Life with London

Happy Birthday, London!!

2010-10-31T17:14:00.001-07:00

It seems like just yesterday we were at the birthing center, taking this picture, and preparing to go home with our tiny stranger:

In the past year we have marveled at every little smile...

... every accomplishment, big or small...

... and have grown and learned right alongside our little guy.

We laugh more...

... delight more...

... and enjoy more than we thought possible.

London amazes us!

He is confident and chatty,

independent and willful,

snuggly and affectionate, and

boisterous and bubbly!

We have had such an amazing first year together!

And this is just the beginning! We can't wait to see what happens next!

On Saturday we hosted his first birthday party. We decided that there would be many years to come where a Halloween theme would be the easy option for his party, so we might as well take advantage while we could and do whatever we wanted while he is still young enough not to know the difference. So the theme was "English Nursery Rhymes." The invitation read "Please join us for some nursery rhyme fun and a Ploughman's Lunch. It's an English celebration for our American boy!" You can't name your kid, London, and not acknowledge it in some way or other!

Red, white, and blue balloons and streamers in the shape of the Union Jack provided the decor, along with a chalkboard (think "English pub"), and nursery rhyme cards placed around the food. You know, "Humpty Dumpty" right beside the deviled eggs, "Jack and Jill" near the drinks, etc. Our big, pink, stuffed pig that guards the entryway to our house was also decked out with a sign that read, "This little piggy went to London's party." I should've taken a picture of Pig; he looked really cute. But a forgot. Oh well...

A ploughman's lunch is basically a build-your-own-platter of lunch-type items such as:

ham, turkey, chips (crisps, if we're going to do this right!)

mini pastries (or in our case, mini quiches)

eggs and veggies

and fresh fruit.

Mmmm... food... I also put out pickled onions and an English condiment called Branston pickle, which is a yummy addition to ham and cheese. The bread rolls were fresh out of the oven and smelled delicious! They tasted pretty good, too.

London had a ball! He hung out with everyone and was happy to be passed around from person to person to say hello.

He loved playing with his friends...

... and didn't seem at all phased by the fact that there were so many extra people in our house!

We snuck in a quick family portrait and then...

... time for cake! My friend, Linnea, helped me decorate this Union Jack cake the night before. We ordered a chocolate cake with white frosting from Costco and bought the M&Ms from the party store. It took us quite some time and we were seeing spots by the time we were done.

London didn't actually get to enjoy any of that cake. He had his very own cupcake instead!

He wasn't sure what to do about the fact that everyone was singing to him.

But he did enjoy the cake!

We waited until everyone left to open presents.

London enjoyed testing them out.

This classic Fisher Price popper is his new best friend!

So there you have it. One year down. It's actually a huge relief for me. Not just because we "made it" or even because we "survived," but because it's behind us and we can move on from here. I feel like the first year is a lot of countdowns and milestones and questions from people and comparisons between your child and other's. There's a lot of expectations with the first year and as much as people mean well, it's hard not to feel like you're under a microscope at times. Everyone has opinions, everyone has advice, and everyone is the first to tell you not to listen to other people's opinions and advice - that everyone's experience is different. It's exhausting, to say the least.

We are still having sleep issues. We thought we had achieved the much anticipated "sleeping through the night" for good over the summer, but London's first cold in August threw him back to what felt like square one as we struggled to regain the sleep that we thought was here to stay. His second cold was the nail in the sleep coffin... I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll never sleep again.

I'm still nursing and am very proud of the fact that I've kept up with it despite a very rocky start, constant supply issues, going back to work, biting issues, and concerns about L's weight gain. My goal was one year. The pressure is off now and I can rest assured that I gave him the best I could for his first year. Where we go from here is up to him. I don't plan to wean him immediately, but I am anxious to pack away my breast pump (sorry, tmi) and put that phase of babyhood behind me.

One year down, many more to go... Can't wait! :)

Photo Shoot!

2010-10-26T18:58:00.001-07:00

We had an engagement session to shoot this weekend, so we pulled out our white backdrop and set up our "home studio" for the indoor pictures. The shoot went well. They were a really nice couple and we had a good time taking pictures here and also around Leesburg. You can see pictures on our Blue Square blog. So we figured since we'd gone to the trouble to transform London's sunroom into a studio, we might as well take advantage of it and take some portraits of our little man. It's unreal to think that he's almost ONE!! Just a few more days until his party... it's unbelievable. Truly.

So here he is... our baby is now a toddler. (Sniff!)

L is just getting over the double whammy of drool: a cold and teething. Ick.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the smile on his face in this one! Pure joy!

We bought him this super cute dragon costume for his first (although, technically, his second - but the first one doesn't quite count as he was only one day old) Halloween. Then he started playing with a toy car. Dragon or Godzilla? Hmmm...

Either way - he's a happy little monster!

My friend, Diane, lent me her son's pumpkin costume from when he was a baby. We took some cute pictures with our little pumpkin... and yes, he is a little pumpkin. Diane's son filled this costume out at 5 and a 1/2 months! It's true... I've seen the pictures! :)

Next up: It's party time!!

Apple Picking and 11 Months Old

2010-10-02T18:14:00.001-07:00

This weekend we joined other families from my school for our almost-annual apple picking trip. We don't go every year, but have been several times in the last 5 years or so and it's always a lot of fun to hang out, pick some apples, and eat a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day... we couldn't have picked a better one -pun intended. When London is a little older we'll grab a picking pole and trek out further into the orchard, but for today's little adventure, we walked about 10 feet from the car, took a couple of pictures and then made our way through the crowd (it was packed!) to the pre-picked apple bins and the pumpkin patch. We ate our lunch amongst the bees and the stink bugs (they really are bad this year) and then headed home with one exhausted boy (no morning nap + fresh air + sunshine = a very quiet car ride home) and enough apples for my almost-annual homemade apple pie. A good day.

"How am I supposed to do this again?"

"Like this."

"Oh... that was easy."

"Then you put it in the bag."

"No problem. I'll get a couple more..."

"Uh... I think that's enough. Let's go pick out a pumpkin."

"Which one do you want, Mom? This one?"

"That one over there is pretty nice..."

"Or how about that one?"

"I want this one!"

"Which one??"

"Ha ha. Very funny."

The year continues to fly by at an alarming rate and London continues to grow and change just as rapidly. Two weeks ago he started walking! He can go about 5 feet before he wobbles and falls down, but his control is pretty amazing. He often stops mid-journey, catches his balance, and takes another step or two before he takes a seat.

Party plans are underway: the invitations have been ordered, the menu has been set, and there's a little wagon hiding in the guest room with London's name on it (figuratively speaking). We're so excited!

We were lucky to get this shot at the orchard. By this point, he had had enough and wanted DOWN in a big way! Did I mention that he's really strong-willed? Toddlerhood is looming...

10 months!!

2010-09-04T08:35:00.001-07:00

The birthday party plans are underway! I've got a test cake waiting to be frosted on the kitchen counter (I'm testing my frosting capabilities - Betty Crocker's cake has already been tested!) and a list of ideas that grows daily. We're only two short months away from the big oh-one! And no, I can't believe it.

Let's see... milestones from this month... more teeth are coming in... incisors, I think. He can stand for a couple of seconds at a time and cruises effortlessly around the house via anything that will hold his weight. He's mastered the waving thing and enjoys waving goodbye and (especially) hello at the window. It makes my heart melt to see that little smiling face grinning down at me from the living room window when I get home from work! So cute! He's also in the midst of his first cold. Not necessarily a milestone I was looking forward to, but it had to happen sooner or later.

We had a follow up doctor visit to recheck his weight from his 9 month check-up. She was very happy with his weight gain. He's definitely on a new growth curve (the tall/skinny one) and even though he's in the 13th percentile for weight, he stayed put (last month he was in the 14th) and gained 11 ounces. He still eats like a champ and is thoroughly enjoying the new and yummy world of dairy products. Peach yogurt is a strong contender to knock blueberries out of the Number One Favorite Food of All Time slot.

So, we're all good. London's happy, we're happy, life is pretty good right now.

I LOVE the camera!!

Mommy got me some new jeans. They make my knees more comfy

when I crawl around, but I won't be crawling around for much longer!

I said, "Don't touch the hair!"

Pern's Birthday and the Birth of an Artist

2010-08-21T17:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Pern's 39th birthday. London surprised him with this balloon:

But I think the balloon surprised him, too!

"Every time I pull it down, it pops back up again!"

(p.s. See the fireplace mantle /wall in the background?

It's going to change a little further down in this post.)

"Get back here!"

London gave Pern just what he wanted for his birthday:

A musical magnet-matching "fridge farm" that sings!

It's living on our dishwasher.

Pern specifically requested a grocery store cake - nasty blue frosting and all.

London took it all in... it's his birthday in two months, after all!

He needs to know what to expect!

So the other day I was putting something away in one of the upstairs closets and found a blank canvas that I'd bought ages ago, but forgotten about. Aha! I thought. I'd been wanting to rearrange the fireplace mantle area for a while. The sunroom is now London's play area and a wedding photo (not even of us, but of some clients from 2007) doesn't quite do it for me (and probably not for L either). So I decided that London would have his first painting experience and decorate the walls with something he created.

If I'd thought it out more carefully, I wouldn't have set him up on the table and I would've skipped the newspaper... too slippery. Oh, well... live and learn. There's always next time.

I held his arm or hand just to keep the brush from ending up in his mouth.

The brushstrokes are totally his.

"L" for London, perhaps?

He looks like he's really giving it some thought, doesn't he?

