp:: a life.  Where did the time go and how did I reach my thirties so quickly?!

Alas, I'm not going to cry on this birthday!  It's actually been a great day.  I got to spend time with my family and shared cake with my coworkers.  A.R. & M took me out to dinner at Red Lobster.  Can you believe that in my 31 years I had never eaten there before?!  It was delicious.  I had scallops, shrimp, lobster, stuffed mushrooms, and the cheddar biscuits.  OMG, heaven is a cheddar biscuit from Red Lobster.  I totally see now why my Food Network Magazine did an article with a recipe trying to replicate those golden rounds of delicious in one of their very first issues (Note to self: FIND that article!).  A.R. gave me a smooch and a great big hug- God, his hugs are addictive- and said there's more to come, but he needed an extra couple days because he's been buried at work and trying to recover our lost harddrive at home.  I told him I'm okay...I got to spend time with him and our daughter and that's plenty...especially considering the sweet camera I just got as my new toy last month (Canon EOS Rebel T2i).  Little does he know how much the new lenses, tripod, speedlite, and other accessories I want are going to cost and add up to over time. He, he, he. :P

Here's hoping I have at least another 31 years to spend with my husband and daughter as we grow as a family and hopefully add to it someday.  A.R.- You are the best husband a girl could dream of.  I'm so very thankful and blessed that we found each other and said "I do".  I hope you know how much I love you. M- You are an angel from heaven, my precious baby girl.  I love watching you grow and learn new things.  Your developing personality makes me smile and I look forward to each new day with you.  Dream big baby girl and know that even in a few years when I have more grey hairs and am embarssing you, I will always love you and you will always be my baby girl.

Happy Birthday to me!

She's been pierced!

At long last I got the all clear from A.R. to get M's ears pierced.  Thank you to the half dozen or so strangers that commented on what a cute little boy we had. :)  Of course there were stipulations in order to get said piercings...he didn't want to be there (he doesn't want her to think HE caused the pinches she'd feel in her ears), it's my job to clean them, and I should just "get it done".  Well, get it done- I did!

Unrolling the exam room paper is AWESOME.

I scheduled an appointment last week to have it done at our pediatrician's office yesterday on my day off from work.  M was fast asleep when we first arrived at the doctor's office and I thought they'd take advantage of her slumber to at least mark the earring spots on her ears while she slept.  No dice.  We had to wait for an infant room with a higher table and by the time it was open, M had woken up.  Of course she was all smiles and cheerful until the pediatrician took out the pen and tried to mark her ears.  She started crying as soon as we tried to hold her still.  What can I say?  My girl is a free spirit already and hates restriction.

Oh sweet, unsuspecting gal

After we had the dots marked and parent approved a nurse came in and we laid M on the exam table.  I held down her arms, while the nurse held her head, and the doctor did piercing number one in a second.  They gave her a break to recoup and I gave her, her paci and a cuddle and then we braced for ear #2.  We had her down, but the piercing gun jammed.  The doctor pulled the trigger, but it wouldn't go so we were holding M down a bit longer than she liked and she got pissed.  Finally, after what seemed like hours (more like 15 seconds) her 2nd hole was done and she cuddled with me, sniffling, with her paci.  The doctor handed me the instructions for cleaning her piercings, which M promptly took from me.  She bawled every time I tried to take the instructions away from her, so I think she thought it was like a lollipop for a job well done. :)

I tried to take the instructions away from her and it brought on more tears...OOPS! (the black on her forehead are ashes from Ash Wed)

By the time we got home she was back to her normal self and playing with her dogs and all her toys.  A.R. got out of school early last night or he wouldn't have seen her until this morning.  As soon as he opened the door he noticed her earrings and said, "What did you do?!  Oh my goodness, you did it.  Why did you pick those earrings?!"  Yes, his first thought was that he didn't like the plain gold studs the pedi's office provided.  He then of course promptly apologized to her, cuddled her, and said it was all my fault and my idea.  I told him he could pick her out her first teeny tiny diamond studs next year and at the same time buy her mommy a larger matching adult version if he didn't like the gold studs that much. :P  Today, she didn't even notice her earrings until I cleaned them morning and night.  My mother-in-law gushed over them and thinks she looks even more like a girl now...her challenge is keeping my nephew, J, away from them when I'm at work as he has an ear fetish and likes to pull other peoples ears when he's sleepy.  No joke, the kid is funny (he's 1 1/2).

