Much needed changes

I will be the first to admit that when Steve wanted to put our new flat screen TV on the wall, I said "No". Well after the basement was finished and we could move David and his toys down, it only made sense to put the TV on the wall and give us more room. Now, I could not be happier. David loves his new play room, Steve loves his TV and I have room to scrap! We are just one big happy family!

David is going to be a Big Brother!

Yes, that's right...I am pregnant! I found out on March 13, but wanted to know everything was good before making the announcement. Yesterday, David came with me for my 1st ultrasound. He was so cute. At first he could not tell what was on the screen, but then he figured it out. The tech turned up the volume so we could hear the heartbeat. It was really neat. David called his MomMom and Gramps to give them the news and they were very excited. He also called his Aunt Amy and Aunt Tracey to give them the news and there were thrilled too. The baby will arrive sometime in early November. In the mean time, David will be a Big Brother in training!

It's been a while...

We are in the midst of yet another very busy week. Last week just seemed to FLY by. Once I recouped from my bug, I had a hair appointment (trim) on Tuesday & a mini girls night out (in) on Thursday. Steve had a baseball game everyday except Wed, when he had practice. Oh yeah, and I worked - sometimes I like to block that out. Friday after Steve got home, John came over and we ordered Italian and watched the Yanks. Saturday the weather stunk so Steve was able to work on the basement and David and I hit the mall. Saturday evening, we had our babysitter for a few hours and attended a 40th birthday party for a wonderful woman, Yolanda, I met through scrapping. Sunday Steve continued to work on the basement and den (mounting our TV) and I did a scrapping class at my Mom's in Spring Lake. She invited her cousins, sister and sister-in-law. It was a nice time and it was great to see them. John came over to help Steve so I cooked dinner. We watched some baseball and talked Fantasy sports. Then the work week began again. Monday I had to be in Newark to do a demonstration for our VP. The weather on my way in was horrible, but I made it and the demo went off without a hitch. When I got home from work, I moved most of David's toys to the basement and set-up his new playroom. Steve brought home some needed tools so he could hook up the cable and Playstation. David was in his glory! Yesterday was just another day at the office. I had some stuff to catch up on and a conference call in the afternoon, but nothing crazy. On my way home I stopped to pick up healthy snacks for my Longaberger demo and pizza for dinner. After we ate, my Mom helped me finish up cleaning (she did most of it) and set up for my guests. The demo went well and I will be purchasing some of the baskets I have been wanting. I knew that 3 of the 5 people that showed were coming, but I was pleasantly surprised by the other 2. It was nice to have some girl time with my relatives. Today the weather is nice (a little cool for me - mid 60's) and I am at work. I have an appt at 5, Steve has a game and then we are taking my cousin Kate to dinner. Looking forward to it and the weekend of course!

Let's dye eggs! 

Cool as ice 

A walk after dinner 

Scrapping at Memoranza! 

A visit to PA in February 

Monday Monday

I hope you all had a Happy Easter! Our family had a good one. We went to a HUGE diner in south Jersey for breakfast with my Dad's side and then over to my Aunt Carol's for dinner and dessert with my Mom's side. The bunny was very good to David and he had a great day. By the end of the day I started feeling very sick. Not sure what it's from, but I still do not feel good. I have horrible stomach pains and a constant feeling of nausea. I had to call out of work this morning and it was a good thing I did. I never really felt any better. As I write this, I just want to lay down. So, I really just hoped on the PC to let you know we had a good holiday and wish you one. I am posting some pix that were left in my camera - enjoy!

Ally Update

Tracey called this morning to let me know that Ally's doctor called with a diagnosis. She has strep throat and scarlet fever. With this news at least she can get on some antibiotics and start getting better. We are all wishing her well and a speedy recovery!

