Lullaby, Little Jimmy

Elvis lullabyYou are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

The other night dear, as I lay sleepin’
I dreamed, I held you in my arms
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cry

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

You told me once dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between
But now you’ve left me and you love another
And you have shattered all my dreams

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

I’ll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
But if you leave me to love another
But you’ll regret it all some day

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Please don’t take my sunshine away





Pack up all my cares and woe, here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me, sugar is sweet and so is he
Bye bye blackbird

No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard-luck stories they all hand me
So make my bed, light the light, I’ll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye

I’m gonna pack up all my cares and woe, here I go, singing low
Bye bye blackbird
Where somebody waits for me, sugar’s sweet and so is he
Bye bye blackbird

No one here can love and understand me
Oh, what hard-luck stories they all hand me
So make my bed, light the light, I’ll arrive late tonight
Blackbird, bye bye

Bo Bo Black Sheep

Elvis and dogMr. Bo isn’t doing too well. He fell down the stairs the other day and now his knee cap keeps popping out. My sister seems to think that he’s on his way out.

Since Jimmy was born, Bo hasn’t been much in my thoughts. He’s underfoot when I’m at my mom’s house and I ignore him as I dote on Jimmy.

Each time Lisa tells me how Bo is just creeping along, I can’t help think of my dad. It was just a few months prior to his own death my father confided in me that he hated to see Bo get old and eventually die. “Chins live only 10 years on average and Bo is 8 years now. I can’t imagine him not in our lives, that silly dog.”

And then just a few months later, my dad keeled over dead. Bo outlasted him.

Lisa picked Bo. It was between Bo and his lemon colored brother. Bo won because he snuggled into her chest and looked up at her adoringly. It also helped that he had the cutest little snot bubbles protruding from his nose that made Lisa giggle.

Bo sat on my lap as Lisa drove the 3 hours home. Holding that little pup, he fit in the palm of my right hand; I just kept thinking, “I will make sure you are safe and well-cared for… you will live a good life, little puppy.”

I can proudly say that I kept my word.

Bo isn’t gone yet and I absolutely hope he is on the mend and not going anywhere for quite sometime. He is a good, silly dog.

Mr Bo, the best Japanese Chin

7 Months & Life Goes On

Elvis is bored by meMy son is ALMOST 7-months-old. It’s funny how time passes. For so long he seemed stuck in development. Nothing more than a slightly animated face. I think it was around month 4 that things started to change. He began to react more and he sat up on his own. Today, he’s trying his darnedest to crawl and I have no doubt in a few weeks he will definitely be mobile.

He is such a happy baby. He’s always smiling and giggling. I dance around with him in my arms and he throws his head back and laughs. Does he sleep through the night? Sometimes. And when he does it’s a beautiful thing. More often than not he will either wake up at 1:30 or 4:00 am. At 1:30, I try to rock him back to sleep and return him to his crib. At 4am I bring him into bed with me. He snuggles in and falls fast asleep. I don’t sleep but instead I stare at him, feeling grateful. For the longest time I fought bringing him into our bed. But then I remembered how I felt as a little girl, when my mother embraced me. It was so comforting and I felt safe and loved. I want Jimmy to feel all those things. And so, I let him snuggle in.

It was end of April that we moved into our new home. It was beginning of May that I asked our realtor to put Eddie’s old house up for sale. I had such a feeling that it would take months and months before we’d find an interested buyer. Especially since my gorgeous condo languished on the market for months and months. What chance would Eddie’s fixer upper that was never fixed up have? Within 5 days our realtor found a buyer. Twenty days after that we closed the deal and walked away with just one mortgage. Talk about blessed!

I feel like we are finally in the swing of things here. The house is painted and carpeted. Jimmy is baptized. All the things we were trying to get done are done. I think I am ready to start at a gym. I want to do some aerobic exercise to clear my mind and get myself back into some sort of shape. I am only about 15 pounds away from my goal weight. Yes, I do curse all the mint chocolate ice cream I indulged in during pregnancy. Whatever. It is what it is. I’ve lost weight before, I can do it again.

