Days 29 and 30

SO GLAD THIS IS OVER!!!! It was fun - but whew.

Day 29: Wishes
I have one simple wish - for Cheeks to grow up without anyone making fun of him for having two moms. I'm not concerned about it - kids will make fun of anything - if its not that he has two moms, it will be that he has curly hair - or because he is smart - or because of any reason a kid come up with to make fun of him. It's just what kids do. But boy wouldn't it be great if that wasn't a worry for him ever :)

Day 30: A picture

Day 28 - Something that stresses you

I think what stresses me more than anything is finding the time to clean. I want the perfect house - the house that looks like a model home. Mine never will. With a full time job, a wife in school, and an almost 14 month old son, a clean house is hard. I feel sometimes like my life would be so much less stressful if the house was always in perfect order. Although, I know then that something else would stress me out!

Day 27 - Pets

This is a sad post for me. Over the years, Doc and I have adopted several pets. By the time Cheeks came along, we had 4 cats and a dog. Needless to say, my fur-babies don't get the attention they need with so many of them and the baby. So we are working on finding new homes for some of them. Boo recently went to live at Caboodle Ranch - full with cat Walmarts, a cat City Hall, and tree houses. I hate thinking of her there - but I know she is probably happier.

Next to go to their new home will be Sophia. She is our youngest cat. We are bringing her to live with a friend up in NY state. They just lost a cat that looks just like her - so they are excited to have her.

That leaves us with two cats and one dog - a bit more manageable. Harley is our dog. She is part bull terrier (pit bull), and part whippet. She is the sweetest thing ever and lets Cheeks play with her dog tags and sit on her like a bench. She looks mean and has a ferocious bark - but wouldn't hurt a fly.

The two cats are Maxx (short for Maxxine) and TJ (short for Toe Joe). Maxx is all black and TJ is a big old red cat. They are both lap cats and just want to be loved.

I wish we could keep all of them - but I know they will all have happier lives with more attention.

Day 26 - A Picture of Your Family

This is one of the very few pictures of my family all together. From Left to Right:

Backrow: Doc, me, my dad, my uncle, my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law
Middle Row: Cheeks, my aunt, my niece
Front Row: Harley (our dog), Beau (my aunt and uncle's dog)



The only member missing is my sister's dog, Goldie.

I love this photo because it's so rare that we are all together - it always seems like someone is working, or in school, or away on a trip. This was a great pic for me :)

And a couple of pics of my immediate family - these are also rare as it is usually Doc or me taking the pic (which is why these are a bit older) :)

Day 25 - A Favorite Memory

For this post, I decided to go back to before the day Cheeks was born (because that is of course what I would have written about without saying!) My favorite memory was for about 2 minutes on 10/25/2008. Doc and I got married that day (not legally unfortunately - but spirtually and in front of close friends and family!)

The absolute best memory of that day for me was running into a private room directly after the ceremony. We had about 2 minutes alone - and we spent it smiling and laughing. Our family and friends had just thrown birdseed all over us (NOT a good idea for people thinking of doing this - I think I am still finding birdseed 2.5 years later lol). So we were both covered in birdseed - freshly married - and so happy. That was a great moment :)

This is a pic of us running into the room after the ceremony:

Day 24 - Something You Have Learned

I have learned a lot in my life - but perhaps the single most important thing I have learned is that being a mom is hard work. I LOVE being a mom - and everything that comes along with it. But it is hard. Your days are no longer your own. Your home starts to looks like a mini Babies R Us - soon to be followed by a mini Toys R Us.

Your schedule gets turned upside down: wake up - feed - sleep - wake up - feed - sleep - wake up - feed - sleep - work - play - feed - sleep - bottle cleaning time - feed - straighten up the mess made during the day - sleep - and do it all over again the next day. Add postpartum hormones into the mix and all that seems impossible at times.

Eventually, that schedule turns into - feed - sleep - work - play - feed - bathtime - bedtime - clean up the mess made during the day - and do it all over again the next day.

To those who don't have kids, this may seem easy - but for those out there that do have kids, they understand how hard it is. You know what though - I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING in the world. It's hard - but I love it. And it is the most rewarding and amazing feeling in the world when that child of yours starts making strides and developments. My heart bursts with pride everytime Cheeks does something new. It's hard work - but it's the best hard work out there :)

Day 19 - Something You Miss

Apparently I blogged day 20 before day 19 - OOPS!

