Connor's First Griffin's Game & Nealon Grandparents

Last night, Brian's work (the "Great Lakes Division") hosted a family appreciation night at the Grand Rapids Griffins game....hockey. Of course it was Connor's first game and it also happened to be $1 beer night and $1 hot dog night, so the place was PACKED and the crowd was entertainingly roudy. I was very glad we have a little suite to go in since Connor isn't exactly old enough to sit and watch the game. He got in lots of people watching and was a trooper despite having his nightly routine all out of whack. To add to the excitement, the Griffins ended up winning in an overtime shootout against the Toronto Marlies!

I was very excited when "Griff" came into our little room and was very willing to pose for a photo opportunity. I personally think the set of two pictures is hilarious. In the picture above, Connor is happy...."look mom & dad, does this make you happy???". This second picture was taken after a few seconds and a few more pictures...."okay, this weirdo has been holding me for long enough, save me before I lose it!".

It was a fun evening and even better that when we came home, Grandma & Grandpa Nealon were at the house waiting on us! We've loved having them here and I'm hoping to get a picture of the two of them with Connor tomorrow before they head back to Ohio.

We've decided that we need to have company all the time because Connor is an angel when other people are around. When it is just the two of us, he gets bored and has an occasional tantrum. He has a new, very high pitched squeal that is very obnoxious and ear piercing....he's learned it works...uh oh. We'll just take advantage of the company while it is here! Anyone is welcome!

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This is just a random picture that I took,
but I love it because his eyes look SO blue!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

With a name like Connor Patrick Nealon,
how could he not celebrate?

He has also found that his toes taste pretty good.
If only the flexibility would last....

Flip-Flop Weather and New Friends!

Today was a good day. (I'm choosing to ignore that Connor didn't have a good night last ngiht because I messed with his routine...hopefully tonight will be better.)

The weather today was GORGEOUS! I know you southerners have had some days in the 80s already, but holy cow 62º here today felt absolutely outstanding!

The morning started with hanging some "espresso" colored fiber roman shades that we picked up at Lowe's this weekend in our kitchen/dining room. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say I typically put on sunglasses in the mornings in the kitchen. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better. :) We love all the windows, but the sun can get a little intense at times. I am very pleased with how these turned out and might actually see if they have some big enough for our big windows in the main living area because we are still being blinded in there. I tried to find a picture online of what I put up, but no luck....

Anyway, by mid-afternoon Connor was beyond bored with me so we took off for a walk. This is the first time I haven't bundled him up in the stroller and no fleece cover was necessary! Then, to top that off, there were a bunch of the ladies from our street out with their kids too. I got to meet Shelly who lives directly across the street and has 2 older boys and then 5.5 month, Emma. I also saw Tammy again, the firecracker/social organizer of the neighborhood who has organized a monthly bunco night for all the women. We chatted in Shelly's driveway for a bit and then Holly came out with her 11 month old, Peyton and we did a little 30 minute walk and got to know each other. Add these new neighborhood friends to Chris (and her 3 month old little girl) and Linda that I met yesterday and I'm well on my way of having MORE than a handful of friends! Almost all of the women stay at home and Tammy was already talking about planning daytime summer road trips to fun places around here to introduce me to Michigan. :)

Although we've only lived here for a very short time, there is a lot about Michigan that reminds me of living in Germany, and a few surrounding countries. The weather is very similar (except we didn't have much snow the year we were in Deutscheland). A lot of the people seem to have those roots too...or Dutch. Holland, Michigan is just down the road too, so I'm already planning on going to the Tulip Festival this spring (Tulip Time 2009). It is like a mini Keukenhof I think! Then, there is Frankenmuth that is on the other side of Michigan that is apparently like a mini-Germany and it is an awesome place to go around Christmas. Although I'm glad winter is on its way out, I'm glad to have that to look forward to. There are also a lot of vineyards here (who knew?!) and even lots of cherries and cherry wine. All of that reminds me of Germany too. Then, to top it all off, we have to pay a "bottle deposit" on our cans and bottles.....just like in Germany! You get the money back when you take the cans/bottles back, but I haven't had to sort like this since living in Europe. The only difference is that it is only for carbonated beverages and you can do it on Sundays without getting scolded. ;)

