Fuzzy.

After lots of shelter visits and some very lucky breaks driving in downtown Boston, we have adopted a new kitty! But let me explain...

I took part of the day off on Tuesday to visit a couple of local shelters in our ongoing search for a new kitty. We were taking our time and had some specific requirements. We needed a kitty who wasn't too young but was still young enough to settle in well with our older cat, Saoirse, and to grow up around the Numa. We wanted a short hair, due to M's allergies, but were open about gender and color and are no strangers to adopting cats with some medical conditions. We looked mainly at Buddy Dog in Sudbury and the MSPCA in Jamaica Plain. There was an adorable older kitten at Buddy Dog who we visited several times, but he and his brother were only available as a pair and we can only have two cats per our lease. Color us disappointed.

On Tuesday I gathered up my optimism and headed to the MSPCA around 2:30. I worked my way around the cat room, finally arriving at a cage with 3 small gray/cream tabbies. And oh, were they adorable. They were playing and fighting and having a wonderful time. One of them in particular, Jamie, seemed a little more outgoing and I was drawn to him, though they were all super cute. I was pretty sure M would agree, but didn't feel comfortable finalizing any paperwork without him present. Unfortunately, the MSPCA won't hold cats, so I was faced with the possibility that someone else would adopt Jamie before I could get back. So, I quickly snapped pics and hopped in my car to do the impossible...make it from JP to Lexington and back in less than 2 hours during the beginning of rush hour. I had to pick up the Numa from daycare, grab M at work and speed back to JP. We made in in an hour and a half and I have no clue how. I ran back into the adoption center leaving M to grab the Numa and before I was even halfway across the room, I could see that one of them was already gone and one other was being adopted. I was so nervous and sure enough, Jamie was already being adopted. The last kitten left from the litter was the other little boy, Jasper. Woe.

During our mad dash back to the shelter, I had told M all about the kittens but was pretty emphatic about my preference for Jamie. This really set M up for being disappointed when Jamie was gone, so we debated our options for a while before making a final decision. We were willing to keep looking if we really felt like Jasper wasn't as great a match for us, but after visiting for a while we decided we would adopt Jasper. M met the family who was adopting Jamie, a couple and their little girl who was getting her very first kitten. The staff at the MSPCA knew that we had wanted Jamie and thanked us repeatedly for being understanding about their policy. It took forever to complete the paperwork but we were finally done around 7:30 and headed to Burton's Grill to feed a very hungry Numa a very late dinner, which he would later throw up all over me.

We brought our new baby home the next day after he was fixed and he has been settling in really well. Saoirse is extremely unhappy about the whole situation, but we are confident that she will warm up in time and enjoy having a companion. For now, he is spending the time we are away from home in a large crate so that Saoirse can get used to him from a distance and so he doesn't hurt himself on all the crap that is out in our house. Enjoy a picture and expect more updates soon, including his name!



Be well,

Me

Lesbian spank inferno.

We have a large oriental rug that used to live in our bedroom. Because we have a small child who has had frequent stomach viruses in the past year, we had to send it out for cleaning at the beginning of the summer. I repeatedly remember and then forget to call about having it returned, but I finally got my act together yesterday and managed to schedule the delivery for this morning between 8 and 9.

While waiting for the delivery guys to arrive, I was doing the dishes and watching Coupling on Hulu. It was the "Circus of the Epidurals" episode and everyone was arriving at the ante-natal class with Susan and Steve. When the guys called from downstairs, I paused the show so I could find my checkbook and answer the door. They had set down the rug and I was writing the check when a female British voice emanating from my computer very clearly said: "Lesbian spank inferno." She kept on talking but I don't remember what came next. You would have to watch at least one episode of Coupling to get it ("Inferno" from season 1 is where this joke began), but suffice it to say that a) Coupling is hilarious and if you have never seen it, you should and b) I thought that the two guys delivering the rug were going to choke.

P.S. I have now achieved at least one thing on my bucket list. Titling a blog post "Lesbian spank inferno" has always been a dream of mine.

Tax free weekend giveth, and tax free weekend taketh away.

In what turned out to be a startlingly naive decision, M, the Numa and I braved IKEA on Sunday to get us some of that tax free goodness. Oh my. We waited in line to park for about 15 minutes and then spent another 3 hours in the store, which isn't all that unusual, except that about half of that time was spent waiting for furniture that we are having delivered. What's that, you say? Why on earth were you waiting for furniture that was going to be delivered to your home? I, too, was surprised, but it turns out that IKEA, that mecca of modern design, is stuck in what might as well be the age before computers when it comes to home delivery. The process works as follows (with a few extra details for your reading pleasure):

1. Enter IKEA. Marvel at the open spaces and cheap furnishings. Secure a cart capable of holding the Numa and his diaper bag, along with our blue reusable shopping bag and hit the elevator to the second floor.