Yeah... the whole thing took about two and a half minutes.

But, we love it!!

And so does our fireplace.

The artists dons his creativity helmet and heads to the music table to compose.

His artistic expression knows no limits... :)

9 month stats

2010-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

"Do I look tiny to you??!!!"

That's what the lady at JoAnn's said the other day. Turns out she was right! Sigh... We had London's 9 month check up this afternoon and the numbers aren't great. He weighs 18.2 pounds (only up 1 pound, 2 ounces since 6 months) and he's almost 29 inches long (up almost 2 inches). That puts him in the 68th percentile for height and the 14th percentile for weight. Yes, you read that right... 14th!!! Aaaack!! I wouldn't say I'm freaking out, but I'm not happy either. I know he's going to be tall and skinny... he just has that build, but the 14th percentile?? Really?? The kid eats EVERYTHING that is put in front of him! If the tray weren't attached to the chair, he'd eat that too! He's in constant motion... everything he eats is burned up in the blur of motion that is London. One pound in three months?? Are you kidding me??

So, as if I didn't have enough to worry about what with nursing/working/pumping, I'm now supposed to figure out how to squeeze another nursing session in (just when he's given up the nighttime nursing and started sleeping through the night), and make a concentrated effort to add more fat to his diet. Sigh... I wish someone would tell me I had to gain a few pounds. That's a whole other story entirely... :(

Anyway... we'll go back at the beginning of September for a weight/height check. Until then... bring on the avocados and cheese!

Mmmm... I LOVE avocados and cheese!!

I can eat them with my teeth...

... or charm them into my belly with my winning personality and dashing good looks!

9 months!

2010-07-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

This was the month that London learned that jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells ROCK!! He can't get enough of the bells! If it jingles, he wants it. If he gets it, he shakes it vigorously and then he sticks it in his mouth. He has several jingle-toys that he likes to play with, but the real jingle bells are the best! We've had to put some limits on the bells as a result. If we're not watching closely, he'll crawl around with a bell in his mouth like a lollipop. Too dangerous. So... when he plays the bells, he gets a pacifier. He doesn't normally have a pacifier outside of his room, so it's enough of a novelty, that he'll keep it in. If he keeps it in, he can't chew on the hard, metal jingle bell. He looks a little goofy crawling around the house with a jingle bell in each hand and a pacifier in his mouth, but he's having a ball.

He's also figured out how to pull himself up using the couch, chairs, baby gates, our legs, the bookshelf, and anything else that will hold still long enough. He has taken a few hesitant steps while holding onto the couch, but isn't really cruising just yet. At the rate he's going, I don't think it will be too long before he's walking.

And the biggest news of the month... drumroll, please! He sleeps! All night long! I stopped going in to "rescue" him every time he cried and he figured out that it was actually pretty easy to go back to sleep. If he does wake up, he might cry for 10 - 20 seconds, but that's it. He goes right back to sleep and wakes up well-rested in the morning. Yay!!

We've got his 9 month check-up a week from Monday (8-9-10 - how could I forget it?) and are looking forward to seeing how much he's grown.

The jingle bell has been sighted.

He reaches...

... stabilizes...

... grabs on...

... and pulls!

Almost there!

Success!

And what do we do with jingle bells?

We put them in our mouths of course!

Wanna share?

The bunny jingles...

... the frog jingles...

... and the giraffe jingles, too!

Nine months old... it's hard to believe...

8 months!!

2010-06-30T16:33:00.001-07:00

Two thirds of the first year - done! Check! Four more months and we'll have a one year old! It's amazing! London has been a busy boy this month! He's figured out the whole crawling thing (although he "army crawls" for the most part and has yet to figure out that his knees are good for something) and gets around with significant speed. The baby gates are up and the days of laying him down on a blanket with a few toys to keep him happy are gone! He's into everything he can reach and if he can't reach it he wants it anyway. A little separation anxiety has started to kick in and we can't leave the room for more than 15 seconds before a little voice starts checking on us to see where we went. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus have expanded and finger foods are present at every meal. It's been a busy month to say the least!

In the last two and a half months he's eaten sweet potatoes, butternut squash, broccoli, green beans, peas, white potatoes, spinach, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, blueberries, bananas, avocado, carrots, cauliflower, watermelon, chicken, baby rice, baby oatmeal, and toast. I think that's it. I spent Monday afternoon in the kitchen cooking up some chicken meals and a lentil dish. We're moving into "meal" territory - not just a couple of cubes of fruits or veggies, but recipes that smell yummy and taste delicious (if you can get past the "pureed to a pulp" look and texture, which I did when I licked the spoon after filling my ice cube trays! Pretty darn tasty stuff!) The freezer is stocked. I'm hoping we have enough to get us through the puree phase.

So far there has been little that he doesn't like. Bananas were unpopular for a couple of weeks, but they're back on the "like" list, and spinach fell of the list and into the "dislike" column a couple of days ago. He tried chicken (cooked with onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and chicken broth) for the first time yesterday. Judging by the way he inhaled his lunch both yesterday and again today, I think it's safe to say that chicken is a "like". Although, I told Pern today that if what emanated from London's diaper this afternoon was the result of chicken, there was a strong possibility that I will be raising him to be a vegetarian, at least until we're through the potty training phase. P. U.

Isn't he a doll?

First Trip to the Beach!

2010-06-26T18:59:00.001-07:00

We spent a couple of days in Kitty Hawk, NC this week. One of my parents' best friends owns a townhouse down there and has always been very generous about letting us stay at her place when the need for a little beachy time strikes. This was London's first trip to the beach. Although he did not LOVE it, we did discover that he enjoys the pool, so we will be sure to make a few visits to our neighborhood pool this summer. I think the ocean was a little too large and noisy for his liking. He was very uncertain about the whole foot dunking thing and got really fussy and clingy whenever we tried to get his toes wet. So the two times that we actually went to the beach were short trips indeed! We spent more time at the house, the pool, and the car than anywhere else.

We took a day trip to the aquarium to see the sharks, worked on our napping skills, and Pern and I got caught up on the last season of "Dexter." All in all we dragged tons of baby stuff to the Outer Banks to do exactly what we could have done here at home. Except for the beach part. But it was worth it to get away for a couple of days, have a change of scenery, and make a few memories. The first year is so full of "firsts" after all!

These pictures are from our second attempt at "going to the beach!" We took some video footage of the first "going to the beach!" but who knows how long it will take to do something with that.

Is it me or does he look suspicious?

This was about as close as we got!

He wasn't a whole lot more confident with Daddy.

It's always nice when a random stranger offers to take your picture

and doesn't run off with your camera.

Recent happenings

2010-06-20T17:48:00.001-07:00

Since he's been more mobile, London has discovered how much fun his play tunnel can be. He's not quite crawling through it yet, but he can drag himself around with the best of 'em!

He's such an incredibly happy baby!

Today was Father's Day... London gave Pern a book called "Me and My Daddy" that he made for him on Shutterfly. I don't know when he learned how to use the computer, but the book is very cute and well-written. Who knew?

Only 7 months old and already camping!

2010-05-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked my school's 3rd annual family camping trip and our 1st annual family camping trip! This is my pet project at school... a few years ago I decided it would be fun to take 20+ families to a cabin campground about an hour from home for two days, stuff them full of yummy food, give them arts and crafts to create, games to play, and marshmallows to roast, and then send them home with some seriously dirty laundry and in desperate need of a nap! Everyone thought I was crazy (and maybe I was/am), but it has now been a success three times over and it was so much fun to bring London this time around!

Last year I was pregnant during the trip and everyone kept saying, "Oh... I guess there won't be a camping trip next year, huh? You're not going to want to do this with a baby!" Wrong. I would rather do it with a baby than a toddler! Next year we'll tackle the toddler phase, but taking London along was really pretty easy. We're pretty sure he'll be crawling in a week or two, so the timing couldn't have been better... he hung out in his stroller, in his carrier (on me!), or in someone's arms all weekend! He showed everyone his funny face, got to go to two campfires, ate packaged baby food for the first time (it's been home cookin' until now), and wore disposable diapers (gasp!). He had one mini meltdown after being passed around a bit too much and losing sight of Mom and Dad, but was a dream baby the rest of the time. We couldn't have asked for an easier weekend.

The only downside to planning the trip and having to be "on" all weekend: no down time to take pictures! We made a point to get our 7 month picture in, though! All in all it was a fun weekend! Busy, busy, busy... but the 6:00 snuggle in my sleeping bag this morning (following the 5:00 a.m. chirping bird wake-up call) more than made up for it! Nothing like being loved on by a smiling baby to get your day off to a good start! We're already looking forward to next year! Might have to enlist the grandparents to come camping with us... extra hands, extra eyes, extra everything for the toddler on the go! We've only got a year to get ready!

Highlights from this month: two teeth!

Pern and I are wearing our school camping trip t-shirts. It's hard to tell...

... but the outfit L received as a gift the day before we left...

... say's "Happy Camper!"

Which is exactly what he was!

"Funny face" comin' atcha!

And in sequence...

Better late than never! - Six months!

2010-05-16T19:03:00.001-07:00

I know we'll be ready for a "seven months" picture in just a couple of weeks, but I've got to get the six month picture in before that happens. Yes, we took it at the six month mark, but life is busy and I just haven't got around to posting it yet.... so without further delay...

He's growing so fast!! He weighs about 17 pounds and is about 27 inches long. He eats pretty much everything we put in front of him (except for bananas... not a fan) and is more or less sleeping through the night. He makes us laugh every day and continues to amaze us with how much he seems to understand, how much he is learning, and how much we love him! It never gets old. We waited a really long time for this little guy and knowing now how good it feels to be his parents, we'd do it all over again. He is absolutely amazing and so completely worth the wait.

