Q & A...because I'm like, ten years old...ok!? Sue me!

I copied this from a fellow blogger Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart...


Fill in the blanks....


If I were to get pregnant again...
**I would scream. Seriously. Because secretly I wouldn't mind (which I suppose isn't a secret anymore...), but I would also be kind of scared because I was not a huge fan of being pregnant the first go round.

If I could have any job in the world...
**I would be famous. That's all you need to know. (And you know I'd be good at it. I was MADE for the stage, baby!)

If I had a day to myself...
**I would sleep in, get a massage and go shopping...it's the simple things I miss most, people!

If I could get married all over again...
**I would elope.

If I could live anywhere in the US...
**Montana, Wyoming or the Florida Keys...

If my boy would have been a girl they would have been named...
**Francesca Denise...SUCH a beautiful name!

If I could have any talent in the world...
**A voice like the girl in Glee...you know, the one who no one likes. Her voice amazes me. I can't believe that God gave someone a voice like that.

If you met me in real life...
**You would realize that I am rarely being mean...I'm just being funny! Or at least I think I'm funny...

If I could go back to school and get a different degree...
**I would go back to school to be a lactation consultant or a midwife...like, the old school midwives...you know, the ones that give you a piece of wood to chomp down on and tell you to shut up and push. 

If money was no object...
**I would have a shelter for homeless animals and kids...and I would own J Crew and take Michelle Obama out of their marketing. 

If I could meet one celebrity, it would be...
**Michael Moore...and then I'd punch him in the face. 

If I could shop at only one store the rest of my life...
**Macy's...if you can't find it at Macys or BBW, you don't need it!

If we were to get another pet it would be...
**A bird! Christian loves birds just like his mommy!

If I could go on a trip right now...
**I would never come back...seriously. The Keys are calling my name.

If I had to choose between a house cleaner and a personal chef...
**House cleaner...to give my hubby a break already!

If I had the option of plastic surgery...
**I'd get 'er done up right! I am not opposed AT ALL!

Alright! Now feel free to copy and paste to your own blog! (But only if you're ten years old like me...)

Let's Go Team Christian! 6 Month Checkup

Right before we went to the mountains (Literally. After the doctor visit, we went home and loaded up the cars!), Christian had his 6 month checkup. Because of Mommy's hectic schedule, we weren't able to see the doctor until just a few days before he turned 7 months old. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, but Mama's gotta do what Mama's schedule allows...you know?

This doctor visit was really special because Daddy got to come! Ken hasn't been to one of Christian's well child checkups because I usually take Christian on one of my days off and Ken is usually working on those days. It was helpful to have that extra set of hands there to keep Christian occupied since his patience levels are low and his energy levels are high!

Yay! Daddy is at the doctor's office with us!

16 pounds! Good growing, Buddy!

25 inches long!

 Christian's weight and growth percentile dropped a little bit. I was concerned that he was only in the 10th percentile whereas he was in the 25th last time. Dr. Rosenthal assured me that his growth was fine...as long as he's growing, there's nothing to be worried about (riiiiight...try telling a mom that!) But I had a hard time believing he was only in the 10th percentile. I mean, to us he has grown soooo much! He feels heavier and looks longer. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes (and even some 12 month clothes!) All I can deduce is that there must be some pretty big babies out there setting the curve so high. I think about all the babies who come in my store that outweigh Christian by 10 pounds sometimes !!!!!! and are the same age, and I guess I am thankful that he's not obese at a young age.

Dr. Rosenthal said that he's just "a little guy" which makes him that much more endearing to me! She did suggest that we feed him more solids when I told her he was only eating about 3-8 ounces of solids a day. She said to make sure we are offering them at every meal...and since then we have made a concerted effort to do so. But honestly, Christian is not a huge fan of solids just yet. He'll eat them if he's hungry, but he'd rather nurse if I'm around. Plus, he's such a piggy when it comes to nursing that he's usually full from milk and isn't all that hungry for more. Really all a baby needs till they are about a year old is breastmilk. My mom didn't feed me any solids till I was a year and I'll eat anything. I think the common concern is that the older a child gets, the less open they are to new and different things.

The best part about the whole visit was hearing about how sweet and good natured Christian is. The nurses LOVE him! They ALWAYS comment on what a pleasure he is.  Thank goodness!

Stethoscopes also double as fun toys!

Same thing with thermometers...

Just about everything is fun to play with!

After all his measurements were done, along with his temperature and breathing and heart rate (which were all perfect, thank goodness!)...it was time to wait...

And eat...

And wait...

And wait...

 And wait...

When the doctor finally visited Christian, he was really enthused with all of her gadgets. She let him have one of the tongue depressors since he laid claim to it anyhow (go figure...) She loved how happy he was and how entertained he was by every. little. thing. Seriously. It takes almost nothing to amuse our child.

Her only concern was that we weren't pulling his skin back enough from his circumcision. Apparently, if you don't pull it back on a daily basis it could grow back and he'd end up having to have another surgery.  Obviously that is not something we want to have happen...it's so weird having a little boy though. I never would have thought that something like that could grow back. And I'm sure one day he'll hate me for writing this, but oh well! It's my right as Mother to embarrass my child!

