Working from Home

I am fortunate enough that the company I work for allows me to work from home. I work a full day on Thursday and until 11:00 on Fridays. This schedule has been working out great. I'm able to plan Gabe's doctors appointments on Fridays, go shopping with my mom, or pretty much anything else! Monday through Wednesday, I work in the office - which is nice too. I feel more connected and with my job I do need to be at the location at least part of the time.

I'm also fortunate that my work from home workspace is in Gabe's playroom. I can close the doors and he has free reign of the room. This room is baby proofed and I'm right there in case he gets into something I should've put up!

I'm so fortunate. I can work to pay the bills, and still look down from my office chair and see this perfect little man.

Life is good.

Fun, Busy, and New

We had a fun, busy, & new experience weekend. We travelled up north to visit my sister, Aunt Ne. It was her boyfriend Rene's "eh-hem" birthday (Rene, I won't insert your age here...) We had a great time meeting Rene's family. They are very nice people - I could tell they loved Rene a lot and they really seemed to get along well with Jenny. This was our first Mexican party. It was fun. We danced, we heard new music, and several shots were passed around. After the party, we stayed in a hotel - this was a first for Gabe and he did great!! He slept very well for being in an unfamiliar place. He was such a good boy the entire weekend. For being out of his element, he sure behaved well. I was a proud mommy! Everyone thought Gabe was adorable....DUH!



The most enjoyable part of my weekend was seeing my sister so happy. Rene truly cares for her and treats her well. As her big sister, I want her to have nothing but the best. She has moved away, she has made a good life for herself, and I'm very proud of her. Here is a picture of Aunt Ne & Rene:

Studying Up!

I am taking my little bro's senior pictures for him. I'm trying to study up by learning more and more about Photoshop. I'm still a beginner for sure, but I am trying to spend every free minute studying my Photoshop textbook. I had an excellent compliment yesterday as well as a HUGE confidence boost! A girl I work with asked me if I'd be interested in taking her engagement pictures!! Would I be interested?? YES!

Gabey's got a new toy! The jumperoo is nearly ready for retirement. He doesn't enjoy it as much anymore. Actually, when you go to put him in it, he draws his legs up because he doesn't want you to put him down! It's cute, but it also keeps Mommy from getting some things done!

New things this week:

1. Gabe has been saying "Momma"

Oh, how this melts my heart!

2. He has also been saying "More"

3. He LOVES chicken & noodle soup! (Woo hoo! Easy preparation!)

4. Gabe has decided that baby food isn't really his thing anymore

5. Tooth #8 came in - yes, he's 8 months old with 8 little chompers!

What I Love about Sundays

Naps with Gabe. Lounging in my jammies. Church (when we go). Football. No housework. A good HBO series. Comfort food. Family time. Design Star (this season's over - Congrats Kim!!). I love Sundays.

First Cold

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later - Gabe has his first cold. Not fun. He has a runny nose all the time that he hates to let me wipe. He isn't sleeping very well. When he does sleep, he sounds like a truck motor. He has a low fever. But, on the plus side, he has been cuddly. He has had a smile on his face. I don't have to take him to the doctor today. I am able to stay at home with him today. I hate that he is sick, but snot and all, he's still the cutest baby boy there ever was.

To you, Gabey...

Gabe at 5 1/2 weeks

Gabe at 7 1/2 months

Little One, you have gotten to be so big! You still look absolutely adorable in your swing. I just can't believe how much you've changed. You continue to change every day and every day you make me happier and happier (we'll see if I'm saying that when you're a teenager!) I love you baby, Gabey.

You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Busy Weekend!

Friday, Gabe's friend Caleb came over to play. These 2 handsome little boys were prayed for so much by their mommies - it is truly a blessing to see them "play" together. Notice their onsies... aren't they awesome?! I picked them up and Caleb's mommy and I vowed they would wear them together for photo ops! Oh, one more thing about Friday - Uncle Dan's team won! 3 and 0, Baby!

Saturday, we had our neice Katie's soccer game. Gabey was a good boy there. I love this pic of us...He's such a cutie and looks so happy. PS: Isn't the coloring awesome? Then, Saturday night, we went with our friends Steve & Tami to see their daughter at school. She is such a sweetie! She babysat Gabe for us and Gabe adores her! So, it was really a fun evening with them.

Today, DA BEARS play... Gabe will be dressed in his Bears outfit, or maybe the jersey... I'm not sure.

What a busy weekend, but all fun. We are a family now. It's quite a different life - and it's fantastic.

Party On, Gabe

Right now, I'm working on planning Gabe's party. Since the adoption has been finalized, we want to have a big party to celebrate! We're going to have it at my parents' farm. We thought we'd invite quite a few people and have a bonfire type of evening. I am so happy that I can now call Gabe my son - without any fear and without any doubts.

He is our boy. He's a perfect fit into our family. We love him so much and we can't wait to celebrate!

All Fun

Tonight I had a Pampered Chef party. It was a lot of fun! I had a great turn out too. More importantly, some of my favorite ladies came and it was so nice to see all of them. A friend from work is a consultant and she did a fantastic job. It was a fun evening! Gabe entertained us all quite a bit by saying, "up, up, up". Grandma watched him so I could have some fun without baby distractions.

I had a great time and again, I realize

how blessed I am to have my friends and family.

And, I wouldn't end my blog entry without a cute photo of Gabe:

Says it all.

He's the cutest baby ever. This says it all. He was too cute this morning... the kind of cute where you don't want to leave for work and just want to play with them all day (um, ok, he's always this cute! I'd always rather play with him all day!) I love this baby so much. As a fellow Mommy once said,

"I didn't know my heart was this big."

Exactly my thoughts.

Luau Fun

As you can see, Gabe is extremely loved by his grandparents! Yesterday, my brother in law and sister in law hosted a luau at their new home. It was a lot of fun. Gabe behaved and I got him his "own plate". Going to the luau reminded me again just how blessed Greg and I are to have such a fantastic, fun family. The fact that my family and Greg's family both enjoy spending time together is such a blessing. We have it very good.

I am proud to say that I am still going on LA Weightloss. I did pretty well for the weekend, considering it is a holiday weekend. I even did ok at the luau. Thankfully the menu was pretty diet friendly. After weighing in on Saturday (2 weeks and 3 days after beginning the program) I have lost 6.1 lbs.

I am happy with that!