Brief Updates

Why do dogs do this so easily?

This was the question whispered to me by Angie at our second baby class. Then followed by: “There has to be an easier way.” Obviously she was referring to the birth of our first child. Yes, despite the long break in posts, we are still expecting, and soon.

To cover the last several months, and partly explain the gap, here is a description as short as I can make it:

We went to France for 10 days and while it was wonderful and exciting, it had some major drawbacks. I was sick as a dog the entire time and Angie had to do most of the work I would have done getting through the canals. We also had no luggage for most of the trip.

When we got back baby room started in earnest. The ceiling was scraped of popcorn, the carpet was pulled out to prepare for laminate floor, and everything was painted with eco-friendly washable paint. Twice. Crown-molding was put up. A new ceiling fan/light was put in. The floor was to be installed (finally) last Monday, but unfortunately they had not ordered enough and we are hoping it will be finished up tomorrow morning.

Also, we were offered several nice appliances and granite for our old and worn countertops. This was too nice to pass up so the cabinets had to be rebuilt to fit the new sink and support the weight of the granite. That was finished up only last Saturday. Fortunately, I did not have to do the granite, just the cabinetry work.

Somewhere in all this I tweaked my sciatic nerve and was struggling to do the work but continued anyway for three weeks until I saw a doctor. The back is still messed up, but I have good drugs.

Angie, for her part, has been absolutely stellar. She has taken care of herself, the baby and me through all this. In France she was a trooper, and still managed to have a good time despite my illness. With the house in turmoil as rooms were destroyed she continued trying to clean and keep up with the laundry, ignoring my insistence that she do nothing and relax. She did take frequent breaks to put her feet up, fortunately. She has even resisted the urge to kill someone for not being able to nest in the baby room, since there has been no floor in it. All in all she has been Angie: loveable, kind and funny.

The baby has also been having fun we think. Apparently she is being taught Judo in Angie’s womb, and the large belly bulges as she works on her speed bag (Angie’s bladder) are amazing. She has been tippling a bit too, it would seem, as she has had the hiccups regularly.

We have started our once a week doctors visits and things seem to be going well with that too. We finished our baby class last week and feel much more in tune with potential issues that could arrive during delivery.