What else? I don’t know. Things are just swell. It’s wonderful. I am living my dream.

Donna Villa Sold

As of March 28, 2014, the Donna Villa is no longer mine. Sold it to a couple who plans on renting it for two years and then giving it to the man’s mother to live out her years.

It was almost exactly 10 years ago that I bought it. I was so proud. I did it totally on my own without anyone’s help. Except the hallway floor. My father thought the parquet floor was so atrocious he told me that he would buy me nice linoleum tile. And he did.

Walking through the house the last time, I remembered walking through it the first time. I loved it. Yes, it was garishly painted and filled with stacks of newspapers and crates of soda but I saw through it. I knew it was my house. I called my father to come and check it out. He looked it over and said it looked like a cottage. He liked it too.

At settlement, the seller told me it was a happy house. It was a happy house and a happy home. My initial plan was to live there for 5 years. I figured that by age 34, I’d have definitely met my husband and would be ready to move out to start a family. That didn’t happen. I was off by 5 years.

I look back and I have to admit, I don’t immediately remember the happy times. I remember turning off the ringer on the phone because of Rob’s insistence and missing all the phone calls through the night from my sister trying to get me to the house to deal with my dad who eventually died the next morning. I remember lying in the fetal position in the bathroom after another breakup, crying. I remember all the nights I watched La Femme Nikita, drinking Three Buck Chuck, feeling hopeless.

And in 1 year, my life changed. I met Eddie. I moved into Eddie’s place. We got married. We had Jimmy.

Then in January I decided to check the real estate listings to see if there was a better home for us. And I found it. We went to the Open House the next day and fell in love with it.

Oddly enough, it looks a lot like the Donna Villa. Just bigger.

The Donna Villa was still on the market after 6 months. We couldn’t put in an offer on the new house. I decided to fire my real estate agent and hire someone who could get it done. I called Lynne and before I could say, “You’re fired!” she said, “I have a cash buyer! You’ll have an offer in the morning!”

Talk about perfect timing.

Next Friday is settlement on the new house. I can’t wait. Can’t wait to make it our home. I look forward to giving Jimmy a good, happy place to live.

Even though I moved out of the Donna Villa months ago, signing the paperwork, finalizing the sale, felt like the end of a chapter in my life. I am happy.

New Year’s Resolutions 2014

Presley And DateNot sure if it’s possible to top year 2013. In one year, I met my soul mate, got married, and gave birth to a baby boy. I also published the second edition of my book and watched my business grow and expand.

Believe me, it’s not all ice cream and sunshine. I am still struggling to sell my condo and Eddie and I are living in less than ideal conditions… but we are happy and I know that soon enough we will find someone who wants my place and from that equity we will buy a beautiful home for us to live.

Looking ahead to 2014, there are things I want to work on and improve.

Here are my resolutions for 2014.

2014 New Year’s Resolutions

1. Stop investing so much time into Facebook. Instead, read more books.

I have quite a library of books on Kindle that I haven’t read. Instead of reading books, I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed, wasting time. No more! I want to read books and actually have a intellectual return on my time investment.

2. Get this new house livable OR find a new house to buy

Ed was in the process of buying this house during the first few weeks of us dating. The house was a perfect size for him and his daughters. But that was okay… we were just dating and I had my own place to live. But then I became pregnant and suddenly it’s not just him and his daughters but now me and Jimmy too. It’s cramped and the appliances are old. In some ways I love the Midcentury Modernness of the house. I queue up Frank Sinatra on the stereo and not only am I listening to the 50’s and 60’s but I’m living in it too. In other ways, I just want a kitchen and bathroom that works and a closet of my own.

And so my resolution is to SELL MY CONDO AND THEN either find a way to make this house comfortable but if that is not possible, we need to find a new house that is comfortable. That means I need to hire an architect and see what it would take to renovate this place while keeping my eye on the real estate listings.

