I Love You 2010

I figured the blog could use a little face-lift. Something to perk it up . . . keep it fresh. What do you think? Do we like the dots?


So let me elaborate on my love of 2010. As you all know, our little mini-Dyer arrived on August 26, 2009. She weighed 6 lbs and was 20.5 inches long, (and is now up to 11.4 lbs and 24 ¼ inches).

Ever since she was born, my life has revolved around her. Partly because that's what I signed up for when I decided that I wanted to be a stay at home Mom, but mostly because she's a baby and babies let you know when they need you. I noticed pretty quick that they need you pretty much all the time. Sophia was so tiny when she was born, only 6 lbs. And she HATED to be any place other than in the arms of someone who was cuddling her. This meant that at night, she slept with Eric and I in our bed . . . sometimes ON TOP of me because if I moved to put her next to me, she would wake up . And for someone who used to never be able to sleep on her back, I got damn good at it.

Here's where the good start comes in. On January 2, Sophia slept for the entire night in her crib. (Can you hear the angels as they sing Hallelujah?) Sure, I had to get up twice to feed her . . . and a few times I had to go in and rub her back to let her know I was close by and that it was okay to fall back asleep. But she didn't end up back in our bed as she did so many other times when I attempted to leave her in her crib for the night. My will was strong, it was 2010 and I could do this!!

My next surge in serotonin arrived last night when Eric and I gave her her first bowl of rice cereal. She had one tablespoon mixed with breast milk, and when I tell you that she loved it, I'm just barely scratching the surface of how happy she was with it. She actually looked disappointed when she was finished! It was the most adorable thing I think I've ever seen. With every pink spoon full of that mushy concoction that made it into her little mouth, her tongue was doing the best it could maneuver it to where she could swallow it. The sounds were just as sweet, and it literally brought tears to my eyes to see her enjoying it so much.

And then she slept in her crib again.

Could one set of parents enjoy this much good fortune in such a limited time period? I felt like I was going to overdraft my parental bank account! Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph . . . 2010 is off to a great start.

Baby Birthin' Class

Hi guys—we're at 35 weeks now. 2-4 more to go. I say 2-4 because I just learned that 37 weeks is considered full term. Sweet. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I want to kick Sophia out of my warm and comfy uterus before she's ready, but after last night's eye opening birth class, I see several advantages to having a smaller baby!

The class was both educational and seriously entertaining. We had so many funny people in it, (including the teacher), that it was a blast. They're 3 hours long, and we meet once a week for a month. So much of what I thought I knew about birth simply wasn't true! Take for example that when a woman has contractions, her uterus bears down with 120 pounds of pressure to lower the baby down, little by little, into the birth canal? Meaning, you don't have to “PUUUUSSSSHHHH” until the very end.

And that the whole reason why active labor takes as long as it does (between 12 and 18 hours) is so that our bodies have a chance to stretch naturally? How about the reason why women's feet swell during pregnancy is because our bodies instinctively know that we're about to go though the birthing process and lose a lot of blood. Our bodies wouldn't be able to produce blood as fast as it'll be needed, so it actually stores it in our extremities. Is that amazing or what?!

34 Weeks . . .A House for Lauren . . . and a Birthday for Chris

Six more weeks. 42 more days. Is that possible?! Now that I pause to think about it, I suppose it is. All the signs are there—starting with me feeling like I'm going to pop. Things like me growing out of some of my maternity clothes, the difficulty sleeping, the way that I need Eric to basically pull me off of our couch after watching TV at night are all the validation I need.


I have to say, these last couple of months have been the most enjoyable for me. I LOVE feeling her move! Once I feel the first indication of her doing her thing in there, I look down at myself and I'm amazed because most of the time now, I can actually SEE her move too. I didn't know that was going to happen! It's wild.


I'm also feeling more of the stereotypical pregnancy stuff now too—things like cravings. You guys would be amazed by how much pepperoni I put away on a daily basis. Just writing about it makes me want to throw my laptop off my lap and pull some out of my deli drawer in the refrigerator. It's just so delicious . . . that perfect mix of salty and spicy, the texture. Mmm. You want some too now, don't you?


