Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sister Wives

So I'm watching Sister Wives and, I have to admit, it is rather interesting. I don't normally watch these types of reality shows because I normally find the families on them irritating. So far they seem like a healthy functional family. They have already mentioned their children do not have to follow in that particular lifestyle and one of the wives was not brought up that way either. All you ever see in the news and on TV about polygamy are the cult families so I'll be interested to see how this series progresses.

~AKO

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Longing...

Well, maybe longing isn't the right word but I'm really REALLY ready for some nice fall weather. I thought we were finally done with the heat and humidity last weekend and then it got back in the 90's this past week. NOT COOL! I've been fighting the urge to turn the AC back on in order to keep our electric bill down but last night was hard. Even with the ceiling fans I was sweating!

So...I've been looking at some of my nice, pretty fall photos and reminders...


Pumpkin Spice Candle

Fall Colors

Halloween


Go away Summer and let Autumn have her share!!!

~AKO

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

32 Weeks

Yesterday was 32 weeks. Its hard to believe that in less than two months we will be adding to our family. I have been super exhausted since last week and even slept for 2 hours today on the couch. We still have a few things to take care of before that happens... most importantly putting the dresser together. Unfortunately I can't do it by myself right now so I'll need to enlist in Freddy's help. But he won't initiate the project until I make him do it. So it looks like I might be forcing a little project this weekend.

Even though I passed my 3 hour glucose tolerance test, my doctor says I'm still measuring big so I had a growth scan today at the hospital. Everything measured normal but I have to go back in 4 weeks for another scan just to make sure.

I also bummed myself out today when I realized the fabric I bought for the name cross stitch that I'm doing is not long enough. I guess I'm lucky that I only had one letter almost done before I realized it. So I had to order another canvas online today and start over. I'm really hoping I can have it completed and framed before our shower at the end of October so we can display it.

I'm planning to work another full week in the office and then start telecommuting a few days a week for the month of October. I'll probably telecommute full time starting the first week of November, but we'll see how I feel by then. I'm one of those rare individuals who detest working from home so I'm holding off as long as I can.

So, here's a 32 week shot of the belly. You'll have to excuse the poor lighting in our bedroom, but I'm sure you can see the bedding-less crib in the background. I'm hoping someone gets us our bedding at our shower, which is why our crib is still naked. The blanket on the back was hand made by my Godmother's mother. I found out that she made one for me as well when I was born.


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~AKO

Saturday, September 18, 2010

It's the Little Things

I spent most of this week just exhausted from work. Everyday I planned to leave by 5pm, but everyday I was foiled at the last minute and didn't leave until after 6. A few days I didn't even get to leave until after 7 :( An entire week of 10 - 12 hour days, followed by an hour commute home, can wear out anyone. Now add to that the fact that I'm 31 weeks pregnant! I've been one tired mama! I was so excited to not have to do anything this weekend until my darling husband reminded me on Thursday that we had a wedding reception to go to today. Talk about bringing down my mood asap!

This morning I woke up super tired and a tad sore from this lovely bundle of joy that I'm carrying. Thinking I have all afternoon to relax before I had to start getting ready I settled in on the couch with a pillow under my back. Then, again, my darling husband breaks the news that the reception starts at 2pm! He, of course, tried to sooth it over by saying we should be home by 6:30.

So I begrudingly got showered and dressed to be ready to leave by 1ish. By the time we got into the city and spent 30 minutes looking for a parking spot it was already 2:30. We ended up not getting there until almost 3, but the nice thing was that it was a very small gathering in a little restaurant. I didn't have to worry about being deafened by a DJ or 1,000 people asking me how I feel, for baby details, etc.

By the time we left around 5:30, I was feeling a lot better. Turns out, even though it was rather difficult getting a start to my day, that just going outside, getting some fresh air, and moving around made me feel a lot better.

Now don't get me wrong... I'll be asleep tonight by 9pm!

~AKO

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Remembering 9/11

As the country remembers the events of 9/11, I can't help but think about my husband, who is currently at his September reserve duty this weekend preparing for weapons qualification, or my cousin, who is preparing to ship out to Kuwait this week. 9/11 affected everyone very differently, from those who say it was no big deal and they're over it to others who still cannot get through a day. For me, I'm fine on most days. I walk past Ground Zero everyday to and from work. The one thing I can't do is watch the TV programming surrounding 9/11.