3. In terms of work, I want to spend as much time with Jimmy as possible.

I want to do more writing, videos, and speaking engagements and less day to day management of the business and less low paying consulting work. I also want more positive publicity… like appearing on the Today Show or CBS News Sunday Morning. Lastly, I want to keep growing this business. I want to add value, educate, and inspire!

4. Get back to my old size.

Pregnancy wasn’t too kind to my body. I need to lose 30 pounds. I want to get back to my old size and shape so I can wear my old clothes and feel good about myself.

And so that’s it. As long as I keep these goals front and center, it should be pretty easy to accomplish them… right?

Google Search His Story

bBYMy Google Search history tells a story….

Jan 4, 2014

Searched for phillips breast pump assembly video

Jan 3, 2014

Searched for sleep sack
Searched for sids
Searched for newborn crib blanket
Searched for ambient music
Searched for newborn lullabies

Jan 2, 2014

Searched for breastfeeding and period
Searched for can i have a period 3 weeks after giving birth

Jan 1, 2014

Searched for newborn is cross eyed normal
Searched for sleep deprivation side effects

Dec 30 2013

Searched for menu for breastfeeding mom non gassy baby
Searched for breastfeeding while reclined

Dec 29, 2013

Searched for healthy sleep habits happy child
Searched for on becoming baby wise
Searched for when do newborns get easier
Searched for delran pediatrics
Searched for newborn vomiting
Searched for baby spit up
Searched for getting baby to sleep

Dec 28, 2013

Searched for baby pimples

Dec 23, 2013

Searched for fisher price pack and play recall information
Searched for how to insert fisher price pack and play rainforest mobile batteries
Searched for tummy time
Searched for keeping newborns occupied

Dec 22, 2013

Searched for Walmart Glider
Searched for Babies R Us
Searched for poang chair breastfeeding
Searched for breastfeeding chair

Dec 20, 2013

Searched for Baby in bed

Dec 19, 2013

Searched for how quickly does my breast milk replenish
Searched for how can i make more breast milk fast
Searched for breast pump

Dec 16, 2013

Searched for baby eye color change
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Dec 15, 2013

Searched for addressing an envelope to a couple
Searched for addressing cards to a family
Searched for baby shower thank you wording

Dec 14, 2013

Searched for shutterfly mobile app
Searched for crib mattress warmer

Dec 12, 2013

Searched for getting a good latch

Dec 10, 2013

Searched for bellefit
Searched for post pregnancy hip compression

Dec 9, 2013

Searched for avent bottles
Searched for best way to supplement breastfeeding
Searched for when will my milk come in
Searched for Target return policy
Searched for monitor everywhere remote camera not found
Searched for baby makes squeaky noises while sleeping

Dec 8, 2013

Searched for how to have a happy baby
Searched for what do babies need?
Searched for newborn sight
Searched for breastfeeding positions boppy
Searched for protocol on giving birth and social media

Dec 7, 2013

Searched for how to swaddle a baby
Searched for breastfeeding sore nipples

Dec 6, 2013

Searched for whooping cough vaccine

Dec 5, 2013

Searched for women’s specialists phone number
Searched for mucus plug in toilet
Searched for induce labor naturally

New Year’s Resolutions 2013 Revisited

Every year, I post my New Year’s Resolutions and then 12 months later, I review my progress.

New Year’s Resolutions for 2013

Here we go! How did I do?

1. Meet men and date

Failure & Success

This resolution was a failure only in that I did not meet men.. plural. On January 8th, I called a man from eHarmony. He had a lovely deep voice and I remember thinking he sounded normal and well adjusted. On January 11th, we met for drinks and potentially dinner at Uno’s. I got there first and sat in the glass enclosed entrance area waiting for him. Within a few minutes a tall, handsome man walked in and I thought, “What a good looking man, I wish he was Ed… but this man is clearly married… just wait… his wife and two kids will walk in behind him.” He made eye contact with me and smiled and I quickly looked away, embarrassed that he caught me checking him out. Then the oddest thing happened. He approached me and said, “Donna? I’m Ed.” We walked in together and spent the next 4 hours talking nonstop. We even ordered dinner. Fast Forward… April 1st we learned I was pregnant. Sometime in June, Ed officially proposed with a ring. October 12th we got married. December 6th I gave birth to our son Jimmy.

