It's a Boy!

(this was a favorite poem of mine that I found when I was pregnant with Jake...I was reduced to tears everytime I read it...)

"The Ninth Month"

Being a duplex

I have been happy, my dear,

To loan you half the house,

Rent Free and furnished

As best I could.

You have been a good

Tenant, all in all,

Quiet, yet comfortably there,

Tapping friendly on the wall.

But I hear

You have outgrown the place

And are packing up to move.

Well, I will miss

The sweet proximity,

But we will keep in touch.

There are bonds, my dear,

That reach beyond a block,

Or a mile, or a hemisphere,

Born of much love and labor.

I approve the move,

And gladly turn from landlady

To neighbors.

Carol Lynn Pearson

Nine years ago today, I became a mother when Jake Parry Monson was born!

It was a thrilling day! After my water broke in the middle of the night (just a trickle so I thought it was just the usual "incontinence"), we hopped in a cab about 6:15am (thank goodness it wasn't rush hour), and headed over to the west side (Manhattan) to St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital. Labor pains ensued as well as a few moments where I roughed Brian up a bit and for whatever reason kept yelling "SHAKAKON"--(what the?!--no idea where that came from!) He was born at 1:03pm...

I couldn't believe how much joy one little person could bring!

Nothing says "welcome home" like bars on the window and a collection of pigeon dung! (that picture makes our old brownstone look like a ghetto!)

I heart NYC!!!

• Jake is very artistic and loves to play soccer and baseball...
• His favorite food is shrimp! (why couldn't it be something cheap like mac and cheese?)
• He loves to read (especially Harry Potter and anything written by Roald Dahl)
• He knows everything there is to know about animals!--
• When he grows up he wants to be an animal rescuer--(a boy after my own heart!)

There's something about the experience of having your first child...it's hard to recreate that again...I guess because with your first, you don't have other things distracting you and no other children are demanding of your time...Your focus can solely be on that child...




We celebrated Jake's 9th birthday with his favorite dinner (shrimp)--I actually made the same thing that I make for Christmas Eve (shrimp, rice, & Junior League salad)--Always a big hit!

Boston Creme Torte (I bought this--I know! it's lame, but I had a busy weekend and knew I wouldn't have time to make a cake)--It turned out better than anything I could have come up with, though...

He got to invite his best buddy (and neighbor) Brady over to celebrate with us...

Bakugans are Jake's biggest obsession right now...(similar to Pokemon as far as money and time waster) but that was what he's been asking for, so he's got quite a collection, now. (Look how wound up he is!--good grief!)

It was a low key birthday this year, but nice...(we're still recovering from last year's birthday extravaganza where we had a traveling zoo come to our house!--) Holy festivities! I don't have the energy (or budget) for that again! We splurged last year because it was his 8th birthday, and that was a big one...

**Isn't that a sweet poem?

**What toy do your kids like that you would consider a money waster?