On the mend in NJ, but not in PA

I feel much better today and David is back to his old (?) self. He still has 5 days of Augementin left, but you'd never know he had an ear infection. I woke up this morning without a headache and could breathe - which is always a good sign. Aside from looking ill, I do feel ok. My new concern is my niece Ally. She has been sick since last week but has gotten worse instead of better. When I spoke with Tracey yesterday, she told me that Ally has had a fever and is very tired and weak. She was taking her for blood work. When I did not hear back from Tracey last night, I actually thought that was a good sign. I was wrong. I called Tracey this morning and she was about to take Ally back for more tests and she told me that she'd call later. She just called. The doctor did more tests and has narrowed down the possibilities. They are putting a rush on todays tests, so when Tracey hears something, she'll let me know. I sure hope whatever it is, that Ally is on her way back to healthy soon. It is so sad when kids are sick and it is so scary when even the doctor is not sure what is wrong. I feel so bad that Ally is this ill and that I am so far away. I wish I lived closer so that I could help Tracey, even if it is just for moral support. I can only imagine how this is weighing on her. Hopefully we'll get some news before days end - good news that is. In the mean time, I'll be impatiently waiting...

Change in plans

So here I sit on this ugly Saturday morning blogging with a horrible head cold. Our contractor just left. I asked him to come by and quote us on a few things I'd like done. Yes, you guessed. This means we decided not to move. After not seeing anything even remotely nice available in our price range and realizing we would not want a longer commute then we already have, we decided to stay put. AND add on. So, we should have some numbers by next week and I will be calling at least 1 other contractor for a quote. Our cousins Walter and Laurie just had a house built and were kind enough to give us the name of their guy. I am hoping he can come quote us next week. I'll keep you posted...

April Showers bring a cold?

That is what seems to have happened in the Boettger house. When I got home from NY on Monday, I noticed a runny nose on my little guy. So before we went to bed, I gave him some meds, but in the middle of the night, he was up. He was so stuffy he could not sleep. I gave him a dose of cold medicine, thinking it was his and it was mine! I was so tired I couldn't see straight and when I realized I had given him the wrong medicine, I wanted to die. Luckily, there was not a full dose left in the bottle, so all it really did was give him a peaceful sleep. Tuesday he woke up ok, but as the day went on he started a fever and was very sleepy. Yesterday my Mom said he acted better, but had a cough and a slight fever. I also woke up yesterday with a sore throat and runny nose. So, when I got home from work, we napped. When we woke up, we both felt worse. David was complaining of an ear ache and my throat was on fire. I gave him some Tylenol for the fever and pain and it seemed to work. I too took some Tylenol. We both slept through the night and woke up with our colds still hanging over us. David is home with my Dad today, so I told him to call me if he does not feel better or the cough gets worse. Hopefully, David and I will start to feel better today, but with the crazy weather we are having, I doubt it. Wish us well!

**UPDATE
I took David to the pediatrician late this morning and she diagnosed him with a severe ear infection! He is now on Augmentin. I hope it works...

I LOVE NY!

