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Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 Year In Review

This has been a fantastic year for me, for my family.  As with years past (here and here) I want to write about everything that 2010 brought to our lives, so here goes!

January- Biggest thing is that we found out we were expecting our first child, due September 28, 2010.
I tried my best to keep this a secret, but that only lasted for about 20 hours and I had to spill to my Mom the next day.  We did manage to keep it somewhat a secret for the next several weeks, but I am a terrible secret keeper when it comes to stuff about myself so most of my close friends were in the loop.  Other than that, did a lot of cooking at was pretty busy at work due to year end close.  Gotta love being an accountant.

February-  We had our first doctors appointment.  The first appt is really just to confirm pregnancy and take some labs.  Spent some time feeling sick on and off and was EXHAUSTED.  Routinely fell asleep on the couch by 7 or 8 pm.  At the end of the month, we went to Tampa, FL to visit Josh's Mom and Step Dad.  Unfortunately for us, we picked the coldest week of the year to be there and the highest temp was in the mid 50's.  Oh well, it was still warmer than Indiana!  Had a few minor issues with cramping and bleeding so got two early ultrasounds, at 9 and 10 weeks to see the baby.  The first one at 9 weeks, baby looked like a kidney bean.  By the very next week, baby had arms and legs.  It was really wonderful to see that early progress.

March- Went "public" with our baby news after returning from FL.  Had another doctors appointment- they were pretty much monthly appointments at the beginning.  We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time in March which was really cool.  Started teaching a Corporate Finance class at Indiana Tech, which was an interesting experience.

April- Went up to Chicago for a quick overnight trip for a work thing.  Continued to teach my class which ended in April.  We started working on consolidating our two guest bedrooms into one and sold a bunch of extra stuff at the Neighborhood Garage Sale.  We ended up making like $600 which was pretty sweet.

May- Things started getting pretty busy in May.  Went to Chicago for my very first Cadaver Lab and then up to WI for a visit with the fam and my friend Mike's wedding.  My Mom had business in Indianapolis the next weekend, so I went down there to pick her up and then she accompanied Josh and I to our 20 week appointment where we found out that our baby was a boy!

20 Weeks- It's a BOY

Back to WI the following weekend for my friend Jamie's wedding, which was beautiful.
At the end of the month, headed out to Raynham, MA for work.  We started getting the baby's room ready.  Josh worked on the painting while I was out of town.

June-  Celebrated my 32nd birthday.  Josh took me to see Sex and the City 2 which was awesome considering he hates those movies.  Got a summer cold which sucks when pregnant because there is almost nothing you can take for cold relief.  Went to WI for my first baby shower that was thrown by my friend Jenny.  It was wonderful.  At the end of the month we celebrated our first wedding anniversary by going for dinner at Eddie Merlots.  Josh enjoyed his first $40 steak LOL.

July-  Went to Pittsburgh for the 4th of July and family baby shower.  Again, it was was wonderful.  We are so blessed to have such great family and friends.  Headed back to WI later in the month for another baby shower.  Saw lots of friends and family, which was great.

At the end of the month we started our baby classes at the hospital.

August- Took at trip to New Brunswick, NJ for work at 32 weeks pregnant.  Started getting extremely swollen and numb during the trip.  Diagnosed with mild pre-eclampsia the following week and put on bedrest until the baby was born.  Bedrest sucks, although there were some nice benefits.  I started having two appointments a week so we got to hear lots of baby's hearbeat and got an extra ultrasound.  My Mom came to visit for a week to help out.  My work baby shower ended up being moved to my house since I was stuck on the couch.

September-Only thing to really even mention in September is the birth of our son, Nicholas Jason Blosser.
 Best day of our lives!  The rest of the month was spent adjusting to being a family of three and to being parents to an amazing little baby.  We struggled a little bit (a lot) with breastfeeding but other than that, things went really well.  Nick spent most of the month of September sleeping :)

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October-Spent October on maternity leave and being a Mommy :)  We took Nick to the Pumpkin Patch up the street.  019
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Josh's Mom came to visit us from Florida and got to meet Nick for the first time.  Josh's Grandma and Aunt also came to visit. 007

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We took our first Family picture.

