Bob's got a girlfriend

Well, week one in NYC is successfully completed and week two is well on its way! This week, Bob introduced me to his girlfriend Abba. Abba is very sweet and cute. She's a bit smaller than Bob but the two of them follow each other around quite a bit!

A couple people have asked me if it is "fun" or "neat" being in NY in the fall. Do I see the fall colors? The leaves changing? Enjoy the cool weather? And the shopping?.... Well, unless there's a tree that is going to sprout out of the middle of the conference room table or in my hotel room, the answer is "no". And at 9pm at night when I'm in a taxi on my way back to the hotel room it is difficult to decipher the colors of the leaves on the trees. Sigh. Since I'm here for 3 weeks, I've got some hope that I will get the afternoon off so I can hit up my favorite shoe store here soon. **Somewhere Mike's ears just perked up a little bit and he's checking the bank account.**

This is one view I get to see everyday.

That's the view of downtown from my conference room here in midtown. Straight ahead is where we used to see the twin towers. To the far right is New Jersey and in the middle there you can barely see the statue of liberty. I can also see the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges to the left (not shown). It is an absolutely stunning view that I am not going to complain about.

What I will complain about is the fact that I apparently think sitting in this conference room is equivalent to running a marathon. I'm burning calories by typing on my computer and looking out this window right?? I have shown no willpower when it comes to food and drinks. My daily diet usually consists of a latte and oatmeal, mid-morning snack, sandwich / soup for lunch...this is where it gets bad...a cookie (or two) for snack, can of coke at 3pm, potato chips at around 5pm, dinner at 9pm-ish that consists of appetizer, BIG entree, dessert, oh...and 2 glasses of wine. I am changing this today. I'm off to a good start so far but the afternoon is still ahead of me.

Hello from the East side!

New York that is. Someone severed my right arm (aka split me from my baby) and put me on a plane to NYC for a three week trip for work. I've been working on a pretty high profile case that is finally going to trial so we are headed to NY to prep for my boss to testify. Although it is going to be a GREAT experience career-wise, I miss Mike and Cavin more than I could ever have imagined.

I've been planning for this trip for weeks. Between making sure I have all of my pump supplies in order to calling the local UPS store and hotel to ensure that I can ship dry ice and freeze my milk properly, I didn't have much time to think about the fact that I was really going to be away from my baby for almost a month of his life. SO much happens in one month!

I cried 3 separate times the morning I had to go to the airport. I knew I was leaving him in great hands with his daddy but I couldn't help but feel completely guilty and nervous. Was Cavin going to acclimate to the new schedule? Was he going to notice me not around? Will Mike know where Cavin's favorite nap blanket is? Will Cavin's wardrobe be up to par without me laying out his clothes every night?? I had real concerns people!

I survived the 6 hour plane ride over to the East side and was greeted by a glass of champagne, compliments of the hotel upon check-in...


Hmmm....that was one positive to this trip.

Then I learned that our hotel loans you one of their goldfish to stay in your room with you for the duration of your trip. Meet Bob.

Bob has quickly assumed the role that Cavin, Toby, Sandy, and Jerry usually fill. He is my 'kid' while I'm away from my kids. I feed him, talk to him, tell him "good night", "good morning", ask him how his day was, and in general, make sure he is alive and well. I'm really going to miss Bob when I go home this weekend but I know he'll be back here to greet me and tell me all about his weekend when I get back next week.

Half way there!

Today marks Cavin's 6 month birthday! We are so proud of our little (well, 'big' relative to 6 months ago) baby boy and I promise to give a 'formal' monthly update, compliments of an Elmo picture, this weekend...lots has happened this month!



Is it wrong to already be planning his 1st birthday party? Because I am. Marisa is booked and ready to go on the cake (hello...most important part!) and invitations! I realize how insane that sounds, but her baking is THAT good. Cavin's first sweet treat needs to be made by the best! He's got Hanley in his blood and if there is one thing the Hanley's do best - it is mixing sugar, butter, and carbs in such a way that your mouth cannot help but eat more than your brain thinks it is capable of. In other words, Cavin is sure to stuff his face.


Happy 1/2 Birthday honey bunny!

There's only one thing better than a Cavin...

...and that's TWO Cavins.

Cavin has become obsessed with himself lately...or really...obsessed with that other kid hanging out in his room with him that likes to wear EXACTLY the same thing he wears every day. No matter where he is in his room, he finds his 'friend' and scoots and rolls closer and closer to him for playtime. His new 'friend' is hilarious...even more funny than Sandy! He likes to touch is hand, nuzzle his nose, laugh, smile, and roll around with him.