Ready to go home back in the waiting room with her pretty ears.

Baby girl, you are beautiful with or without your adorable tiny earrings.  I hope you forgive me for helping to hold you down while the piercings were done...I know one day you'll like the fact I didn't make you wait to get your ears pierced until you were older.  Trust me.  That's a good thing...your Mama got her ears done when she was older and it took a long time for them to heal as I always played with them or showed my friends and they were constantly infected.  I love you my angel.

Fun with Fondant

M's first birthday is fast approaching and after going a little crazy with the decor for her baby Minnie Mouse themed partay I decided it was time to reel in the spending.  I priced fondant cakes for Alexi's 30th birthday back in September and was shocked at the sticker prices, but still wanted something nice for M's party.  After doing some research and talking to a few people I know that are avid bakers, I decided to do a test run with fondant and see how it turned out.

I made a lump of fondant!

I did my test run just after Valentine's Day by making a test cake for Alexi.  I made marshmellow fondant using the recipe from Wilton's website and was surprised at how easy it was.  I even dyed it pink (after melting the marshmellow, but before adding in the confectioners sugar) with no problems.  If you attempt fondant yourself, just make sure you put lots of Crisco on your hands (take off any jewelry if you don't usually while cooking) and on all sides of your fingers as the marshmellow is super sticky before you mix in a decent amount of confectioners sugar to form more of a dough ball.

Rolling out the fondant

My cake turned out a hundred times better than I thought it would even if it was a bit lop-sided (I bought a gadget that will eliminate that issue going forward).  Making the fondant was easy and even working with it and rolling it out was, too.  The hard part was getting the rolled fondant from counter to cake.  I'm not going to lie...it took me 5 attempts and a few swear words before I got it.  Lucky for me I have enough fondant leftover to do one more practice run before her party to make sure I have my technique down.  The marshmellow fondant doesn't taste that bad, either.  I added almond flavoring to it and it was a little too sweet, but definitely edible.  I also used Wilton's recipe for buttercream frosting for the outside of the cake and it was delicious.

My 1st attempt at fondant...

For the main two tier cake I plan on making a butter cake with strawberry cream filling on the bottom layer and raspberry filling on the top layer.  This cake will be for the party guests.  For M, I'm going to make a smash cake without the fondant.  I'm going to make a Vanilla Cake with Whipped Frosting off of http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com's/ website.  I'll color the frosting pink to match the larger cake and I think I'll probably put a little raspberry filling in the center for her.

Mmm, cake.

I'll definitely post the pictures of the cake I make for her party...wish me luck!

Finger-lickin' BBQ Chicken (crockpot)

This chicken turned out delicious and best of all only 5 ingredients are required, so the prep time was minimal.  The apricot preserves I used definitely made the sauce complete.

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8209672227423120695&postID=7687974473518642463

Pork Chops with Apples & Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I posted this recipe today on the food blog I participate in.  I found this recipe in my January/February 2011 Food Network Magazine and it was a hit!  I will definitely be making it again soon.

http://therecipenest.blogspot.com/2011/03/pork-chops-with-apples-garlic-smashed.html

Adoption Diaires Part 2- Birthmother "Ever After"

I got a package today from my son and his parents (through the adoption agency), so I thought what a fitting day it would be to type up my last installment in my Adoption Diaries series on being a birthmom.  My son, N, is now 12 1/2 (I'm sure he'd add the half in- I always used to b/c you never know when that half could make a difference!).  It's hard to believe that in June of this year I'll have a teenager with my genes running around.  If that doesn't add to my three existing grey hairs, I don't know what will.  Anyhoo...

