Harper's First Christmas!

Harper had a great first Christmas and enjoyed "opening" all of her great gifts--by opening, I mean she watched intently as I crinkled the paper.  She got all dressed up and sat in her new Bumbo chair in front of the TV.  Heidi's two dogs were visiting for a few days so it was energetic and pleasantly chaotic.  After gifts and baking some goodies, we headed up to Karen & Sal's.  Karen prepared quite a spread, just like we remembered from when we were kids... Christmas at Granny's with enough food to feed an army!  Harper did great and even napped amongst all of the company.  

Harper has been sleeping through the night for the past THREE nights!!!  She wakes up at 5am, like she had been doing, but instead of feeding her, I give her a binky and soothe her for a minute. After this, she falls back asleep.  She basically sleeps for 12 hours, so if we put her down at 7p, she's up at 7a.  It's great!  We have a couple of hours to ourselves at night and now I don't feel like I have to rush to bed anticipating a 5am feeding.  We leave on the red eye flight to Boston tonight, so hopefully our trip doesn't ruin this good thing she's got going on.  She is SUCH a good baby!  She may have started teething, but we're not sure.  She's not quite herself, very fussy and tired, drooling all over the place, sucking her hands and anything else she can get in her mouth (my shirt, her stuffed animals, binky, etc.).  I'm hoping this is not the case, but all signs indicate we're in for it!  (;

I'll post Christmas photos later today if she takes a good nap...

Getting ready for Christmas!

Harper had fun putting her very first Christmas ornament on the tree last weekend.  We were a little behind getting everything up and ready, but we finally got to it!  Memere sent her a cute ornament which we'll keep for her over the years.  The picture on the far left is of Harper in an outfit Joe from Burma sent for her.  We wanted to be sure to show off her nice big belly!  She was very interested in watching Daddy hang her ornament in the next photo.  The last one is of her favorite new thing... kisses on the cheek from Mommy!  It's guaranteed to make her smile!  She's looking forward to tomorrow morning so she can open all of her presents!  (;  We're looking forward to it too... curious to see if we get a reaction out of her with all the crinkly paper and new toys.  

Wishing everyone a very happy, safe, fun filled holiday!

Lots of new things!

I haven't been good about updating the blog regularly, simply because the computer with software for photos is way down in the basement! But I'll try to be better in the new year! Harper has had a lot of new things going on lately. Most recently, we're working hard on getting her naps more consistent (thanks to help from Taryn!) and as a result, she is almost sleeping through the night. She's getting up between 5a-6a instead of 3a-4a for her one feeding. Hopefully, she'll go just an hour longer and make it a full night! This weekend, she started sticking out her tongue which is the cutest thing ever. We'll have to try to get it on film soon. She is becoming more and more aware of her surroundings and really likes to look around. Her favorite toy is her Gymini, where a monkey, giraffe, parrot, elephant and rooster hang down for her to pull on and coo at. She LOVES it! We got her a Bumbo chair for Christmas, but she might not be quite ready for that just yet. She needs to get a little stronger first. She may be almost done with the bouncy chair Cana lent us... she'd much rather be held or under the Gymini. She used to sleep through meals at restaurants, but now, she wants to be at the table and in on all the action. Last week, we had dinner with Derek, Monica and Levi (4.5 mos old). Levi was VERY into Harper, trying to reach out and hold her. It was very cute! Unfortunately, all I had was my camera phone, so the picture didn't come out all that great. Harper has been spending Tues & Thurs mornings with Daddy so I can get back to my favorite spin class. I've also managed to get back in the pool twice a week. I used to have to drag myself to the gym, but now, it's time to myself and I look forward to it! Swimming has especially been fun, because it's easy on the joints. Tom has been wonderful about making sure I get this time! Yesterday, he got to go to the Broncos game, 15 rows up from the 50 yard line! Great seats, but it was so cold! I stayed home with Harper and drank hot cocoa and watched a movie while she napped. I enjoyed being home much more than I would have enjoyed freezing my butt off at the game! I watched the last half from the comfort of the couch!

The cold weather has kept us from going out for our daily walks. If it's under 32 degrees, it's too cold for Harper, so the poor dogs have been going stir crazy. Hopefully today will be warm enough to get out.

We're looking forward to our trip to MA next week so everyone can meet Harper! Shortly thereafter we leave for Kauai! January is a busy month, we just hope Harper can handle it!

