Happy Halloween

We went trick or treating in our neighborhood. She loved it so much and wanted to carry her pail everywhere. She cried when we got home because she wanted to go back out- until we gave her a snickers, which dried up all tears!

Sandy Schmandy and a raging case of homesickness

• Given the fact that Hurricane Sandy devastated NY, NJ and parts of CT, I really shouldn't knock her. She was one hell of a bitch. But, down here, despite all the hoopla, we got nuthin. A lot of wet leaves all over the place that we'll have to take care of, but that is certainly nothing to complain about. We never lost power and cable was only out for one night. Brad's office was closed on Monday and Tuesday, so really, all Sandy did was provide us with a lovely long weekend and some much needed chill family time! We fared very well- just wish I could say that for the rest of the east coast! The pics of NYC are freaking insane!

• Being in CT this past weekend was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, of course, in that I got to spend time with my wonderful family and friends.(And see my beautiful cousin marry a fabulous guy!) A curse in that I'm now back home and find myself very homesick for CT. I'm sure pregnancy hormones are making it all worse, but our quick trip afforded me just enough time to want more time with all my favorite people! Why can't we all live closer together? It's amazing how life works... I don't regret a second, but sometimes I wake up and think "I live in Maryland!? How the hell did that happen!?" With so many wonderful people all in one place, how did I manage to get so far away? I guess it's just the way things are, but I do wish getting together more often was possible. Who's up for a move to MD?

VP debate and Prez showdown #2

So what'd y'all think? Any surprises? Since I've admitted to being a wanna-be political pundit, please allow me to pundit-ize:

• Ryan was less of a smarmy bastard than I expected him to be! Now, don't get me wrong, I can't say I like the dude, but I do think he did a good job of presenting himself as much more human that I've ever seen him/heard him. I expected him to make my skin crawl, and I actually found him to be somewhat personable. Wrong (or 'right' as the case may be). But personable.
• Joltin' Joe pissed me off a bit. I found him to be, although correct in most of his statements, incredibly disrespectful. The smirk. The over-talk. The referring to Ryan as 'my friend'. Ryan may not be my favorite, but that should be Representative Ryan to anyone addressing him in a live political arena. He was elected and I think he deserves the respect of being addressed by the rank he holds! This has been a diatribe of mine for a while though... I think one of the biggest problems with politics these days is that respect is completely lacking from political forums. I may refer to the president as 'Obama' or the VP as 'Biden' (or the afore mentioned 'Joltin' Joe') but I do have a great respect for their positions and would NEVER call them anything but Mr. President of Mr. Vice President if I was speaking directly to them. This didn't start here, it's just a continuation of the political climate we are unfortunately living in. Have some respect people! Making a mockery of each other makes a mockery of our entire political system (which does a pretty good job of making a mockery of itself as it is).
• One the flip side, I thought Romney and Obama handled the respect card very well. If you noticed, it was nothing but 'President' and 'Governor'. Gold star for both right off the bat! And, if Romney was the clear winner during the first debate, I'd say you gotta give number 2 to Obama. The criticism that Obama slept through the first debate definitely did not apply here. He was energetic, empathic and concise. He made it very clear when he disagreed with Governor Romney and made some excellent points. And, somehow he managed to do it all without the air of disrespect that Biden brought to the table. I thought Romney did a pretty good job too. Although I still question a lot of what he says because he does seem to be changing his tune, he was pretty clear and concise. Basically, Obama had to defend his last 4 years and Romney had to defend his if-y math. In the end, not sure either 100% sold their side of the story. Who can get America on a better economic path? Well, it seems like it kinda comes down to philosophies...
• It's funny, I'm a pretty liberal gal. Socially- I'm as liberal as they come. (And in the end, that will have to define who I vote for because I am just too passionate about those issues.) But, due to the infiltration of Republicans into my inner-most circle, I have learned to open my mind and my ears to what the other side is saying. And, sometimes I gotta say, fiscally, it makes sense. (phew- that was painful) In the end, like I said above, it comes down to philosophy. How do we create jobs? Do we create jobs by giving tax breaks and incentives to those at the top, with the expectation that they are the job creators and will then be able to put more money into their companies and create new positions; or do we create jobs by giving tax breaks to the working class so they can pay their bills, stay afloat, be productive members of society, and have the money to go to school (and send their kids to school) and make a way for themselves? I have to say that I can see the conservative notion that tax cuts to the wealthy and large corporations potentially lead to job growth, which is desperately desperately needed in this country... but is that enough? Oh if only the conservatives didn't hold such reprehensible social views, I might actually be able to explore this notion further! 
• Of course, with the above said, it is interesting to note that currently Obama and Romney's economic/tax plans are not ALL THAT FAR apart. OK, I mean, they are different- and a couple percentage points make a huge difference when you are talking about millions of bazillions of dollars, but I was surprised to see that they are not as far apart as you would think. Maybe I was just a bit uneducated on the subject, but when I did some research, I was somewhat shocked by what I found.

