Updates please!

[drloretta]

Hi! Handling the snow fine. Yesterday was torture. S wanted to go outside NOW and J and I had to work. She got to go out with him around 5pm and spent a good hour playing. She loves her snow. School was delayed 2 hours this morning, so we went out around 8am and had a snowball fight

Love the FB pix. It looks like you had a great time!

Updates:
The next month is going to be a whirlwind. J's grandma passed away a couple of weeks ago, and there's a memorial service in 2 weeks. Just as I'm wrapping up a work trip to NYC. So I'm going to train over to NYC, then to PA, then drive home with the family. The following week I have a work trip to CA, and will miss S's birthday But I will be get to see my parents, and I'll be home for her party, which is the following weekend. MIL is also coming for that. I will be exhausted by then! I'm going to have a 7 year old next month, woot!

J's new job is working out well. Lots to do, but he seems happy so that's good. He sometimes has to go to Needham, which means he's closer to S's school and can pick her up on those days. Yay me!

I had a nasty case of tendonitis in my thumb in December, so the knitting and yoga were put on hold. Feeling much better now, and the hand specialist said I didn't do any lasting damage

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Sounds like a couple of great trips, RockNVoll! I'm jealous! How's the planning to move back to the US coming?

drloretta, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad your husband likes his new job, and that your injury cleared up without any real damage. How on earth is your daughter turning 7? My goodness, time is flying.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks here. Ben had an infected cyst last week and spent a day and a half-ish at the hospital getting an antibiotic course. We took him to the ER at Winchester right around bedtime to get checked out for what we thought may be a hernia, and he got a middle of the night transport to Childrens so he could be seen by the pediatric urologists (Winchester doesn't have any on staff). He has surgery next Thursday to remove it, and that should be the end of it (no health concerns as a result, just one of those weird things). My husband and I are pretty much disasters right now, though; I cannot focus on a single thing at work, and I could not care less about whatever people throw my way. They said we should expect an overnight stay, but depending on how early he gets scheduled (they schedule the day before, youngest to oldest) and how well he's doing, we could get sent home the same day. I'd almost prefer he stay so his pain and movement is managed, but I'm sure I will be delighted if they tell us we can go home. He has a pre-op appointment Monday morning, so we'll know a little more then, I guess.

Otherwise, we are trucking along. The University occasionally does salary reviews by grade level to ensure there's equity, and it turns out that I had fallen behind somewhere along the way, so I unexpectedly got a pretty decent salary increase last week, which is amazing. We're thinking about actually taking a vacation this year to Bermuda for a couple of days, since it's close and should be an easy-ish flight for a maniac toddler who hasn't flown before. Hopefully, we can pull the trigger on that soon. Otherwise, it's status quo here.

scm1011, how's your little guy? Are you back to work already?

[bostonmichelle]

Your trips sound amazing and the pictures were awesome RockNVoll.

Sorry about your loss drloretta. I can't believe S is 7!!

I'm sorry your son has to have surgery 5kcandlesinthewind. I hope it goes smoothly and he has a quick recovery.

I'm just plodding along for the next 6ish weeks of being pregnant. We've been super busy getting stuff done around the house. I've had to give up running as of a week ago due to leg cramps. But I've been going for longish walks though. I think I've decided not to go back to work (possibly at all) and do my own thing (taxes and bookkeeping) after she gets here.

[scm1011]

Today is my first day back in the office after maternity leave  As if leaving my baby wasn't bad enough, one of my colleagues has a life size Trump cut out staring out the door of his office at me. I hate this place.

Otherwise I'm good! Cal is 13 weeks old now and such a sweet little love. He's home with DH the next 2 weeks before starting daycare, so I'm glad I didn't have to tackle both those transitions at once at least! .

5kcandlesinthewind, poor little guy! I can't imagine how tough that is for you guys. Let us know how things go at the pre-op!

RockNVoll, I'm so jealous of all your adventures!! Your Africa photos were AMAZING!!! Sorry you got rained out in Barcelona, how was the city otherwise? Its on my short list.

So sorry for your loss, drloretta. I cannot believe your girl is 7! Time flies!

bostonmichelle, can't wait to meet your little lady - you're getting so close!!

[caligirl22]

It's nice to "see" you guys!
We are doing great! I'm getting ready for my girls weekend in NYC this coming weekend and Tim and I are going to Chicago to celebrate my big birthday in March. I'm training for my first marathon in June and will be volunteering for the Boston Marathon in April.

Our girl is getting bigger and funnier every day. She started school in September and absolutely loves it. She is excited to turn four in June and have a Peppa Pig birthday.

We are completely settled in our town and absolutely love it here.

[caligirl22]

Feb 13, 2017 12:44:55 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

So good to see you, caligirl22 ! It's great that you guys are settled in so well. Sounds like you have some fun travel plans coming up (I love Chicago especially), and volunteering at the Boston Marathon sounds awesome! Hope your own marathon training is going well. Where will you be running it?

My race is in Duluth in June. I'm getting excited/nervous.
I didn't know you were on FB! I'd love to see your trip photos. 

[bostonmichelle]

RockNVoll I doubt I could've not worked without big lifestyle changes. I'll probably end up having my own tax and bookkeeping business to stay active and make our budget a little less tight.

[hulley]

RockNVoll, that happened to me in December - bored a quick trip to some sushine, and it ended up being grey and cool on my trip, but actually unseasonably warm back home.

