SMC event in NYC coming this October

SMC's 30th Anniversary Celebration

Registration is now open for the SMC gathering
in New York City, October 14-16th, 2011.

You can now register for the celebration, look at the agenda, and make a hotel reservation.

The site is password protected so you'll have to first request the password by emailing: smc-office at pipeline dot com

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 18 - 21

30 day non-challenge day 18-21
Want to play along?


Day 18- How do you feel about astrology? What's your sign, baby, and do think it matches your personality?
I think it's fun to read my horoscope every once in awhile and I look at as entertainment (especially the Oni.ons horoscopes). When I was TTC I used to read my monthly horoscope hoping for some indication that this next cycle was going to be the one. I also have been known to buy a lottery ticket or two because it said I had a lucky money day. I'm a Gemini and I think that it sort of matches my personality but then again if I read another sign's by mistake I can find bits of myself in those too.

Day 19- How do you feel about PDA?
I'm ok with some hand holding and a quick smooch here and there but I'm not a big fan of groping and tonsil exams. If you wouldn't do it in front of your grandmother then please don't do it in the grocery store.

Day 20- What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for you? Did you repay the kindness?
Ooooh, good one! I'm happy to say that I'm having a hard time coming up with the kindest. I'm thinking about which one to choose and I'm finding that I originally ruled some out because the gesture came from people that you just expect to do things for you - like my mother. Mom is always just a phone call away if I need something. When I was pregnant I suffered from all day morning sickness and a few times it was so bad that one night that I called my mother in tears and she drove right over and took care of the clean-up and made me a buffet of bland foods to try and keep down. After Mr. O was born my mom stayed with us for a few weeks and made sure that the only thing I had to worry about was the baby. She cleaned the house, cooked for me and didn't make a big deal out of me crying over the silliest things. She was super respectful of making sure that I got plenty of bonding time with the baby even though I imagine it was tough for her not to swoop in and steal all the cuddles.

I'm a stickler for thank you notes when I receive a gift or if someone does something extra nice for me. I really try to pay forward any kindnesses that I receive. I could however do a better job of recognizing and paying back the folks closest to me because I often just assume that they know how I feel.

Day 21- What child(rens) names do you like that your partner hates and thus you could never use?
Luckily the upside to doing this on my own is that I didn't have to negotiate names!

Boston Choice Mom networking event on Sunday, June 26.

There are only a few seats left for the Boston Choice Mom networking event on Sunday, June 26
If you're still thinking about maybe going register now before it's too late!

I hope to see you there!

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 15 - 17

30 day non-challenge Day 15 - 17


Day 15- What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc.?

I had lots of fun in college. Lots of fun. I graduated 10 years late kind of fun. It wasn't all about drinking and partying it was all about getting really involved with my boyfriend and the school's radio station. I made some really amazing friends and the skills I learned running that radio station are the skills I use everyday in my career.

Day 16- How many friends do you have in real life that you talk to regularly? How many friends do you have that are "true blue" and how long have you known them?

I don't connect with my friends as much as I would like these days. I'm still in that new baby bubble and most of them are well past the little kid stage or have no interest in family style fun. Fac.ebook makes it easy to have the appearance of keeping in touch because you can keep up with the big events without having to put much effort into the relationship but it's not really the same thing. I'm starting to make more of an effort to re-connect with my friends by making plans to do grown up things but truthfully I would really much rather be home reading stories or building block towers for Mr. O to knock over.

In the 'true blue' category I have a few wonderful friends.
A is my BFF from the old neighborhood and we've known each other for almost 30 years (yikes!). She knows the real me and even if we don't talk for long periods of time (sometimes a year or two has gone by) we can pick up right where we left off. We are unconditionally there for each other. Love her :)

M is a dear friend, ex-boyfriend, just a friend, ex-boyfriend, just a friend... We met almost 20 years ago and I'll always love him. He knows me very well and we've supported each other through some tough times. Our relationship has changed dramatically now that I'm a Mom and I think we're still working through those changes.

I met P at work a dozen years ago and we just 'get' each other. We crack each other up. Some people find us really annoying to around because we tend to speak our own language.

