The cookies that weren't meant to be

For the first time in the history of our relationship Jason and I spent Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. While we love spending Thanksgiving with our families, we really enjoyed our quiet holiday at home. I whipped up a Thanksgiving feast for two and we spent the entire day in the house. In addition to cooking dinner I came up with the idea of making baby inspired sugar cookies to take to Jason's family on Saturday. I thought that cookies shaped like ducks and strollers would be a cute way to say we were expecting a little one.

After diner we headed into the kitchen and began our work. Emphasis on work! About half way into the process of rolling, cutting, baking, and frosting I was exhausted. Pregnancy wears you out. Poor Jason did most of the hard work while I wearily glazed cookies. Even with my lack of energy, Jason and I did have a lot of fun working on our cookies. Jason is somewhat of a perfectionist and took the whole cookie cutting process very seriously. Finally once the cookie was frosted, Jason and I went to take a nap. As we snuggled in our warm bed to enjoy a post turkey nap, the puppies were up to no good.

Jason woke first as he wandered toward the kitchen I heard him yell "AAAAAnnnnnnnnn!" I quickly scurried to the kitchen to find parchment paper on the floor and the dozen or so cookies we had cooling on the kitchen table GONE! Ann slowly crawled around the corner, she knew she was busted. It always amazes me how they know they are doing bad, but they still do it anyway. As she crawled towards us for her punishment, we noticed she had sugar cookie glaze on her ear and nose. So guilty. She got scolded and then we rushed to the computer to google "dog eats sugar cookies" to see if she was going to be sick. Fortunately, sugar cookies aren't as dangerous as chocolate. We had to give her lots of water and no food for the rest of the evening. Jason was particularly happy with the no food part. The pups hadn't had dinner yet and he thought not feeding them was an adequate punishment. I say pups because while I know that little Miss Pris couldn't have got the cookies herself, I have no doubt that she ate a cookie or two after Ann got them off the table.

After Ann's sugar cookie binge, we were left with about a dozen pink and yellow cookies. She ate all the blue cookies, perhaps a sign that we are having a girl?? We put them in a bag and took them with us when we headed to GA to see Jason's extended family. Due to some nasty rain and getting lost, we were really late. His family had already eaten and people were starting to scatter. As I reached for the cookies, I realized they had fallen on the floor and I had crushed them with my big feet. As I pulled the bag into the light I almost cried. All our work and nothing to show for it up a bag full of crumbs. I tossed them back in the car. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Here is Lil' Ann right after she got in trouble. She is pouting because we wouldn't pet her and we made her stay on her bed (puppy time out).

PS This pet bed got replaced the day after Thanksgiving. As you can tell from the photo, it has seen better days.

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For Whom the Bell Tolls

I have a confession, I can't stand the Salvation Army bell ringers. I know this makes me a terrible person. I realize that saying this makes me sound like a mean old scrooge who doesn't like Christmas, poor people or Jesus. The truth is, I like all of those things. I just hate the bell ringers. First, the sound of their bell ringing makes nuts. It is not a pretty sound. Secondly, I never have cash and always feel guilty for not putting anything in their red kettles. It seems as if they are judging you for not giving with their ringing. Third, they are everywhere in Cleveland! Seriously, EVERYWHERE. If I gave a buck every time I passed one, Jason and I would be eating cereal for Christmas dinner. Wal-mart, Walgreens, Save-a-lot, Big-Lots, and so on. The only place they are not is Target. Thanks Target for shutting down the bell ringing. If your return policy didn't suck so much I would be completely in love with you. Finally, last but not least, they started way to early this year. I am not kidding you when I say they have been actively accosting my ears with their bells for at least two weeks maybe three. Not only is my Christmas shopping interrupted by their incessant ringing, but now I cannot even buy my turkey in peace. Next year they will start before Halloween. Please, make them stop.

