Two Bad Drouki

Alexandra Phones Home

2010-03-10T08:18:00.009-05:00

Alexandra called Nana last night and had a very in-depth conversation.

P. Ronald Droukas - d. Jan 5, 2010

2010-02-03T08:18:00.002-05:00

Last month the Droukas family endured one of its most difficult moments; my father-in-law passed away after a long illness. Ron had diabetes for a long time, long before I met him. Early in my relationship with my now husband, I would visit Ron at BIDMC's Joslin Clinic, which was less than a mile from my apartment. He was usually recovering from a complication of his horrible disease. I'd walk over after work to see how he was doing. We'd talk, play cribbage, or watch TV. It was during that time that we became friends; he wasn't just "my boyfriend's father." Ron was fond of telling off-color jokes, trying to skunk me in cribbage (really, he just wanted to see me cry,) or helping plan our next woodworking project. He knew so much and wanted to share that knowledge with his sons, grandchildren, and all those around him.

Alexandra will not know her grandfather. It makes me sad that she will not bounce on his knee, hear stories of his fishing adventures, or be taught his favorite game (cribbage, of course.) I do however, see that Ron will live on in her. She gets that same gleam in her eye that he had when "the next big thing" was about to start. It will be up to me, her father, her uncles, and Nana to tell her all about Gramps.

Ron, you are finally at peace and for that we are grateful. You are and always will be greatly missed.

Things I've done that others might find interesting

2010-02-02T09:52:00.003-05:00

These are things that are on others' life lists that I've done. I need to remember that my life isn't as boring and mundane as I think it is. I just tend to do them in spurts.

Ridden a zip line in Honduras (on Isla Roatan)
Swam with sting rays in Grand Cayman
Saw the Great Pyramids and Sphynx
Visited the Acropolis
Owned (still do) a house
Have an awesome kid
Have two great dogs
Went to college (this is not to be taken for granted)
Hosted outdoor movies in my backyard
Hosted a pig roast
Was the honoree for a lobster bake
Rode in a hot air balloon
Had the opportunity to travel domestically (San Fran, Wine Country, California coast, New Orleans, Chicago, NYC, Maine, Colorado, others)
Watched the sunrise over a lake (love the fog tendrils!)

Adding to my Life List

2010-02-02T09:06:00.005-05:00

Things I am adding to my Life List.

Ghttp://twobaddrouki.blogspot.com/p/life-list.htmlo see the Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in person
Create a silhouette wall
Print out pictures of extended family for the munchkin and hang them in her bedroom.
Teach munchkin how to swim
Go dog sledding
Go on a safari
Road trip across the US, maybe along Route 66
Wrap all presents in the same lovely wrapping paper
Create thoughtful gifts
Organize a neighborhood parade
Organize a block party
Get to know my neighbors
Give up TV for a day, week, month
Write thank yous
Start an annual tradition of go to see The Nutcracker and the BSO with the munchkin, including afternoon tea
Go to Glacier National Park
See Mount Rushmore
Host a Cool-Whip fight
Participate in a Cloudy Misteriosos event
Travel to all our national parks
Travel to Vancouver, BC

Some other inspirations (I do not know these people; I just find their lists interesting)
http://benmarcastle.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-life-list.html
http://wellasmel.wordpress.com/thelist/
http://kathleen.bubble.nu/index.php/2010/01/19/life-list/
http://thefightsequence.com/projects/life-list/

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-15T14:23:00.003-05:00

Happy 1st Halloween, little monkey

2009-11-03T14:59:00.003-05:00

Firsts

2009-07-30T15:29:00.002-04:00

A list of baby's firsts

- First roll was from her stomach to her back on (or about) April 15.
- First "solid" food was rice cereal. She still hates it, but she LOVES banana.
- First champagne was at Winnie's Bachelorette Lunch. She pulled the glass from Mommy.
- First tooth: bottom two on June 26 (sharp little razors!) We didn't know she was teething because she didn't drool or fuss any more than usual.
- First swim was in Wanaksink Lake on July 3. She loves playing in the water.
- First beer was at Grandma & Grandpa's annual 4th of July barbeque. She pulled the bottle from Athena.
- Starting consistently sitting unsupported around July 15.
- First wedding was Stephanie & David's on July 19. She even helped pick out the bride's gown during the Filene's Basement Running of the Brides in February.
- Baby pulled herself from sitting to standing using Mommy's fingers on July 27. She may walk before she crawls.

The Many Faces of Alexandra

2009-07-21T15:53:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month, we visited family in NY. Auntie Carrie came over for a few hours and brought her camera. She captured Alexandra's many facial expressions perfectly. The only one missing is with her tongue hanging out. That's a constant face now that Alexandra has two teeth. Go baby go!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

This Week in Baby's Life

2009-05-20T16:33:00.002-04:00

Today Baby and I are spending a day together at home. She hasn't been feeling 100% due to upper respiratory congestion. I am quickly realizing how much of her life I miss when at work all day.

