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October 26, 2008
seven weeks
it's as long as our engagement was, 8 years ago, and it's how many weeks we have "left" of being DINKs. or at least how many we're planning on, if one can plan precisely the date upon which birth will occur.
anyway, today marks 33 weeks gestation. here's a couple pictures.
your host for this episode : carrie; 08:46 PM | Comments (2)
October 25, 2008
so many little ones
so Tiger is going to have a Lot of friends in her own age bracket. (we're at 32 weeks 6 days so she's girl. tomorrow at 33 weeks he'll be a boy. we're trying to train our tongues bc we don't know.)
Isabella was born in Spain in August to Samuel and Robyn, and big brother Josiah
Adelaide Renee was born in Ypsilanti, MI on Sunday the 19th to Wick and Kristen
Rebecca Marie was born in GR, MI on Wednesday the 22nd to Dan's brother Tim and Heidi, and big sisters Elizabeth and Sarah
Elleanor Louise Portfleet was born in Houghton, MI on Thursday the 23rd to Matt and Vicki.
We're due 14 Dec.
Friends Max and Court are due 25 Dec.
Friends Toni and Leslie are due 29 Dec.
Friends Mike and Carrie are due 8 March.
Friends Erik and Heather are due 21 March.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:39 AM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2008
look at him go...
so not two weeks ago, my husband finished work on the shower. a project that began in april, 2 days before finding out we were expecting, when i started swingin' a sledge hammer at the cast iron tub. (that was part of the plan, mind you, not something done in anger, tho the size of the shower space was almost enough to warrant it...)
so he finished it. the latest bits of the saga have been the grout work - first cleaning the white thin-set from between the tiles so the dark brown grout wouldn't be speckled, then applying that dark brown grout, and wiping it all clean. the wiping it all clean part definitely took longer than anticipated (tho we anticipated it taking 3 times longer than it should). but finally the work was done, and dan put in the fixtures in our brand new 4x4.5 foot 9 foot ceiling shower. the shower head comes out of the wall at 7'. leaving plenty of head room for even our tallest friends if they end up homeless and come here to shower. and the cubby hole for shampoo, etc has room enough even if we have Three Girls and all they all put their toiletries in there! well, at least i hope three girls wouldn't have more than that amount of toiletries! we do still need to find glass and shelf brackets to fit in that space, but it's Functional. and that, my friends, is a sight to behold. here's a couple pictures: one from way up high looking down on the shower head and cubby, and one from the doorway, showing off that beautiful glass block window that allows that sunshine to swim on the walls at the right time of day.
so the day After he finished the shower, the Very Next Day, this husband of mine went and procured some stucco for the oven exterior, and when i got home from work That day, he was stuccoing the oven. weeks ago we put the shingles on, but when trying to find stucco at the big-box stores, we were told "that's a seasonal item we only carry it in summer". i'm pretty sure it was still in fact summer, technically speaking (prior to the equinox, that is) but we didn't argue, we just sighed at the state of our society. bear in mind that we had more days over 80 After the equinox than we did Before it. so, "now that it's fall it finally warmed up for the summer" was a common phrase around here for a while. but now they're calling for snow this weekend!? what?! i don't think i'm ready.
back to the oven. here's some pics of that, as i found him when i got home from work that day. like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar... be sure you applaud him on how Awesome his dream oven looks (and cooks). there's still work to be done here, for sure, but seriously - this looks professional! painting, tiling the ledge in front, building a shelf for the oven tools (long wire brush, shovel for ash, etc) and doors on the storage area beneath, etc., but the last two weekends we've been out of town and right now it's raining.
