The sliding door in our kitchen has been installed. It's not finished off and cleaned up quite yet but it's functioning! We've had the screen open the last two nights and we love it. The big window we had in there previously let in a ton of light but the door is even better.
*My laptop is on the fritz. The screen randomly freezes up or it takes forever to load or it shuts me down completely. I'm not at all happy about it and now need to move all my pictures to our external (I need to do this anyway) for fear that I may lose them. I cannot lose my pictures. Joe's computer is even older than mine and needs to be replaced soon as well. I said that when both of them died, we would convert to one shared laptop and it looks like that time is coming sooner than later.
This means that my computer activities are taking a hit. It takes forever to upload my pictures and then my screen freezes when I try to edit. I'm making sure to complete my 365 pictures but everything else is piling up. Barrett's 4 month movie still isn't complete and we are about wrapping up his 5th month.
*After a week and a half, Mister is a big fan of solids. Forget the rice cereal junk, he wants veggies! Carrots and sweet potatoes are total hits with him. He practically grunts and leans forward as I give him a spoonful. It's hysterical. Tonight, we are trying peas. I fear the diaper situation we will have on our hands.
*We had another busy few days this past weekend. On Saturday, I went to Chicago with the girls to see Bring It On for Allyson's bachelorette day. We took the train up, did some shopping, saw the show, and trained it back to Pontiac. Then grabbed some pizza and played scattagories and had a mini slumber party. Barrett spent the morning with Joe and then Grandma Rita watched him so that Joe could golf with a bunch of the guys. He was a spoiled little boy getting all the attention. Bonus: he slept really great at Aunt Allyson's for our overnight.
*Slowly, we are working away at the deck. Joe is in rush rush rush mode to finish but I'm more of the attitude that it will get done when it gets done. It's so unlike me. For now, all the joists are in, the stair landing is done, we have the trim and dry wall removed for where the door is going to go. Tonight's agenda is removing the window and installing the door. Then, he can get going on laying the deck boards. We are staining as we go and now that we are to the deck boards, it's hard to complete very many at once. We have to stain all 4 sides so waiting for each side to dry is a long process. Basically, it takes 4 nights to get one set of boards completed. It'll get done eventually. Last night neither of us sat down (except for a quick dinner) until 9pm. We're exhausted.
*Totally loving this weather! We have been on a ton of walks and Bubs got his first ride on the golf cart this weekend. I've been on the hunt for some more warm weather clothes now though. All 3 of us are in need of some more items for summer. I'm stopping by the mall tonight to get an Easter shirt for Barrett to go with his tie and I have a few giftcards to use for myself as well.
03-19-12
80 degrees outside = Shorts! Bubs is very happy about it, too!
03-20-12
Darn ear infection still bringing out the crab monster.
03-21-12
B is getting good about sitting on his own. The boppy helps him practice because even if he falls back he can use his abs to pull him back forward.
03-22-12
Along with solids, we started practicing with a sippy cup. Barrett has no idea what he's doing. Like everything else in existence, he puts it in his mouth but don't let the picture fool you. He is not actually working it as he should. Eventually....
03-23-12
Moving onto sweet potatoes. They seem to be his favorite yet!
03-24-12
Little man spent the night having a sleepover with Mom and the girls celebrating Aunt Allyson's Bachelorette. And he got to play his first game of bags with Dad and the boys earlier in the day while we were in Chicago. (I just realized this is 3 pictures in a row where he is naked. HA!)
03-25-12
I've been looking forward to him wearing his little argyle onsie and it finally fits!
03-12-12
Uncommon temperatures had us outside every evening before bed time. Tonight, we watched Dad as he constructed more of the deck.
03-13-12
Bubs is looking like a old fat man already. All he needs is his hands down his pants.
03-14-12
More time outside! He's wearing his "100% awesome" shirt which was the very first onsie I ever bought him.
03-15-12
Our big Bundle Me is (hopefully) no more! He loves not having to cover up with the blankets anymore.
03-16-12
Barrett's first bit of solids was tonight. Started off with some rice cereal and avocados. (Technically, this was taken the next day but I wanted to commemorate this date as it was his first.)
03-17-12
Happy St. Paddy's Day! Stinker decided to blow out of his diaper (I hate you Huggies!) about an hour after we put his onsie on him. He has a knack for timing.
