Well, THERE went two weeks of personal blogging I'll never get back.
The mini-hiatus was unintentional, but life, it has been busy. Between welcoming sweet baby girls, working out insurance and inspection details for our September 30 closing, and keeping up with projects at work, I'm lucky I've managed to update my Parents blog. But, you know, they pay me, so it wasn't that hard of a decision to make.
Speaking of Parents, if you're a follower, you learned on Friday that a penis was discovered in my uterus.
Thanks to the cheesecake I had at lunch, Baby Brother was much more cooperative during his ultrasound than Kara was for hers, so we saw the goods twice. Also, his very adorable profile.
Oh, and we might've purchased a few little boy things. Maybe. Just a few.
I so thought this baby was going to be a girl (thanks for nothing, stupid old wives' tales), but disappointed would be the last word I'd use to describe what it felt like to learn about my son. Luke and I couldn't be more excited.
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I really appreciated all of your comments regarding our new house and our plight with the kitchen cabinets. Despite the amount of work we know it's going to take, Luke and I have decided to bite the bullet and repaint them a soft, creamy color. Paired with a khaki/tan shade on the walls, that should be enough to even things out and keep the first-floor rooms from clashing with each other, no matter what colors we end up using. I was quite impressed with Dr. Maureen's paint job, and after seeing her "before" pictures, I better understand why in certain cases, painting over the wood actually makes more sense than keeping the cabinets in their current condition. I have no idea what shape my cabinets were in before they were subjected to all that green, but after visiting the Valspar Web site to review paint swatches, I think I know where the sellers got their inspiration.
Coincidence? I THINK NOT.
The kicker? I actually DON'T MIND the color scheme in this room. But when you swap out the laminate flooring for a blah white tile and eliminate more than half the square footage, including the kick-ass island, what could have been a warm and inviting look becomes cramped and mismatched in a less impressive space. Oh, well. Live and learn.
The time between now and when we actually move in October is already making me nervous, wondering if we can paint every room and every damn cabinet prior to the second floor's carpet and tile job, prioritizing the items we want to add/upgrade in our home, counting every penny and trying to maximize it best we can. It's overwhelming now, but I trust that once we have the keys in hand, everything will suddenly appear much more managable. In the meantime, let's all ooh and ahh over Kara, who turned nine months old today and currently steals our hearts with her open-mouthed kisses, determination to walk, and ability to babble Mama and Dada at just the right time.
The apple of our eye indeed!
Much cuter than the professional shots she took at Target last month. We'll be redoing them this weekend at Portrait Innovations.
Today it's orchards, tomorrow undergraduate education. Sob.
Question. Where in all of hell did you find those blocks. no where I go has blocks! Not even the babiesrus! The one set I've found are wooden and as my son likes to chew on things and I don't want to pluck splinters from his tongue. Hell no. help?
Posted by: Summer | September 18, 2008 at 12:41 AM
oh ... BOY !!!!!!!! :)
snips and snails and puppy dog tales ...
(although I have no idea on Earth why this is what little boys are made of, do you?)
Congrats on your baby boy!
Posted by: lynne | September 18, 2008 at 07:32 AM
Congrats again on Baby Brother! (Is that his internet name, or will he get a cool moniker like "Freka" until he makes his debut?) Those outfits are adorable. We had several of the same ones when Dean was little. I didn't expect boy clothes to be fun, what with no hair bows, but they are!
Wow, I didn't realize your closing was so soon! You will be so relieved to have keys-in-hand, I know. Yep, think you found the inspiration for your kitchen there. The creamy color you chose sounds nice.
I love Kara. She is such a cutie and SMART! Hard to believe 9 months went by so fast!
Posted by: Jen L. | September 18, 2008 at 08:45 AM
Summer: Those blocks are Parents (hehe- you know the site she writes for!) You can get them at Target.
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We took Nathan to PI
and they did a so-so job. They take so many shots you will end up with a package you are happy with- but go in with a # in mind, the are big on the up-sell.
Good luck getting all of your ducks in a row with your house projects. I know in the end all of the hard work will be worth it.
Also, YAY BOYS! :)
Posted by: Christina | September 18, 2008 at 09:02 AM
Congratulations! You're going to have so much fun with a boy! Now you get to live my life - one boy, one girl, ridiculously close in age...crazy times, but an adventure worth having, for sure.
Posted by: Stacey | September 18, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Congratulations again to both of you!
Posted by: Rachel | September 18, 2008 at 09:34 AM
Oh my goodness, a boy! Congratulations. I have to ask (just to see if all men are like my husband), is Luke trying to pass the little dude's "leg" off as his um, impressive "manhood"? We had a similar angle and image with Dom and Tony was always pointing to his leg when telling people it was a boy. Rolling eyes.
Also, Kara is still the cutest thing. I just want to gobble up her little cheeks. She's everything a little baby should be.
Posted by: Hilary | September 18, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Hey a salt and pepper set! Oh, ahem, riiiight. So happy for you guys, Kara and Baby Brother. The kids are going to have so much fun together.
Also, woo-hoo County Line! We're still hoping to make it there this fall, baby and all. :o)
Posted by: Molly | September 18, 2008 at 09:51 AM
Yay for boys! Congrats.
Posted by: Must Be Motherhood | September 18, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Congratulations on your little boy! I have to admit, I'm in awe of how you're handling all the stuff that's going on! Your little girl is growing cuter by the day, you bought a house, you work full-time, you're having a baby next year, and you've also got a husband who loves spending time with you AND your head hasn't exploded! Well done!!!
Posted by: Erika | September 18, 2008 at 12:12 PM
I am behind, so I'll catch up now: congrats on the baby boy and the awesome new house! After we bought our house 5 years ago, I wandered around looking at things like light switches and doorknobs, thinking, "That's ours. That's ours. That's ours, too!"
Re: baby boy clothes pic- I have the stripey lion outfit at the top left. Isn't it adorable with the little tassle on the hood?
Posted by: Liz | September 18, 2008 at 01:27 PM
It's SO hard not to compare my kid to your little genius! She says mama and dada? Really? Amazing.
Cute boy clothes. As Amalah said though, better bring on the 3-6 month onesies! And as Erika said, congrats on not having an exploded head with all the stuff you have going on!
Posted by: eva | September 18, 2008 at 07:26 PM
Congratulations on your son! Baby clothes are awesome.
Glad things are going so well - if crazily.
Posted by: Amy | September 19, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Congrats on the boy! Love the apple picture! Too cute!
Posted by: Jennifer (prayedforone) | September 19, 2008 at 08:33 AM
Congratulations on the boy! HOw fun to get to buy all the cute little blue and sporty things! Our first is a girl too and I never thought I would look forward to the day where i could buy some little clothes with trains and cars on them but I DO!
Posted by: Two Lines On a Stick | September 19, 2008 at 02:41 PM
You are having the same as I...girl first, boy second, really close together. And I will say: I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a girl and a boy, and I ADORE the fact that my daughter is the older one. I have a friend who had the boy first girl second, and the dynamic isn't nearly as awesome as mine. Older sisters are awesome when they're preschool age.
And I totally always use Portrait Innovations. They're awesome.
Posted by: Jess | September 21, 2008 at 11:19 AM
CONGRATULATIONS on having a boy, yay!!! Hmmm I wonder what name you guys will pick. I know what your favorites are, but I don't have a clue about Luke's. Anyhow, hope the closing goes well today and when you come in town in October, give me a ring, hopefully I'll be around to see you guys!
Love ya tons!
Posted by: Trina | September 30, 2008 at 07:35 AM