This Is How We Do :)

Baby sleeping? Check. Jammies on? Check. Work done? Eh. Work halfway done? Ok, check. Guess that means I can take a break to make a blog post. Things are still looking up despite my child's recent transformation into a teething monster. I have two weeks left with my interns which I'm both happy and sad about. Happy because it's been a great learning experience and I've met some wonderful people with a lot of potential who I hope to keep in touch with. Sad because it's coming to an end and now it's time to reflect on all the progress that has (and hasn't) been made over the past 3 months. The fashion show was a success. I've made a ton of invaluable connections in this area over the past three months. And I've made some positive changes to the marketing firm which will free up some time and likely yield higher returns. On the downside, my signature t-shirt and perfume collections are still a work in progress. Designs are ready but finding a decent manufacturer has been a bit of a chore. Also finding a new web designer has been a task. After having two people unable to finish the project I assigned to them, I've become a wee bit frustrated. And most of all, I'm still in major need of help. Too much to do and not enough time. If only I trusted other people enough to find myself a business partner or two. Ah, well. Overall, not a bad 3 months. Making progress slowly but surely.

And yes, I joined a third business. I'm really excited about this one. No, it doesn't mean I'm giving up my other two businesses (not a chance). But I found a product and company I'm really excited about and a business opportunity I couldn't pass up and jumped on it. Not to mention, I get to work with a team of great people. I think I can really help people with this one. Somehow, with all things considered, it doesn't seem like work at all when you have a great product and great people on your side. If you're interested in finding out how you can become more healthy and potentially put more money in your pocket, talk to me. I won't try to sell you on anything, just educate you and let you make your own decisions :)

In other news, Relay for Life is coming up this Saturday. I was hoping for more of a chance to market the event and get more donations/team members, but it crept up so fast and with all the planning that went into the fashion show I haven't had much time. I created my team in memory of my step dad, Steve, who passed away in 2009. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, miss him and wish that Dominic could meet him. With more events like this, maybe one day I'll make a difference. Please let me know before Saturday if you can spare a donation or would like to join my team - it would mean more to me than you can possibly imagine! "I'd love to change the world, but I don't know what to do..."


I still can't believe I have a 4 month old baby. It amazes me on a daily basis how much personality such a small child can have. I heard Dominic laugh out loud for the first time the other day - it was the cutest thing in the whole world! We took our first trip to the zoo last week and I couldn't believe how alert he was. He was so enthralled by the animals - he especially loved watching the monkeys and fish. I can't wait to take him to the beach this summer. It's little things like this that make me happy these days. One little smile from those chubby cheeks can turn my whole day around. My kid is such a rockstar!

HOPE Is In the Air...

Ahhhh, I finally have a minute to relax and catch my breath. Life just keeps getting busier and busier. Spent 8 hours at a funeral today for my great grandma Lil who passed away last week. I'm glad I was able to get Dominic over to meet her a couple weeks ago before she passed away. It was sad to see her go, but she lived a long happy life. If all good people were lucky enough to live to be 88 years old, then maybe life would make a little more sense. But, when does life ever make sense?

Things sure are turning around though. Thanks to my interns, my 14 hour work days and networking with some amazing people I am starting to see a huge difference in my businesses. Especially TT's Attic. Things are far from perfect or where I envision them to be, but I'm proud of how far I've come thus far. Less than a month now until my "HOPE Is In The Air" fashion show/fundraiser, and I received amazing news yesterday that The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is going to support my event and send the CNY chapter board members to set up a table! I'm beyond excited. After I got off the phone with the area director for AFSP, I literally got the chills - I had a sudden feeling that things were exactly the way they are supposed to be, all thanks to my beautiful best friend. Talese has been my inspiration from day one and always will be. It's easy to get caught up in life sometimes but I try to take at least 5 minutes everyday and think about the reason behind why I do what I do, and think about all the ways she has changed me. If I can make a difference in at least one persons life the way she has mine, all the hard work will be worth it. I hope the show has a good turn out so we can raise money for a great cause. I really feel like this will be the beginning of a great relationship with the AFSP members in the CNY area.  "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

In other great news, two of my good friends from Utah are coming to visit me at the end of the month and they will be here for the fashion show! I couldn't be more excited. Sometimes I don't feel like me without my entourage around, and it will be nice to have a little bit of "home" around for awhile. This will be their first time meeting Dominic or seeing me with a baby, so it should be interesting!

