The Logistical Olympics!

We knew that once we got back to work it would be difficult trying to juggle everything. This week we get a little taste of what's to come - try to keep up... Wednesday started with a last minute call to work on Thursday down in the City. Craig is working in the studio and I have to ask for help which is not my favorite thing to do. I call Melissa's mom Diane and beg to bring Finley over for a couple hours while I go get my nails done (SO important - blech.) Thankyouthankyouthankyou to Jack and Diane! Next it is bed for her, shower, clean up, pack for both of us for two days in the city and work (which is always extra packing and attention to detail - flesh colored underthings, jeans, shoes, curling iron, blah blah) Wake up at 6, pack the car, get the baby, change her diaper but keep her in her pajamas. Drive 2 hair raising (we'll make no! we'll be late no we'll just make it) hours in bad traffic over the GW Bridge to Weehawken, NJ to the house of my dear friend Marni who has a nanny who has a daughter in town to take care of Finley. We are late so, change her into her clothes, get ready and RUN for the bus at the end of the block which gets lets out on 42nd Street, get the subway to 23rd Street - though, shit! it is an express which lets me out at 14th street, RUN up to 22nd and 5th. Wait in the longest elevator ride in Manhattan and walk in the door at 10 sharp, maybe 10:01. Work runs long (yay! more money!) and it's back to the pavement, subway, bus back to Weehawken by 3pm! Whew. The good thing is they have a big ole' house and we get the third floor and always sleep great there. The next day is much of the same - to work by 9am down on Bank and the West side highway. Here is a really great thing about my job - sometimes you finish early. This was a job that was 9-5 and it turned out to be 9-11!! Of course you karmically(sp?) pay that back on other jobs that are ridiculously hard or wrong in other ways. SO I stopped by the apartment - took a NAP! and then went to see on opening day - Sex in The City - which was a lot of fun and a super decadent and girly thing to do. I had a blast - had the biggest popcorn they would sell me - the bucket! Back to reality - 5pm Bus, car, sleeping baby, 2 hour drive home. All the while BTW I am feeling awful with a pulled back for days now and allergies. The drive home was ugly with increasing FEVER and chills. Till finally home and sleeping baby no longer sleepy up till 11:30! Ugly. It is no fun when the baby won't sleep, really no fun when the baby won't sleep and you, yourself are sleepy but can't go to sleep yet, and a punishment from GOD when the baby won't sleep and you are sleepy and SICK. Tomorrow we try a new babysitter (thanks anyway, Pops and Lisa - we SO appreciate you) - I leave in the morning till Tuesday for Cleveland. Craig gets back in the evening and flies solo with the baby till I return (he'll get his-heeeheeeheeehaaahaaahaaa.)

Do I have your sympathies? I can hear Craig's voice in my head "You wanted a baby!" Now she is taking her morning nap, I feel better (I think the sickness was a reaction to the allergy medication and other crap I took for the muscle pain), sorry for the blog vomit.

Your reward for reading that...

OWWWWW!

Teething sucks! Poor baby.

The Party

No video, sorry. The camera was on the highest setting somehow and the files are too large to blog without a lot of hassle.

She had such a great time!


Dylan, Luke and Cole sitting out on the bridge to FrogLand. Luke and Bill caught a giant crawdad and a couple frogs.


Presents!


The Hamburgers, The Geigers, The Micolis, and GrandPops and Bebe


One hand strawberry one hand dress and a mouth full of cake


Hanging out with the Hamburger Boys in a Volvo



The good women of Dutchess County shucking the corn.


CAAKKEEE!
L

Happy First Birthday FINLEY JOYOUS!

We are so happy you are here and are our most beloved Bubba!

LABOR!