2. Sit on the Karlstad couch for the umpteen thousandth time. Debate whether or not said couch is tall enough. Further debate possible sectional configurations, mostly from a distance since one of us is chasing a running, cheerfully screaming Numa as he launches himself onto every couch and into the path of many, many passers by. Apologize to said passers by while trying to listen to spouse, who is asking if we are sure about the Sivik Dark Gray fabric. Renew certainty in the fact that soon, everyone in America will own a Karlstad sectional in Sivik Dark Gray. Thank you, Young House Love!

3. Decide that yes, after months of thinking and planning, the Karlstad sectional, in the YHL configuration and fabric, is the couch for us. Continue to herd the Numa while one of us orders said couch from a helpful IKEA associate (for anyone who wants to know, you have to order the corner sofa 2+3/3+2 AND the chaise, add-on unit to create the YHL configuration). Break up slight bru-haha between the Numa and a small but determined young lady at the kid's play station. Wrestle uncooperative Numa back into cart and walk quickly towards beds.

4. Detour from couches to restrooms (you know, through the Expedit section - we spend far too much time at IKEA) due to a foul odor now emanating from the Numa. Discover that the family restroom is occupied and the changing table in the upstairs women's room is out of order (seriously...it has been out of order for 2 weeks now...will someone please fix this thing?) so M will need to deal with the pants situation. M takes the Numa into the men's room, freshens his pants and we are off again to beds.

5. Attempt to order 1/2 of a king box spring for the Numa's new twin xl mattress. We really went for it this tax free weekend, and decided that his big boy bed would be even better if he can still fit in it when he is a teen. Discover that the 1/2 king box spring only has a frame on 3 sides (wtf?) and it won't work on it's own. Breathe a sigh of relief when we learn that the 1/2 king slat frame IS framed on all 4 sides and, bonus, is also $50 cheaper. Score! Order this from another helpful associate and head towards children's IKEA.

6. Find yet another cool thing for the Numa (last time it was the slide, which he LOVES) and grab a couple of kid's foot stools for good measure. Head to the Marketplace to get curtains and drawer organizers and whatever else strikes us. I grab a splatter guard for cooking and amazingly nothing else. We chase the Numa through the rest of the (non-breakable sections of the) IKEA maze and get a furniture cart for the Karlstad footstool we will take home today and the legs for the Numa's bed support.

7. Check out and discover that, in order to have our new Karlstad and bed foundation delivered to our home, we first have to take the receipt for the furniture to the furniture receiving area. They will then fill our order and, and here is the crazy part, physically bring it out to us in the waiting area. All of it. On a pallet or whatever it takes to hold a 12' sectional and a 1/2 king bed foundation. Then, we will take all of this stuff and get into a line, with our stuff (did you get that part? Check out this link to YHL if you need to see just how much crap we are talking about here, and add in 1/2 of a king bed foundation...ridiculous) and wait to talk to the home delivery people who are, no kidding, less than 20' to the left of the furniture receiving people. They, the home delivery people, take your information and then - stay with me here - take the exact same stuff that just came out through the swinging doors to your right and they TAKE IT BACK THROUGH AN IDENTICAL SET OF DOORS TO AWAIT DELIVERY. That's right, you get to visit with your furniture for the duration of your time in line and then it goes right back into another "backstage" area at IKEA. What? Why on earth can't they just remove those things from their electronic inventory and grab them when they go to deliver stuff? Can this possibly be better for some reason? Seriously, if you know why this is better, please explain it to me, because I am baffled.

8. While M waits for the ridiculousness that is IKEA home delivery, the Numa and I go upstairs to eat dinner, because he has worked up a serious appetite while terrorizing IKEA shoppers (he really isn't that bad, but it is funnier this way, no?). After stowing our smaller purchases in the car earlier, I had wisely switched from the IKEA kid carrier to our umbrella stroller, so getting through the food line with the Numa, a tray and lots of food was difficult but didn't end with anything hitting the floor. On the plus side, dinner was the cheapest thing we bought all day (except my splatter guard). I manage to find a table and a high chair and we eat, the Numa putting away an impressive amount of food for such a small person. While he eats, he flirts mightily with the lovely woman at the table next to ours, which may or may not be why she and her equally lovely husband took pity on me and offered to put our tray in the tray receiving area. I am sure they will never read this, but it is those moments that remind me that there may yet be hope for humanity and I hope they know how much that small act of kindness meant to a very tired me.

