Little steps in baby prep

We have a long list of to-do's before Mason gets here. A loooong list. Fortunately we realized a few weeks back just how short a period of time we now have to accomplish all those things. Less than sixty days to paint/decorate/furnish his room, do some major outdoor renovation, transition Skyler to a toddler bed... to name a few. Since our epiphany we have managed to knock some big ones off the list. My lovely husband spent the weekend that Skye and I were in North Carolina painting his second son's room. He has also since ripped apart our back lawn with a rototiller and is making preparations for reseeding and setting up a fence. I'm pretty lucky like that. Back to the room though, since it was painted a few weeks back I have slowly been working towards filling it with the bits and pieces I have accumulated for Mason. We still need to fill it in with some more furniture, and no small amount of organization needs to occur... but, it looks like a room that could be inhabited by a small child now.

Paint by Daddy, decals by me (and Blik)

Pandas and bamboo, it couldn't all be ninjas

Mason's snuggy bed awaits

There are some ninjas though

In the meantime

We have been continuing to move at a pretty frenetic pace around here with the house stuff, having a housewarming in the wings just a few weeks from now we are back to working on projects in an attempt to pull even more together before everyone sees it. We have already accomplished a lot, so it doesn't seem as pressing to finish these few more tasks- it would really just be the icing on the cake.

This past weekend we had some really exciting tasks, organizing the garage and cleaning out the spare bedroom which had quickly become the junk room. Though it wasn't as fun as decorating or painting a room, the results were definitely rewarding. Having a functional and organized garage space really helps life feel more manageable. I am not reminded of the mess that waits everytime I take the trash out, and now all of MR's old baby stuff is tidily organized in tupperware containers just awaiting it's future use.

Unfortunately having chosen so many of our paint colors already, as well as having painted so many rooms, we are now really starting to get down to the nitty gritty with filling in the remaining spaces. BL has been kind enough to give a pretty liberal amount of leeway in directing this process, but now that the spaces are fewer it seems that the decision process is a little more heated. I am trying to come to terms with this, in my realization that he has a say too... I just haven't been very good at it just yet. Ultimately we will figure something out, at the moment we just need to take a step back and try to find some common ground.

In kiddo related news, following his little stomach bug he had a little relapse in his eating habits. He generally would try anything we would give him, at least once. After he was sick he staunchly refused anything that wasn't in puree form, and even that was a battle. We finally put our foot down and left it at, he will eat when he is hungry. So we went through a week long process of putting food in front of him and then waiting. And often being rejected. Finally, in the last few days, our happy eater seems to have returned. BL made a yummy lemmongrass chicken soup the other night and MR slurped that right up. He has continued to resume his willingness to consume since then (knock on wood). I am beginning to understand how some toddler's palates become so limited, they are picky little buggers sometimes.

Finally, and most exciting, there's some good news over in the Soupbowl household! Go over and congratulate Carrie and family on their exciting development(s).

Wordless Wednesday: Home repairs

Closer to home

So we are getting there, things are really starting to feel comfortable around here and generally resembles a home. We even had our first dinner guests over tonight, it was lots of fun to show of the house and all the hard work we have been putting into it. Of course we still have many more rooms to paint, a garage to clean and organize, a few trips to the dump, and some general decorating to do BUT we still have accomplished a whole lotta stuff in a short period of time. Whew.

Things otherwise are going pretty well, the MR has acclimated remarkably well. Now being in our own (baby proofed) space I can really see just how stunted his life was staying with my parents. He has more freedom to express himself now, and does, and he has far fewer boundaries here. So very nice, for us all. He has also been going through a language spurt, which has been fun and frightening. He has become such a little mimic, we really need to mind our mouths more so than we already (kind of) were. It's incredible to watch him put things together, where did this little person come from?

I am just so so relieved to finally have a home for my family. A place of our own where our MR and our future family can thrive and grow. Being out of my parents place aside, just knowing that this is home makes life a million times sweeter.