Baby is a babbler after eating and having a diaper change. No laughing, but lots of streaming noises. I think she's telling a story.

She sees the dogs and is very interested. Today she grabbed Indigo and wouldn't let go until he walked away. She had two fists full of fur.

She can't sit or crawl, but loves to stand (while being held up.)

Sitting on the couch in my lap isn't good enough. I must be standing up; moving not required.

She sees her toys and grabs them. She is fond of the elephant doll that is attached to the side of her crib.

She adores being outside looking at the trees.

For the most part, she is a very good sleeper. We can put her to bed around 8 and not hear from her again until 5 or 6. This week, though, she's been up around 1 because of the aforementioned congestion.

Her favorite way to fall asleep is on daddy's chest after finishing a bottle and he watches TV.

Feet and fingers fascinate.

She has dark blue eyes like her Uncle Dave.

She can fit her entire fist in her mouth. Her cousins tried imitating her, but the boys' teeth got in the way.

Baby knows that a bottle provides food. She reaches for it with her hands and opens her mouth wide (wider than when she breastfed.) She's starting to hold the bottle too (with assistance).

I have to wear my hair back all the time because little fingers like to pull. (Not much of a problem since I wear ponytails most days.)

A little someone might be getting ticklish on her feet and sides.

Right now, baby has one thumb in her mouth with the fingers wrapped around her nose and the other fist grabbing her foot.

I am amazed each and every day by this little 12 pound creature and how much she brightens my life and how much love my heart holds for her.

Monthly Pictures - May 2009

2009-05-06T13:33:00.003-04:00

The most beautiful creature in the world

2009-05-06T12:58:00.001-04:00

200905_AGD 017
Originally uploaded by jakerber

Things I'd like to remember.

Baby started rolling over on April 15. She doesn't do it consistently, but she can do it on her own.

On May 4, she reached for and grabbed her elephant for the first time. She pulled it on top of her, then switched it to her other hand. Until then she would hold objects that we placed in her hand.

Alexandra has yet to giggle, but she gets the biggest smile imaginable when she's happy to see someone.

Baby will be a talker like mommy and daddy. She coos and oohs and aahs, especially after waking up and finishing food.

We call her Lizard Girl and Monkey Toes. She flicks her tongue like a lizard when hungry and she can grab objects with her toes (just like mommy.)

And every night, I just want to stand over the crib and watch her sleep so peacefully.

Monthly pictures

2009-04-09T11:10:00.006-04:00

Reading Lists

2009-04-08T11:09:00.003-04:00

I'm creating a list of books to get for Alexandra's library. If anyone has any must reads, please add them to this list:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pczQGOhzK7FR5mj8OSDJibg
There are three tabs to the spreadsheet: recommendations, what's currently in the bookcase, and what's in our video library.

If you have any books or DVDs you are looking to get rid of, or your child has outgrown, we accept donations. :-) Not to worry, when she's old enough, she'll be visiting our town library often. Like @clampants, I hope to start a habit of going to the library with the kiddo ever Saturday morning.

Mother's Day

2009-04-02T14:19:00.001-04:00

It was Mother's Day 1996...

I took my mother to the movies for Mother's Day. We chose to see "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" thinking it was a comedy. Well, it was, but we didn't know about the phone sex scene. Talk about awkward. Mom and I weren't sure what to say to each other after.

I'm turning into my parents

2009-04-02T14:18:00.001-04:00

I always knew I'd turn into my mom someday. That day is here. Now that I have my own child, I see and hear Mom in most things I do. It is especially apparent when I am consoling the crying child. I also see it when laughing at the television. I sit the same way she does and laugh with the same staccato. Thanks, Mom.

Pyramids at Saqqara is the oldest place I've been

2009-04-02T14:16:00.001-04:00

The best vacation...

In 2007, we took the trip of a lifetime to the Mediterranean. We visited Istanbul, Cairo, Alexandria, Ephesus, Athens, etc. It was amazing seeing structures from thousands of years ago.

The thing that struck me most about the Great Pyramids of Giza is their proximity to a bustling city. The pictures you see most often make it seem as though they are in the middle of the dessert when in actuality, the busy streets of Cairo are just 1/2 mile away.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs brings me back

2009-04-02T13:32:00.001-04:00

I reread this book hundreds of times, always dreaming of what it would be like to see the sun rise over a mountain of mashed potatoes.

I need to add this to my daughter's growing library.

Here's the Story of a Lovely Lady

2009-01-16T10:17:00.004-05:00

We welcomed our daughter to the world on Saturday, January 3. This is the story of her arrival.

The last two weeks of December were crazy with Christmas preparations (or lack thereof), house renovations (floor installations, plastering, and painting) and final wrap-ups at the office. We skipped our annual New Year's Eve party for the first time in five years. I felt good except for excessively swollen feet and a need to pee every 45 minutes. Hubby will tell you that my patience was shorter than usual (is that possible?) and I was constantly on edge.

