Since Jon has been keeping you all updated with his latest household projects, I thought it was about time to update you on MY latest project. "Project: Betababy". I am now rounding the bend to 24 weeks pregnant, meaning that we’re now beyond the halfway point. As you may remember from my first pregnancy, I had a lot of issues with morning-sickness, along with some issues with one of my kidneys. However, without boring you with my complete medical history I’ll just say that my body doesn’t handle pregnancy very well. It seems like any quark that may come with being pregnant, comes my way. My latest adventure has been dealing with some less-than-pleasant sciatica. But if this is the worst I have to deal with for the duration, I’ll take it. (knocking on wood)

Betababy, or as Charlie lovingly refers to her ‘baby sushi’, is doing great. Measuring right on for our dates and partying up a storm. I can reliably count on at least an hour of full-on kicks and spins as I try to fall asleep each night. We have now reached the point where we can actually watch my belly ripple as she moves and grooves in there. Charlie seems to have taken to the idea of having a little sister; or at least one that lives in his mother’s tummy. He often tries to get her to come out by pinching at my belly button (if it were only that easy kid). We’ll see how he reacts when she is actually here, but for now he’s very sweet and often gives the baby lots of hugs, kisses…and the occasional ‘raspberry’.

The house in 1946

We bought our house in 2004. It’s a smallish Cape Cod in Seattle that the seller’s grandparents purchased new in 1944. I don’t think it was long before we moved in that the attic was mostly finished to accommodate two extra bedrooms, making it a 4-bedroom house. Since moving into the house we’ve had four major items on a long list of things we wanted to do to the house to make it our home.

1) New fence (DONE). Not long after we moved in we had the 3-foot, rusty chain-link fence replaced with a higher-than-legal cedar fence to give us some privacy. Which really translates to: we didn’t want to look at our neighbors’ unkempt homes on either side of us. On one side, we have a circa 1970s gargantuan, brown, needs-to-be-painted..and cleaned…and landscaped…..split-level home. The owners are quite nice; they just don’t make their house a priority. On the other side is an empty lot where there used to be a charming home (we’ve seen pictures) and now houses broken down cars, trucks, mobile homes, trailers, etc. As much as I hate the term, the best way to describe it is: ‘white trash’. Needless to say, the fence helps.

A strange panoramic photo of the fence being built.

2) Patio Deck (DONE). We started designing and excavating for a patio, but, as the project drug on, we changed our minds to a deck. We built an enormous Trex® deck that spans most of the back of our house; when the weather is nice, it adds quite a bit of livable space to our home.

3) New kitchen (IN PROCESS, due end of summer). We’ve been putting it off for far too long; we’ve finally decided to take the plunge and remodel our tiny kitchen. We won’t be adding square footage to the room, but—all said in done—will have at least twice the storage than we have now and will of course have updated appliances, lighting, flooring, etc.

photos circa 2004 (before we moved in). Anybody want that oven?

4) Finish roughed in bathroom upstairs (NOT DONE). Will hopefully be able to finish in concert with the kitchen. At least, that’s the plan.

The past few weekends have been dedicated to starting what we can on the kitchen. Last weekend we installed French doors off of our dining area. This weekend we closed off the door from our kitchen to make room for the added cabinetry. Next weekend I hope to get some of the wiring done for the outlets and lighting. We still have a long way to go, but as soon as we order cabinets, by the time they arrive, we should be ready to install them and have a functional kitchen within weeks. I hope.

A special thanks goes out to Charlie’s grandfathers who have both been an incredible help with various projects. Without their guidance, I’d be standing in the middle of our back yard staring at the back of the house holding a hammer in one hand and scratching my head with the other.

Stay tuned.

dibs on not changing his diaper.

We ended up spending much of Independence Day up in Edmonds, where Charlie’s Oma and Opa live. We spent the previous night in Poulsbo, where The Fourth is celebrated on the third to avoid competition with other near-by firework displays. It works out well for us since we have family that lives there, on the water, with a great view of the fireworks. Plus, coming back, the ferry happens to drop us right in Edmonds. The terminal is just blocks from Oma’s toy store, where we were able to park our car. Oh, but that’s not all. On the morning of The Fourth, there is the annual Edmonds parade that is preceded by a children’s parade. The children’s parade is much like a slo-motion running of the bulls, only instead of the threat of being gored, you have to keep from being pelted by hard candy and your toes from being run over by razor scooters.

Our plans to watch the big fireworks show from a boat on Lake Union fell through (hope everybody’s feeling better), so we ended up staying in Edmonds for a delicious dinner with the family. We decided to head home before the Edmonds fireworks started to avoid traffic. However, looking at the clock on the way home, we figured that we could make it to Fremont in time to find a decent view of the big show. So, with Charlie passed out in the back seat and Pedro shaking on our laps, we sat in the driveway of an apartment complex and watched the impressive display. The camera was in the trunk, but it did look a lot like last year’s show

It’s Summer time and the livin’ is easy. Ok maybe a leeetle too easy for some 1-year-olds.

you know..just hangin’ out in my Crocs®.

Sorry for the lack of news. Between house guests, house projects and work, we’ve been quite busy. Not to mention, the sun has finally made an appearance; we have been trying to spend as much time as possible outside. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, we’re heavily invested in the sunscreen industry.

He’s finally discovered the true purpose of his tongue.

For you Seattleites who haven’t tried Molly Moon’s Ice Cream in Wallingford yet; I suggest doing whatever you can to remedy that situation immediately.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Charlie for making Father’s Day possible. Without you, kid, I’d just be another schmo who sleeps past 6AM and spends his money on useless video games and beer instead of diapers…and…beer. Traditionally speaking, we spend Father’s day working on random house projects. Ok, so this was only my second Father’s day, but so far, it’s been two for two (that’s tradition, right?). Last year, we spent the day painting some interior walls. This year, I got MY father involved and we installed a new front door. It opens, it closes, it latches, it locks..and so far hasn’t fallen out of the frame. Knock on wood…Not the door—it hasn’t been tested for that yet..just find some other wood and knock on it. Thanks. And thank you, Dad(Grandpa)..happy Father’s Day.

Anyway, enough about fathers. Let’s talk about parents. I’m not sure if you remember—with all my grumbling about manual labor and whining about the Seattle weather—that Andrea is pregnant. I’m sure she has a lot to say, so I’ll let her fill you in with details once typing doesn’t make her barf. However, yesterday afternoon it was revealed to us at the 18-week ultrasound that ‘Betababy’ is…

girl.

In related news, Upon her birth, I will be ordering a DNA test to make sure that Betababy’s real father isn’t actually Skeletor.

conquering Castle Grayskull