03-18-12
Little Man was baptized today. You may notice from his pictures that he likes to have his mouth open. He has become a bit of a shrieker and pretty much screeched during the entire ceremony.
We had a little get together on Friday night at my parents house for a pizza extravaganza and decided that Barrett could get his first taste of solids! He had quite the crowd of spectators for the occasion. For records sake, his fans included Grma Kelly and Grpa Bob, Aunt Allyson and Uncle Eric, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Andy plus "aunts and uncles" Adelle, Nick, Lindsay, Danni, Tim and Jake. Neither solids were quite a hit but now that we've practiced a few more times, he seems to like them. We're taking it a bit slow still mostly because I haven't had time to shop and make all his purees yet but next up will be sweet potatoes.
Our first big project at the house is constructing a deck out back.
This is the backside of the house. The top row of windows is our main floor. As you can see on the sides, the yard slopes down quite a bit which makes the bottom floor a walkout basement. The right window on the bottom is a finished bedroom but the door and left window are a part of the unfinished space in the basement (poorly done drywall and concrete floors).
We essentially live on the main floor of the house and only go to the basement for laundry. Joe has his bow target practice and other random guy things down there but it's essentially a big storage space for now (5 year project is to finish it all off).
As you can guess, to access the backyard, we either have to go outside the front and walk around or walk down to the basement and out the sliding door. Not very functional. We even have to keep our grill in the garage and wheel it out whenever we want to use it.
See the window second in from the right? That is the window that looks out from our eat in space in the kitchen. The skinny windows flanking the chimney are in our attached living room. That window in the kitchen will be removed and a sliding door will be installed to walk out onto a second story deck which will cover our current patio.
When we're all said and done, we'll essentially have two outdoor spaces.....the deck open above and a covered patio below. Phase 2 will include a paver patio, firepit, landscaping and maybe some retaining walls extending from our current boring concrete patio.
That right window is what's being removed and the deck will extend about at the left edge of the fireplace all the way to the edge of this picture. The dimension comes out to be 20X14. HUGE! Plenty of space for the grill and probably a table to seat 8 and no shortage of walking/playing room. And luckily our yard is ginormous so there will be plenty of grass space to run around in as well as our swing set.
Since the project is being done completely by us, it's slowly but surely coming along. Joe engineered, designed and will build it. I'm the general contractor of the project making sure that progress is happening. :) And official stainer. I'm good with a roller.
The beginning phase took quite a while to be completed. After two full days this weekend of Joe working, it didn't really look like much was done but the foundation was set.
Holes measured, footings dug, concrete poured.
Next up was removing the siding and attaching this beam to get the support frame up.
Yes, that is Joe presenting Barrett to his future kingdom (a la Lion King)
And here's where we are now. I missed a bit of the progression (like attaching the columns to the footers and what not but you get the idea). Now I need to catch up on staining the 439280 more boards so we can get more joists installed and start the fun part...the planks!
I'm not standing quite center here but you see the metal piece attached to the house on the right, just above the right bottom window. That is where the edge of the stairs will be and the edge of the deck. The left edge will be just to the left of the chimney bump out. It does not extend to that left window like the picture may seem.
Here's a better view of where the stairs will be. The last metal piece attached to the house is the edge of the steps so just to the left of that basement window. The top of the staircase will be against the house and the steps will descend out toward the yard. Kind of coming at you in this picture.
I'm sitting at home on this gorgeous Friday afternoon taking care of a sick kiddo. Double ear infection, high temp and mucousy lungs are to blame. Weeeeeeee! Barrett had been acting a little off the last few days and not sleeping well. I chalked it up to Daylight Savings or possibly teething for a while but a very clingy baby and lots of ear rubs later, I called the doc to make an appointment. The pediatrician wanted to see him a bit earlier than 6 months for a weight check anyway so we combined this visit with that and an ear check, just as a precaution.
It was a rough morning after being up with him from 1:15 to about 3:30. The kid was pretty miserable. He basically never ever lets me rock him and last night, we were rocking fools. He would pass out and as soon as I laid him down and got back into bed, he would scream. Then add in a tired, cranky baby with a serious diaper explosion and him peeing on me while at the doctor, it was an almost comical morning!
I picked up his meds and headed home. He's been in bed sleeping for almost two hours now which gives me time to catch up on some things before we pack it up to head to Pontiac for the weekend.
And since no post is complete without pictures...
(Joe's getting good with my camera!)
