Monkey Business

Happy Holidays Everyone! I can’t believe Christmas is already almost here. Luckily I have managed to get 90% of my Christmas shopping done, the tree is decorated and the Christmas cards are in the mail. Now I just need to start wrapping, and we’ll see if I can manage any baking this year.

I got a new computer last week, and I have had some blog posts in my head waiting to be written. Maybe I will get to it this weekend. Maybe not. We’ll see!

Here is our holiday card picture. I just love looking at him. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Hi everyone! My little monkey picked out his first pumpkin yesterday. Ok, to be honest – his father picked it out. But it was just as fun. And it was nice to spend a little time outside, which we do not do enough. Here are some pictures of my handsome little man.

Me and my little pumpkin!

My two favorite men!

I am looking forward to Halloween. I have a couple cute outfits for him. No costume (I figured he would just be uncomfortable in one) – but he will still be so cute in his “I love my mummy” shirt! I can’t believe he is almost 6 months old already! It’s has been so amazing to watch him grow and learn. He is holding some small toys now and tonight he was pretty successful at eating from a spoon. A little rice cereal mixed with his first fruit…some prunes! I know…not so nice of me to pick that out at his first food. But he seemed to like it.

I changed the name of my blog! I swear I am going to start blogging about my Little Monkey. I will find the time!!

My Little Monkey - 4 Months Old!

I am beyond late with a new post…so here goes.

Since my last post, we found out that we are having a baby boy! We are very excited to meet our Little Monkey. So far, everything is going well. I am still have morning sickness every day, and I am into my third trimester. But, only 3 more months of nausea to go, so not too bad, right?? My baby bump is well…a bump! I feel huge but I know I have a lot of growing still to do. Here I am at 26 weeks:

26 Weeks!

The nursery is coming along. My sister came down in January to help us paint. Then my husband installed a new ceiling fan. My father and my brother came down in February to re-finish the floor. It looks great so far thanks to everyone’s help. We still have plenty of work to do sanding and painting the trim and windows and building something to make the closet more usable. Hopefully we can get those projects done in April. Here are some pics of the progress:

"Before" floor

New Ceiling Fan

The floor sanded - before poly

Finished Floor

My amazing mom also bought us a nursery set – which is an amazing and unexpected help. We spent some time this past weekend putting the crib and the dresser together. We still have to put the changing table together. After we set the crib up in the guest room, we realized it is too wide to fit through the doors, so once the nursery is ready, we are going to have to take it apart and put it back together!

Crib

Dresser

My also super amazing sister is making curtains and bedding for the baby’s room. Here is a pic of the curtain fabric we picked out. So cute! I don’t know how she does it!

Curtain Fabrics

I know I should probably write some more, but being pregnant and all, I am really tired and need to go relax for the night. I will end with a Jovi pic from this winter. It makes me smiling just looking at it.

As we get some more snow and some ice today, I figured it would be a good time to catch up my blog. So much has happened since my last post, I don’t know where to begin! I guess the big news is that my husband and I are expecting our first child. The best birthday present I could have gotten. We are very excited. I am 16 1/2 weeks along now. Into my second trimester and still having “morning” sickness. It’s been a rough pregnancy so far, but I still have hopes that I will start to feel better soon. Luckily I am going through this with some friends (I have three friends here in CT that are pregnant too, all due within 7 weeks of each other!), although none of them have been sick. Just me. But it’s so great to have friends to talk to and share advice with that are all going through it together for the first time.

There have been a lot of changes at work too. I finally attained my ASA this past fall. After doing so and deciding to start a family, I have decided to stop taking actuarial exams. Which means, no more student position at work. Therefore I am in the process of looking for a full time position. Job hunting while pregnant – quite stressful! I don’t recommend it. At the same time, my husband is starting his own business (www.jrdplumbing.com), which is exciting and scary at the same time.

Picture Time….

Here are some pictures from the blizzard we had last week. Thank goodness we had the snowblower working. We got over two feet of snow. I don’t think I have seen that much snow since I was a kid. Thankfully technology allowed me to work from home that day (today too for that matter).

My neighbor's house, but a beautiful shot from my back steps

Another view from my back steps of a different neighbor's house

The front of our house - the arbor is buried!

You can barely see the shovelers!

The snow on either side of me was literally up to my hips.

The path to the garage.

Next, here are some pictures of our Christmas decorations. We actually put some lights up outside this year. Unfortunately we had to take our tree down the night before we had guests so the town would take it. What a bummer!