The other thing I can't seem to get enough of is Spanish olives. I feel a little less bad about throwing down 10 to 15 a day of those because at least they have some dietary benefits, (I don't remember what they are now, but I did Google it and I recall being pleasantly surprised).



Here's me from a few weeks ago wearing one of my favorite maternity shirts . . . a gift from my sister while I was in NJ in May.



Speaking of my sister—she and Chris closed on their first house a few weeks ago and have been in HGTV mode ever since. Beside their frequent trips to Home Depot and Lowes, they're not doing much of anything except home improvements in their spare time. I can't wait to see how it turns out!



Today is said Chris's birthday—HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS! We love you!

Just another day in the dog park . . .

Well, sort of. Except, this time a dog actually walked over to me, and peed ON me.

You read that right. And it's true. I actually got urinated on at the dog park tonight by some big black dog. Fascinating, huh? Let me tell you the whole story . . .

It's like, 8:30 pm., and Eric is done with his work on the basement for the night, and we're trying to decide if we feel like doing anything before watching the movie we rented last night. Then, I look over at Dino, (our 2 ½ year old Aussie Shep/Blue Heeler mix) and decide that he could use a trip to his favorite place in the world, THE DOG PARK!!

So, we grab a plastic bag and his leash (for incidentals), get in the truck, and drive the mile over to his park. Maybe it was because the weather was so nice, but honestly, there were more dogs at this dog park then we've ever seen—parking was actually an issue for a couple of minutes! Of course, in the back seat Dino looks like he's about to go Cujo on us and jump through the window if we don't hurry up and let him out.

After finding a spot and letting Dino safely exit the car, I decide that I might be better off standing by this little bridge with railings in case any of the dogs have a thing for pregnant women and want to jump up on me. After all, I didn't want to create any “awkward situations” if one of them got too close to my unborn child.

About 10 minutes go by, and I'm just watching with a smile on my face as Dino runs around and plays with the other dogs. I imagine it's kind of like watching your kid play with the other kids on the playground—you get a happy feeling knowing that they're socializing well! As I enjoy the moment at hand, I notice I'm kind of in a daze . . . just watching the dogs, enjoying the first rain-free day in so many weeks . . . when all of a sudden, my foot feels really warm. Really warm. Kinda wet. Not bad, sort of like this warm, refreshing, water was being sprayed on it. So I look down, and I see this big black dog with his leg up. Pissing on my foot at first, and now it's traveling up my leg.

That didn't just happen . . . I didn't just get peed on. So I replay the whole scene in my head, and for some reason, it's VERY funny. It really is, isn't it? Of course I couldn't get mad at the dog, or the dog's owner—he was just trying to pee on the railing of the bridge, and I happened to be standing in his way.

Unfortunately for Dino, his trip got cut a little short. I think he understood though . . .

I post this because I want you to think of this the next time you're having a bad day. Just recall this story and think to yourself, “at least somebody else's dog didn't take a leak on me.” I guarantee you'll either feel better about your situation, or at the very least, get a little chuckle.

7 Months!!

Look who remembered how to post a blog entry! I know, right--it's about time. And it's not like I haven't had the opportunity, or had any exciting topics to update you on . . . just that I had a bout of "blognesia," (where one forgets they have a blog). It's very common in areas like the South, and parts of Mexico.

So! 7 months . . . 3rd trimester . . . Sophia is ALMOST HERE! And I just have to say, I'm basically obsessed with myself right now. All I can think about is this precious little baby growing inside me. I love to feel her move . . . I love knowing that she's developing a little personality in there. Like when I rest a book or a plate of food on my stomach, and she kicks against it as if to say, "hey, get that off of me!"

I love that I can take it easy, and rest when I need to for her. I love that the majority of the meals I eat are made at home, and are good for me (for her). I'm feeling so at peace and so blessed right now.

Speaking of blessed, have you ever gotten so excited over something you never really thought was too big of a deal? Like, a kitchen light maybe? Because honestly, I've been on cloud 9 ever since Eric rewired this new light for our kitchen yesterday—it makes the whole space look different! Warmer, more inviting . . . and of course, brighter! I mean, it wasn't like we were living by candle light before . . . (grabbing Tabasco out of the refrigerator instead of the Ketchup we had in mind) but since we redid our kitchen over a year ago, we've just been using our under cabinet lighting, and the lights above our sink. I'll tell ya. It's the little things. I'm convinced of it.