Anyway, we are having a good time so far. I've come to grips with the fact that the house isn't going to be perfect in 2-3 weeks like in our other moves. Connor just won't allow that, so I'm getting to things as I get to them. I'm sure Brian would appreciate the office being organized soon so he can work in there instead of from the couch.....it is next on the list. I did order a slew of seating the other day from Target and I can't wait for everything to come in. I ordered 4 counter stools for the kitchen, 4 bar stools for the basement bar and 8 dining chairs that match the counter stools (even though we don't have a table yet). No picture of the chairs because they are just a chair version of the top stools.

I have found a table online that I think I like, but I want to go to the store to see it in person. It is an arts & crafts style, trestle table. The website doesn't have the dimensions of the table, but I think this picture shows it with 2 leaves in place. We don't have a separate dining room per se, so we only need one table and we want one that fills the space nicely and can accomodate quite a few people (since we know so many people and always have such a houseful of guests ;). Once I get all the chairs in and after I go see the table in person I'll have a better idea. In theory, I like it. I know it is/was risky buying so many chairs without a table, but I really wanted the stools and chairs to match, but the table that went with the chairs isn't awesome or big enough....so I'm winging it. Plus, I got free shipping, 15% off, then an additional 10% of that!

Ok, that is all of the house updating for now. I should be sleeping, working, organizing, or at least watching some of my favorite Monday night TV. Oh well.

One last note. Although I thought I was immune to picking up accents, I've already caught myself picking up a few midwestern vowell sounds....kinda scary.... (think North Dakota and tone it way down)

Tschüss

Sweet Dreams Baby Boutique = FRAUD

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been on the phone with the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, the North Olmsted Police Department and with my bank numerous times. I will do a full update later. This dang chair has absorbed WAY too much of my life. I WILL get my money back even if comes from restitution pay after Jim Gullett is convicted of theft and fraud (according to the NOPD officer....when he is convicted.)

Check out these Yahoo reviews....hopefully they haven't all somehow mysteriously been deleted.

(My Yahoo friends, is there anything you can do about legitimate reviews being deleted??? I am "This is Ridiculous")

——————UPDATE March 16, 2000 ——————

After more calls and unanswered e-mails I finally got all the scans done to dispute the charges through our bank (because although the chair was a gift from the Nealons and Jill, I put it on my debit card). There wad drama with that because the original purchase/withdrawl from our account was JULY 25, 2008. Normally, you have do dispute charges with Mastercard within 60 days. Well, anyway, I had to prove "constant contact" with the merchant and I'm so glad I did get a few e-mails from Jim acknowledging that he owed me a full refund before he cut off all communications.

So, I followed up with everything today and talked with someone really knowledgable in the disputes department of USAA and she was awesome. She said the money should be credited to our account within the next day or two, by USAA. Then, they will turn the dispute over to Mastercard and they will have to get the money from Sweet Dreams Baby and will reimburse USAA. Unless of course Sweet Dreams wants to dispute the dispute and somehow proove that I got the chair and ottoman I ordered?!.... So, I'm so glad I've actually been advised not to contact the vendor anymore. PRAISE GOD! However, check out the Yahoo! reviews again because even more have been added and it is really a shame. It makes me sick to my stomach that these people are basically preying on pregnant families....like having a baby isn't stressful enough?!

Hopefully this is THE END of the Sweet Dreams Baby saga.

Videos & Pictures Galore!

It is a good thing we have built-in entertainment with our 6-month-old ball of energy. We still don't have TV or our own internet (long story...hopefully we will soon). So I've been snapping a ton of pictures and getting more video footage than is probably healthy.