Dominic keeps getting cuter and smarter everyday - no surprise there. He can hold a bottle (yes, I was just as surprised), grab a rattle, pull on his toys hanging from his carseat, and talk up a storm. I still standby the fact that he's a baby genius. And I can't take him anywhere without random people approaching me and telling me how gorgeous he is, (hey what can I say, he's got a hot mama!) Everyone tells me he's starting to look more like me. I can see it a little, but I'd say overall he's a pretty good combination. But yes, I'm aware he's quite a bit tanner than me. Sometimes I feel like it's the elephant in the room. Yeah, my kid is tan. Yeah, his father is tan. Big deal. To be honest I'm a little jealous ha ha! His new favorite thing is pulling my hair when I hold him and listening to me read him Dr. Seuss stories before bedtime. Sometimes it's hard to pull myself away from him to get my work done. Suffice it to say, I love that little man more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anyone. 

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!

I'm Baaack!

As you may have noticed, I took a bit of a hiatus from posting this week. I had a million things going on and no time or motivation to post by the time I was done with everything at the end of the day. I finally feel like I'm back on track after today. The last half of this week I had horrible insomnia which led to me being relatively useless and not as productive as I'd have liked. I get cranky when I go three days without sleep. But I got caught up on my sleep last night and now I'm back in the game!

Finally scheduled the tour of the maternity ward at the hospital and got my baby shower invitations out (well, all but 5 of them that need to go out Monday). Sometimes I'm such a procrastinator. The shower is next Saturday - how exciting! I can't wait to see how it all comes together. My 24th birthday is this Tuesday, so I'll probably also celebrate my birthday on Saturday after the shower. Hopefully I'll be able to make a trip to the casino with the girls. Then on Sunday, I'm having my TT's Attic fall boutique sale and fundraiser. The goal is to get rid of as much inventory as possible so I can put the money into the plans for the completely revamped TT's Attic, and also to raise money for my Out of the Darkness team. If you're in the central NY area, please stop by and help us raise money for a good cause!

Had a 30 week checkup yesterday and according to doc, Dominic still looks/sounds great. His heartbeat is strong and steady. And I didn't gain any weight since my last appointment two weeks ago, so I definitely can't complain about that!

I think I've started nesting. I used to think nesting was a made up thing that pregnant women conjured up. But starting about a week ago, I suddenly started to feel very pressured to get everything done. I feel almost as if I'm working under a deadline that wasn't there before. I feel pressure to get business ramped up, I feel pressure to get everything in Dominic's nursery arranged perfectly, I feel pressure to finish the remaining things on my "to do" list. Barring an early arrival, I have 10 weeks left and still a ton of stuff to do.  Here's to hoping I can get it all done and not lose my mind in the process. Before I know it, I'll no longer be an expectant mama, but instead a proud mama. I can't wait to see my little man and I just want everything to be perfect!

“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

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."

The Countdown Begins...

18 more weeks and counting until my due date! Can I get a "hell yeah" for being over half way? I'm thinking it would be really spectacular if Dominic decided to come about a week early so we were both home for Thanksgiving, as it's one of my favorite holidays. Unfortunately he'll come when he's ready, so all I can do is keep my fingers crossed. Regardless, the holiday season is going to be even more exciting this year with Dominic around. I know he won't be old enough to enjoy it or remember it, but I'm so excited to have him around for his first Christmas. This year will be such a drastic change from last Christmas, when for the first time ever in my life I sat home alone with my mom without a tree and without the usual family Christmas celebrations. Worst Christmas of my life, but I sucked it up and got through it. Just goes to show how things can really turn around in a years time. Speaking of which, what do you buy a 1 month old for Christmas? Hmm, guess I better start thinking of ideas...

I'm so glad some of my energy has finally returned over the past 2 weeks. For awhile, I was finding it difficult to even make myself get ready for the day, which is very uncharacteristic for me. I've been making progress by leaps and bounds on the marketing/advertising front for my boutique and consulting firm. I've revised my business plan and I have a very clear vision of where I want things to go over the next 6 months. I've been really motivated and inspired lately and I'm getting really excited for the big things that are coming. The only problem I'm still running into is finding decent salespeople. With running both businesses and doing all the advertising on my own, it's damn near impossible for me to do all the sales on top of the day to day stuff, networking, PR and marketing. Guess it's time to make some changes to the way I'm recruiting and training employees. If at first you don't succeed, try try again!  When all is said and done, if my hard work can make a difference in just one person's life, it will all be worth it.  "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."