9. Numa and I walk downstairs to find M finishing up the whole furniture delivery process, so I quickly put clean pants and pj's on the little guy for our trip home. M grabs some IKEA pizza (his verdict: meh.) and some water and we head home, tired but happy that after all that, the couch will actually be delivered later this week. Amazing, considering the complete lack of efficiency surrounding the rest of the process.

The Numa reads the whole way home and doesn't get to bed till 9, but he sleeps until almost 9 the next day, so all in all, not a bad deal. I can't wait to get the new couch as we are really tired of the old one which doesn't really suit our needs any longer. Fortunately, it has found a new home in a cozy little getaway cottage in NH, so it will retire in style.

We will never, ever again go to IKEA to buy something we are having delivered. We had to order it in store to take advantage of the tax free weekend, but it was 100% not worth it and I would have gladly paid that money to avoid the hour and a half of effort it took to complete steps 7 and 8. In the end, saving the tax on the furniture ended up canceling out the delivery cost, so we did save almost $100. It is a thin silver lining, but I guess I'll take it.

Be well,

Me

Cheap entertainment.

Fun fact about me: I occasionally dabble in couponing. I am in no way like those ridiculous couponers now featured on TV (disclaimer: I have seen only one episode and was repulsed by the fact that someone would take home 100 candy bars simply because they were free), mostly because I don't have the time but also because a) there are not a lot of coupons for the things I typically buy and b) some jackass in my building keeps stealing my Sunday paper inserts. That's right, people, not the entire paper, just the coupon inserts. They kindly leave me the Parade magazine, but all of the coupons are nicked and it really pisses me off. To the point that I am thinking of canceling my subscription. But I digress. The other reason I don't use coupons that frequently is because I don't buy a lot of packaged food items and there just aren't that many coupons for organic produce, meats or breads, or for staple food items like sugar, flour and nuts. However, until I find the perfect cruelty-free hair care products that also won't cost me a freaking fortune, I buy Garnier shampoo in bulk whenever I can find good sales and coupons. Also, I recently started dyeing my hair at home (also to save money) and I will buy hair dye when that is on sale and also has current coupons. I know, I know...the excitement never ends at my house.

Tonight was one of those infrequent but happy mergings of store sales and coupons at CVS and I was pretty pleased with my take. Three 13.5oz bottles of Garnier Fructis shampoo, an Herbal Essences hair dye and a Garnier hair dye. Total cost after store sales, coupons and CVS ExtraCare Bucks (seriously, like free money): $11.97. Regular price for everything would have put me over $25, so I saved over $10! Also, this is tax-free weekend in MA, so I didn't even have to give money to the state. Double rainbow! (if you find that confusing, see this)

Not my best couponing moment ever, but still enough to make me happy and enough shampoo for all of us for at least 3 months. Sweet.

Be well,

Me

A week in the life...fail.

I didn't fail with my attempt at "week in the life" posts because I neglected to post. Instead, the posts were a failure because they were about a terrible week in my life, and not the first one I would want to remember. It makes me unhappy, mostly because my weeks are usually filled with a good balance of really awesome stuff (like my little guy) and ordinary, everyday stuff, with a few not-so-great moments mixed in, because we all have those moments. The week I wrote about just happened to be very stressful and my posts about it were overwhelmingly negative, but I am not a negative person and I don't want that to be the way I come across here. So, I am planning to re-attempt this challenge another week. I'm not sure when, but one day the mood will strike me and I will be off. Hopefully to chronicle a more typical week in my life.

Be well,

Me

A week in the life: Day 7

Friday: Well, it's like this. I wrote most of my post for Friday and with the exception of the fact that my son continues to be adorable and I ate at a Hibachi place for lunch with some awesome people, it was depressing and I don't even want to remember it. I have enough work to keep me busy through the weekend and then if I am lucky, I will finish everything in time to meet my Monday deadline.

Because of this, I am not going to write anything else about today. I will write about tomorrow instead. And that is how I will selectively remember this week.