I miss my family! We few years ago, Doc and I moved up to Central Florida from S. Florida. Even though we are only about 3 hours away, I miss them all the time. I'm looking forward to moving back down there in a few years.

Until then, the times I do get to see everyone (6 or 7 times a year on average) are much more special to me then ever before :)

Day 23 - Favorite Vacation

I think I already answered this one in an earlier post when I wrote about our trip to Scotland. So I'll use this challenge post as an update on Cheeks:

1. WE HAVE A WALKER!!!!!!

2. Cheeks has developed extreme separation anxiety. And I think I have too. Whenever Doc or I leave the room, Cheeks goes into hysterics. We are trying to break this cycle - but it's a rough one.

3. At the age of 13 months, Cheeks has already had 2 haircuts. First one was at the Magic Kingdom - second one at a place called Cool Cuts. VERY happy with MK - not so happy with Cool Cuts.

4. He waves at his mama and me, but still working on waving at others.

5. He claps when he's excited or he is eating something he really enjoys.

6. Favorite meal is Gerber Spinach and Cheese Ravioli, a slice of american cheese, and a cup of yogurt. This always gets claps out of Cheeks.

7. Still loves anything with wheels. He also loves his Mickey Mouse chair too. He is 100% boy climing in and out of that chair. To my horror, he has gone head first off the chair - only to get right back up and do it again!

8. He is becoming more and more affectionate. He gives his toys, books, and the iPad kisses. He gives his mama and me big hugs.

Day 22 - Favorite City

This is an easy one hands down for me. My favorite city is New York City. I love all of the history and culture. I love that there is a huge park in the center of the bustling city. I'm a New Yorker by birth, so perhaps I have some attachment because of that.

Doc and I actually spent our first day meeting each other in NYC. We met online, and by coincidence we were both visiting family/friends in CT Memorial Day Weekend of 2004. We met up and took a train to NYC together. We've been together since. Every year since then (with the exception of when i was pregnant with Cheeks) Doc and I have taken a trip to NYC. We are going back this summer, Cheeks in tow, and we are so excited!!!

Some of my favorite things to do in the city:

1. Broadway
2. Central Park
3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
4. The Museum of Natural History
5. Hotdog at Papaya King
6. Pizza at Familia in Times Square area
7. Times Square

One of these days, we'll get to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building! I've never done either of those considering I've been there so many times!

Day 21 - A Picture of Me

A picture of me with Cheeks. We were being happy and silly :)



I usually don't like myself in pictures - 9 out of 10 of them from the past 13 months have Cheeks in them too!

**UPDATE - No clue why this one turned out upside down lol. I will work on fixing that today :)

Day 20 - Nicknames

This is a pretty boring post for me. Growing up, I didn't have too many nicknames. They all seemed to develop in college:

1. Jaimela (from my mom)
2. Jaims
3. Jaim

Day 18 - Something you regret

My biggest regret is the path I took in school. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, so I settled on business since a lot of my credits fit with that major. I graduated in a B.S. in Marketing. I went back a few years later to get my M.B.A. Today, I hate what I do for a living. There is no moral satisfaction in it. I take home a paycheck and can support my family - but I don't do anything "good" for the world.

I regret not sitting down and really determining what I would like to do. If I had to to do all over again, I would have majored in either education or a career in the healthcare field. I would love to do something that helps people and society as a whole. Unfortunately, with 40K in student loans under my belt, I don't see myself ever being able to make this career switch as those fields require additional schooling.

That is my biggest regret.

Day 17 - Something you're looking forward to

I am looking forward to having bariatric surgery. I am unable to enjoy life to the fullest right now, and I know this surgery will allow me to enjoy it much more. I can't wait to shop for clothes in whatever store I want. I can't wait to enjoy exercising. I can't wait to run and play with Cheeks without getting winded. I am looking so forward to this it's not even funny.

Day 16 - Dream House

This post could probably go on forever! Doc and I purchased our first house on a whim. I know - not very smart. We've learned a lot of what we do and do not want from this home.

