Harry Potter Mania!

As a self-proclaimed Harry Potter geek, I was so excited for the next book to come out. I left my house around 11:40 last night to head to Barnes & Noble and claim my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You see, I reserved my copy ahead of time and wanted to purchase it when it went on sale at midnight. I did that a couple of years ago when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released. It was so much fun and well-organized then, that I knew I wanted to do it again for this last installment of the series. Two years ago, it was definitely crowded. But it was well organized as I mentioned - we lined up in our specific area inside the store and the lines moved really quickly. Well, this year, there were so many people that we lined up outside, in the huge lot in back of the store. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. As I drove in, I saw that the parking lot was completely packed. I couldn't believe how many cars there were. You know how it is around Christmas by B&N, Dick's, Circuit City and Best Buy? Well, multiply that by 10. Two years ago, I got a spot by Dick's, which is right next to B&N. Not so much this year. I didn't even find a spot at Best Buy! I had to park at Carpetland! As I walked up, those of us who had wrist bands were directed around the back of the store (I picked mine up at about 4 p.m. that afternoon). As I turned the corner, I was in awe. It was absolutely nuts! I would estimate that there were at least 2,500 people there. It was madness! I was #29 in the pink line. Too bad the pink line was about the 7th color to go. Nevertheless, you find some interesting people to talk to to pass the time. I found myself in the company of a teenager and an older man. There we were, teenager, new mom and old man all discussing our theories on which side Snape was on and whether Harry will really die or not. There were truly all walks of life there. Things were very well-organized again this year. I finally purchased my book at 12:59 a.m. and was home, in bed, reading by 1:15! I wanted to read all night, but I have that little 2 month old that I knew would be waking me up in a few hours. I've managed to read 5 chapters so far - it's bittersweet; I really want to read it all right away, but knowing its the last book makes me want to take my time with it. I may have to take my time whether I like it or not. Two years ago, Ross hadn't yet caught the Harry Potter fever. He has since read all of the books and is just as eager as me to read it. We are going to attempt to share it; no giving anything away to each other!! And now, since my baby boy is occupied in his bouncer, I'm off to read chapter 6!

Ahhhhh.......

I can't believe how fast summer is going :( I have to go back to work in 4 weeks! Some of you would say, "At least you had the majority of summer off." That is very true. However, it will be hard to head back to work and leave my baby. Although, I must admit, that I'm looking forward to some good stimulation for my brain again.

We are planning to head up north next week for a few days - yay! I'm a bit nervous of the logistics of everything with Noah, but I'm sure it will be fine. Undoubtedly, our 5-hour ride will be a bit longer due to feeding and diaper change stops. I'm looking forward to the rest and relaxation and fresh air. The air is so different up north; I can't even describe it. If you've ever spent some time north of say, Green Bay, you know what I'm talking about.

Speaking of Green Bay, Ross and I plan to take Noah to a Packers Training Camp practice. We do have to introduce him to our love of the Packers at an early age after all ;)

In other sporting news, Ross and I are once again hooked on this year's Tour de France. It is so exciting. And we haven't missed a second, thanks to our new DVR! It's very cool to watch it live in the morning, rather than watching the replay at night (and thanks to the DVR, we can pause if need be and catch up by fast-forwarding commercials - yes!). The Americans haven't made a lot of noise yet, but this weekend brings the Alps, so watch for the strong climbers like George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer from Team Discovery.

And now, because I can't resist, are a few new pics of Noah :)

Hello, world

Introducing Noah Mark Huber, born into this world on May 19, 2007 at 9:56 a.m. I guess I'm a little late in this, considering he is already 6 weeks old (6 weeks??? I can't believe he is already 6 weeks!). It seems that whenever I have had free time lately, blogging has been on the bottom of the list.
Noah had a bit of a rough start...he was in the NICU for 4 days. Because of my low amniotic fluid volume, his lungs were a bit under-developed. Let me tell you, they are working just fine now :) Labor and delivery went pretty well. I have never, ever in my entire life, experienced pain like that before. It was pretty rough. But don't get me wrong, he is completely worth it. Being a mom is pretty cool. I feel like I'm doing a good job so far. That, in part, is due to the huge amount of support I have around me. Ross has been amazing. He has always been a fantastic husband, but he can now add fantastic father to his list. And my mom has been equally fantastic. She loves her grandson - it is so stinkin' cute to see her interact with him. She has given us many breaks, for which we are very grateful. My in-laws and friends have been wonderful, too. People just really love to love your baby - it's nice. I just can't believe that it is possible to love something as much as I love that little boy. It's crazy how instantaneous and intense the love was, too. He's a pretty good baby. He definitely knows night from day and does most of his sleeping at night (for which his parents are grateful). He's pretty gassy sometimes, which is hard, because you just want the pain to go away for him. Ross is in charge of bath time and Noah loves to soak in the tub. I think it helps the pain in his little tummy. He doesn't so much like the washing part though :) I can't believe 6 weeks have already gone by. I only have 6 more weeks before I have to return to work :( I'm sure they will go by just as fast. I'm eager to see what motherhood will bring me. So far, so good!