A week in the life: Day 6

Thursday: The Numa has a rough night, waking at 1am very upset and with really gross pants. We settle him and get him and his bedding all changed and he goes back down around 1:30. I try to go to sleep but he wakes up again an hour later, so I lay on the floor in his room with him until we both fall asleep. I wake up AGAIN at 4:30 with my neck killing me, because oh yeah, I am sleeping on the floor. I very carefully transfer the little guy back to his crib (which fortunately works) and he sleeps until 6:30. He is now in a great mood and clearly feeling better so we all get up and start our day. We get to daycare at 8:15 and the little man is super psyched because this morning is cereal and bananas ("nanas!") for breakfast. He waves goodbye very happily and we head to work.

So, yesterday I wrote that work sucked. I need to correct that. Yesterday, work was bad. Today, work majorly sucked and I am really struggling with how to deal with the shit storm that continues to be my project. I don't have time to do everything but I don't have anyone else I can really count on to do anything, so something always falls through the cracks and I am left holding the bag. Which bites. I am tired of having no help and equally tired of getting little to no support when I try to work out getting more help. Long story short, I end my day frustrated and angry and will spend my entire night working. Suck, suck, suck.

I am so pissed when we leave work that I cannot even go inside at daycare, as I need a few moments to collect myself. M goes in to get the little guy and seeing him smile immediately makes me feel better. We call in pizza takeout and fight surprisingly little traffic on our way (is everyone on vacation?). We have pizza and berries for dinner and then I bathe Numa while M gets ready to leave. He is going to a show tonight, so it will just be me and the Nums. I get Numa ready for bed and we read books for about 20 minutes. He is getting so good at recognizing the pictures and is really trying to name all the objects in them. His current favorite book is a collection of all kinds of animal pictures. We ask him where certain animals are and he points to them, or we point to things and ask what they are and he tries to tell us. Freaking adorable. He is really tired, due to a poor night's sleep last night and a spotty nap, so we do lights out at 7:20 and he is in his crib 15 minutes later. I hope he sleeps well.

I veg on the couch for about 30 minutes because I just can't face work yet. I have to edit some documents and also build some mock ups, which will both suck, but I procrastinate by watching WipeOut. I realize that it is stupid entertainment, but it makes me smile and I need that right now. I spend my entire night and a good part of my morning working on a document and building cardboard mock-ups, and finally get to go to bed around 2am, which sucks because I have to get back up at 5:30 to be at work by 6:30. Can't wait.

A week in the life: Day 5

Wednesday: The little man wakes us up at 6:30. He slept really well and is happy to crawl into bed with us for a few minutes before we all get up. M showers and the Numa and I feed Saoirse and make dinner in the slow cooker. I get the little guy partially dressed before M takes over while I get ready. I think I have decided that maxi dresses are my favorite article of clothing and I resolve to buy a couple more. We are out the door by 7:50 and, happily, we remember the swim diapers for today's sprinkler park visit.

When we arrive at daycare, the little guy's room is at ratio so he has to start his day in another room. This isn't usually a problem, but they send us to the one room (out of 5) that he doesn't like. We don't know why he dislikes this one room, but he never does well in it so we stay for a few minutes, hoping he can transfer back before we have to go. After about 15 minutes, he can move back so we help gather him up and take him to his room. We leave while they are doing breakfast and he is hanging out with one of his favorite teachers.

Work sucks. There is really just no other word for today. My project has been a pain the ass for the past month and I am the only full time person on it, so when anything goes wrong it is essentially my responsibility. Tons of little fire drills have put me behind in a lot of ways. To add to that, a series of miscommunications has resulted in putting out a less-than-adequate product which is leading to all sorts of awesomeness that, again, I will have to deal with. My day is a blur of emails and phone calls trying to straighten out this mess and I don't get out the door until almost 5.

We get the Nums and head home. He has his sippy cup and then "reads" almost the whole way home. I remember that we have our point and shoot with us, so M gets some video of him flipping his pages and chattering, which is adorable. We have the salsa chicken with rice for dinner and chat with Gma P while we try to get Numa to eat and not throw food. We are semi-successful but eventually realize that it is a lost cause and take him to the bath. He is clearly tired so we do a short bath and M puts him to bed while I take an early shower.

I clean the kitchen even though I really don't want to and then collapse on the couch for a while. There is literally a blank spot in my mind for about 30 minutes, so I am assuming I zoned out in front of the TV. I chat with a friend on FB for a while and pet Saoirse, who is thrilled to be laying next to me. The episode of Criminal Minds that is on in the background is super depressing so I watch an episode of Jon Stewart on Plex while eating my homemade jam on crackers before heading to bed around 12:30.