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 I went home to WI for the last week in October to spend some time there.  It was nice to see everybody and for that side of the family to meet the baby but it was really hard to be away from Josh that long.  I was very nervous about traveling alone with the baby, but it was actually pretty easy.  People were very willing to help out a new Mom traveling alone.  Nick started sleeping for longer stretches of time during this trip, which was wonderful.  He had been getting up 3-4 times a night which is just really hard.  He dropped down to twice per night on this trip, which was fantastic.  Nick had his first Halloween and dressed up as a monkey :)
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little monket

November- Had to go back to work when Nick was 8 weeks old.  The bed rest I had prior to his birth basically stole 4 weeks of my maternity leave :(  Went to Raynham, MA that first week.  While it was hard to be away from him, it was nice to get back into the swing of things.  Had a nice night out in Boston and got a few good nights sleep in a king size bed with no cats hogging it.  Took lots of pics of the baby trying to catch him smiling.  He hides his smiles when the camera comes out LOL.
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  Josh's Dad came to visit us and meet his Grandson!  IMG_0827

My parents came to Indiana to celebrate Nick's first Thanksgiving with us.
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Josh and I got up and did the day after Thanksgiving shopping.  We were in line outside Target at 4 am.  It was freezing and insane but pretty fun.  Got lots of good deals :)

December- Normal busy Christmas stuff. Took Nick to visit Santa.  He didn't cry, poop, or spit up on Santa, so I consider that a success.
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 My parents and brother and sister in law came to us for Christmas to celebrate Nick's first Christmas.  We had a wonderful time!  Nick was a little bit too young to really appreciate Christmas, but he seemed to enjoy the extra pairs of hands to hold him and all of the extra hugs and kisses.  He also started to laugh and was really hamming it up for everybody.  He smiles all the time now (execpt for when he sees the camera) and is really a happy baby.
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All in all it was such a great year for us.  I think 2011 is going to bring some interesting changes and challenges for us, but its nothing we can't handle.  Thank you to all of my friends and family for the support you have given us this year.  We love you all!

New Year, New Look :)

Big thanks to Amy over at Aprons & A- Lines who helped me re-vamp the look of my blog.  I've tried a few times on my own and failed miserably, so it was nice to have some help.  Thanks Amy!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

From my little family to yours!!!

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Nicholas: 3 Months

Nick Nick,

I can't believe you are 3 months old.   Seems like yesterday you were still on the inside and Mommy had you all to herself.  Now you are growing up so fast!  This month has been really great!

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We had your two month checkup at Dr Amy's.  She said you look great!  You are in the 50th percentile for weight and the 10th percentile for height, so kind of a peanut.  Daddy has taken to calling you Short Round.  When you are cranky, he expands it to Short Round Crankypants :)

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Speaking of nicknames, Daddy and I both have our favorite nicknames for you.  I call you Button, because you are cute as a button (obviously.)  Daddy calls you Bubbs which is really short for Bubbington which is a nickname that Mommy's friend Katrina gave you.  We will see which name you prefer as you get older.

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You and Daddy are home alone during the week now because Mommy is back at work.  As hard as that has been for me, I think you and Daddy are bonding well.  You have been giving him kind of a hard time though, because you don't like to take good naps during the day and you get crankier and crankier as the day goes on.

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Nana and Grandpa Larry came to visit us for your first Thanksgiving.  We had such a nice time with them.  As an added bonus, over that long weekend you started to sleep through the night!!!  That first night you were a little hard to get down- you were up until almost midnight, but then you slept until 10 am!  You have been regularly sleeping through the night ever since.  You usually nap with us in the living room from about 8 pm until 10 or 11, then you have one last bottle, then you sleep until 7 or 8 am usually.  Hopefully soon you decide to drop that last bottle and then you can get a full 12 hours sleep in your crib.

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After Thanksgiving, we put up the Christmas tree, which you love.  You had the most special look on your face the first time you saw the lights illumiate, like it was the best thing you had ever seen.  Come to think of it, it probably was :)  I like to sing you Christmas songs like Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The 12 Days of Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman.  You seem to love it when I sign to you.  You also like to watch video's on YouTube and dance and play.

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You are such a blessing in our lives.  Every day you do something that makes us so proud and happy.  Daddy got the first laugh out of you on your 3 month birthday, which was awesome.  Everybody in the family loves you so much Nick.  We are looking forward to this next month for so many more firsts- your first Christmas, your first New Years, and at 4 months, your first real food!  Can't wait to see that.  We love you Nicholas!