On a separate but important note- be sure to stop over and wish Carrie good luck and send some good vibes her way. She is the midst of making her way towards number two *hopefully* with an upcoming embryo transfer. Wish her well in giving her little K a little sibling:).

Sending out summer

As usual, I have lots to say and too little time to say it. Things continue to be busy round here, BL and I actually just returned from a loooong day of painting. We finally got the keys to OUR house and have been spending the last few days madly painting in a wild attempt to get as much done as we physically can before the new carpet is installed this Thursday. We have so far managed to finish painting our bedroom and MR's bedroom, so atleast he and we will have a haven even if the rest of the house is still a work in progress. It makes me tired just thinking about how much more painting I would like to do, but I am ridiculously glad to even have the opportunity to be painting our walls in our home. Yay.

Regarding the totally non-house and certainly non-baby related pictures dotting this post, BL and I spent this past weekend with some old friends just being a couple in their mid-twenties. So of course there was lots of drinking, late nights, and plenty of good humor. We invited four other couples with whom we are all good friends with to come out to the family cabin in Idaho for one last fling before summer truly ends. It was strange, and refreshing, to spend a weekend sans-kiddo and con-husband. We certainly missed MR, especially since the cabin is covered in pictures his Nana has taken of him, but we can all agree that adult time has it's (necessary) place too.

We really needed the break to help us refresh and prepare for the rough weeks ahead. The kiddo managed just fine without us as well. I had been worried leaving him, it was the first time both BL and I had been away from him and for multiple days. He stayed with BL's parents, who took very good care of him. I am sure there was some major spoilage that occurred, but he seems to have come out just fine.

Foiled again

So we don't have the keys. Yet. We should (ah, so many should's) have the keys this Tuesday. The hold up is all in the seller's lazy ass bank (Greenpoint Mortgage- you suck). They have been sitting on the papers until the very last moment, and conveniently a holiday weekend. So when we should have been using this long weekend to our advantage, you know-the painting, we are left twiddling our thumbs instead. Well, more like baby chasing and barbecuing, but still.

Meh, I have tried to resign myself to these hold-ups. Ultimately there is nothing we can do to change things or make them move faster, and being frustrated only leaves me upset and unresolved. So we have just been trying to take things in stride and do as much in advance as possible so that we can spring into action as soon as they hand over those keys. Finally.

Anyways, this weekend has not been a total loss. We did make it over to the house today to take measurements in preparation for painting and to make sure our appliances will fit. I am dreaming of buy these, so I need to make sure there is room for my lovelies. Is it sad that I am so excited over laundry appliances? In another world, probably.

We also had a little get together with BL's family to welcome his dad home from the hospital. He seems to be in good spirits and managing the pain pretty well. Now it is just a matter of waiting to make sure no signs of infection spring up and getting him rested and healed.

The house, soon to be home

Uncle Z playing the role of a swing

Baby v.s. Watermelon

Guess who won?

Tell me I'm not the only one who has to hang their child upside down to get a half decent picture with them smiling in the right direction

It's true

We finally closed, we signed the papers yesterday and we should have the keys in our hands tomorrow. I say should because the sellers bank has been super slow about processing the paperwork, so I am not going to get overly hopeful. But, if they do manage to get us the keys on time like reasonable business people then we will be taking full advantage of this long weekend to get started painting. I know the excitement over this will wear thin soon after painting a room or two, but right now I am beyond thrilled to get things pulled together.

We have a lot of stuff that needs to get done before the house is livable, number one on the list being carpet replacement. Things are set up for that next week, and then another week will pass before they come back with our nice, new clean carpet. We will fill that time with painting, painting...and more painting. It's a five bedroom house, we have a lot of rooms to paint.

On a separate note, FIL's surgery went wonderfully. They *hopefully* found what they believe was the source of all his recurrent infections, a little hole in his intestine. So when they went back in to hook things back up they took care of that too. He should be in the hospital for at least the next two days and then he should be out and about. Bag free. It's big news around here. We are just so relieved that things went well and that so far he seems to be recovering well from it all. We forgot just how stressful surgery can be.