Holiday Photos

Heidi was nice enough to take some Christmas photos of Harper yesterday. I thought these were very cute.  (:  She may be ready for the big day, but we sure aren't--got some shopping to do!

All dressed up...

Gobble till you Wobble!

Spencer, Forrest & Harper

We haven't been good about updating the blog lately, things have been crazy! We had a great Thanksgiving with lots of family around to share Harper's first big holiday! With all the chaos, she got a bit off schedule but seems to be back on track. My friend, Colleen, is in town for about a week and leaves tomorrow... we're bummed. It has been so great having her here, she has been such a great support! We want her to move in as our nanny, cook, housekeeper, etc. but she has to return home to her hubby. Harper adores her and it's been great having some social time while Tom has been at work. We went to her award gala on Thursday night where she received a silver medal from the United States Dressage Federation! Pretty big deal in the horse world & we're so proud of her!

Last night we ventured out for Tom's company holiday party and Colleen baby sat. It was nice to get out & know Harper was in good hands.

Not much else is going on right now, just gearing up for the holidays, a trip home for New Year's and then our trip to Kauai in January. We're determined to pass along the travel bug to Harper. (:

I'm Not a Little Squirt Anymore!

When I was pregnant with Harper, we called her "Little Squirt" because we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl until our 5 month ultrasound.  The name kind of stuck throughout the pregnancy.  My mom sent a little turtle from Finding Nemo, named Squirt, which started the ocean theme for her bedroom.  We took a picture of her at 2 months next to Squirt the Turtle so we can compare month to month (we forgot at 1 month, but did have a picture with Squirt when Harper was 2 weeks old).  This was taken 11/3/08.  We'll be sure to post at her 3 month birthday next week!  We're gearing up for a pretty big Thanksgiving here at our house, 11 adults and 3 little kiddos!  Tom's sister is coming with her husband and two boys, Forrest (3) and Spencer (1).  Harper is very excited to meet her auntie, uncle and cousins!  Tom's mom and Crow will also be here, along with Karen, Sal, Max & Sal's friend Wyatt and Sal's Mom Marilyn (Grandma).  It's going to be a great, chaotic time!  We're so glad we're in the new, bigger house.  There's no way we could do this in the old house (as much as we loved it... it was tiny!).  Stay tuned for pictures and a blurb about the day!  

While Daddy's away, the girls will... play?

Harper had her 2 month appointment last week and she was a whopping 10lbs. 9oz.! She sure is growing! She also got her first round of vaccinations and it was absolute torture. I'm still not sure she needed all of them, but they group them together so there are fewer shots. We'll need some for travel, so we just had to go with it. It was very hard to see her scream when the gave them to her. She was also 'not right' for a week following the shots. I'm not sure if she was just tired and off in her routine (we stayed with Karen & Sal for a few days), or if her tummy was upset from the Rotovirus and Pertussis vaccines (that was my guess). Poor thing! Thankfully, she's back to her mostly happy self now.

She has been sleeping great through the nights with only one feeding around 3-4am. This has been pretty consistent for almost a month now and we're all thrilled! Such a good little sleeper... we hope it continues FOREVER!

No pictures this time, Daddy has the camera in China with him. It's been hard having him gone, but we're trying to keep busy. We spent 3 nights at Karen & Sal's house... it was so nice to have the company and support while we were there! Julie was here Sun-Thurs, which was amazing. Just to have some social outlet was key for me, and we even made it to the Med for dinner one night. We're very sad now that she is gone. We're on our own for a few more days until Tom is back. Cana kindly called & offered to watch Harper on Sunday for a couple of hours so I can go do something for ME! I'm going to go get my poor horse moving and spend some time at the barn. I am badly in need of some horsey time!!!
So, while Daddy's away, the girls aren't really playing... just surviving till he gets home! Come home soon Daddy, we miss you!!!

Halloween Fun!

The Halloween gang

Harper is now two months old! Time has flown by! We dressed her up as a pumpkin for the neighborhood Halloween parade... her friends Tucker & Haley joined in the fun. Tucker's mom, Christie, got some great shots of the two little punkins! Harper dressed up again on Halloween night to hand out candy to trick or treaters. She got rave reviews from all of the kiddos who visited!