And now... because I want to and because I can... more pictures!

Sigh... what a sweetheart. :D

Cereal!!

2010-04-18T05:54:00.001-07:00

We started the messy business of introducing solid foods to London yesterday. And boy, oh boy, was it messy! He sucked most of it down, even though it doesn't look like it in the pictures. He's been ready for a while and seemed positively delighted that his constant attempts to grab food from the table finally resulted in something actually ending up in his mouth!!

I think he likes it! I cooked and froze some sweet potatoes and apples this weekend and we've got bananas and avocados ripening on the kitchen counter. Let the yummy messiness continue!

Gardening Postponed

2010-04-16T18:13:00.001-07:00

You see those big rocks in my garden? Mini boulders, if you will?

They're the reason I won't be gardening this weekend. I moved them out from under the deck, threw them around when they got too cumbersome to carry, and rearranged them when I couldn't decide where I wanted them to go. Now my arm hurts. Hurts as in, took the day off work to go to the doctor because I was in some serious "can't move my arm" kind of pain. Turns out I strained my rotator cuff and from Tuesday through Thursday I was hurting. It's a lot better today, but mornings are the worst and no matter how I feel tomorrow, I'm still going to have to sit a weekend or two out to avoid more damage. But, the garden looks good.

The tomatoes, broccoli, and brussels sprouts are growing strong, but the lettuce is not. Turns out, the seeds I planted had expired (in 2008 - whoops) so I need to get some more and give it another go.

I dug a little bed and planted some hosta bulbs under the deck. They're the "frozen margarita" variety. Might have to bring a chair down under the deck and have a different kind of frozen margarita soon! Mmmm...

I dug up all the weeds...

And planted some phlox,

Spanish lavender,

and some little yellow flowers... tick wort? tick weed? tick seed? Something like that.

Oh, and this strawberry? We let it get a little redder and then we ate it! And it was yummy!!

Grow, garden, grow!

Oh... and London has come out twice with me to "help" water the flowers! I put him in the Baby Bjorn carrier and turned on the hose! I'll have to get Pern to videotape his fascination with the water... it's so cute!

My Garden: Year Three

2010-04-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Gardening time! I'm going to mix it up a little this year: no cucumbers and no green beans. This year we will, hopefully, be enjoying lettuce, brussels sprouts (well - I'll be enjoying them... Pern still calls them "those nasty little green balls you made me eat that one time"), broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, and basil.

Brussels sprouts in the back, lettuce in the front. I've grown lettuce before, I'm not worried about that... but brussels sprouts? Never. Don't even know what the plant will look like when it matures. Exciting stuff!

Tomato plant. I'm going with a Beefsteak variety this year. And I learned something new recently: when planting tomatoes, bury 2/3 of the plant. This allows the plant to establish a better root system, which makes it stronger. Wish I'd known about that last year! I had tons of tomatoes, but was constantly battling to keep the huge plant upright and lost a large part of it to a heavy storm. Hopefully, this tomato plant will fare better.

One of two broccoli plants. I tried broccoli before, but started those from seed and planted them too close together and too close to the green beans and carrots... they didn't have enough room to grow. So, broccoli: take two!

When I started my garden, three years ago, this was a grassy patch that I covered with newspaper, weed blocking tarp, and mulch and left to its own devices. I normally throw a couple of pots down here with some colorful annuals, but I'm going to mix it up this year. I transplanted a salvia plant that had been doing well in a large container, coming back every year, but needed a bit more room to grow. It gets pretty big once it gets going. I'm going to add another perennial or two and a couple of stepping stones and make it permanently pretty. :)

Which brings me to the "under the deck" area. Ugh. What can I say? Pebbles, pebbles, and more pebbles. It's actually kind of a funny story. When we bought the house, the HOA did their property inspection prior to the sale of the house and gave the previous owners a slap on the wrist for not submitting an application for the "rock garden" that they had put in under the deck. Umm... it's not exactly zen down there. Said "rock garden" serves a pretty good purpose - it keeps the ground from turning into a total mud puddle when it rains. However, according to our HOA documents an area of rocks measuring more than (I think) 2 x 2 feet is considered a rock garden and needs to be approved. But, whatever, the sellers submitted their application, we bought the house - rock garden and all - and now this eyesore is mine to deal with. I've been putting it off for a couple of years simply because I didn't know what to do with it. I still don't. But it can't keep looking super craptastic.

See what I mean by super craptastic? Yuck. Weeds, old planters, bags of soil, and tons of pea gravel. And don't forget about the satellite dish. Every home should have one. Disconnected. And under the deck. Sigh. I've got my work cut out for me. The basic plan is to pull the weeds, move the gravel, lay down some fresh weed blocker tarp, and put the gravel back. Then I'm going to get rid of the junk that's hiding out down there and get some stepping stones to pretty-up the space at the bottom of the stairs. That's plan A. Plan B involves removing all the gravel and turning the rock garden into a fern garden. Which plan comes to fruition will depend on my budget, my patience, and my back. Did I mention that I can't fully stand up under the deck? Ouch...

Up on the deck I've got strawberries and basil. I've never planted strawberries before. I didn't want them to take over the garden, so I'm keeping them container bound.

And look! My purchase came with a berry that I didn't have to work for! Bonus!

These sad, pathetic pots will be part of the beautification part II plan, which will commence, weather permitting, next weekend. Stay tuned to find out what happens under the deck... captivating stuff, I know. :)

Funny Boy!

2010-04-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

We realized that we hadn't taken many pictures lately (gasp!) so we took these:

"The Thinker" - baby style

Seriously, Daddy! Stop talking!

Meet Harriet. I bought Harriet this past week when London and I flew down to North Carolina to spend a few days with my sister and her family. That's right. Flew. I figured a one hour flight with a baby was better than a 5+ hour drive, so we took to the air. London was such a good traveler! He cried a tiny little bit on the way down and slept through almost the entire flight on the way back. He bobbed around in the Baby Bjorn as I got us through both airports and hardly fussed at all.

Our trip to NC was really nice... given how little I sometimes see my little man during the week (I leave the house at 7 and don't get home until 5 or 6 - bedtime is 7), it was really nice to have some Mommy and London time for a few days. I'm really looking forward to the summer. My schedule at school lightens up significantly and I'll have a lot more time at home.

Anyway... back to Harriet.

Here's what London does when he sees Harriet.

This is usually followed by squeals of delight...

... and a look of triumph!

Five Months Old!

2010-04-03T16:59:00.001-07:00

Where did my baby go?? London is growing up so quickly! He can hold his head steady and sits pretty well with assistance. He rolls easily from back to front, but hasn't figured out the opposite move yet. He babbles non-stop and has the most infectious laugh! He's so amazing! We are constantly surprised with what he can do, what he seems to understand, and how sweet and loving he is. We are so lucky to have him in our lives... can't wait to see what's comes next.

October 30, 2009

November 30, 2009

December 30, 2009

January 30, 2010

February 28, 2010

April 2, 2010

Four Months!

2010-03-06T18:07:00.001-08:00

Wow. Four months old already. We can't believe it. We had his four month check-up on Monday and here are the stats:

15 pounds (up 6 pounds from his birth weight)

26.25 inches (he's grown almost 6 inches!)

He's in the 54th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height... looks like he's gearing up to be tall and somewhat skinny... he has a little double chin, but no rolls of baby fat. Just long and lean and incredibly good lookin'! :) The doctor was pleased with his progress and said he looks great!

October 30, 2009

November 30, 2009

December 30, 2009

January 30, 2010

February 28, 2010

And two more for good measure...

2010-03-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

We took this almost two weeks ago when London had just started to roll. Now he can flip himself over almost effortlessly. It's amazing how quickly babies change!

Snow Dunking

2010-02-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you have about two and a half feet of snow on the deck and you can't really leave your house so you have to make up fun stuff to do? You bundle up your baby and play "snow dunk" of course!

Step One: Bundle baby

Step Two: Trudge through snow up to your knees

Step Three: Dunk the baby!

Step Four: Remove baby and repeat steps one through three.

London loved it!

And just when he was about done...

...we trudged back to the door...

... and passed him off to Daddy!

"More snow dunking?"

No... this time it's "baby airplane."

He liked that, too!

Whee!

That was fun! Can we do it again?

Our little all star!

2010-02-06T10:17:00.001-08:00

I'm not much of a baseball fan. OK... I hate baseball. A lot. But...

... if all baseball players...

.... were this cute...

... I just might...

... change my mind!

And just like that...

2010-01-31T12:49:00.001-08:00

... he's three months old!

October 30, 2009

November 30, 2009

December 30, 2009

January 30, 2010

Two Months!

2010-01-05T14:59:00.001-08:00

OK... so the difference between 1 and 2 months isn't as dramatic as between 0 and 1, but he continues to grow every day! We have his check-up with the pediatrician on Thursday and will find out just how much growing has been going on.

Winter Hat

2009-12-18T04:41:00.001-08:00

WARNING!!! SEVERE CUTENESS AHEAD!!! PREPARE TO "AWWW!!!"

London got an early Christmas present the other day from our friend Lynn... an absolutely adorable handmade (not by her) fleece doggy hat! It has eyes, a nose (you can't really see it in the pictures), and two floppy ears. We tried it on for size and I just about died from cuteness overload!

