Progress in the Clursery (Closet-Nursery)

I got a cold that really knocked me off my feet, so progress in Elliot's closet-nursery was slower than I'd hoped this past week.  

Still, I managed to get a few things done.  Namely - I installed the 2x4's that will become the base of the crib loft and the base of the changing station shelf.  

I also ordered the baby gate that will act as one of the sides of the crib-loft, and I'm hoping to install it soon.  

I also got the cubby shelf re-situated in the corner so that the crib/loft can brace against it.  I need to put a piece of plywood at the head of the crib-loft to close out that open space.  I think I have some plywood that will work for that, but I'm debating about how exactly to do that.  Should I cover it in fabric, so it'll be softer for baby?  I'm not sure.  I have mixed feelings.  

I am SO glad to have my hanging clothes moved back into the closet and out of our reading nook.  Our room still looks like a disaster area, but less so than when all this stuff was in there, too. 

Making Soft Pretzels

My one pregnancy craving this go around has been those soft pretzels you buy at the mall.  I love them.  They are delicious.



I'm pretty proud to say I've only bought them 3 times during this pregnancy.  That's only once every couple of months.



But I decided to try making them, and I found this recipe on All Recipes.  With 1,321 reviews and five stars, how could I go wrong?



Interesting factoid about bagels: you have to bathe the dough in a strongly alkaline solution to give them that distinct "bagel" taste.



Germans used to (or still do?) use lye, but you can also just use baking soda and water - that's what I did.



They were terrific.  If you have a craving for mall pretzels, go buy some - because these took forever to make.

 

But if you have a craving for mall pretzels and you (a)--can't afford them or (b)--don't have a way to get to the mall, then make these!  They were great.

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 - 4 cups all-purpose flour (add flour gradually until you have enough)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together part of the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough, kneading and adding more flour until consistency is smooth and elastic.  Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and drop into the baking soda water.  Once the dough rises to the top of the water, remove it, shape it into a pretzel, and place on a greased, parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.  Coat with melted butter.

Photos from Heidi's Last Visit

Heidi came to visit a number of weeks ago, and she was so sweet as to take and send me some photos of Lucy from that visit! I have so few good photos with Lucy and me that I wanted to post these.

Sweet girl.



Lucy loves "The Itsy Bitsy Spider".  She loves being tickled. 



Heidi, it was fun getting to see you!  Looking forward to Thanksgiving :). 

The Real Baby Lucy... Eating a Banana

Daniel and I made this image almost 4 years ago:



This is what a computer thought our baby Lucy would look like (and she was called baby Lucy - even back then).



Besides the blonde hair, it's really not that close to what the real baby Lucy looks like.  But I think partly that's because the computer-made image shows a 4-5 year/old, not a 1-year old.  Still, I wanted to make sure to post this computer-made image of our hypothetical baby Lucy so that it would be in my keepsake printed version of this blog some time in the future.  And I think it's kind of funny.




I'm interested to see if "Baby Preston" - also made 4 years ago - will look anything like baby Elliot.



This is the face of a baby who has discovered the magnificence of a whole banana--that is, not cut into pieces.



This is her, taking out of her mouth the yucky end of the banana peel, which she was also interested in eating.



She downed this thing in about 2 minutes and then started eating the peel.



Instead of letting her eat the peel, I gave her another banana--which she also ate.



Well, half of it anyways.



Doesn't her eye look so much better?

Progress in Elliot's Nursery-Closet

We are going to have Elliot in the walk-in closet in our bedroom for the first year.

 


Did I already tell you that? After a quick internet search, I can tell you I'm not the first to do this - not by a long shot.

 

But in truth, there are not many nursery-closets from which to draw inspiration.



A few here and there, but not many.  So we pretty much came up with our own plans for this one.

 

If I had mastered Sketch-Up in the 15 minutes I dedicated to learning it, I would have a digital sketch of the blue prints to share with you.  But I didn't master it--not hardly--so I have no such plans to show you.



Don't worry though - the plans are in my head and on some notebook paper, and I think it'll be great.  Elliot will have his very own custom-designed loft crib and changing surface



Our bedroom, now with the consolidation of stuff from the 4th bedroom and my closet, is a complete disaster area.  So I definitely need to get this nursery-closet done quickly so we can find our new "normal set-up" in our room... and so we can move on to the living room flooring that needs to be laid before baby Elliot arrives at Thanksgiving.  Tick tock. 

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.  

Reading to This Little Girl

Lucy looks more like a little girl everyday, and it is bitter-sweet, but mostly sweet.



Her new word(s) is "up-pwee" (up, please).  She says it when she wants to be held.  And also when she wants to get down.  And also when she wants us to give her something.  And also when she needs help with anything.  It's a very multi-functional kind of word-phrase. 



My grandmother asked me the other day whether Lucy liked to be read to.  The answer is that she likes you to sit with her while she flips pages.  But no--she doesn't so much like being read to.



In fact, it's really frustrating to even try to read a book that she has her hands on.  So we generally don't.  I thought we'd be reading Bible stories to her every night by this age, but no.

 

That will have to wait until she has the patience to look at the pictures consecutively while we read.



I guess it must irritate me a little, because I find myself suspecting that others are just flat out lying when they say their one-year-olds like to be read to. 

That is all.  Happy Wednesday.