Today, we have her 2 month check up and the first round of immunizations. I have been so torn on what to do about them, but we decided to go ahead and give them to her. We'll need them for travel, and, they give them for a reason. We'll take our chances, I guess.

Harper continues to sleep through the night, with one feeding, usually around 3-4am. This time change is terrible, she's sleeping by 8pm, and I'm not ready to go to bed yet. Then she's up at 6am and I'm definitely not ready to get up yet! At least she's consistent, and still sleeping for hours at a time. I really shouldn't complan (but I will anyway!). Hopefully she'll get on the new time change soon (why do we still do this anyway?!).

We'll be staying up late to check the election results tonight. Tom leaves early Thursday for China... so our last couple of evenings together before he leaves. I'll pack up and head to Karen & Sal's until Sunday, then Auntie Julie gets here for a few days! We're so excited, but I have already told her Harper is NOT going to the Bobbi Brown counter at Nordstrom's until she is AT LEAST 17 years old (or even better, never)! Ha! Still hoping she'll be a bit of a Tom Boy... I dress her in cutsie things, and all that is pink, in the hopes that she will grow up to hate pink and anything too girly. Ha!

I'm growing!

Harper is now nearly 8 weeks old and is settling into a nice routine! She has had over a week of good nights, sleeping for 10-12 hours a night with 1 or no feedings! She's going longer in between her daytime feedings too. The "witching ours" in the evening are much shorter in duration, and some nights, she is as content as can be. We realized changing things up seems to work best for her... going for a walk at 5:30, going to dinner, doing tummy time, etc... anything to break of the monotony of the evening. Mommy & Daddy are trying to be better about relaxing and enjoying each other's company--we remembered that we have a wonderful hot tub in the back yard and we try to go in it when Harper goes to bed at a reasonable time. We are also getting good nights sleep too, which is so helpful! Last weekend, we ventured up to Wild Basin for Ryan & Cara's wedding. It was so beautiful and it was our first extended time away from Harper. She stayed with Auntie Karen, Uncle Sal & Max and was great! We stayed over and she even slept through the night at their house. We're hoping we're onto something... (picture of the 'family bed' before we put Harper down in the pack & play--she's hidden in there somewhere with the dogs & Daddy).

This picture is of Harper in what was supposed to be her going home outfit after she was born, but it was WAY too big. Look how much she has grown! This outfit is snug on her now and she has graduated into size 1 diapers! (After 2 major blowouts of the newborn size, we figured it was time to move up!) She is very healthy & happy--cracking smiles and cooing all the time! She still loves to be on the move all day... she won't nap in her crib, but will pass out in the swing, bouncy chair, Moby, car or stroller. BUT, she sleeps great in her crib at night, so it's working for us. I feel like we're getting into a good routine (we hope!).  She especially likes going for walks with her baby friends during the day--it's great to have so many mommy friends who are also home (for now anyway).

Harper has her 2 month appointment next Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Still debating over what to do about an immunization schedule... we have to do some becuase of our plans to travel out of the country at some point but we don't want her little body to have to undergo 12 immunizations at 2 months!!! Crazy! We'll see....
Also, on Nov 4th, Harper says don't forget to VOTE!
(Unless you're voting for McCain, then she says just stay home--ha!)


Harper is very sad about the Red Sox... she rallied and tried to stay up to watch the games but it didn't work. Maybe next year. You've got to suffer a bit (or a lot) to be a true fan.

Blissful Weekend Retreat & Road Trip

Well, our road trip to visit Grandma (Tom's mom) in Saguache was a huge success! She gave us gift certificates for a stay at a local B&B and massages last Christmas, and we finally got around to using them! The 3.5 hour drive only took us 4, with one quick stop for Harper and 2-3 stops for Daddy. We stayed at a cozy, beautiful B&B run by Marge's friend, Starr. She spoiled us rotten! Amazing breakfasts, a beautiful room with a feather down king sized bed, fireplace, TV (for the Sox game), wood burning hot tub, a horse in the back yard, and the most relaxing, wonderful massages we've ever had!

It was just what we needed to unwind and rest up. Harper even followed suit by sleeping from 7p-9a on Saturday night, with only 2 feedings during the night! She continued this blissful sleep Sunday & Tuesday nights... we're hoping we're onto something here! Check out the B&B at www.bearmedicinewellnesscenter.com, it is about 30 minutes from Crestone, 45 minutes from Salida or the Great Sand Dunes. Definitely worth a trip down for anyone looking to stay in a small, quiet town and enjoy a relaxing weekend. The drive is beautiful too!