My New Assistant

2009-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

London helped me work this morning. We have some friends coming over a little later this morning to take some family portraits and I needed a subject for testing out my camera settings. Enter the cutest baby in the world! London very patiently sat in his high chair (he joins us at the table for dinner these days... doesn't eat anything, obviously, but likes to be a part of the dinner time conversation) while I got the cameras ready. And since our "studio" space is pretty blank and boring without a subject, I just had to take some pictures of him while he was there! :) London has many faces... here are a few:

No, the puppy is not called "Patches"... that's a puddle of spit up !

Anyway... on with the many faces of London:

Serious

Content

Delighted

Happy

Charming

Downright goofy!

Blinking

Surprised

Flirtatious

Cheerful

Slightly confused

He worked very hard this morning and is currently taking a well-deserved nap! You try being cute 24 hours a day and see if you don't fall asleep from the effort! :D

Bath Time = Relaxed Baby

2009-12-09T12:38:00.001-08:00

London loves to take a bath. He doesn't really enjoy the lead-in to bath time (taking off his clothes and diaper leaves him cold and a little uncertain) and he doesn't really enjoy the last part of bath time (taking him out of the warm water leaves him cold and mad as hell), but he enjoys the actual bath time itself!

We have a "Spa Baby" bath tub, which we (and he) love! It is designed to allow the water to cover babies up to their chest in water so they don't get cold. I do have to do a "preliminary wash" of his bits and pieces before putting him in the tub (it's a little tricky to clean down there when he's sitting on it), but it's not a big deal. That should get easier as he gets older and is able to hold his head up and balance better. I'll be able to lift him with one hand/arm and wash with the other; right now the whole balancing act involved makes me a little nervous.

Until then, I will keep a hand under his chin and conduct bath time one-handed!

London is quite comfy sitting in his tub...

... and is always alert during bath time!

Time to get out of the tub, London!

Aww, Mom! Do I have to??

Bath Time = Relaxed Baby :)

We wish you a merry Christmas...

2009-12-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Earlier this evening, while holding London and walking around the living room (trying, in vain, to get him sleepy enough to take a nap), a Christmas commercial came on the t.v. and I started singing along. When I looked down at him, he was smiling away! I grabbed my phone and "video taped" our little sing-a-long. The quality of the video leaves a lot to be desired, but the content is enough to make me smile!

First Snow!

2009-12-05T12:33:00.001-08:00

We had our first (of many, I hope) snowfall of the season today. It started around 8:30 and is still going strong. It's not adding up to much: it's a little too wet, but it sure does look pretty! Since it was London's first time seeing snow (even though he has no idea what he's seeing) we wanted to capture the moment for posterity. As you can see from these pictures, he was as excited as we were... so excited, in fact, that he fell asleep rather than deal with the strength of his emotion. :)

He slept when I took him outside...

... he slept while we posed and got snowed on...

... he even slept through a round of kisses!

Then it was Daddy's turn:

He slept through that, too.

And he slept through this...

... and this! Oh well. At least we had some fun!

Just hangin' out!

2009-12-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

London has started smiling and interacting with us a lot more! He can be quite chatty at times!

More cuteness!

2009-12-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

No matter how we swaddle him, London always succeeds in freeing his hands.

Tummy time is going well - look at that strong neck!

A real smile! Smiling started on Sunday - we have to work pretty hard to get 'em, but they're worth it when we do!

What a difference a month makes!

2009-11-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

October 30, 2009

November 30, 2009

Two from yesterday...

2009-11-27T09:01:00.001-08:00

London love to gaze at his "birdie friend". Attempts to grab birdie friend have been unsuccessful, but he's working on it.

"I'll be thankful when mom stops taking my picture!!"

London's first "play date"

2009-11-23T14:05:00.001-08:00

We had a visit from my friend and former co-worker, Tracy, and her son, Niko, this afternoon. Tracy was my assistant last year and left CHMS in May to have her son. He's six months old now and we wanted our boys, who have known each other since London was a zygote, to meet! Niko was a ball of energy during the visit and London, who had been pretty uncomfortable (gastro-intestinally speaking) during the morning, slept all afternoon.

It was really nice to see Tracy. She and I were pregnant together and we shared a lot of the same philosophies about pregnancy and childbirth. She is the one who lent me the "HypnoBabies" CD set that I credit with helping me attain the short, relatively easy labor that I had. Considering that her own labor was 5 and a half hours long, I think we may be on to something: positive thinking can work wonders!

So now, here we are... when we met we had no babies, and now we have two!

Swaddle Blanket Fail

2009-11-21T07:46:00.001-08:00

Swaddle blanket be damned!! No swaddle can contain me!!!

How cute is my baby?

2009-11-17T10:38:00.001-08:00

Seriously. Does it get any cuter?

London has been living in these striped onsies that have mittens that cover his hands and are super easy to put on, take off, and change diapers. He scratches his face a lot, but the days of mittens are quickly coming to an end, because he's OUTGROWING them! :( I put him in a 0-3 month outfit yesterday and it fit him. See?

His newborn clothes are actually a little snug in places. So it's "goodbye" to the jailbird stripes and "hello" to the rest of his wardrobe (which is chockfull o' cute stuff). But first... some more stripey cuteness:

How did we ever get so lucky? :D

The last few days...

2009-11-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

I've been really busy the last few days. Let's see? What do I do all day? Well...

I sleep on my mommy (and sometimes she sleeps too).

I sleep on my daddy. He doesn't sleep when I do this, but he does like to watch football and hockey games while I nap.

I slept on Granny when she came to visit.

And I sleep on Poppy now that he's here.

When I'm awake:

I like to lay on my animal mat and stare at the dangly things.

See how good I stare?

When I'm awake I also like to take pictures...

...but the flash makes me close my eyes and then I go to sleep again.

~London

He's here!

2009-11-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

I am so proud (although a week late) to introduce my son:

London Bailey Disney

He was born on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 7:20 a.m.

Weight: 9 lbs Length: 20.5 inches

London's Birth Story

My water broke at 1:10 on Friday morning. I had just gone to bed about an hour beforehand and woke up thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. When I realized on the way there that my water had broken and was trickling down my leg, my first thought was, "Woo hoo! Due date baby!!" I cleaned myself up and went downstairs to tell Pern that it was "go time".

We called the birthing center at 1:20 and heard back from one of the midwives a couple of minutes later. I had just started having contractions. Marsha, the midwife, told us to get some rest and call back a little later to let them know how things were going.

Pern left me in bed to "rest" and proceeded to gather our suitcase, supplies, food for the birthing center, and cameras. When he came back upstairs a little while later I informed him that the contractions, which had been 15 minutes apart for 45 minutes, were now five minutes apart and getting stronger!

Through the entire pregnancy, our main concern was knowing when to leave for the birthing center, which is 50 minutes away from our house. Rush hour in DC is not where you want to be whilst in the throes of labor. So when we spoke to our midwife, Regina this time, at around 3:00 the discussion was had about when we would leave. She suggested we might want to wait until after rush hour, we weren't so sure. The contractions were getting a little closer together and although I could still talk through them, it was taking more and more of my energy to focus on relaxing when each one came.

Pern and I took a Bradley Childbirth class over the summer to prepare for the labor and delivery. A large part of the classes focusses on understanding the different stages and emotional sign posts of labor. Considering that first babies generally take a long time to deliver (the average is 15-17 hours), we were starting to wonder what was going on... I seemed to be moving through the first stage of labor a little quicker than expected. So, when Pern spoke to Regina around 4:30, the decision was made to leave for the birthing center sooner rather than later.

Pern left me to put the last few items in the car and I went to the bathroom before coming downstairs. Then it changed. I had been laying quietly, calmly in bed the whole time (I couldn't even really believe it had already been more than 3 hours... it had gone by pretty fast), relaxing through each contraction. Earlier this summer I borrowed a CD collection from a friend, called "HypnoBabies". The CDs teach self-hypnosis for labor and delivery and although I hadn't followed the program to the letter, the gist of it (that labor can be quick, easy, and comfortable and that birth was a safe, natural, and normal process) had definitely sunk in. I was fully prepared to relax, let go, and let my body do the work. One of the key techniques I had been practicing for weeks, was to completely relax my face and hands. This triggers the rest of the muscles in your body to relax, rather than tense up against the pain of the uterine contractions. It had been working really well up until the time came to leave the house.

I started moaning. Yup. I was one of those loud, primal, pregnant women, moaning, "oh-ing," and groaning through each contraction. I didn't care that I sounded ridiculous; it was the only way to maintain a fully relaxed face (so important!) while releasing some of the pain.

It took us a few minutes to get out the door, but we were on the road by 5:00. I closed my eyes, told Pern to hurry up (but don't speed), and moaned my way through contractions that were now coming 2 minutes apart. We were almost at the birthing center when I told Pern that things had shifted and I could feel the baby "really low down!"

We pulled in to the birthing center at 6:00 and got into our room a few minutes (and a few contractions) later. Then the full confusion set in. Turns out, I was in transition, the phase of labor when you dilate the last 2-3 centimeters. It was intense, painful, uncomfortable, and seemed to change from minute to minute. I couldn't get comfortable, I was shaking, I wanted to lie down, but as soon as I did, I wanted to get up. I was a bit of a mess.

