Party of Four...

Our house has a formal living room, which we use as a family room, and a family room, which we use as a sitting room, because it has a fireplace, and we creatively call it The Fireplace Room.

For some reason, all the furniture we bought we nicely accommodate three people. Since Shawn and I are already two people, that means when we have friends over (more than one) people sit in odd places. Like the arms of chairs, storage ottomans, or our fireplace which is raised with a rock hearth. Extra comfy.


I FINALLY ordered a chair. Just a simple leather-ish arm chair from Overstock. I've never ordered furniture from Overstock, so I hope it's not as cheap looking as it cost. In order to accommodate my new cheap-o chair, I've needed to rearrange a bit. Nothing makes this house feel new again than moving a simple piece of furniture. I feel like I'm unpacking again.

So I've been slightly sliding a larger chair and ottoman around our Fireplace Room to make room for The New Chair so when we have four people over we can crowd around the fireplace and tell ghost stories.

If we have a fifth person over, they'll have to sit in another room until we move to a larger house and I buy a Newer Chair.

Here is the before shot of my Fireplace Room with room for The New Chair. It will go in front of The Death Cabinet, which we recently moved from between the windows to its current location. For three years I have been hoping to replace with a less deadly cabinet with no luck. So The Death Cabinet remains.

Password overload

When you need a password to find out what your passwords are there are too many passwords. This cannot be more true than dealing with Verizon. We got iPhones today and I proceeded to make some poor customer rep earn her money.

I think I needed about 4 passwords to work with the Verizon person and not knowing any of them, they settled for the primary person's last four SSN digits...and needed to speak to said person.

After settling the password issue, I was able to get my phone activated. This process took no less than about 4 hours and several calls to customer rep.

Is this an indication that I shouldn't have an iPhone? Probably.

Bye-Bye Baby

I knew this day would come and I should have been prepared for it. After Santa and everyone else at the Santa brunch thought he was a girl, I KNEW Shawn would insist on a haircut--the first--for Caden.

He'll be 3 in March, so I was well aware of the fact that I was on borrowed time.

I've done an ok job of trimming the length so it never got too terribly long, but it has gotten thicker and when he gets hot or its warm out, it curls up so adorably, I get weak in the knees. He's just so dang cute.

On Tuesday, the last day Shawn was home, we took him to a barber that our friend recommended. The kid threw a shit-fit when we walked in and wanted NOTHING to do with the barber or his chair. Which was okay, since the barber admitted to not knowing how to cut with scissors and that he'd just buzz it. So we left--not ready for a friggin' buzzed head!

After buying him some new sneaks, we thought we'd try one other barber shop...and this time it worked. She managed to cut his hair by coaxing him into the chair with dum dums. Lots of dum dums. He also sat on my lap, which helped.

He walked into the barber shop a baby and left a Little Boy. He looks so grown-up. I can't believe my little baby is gone. :(

Now we have to work on the whole potty training which I'm beginning to think will never happen. I'll have to home school cause he won't be allowed to go to school.

My Big Boy

My Year in Review

2011 was an incredible year filled with desperation, disappointment, realization of friends' true selves, overwhelming joy and happiness and ended with absolute fulfillment.

Jan 01, 2011 met me with the anticipation of a fresh IVF cycle. One offered to us for free as part of a study. This was our third IVF cycle and our second in our attempt to have another baby. If not for the waived cost of the cycle, I'm not sure I would have proceeded with it and looking at this adorable baby that it yielded, I know now I would have spent anything to have her and am ashamed that I almost didn't do the study.

The study was more difficult than previous ones because my appointments could not be done as early. I spent roughly 4-5 hours every morning for about 10 days driving to the appointment and home, squeezing in my hours for March of Dimes, and caring for Caden. It was exhausting. Shawn worked from home during these days to help with everything.

Feb 14 was the retrieval...and ultimately conception date...for Peanut. She's a Valentine's Day baby. :)

We learned the happy news at the end of February and announced the new baby during Caden's second birthday party to our closest friends and family. It was wonderful.

Life continued on from there. Shawn worked (and continues to work) like a dog, I executed the March of Dimes walk, and Caden grew cuter, smarter, and kinder with each passing day.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we travelled back to Florida and spent two glorious weeks on the beach and at the pool. It was wonderful.

Shortly after returning, things turned when we learned we had to say good bye to our dear dog DJ, only 10 weeks later we said goodbye to Dakota.

At the 20 week mark of our pregnancy, we faced a scare that Peanut may have an intestinal disorder and brain cyst. After an agonizing week avoiding Google, we learned that Peanut was just fine and we breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Summer days with Caden involved playdates with friends, time at the pool, volunteering at a daycare, and afternoons at the playground. We tossed around the idea of moving and I used my second trimester energy boost to clean the house. In the end, we stayed put.

My favorite time of year was quickly upon us and I greatly enjoyed and appreciated the cooler weather as my waist continued to expand. We went apple picking and hayriding and spent time with friends.

A mere four days after trick-or-treating, we welcome Adele to the family and time took off at warp speed.

The holidays were here and just as quickly they are already in the past. Our house is filled with new clothes, new toys, and new life. It is loud, active, and messy. I am in love with my life and the people who fill it. I am grateful for everything within these four walls and the breath in my body.

While walking Bennie the other day, I saw a shooting star. As a tribute to the gratitude I have for my blessings, I gave my wish to someone else who needed it more. I hope it came true for them.

Happy New Year!