New Friends!

Harper is very lucky to have so many new baby friends!  It seems as though everyone is having babies, which means new friends for Harper!  

Rebecca, Luciano and Lola came over last Saturday.  Lola is 4 days younger than Harper.  They really didn't seem to care about each other, yet, but when they are old enough to play we're sure they'll be the best of friends.

We found out Daddy has to go to China & Tibet for 2 weeks in November, which makes us both so sad.  Not sure what we'll do without him!  But, "Auntie Julie" is going to visit for a few days and then we'll head up to Karen & Sal's for a few days too.  Harper is very lucky to have such supportive friends & family.

Harper is growing more & more every day!  I wake up, get her from the crib and swear she has gained a pound overnight.  She's getting into a little more of a routine with naps, but it's not 100% consistent.  She loves going for walks and rides in the car.  This weekend, we're going to visit Grandma in Saguache.  This will be a test for all of us!  A 3 1/2 hour drive, which will be much longer with feeding, etc. along the way.  But we think we're ready (check back next week to see if we all survived & are still sane)!

Photo Shoot & CU Tailgate

Our friend Heidi hosted a "Mommy's Lunch & Photo shoot" at her house last Thursday and got some really great, cute shots of Harper and her 2 new friends (Lily & John). All 3 babies are less than 6 weeks old! Harper was very photogenic, turning it on for the camera for every shot! Here are some of the photos we got. Heidi is an amazing, talented photographer... if anyone is interested in seeing her work, visit http://www.wholepicture.org/ and http://www.letterproject.com/. We are so appreciative of her for doing this!

A cowgirl in the making!

Last Sunday, we got all dressed up in our CU gear to try to meet up with some friends at the CU tail

gate. We were late (as we usually are these days) and missed everyone, but Harper was a trooper with all the noise & people. She slept through it all!

Things have been going fairly well, but we now call 5pm-10pm the "witching hours"... she may or may not have a meltdown, and it may or may not last 5 hours. It's a little unnerving, not knowing what to do for her. ): We've heard several theories from various people, but we think it's when she doesn't sleep enough during the day and is SO TIRED she just doesn't know what to do. We're working through it... she is not the 'ultimate non-fussy baby' as we orginally thought. Thankfully, she still sleeps fairly well at night and is rather content during the day.

One Month In & Harper's Carbon Footprint...

We made it through the first month! Although we think she is the cutest thing in the world & love her to pieces, we'd be lying if we said it was all smooth sailing. It's not fair really, to ask parents to figure out what to do for their newborn on virtually no sleep. That being said, we have gotten into somewhat of a rhythm (as much as you can after one month), we're getting more sleep and leaving the house as much as we can. I've been packing up Harper, the 2 dogs and the baby jogger and driving to Teller trail head nearly every day to go for a nice long walk. Tom often meets up with us after work. Harper LOVES to be on the move... in the car, on the trail, whatever. We think she'll be an outdoor girl! She's starting to make good eye contact and crack some smiles here and there. She is a pretty content baby overall, but does have her one meltdown a day.

Memere left last Saturday and Mommy had a meltdown on Monday morning when she realized she wasn't coming up from her room for coffee! Yikes! What would I do without Memere?! Who would I talk to?! How was I going to shower!? How was I going to eat?! Reluctantly, after a day of shedding many tears, I sucked it up and we managed to get into a routine and Harper has been nice enough to hang out in her swing or pack & play in the bathroom door so I can take a quick shower. And, she loves hanging out in her Moby wrap and will sleep in it for a couple of hours at a time. This gives me 2 free hands to do essential things like eat, pick up, do laundry, pet our neglected pups and update our baby blog!

Little girl, BIG crib!

We managed to take Mom & Aunt Karen out for haircuts and lunch last week, all with minimal fussing. Harper was a real trooper! That was our longest time out yet. Yesterday, Harper met Lakota! I think we've got a barn brat on our hands, she loved looking around at the horses and seemed intrigued by everything. She sat quietly in her Moby wrap while Lakota had his feet trimmed (well, sort of, he's been so neglected and underworked his hooves haven't grown--that will all change soon!) Last night, we met Sarah & Thaddius for dinner and Harper slept through it all. Aahhhh, our first peaceful dinner out!