Regina was busy dealing with another couple that had been at the birthing center for a while and had now requested a transfer to the hospital. Our birthing assistant, Kelly, arrived and started talking to me, reminding me to relax my face (see how important that is?) and making suggestions for Pern on ways he could help me cope. At some point around this time I asked for juice to drink. Then I wanted to throw up. Then I needed to go to the bathroom. This was all happening so fast, I didn't have time to focus or really realize what was going on. Pern was awesome! At my all time low point (sitting on the toilet, starting to have the urge to push, which feels like intense diarrhea-like stomach cramps, by the way, having a contraction, and throwing up all at the same time!) he just sat there, holding my arms, holding me up, holding my throw-up bucket, and letting me "oh!" and moan, blowing vomit breath into his face. Now, that's love! :D

When I started pushing, Kelly told me to breathe through those feelings. She asked if I felt a pinching in the front of my pelvis. I said yes and she said that meant it wasn't time yet. We were out of the bathroom at this point and I was kneeling in front of the bed. One or two contractions later I told Pern I needed to go to the bathroom again (hello? urge to push coming on, don't tell me it's not time!). This time, when I started pushing, Kelly asked again about the pinching in the front. This time the answer was no. Kelly ran out of the room to get Regina at this point.

When Regina came over to me in the bathroom, I asked if it was time to push yet and she said "you're a better judge of that than I am. Reach down. Do you feel a bulge?" The answer was yes, to which she responded, "Well let's not have the baby on the toilet!" and we made our way back into the room. Pern said there was a flurry of activity, with everyone throwing absorbent pads all over the place and getting their supplies together in preparation for the delivery.

The birthing center has a student midwife, Colleen, who arrived shortly after I started pushing. Regina had asked if I would be OK with her being there and I'd said yes. She was actually the one who ended up catching London when he came out! Which wasn't a whole lot later...

So I started pushing. Again... couldn't get comfortable. Tried a couple of positions and finally ended up on the birthing stool, which allows you to squat without cutting off circulation to your legs. It didn't take long, but at points it felt like it had been forever! All in all, I pushed for 25 minutes. I got to see the baby's head as it was crowning when Colleen held up a mirror for me. I commented on the fact that he had dark hair and at one point I remember shouting, "This. Hurts!"

The head was out at 7:19 and the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Colleen couldn't get it up and over, so they decided to deliver the body head over heels, to flip his head through the loop that the cord had created. At 7:20, whoosh! Out he came. Pern's initial comment of "Oh, he's so tiny!" when he had started crowning, turned into, "Oh, my God! He's huge!" when the rest of his body was delivered. They let me pick him up and place him on my chest and Pern and I started cleaning him off. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Here's this little person (who's really not that little!) who, up until a few moments ago, was living inside my body. For nine months we had waited and wondered, imagining this moment and then, boom! it's here, he's here, and life will never be the same.

The rest of the delivery was a blur. I moved onto the bed to deliver the placenta, laid there staring at my son, marveling over his tiny hands and long fingers and his perfect little feet. Falling in love with my husband all over again at the wonder and love I saw on his face. Stunned by how fast it had all happened and in awe of myself (yes, I'm going to pat myself on the back) and what I had accomplished.

We stayed at the birthing center until 11:00. We ate a good breakfast, I needed a few stitches (in some ways that hurt more than the labor itself!), I had a shower, London had breakfast and a mid-morning snack, he had his newborn exam (and a good, healthy poo) and then we got him dressed, packed up our stuff (half of which hadn't even made it in from the car!) and hit the road. We were home by 12:00, eleven hours after my water broke. Do you see what I mean about surreal?

My parents and my grandmother came over to meet London that afternoon. And my sister flew in from North Carolina to surprise me (she's pregnant and we weren't expecting to see her until December) and stay for a couple of days to help out.

It's been a week already and it's been the longest week ever and the fastest one all at the same time. London was slightly jaundiced at birth, so we had to make several trips to the hospital to get his bilirubin level checked. He's on the mend now and we don't have any appointments or places to be until next Thursday. We feel like it's been go go go non-stop since Friday and are finally settling into an "at home" routine.

I'm sure you wont' be surprised to hear me say that he is the cutest little baby in the world! No question about it. :) He loves to be held, to the point that if you put him down he screams until you pick him up again, but even that is already getting better. He has wrapped his grandparents and his great-grandmother around his finger, and has his daddy, who swore he would never change a dirty diaper, happily answering the call of doody. Hee hee! He's awesome. And I love him.

First family picture, taken just before we left the birthing center.

Grandad meets London

London meets Geggy

Snuggles from Granny

Auntie Dale gets a baby fix

He's not crazy about his swing, but you can't tell from this adorable picture.

He loves a good swaddle blanket.

And has become quite familiar with the Moby wrap.

He is super content to snuggle with Daddy,

and take in the view from up high.

He loves his Mommy,

LOVES the boob juice! (We call this look "milk drunk")

And loves to touch (and accidently scratch) his face - hence the mitten hands.

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday.

What an amazing, wonderful, loveable, snuggable, gift.

Early Birthday Celebration!

2009-10-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

So I was having a rather blah day. Sitting around waiting. I wrote a blog post about it earlier, you can read it if you want to. Pern came home from his skating lesson and we went to Costco to buy Halloween candy and tissues (not related to each other) and he said I was looking so "festive" in my orange sweater that he wanted to take a picture when we got home. "Festive" means, "you look like you're smuggling a pumpkin under your shirt." Yes. I know.

So we got home and he pulled out a camera and we went upstairs to take what I hope is my last belly picture. Only... what's that in the kitchen? Oh! It's a card with my name on it (actually it said "London's Mommy" :D ...

...and it's a... What! A present for me??!!

It's a new phone!!

Happy Early Birthday to me!

Then I read my card and had to laugh...

Pern's rationale is that I might need an extra pair with the baby coming. Ha ha. :) Now we're going out to dinner. I get to have a "real" birthday before the baby comes and steals the show! I see a piece of cheesecake in my future. Yum!

We went up to London's room to take the "almost 40 weeks" belly picture (please let this be the last one!!!). While we were up there...

...Winnie the Pooh asked, "When are you coming out, London?" Wouldn't we all like to know?

I also realized that we never posted a picture of the last thing we did to the room. We got the animals from Keturah at my baby shower in August and I'd been wanting to put them up on a little shelf until London is old enough to play with them. Even though we hadn't been planning to put his name up on the wall, the shelf just looked a little naked without it. So now, it's official: we are done!!

Hurry up and wait!

2009-10-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm bored. I think I have officially done everything I can do to prepare for the baby. His bedroom is done, decorated, and ready. His clothes are washed, dried, folded, and stored. Our bedroom has a pack 'n play, changing station, diapers, wipes, and clothes. The swing is put together, the stroller is built, and the car seat is (properly) installed. The suitcase is packed and waiting by the door. The house is clean, the bathroom is freshly scrubbed, the freezer is stocked, the fridge is full, and everything is in it's place.

So now what? We get out of the house every day, even if it's just to go to Costco to buy Halloween candy (that would be today's agenda) or Michael's to be inspired (I painted a very bad picture on Sunday afternoon). But that doesn't change the fact that 95% of my time is spent hanging around the house not doing much of anything.

I knew when I stopped working 2 weeks before my due date that I was more likely to have the baby late than early. Most first babies are late. I knew that I was facing 2 or more weeks of sitting around the house, but I was ready to stop working and considering that we (school) had our first case of swine flu confirmed on my last day, I think I stopped just in time.

So here I sit: blogging out of boredom. Waiting for Pern to come home from his skating lesson so we can go to Costco. Waiting for contractions to start. Waiting for my water to break. Waiting for my life to change. Sigh...

New wreath!

2009-10-21T14:20:00.001-07:00

I made another wreath today! Now we just need a few pumpkins and our fall decorating will be complete. It pays to wait until Michael's is putting out their Christmas stuff to go shopping for fall foliage, by the way. I got all of my wreath supplies for $30, instead of the $70 I would have paid if I'd picked them up a couple of weeks ago. I kind of wish I'd bought another sunflower... it looks a little off balance. Or maybe that's just because I held the camera at a bit of an angle. :)

From start to (almost) finish.

2009-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Back in May we shot a wedding and I wore one of two maternity shirts that was supposed to see me through the season with a growing belly for the first time. I have worn that shirt (and the other) many times since. As well as the most uncomfortable pair of maternity pants known to man (or woman)! Let's just say that Saturdays have been less than comfortable. Well, I am happy to report that a) we are finished with weddings for the year and b) I never have to wear those shirts again!! Well... maybe never. The jury is still out on that one. ;)

So here we have the "before" at 14 weeks... note the flowing fabric of the spacious maternity shirt:

And here we have the after. Tight, snug, and practically bursting at the seams:

Please excuse the poor lighting... that's what lousy planning and an automatic flash will do for ya! We have a maternity shoot with our friend and photographer, Kate Triano, planned for the 19th. It will be nice to get some decent pictures of the two of us, even if I do take up a lot more room these days and am not feeling especially photogenic. Let's hope I make it to next Monday... :D

How lame am I?

2009-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just read through my entire blog. I started skimming back to find my 14 weeks pg picture (tomorrow is our last wedding before London's big arrival - got to have my "before" and "after" pregnancy pictures) and ended up reading the whole thing. I should be sleeping. I'm lame. Not sure why I kept going, but I did.

Had a little scare earlier. I realized that I hadn't felt London move in over an hour. At what is usually a very active time of day for him. Pern talked to him, I poked and prodded at him, and nothing. It took a cold glass of water, another HALF AN HOUR!, and a lot more talking and prodding before he finally woke up. I was not a happy camper. Pern thinks it was the Indian food we had for dinner. Apparently it makes babies sleepy. ?? Okaaay....