N is now old enough to write me letters.  He calls me Ms. Heather and knows that I am his birthmom.  He knows I'm married (and not to his birthfather) and he knows that he now has a half sister.  His parents- yes, I call them his parents afterall they raised him and earned the title a hundred times over- are wondeful and so is his extended family.  N has his own dog (he's an animal lover like me), has my crooked teeth, his Dad's bad eyes, plays just about every sport, and is on the honor roll at school.  He is the spitting image of his birthfather.  I saw a picture of him today and it brought me back.  Back to the days that his father and I were happy and in love.  It was ages ago and I'm in a much better place (with a better man for me) now, but gosh he looks like his Dad.

Twice a year I have contact with N and his family through the adoption agency.  We send packages to the agency and they deliver to N so that our locations remain anonymous to each other.  The type of adoption that I have is a semi-open one in that we "talk" through the agency and exchange pictures, letters, gifts, etc. but we have never met and I have no visitation.  I chose this type of adoption as I thought it would be easier on my son and offer him a more stable upbringing with his adoptive family.  I hope to meet him again one day, but it will be on his terms this time.  In NC, where I gave birth, adoption files are sealed, so he wouldn't be able to find me unless he contacted me through the agency or found me with a private investigator (think The Locator).  I'm not even sure if the agency could legally help him at this point, but I'm pretty sure they could once he turns 18 since we all keep in touch.

I'm at peace with the adoption, but I'm not going to lie...it took a long time and a lot of tears before I got to this point.  I used to (and still do somedays) have this ache in my heart and I miss him and imagine what our lives might be like together.  Or I imagine what he is doing at that particular moment.  Maybe he's playing with his dog, rough housing with his friends, or attending a slumber party.  I also wonder where I'd be now if I did the single mom thing...I seriously doubt that I'd be where I am today.  Would I be in Connecticut?  Married to A.R.- my soulmate? Would I have finished college and eventually gone on to get my MBA?  Would I have the career I have today?  Who knows what the answers to those questions would be and after a long time, I stopped dwelling on them.  I made the best decision for my son at the time.  Period.  And that is what matters.  He is a happy, well-adjusted, preteen, and he made his adoptive family complete.  Some people would say that I made the ultimate sacrifice in carrying this child to term and then giving him to a family who so desperately wanted a child of their own.  Perhaps, I did, but the way I see it is that this was how it was always supposed to be.  N is with his family and I was chosen to give him life and this wonderful family to love him. 

I would say that I didn't completely heal and move on after the adoption for several years until I was in my early twenties.  It took a long time before I could see a boy around my son's age and not be taken back to that day in the hospital when I had to say goodbye.  In the first year, I would even tear up walking through baby aisles in the stores and so I began to avoid them at all costs.  I did go to some counseling sessions after N was born and they did help me, but it was also very hard on my parents.  My mother, in particular, had a hard time accepting that her first grandchild was no longer "hers".  She understood and completely supported my decision, but adoption doesn't just effect the birthparents, it effects the birthgrandparents and siblings, too.  Fortunately, my younger brother and sister were so young (Isaac doesn't even remember me being pregnant) that it wasn't hard on them and they didn't really understand all that happened.  My dad has always been closed off emotionally, so he rarely talks about it and my mom and I had a rocky relationship that first year after N's birth.  She was going through so many emotions of her own and seeing me suffer as her daughter was also tough.  My maternal grandmother knows of my pregnancy, but does not acknowledge it at all.  It's one of those topics that we just don't discuss and she ignores the conversation if it is brought up.  My paternal grandmother was proud of my maturity in such a difficult situation.

Now, after having another child I'm even more convinced that I made the right choice.  A baby needs two loving parents.  Raising a child with someone else is exhausting (yet rewarding in so many ways) and I cannot imagine having had to do it alone.  N's adoptive parents are thankful for the gift that I gave them...well, I am thankful for the gift they have given my son and I.  They've given my son a loving home and me complete peace of mind.  N is where he's supposed to be right now and perhaps one day soon, we will meet again.  A birthmother and her son.  Do I imagine what this day might be like?  Absolutely.  What mom wouldn't?

