Sunday, May 25, 2008

Moe watching Michael and Seamus

They're an active couple of boys, aren't they??

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Funny Pic O' the Day!

I find this photo hilarious. Over half of my photos when I shoot without a flash are like this - and I have a tendancy to delete them, because they're not "good". But I really love this, I think simply because it epitomizes Liam's stage right now. He's doing a lot of climbing and grabbing. AND a lot of falling. This is just my little man fallin' on his butt right as I take the photo....notice he still managed to keep grabbing onto the play thing though.


So I had an impromptu trip to Saginaw, from Monday to Thursday. The rouse was to watch Karli play in her last softball games, but she was all banged up and unable to play. I'm pretty sure she f'd her knee in the A, but I don't think she's had an MRI to confirm/deny these suspicions. It was a great trip anyway. It was nice in general just hangin' out with the fam. Dad, Liam and I even went to the Saginaw Children's Zoo on a cool, Wednesday morning.

Here's Liam checkin' out a moo-cow :)

The cool part was that I finally mustered up the courage to try train travel, and rode the friendly rails with Amtrak. It was cheaper than driving (not by much, cuz I got the expensive tickets, but it can be as cheap as $60 round trip to Flint!!). It was actually a great experience, even though we were quite delayed on the way in, and doubly so on the way back. But Liam was fantastic - very minimal fussing, he mostly was content to either sit on me, the chair, the floor and stand or play. He also liked looking out the windows and banging on them whilst laughing at the trees. Totally cute! Really, it was nice to have 6+ hours to devote to him - no phone, computer, tv....just me and the little man.

He actually made my heart *almost* explode a couple of times, when he would just sit on my lap and play, and then all the sudden just look at me and smile, then snuggle his little head on my chest for a second before returning to play. *sigh* I suppose that's what montherhood is all about, right?

Now I'm home just long enough to unpack, repack and head out to Indiana tomorrow to hang out with Pat's family! Should be fun :) Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Weekend Fun

Friday night was a party all night kinda night for us - we played a game of chess (it was my turn to choose) and then watched a documentary about the City of Chicago from the beginning 'til 1871 (the year of the fire). It was actually pretty damn awesome. I know, not a very exciting night to most folks, but I love having nights like that with my man. *sigh* Even if he did fall asleep half way though :)

Yesterday Pat and I went to the Lion House for a dinner function at The Lincoln Park Zoo. VERY cool :) The food was awesome, and the conversation was fantastic - and it was just sooooo cool to have conversation interrupted by Lions roaring right next to you. Really neat-o burrito.

The babysitter we had last night was also fantastic - it feels good to start building a network of people I can trust to care for Liam when we want to go out and about. So far, we have two - and I'd like to add two more to the mix......we're still wading through applications and such on SitterCity.com - but I know we'll find some more good people there.

Today, we went to the Nature Museum using a Passport from the Chicago Public Library. Basically, you check out this passport and you don't have to pay general admission! They have it for zoo's, museums, Shedd, any Chicagoland public attraction. I can't wait to use it more often! You can only check them out for 7 days, but really, to save $30 on admission is totally worth it!!!

Anywho - the Museum was kind of lame-o, but we did manage to have a good time and get a few good photos :)

Here's Liam exploring a fish tank filled with - well, bubbles.



Little man with Daddy on the slide:

Awww - Liam's just soooo cute :) Even if he can't really crawl yet through the tubes!


Liam and Daddy waiting to exit the butterfly haven. Daddy doesn't really like bugs. Even if they are pretty.

Ooohhh - pretty bugs.

Other big news - Liam is a crawler! I can't believe it - he's sooo cute about it too. When he tries to think about it and crawl, his little legs get all jumbled up.....but, when he drops a toy and it rolls away, BAM - he's after it like lightening!! Without even thinkin' about it. I can't believe how much he's growing (I know, cliche, right?). He's also still quite the standin' up pro too - even lets go and stands on his own for a couple of seconds. And pulling up is a piece of cake now. Baby stuff :) We really need to baby proof now.....here's some video I *tried* to catch of him doing it....he'll go a good couple feet now!



Liam and I are going to visit Mema & Papa and the rest of the family tomorrow for a couple of days. The whole plan was to go watch Karli's last softball games of the season, but turns out she sprained her knee, and who knows if she'll actually be playing. It will work out well though, because we won't see them again until July.......so the train fare will be worth it either way! I hope the ride goes smoothly! It can't be worse than driving alone with him.......:) I hope!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Good Morning!

