Bittersweet Goodbyes...

Today is my last day of work. As you may remember from this post, I was absolutely thrilled when Carey and I looked at the numbers and found out that my staying home with Abigail and Zachary was possible. And while I am still pleased as punch to know that my days will soon be filled with Abigail and Zachary cuteness, I am sad at the thought that I will not see my wonderful co-workers every day.

For the past 4+ years, I have been making my way into midtown Manhattan, learning about the finance industry (a big step for a history/math major!), and scheduling continuing education classes for students from around the world. I have expanded my computer skills, had the opportunity to take the lead on important projects and tasks, and been fortunate to work with a talented group of co-workers and instructors. While I won't say that there haven't been days that were frustrating, I have enjoyed my time at NYIF and will miss the people who have been such a big part of my life over the past four years.

So, while I cannot wait to be a stay-at-home mommy with my two beautiful children, I will truly miss spending time with a group of people who have taught me, supported me, and helped me grow. To all my co-workers at the New York Institute of Finance, thank you. I can't wait to share the good news of Zachary's arrival with you!

The Post Where Carey Makes Me Cry...

While the countdown to Little Man's arrival is well underway, there is another countdown taking place in the Ng household. The countdown to July 29, 2011.

What's the big deal with July 29th, you might ask. Did Little Man's due date change? Nope. Is that someone's birthday? Nope. (Well, I'm sure it's someone's birthday, but not Carey, myself or Abby...) July 29th is the day of my BIG MOVE.

The BIG MOVE entails clearing out my desk at the New York Institute of Finance and changing my daytime phone number to my home phone number. July 29, 2011 will be my last day as a Courses Manager at NYIF. I am so, so excited to announce that I will be quitting my job and becoming a full-time, stay-at-home mom!

This is something that I have wanted to do since we found out that we were pregnant with Abigail. Unfortunately, our financial situation, especially the purchase of our house, forced my hand and necessitated that I go back to work.

And now comes the part of the post where I get misty-eyed, because this is when I start talking about Carey. I really cannot put into words how blessed I am that God brought this amazing man into my life. Carey loves me. Carey loves his daughter. Carey loves his unborn son. Carey works very hard at his job. Carey researches ways to save money in our home. Carey took control of our savings and investments to ensure that we were getting the maximum "bang for our buck." Carey has taken such a burden on his shoulders so that our family could live comfortably and securely. And, over the past three years, Carey has kicked all of his money-saving know-how into overdrive. We have refinanced our house and lowered our monthly mortgage payment significantly. We have re-evaluated all of our savings and investments accounts so that our money is working for us. And, most importantly, we have saved up enough money that I will be able to stay home with our children.

So, while I am over-the-moon excited about my BIG MOVE, I am also humbled and thankful for the man in my life who has made this possible. Carey, I cannot put into words all of the feelings in my heart, so I will simply say: I love you, and thank you so much for everything that you have done to make my heart's desire a reality.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

Yes, we're still here! It's been a busy few days at the Ng home, but I wanted to let you all know that we're fine. Abby is doing well, despite the fact that she's cutting two teeth, and getting cuter by the day. Carey is very busy at work, but his hard work paid off with an indictment in one of the big cases that he's working on. I've also been busy at work, with several meetings and presentations over the last few days. But, we're doing well and enjoying the nice weather (when we get it).

So, just a few pictures of our little munchkin, and then I'm off to bed!

Mooching some Raisin Bran from daddy

At the playground, Abby loved sitting at the end of the slide, watching the bigger kids play on the grass.

Abby in the swing, pointing at a ball. (That's one of her favorite new words: everything that is round is a "ball"!)

Snow Day!

A big storm is currently hitting the New York City area. We're not getting it as bad as some parts of the East Coast - the folks in central New Jersey are getting hit again, not 4 days after they got pounded this past weekend. But, we're expecting blizzard conditions this afternoon/evening and Abby's daycare is closed today, so Carey and I are both working from home.

The snow was just starting to fall when I snapped this photo at 11:50 pm on Tuesday night.

So far, things aren't too bad on Long Island. We have about three inches of snow so far, but it is the heavy, wet snow. (I'm thankful that Carey volunteered to go out to shovel the driveway!) The wind is blowing, knocking snow off the trees and just making it pretty nasty outside. I'm glad that we're spending the day at home, safely ensconced in our nice warm home. (Which is currently, by the way, filled with Abby's laughter as she knocks on the front window to get Carey's attention in the driveway. So cute!)

The view from our front window this morning at 8:30 am

Carey shoveling and salting the driveway. (Abby and I made him hot chocolate when he back back inside!)

