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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

First Time Jitters

Well, the nerves are kicking in. As in, holy crap this is really happening and I can't wrap my head around it nerves. I am so excited to meet this baby and simultaneously trying to wrap my mind around the fact that this squirming thing in my belly is really a baby and not some strange indigestion. I spent some time on the phone with a mama friend who just had a baby a few weeks ago and it did wonders to quell my nerves. It's good to get that perspective when I am floundering around trying to imagine that this will really happen.

Just a year ago I wondered if I would ever experience childbirth in this life. We are so lucky. That is my affirmation, my focus when I get lost in the nerves.

Only four weeks to go and a baby room that seriously needs putting together. I am waiting for the intense nesting energy to drive me through the final stage of preparation. There are a few more shelves that need purchased and installed then I can sort her clothes/books/toys and get everything off the floor and out of the crib. Time to pack up the Christmas decorations and set up the swing (thanks Char & Jamie!) and work to find a place for strollers and high chairs.

My last prenatal appointment went great. My blood pressure isn't a major concern, I am now officially off the blood thinners and my bruising is clearing up and there are no signs of early labor. Things are looking great and even though I'm getting bigger and more tired working still feels really, really good to me. Scott is urging me to slow down but I don't feel it yet, although I am taking time to rest and paying close attention to my body.

Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Hello From 34 Weeks!



Oh Baby! I can't believe there are six more weeks of growing left to do! She is doing great, moving quite a bit now which is a huge comfort. We can finally feel what is definitively a foot, or elbow moving around, versus a rolling baby. This gets more exciting every day.

So far I am still working quite a bit and feeling well about it. This week I've had some elevated blood pressure and have been told by the doctor to slow down. The trouble is that I don't really feel like slowing down, quite the opposite in fact. I know that any day now I will become very tired and moving around a lot will be uncomfortable. Until that moment I'm happy being busy.

I finished my home made Christmas gifts today and thanks to Scott they are off in the mail. Like most presents I ship they will most likely not make it there in time but oh well. It's the thought that counts.

The baby shower was great fun although not many pictures were taken. I will do my best to pull some together and write a bit about it, it was a great day. For now I've got a date with a movie, my hubby and the couch.

(Heather, if you are reading this call me!!!)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Also

A good friend delivered her baby girl a few days ago. I am anxiously awaiting photos of them. I did not know the exact time she went into labor, however, that entire day I walked around thinking about her. I had a knot of anticipation and excitement in my stomach and I just knew she was in labor. I told Scott that I had a feeling she was having her baby. Then I told my coworkers that know her that I was pretty sure she was having a baby at that moment. Sure enough a few hours later I got a text announcing a good birth. Must be the pregnancy is increasing my baby intuition. So to my friend who will remain anonymous until she makes a public announcement: If you are reading this we are so, so happy for you and hope you are too consumed with falling in love to post pics....but we are anxious to see them:)

32 down 6-10 or more to go

This week is week 32, only five more weeks until we can safely deliver at home and eight more weeks until the due date! The baby is supposedly weighing in at 3.75 pounds which my baby development web site explains is roughly the weight of a large Jicama.

I've heard over and over again that your child will enjoy the foods you craved while pregnant. If that's the case then my daughter loves apples with peanut butter, oh and dark chocolate with peanut butter. Actually just about anything with peanut butter. I've never been a huge fan of peanut butter until this pregnancy. Precipitated by the gestational diabetes, my love of peanut butter has now grown to enormous heights. I just spent the last 20 minutes of work dreaming about getting home to a cut up apple and my jar of Adam's. Speaking of the Adam's peanut butter I have been going through one huge jar a week. Wow. That even amazes me.


Speaking of the 'ol gestational diabetes a new and strange side effect has developed. Everything is going really well, the diabetes is under control and the baby is doing well. Even though it's going well I still have to take my blood sugar levels every day or two to make sure I am staying on track. This is normally accomplished by a "prick" of the finger tip. Being that I am a massage therapist the finger tip method is strictly a no fly unless I had wanted to spend the last few months working with rubber gloves on. No thank you. So I test on my upper forearm to avoid compromising my finger tips. This method had been working just fine, in fact it was easy to hide the little marks within the flowers of my tattoo. However, in the last week I have been developing giant blossoming bruises where I lance myself. Yikes!!! They do not hurt but they look awful. I mean, awful. Really, really awful. I am waiting for someone to ask me if I am being abused, they look like nasty finger prints. Hmmmm....


