AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!

Last night with Mr. Max did not go quite as smooth. Max is experiencing his first illness ~ a tiny little cold. It's making him kind of stuffy and sneezy so last night in order to try and help him sleep a little better we put him in the swing because he is a little more upright, though that might be better than flat on his back. Well all was going good until my crazy, loud, annoying cat decided that he wanted to be fed - every hour.

Trigger has a knack for starting to howl just as Max or I am about to fall asleep therefore waking one or both of us up. I could have killed him last night, he has done this since we got back from Michigan. I am sure that it's punishment for leaving him for 4 days. Alright already, I get the point now will you please shut up so I can sleep for more than 2 hours at a time!!!

Ahhh Hell....

No takers on the house. Apparantly when they were asking about schools they were looking for one in particular. Because our house didn't fall in the elementary school they were looking for "specifically" they decided to pass on the house. Whatever!

Any takers....

We got a call from our realtor the other day that there may possibly be someone interested in leasing w/option to buy our house in Grand Blanc. The person interested was asking all about schools and some other things so hopefully that is a good sign. I think that they were supposed to go look at it some time this week. I am putting a call out to everyone to please pray that something happens....as much as I love our house in MI I would love to start saving for a home here in NJ.

If I hear any news, good or bad I will be sure to let everyone know!! Thank you! I am posting some pictures in case anybody knows anyone that is looking to buy in the Grand Blanc area...and plus I just wanted to remember my lovely home for a minute longer. The last one is my favorite!!

I absolutely loved our dining room....it was so spacious and bright....this picture was taken before we got our new table, I think that was taken right after we got done painting everything.

Sweet Child O' Mine....

Well it happened. Max slept through the night. Now don't go and get your panties in a bunch, it wasn't a perfect night...there was more than one occasion where I still had to get up and soothe him a bit but I didn't' have to feed him and at this moment he is still sleeping.

We fed his cereal him last night at about 7:30 pm, bath, then bottle and in bed by about 8:15 pm....he had been awake for most of the day (much to my dismay - awake all day = cranky baby!) so he fell asleep almost instantly.

Because I live by Murphy's Law I slept like crap. But I am hoping as he gets more and more used to sleeping through the night I will also get more used to it. I think that my body is so conditioned to waking up every few hours it is still on that cycle. Pray for me......

The Rudolph Family

My good friend Melanie pointed out to me that I did not post a picture of the three of us together, so this is for you Mel. I am also throwing one in of just Max and I.

Cute as a button!

We had some professional pictures taken while we were home in Michigan and here are a few that I just love!!!! These are ones that were saved to a disk that Dave made for us....I was able to save a few and do a little cropping of my own....so cute! And yes Mom I will try and send them to you!! The last one is my absolute favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was taken just for Uncle Danny....we actually have a really cute Yankee's outfit but being the blonde that I am I forgot it!!

He looks like a little Christmas Elf in this one...I love it!!

This one was taken just for Papa Jim!!! He bought this outfit for Max for Christmas....so cute!!!

Here is my favorite one...Karl was trying to get him to lay his head down in the palm of his hand but as you can see Max was having no part in that!!! I love this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Mom

I forgot to mention that during our little stay in Michigan my mom was trying to teach me how to crochet. I have the knitting thing down but I really want to try my hand at making my very own homemade throw....well let me just say it was not going all that great. I was getting so frustrated. We lefties always have to try harder at things than you righties...LOL!

Anyway I was taking a break because I was getting ready to scream and HOTY jumped in and said, "why don't you teach me than maybe I can try and teach her", he said this to my mom of course. Of course my brat of a husband caught right on.....but I figure now I have some ammo any time I want to josh him a bit...

.

And yes he did in fact finish it and gave it to Brian....what a man!

Michigan Turkey Day!

As you all know The Rudolph Family headed back to Good Ole' Michigan for Turkey Day. It was quite a task getting the whole crew ready for the big trip back. It took me 2 whole days to try and get us all packed up. Here is a picture of Max helping me...

I was exhausted trying to remember to bring everything for us as well as Max so I had to take a little break. Magoo decided that she was getting pretty tired too so she took a little breather with me as well.......

Finally Wednesday afternoon came and we were on the road by 2 pm. We were making incredible time so we decided that we were just going to suck it up and drive all the way through. Things were going great until we got to the Ohio border and then we hit a wall of rain. It rained all the way through Ohio, and then once we got into Michigan it started to get a little nastier. By Ann Arbor & Brighton we were in a white out. BUT we decided that we were so close now there was no point in stopping, plus we had the dog and with it being the day before Thanksgiving we weren't sure how lucky we would get finding a hotel room.

