A new composite deck is in the works at our house and could possibly be done by late next week.  We are having a contractor build it and, of course, once you start one project it leads to another.  We decided to do a patio out of pavers for the grill.  David dug out the area and then we needed help……..DADEEEOOO to the rescue.  Dad had done some work with pavers around his pool and had some experience with this so we asked for some assistance.  Actually I asked.  David said he could do it on his own, but after my dad’s help he said, “I couldn’t of done it without your dad.”  The wife knows best.  It turned out really good and I’m excited to get the deck in and new patio furniture to furnish our outdoor space.  I am including pics of David ripping down our old crapy deck and him working on the pavers.  I didn’t get a pic of my dad helping, but know that he did.  Stay tuned for the finished product.  I’m very proud of my hubby for taking off the tie and getting down and dirty in the backyard. 

Ethan had his first day with the sitter today.  Tosha and I set it up last week for a half-day to ease into things.  Last night I put Ethan to bed and then sat down and started thinking about taking him…..this is when the crying began (I’m taking about me, not Ethan).  I knew it was going to be hard to leave him, but I never could have anticipated how hard it really was going to be.  I am sad:(  I have never been away from Ethan for  long and with school getting ready to start soon, I knew I had to get over it.  I would love to stay at home with him everyday, but that is a dream that ain’t gonna be!

Tosha, his new sitter, is wonderful.  I am so thankful that we found her and she is willing to take Ethan when school starts.  She is going to have him 4 days out of the week and my dad and grandma are going to share Mondays with him.  The pictures below tell it all.  David took a shot of Eman and I right before heading out to Tosha’s house.  Then I took a couple of pics with Ethan and Tosha before I left.  And then there is the last pic…..I debated putting this one up for all to see….it is one of my weakest moments ever.  It is of me driving away from Tosha’s house without Eman.  I couldn’t help it, the tears just started flowing but it was short lived.  I had an appointment to get my haircut and then went by a friend’s house to visit.  I kept busy and didn’t even call and bug Tosha once….even though the thought crossed my mind.

So how did he do?  Tosh said that he played on the blanket in the living room, swung for a while, ate 2 ounces of milk and then a little later ate the other 2 ounces, and was entertained by their dog and the other kidos that she watches.  Did he cry you ask?  Of course!  So, he skipped his morning nap and then it took her about 30 min to get him down.  Been there….done that!  When I got there to pick him up he was sleeping in his pack n play, and had been down for about 15 minutes.   He went through two diaper changes, one of which he christened Tosha…..hahaha!   All and all I think everything went ok.  Thanks Tosha, we are lucky to have you!  We are going to do it again next Tuesday…..easing slowly but surely into this.

Although you can’t tell in the pics below, he loves his bath.  My camera is  slow in catching those cute smiles these days.  It seems like I have to anticipate his smiles to get a pic…and that is hard to do.  Where is Aunt Syd when you need her?

Ethan is going to his new babysitter’s , Tosha, house for the first time tomorrow.  I am dropping him off around 8 and picking him up around 12.  We are only doing a half day at first so we can ease into things.  I know he will be fine….me on the other hand?????  I got an appointment to get my hair cut and I might even go get a pedicure.  I need to go grocery shopping too.  I don’t know if I can get it all done in 4hrs, but I’m gonna try.  I will keep you updated on his first visit to Tosha’s.  You’ll be hearing a lot about Tosha and Ethan’s day.  I will take a pic of them together and blog about it.  I will  introduce her to you that way.

Ethan got his 3 month photo shoot at Lori’s  last week and we go in for a viewing of them on Friday (stay tuned for those).  Ethan decided he didn’t want to smile at all and cried some of the time.  As soon as we got home, he was all smiles and even laughing!  Figures!  Hopefully Lori caught some good one’s but I’m questioning that.

I’m calling Eman ” Mr. Serious”  these days.  I really have to work hard to get him to crack a smile or laugh.  He just isn’t sure about things (very curious) and his face says it all (bath pic).  I’m hoping he relaxes some in the days ahead.  Although when he does pop a smile, it is priceless!

Have you ever heard of the magic eraser by Mr. Clean?  I swear by this thing.  I have cleaned the whole house and fence with this little white piece of foam.  I don’t know how it works, but it’s magic.  David and I were in the middle of cleaning the tallest part of the house, which I’ve put off doing for 3 yrs, when my mom and dad showed up.  I was on a ladder cleaning, but couldn’t muster up the nerve to jump up on the slanting and steep (wet from the hose) roof.  My husband said he would do it…..Yea right…we would have been in the emergency room.  What do ya know, my dad climbs up the ladder and jumps up on the roof to clean the siding.  Mom, David, and I just looking up like…..oh shit…….and Dad says…..”I run 5 miles a day and do yoga….I can clean this damn siding!”  I had my phone handy to call 911 and was under him…. as if I could catch him if he fell.  Needless to say, he got the job done and is still in one piece!  Thanks Daddyo!  But, do I have to remind you of the time you power washed yourself off the house and had to go to the emergency room…….take it easy old man! haha