I am seeing the doctor tomorrow to confer with her about said bruising. My theory is that the blood thinners I am on to help with the blood clotting issue are taking their toll. Most likely they have built up in my blood and are now causing hyper sensitivity and bruising. All good and well as I am scheduled to stop taking them directly after Christmas. I am anticipating being asked to participate in another blood clotting time test to see exactly how viscous my blood is. I had hoped to avoid another one of these tests since each one leaves a little scar which you can see to the bottom left of the big bruise in the pic above. My guess is if my blood is too thin then we will begin dialing back the blood thinners now instead of after the holiday. Until them I find discreet ways to put my clients at ease when I take my cardigan off to work so they don't silently wonder what is going on with me.

With Christmas presents on the brain I have rounded a corner into full on craftiness here. Behold a stack of Martha Stewart cookie/treat boxes waiting to be filled. I am so excited about these but will explain why later when it wont ruin any holiday surprises.

I am also working on a few things for the baby shower which is Sunday. I know I am supposed to sit back and let it be thrown for me but I enjoy getting ready for parties. Since we are going with a tea and cake theme I've collected some beautiful dishes and wine glasses and glued them together to make impromptu cake and cookie stands. I've been wanting to try this for awhile and am pretty psyched with the results. I am also very, very excited about the party favors we are making, again more on that when it wont be a spoiler.

And of course Christmas is just around the corner. We've had a bit of the old holiday spirit already with the arrival of our fully decorated mini tree care of Aunt Pat!


Tonight Scott brought home our full sized tree which is currently resting in the corner getting used to it's new digs before we decorate it. Happy Holidays!!!! Look how excited Jelly is for Christmas:

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Home from work. Check
Caught up on all of my insurance billing. Check
Banking is done. Check
A precious hour to myself to nap. Check

I am settling into the couch with my comfy new blanket that G&G (grandma and grandpa Dihel) sent me. Rare are the moments where all my obligations are met and I have this moment to nap. I am just tired enough that I know it's gonna be great, and that very soon naps will be hard to come by in these parts. I am so excited for this nap I can taste it. Just as I'm beginning to drift off in my little row boat of sleep it starts.....

I thought I was safe this time, she is supposed to be out of town at the beach. The driving techno beat starts rising first and I plead with the divine "please no, let me be imagining that sound". No such luck as the song really starts and my down stairs neighbor kicks into karaoke gear. I have known people and lived with people before who enjoy singing. A song will move them and before they know it they are singing along. This. is. nothing. like. that. This my dear reader is a non stop 3-4 hour karaoke session which I have a front row ticket for 3-5 times a week. I am not exaggerating. Hours at a time the singing goes on and on. Rarely do I recognize the music being played, although it is reminiscent of the music spilling out of teenage clothing stores at the mall. Heavy beats, synthetic vocals and lots of hard to reach notes. Hard to reach, as in the average person should not try it. Certainly not for 3 hours straight!!!!

Perhaps it's the pregnancy, perhaps it's the fact that I've been dealing with this for months and my patience is wearing oh so very thin. I've tried talking to her, letting her know that we can hear everything. That didn't work, she must like the idea of performing. We have tried blocking all the vents with pillows and blankets which helps marginally but now it's winter and we can't keep that up without damaging the furnace. We've tried drowning her out with our stereo but I just don't have her tolerance for hours of very loud music. Lately we've resorted to running away, fleeing the scene which I will be doing as soon as I finish typing this. Leaving the house due to the annoyance only adds to our frustration. Hmmmm......

My only thought here is that the karma will even out when we have a crying baby. Scott and I might go out of our way to be noise considerate but our daughter will be another entity all together. Hopefully it will help to balance the dynamic.

What would really help is buying our own house. If any of you have great tips for us on how to start that process let me know. We are clueless although quickly becoming motivated.

So long nap, you were a beautiful concept. I'm going to return some library books now.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Getting Closer

pregnancy due date

With much relief I have slept through the last few nights with no contractions or leg cramps. Whewwww..... That's a huge relief from the pain I have been waking up with for the last few weeks. Any sleep is great right now and I'm trying to store up my energy as much as possible.

