Trip to Cincinnati

My Great Aunt Faye with Madeline
"Grandpa's Baby" That's how my dad refers to her at least!
My mom and my Aunt Terry with Maddie
My Uncle Gary and my dad, Garry (too bad my brother Garry was at work. Its lots of fun around my house when the three of them are there)
Mom and Dad at Bucca di Beppo (Me and Lance love it there, though the closest one to us is Nashville).
My Grandma Schloemer
Our friends Nick and Tammy's daughter Abby and son Caleb. I hope Madeline's hair will look like Abby's someday.
Maddie and Caleb
This sign reads "OPEN ALL WEEK CEPT 4 DA HOLIDAY" loved it!
Garry and Sarah at the Reds vs. Giants baseball game. Lance had to take a picture because I drank a beer (well, what you see in the picture is about as far as I could get on it. Lance's dream is for us to split a pitcher of beer so I'm trying to acquire the taste for our 25th wedding anniversary).
The two most eventful parts of the game were my brother enjoyed heckling some Barry Bonds fans that were sitting in front of us by screaming "I can't wait to teach my kids how to do steroids too" every time they walked by. And then my dad got up to use the restroom at the beginning of the 6th inning and then didn't return until the top of the 9th. I sent Lance to the bathroom to make sure he hadn't had a coronary or something. Turns out he just was being squashed by my brother and found a better seat a couple of sections over. Sarah and I walked around the stadium to look for him too! So much for quality time!
I think this is the only picture that Lance was in the whole trip

The best end of Barry Bonds. He was supposed to have been close to hitting the record for home runs by this time but he was still at 752 (3 shy I think) at this game and never hit one either. Not that I think he deserves it, but it would have been nice to see one.

We had a great time in Cincy. Got to see all my family and my aunt Terry and Uncle Gary who came up as well. Madeline did okay in the car. She just got tired of being stuck in her car seat and let us know it too. We decided it would be better to fly until she is old enough to be amused by TV. No more traveling for a little while. Back to back trips was hard on us all.

I am going back to work two days a week for the rest of the month to help train my replacement. I have a new found respect for working moms. I have a longer commute than most, but it was very tolling on me physically and mentally to work and do all my normal stuff at home those two days. I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home with Madeline. I would literally never spend any time with her expect to feed, bath and put her to bed during the week.

I was telling a friend the other day that I have already started saying things that I swore I wouldn't when I became a mom. 1-using the royal "we." For example, "I think we are starting to teethe!" 2-referring to myself in the third person-"Mommy loves you!" 3-when speaking to Lance, calling him 'daddy.' This is the one I despise the most. I am hoping this is just a stage in my life and one day return to normal.