Harper's latest trick is to pee right after we take her diaper off, before we have the next one ready. We see this as her way to help the environment. Her message to John McCain, "I'm saving 5-6 diapers a day, what are you doing?!" hee hee

Skunks & Bath Time Fun

Harper turned 2 weeks last Wednesday and we've had quite an eventful week since then! Wed. night, she moved from the pack & play in our room to her own room and crib. She was such a trooper! The good 4-5 hour stretch continued and she did great. I got up around 1am to feed her, and Jake was curled up in the recliner in her room, keeping her company. When that recliner was in my office, it was "Jake's recliner" and he would curl up in it whenever he came to work with me. Since it's been home, he hasn't had any interest in it... he must have known Harper needed a little TLC on her first night alone in her room. (:

Thursday night, just as I was finally crawling into bed, Rudy came into our room absolutely reeking of something foul. The entire house smelled of some kind of rotten, chemical substance. I ran her into the shower & Tom gave her a bath... we didn't have any tomato juice or other 'de-skunking' items, so we used the dog shampoo we had. I searched the house for Jake and couldn't find him. Fearing the worst, I checked the yard. Sure enough, he had broken through the back fence to chase the skunk, cut his nose, got sprayed and smelled even worse than Rudy. UGH!!!  We suspect Rudy was just in the area at the time.  After two baths for Jake and trying to get the smell out of the house, we finally went to bed. The good news is, Harper slept through it all, undisturbed.

We headed up to Aunt Karen & Uncle Sal's yesterday to drop off Memere for the night. It was a pretty successful trip, considering it is 45+ minutes up the mountain. Harper was great!

This weekend, we introduced a bottle with pumped milk and she took it with no trouble. We just have to get better about slowing her down on it, because last night she ate way too fast and was full and uncomfortable all night (poor thing!). But it's great for Daddy to be able to feed her sometimes.

Today we gave Harper her first bath before Suzi & Brad's visit. She really seemed to like it and it kept her calm for the rest of the morning. She is so soft now!

We survived the first 2 weeks!

Harper Loves her Gymini!
Thank you Marc & Kathy!

Harper & Squirt at 2 weeks. She's getting bigger!!!

Harper had her 2 week check up with her pediatrician today & gained a whopping 1lb 1oz! She is now 6lbs 15oz! Dr. Mehl said this was a "record weight gain for Colorado"! ha ha! Her Dr. is amazing and is open to any questions/concerns we have with immunizations, which is nice. He was so personable and open to the silliest of questions. I think he's a keeper. ( : Jake meets Harper! He was such a good boy!

Tom went back to work on Monday... very hard for all of us, but we'll be okay. Harper really misses her Daddy during the day and I really miss having the extra support. But, Memere is still here and has been so amazing... not sure what I'll do when she leaves! Auntie Karen has been amazing... cooking for us & bringing us lots of yummy food. When Memere leaves, she'll be the "fill in Grandma".

We're getting more and more sleep at night with fewer feedings & melt downs. Overall, she is a pretty content baby. We thought she had gas over the weekend, but then realized we might just be missing something. I watched "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and started to use the 5 S's to calm her, and man, so far, they work. She didn't appreciate being swaddled at first, but settled down within seconds and passed out for 5 full hours last night. Aaahhhhhhhh!!!! We'll see if it continues! She's starting to make good eye contact & "smiles" too. We are so in love & have kinks in our necks from looking down at her all the time! Can't take our eyes off of her in fear of missing something!

Thank you all for your phone calls, emails and overall support these past couple of weeks. We're sorry we haven't been better at returning calls/emails & weren't quite ready for loads of visitors just yet. But we're getting there! Every day is better & better as we figure out what this little one needs... and if we don't figure it out, well she lets us know we are WRONG! (;

Having our dr's appt today made me realize I CAN leave the house and be okay! So, we're hoping to have more outings soon... especially since we got the go-ahead to spread out feedings, use a bottle & passifier. No worries about her feeding... she's a tank now!

We got calls from "Auntie Colleen" & "Auntie Julie" in MA who are going to visit in the next few months, which makes us very happy! Grandpa said he is wanting to make a trip out here too. We're so lucky to have amazing family & 'extended family' both in CO, MA & NC!

Welcome Harper Joie!!!