• Both candidates want to lower corporate taxes, which I don't think most people realize. (It's kinda common sense though, how do you get companies to NOT go oversees where taxes are SO much lower, unless you give them incentive to stay.) Obama would lower the current 35% corporate tax rate to 28% (with manufacturing jobs lowered to 25%), while Romney would lower it overall to 25%. Obama wants to see capital gains taxes raised to 20% where Romney would keep them at 15%. 
• In terms of individual taxes, Obama wants to keep things as they are (six tax rates, based on your income: 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 36% and 39.6%) and Romney wants to lower all tax brackets (still based on income) by 20% (8%, 12%, 20%, 22.4%, 26.4%, and 28%). Definitely a big difference here. Also interesting to note is that the top 2% of people that both parties continue to refer to, is made up of individuals making 200K or more per year or families making 250K per year. I think so many of us assumed that the top 2% referred to multi-millionaire type people, and- although $250K is an astronomical number that most people can only aspire to- it is not close to being as high as I thought it was. Isn't it kinda crazy to think that 98% of this country makes less than 250K per year?
• Estate taxes and AMT (alternative minimum tax) are definitely a sticking point, where Romney would see both repealed entirely and Obama would keep them in place as they are. (If you are not sure what these are, check out the link at the bottom of this post. I had to do some research myself.) I can definitely see both sides on these issues. Should the wealthy be penalized above and beyond others just because they are wealthy? They are already taxed at a higher rate on their income. (insert sigh... 'poor poor rich people')  But, on the flip side, if you have it, shouldn't you feel obliged to share it? You certainly didn't get there by yourself, and there is definitely not an even playing field where other, less fortunate folks, could get to the same level without some serious luck or divine intervention! The 'American Dream' is much easier to aspire to if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth! ..In the end, we need money to run this country, and it needs to come from somewhere. If we repeal estate and AMTs, where does the money come from? Once again insert Mitt's messy math. hmmm!
• Check out this site for more info. It's really good and completely fact based. (Not biased commentary -a la this blog-):
• http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/tax-proposals-obama-vs-romney.aspx

• In the end, like I've said, I'm a liberal girl and Obama is my man. Planned parenthood funding, abortion rights, gay marriage, health care, and social services in general mean MUCH too much to me for me to overlook the despicable and hypocritical Republican views on the subjects. But, this liberal lady is starting to see that there is another side, and maybe, just maybe, the right is not ALL wrong!?
  shudder

Where'd that little baby go?

 Studious little lady loving life at library story time!

Little Miss Independent hiking through the woods.

House pics

We've officially been in our house since June 1st and, for the most part, we are all unpacked and decorated. We still have the office to do, and the new baby's room to finish, but here are a couple pics for those of you who have yet to see it!

Meltdown... priceless.

35 minutes to make delicious dinner for kid. 1 minute for her to decide to throw it all on the floor. 30 seconds for Elvis to eat it all. 1 second for this pregnant, hormonal mom to burst into tears. 

I miss wine.

Happy Birthday John Lennon

Sicky little baby

Poor Annalise is not feeling very well, but it's nothing a day or two of Doctor Mom prescribed fleece jammies, warm blankets, favorite stuffed animals, and TV vegging can't cure. Poor little bunny.

Yesterday:

 Today (clearly on the mend):

'Mack Truck Sayler'

Despite incessant complaints (by me) about this pregnancy, I really have felt pretty OK. I mean, I have heart burn and acid reflux and am getting very very tired and FAT, but over all, I really have been fine. And then I woke up this morning... After a terrible night of tossing and turning, I woke up to aches and pains all over the place. It truly feels like I'd been run over by a big rig while I slept. The culprit- 'Mack Truck Sayler'! This lovely lady is laying transverse and somehow, in the course of one night, caused every inch of me to hurt. My back, my side, my feet... I'm a truly pitiful person right now. Calgon, take me away?!

