So the weatherman got it right this time.......

After several forecast false alarms this Winter, the weather folks finally got it right. Just when I was thinking that Spring was around the corner, Winter made a return. Jake had a fun morning playing in the snow with his cousins, and I wanted to share some of the pics, the snow sure does make things look pretty, doesn't it?

Lucky for me, I actually slept last night, and I worked on my dissertation all afternoon...that's good for binding my anxiety! Things are looking bright!

Ah...sleep....elusive sleep....

Those of you who know me well know that sleep is not a problem for me. As a matter of fact, before having a child, it could have been considered one of my favorite pastimes. Well wonder of all wonders, I have been granted more time than I could ever wish for in bed....and I CANNOT SLEEP! I got up at 3:30am this morning! 3:30! Are you kidding me? The kicker is, it's not frequent restroom trips or physical discomfort that is plaguing me....I'm just finding myself wide awake at the most inopportune times. So this AM, I stared at the clock off and on for 2 hours before stopping the torture and just getting up. Watched 2 episodes of Bosum Buddies (Tom Hanks was very good even 25 years ago) and 1 of Saved by the Bell (pathetic, but pickings were slim at 6am on a Saturday). Anyway, we'll see what kind of late night television I happen upon tonight.....or maybe, just maybe, sleep will happen.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Super Bowl XL

What a game! Officiating scandals aside (unfortunate!), it was a nail biter to the end. Haven't heard the first hand stories from my brother, Adam, who was in Detroit for the game...will have to recount later...if they are fit for telling!

I'm working and resting today; working from my laptop in bed, but at least I can get something done....have lots to wrap up for my job before I "officially" take leave. I figure that it will take me the rest of this week to accomplish what I need to with work, and then I'll hang it up for awhile. Back to the Dr. on Thursday- let's hope my blood pressure stays under control!

Have a great day.

And this entry brings me up to date....

Super Bowl Sunday, 2.5.06: Here I lie, in bed, on bedrest, as I've been ordered to do so since my doctor's visit on Friday. My unruly blood pressure is through the roof despite medication, therefore I was ordered to bed. How annoying, I mean, really. I do not respond well do being told what to do, nor do I respond well to losing my independence. Thankfully, the baby stuff is mostly done, and the house stuff consists mostly of laundry and cleaning which Paul and Louise will take care of. I have 4 more reports to write for work, can do so from my laptop in bed, so I can eek out another 3-4 days with them before I officially begin leave, although they'll have to find coverage for my many IEP meetings scheduled over the next week and a half. Oh well, that's life! Paul thinks that the cosmic blessing in all of this is that I will have uninterrupted time to work on the results section of my dissertation (Chapter 3...one more to go!), which I must complete before the baby arrives. He might be right. My cap, gown, and hood are all ordered, as are my graduation announcements for the May ceremony, so the only thing in the way is the dissertation (hasn't it always been?!). However, I am determined to finish it this Spring, even if I have to write it at 4 am with an infant in my arms (that's how I completed my internship applications 2.5 years ago!). It's exciting. and scary. and exciting. But in the whole grand scheme, all is well; the baby is fine despite my bp, Jake is amazing as always, and Paul is taking good care of us all. Being bed-bound has limited my time with Jacob because he doesn't sit still for very long, which is hard for me, but he and Paul and having a great time, I suppose that it's good for Jake to get used to a little less mommy-time since I'll be caring for his little brother soon. Ahhh..change is upon us....

And on more thing.....Let's go Steelers!!!!

January 2006

I love the people who come up with snarky titles for their blog entires. I'm not so crafty myself. But I am getting caught up on this blog thing, so it's all good. January began with news that my blood pressure was rising, which brought with it, the threat of bedrest (2 months of bedrest; not good!). So I was ordered to "take it easy" (how do you do that with a 2 year old?). Needless to say, "taking it easy" didn't help, so I was put on bp medication, which did help (for awhile...see next entry). I had to cancel the baby shower that was so graciously being hosted by Mary, Angela, and Kristin, because I wasn't sure that I wouldn't be on bedrest by the time the party date arrived.

During this time, we finished the major house arranging that we needed to do for the baby; Paul painted our "new room", he and his brother drove to PA and back in one day to get my bedroom furniture from my parents' house, and we moved in (to the new room, that is). I actually like it. It's very cozy, and kind of grown-up, which is nice. I'm getting used to being a little farther away from Jake, but no one seems worse for the wear. Paul also painted the nursery and put up the crib, so we're ready to go there. I was able to organize the baby gear and wash the clothes that we had (nesting, nesting, nesting), so we're pretty much ready for baby.