We've had a few days full of milestones lately for our little man. Not crawling quite yet - but he is soooo sooooo close! He has been a climbing machine!! Pulling up on everything and anything he can get his little grubby paws on :) Primarily, after getting home from daycare, he's been using Mommy and Daddy as his own personal mountains :) He just grabs and crawls and climbs all over us - quite adorable actually.


Also in the mobility department, he's also figured out how to get into the sitting position all by himself! He did it yesterday for the first time, and then this morning when I went in he was sitting up, smiling and just waiting for me. *sigh* he's so sweet! I went to get my camera, and when I came back in - I walked in to this:


I was impressed with the sitting - doubly so with the pulling up to standing :) Good thing we lowered the crib mattress a few days ago! I can't believe how much he's grown!!!

As you can see - his hair is also quite short. Mommy got a little over exuberant with the clippers again. Well, actually, Pat tried to cut it, but took a big chunk out of the side of his head - so I just evened it out. All over. Eh. It will grow back.

We also moved into the meat department of solid food yesterday. I made turkey and chicken.....although while it was cooling on the countertop I came to find a certain little small cat snacking on the chicken. *sigh* So, turkey was the only thing I was able to puree. Liam tried it yesterday and did NOT like it. At all. I don't blame him. Turkey is kind of gross all plain by itself. And pureed.

On the healing front - my nose is feeling pretty good. Slowly but surely weaning off the vicodin :) It still feels like a nasty boogery-scabby mess up there, but nothing I can do to fix it right now. No blowing. No picking. No nose spray. No nothing. Just putting up with it. Doctor's appointment is Thursday, so hopefully I'll have some more relief by then.

K - bed-y-bye time for Karin. Have a fabulous evening!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!



Wanted to take a couple pics of my little man and me today.....these are the best of the bunch :) I realize today is supposed to be a day to give thanks and show appreciation to the mother, but for me, I just want to thank and give appreciation for those who MADE me a mother :) Namely, Pat and Liam. I'm just so thankful and grateful for where I am right now - its an amazing feeling!

Oh, and I'm incredibly grateful for the other mother's in my life, friends, family, my mom and mother-in-law, and grandma - you've all given me a great template to follow :)

So what did I want for Mother's day? Not much - just an all day Jammie Day and breakfast (yummy pancakes, dyed pink even!). I did want to go to the zoo, but its super craptastic out, so we'll have to wait another day for that. The rest of today will probably be spent watching the Indiana Jones Trilogy, which I've never seen in completion (we're on Temple of Doom right now). Its been an amazing day - I can't wait for many mother's day's left to come :)

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Doh! My Dose.....

that is Dose rhymes with nose.....as in my dose is all stubbed up.........

I had my surgery on Wednesday and all went pretty well - officially called a septoplasty and turbinate reduction. The staff of Northwestern Memorial was amazing, as were the facilities. Everything was all nice and new....private pre-op rooms, private recovery rooms....it was just about as enjoyable as a surgical experience could be.

I went in at about 8:30AM - surgery was around 10:00AM - and we were home sometime around 2:30 ish. General anesthetic, but I didn't get all woozy after because they gave me a "Barf B Gone" patch. Basically a little patch to put behind my ear so I didn't get nauseous after the anesthetic wore off. Worked like a charm! They did still give me a barf bag for the way home, just in case. It was pretty funny looking. Resembled a blue horse / elephant condom. Weird right? But you probably have a good visual of what it looked like :)

Wednesday I spent pretty much the rest of the day doing nothing - Pat took care of me and the boy, I was hopped up on vicodin. The pain did suck, but it was manageable. Mostly the pain was in my teeth, and around my sinus area. I also had a lot of bleeding through my nose, but not much swelling or bruising or anything. I just had to have a gauze pad rolled up and taped under my nose to catch the blood - then I changed the gauze every hour or so. I spent most of the time on the couch, not completely reclined - cuddled up with a kitty or two on me. Funny how they know just when you need some love :)


Thursday I felt better, I was a little more mobile, but still had the gauze....I even wore it on Friday too, even though it was more for mucus than blood. Friday I felt well enough where Pat and I took in a movie - we saw Iron Man (great movie - definitely see!).

I felt yet even better today, so much so that Pat left for the day to go help a friend attach his mast to his sail boat, so Liam and I were on our own today (well, at least until about 3PM when our friend Kelly came to visit). It was tough caring for Liam by myself, because I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than a milk jug for two weeks. And yes, Liam is about 3 milk jugs (the little chunk a monk!). I'm not supposed to do any strenuous activity, or drink through straws either.....all of those restrictions are in place to help prevent my nose from bleeding again, I suppose.

We survived though - I did pick him up a couple of times, as gently as possible....the only tough time I had was when the pain started getting bad again, and I didn't want to take a pill and knock myself out as I was the only responsible person there! I took the pill anyway, and fought through the sleepiness, at least until I was able to put him down for a nap.