On Friday, I had my weekly check at the OB. I was two days shy of my due date, so they did an exam and hooked me up to the fetal monitors. Baby hadn't been moving as much that last week so they wanted to get her heart rate and test her movements (everything was fine and normal.) During my exam, the doctor said I was 3 cm dilated and having small contractions that I couldn't feel, but the baby hadn't dropped. We made plans for future appointments and joked about meeting at the hospital during the OB's next on-call day.

From the doctor's office, I went to the mall to do some shopping, then went to the rental house to get supplies and such. Upon our arrival (hubby joined me for the trip to Plum Island) we found that all the drains in the house had frozen (not the pipes, the DRAINS) including the toilet. That last one was a bad bad discovery b/c it happened AFTER it had been used. All I'll say is "Gross." That led to a series of yells and screams, slamming of drawers, and rapid packing. Needless to say, we need to get out of that house as soon as possible. January 30 won't come soon enough. To ease our stress, we met friends for dinner. I still felt good, except for pain in my hip due to excessive walking at the mall.

We spent that night in our house, amongst the construction. The master bedroom was (and still is) a sort of safe zone. We went to be early, but every time I got up to use the bathroom, I had to let out Azure. She'd had a serious case of doggy diarrhea for two days. We think she knew something was going on.

At 6am, I got up, again, for the bathroom and felt a gush. I thought, I can't believe I just peed on myself. (Again, "Gross.") But then I thought "Wait a minute..." and googled how to know if your water broke. Yup. I called the doctor and was told that I should head to the hospital, but not to break and land speed records. So, I woke hubby, showered, dressed and we got in the car. On the way, I called family about what was happening. At 7:15, they all got the general idea. :-) I also started feeling contractions lasting about 30 seconds every 5 minutes or so.

We spent about an hour in the exam room with our delivery nurse Katie. She checked the baby on the fetal monitors and all was good. Katie also told me that the contractions I felt weren't likely strong labor contractions. Hubby joked "She's basically saying 'You don't know what labor contractions feel like yet.'" My only response "If these aren't real contractions, give me the drugs now."

At 8:30, we moved into the labor and delivery room. We ordered breakfast, talked a bit, watched TV. Hubby was settling in for a long day. By 9:30, the contractions were getting pretty intense. At Katie's suggestion, I got into the bathtub to help ease the pain. It was nice to feel weightless for a little while. The whirlpool jets were wonderful! About an hour later, I decided that I needed a change because the bath just wasn't doing it any more. I asked about the feasibility of an epidural at this stage, but had to wait for the doctor to check me. Dr. Hamlin walked in about 2 minutes after I made it to the bed. I was in the middle of a contraction. It passed just long enough for the quick exam. (Don't let them fool you, these exams HURT! A hand, a cervix, a contracting muscle - you do the math.) Well, I was 10 cm dilated and ready for active labor. It was only 10:45-ish. They rolled me on my back and Dr. Hamlin said the infamous words "You're going to have a baby any time now." The doctor and nurses set me up to push, Eric holding one leg, Katie holding the other. Dr. Hamlin turned around to get on her robe and gloves, but baby didn't want to wait. After five pushes, it arrived. The quickly put the baby on my chest, all squirmy and squishy. The doctor asked if it was a boy or girl. Hubby checked and it was a girl. Welcome Alexandra Grace! I needed to be stitched up, which hurt more than delivery itself. While I was otherwise occupied, the nurses cleaned Alexandra and hubby watched. Her stats were 6 lbs 15.5 oz and 18 3/4 inches long.

Phone calls were made, text messages sent. Everyone was very excited. The only unfortunate event was that hubby remembered the nice camera and lenses, but forgot the memory card. The best we could do were random shots with cell phone cameras and some slightly better ones with the point-and-shoot I care with me everywhere. Those pictures still need to be uploaded to our photosharing site and will be posted here shortly.

Later that day, we got a call from our dog-care provider who took Azure and Indigo for the day. Azure's stomach troubles had gotten worse. Hubby headed home to take care of her while Alexandra and I bonded. Poor Azure required a visit to the hospital herself. A case of gastroenteritis (fancy name for upset stomach) requiring bland food and lots of TLC. See, she knew something was happening!

We've been home now for over a week. Alexandra is getting along very well with everyone. She feeds constantly (45 minutes on average every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, often with a small snack in between.) The dogs are still unsure about her. Azure is a little mother and looks over her. Indigo wants to be the soother, but his licks are a bit much for the wee lass.

Our house is almost finished. The contractors are installing trim as I type. (Alexandra has learned to sleep through sawing, hammering, and other assorted construction noise.) We are about 2 weeks from getting our official Certificate of Occupancy. Ready or not, we will be here full time starting January 30.

Here's to hoping that infancy goes as well as the pregnancy. If the first two weeks are any indication, we might be that lucky.

Two weeks to go

2008-12-22T10:07:00.003-05:00

Last night I lost it. It's all finally gotten to me.