And so I didn’t meet men and date… but instead I met my soul mate, got married, had a baby and created the family I always wanted.

2. Exercise and eat healthy

Failure.

I didn’t exercise anymore than usual— and although I ate a bit healthier because I was pregnant most of the year, I also ate an awful lot of ice cream… it was this strange craving I had throughout my pregnancy. Anyone who knows me personally should at this point say… “But Donna, you ALWAYS have that craving!” True but normally I can resist it, pregnancy, on the other hand, rendered me unable to resist.

3. Travel

Failure.

I didn’t travel. We went to Cape May on our honeymoon. I don’t consider a two hour car ride travel. We also headed to Wildwood a couple times. Again, I wouldn’t consider that travel.

4. Make House Comfortable

Success and Failure.

Okay, so this is interesting. I hired painters and had them paint over the boring white with Benjamin Moore’s Smokey Taupe. I threw away old clothes and items that kept me clinging to the past. I took down pictures that depicted single women and replaced them with a painting of a happy couple. I really went to town. And in some ways I think the work I did helped me change my outlook which allowed me to connect with Ed.

So how is this a failure?

My house is now for sale and I am living with Ed in New Jersey in a VERY UNCOMFORTABLE HOUSE. It’s too small and very old and outdated. The thing is, I am okay with the cramped conditions… I am with Ed and Jimmy and that makes me very happy.

5. Keep my business forging ahead

Success.

We did amazingly well.

And so…?

2013 was truly the best year I have ever experienced. The last two years were so difficult. 2011 my father died and the man I thought I loved left me. 2012 I worked hard and tried to recover but all I did was make stupid mistakes and struggle. But then came 2013. I met my soul mate, got married, became stepmother to two girls, and gave birth to James Richard. And not only am I happy but my mom and sister are over the moon! My mom is finally a grandmother, my sister an aunt.

Life is good.

And so what about 2014? Resolutions will be posted soon!

Stick a fork in me, I’m done!

Baby Jimmy is due December 7th. If he decides not to come on or before the 7th, I’m scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, December 10th.

I am ready.

I can’t wait to have Jimmy out from inside me. I can’t wait to lose the belly and get back to my old size. And I am ready to become Jimmy’s caretaker. Yeah, I am scared sh*tless over the responsibility of it. The sheer amount of effort. The change in focus from myself to my son. But it’s time. I’ve spent 39 years concentrating on me. And it’s gotten rather boring. It’s time to change things up.

How I am going to do it, I have no idea. I thank God for my support system. My mom and sister and my husband and his daughters will all help out. Plus, if I am truly terrible at it, I can always hire a nanny to help out.

I really wish he’d come sooner rather than later. I am tired of this limbo land. Everything is on hold, waiting for Jimmy’s arrival. I can’t even say I am enjoying the last vestiges of my old life because this current life is not at all my old life. I am fat and swollen and constantly tired, constantly peeing, never drinking, rarely moving, horribly dependent and not free or able to do much at all.

Eddie wants to go to a Christmas Party this weekend and I just simply don’t want to be seen in this state. What do I wear? The only thing that fits is a bed-sheet toga and a pair of his sneakers. Not exactly my idea of how I want to be seen.

It was just the other day I had a realization: Jimmy is a rebel. When I first discovered I was pregnant, the doctors seemed to delight in telling me that I needed to be aware that with my age, there was high probability that there would be problems. After tons of testing, everything showed normal. It was two weeks ago, the doctors wanted to induce me because my blood pressure was a little high. After testing, they sent me home. Despite everyone’s predictions, Jimmy continues to do fine. Maybe that’s why I feel very calm. I am not even a little worried. I feel really confident and certain all will be fine.