Everyone needs to remember that even though we are pulling out the combat troops, we are still sending our men and women overseas to continue to support our peace efforts. As I talk to people, that is a huge misconception that I feel the media and government are not making too clear.

Every year on 9/11 I repost the events of that day from my point of view.

Pre-9/11
9 years ago, I was a naive 25 year old living in Manhattan. Still a fresh faced Midwestern transplant who had only lived in the big city for 10 months. In July 2001, my mom and sister had just come out for a visit. It was the first time my mom had visited me in the city. In September 2001, my two roommates and I had just found a nice apartment in Washington Heights and were slowly finding ourselves with new jobs. I was working in the corporate office of a popular retail store full time. Their office was on 38th Street in the shadow of the Empire State Building. On August 20, 2001, to earn some extra money, I started working part time in the evenings with a payment processing company. Their office was on Dey Street, which was across the street from the World Trade Center. When arriving to my evening job, I would exit from the Cortland Street subway station, which brought you into the lobby of one of the World Trade Center towers. There was a cool Halloween store near the exit that I wanted to peruse in the coming weeks. On September 10, 2001, I was offered and accepted a full time position with the payment processing company. I left work at 11:00 pm...

September 11, 2001
It was a Tuesday and a beautiful fall day. The temperature was comfortable, the sun was out, and not a cloud in the sky. Around 8:50am, I exited the subway on 42nd Street and 6th Avenue. As I walked down 6th Avenue, a thought popped into my head... the next time my mom comes out to visit I should take her to the World Trade Center.

By the time I got to my desk on the 8th floor, it was just after 9:00 am and the second plane had already hit the south tower. Of course this was the topic of conversation for everyone. I had a little radio on my desk so I turned on the news station to try and follow what was going on. Not long after we heard about the plane that hit the Pentagon. I immediately started to try and call my family in Michigan to let them know I was ok. The first person I could get a hold of was my sister. She was at work in a retail store and they hadn't heard what happened yet. I quickly told her what I knew and for her to let people know that I was ok. I was then finally able to contact my mom. One of her co-workers had a child who worked at the Pentagon so they were both trying to figure out what was going on. I assured my mom that I was ok and to let everyone, who had been calling my mom all morning, know that I was safe.

Like so many of the companies in the WTC towers, my company told us to stay in our offices. After both of the towers fell, my thoughts turned to my co-workers at my second job. Their office was across the street. Were they ok?

Eventually I was able to get a hold of one of my roommates, Michelle, who worked 4 blocks north by Grand Central Station. My third roommate, Nicci, was scheduled to work a second shift at a bookstore that day and safe at home. By this time Manhattan was on lockdown. No one was entering or leaving the city by any type of vehicle. This included the subway, which had stopped running.

Since we lived over 140 blocks north, we decided we might as well start walking toward home. We had some friends who lived on the way that we stopped to make sure were also ok. When we got up to 102nd Street, we heard the subway running again and were able to take the train the rest of the way home. It wasn't until we were able to watch the news reports on TV that evening that we really realized the extent of the damage and loss. I did not lose anyone, but I know many people who did lose a friend and/or family members.

The Days and Weeks Following
The rest of that week was a blur. My company closed their offices on Wednesday. On Thursday, we were evacuated around noon because of a bomb scare. On Friday my company closed their offices again. The next week I finally heard from my other employer. They had been able to relocate to a temporary disaster recovery location in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. A few weeks later I started working there full time as planned.

The city was very jumpy for a while. A box truck was stopped and search on the George Washington Bridge because there was a suspected bomb threat. Two months later, a plane destined for the Dominican Republic crashed in Rockaway, Queens shortly after take off from JFK airport. Manhattan immediately went on lockdown again.

It only took 6 months for the crews to remove all of the debris from Ground Zero. In 2002 we moved back into our Dey Street office. New York got back to normal... with the exception of a big hole in everyone's minds and hearts.

9 Years Later
Today, I am 34 and still with that payment processing company. Although we've gone through some changes over the years and are now a part of a publicly traded corporation. We've relocated to the East side by the Brooklyn Bridge. I am now married, live in Jersey City, and expecting our first child. Two of my grandparents have passed away. Friends have married and had babies. I have more of an awareness about me. But that day will always stay the same. The day that changed our nation forever. The day that started the journey of so many men and women sent overseas to defend our freedom.