There are two weeks left until baby's due date. I should be resting, reading, not stressing out. Fat chance of that. Hubby has a goal of finishing the renovations as quickly as possible. For his week off, he is assembling and installing kitchen cabinets, then installing the new floors. He is quite intent on meeting these goals.

But then... we got hit with two storms. I can't shovel and the snowblower broke. Hubby had to shovel the driveway himself. The best I could do was clean off the cars and keep the dogs occupied.

I'm frustrated that I can't help more. I can't lift cabinets, I can't bend down to install floors. I can't (well, I can, but shouldn't) shovel. I want to sit on the couch and watch TV or nap or do nothing at all. We have been staying on our neighbors' pull-out couch because of the storms. J&J are accommodating, but it's not the same as having one's own space. We haven't been back to the rental house since Thursday. I had only packed for two days. I'm on Day 4 of living out of my suitcase. It's not cool. I need to do laundry-for everyone's sake. There's also several loads waiting for me at the rental house and a driveway's worth of shoveling 12" of crusty snow for hubby.

I'm tired and cranky and short tempered. I want my routine back, even if that routine means traveling to/from Newburyport every day.

On the bright side... I feel amazingly well for being 14 days from my due date. Baby continues to grow (about 6.5 lbs right now) making it harder and harder to bend over (snow boots are a PITA.) S/he is active and kicking. I don't think Baby has dropped as I still have a foot jabbing my rib. Ready or not, Baby is coming.

Life Situations

2008-12-10T21:19:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, life rears up and bites you in the arse. This has been one of those weeks.

We are renting a house and attempting to make lemonade out of lemons. Here's some of the sweet stuff:
* see the stars clearly
* close to the beach
* the dogs love the beach
* the sunrises
* the sunsets (when we can get home in time to see them)
* the friendly people we meet
* not a construction zone
* clean

And the tart:
* Alaskan tundra first floor, Arizona desert second floor
* long commute
* uninsulated bathroom
* cold toilet if temperature outside drops below 30
* cold air rushing through floorboards
* frozen drain on the shower (only once, the week before thanksgiving)
* lack of pizza delivery
* cost of propane to heat the house

This past Monday, the temperature dropped drastically. It was a high of 18, without accounting for windchill. This did not bode well for our little rental cottage. We went to work and when we got home, the pipes had frozen, including the big one in the house. Surprising since the thermostat had been set to 55. It seems there was a rather large gap where the feeder pipe comes into the house. The pipes under the house froze because the outlet the coil warmers were plugged into had tripped.

Understandably, the landlord is upset and in a panic. He is trying to do everything in his power to make the cottage livable. He did his best to insulate, but it's an old house and on stilts. You can only do so much. We're negotiating options, but it has been very tense. Baby is due in three weeks. The house is not finished. Our neighbors have been wonderful letting us sleep on their couch. They even offered to let us stay with them until the house is finished (est 6-8 weeks.) That presents its own problems. And I don't feel comfortable burdening them with a newborn. We're worried about the dogs. They've been staying in the unfinished house (it's kind of heated at the moment as the plumbers test the radiant heating.) It means we don't get quality time with Indigo and Azure and they miss us (feeling is mutual.)

Ugh. It's been an ordeal and I can't even articulate how I am dealing. Hubby feels the same way. He's been wonderful handling all the rental house issues (talking with the landlord is not easy) and keeping things moving with our own home. I'm just trying to stay sane and comfortable. I'm not shirking my duties, but Baby's health is a priority with only 3 weeks left.

I just want to be home.

IAQs

2008-11-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

One of my clients is also expecting his first child in January. We've swapped some stories. Here's his latest. (All credit it due to Tim.) Warning - if you are pregnant, please use the restroom before reading further. You'll see why....

Here’s the list of questions I’ve asked various health care “professionals” during the course of the pregnancy.

Infrequently Asked Questions

Question: Should the mother switch to light beer now that she is pregnant?

Answer: What?

Question: Can the mother practice yoga?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can she perform the pose where she has to balance on her uterus?

Answer: No.

Question: What about jumping jacks?

Answer: Probably not the best idea.

Question: The baby books say that it is not acceptable to tickle torture the baby. What about tickling the mother?

Answer: Once per week.

Question: If the mother can only eat one vegetable during the entire course of the pregnancy, what is the best vegetable to eat?

Answer: Eat a variety of vegetables, not one.

Question: If the mother can only eat one meal during the entire course of the pregnancy, what is the best meal? (I suggested pork chops, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, and gravy.)

Answer: Definitely not pork chops, but no single, great meal exists.

Question: Will poking the mother’s stomach harm the baby?

Answer: No. But it may harm the father.

Question: None of the childbirth classes or baby books has told us what the stork does during pregnancy, so when do we find out about the stork?

Answer: It’s a secret.

Question: Will all of the hospital bills be waived next year since the baby should be born after we have the new health care plan?

Answer: No, you still have to pay bills even if there is universal health care.

Question: How can we prepare the baby in womb for the APGAR test so that it will be trained as a doctor or lawyer instead of garbage man under the new Socialist regime?