Okay, I realize this is a bit dramatic (shall I blame it on the hormones?). However, the bell ringers really do make me crazy and are my absolutely least favorite part of the holiday season. I know that The Salvation Army generates the mass majority of their annual operating budget from this fundraiser and they use the money to do wonderful things. So the next time a bell ringer blocks your entrance to a store please think of my hatred and if you have a buck put it in their kettle. It doesn't matter how much they make me crazy they defiantly aren't going anywhere.

They would annoy me less if they had dancing soup.

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The Amazing Ann

Today, I made a huge decision. I decided to leave our big dog inside with our little dog. Today is far from a beautiful day in the neighborhood and I couldn't bring myself to banish Ann to the backyard. So, I left her in the house without us for the first time ever. She never has accidents inside, but it is the fear of those possible accidents that has kept her outside. Big dog, big poop. Needless to say all morning at work I worried. Would I have a house left? Would I spend my lunch hour cursing my dog and cleaning up poop? I ran home for lunch, opened the door and . . . NO ANN. Huh? Where the heck could she be? I immediately started searching the house and calling her name. As I rounded the door into the kitchen, Ann came casually walking in from the back yard. YES, the door to my to the backyard was wide open!

I know the pregnancy makes you do crazy things, but I know that I closed my door this morning. Perhaps I forgot to lock it, but I swear I closed it. The only logical explanation is that the door did not fully close and Ann nudged it open with her nose. She learned this trick this weekend on our bathroom door. Yes, there is nothing like having your bathroom privacy interrupted by a large hound who just wants to be petted. Could she have let herself out to use the bathroom? Do we own the world's smartest dog or is it possible that crazy pregnant lady left her back door wide open? I will leave it to you to decide... but I am pulling for worlds smartest dog.

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He Speaks!!!

Yes, this is indeed a very rare occasion that I would actually sit down and type out something like this. I am definitely not running low on opinions or things to say, just a little more difficult to find the motivation. However, since having a baby is such a "huge" thing (do you use quotation marks when quoting yourself?), I will honor it with a blog concerning my take on the whole situation.

Now, it is completely possible to finish reading the previous blog, written by my dear wife, and walk away thinking that I was completely opposed to the whole idea of having a kid. I was only patially opposed. Well, "opposed" is really a poor choice of words. The true sentiment could be more aptly described as having serious "apprehensions" about having a baby. Why? The obvious fears and concerns were there of course: Am I ready to be a father?, Would I make a good father?, Are we ready financially, mentally, emotionally, even...dare I say.. socially? (If having a child puts a strain on your social life and we are already reclusive, we may never get out of the house again!) I find it somewhat ironic that the main thing that was making me drag my feet about being a parent, was one of the things that Jaime listed as a sign that she was ready to be one. Our relationship. I know this sounds horribly selfish but the last 5 years have been great. Don't get me wrong, there have been some pretty crappy things that we have had to deal with during that time. However, it seemed like whatever poop we had to wade through, always seemed to bring us closer and our relationship stronger. I love our life here in TN. I love our little home and love sharing it with my best friend. We do everything together. I would just as soon go out (or stay home) with her than with any other friend I have ever had. Yeah, I know that a baby will not destroy or break that, but I am not sure I am ready to share. I realize that might be incredibly selfish, but I have really had to work on not seeing our newcomer as "intruding." It is OUR life, that the TWO of us have worked at and enjoyed together. Now, of course I know that our child will be a wonderful addition to our little family, and he/she will be welcomed. I also know, that as soon as I lay eyes on that baby, he/she will have my heart forever and will be the best daddy I can possibly be. BUT I also know, that things will never be the same. It will never be just US again (at least until we are much older). Anyways, there you go. I am warming up to the idea of a little youngster. I just hope he knows what an incredible mommy he/she has and what a "huge" sacrifice I am making by sharing her.

