celebrating life.

the fun, joy, and generosity of friends welcoming new life:

and a different kind of celebration:

I'll write more about these things... after this weekend. :)

love,

L

status update!

big things to report! the biggest is that I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday and my fluid levels are up to 10.9! which is a really good jump from last week's visit with the specialist. I still have to go check in with her next week and make sure everything's staying nice and... um.... watery in there... but the cutting back and drinking lots of water seems to be doing the trick. yay!! it was a great feeling of accomplishment.

and speaking of accomplishment, we celebrated 2 years of weddedness on Monday. we opted to pick up some good food and cook at home, so M made us flipping delicious beef filets in some dreamy sauce with asparagus and pommes frites (translation - french fries). it was so good!!





there was brandy in the sauce and M had watched Alton Brown on Good Eats make it. so this is the part where I was supposed to capture the pro-like burning of the alcohol, except I wasn't prepared for the size of the flame and ran away. please note, nothing was charred or damaged at all during this incident, except that I'm shown to be a deserter who cries out to the Father when I'm scared (I also turn the camera around when I come back in like a dope, but I was just trying to keep from falling down laughing at that point):




the point of the whole story is that I have the best husband ever. ever. this is one of my favorite pictures right now... for reference, think 'Raiders of the Lost Ark':




**********


MUCH has happened at the house this week. it's really sort of surreal. Ruben, the electrician, came Monday and fixed some wonky lighting, put in a couple of dimmable lights in the kitchen and living room, and installed a dimmable light over the bathtub and an extra outlet. we loved him - he was referred to us by the McD's, and if anyone's in need of an electrician we'd absolutely recommend him and his work. thorough and a great, clean job.

then our handyman, Juvenal, and his crew came Tuesday and started work on the bathroom tub... they finished last night, a whole day earlier than he estimated! check out the transformation:

bathroom, before. again, this is a VERY cleaned up before.

the tub. made for only small people to actually take a bath in.

the new stuff.

demolition!

aaaand, the new tub fits. whew.

new pipes had to be run, because this tub is higher than the old one and all of the fixtures needed to move up the wall.

wall has been insulated, backer board put up, and tile work is begun...

and this was the finished product last night. it's so clean and lovely!! I didn't get it in the shot, but that's a new light shining above it that can be dimmed for the extra dusky bath experience. we're both bath people who appreciate a good soak, and we can't wait to enjoy this!

unreal. it's all happening. while they finished up in the bathroom lbell and I made bright, cheery curtains in a mod lemon print for the kitchen. I've started another project of recovering/refurbishing an armchair and ottoman that belonged to M's grandmother, but I'll save those pics for another day. here's me working on it while following doctor's orders, though: sitting, snacking, and drinking my H20:

Chino mostly loves his backyard.

this weekend is the first of my baby showers, given by my dear friends the Haynes. it's going to be so fun to celebrate with my Saturday night family! after all of the house craziness and other general chaos, I'm glad to be still and enjoy the present. the floor renovators are probably coming tomorrow (!!!!!!) to start sanding the floors and they should be working on it the first part of next week. since I can't be around the chemicals they use, I'll have to stay away and occupy myself. right now, I'm thinking catching up with my DVR'd shows, napping, and leisurely but ruthlessly sorting through some things around here to give away/donate.

my first baby gifts received off of my registry, from an old Woodfin roommate of mine:

so sweet and exciting!!! blessings to all of you on this Friday!

-m.y.

rest. and a kitchen makeover.

I've currently got my feet propped up and am nursing a nice big glass of water. because the specialist yesterday said that yes, indeed, my amniotic fluid level is low and if I don't rest, drink my 64oz of water a day, and mellow out so that the number comes up she will, indeed, put me on bed rest. BED REST???!!! what tha-! I read a little about low amniotic fluid stuff in my pregnancy books last night and got all kinds of freaked out - which isn't good, kids, because as I wrote to write softly earlier today getting all emotional diverts precious blood away from the uterus, and we're all about sending good ju-ju there right now! the specialist said the baby looks just fine - 3lb 9oz so far and a little below average in size but not a worry given my stature, and her bladder looks totally normal (that can sometimes be one of the culprits of low amniotic fluid). that would mean that the issue is most likely on the supply side so, while I'm not on house arrest or anything, my charge is to practice as much 'leg rest' as I can, drink my H20, and find serenity.

which involves saying no to stuff, like energetic work.

and also encompasses asking for help.

I hit my commercial shoot this morning (easy shoot), cancelled all other work for the day, ran a few errands and met the tub delivery guy at the house, and came home to rest. after an hour or two of 'resting', I got all weepy. I think 'rest' is helping the momentum of things to catch up. and any worries I have. SERENITY NOW!

it's probably best this way. I didn't realize how stubborn I am, but I think I really did need the stern European specialist to give it to me straight. I'm generally very healthy - I'm used to pushing myself and not paying much attention to details, and now I have to be a good mother to myself and this baby, slow down, and put us first. I'm glad I get the chance to possibly turn the numbers around, and I'm SO GLAD we had that ultrasound off the cuff last week! we wouldn't have known anything was amiss!

it's also a very comforting feeling to know I'm getting such good care. these doctors are really wonderful, and we're blessed to have them.

and now, sit back and enjoy a pictorial of our kitchen makeover. it's still not totally finished, as the final cabinet doors are drying, the baseboards haven't made it in yet, and we still have to get lighting fixtures, but the major transformation has definitely occurred.

Before. and this is a cleaned up 'before'.

M scraping up the 2 layers of linoleum:

the floor's been primed:

dishwasher's been installed and countertops are going in:

countertops! and an onion from our yard... more on this later...

the sink is in, too. we got it off of Craig's List... we'll be swapping out the fixtures:

cabinet painting underway:

more cabinet painting underway:

adding wall color:

and painting the floor:

currently, the floor's been finished and all but those cabinets under the sink are in place (we're leaving some off to hold/display bowls and stuff):

our refrigerator looks sort of big, but I promise it fits there. it's so nice - it even makes ice! there's ice in it right now! luxuries.

kitchen looking into the skylight room:

and looking into the dining room... there's the pantry!

we simply couldn't have accomplished all of this without help. here's linda... just look at her, she's a blur of resourcefulness:

and acie, sanding doors!

thank you both. and a pre-emptive thank you for all the help we're going to ask for in the next couple of months.

remember that onion on the countertop way up there? we have them growing wild in the backyard. we discovered this after Antonio came to mow the pasture around our house before we left for Seattle - the poor man's eyes were watering something awful and the entire back yard smelled like onion because he'd just freshly mowed these:



I made potato soup with some. they're great.


in closing, here's a pic of me last Saturday. I was obsessing over the paint in the kitchen and cutting in next to the wet ceiling:



behold. that's a girl who's resting now.

and p.s. I love mikebell the most.

-m.y.