'Say it wasn't you'

Did you watch the debate last night? Was anyone as confused as I was about the fact that there seemed to be two democratic candidates on stage? There was Mitt Romney, Republican wolf in Democratic clothing, disgused as Grandma waiting for his prey. And then there was poor, unsuspecting Little Red Riding Hood Obama, happily trudging up to Grandma's house for a nice afternoon visit. No wonder he got pounced! Obama was prepared to fight against the platform that Romney has been running on for the last year, but instead he was hoodwinked (and borderline eaten alive) by a very suave, disguised Romney. When did Romney change all of his platforms? Romney does NOT plan to cut taxes for the wealthy? Huh? He's never heard of incentives being given to companies going over seas? What? He all of a sudden thinks that the money Obama allocated to green energy should have gone to... wait for it... hiring more teachers!? Hello!? This is not what he's been saying up to this point! So what's a poor Obama to do? He tried to agrue against Romney, and Romney just kept saying 'nope- you got it all wrong'. Kinda made Obama look like a dope, when in the end, it was Romney who was singing a different tune. It's hard to argue facts when facts are ever changing. Perhaps Romney got a last minute coaching session from Shaggy--- when the shit hits the fan, 'Say it wasn't you'... Link to Shaggy's "IT WASN'T ME"

Obama at a rally today in Denver:

Now, last night, we had our first debate. And when I got on stage, I met a very spirited fellow who claimed to be Mitt Romney. But it couldn't have been Mitt Romney -- because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. But the fellow on stage last night said he didn't know anything about that... You see, the man on stage last night – he doesn't want to be held accountable for what the real Mitt Romney's been saying for the last year. And that's because he knows full well that we don't want what he's been selling for the last year. Governor Romney may dance around his positions, but if you want to be President, you owe the American people the truth.

It will be interesting to see what Representative Ryan says next week in the VP debate. This dude talks quite a hard line and has an awful lot of ultra conservative ideals that make my blood boil. Regardless, I'll respect him a lot more if he just comes right out and says them!

How do "normal" people do it?

I had my 31 week baby appointment today and everything is fine and going along just as it should. This pregnancy has been completely uneventful and I have not had one actual medical issue. (Many many complaints, but no actual 'issues'.) However, because I was hospitalized at 34 weeks with Annie (due to 'suspected' low amniotic fluid- which several doctors afterwards told me was more likely a measurement issue than an actual issue), I now have to go in EVERY WEEK for a sonogram and a doctor's appointment. By the time you get in for the sono, then wait around for the doctor, it's always a 2 hour process. It's a damn good thing I have a lot of free time in life. Seriously, how do they expect 'normal' working people to do this, and for 2 months!? It's complete insanity.

With that said, I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who is pregnant and has opted for a midwife and a home birth. Now, I am NOT that earthy nor can I imagine going through labor without the lovely, lovely addition of an epidural. But, her midwife does not do all these sonograms and seemingly pointless doctor's appointments, which sounds absolutely wonderful. The theory is that she is healthy and there is no reason she shouldn't have a healthy pregnancy. The midwife relies on the mom-to-be to know her body enough to communicate any problems or issues. Wouldn't that be fabulous? I think somehow we need to find a happy medium. I would prefer a doctor and a hospital (with easy access to the all essential drugs), but it would be nice to not be treated like a medical anomaly who needs constant attention and follow-up. Dude, I'm just pregnant.

It's not a minivan, but...

As per the established pre-requisites for becoming a good upstanding suburbanite, the SUV has been purchased! We traded in the little zoom zoom yesterday for a big pimping 2009 Honda CR-V! I absolutely love it! It's gorgeous and I think we got a really great deal on it- including a very nice trade-in value for the Mazda. Brad was Mr. Suave when it came to the negotiations and, although I was pretty much just a brat throughout the entire process (chalk it up to pregnancy mood swings*?), we walked away with EXACTLY what we wanted. Yay new car.

(*Note to self: In 62 days, 'pregnancy mood swings' go back to just straight up being a bitch. Perhaps the 'Year of Amy to-do' should also include something about being nice to the nice people around me. hmm..)