I'm thinking this will buy Mike and I some time in the 'when am I going to get a baby brother / sister?' arena. We'll just stick him in front of the mirror with a 'here you go'!

California finally figured it out

That is, where good beer comes from.

Mike, Cavin, and I visited the Lafayette Art and Wine festival this past weekend. Now I'll admit, I wasn't too keen on attending this affair as I was recovering from a really tough work week, not looking forward to the crowds, forgot my ID (so it was really just an art festival to me), and we had to cancel some dinner plans that I was looking forward to in order to drink wine and look at art.

So fast forward to Mike loading me up on beer so I would have a good time. As I stood next to yet another tent where a local made their version of trendy clothes and jewelry I waited for Mike to return with his beer. He rushed towards me with wide eyes and beer in hand. He handed it to me and said "here, try this Amber". Okay, so I did. I had a really confused look on my face as I was expecting a sharp taste like many other micro brews I've had recently. Yet this, this was smoooooth. He said "be careful what you say here...its one you've had before". I said "well, I like it! It's smoooooth. Must be a Coors product." That comment should have earned me big time points not only with Mike but also with his family and Mines friends but I digress. He proceeded to inform me that it was Shiner.

Ah.....Shiner Boch. My favorite Texas beer. Brewed in Shiner, Texas...home of many Boch-toberfests and the topic of so many Texas country songs...my favorite by Robert Earl Keene ("There's a girl in her bare feet asleep, in the back seat and my trunk is full of Shiner Boch and Lone Star"). Oh how I missed you Shiner. You were my friend for so many years. Oh how I've missed you so...

And that, my friends, is how you turn a grumpy Jamie into a happy girl who loves art and wine...a little bit of beer and a whole lot of Texas.

Yeehaw.

Move over Angelina and Shiloh....

....there's a new mommy / baby team turning heads in California!


Well, the paparazzi have finally caught up to Cavin and myself. After gallivanting across the bay area unleashed for 3 months during my maternity leave, they were finally able to get a picture of Cavin and I playing around after we went on one of our morning run / walks. I'm sure this picture was sold to the magazine for millions as we were highly sought out!







Those of you who know my obsession with US Weekly understand how exciting this is for me!



Link to the full article: http://www.californiacoastparent.com/onlineMag/CCPonline_Aug_Sep09_Zone1/index.html



Next up....a cover on Working Mother magazine. Or better yet, People!

Happy Five Month Birthday Cavin!

One month until the half way mark! Our baby boy has made big strides this month...so much so that I feel like I cannot keep up. He's bouncing harder and faster in his bouncy chair, rolls around faster than we can walk across the room to catch him, verbalizing words only Baby Einstein can understand, survives weekends without mommy (wish I could say the same for myself without him), has learned pitches that only the dogs can hear, upgraded to size 3 diapers, wears 6 months+ clothing (some of which is still too short!), reaches out to grab toys, loves hanging out on his tummy, pushes his upper body up to support himself on his hands, is showing early signs of teething (drooling and chomping down on anything he can fit in his mouth), and can sit up unsupported for 10-20 seconds - sometimes longer, many times shorter.

Cavin is surprising us each and every day with his development. And as I say every month, his personality cannot be beat! He is calm, sweet, mellow, fun, entertaining, and hilarious. Also, he has really taken to the animals this month. Every time one walks past him he smiles really big and lets out a big giggle. His favorite you ask? That's no surprise - Sandy. Even Mike will agree that he has found a best friend in Sandy. A typical scenario in our lives involves Mike and myself basically bouncing on our heads trying to make this little boy giggle. Yet Sandy walking across the room?? Friggin' riot! We are talking baby bouncing up and down, wiggling his legs, screeching laughter. I agree Sandy is one hilarious dog but I think I'm pretty funny too sometimes. Apparently fur and a tail is the ticket.

Clearly, daddy was funny this afternoon:

The comment we get most about Cavin (other than him being the cutest baby in the whole wide world) is how tall he is. Well no one should be surprised by looking at his parents. This month Cavin decided to stand on Elmo to show the world just how tall he really is!

And on to the stats! These are somewhat informal as we have moved past the monthly doctor's visits. Therefore we were required to weigh / measure Cavin at home. That experience only could provide us with an entirely new blog post but we won't go there.

Height: 27.5 inches

Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces

Happy Birthday Cavin!