Why were we eating Indian food, you ask? Because it's our anniversary, and that's what we do! Five years!! I can't believe it. Love you, P! Thanks for keeping me sane! :D

Miscellaneous

2009-08-30T13:48:00.001-07:00

Just a few random thoughts and pictures. Not necessarily connected, but anyway.

School "starts" tomorrow. Not really, but our staff training week starts tomorrow and as far as I'm concerned, that is the official start of our school year. So even though the kids don't return until September 8, the 2009-2010 school year will be underway at 8:00 a.m. I have some random thoughts that go along with that.

1) I can't believe that Keturah and I opened the doors to CHMS 6 years ago. Holy cow, where did the time go? This marks our 7th year. The fact that a couple of my student were fetuses when I first met them (they are siblings of former students) is also a little on the holy cow side. Seriously... where did the time go?

2) Since finding out I was pregnant I've been marking time by certain milestones/events. It started with the period between finding out and telling the world at large. Then once we were "out of the closet" I had to get through the rest of the school year. Tomorrow marks the end of summer, which seemed endless back in June with the 8 or 9 weeks spread out before us. It seemed like an infinite amount of time to get stuff done, prepare, etc. But it now appears that summer has gone by incredibly fast. That means we're starting the second to last milestone: Seven weeks to go until my maternity leave starts (that would be the last milestone). Which means...

3) In about 2 months we're having a baby. Years of waiting. Months of planning. And we are literally weeks away from meeting our little guy. I can't believe it.

And last...

4) I saw a bunch of trees with golden leaves yesterday and it's supposed to be in the 70s / 80s this week. I guess fall is going to make an early appearance this year. I always think it's weird that we go "back to school in the fall" even though it's usually still freakin' hot at the beginning of September, but this year it might actually feel like fall! My fingers are crossed.

Anyway... Here are some pictures from last weekend. We went to our friends' lake house for the weekend. Had a good time, despite the rocky start to the weather (it POURED on Saturday, but cleared up in time for an evening boat ride). Pern went water skiing. Well, at least he tried. Didn't quite make it up all the way, but not bad for a first try.

He swears he was excited... I think he looks a little nervous.

Michael tried to get Pern to "hang loose", but P's too rock 'n roll for that. :D

Michael and Lynn took Pern out while I stayed on the dock. The idea of bouncing around on a speed boat and being in the middle of a lake (i.e. nowhere near a bathroom) while 30 weeks pregnant wasn't particularly appealing.

Lynn went first. Then they disappeared around the corner and I couldn't get any pictures of Pern's attempt. When they came back around and it was his turn I could technically see him, but couldn't tell if that was the right boat (too far away) and they were on the other side of the lake, so the pictures would have been no good anyway. Oh well... next time.

I hung out with the swans instead.

More randomness:

Friday marked the start of 31 weeks. Even though it's been 3 weeks since my last belly picture, I don't think I've grown too much more. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. I might be in denial.

Pern was going for something artsy as usual...

...while I was too busy being distracted.

There it is.

My parents came over for lunch today. And despite my many efforts (laying down, drinking some ice water, poking around my belly for all I was worth), London refused to take the bait and put on a show. He's bouncing around a whole bunch now though. I told Pern last night when he came to bed (it was 2:00 a.m. and I'd just gotten up for the second of three potty breaks) that I was worried that he (London) was going to come out part rubber. I guess at 2:00 in the morning a bouncy baby that is part rubber makes sense. I told you this was a random post.

Oh, and I'm getting my hair done tomorrow. Yay.

Twenty-nine.

2009-08-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

No, not twenty-nine weeks pregnant. I'm actually 30 weeks today. Give or take 10 weeks to go. Woo hoo! October will be here before we know it!

No... twenty-nine is the number of tomatoes I have in my kitchen right now. See?

I've been picking two or three a week for the last month or so, but had a bunch that were on the verge of ripe. When I went out this afternoon to get them I turned right around and went back inside for something to carry them in! Too many tomatoes!

I'm going to make tomato sauce tonight for spaghetti on Sunday.

Then I'm going to make some salsa.

And tomato soup.

Bruschetta?

BLTs?

Oh... and there are still more on the vine. Still green, waiting to ripen. More sauce, more salsa, more soup. If you'd told me last May that I'd have this "problem," I don't think I would've believed you. That's OK...

I love tomatoes.

Bed frame and 28 weeks!

2009-08-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

My parents stopped by for lunch on Sunday and brought... Ta da!!! London's bed frame!

Thanks, Dad!! It's perfect!!

I'll be 28 weeks tomorrow. Twelve weeks, give or take a little, to go. The little guy is about 15 inches long and weighing in at about 2.5 pounds.

A little side-by-side comparison... that's not so little anymore.

Progress!

2009-07-30T08:11:00.001-07:00

I think it's safe to say that we're as done as we can be with what we already have. That is to say, everything "baby" that had already been purchased or given to us has been given a home in the new bedroom. There are some minor details that will need to be taken care of eventually, but as of today, we're done. D-U-N! Done! :D

Whew! I feel like we've worked our rear ends off for the last two weeks, but it was so totally worth it! I love London's room! Both Pern and I find ourselves walking in and just sitting, looking around, at random times of the day. We know it's corny, but we are just so happy with how it turned out. Take a look:

We're still waiting on the bed frame from my dad. I heard it's near completion! Can't wait to see it!

We put the lamp up nice and high and secured the cord. When London starts crawling and this chair is removed, we'll probably add a low mirror to the wall, but we haven't decided yet. Still time for that...

The closet door is gone and has been replaced with a curtain.

This quilt is one of my favorite things about the room. It was an end-of-the-year gift from one of the families in my classroom whose daughter was going on to first grade after three years with us. It's a "Virtues Quilt." Here's a close-up:

At our school we follow a program called "The Virtues Project." Essentially, we are teaching the children to identify the virtues that are in us all, know when they are using them, know when they need to practice them, and identify the missing virtue when they find themselves in conflict with someone else.

For example, instead of just saying thank you for cleaning up, we would acknowledge their "cleanliness and orderliness." If they're struggling with completing an activity and want to give up, we would encourage them to practice "perseverance and determination." And if they are fighting about something we'll ask them to have some "patience, flexibility, or kindness" with each other. Each day we do a "virtue pick" where we pull a card from the stack and discuss that virtue, what it means, and how to recognize it in yourself or others. It has made a huge difference in our school! The children now talk about orderliness, patience, creativity, peacefulness, and respect like it's the most natural thing in the world!

Anyway - I love this quilt! All 52 virtues are listed (I counted!) and it's beautiful! I can't wait to start introducing these concepts to London. Thanks, Carla! We love it!

But I digress...

These animal prints were the first decorative items we bought for the room. They're so cute - we love them! We knew we wanted to do a subtle animal theme (I'm not into over the top themey-themey rooms) and these were too cute to pass up. We're going to add some pictures of real animals (photographs not cartoons - it's a Montessori thing), but we haven't bought the frames yet. OK... so we're not done. Le sigh...

We bought these animal decals from a seller on Etsy.com. They are parading along the baseboard on the orange section of the striped walls, at the perfect eye level for a crawling baby. There are elephants, giraffes, bears, ducks, rhinos, deer, and more. Once the chair is removed, they'll be more obvious. For now, they're subtle. And yes, I love them!

I made this pillow case (used a pillow form from Michael's) ...

... and also made the curtains. I love them, too. They were a pain in the you know what to make (the curtains, not the pillowcase) but that was just because I didn't measure properly and after I washed, and subsequently shrunk, the fabric, I had to be sooooo precise so as not to mess it up. Me and precision sewing don't exactly mix. There was also a lot of swearing at my sewing machine that happened yesterday. Why is it that sewing machines always seem to act up right at the end of the project? Am I the only one who has this problem?

The closet needs a little work. We need to add a shelf so that we're not wasting so much space and I plan to hijack the label maker from work to replace the bright pink tags. A few more baskets and it'll be finished. The clothes we have have all been washed and sorted. Never in my life have I had to remove so many little plastic tags! You know, the ones that attach the price tags to the clothes? Baby clothes are FULL OF THEM!!! Every little sock (so cute!), every hat, every everything is attached to everything else with a little plastic tag! Pern did the bulk of them and I still spent 45 minutes de-tagging the things he missed. When the laundry was done there were still two hats attached to each other and a three socks hooked together as well!

We bought a large, sturdy basket for blankets and placed it next to the chair. I made the one on the right a few years ago and had been holding on to it for that "some day" and my friend, Claudia, made the green one. I got that one this past weekend - love it, Claudia - Thanks!

This corner is missing something, we're just not sure what it is. Any ideas?

Last night I also put the stroller together. We bought it on the recommendation of my sister, who like me, is tall. She test drove all the strollers when she was pregnant with my niece and decided that this one suites us tall girls just right - nice high handle bar and no cross bar between the wheels to bang our feet on. Thanks for doing the legwork, Dale! Pun fully intended.

It's a Quinny Buzz and it handles beautifully! I wheeled it around and around the island in the kitchen and didn't bang into the cabinets or the fridge or have to stop and adjust it or anything! That's right: I love it!!

And Pooh Bear loves it, too! :D

Paint, paint, and more paint.

2009-07-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

The big move is almost complete and London's room is painted. I'd put exclamation points after that, but frankly, I'm too tired. So... after the garage got cleaned out, we moved my school stuff out of the spare room (sorry - no "before pictures" - this isn't the best-documented "before and after" post of all time) and moved the guest room in. So now the guest room is in the smaller bedroom and looks like this:

We're calling it the crabby guest room. Not because our guests are typically crabby, but because you have to do a bit of a crab walk to get around the bed. Ha ha. It's tight, but manageable.

