Halloween Catch Up

This Halloween was busy.



It began with a family brunch at Chocolate Angel (YUM) - a sort of mini-shower to celebrate baby Elliot's pending arrival.



We missed you, Carrie (in India)!  But it was so nice that the rest of the sisters were there, including Heidi (in from Ohio) and even my brother Thomas!



It was a lovely lunch, and Lucy was fairly decently behaved, especially given the situation: few toys, no room to run around, long time at the table with no chips or bread.  She did great.



After that we hung out at the house for a little bit, and Heidi helped me sort through some of Elliot's clothes, which is a daunting task.  



I am hugely appreciative for the help, and I'm glad to say the clursery (closet-nursery) is now almost complete!  Will update with photos soon.



It was nice to get a couple photos with my sister Nickie, who lives far enough away that we don't see each other as often as I'd like - - and I realized the other day I'm lacking in photos with her and Lucy together.



Same goes for Heidi.



So then after that, it quickly became Halloween evening! 

 Lucy was dressed as Snow White (thanks, Carrie!) and looked so sweet.  Wish I could have found the red bow that went with the outfit, but what can I say.



Jack went as a skeleton for part of the evening, and then Darth Vader (his 3rd year in a row) for the second part of the evening. 



We only went to a few houses - just the neighbors we know.  But it was really fun seeing daddy/daughter trick-or-treating for the first time.  If they ever go to a daddy/daughter dance at church or for cotillion... I'm not convinced I'll even like those photos as much as I do the one above.

Random thoughts and Bath Time

 Lucy was in such a pleasant mood the other night.  She sat on my lap and attempted every sign on the Baby Einstein's Baby Signs dvd.



Then we had a very pleasant bath time, involving (I'm happy to say) NO poopoo in the bath water (score!). 



She still has the rash from that viral illness a week ago.  It doesn't seem to bother her (or me, much).



Gosh I'm tired.  I'm at 37 1/2 weeks now - supposedly only 2 and 1/2 weeks left to go before we meet baby Elliot.  Although I've been getting the feeling lately that he may be early.  I had assumed he'd be late, because Lucy was late.



But last night I definitely began to think maybe he won't wait these whole last 2 and 1/2 weeks.  That would be fine by me, because I think he's probably already 7 pounds.



The plumbers are coming the first weekend in December - did I tell you that?  I wish they were coming before Elliot's guess date, but no.  So I guess we'll have a newborn when they're drilling down into the floor of all the bathrooms, the hallway, and the kitchen.  At least all those floors will be in tact around Elliot's birthing time - that's an up side. 

 

Lucy loves playing with the faucets.  That's how my cell phone met it's end, actually - in the empty bath tub, when Lucy delighted herself by showering it with the cold water faucet.

 

It was short sighted of me to let her wander off with my cell phone in the first place.  I figured the toilets were all closed, so I was safe.  I underestimated her.    

Progress in Elliot's Clursery (Closet-Nursery)

Yesterday I installed the 4th "wall" of the crib loft!



It's really just a baby gate with a one-handed release walk-through door, which we'll open when we need to put baby Elliot in or take him out.



This is the Summer Infant Sure and Secure 6' Expansion Gate.



I like that it's not the "extra tall" kind of gate--I think the height is perfect for a crib.





It is truly amazing how much more quickly a room comes together when its dimensions are 6'x6', instead of 12'x12.  The pictures above and the one on the left were just a couple weeks ago, and now it's almost finished!



Additionally, the matching storage baskets--while not yet stocked with organized clothes--are at least in their respective places on the cubby shelf...



...and on the shelf near the ceiling on the left.  I got these storage baskets at Costco, and I love that they are really sturdy.
 

The colors of the baskets aren't an exact match for the rest of the decor, but they're cute and boyish.



The blanket hanging on the back wall was made by my sister Carrie - isn't it cute?  I think the colors in it will match the Cocalo Alphabet Soup bedding that I don't have yet but plan to get before Elliot gets here.
 

I think with a few wall hangings this little closet-nursery will look really cheery.  I love the stripes.



We also plan to install a vent over the door and a  ceiling fan where the light is, because air circulation is rather critical when you have a newborn.  We'll also install a ceramic heater that hangs flat against the wall, and that will help combat the cold winter air... especially since 2 of the walls of this closet-nursery are exterior, and I remember the closet getting really cold in the winter.   

Four more weeks until go-time!  Any thoughts on the nursery?  I'll post final before-and-after photos once I get the bedding set, changing pad, and final decorations for the walls.

Baby Elliot Update

I have been shamefully short on maternity photos this go around.  Elliot, if you are reading this years from now--it's not because we're not excited about you--merely because we've had our hands full!



Anyways, Daniel took these sweet photos the other day.



Lucy thought my bare-skinned tummy was hilarious, which made for some cute pictures.



I saw my midwife Dinah a couple days ago, and Elliot seems to be doing well, getting bigger and bigger.  He probably weighs about 4 pounds and is about 17 inches long.  He's been breech (head up) so far, but Dinah turned him, so now he's head down, which is better.  He may still move around some, and technically it doesn't really matter that he's been breech because he's not due for another 6 weeks, but I feel better that he's situated the way he needs to be for birth.



We're planning a home birth again, like we did for Lucy.  This time Dinah will not be traveling in France, so she should be there at the birth!  That is super exciting.  Last time, we had a back-up, back-up midwife due to a miscommunication, and it was a really sweet lady named Amanda whom I'd never met before.  She was a trooper for coming to our house at 3 AM to help me birth Lucy -- and it all worked out fine -- but I'm excited to have Dinah with us this time. 



Elliot, we are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Bad News And Good News

Bad news - almost every plumbed fixture in our house has a drain pipe that is leaking under the house.  That would be 3 out of 4 sinks, 1 out of 2 showers, 2 out of 3 toilets, and the A/C condensate drain.
 

Good news - umm... the house doesn't smell like sewage.  I've heard that's often how people find out about these types of leaks.

 

Bad news - it's gonna take a lot of money to fix these leaks.  A lot.


 
Good news - it's only money, and God will provide what we need when we need it.

 

Bad news - Lucy got this awful eyelid infection this week. 

 

Poor thing.

 

Good news - it's gotten much better these last few days.  Thank you, Garland Pediatrics-After-Hours and Vigamox.  You are amazing.



Bad news - baby Elliot is due in 8 weeks, and I've yet to start on his nursery.



Good news - we get to meet baby Elliot in only 8 weeks!  And all we really need at the beginning is milk (check), blankets (check), and diapers.  I don't have the newborn diapers yet, but it takes 20 minutes to run to the store and get some, and since labor will most definitely take longer than 20 minutes, we'll definitely have diapers by the time he gets here.  Actually, my mom got some newborn diapers at Sam's the other day, so we're golden.  

Maternity Photos for Baby Elliot

Hello from Colorado!



I said I wouldn't post until after we got back from Colorado, but that's a long time when you are in India without your family (miss you, Carrie) - so I'll try to post a few times from here :).



We took some maternity photos at Glen Eyrie, which is a beautiful castle that the Navigators (a non-profit Christian organization) owns in Colorado Springs.



We decided for sure--Lucy's little brother's name is Elliot Simon!  We like it a lot.  If you don't like it, please be kind enough to keep your comments to yourself, because we've quite decided.



The trip is going well, so far.  We took 3 days to come up here, and Lucy was pretty rough in the car.  But we're here at the cabin now (photos to come), and Lucy's slowly adapting to being on vacation.