Happy New Year!

Just wanted to do a quick post to say Happy New Year to everyone! Here's to a happy, healthy and fun-filled 2009 for you all. And now it's time to start thinking of some resolutions...

Holiday Fun

We hope all of you had a nice Christmas, whether you were celebrating traditionally or doing the movie and Chinese food thing like us. We've had a great couple of days off to just enjoy some time together and with friends.

On Christmas Eve we headed over to Tom and Kristin's to help them celebrate Christmas Eve. Since they are couch-bound this year, they weren't able to get home to see their families. So we tried to substitute as best as we could. We ordered in dinner from Angelina and it was really yummy food. And then we just hung out and got a chance to catch up, check out the progress they've made on their nursery and admire all their pretty Christmas decorations. I love Christmas decorations. I always tell Jody it's a good thing it's not our holiday because I'd probably spend way too much money on whatever decorations I could get my hands on. It works out best to just admire our friends' decor.

On Christmas, we did our usual Christmas tradition of going to a movie and getting Chinese food. We saw "Slumdog Millionaire," and it was an awesome movie. The way the whole story unfolded was really neat and the movie was so well done. It's a bit of a tearjerker, but what isn't these days? I mean, I'm tearing up at just about everything I see or read lately. Jody was completely dry-eyed in the movie.

We also got a chance to introduce Charlie to one of our favorite dogs: Hire's dog Lafawnduh. We love Lafawnduh. She's an adorable blood hound and has such a funny little personality. We really thought she and Charlie would hit it off. But, Charlie was being so annoying and wouldn't stop barking at her to get her to play with him. Lafawnduh was way too mature for Charlie and just kept her cool as Charlie tried everything he could to get her to play. They finally got to run around and play a bit in the park, but as soon as they were back inside Charlie was back to his loud barky, still-a-puppy self. Poor Lafawnduh may never come back to visit!

All in all, it's been a great way to celebrate the end of the year and the whole holiday season. Hope you're all having fun with friends and family, too!

Happy Pooch

Charlie got in on the Chanukah celebrations tonight with his new blue-and-white Chanukah toy. He loved it so much that his eyes went totally possessed in these shots...still pretty darn cute, though.

It starts with a game of tug-of-war with Jody...an all-time favorite.

Success. Overpowering Jody...at least on the rug. The wood floor is another story.
Time to roll around and figure out how to tear this thing apart.
Back to assumed evening position...keeping the new toy close at all times, of course.

Happy Chanukah

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah. It's always fun when Chanukah comes in the same week as Christmas. With it being so ridiculously freezing outside today, I can't think of a better thing to do tonight than celebrate, light some candles and stay inside! Hope you are all staying warm and to those of you celebrating tonight and for the next 8 nights, have a very Happy Chanukah!

Is This Nesting?

So last weekend it hit us that we have really done nothing to prepare for the baby in terms of getting the room ready and whatnot. We hadn't started started shopping, researching, etc. until last weekend. Yes, a lot of that is superstition on my part, but with the countdown on it's probably time to plan, right? After brunch last weekend with the Stierwalts, Steve and Jeremy, Catherine, and Tom, some panic definitely started to creep in. I think it started when Tom was talking about how he and Kristin had already ordered several cribs only to have their orders cancelled--and they started ordering in October. (BTW, they're due within a week of us.) At that point I was convinced our child was going to have to sleep in a laundry basket. Thus, the panic.

Later on as I explained to Beth my newfound realization that we are so not prepared, she said that I must be hitting the nesting phase. No way, she couldn't be right. This is nesting? I mean, the word "nesting" sounds all warm and fuzzy. Uh, not so much. In reality, apparently nesting is comprised of panic, insomnia and fatigue. I feel so misled.

Luckily, Jody and I are feeling a bit better now. We've both been doing Internet research, reading "Baby Bargains," talking to friends and realizing that if we don't have everything all set before Baby Schwartz comes, we'll survive. Plus, we're going to hit the 'burbs this weekend to see how this shopping thing goes. I'm dreading the Babies R Us experience, but I guess it's just another pre-baby right of passage. And don't worry, the whole laundry basket idea has been shelved. We have a pac-n-play from my parents already that can tide us over if all else fails.

A Little Self-Promotion

Since people are often asking me what kind of thing I'm writing these days, I figured I could start posting some of my stories up here for anyone who's interested in reading them. That gives me a chance for a some shameless self-promotion and gives you all a chance to waste even more time on the Internet. Your welcome.

This year was a slower year for me than last year, partially by my own choice and partially because the economy sucks. So, this year the majority of my work came from several business-to-business magazines and all of the work I do as the Managing Editor of Nurses Lounge magazine. But, I'll try to just post some human interest stuff and some niche articles that may interest some of you.

For now, here is an article that is in the December issue of Today's Chicago Woman. Click on this link to get to the story:
http://www.tcwmag.com/interviews.aspx?interviewID=56

This was a really tough piece to write because it is such a tragic story about a young woman facing ovarian cancer. But, when I met Kelly at a Starbucks in the Gold Coast for the interview, I was struck first of all by how much she looked like Reese Witherspoon and how young she was. Then she just totally blew me away with her positive attitude and outlook on all of this. In the end, I was really happy to get to tell Kelly's story and spread the word for her.

Bump Watch

We're officially into the last quarter, hitting 30 weeks this weekend! I'm still feeling pretty good, just a bit more tired and a lot more chubby. Jody's been awesome at helping me out as I lose steam and find it harder and harder to get up from sitting or laying position!

I haven't posted belly pictures through this, mostly because I just never really felt that whole glowy pregnant thing. But, we have been taking the pictures, and people have been asking. So, here goes: bump shots of the last two months. 23 weeks (top) vs. 30 weeks (bottom):