Daddy's First Father's Day

Hannah and I had been working hard for a few months to make sure Graham had a good first official Father's Day. After a rocky start to the weekend (basement construction!) we decided to go to church and spend the day at the zoo before trekking off to visit Hannah's grandpas. Hannah gave Daddy a special photo frame, a garden gnome, and a grilling book & bottle of BBQ sauce for Father's Day! She like to put presents together, just like her mom.

Once we came home and changed, we were off to the zoo!

"I'm ready, Mommy!"

Satan baby!!!!

First, we stopped to see some giraffes. Hannah was riveted.

Shortly after this, she woke up. It was so humid outside that we stopped and took a breather in front of a lake.

"NOMWATERNOMNOMNOM"

"Hey! When did you guys get here?"

Then it was time for an obligatory Daddy-Daughter picture on Father's Day.

Then Mommy got in on the action.

We had a good day at the zoo. We saw some bears....

Dirty.

 Drank some milk....

Living the good life.

And took the all important fountain photo.

Yeesh...one of us really needs to lose that baby weight.

Before it was time to go, we stopped in the butterfly garden.

Hannah just took it all in.

Once she was done absorbing, she decided I was done with photos.

"Gimme dat."

"Yeah, dat right dere. It's mine."

"Yeah, this is for serous. Gimme."

"Well this is just getting ridiculous."

"BUTTERFLY"

"Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah! Gimme dat...."

Overall, a good Father's Day indeed!

Three Years Married, Ten Years Together

Today is our wedding anniversary.

"But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take...It is indeed a fearful gamble...Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature. To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take...If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanant; into that love which is not possession, but participation...When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling..."

--From The Irrational Season, by Madeline L'Engle

Nesting, Ahoy!

Well folks, I think it's safe to say I've officially entered the nesting phase of pregnancy. Oh, joy! Just what Graham needs! I've gone from being a crazy, hormonal mess who sleeps a lot to a crazy, hormonal mess with a mission. What mission? I'm calling it Operation Clean Up The Crap, or OCUP for short. Greeeeeeat!

I've been so tired lately. I get home from work and I'm ready for a 6 hour nap. After our shower on Saturday I was really tired. Sunday I went to bed obnoxiously early. On Monday, the day we entered Week 34, something inside just clicked. Or snapped. Call it what you wish. Allow me to explain:

Our kitchen's been a bit of a sty lately and it had been bugging me but I was usually too tired or distracted to do anything about it. I wanted to fix it, but I've been exhausted. Growing a human is tough work, people! I'm barely done with #1 and I have to seriously question the sanity of those of you who do this two or three or four times. I can't imagine being this tired with another small person to take care of. Ya'll is crazy!

Anyway, back at the ranch...Monday night was a different story: that kitchen had to get clean and straightened and it had to be done NOW. So, we did a quick rearrangement of the "pantry" and microwave cart, shifted the table outwards, and a frenzied spree of organizing and inventorying what was in the pantry and BAM! I felt better about the kitchen and was able to sit down without my fingers twitching. After that, I dealt with a huge pile of junk mail I'd let build for a week or so and I made about 13 trips from the living room to the recycling bin as I found things to toss out. Jane was following me back and forth--probably hoping I'd feed her--and I think I wore that kitty out because she didn't decide to headbutt me until 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday--a new kitty record!

In new developments, last night I tackled the thank yous for the baby shower. I would have finished completely had we not run out of thank yous--and I swear I'd purchased enough, but we got some gifts we weren't expecting, so that depleted our thank you note stash temporarily. Tonight I'll address and stamp the thank yous and waddle them to the mailbox to get them out of my hair.

My nesting instinct has either triggered the same instinct in Graham, or perhaps he's scared I'll bite him or something; he's definitely kicked it into high gear, too. On Monday he finished the second coat of paint in the dining room--finally!--and made plans to rip out the carpet later this week so we can clean out the nursery for the electrician this weekend and painting next week. I came home yesterday and he'd already started ripping out the carpet in the dining room. A-freaking-men. Adios, ugly blue shag. We hardly knew ye, but we knew we hardly liked ye.

Tonight I'll finally be able to put my china cabinet back together and I won't have to haul my cookies back and forth to the basement to get baking sheets and other things I use often for cooking (but don't really have space for in the kitchen). Once the dining room is "put back together" (meaning: the china cabinet is back in its rightful spot and the closet is full; we don't have anything else to put in the dining room) we/Graham will move stuff in the nursery down to the dining room so we can paint, and then we'll haul it all back up so we can put it all together. Yahoo! This time next week, the nursery will be painted! I'll be well on my way to decorating and making it as close to perfect as it can possibly be. Hallelujah. Amen.