At 3 am we dragged ourselves into Nana's house and just collapsed. Max of course was nice and refreshed, being that he slept almost the entire way! Karl and I tried to go back to sleep but after about 3 hours of tossing and turning we said forget it and just got up. I think we were so over tired at that point it didn't matter.

The day started off great, lots of coffee, playing with Max and opening gifts! Max got a ton of cute clothes and some great new toys. After a while though he started to get a little bleary eyed and needed a nap. I think Karl was getting a little slap happy too....

But Turkey was calling our names and we had a great dinner....Afterward Nana and Papa Jim were playing with Max....

I started playing with the crazy sisters, Magoo and Izzaboo....

Karl took a much needed nap. After a little while Max was in a festive mood and decided that he needed to show it...Karl said that he looks like he is doing something from The River Dance....

Saturday was my family's Christmas Party and the house was packed. It was great to see family, eat good, and play with Max. Here is a picture of Max was his Great Grandma Shirley....

All in all it was a great trip....we got home last Sunday night at about 11:3o pm and we all just crashed, Max and Magoo included!!! What a weekend!

Trigger was lucky enough to have the whole entire house to himself, and I am sure that he enjoyed it. I don't think that he was quite as happy to have Magoo back but life goes on!!

Here we come Michigan!

Karl got out of work earlier than planned and we are loading up the car as I type. Soooo excited to get home and see some friends and family. It's going to be a GREAT holiday!

To all of those I won't be able to see have a wonderful holiday and The Rudolph Family wishes you lots of joy and tons of turkey!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOTY....

For a few weeks I have been calling Karl H.O.T.Y....Husband of the year. I was laying in bed last night (not sleeping of course. see previous posting), and I realized that you could call him hottie....HA HA! I think that is going to be a good nick name for him. I am sure he will be thrilled that I am posting this for all the world to see!! HA HA HA.

See what happens when you don't get sleep!

Murphy's Law

It seems that my body and mind are determined to do what they are not supposed to be doing. Last night Max had another pretty good night of sleeping. We fed him his cereal, bottle, gave him a quick bath and put him to bed by about 8 pm. He slept until 12:30 am or so...I got up and gave him another bottle. He instantly fell back asleep. Slept very soundly until about 4:45 am, was slightly fussy....went in soothed him, gave him his nuk (pacifier) back and he went back to sleep until 6 am and Karl got up and fed him and played for a bit. Karl put him in his swing and he fussed for a little bit and fell back asleep and is STILL sleeping. As I post this I am amazed.

Here is the definition of Murphy's Law: Murphy's law is an adage in Western culture that broadly states that things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance. "If there's more than one possible outcome of a job or task, and one of those outcomes will result in disaster or an undesirable consequence, then somebody will do it that way." It is most often cited as "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" (or, alternately, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way" or, "Anything that can go wrong, will," or even, "If anything can go wrong, it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment").

This is why I think it applies to me.

I can't sleep. I woke up to feed Max at 12:30 am as I said and I couldn't fall back asleep. I think when I finally did it was about 2:30 am. Woke up when he got fussy and was up until 5:30 am. What the f! Many years ago I had a very bad bout of insomnia, for any of you that have had it sucks and I really hope that is not what is happening. I do think that my body just got so used to waking up some often now it can't easily fall back asleep. I guess Karl is going to have to swaddle me and give me a pacifier!! HA HA HA!

Anyway. I have realized that Murphy's Law is my life!

A Debacle....

I am having a serious hair debacle.....


Karl has always been a lover of long hair, and preferably blonde. I on the other hand would change the color, cut, and length of my hair every day if I could. I get bored with it. Way back in the day....high school that is, I used to have hair so long it was ridiculous. It was a total pain in the butt, took me forever to do before school. Once I graduated high school I decided I was ready for a change. I cut off 9 inches like that. No tears, no regrets, nothing. From there I started my hair journey.


I have had just about every single cut and color there is except bald and black. I have had dark red, brown, and all shades of blonde and just about every cut there is - from The Rachel to The Halle.....


I prefer myself with short hair. I think that it suits me. I would say that I have more of a spunky personality, or as a friend once told me - Sassy. Short hair is just me. When Karl and I started dating I had a chin length bob and progressively started to grow it out because he liked it that way. By the time we got married it was the longest it had been since high school.