Answer: No response.

Can I pay for the visit with homemade knit sweaters and scarves? (Note: I do not know how to knit?)

Answer: No.

Question: I know that you’ve seen a lot of mothers, tracked the development of their babies and how they’ve matured and grown up, and that all parents will say their baby is the best, smartest, cutest baby, but that is a bunch of bs. You’re experience places you in a position to make an objective determination on how awesome this baby will be, so, on a scale of one to ten, how awesome will our baby be?

Answer: 9.9 (Doctor verified that 1 was “least awesome” and 10 was “most awesome”)

Question: Do you have a time machine so we an jump ahead to birth and then be closer to finding out that I’ll be a terrible father, allowing us to identify and work on that sooner rather than later?

Answer: You need therapy.

29 weeks, 3 days

2008-10-28T08:35:00.002-04:00

Dear Baby,

Today I am 29 weeks and 3 days pregnant. It is very hard to believe that you will be here in about 10 weeks. I've been blessed with a relatively easy pregnancy. The worst "symptom" has been heartburn, so I can't complain (too loudly.)

Last night, your father felt you kick for the first time. He said it was like someone had pushed out my stomach from the inside. He's the master of the obvious. You have been very active kicking and stretching. You certainly let me know that you don't like to be squished. I don't like it much either. I first saw you roll and reach out in my 11 week ultrasound. You really haven't stopped since.

There have been a lot of things happening in the months leading up to your arrival. At a more local level, your dad and I have been adding onto our house. We started the project in January 2008 with our first meeting with the architect. We broke ground on September 2. As of today (October 28) the entire addition has been framed. The contractors are working on the interior framing and stairs. Later this week, they'll put on the siding and roof. The plumbers arrived yesterday and the mason finished up the brick work on the side of the house. Your grandfather and Uncle Dave have been at the house since Saturday working on the wiring and lighting. They have been a tremendous help and I don't think they make big enough Thank You cards.

I'm really hoping that we can move back in shortly after your arrival. We've been living in Newburyport since the start of October. It's a nice house and very close to the beach (3 minute walk, which Indigo and Azure LOVE.) The drive to and from the house, though, is starting to take it's toll. We leave at 6:15 each morning and get home around 8:00pm. That's probably the biggest drawback of the Newburyport house - how far away it is (45 minutes to our house, 75 minutes to work.)

At a national level, we are in a general election year. It's been a very contentious Presidential race between Senators Obama and McCain. The issues include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, women's rights (always an issue), taxes, housing, and the economy. It's been this way for the better part of a year with the primary elections. We saw our first female candidate for president in Hillary Clinton and our first African American candidate in Barack Obama (actually, he's half black and half white.) Next Tuesday will prove to be historic in many ways - either the country elects the first black President or our first female Vice President (Sarah Palin.)

Overall, it's been a historic year, with the elections and economy. We are in the midst of a 'global economic crisis' where all markets are suffering. Your father and I are doing our part to keep the money moving - see above paragraph about the addition.

Well, Baby, that's just a brief summary of all that's been happening while we wait for you. We'll see you in a few short weeks!

Love,
Mommy

One Year Ago

2008-10-22T14:12:00.003-04:00

One year ago, I was getting ready for bed, picking up around the house and loading the dishwasher. My phone rang. I was shocked and immediately concerned. It was 9:30; no one calls me after 8. It was my cousin. "Have you talked to your mom or dad tonight?" "No, why. What's wrong." "It's Walter. He was in an accident. I don't think it's good." "What do you mean?" "An accident while driving home." Silence. And then I went for my laptop. It didn't take me long to find the article. I read it aloud. "Say that again," she said. "The driver was 21." "How old was Walter." "21." And we cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.

I sent her the link and she read it to her mom. We cried more. I hung up and called home. My brother answered. "What happened?" "It's not good. Aunt and Uncle are at the hospital. Mom and Dad are at their house." He was quiet. Not his usual angry quiet, but a contemplative quiet. We knew. We didn't want to know. My mom called. "I'm sorry." And we cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.

I went upstairs and woke my husband. I couldn't talk. I could only hiccup and gasp and try to tell what I knew. "I'm sorry." And he held me as I cried silent tears.

Two days later, I made the long trip home. It was quiet most of the way as we each thought about Walter. We drove the same stretch where he had his accident. There were skid marks on the road. An acknowledgment. A tear. I went straight to my aunt and uncle's. There were no words. There could be no words.

I sat on the couch and began going through stacks of photos - Baby Walter, Child Walter, Teen Walter, Young Man Walter. Only 21.

There was a family lunch. We were all there. We took up 5 tables. Even my brother came. It meant so much. And then it was to the funeral home. To say our good-byes. But, there were no words. There could be no words.

The line started at 4:30 and didn't diminish until 8:30. I have never experienced the amount of love and community support as I did that day. We cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.