I do have some work to do, including cancelling some of our scheduled courses, participating in a telecourse at 12:15 pm, and working on course evaluations. But, I also get to spend the day with my hubby and my munchkin. :-)

Abby mooching from daddy (mooching = begging for food). Abby really wanted some of daddy's oatmeal. :-)

It's Gonna be a Good Day.

Why? Because I said so.

I had a pretty rough week at work this week. I returned from a week-long vacation on Wednesday, and before I even had the chance to turn on my computer, I was called in to attend a day-long seminar on consultative selling and customer relations. In addition to my own "stuff," two of my co-workers are out of the office due to extremely unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances. So, there was a lot on my plate when I got to work on Wednesday, and I didn't really have the chance to deal with any of it. On Wednesday night, while I watched my beautiful daughter sleep, I came to an important realization.

I realized that, more often than not, my crappy days are my fault. I had no control over the things that happened at work (both while I was out and when I returned), but I have complete control over how I deal with them. I can get upset, act huffy, and take out my frustrations on the people who surround me, both at work and at home. Or, I can not do those things. I can remember that I am lucky enough to have vacation time and was blessed to spend it with my little munchkin, my big sis, and other wonderful members of my family. I can remember that I have a job in an economy when many people do not and that my job offers me the opportunity for growth and personal development. I can remember that the stresses I deal with are small compared with the stresses being experienced by my two co-workers.

Now, I'm not saying that I intend to be a doormat. I won't lay down and just take whatever life and my fellow human beings hand to me. But, I am going to work on controlling my reactions to whatever has been given to me. If I can work on how I respond to the things that life hands me, maybe I'll find that life has been handing me some really great things that have been overlooked in the hustle-bustle of my daily existence...

It's gonna be a good day. Why? Because I said so.

Abby's Visit to Fordham

Abby with mommy, Tim, Cathy, and Marlo

On Tuesday, Abigail came into the city with me. Carey had scheduled a lot of work to be done on the house that day, and we both agreed that we didn't really want Abby around for it. (More on this in a future post.)

In addition to spending the day with me at NYIF, I took my lunch hour to walk Abby over to visit with my friends/former co-workers at Fordham. While I don't miss my job at Fordham (way too high stress and pretty thankless), I do miss all the friends I made while I worked there. It was great to see them, and I was so excited that they all got to see Abby. (Last time she visited Fordham, she was only two months old, and she pretty much slept the entire time!) This visit, she was awake and loved being cuddled and held by everyone there.

Thanks to Marlo for taking and sharing these pictures from Abby's visit!

Abby and Fiona

Abby and Cathy

Abby and Marlo

Uncle Tim: What do you mean this is the first time you've ever held a baby?!?! Should I be scared???

Abby with Melissa, Tim, and mommy

And finally, my favorite picture of all. Look at that face! She loves her carrier, so I'm not sure why she was making that face, but it's adorable!

Jeepers...

Where did the weekend go??? I feel like I just left the office, and now I'm back at work! Lots of little things have been happening lately, so this is going to be a jumbled post...

First, I got my work bonus last week! While NYIF did not have a great year last year, we did do well enough to meet some of our targets. So, I ended up getting about 50% of my bonus, which is great! (I wasn't expecting to get anything, so a few thousand dollars was most welcome!) Carey and I are using part of my bonus to pay for new insulation in our attic (Carey's idea) and a Wii (my idea). Whatever is left over will either be used to pay some bills or put in the bank.

Carey and I (okay, really just me) decided that the downstairs needs to be painted. It wasn't a huge priority since we don't really use that space much (we actually had the entire downstairs closed off for most of the winter to save on heating expenses), but I'd like to be able to use the downstairs now that Abby's toys are multiplying exponentially. Plus, the downstairs is carpeted, which I think will be easier on Abby's little knees when she decides to start crawling. Unfortunately, pretty much since we moved in, we've been using the downstairs for storage (i.e. if we don't know where to put it, we just throw it downstairs), so we had quite a bit of sorting/organizing to do. Carey spent Saturday morning cleaning out the garage, so we moved some lesser used items (like luggage and my maternity clothes) into the garage, which freed up a lot of space for other things. The downstairs now looks more like a living space and less like a storage facility, and I'm hoping to pick out paint colors this week.

Yesterday, Bart, Melissa, and the girls came over to celebrate St. Patrick's Day a bit early. Carey made potato soup, corned beef and cabbage, and a pork loin, and I made Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes (for the recipe, click here; I got the recipe from a blog by one of my friend's sister-in-law). Carey did a great job with the meats; I'm definitely looking forward to my leftovers for lunch today (potato soup and corned beef). In the words of Rachel Ray: Yum-o!