We had a fun night on Friday, ran downtown to check out the big Christmas tree that was lit today. We were there after the massive crowd disbursed which was better then last year when we tried to be part of it. It's much nicer to enjoy it quietly then get stuck standing in a crowd. After the tree Scott remembered that our favorite Cuban restaurant has a late night happy hour. Yummmm!!!! I am trying to savor these spontaneous date moments as I am sure when the baby arrives it will be nearly impossible to run off on a whim like that at 10pm.


We are getting ready to continue work on the baby room. Next up is better lighting and a clothing storage system. It's a lot to fit in a little room but we have experience with that from the 2.5 years we spent in our basement apartment. We added a great rocking chair thanks to G&G. While it isn't the original fluffy look we were planning to buy, this one is a perfect fit for the space and light enough to be moved around to vacuum under.



Tommy has decided that this bouncy chair was bought for him. It arrived the other day care of Aunt Pat and he has been in heaven ever since. We are trying to figure out a way to design a smaller scale kitty version of this. It is basically a cat hammock so I think we can make something similar.


Here's an adorable onesie Scott picked out for the baby with a back hoe on it. He is excited to pick out construction gear and toys for her. He added a seriously adorable dump truck to our baby registry at Eco Baby Gear. I'm not sure what's better, the idea of her playing with the dump truck or seeing how happy it makes Scott to pick these things out for her. The other day at the home and ranch store we saw baby sized Carhart bib overalls just like the ones he wears for work. I see a great photo in the future with the two of them decked out in their overalls.


And a few more shots of the nursery/guest room and the growing belly:)


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I brought the laptop in to the office today, a change of scenery is good for the occasional blogging. Had a prenatal appointment yesterday and we have reached the much celebrated 30 week mark! It also seems that the baby has, for the time being at least, turned so she is head down. Good job baby, keep it up!

So the whole cruising through the pregnancy without much discomfort has come to an end. Last week was really difficult. I am now getting one painful contraction a night between 3 and 4 am. Painful enough that I wake up out of breath and trying not to yell out which would wake Scott up. The doctor assures me this is no cause for alarm and to drink more water and up my magnesium intake. I am glad it is "normal" but am starting to dread falling asleep. My doctor also mentioned that 3-4am may be the time of day I eventually go into labor. Hmmmm.....time will tell.

Work is becoming a challenge. Along with the new contractions I am developing carpal tunnel symptoms in both wrists. I have known this might happen and have been guarding against it. A common side effect of pregnancy to begin with and the type of work I do combined to make it almost inevitable. I am working with my Chiropractor, Massage Therapist and occasionally my Acupuncturist to manage it. So far so good, even though it's uncomfortable it hasn't been painful enough to stop working.

That is good news because I am loving working. Loving it more then any work I've ever done and delighting in watching my hard work pay off as my client list steadily expands every week. I find myself starting to feel anxious when I think about my maternity leave. I know it's illogical but I worry that all of my clients will disappear during that time and that I will start from scratch all over again with the marketing and hoping. I know this isn't the case, my clients are wonderful and have all been informed well in advance of my maternity leave. Still, the control freak in me will have a hard time stepping away for awhile just when it's getting good.

The sun is out today for a change, as the winter drizzle has descended in full force. It's lovely to look out the window and have my sensitive eyes blinded by the yellow. My thoughts are turning ahead to Thanksgiving. Our plan to drive to Montana to be with my parent's has fallen through. The idea of a 10-12 hour drive at this point in my pregnancy is just too much. Of course I was excited to spend the holiday with family and to bake a bunch of pies with my mom. Instead we will be here quietly celebrating. It feels like a theme in this pregnancy....hibernation. Much of our time has been spent close to home working hard on our careers and nesting like crazy. Scott's entire family will have never seen me pregnant in person, only through the photos we share. My parent's were here in the very beginning when I was just beginning to show. It is strange to go through such life change far from our extended families. I feel it now more then ever, the distance and the love covering that distance.

The baby shower plans are moving ahead and I've now entered the phase where I have invited people and am afraid no one will show up. I can't believe how worked up I can get over these things. The paper invitations are delayed in arrival so I sent a Facebook invitation to the people I can reach that way. So far only two people have responded. Is that the way it goes with digital invitations, they just aren't taken as seriously as paper ones? Time will tell I suppose, the paper ones will be mailed out next week. They are adorable, I am looking forward to adding one to the babies scrapbook....and I may or may not already have the birth announcement design picked out. I geek out when it comes to design and layout.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I hope it is filled with many blessings, good food and people you love.