And to keep the cute rolling, here's the kiddo playing with a car my grandpa made for me when I was little. MR *hearts* cars and all things that go vroom vroom. It's pretty fun to see him with this toy that my little hands once played with.

Wordless Wednesday: Closed

Blog stew

So lots-o-stuff on the agenda tonight, we have been up to quite a bit around here. First off, and most exciting, we have found a house! Hooray! Here's the kiddo in what (as of the 25th) should be our new kitchen.

We put in our offer about a week ago, and after some back and forth they accepted! We have already taken care of the inspection, and thanks to it being a pretty new home (2003) things are all a go. The biggest issue with the place is that it will need to be entirely re-carpeted. It was a foreclosure, thanks economy, and the previous tenants seem to have taken the news hard. At least I hope that is when they decided to let the animals start using the floor as their own personal toilet. If they lived like that before, then ewww. So we are getting all new carpets for the place. So assuming everything goes to plan and our tentative schedule sticks we will close on the 25th and finish moving in by early September. Yay!

In other news, the kiddo has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Finally. He should have been in a month ago, but since moving back here to Vancouver and having to set up and appointment with a new physician- it just took a little bit longer than one would have hoped. Funny thing is this new doctor is in fact an old doctor, he was BL's pediatrician when he was a little boy. Pretty full circle. Hopefully everything goes well, and we will see just how big our boy is now.

On a random note, our child now says squirrel. It sounds more like qwirl, but this has to be the most random word he has learned so far. It's crazy how he picks up words and sounds now. Tonight in the bath tub I was singing him a silly song and he started trying to sing it back to me, in his own words of course, but the tune was there. He has also gotten a lot better, and consistent, and pointing out his body parts and following through with basic commands. He's becoming quite precocious.

To finish it all off, some more water play photos. Nana and Grandpa got him a water table toy for him to play with over at their house. Little do they know that he would rather play with the hose.

Tomorrow, tomorrow

I'm really looking forward to our trip home tomorrow. This week has been a trial and half for the three of us with BL's work drama and we all could really use a break. I'm just looking forward to some downtime, uninterrupted showers (thanks Grandma), and catching up with some good friends. And though we have had some much improved weather in these parts, the temperature is sure to be at least ten degrees higher there. It might be premature and presumptuous but I bought MR some sunscreen just in case. Ah, I can hope. Also trips home always include a new hoard of cute clothes waiting at Nana's house for the MR, and I am a sucker for Carter's. Is it sad that I get so excited over new clothes for my boy?...don't answer that. So have a good weekend all, and cross your fingers for us that MR continues his good flight behavior.

Home again, home again

Over the course of the last (almost) year we have made a lot of trips back to our hometown. Ever since learning of BL's dad's diagnosis we have been doing our best to be the next best thing to actually living in the same city. We are fortunate that we can make such frequent trips, with the help of the inlaws, and it has allowed us to see both of our families a lot more than we probably would have in this first year of MR's life. It also reminds us, oh so poignantly, how much we wish we were already back there permanently. We've been trying to get back there since early fall of last year, when we really were beginning to understand the scope of having a family member with cancer. Getting there just takes a bit of effort, it's an ongoing process.

We get to make another one of our regular roundtrips this upcoming weekend. I'm looking forward to it because we will actually be spending almost four days there instead of our quick weekend two. I can't even begin to explain how not pleasant that kind of turnaround is for MR. Fortunately as he has gotten older and more accustomed to these trips the repercussions have become less severe, but it's still not easy. He has to deal with the flight itself, sleeping in a new environment, being bounced around to see all the faces that want to see him, and his schedule is always bound to be knocked a little off. Thank the sweet gods that he has always been a good traveler *knocks on wood*, lord knows he has been on an airplane enough times now.

So yay for going home and seeing all the faces we miss, but I am sure I will return with bittersweet feelings and the wish that we didn't really have to come back.