A week in the life: Day 4

Tuesday: I finally make it to bed around 1am, but am showered and will be much faster in the morning now. M gets up early and wakes me around 6:45. I drag myself into the bathroom to brush my teeth and do something to my oh-so-attractive bed hair. The little man wakes around 7:15 and M brings him in to say good morning to Mommy before they do new pants (for Numa, not M) and a cup. I apply sunscreen and put on his outfit for the day while he protests and reads books. We grab our bags and head out the door at 7:45.

Daycare is already a happening place this morning and we arrive during book reading before breakfast. The Nums is happy to be with his friends so we leave for work after just a few minutes. At work by 8:30, bagel with cream cheese and OJ for breakfast and while putting the little guy's sippy in our group fridge, I realize that yesterday I forgot to take home the 2 quarts of blueberries that the Numa's girlfriend and her fiance got for us in Maine. Doh! Must remember those today.

I have another busy day, since I will be unable to attend a field site on Friday due to a conflicting meeting. My awesome office mate is going to fill in for me, so I work on getting everything ready for her. At 12:15 we have our first parent-teacher conference at daycare! M and I talk to Numa's lead teacher for about 40 minutes about his progress and goals for the rest of the year. During the whole meeting, the Numa is sleeping a mere 10 feet away, so I spend most of my time worried about waking him which, fortunately, doesn't happen. He is doing great and other than working on throwing food we walk away with no homework but to keep on keepin' on. Sweet. 

I still haven't eaten lunch so the Mr and I run by a local cafe to grab a salad for me and then stop at Starbucks to patronize the Clover machine. Yes, we know it is overpriced and no, we don't care. Back at work around 2pm and I remember suddenly that I have an appointment scheduled for Friday that I am now going to miss due to work travel. A quick phone call reveals that my only opportunity for reschedule this week is today at 4:15, so I resolve to work faster and leave a little early. I run out the door at 3:55 after sending one last email and promptly hit tons of traffic, making me almost 15 minutes late. They are very understanding and through a series of coincidences everything works out fine, but I over tip anyway because I hate being late almost as much as I hate waiting for people who are late.

I pick M up from work just before 5 and we grab the Numa to head to our monthly meat CSA pick up near our home. M had a bad day, so we talk about work while the Nums "reads" his book in the back seat. I order Korean takeout (jap chae FTW!) and send M and Numa home with our cooler of meaty deliciousness while I walk to the restaurant. I also hit CVS for swim diapers for tomorrow's sprinkler park visit (for the Numa, obviously) and also grab some new books from the used bookstore conveniently located next to the Korean restaurant. The Numa and I eat jap chae, edamame (one of the little guy's favorites) and California rolls (M has pork katsu) while Skyping with Gma Bee. Once the food throwing progresses to utensil throwing M and I declare all done and head to the bathroom (still chatting with Bee) for a bath and teeth brushing. Numa is a giant fan of splashing so by the time he is done, it looks like a tidal wave has hit the bathroom. M gets the little man ready for bed and reads books with him for a little while before I rock him and put him in his crib around 8.

I head to the car to retrieve the CSA cooler and then spend some time planning this week's remaining meals. Tomorrow will be something in the crock pot, and I finally land on salsa chicken with rice. All the ingredients are on the counter or ready in the fridge. It is now that I remember the huge amount of Maine blueberries that our lovely friends brought us. They smell amazing but are super tiny, so we can't give them to the Numa to eat individually and I really don't want to make muffins. I have never made jam but am willing to give it a shot until I remember that I don't have any pectin. A quick Pinterest search yields this link, which takes me to an extremely simple recipe that involves just blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt. I can do that. I spend almost an hour picking over the berries and removing as many stems as I can find (seriously, these are tiny blueberries...like smaller than a pencil eraser...with even tinier stems) while watching Coraline. Incidentally, Coraline is beautifully animated but is in NO way a children's movie. My fingers turn blue but I persevere and finally have clean blueberries. I will write another post about making the jam, but suffice it to say that it is so good I consider eating it straight from the pot instead of storing it.

I make myself package up the jam and partially clean the kitchen, meaning that I move everything into or close to the sink and resolve to actually do the dishes tomorrow. Our measuring stick is "do we have enough sippy cups?" and I have exceeded the requirement, so I give myself a pass. Lazy bum. I take a quick shower after M goes to bed and it's lights out around 12:30.