03-05-12
Even the kiddo is excited that Summer Shandy is back!
03-06-12
Another morning of trying to keep Barrett entertained while I get ready for work.
03-07-12
We're trying to work on Bubs sitting skills. He hardly notices what he's doing though since he's more worried about chewing on everything in sight.
03-08-12
Every night before bed (and before naps) we read Mister a book. Tonight, featured "The Little Engine that Could." We are members of a program at daycare that sends a free book to the child for every month until he turns 5. It's really cool!
03-09-12
Weather was really nice today and since I get off work early on Fridays, Barrett took his first ride in the big boy stroller! He was pretty stoic about the whole thing (as you can see) except when he got the sun in his eyes. And it's as if the world is going to end.
03-10-12
Playing outside in the grass for the first time. He love love loves the outdoors.
03-11-12
Still a fan of mirrors. Take him into a bathroom with one huge mirror though and it's as if you've hit the lottery.
I love reading these on other blogs so I thought it might be fun to do myself. If you're reading and have a blog, I want to read about your day! Also, I chose this day randomly but it turned out to be a pretty involved day. We are always busy so that's nothing new but today was even moreso.
On top of that, March 10th is the anniversary of our first ultrasound to see Mister for the first time. I love that in just a year, we go from this to this.
Back to our day, Saturday, March 10, 2012 began at about our normal wake up of 6am. I hear the kiddo on the monitor and check to see he's hanging out. I let him squak for a bit, hoping that Joe (who is already up) will get him and bring him to me in bed.
6:05am- No dice, so I get up after a few minutes to find a happy baby and Joe no where to be found. He must have got an early start and went into town and his office. B gets a diaper change and back to bed we go so he can eat. We lay there for a while and I hear the garage open, Joe is back and ready to start our deck project. He tells me he's been awake since 2:45 and I'm not too surprised coming from the guy who wakes at 4am every morning "just because." I give my camera to Joe to take a few "before" pictures.
6:25am- Barrett and I get out of bed and play with toys on the floor. Joe is already outside moving lumber and starting to dig for the footings.
7:00am- I load up the kid in the Bjorn and we check out the progress outside. Still a bit chilly but it looks to be a gorgeous day!
(The house does not look this dirty in person but apparently, we need to add powerwashing to our Spring to-do list.) The deck is going to be two story above our current patio. The second window on the right will be a sliding door in our kitchen so that we actually have backyard access from the main living space. This will give us deck space above and a covered patio below.
7:30am- Back inside for a diaper change, some tummy time and playing with more toys. Bubs has found his voice in recent weeks and loves to hear himself. Squealing and Ahhing happens alot around here. Evidence:
8:00am- Bath time! We usually reserve baths for night times but last night we went to a brewery for dinner with Becky and Jason and didn't get home till 7:45 which meant straight to bed for Mister. I sit him in the tub and let him watch as the water fills up. He is very interested in water faucets these days so he loves this. He gets cleaned up and dressed for the day.
8:30am- I feed him and then we walk around for a bit. I talk to him and point out various objects throughout the house. "Basket", "Clock", "Table", etc. We spend a while looking out the window at Daddy who has started digging the footings.
8:45am- I read him a book (Berenstein Bears) and he goes down awake. He lays there quietly for a bit.
9:00am- B is out. I sit down for some breakfast and check Facebook and a few blogs. Then it's time for a shower for me.
9:30am- It's go time for me to get some things done around the house while the kiddo naps. I get dressed, make the bed, start some laundry and fold the 3 loads of clean clothes that ended up on our floor earlier in the week because I was lazy.
10:00am- Joe has almost 3 holes dug by now. He's talked to Jason on the phone 428 times. I clean the kitchen, wash bottles and sweep the floors. I usually can't go to bed with a dirty kitchen but it was a long week and sleep sounded better on a Friday night.
10:30am- I hear B wake. An hour and a half ain't bad. He hangs in bed for a while so I can finish up the kitchen. He's happy and squeeking some more. I get him up and do a diaper change.
10:45am- I put Barrett in the swing to chill while I change over the laundry, change crib sheets and changing pad cover and refill the diapers in his dresser.
Joe is inside for a break and an early lunch (that's what happens when you are up before the crack of dawn.)
11:00am- We go to the bathroom so I can finish getting ready. He lays on the floor (is that gross?) and watches me do my hair. He's obsessed with the hair dryer.