Not long after we got married I got extremely bored with it and cut it to about shoulder length. For the next two years it never really got longer than my shoulders and I would decide to chop it off again, much to Karl's dismay. When I got pregnant I decided to grow it out. I had visions of lush, full, beautiful hair (because of the vitamins of course). While I was pregnant it did get pretty thick but now it's kind of boring and I am losing some by the way. Just one more thing to add to the list of post-pregnancy issues that suck.

So my debacle is this. I would really like to cut it but Karl would be sad and I am wondering would I regret not being able to put it in a pony tail when I have no time to take a shower....???? Help me out girls. I need some serious help! Below is a picture of what I love to do....my hair is not quite as curly but I could almost get it there......let me know what you all think. The actress is Elisabeth Shue. She is just gorgeous!

Mmmmm. Cereal!

Here is a video of Max having cereal for the very first time. He didn't enjoy it too much, as you can see from the look on his face. Halfway through the video Karl turned the camera so I have to apologize for the angle but it's really funny! I just love the look on his face when we first started....it's like he's eating a rotten lemon!!

Hallelujah!

Last night I woke up around 1 am and realized that I hadn't heard a peep out of Max. We gave him a little bit of cereal around 8:30 pm, a bath (because he had cereal) and then straight to bed ~ around 9 pm, give or take a few minutes. So when I woke I was expecting it to be still fairly early and was shocked when I realized what time it was.....I would just like to say Thank You to the fine friends at Gerber for helping me to get a straight 3 hours of sleep at a time!

As I was trying to will myself back to sleep before Max woke I heard a strange noise coming from the monitor....it sounded like voices or more like talking. At that point I was instantly awake and having visions of Freddie Kruger. It was freaking me out and I started to wonder if I was really awake, maybe I was just dreaming. So I leaned up and turned up the volume just a little bit (as to not wake HOTY - hubbie of the year) and realized that it was a man's voice I could hear.....I have to say I was really kind of freaking out at this point. Then I heard what it actually was. I was listening to a sermon or at least someone preaching. What I actually heard was a radio station, the guy was saying something like Praise God and some other stuff that I couldn't quite make out but then the next thing I knew I was listening to a choir singing some gospel song. Talk about relief...I had no idea that our monitor was that good!

After that I was able to sleep a little bit better, but who knew I would be getting saved while I was listening for Max all at the same time! And as a side note he slept until 2:30 pm.....a whopping 5 1/2 hours. That is the most he has slept since we brought him home. I am not kidding! I woke up, changed him, fed him, and then he went back to sleep until about 6 am or so...give or take a few minutes. I love rice cereal!

MMMM...Cereal....

Max had his first taste of cereal Friday night. I only made up a teaspoon because I wasn't sure how he would do with it. I think most of it came back out....he didn't really like it. See below!

He kept pushing most of it out with his tongue...he wasn't quite getting the hang of swallowing it....

Last night went much better. He got down a 1/2 of a teaspoon. Woo-Hoo! We have a video but I haven't uploaded it yet so keep your eyes peeled for it -it's hysterical!!

Momma I'm Coming Home....

Spoken by Mr. Ozzy Osborne himself.....

Karl, Max, Magoo, and myself are heading back to Michigan for Turkey Day and I am soooo excited! It's going to be a very short trip, we are only going to be there from Thursday thru Sunday but who cares....I get to see my family, a few friends, and pig out on turkey. What more could a girl ask for!

Plus we are getting a family portrait done while we are there...and I think that we are going to try and squeeze some baby pictures in for Max. We have a great friend, Dave Hodgkin who is a photographer in Grand Blanc, he owns BH Photograhic and he is also the photographer that took our wedding pictures. He's great and I can't wait to see how he gets Max to smile!

I am being hailed by Miss Magoo who needs to go outside. Ciao!

4 months going on 1 year....

Max had his 4 month check up today at the doctor. He weighs a whopping 15 lbs and 13 oz. and he is 24 1/2 inches long. He is in the 75th percentile for his weight and 50th for his height.

He did not do so well with his shots today....he cried so hard. It broke my heart. His poor little face was so red, and he did the crying thing where no sound comes out. AAAUUUGGG! I was almost crying. But he got over them quickly and he took a nice little nap on the way home and Daddy is feeding him right now.

