when i started this project i had no idea what it would turn into.
first of all, i thought it was going to be easy... it was not.
sometimes there wasn't anything to take pictures of. sometimes i was tired and didn't feel like blogging. sometimes i didn't have time to sit and come up with anything witty or amusing to write. sometimes i wondered about what i had gotten myself into.
but i'm glad i stuck it out... because sometimes in those moments when i had to get creative, my favorite blogs were born.
and interestingly enough, i thought that this would just be a blog of pictures, but it was so much more than that. it was a journal. a window into the life of mindy balut. a memento of who i am.
and who am i?
i am a wife. a sister. a daughter. a shoe lover, dog lover, food lover. a business card collector.
i am sensitive. lovable. funny. caring. hopeful. dedicated. creative.
i am a teacher. a student. a friend. a confidante.
10 years ago there was a terrorist attack on the united states.
right after it happened everyone was saying that we would all never forget where we were when it happened.
and it's true. 10 years later and i still remember like it was yesterday.
everyone has a story. some have stories that are heart wrenching.
a few years later, i read the first chapter of the book let's roll, by lisa beamer, and cried my eyes out. i couldn't read the rest. there are too many people with stories like that.
to those that lost someone they loved... my heart hurts for you.
to those that helped in the aftermath - police, fire, military, etc. - i am thankful for your selflessness.
to those still fighting to keep our country safe... you are our heroes.
people use their cameras to get shots of themselves all the time.
they hold the camera at arms length and click away.
unfortunately i can't do that with mine.
it's so awkward. it's really too bulky to hold in one hand, and even if i do get it situated in one hand, at arms length, the button is on the right side, which means that if i'm holding it in my right hand and facing it at me, the button is on the left. which means my finger can't exactly reach to push the button.
so if i switch and hold it in my left hand, i can't hold the weight of the camera because it's heavy on the right side.
it probably doesn't make sense to you, but if you have a camera like this you would know what i mean.
aaaannnywaaays... i was trying to take a picture of maeve and myself.
we wanted to celebrate. and the best way to do that is with food and family.
and a pool always helps.
maeve fell asleep at one point and uncle matt put toys all over her. he said that's what happens when you pass out at a party.
maeve also got in the pool for the first time.
she loved it! well, not at first. she kinda cried a little, but i think she was just being dramatic cause after a little while she was enjoying it.
i tried to take a lot of pictures while i was there. i only have 10 days left of the blog, and i thought it would be nice to get a few more people on here.
usually people hide from my camera, but there was so much going on, i don't think they noticed i was taking pictures.
for those of you that don't know, or didn't pick up on the comment in the last blog, i extended my maternity leave for another 6 weeks.
i am totally thrilled about staying home with maeve for these extra weeks.
but at the same time, it is a little strange not going back to work.
for the last six years i started every fall by getting ready for my students and now, this year began without me.
i didn't meet the new faculty. i didn't set up my room. i didn't pass out a syllabus. i didn't explain the lunch schedule 25 times. i didn't pass out books day one and get dirty looks from students that thought this year was going to be easy. i didn't do any of it.
and yet, on tim's first day back to work, he came home with flowers for me.
this seat is called the bumbo baby sitter... a really stupid pun if you ask me.
at any rate, i thought i would take it out and try it today.
maeve is a little small for it still, but it amazes me that she is already big enough for it to kinda work.
and to see her sitting there with no help from me made her seem even bigger than she really is. i'm glad i get to spend the next 6 weeks at home with her. i don't want to miss any of this!
i feel lucky that maeve only gets up once in the night to eat now, typically around 4am.
of course i could count the 8am feeding as "middle of the night" because i don't get out of bed and start my day then... i go back to sleep till around 10 or 11.
you know what they say... sleep when your baby sleeps.
and apparently griffey listens to that advice too.
and you also know that i was excited to start maeve's book collection... and hopefully her love of reading.
so tim and i have started reading to her.
we had been planning all along to read to her all the time, and then the pediatrician mentioned that there are tons of studies that say that babies that are read to turn out to be smarter and higher paid adults.
if we weren't dedicated to reading to her before, we sure are now.
i totally stole this idea from a girl i know, but it's super cute!
i ordered these stickers online, they start from newborn and go to 12 months old.
you're supposed to put one on a onesie each month so you can see how big your kid gets.
we are a little behind because i didn't see this until just the other day. so we won't be able to do the newborn shot, and the one month is really a month and a half, but we will get on track now!
also, they say if you put the baby in the same spot, with the same toy each time you take the picture you can really see how much she changes.
so here she is, on the couch, with her new toy! (this came in the mail today from a friend in jersey)
and who am i? 