Front of the house. I love the window lights and the arbor.

The Christmas Tree

Christmas Jovi - What have you done to me??

Jovi at my uncle's...resting on the zebra rug while we open presents.

I suppose I can save pictures from this past fall for another post. Enjoy the snow day!

This month has gone by so fast. Since my last post, I went to the Zac Brown Band concert with my husband. We had a great time – but walking over a mile back to our car in heels…not so good. But it was worth it.

Enjoying the concert :)

Last Friday I went out with a girlfriend of mine. We had an awesome time but I went a little overboard. So much so that I missed going to my best friend’s house the next day. That was a real bummer, but I am looking forward to seeing her this weekend.

Girl's Night

Sunday my uncle and his family stopped by on their way back from PA. It was so nice to see them. The girls are getting so big! Then my brother and his girlfriend stopped by on their way back from Boston. It was so great to spend some time with them. I can’t wait to go camping with everyone.

Since this post is supposed to be about my garden, here are some new pictures.

More Roses

Anemone

I love these colors

Our new lawn

And here is a cute picture for those Jovi fans out there

What Mommy?

I went to get my hair done yesterday, to get some new highlights and my hair styled for a friend’s wedding. The highlights came out a little too light – and alas – I am accidentally a blond.  I am not sure how I feel about it yet – pretty sure it’s not me. But I think I will try and live with it for a few weeks before dying it brown again.

All dolled up for the wedding.

With my hair straight today.

Even Jovi is skeptical.

Tonight my husband and I are going to see the Zac Brown Band. Should be a good concert.

The lilith fair was great a couple weeks ago. I never got a chance to post any pictures. So here are a couple.

VIP

Me and My Mom

Melissa McClelland

Yesterday I got some much needed gardening done. Hopefully I will get some new pictures of the garden this week. Instead – here are some new pictures of Jovi and her favorite Aunt Shadow.

Jovi :)

Shadow

Jovi and Daddy

First off – I just want to thank everyone who has been there for my husband and I the past few weeks. It has been a difficult time – but we are getting through. I truly have to thank my parents for watching Jovi and giving us a place to stay and food to eat, without a second thought. Not everyone has parents that are able to do that for their children and I forget that sometimes. It was so nice to not have to worry about that kind of thing when we had so much other stuff to worry about. THANKS!

Tomorrow I am going to the Lilith Fair with my mom and two of her friends. I think it has been ten years since I went to the last one – which I loved. I still have the cd with songs from all unknown artists – that is the first time I ever heard Dido. Also – one of my favorite concert memories, sitting at the lawn at SPAC, listening the the crowd sing Angel when Sarah McLachlan performed. It was so beautiful.

I am home alone this weekend since my husband his back home trying to clean out his father’s house. It has been a crazy month. I wish I was with him – I hate being alone in this house. Alone in any house really. I am 26 – I shouldn’t be afraid to be alone at night, but I am. I have no idea where this paranoia comes from. Maybe someday I will get over it. Even Jovi missed her daddy. She spent the entire evening sitting on her ottoman looking out the window waiting for him to come home. She wouldn’t even keep my company! To pass the time I finished watching the last season of Brothers & Sisters. I love that show – even though it always makes me cry. It is so dramatic – no family should have to deal with so many horrible things. I know it’s fake – but it gets to me.

I really need to finish cleaning the house before my mom gets here. I should do some gardening too (they have been really neglected lately), but I think it’s too hot outside. I should post some new pictures I have  – maybe later. Time to go switch the laundry.

Here are a few new pictures from the garden. The hydrangea’s are really coming in and and the lilies are blooming. Unfortunately,  not all at the same time, so my lily garden isn’t having the effect I had wanted, but I guess I will continue to get new blooms for awhile as some of the early bloomers die off.

I love the blue!

Stokecia starting to bloom

White balloon flower

And our grass starting to come in pretty well…

New grass

We went camping in Lake George last weekend. Good times with some great friends. It is so beautiful up there! This was the first time our friends didn’t have their boat, so instead of camping on an island, we camped near a beach. The set up was so much easier and it was great, if not as unique as before. I love that we have started this tradition and I hope we can keep it up as we start families. We had some good times tubing and mini-golfing and just relaxing at the beach. Can’t wait for next year!

View of Lake

My man!

View from the beach

Squirrel nest...above our tent!

I would like to thank Mom and Dad for watching Jovi for us. She would have loved camping, but she would have annoyed all the other campers with her barking, so we really appreciate having them to watch her.

Jovi