Heebie Jeebies

Have you ever watched a movie that just left you with an odd feeling afterwards?  Like a case of the Willies, a sour taste, or the Heebie Jeebies?  We watched the movie Shutter Island the other day through Netflix and it left both A.R. and I creeped out.  It starred Leonardo DiCaprio with Michelle Williams and Mark Ruffalo and was set in 1954 on an island that housed the most dangerous criminally insane.  I figured out about a third of the way through that the main character WAS the patient, but it didn't make the movie any less horrifying.  If you haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin it for you, but it involved the murders of three children and a wife.  When I watch movies now that involve the senseless deaths of little ones I can't help but feel deeply for the characters.  Now that I have a daughter of my own, I can't imagine losing her and this movie made me think of what I'd do if I did lose her.  Those thoughts terrify me.  Ultimately, I don't know what I'd do, how I'd react, or how I'd change as a person after losing a child (especially if it was by way of murder), but I know it wouldn't be good.  I know it's just a story and the chances of it happening in my lifetime is slim to none, but what creeps me out is someone- a real, live human being- thought of this story and all it's unsettling details.

Another Leo movie that comes to mind as equally Heebie Jeebie inducing was with his co-star Kate Winslet called, Revolutionary Road.  That movie not only gave me the creeps it flat out pissed me off (Kate's character especially).  How does someone sane write these things?!  I know it's entertainment and some people really enjoy these types of movies, but I wonder what leads them to dream these stories of heartache, hurt children, and death up.  It was always unsettling for me before becoming a parent to see movies like the two mentioned here, but I feel my feelings are magnified now.  I start thinking, "oh my gosh, what if..."?  Perhaps that's what the authors intend.  To invoke emotions and compassion for those characters left suffering.

Tonight we watched Julie & Julia and I have to say that movie was much more my style. :)  It was actually a sweet movie and I could relate to all the characters.  I still have a bad taste in the back of my mouth from Shutter Island that will be there awhile, so I think I'll stick with some chick flicks and Romantic Comedies for awhile.  I need me my feel good movies!

The Last Decade

I got this idea from an on-line chat board I'm a member of and thought I'd do a blog about it.  It's been a decade full of changes for me and as we ring in the first month of 2011 I thought I'd take a moment to look back and reminisce.  Here is a time line of sorts of my life over the last ten years...

2001: I turned 21, quit my job in NC, moved to CT about 6 weeks after 9/11 to be closer to the guy I was dating at the time & to transfer to CCSU, and got a new job in property management
2002: Started college at CCSU to finish my BS in Accounting, worked full-time, my boyfriend at the time ended up moving in with me
2003: Adopted Molly cat
2004: I graduated with my Bachelor's in Accounting and got a new job at a health insurance company
2005: I finally broke it off with my exboyfriend for good.  He was a liar and a cheater, but it took me 8 years to finally kick him to the curb.
2006: I started a new job in Reinsurance Accounting where I remain today, went to Aruba with my brother, A.R. and I met on a blind date, I bought my condo, we got Tomas the dog, started grad school for my MBA 
2007: We got engaged in April, went on a cruise of the Western Caribbean with A.R., I took a class abroad traveling to Bangkok and Singapore, I got a promotion at work
2008: Sold my condo, signed contract to build our house, got married, honeymooned in the Mediterranean, moved into our newly built home just before the end of the year, lost my cat Molly to kidney failure at only 5 yo
2009: Graduated with my MBA from Univ. of Hartford, found out we were pregnant, 1st anniversary trip to Puerto Rico and a cruise of the Southern Caribbean, got our Lily dog, lost my cat- Sebastion at 13yo to cancer
2010: Welcomed our baby girl to the world, celebrated our 2nd anniversary, went to Florida to visit my brother

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