Saying goodbye...

10-years ago, I made the decision to purchase a lovely 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo. I was not dating anyone seriously at the time and I felt that I didn't really need a ton of space. I made that decision because I felt that the smaller mortgage payment would allow me to still travel to MA to visit my family often (yes, I used to "go home" every 6-weeks) and also to travel leisurely.

10-years later, I will be saying goodbye to the place I have called home for the last 10-years. Somehow I feel like moving on means I am officially becoming a grown-up. It is bitter-sweet because while I am excited to have more space (especially since JOE's things take up the majority of the condo), I will miss the coziness of the condo. I had a lot of happy memories here.

I shared a lot of meals at this table. When J & I were first dating, I used to cook him dinner and we'd eat at the dinner table. I also hosted a few dinners with friends.
Goodbye glass table...now we need something more solid because glass and baby don't go together.

The lovely kitchen where I prepared so many meals! I'll now need to get used to a different kitchen. All the magnets on the refrigerator are from places I have visited over the years. I collect magnets :-).

I enjoyed sleeping on this bed. Unfortunately, it has since shrunk since JOE decided to move in. Goodbye bed...we now have to get a bigger and more kid friendly bed so kids can climb in and out if needed.

I spent quite a few summers people watching from this balcony. J even helped me stain it when we had to replace the wood. We don't have a balcony in our new place but we're hoping to put in a patio at some point  so we can enjoy outdoor meals as a family.

Yup...I feel like another era in my life is about to begin. I look forward to all the fun adventures this new era will bring.

Happy Monday readers!

#ProjectMilf: Week 3 - 3-things...

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Milestones...Happy Hump Day!

Its been a week of milestones starting last week.

JOE celebrated her first Valentine's day last week. Daddy got her a lovely card and teddy.

JOE got her ears pierced on Monday. She was so brave. She only cried when it was done and she's been good ever since. Granted, her studs are so tiney tiny, you can barely see it.
J & I wanted to get her ears pierced now as opposed to later when she has better hand coordination. Doing it now ensures that she won't have to deal with the pain when she is older. Plus I am tired of folks asking "how old is he?" Granted, blue is my favorite color so I dress her in blue often BUT I mix in purples and pink too :-).

Last night, JOE rolled over for the first time! HURRAY!!! Now I have to be watchful cause I know she'll become mobile in a few weeks/months...Gosh, she is growing up so fast! She'll be 4-months in 2-weeks!

Yesterday, we got our final closing costs! Why is this a milestone? Well, because this is my third home purchase and the first time I have received the costs more than a week ahead of time AND it was lower than we estimated. SCORE!!!

Hope you're all having a great week so far.

Happy Hump Day!

Vent!

For the record, it is NEVER okay to comment on another woman's weight when you're not BFFs!

I am sitting here trying to figure out how to take the following "compliment".

Lady: You look great...with the weight gain and all..."
Me: Hmmmm..."Not sure how to respond to that"
Lady: "Oh, just saying you look great"

Scratching my head. Are folks for real???

This is not her pissed off face but I figured it conveys my feelings!

Oh and I just realized she has my eyes! YAY!!! JOE got something from her momma besides her cheeks :-).

Happy Tuesday folks!

#ProjectMilf: Week 1 UPDATE

#ProjectMilf  - Week 1 update:

#1 - Work on my relationship with J.
As part of the Facebook love note challenge, I have written notes to J everyday since last week with a donut next to it. Since we are in the midst of closing on our first home together, we are trying to watch our spending. Dunkin Donuts is having a 6 for $3.99 deal so I took advantage of that and got 6-donuts for each day. Each morning, I left a donut on a saucer on the kitchen counter right before I left for work with a love note telling J what love means to me.
Today being the 7th day, instead of a donut, I wrote a note and left a loaf of cheesy bread for J. J LOVES cheesy bread and I figured its a gift he can share ;-).

#2 - Work on my body so I can get healthier.
I went back to the gym this week. I took 40-minutes of a 50-minute step class on Tuesday. Since I am nursing and pumping, my boobs took a beating so I had to leave after 40-minutes. But I still count it progress considering I haven't really exercised (other than walking) since the Saturday before I had JOE.

#3 - Work on my spiritual life.
I haven't been very good about this due to lack of time. But I plan on working on this goal this week. I will be teaching at Sunday school this weekend so I guess that's an advance goal accomplishment :-).

For those participating in the challenge, how are you doing with your goals?

For those not participating, how are you spending your Valentine's day?

#ProjectMilf: Week 2 - My MILF idol!

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#ProjectMilf: Week 1 - Introduction & Goals

I have never really been one to stick with my new year's resolution so a few years ago, I decided not to make them because I didn't want to feel disappointed with myself when I failed to achieve them.

However, when I came across this challenge from some fellow bloggers (Pegster, Toi & Mrs. Pancakes), I figured it'd be a good idea to take on a new challenge this year. I am now older and wiser and feel like I can do this. So without further ado, here is a little about me and my goals for this challenge.

Just as an FYI, MILF stands for Motivating Inspiring Leading Female

About Me:
- I am a planner! I love to plan as much as I can. It is in my nature and should come as no surprise that I chose to pursue IT Project Management as my profession.

- I love to travel and have a "travel" kit ready to go at any given moment. Although, that kit might now be outdated since I have to also take my daughter JOE into consideration.

- I am a new mom and I truly love every moment spent with my little girl.

My Goals:
I am going to make just 3-goals for this challenge. I am hoping I am able to stick to all of them.