11:15am- We go back to his room for another diaper change and he plays in the Bumbo with his playmat. I sit on the floor and check Facebook on my phone.
11:30am- He's over that pretty quickly so I bundle him up to go play outside and check out Dad's progress. Almost all the footings are dug and ready for concrete.
We stay out there for a while and play around in the grass.
12:00pm- We head back inside for B to eat then it's time for a book and a nap. The book we read is Itsy, Bitsy, Spider which is one of my favorites. He whine/cries in his bed for 10 minutes and I know that's not a good sign for a successful nap.
12:15pm- I switch over laundry, fold and put away a load, make a pb sandwich for lunch because it's about all we have. B is quietly hanging in bed still.
12:20pm- Sit down to eat, check facebook (yes, again) and edit some pictures for Project 365. Check the video monitor and Bubs is finally asleep.
12:30pm- Joe comes in for another break (coffee!) and we have a fun argument about stain for the deck. I threaten to call Jason to see whose side he's on.
1:00pm- I start cleaning out our junk drawers (everyone has one of those, right?) It's been on my to-do list for months. I'm actually trying to move them completely so we can use the drawers for more kid friendly items because they will be accessed too easily once the offspring starts moving.
1:02pm- Barrett starts whining. I let him for about 5 minutes. I can see on the monitor that he is awake. Continue with organizing.
1:20pm- Check video monitor...yep, still awake.
1:30pm- Drawers are done. Put away all the clean bottles, dust the house, organize a few things that are randomly in the guest room.
1:40pm- He's asleep!
1:45pm- Attack the "to be filed" stack of papers in our guest room closet. Joe has started filling all the footings with concrete.
1:50pm- Kid starts squealing. (OMG!) I leave him.
2:00pm- It's apparent that nap was a big fail today so I finish up separating the files into piles and set them aside to be filed or shredded later. Even though Bubs spent 2 hours in bed, he slept less than an hour but thankfully he's happy as can be. I change his diaper. Joe leaves to go into town to pick up more supplies.
2:15pm- Switch over the laundry and put it away quickly, then since it's so nice out, I decide to bundle the little man up and we head out on a walk in the stroller. We are a block away from the big community park in town with a great walking path, 4 baseball fields, 6 soccer fields, 2 football fields, a picnic gazebo, tennis courts and 2 playgrounds. Total kid jackpot when he grows up. We will be spending tons of time here when it warms up.
3:00pm- I'm sweaty. We get back home to watch a semi-truck deliver the last bit of lumber for our project. We head inside to change over the laundry again (are we done yet?!) then I fed the buddy.
3:15pm- He falls asleep on me while he eats and rather than waking him, I hold him while I catch up on an episode of One Tree Hill on the DVR. I'm a multi-tasker so I edit pictures while he sleeps in my arms. It takes talent!
4:15pm- He's awake and my show's over. I change his diaper.
4:20pm- We head outside again to check on Dad and Jason. They have almost all the cement done. Barrett squeals the whole time. Me thinks we have a fan of the outside.
5:00pm- Back inside and Mister plays on the floor with his snail. I change laundry and put away the clean. Decide to order pizza since we have no food and I never made it to the store.
5:30pm- Change his diaper and put jammies on. Joe and Jason are all finished and come inside for a break.
5:45pm- Pizza arrives! Bubs hangs out with his ball while we eat. He was completely on the blanket and wiggles his way around at a 90degree angle. I'm not ready for movement yet.
6:15pm- Joe changes his diaper and plays for a bit and I feed the boy.
6:45pm- I read him a book and down to bed. He's asleep in minutes. Joe runs to get more saw horses for staining.
7:00pm- I clean up the kitchen, fold the last load of laundry (!) and file the papers I organized earlier in the day. Shredding will wait till tomorrow so I don't wake up the kiddo. I write my to-do list for tomorrow.
7:30pm- I sit down to watch Breaking Dawn. It's impossible for me to just watch tv anymore so I edit all the pictures I took for this post while I watch the movie.
7:40pm- Joe starts staining a few joists so they are ready for him in the morning. Very happy with the stain choice we went with.
9:30pm- Movie ends, I finish up the last bit of editing and check facebook one last time.
10:00pm- Pump (ugh)
10:15pm- Bed. Barrett was very nice to me and slept 11 hours straight. Up at 7:00am but what feels like 6:00am, thanks to DLS. Woo Hoo!
