01.07.10: 31 Thursdays Ago

I've been trying to post things other than baby stuff here, but this is worthy of appearing on both my personal blog and the baby blog.
31 Thursdays ago at this very moment I was in a hospital bed, watching The Simpsons with my husband, waiting on the nurses to come and get the room set up for pushing.
2 hours and 25 minutes later I was holding my little monkey man.
One week later, when we brought him home from the hospital the second time, we took a picture of him with his monkey friends:
Unbelievable!

Wordless Wednesday: He Brings Me Flowers

01.06.10
for no reason

Confession is good for the soul

It is January 5th.
It is 2 in the afternoon.
A.J. is wearing a Christmas sleeper.
It's the same Christmas sleeper I put him in after bath last night.

Just in case someone was thinking of nominating me for Mother of the Year, I figured it was best to get this skeleton out of my closet straight away. Sometimes, A.J. wears his jammies all day, just like his mama. And I fully intend to let him wear his first Christmas sleepers until they no longer fit. It seems wasteful not to do so. And I'm pretty sure there is no "What Not to Wear: Baby Edition" on the schedule for TLC.

P.S.- It took 15 shots for me to get that picture up there. Do you know how hard it is to capture baby feet when the baby in question is awake and attempting to roll away from you? This was the only shot remotely in focus, and then I had to do some creative cropping so you wouldn't see the dog hair that is magically attracted to fleece sleepers.

P.P.S- The Biggest Loser starts tonight. I predict I will cry at least once. I also predict I will feel guilty about whatever it is I am snacking on while watching.

Me on Monday: Week One

In honor of the new year, yet another attempt at Project 365, and a new commitment to blogging, I decided I needed a few mini projects to carry me through the year.

So here we are, my first Monday self portrait. Kind of a cop out since you can't really *see* me, but this wasn't exactly a photo friendly kind of day. I was spoiled by two weeks of family time without an alarm clock. 6am came way too early.

Sunday Snapshot: My Guys

Just a little peek into Sunday evening for the Homburg clan. A boy, his Dad and his Moose having a meeting of the minds.

Here's to a weekend with the perfect mix of productivity and relaxing moments.
Back to the real world tomorrow. After two weeks of a loose schedule, that alarm is going to be brutal in the morning.

January 2nd: Focus on Family and Friends

Perk #524 of being a parent: kids toys provide entertainment for grown ups too. Love watching Karl play with the monkey man's new blocks. Can't wait until A.J. is big enough to help in the construction.

Even though Auntie Barb came over to scrap with me, A.J. thinks everyone who walks in the door is here to play with him. Truth: he's often right. Thankful for time to hang out with a friend who knows me and loves me anyway.

In 2010: Focus

I'm sure most of the people who read this (Does anyone still read this? I mean it's not like I've posted anything in...oh 4 months!) know the story of one little word. Inspired by a post on Ali's blog on the eve of 2007, I chose one word to guide me during the upcoming year rather than making a bunch of resolutions.

In 2007, my word was FORWARD. By the end of the year I had given my notice at the television station and committed to working full time in photography. In 2008, I chose the word BLISS, making a promise myself to chase after the things that made me truly happy. That's the year I started this blog. And the year we found another infertility specialist. And the year I got over my fear of needles so that I could inject myself with crazy hormones. But those hormones made me a MAMA! What a blissful year 2008 was! Last year I chose the word BLESSED as a reminder to focus on all of the amazing things happening in my life. Being mama to Anderson James is the most amazing blessing.

Now I'm welcoming 2010 with a new word to guide the first year in a new decade. That word is FOCUS. It seems quite fitting for a photographer to choose the word focus, but my love of photography really didn't play much of a role in my decision. The word "found me" a few weeks ago, while I was having one of many conversations with Barb (this one happened over the most amazing meal I've had in many many months but that's another story). The underlying theme of the conversation was that I was overwhelmed with a feeling that I "sucked at life." That's elloquent, right? What I meant was I had so many balls in the air, and a to do list so long, that just the idea of tackling any one thing was enough to send me over the edge. Barb, being the smart person she is, suggested making a smaller list from my big to do list and trying to tackle 7 things a day. The list is still long, but the portion feels more manageable. That concept helped me make it through my first holiday season as a mama.

So how will FOCUS help me in 2010? Well, I'm hoping that one little word will help me set manageable goals in this new year. To start off with, I plan to:

• Focus on Family: I am not capable of loving anything more than I love the two guys in my life. I want to make sure they know that in 2010.
  
• Focus on Friends and Fun: I am blessed with an amazing network of friends near and far. I want to make more memories with those friends and expand my circle. I would like to manage my time better so I can do creative things without feeling guilty.
  
• Focus on Finances: Nothing says being a grown up like making (and sticking to) a budget. Saving money is not as fun as spending money, but I'm hoping to challenge myself to be thrifty with what I have and find creative ways to save money.
  
• Focus on Fitness: A.J. deserves a healthy mama. that means eating better and getting reaquainted with the gym.
  
• Focus on Photography: so many ideas, so little time to implement them. I need to focus on the baby steps to get things done in our business.

So, bring it on 2010! I am ready for you!

P.S. I am going to try and be here more too!!