We talked in length to the doctor about how he is not sleeping and he thinks that he might be having a little acid reflux. Which would explain his out of control drooling issue right now. He took a look and did not see any teeth and he does not have an ear infection...the two biggest clues that teeth are on the way. He suggested that I try a little bit of rice cereal at night before his last bottle and see if that helps...if in a week still the same Max has to try some baby Zantac....so we shall see.

All in all Max is in perfect health and is already trying to sit up...he looks like he is trying to do sit ups, and he is trying to stand as well! Crazy.....can't believe how fast he is growing! Well Daddy and I are going to eat some dinner and then the whole family is going to bed!

Eat.Pray.Love

This is one of the books that I am currently reading for my book club. When I first started it I was having a very hard time getting into it, it just seemed to drag along and was not really capturing my interest. But I told myself that I should just keep reading so at least I would have something to talk about at our next meeting.

This morning I decided to sit down and read a little more while Max is taking his mid-morning nap and I have decided that I LOVE this book. Here is the synopsis of the book:

"In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want - husband, country home, successful career - but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and of what she found in their place. Following a divorce and a crushing depression, Gilbert set out to examine three different aspects of her nature, set against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasures in Italy, devotion in India, and in the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence."

The book is split into three different sections, her trip to Italy, India, and finally Indonesia. I am to the India part and in reading it have found out a few things about myself. During her trip to India and in trying to learn meditation she realizes that she is very much a controlling person and how hard it is for her to just let life go and accept it. Below is an excerpt that I love;

I have searched frantically for contentment for so many years in so many ways, and all of these acquisitions and accomplishments - they run you down in the end. Life, if you keep chasing it so hard, will drive you to death. Time - when pursued like a bandit - will behave like one; always remaining one county or one room ahead of you, changing its name and hair color to elude you, slipping out the back door of the motel just as you're banging through the lobby with your newest search warrant, leaving only a burning cigarette in the ashtray to taunt you. At some point you have to stop because it won't. You have to admit that you can't catch it. That you're not supposed to catch it. At some point, you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to you.

That is exactly how I feel. I always feel like I have to control all the things around me. In having Max I really have learned this about myself. I constantly find myself saying that I don't understand why he does or doesn't do things, I want to control everything about his life....but I can't. I think that I have become this way because I had a lot of things happen to me as a child that I couldn't control, I love my mother so much (especially now that I have a child of my own) and I don't blame her for what I went through as a child. She had three lives to worry about including her own and I know that it could not have been easy for her - I am barely making it by with just one and I have a husband who is always there for me. She was not that lucky.

I have to let the control issue not control me. That is so very hard for me to say and I think that it's going to be even harder to do. Practice what you preach....

I want to be able to do this for my son. I don't want him to grow up thinking that he has to control every single thing about his life. I want him to enjoy it...not spend every waking moment worried about what might or might not happen because it's out of his control. I can hear him in his swing right now cooing and babbling and I am tearing up just thinking about his sweet face and I just hope that I can love him enough to teach him about life....the right way!

Bouncin' Fool

Here is an adorable video of Max in his new bouncer seat. I apologize that my voice is so loud in the video but I was holding the camera a little too close to my face....but you get the idea of what Max is doing. He was laughing at one of Magoo's dog toys. I was sitting there shaking it and he was having a blast!

Just another day in Paradise.....

*****I have to post a warning before you start reading....this is going to be an extremely long post....but bare with me it's worth the read! *****

First let me start this posting off by saying Karl and I are extremely grateful for the house we are staying in. Karl has the most incredible Boss and it's a blessing that we don't have to pay two mortgages while we are trying desperately to sell our house in Michigan.....BUT on the other hand you would not believe some of the things that we have encountered since we have moved in.

Just to name a few things;
~ Septic was not working when we got here, basically we had no toilets
~ The fridge was extremely diplatidated....I mean literately held on my duck tape
~ We had many broken windows, I think 5 to be exact
~ Who ever lived her before must have had an obsession with nails because there were about 5 million in each and every room....some just painted over
~ Speaking of paint there must have been about 10 different shades of gray in every room, except for one and it was Smurf blue
~ The dryer didn't work
~ The floors look like someone stripped them and then let a pack of angry dogs run through AND THEN put some varnish on them....

BUT please don't get me wrong I am SOOOOOO thankful that Karl and I are here. He loves his job, we don't have to struggle financially with two mortgages, and most important of all we have a roof over our head and food in our bellies...so with that I have to say a big Thank You to Mr. Ench and Hopewell Nursery!