A week in the life: Day 3

Monday: I start hitting snooze when the alarm goes off at 6:30am and finally get up just before 7. The Numa is still sleeping, but we have to hurry if we are going to have him to daycare for breakfast at 8:15. I shower quickly and feed Saoirse and Numa finally wakes around 7:20. M gets the Numa and they have a cup while watching the news to determine today's weather. M gets in the shower and Numa and I brush our teeth and get dressed. I do his sunscreen, which he hates less than usual, and M puts on his shoes while I yank my hair back and we run out the door.

We get to daycare just in time and convince the little guy to eat a few bites of blueberries and waffles before he goes to play. M and I head to work where I learn that the document I spent all of last week generating has caused some major confusion. I work all day to clarify it and finally send out a new version around 4:30. I am super glad that our secretary is back because she is the only other person in our group with a 12-year-old sense of humor and we have much gossip to exchange. M and I leave just before 5 to pick up the Numa.

Nums had a great day at daycare but is happy to see us and wishes everyone a loud goodbye with many waves as we head out. Unfortunately, a dire pants situation arises in the parking lot, so he and I trudge back inside to rectify the situation before starting for home. We decide to stop at Trader Joe's to get stuff for dinner and more yogurt, as we eat tons of yogurt in this house and are tragically out. Numa loves sitting in the cart and "helping" so he is pretty happy to shop for a few minutes on the way home. We walk in our door just after 6 and I make mac and cheese, leftover hot dogs and raspberries for dinner for the Nums, a hot dog and a salad for me and pizza for M. What can I say...it's Monday. Numa eats and chats with Gma Pat until he starts to throw food, when M and I declare that he is all done and head towards the bath. He plays and I scrub his hair which is now covered in mac and cheese. He brushes his teeth and we read books in his room until 7:45, when we do lights out. I rock myself to sleep while snuggling with him and finally emerge around 8:45.

I work to finish the photo book I started yesterday, as my coupon code expires at midnight. Asking M to check it out leads to adding more photos so I don't finish it until 11. I save $30 but still spend almost $50 on the book since it is so very, very long. Choosing pictures to represent the Numa's first year has clearly been an exercise in failed restraint. Then it's off to the kitchen to do dishes and update the blog before showering and heading to bed.

A week in the life: Day 2.

Sunday: No doubt due to his late bedtime from yesterday, the Numa wakes around 3am. We get him a bottle and install clean pants and M gets him re-settled in bed while I go back to sleep. Our alarm goes off at 7 and I proceed to hit snooze until 7:30, when we decide to finally get up and feed Saoirse, who has been crying for the last hour. She really needs a new friend. We are actually returning to the same breakfast spot we went to yesterday again today, this time to meet some friends from work. I shower and M starts getting ready, as he showered last night while I was asleep. Numa wakes up just as I get out of the shower and is all smiles thanks to sleeping until 8. We all get ready (though the Nums doesn't want to brush his teeth this morning...usually he loves it but today, not so much) and head out the door early. We have a lovely breakfast with friends and then head to Target to pick up some necessaries. While in the store, we randomly run into Numa's very first daycare teacher! She was wonderful with him but we haven't seen her in a year, so we stop to chat and catch up. We re-exchange phone numbers so that the Nums and I can get together with she and her little girl sometime soon.

Home around 11 and the Numa helps me unload the dishwasher and plays with Dad until about noon, when M puts him down for a nap. I get my stuff together to go out again, this time for a lunch and pedicure date with my friend Kara. We start with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory: my mini pizza is good but the cheesecake is waaaay too sweet. I think I am losing my sweet tooth. Pedicures are awesome and I get fun sparkly toes while learning about the Thunder Vest or some such product for dogs. After our pedicures I return $275 worth of clothes to Old Navy and hit the grocery store on my way home. The little guy and M have had a good afternoon, visiting two open houses and making it to the playground. We have hot dogs, fries and raspberries for dinner while Skyping with Gma P but finish quickly, as the Numa is getting tired and needs a bath before bedtime. He giggles and plays for a few minutes in the tub but is really ready for bed so we wrap up with tooth brushing and a few books before I rock him to sleep in our big red chair.

I got an email a few days ago reminding me that a free photo book offer I scored last December (oh dear) was about to expire, so I spend most of my evening choosing and uploading photos of the Numa's first year. I manage to narrow down my photo choices to just under 160, so the upload takes FOREVER. I blog and clean the kitchen while waiting for it to finish. I work on the photo book for the rest of the night and M finally makes me go to bed around midnight.