Walter James Ramsay, Jr. died one year ago today. He was 21. He was my cousin. He touched each and every one of us. I miss him. And there are no words to describe the pain that we all feel on this day.

Rafters

2008-10-17T14:49:00.003-04:00

The rafters are going up! The rafters are going up! This means the loft space is defined and they are putting in the supports for the roof. How exciting!!

Next week we'll have a roof and siding. It's coming together.

From the front:

From atop the hill:

Construction

2008-10-15T11:42:00.003-04:00

I have been remiss in posting about our house addition on a regular basis. I apologize.

We kicked it off on Sept 2 when they dug the hole for the foundation. The weekend of Sept 20, we demolished as much of the kitchen, office, and spare bedroom as possible. In the meantime, the builders started framing (after waiting for two steel beams). As of yesterday, the walls of the second floors were going up. The builders have been tying into the existing structure as they go. There hasn't been a back wall on the house since about Sept 30 (and an impetus for our move to a temporary home on the beach.)

Anyway, you are probably more interested in the pictures than actual descriptions. Well, here you go. They are in reverse order - most recent pics are on the first page. We need to add descriptions so you know what you are looking at. Those will come later, when we have free time. (Free time?! Who has free time?)

Prayers

2008-10-10T07:19:00.002-04:00

October is a tough month for my family, particularly this year. We are nearing the year anniversary of one of our saddest days. Walter, we still miss you terribly.

Last week, we found out that my uncle had a brain tumor. He underwent surgery on Friday and they were successful in removing it. In follow-up tests, however, the doctors found he has an aggressive form of lung cancer. The prognosis at this point is not positive, but he is just starting treatment. I don't have many other details yet as the news came this morning.

Uncle Mike, I love you and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Projects

2008-10-08T08:43:00.004-04:00

As if life wasn't full enough, I decided this morning that I want to do some craft projects. Slight problem, all my craft supplies are hidden in a crowded basement behind building materials. Hmmm, what to do?

Any of these pumpkin decorating ideas would be easy enough to do on Friday night before our open house on Sunday. (from How about Orange.)

Witch legs!
Paper Mache! (maybe not a great idea with the dogs)
Pun-kin ornaments
Cinderella's ride
And wouldn't you know that Martha has lots more ideas.
Franken-gourd
Pincushion pumpkins

And separately, someday I hope to make these spider desserts.
I forsee a trip to Michael's at lunchtime.

Emily

2008-10-05T11:51:00.002-04:00

This summer we spent a weekend the 4 y.o. daughter of friends. Emily has a propensity to not look very hard for her things (towel, stuffed dolphin, shoes.) I made the unfortunate mistake of indulging this behavior - warning warning DON'T DO IT. Oh well.

Ever since, when hubby or I don't look for something or just ask "Do you know where X is?" or "Have you seen Y?" the other responds "Emily, it's right ____, where you left it."

We moved this weekend, but still plan to come back to the house on a daily basis. Our emails and phone numbers haven't changed. So, if you need to find us, you know where to look, Emily.

My new favorite cheese

2008-10-02T12:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I was planning to have the lunch of champions - cheese and bread. A coworker encouraged me to try a new cheese instead of my typical cheddar - Dubliner Cheese. I must say, I'm very glad she did. I have a new favorite. We were at a loss to describe it, but the above entry says it all. "It has a robust tangy flavour; it pairs well with apples and grapes, or a well-balanced red wine. It combines the sharpness of mature cheddar, the nuttiness of Swiss, and piquant bite of Parmesan." Or put another way "YUMMY!"

Thanks, Allison!

Holy cleaner, Batman!

2008-09-27T17:50:00.002-04:00

I just mopped the house (both floors, all intact rooms) in an attempt to clean up some of the dust from this week's demolition/construction. Holy moly! So so so so much better. It's not perfect, but I can see the hardwood again and the house doesn't feel gritty. I wish I had the energy to do it sooner. Maybe I'll tackle the other surfaces next, after a brief rest. :-)

BTW, I used 1 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon warm water. Worked wonderfully. Cuts through the plaster dust and dirt. It doesn't smell "chemically" or antiseptic. There is a slight vinegar smell that fades as the floor dries (good thing hubby is still away.) Eco-friendly and pregnant lady friendly too.

Registries

2008-09-27T13:48:00.002-04:00

I went to Babies R Us today with Eugene. He's shopping for a crib for Ethan and I needed to work on the baby registry. Let me tell you, it's overwhelming. I know my family would prefer that I do my registry there, but OY! I don't want to be limited to their selections only. I've decided that I'm going to do an online registry that let's me add items from any retailer of my choosing. No limits on selection now! This also allows me to do some bargain hunting in the process.

I've got my Baby Bargains book in one hand, a browser window opened to Consumer Reports, and another browser window ready for searching. Let the shopping begin!

