Well, this week I have a business trip coming up where I’ll be headed for San Francisco to attend the Game Developer’s Conference with 9 other co-workers. It’ll be the first time I’ve spent a night away from Raelyn ever. Of course I’m excited to go but I’m also really nervous to be apart from her and I’m hoping she’ll behave well for Seth. I’m leaving on Tuesday in the middle of the day straight from work and won’t be returning until Friday night so that’s 3 ½ days away from both my babies (Seth and Rae). Both sets of grandparents are on stand-by in case Seth needs some help – Raelyn’s been a bit of a handful lately for Seth. For some reason she’s been really attached to me and has been pretty much a pain in the butt to him. If nothing else I’m sure this experience will help them re-bond and all will be well when I get back. But the time while I’m gone is either going to go really well, with them leaning on each other while I’m away… or it’s really going to suck and she’s going to be a beast.

I started explaining to her a couple of days ago that I’d be leaving for a few days just to prepare her. She’s so smart I know she understands. First she said “Mommy come back!” and then she said “Mommy stay here!” Luckily she’s been learning to talk on the phone for the past few months so I can at least call and speak to her. Of course I’ll be three hours behind so it’ll be a little harder to find a convenient time to talk, but we’ll work it out. I’m going to be so busy I know the time will go by fairly quickly for me – except for those moments when I have to climb into a huge empty bed in a hotel room alone. That’s gonna suck. And I won’t even be able to call Seth because it’ll be like 3am here. I think it’s definitely going to be a lot harder on Rae though.

In any case, I think it’s time. She’ll be two years old in a couple of months so it’s not like I’m leaving a newborn. A little separation is a good thing even though it hurts. Man I can’t WAIT (even now) for that hug when we’re reunited at the airport next Friday night. It’ll be the best ever!

I’ve been working on adding a new photos and videos page to the site. So far I’ve only gotten a few of the old web albums entered but I have added two new albums full of photos from the past couple of months as well. I can’t WAIT until the next version of WordPress comes out (that’s my blogging software) because then I’ll be able to change the formatting on the photos page so that it will display the list of links to the albums more clearly. Nonetheless, the photos are accessible and that’s what most people care about anyway, right?

Check out the link in the main nav bar to see the new pics.

Look, look, it’s me! Just over there on the left… in the nav bar… do you see me now? Right around where it says about ME!

I decided since this blog is for Jennifer and by Jennifer, why not let it be a little bit about Jennifer. I’m sure most of you (that is, all two of you) already know all the info in that page, but maybe you’ll find it somewhat amusing to read my take on things. Besides, I think the photo included has some really nice lighting effects, so I got that goin’ for me.

Alright. I know it’s been like FOREVER since I’ve posted anything. I got all excited about my web site and worked on it non-stop until it was complete. I posted a few entries and then found I didn’t have as much to say as I would have thought. It’s not like I’m ever at a loss for words when I’m chatting with friends, co-workers or even strangers. But somehow finding something interesting to write - or finding an interesting way to write about something mundane - proved to be harder than I thought.

Anyway, we recently switched web hosts and in the process of setting up our sites on the new server we switched from Movable Type to WordPress. Unfortunately this process meant I lost all my hard work on the old site design (which needed an update anyway) and so here I am trying my hand at a new look. I’m going to do my best to keep this blog going - if for nothing else than to serve as an update on our family for the members of our extended family and any friends who are interested to keep in touch. I’m sure I won’t be posting on a daily basis, but if I can get in 2-3 updates a week I think I’ll be doin’ good.

So, for my first act of re-entering the blogging world… I’d like to re-introduce you to our little girl. Yep. I said it. “Little Girl” She’s not a baby anymore, no siree. See for yourself…

Sorry it’s been a while since I posted. I’ve been really busy lately and my spare writing time has been used catching up on my Raelyn journal. I try to keep up with all her milestones and my reactions/feelings at being a first time mom in a Word doc. It’s pretty cool to go back and read my thoughts from the beginning. I think Raelyn will love to read it all one day too.

Anywho, Raelyn spent the evening with her Grampa last night. My dad came up to watch her while Seth and I went out. According to both of them, they had a blast. Grampa did a great job with entertaining and taking good care of Rae and she woke up this morning in a great mood so they must have had a fun time. He’s flying out tomorrow morning to join my mom in Las Vegas (lucky dogs). She’s been out there all week attending a Hospice conference and I’ve missed her very much. More than that though I’m just really jealous that she’s going to get to spend time with my brother Chris and his partner Will when they join them in Vegas on Friday. They’re all going to see Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere. Plus, my mom’s gotten to visit with my cousin Wendy and her fiance Seth who live out there. How ironic is it that there are going to be two Seths in one family?! I’m not sure I’m too happy about that, but mom says he’s a wonderful guy and that we’ll love him. I’m just excited for Wendy - she deserves a good man and a happy life! Can’t wait to meet him for the wedding in upstate New York in September.

So this evening I finally convinced Seth to try out this game on Shockwave.com called Zuma. My nephew Trevor told my mom about it and she passed the info on to me. Totally addictive. I could play for hours.

In other news, if you’re thinking of having kids and have ever wondered what labor and delivery are like, or if you’ve been through it and want to remember… read this. I’ve become addicted to this person’s blog. She just recently had a baby and her account of the events leading up to and including the birth of her adorable daughter will make you laugh so hard you get a stitch in your side. The post is VERY long, but WELL worth the time. When you’re through you’ll honestly feel like you’ve just had a baby. No kidding.

So that’s it for now. Nothing too exciting, just a slice of life at the Miller household. =)