In case you are all wondering where I am going with this we had, hmmmm how should I say this.......an adventure last night. Let me set the stage. Max is in his swing taking a little nap, Karl is watching the Sci-Fi Channel (or as The Nuthouse's little gal would say the Skee Fee channel), I am sitting contentedly on the other couch knitting a scarf (I know, like a scene out of Leave it to beaver...).

Anyway. All of a sudden Karl goes oh sh#* there is a bat in the house. I look up and say what (I was in a zone knitting like crazy). He says again oh so casually, "there is a bat in the house, duck." This is what I said not so casually.....WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At that moment the real show started. The little winged critter starts flying through the hall way and I am flattened on the couch like a pancake and Karl starts running through the house trying to figure out where it has gone. As I am still in pancake mode I hear Trigger (the 24 pound Cat) running around trying to catch it....can you say Rabies! Magoo is instantly aware that something is up and starts running around trying to catch the 24 pound cat......my husband is running around trying to figure out how to get rid or our little winged friend. Max is still sleeping in his swing.

The next thing I know Karl says that the critter is in Max's room....great, just where I don't want him to be - but I am slightly thankful it's not in my hair. Karl closes the bat in and I ask where the cat is, Karl answer oh so casually "in Max's room".....WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tell him he has to get the cat out and he says "then I have to go in there".....ok what happened to my big bad husband that is not afraid of anything??? Has anybody seen him?

Finally we manage to persuade the cat out by feeding him (he is 24 pounds and now you know why!). Karl closes the door and I instantly ask him how he is going to get it out and he says he doesn't know....again with the WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then he tells me that they used to get them in their house at home and I say well how did you get rid of them and he says that his Dad told him to throw a sheet over it....so he goes in the basement brings up every single mis-matched sheet we have from painting and proceeds to spend the next half hour trying to throw the sheet into the bedroom and HOPING that it will land on the bat (who is chillin on the wall, attached to some cute little pictures that are hanging above the changing table.) Finally I point out that his sheet tactic is not working and I tell him he has to try something else. So he decides to get his pellet gun out and decides that he is just going to shoot it.....in case you all forgot where we are let me remind you.....in the house, in Max's room.

While he is trying to figure out how to shoot the critter without breaking the window or putting a small hole in the wall I proceed to get on the phone with my mom trying to figure out how they used to get rid of bats that would show up in my Grandma's house....I am on the phone laughing my butt off with my Mom and Jim and Karl is still trying to figure out how to shoot the critter. Let me point out that there were many times Karl would open the door and then suddenly come flying out back into the hall way because the critter had taken flight.

FINALLY the critter lands on the top of the window trip and Karl decides that this is his moment, he picks up the pellet gun, takes aim and shoots.....I am cowering in the kitchen still on the phone with my mom and I hear him say...."I got him!". I come running down the hallway and he is standing inside the door but Mr. critter is nowhere to be found. So I ask is he sure, yes he's sure he just don't know where he is.....I look down and I see a pair of shoes I had left in there that I had taken off while playing with Max and I scream "is it in my shoe!". Karl assures me it's not and finally he finds him laying very close to my other shoe. Karl proceeds to take one of the sheets and scoops up poor deceased critter and ties it in a garbage bag, I say good-night to my Mom & Jim and we head out to the living room to finally relax.....and Max is still sleeping in his swing!

The point of this whole story is that we never knew when we decided to come to the east coast that we would have such an adventure!!!!

Too Funny....

As I was posting the previous picture I found a website that says it all.....

http://www.nomuffintop.com/

You have to check it out....it's hilarious!

Skinny Jeans here I come!

As you all know I have recently joined a gym in hopes of getting rid of my "baby" weight. As of last week I had lost three pounds! Woo-Hoo! I was even able to fit into a pair of jeans that I was wearing at the beginning of my pregnancy....they were a bigger size than what I normally am but I am just happy to not be wearing maternity jeans anymore. I've decided that I am not going to weigh myself anymore, I am going to try and base my weight on how my clothes fit....

This morning I had an even bigger surprise! I fit into another pair of jeans pre-pregnancy....they also were a little bigger on me then but I am thrilled that I am just able to put them on and not look like this.....

Keep in mind that is not an actual picture of me (thank you Lord!) and even if it was I know that all my girls would kick my butt for walking out in public like that!! But my point was I don't look like a sausage trying to squeeze into pants way too small for me.

I should print this picture out and put it on the fridge for motivation. I just might do that.

I am Grace Kelly....