Water Bubbles

2008-09-27T13:34:00.004-04:00

It started raining yesterday morning and continued to do so for 12 hours. It stopped briefly during the overnight, but has started again. Normally, a rainy weekend doesn't bother me. More time to curl up on the couch reading, watching a movie, or napping (most likely.) This weekend is different. On Wednesday and Thursday, the decking and studs for the first floor addition were put up. There's no second story floor yet (more to come on that in a separate post.) All this rain means that the addition could get wet. Luckily, we knew beforehand that it would rain, and rain a lot. Tarps were bought by the cartload. But I didn't expect this to happen:
This is one of three water bubbles that have collected in the tarps. I tried pushing the water out of them, but the angle is too steep and there's a lot of water. The tarps are stretched to their max now and the water is starting to drip through the threads. As a stop gap measure, I bought more plastic, laid it on the floor and found as many buckets as I could to collect the dripping water.

Tomorrow had better be a sunny day.

Pardon Our Dust

2008-09-22T11:28:00.003-04:00

This weekend we accomplished in terms of demolition. The kitchen is gutted, except for the exterior walls. The floor proved to be a challenge - they had to jackhammer out the tile, then cut the two layers of linoleum and 1" thick plywood. At least one saw blade was ruined. The floor was finished this morning.

We had lots of help from friends on Saturday and Sunday and we made relatively short work of the guest bedroom and office. Both of those rooms are completely to studs. When you walk up the stairs you encounter a skeleton of the old rooms.

Just as everyone predicted, we made a lot of mess and there is a fine layer of dust everywhere. Our bedroom is the only dust-free room in the house. (Thank goodness for that draft stopper!) I am constantly washing my hands and feel gritty all the time. Yummy. We don't move out until Oct 1, so there's another 9 days of this. Thank goodness for neighbors who will let us use their guest room.

A big thanks to all who helped out this weekend, from big demo work, to clean up to holding the light while I cut wires. We are very grateful to you.

JACKHAMMERING

2008-09-19T09:57:00.005-04:00

I'M SHOUTING AT YOU BECAUSE ERIC AND ANTHONY ARE JACKHAMMERING. THE KITCHEN FLOOR IS STUCK. 1/2 INCH THICK TILE + GROUT + WIRE MESH + SCREWS + LAYER OF LINOLEUM + 2ND LAYER OF LINOLEUM + PLYWOOD. THE ENTIRE HOUSE IS SHAKING.

AFTER THE FLOOR COMES TEARING DOWN THE WALLS TO STUDS, THEN BRING THE CEILING TO JOISTS. BABY AND I ARE HIDING ELSEWHERE AT THE MOMENT TO AVOID DUST AND THE NOISE. OUR LUCKY JOB IS TO SORT OUT THE JUNK DRAWERS. GOOD TIMES.

Baby Droukas: 22 weeks, 6 days

2008-09-12T16:09:00.003-04:00

I haven't given a baby update in a while and I've been getting lots of requests.

The last ultrasound was in early August and everything was checking out well. We chose not to find out the gender (well, I chose and hubby has to deal.) I have pictures of the ultrasound that I'll post (backdated) but things are kinda fuzzy. You'll get the idea, though.

I still feel great. My energy level is normal, although this past week I've been falling asleep at 8pm. I think that might be more because of work-related stress than the baby. I still walk 3+ miles several times a week. I don't finish the walk in 45 minutes like I used to, but I'm blaming it on Indigo's frequent potty breaks.

This past week, maybe Tuesday, I really started to feel the baby kicking. It was like getting thumped on the arm; not hard, but you feel it. I liken it to Azure stretching on the bed and pushing us out of her way. Baby just wants more room.

The week after Labor Day I "popped". I'm officially in the "Is she fat or pregnant?" stage. Those who know say they can tell now. I just started wearing maternity clothes. The pants are still a little big, but I'm sure I'll grow into them. It's been months since I wore pants that fall down. I think I need to get a few more Bella Bands.

A few weeks ago I solicited recommendations/suggestions for maternity and newborn products, books, etc. I have an awesome network who responded with fantastic ideas. I am using what they suggested to create my registry on Wishpot.com. I'll share what they said here in a few weeks. It's a long list to compile. Also, my BIL is very generous and giving us the baby furniture from his girls who have recently outgrown it. Thanks BIL! My SIL is giving me lots of great tips and sharing clothes from her boys. The Droukii are a very supportive family. If anyone else has advice to offer, please, send it on!

Other than that, I am just trying to manage life. I've got three big things going on and I can only reasonably handle two of them at any given time. For the last two weeks, it's been Baby and Work (big product release that is not going as planned,) much to hubby's dismay. Next week things should shift to House and Baby. Let's hope the energy level stays high.

Staying in touch

2008-09-08T09:25:00.003-04:00

Via a tweet from a friend, I came across this NYTimes article. I'm intrigued. Somewhere on page 5, I started thinking that maybe it is because of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, LinkedIn, blogs, etc, that I am becoming lazy. Lazy about keeping up relationships of those who are not in my immediate geographic circle. I follow the goings-on in the lives of many friends and family via these social networking sites. However, it has been a very long time since I've "reached out and touched someone." There are emails nearing a month old to which I have yet to respond. And a call from my BFF in NY went unreturned. I feel awful, like a bad person. I have the myriad of excuses (see earlier posts about home and baby) and I haven't said anything about the crescendoing chaos at the office. But really, I'm so intently focused for the 9 hours a day in the office, that getting on the computer at night is not high on my list. It's decompression time.