We went to visit Amelia and took Andrea and Andy something to eat.  When Ethan was born, I really appreciated having meals on hand because the first two weeks are tough, so I thought I would help the Odle family out.  Amelia is so precious and little.  I can’t believe that Ethan was ever that small.  He is so big compared to Amelia.  Ethan is 3months old and Amelia is 4days old in these pictures.  My boy has grown leaps and bounds!  He looks like a giant compared to Amelia.  It wasn’t that long ago that I was swaddling him in blankets, but it is hard to believe that he was that tiny once (or close to that tiny).  I guess he really never was THAT tiny, but he was my little baby and always will be.  We had a good visit and the Odle’s are getting the hang of things.  It is tough and I definitely have sympathy for a new mommy now; sleepless nights, watching the sun rise and set, listening to the birds chirp in the morn, trying to sooth a fussy baby, getting a few winks of sleep, feeling like the walking dead, and trying to get to know your newborn…..all while keeping up with your relationship with hubby.  It is a balancing act that isn’t easily perfected but gets better with time.

I can honestly say that David and I are doing great!  We love watching Ethan discover new things each day and cuddling our baby and each other too.  People say, ” Do you remember what you did without him?”  I usually respond, “Hell yes, I remember!”  Who are you kidding; vacations, going out (whenever I wanted), having cocktails at night, running here and there, sleeping great, movies, dinner, pool and lake days…. Yes, I remember what is was like without my child…….But there is no way I would change a thing and instead of looking back, I am ready to take Ethan on the ride of his life with us!  I absolutely can’t image my life without the two best people in the world….Eman and David…oh and the best dog…Sadie!  Love you guys.

Ethan’s first girlfriend has arrived.  Baby Amelia was born this morning around 7:09.  She is 8lbs 3.7 ounces and 21 inches long.  Andrea and Andy seem to be doing very good.  Andrea started contracting yesterday morning 7/9/09 and was finally able to push around 5:30 this morning 7/10/09.   Happy Birthday Baby!  You are lucky to have such great parents!

David, Ethan, and I attended one of my friends’ son’s birthday party yesterday.  Jackson, seen below, turned 1 and had a fourth of July party theme.  It was great to visit with old friends.  Ethan was awake most of the party and was entertained by all of the noise and other kido’s running around.  It was his first party and he loved it.  I am including a cute pic, that David took, in his new toy……which he hasn’t  grown into yet.

We went over to Rastafarian GG’s  pool today.  My little man is gonna be a water baby, I just know it.  I meant to just dip his feet in and his little butt got wet, so what the heck……I dipped him all in.  He really liked it and I thought he would because he likes his bath too.  He splashed around a little and then took a nap in his bouncy seat in the shade while mommy laid out.  It was a little cloudy, which is good because he is not a big fan of the sun.  I can just see him in a few years jumping into the pool, off the edge, into my arms. (dreaming)  More than likely he will be squirting me in the head with a water gun.  Can’t wait!

Ethan and I went to lunch at Bennies today and met one of my old colleagues/best friends Beth.  I forgot how much I miss Beth.  We taught together for 4 years and then I had to go and get another job.  Beth and I had some good times and I almost considered not taking my newest job because of her.  She was my mentor and befriended me immediately when I got hired at Christopher.  She helped me get through a master’s class (wink wink)  We would have coffee in the mornings and dance in the hall during the afternoon.  We would have lunch together and boy did we ever have some laughs.  Like when we heard someone had worms or would pass on the mystery meat lunch.  The talks we would have with Isaac…….grades are due today?????  OH and the golf.  Beth and I would golf about once a week during the summer.  We became members of the Franklin County Country Club and oh the fun we had.  Golf had a new meaning with Beth…..we had a few races with golf carts and ran over a couple of obstacles….had a few drinks sometimes….ate the best damn cheeseburgers you’ll ever taste….almost got stung by a stampede of  wasps…….and oh yea and we would golf too.  The conversations with Beth have never been dull and even though we aren’t colleagues anymore we always pick it up where we left off.  Thanks for having lunch with me today girl and stay in touch.  I love you more than you know.  You are truly one of my best friends and I thank you for that:)

I had my girlfriends/colleagues over for lunch yesterday.  Both are pregnant.  Andrea is 38 weeks and could have her precious baby girl, Amelia, anytime and Marci is 25 weeks pregnant with a little boy, Abram.  I had some baby clothes to give Marci to borrow and thought Andrea might like to have lunch with us.  David grilled burgers out while we caught up and talked about baby stuff.  Andrea brought a refreshing fruit salad and Marci brought chips and dip.  It was great to visit with them.  I took a pic of Andrea at 38 weeks and I found a pic that David took of me at 38 weeks.  I’ll share those below.  I can’t wait to meet baby Amelia, we have been waiting for her for a long time.  She will be Ethan’s first girlfriend.  It is neat because Andrea and I have been pregnant together and have shared all the “experiences” of being first time mommies together.  It is so nice to have a friend going through the same thing as you are.  It has been fun to go on this journey with her and we are super excited to meet Amelia.  Andrea is dilated to a 1 and 65 percent effaced, which means baby Amelia could make her presence known in the world at any time.  I’ll keep everyone posted on baby Amelia’s arrival.  Good luck with labor Andrea……Epidural….Epidural!