I don't "go here" anymore, because my new job is sucking the life out of me. I'm learning a lot. The commute is rough. Takes me 2+ hours to get home at least a few time a month. I've actually appreciated the snow because I haven't worked since last Wednesday. Yay snow days!

DD just committed to UCF for college, and we will be spending most of the spring/summer planning for that. She has to visit in June for two orientations, and then we'll go back again in August for move in. My baby is old!!

DH and I are booked on a quick cruise in July, DD and I are doing a girls' trip to Disney over April break, and other than that I have some professional conferences I'm attending at the end of this month and then again in March and May. Other than that, our travel calendar is empty.

Big news: I'm going to be an auntie!! My sister announced she was expecting at Christmas time. She is due in August. I'm currently going way overboard planning a baby shower for her as if it's a wedding. This is probably the last shower I'll plan, so I'm going all out. It's way up in Maine, which is out of my area of expertise, so if anyone knows a place in the Auburn-ish area I'm all ears!

Nice to catch up with you all

[donthasslethehoff]

Hi!!! I don't really "go here" much anymore. The small amount of time I do spend on the message boards is over on TTTC, unfortunately. We've been trying for a second for what seems like forever at this point.

For me, we built a new house which was a nightmare of a process, but we finally moved in the week before Christmas. Between selling our old house and moving into the new house we moved 3 times in 7 months with a kid and 2 big dogs. The second half of 2016 was the suck. Haha.

I started a new role (same company) in a completely different function and finally moved my ass out of finance. So far so good, but there's so much to learn.

My brother and his wife told us last week that they are having a baby and due in September. I am trying to be as happy as I can be for them, but pregnancy announcements have been painful lately.

RockNVoll, how did like Barcelona? I've been there twice and loved it - though, I am partial to Madrid.

We're trying to plan a family vacation, but every damn place I want to go to is a zika zone, so that's out.

bostonmichelle, congrats on being almost there. scm1011, I don't know if I ever congratulated you, so if not, congratulations

[donthasslethehoff]

Feb 14, 2017 8:38:28 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

  Are there parts of the U.S. you haven't been to that might be fun to explore? AZ, CA, Carolinas, New Orleans?

Been to AZ and New Orleans and am actually going to New Orleans again at the beginning of June.

Cali is definitely on the list of possibilities.

[scm1011]

(((donthasslethehoff))) I'm so sorry about the IF troubles. I've been there, and I know its all consuming. I've been following your journey on TTTC and I'm rooting for you, lady.

[donthasslethehoff]

RockNVoll, the first time I went to New Orleans was for jazz fest. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Also, one of the people I went with has family down there, so we were able to experience it as locals (did a crawfish boil in this small town in the bayou). It was great. and if you're into music, even better. Skip Bourbon street. It smells like piss and vomit, but other than that, we loved everything.

This time I am going down there for a joint bachelor / bachelorette party for a wedding I am in (on the groom's side) in August. I've been very clear though that I am trying to get pregnant, so if I am before June, I won't be going. It's bad enough not being able to drink and then if pregnancy #2 is anything like #1, I will hate food for pretty much 7 months. No reason to go if I can't eat either.

[pinkroses]

So nice to read everyone's updates! 5kcandlesinthewind, good luck with the surgery this week.

I don't have much new going on, just chugging along. My son will be two in April, which seems insane. Where did the time go?

I am not loving the snow. So ready for spring already.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Thanks for the good thoughts, everyone. I am ready for this week to be over.

scm1011, hope your first week back hasn't been too rough, aside from that Trump cut out. ugh. I am not sure how I would handle seeing that every day.

bostonmichelle, I hope your last few weeks of pregnancy go by quickly, and your little one is here before you know it!

caligirl22, enjoy your Chicago trip and good luck with the marathon training!

donthasslethehoff, I'm sorry TTC has been such a struggle. I hope you get some good news soon.

pinkroses, my son will be 2 in May - time really is flying, isn't it?

[hulley]

RockNVoll, UCF stands for Univ. of Central Florida. She is over the moon ecstatic. She was accepted into every school she applied to (including BU and Wentworth), but this one feels like home to her, so off she goes! We're really excited for her. New school is good. Had a meeting since I last posted with my boss and some promising changes are coming. I'm in a good position to negotiate my way into exactly where I want to be for next year, I just have to decide where exactly that is going to be

I remember your 1st safari pics - you brought them to a GTG and it inspired me to put it on the travel list. Likely won't happen for another 5 or so years, both because college funding is priority right now and I'd like to wait until DH could take a longer vacation in order to enjoy the trip without rushing. Next summer we are looking at a possible Spain & Portugal trip.

[lizlemon19]

Hi Rock! Your trip pics are amazing.

My boys are 6 and 8, and my daughter is 14 months which is crazy.  All three are very busy and quite athletic.

We have a buyer for our house, and hopefully will be getting a beautiful house with an in-law with my mom. It is in the neighboring town in Central Ma, but has better school system and slightly better commute for each of us.  Also has a garage and pool, and master bath which we have never had. We had considered a move to the South Shore, but it is just not affordable for us.  My mother needs to sell her condo (which is in Hingham near the Shipyard, if anyone knows anyone looking ) 

My brother just got engaged yesterday so I am excited about that.  I hope my baby will be the flower girl.