So after the guest room moved out of the bigger bedroom, we played around with some furniture layouts before clearing the room to start painting. Ignore the locations of the shelves, etc... they will probably change. For those of you that don't already know, we're designing London's room with several Montessori principles in mind. There will be more "Montessori for Babies 101" lessons to follow, but I'll be brief and say that we're not buying big, bulky, adult-sized furniture (changing table, dresser, glider, bookshelves) or even a crib.

Gasp!

He'll sleep on a floor bed (my dad is building a bed frame to hold the crib mattress and make it look a little less like a mattress on the floor and a little more like a bed with no legs) and the furnishings in his room will be (and some have already been) chosen with him in mind. For example, the low shelf that you see will hold several small toys, we'll hang a low bar in his closet for his hanging clothes, and will put folded clothes in easy-to-use drawers. We took the closet door off it's track, the bedroom door will be kept open with a latch (don't want little fingers getting pinched), and there'll be a baby gate at the door. Plugs will be closed up, the cords for the blinds will be wrapped up out of reach, a lamp will be out of reach and secured, and there won't be anything in his room that he can't touch, play with, explore, and enjoy as he gets older. Anyway... that wasn't too brief. Sorry. More later. So here are the before pictures:

And here are the after pictures: Note the adult-sized chair. That is a temporary addition to the room. Once London starts crawling and pulling up, the chair will be removed for safety. We don't want him climbing up and falling off, but we do want a comfortable chair for feedings during the first few months.

We love it!! (That gets two exclamation points!) I'm really happy with the colors and the lines came out great! Can't wait to finish it off.

We're not quite done with the walls yet. We have wild animal decals to stick on the bottom of the orange section, along the baseboards, that are the same color as the darker blue. Then it's just a matter of hanging some pictures, making a curtain for the window and one for the closet (fabric is bought - sewing commences tomorrow!), buying some baskets, and filling the bookstand, drawers, baskets, and every other corner of our house with baby stuff!

And, last but not least, here's my latest picture - taken earlier today at 26 weeks 2 days.

Boat Cruises are Dandy!

2009-07-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

Had a fun afternoon today! Linnea, Claudia, and I got together at Claudia's apartment for "girls' weekend #3" last night. It turned into more of a "girls' 21 hour getaway" because Linnea had some work obligations to get home for, but it was still fun! :D

C made a yummy dinner for us on Friday (Mom! She's learned how to cook!) and we chatted and caught up until the wee hours of the morning.... OK... it was 1:30. But that's pretty "wee" for us these days!

Then, this morning, we got dolled up and headed to Alexandria for a lunch cruise aboard "Nina's Dandy," one of a fairly well-known pair of lunch/dinner cruise boats that takes guests up the Potomac and on a tour of the Alexandria and D.C. waterfronts. C and L treated me in a "Yeah, you're having a baby and we're excited for you!" kind of way, which was really nice.

Lunch was yummy, the company was good, and we even got to the dance the "Cha Cha Slide" on our way back to the dock! Fun times! Thanks, ladies! I'm looking forward to our December get-together... and so is London. :)

Total Garage Makeover!

2009-07-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows us, knows that we (well - mostly Pern) have stuff.

A lot of stuff.

No, seriously... too much stuff!

And that up until now a lot of that stuff had to stay in our garage. And it multiplied. And some of it got Ebayed and some of it got thrown away and the rest of it multiplied. And boxes came to live in our garage and unused furniture, too. And then they multiplied. And all of my school materials (hmm... OK... I guess I do have stuff of my own) had to leave the garage to make way for more stuff.

And eventually (Karen hangs head in shame) our garage looked like this:

But amazing things happen when you find out you're having a baby! You realize that with babies, comes stuff. More stuff. And you realize that you need a place to put all that stuff. And a place to put the baby. Preferably a bedroom. But in order to make that happen, you need to move your school stuff out of the spare room and back into the garage to make space for the guest room so that the guest room can become the baby's room. But that means you need to make space in the garage, which up until now has been full of stuff.

So you sort, you clean, you toss, you Ebay, you rearrange, reorganize, and revamp. And then your garage looks like this:

And your school materials look like this:

And you have this thing called "open floor" that you never had before:

And you're so proud of yourselves. And you still have a lot to do - because all that "stuff to Ebay" had to go back into the garage (it's only temporary!!) but you know that it will be gone soon. And your school stuff is ACCESSIBLE!!! Because that's the one request you made when you started this process. And your wonderful husband (who did 99% of the lifting, hauling, moving, tossing, and rearranging without a word of complaint) has promised you that it will stay that way.

And now you have an empty bedroom that will become a guest room. And a guest room that will become a baby's room. And a little extra space in your garage for more stuff. :D

New look!

2009-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Like the new blog header? We'll see how accurate it turns out to be. I'm due on October 30. If London (yes, that's his name! :) comes early, we'll have a tiny trick-or-treater in the house by Halloween. If he's one day late, he'll have a very cool birthday and we'll never have to think too hard for a birthday party theme. If he's a few days late, he and I could quite possibly share a birthday! Either way, we're looking forward to the big day!

24 Weeks!

2009-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'll be 24 weeks pregnant tomorrow. It's a big milestone... babies born prematurely have a greater chance of survival if they're born after 24 weeks. Whew! Not that we're ready to see him just yet... he needs to keep cooking for another 16 weeks or so. I'm just sayin' "Yeah for viability!" Now go knock on some wood, please... I hope I didn't just jinx the little guy. Seriously... go knock. Now!

And in other "holy cow!" news: according to one website, the average 24 week pregnant uterus is the size of a soccer ball. Holy cow!!

So that's what's hiding under my shirt!

Unfried, Green Tomatoes!

2009-07-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

The buckets and buckets of rain we had in May and June had both a positive and negative effect on my garden. On one hand:

Some flowers did pretty well. While:

Some have dried up since the rain stopped.

What about the cucumbers, you ask?

They're pathetic:

I planted the cucumbers too late (too many rainy weekends), but the green beans...

... are doing great!

And the tomatoes...

Don't be jealous, I'm just as surprised as you are!

So on one hand - the garden's doing great!

But this view tells a different story:

Carrots, lettuce? All washed away. And by the time I realized what had happened it was too late to plant. If I get a decent cucumber out of those two plants, I'll be surprised. Now tomatoes... those are a different story! Anyone have a good tomato sauce recipe? :D

Fireworks on the Fourth!

2009-07-04T20:45:00.001-07:00

We had a fun evening with Joe, Renee, and their kids today! They came over for dinner (chicken legs/breasts and hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, green salad, corn salad, and fruit salad and a cream cheesy/cherries and berries dessert that Renee brought) and then we loaded into their mini-van to drive into Leesburg. In all the years that Pern and I have lived here, we had yet to experience the big 4th of July bash that the Town of Leesburg puts on at Ida Lee Park every year.

Wow. Talk about a lot of people!! We had to park WAAAAAYYY in the back of the park, but as we were getting out of the car we noticed a small number of people camped out on a nearby hill, away from the huge crowds and live music. We asked if this was a good spot to see the fireworks and some folks told us yes, so we laid out the blankets and settled in to wait... away from the (literally) thousands of people, the Jimmy Buffett cover band, and the long lines waiting for funnel cakes and soft serve.

It turned out to be the perfect spot! The kids were able to run their little hearts out until it got dark, we had a perfect view, there weren't a whole lot of people breathing down our necks, and the fireworks were close enough to enjoy, but far away enough to not be super loud or have debris falling on us. The only downside was the 45 minutes it took us to get home afterwards (we live about 5 minutes away). Oh well... that's what you get for arriving late and being told to park WAAAAAYYY in the back of the park.

Settling in to wait for dark.

The kids are always prepared for fireworks with ear-protection.

Pern wanted to take my 4th of July belly shot... Renee made me do the cheesy hands-making-a-heart-on-my-unborn-child pose. So I made it extra-cheesy.

She thought that was funny.

Joe was too busy watching the kids run away to notice.

Fun with glow sticks!

Pern had fun, too.

And he loves me.

Wheeeee!

What follows are a bazillion pictures of fireworks. I took more. These were the best. I read up on how to photograph fireworks before we left. I turned the camera to "bulb" mode, where the shutter stays open as long as you press the shutter release down. That way you can control the amount of exposure and can time the release of the shutter to the explosion of the fireworks. It was pretty cool. I thought these came out really well for my first attempt at fireworks! Enjoy!

These two (above and below) are my favorites.

I also love the last one and the way you can see the trees in the shot. It was a perfect evening for this little experiment: the temperature was cool (low 70s), the air was clear, not muggy, and the wind moved the smoke away from us, so the pictures didn't get hazy as the show went on. All in all, a good day!

I was SEW productive yesterday!!

2009-07-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Look what I made yesterday:

I pulled out my sewing machine to finish a project I'd been working on (more on that later) and decided to get to some other mini projects that I'd been meaning to do for a while. You see, I had these two flannel sheets that I'd been saving to make some baby blankets out of. I'd gotten rid of the rest of the sheet sets a couple of years ago, but kept the flat sheets 'cause they're just so darn cute. So I started tearing them up and ended up with...

2 thick receiving blankets (double sided)

2 thin receiving blankets (single sided)

6 burp cloths

The two thicker blankets are nice and warm..

... and neatly hemmed.

The two lighter weight blankets have a torn/frayed edge.

And the diaper cloths were super fun to make!

Four of them are padded in the center and have a frayed edge...