Now, my most recent pill is beginning to kick in, so I will bid adieu :) Hopefully next time I write I will be breathing more freely!!!!

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

It's Official

I am officially car-less. I turned in the vehicle, my keys, my telephone and my computer today. That really made this all seem so, well, final.....even though its been a couple of days since I was let go. I ordered my Chicago City Pass last night, so hopefully I'll get that soon. In the meantime, I'll just be using the disposable cards we have to use public transportation.

Of course, all this really isn't that big of a deal, because Pat still has his vehicle....and the majority of couples in the city have one car (if they have a car at all). Its just kind of a big deal for me since most of the transportation in my life has been by car.....driving......my four wheel office. I actually liked driving hours on end. Now, its time to get used to a new way of living.

I guess I should start by breaking down the transportation system here. There is the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) and they operate the buses and trains (the "EL" - colored lines - red, blue, orange, etc) in the City of Chicago. Then there is PACE (not sure what that stands for) which operates buses in the suburbs, and The Metra, which is the commuter trains from the suburbs as well....there are many different lines that go from Milwaukee to Joliet, and a zillion stops in between.

I started off on this new foot by taking public transportation today from the office. Deerfield, IL is about 20 miles north of where we live. Driving it takes about 30-40 minutes or so door to door (closer to an hour now that the Eden's is all F'd in the A). I took the Metra from Deerfield to Edgebrook, walked a block, then took the 84 Peterson bus all the way home. It was super easy, took only about an hour total, and cost about $5.00 - not too shabby.

The relative ease of it all actually had me thinking that I might come to enjoy this.......but I should probably wait to make that assessment until I travel with a wee little one a time or two. One of the things I really enjoyed was being able to really look at the city. I mean, REALLY look - the style of homes, the streets, the people. It was pretty cool. Especially the people part. I think I heard at least 5 different languages on my way home. I LOVE that about the city. One of the big reasons why I would like to stay here for a while - I think its great to expose Liam to that kind of mix instead of being in a super suburb where its all super white bread (not that there's anything wrong with white bread.....its just so...well, bland). It was especially nice because everyone appeared to be happy and social and in a good mood....it was a beautiful day outside, no doubt that was the reason.

So, I will be reliant on public transportation here for a while anyway. If we were to get another vehicle, it would most likely be only if I went back to work somewhere not accessible by the vast network of buses and trains here, or if we moved out into the 'burbs....and all that is up in the air right now.

And, as a wise friend once said "Sometimes the unknown is much greater than the known". Indeed.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Stash Sale :)

Here's what I have advertised over at TheBabyWearer :)

I really tried to find the RS/MT love, but alas, I am a wrap girl, and am loving the two that I’m keeping for my stash. Feel free to make me an offer on prices, I’m still pretty new to the sale/trade gig so I don’t have a great feel for good pricing, but I tried my best to price the items fairly :) Also, try my on for trades….I’m really right now just into wraps – looking for a fun, colorful shorter GSW, (4.6 or shorter)……maybe an extra long strap MT, masculine or gender neutral colors…..or maybe perhaps an Ergo :) Try me out :)

TaylorMade Wine Duponi Silk Ring Sling – Size M. Purchased from a sweet mama in January, tried it on for about 5 minutes, and that’s it. Beautiful color, really soft and broken in – no snags or damage that I can find. Original seller mentioned that the bottom rail had frayed and was fixed, but I can’t find it LOL - $40

Enchanted Snuggle MT – Detroit Lions – Extra Long Straps 92 inches)! Purchased from same sweet mama, super soft and cuddly, padded top straps, very supportive, but the size just doesn’t work for us. Great MT for any daddy, lions fan, or if you don’t like the Lion’s you can just use it for a “I don’t care if this one gets too dirty because its hella durable” spare MT - $35

BBO Calaveras/Zebra – 2nd owner, purchased in January. LOVE this pattern, fun and funky – always get lots of compliments on it, and used it quite frequently. Washed a couple of times. I just really need extra long straps to make it work perfectly, so I don’t reach for it as much as I should! Its hard to see, but the Alexander Henry Calaveras fabric has gold shimmer throughout – it really is gorgeous - $70


EllaRoo Kristen Size M – Just over 4.6 meters (without the fringe) – I’m the original owner. This was my first wrap after graduating from a Moby LOL :) Loved her – wore her constantly, just really don’t need so many choices, and I reach for others first. She’s freshly washed, but definitely broken in and nice and soft. No damage/snags to note, other than the EllaRoo tag is hanging by one side - $55