I had a great time with Abby this weekend. On Saturday, since it was pretty nice, Abby and I took a walk while Carey cleaned out the garage. Then, yesterday, we went grocery shopping while Carey crawled around in the attic. Abby loves it when I wander around the grocery store and point out all the things I'm going to buy. (Actually, she usually smiles when I ask her if we should spend all of daddy's money... Ha, ha!)

We got some great shots of Abby this weekend, but I have no clue where the camera cable is. In preparation for the insulation installation, we've cleared everything out of the office and piled it up in our bedroom. The camera cable is somewhere in the leaning tower of stuff currently residing in our room, so it will be a few days before I locate it. There are a few pictures of Abby and Otto the Orange that I'm going to post as soon as I can. She was so cute! :-)

Well, I hope everyone has a great week! Abby sends hugs and kisses!

Back to work...

Well, today is my first day back at work. I'm excited to be back, but I miss my baby!! :-( Luckily, Carey was given three months of paid paternity leave by his office, so he will be home with Abby until the end of March. So, while it was very hard for me to go back to work this morning, it was made somewhat easier knowing that Abigail gets to spend almost three months of quality time with her daddy. I know how much I cherish the time I was able to spend at home with our little girl, and I'm so happy that Carey will have that same opportunity.

On an important side note, there was big news in the case that Carey has been working on recently at work. Carey actually went into work today (with Abby in tow!) to attend a press conference held by Robert Morgenthau, the District Attorney of New York County (Manhattan). Carey has been working with two other Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) on the crane collapses that have occurred in NYC recently. There is a press release on the District Attorney's Office website, and Carey is mentioned in the last paragraph. I know that Carey takes every case seriously, but he has been especially devoted to this case, and I am proud to say that the combined efforts of the ADAs in his office have led to the indictment of the man believed to be responsible for these awful and tragic events. I've always called Carey my superhero, and it makes me so proud to know that he is working so hard to make the streets of Manhattan safe for me and for everyone else who lives and works in the city.

Abby's First Christmas Party

Every year, Carey's former Trial Bureau holds a holiday party and all the lawyers bring in their children. So, this morning we bundled Abby up in her snowsuit and headed into the city. Everyone in Carey's office was so excited to meet our little munchkin, and she loved seeing so many new faces!

After the party in the morning, we took a trip to my office. My supervisor at NYIF, Sharon Resnik, is retiring after many years of dedicated service to Pearson. Sharon is the person who interviewed me and offered me my job at NYIF, and she has been an excellent mentor, motivator, and friend. Today was her last day at work, so Carey and I took Abby up to visit Sharon and say good luck. It was great to see my co-workers, and Abby loved seeing everyone (especially since she slept through our last visit to my office!).

A few pictures from today:

Working at daddy's desk!

Playing with the other kids at the Christmas party.

Partying is such hard work. Luckily, daddy's desk was the perfect place to nap.

The best thing to ever show up in mommy's inbox! :-)

Carey and I are planning on heading upstate in the next few days. (Which day we head out depends on the weather...) But, this will probably be my last post until after the holidays. Carey, Abigail, and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all good things in the new year. 2008 was an amazing year for the Ng family, and we can't wait to see what 2009 will hold!

Just a lazy day at home...

It's starting to get a bit cold outside, so I'm not really taking Abby outside very much. Today, I had a big project that I needed to complete for work, and Abby was cooperative. She took a nice long nap this morning, and she was content to sit in her bouncy chair and play with her activity gym for a good part of the afternoon. My little cutie pie. :-)

Two months old!!!

Today Abigail turned two months old!! I can't even believe it! She has grown so much over the last 8 and a half weeks; we brought home a tiny little jaundiced baby, and now we have a chubby little girl. :-)

A few changes that have occurred over the last month:

• As Abby's eyesight has improved, she loves looking around. She will sit in her vibrating rocker and watch the toys and lights, all while listening to the music.


• She is very chatty. :-) She'll "talk" with you by making sounds and cooing, and she is a little smile machine.


• Abby is trying very hard to hold up her head. Since she loves to look around, she likes to be held at your shoulder, and she'll keep her head up for 5 -6, sometimes up to 10, seconds before her head flops down onto your shoulder. Our little bobble head. :-) She's not a big fan of tummy time, so we try to hold her up on our shoulders as much as possible to give her the chance to work those neck muscles. (She's got her daddy's big head, so she's going to need some very strong muscles to hold it up!)


• Abby is still eating like a champ and, while she's hasn't begun sleeping through the night with any regularity, she is sleeping better. I can usually get two good naps out of her during the day, and once we get her down at night, she's usually pretty good about sleeping for a few hours.