... and the other two are thinner, with no center padding. One has a hemmed edge and one is frayed.

But the main reason I pulled out the sewing machine was to finish this:

It's a baby blanket that I made out of one of the curtains that hung in Pern's bedroom when he was a baby! Isn't it cute!? Pern's sister found the curtains while going through some boxes at the house in Indiana and set them aside for us when we went to visit P's dad in April. My mom helped me unpick the curtainy scrunchy thing at the top and went with me to Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick out the warm, fleecy, backing fabric. A little stitching around the pictures and a quick hem job and voila!

No, we're not doing a Winnie-the-Pooh nursery. Not even close. But Pooh was just too cute (and sentimental) to pass up!

Fun plans for the 4th: we've got Joe, Renee, and the kids coming over for dinner and Wii. And then we're going to head into Leesburg for the fireworks display at Ida Lee Park. I'm taking the camera and I'm going to try to get some good pictures of the fireworks. Wish me luck!

OK...

2009-06-28T15:04:00.001-07:00

... Maybe I can see the difference now.

22 weeks... big changes, yet - still the same??

2009-06-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

So... looking at these pictures, I don't see a whole lot of change between the 18 / 19 week pictures and today (22w2d). I feel different. I feel bigger. Much bigger. Bigger is different and a tough pill to swallow. Having spent several months last year losing 15-20 pounds, it's difficult to watch it creep back on. I know, I know, it's all for a good cause, but that doesn't make it any more fun.

The baby (he has a name, btw... if you're interested, just ask! - I told you I couldn't keep a secret) has been rolling, kicking, punching, and doing Riverdance on my bladder daily. If you've ever wondered what it feels like to be kicked in the cervix, you can ask me about that, too. I've read that it can happen to some women during pregnancy, but not all. Lucky me - I fall into the "some" category on this one!

According to my books, he's about 7-8 inches long (crown to rump - about 10-11 inches full length, I guess) and closing in on a pound in weight. Grow, baby, grow! I'm about 71 inches in length (full length - no idea how long I am crown to rump!) and closing in on an extra 13-15 pounds. Sigh. Go, me, go.

You can't give Pern a camera and not expect him to go for something artsy. :D

Video from Yesterday's Appointment

2009-06-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Pern figured out how to get the video from our appointment yesterday off my phone to our computer and now onto the blog! Yay for heart beats! You'll see me first and then the wall. Pern turned the phone towards the doppler so that the microphone was closest to the sound. Nothing much to see and only 10 seconds of heart beat to listen to, but enjoy!

21 week appointment

2009-06-18T16:29:00.001-07:00

We had another appointment at the birthing center this afternoon. The midwife we met with went over the report from our ultrasound and said that everything looked great, which is what the ultrasound tech told us - but it's nice to hear it again! We got to hear the baby's heart beat again (after he decided to cooperate) and even remembered to record a few seconds of it on my camera phone.

It's hard to believe we're already past the halfway point! We finished our registry this afternoon, ordered some furniture pieces for our Montessori baby, and already have a stroller waiting to be put together in the garage! Time flies. I just hope it doesn't fly too fast... there's still so much to do!

My Little Man...

2009-06-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's pretty amazing to think that in a few short months we've gone from this:

6 weeks

To this:

8 weeks

To this:

19 weeks

And it's even more incredible to me that the next picture we post of him (yes, in case you haven't heard, he's a "him"!!!) will be taken when he's outside my body! Wow.

We're keeping the name under wraps for now, but don't be surprised if I spill the beans soon... me and secrets? We don't exactly mix.

New belly pics!

2009-06-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Okay... I've been chastised by several people for not properly documenting my pregnancy, and I have to agree. Considering how many pictures we take of other people, and how few pictures we take of ourselves, I'm going to make a better effort to hand off the photography responsibilities to Pern and step in front of the camera for the next 21 weeks. Yes, 21 weeks to go. Next Friday will mark the half-way point. Holy crap.

So here they are thus far...

14 weeks 2 days - you saw this one already

18 weeks 2 days (Last Sunday)

And 19 weeks (This evening. Technically, 18w6d, but what's a

few hours in the grand scheme of things?)

Our "big" ultrasound is on Monday (EEK!) and if the baby cooperates we'll find out if I'm being kicked around by a boy or a girl. Shouldn't really call it kicking just yet, though... thumping, bumping, and tapping are better adjectives. Can't wait for Pern to feel, too. It's just so unpredictable and too soft. Soon, though... soon!

Baby update!

2009-05-14T15:24:00.001-07:00

We had our 16 week appointment at the birthing center this afternoon. Had a nice chat with Alice, one of the founding midwives, and got to hear the heartbeat again. It was pretty incredible how immediately the doppler picked up the heartbeat. Four weeks ago the midwife, Katie, had to try a couple of different spots before picking it up. It was quiet, as well. Not today. She just laid the wand (doppler microphone??) on my tummy and BOOM! There it was, beating away. The baby even moved away at one point (weird to know that he/she moved when I can't feel anything yet) and she had to reposition the wand. She let us listen for a couple of minutes. Very cool. I'm pretty sure we both grinned through the entire thing! :D

We have a referral to get our 20 week ultrasound done, so I'll call soon to book that. Should be somewhere in the week of June 8, possibly earlier. We are so excited to see the baby again (who will look like a real baby and not a gummy bear!) and find out if we're going to need to register for pink or blue!

The first (sort of) belly shot...

2009-05-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

So this isn't exactly an accurate belly shot for several reasons:

1) I'm not really "showing" yet... just a little puffier than normal with no space in my abdominal cavity in which to suck my puffiness. Of course, by the end of most days, and following a decent meal (which is when we took this picture), I have a good sized "food baby" to be proud of, but it's gone by the morning.

2) I'm wearing a maternity shirt, which make a girl look, well, pregnant.

3) I'm at a funny angle and the shirt is billowy and pouffy, so the silhouette is not accurate.

But we took it for one good reason...

14 weeks

We were at a wedding and I was wearing one of the two shirts that I hope will see me through a summer of weddings with an expanding belly. Our last wedding before the baby arrives (hopefully before - no early babies, please) is three weeks before my due date. I want to wear the same outfit to that wedding and take the same picture. I think it will be funny to see a side by side comparison a few months from now.

Well... I think it's funny now. Let's see how I feel come October.

This weekend, we're doing our first maternity photo shoot for my former co-worker who is due in June. Now, she'll have a real belly to show off!

My garden has ballz!

2009-04-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

When I woke up this morning, the deck looked like this:

And my garden (I'm ashamed to admit), looked like this:

See these pretty flowers? WEEDS! Gasp! Turns out you can't just ignore an open patch of soil for several months and expect it to be ready for spring without a little work. Who knew?

Sigh. My pretty birdhouse did not fair so well exposed to the elements (as one would think a birdhouse would do - what with birds living outside and all!):

Even the "under the deck" area was a mess:

But after a couple of hours of weeding, digging, moving, dragging, and rearranging...

The deck looks like this: (hmmm.. some flowers might look nice)

And my garden looks like this:

My plan is to plant cucumbers, lettuce, green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes this year. Last year's broccoli was a huge disappointment and the carrots were frustratingly slow growers. See that little patch over on the left? That used to have some containers in it, but the master plan worked! Beneath the mulch and layer of weed-blocker fabric, I was waiting for the grass to die! It's dead and so now I can plant something in it! Good thing my garden has ballz!

Wild Flower Seed Ballz, that is!! Ha ha!

Lay them on the ground, water 'em, and watch 'em grow! Let's see what develops, shall we?

Oh! And I also cleaned out the "under the deck" area.

Now if I could just get Pern to help me move some rather heavy containers and a large bag of potting soil up onto the deck, that'd be great! Then I'll buy some purdy flowers and make the deck look extra special.

If I can talk him into mowing the grass, that'd be even better! ;-)

Our little gummi bear!!

2009-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

We're having a baby! I officially "came out" today at school so I feel comfortable announcing to the world at large that there's a bun in my oven. Pern and I are thrilled and can't wait to meet our little boy or girl. We'll have to wait, however, as my official due date isn't until October 30.

This picture was taken at 8 weeks, and I am 12.5 weeks today. Isn't he or she the cutest little thing?? :D Of course, by now it looks like a real baby, just teeny tiny (about 2.5 to 3 inches long) and not a gummi bear, but it's hard to picture a miniature human living inside of me. For some reason, a gummi bear is easier. So that's our news. Whew! Now I can blog again. I've felt weird not having anything to say, but when all I think about these days is baby stuff it's been hard to keep my mouth shut.

Snow Day!!!

2009-03-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

Today is a snow day!! I love snow days!!! Snow, snow, snow!

I Puffy Heart Photoshop!!!

2009-01-06T18:06:00.001-08:00

So as you may have read in my previous post, we went to Stonehenge. While we were there we asked one of the women on the tour with us to take our picture. This was the only time during our trip that we handed our camera over to a complete stranger and the result was the picture below.

It's us. We're at Stonehenge. But... where are the gigantic ancient rocks? Oh, wait.. I sort of see them... back there... behind my head.

So our kindly stranger offered to take another picture. But rather than stepping to the side to get both us and the gigantic ancient rocks into frame, she tells us to bend down a bit to get them in the picture. We were too polite and too cold to argue with her (plus, we were holding up the line of traffic), so we obligingly squatted down and the result was the picture below.

Hey, look! It's us... hunching over at Stonehenge. Umm... no. Not good enough.

So I took the original picture, where we don't look like we're suffering from severe back pain, and merged it with the picture below...

...and I got this...

I love photoshop! :)