The disadvantage of living far away from family and friends is that you guys don't get to share in fun day-to-day stuff that Connor does. However, the miracle of technology allows me to give you a glimpse into our daily life, regardless how mundane or boring.

Enjoy the videos and pictures.

Connor Jumps

In our new house, we actually have some doors that are accomodating to a "Johnny-Jump-Up" (except ours is the Graco one). We put Connor in it over Christmas, but he was still too little to know what to do. Well, he isn't too little anymore! This video was taken in the doorway between our bathroom and closet. The closet is more organized now, but it is still a work in progress. Connor's jumping allows me a little more time to organize. Of course if I'm taking videos and tons of pictures then you can tell I'm not so focused. :)

He also jumps in the pantry. There is tons of stuff to look at when he spins around and I get to work in the kitchen in peace!

Naked Baby

Part of Connor's bedtime routine is getting some quality commando time on his changing pad before his bath. Last night was the first time he managed to roll over on the pad itself and proceeded to go after his diaper basket. Anything within reach is fair game on the changing pad...it makes changing diapers during the day a bit of a challenge. :)

Bathtime Baby

Daddy always gets a smile and a laugh!

Until recently bathtime had become a real challenge at our house. Connor didn't like his infant tub anymore and preferred to kick and splash. However, he also loves rolling over all the time...not a good combination in the bathtub. So, by the end of about 5 minutes, I was worn out from basically keeping him from drowning!

Check out how he picks things up with his thumb tucked....what a funny little signature move. His thumb is ALWAYS tucked under, usually on both hands!

All that changed when Grandma Nealon brought over a bathtub seat! It is kind of like a Bumbo for the bathtub, but it as a lot more room to manuver and it swivels. If you are a mom that ran into the same problem I did with your baby trying to flip over all the time, this works great! Connor is sitting up really well on his own, but not good enough in the slippery bathtub, especially when he is going after toys all the time. This seat allows us to BOTH enjoy bathtime!

He loves to drink the water....or try to catch it.

Connor Laughs

This video was this afternoon too. Brian and I were just talking about when we thought he might start crawling and B referenced that he rolled over pretty early so maybe he'll crawl early too? In the process of relaying his reasoning, he said "kick that leg over" like he did on his first rolling video and Connor just started cracking up. He'd been laughing for at least 30 seconds before it occurred to me to grab the camera.

Connor Sleeps

Now that we have been in the house for almost a week, hopefully the little man is starting to be on a bit of a schedule. He's had primarily good nights with a few really rough ones thrown in (it is NOT time to play at 3:30 am!) However, last night was great and I think we are on track for another great night tonight. He took his brief afternoon nap in the swing this afternoon and the light coming in through the window was so pretty and peaceful. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.

Still Getting Settled...

It is Tuesday night and I am writing this from a living room with no boxes! It is not clean and everything hasn't found a home yet, but we are well on our way. Brian has been very busy with work and I'm not able to get everything in its place nearly as fast as previous moves because my little "helper" isn't always so helpful. :) I can't imagine why he doesn't want me organizing the bedroom all day?! :)

A few things.... 1: our builder is awesome. His name is OJ and he lives down the street. That is always a good sign because if anything goes wrong we know where to find him! He was on vacation when we moved in, but I can already tell he is a man that gets things done. He had his electrician come out first thing this morning to do the wiring to put the tv above the fireplace and they mounted it too. It is a bit high, but that is because of the massive fireplace, not because of the installation. If it drives us nuts or if we get cramps in our neck after a few years we might try to alter the masonry....but not now. :)

That brings me to the subject of TV/internet. Yeah, we are supposed to have it right now, but we don't. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we are getting at&t "U-verse". I've heard great things and am very excited. However, things haven't started so well. The installation was supposed to happen between 12:00 and 2:00 today. The technician finally arrived at about 6:30 (after SEVERAL phone calls from me). It turns out we are in a new fiber-optic neighborhood. I think that is good in the long run, but in the short run, he didn't have everything he needed....urg. He said we should be all set within a week. What?! A WEEK?! I have his manager's name and phone number, so unless they want to get annoyed by the lady constantly calling, then they better get on it!