Melanie sent this little quiz to me the other day and I thought it was so cute that I am posting it. Have fun!

Which Movie Star Are You?

This is kind of fun! Ever wonder which movie star you are most like?

Don't read ahead please! Well ~ A team of researchers got together and analyzed the personalities of movie stars.The gathered info has been incorporated into this quiz. There are only 10 questions so it doesn't take long. Number your paper from 1 to 10 , then answer each question with the choice that most describes you at this point in your life , and then add up the points that correspond with your answers.

And don't be a butt and ruin the fun by not responding ... Now don't look ahead or you will ruin the fun!

1. Which describes your perfect date?

a) Candlelight dinner for two
b) Amusement park
c) Roller blading in the park
d) Rock concert
e) Have dinner & see a movie
f) Dinner at home with a loved one

2. What is your favorite type of music?
a) Rock and Roll
b) Alternative
c) Soft Rock
d) Classical
e)Christian
f) Jazz

3. What is your favorite type of movie?
a) Comedy
b) Horror
c) Musical
d) Romance
e) Documentary
f) Mystery

4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only these choices?
a) Waiter/Waitress
b) Sports Player
c) Teacher
d) Policeman
e) Bartender
f) Business person

5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste?
a) Work out
b) Make out
c) Watch TV
d) Listen to the radio
e) Sleep
f) Read

6. Of the following colors, which do you like best?
a) Yellow
b) White
c) Sky blue
d) Teal
e) Gold
f) Red

7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now?
a) Ice cream
b) Pizza
c) Sushi
d) Pasta
e) Salad
f) Lobster Tail

8. Which is your favorite holiday?
a) Halloween
b) Christmas
c) New Year's
d) Valentine's Day
e) Thanksgiving
f) Fourth of July

9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it be?
a) Reno
b) Spain
c) Las Vegas
d) Hawaii
e) Hollywood
f) British Columbia

10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with?
a) Someone who is smart
b) Someone with good looks
c) Someone who is a party animal
d) Someone who has fun all the time
e) Someone who is very emotional
f) Someone who is fun to be with

Now total up your points on each question:
1. a-4 b-2 c-5 d-1 e-3 f-6
2. a-2 b-1 c-4 d-5 e-3 f-6
3. a-2 b-1 c-3 d-4 e-5 f-6
4. a-4 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-1 f-6
5. a-5 b-4 c-2 d-1 e-3 f-6
6. a-1 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-4 f-6
7. a-3 b-2 c-1 d-4 e-5 f-6
8. a-1 b-3 c-2 d-4 e-5 f-6
9. a-4 b-5 c-1 d-4 e-3 f-6
10. a-5 b-2 c-1 d-3 e-4 f-6

NOW take your total and find out which Movie Star you are:

(10-17 points) You are MADONNA: You are wild and crazy and you know it. You know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are doing though, and are much in control of your own life. People don't always see things your way, but that doesn't mean that you should do away with your beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself and others.

(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY : You are fun, friendly, and popular! You are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share of times,yet you come home with the values that your mother taught you. Marriage and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don't let the people you please influence you to stray.

(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS : You are cute, and everyone loves you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing. You never hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a breeze. You are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back stabbers, and you are worry-free.

(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY : You are a lover. Romance, flowers, and wine are all you need to enjoy yourself. You are serious about all commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and never forget a Birthday. Don't let your passion for romance get confused with the real thing.

(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN : You are smart, a real thinker. Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and body. You don't take crap from anyone. You have only a couple of individuals that you consider "real friends". You teach strong family values. Keep your feet planted in them, but don't overlook a bad situation when it does happen.

(5 1-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR : Everyone is in awe of you. You know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know what to do with. Your word is your bond. Everyone knows when you say something it is money in the bank.You attract the opposite sex. Your intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.

So who did you end up being?

Opa & Max....

This past weekend Opa and Mom-Mom came down for a visit. They brought their 5th wheel camper and parked it back behind the house and they are planning on leaving it for the winter. That way they can come down any time they want and have a comfortable place to sleep. Who wants to cram into a twin bed to try and sleep - although Mel and Dave did it while they were here....I commend you both!

Anyhue we had a great weekend! They got down here Friday afternoon and we all hung out and had Chinese from the best restaurant around and then of course played with Max for most of the night.