Another thing that's gotta get done this week? Getting the carseat installed in the backseat of the car. ACK. That's gonna be weird. "Okay, gotta change lanes. Lemme just check my rearview mirror and....HOLY CRAP! WHO PUT A CARSEAT BACK THERE?!"

Ah, life with a crazy pregnant chick. It's never dull! Next thing you know I'll have built an addition onto the garage or something ridiculous. I'm a little scared to see where this journey takes me.

Crib: Ordered!

Finally! I can scratch one major item off my list! I was getting nervous for a while because I felt like we were so far behind on getting the nursery ready (that is, once I stopped being so ambivelent about it).

This weekend Target had a big baby sale, but we did our research and found that the crib they were selling for ridiculously cheap had been part of a massive recall this past spring and summer. Say whaaaaaaaaat? So, we didn't pursue it. Then, Graham did a little more research and found that the crib we were looking at wasn't, in fact, part of the recall because this one didn't have the drop-down side like the recalled crib did. (Don't even get me started on the drop-sides. I know I'm new at this mom thing and some people really like them, but drop-side cribs make me terribly uneasy.) So, we scurried our little selves to Target, only to find that the crib was sold out. We could either make a run to another Target and hope they had it in stock (not likely) or go to Babies R Us and pay about $20 more for the same crib. We opted for Babies R Us since we knew they had it available. After a few minutes spent searching for the crib and a few more looking for someone to help us out (Thanks, Arlene!) we ended up with this little beauty:

It's a Graco crib, the Lauren model. We're pretty satisifed overall. No drop-sides, delightfully cost-effective, sturdy, and perfectly safe. They didn't have any in-store, but there were over 400 in the warehouse according to Arlene, so I'm confident we'll have it in the "7-14 day" window they estimated for us.

Now, we just need to get a dresser, rug, bookcase, and glider/rocker and we're all good. None of that is stuff that needs to come from a baby store. The crib isn't part of a set, but I'm pretty confident the finish is dark enough that we can find something that will "match" well enough, and the rocker and bookcase can come from Kmart or Target or wherever, so long as they're sturdy and safe. As for a changing table...I'm neither here nor there on that. I think we can throw the changing pad onto a dresser and call it a day. Graham is on Team Table because it gives you a bonafide place to change the baby and some storage options along with it. I figure that if it's really that important than as long as baby's room has enough space for it, why not? I figure that can be one of the last things we add to the nursery depending on our space issues. There were plenty of changing tables available at Target and Babies R Us, so I'm not worried.

Now....I need to start thinking about signing up for the rest of those prenatal classes at the hospital. Breastfeeding 101...I'm coming for you!

Meet Jane!

As long as I can remember, I've wanted a cat. When I was in college, I even tried to figure out how I could hide a cat in my dorm room because I so desperately wanted one! When I got my first apartment I was devastated to find out I couldn't adopt a cat (or small dog; to be fair, it was a small apartment). When we signed the lease on our first place together, Graham asked all the technical questions while my first (and probably only) question was, "Can I have a cat?" When the landlord said no--denied again!--I cried. I just wanted a damn cat!

When Graham got worms, the deal was that he could get worms if I could get a cat. He's not a cat person. His parents and siblings aren't really "cat people." I'd probably be more of a dog person if I hadn't been attacked by my great-aunt's poodles when I was 2 or 3. (No, really. I was attacked by poodles. True story.) But because he was able to get his worms, he made a promise to me that "someday" I'd have my cat. Once we bought our home, I could almost feel a little furball in my arms. And after we moved? I asked quasi-jokingly each day for about 2 weeks. Finally, Graham promised me that my birthday gift this year would be my kitty. Well folks, my birthday was in May. It seemed that one thing after another kept popping up and we weren't able to get to a shelter to rescue a cat. On days when we were available, we usually had plans that took us out of town the next weekend--I didn't want to be cruel and adopt a cat, only to board it after 4 days in its forever home. Well, once things calmed down...it was August. Poop.

This weekend, we went to the Animal Welfare League in the 'burbs and after a few hours "test driving" some feline friends, I was smitten with this one. She was one I ignored at first in favor of some of the more entertaining kittens. I knew we'd probably walk out with an adult cat (Kitten chasing + pregnancy + eventual baby? No thank you!) but I still had fun playing with the baby kittens. And once I started meeting some older cats, I was hoping to find one that was friendly, a little playful, and affectionate. I heard this one mewing loudly in the cage just above one I was hoping to meet and take home. Her card said she was "Very playful and affectionate!" When I walked up, she was curled up in her litter box, giving me the stink eye. Instead, I asked to see Jane (named Donna by the the staff at the shelter) because she was sticking her little paws out of the cage and making noises. She seemed really interested in who we were, so we took her into the "Get Acquainted Room" and played with her a bit. I brought a toy along, just to see how different cats reacted to playing with us, but initially she wanted nothing to do with it--she climbed right into our laps and let us love on her. After that I was totally smitten--all I've ever wanted is a cat that's willing to let me play with him/her and one that will curl up with me when its tired. Jane does both! Here are some photos of the new little one...

