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':




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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.

I've been totally remiss about posting pictures of delicious food hubz has cooked up for us lately, but he's really outdone himself. seriously, he made the roast chicken from Julia's cookbook and it was my favorite. chicken. ever. along with the butter braised carrots, which we had again tonight. we've scored these crazy awesome carrots at the farmer's market, and they're packed with special carroty flavor. plus they're pretty. hubz did take this iphone shot of the potato leek soup he made (again from Julia's cookbook)... he added chunks of bacon, celery, and pan-fried potato on top:

this is photographic evidence that I'm 'resting'... today I needed to let the kitchen cabinets dry, so I took a little siesta in the car:

and this is a shot my friend kyle took of me at a studio here in town, after we'd finished up a quick session... he took others, most of which were goofy (one was positively frightening... you can see it on facebook if you want), but I really loved this one:

the week has been full of blessings so far. one was the tax return we discovered we're getting, due largely to the fact that we had to sink a lot of money into our rental property last year. we were so surprised and grateful - we've been on a budget throughout this renovation, and we completely view getting this money back as a gift from God to help us finish up without stressing about when my crazy receivables will trickle in. my first Cricket gig of the week went well yesterday (until the wind kicked up... then it was sort of nutty and all about keeping the tent from blowing away), we bought a tub (woo-hoo!), and the kitchen is looking better and better. and then, tonight, I received this video and knew it truly was a red letter day:

I won't lie, that video tickles me in a deep, deep place. I think it's the showstopping panache.

must go to bed so I can get up freakishly early to drive to Dallas. long day tomorrow - I'm supposed to be done by 4p and would ordinarily drive home then, but I'll wait and see how I feel. baby and I can always trek down to the Super 8 and get a room for the night if we're too tired to drive the long haul back. interestingly, I'll go right by the recently imploded Texas Stadium... it'll be weird to not see it there, I think.

night, all.

-m.y.

whackadoo dreams.

I was... somewhere... and the baby kept falling further and further down in my abdomen. finally, I said something like, 'look how far down she is!' and decided I just needed to lie down, but after I made it onto my back I felt a shift and suddenly there was a baby's head on my chest - she had apparently fallen out of my body and made it onto my chest, umbillical cord and all. she was big and very genial, and I was all, 'look you guys, I just had a baby! she did come early! she just fell out!' then there was all sort of weirdness, with my mom calling my doctor (she said he told me to 'go to bed and heal with some lemon juice'.... yikes!) and people coming in and out. at one point I announced that her name was _____________ and she could be called ____________, and my mom or M's mom gently told me that it was a boy. I looked down and was totally holding a smiling little boy baby with a pretty small you-know-what, which was apparently why no one picked it up in our sonograms (but I was told it would grow to be normal-sized). the baby also suddenly looked like it had three eyes, but I didn't trust what I was seeing and put him down. I was totally confused. I told M about the baby being a boy, and he acted confused, too, and went into a different room. I think I followed him and we talked about how the baby came before we'd finished the house, and we'd discovered another room that needed to be painted that happened to be our bedroom. I went and found the baby and tried to nurse it, but that was awkward, and I looked at him and tried out a boy name we like and then another I'd never really thought about before. I went to find M again and my cousins told me he was outside smoking (?!!), and I said, 'oh, I need one of those'. we smoked, I think, but then I went back inside and ran into some convention people by the escalators (was I at a convention?!) and told them I'd just had a baby that day and needed to rest. I went and found the baby again, who looked more and more like a doll, and started to get anxious about having to somehow get the, um, other stuff out of my body, and then I'd have to trade all all of the girl things we'd been given and tell people asap before they gave us showers with lots of girl things... and then I woke up.

and felt my belly, and there's still a baby in there. I still think she's a girl, 2 sonograms said so and I'll probably be getting another this week with a specialist to check my amniotic fluid levels and make sure all is well. my doctor thought my levels were a little low at my appointment last Thursday and wants a second opinion just to be safe, but he didn't act freaked out or overly concerned. he did, however, tell me I needed to try to rest and drink more. he didn't give me any specifics so I don't think he meant bed rest or anything, just to generally take it easier. which seemed pretty easy, since we'd just come off of the Seattle trip and all.