After Dr. Rosenthal got done inspecting every inch of His Majesty, it was time for Christian's favorite part...edible vaccinations! Woo hoo! Yup. You know my kid! He'll eat just about anything...

But with the good comes the bad. Poor little man never had a chance...

However sad that little face might be, it only lasted for a moment. He is such a trooper with his Daddy and Mommy's tolerance for pain...seriously, this kid almost never cries from pain...

 

Even though I was a little upset by Christian's growth, we still had a great visit. We did decide, however, that doctor visits should take place in the morning hours instead of in the afternoon...Christian was a little grumpy there towards the end. 

His next appointment is in December for his 9 month well child checkup. I can't wait to report his growth and progress!

 

 

 

Go Bright!

This year's Holiday Kickoff was held at Embassy Suites at Cobb for Aeropostale and PS From Aeropostale. Holiday Kickoff meetings are always soooo much fun! We have games and prizes and we learn so much to help us understand the company's strategy for the holiday season.

It's also a time to enjoy your peers since you almost never get to see them throughout the regular part of the year. I am lucky to have amazing co-workers who are super talented and full of great insight.

I honestly love my job and the company I work for, but more than that, I love my boss. She is an amazing woman who allows me to manage my store in the way which I best see fit. She allows me to grow my people according to my own strategies (and the company's, of course!) and trusts my abilities to the fullest extent.

Here are some pictures from the holiday meeting!

Always gotta look your best for Holiday Meetings! With VP's living in Atlanta, you never know who might be there! Plus, I was super excited to show off my new figure that I have been working so hard to get back. My Regional VP didn't even recognize me when she saw me...it was great!

Kay (our district training store manager, whom I LOVE!), Korenda (my boss and mentor, whom I also LOVE!) and me

The PS store store managers doing our best to be Super Heroes! We launched our new Marvel line in October and are pumped! From left to right: Spider Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man!

My PS BFF, Cory! Cory is my daily dose of humor when I need it most...

I know that this holiday season is going to be AMAZING! We are almost 100% staffed and ready to go. Not to mention, I have the best team possible dedicated to our store's success. Let's Go, Holiday 2011!

Fun In The Mountains!

For my birthday every year, it's been a tradition of ours to go to the mountains. (Except for last year...yeah, we went to the Keys instead. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make...) This year, we had a few people who accompanied us to North Georgia. His Majesty, Christian James and his sister, Marcella along with her boyfriend Pat decided to come along (as if Christian had any choice...)

Our Cabin

Here we come, Helen!

Yay! We're here!

Ready to roll!

Already changing color

The girls...Remmy isn't as excited for pictures...

Pat got man points for strolling His Majesty

The Boys...

Marcella was going to push him in the drink!

That's better :)

Doing my best "Helga" face

Pat doing his best "Honz" face

Feeding the bears

Little feet...my wish came true!

Mommy and the Baby

Legit campfire!

Entranced by the flames!

Cella and her Dad

Enjoying a beer by the fire

Tickle time with Daddy

Playing pool with the big boys!

I call side pocket!

Excited for smores!

Trail walking with Daddy

Beautiful drive to our cabin

So gorgeous

We had a great time in the mountains...and it was awesome to have Marcella and Pat join us!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

On October 6th (Mommy's birthday!), we headed back from the mountains with the sole intent of visiting the pumpkin patch! I love pumpkin patches...I remember going to them when I was a kid, and I always loved the smell, the food, the dirt and the pumpkins (of course!). I wanted Christian to experience a pumpkin patch (no matter how limited his first experience might be).

Grandma met us (Myself, Christian, Ken, Marcella and Pat...) at Corn Dawgs in Loganville (a huge Pumpkin Patch that really borders more along the lines of "theme park" where they take every kid's parent's money until every parent within the tri-county area is broke and all they have to show for it is a mangy pumpkin and a few good photo ops). BUT! Can you believe that the pumpkin patch was closed during the week!?!?!?  (It'sOctober, people!) However, we were told that we could walk through the pumpkin patch and look and take some pictures. Soooooo...we did!

Interesting...verrrrry interesting....

Yay! Time with Grandma!

And my big sissy!

What's this prickly stuff all about?

Hey, Mom!

Not too sure about these orange things...

House Of Pumpkin

His Majesty demands better transportation...this simply will not do!

Christian was a little obsessed with the prickly hay...until he lay down in it and realized it didn't feel as cool as it looked!

My two favorite boys!

Driving the tractor!

Standing all by himself! What a big man!

Annnnnnd...I may have a slight confession. BUT! I totally paid for my misdoings... You see, when the workers told us we could "walk around", I took that as a free pass to enjoy the zip lines, swings, slides and pretty much everything else you have to pay for during normal business hours. However, as I said, I totally paid for it. Waiting at the bottom of the big slide was a puddle of mud with MY name on it. Fabulous.

Anyhow, Christian's first pumpkin patch experience was amazing! Can't wait to do it again next year!