Harper Joie (LaJoie is a family name) Lastick was born on Sept. 3, 2008 at 11:28am. She weighed in at 5lbs 14oz (little peanut!) and was completely healthy. We were amazed at how much we could love someone we had just met! The experience was amazing and looking back, I wouldn't change a thing! We managed to have 100% natural birth, and the delivery itself took only 30 minutes. I couldn't have hoped for anything better. So glad I was "with it" to enjoy the entire experience, even the rotten contractions. (: Tom was a trooper and truly took the place of a doula. I couldn't have hoped for a more supportive husband. He's doing a great job taking care of momma and baby. Just when you think you can't love someone more than you already do, they do something that makes you fall in love with them all over again. I have the greatest husband in the entire world!

Rudy & Harper--lost in her car seat!

We had a pretty good first week... Harper slept fairly well, ate like a champ from the start and was a pretty content baby. A few days in, she let us know how well her lungs worked with a screaming fit at bedtime. I cried with her and tried to soothe her (she couldn't POSSIBLY be hungry AGAIN, could she!?). I found out I needed to make more of an effort to sleep when she did to survive. Tired mama makes for emotional breakdowns! But thankfully, they have been minimal!

Daddy & Harper--2 days old

She gets cuter & cuter every day! We are so in love and enjoying every minute of this! Memere is here for 3 weeks to help out (don't know what we'd do without her) and she is even COOKING! What!? Not the mom I remember... she's really going out of her way to keep us rested and well nourished! Tom has to go back to work on Monday, sad for all of us. But he'll so look forward to coming home to see his little girl!

38 weeks and counting...

We're just past 38 weeks and are anxiously awaiting this little one's arrival.  We've had fun picking dates we think she'll be born... my pick was today but it's not looking so good.  Rudy knows something is up though, she's been very clingy the past couple of days and has a sad/concerned look on her face.  Things are starting to happen, so it's only a matter of time until she is here!  

We took some belly pics yesterday & I liked this one. 

Baby's Room

We've spent the past couple of months having fun setting up the baby's room.  Aunt Karen & Aunt Margie helped paint sea grass, bubbles & fish on the walls, we got bedding to match and now we're just waiting for her to arrive to take advantage of her peaceful, ocean theme room.   We had fun getting everything set up, putting all of her cute little clothes away and imagining her in the crib.  

Trip home!

We just got back from a nice trip home and I got to meet my 1/2 sister, Mary Beth, and her family.  It was such a great experience for everyone!!!  

We got to spend time at York Beach w/ Colleen & Scott and had a blast!  I got to go to Martha's Vineyard with Mom, Granny, Aunt Janet & Aunt Karen and it was so nice to have quality time with the ladies.

I'm now at 33 weeks prego, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the little one!  I finished work a few weeks ago, bittersweet, I miss it.  But, I've got lots of time to get the baby's room ready and prepare for her arrival!  She's kicking and moving a ton, sometimes jolting me!  

WOW!  What a year it has been in the Lastick household!  I think 30 has been the greatest year ever, who would have guessed!?  I feared the age like you wouldn't believe, but alas, it has been wonderful!  It started with a surprise visit from Colleen & Scott for my actual birthday, and a weekend trip to Vail, thanks to Tom!  We then ventured to Spain with "the girls" and spouses/significant others to celebrate turning 30.  In November, we closed on a great new house in E. Boulder... quiet, peaceful and a nice big yard with 1,000 squirrels for Jake and lots of places to swim for Rudy.  Soon after the move, we found out I was pregnant!  We found out on New Year's Day and recently found out we are expecting a baby girl!  We call her "Squirt" for now.  I also "adopted" Lakota, a horse I have been working with and have loved too much for the past 3 years.  I hoped someday he would be mine, and now he is!  Not the best timing, but we're making it work and it keeps me moving.  We've got a lot of work to do to get him in shape, but he's starting out beautifully!  I'll be leaving my job at the end of June, which was a very tough decision, but I want to be home with the little one.  

My half-sister, who was given up for adoption as a baby, recently got in touch with my mother!  It was such a wonderful event, and I know my mom and the entire family is thrilled.  It was a huge weight lifted and I am so happy!  I cannot wait to meet her!

Tom is doing well, still plugging away at ATJ and the business is doing surprisingly well with the economy the way it is.  He is back into tennis, golf and softball this spring.  He is very excited about Squirt and can't wait to be a daddy!