so. I'm trying to take lots of breaks, drink more water, and generally stay stress-free. but we have a house to finish and I feel the clock ticking (how is it April 12th already?!), plus I have opportunities to do some work this week with 2 big Cricket gigs, voice work, and on-camera commercial work. I go to Dallas Wednesday for my last trip before the baby comes, and right now I just want it and the long car ride and the long day over and done. I do know that I could turn all of this work down if push came to shove... the self-employed, non-existent-maternity-leave reality I live in just likes to do what I'm able to do while I can, that's all. I'm trying to be good about taking my vitamins and the iron supplement the doctor ordered (I was a little anemic a couple of weeks ago) and stop to sit down more often and refill my water bottle, and always feel like I'm forgetting something.

and then I think what if the baby is running out of fluid in there. and I gulp water and pray.

and on top of that, yesterday was an awkward, distracted day and I just wanted a do-over.

I think I'm a little emotional and just feeling a tad overwhelmed. I might have some long days this week, but nothing that's happening has to be hard or overly taxing if I relax and take great care of myself. so I'd appreciate any prayers for peace and excellent pacing and coping skills this week, as well as the strength to say no or take it easy if I need to.

-m.y.

p.s. we're almost done with our kitchen... pictures to come...

seattle state of mind

we finally got back home last night after spending the past few days eating well and bundling up against the rainy and windy elements of Seattle. despite both of us battling allergies and whatnot (M actually came back sort of sick), it was a really nice trip and I'm so glad we got to go. so I'll pour a little more Tim Horton's decaf (a gift from a Canadian fan) and get down to it.

Seattle had a GREAT vibe, and I really enjoyed getting to meet a lot of cool people up there. the convention was very well run and pretty big... I think they were anticipating about 18,000 attendees. M got some fun pictures - here's one of me looking like I'm playing to a huge room of people for my own panel, but in reality they were there for the Fullmetal Alchemist cast panel, a popular show I'm in. my other panels were great, too, and really well-attended which is always nice.

my autograph line Sunday.

M took this great video footage, trying to capture the smaller line of the dude next to me and then my line. the signing was at 10a and our flight was at 1:50, so we really were on a pretty tight deadline, but there was no way I was going to let anyone wait in line for an hour to NOT get their stuff signed! that's horribly uncool. in the end, everyone was happy and we made our flight:





we stayed at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, which was SO NICE. I believe it was the first campus of the University of Washington, and is a historical landmark.

this is just one of the rooms off of the main lobby and up a flight of curving stairs... I thought it looked like something out of Beauty and the Beast, and M quipped that you could almost see the candlestick dancing in the corner...

when you exit the hotel and turn right, there's the water.

the architecture around Seattle is really something. check out the Native American detailing on this building (which houses a Bank of America, of all things):

Audrey was our guest liason. she's 18 and was absolutely wonderful. here she is in one of her costumes...

and with M in another:

Pikes Market. ah. one of my favorite things about the trip. the sights and smells down here really are something. here's me with Rachel:

it's sort of funny how deserted it looks in this photo... this was Saturday morning, when we'd walked down to get breakfast:

where the fish fly:

breakfast at the Athenian overlooking Puget Sound:

it really is true that coffee shops abound in Seattle, but the weather totally supports this. here's a pretty mocha I had at a coffee/bookstore:

we also had delicious breakfast at the Daily Grill:

and hopped in a cab to go find Bizzarro's, a restaurant M had read about. it was fun and quirky, and the food was fresh and wonderful.

Wild Ginger had been recommended to us by the McDs, and it absolutely lived up to the praise.

so flipping good. in this photo I'm clutching the warm jasmine tea and am so glad to be sitting down - M didn't think we walked all that much, but my hips and legs had a different opinion.

since we were away from home on Easter Sunday, we found a sunrise service in West Seattle. it was great, and they even had a free breakfast at the funeral home afterward! the food was amazing, I'm not kidding.

so now we're home and ready to push through and finish up the house before the baby comes. she was movin' and groovin' the whole time, and I distinctly felt a knobby little foot jut out from my right side at one point, which made me jump. I bought this drawstring shirt at H&M... just a little post-baby something to look forward to wearing this summer/fall:



it's good to be back.

-m.y.