Check out the photo album for some updated pictures from the holidays, especially of my sweethearts Natalie and Tally. I also added a new WordPress plugin called Lifestream. On it you can see my latest Twitters, Facebook status, Digg links, and Last.fm loved songs among other things. Obviously something to check out if you’re really bored.

Last night my brother and I went out for a bit. He hadn’t heard of pull tabs before. I bought three to show him how they worked and ended up winning $115!

Daily Journal gambling, Lifestream, Twitter

Tally brought Natalie in yesterday for her two-month checkup. She now weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 22 inches long. The poor baby had to put up with three shots in her thighs. She of course was screaming after that and it took 10 minutes for Tally to calm her down again.

Last weekend Natalie was able to meet Santa Claus for the first time at my dad’s work’s Christmas party. She seemed fine with it but we were all joking that next year, when she realizes she’s being held by a big guy in a funny suit with a giant beard, she’ll probably cry.

Daily Journal, Natalie

I ran a 5k yesterday along with more than 700 of my Cargill coworkers in the 5th annual Turkey Trek. I did jog a few times this summer but I was definitely slowing down around the 4k mark. I finished with a time of 29′ 58″ which I’m happy with. I’ll make it a goal to practice for next year’s race and bring that down. My cousins recently trained for and completed a marathon in Chicago which makes me look like a weakling in comparison but I don’t mind because that goes for just about everyone else too =).

Natalie has been acting up somewhat more in the last few weeks, keeping Tally and me up. Sometimes she continues to cry or whine when she has a clean diaper, is fed, burped and is being held which is so frustrating because we don’t know what else she could want. I think part of it is due to an upset stomach for which the doctor suggested we switch to soy formula and give her an antiflatulent (hehe) called simethicone.

Natalie accomplishment, colic, jogging

I’m in Atlanta all this week learning the ABAP programming language for work. So far, so good. Yesterday was the first day of class and was mostly review but I’m sure I will be learning a lot starting today. Last night Tony and I ate at Taco Mac where they have 100 beers on tap. I asked for a local brew and ended up with Sweetwater Blue which smells and tastes like blueberries! Everyone give a shout out to Tally, I know she’s pretty stressed having to take care of Natalie on her own for a week.

Travel Atlanta, beer, work

Here’s the story:

I go into Bruegger’s Bagels to order a Cinnamon Sugar bagel with cream cheese. As I’m waiting for my bagel, an older fella walks up to me and says, “Oh, so you have a little one on the way?” Caught completely off-guard, I look down at my tummy and respond, “Oh, I had one a few weeks ago.” He then points to his own tummy and asks, “Oh, so you still…,” before I decide to cut him off with, “Yeah, it’s still going down.” It was obvious he didn’t know what to say (although he should have apologized), and he asked whether I had a boy or a girl. I answered that I had had a girl. He congratulated me and then walked out the door. I just stood in awe for about 30secs when the cashier handed over my bagel. I quickly said, “Thanks,” and rushed out the door.

And just so this is clear to everyone, before this incident I was already quite aware of the small pouch (or so I thought) that sits where my waist used to be.

Also, I want to add that I forgive that man. I know he wasn’t trying to insult me. I’m sure he really did believe I was a few months pregnant. But for Pete’s sake, he could have apologized!

P.S. If I weren’t against littering, I’d have tossed the damn bagel out the car window!

P.P.S. And yes, I ate it.

Daily Journal

Natalie’s due date was today but since she was a bit early she turns three weeks old tomorrow. It’s hard to believe she’s been with us only that little while, it seems like she’s been a part of the family forever. It could be because she is so darn cute, I already can’t imagine life without her. Or, maybe it’s because of all the sleepless nights I’ve had lately =).

In other news, Tally and I ran out and bought Rock Band 2 on Tuesday. It was expensive but there are a lot of songs on there that we both like. It’s also a game that we can play together and something fun to do when friends come over. We’ve already played a few “gigs” and are on our way toward virtual fame with me as lead guitarist and Tally as the drummer. We need a singer, is anyone game?

Natalie games, Natalie, Rock Band

So I’ve pawned the baby off onto Matt for an hour or two. I’ve been constantly watching her since Monday. This is a much-needed break from the world of motherhood. I’m enjoying a glass of wine and hoping to catch an episode of “Mad Men.” Matt is on the couch with Natalie. She has been fed and diapered, so I have no reason to feel guilty, lol.

We have a few updates to share:

1. Saturday we went to the dealership and found a car. It’s a red ‘09 Corolla S. I feel as if I’m driving a rental, but I love this car.

2. Natalie’s bilirubin level decreased dramatically. It went from 14.6 to 7 in 3 days, without the use of her biliblanket. We finally get to rid ourselves of that hassle. She hated it!

Well, I’m going to catch the show now. I’ll write more when I’m less tired.

Daily Journal, Natalie

Natalie Jane Toso
Born: October 10, 2008 at 1:48am
Weight: 5 pounds 13 ounces

Natalie Natalie

Friday

I took off workon Friday so that we wouldn’t be rushed on our drive up north. Our destination was a bed and breakfast on the Gunflint Trail, 30 miles past Grand Marais. Tally and I were excited for a last get-away before the baby came. I heard that it was peak colors up there so I was excited for some quiet hiking, canoeing, and stargazing under the changing leaves.

The owners of the B&B are an elderly couple named Barbara and Ted. When I told Barbara over the phone that Tally was nine months pregnant, she was concerned that she would have trouble on the guided canoe trip we had signed up for–there would be uneven ground, a fair amount of walking, and getting into and out of canoes. I told her that, while yes she was quite pregnant, she was still mobile and could walk just fine but at Barbara’s insistance we got a note from the midwife saying that she was good to go. The only restriction was that she couldn’t walk more than a mile at a time.

Borrowing my parents’ TT, we left home in the late morning and made it up to Grand Marais around 5pm. We had an hour or two to kill so we explored the main street there. We ended up eating some of the “world’s greatest donuts,” bought some homemade fudge (chocoloate-walnut and chocolate-caramel), and ate some much-needed dinner at the Gun Flint Tavern. We then made our way down the beautiful Gunflint, overshot our destination by about 10 miles, made our way back and finally arrived at the Poplar Creek Guesthouse.

Saturday

Sunday

Travel