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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Nicholas- 2 weeks to 2 months

2 Weeks Old
















1 Month Old
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2 Months Old
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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Nicholas- 2 Months

Baby,

I can't believe it has been 2 months since you were born!  We have had our challenges but you are truely a joy to us.

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You are sleeping better at night- you only get up once per night now and are sleeping for 5 to 6 hours at a time.  Mommy and Daddy really appreciate the extra hours of sleep, buddy :)  Mommy's nickname for you is "Button" because you are clearly cute as a button, but Daddy insists your nickname is "Bubs."  I think either suits you :)

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We had some trouble with you spitting up a lot, and it turns out you have a mild case of Acid Reflux.  We had to get you some special formula that is a little thicker so that you can keep it down, and now you are doing great and eating like a champ.  You are even getting some adorable baby fat on your chunky little legs, Mommy loves it :)

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This month, you took your first Airplane ride to Wisconsin!  We had such a nice visit with Nana, Grandpa and the family.  Uncle Jason and Aunt Julie came to visit you too.  You did great on the plane and slept almost the whole time.  This will be the first of countless trips for you.

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Mommy has had to go back to work, so you and Daddy are spending lots of time doing male bonding :)  Mommy had to take a short trip to Boston and missed you sooooooo much.  She couldn't wait to get home and get you in her arms!  You got to spend 3 days and 2 nights home alone with Daddy and you were very good to him, which he really appreciated.

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You are starting to a lot more often now, especially in the morning.  We love your smiles so much.... they really lite up our day :)  Clearly, you were not so happy when we were taking these 2 month pictures of you,  but thats OK.  Your grumpy faces are adorable too!

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Nick Nick, it has been such an honor watching you grow and learn these past 2 months.  Can't wait to see what this next month brings.  We love you more than we could possibly express with words!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

30 Day Challenge: Day 5- Favorite Quote


“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

Carrie Bradshaw- Sex and The City

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

30 Day Challenge: Day 4- Favorite Book

I remember the day I was reading this book on a plane.. I was literally laughing out loud and people were looking at me like I was insane.  Very funny read.  Movie is pretty good too, but the book is better.







Tuesday, October 19, 2010

30 Day Challenge: Day 3- Favorite TV Show

We watch a lot of TV shows, but we really enjoy watching this one together:


Its a great show about a bunch of science geeks.  LOVE it :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

What a difference 2 weeks makes!

Nicholas at 2 weeks:



Nicholas at 1 month:

30 Day Challenge: Day 2- Favorite Movie

This movie is awesome.  I love it.  It made me laugh, it made me cry.  The book was also fantastic.






Sunday, October 17, 2010

30 Day Challenge: Day 1- Favorite Song

I don't really have an all time favorite song.... loving this song right now though.

30 Day Challenge

Going to try to do this 30 Day Challenge to keep up with blogging :)

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where I live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - my worst habit
Day 28 - what's in my handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

First Family Photo

Saturday, October 16, 2010

1 Month Old

Nicholas~

Baby boy, has it really been a whole month since you were born??  Mommy really can't believe how fast this month has gone.  It feels like yesterday that we were in the hospital and I was staring down at my beautiful baby boy on the morning you were born.  It was just the two of us and I couldn't stop looking at how perfect you are.

 

I love our quiet morning time.  I know that our mornings are numbered as my maternity leave is coming to an end, but for now I am going to enjoy our snuggle time.  You are such a happy baby in the morning- I just love spending time with you!



I love how, when you are sleeping, you grunt and make all of your cute baby noises.  Sometimes, after I rock you back to sleep at night, I stay in your room extra long just to hear you.  I love how you coo in your sleep.  I love how you smile and sometimes laugh in your sleep, even though I know these are probably just from gas at this point... don't care, still love it :)


I love how, when I am feeding you, sometimes you open your eyes really wide and just stare up at me.  I love how wide eyed you get when we are burping you.  Although I don't want you to be in pain, I love how concentrated you look when you are obviously trying to work some gas through your little system.


I love how you are starting to pay more attention to what is around you.  I love how you look at Daisy, Ariel, Jasmine, and Mason... we can't wait for when you are old enough to play with them.  I love how cute you look when you are sleeping in your bouncy seat or swing.



I love how agitated you get when we are changing your clothes and how you grunt your obvious disapproval at being naked baby.  I love that you love bath time and can't wait until you are a bit bigger so we can watch you play and have fun in the tub.


I love how you look up at me and Daddy with total unconditional love. I love that we get to watch you grow up!