Saturday was a day full of activity. I headed into Deptford to check out Babies R Us and get some winter gear for Max, Mom-Mom stayed home with the little one and baby-sat, Karl and Opa headed to Lowe's to get stuff to winterize the house....this house is heated by oil and in every room we have base heater's. It cost an arm and a leg to heat this house. I am not kidding. We moved down here last March and just for the month of March and April it cost us $800....augh! So Karl and Opa re-calked and put plastic over all the windows (they are old windows so the cold air just cruises through them).

We bought Max a jumper, or what some might call a bouncer and he looks so cute in it....

He loves it....he just looks around and kicks his feet. It's sooo cute! I also bought him a hat and mittons. SOOOOO CUTE! He was hangin' out with Opa and I was able to snap a few cute pics of them together...

The hat is a little big but I figure he can grow into it...which shouldn't take long considering he is wearing 6 month old clothes!

Saturday night we headed up to Christine & Marco's house (they are a great couple that Shannon introduced us to). They have a 16 month old, Sebastian, and he is the cutest! We had a great time....Christine and I had a few glasses of wine, Marco and Karl played pool. It was a lot of fun. They also had another couple come over that is from the DC area....they have a 1 year old...it was great to sit down with other mom's and just talk about motherhood and all the craziness that goes along with it. And I am sure that Karl was in heaven having other men to talk to and not his crazy wife!!!

All in all it was a fantastic weekend. I think I am starting to like New Jersey......Wait did I just say that??? I must be losing my mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have to watch!

This is on Val's blog page and it is too funny! It's kind of long but it's worth it. Here is her link...

http://www.milobardays.blogspot.com/

Too Funny!!!!!!!!

Magoo & her Sis Izzaboo

My mom just sent me the cutest picture of Magoo's sister, Izzaboo. I just thought it was too cute not to post....look how much her and Magoo look alike! Amazing!

Here is Miss Izzaboo....

And here is Miss Magoo....both pups came from my sisters dogs (Golden Retriever ~ Daddy, and Chocolate Lab ~ Mommy). There were 10 pups and every single one of them was black. Magoo was the runt of the litter but she sure isn't tiny any more. But Izzaboo does have about 10 pounds on her....seeing the two of them side by side almost makes me want to get another dog....somebody stop me...I am talking like a crazy woman!

High Chair Conversations

Here is Max having a very detailed conversation with his Momma. It's a little slow to start but he really gets going towards the end! I love it!!!

Breaking News!!!!!!!

I have lost 3 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that does not seem like amazing, shocking, life shattering news to most of you but it's made my day when I got on the scale! I was even able to fit in some pre-pregnancy jeans. Now they were a little big for me a year ago but I am thrilled that I am able to wear something besides maternity pants!!! W00-Hoo!

A big thanks to Shannon for helping keep me motivated!! And an even bigger thanks to my incredible Husband a.k.a HOTY (hubbie of the year) for demanding that I get the membership in the first place!! I love you!

Three down and just a few more to go!!

Big Boy!

Max and I have started a new routine in the mornings.

Max hangs out in his high chair while I do the dishes and then enjoy my morning coffee. I think that he really loves being up high and being able to see all kinds of stuff in the kitchen ~ I love getting the kitchen straightened up while he is checking out the scenery..... Here is a cute pic of him sitting like a big boy in his chair. And I swear just 2 seconds before I took this pic he was smiling! LOL!

Keep on the lookout for a new video coming soon....it's in the process of downloading as we speak! Should be up later today or tomorrow!!! Ciao!

Much Better Now...

I finally got a hold of someone at Scholastic and she was gracious enough to say that I could donate the calendar to a school of my choice and she would be sure to cancel my account and I would not be responsible for paying for the $18 calendar....I also made sure while I was on the phone with a real human that I cancelled the book club portion of that account....

At the end she asked me if there was anything else she could do for me and I ever so politely said no, thinking I would like to say "are you friggin kiddin me".....and SHE SAYS...I am not kidding ~ we have a great offer going right now of Winnie the Pooh series, she rattles off the price and also is sure to mention that I have a free 7 day preview and if i am not happy I can return them at any time......HAH!

I ever so politely say no, all the while I am thinking, "are you friggin kiddin me!......

IRRITATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This may not be what you are thinking...I know you are all reading that and thinking that my precious mind has finally gave way...but it's not what you think.

Not long after Max was born I signed him up for a book club through Scholastic. The deal was that I would get a shipment every couple of months of various sorts of books for a very small price. What I thought was a small price....

