I Can Feed Myself



"I conquered you!" This poor bowl suffered the wrath of Bennett




Unfortunately the Chicken and the Squash were both fatally injured in the making of these photos.




Breath Right

Ben had his first cold - runny nose, sneezes and nasal congestion. Since medicine is pretty much off limits at this age, we were willing to try anything that might help B sleep. Enter, the Breath Right strip for kids.


The breath right strip was a real life-saver when I was pregnant and couldn't breath through my nose at night - and it seemed to work well for B too. We also had a plug-in herbal vaporizer (lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile...) and the baby Vick's vapor rub. His room smelled like a hippie-shop.


But, he was finally able to drink a bottle without stopping every 2-3 sucks to breathe.
Now he is doing much better, no more runny nose...but he seems to be in the habit of waking at 3am....actually right now, at 2:43am, I can hear him...naughty boy! He's not standing up (yet), he's just talking so we'll see if he can manage to put himself back to sleep.

Getting Stronger

This table has the perfect handles for little hands to pull up on




"You're going to ruin your eyes!..." Can he be any closer? He is watching his colors/numbers video but once he's up on the cabinet he has a difficult time getting back down.


Mike just may be oblivious to the fact that B should be learning the color red...he probably believes B is beginning a genetically-linked lifetime obsession with Ferrari.


Tearing apart a catalog

A Visit from Nana



He was quite snuggly


Ben frequently and yet gently taps his head on ours - we interpret this as an "I Love You" bonk.

Hot September Days

This day was gorgeous! We had to be outside and yet the sun was so intense! I found an umbrella that clamps onto a chair and tightened it onto B's walker -roo.


"Where did the sun go, mom?" He was fascinated with the umbrella.


What a boy!



Lake Michigan, Grand Haven

We went to Grand Haven to see Lake Michigan for the first time this year! It was a perfect beach day and Mike, B, Morgan and I enjoyed the warm weather. Bennett loved the water. It initially felt cool but we quickly adjusted and I wished I had my suit on to go swimming. Slowly Ben's clothes came off as he wanted more and more to go in the water. I was surprised that he tolerated the temperature as well as he did. He liked to splash and feel the sand under the water. Squeezing the wet sand was great fun too! We walked along the shoreline and then trudged through the sand up to the pier. After a stroll on the boardwalk we headed home.

Well, that's how we spent the last few days that I had off from work. I also went to Bridget's for dinner and a movie (I can't believe we hadn't seen each other in 2 months! That seems impossible we are that busy but it's true). I work the next three nights and then have the weekend off. Hopefully we'll make it up to Robinette's for a hay ride with the gang!

P.S. B is still awake, talking, yelling, laughing and playing with his glow-worm. He is really building a good memory - for each of his toys he knows exactly which button to press - and with his little pointer finger extended (usually his left hand) he presses the glow-worm's belly to turn her on!

Coffee Anyone??

Too much time at work?? I swear we are hard workers. Tonight I had my first cup of coffee. I'm not talking about my first cup for the night, this is my first cup ever! Yes, I have tasted coffe before - I have never cared for coffee ice cream or coffe jelly bellys - but tonight, Maryrose had Almond Chocolate Fudge creamer and - Yum! - it smelled so delicious I had to try it. Which led to another try and then lead to me making my own cup...before I knew it, the cup was tipped up as high as it could go with me ravenously slurping and the edge of the cu pto get every last drop...!...I am quite giggly now (is it legal to drive now?) and my belly is tingly. Wow. People at work are laughing at me. Am I naive? This is great. Who needs wine. Me. Ha! This message has been puncuated by random spurts of laughter. This could be terrible. I ahve no idea how many calories are in that cup....will this lead to the blasted Starbucks epidemic with me gaining 5lbs each year from seemingly mysterious calorie intake and and slow yet steady decrease in my bank balance? I think not. But it has been fun so far!!!

The blessed creamer. Mmmmmm.

A regular coffee drinker (there may be something else going on here...)

Renovations

We have now been living on 11 Mile for over 2 years now and boy have we changed some things!! We recently (like, yesterday) finished the kitchen (sans a light over the stove) and I am so excited and proud to share what we have done!!!!

Guestroom

Oh my. This paneling was four feet high and surrounded the entire room. I'm not sure what the material was but it smelled like a hamster cage. Ewwww.




I tore off the paneling, repaired the walls and painted - a 3 week process as each panel was applied with glue and the drywall needed major patching.


I love this room!


I printed black and white photos of family and scenery from our trip out west and placed them in black frames.


I really like the blue/yellow combination - it reminds me of a Bed & Breakfast type of feel. I also painted the desk, headboard and side table a deep chocolate brown.

Living Room

Pictures from the day we closed on the house. The previous owners left the curtains and I can't believe we had them up as long as we did.


The original setup when we moved in...


...another angle.


Same angle as above photo (the color is off because I took pictures in the evening but I couldn't wait to post!)


Notice how the trim is white?? I have now painted all the trim except the banister - that's all the windows, all the baseboards and all the closets doors (front and back) with, ahem, 4 coats each!

Dining Room

There was also paneling in this room (remember the guest room)...


...but, even though on maternity leave, I didn't have the energy to repair the walls. So, I filled the paneling to make the walls flat and then painted (this took 5 coats).


The day we moved in.


White trim, painted walls and a new light fixture. Ahhhhh.

Kitchen

Again, as it was the day we closed. Dining room to the right, living room to the left.


Another view. Note the beautiful, bulky hood over the stove.


Some of you may be disappointed that we covered these authentic, retro floors. Too bad. Out with the old...


...and in with the new! (the hood is gone!!)


And yes, it took 4-5 coats of paint to cover the cabinets (which is why they are painted only on the exterior)

Upstairs Bath

Wow. Now this was really in rough shape. Carpet in a bathroom can be difficult to maintain and it always felt "wet" in here. This was actually the first room that I remodeled, completing it in about 1 week in August, 2006.


Note the "Aztec" wallpaper border. It was along the ceiling too. The counter was black with gold marbling and there were 3 mirrors in here (above the sink, behind the door and on the door).


I installed self-locking laminate wood floors, a new toilet and a counter-height hickory vanity so I don't have to bend over to brush my teeth!


This is an older picture because now the door is white but you get the idea.

Our next plans include placing a light above the stove (and eventually replacing the entire kitchen in our dreams) and then tackling the basement. Our room has taken minimal updating - paint on the walls and, of course, painting the trim, but it won't see more until we can change the carpeting. Basement plans include drywall, ceiling, flooring and bathroom.

Well, it is Saturday night, Mike is up north with his dad to put away boats for the summer and I am home with Bennett. We shared a spaghetti dinner and made a quick trip to Blockbuster. Unfortunately, B has fallen asleep so I will be enjoying my movies now without him. Goodnight all.