At the end of Jan., Paul arranged for he and I to have a (much needed) weekend away. Jake stayed with his grandparents and we went to a B & B in Chestertown, MD. I LOVED everything about the weekend; it was so good to get away, particularly since new baby is around the corner. I'd never done the B & B thing before, so it was alot of fun; tea in the afternoon, breakfast in the AM. We had no TV (imagine that!) so Paul and I hung out in a parlor at the Inn and played Scrabble for half the night.....it was a nice change of pace. Check it out for yourself at www.bramptoninn.com I'm a little obsessed with the place, it was soooo relaxing, the food was so yummy, and I had so much for being away with Paul, that I want to go back! Soon! Paul did an A+++++ job planning the perfect weekend.........

Holidays 2005

Whew- December is always a trip in the Zeitlin family, with Hanukkah, Christmas, and everyone's birthday (Heather, Lee, Louise, Dan, and my Dad!). This year was very special because Jacob started to understand what Christmas was all about (Jesus's birthday, for those of you who were thinking, "presents!"). We had a great time decorating for the holidays, setting up our model trains in the basement, and spending lots of time with family. Christmas Eve dinner was spent at Heather and Dave's, and the kids had a great time, to say the least. I was very excited to spend Christmas morning in our own home (hadn't done that before!), so we started our own little holiday tradition (Circus waffles for all!). Jacob was a little overwhelmed by the idea of Santa, however he quickly warmed to the idea when he saw some of his new toys. We enjoyed Christmas dinner at Dan and Louise's, spent the night there, and traveled to PA the following day to see my family. Jacob went nuts for his Papap's model train display that he and my brothers had put together just for Jacob. It was great to see the old trains that I remember from when I was young. And those of you who know Jake, know that he is train-obsessed right now, and he still talks about Papap's trains almost daily!

Hanukkah overlapped with Christmas this year, so we celebrated the first night of the holiday with Dan and Louise after Christmas dinner! Paul and Jake and I even brought the Menorah to PA with us...we're a multicultural family! After spending a few days in PA, we returned to MD to rest for a (very short day) before family obligations arose again. We had our Zeitlin family Hanukkah dinner and celebration on Friday, and then Saturday (New Years' Eve) was Louise and Lelands' birthdays, so we attended a party in their honor. As it was New Years' Eve, Paul and I were very fortunate that Heather's mom offered to watch Jacob along with Lee and Charlotte, so that we could go out for the evening, which we did. Had a great time, managed to hang longer than I thought I would (given my preggo status) and we had a lot of fun.

As you can see, December is whirlwind in my family. On January 1, the holiday hangover usually begins!

Thanksgiving 2005

We hosted the all of the grandparents for Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. Paul did a wonderful job preparing the turkey and fixings, as he always does (Thanksgiving is his specialty!). His brined turkey and sausage stuffing were fabulous! Aunt Jo, Sarah, Nathan, and Peter and their cousin and Sarah's friend joined us for dessert (Pecan-Chocolate Chunk Pie; yum!). Despite my parents harrowing drive to join us (through a PA blizzard), we all had a great time.

Halloween 2005

Jake dressed up as.....who else?? ELMO this year for Halloween. He had alot of fun trick-or-treating with his cousins...once he realized that he was getting candy at each stop, he was very enthusiastic about the whole event! His favorite candies (and the messiest) were lollipops, hands down! Also included are some pictures of a visit to a pumpkin farm with friends Nate, Kristin, and Clay...

Jacob's 2nd Birthday...10/10/05

We celebrated Jacob's 2nd birthday at home with family on 10/9/05. Grandma came to visit from PA and baked Jake's very special Sesame Street birthday cake herself! Jacob had a great time playing with his cousins and grandparents. He also received tons of very nice gifts, among which were a tricycle (his "motorcycle" as he calls it), a tool bench, new trains and a train table, and a Magnadoodle.....And Aunt Jo and Cousin Sarah treated Jacob to a visit to Build-A-Bear, where he chose to make....a dog, of course! He loves his little doggie.....

updates....

Well, I'm a very bad blogger; last entry, 10/8! I've got ample time to update now, since I'm homebound until the baby arrives due to some unruly blood pressure. Will try to catch up briefly on the past 4 months...here goes......