NYC, The Yanks and an Upcoming Ultrasound...

Since I got to NY in early May my life has consisted primarily of business, baby and spending what little time I have left with family. Which is why I'm stoked to be taking a trip to the city tomorrow to see a Yankees game. It's been about 6 years since I've been to a game, and this will be my first time in the new Yankees stadium. NYC is about a 5 hour trip from upstate NY where I've been staying so it will make for a long day, but the change of scenery and fun will be well worth it! Hopefully I can find a few things for Dominic's Yankees themed nursery while I'm down there...


I'm getting very anxious for my upcoming ultrasound next Tuesday. This will be my third one. The first two were done to confirm how far along I was and come up with a due date. From what I understand, at the upcoming ultrasound they will measure him, his legs, arms, and look at his brain to make sure everything is developing properly.  My doctors office also has 3D ultrasound capabilities so hopefully they will give us another sneak peek at what he looks like. I can't wait to see him! My favorite picture from last time is the one they gave me of his little legs and feet - how cute!

"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.”

Life Is Short But Sweet For Certain...

Received yet another reminder today that life is often way too short. Found out this afternoon that one of my former colleagues had passed away unexpectedly. It always seems to be the people who leave the greatest impact. Although I never got the opportunity to know him outside of work, he left a lasting impression on anyone who met him. Thank you, Theron, for teaching me almost everything I know about the industry - your absence will be felt by many. My heart goes out to your family, friends and fellow colleagues.

 Now that I am on the verge of having a child of my own, things like this are a grim reminder of my own mortality. One of my biggest hopes is that I will be able to raise my child to completion and be around to see him graduate, get married and have kids of his own. I've begun to cherish every moment with him, even though he's not physically here yet - every kick, punch and somersault brings a smile to my face. Don't ever start to take life so seriously that you let it pass you by. If you're lucky enough to have a family, be sure to hold them a little tighter tonight. Tell the people you love that you love them. And don't ever take anything for granted.

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."
Stephen Lilly 11/12/2009
Talese Turner 09/04/2010
Theron Nestripke 06/27/2011 

It's a Child, Not a Puppy!

Had a nice, albeit short, family outing today. Went to the zoo with my dad and little brother. It was a nice change of scenery, and good to walk around and get some excercise. I can't wait to bring Dominic to the zoo, I bet he'll love the animals. I keep thinking of all the fun things I'll be able to do with him and it's making me so anxious for him to get here!

While at the zoo, I was surprised and disgusted by the number of kids on leashes. They are children people, not animals. If you can't control your kid well enough to bring them to the zoo without being on a leash, you probably shouldn't have kids. Aside from looking ridiculous, I think child leashes are just cruel. What ever happened to a stoller or just watching your kid and paying attention to what they're doing once they're big enough to walk? Don't get me wrong, I'm new to this whole parenting concept and far from an expert but I can assure you, you'll never see Dominic on a leash! "Simply having children does not make mothers."

I think baby pajamas and socks are the cutest things ever. Dominic is acquiring quite the clothing and pajama collection. I bought him some footed aninmal pj's a few weeks ago. I think the only thing cuter than the pajamas is going to be Dominic in the pajamas!

Marriage Equality, The 80's and My Best Friend...

As of 11:55 PM last night, New York became the 6th state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. Never been more proud to call myself a New Yorker! So glad to be bringing my baby into a world that is slowly, but surely starting to recognize equality for everyone. I'm excited to see what other changes will take place in his lifetime. "Being gay isn't a choice, being a bigot is!"

Went to an 80's party today. Took me awhile to figure out what to wear since nothing could top the Madonna cone bra costume I wore to the last 80's party I attended. Ended up rockin' a miniskirt/leggings ensemble complete with teased hair and Converse All-Stars. Realized I don't miss drinking all that much, it's funny how silly drunk people look when you're sober. Definitely don't miss the hangovers.

Getting ready for the party got me missing my best friend, Talese, who passed away last September. The last 80's party I went to was with her. I remember her getting ready in her Tom Cruise Risky Business outfit. What a great night. It's the little things I miss the most. I hate knowing that my son will never know her or have memories of her. But, I'm also greatful that I was able to learn so much from her in such a short time. I think I'll be a better mother because of the things she taught me.

Can't wait for my ultrasound on July 5th. I'm super anxious to see Dominic and hear his heartbeat and make sure he's okay. Every pain, backache, cramp, etc makes me paranoid that something's wrong. I can already tell I'm going to be an overprotective mama. I never thought I would be able to love another little person so much!

