that dang grass...

in debating our next move (next move in life, that is...there's always a plan to be made), jeff and i (more i than jeff) have been pondering the saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side."  he thinks the saying is actually "the grass is never greener on the other side."  not sure which is more accurate....

do you constantly look at someone else's life and think they have the greenest grass, so to speak?  and when you finally achieve what that someone has, then do you realize that it wasn't that green in the first place?  

i like to think that our grass is pretty green.  vibrant and bold and thriving...that kind of green.  and how do we know...at this very moment, someone could be envious of our green grass.  

i guess the only thing to do is to stay positive, know that we are doing the best we can and keep watering that dang grass.  

we made it!

after a long weekend in southern indiana, we are officially back on our home turf!  no babies born in random state (well, a state no more random than new hampshire...).  we arrived into manchester around 7 pm last night.  it was an exhausting weekend for mama and baby wolf (not to mention for jeff - he had to take care of us all weekend), but we are happy to report we are all home safe and sound.

thursday was great...we got to see david, cera and miss dahlia flower!  she is absolutely adorable!  her little smile lights up the room.  and jeff is right...she doesn't blink!  with those big, brown eyes it's almost as if she doesn't want to miss something.  she's incredibly alert.  it still blows my mind that my baby sister is a mother.  last april when she told me that she was expecting, she was more than a bit uneasy about impending motherhood.  she has taken to the experience so well and has grown so much in the past year.  i'm so proud of her and love seeing a mini-me version of cera...stubbornness and all!  

friday was spent finalizing wedding details with the bride.  it was great to see crystal and tyson!  after a looong engagement (5 freakin years!  and i mean, exactly 5 years - their wedding day was their 5 year anniversary of their engagement), their wedding day was finally here!  how exciting. 

saturday began at 7:30 am - because as you know, it's never too early to start on bridesmaid hair!  the day had it's fair share of snafus, but the bride was amazingly calm.  no really, having been a bride, i was impressed!  she brushed each obstacle off with a simple "baba-ganush!"  not certain about the proper spelling, but the saying worked each time.  things continued to work themselves out.  from a wedding dress with stains, a cake being dismantled and a party bus (carrying the entire wedding party) breaking down, things went surprisingly well.  

kato let us know that he doesn't like it when his parents slow dance (ewww...they're my parents!).  while jeff held me close and danced to a sappy love song, kato proceeded to kick him violently in the stomach!  guess he's going to be one of those kids that squeals in disgust when we kiss!  

while the reception ended at midnight, this bridesmaid cut the evening short at 10:30 and had her knight in shining armor (or her husband in a kia optima) drive her to the hotel for a little r&r.  

all in all, it was a fantastic weekend.  i am slightly swollen and retaining water, but i'll survive.  best of all, baby wolf is still a little action hero...kicking up a storm and letting me know when to slow down and take it easy.  

another doctor's appointment this week.  nothing exciting...just some measuring and heart rate monitoring.  another update to follow...

one more thing...

i forgot to mention the blog that jeff talked about in his last post.  the guy he was talking about is matt logelin and his blog is http://www.mattlogelin.com/.  do yourself a favor and check out his site!  his story is amazing.  his blog is so open and gives great insight into what he is going through as a single father and as a widower.  

the big three-oh!

today is jeff's 30th birthday.  at this point, the old man jokes are hitting a bit closer to home!  love you, honey.  i let him open presents last night...i couldn't help it!  this is the guy that opens christmas presents on christmas eve.  and i love seeing his face when he opens presents, anyway!  i'm a sucka for the reaction...

i ended up getting jeff a wii!  completely not necessary and probably the worst use of our money, but he needed something ridiculous.  we all do every now and then, right?

so, a recap of the past couple of weeks (since updates have been few and far between)...

• lots of kicking from baby wolf - he's an incredibly active little boy!  i take this as a good sign.  some of his movements are so abrupt, they often make me catch my breath!
  
• we have successfully completely three birthing classes.  well, "successfully" might not be the best word, but we've finished three (with lots of giggling and sneaky looks at each other)!  each one seems to get slightly more strange!  
• i made it through my first four weeks of guitar lessons.  my fingers hurt like nobody's bizznass, but it's definitely something that i hope to continue.  lessons might be put on hold until after little baby wolf makes his summertime appearance...holding a guitar while someone kicks you is rather difficult!
• the baby shower was amazing with a fantastic visit from my family and jeff's family!  we received far too many gifts and have a nursery that is busting at the seams.  
• we went to the doctor on friday (4/17)...our last appointment before heading home to IN for a wedding.  we got a green light and the go-ahead.  the doctor said things are going exactly how they should be...baby is growing a great rate, heart rate is strong, blood pressure is good and i'm healthy.  i'm anxious to fly, but the doctors have assured me it's completely safe.
• jeff has been working out like a crazy man!  ginger is loving all of the extra exercise of their runs. i'm proud of him and it's something that he enjoys.  
• we have begun to see the first signs of spring!  the sun is shining and the snow is (finally) melted.  it's amazing to see the sun after such a dreary winter.  the city is finally being cleaned up...no more salt and sand making everything grey and dingy!

i think that covers the last couple weeks.  glad to see that jeff finally decided to add his two cents to the blog!  let's hope that is a recurring trend!  

Finally....

As I walked in from the gym, Amanda forced me to watch a clip from Oprah on a blog she has been following for some time now. She has tried to get me to be interested in this blog by reading me posts and showing me pictures of the amazingly cute little girl. I believe her name is Madison or Madelyn or something along those lines, either way, the girl has super cute blond hair and is truly a miracle. The blog is written from the fathers perspective on raising his daughter, which would be compelling enough, but sadly, his wife passed away shortly after giving birth to their daughter. The Oprah clip was very good and Matt, the father, came across very well. He was open and honest about how little he knew about raising a child and discussed how writing the blog allowed him to escape or vent. He did not intend on millions of people reading it, but it is amazing how much people love a tragic story gone right. He was grateful for all the gifts and words of encouragement, but didn't come across as needy or wanting a handout. He actually seemed to feel bad about getting all the aid and has since donated everything that has come in and is truly excess in their life. Watching the clip made me actually think, what if something happened to Amanda? It is a scary thought and one that I honestly didn't spend much time on, because I am not one to think about things like that. What would I do though?? I would hope I would push on and be an inspiration just like Matt. I am sure Amanda will read this and post a link to his blog, and you should read it, but not because I said so or Oprah pushed it on you, but because in times like this, we need stories about people who can flourish when the going gets tough. Matt is the kind of hero our kids need to be reading about. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things when necessary, sound familiar? Pretty much the premise of every cartoon superhero American children are watching every Saturday morning. It is good to know real ones are out there when needed.
Love you Kato, Daddy

the words won't come...

i have been working on a new blog post for two weeks now and the words won't seem to come.  i have a lot of ground to cover (it's been a busy couple of weeks), but the words are coming out jumbled and need some overall refinement.  

jeff and i promised each other that we would update at least once a week, but we've already destroyed that promise.  it's been hard to figure out what to write.  i feel like there is a block.  i figure i'll just post this one and start on the next.  

a side note...jeff and i have been playing the baby music.  we put the ipod ear buds on my belly and watched the baby "dance."  he seems to favor country and the beatles (okay, that's all we played, but he really did love them!).  lots of kicks and movement!

a legitimate update to follow...