 

Her first night home. It was a long day (and ultimately a long night).

Showing us that she can blend in with my chair if necessary.

Being stoic.

Sniffing the stick end of a toy, just to be sure.

Considering a pounce.

Watching TV after getting fur all over my skirt.

Getting distracted by a bird hopping on the sidewalk outside.

Two seconds later? Out cold.

I thought her sleeping was cute, so I kept snapping pictures. She disagreed, so this is what happened.

Her first night with us was okay. She was just getting used to everything and both yesterday and today she did a lot of hiding under the dressers in the bedroom. We were able to get in an active play session with her before we went to bed, and she still woke us up at 5:30 this morning. Not cool. Yeah yeah, "It's good practice for when you have a baby." I won't love getting up at 5:30 then, either! She wasn't hungry or asking for food, she just wanted to play--at least, I hope that's why she started eating my hair...she didn't eat much yesterday since she was getting used to everything here, so we left a bowl of food out for her all night and she was coming and going in the bedroom and snuggling with us when she felt like it. Is that the best habit to start now? Probably not. Oh well. But we know she ate and found her litter box overnight, so she was eating when she was hungry. Today she felt more comfortable so she was eating and drinking, but still needs someone in the kitchen with her--she feels more at ease if someone's eating with her or at least standing guard. Weird, right? Whatever. If that's what she needs to feel comfortable here, I'm all for it. At least for now...not sure how I'll feel about it come January...

So far, so good. She's very gentle and even though the shelter said she was a stray, she's clearly comfortable around people and has been for quite some time. We both think she lived with a family for a while, and either she was abandoned or a runaway. Even so, she probably wasn't out alone for very long. She's very comfortable being handled, and her natural hunting skills are just so-so based on some of the games we've played with her so far. It could be a product of the shelter, but she's a master with a litter box. When we opened her carrier after bringing her home, the first thing we did was plop her in the box and let her dig around so she knew where to find it (though she's had moments of confusion after Graham decided to move the box...hopefully that will clear up soon).

All in all, I have high hopes! We're all still getting used to one another, but I have a feeling this is the start of a great relationship. She's already smitten with Graham....and don't tell anyone, but he's a big fan of her, too.

Mary's Graduation

A few months ago, my sister (-in-law) Mary graduated from college. This was a big one, not just for Mary, but for all of us, especially me. I realized that I've been present for all of Mary's graduations: Eighth grade, high school, and now college (And I crashed her high school graduation ceremony, too!) So I missed her Kindergarten graduation! Big deal. I was probably in second or third grade at the time and couldn't have spelled "Graham" if I tried. Thankfully, I didn't have to try.

As always, Graham and I had the camera. We're big picture takers--mostly of other people because they're more interesting than we are. But this was a special event, so naturally we had the camera, and darnit, we were gonna document these memories if it was the last thing we did! A little late, but here are some photos of the weekend.

Mary entering for the baccaluareate service. A little dark, but she's the one in the yellow sash.

The creepy new Lincoln statue at IC. Look at that face! Tell me that's not super creepy.

The book he's reading has actual text from an actual textbook from the 1840s. The story goes that Lincoln was supposed to attend IC but didn't after his girlfriend died. The statue shows him reading a book that he "would have" read at IC in the 1840s or so. The college also likes to share that he got an IC education by proxy through his friends who attended. Don't know if that's true or not, but it's a neat thing for them to say.

Creepy Lincoln wanted to graduate, too!

Those eyes!!! Ack! They shiver my timbers. ::shudder::

Onward to graduation! Mary's standing up, ready to get her hard-earned diploma. ::sniff:: MY BABY'S ALL GROWN UP. Oh, wait....not my baby. Heh...carry on.

We didn't get a great photo of Mary actually getting her diploma, so the best we've got is Graham and Mary with a favorite college professor: Dr. Rellinger-Zetler. Funny story: Mary was studying for Dr. R-Z's final when we told her she was going to be an aunt. She didn't expect to do as well as she thought she'd do on the final, so she told her professor that Graham was going to be a dad, and the professor squealed. Then Mary broke the news that her final might suck, so she wrote, "Little Graham babies!" at the top of each page of her final to remind the professor that she got a little distracted during her study session. And Mary still probably aced that final. She's a viking like that.

Creepy Lincoln and I got into a staring contest. You win this time, Creepy Lincoln, but I'll be back!

Robyn and Creepy Lincoln got along swell.

Mary with her favorite siblings. (Note the hoodie, Mac friends.)

The whole family, plus Mary's boyfriend Josh.

Graham and Mary with "the swing". It's some sort of IC tradition or something. Always a big hit with the kiddos.