Thanks for all the comments you guys. And Rois, glad you are still out there. I feel like a total jerk for dropping the ball on your offer to share a bead with me. Just know that offer has always warmed my heart and thanks for the support, and the awesome blog!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Casey, my oldest brother is a band director in upstate New York. His marching band just won the state competition with a tribute to the Pearl Harbor bombing. Influenced by our grandfather's and youngest brother's service in the US Navy he wrote this moving tribute. Here is their performance at the state competition.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Newest Photo and Peek at Nursery



Here's the newest photo which is actually from two weeks ago.

We had another prenatal appointment last week where our doctor informed us that we are far enough along that if the baby came now she would surely survive. Not that she should get any ideas about showing up early but it's a huge relief to know we have crossed that threshold.

It is slowly...slowly...slowly beginning to feel like it is really happening. I can be found walking/driving around with a ridiculous smile on my face at any given moment.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Whoa there chair

Chair, oh chair. Perfect nursing chair oh where can you be?




We've been on a quest. That quest is to find the perfect rocking chair for the baby's room. After consulting with many breast feeding friends we have narrowed our criteria. A chair with no hard edges, plush and comfy, that rocks gently, swivels and either has a rocking ottoman with it or that reclines. The idea here is many comfy nursing/bottle feeding sessions where Scott and I can fall asleep with her in our arms. The two chairs pictured (target and baby r us) are perfect but far beyond our budget.

We set out on this journey weeks ago, confident that we would easily come across what we needed on Craigslist or in the thrift stores. Wow. We were wrong.

Perhaps we were naive to believe we would run across it that easily. There are many beautiful examples of our chair online, but $300-$600 for a chair seems really expensive. Have chairs always been this expensive? Are we just out of the loop on this one?

Tomorrow begins the slow rotation of venturing into local furniture stores looking for a deal. I haven't been to furniture stores since we bought our first "adult" couch and it wasn't a pleasant experience. If any of you have tips on how to haggle or recommendations for stores please let me know.

I stumbled across a phenomenal web site where you can alter your photos to look like a Polaroid. I am obsessed with Polaroids, some of my favorite photos came from our old Polaroid camera. Recently the company has stopped all production of its film. This is depressing, we always kept ours loaded for the occasional shot we deemed worthy enough for a Polaroid. So now, although this isn't quite as satisfying as the original it will tide me over until someone starts making the film again. Here are a few of our altered photos and the web site: Rollip - Create Polaroids And Vintages From Your Photos!

~early on in the pregnancy in Montana


~more recently, I think at 22 weeks


~Jeff at Trillium Lake


~Me and Kate looking much cooler now that the picture is fuzzy


~The ocean, again and again


~Me and lovely Deanna with our straw hats


Tonight I'm thinking of friends and family. To our friend's Big Dog and Jenny I hope the wedding is beyond lovely and all you hoped for. Please know our hearts will be with you and we wish you mountains of happiness even bigger then the one you proposed on:) Also wishing to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family. Saving for the new arrival to our family has put airfare out of reach for time being. How is it possibly almost the end of October!!!! It will be a year since I have been to Chicago to see the family there, last Thanksgiving as a matter of fact. Perhaps we can fly soon after the baby so she can meet everyone.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Listening to:


Alright, here we are moving forward into the sixth month. It wouldn't seem real except for the very realistic pressure on my bladder and several trips to the bathroom at night. I often wonder if this is a design of nature to slowly prepare us pregnant ladies for the sleepless nights ahead.

Attending a baby shower for a friend on Saturday. This will be my first baby shower since before I found out I was pregnant with this kiddo. Even though I'm now an "official" member of the breeding club I find that my association with these events is still one of horror. Baby showers were/are perhaps the hardest part of fertility issues for me. Nothing beats that brand of uncomfortable horrible situation, smiling, cringing on the inside, hiding my broken heart, trying to focus on their happy future. Wondering if I can set those associations aside and simply enjoy the baby shower and enjoy my pregnancy.

Scott and I left our doctor's appointment last week smug with the fact that for the first time in years nothing specifically was wrong. There were no major, pressing issues to address. No new medications or change of routine to incorporate. What a sweet relief to sit in front of my doctor and report that everything is great, the baby is active, I'm active with tons of energy and working feels good.