so he's only just finished with that work. and tonight i got home from work to find him with his head in the porch ceiling. well, more than just his head - most of his body was above the rafters actually. since we've moved in, we've known that that ceiling needed some work. a rainy day with no work sounded like a good day to do it, so away he went! two years ago in november, we blew in insulation in the attic above the main portion of the house, and installed access doors through the knee walls at the front and back - both in bedroom closets - to grant us (ahem, i should say dan and my dad) access to the small attic spaces there so they could insulate. they stuffed fiberglass batts in under the floor of the bedroom which overhung the porch by a few feet, and put that same batting in all the walls that they newly had access to. immediately i think our heat bill dropped by $60 a month. it was huge. bat guano has not got a very good R-factor. so today, this beautiful husband of mine started trying to press the tongue-and-groove wainscoating back up into place where it had buckled and allowed birds to nest and bats to have access. it wouldn't go back. so he took it down and seized the opportunity to wrap our bedroom in additional insulation (pink board) and then tyvek. so our 84 year old house now has underwear under there. this means that my floor shouldn't be so cold when i put my bare feet on it twice in the middle of every night to pee (now) or feed our baby (in a few short weeks!). and when the new windows get installed throughout the upstairs next month, it means that our heat bill will go down even more. so here's a couple pics of dan-the-man with his head in the porch ceiling.
right now he's adding wiring so that there will be two light fixtures in the ceiling instead of just one. this will create better ambience for our romantic dinners on the porch. or something ;) then dinner is ready and he'll have to put away his tools until tomorrow.
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:01 PM | Comments (1)
October 03, 2008
29 weeks and 5 days
almost 75% of the way there... can you believe it? the last couple of weeks there's been a couple of serious growth spurts. i'm not terribly uncomfortable yet, but my hips have been sore the last few nights.
I'm a little bummed because now that it's finally cool enough to wear this jazzy sweater from jen vv, my belly's almost to big to wear it without hanging out below.
your host for this episode : carrie; 06:45 PM | Comments (2)
October 01, 2008
Registries and Showers
Let me remind you that I do Not like to be the center of attention, huh? My mom tells me that as kids my brother and I were polar opposites (like we're any more similar now than we were then, right?) and he'd pull his toys out to the center of the crowd to play and i'd be off in our playroom sitting quietly with my halo on playing with my toys. Ok, maybe no halo, but i'd be off quietly anyway and Not demanding to be the center of attention. But I know that some would be cross if I didn't tell you how to send us a gift for Tiger. So then, in case you Are dying to send us a gift for Tiger, we are registered at Babies R Us and Target, as well as USA Baby and Hop Scotch in Grand Rapids.
View registries at
www.babiesrus.com or www.target.com
and type in my name and select Michigan. Our registry will pop up.
For USA Baby, you'll have to actually go to the store off 28th St by Centerpoint Mall, but the main thing we've registered for there is a high chair by Svan. I also really like the bouncy seat by Svan but can't locate it anywhere but the Svan site.
For Hop Scotch, you'll have to call or stop in to their store on Cherry/Lake and they've got some things in a basket for us. You can either pay for shipping or they'll call us to come get it. 616.233.4008 is their number. Rachel, the owner, will be happy to help you out... she's been very helpful for me so far! They also have a website.
Showers
There will be one in Ellsworth on the 18th of October, and one in Grand Rapids on the first of November. If you'd like to attend and haven't received an invite yet, it's because I don't have an address for you! Please identify yourselves :) and give me your address so I can pass it on to the hostesses.
If you would like to order off the registry and ship something for me to open at a shower, it can be sent to
O-1673 Parkland Trail
Grand Rapids, MI 49544
Gender specifics
Just because we don't know whether we're having a boy or girl, it doesn't mean you can't buy cute clothes of a certain gender persuasion. Feel free! But please include a gift receipt so I can exchange it if Tiger comes out the other gender ;)
And don't bother with diapers - we now have a really big pile of cloth ones. But if you're inclined to get some wipes, I wouldn't say no.
The room is yellow with white trim and a (still waxed!) hardwood floor and here's a pic of the bedding set we've chosen. And another pic of the crib and changing table we'd like, so you get a taste for the style we're going for.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:51 AM | Comments (1)