We purchased a townhome, so my first requirement for my dream house is a single family home - where we own all four walls and the roof. I am also sick of stairs! So I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a one story house. I want the kitchen and living area to be one large space, so that when we entertain guests, I can be cooking and socializing all at once. That would also help with giving Cheeks more play area while Doc or I prepare our dinner. I really want a big kitchen, with lots of cabinet space, an island, and a double oven. I would like to have 5 bedrooms. This would allow the following:

1. Master bedroom for Doc and me.
2. Room for Cheeks.
3. Room for a future family member :)
4. Guest room.
5. Office

Living in FL, we don't have basements - so lots of storage would be a must (as is a garage! I'd also love a huge fenced in backyard for the kids and dog to run around and play in. Doc's requirement would be a pool in the backyard (and I would concur with that in our FL heat). And I would like a swing set for the kids to play on.

As far as decorating, I want something warm and comfortable. Not too modern - but not too traditional. I like furniture that doubles as storage as well. It would be fantastic to have a professional organizer come organize all of our crap (for lack of a better word!) OK - I think I'm getting off topic now LOL

That's pretty much it - a nice, medium to large sized house to fit our family that has lots of storage, and is all on one floor!

Day 15 - Bible Verse

I honestly have nothing to put here. I was not raised reading the bible. I was raised in Judaism - but almost more cultural than religious. I have read bits and pieces of the bible - but I am no where near well versed enough to have a verse to write about.

I do love my religion/culture - just don't necessarilly feel it stems from a book. It stems more from the culture of my people more than anything. That being said - Monday night is the first night of Passover. So instead of a verse, I will write the four questions from this holiday - one of my favorite parts of the sedar:

Q1: Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?

A1: Matzoh reminds us that when the Jews left the slavery of Egypt, they had no time to bake their bread. They took raw dough on their journey and baked it in the hot desert sun into hard crackers called matzoh.

Q2: Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?

A2: Maror reminds us of the bitter and cruel way the Pharaoh treated the Jewish people when they were slaves in Egypt.

Q3: Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs een once, but on this night we dip them twice?

A3: We dip bitter herbs into Charoset to remind us how hard the Jewish slaves worked in Egypt. The chopped apples and nuts look like the clay used to make the bricks used in building the Pharaohs buildings. We dip parsley into salt water. The parsley reminds us that spring is here and new life will grow. The salt water reminds us of the tears of the Jewish slaves.

Q4: Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

A4: We lean on a pillow to remind us that now we are free and can relax in comfort.

**Thanks to http://kosher4passover.com/4questions.htm for the details on the four questions for this post!

Days 13 and 14 of Challenge

I got behind again! Here we go:

Day 13: Goals I have three HUGE goals right now:

1. Lose weight and be healthy: Last night I attended a Bariatric Surgery seminar. I am very excited about this route and can't wait to see where it takes me!

2. Raise my son to be a caring and gentle man: I think Doc and I are doing a good job with this goal. We shower him with affection and are beginning to teach him how to be polite (please, thank you, etc).

3. Get our budget under control and put away money for our family's future: This includes saving for Cheeks' college, our retirement, and extra unexpected expenses. This is a hard one, but we are enjoying doing it. It's great to see our savings build up little bits at a time.

Day 14 - A picture you love

Now this is just too many to choose from. I had to sift through, but found this one that I adore.



Cheeks was about 5 weeks old here. This was one of the first really big smiles he gave me - and I capture it with my phone. He hasn't stopped smiling since!

Day 12 - What You Believe (a few minutes early)

I believe there is good in everyone. I think that even those who seem mean and awful have SOME good to them - they just encountered a rough patch in their life at some point.

I believe that you can have what you want if you work hard enough for it.

I believe in G-d (and I believe he looks a little like Mr. Clean).

I believe everything happens for a reason - if it weren't for the things that happen every day, you may not be where you are today. If you don't like where you are today, it is merely setting up the stage for your future.

I believe in hard work.

I believe in my family.

I believe that ignorance is born out of fear.

I believe that one day soon, I will be able to legally marry Doc and she will legally be able to adopt Cheeks.