I was there that day. I was proud to be an American before 9/11 and I am still proud to be an American today.




God bless the U.S.A and keep our troops safe!

God Bless the USA!


My thoughts and prayers are with all 9/11 survivors and their families and friends.

~AKO

Monday, September 6, 2010

Whittling Away at the List

I'll be 30 weeks tomorrow so I feel like we've entered the home stretch and there is still a lot to do. Approximately 10 weeks until the arrival of Baby O. All I can say is that Freddy and I definitely labored during this labor day weekend. Of course, a couple of things have been added to the list. I feel like completing one item adds 2 more!

Friday was pretty much a wash since I had my 3 hour glucose test. I'll hopefully have my results by my doctor's appointment on Wednesday.

Saturday we took care of #1. We ended up putting the sofa and love seat on layaway so we'll have it all paid off when it gets delivered in November. #7, 8, & 9 were also accomplished Saturday night. I really liked the way everything turned out. I do have some before and after shots but I haven't had a chance to get them off the camera yet.

Last night I ordered a cabinet for our china, which takes care of #11. It isn't a true china cabinet, but for the sake of space I'm happy with the purchase. It is actually supposed to be used as a portable kitchen island and is just the right size for a bare wall in our dining room. Once we move into our own house I'll look for a real china cabinet.

Sunday was spent with Freddy's family for the 1 year memorial for his uncle's passing. Turns out I will burst into flames if out in the sun for too long. I ended up getting a sunburn on my chest, nose, and head just by standing out in the cemetary for a couple of hours.

Today I took care of #4 and 17. At the end of the day we have 3 full garbage bags of clothes and accessories for Goodwill. I still want to go through my dresser and clean that out, but that is for another day. What we decided to do with the baby clothes that can hang is to use part of the California closet that Freddy was using for his military jackets. He was able to organize the closet in our 2nd bedroom to put all of his stuff in to clear out one of the 2 bars for baby clothes.

And, the grand finale of the weekend is that Freddy and I just finished putting the crib together (#19)! We don't have bedding for it yet but we did get the mattress for it on Saturday. Once we have bedding and I've completed the name sign I'll post photos.

1. Purchase a new sofa and love seat
2. Purchase a new crib, changer, and dresser
3. Clean and organize the office/storage room
4. Organize our bedroom to make room for crib
5. Switch out the old computer desk for the new one
6. Put up curtains in living room
7. Put up blinds/curtains in main bathroom
8. Put up blinds/curtains in small bathroom
9. Put up curtains in dining room
10. Put up all pictures, art, and other various wall hangings
11. Purchase china cabinet for china still trapped in boxes
12. Put up curtains in kitchen
13. Complete cross stitch name picture for Baby O
14. Order pictures for and complete wedding frame collage
15. Clean apartment!!!
16. Purchase bathroom space saver for baby bath supplies
17. Organize closets to make room for baby clothes
18. Organize bookshelves to make room for baby storage
19. Put crib together
20. Put dresser/changer together

I'm starting to feel a little better about the state of our apartment and its readiness for Baby O. I can't believe how much we got done this weekend, but I do know is that I'll be sore tomorrow. Thank goodness for 3 day weekends!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

~AKO

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Ready for Summer to be Over!

Yes... that's right... I am SOOOOOO ready for fall. I'm tired of all this heat and humidity and can't wait for the cool, crisp air that fall brings.

I had my 3 hour glucose test yesterday, which about knocked me right out. I didn't get sick like I did with the 1 hour test, but I was extremely tired when everything was done. I even took a 2 hour nap when we got home and I very rarely nap during the daytime. They said the results should be back by Tuesday and my next doctor's appointment is on Wednesday so hopefully everything comes back normal.

Oh... and have I mentioned that I'm also ready to be done being pregnant! Don't get me wrong... I'm thankful that we were able to get pregnant without any problems and that, so far, everything is still going well. But I'm tired of not being able to get comfortable, not being able to sleep well, the heartburn, and the fact that nothing sounds good to eat at all. I'm hoping the next 10 weeks go by fast.

And, we should be able to knock a couple more things off our to do list this weekend. We did get the crib and dresser/changer in but now we have to put it together.

Last weekend, I got our bathroom space saver put together so we could put all of Baby O's bathroom supplies away that we've gotten so far. We got a lot of cute washcloths and towels at my shower in Michigan a few weeks ago. And, of course, I had a little helper...


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~AKO