This time last year I was checked into my birth center and being induced. In approximately 6 hours my water will break and I will officially be in labor. This process will continue for an additional 36 hours! I still can't believe it. Here is the roller coaster of emotion I remember having - excitement!!, fear, anticipation, discomfort, alarm (meconium in my fluid?), pain, More pain, MORE pain, despair, unbelievable pain, resignation, not much (good drugs!), FEAR, determination, ANGER (WHY can't I have the big drugs until I reach 4 centimeters???), more determination, Incandescent Pain for 7 more hours, hope, elation (YES! 6!! centimeters, now GIVE me my good big drugs!) NO PAIN - Hallelujah!! Craig and Gracie are now dancing around the room, happiness!, JOY (she'll be here any minute now!), More Fear (why is her heartbeat decelerating??), more determination, relief, Amazement, JOY, L-O-V-E!

Why Did The Turtle Cross The Road?

Or not cross the road? Or sit by the side of the road to catch some rays? Who knows, but it definitely wasn't so WE could come along and harass him, but that's just what we did. To our credit, we were only trying to help him (Save Him!!!) get back to the woods and not get squished by traffic. He wasn't having any of it, and rightly so - how annoying we humans can be. By the way, we now know you should NOT handle Snapping turtles, they can actually excrete musk from their sides when irritated, and/or snap off your fingers!!

This wasn't the turtle from my childhood - check out those claws!!


Finley, the only smart one actually trying to get AWAY

7 Years of Maowage (a collaborative post)

Happy Seventh Anniversary to Us!

We celebrated by leaving the babe with Pop and Lisa for a nice brunch and a walk in the park. The reality is that we are rusty with going out and it didn't really play out as planned. We decided to walk across the park for brunch stopping first at our former Gristedes market, now a Dean and Deluca's. Cami got a very fancy bag of veggie chips. 4$. 4 Dollars!! That's almost as much as a gallon of gas. Well I guess they are both fuel. It seems we must have invaded the country that makes chips.

We walked across the park getting into a squabble along the way. When we got to the west side, all the brunch places had big lines; New York, Sunday, everyone has the same idea, duh. Starving and irritated, we ended up at a classic brunch place, the Three Star Diner. Essentially the Walden high-school cafeteria; it hasn't improved with age.

Back to the park, it rained, we bought umbrellas and sat under a tree. There was a parade finishing up along 5th Avenue and we pretended it was for us. In the end we love each other and that is what is important - it doesn't matter how we celebrate is it as long as we remember it and carry the love with us wherever we go. And Craig has promised hot dogs next year - or a knish, my choice.

Making the number "7" under an amazing tree in Central Park that will forever now be our seven tree.

My First Mother's Day

Craig got home from the tour in the middle of the night then we woke up and drove down to the city to be with Craig's brother Christian, sister-in-law Susan, nephew Max and Pop and Lisa for brunch which was fun and delicious. It was great to see Finley with her cousin Max - she sat right on his lap and kept chasing him around and grabbing him when she could.



I don't have it in me to write extensively on the topic, but I will say that it is everything I had hoped being the mother of Finley - and of course a whole lot more. Thank you to all who helped me celebrate - Happiness to all Mamas!
Looking at my Mommy Locket which I love.

I am crazy about this baby!

Hoo!

Craig and Finley listening for you-know-hoo!


That's right!! Two BIG ones who have made our backyard their home. We thought they were coyotes from the big crazy sounds they make. Owls!! We are lucky lucky lucky!!

Party Month!

May is a big month for us with our anniversary, my birthday, and now Mother's Day and best of all Finley's birthday! What May also brings are the Geiger boys Luke and Cole - it's their b-days too and if that wasn't enough they also had baby Jake's christening last weekend. Craig was out rockin' the free world, but Finley and I went and had a great time.


Melissa's dad, Jack - a big sweetie who knows how to woo a wee baby.

Finley checking out the hymnal.

The next day at Cole's Birthday party!

I love these kind of moments - all the adults scrambling to make it special!

The party had a "Mickey" theme and this photo captures nicely how I feel about that mouse, though I did try to be a good sport.

Kitties, Thieves and Money!