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The Low Down

Jason and are going TO HAVE A BABY! Yes, after almost 5 years of marriage, we decided that it was time to expand our little family. Well, truth be told, I decided intially. I turned 27 last summer and my biological started ticking. We had a soild marriage, owned a home and had two dogs, so for me the next logical step was a baby. Jason wasn't quite sold on this concept. He kept telling me hit "snooze" on my internal clock.  Finally after many long talks about my incessant desire to procreate, I convinced Jason to give up birth control. My primary leverage was that my previous doctor had told me that she thought it might take us a while to conceive due to some "issues." It took us three weeks. Yep, that doctor was way off.

I was a little late so we decided to take a test. I remember clearly setting with Jason at dinner and telling him that I defiantly was not pregnant but we will take the test in the morning just in case. I got up a few moments before him, took the test, and headed in to the kitchen to make coffee (this was before the smell of it made me sick). When he got up I told him to test was is the bathroom if he wanted to take a look. Well ,he did and behold a little pink plus sign. We both just stood there shell shocked. Then the girl in me took over and I got all happy and giddy while Jason still looked liked he had been sucker punched in the face.  I decided to give him a minute to let things "sink in", so I quietly walked out of the bathroom.  A few minutes later, I found him lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. When I asked him if he was okay, his only response was "this is huge!"

We found out 4 weeks ago and the last month has been nothing short of insanity. I have been nauseated, crazy hormonal and exhausted. On top of this my grandmother passed away last week. I so desperately wanted to go to Florida for her funeral. Unfortunately, baby barks didn't feel like boarding a plane. I got extremely sick in the airport and missed my flight. I spent the weekend at home thinking about my grandmother and my mother, who I lost in 2007.   I miss them both and wish that they were here to share in our joy.

Joy, would defiantly be the word I would use. All the sickness, tiredness and emotions seemed totally inconsequential on Friday when we finally got to catch a glimpse of our little baby. Seeing the tiny, one inch baby, squirming all over the ultrasound screen made everything seem so real. We ARE HAVING A BABY! Our love has created a tiny life. It is so exciting and overwhelming.   I am sure that we won't be perfect parents, but I do know that our tiny tot will be brought into a house with two loving parents and two loving puppies. Okay, the dogs have no idea what is going on but I am certain they will be wonderful companions to baby barks (otherwise, its off to puppy prison).

Here is our little bean, 9 weeks and 2 days along. The due date is June 26th, but we are pulling for the baby to be born on June 24th. The 24th is the day that Jason asked me to marry him and got this whole things started (the marriage that is, not the baby making.   :-)

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Quiet Jaime?

I know, I have been really quiet the last few weeks. I promise that is about to change. I am working on a BIG BLOG explaining everything that has been going on the past few weeks. Jason and I have been crazy busy and our lives have been full of loss, joy, sickness and excitement. Please be patient and know that I will soon be back to my chatty self very soon.

For now let me leave you with this . . .I love winter weather. Everyone has been complaining about the cold snap we are having here in Cleveland, but today is lovely. It is cold, sunny and clear. I love this weather, it helps me clear my mind. I am going to go get a mug of hot chocolate, bundle up, walk to work and ponder the meaning of life on this lovely crisp day.

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Over the weekend . . .

This weekend my family from Florida headed up to visit Jason and I and to take in my fall foliage. Below are the highlights of the weekend in photos. Sit back and relax, we were very busy this weekend.

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Forgive me . .

This week I have lacked all motivation for everything. I have set down many times with the intention of blogging but inspiration has not been there. Actually, I have not had inspiration for anything. I haven't wanted to cook, clean, be social or write. On top of just not feeling up to par I have also been crazy busy at work. Really nuts (this might be some of the reason I am exhausted)! Regardless of my excuses, I would like to apologize to you for my laziness and assure that I will try to do better.

I do have a photo for you. In honor of our presidents elect, here is an Obama pumpkin. I snapped this photo at the downtown Cleveland Halloween block party.

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