Second Foundation

So far I've only posted pictures of things being torn down or dug out... finally I can start posting some pictures of the house being built back up!

Big Dig in Chicago

In which Contractor Larry and his Steam Shovel dig a giant pit in our backyard.

Truss-worthy

The trusses to support the new kitchen floor were delivered today:

Our Little Soccer Player

Just a couple days before we officially got to 24 weeks, our future Soccer Star started to make himself felt regularly and this week he has been going like the Energizer bunny. I'm not sure if he's just gotten big enough so I can tell when he's making smaller moves or if he's stronger or some combination of both, but now I can regularly feel him moving around.

I always wondered, "These are just little movements, how could someone be distracted the baby?" Now at 25 weeks it no longer feels like fluttery light touches, but more like when you've got your hands in the water and have caught a little tadpole or something and it's trying to get out of your hands and poking between your fingers with it's little nose. It is really distracting and surprisingly strong. When he turns and starts touching someplace new inside, it's the strangest feeling. Not painful yet (though I've been told that'll happen), but just really different. Like there's someone inside me!

I do think he's getting awake patterns and a little personality. He is always awake at 8:30. Just when I've settled into do something focused at work, he usually pokes my bladder and suggests that I instead go to the bathroom to give him some more room to play. When we get home from work, as soon as Alan starts talking the little one will start kicking up a storm. I think he likes to hear Alan's voice. Or maybe he's already been trained that hanging out with dad is happy, relaxing time.

Note: We hit 24 weeks on March 13, 2011

Kitchen Decisions (so far)

Emily and I are still trying to decide on our appliances, cabinets and fixtures for the kitchen.  I think at this point our oven and refrigerator are pretty definite but we're still up in the air for the other things. We're open to any comments or suggestions so please let us know what you think.

Our preferences so far are:

Gimme Shelter

I didn't realize that people were thinking Emily and I were toughing it out during the construction by living out of boxes and heating cans of beans over a camping stove with only sheets of plastic to cover up the missing walls.   That's actually pretty far from the truth.  It hasn't always been the most comfortable time but Contractor Larry has gone out of his way to make sure that we can have a semi-normal life as much as possible while the house is being torn down and rebuilt.

The Amazing Mrs ...

This morning I realized that I now have a super power - a lizard super power. My belly is so full of baby that when I take a deep breath my chest gets a bit bigger and instead of my tummy going forward like a normal human, my belly expands to the SIDES. I don’t know what other lizard powers I might have gotten as well, we’ll have to wait and see. Though I did go through a “green” phase months ago, but is that more froggy? I can’t think of any good super hero names…