Then the next day my doctor called. I knew we couldn't get off the hook that easy. Bam! Borderline Gestational Diabetes. Fuck!!! Hello insurance company, will this diagnosis affect your choice to pay a percentage of our home birth fee? Hello neighborhood pharmacist, how much will this machine and blood testing strips cost? Also, where can I draw blood three times a day that is not on my fingers since I'm in no hurry to stop working or massage people while wearing rubber gloves. Good bye Ben and Jerry's, those two nights we had together were great.

I swear I'm not gonna make it out of this pregnancy without looking like an addict riddled with track marks. Between the blood clotting tests and now blood sugar testing my scars are building quickly.

So here we are, scrambling to learn to cook for a diabetic and learning to count carbohydrates. Fun and more fun. I am quickly deepening my empathy for diabetics.

Also wondering about the etiquette of the baby registry/shower. Given my natural aversion to said showers I am now wondering if we will have one. A good friend has offered to host it and promises no strange/embarassing games. I figure we should go for it and let our community love and support us, let some it flow back to us. If anyone has a lead on sugar-free cupcakes that would definitely be a plus.

Looking at Target online tonight and my head is swimming with all the detritus of infanthood. It's not the big items I'm worried about. I am confident in our ability to keep these to a necessity and minimum. It's all the nail clippers, bottles, breast milk storage option, burp clothes, wash tubs, sun shades, etc. that have got me sweating. How much of this do we really need and if we cut corners am I going to be cursing at 3am wishing we had x,y, or z?

Business is going well, slowly and steadily growing. My new office is brilliant, I wish I had been working with a yoga studio a long time ago. Met with the contractor today and ordered my sign, which feels symbolic and huge. It will be a good day when that goes up. Planning and plotting my maternity leave, banking money for the expenses that don't go on hold, and educating my clients about their options while I am gone. Everyone is being so wonderful and supportive.

The baby likes to move a lot while I am working. It becomes challenging at moments to completely focus on my client when this third person is in the room with us knock, knock, knocking on my insides! I can imagine someday telling her how many massages she worked with me on. It is in those moments, when I am at my most intuitive that I feel her presence the most. No longer just a motion in my abdomen, but a palpable person in the room. It is very exciting, mysterious and glorious.

It is hard to believe she will be here in a few months, this person we have waited an eternity to meet. She is walking down the road towards us growing every closer. I am full of happiness and disbelief and dream about her regularly now. After the last miscarriage I had a dream that my daughter was full grown. She was kneeling in front of my as I sat in a chair. I remember she was wild, beautiful in a frenetic, ruddy skin, crazy hair sort of way, and I was proud, my heart bursting with love looking into her face. My thoughts tumbled over the impossibility that this powerful whirling spirit of youth and adventure had somehow come through me into this world. She was full of confusion and love for this life, asking me to explain how there can be so much love and ugliness coexisting. I knew this ache and held her face while I told her her heart could expand to take it all in.

I know that dream was her and we will meet soon.

One day that dream will be a reality.

Monday, September 28, 2009

I'm pregnant and can't stop dreaming of the Sopranos. What's up with that anyways?

Work is becoming interesting. I have to remember there is a growing belly between me and my clients. It's so easy to move in the way I always have, forgetting about the extra inches in between. I've read some good tips online from other massage therapists on how to avoid knocking your client and will have to give it a try.

Xena has gone to live with our friends Tele and Dave and their 18 month old daughter Bea. Seems like everyone over there is doing great and adjusting well. Life is back to normal here with only two crazy dogs to deal with. Iverson was just to the vet for an allergic reaction to a flea bite and we discussed his anxiety problems and what that means for the new addition coming to our family. Less then a week later I was back to the vet with Olive who must have been on the loosing end of a battle since her entire right shoulder was bitten and scratched. Now I'm taking all my own pills and dispensing antibiotics to two animals. Fun.

Recent preggo photo:

Saturday, September 26, 2009

pregnancy week by week


This baby is growing rapidly. It's hard to believe we are over half way there and in only a few months everything is going to change.

I still have anxiety pangs when we take steps towards her arrival. Painting her room, setting up the co-sleeper. The old fear sets in and I wonder if we are fooling ourselves. The odds of something going wrong are very, very low at this point. I keep clinging to that.

My 30th birthday was incredibly lovely. This photo taken after the guests left sums up the mood of the evening. Warm, lovely, with soft light. Scott and I had a sweet dinner out then headed home to be joined by friends for a fantastic, mellow evening. It was perfect!