Three months later I have probably paid about $100 for about 10 books. Now they are mostly Disney books so I know they are generally a little more expensive but the reason that I am so irritated is because now I am getting all kinds of other crap. For instance just this morning I received a 2008 Disney Calendar for the small price of $17.94...CRAP! Right now I am on the phone with Customer Service trying to cancel this order so I don't continue to receive another boat load of crap that Max doesn't need and I have to pay an arm and a leg for. I have now been on hold for approx. 20 minutes and I am starting to think that no one is ever going to answer this line. I am pissed!

The kicker is that I have 7 days to preview what they have sent me and if I don't send it back within those 7 days I am going to be enrolled automatically whether I want to or not. Again I am pissed. I am soooooo regretting that I signed up for this bulls$*@! Here I thought I was being a good parent, getting great books for el'cheap price and I was duped. I guess it's my own fault, I should have read the fine print. What is the old saying, "Fool me once shame on you...Fool me twice shame on me".....I guarantee there will not be a twice!

Oh and by the way I have now been on hold for 28 minutes! Have I said yet that I am pissed?

Baby Steps...

Not for Max but for me. Last night I had my 1st counseling session with a service that my Dr. recommended. It's almost an hour away but she raved about how great they were so I made an appt.

I was VERY nervous...I have been feeling better and wasn't sure that I wanted to spill my guts to someone that doesn't even know me....but I sucked it up and went and I have to say that I am glad that I did. The Counselor was extremely friendly and did not make me feel like I was crazy or losing my mind. I had to fill out a form called an Edinburgh, basically a form that lists all kinds of symptoms and I had to check off the ones that I have felt since I had Max and especially in the last few weeks. It was kind of scary how many I checked off. But again I sucked it up and finished all the paperwork she gave me.

After all the initial forms we sat and talked for about an hour. She asked me all about the move to NJ, Max's birth, how I felt immediately after, and then about when I started noticing how sad/frustrated/angry/tired/helpless I was feeling...hard to say just one because I really have gone through the whole gamut. She said that many things can contribute to PPD (postpartum depression ~ a difficult birth, lack of sleep, in balance of hormones, etc. , she was very positive and was extremely understanding and even gave me some homework to do.

~ I have to cut down on my caffeine in the morning (because the coffee will keep me awake most of the day I have to allow my self to get tired in the afternoon and try to sleep or at best lay down on the couch and rest.
~ I have to eat breakfast, preferably a protein.
~ I need to exercise at least a few times a week
~ I have to ask Karl for help and not be afraid talking about how I am feeling
~ And last but not least I have to not worry about being the Perfect Mother...a.ka. I don't have to have a spotlessly clean house, the dishes can sit in the sink for a day, the laundry can wait...etc.

The last two are going to be especially hard. I am horrible as asking for help and I have a constant feeling that I should be doing something while Max is sleeping. BUT I am just going to keep trying and hope for the best! Needless to say I go back in two weeks....stay tuned for more later!!!

The Picture of Perfection!

Max fights sleep...many of you I am sure have heard me say that one time or a million times. His typical day consists of usually two really good naps. One in the morning and one in the late afternoon. Yesterday was a day that he really did not want to sleep. :)

He took a few naps, what I have come to call Power Naps, he only sleeps for about a 1/2 hour (if I am lucky!) and then is up for a couple of hours and repeat. I am sure that he loves all the playing and reading that we do but I on the other hand I LOVE it when he sleeps for a few hours at a time. Can you say Hot Shower!! Anyhue....yesterday he was full of energy and so he only took a few short PN's (a.k.a Power Naps) and by the time Karl got him from work Little Max was maxxed out. I went to the gym yesterday ~ that is another story all together ~ and Karl stayed home with Max. I was gone for about an hour and a half and when I got hom Max was sleeping. Karl said that he had only been asleep for about a 1/2....I had a 50/50 shot that he was going to continue sleeping long enough for me to eat dinner. Luckily I had made a pot of Chili ~ a tradition I have brought to New Jersey from Carl & Teresa, but again that is another story ~ I inhaled my bowl of chili and moments later Mr. Max awakens. I realize that I am sort of babbling but I do have a point.

Only a short while after waking I could tell that he was still tired but ever the explorer he wanted to stay awake and play or look around or whatever I was going to allow. I decided that he needed to in fact sleep and so my ever stubborn son decided to scream, cry, and howl for about an hour or so and finally Daddy stepped in to save the day....in the end a picture is worth a thousand words (or I guess how ever many I have written!!!). See below for the final result.