Friday, Friday...

Ahhh, Friday - my long lost love. Got off to a rocky start today when I had the brilliant idea to pick up some food for breakfast. Woke up, threw up on some sweat pants and headed out. Arrived at the drive thru, waited in line 10 minutes just for them to tell me I was 3 minutes past the cutoff for breakfast. I promptly exclaimed "Mother f****r!" told them to forget it and sped off. That's what I get for wanting fast food anyway, I should have known better. From now on I'll stay home and cook like I normally do.

After I got my daily outburst out of the way, I had a relatively decent and productive day. Spent about an hour or two daydreaming about taking Dominic to Disney World. Who says Disney is just for kids? I've been all over the country on various vacations and it's still my all time favorite place to go. I already have his first five years planned out and he's not even here yet...

Finally decided it was time to be productive around 3 PM, and have been working on marketing and training materials for my businesses ever since. Now if only I could find some semi-intelligent, motivated employees my life would be complete!

"The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Sooner or later our thoughts, deeds and words come back to us with astounding accuracy."

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was a 23 year old girl named Blair. She lead an eventful life, busy focusing on her future, running two start up businesses and living the dream. She never imagined in her wildest dreams a place in her life for a baby. When one day, a routine doctors appointment brought a surprise - Blair had a baby on board! And that's where the story begins....

Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog. As the intro stated, I'm Blair - a 23 year old business owner and single mama to be. I created the blog to give a little insight as to what it's like being  an expectant mother. A single expectant mother. A busy, ambitious single expectant mother. I hope that some of you will, at the very least, be able to relate the experiences I share here. And I'm looking forward to hearing stories from other women such as myself. But first, lets get everyone up to speed on how I got to where I am today...

In November/December of 2010, I started casually dating a guy we'll call SJ. He was close friends and co-workers with one of my best friends husbands, so I had seen him around a few times. My expectations of him and our relationship weren't high from the get-go because I didn't think we had much in common. Nevertheless, I thought he would be someone fun to hang out with and so began the saga. After hanging out a couple times and  enjoying his company, I realized I liked spending time with him and that we had more in common than I had anticipated. SJ appeared to be intelligent, have a good sense of humor and seemed to be a great dad to his 4 year old daughter from a previous relationship. Over the course of a few months, we began talking everyday, going to events together and getting closer. We weren't dating exclusively but it was clear that both of us were quite fond of one another. We shared similar values, talked about life, had fun together, laughed together and on one occassion even cried together. Yep, things were going great...

And then, in early April I found out I was expecting and that the baby was due November 24, 2011. It came as a huge  shock because I had been on birth control for over two years. When I initially told SJ, he was relatively calm and collected but it was clear he would rather not have a child. After several days of consideration, I told him I would be keeping the child and that I didn't expect anything from him but to be there for the baby. I wasn't asking anything of him financially, I wasn't trying to trap him into a relationship, I just wanted our baby to know his father. At first, he handled the news well. But over the course of a couple weeks, the person I thought I knew completely disappeared. He decided that it was in his (and somehow the child's) best interest if he was not around and was allowed to sign over all rights. I was shocked. Although the situation wasn't planned or ideal for either of us, I was baffled at how he could be such a good dad to one child and a deadbeat to another. Especially considering he grew up without a dad and had mentioned on several occassions how much contempt he had for his father for not being around.  I thought perhaps he was just in shock and over time he might come around....

Sadly, that was not the case. For about a month I continued to send him doctors updates on the baby until one day a few weeks ago things took a turn for the worse. As if being an absentee father wasn't enough, he began making cruel remarks towards me. This was the point when I decided that indeed he was right and that his being in our child's life would not be best for the child. He's not the type of influence I want for my child. And if he's not in 100% then he's not in at all. Once my bundle of joy arrives in November, we will be honoring his wish and allowing him to sign over all rights. "Anyone can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad"

Found out two weeks ago, I'm having a boy - Dominic Anthony Stephen! The prospect of being a single mom is challenging and scary at times, but also very exciting and rewarding. I am so greatful to have such wonderful family and friends to support me in one of the most integral and amazing times in my life. Dominic has been moving for a few weeks now and I love it! I can't wait to see him and hold him and kiss him. I can only hope he doesn't decide to greet us in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner ha ha!

To be continued....