Okay—leaving you with a couple pictures of my pregnant self.

This one is from my last month's visit home to NJ--it's me and my adorable "little" sister, who's 3" taller than me standing on the porch of her condo development while her equally adorable (I mean tough and masculine) husband takes our picture. P.S. I HAD SUCH A GREAT VISIT! Everything was wonderful--seeing my family, eating all the foods from home I had been craving:

• Dunkin Donuts: decaf iced coffees, Boston cream and glazed donuts, egg sandwiches on croissants


• Steck's Deli at the Somerville Circle: garlic pickles. A lot of them.


• Rita's Italian Ice: Gelati, or custard.


• Frank's Pizza: Pizza with baked ziti on it . . . mmm.


• 25 Burgers: The #1. Your basic cheeseburger, but one of the best you'll ever have.


• And finally . . . my Dad's eggplant parmesan, and my Mom's meatloaf.

Here's me about a month ago--it's when I was just starting to feel her move. So far, it's my favorite part of being pregnant!

Shout out to the Uncrustable

Here's the thing--I love these sandwiches. I eat one everyday around 10:30 a.m. Today, I thought, for all the joy these perfect little treasures bring to my day, what can I do for the Uncrustable? (Enter: this blog entry). You guys have to get some!

Dusting off the blog . . .

Yikes--been kind of a long time since I posted anything, huh? As Eric and I say, that's crap salad. I loved our blog, and frankly, I miss it. I just need to get back in the habit of posting.

Okay . . . now that that's out of the way, I can update you on the last three months.

November brought another yummy Thanksgiving dinner at Eric's Mom's cabin in Garden Valley, ID. As was the case for the 3 prior, dinner was DELICIOUS! It was also the trip that I learned how to play chess during. I always wanted to learn, but I never knew anybody with a chess set. Eric found his from when he was a kid in a stash of toys that his Mom keeps for her grandkids, and the obsession began. I can't tell you how many games we played, and how much fun we had!

December was Eric's 41st birthday, and Christmas. Ahh. Christmas. We bought a lovely tree this year . . . one a bit more sparse than our prior holiday picks . . . and it turned out gorgeous. We were really able to see each of our decorations, and we wrapped it with beads and ribbon. It was so pretty! I'd even load a picture for you, if I wasn't so comfortable, propped up on a pillow in bed right now. See, the thing is, they're still in our digital camera (yes . . . embarassing). E and I spent a quiet Christmas Eve together watching movies, and wrapping last minute presents. The boys came over on Christmas Day around 11--dinner was Honey Baked Ham, mashed potatoes, and Eric's mom's recipe for these really good brussel sprouts. Everything came out delicious. Just talking about it is making me hungry. On the 27th, we packed up the boys and my favorite dog in the world, (our Dino), and headed back up to Eric's mom's cabin for 2 days. We met Eric's sister Teri, her girls, Sabrina and Annika, and her husband Mike there. Barbara made Cioppino, which has been a tradition for Eric's birthday ever since he can remember. The highlight for us was the hours we spent sledding--all the adults felt like they were 8 years old again! We all huddled together in the family room and opened our gifts to each other--it was so fun.

The next day, we were off to Donnelly, to Eric's Dad's cabin for the next 2 days. The skiiers of the family, (all but Eric's stepmom, Karen, and I) planned to spend a day at Brundage, the ski resort closest to the cabin. For the whole day, Karen and I just relaxed and envisioned all the great times everyone was having . . . then Eric's Dad came home, and very gently mentioned that, "something not so great happened." About 30 seconds pass, and Eric comes walking in with his right arm in a sling. That's my sweetie. He was helping Niko down the very first hill, and at the bottom, Niko's snowboard wedged under Eric's ski, and he fell directly on his right arm. The same arm he had dislocated 2 times before. This being his 3rd dislocation, he knew he'd have to go in for surgery.

Which brings us current--a little over a week ago, Eric went in for his shoulder repair, and is once again, on the mend. He's a good sport . . . he's in good spirits, and is happy to be healing.
So! To all of our friends and family, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. We love you, and promise to not be so stingy with our posts in '09!