Weekend Picture Update

This is the way work ends

Today was my last day at my corporate job. I negotiate contracts for a living. I have loved my career as a negotiator and I am sad that phase of my life has come to a close.

I signed off at the end of the day to no fanfare. I work from home. No one noticed. I exited quietly.

I am melancholy. I am scared. I am excited.

A Tale of Two Cufflinks

Alex wears suits to work. With cufflinks. I love that.

He and I have moved twice in the last two years, and in the first move I kept a pair of his cufflinks in my jewelry box. When I reopened it to take inventory of my jewelry, however, one of his cufflinks was missing. Of course, it had to be the half of a pair that belonged to his grandfather. I felt horrible. I never, ever lose things. I hoped it would turn up at some point.

I like the night flight, baby!

Alex’s family in Argentina was desperate to meet Aiven, so we planned a trip to see them before Aiven’s 4-month birthday. It was around holiday time so all the new moms in my play group were planning trips as well and we talked quite a bit about how nervous we were and how to prepare. I also spoke with my friends who have been moms for years and asked them for advice. I think the list below is pretty good and it has served me well for several more flights since then. If you have any more tips or tricks, please add them in the comments section!

1. Start making a packing list early. Keep it somewhere handy so you can add to it whenever you think of something new, and don’t throw it away after your trip -- reuse, reduce, recycle!

Husband's Alumni Bulletin Part 2

Alex and Cara are ferklempt to announce the birth of their heir and future caretaker, Aiven Gray. He was evicted from his studio of almost ten months on Sept. 21 and resettled into his new crib. He continues to live rent-free, although he now provides a small tax deduction. Aiven decided to decorate his nursery in greens and browns with a safari motif because he's a Virgo and has loved animals his whole life. The first thing people notice about Aiven is that he's very small. But if you scratch the surface, you will also discover that Aiven has red follicles and no teeth. The dogs love the little man and even tussle over the right to sit closest to him. As we write this, Aiven is recovering from the bris ceremony, where he got drunk and was fooled into thinking that he was going to get a dollar under his pillow. We think he's ready for business school. Despite our smothering and numerous shortcomings, Aiven is proud of his parents and can't wait to start feeling guilty about everything they do for him.

My Husband Is Many Things But He Is Not A Handyman

When my husband and I first moved in together we bought quite a few pieces of IKEA furniture. I had meticulously measured our small New York apartment and carefully selected pieces that would maximize our space and provide enough storage. Since I am impatient I put most of the furniture together, but I left the large, heavy wardrobe for him to tackle. I left the apartment as Alex started to relieve the enormous box of its contents because I didn't want to be a backseat driver. I would have hovered over him and made endless suggestions, or I would have watched him silently and made faces until he would call me on it. My husband wanted to be the MAN, so I gave him room to be the MAN.

Maternity Care & Birth Outcomes

Great information.

Maternity Care & Birth Outcomes by State

In praise of Gillian

I love her. Really, I do. My husband loves her, too. We ALL love her.

I met Gillian when I was looking for a Bradley Birth Class instructor. She was training for her certification when we met, and I instantly liked her. Her enthusiasm and passion were infectious. Alex and I generally have a short attention span, yet our 3 hour class with Gillian every Sunday seemed to fly by! She was a natural at teaching and possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of everything birth related (I still get a huge thrill whenever I can email her a link to something she hasn't seen before).