I believe it is now time for me to go to sleep :)

Challenge Days 9, 10, and 11

Weekends are hard to keep up with! Here are three days combined into one: Day 9-A picture of your friends I've had some good friends over the years. I thought about who to post in this pic, and decided in the end, the two people who will be my best friends forever are Doc and Cheeks:



Day 10-Something you’re afraid of Day

My biggest fear is death. I am terrified of dying because of the unknown. I'm also scared of people I love dying before I do. How do living people know that death doesn't hurt or that you don't realize you are in a box in the ground?? The whole concept is terrifying to me. I just hate the whole thing in general! And with that, I'll switch to a happier and more exciting challenge day :)


11-Favorite TV shows

Now this is a topic I can write on for days! I have a few favorite current shows, and a few favorite older shows. Will start with current:

1. American Idol - I love the talent on this show. I actually like it better when the weird/bad people are done with and they just have good singers on.

2. Desparate Housewives - I love a good plot line - and this show is full of them. I also really like the characters in the show.

3. Law and Order SVU - LOVE LOVE LOVE Mariska Hargitay.

4. Unwrapped - I like seeing all the behind the scenes stuff on foods that we eat.

5. GLEE - I am a true Gleek. I can't wait until the season picks up again soon. Again, I love the talent in this show. The story lines get kind of weird - but the talent is incredible.

6. Saturday Night Live - have loved this show since the 7th grade. Some seasons are better than others, but usually fairly funny.

And now onto my older favorite TV shows:

1. Little House on the Prairie - Great old fashioned family show. Makes you want to live without all of the technology of today.

2. Three's Company - A great classic.

3. Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Special - So this aired in 1984 I think. When I was a kid, my parents taped it and I watched it OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. I still have the VCR tape and plan to show it to my kids and hope they enjoy it too! I know - I'm weird.

4. Laugh-In - I used to sneak and watch this past my bedtime - it came on at 11pm on Nick at Night.

Day 8 - A place you’ve traveled to

I haven't done a ton of travelling - I often envy those who do. I am fascinated with blogs such as Puffer and the Baby Fishies who have it together enough to travel with twins!! We travelled once with Cheeks - to Ohio - and it was a NIGHTMARE. This summer, we are driving to NY - I really should start planning for that now!

That being said, for this post, I want to write about a trip we took before we had Cheeks. We have friends who live over in Scotland. They invited us to come stay with them and explore their country. Needless to say, it was breathtakingly beautiful over there. Rolling hills, sheep, green as far as the eyes can see. The history is almost intimidating if you stand in a historical long enough to think about what happened there. Doc and I actually stood in the room where Mary Queen of Scots was born! Our friends showed off their hometown of Glascow, and took us to Andstrother for the country's best fish and chips. We also went to Ayr, St. Andrews, and Edinburgh. We toured The Edinborough Castle, St. Andrews Castle, and Stirling Castle.

The trip was just fantastic. One evening, we took a sleep train down to London and spent the day there. I was in complete awe and fascination. I had seen pictures - but it was so much different than I had ever imagined. There we saw all the big sights: Buckingham Palace, The Londone Eye, Tower of London, and Harrids. We were completely exhausted after that day, and slept well on the sleeper train back to Glascow.

Bryson was conceived the month after we returned home from our trip. We are sure the Scottish air had to have had something to do with our luck in that arena. Both Doc and I cannot wait to travel back to Scotland again - next time with Cheeks in tow.

Day 7 - Favorite movies

I go through phases with movies. Sometimes I like them quite a bit. Other times, I can't muster up the attention span to last more than 10 minutes. I prefer movies that are easy to watch and don't require TOO much thinking for the most part. To me, the purpose of a movie is to be entertained. I think all week at work. I have my brain on when I am caring for Cheeks. When I sit down in front of the TV, I'd prefer to be brain dead :)

That being said, my favorite genre of movie is the American Musical. I love how disjointed from reality they are. A lot of people say that musicals are so "unreal", but isn't that the point of the movies? To take you away into a fantasy world?

My favorite movie of all time is Singing in the Rain. It's funny, it's creative, and it has great music! For those who have never tried it, I highly recommend it.

I've also been enjoying a lot of the new musicals that have come out over the past few years. Chicago, Rent, Mamma Mia, and Hairspray were all fantastic.