#1 - Work on my relationship with J. While I do believe that we have a good marriage, being new parents has certainly made things a little more challenging. We don't hate each other neither are we fighting all the time. But we used to do sweet little things for each other pre-baby and now, due to lack of time and energy, that's gone out the window. I'd like to get back to that. No doubt, it'll make hubby very happy! Even if its a special meal at home, I think that'll add back something we haven't had in the last 3-months. I am also a part of a February challenge group on Facebook that involves "making love" to our husbands on a daily basis. Not physically but mentally. By writing notes and doing things that make him feel loved.

#2 - Work on my body so I can get healthier. I have never been a skinny gal but this is the heaviest I have been. Granted, I did have a baby 3-months ago but I was back to my pre-baby weight by the second week after I had JOE. So my current weight is where I was before I got pregnant and it is a good 30-lbs heavier than I have ever been. In the spirit of being realistic with myself, I am going to aim to lose just those 30-lbs to get back to my pre-heaviest weight. I figured once I get there, I can decide on how much more I'd like to lose. So below is my goal weight image. That's a picture of me in 2008 when I went to Columbia with a singles meetup group. It was so much fun! This was right after we went zip-lining.

#3 - Work on my spiritual life. I currently volunteer in the Children's ministry at our Church 2 Sundays each month. However, I think I should be more involved with the Church. Part of that would be spending more time with like minded people who can help me grow spiritually in faith. J & I both used to attend the couples ministry event at our church as well as newlywed ministry (for couples who have been married less than 5-years). I'd like to commit to going for at least 4-events this year. They are done every other month and we've already missed one so I am hoping to only miss one more for the remainder of the year.

So there you have it. Come with me as I take on this new challenge! Feel free to participate as well!

Progress Report - Three months!

It was my first week back to work and it has been a crazy busy week both at work and at home. J & I are both trying to get our routine down and so far, so good. I missed JOE so much each day when I left home but she was in good hands during the day. Also, her dad took such great care of her and got her ready for the day before heading to work. He also gets a chance to have some bonding time with her.

Our little girl turned 3-months yesterday. JOE has continued to make lots of milestone progress in the last month. She truly is our pride & joy!

Months 2 - 3: (Height: TBD, Weight: TBD @ next appointment)
1. JOE is almost rolling over. She gets to the tilting point when she rolls to her side but then falls back. We figured sometime in the next couple of weeks, she'll be rolling over.

2. JOE can now laugh out loud! She's been smiling for a while but then she started laughing this past Wednesday. I was hoping to capture it on video but every time I put up my camera or cell phone to get it, she stops and gets a quizzical look on her face

3. JOE is starting to have better eye hand coordination. She can put her own binky in her mouth (when she is not sleeping).

In other news, I got my hair done last night. It took almost 3-hours to get it done. Time away from my daughter but I needed to get this taken care of. Happy mom = better mom.
Why did it take so long? Because 2 of those hours was spent taking out the knots in my hair. I am not sure what happened but my hair suddenly started matting up last week. I tried everything to smooth it out. From washing, blow drying and using lots and lots of conditioner. I lost a lot of strands in the process.
Finally on Tuesday, I got in touch with my hair dresser who asked me to come in. Here's the finished product. I didn't lose too much length but lost quite a bit of volume.
I texlax my hair every 16-18 weeks (only lasted 16-weeks this time) so I am hoping it doesn't start knotting up again.

Have a fabulous weekend!

And so it begins...the life of a mom...

I always took the term ”working mom” for granted. That is until I became one.
Today was my first day back in the office. Even though I started work back on January 8th, I was only teleworking 20-hours/week from home so I got to see my baby during my breaks.
For the first time since I had JOE, I will be away from her for close to 11-hours.
The thought breaks my heart and even though I had the whole month of January to get used to the idea, it was still hard kissing her this morning and telling her I'd see her later. I know I will spend the day wondering how she is doing and if she is happy. I really will need strength from God to get me through the day.
I tried to get as much as I could done last night in preparation for my first day back. My biggest fear was that I'd forget my breast pump. Thankfully, I didn't.
I now have 3 bags to carry to work. My pump bag, my other bag with my shoes & lunch and my handbag. Yup...I am officially the bag lady.
For the moms who work outside your home, if you have any tips for how to cope with the first days/weeks back to work, please share.
Have an awesome Tuesday!

Shoes or no shoes?

Yesterday, we had someone come fix the sinks in both our bathrooms. The repair man was rude and asked for his money upfront before even looking at or doing the work. That put me in a bad mood but my biggest issue was the fact that he walked in with his dirty work boots and didn't offer to take them off. We have light carpet and I hate seeing the stains on there.
To compound matters, he forgot to turn off the water before he started working. And sure enough, he got water all over our bathroom floors. I ended up having to clean up after him and was not happy about that especially since it was my last day of maternity leave and I was dealing with a fussy baby who didn't want to sleep.

With the clean up I had to do for the bathroom and floors, it got me thinking...should I make it mandatory for people to take off their shoes before walking in my house? Its never really bothered me before but now with a new baby who will be crawling in a few months, moving into a new home and the lack of cleaning time, I am thinking I ought to start doing that. Of course I will provide socks in different sizes purchased from the dollar store.

We don't her a ton of visitors so I am boor anticipating a need for a boat load of socks.

So what say you? Do you allow folks wear shoes in your house or do you make them take it off? If so, do you make provision for footwear while they are in your home such as flip flops or socks? Please take the poll on the right and let me know what you think.

Have an awesome weekend!