I can't think of a title...

This weekend was a good one.  REALLY lazy.  But with the week I've got waiting ahead for me, I'm glad to have had some lazy time. 

I did put up a top-of-stair baby gate this weekend to prevent Rom from going down to our lower level without supervision.  He is such a good dog, but something about our new couch down there has inspired him to make it clear that it "belongs" to him, if you get my drift.  Anyway, rather than dealing with punishment or locking him up when he's not supervised, it seemed easiest to put up the baby gate.  We'll be needing it before too long anyway, so it can't hurt the dogs to get used to the concept long before there's also a tiny, screaming human to adapt to as well. 

Even better is the fact that the baby gate was another fantastic thrift store find.  New, those things cost upwards of $40, but we got ours for about $5 in pretty much new condition.  I'm very pleased with that. 

I've got a business trip this week, so it should be a busy week, but a good one. 

Next week Geoff and I have asked for a couple days off - although our vacation destination has yet to be decided.  I have a feeling that, whatever it is, it may involve a need for maternity swimsuit shopping which may be the end of me. 

((As a side note to that, I was teaching my primary kids this week and one of the girls (whose mom is also pregnant and due around the same time with a little boy) said to me, "You already know what kind of baby you are having?  Your belly isn't very big if that's true."  Excellent.  Even if it came from a 6 year old.))

Wish me luck.

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Hippo

Yes, I know he looks more like a mouse than a Hippopotamus.  His ears are too big.  Anyway, this is my first attempt at an animal...so, overall, I think I did pretty good. 

Tonight, we begin the monkey.

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Carry On

Life with a baby in your belly can be a little bit bizarre.  One day you are all alone in your body and then the next you find out you've got a passenger.  Then - life goes back to normal.  One day you are sitting in a room with an ultrasound tech and you are watching your child squirm and wiggle and finding out he's got man-parts.  Then - life goes back to normal. 

Anywho, so, life is pretty much back to normal around here.  Geoff started his third summer class (this one didn't start until a few weeks after the first two) at the university.  By my calculations he's only about 3-4 semesters away from graduation - which is an exciting prospect!  I think it's hard to work full time, go to school full time and prepare for fatherhood, but I admire Geoff's willingness and ability to go for it and work hard and be willing to let life take him on whatever rollercoaster it brings.  I'm also infinitely grateful for my own college education and the ability that I have to work at a wonderful job and that we can work together to build what is shaping up to be a great life for us and our family. 

I started crocheting a hippopotamus last night.  A few weeks back I ordered some books off Amazon detailing how to create all kinds of awesome creatures.  From bears to monkeys to giraffes to doggies and even a loch ness monster.  I decided to start with the hippo because he was the only animal with one color, and I figured that would be the easiest place to start.  I'm about 80% of the way done with him.  Hopefully I'll have a picture for you tomorrow or Thursday to show off my skills (or lack thereof).  My crochet skills are still in their infancy and the amigurumi technique is new to me (although so far not too hard at all). 

So, not a very exciting blog post, but also not too much crazy to talk about. 

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And the verdict is...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have a BOY!  He's perfect.  He's measuring spot on for his age (my doc said she's never seen a baby measure that exact before - first test, aced). 

Geoff and I both wore blue today without realizing it.  We must have been getting vibes from the little man.

He wasn't terribly cooperative throughout the ultrasound, but we LOVED seeing him. 

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Sweet Potato

Baby is a Sweet Potato!  It doesn't get much better than that. 

Today is G (Gender) Day.  Hopefully the little muffin cooperates. 

We had a great weekend complete with a game night at my work, (successful) thrift store shopping, barbecue, volleyball and roasting marshmallows with friends, naps, cleaning, cooking, and organization. 

Stay tuned later for the announcement and pictures of the wee little sweet potato.  Thanks for all your votes!  Boy edged out girl, slightly (although there are still a few hours left to vote!).  I've had my co-workers guessing, too, and boy is winning (barely) in that vote as well.  I guess we'll see who's right! 

Happy Monday.

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She's Crafty

So, I'm not one of those ladies who sews clothes and curtains.  I'm not one who decorates cute little cupcakes and truffles.  I'm not one with many overly impressive home-making skills in general. 

Not that I don't want to be, mind you.  I envy those people and aspire to, slowly, acquire those skills.  I'm a decent cook, a decent crafter, a decent baker.  I think I lack the patience and focus required to really excel at these tasks.  However, I have undertaken a few projects in the last little while that make me proud. 

Project 1: Baby Blanket

When you find out you are pregnant, there is this initial moment of sheer excitement and terror.  After a few days, though, you realize that life has actually gone back entirely to normal.  In that 8 week range where no one knows and your body doesn't feel any different (in my morning-sickness-free case), there's nothing to remind you that your life is changing.  Rapidly. 