Day 17- What is your favorite thing about parenthood? Your least favorite?

There are so many amazing things about parenthood. I'm just loving all of it and I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a mom. I love watching O try to figure things out and it's so wonderful when he does something new. He's walking now and he's so excited about wearing shoes. He tells me all about his SHOOOS while I'm putting them on him. He tries to make me laugh by making goofy faces or blowing raspberries on my belly or arm. He climbs up onto my lap for cuddles and kisses and his face lights up every time I walk into his line of sight.

My least favorite are the sleep struggles. It was just so frustrating trying to get him to sleep for the night because after a long day of baby duty I look forward to bedtime so that I can get some me time. I made some changes and put more predictable structure around bedtime and eliminated distractions and it's been better but every once in awhile it still takes too long to get him settled. On those tough days I just keep reminding myself that I wanted this more than anything and that these rough patches are just a phase. We're also at the beginning of tantrums and while right now they are kind of cute I can totally see them overtaking sleep struggles as my least favorite!

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 11 - 14

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 11
Want to play along?

Day 11 – In what ways does being a SMC impact your experience of parenting?

I would say that being a choice mother means that I approached parenting very deliberately. Becoming a parent wasn't something that just happened by accident. It was something that for me took lots (and lots, and lots, and lots...) of thought, planning and soul searching. I set out to have a child on my own and I went into it knowing that I would be the sole provider for all of my child's many needs. There would be no days off and there wouldn't be another parent that is equally responsible for my son's well being. It's all me all the time. Sometimes that can be pretty overwhelming but even in those tough moments I still don't regret my choice. I'm very aware that I am the only parent and it's really forced me to face my own mortality. I am much more cautious and have made changes that I hope will increase my chances of seeing my son grow up. I take my own health much more seriously and I now wear my seat belt every single time no exceptions. I have already started telling my son his story and how we became a family. I'm providing my extended family with the language I prefer and making sure that they get any discomfort they have with his story out of their systems now before he's old enough to pick up on it. My not too social self is making it a point to reach out and make connections with other families like ours so that he will know others with similar stories.

Day 12- Tell us about the first time you got drunk (as far as you can remember...)
First time? That's a tough one. I drank maybe two or three times before college and I think the buzz I felt was due more to me and my friends being all goofed up on the idea of being drunk than actually being anywhere close to being drunk. I doubt sharing a wine cooler did much damage. College was really where the drunk happened. I don't really remember the first time but I do remember that me and my BFF knew we had arrived at drunk if we couldn't feel our teeth.

Day 13- Tell us about the best job you ever had, and the worst
Hmmm, they might be one and the same!

Day 14- How do you typically dress? How do you like to dress your kid?
I own more pajama pants than actual pants. Most days I am dressed extremely casual and it's not unusual for me to shower in the morning and then put on clean pjs. If I'm actually going to leave the house my usual uniform is jeans and a black shirt of some kind or v-neck sweater.
Mr. O is much more stylish than his Mama. I don't like shirts with lots of cartoony goofy things on them or too generic BOYish. My favorite things of his are a Mr. Potato Head shirt, ET t-shirt all of his I love Mommy shirts and shirts with fake ties on them. He mostly wears cotton pants because they are easy to move around in but I do love how he look in his overalls. He also has lots of clothes with monkeys on them because who doesn't love monkeys!?

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 10

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 10
Want to play along?

Day 10 – Share your favorite recipe

This is my great grandfather's recipe for Portuguese Favas




I make it at Christmas time for our family's party and it's taken me a few years to get it just right.