So, the only room that is 100% done is Connor's. I will try to take a few pictures and add them to this post tomorrow. I originally thought I would have to paint his room to match his decor, but I actually think it is okay and I'm happy to leave it as it is for now. The walls area a medium shade of a dusty blue and it actually coordinates with the bold colors nicely. I got his C-O-N-N-O-R letters up on the wall today and that was the finishing touch. Now if I could just get the rest of the house to that level of completion! (he still needs some sort of blinds, but that will just have to wait...)

Love and hugs from the great white north....even though we don't have any snow on the ground here, it is March 3 and is currently 18º outside....thank goodness my blood has thickened and our new house is nice and toasty.

What a Crazy Moving Weekend!!

It is Monday (oops...Sunday) evening and both of the men in my life are napping. (I probably should be too!) We all need a good rest! I'm not going to go into too many crazy details, but the truck arrived to deliver our stuff on Friday morning. To our unpleasant surprise, our driver only hired 1 person to help unload. AND Rod is a talker. So, needless to say, they didn't finish. They did get the truck empty but most of the stuff was still in our garage....not so happy about that one! All I can say is THANK GOODNESS Leslie and Mary were in town to take care of Connor. They actually kept him at the hotel on Friday night in our room. The whole moving in process took forever and was freezing because there is no point in turning the heat on when all the doors are open! So, it was about 47º inside the house! My face and lips are pretty chapped from the cold...sheesh.

We hated to call and complain to the moving company about the lack of help, but Saturday morning Rod was back and got one additional guy to help. When I saw that he was moving stuff wearing only a t-shirt I knew he was either from here or needed to borrow a coat....he was from here.... Saturday went smoothly, much less chatter and they at least got everything put in the proper room (out of the garage). We've still got a ton of unpacking to do, but it will just take time.

While we were managing the movers and doing more work than we were supposed to, Leslie, Mary and Connor hung out at the hotel and frequented the mall. (I still haven't been to it, but they say it is awesome.) Connor got to hang out in a car stroller, watch tons of kids and even take his picture on the merry-go-round! Of course I think his most favorite times were playing "naked baby on the mat". This is one of my new favorites.....and it is an accurate picture of what he usually looks like when he is happy!
Anyway, we all slept here at the house last night, but let Mitsy and Toonces spend one more night at the hotel with the rest of our stuff. We got them this morning after Leslie and Mary headed back to Ohio. Their tails are up now after exploring for a few hours straight. Of course leave it to Mitsy to find one area under our kitchen cabinets that has a hole.....she was pawing at it and doing her best to get inside. Thankfully, she doesn't fit otherwise we would be in really bad shape!

Ok, I will add more later. Although I should be unpacking and organizing I am going to see if I can hunt down our TiVo remote so I can watch some recorded shows from last week. We will get tv and internet on Tuesday....I just need to veg a little right now.

Which Would You Choose? (WWYC #1)

It is 3:45 am and I should be sleeping, but I just had a cover design approved and I needed to do a little work, so I'm getting it done. In the process, I thought it might be fun to play a little game....the "Which Would You Choose?" game. I've played this game with some friends and family in person and am always intrigued by the response. I'm definitely not going to do this with all my covers, but perhaps a trade* cover every now and then.

So, if you want to play, just leave a comment telling me which one you think is best. I recommend clicking on the image to see it enlarged. In a few days, I'll reveal the one that was selected by the editors. And for the record, this is just a handful of the designs submitted.

*Trade" means it will be in Barnes & Noble/Borders/etc.

Please ignore the "JupiterImages" watermark on the
background image of #2....it will not be there.