Today was great. I got into the city by 7:30 am and it did not take me long to get a cab. The cab driver was even nice, but I had to tell him slowly where to take me - hehe. When I got to W 66th St, the line for Tony Danza had already started, so I joined it. After about 10 minutes, Tracey, Maria and Kimber arrived. At about 8:15 am, they let us in the building to a cafeteria where you sat at a table and filled out a questionnaire. None of us could think of anything good to write down. At about 9 or so, they had us line up to walk to Tony's studio. On the way, we passed a bathroom and were told if we did not got then, we'd be waiting a long while. I was the only one that took advantage of the facilities. The girls got themselves to the front of the line, so I met them up there. When we got into the studio they sat us in seats that were going to be on camera! It took a while for them to seat the audience - they are specific about who goes where. Once we were all in, the warm up guy (RC) began warming us up and telling us about the show. Before we knew it, we were on air. I was amazed at how tiny Tony Danza is. I mean, I knew he was short, but he is super thin (but built). He looks fantastic - still very handsome. During his monologue, he announced we were all getting a copy of Liza with a Z on DVD. After his monologue, he aired a pre-recorded interview with Orlando Jones. Next Marc Summers(from UnWrapped on the Food Network) did a segment on Ballpark food and we all got free CrackerJacks. Up next was Brian Cox. He is a Scottish actor that as been in a ton of movies and he was promoting something to do with Kilts, so he wore one and had Tony put one on. Well, all of a sudden, some of the audience screamed! It seems Brian was not wearing any underpants and flashed a few people. Unfortunately there were little girls in the section - fortunately, we were not. To end the show, Tony cooked up some eggplant Parmesan. The studio smelled delicious and I don't even like eggplant. Then we got a real treat. They asked us to stay to tape 2 segments with Jerry O'Connell for an upcoming show. When he came out, the audience was very excited. He looked awesome - SO handsome and tall and thin. His segments were great - he was hilarious! The girls and I really enjoyed him. Now we have to watch for when that episode airs, so I can DVR it. When we left the show, we got our DVD and a t-shirt. Then we hoofed it a few blocks to the Carnegie hotel for the girls to pick up their luggage. We are all starving by this point so we took a cab to Carmine's for lunch. Lunch was delicious and a lot of fun. We had fried calamari, salad and penne vodka. There was some calamari left over, so I brought it home for Steve (he is eating it now). After lunch, 3 of us headed to Penn Station and Kimber made her way to Grand Central. On our way to Penn Station, we caught them taping a scene for CSI:NY. I am a huge fan, so I was THRILLED. Once we got to the train station, we went our separate ways and I bought my ticket and waited for my train. I was so tired that the train ride was actually soothing. My Dad was waiting for me when I got off the train and so was David, but he was snoozing. When we got home, my parents left and David and I took a much needed nap. I was glad to be home snuggling my little man, but I did have a fantastic day and hope we can do something like that again soon.

Picture People, Opening Day and TV Stars

Yesterday we took our first family portrait! We had it done at JcPenney. Aside from it being 110 degrees in the studio, I think it went well. We took a few family shots, a few of David with each parent and then a few of David. Deciding which poses I liked were pretty easy, but their computer screens were pretty blurry, so I hope we look ok. I certainly ordered enough pictures, even if we don't. After, we took a ride to the Jackson outlets. When we arrived, we were starving so we went to the food court. It turned out to be the right thing to do - it down poured while we ate. Once we were ready to shop, the sun came out. We were on a mission for workboots, sneakers and jeans for Steve. The only store we did well in was the GAP - as always. Steve got 2 pairs of jeans, a pair of jean shorts and a nice linen shirt. I came away with socks and a sweatshirt, while David got 2 pairs of PJ's, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. David and I napped together when we got home. We had dinner plans with our friends for 7 pm and we ended up bringing David. It was a great dinner. The food was delicious and we had a real nice time. David was so well behaved.

Today was so gorgeous. I could not believe the weather. We had a nice lazy morning - just the 3 of us. After I showered, I went into South River to drop off some Creative Memories orders and to stop at a Stampin Up party. It was nice to squeeze in some girl time. Before I headed back home, I hit the A&P to pick up dinner and a few items. My cousin John and my parents were over when I got home. Steve BBQ'd some burgers and I made some corn on the cob. It was a great way to spend a spring day.

Tonight is opening night for the 2006 baseball season! Although the Yankees are not playing, I do have a fantasy baseball player on each to make the game even more interesting. Tomorrow is actual opening day and the Yankees will be playing, however it is not a sure thing that I will be watching the 10 pm game. I will probably start to watch it and fall asleep or if I get back from the city early enough, I can take a nap and prepare. I am obsessed with baseball, but the west coast games for east coast people are rough - to say the least.

Tomorrow I am taking a very early train from NJ to NYC to meet my sister-in-law Tracey and her two friends, Maria and Kimber. Tracey was kind enough to get us tickets to the Tony Danza show! I am so very excited. I have been to Ricki Lake and GMA, but never made it on TV. I think tomorrow we'll get on. I plan on taping it, to see if I get an appearance. Hopefully after the show we'll grab some lunch before I head back home.