Happy 2nd Birthday Grant!

In Nana's garden.

Can it be that 2 years ago today I was having my first early labor contractions? I was at work and noticed that my lower abdominal "cramps" were happening over and over...maybe I should start noting the times. After lunch I decided to stay home...I was feeling strange and those darn cramps were not going away. By 5PM I wanted to call the midwife and check in. She told me to go to the movies. By 6PM I was in active labor.....translation...IN MADD PAIN. The contractions turned from tolerable to HOLY SHIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. We still needed to shower and pack...so that took awhile. It was not until 9PM that we stumbled into the birth center. I was 9 cm ! Grant was up high so I had lots of pushing to attend to (which started on the drive :( ). He was born at 10:56PM!!!!!


Will post the birth story as soon as I find it!!! grrrrrr.

Happy birthday dear son Grant Paul!!!!! You rocked my world and turned it upside down! You are gorgeous and smart and sweet and funny....I love your idiosyncrasies and oddness...I even love your rebellious spirit. Thank you for making me into a better person...and a mother. Life will never be the same again. Ok...off to write him a letter. (each year I archive a birthday letter to Grant..and will give them all to him someday...either his 18th...or when he moves out...haven't decided yet.)

Have a great seven seven.

Here is Grant finger painting with flour/water/food coloring paint. I think he would rather use brushes....so guess what he is getting for his birthday? (well besides the balance bike)

Zen moment sitting on basketball (that he can dribble now)
Birthday dinner at Serras (yum) ...first candle of the birthday
Mixing his birthday cake with mom on the kitchen counter (that is his smile for the camera...isnt it hilarious) Oh and the cake turned out hilarious too!!Will post pic tomorrow. It is the UGLIEST cake ever. Hope it tastes better than it looks. Note to self...practice cake decoration.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture! Is that not the cutest face? The garden is nice too :)

Contemplation
Putting the birthday wagon from Nana together. So intent!
My cherub (ya right)
All dressed up to attend a wedding...another posing smile ...as you may notice
Thanks for visiting. Peace out

Am I really turning 35? Weird!

The last month has been a roller coaster of real estate market drama. I am about SICK and tired of running home and pulling a whirling dervish style clean up for a last minute viewing! At least the house is getting seen though...so I hate to complain. I can really tell spring has sprung because a slow showing schedule has turned into a multiple times a week situation...which is great (except for the constant house cleaning...and all of you who have ever sold a home know what I am talking about).

And if that wasn't enough fun....the last month was a big tease! Four weeks ago a lady liked the house. A week later she scheduled a second showing! WOW...our excited was building. A week later she said she wanted to write up a contract. Another week later she actually did it...man she drew that out! I was exhausted from the snails pace. Then........we found out it was not only contingent on her divorce...but she wanted to close in 2.5 months! Thats almost as bad as being contingent on her selling her house...maybe worse. Our counter offer included upping the price a tad, removing the contigency to just the first month and closing at 2 months. Well she is still pondering...and while she does so we are back to showing our house. In fact...we have showed it 2 times in 2 days. Pretty good stats.

I just pray that we sell our house to some one who will love and appreciate it like we did. It is just time for us to move on and start the next phase of our life. I'm really getting antsy to move...even though it will undoubtedly be stressful and scary. Guess I will go ahead and apply for the same job I applied for 6 months ago. Long story short....it has opened up again because the director retired and they promoted the assistant. I have a good shot at it because I was #2 out of 71 applicants last time and the lady who did get hired (who is now the director) is very interested in me. I know all this because I have the inside scoop. I'm a little disheartened because I really want to stay at home with Grant...or should I say not send him to a new day care. But this is the only job in that city that has my name written all over it ...so I suppose I should go for it...and then at least we could afford to send Grant to the Montessori school (they start at age 2).

So I have lots of things up in the air right now...no wonder I was blessed with my first migraine in 20 years last night! Even today I am wearing my sunglasses (from the snowman) at work (the lights are bothering me). I wont even go into my aging dogs who may need to sent to doggie heaven soon. Or my dad who has Alzheimer's and is getting worse by the day.

But on a happier note...tomorrow is my birthday! I'm turning 35 HOLY CATS. Not young not old...just middle aged I guess (depends on how long you live). I don't really think I am quite middle aged yet. My target age is 83 hehe. I was surprised this morning when a gorgeous spring basket of flowers was delivered to me at work! Happy Birthday Mama! Love Grant. Made my day...my year even! My hubby done good.

Now I just need to make it to 5PM...then we are OFF for a fun birthday road trip!!!!! Will tell on upon return. Have a wonderful weekend. I just LOVE this time of the year :)

SUSHITASTIC

My 34th birthday was wednesday, april 4th......and it was a good one. Not merely because I get a number 4 this year.....but bc my people gathered around me and gave me love. I am so blessed. The day started off with a beautiful poem from Dave. We always exchange the same card...going back and forth between us over the years...and its nice to flip back and read the entries from the past. I considered posting the poem here...and still may...but he is so intensely private that I fear it may hurt him...so I am going to get clearance first. Then off to work we went...........and i must say that i was bummed out. Just not in my usually super hyper birthday glee. It could be bc my mother put me to sleep the night before on the sick story about a couple in st louis that just made headlines bc the man had been molesting her day care children for 30 years( grandma neal has been in day care here in town for 30 years)....ages 6 months on up!!!!!!!! It sickened and stressed me OF COURSE (prolly serves her right that she was up all night revisiting her labor and delivery of me!...isnt that wild that 34 years later it still has that much of an impact?) Or it could be that winter is revisiting us with a vengeance and is taking all my pretty flowers and it just plains sucks. Or maybe its bc grant has been tossing and turning again for 3 nights and the exhaustion is setting in. But its prolly hormones in combo with all the above said self pity. Anyhoo....i made an appt for a massage as 11am.....and it was GREAT. Very nice bday present to myself. So after that i was very relaxed...but almost asleep. Sharon the Librarian popped in with a lovely present...what else a book!! That was very sweet and made me smile..things were looking up. My boss took me out for lunch ...and then all of a sudden its time to pick up grant. Well he cheered me up! And then after work I came home to a twinkie scavenger hunt. Dave and grant had hid them all over the house for the gift that keeps on giving. I loved it...and there is still a few to find! I also had bday cards that had come in the mail...and they were SUPER DOOPER mushy....from my mom..and a separate card from my dad (he is getting very emotional in his old age) and from my MIL and godmother. Im saying...they were very very veyr very sweet and touching and i cried. Next we went out for sushi with my boss and his wife (who is a friend of mine). This dinner has been 2 years in the making. We have wanted to try sushi with experienced sushi connoisseurs. SO they ordered a dozen trays or so..and we munched hard......and we LOVE SUSHI! seriously...it was divine. so now i have another expensive bad habit ...GREAT :) Sarah and Ben wanna go?

Possibly the highlight of the day was when grant decided he knew how to clap. Yes he has been pattycaking for months....but not making the clap sound with open palms. Well now he is a clapper and is so proud of himself. Its adorable! Oh and he is mobile......although without crawling or walking. It takes him about 40 minutes to go 10 feet...by wiggling, rolling, leaning etc. Any minute my baby will be gone and a toddler will have replaced him...........whoa...im not ready.

Happy April!