I should probably mention...

I quit my job last week.

Many of you have listened as I explained the decision process and how I just couldn't pull the trigger on what I knew felt right. Well, I decided to take a (rather impractical given the current state of the economy) leap of faith. I had been contemplating not going back since well before William was born. But I presumed that if I quit my job, I would have another one oh-so-neatly lined up to take its place. Not so. And to be fair, I didn't try very hard.

I found myself crying whenever I thought of sending William to daycare. I am long past the "baby blues" time where I cried pretty much anytime someone spoke to me, so that wasn't it. It just didn't feel right to go back to work yet. Not to mention the fact that he doesn't have a spot in daycare right now. He's currently 6th on the waiting list. But I'm sure we could have figured something out if I had really wanted to go back to work.

My job didn't fulfill me, and I just couldn't see giving 40+ hours a week to that company and not my son. That being said, I would like to find a part-time position in a few months. We could definitely use the money, but I also do like to work. I just have different priorities now than in the past. I want to be challenged, but I don't want a job that consumes me or that I mentally take home with me every night.

Before getting pregnant, I never, ever expected to stay home for any length of time other than for maternity leave. But I followed my heart this time around.

Perhaps soon I will blog about my typical day. It sure is a far cry from any day I have had at my other jobs! My former bosses never demanded to be fed 7 times a day, and they rarely spit up on my shoulder.

I wouldn't trade this time with William for anything. I feel very fortunate to have a husband who supports me in this leap of faith, especially considering it puts a lot of pressure on him to be the sole earner for the time being.

More photos to come soon. We had a friend take pictures over the weekend, and I'm dying to see how they turned out. He is extremely talented, and I'm hoping he got some good ones.

Laughter is the best medicine

We figured out how to take videos with our webcam tonight. It's so easy! Hope this video puts a smile on your face.

Caught in the act

William is now full-on laughing (primarily when we throw a burp cloth or other piece of laundry in the air). I was able to get it on video and still camera. Since I don't know how to get the footage from our video camera to the web, here is photo proof of our jolly baby.



And here are some photos of the boys playing the Rock Band drums. They really are playing a song together. William paid attention the whole time either to me or to the game. He never seemed to get bored. Like father, like son!

As promised, some photos

I have just started playing with Photoshop on our beautiful new MacBook. The first three pics have been edited, and the last two are the original files. It's pretty fun to play with them, although I know I have a ton of tricks to learn.

Oh, and I will admit that the Christmas one is a little late. The outfit was a gift, and we received it so long ago that I forgot. I just found it this week, and it's so cute that I had to capture him in it.

Enjoy!

Be still my heart

This must be why people have children. William let out the most adorable laugh today. I melted! And if there was ever any question that he is my son - he laughed while Mikey was spelling words out for him! I see a future spelling bee champ in the making! I will make sure he knows how to spell "cowhide" to take home the championship... uh... ribbon in 3rd grade.

On two previous occasions, I thought I witnessed W laugh when it was just the two of us. Now I realize that he really was laughing, but they were nowhere near as long or heartfelt as today. One of the times, he laughed while I was walking from the closet back to him (on the playmat in his room). He must think my "mom jeans" are as funny-looking as I do. A girl needs comfortable jeans sometimes, and nothing says comfort like saggy maternity jeans!

He is smiling a lot more now. You never know what'll make him smile. The most reliable culprit - the ceiling fan. Or as I have taken to calling him, Mr. Fan Fan. It's amazing how he travels with us from room to room, daring William to become entranced.

I know it's been too long since I posted pictures. I'm surprised J-Go hasn't gotten on me about it yet! I'll get it done by the end of the weekend.

A new kind of New Year

Our New Year's Eves have gotten progressively tamer over the years, so I think we were prepared for what ringing in 2009 with a baby would entail. Take a look!









We came down to the Pink House the afternoon of the 31st. We had visions of fireworks and a little fishing, but all of that was forgotten with the playmat toy swatting, spaghetti eating and baby bouncing excitement! All 4 of us were up at midnight but hardly a minute later. I was actually quite moved when the ball dropped in New York (so really at 11 pm here). Something about enjoying that annual tradition with William and Mikey made me get all misty-eyed. I'm such a sap these days!

Here's a glimpse into our New Year's Day activities - or lack thereof...





And these are just because. Since it's my blog, I reserve the right to post Pictures of the Week (or of the Day for that matter). Sometimes I just feel the need to share!

First girlfriend already?

Almost caught in the act! This photo was taken just after William and the apple of his eye Sophie were spotted holding hands...kinda.



William and I headed to the Woodlands last weekend so he could meet his mom's college friends. All six of us were Tri Delts. Four of us lived on the same hall freshman year. And we all have a LOT of stories to rehash when we get together! We figured out it was the first time we had all been together since Jennifer's wedding, which was in the summer of 2002. It's about time!

Sophie and her twin brother Ben were born on William's birthday, November 7. I have to mention that Sophie and Ben are Jennifer and Pablo's second set of twins, although I'm sure just about everyone who knows me has heard about the double twin fun. The other kiddos are Andrew and Ellen. They were out of town with their grandparents, so we didn't get to see them this time.


My how times have changed! Jennifer is on the left, holding Ben. Persis is holding Sophie. Emily, Danielle and Jill are in the back.


Jill made these adorable pillows for the kids. I just love handmade gifts!


Notice how William and Sophie are trying to avoid eye contact. They are clearly embarrassed that their moms caught them flirting.