Mady's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Mady's 1st birthday on Saturday -- some of us more than others. I remember most of the evening up until the shrimp on the barbie. Things are a bit spotty after that. Your daughter only turns 1 once right? No excuses -- I got what I deserved. Sara even washed my feet for pete's sake. Read more on her blog.

We had a great turn out for our little girl's birthday. Immediate family, co-workers, close friends & neighbors, as well as an army of mosquitoes. They had a field day on us. The weather cleared...making for a perfect day. Special thanks to Bob for allowing us to borrow his tent. Taking up nearly 3/4 of our yard, it made for a festive time and allowed us to enjoy a late night thunderstorm under it's protective cover.

Henry wasn't happy being couped up in the basement. He bit at least 3 people over the course of the day (that we know of) and frightened at least 1/2 dozen more. So so sorry...Caroline, Lauren and Jess. He's really not a bad dog -- just highly misunderstood.

A big thanks to Sara for all of her hard work planning Mady's party. Things really came together. I definitely have the easy role (taking photos) when it comes to these shin-digs. You did an awesome job sweetheart. I love you so much! One day, Mady will look back on the photos and mementos from this party and realize what a great Mom she has.

Hope you enjoy the photos...

New Traffic Patterns

The new turn-lane-only traffic patterns are creating a huge cluster _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank) in the heart of Towson. Who came up with the bright idea? It's awful.

Now the bottleneck occurs a block sooner as a result. What a nightmare! Add some great new stores & restaurants coming to Towson Town Center (which will have people flocking for sure)...and you have the makings of a big mess. Ugh!

Fatigue

Folks, it's been a loooong week. 1 day and counting until Mady's 1st birthday.

Our house has been full of activity....and people. My in-laws (Saram & Synath) are in town for the party; they've been with us since this past Saturday. They really go above and beyond the call of duty helping out around the house, cooking dinner, fixing odds & ends and watching after their grand daughter. Sometimes I imagine myself telling them to sit down and relax, but then reality hits and the old saying....you can't teach an old dog new tricks....plays over and over in my mind. All parents want to help out, like it or not. Your always a kid in some respect. You have to chose your battles wisely or submit yourself into the psychiatric ward. My therapy involves large doses of Guinness and Irish Whiskey.

Sara has been fine tuning the details for Mady's day. She is the ultimate planner and wants the very best for our little girl. I love her for being so meticulous. I love her attention to detail. I love her ability to incorporate something for everyone. I love her for sparing me deep involvement in the process :) She is a keeper.

I've had some late nights this week. For someone who gets up at 5 AM, it's really beginning to take its toll. I managed to watch Obama's acceptance speech last night. I do believe this man will be President. I'm hopeful that he'll be able to deliver the change that he promises and inspire this great nation of ours. He definitely can move a crowd and motivating the masses can have a serious domino affect. We need someone like this. OK...enough politics. For the record, I'm an Independent.

I headed straight to bed after the speech, only to be awoken at 1:30 AM by some sort of animal, shrieking outside of our bedroom window. The scene from My Cousin Vinny, when Joe Pesci comes running out the log cabin...shooting in all directions....comes to mind. After a Google search this morning, I think it was a fox. Sara (my sweet night owl) was still up when I popped up. I think I remember her laughing...saying she thought the sound was her stomach at first. I could be wrong on that. I was delirious.

3 cups of coffee so far today; I'm starting to get my legs under me ...

One of these days I'll catch up on my sleep. It could happen.