Last but not least, fabulous colorgrown Didymos Lars Size 8 – it was sold to me as a size 7 – but actually measures 5.7 meters. Purchased from original owner locally in Chicago – great condition! I wore it only once for a walk around the town, and it’s really just too long for me! The color is more beige-y than sage-y (if that makes any sense, LOL!) Comes with original brochure and DVD - $150


I will happily accept all types of Paypal! Prices include Priority shipping with insurance to anywhere in the US, but definitely willing to ship international if you cover the extra postage. We have a smoke free home, and two fabulous furry kitties - I do my best to keep the carriers completely clean, but don’t be surprised if you find a stray hair or two :) Please note that I do measure my wraps and look them over, but I’m not the most anal retentive person in the world so if I’m off by a centimeter or two or if I miss a very small flaw, please accept my sincerest apologies! Cheers!

New Beginnings......

I've written this post in my head a thousand times over the past couple of days. Its hard to know where to start, what to write, what to cover. Complicated and simple I guess.

Here's the short and simple version. I lost my job on Wednesday.

And the long version. I had just gone to get a manicure and pedicure at Lunch time on Wednesday. Just a little treat to make myself feel pretty. Indeed, it worked. I picked a pretty different color for me. Kind of a translucent blue with purpley-pink shimmers. Really pretty - even Pat liked it :)

On the drive home I got a call from our HR manager. In so many words, he said my position had been eliminated due to recession planning. Basically, our company is freaking out because the economy is crap, pricing is crap, we're not selling much of anything, and we're not making as much money as we would like to. Honestly, I have no doubt we're still making money. All these cuts in spending and personell will ensure that, and I suppose thats good business sense. I knew that in the event something like this happened to our company, that my job would be at high risk of being cut, because its pretty much non-essential to the business. It does create value, it does provide a important service....but when it comes down to it promotion costs money, and doesn't directly contribute to the bottom line.

And, I had a feeling that this was coming when I caught word that another co-worker, in a similar promotion based position was being let go. I figured it would be a matter of time.

A matter of time is now.

So, I was caught off guard - I was upset - sad - betrayed - blah blah blah. I even cried for a bit on Wednesday day night (after too much wine, mind you). I even cried because Jason Grilli was traded to the Rockies.....(I vaguely recall babbling between drunken cries "But, what if Grilli misses working in Detroit? What if he misses his work buddies?" sob sob - that GOODness he's gone, really, he was a terrible relief pitcher......but it was pretty funny I was upset about it). But now, I really felt good about the whole thing. Yes, its sucky, but really we are in the best possible position to be in if this were to happen. I'm just going to put the following benefits / options in list form, just because that's how they seem to be coming out in my mind.....
  1. I got a pretty darn good severance package. I can't talk about the details (I signed something saying I wouldn't - along with saying I wouldn't sue the company) but lets just say I feel adequately compensated.
  2. Overall, we're in really great financial health. We've got substantial savings, and our only debt is a small balance of my college loan, and our mortgage. That is a great place to be.
  3. We had contemplated me staying home with Liam for some time, we most likely can flourish on one salary with lots of adjustment in our spending of course - but that would be a great situation.
  4. Maybe we want to make more babies :) Soon :)
  5. Of course, if I want to find another full-time career related job I have no doubts with my qualifications, experience and dazzling personality that I would be able to find a great job with out much problem, even in this economy.
  6. Maybe this will be an opportunity for me to work part time at something I really enjoy doing.....like retail, or some kind of fun direct sales gig. Not necessarily for the money, but for the social aspect and to get me out of the house.
  7. We're still not quite sure if we're going to try to sell our place to look for a new house yet.....but now that we're going to be stopping daycare, it opens up our options a bit. Oh yeah, that's another thing. I was soooo sad to tell Josefina that we wouldn't be brining Liam after the next two weeks. We're continuing for two weeks just because when we signed our daycare agreement, we said we would do so - and it just seems like the right thing to do. I just know how much she loves Liam, and I don't want to put her under any financial hardship either....I'm thinking maybe I can help her find another little one to care for.
  8. After next week, I won't have a car.....and I have to get a new phone. As long as we're in the city, its not that big of a deal. Public transportation is ample, and we won't need to buy another car. If we move to the 'burbs though - that might be a different story.
So, thats pretty much it. I'm in a really good place right now. Calm. Excited. Ready for a new begining. When Pat and I busted open a bottle of sparkling wine on Wednesday night, we toasted to a "New Chapter". New beginnings. I like the sound of that! I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful and supporting husband......having a partner like him makes going through something like this a million times more bearable. I LOVE YOU PAT - no matter what decision we make, I know we will be just fine. Everything will work out - for the best!