To celebrate Abby's two month birthday, we went into New York City today. I wanted my co-workers to meet Abby, and some of my former co-workers at Fordham wanted to see the little munchkin too. So, how did Abby like her first trip into NYC?

She slept. The entire time. The train put her to sleep. The walk to my office kept her asleep. I had to wake her up to eat. Then she fell right back asleep. And slept the rest of the day, all through the train ride home. So, next time we need to get Abby to sleep, we're going to hop on the Long Island Railroad!

Last Day of Work!!

Today is my last of day of work before my maternity leave begins! Things have been a bit crazy the last two weeks, as I work very hard to tie up loose ends (so as not to leave my co-workers too much extra work). I'm very excited, but I'm also going to miss coming into work every day. I am very, VERY lucky to work with such wonderful people. I truly enjoy my job, so I will miss it. But, wonderful things await me at home, and I will treasure every moment that I get to spend with our baby girl!! :-)

Wonderful Co-workers!

(Staff from the New York Institute of Finance at our annual off-site meeting/retreat, January 2008)

Yesterday, my co-workers surprised me with a baby shower! So, not only is my family very sneaky and able to pull off surprises, so are my co-workers! :-) Abigail received some very cute fall/winter outfits, a handmade baby blanket and photo album, and a very generous gift card to Babies-R-Us. (Not only do I love that store because of its wide selection, I love that they offer "Expectant Mother Parking" right near the front doors. Carey and I need to take advantage of that while we can!) Plus, there were snacks and a DELICIOUS cake. (I took a nice big piece home for Carey, but we'll see if he gets any of it...) I'm very lucky to work with such a wonderful, caring group of people. Everyone has been so understanding and supportive as I navigate the waters of this first pregnancy, and they're all so excited to meet Abigail. Honestly, she's been hearing their voices five days a week for the last few months, so she'll probably find my office very comforting whenever I bring her in for a visit. :-)

Chase Corporate Challenge!

Last night, a group from my office participated in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Central Park, NYC. Since the New York Institute of Finance is a small company, we participated as part of Pearson, which is our parent company.

As you can probably guess, I walked the 3.5 mile route. It rained for about the first half of the race, but then the rain stopped and it was a pleasant 70 degrees. Below are some pictures of our group at the office prior to the race, the start line, and the finish line. My official finish time was 1 hour, 19 minutes, 14 seconds. However, walkers didn't start the race right at 7:00 pm (I didn't cross the start line until about 7:06), and then I had to take a restroom break in the middle of the race. (Pregnant woman bladder...) So, I figure that the small group that I finished with completed the race in about 1 hour, 5 minutes. A decent time for being 28 weeks pregnant! I think that Abby was moving her little legs in there, too, which helped me go faster! :-)

Me, Marcia, and Ian, before we left for Central Park

The NYIF Team - Nicole, Marcia, myself, Ian, John, Connie, Katy, and Maddy

The start line for non-competitive participants

Non-competitive participants started the race after the competitive runners

Just a portion of the sold-out crowd of 15,000 people who gathered in Central Park last night (And, NYC holds the event on two nights, so another 15,000 people are expected to participate tonight!)

Hooray! The finish line!

Abby's Middle Name

We finally decided on a middle name for Abigail. (We had some ideas when we first found out that we were pregnant, but nothing was definite...) We have decided that Abby's middle name will be Elizabeth. Abigail Elizabeth Ng. I like the way that sounds. :-)

Not much else new to report. Carey is being kept EXTREMELY busy at work, and I have enough to do at work, too. The house is coming along, slowly but surely, and our little kick boxer is still kick boxing. We have an appointment with my new OB/GYN tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have some good news to report. (I feel like I've done nothing but eat all week, so hopefully I'll have added another pound or two since my last appointment with Dr. Brescia in Hoboken...)

At work on a Saturday. Ugh.

Unfortunately, I had to come into work today. On Saturday! I work with our CFA review programs, and today is the last day. So, I need to come in and collect homework, distribute evaluations, etc. It won't be a long day (probably around two hours), but I'd rather be outside.

On a much happier note, my cousin Laura is graduating from college today! I hope that the weather in Brockport is just as beautiful as it is here. Congratulations, Laura!! :-)

Bowling!

Last night, my office got together and went bowling after work. Abby must be good luck, because I think I bowled my best games ever (118 and 119). (I know: peanuts to all you serious bowlers, but not bad for a girl who gets to bowl maybe once a year...) We all had a great time. Who knows, once Abby gets old enough, she might have this unexplainable urge to go bowling!!