I'm going to go bake chocolate chip cookies now.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Seattle with RJ

Last Saturday my youngest brother had a few hour lay over in Seattle. This is a big deal since he has spent the last 3 years stationed with the Navy in Japan. Having only seen him 2 times in the last three years, our brother Jeff and I jumped on the chance to drive up there. It's exciting knowing that in a few short weeks he will be stationed in Everett, Washington and we will get the chance to see him much more. I am looking forward to many camping and fishing days with him.


RJ and Jeff at Pike's Place

Saying goodbye...again. But not for long!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Back

Back from vacation, back to work. What a long strange summer it has been. A storm woke me in the night and I said a prayer for all the green tomatoes waiting to ripen on the vine. My garden is normally rioting this time of the season, this year it's just the stately tomato. I was too sick early in the summer to plant so the garden is resting as I was resting. Come spring the chickens will help me to turn the soil and destroy the slugs!

I scored a beautiful sewing machine in Montana for $12. Nothing, I repeat, nothing beats Montana's thrift stores. Thrifting in the Big Sky is perhaps one of my most favorite activities. It was so peaceful to have a full week there with Scott. We have only been back there together once in the four years we've been gone, and that visit was for 2 days. The frantic energy was left behind on this trip and the days stretched before us in a lazy, lovely haze. Nothing to do but eat with friends, soak up the sun, and dream up baby names.

Now I'm home and Scott is in Chicago with family. No doubt he is enjoying the break from the complication I managed to bring home with us. All 95 pounds of her. Xena, not the warrior princess, the lovely black lab german shepard mix. Our friends were having to adopt her and she is missing her family complete with two young daughters. Xena is breaking my heart, sitting at the picture window here waiting for families with strollers to walk by. She becomes so animated and happy when the families pass by. We are intending to adopt her and I am fighting mightily with my love for her. I keep dreaming of her walking with the new baby and us. She is a gentle, gentle spirit...and our petting zoo is overflowing!!!!!



Monday, August 24, 2009

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Today

Today I am feeling calm and happy. The 107 degree heat wave has broke, the air is cool and sweet this morning. All our hard work and heartache has culminated in a baby flipping around in my belly. I felt him/her move for the first time a few days ago. I am 14 weeks so we are now in uncharted waters, farther then we've been in this adventure. Our ultrasound looked great and we finally had the relief of seeing a healthy squirming baby on one of those damned monitors.
It's taken the better part of four years arrive at that sentence.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Photo Dump Wednesday

Wow, busy awesome summer here so far. Lots and lots of photo and a few words. We are working on some big, exciting projects around here so stay tuned.....

I guess some of the chicken coop photos are duplicates from a previous post. What can I say...I'm proud of our chicken motel.

A quick runaway day trip to the beach




Check out the braces!




Camping...good times. It's so nice to get out of the city even for a few days. We were camping up on Mount Hood.

This is Timberline Lodge, where parts of The Shining were filmed.


Scott with Jelly, the best camp dog ever.


Jeff, still life with watermelon.



Jeff, Kate, and I took a tour of the American Destroyer USS Shoup during our Fleet Week. This was great since RJ (our youngest brother) is stationed on the USS Fitzgerald, a destroyer almost identical to this ship. It was great to walk through it and get a feel for what his life is like right now.










Scott's mom came to visit and she went hiking with me and Jelly up Powell Butte.


Mt Hood from Powell Butte


Our New Chicken Coop!


Olive is not impressed......


More of the coop


The lovely chickens


Jeff and Kate helping to build the coop


Tommy the cat...don't let him fool you, he's a veteran squirrel killer


Iverson


Jelly



Coop Building






The chickens are growing bigger!


Checking things out and giving some pets




Two of the chickens just started laying eggs! Look how small they are compared to our store bought eggs. Their eggs will eventually be full size, but for now they are cute starter eggs.




Here's my summer deck project. We didn't want to spend alot of money and found these chairs for free. Combined with an old table, and some spray paint we've got a new set!




My parent's came to visit for the fourth of July. The temp was 98 degrees here in Portland and 78 degrees at the coast! We packed up their three dogs and Jelly and headed for the cool weather.


Giant Corgi's in a sand castle


My mom and the ocean


Jeff and Kate





Dad and Shilo


Belle's smile:)