So, I started crocheting a baby blanket.  I chose yellow and white because Geoff and I both had yellow baby blankets as kids.  I got about halfway done before I got too tired to crochet.  Seriously.  I would fall asleep just trying to finish a line or two. 

Well, a few weeks ago, I got my energy back and I was able to finish the blanket.  I don't love it, but I made it.  And I think it will be a happy memory of the way I handled my nervous baby energy before anyone else knew about little baby Parker. 

Project 2: Fabric Panel Wall Art

Another good example of a project that started months ago that I didn't finish until now.  In February, Geoff and I took a short trip to Minneapolis.  While there, we spent a good deal of time (and money) at Ikea.  Geoff had mentioned that his office needed some style.  While wandering the hallowed halls of Ikea, I found some awesome fabric and asked Geoff if he liked it.  "For what?" was his response.  "For your office!  I could make cool wall art out of this."  He eyed me with the eyes that know me well enough to say you are going to make wall art?  I can't wait to see this come to fruition. 

Well, his skepticism garnered some momentum as the months passed and the fabric laid in wait on the chair in his office.  Finally, at the thrift store, I found a couple cheap wood frames I could use as the base for my panels.  I should have gone to Home Depot and picked up some wood to hammer them together myself, but it seemed so much easier to buy them already built, second-hand (and it was, undoubtedly, it just took longer). 

So, this weekend I finally buckled down, striped the frames I had bought down, ironed the fabric and staple-gunned it in place on the frames.  And tah dah - Wall Panels!  They look great in his office.  It's a good, patient husband who will wait 4 months for his wife to finish a project for his office.  :)

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Fire!

Last weekend, Geoff and I undertook a large project (and by "Geoff and I" I really mean Geoff, since I'm relatively useless when it comes to heavy lifting and hard labor these days).  When we bought our house, we inherited a large, home-made play set in our backyard.  In defense of the dude who built it, it was very well-built.  However, it appeared to be pretty old and was quite a splinter factory; just something we didn't need or want in our yard.  So, we knew we wanted to get rid of it.  Well, the thing weighed about a ton and once we built the fence, there was really no way to get it off our lot whole, so Geoff began tearing it apart...piece by piece.  I neglected to grab a picture before he started, because there was even more to it, but below is a picture of said play set during demolition..

As Geoff took the behemoth apart, the next question came up - what to do with the wood?  Well, Geoff decided to start cutting it down into firewood.  At this decision I was a little surprised, since we don't have a fireplace.  This is when the brain child was born that we should have a firepit in our backyard. 

After Geoff finished dismantling the play set and sawing all the wood (using power tools) and I piled it all up into a wood pile, we were left with what happened to be the world's most perfect spot for a fire pit.  The play set was on the back of the lot away from any trees or buildings and underneath it was a perfect patch of grass-free dirt. 

We bought bricks to build the pit itself and hauled then home (a feat at which I was particularly useless).  Here is what the project looked like at this point:

Geoff leveled the dirt and began placing bricks (while I sat in a lawn chair, flanked by dogs, drinking Powerade Zero).  By the end of Memorial Day, it looked like this:

 This weekend we finally got the time to get the final supplies to finish off the project and here's what we've got:

Great job, Geoff!  I look forward to many summer nights roasting marshmallows by the firepit!

P.S. Don't forget to vote on the sex of the baby!  7 days left!

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Two Things

Hello, dear reader(s),

I know I've been a crappy blogger of late.  I assure you it has nothing to do with the lack of interesting blog topics or that we are living a boring life.  Quite the opposite.  With how busy we are, it's hard to find a time to sit down in front of the computer for 20 minutes and update the Internet on our lives.  But, when my mom starts threatening to write guests posts, it becomes clear I need to get my blog on. 

First: Please see the new poll to the right of this post.  Geoff and I get to find out the sex (well, hopefully!) of our little peanut in 10 days.  I'd love to have everyone tell us if they think boy or girl and we can see who's right! 

For those of you who like to use those superstitions, here's some information that may (or, more likely, may not) be helpful:  Baby's heartbeat was 150 at my last appt. I sleep with my head facing south - although we recently moved the bed, it used to be facing west. I don't have much of a bump yet, but what I do have is low in my abdomen.  My primary cravings have been salty, not sweet.  Good luck!

Second:  Last week on Sunday night, we had our first tornado warning in Fargo.  The weather went from dreary to INSANE in just a matter of minutes.  We weren't home when the sirens went off, so we took shelter with some friends at the University.  Luckily everyone was safe and with the exception of some wind damage, all is well. 

When we did get home after the storm had died down, we found that a trampoline had arrived in our backyard - taking out a chunk of the fence on its way in.  Luckily the fence is brand new (6 months), so the fence stood rock solid and we just need to replace a few boards.  Below are some pics of the damage to our yard and around town (bent street lights and knocked over semi-trailers). 

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