Oh Boy!

6 more weeks, 6 more weeks, 6 more weeks! Yeah, that's not excitement or anything. Maybe just a little. Not gonna lie, the closer it gets and the more I sit and actually contemplate having a child of my own, the more I start to get nervous. Everyone has said it's a life changing moment and you'll never understand it until you experience it. I think about how much my life has changed already, and I can't even fathom the way I'm going to feel when I see Dominic for the first time. The reality is setting in more and more each day, and it's making me anxious. In a good way, but anxious nonetheless. With such a smooth pregnancy thus far, it's easy to assume that being a parent will be just as easy. But I know it won't be. Good thing I'm a fast learner and I'm more than ready for a challenge. Doctor says I've got a very active, healthy baby growing inside me so I have a feeling I'm going to have my hands full. Bring it on baby! “Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.”

Things are still coming together quite nicely with both of my businesses, TT's Attic and The Alpha Omega Solution. When I first started my businesses I had no idea that being a business owner could be so time consuming and stressful at times. I had always been successful in my previous jobs as a stock broker and mortgage broker. I would start working for a company, figure out how things worked and quickly move up the ladder, often surpassing even my own expectations. But starting your own business is a COMPLETELY different ball game. There is no structure to figure out. There is no ladder to climb. And there are no asses to kiss. Because you create the structure, you build the ladder and it's your ass you want people to be kissing.  When I have days where progress seems slow I remind myself that it's the small victories that matter and that will eventually get me to my goals. If I've come this far and learned so much in less than a years time, I can only imagine the great things in store for the future. At this point I can feel the pieces slowly moving together everyday. I'm sure I'll make more mistakes and get knocked down a few more times along the way, but trial and error is part of process. I'm no longer afraid of change. I will persevere.

 Eventually I will be moving The Baby Mama Chronicles to a different location. I resisted the urge earlier to register a domain and start building a website. I promised myself I would not take on any additional projects until I finish some of the ones I'm already working on, although it's very tempting. My vision is to have a custom Baby Mama Chronicles website with a logo, photo gallery and blog. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll have it up and running, as it will be a great way for everyone to view updates and pictures of Dominic all in one place. Just another one of my many ideas coming soon to an interweb near you. Stay tuned!

I've been missing my BFF, Talese, a lot lately. I have missed her everyday since she left us but some days are worse than others. Her absence has felt a lot more noticeable this past week or so. Sometimes it's hard to be friends with other people after having her in my life because most people just don't measure up. Some days I look at other people and get so disappointed at their poor character, poor decisions and overall lack of caring for other people.  But before I get too discouraged something always happens and I am reminded that there ARE still good people out there, even if they are rare. And I remember that even through all of her trials, Talese never got jaded or bitter. She kept right on loving more people and that's one of the things I loved most about her. She inspires me everyday to keep moving forward and to keep loving people even if they hurt me. Because when you find those rare people like her it makes putting up with all the other ones completely worth it!

Baby Showers, Boutiques & A Beautiful Weekend!

Wow, what a weekend! Although it was very tiring, I have to say this weekend was the perfect combination of fun, busy, productive and exactly what I needed. I had my baby shower yesterday and I'm super thrilled with the way it turned out. Everyone loved the brunch theme and the caterers did a great job with the food. The venue was nice. The cake tasted great. Had a pretty good turnout. My mom even ordered me a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers so I could have a little something to remind me of my best friend there with me. And that's not to mention all the adorable baby gear I got for my little protege. Thanks so much to everyone who came - it was great to see everyone and I'm very appreciative of the lovely gifts. Pictures will be posted within a day or two!

I had my fall boutique & fundraiser today to sell some of my items from TT's Attic and raise money for team "There Is Always Hope". I didn't have a very big turnout but I fared decent with those who did show up. On the bright side, at least the weather was nice and I was able to make some good connections with other people in the area. I'm very much looking forward to the next few months and the new direction the boutique is taking. The launch of the new and improved TT's Attic is going to take a little longer than I anticipated but that's ok because I would rather wait for everything to be just perfect. I'm thinking I will unveil everything just in time for January 2012. Here's a few hints; we will still be carrying the same affordable, edgy merchandise that you love. Our vision of caring and giving back to the community has and will not change - 20% will still be donated to a different charity every month. The new and improved TT's Attic will offer a more personalized fashion experience for our fans. And most importantly, our innovative idea will set us apart from our competition and we know that you'll absolutely love it! Thanks to everyone for the support since our inception last December - I can't wait to show you all what we have in store! “Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”

I have another busy week ahead, but I'm happy with that because more stuff is getting checked off the "to do" list everyday. I have 3 new contractors starting tomorrow for The Alpha Omega Solution, so that should help with some of my workload. Another baby doctor appointment is scheduled for Thursday, and I've finally managed to work in some much needed "ME" time. I managed to set aside a couple hours to get my hair cut and styled this week - yay! Who'd have thought I'd ever get so excited over something that used to be routine for me. It seems like I haven't had my hair done in forever because I haven't had the time and quite frankly it hasn't been a priority. I'm very much looking forward to my grooming.

As the days pass by, my anxiety and stress is slowly becoming replaced with an increasing level of excitement.  I just can't wait to see my little man. I keep wondering what he's going to look like. I picture him with dark hair like mine and big brown eyes. I can't wait to hold him and kiss him and read bedtime stories to him and get his pictures taken and have Christmas with him. I could go on forever. All I need to do when I'm having a bad day is think about Dominic and it makes me smile. It's still hard to believe I'm capable of feeling such emotions! Only 8 1/2 more weeks - bring it on baby!

He's a Mover and a Shaker!

Little Dominic is a mover and a shaker already! His kicks and punches are starting to become a lot more pronounced. As I'm sitting here writing this I'm giggling to myself because he just gave me a series of hard kicks that I could see through my shirt. Let the games begin!

It's official. I now have a bump that is very unmistakable as a baby! I'm thinking this is a good thing because for awhile I didn't really look pregnant to those who didn't know me. I looked more like I just had a flabby belly. It should be interesting to see how my belly pops out over the next 17 weeks. Be kind to your mama, Dominic, please be kind...


I'm in the process of making some very exciting changes to both of my businesses. The changes to my marketing and advertising firm are just about complete and I'm hoping to start picking up some bigger clients with the more personalized services The Alpha Omega Solution is now offering. As for my boutique, the changes are still a work in progress but the new and completely revamped TT's Attic should be unveiled at the end of September. I'm super excited for everyone to see what I have in store. With all the effort I've thrown into business the last few months especially, I've started to become more keenly aware of what works and what doesn't. If it's not broke, I certainly wont fix it but I'm all about making changes and trying new things to improve my business model and increase efficiency. And if these changes don't give the results I'm hoping for, then I'll keep right on trying out new ideas. Because the bottom line is, I'm not going anywhere, my businesses aren't going anywhere and I'm in this game for the long haul. Competitors beware because I'm on a mission to kick some serious ass! "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire."