Back to the Arctic Tundra and Back to Work!

We got back last night from Florida and it was a really wonderful trip.  Here's some video of Brice in the pool.  As you can tell, I'm really attempting to influence him to be an olympic swimmer when he grows up.  Michael Phelps may have lost some sponsorships for a stupid reason, but he's still an amazing athlete in my mind.

Brice is really growing up quickly!  He appears to be getting his first tooth and now everything within his grasp goes right into his mouth.  His favorite thing to "taste" is fabric.  If you put him on your shoulder, he'll lick your sleeve.  If he's sleeping with a blanket, the blanket goes into his mouth.  I've started giving him washcloths to suck on and I've decided that this is the way to go.  If he gets attached and carries the washcloth as his security blanket, I know that I have ample supply in case one ever gets lost!

In baby news this week, I must first congratulate my sister and her husband, Andy.  They found out on Thursday that they will be having a little girl in July.  They are ahead of the game and have already selected the name Grace Sophia Loftus Carter and now I can start my countdown to July when I get to meet my lovely little niece!  Our friends Wassim and Erin gave birth to a sweet girl, Analisa on February 18.  We got to meet her on her first night home and she is so beautiful!  Quite the little sleeper too... I'm hoping for their sake that the good sleeping lasts.  Kirstin and her husband Ashley gave birth to their son, Lucas Benjamin Morgan on Wednesday, just one day before she was due to be induced.  I can't wait to see the little man!

My maternity leave is coming to a close and I head back to work on Monday.  I never thought that I would have such mixed emotions about going back.  On one hand, I love what I do and I love my co-workers, so I will be happy to see them all again.  On the other hand, Brice is still very little, and it pains me at the thought of leaving him for the entire day.  As some of you know, I have managed to secure a nanny to watch Brice at our house while I am at work. I didn't feel prepared to leave Brice at daycare.  In my mind, he's quite the handful (I'm sure that every mother thinks this of her children) and I'm happy that she'll be able to focus on Brice.   Despite my love for our nanny and my comfort with him being watched at our house, I'm sure I'll still cry about a half a dozen times between now and the time that I get to the office on Monday.  I'm seriously considering buying some waterproof mascara!  I'll update this week to let everyone know how it goes!

Many Congratulations!

Its been a very baby week for us!  First, we'd like to congratulate Kelly and Torry on the birth of their son Nathaniel Ross.  Little Nate rounds out the trio for me, Heather and Kelly as the three college roommates now have three fabulous sons.  Hopefully they'll all be buddies and if we keep our fingers crossed, perhaps they will be college roommates too.

I just got off the phone with Galen who reported that Jessica gave birth to their second daughter at noon today.  They were still deciding on names but I put in my vote for Vivienne Grace Antle.  We'll see what ends up on her birth certificate.  Joel and I determined that we are the root cause for the Antle babies to be born as little Sofie was born just after our wedding and we had planned to see Jess and Galen yesterday afternoon when they called to say they were heading to the hospital instead.

We're having dinner tonight with our friends Wassim and Erin.  Poor Erin is 1 day overdue with their daughter so perhaps we will have the same effect on them!

Brice hit the 10 week mark and is now over 15lbs.  This week he has found his smile, his laugh and his hands and is now enjoying shoving his fists into his mouth whenever he gets the chance.  We still are having some issues on the sleeping front but I'm remaining optimistic that he'll surprise us in the very near future by sleeping through the night.  

Here are some photos of Brice from this week:

Still a little apprehensive when it comes to his crib:

Chilling out in his new "big boy" stroller:

Brice loves his evening bath. We made sure to hide all the parts to keep this blog rated PG.

As I mentioned, Brice has found his smile.  Here he is showing it off:

All the babies doing tummy time during my mommy/baby yoga class.  There were eight babies this week and we were commenting that this is what that mother of the octuplets has to look forward too.  Wow!  

25 Random Things...

I've been tagged a couple of times on Facebook to list 25 random things about me. I figured that instead of posting there, I would post here in the hopes that some of you would also share some random facts.  Here you go:

1. 10 years ago I thought that I would never get married or have children. Now I can't imagine my life without Joel and Brice.
2. I believe that my husband is the smartest person that I know but I would never say that to his face.

3.  I will not answer my phone when I'm driving because it cuts into my singing with the radio time.

4.  In 1995 I was a guest on the CBS national morning show and I sat in the green room next to Val Kilmer.  He was promoting the movie Wyatt Earp and I was talking about racial prejudice in Greenwich.

5.  I was the most cynical cheerleader ever, yet somehow I managed to be voted captain.

6.  I share my birthday with my sister, Allyson, and I absolutely love that.  While we have totally different personalities, we are both classic Leos.

7.  Someday I would like to write a book and at this point I am seriously considering reaching out for help on where to start.

8.  In college, I hosted two radio shows.  One was called the Prisoner Request Hour and we would take requests from prisoners at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.  Needless to say, we played a lot of AC/DC and Metallica.

9.  On my other radio show, I had the honor of interviewing The Samples, Dave Matthews and Bob Dylan.  

10.  I have never wanted to run for political office but I can think of three friends that I would want to campaign for if they ever threw their hat in the ring.

11.  During my time at ABC I chased Monica Lewinsky on the back of a motorcycle, was given a sandwich by James Carville and was fired (and then instantly rehired) by Sam Donaldson.

12.  I have lived in four different states and have moved 16 times since graduating from college.

13.  I began my college career as an animal behavior major with the desire to write for National Geographic but I nearly failed every science course that I had to take.

14.  I consider my mom and my two sisters to be my best friends.  I tell them everything.

15.  I have carried a guitar with me for the past 12 years but I have no idea how to play it.

16.  I love to read and my favorite place to read is in the tub.  I have about three books that I can't wait to read sitting in the bathroom.

17.  I regret falling out of touch with my best friend from childhood.  Our parents are still friends but we haven't spoken in years.  I'm afraid to reach out to her for fear that she'll tell me what she really thinks of the girl I was in high school.

18.  I honestly believe that my son could be President of the United States, a professional hockey player or the scientist that discovers the cure for cancer... or all three simultaneously.

19. I actually really enjoy cooking but I still like eating more.

20.  I can't survive without dessert.  I tried to go a week without eating sugar and by day 3 my boss and husband both insisted that I get a candy bar.

21.  I can't go to bed at night with dirty dishes in the sink and I can't leave the house without making the bed.  This is all my father's fault.

22.  I love football and boating.  I credit my dad for teaching me all about these things and not treating me like a girly girl when I was growing up.

23.  I moved back to Connecticut from San Francisco but now I'm really thinking that I'd love to live in Los Angeles.

24.  I could not live without my blackberry, my blow dryer and my favorite pair of high heels.  

25.  I keep telling friends and family that we only want one more child, but in my mind, I think I'd like a bigger family.

We took Brice for his two month well baby appointment at the doctor.  I am happy to report that he is 14.5lbs and 24 inches long.  He had his first vaccinations, three shots and one oral, and was a champ throughout.  He cried briefly but once I gave him his bottle, he was all smiles again.  Here are a couple of photos from our trip to Florida and one for Grandma Elaine: