Charlie's Movin' on Up

As I was going through these pictures I had the theme song of The Jeffersons playing in my head. Random, but I figure it makes a good title for this event!

In the beginning of October we moved Charlie into a “Big Boy Bedroom”. We wanted to make sure that he had a couple of months to get used to it before a little one started to take over his old bedroom. (Nursery pictures should be ready in a week or so... If I catch up!) He was so unbelievably excited to get to move into the big boy room. He could hardly contain his squeals. He gets “big boy” bunk beds as well. The bottom bunk lays so low to the ground that it is probably safer than his old toddler bed. :)

We put up a new toy – a wall aquadoodle – to help him be excited about the room. It worked! He loves Toy Story, so we always talk about the toys that belong in “Charlie’s Room”. So he was very excited to see a big “Charlie’s Room” sign when he walked in. He immediately wrote his name again himself, above where Andy had done it. The aquadoodle also has little examples/instructions for how to draw various things, so Andy and he were working on that for awhile. He was so excited about the whole thing that we only spent about 45 minutes with him before he crashed and went to sleep.

I think what he loves most about his new room is all of the space he has. It is intended to be a double bedroom, so there is about twice as much floor space as he used to have. He can really spread out ALL of his train tracks in there. (He runs them under his bed, through the airport, and literally everywhere.) Luckily, he remains very good at picking up!

Summer House Projects

When we bought this house, we knew there would be a couple of things that we would need to upgrade within a few year. This was the year of the upgrades for us. We didn't really plan to have both of these things done within the same year, nor did we know that I was pregnant when we entered into agreements, but they needed to be done and we are pleased with the outcome! And, I'm also pleased about the tax credit that we will qualify for because of it.

Project #1 was the replacement of our roof. The original cedar shakes were in poor condition when we bought the house three years ago. Not only did I worry with every big storm, but I also worried every Fourth of July because of fire hazard. The new roof was put on the week AFTER the Fourth this year... which is a little ironic. It is a good quality composition roof. No more fire hazards. I should have taken pictures, because it was really four days of big changes... but I didn't. Charlie and I had fun during the construction. It really wasn't as loud as I'd anticipated. Boone was a little panicked the first couple of days though! This is the year of the roof on our street - three out of the six other houses also had their roofs replaced.

Project #2 was the windows. The old ones had aluminum frames and leaked in quite a bit of cold air. Not only were they drafty, but they were also building up condensation between the panes. So, it was time for a change. We replaced all of the windows on the south facing side of the house... where the weather is the worst. The north side of our house has some big custom windows, and they'll just have to wait to be replaced. :) They're in better condition anyway!

I did take a few pictures of the window install.

The work crew was really good. They worked quickly and were very neat, they barely left any mess behind. Actually, the roof crew was also very good - and I would recommend either company if you are in the area and need to have one of these jobs done yourself. When the crew arrived, they unloaded the windows and unpacked them in front of our house.


This is what the old aluminum windows looked like, from the inside and the outside.



This is the same window "hole" after they'd cut it out. Charlie was fascinated by the huge holes in our house. He thought the saws were pretty cool too!


They replaced these bay windows at the same time... here is what the windows look like from the outside. We really like them!

This is my favorite transformation... Our old garden window....
And our new garden window...


Now we just need to finish preparing for the baby so that I can better decorate the new window!

Cute Tanna

In September the Zaniewski's came over and had dinner with us. Actually, they also brought the pizza with them... my cooking has definitely diminished in the last several months! We had a lot of fun spending time with them - and we all enjoyed spending more time with Tanna too.

Of course I took pictures of her... now that I no longer have opportunities on a weekly basis. She was about seven months at the time and really developing her personality!

33 Weeks

I am fully aware that I have not "journaled" about the pregnancy for a little over 4 weeks, but I have good cause. I actually get another ultrasound next week (on Thursday), and I figured I would just load-up one post instead of doing multiple. It will probably be the last ultrasound of this pregnancy. That is kind of crazy for me to think about!

In the meantime, here is what Little Bit and I looked like on Thanksgiving, at 33 Weeks and 6 Days of pregnancy. I definitely feel bigger, and the baby enjoys shoving his feet up in my ribs and pushing his head down by my hips. I think I am carrying higher than I was at 29 weeks!

I know, it's a different shirt - it's getting cold to be wearing short sleeves, and the green one isn't holding up so well either. I do have 33 week pictures in the green shirt as well. Maybe I'll post that with the update later this week. :)

Gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving. As I sit here, awake at 2:30am thanks to a little boy that seems to be trying to push his way out, I can't help but think about everything that I have to be grateful for. While I can't possibly publish an exhaustive list, here are the things that I am most readily thankful for this year.

The Husband

I think I've married the best husband in the world. In the last year I have seen this man handle challenge after challenge, and not be knocked down. He's been incredibly supportive and I've enjoyed watching him as a father. I feel like our relationship has grown exponentially. Andy is definitely top on my grateful list.

The Toddler

I have the sweetest, most sensitive, and funny little man living in my house. He wasn't born to me, but I count the day that he came to live with us as one of my most lucky ever. Recently, I've been watching videos from the past 18 months and reviewing old pictures - and I can't believe how much this boy has grown up. I can hardly believe that he'll be four in less than two weeks, and I can't wait to see him be a big brother. I am so grateful that I get to be his mom... and that the adoption is finally moving forward.

The Little Girl

Though things were not perfect, and did not work out, I will always be grateful for the 15 months that I had with my daughter. There were many lessons, most of them hard-earned, but I personally grew so much as a result. Our family grew, and I think she did as well. I will always try to hold on to the happier memories and moments... like watching her walk down a shoreline with Andy.

The One Yet-to-Arrive

This little boy is truly our miracle. This is my favorite ultrasound picture of him, although it is months old and he is hiding his face. Soon, too soon yet too far off, I will get to meet him face to face.

The Ability to Move Forward

For a good part of this year, I felt like I was stuck in place. I didn't know how to move forward, or what constituted a good decision. Andy and I struggled considerably with the possible paths that we could take. I am thankful, this year, for moments of clarity that have allowed us to resurface and forge a new path.

A Healthy Pregnancy

This one still seems too good to be true. When we found out about Little Bit, I was very apprehensive about my body's ability to carry him safely. We were prepared for an early birth, and were told that they hoped we would make it to 32, and then 37 weeks. We learned about how care is given to babies born as early as 26 weeks. Now I am one day away from being 34 weeks pregnant. My body is healthier than it was before I was carrying a baby. While I still hold my breath and hope that it doesn't change, I find myself giving thanks every day for this miracle. I also am so thankful for the things I had given up on knowing. I am grateful for the ability to experience pregnancy, with less worry than anticipated.

Grace and Thoughtfulness

Many family and friends have been aware of the struggles that we have faced in the past year. Our family has been the recipient of endless kindnesses and support, often from those that didn't even realize they were giving it. When we have met struggles this year, I have been amazed at how quickly they are overcome through the help of others. This year I have learned more about grace than I had in the 30+ preceding years. And so, to all of you, I am grateful. Hopefully I can someday repay the many favors I've received.

I hope this finds you all well, and that you enjoy a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Backyard Play in September

Banana bread ... Or really, bananas in any form ... Were a huge pregnancy craving of mine. So, one day I mixed up the second batch of banana bread of the week, threw it in the oven and went to go join Charlie in his play outside. This time I actually remembered the camera. Charlie was pretty cute all summer with the things that he was interested in and learning... And I got a few of them captured this day. At least, if I missed almost everything else this summer, I will remember what these pictures showed me. Still can't post them online, but progress is actually happening toward that end!

1) Gathering and gift giving. Everywhere we went, Charlie was big into picking flowers for people... Usually for me. (Yes, even dandelion weeds.) We had to learn about not picking things from people’s yards. He was always after everyone’s pretty gardens... But he got it after about a month of reminders. When we had his tricycle, he would gather up flowers, grass stems, sticks, rocks... And anything else he thought was interesting and place them in the “trunk”. Then when we got home he would give them to any “lucky” bystander in the cul-de-sac. Most of these bystanders were children between the ages of 9 and 12... For the most part, I think they thought he was funny. Incidentally, they are all also his “best friends”. When asked how many best friends he has, Charlie will quote any number between 10 and 45 depending upon his mood.

2) Balancing and jumping. Largely due to the gymnastics we did for about six months, Charlie was big into practicing his balancing and jumping all summer. We have a small series of stepping stones in our neglected garden patch that are in a v-shape. I can’t tell you how many times I watched Charlie jump from stone to stone this summer. Always with a squeal of, “Hooray for me! I did it!” and a bow at the end. (This was usually followed by “thank you, thank you very much.”)

3) Becoming best friends with Boone. This summer I really saw Charlie grow in his relationship with all of our pets – but mostly with Boone. He loves that he can tell Boone to do something, and Boone will listen (about 75% of the time.) His favorite thing to do, still, is run around the bottom of our house with Boone chasing behind. They can do this for about thirty minutes. Charlie does stop every now and then to “gas up” on either water or orange juice. He also got really good at playing fetch with Boone outside. This day, he had found a stick that he thought was cool and was going to put it in his shirt pocket... There was no conceivable way it would fit. When he saw Boone impatiently sitting and wagging his tail so fast that it looked like Boone was going to take off, he realized that Boone wanted the stick. So Charlie told him to settle and then let Boone have it. It was really cute.

4) Lots of hugs and kisses. Charlie has always been affectionate, but I would say he is even more so now. I can always count on him for a hug and a kiss – even at inopportune moments. (The baby also is a frequent recipient of these hugs and kisses!) The picture I took of both of us really isn’t that great, but it still shows me the moment.

Just after taking the pictures of Boone and Charlie, I stepped inside to check on my bread. I found a significantly raging fire in the bottom of my oven. I threw baking soda on it to put it out, and then immediately opened up all of the windows and doors to try to get the smoke out of the house. (I also panicked for about a day about whether it was alright to inhale smoke when you are pregnant.) This put an end to my banana bread craving. I have yet to make another batch.

I went outside and continued to play with Charlie. We ate dinner outside as well, and stayed out until the mosquitoes joined us. All in all, it was a really good afternoon. I just wish I could take away the fire part. :)

Boone at Two

This past May, our puppy turned two years old. Yes, I do still call him a puppy... and that is my plan for at least another year! Boone still has abundant amounts of energy, and thankfully he has calmed down a lot.

Our next door neighbor participates in 4H, and is using Boone as his dog to train this year. So, hopefully that will be another step toward Boone learning some manners in different social situations. :)

Here are some pictures from this past summer!

Adoption Progress?

Yesterday we had a petition filed at our county courthouse to adopt Charlie. In actuality, it's just another step in a process that seems to be road-blocked... with an invisible block that I suspect is completely unnecessary. We are really hoping that we can get this done before the baby comes so that it is a separate occurrence for Charlie, and to help give him his place before our family is extended. In actuality, I don't know how much this really matters to Charlie... who already considers himself a full member of the family. (As do we, but he doesn't really understand what will change with the word "adoption".)

So keep your fingers crossed for us... we are now just waiting for everything to be done on the state's end.

Teddy Bear Clinic at the Firestation

Back in May, (yes I am still six months behind,) I took the kids to a Teddy Bear Clinic at one of our neighborhood fire stations. There are actually three fire stations in close proximity to our house, which you would think would be a good thing. But when one of our neighbors had a house fire this past winter, the dispatcher couldn’t figure out which fire station to dispatch... It took them over an extra half an hour to get here. Anyway, I digress...

The Teddy Bear Clinic is designed to give the kids a chance to get familiar with the firemen and paramedics before an emergency occurs. This was our second time to the fire station in a brief period, but Charlie didn’t care at all! This time he got to choose a stuffed animal to bring to be a patient for the paramedics. He chose to bring his friend Buttercup.

Charlie got to help one of the firefighters organize his equipment before doing a demonstration. Then all of the kids watched as he donned his full gear, piece by piece. Then, each kid had an opportunity to sit on his lap while he was in full gear. Charlie did it, but Lynnae was too scared! (The last time we had been there, it was the opposite... Charlie was hiding behind my leg. So I guess multiple visits is a good thing!)

After that, we went to the paramedic clinic where they treated Buttercup for a fall and concussion. Lynnae’s bear received a full leg splint. Then Lynnae and Charlie were able to climb up in the fire engine and play around. They also got to see one of the fire fighters climb up to the top of the fully-extended fire truck ladder. Then, they got to climb into the ambulance, where Charlie and Buttercup got strapped down to the gurney. (Lynnae was strapped down on a side bench.)

The kids also got to practice dialing 9-1-1, and enjoyed a cookie and lemonade. All in all, they had a lot of fun. We will definitely be doing this again!