Happy Day

Two years ago today Mr. O was created and our journey together began. I had such hope and a tingly feeling when I hopped off the table after the IUI. Today that little bundle of cells is just as busy as he was then. He took his first steps 2 weeks ago and in the last few days he's been working really hard to master walking across the room. He still needs to hold on to something in order to get to his feet but I'm sure it won't be long before he can do it without assistance. O has been talking up a storm and I was amazed the other day when I started listing the words he can say and understand. I counted up to 40 words! Mama, Star, Duck, Mickey Mouse and Flower are his favorites and he points them out whenever and where ever he sees them. He knows some of his body parts and will point to them when asked - nose, eye, ear, mouth, tongue, teeth, BELLY, knee, fingers and toes. Toes are the cutest because when you ask him where they are he wiggles them for a bit before grabbing them. Another cute for now but I'm sure it will get old fast trick of Mr. O's is a new found love of the word NO and temper tantrums. If you take something away it's No, No, No! I tried to take away a spoon that he was using to steal ice cream from my bowl and he started flailing about while shrieking NO NO NO! Peek-a-Boo is still his #1 game but playing catch with a ball is a close second.

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 9
Want to play along?

Day 9 – What is the most important lesson you learned from your own mother (or other primary caretaker)?

I was raised by a single mother and the most important lesson she taught me was that women could do anything a man a could and if you were willing to put in the hard work then there was nothing that you couldn't accomplish. The second most important and really just about tied with the first is that nothing is more important than family.

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 8

30 Day Non-Challenge Day 8
Want to play along?
Day 8 – If you had to teach something, what would you teach? (If you DO teach, when did you discover your love for teaching/the subject?)
If I know how to do something than I'm pretty good at showing others how to do it, too. I'm pretty good at translating technical babble into understandable instructions. Of course there are some folks who will just never understand (my mother!) how to use gadgets.

Day 7 of the Non-Challenge

I've decided to participate in The new 30 Day Non-Challenge! to get my blogging rolling again. I'll catch up with the days I missed hopefully this week. Want to play along? Some of the questions are 2 Mom focused but I'll just make those fit my SMC life.

Day 7 – What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? If you have children, what are their favorites?

Breakfast - Me: I don't normally eat breakfast but I do love eating out for breakfast. Love going to a diner and ordering two eggs over medium with homefries and toast. If I'm extra hungry and the grill is extra greasy I'll order a grilled bagel with cream cheese.

O: He seems to be a fan of scrambled eggs with cheese and a green veggie mixed in. Most days he has a banana or apple with a handful of cheerios and sometimes cheese or yogurt.

Lunch - Me: I'm a sandwich kind of gal. Salami with cheese on white bread w/ mayo is my favorite but I don't have it very often. It reminds me of when I was kid and would have lunch in my Nana's air conditioned tiny kitchen.

O: His naps usually fall right around lunch time so middle of the day is usually just a snack. Cheese stick, some kind of fruit, or leftover eggs from breakfast.


Dinner - Me: Honestly I should have answered all 3 meals with this... PIZZA.
O: A 3 way tie with pasta with scrambled hamburger, steak and an orange. Oranges are the only food that never ever get tossed onto the floor.

Catching up on Days 1-6 of the Non-Challenge

All caught up! Want to play along?

Day 1 – Provide a picture of the space where you normally blog
I'm going to skip the photo because the space that I normally blog is in serious need of some cleaning. I have my laptop on top of an orange storage tub beside my bed. It allows me to get my internet fix while laying down in bed so while not very pretty it works.

Day 2 -Describe your high school self. What extracurricular activities, if any, did you participate in during high school?
High school me was happy. I had great friends, great hair and a pair of kick-ass acid wash jeans.

Day 3 -What are your guilty pleasures?
Chocolate shakes. I started drinking them while I was pregnant because they would stay down more often than other food and it's been a hard habit to break (...is that Chicago I hear?).

Day 4 – (for parents) What has most surprised you about parenthood?
(for parents-to-be) What has most surprised you about ttc?
I've been surprised at how easy it has been to have my life completely changed. I think that it's felt easy because I expected it to be so much more difficult.

Day 5 -What do you prefer to do on your birthday? If you have children, what do you prefer to do for their birthday?
Every year my Mom calls me at the exact time that I was born. I like to drive up to Maine and have lunch or dinner at a diner that makes an outrageously delicious chocolate chip cookie dough pie and do some outlet shopping.


Day 6 – When was the last time you tried something new? What was it and what was the result?

I tried brussel sprouts for the first a few weeks ago and I was surprised to find that I liked them. I'm trying to keep an open mind about what I feed Mr. O and model a willingness to try new things.