So, friends, it's not that I don't love you, want to see you, or talk with you, I'm just overstimulated and shutting down. But if you want to follow me on Twitter or connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, please do! And I'll be sure to respond to your messages as soon as I can.

And so it begins...

2008-09-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

September 2 is a big day. Construction officially began this morning. Our back patio is being dismantled as I type. This means part of our deck is being removed. The dogs will have to go the long way around the house to get to the backyard now.

I took some "before" pictures this morning. Eric is taking the "during" and "after" pics now. Stay tuned!

Oh, we found a place to stay when the construction enters the existing structure. We'll be wintering in Newburyport. We found a little beach house with three bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, and steps from the beach. The beach in New England during the winter isn't fantastic, but we have the house for the spring and fall as well, which are BEE-U-TEE-FULL. The commute to work will be, um, hellish, but it's only 6 mos. You can do anything for 6 months, right?

Our "old" blog

2008-08-22T09:22:00.002-04:00

Last year, Eric and I took a 12-day cruise through the Mediterranean, visiting Turkey, Egypt, and Greece. We blogged the entire trip at http://www.azureindigo.com. We continued to blog over the next 10 months about various life events and life mundaneness.

Sometime in July that blog went down. We have been unsuccessful in getting it back online to its complete state. For a while, you'd get a white page if you went to that URL. Now, you can see the text of the blog posts, but none of the pictures. The pictures were the best part, especially those from the cruise.

Over the next few weeks, I'll copy those posts and the pictures to this blog. I'll be backdating to September 2007. It will be nice to have everything in one place again.

Housing Accommodations Needed

2008-08-19T08:29:00.001-04:00

Last week, our house renovation took a little turn. Every room will be touched in a major way, particularly the rooms on the second floor. The roof and second floor ceiling will be removed so that new support beams and posts can be added. This means we cannot stay in the house for the duration renovation as we were hoping.

Before we make any decisions one way or another about continuing the project, we are being good doobies and investigating all options. That leads to this email... I am hoping that one of you might know of housing accommodations for Sept 15 through Feb 1 (give or take, we're mostly flexible.) The dogs will be coming with us; the place must be large dog friendly. (Indigo is 65lbs, if that helps.) We are looking for recommendations for apartment/condo rentals or sublets, house-sitting options, and/or campers/travel trailers (w/ bed and kitchen facilities, please.) The camper would be stored on our property for the winter. We would use the bathroom facilities in our house. Apartments, condos, and houses should be north of Boston for an easier commute to work. (Eric's family leaves on the South Shore, but the commute to Cambridge would be horrendous.)

Many of you will say "oh, you can stay with us" but really, you don't want two dogs, a stressed home renovator, and a very pregnant lady in your space for more than a few days. We don't want to bounce from place to place on a weekly basis. I thank you for the offer, but we are looking for longer term accommodations.

Any thoughts, ideas, etc are welcomed!

And we're back

2008-08-18T10:17:00.002-04:00

We got back from vacation on Saturday night. Suffice it to say, this was not the vacation I imagined. We spent most of the time thinking about the house situation (where to live, how to get more money, how to reduce scope, defining the electrical plan, etc.) Also, it rained every day.

We did manage to get a few hours of swimming in between Wednesday and Saturday. The dogs LOVED being in the water and playing with the neighbor kids. Azure swam to the island and back following a tossed a tennis ball 10 feet forward at a time. My first-cousin-once-removed (also known as "my cousin's son") also swam back from the island, but without the ball incentive. There are some great pictures (to come) of Brenden (cousin), Riley, and Madison (neighbors) jumping off the dock and swimming with the dogs.

On Wednesday, we went to see (hear) Maroon 5, Counting Crows, and Sara Bareilles at Bethel Woods. My cousin, her boyfriend, my friend, and her fiance joined us. Sara and Maroon 5 were great; Counting Crows... not so much. We left during the 5th song, but it was already 10:30 and we had gotten there at 4:30. We weren't the only ones who left early. It was a steady stream of people, then cars, back out to the highway.

On the way home, we stopped to visit with family in Connecticut. We went to a country fair (where it rained) and ate ourselves silly, then watched our nephews on the rides and play the carnival games. I also witnessed my first tractor pull. It's as exciting as you imagine. It was cool to watch them pop some wheelies.

And now it's back to work. I'm in the final two weeks of a year plus long project. Add this to the stress of the house and it will be a great end to the summer.

FUDGE (&%$#@)

2008-08-11T10:37:00.004-04:00

We just met with the general contractor for the house renovation. The project will take about 4 months of his time (give or take and weather permitting) then about a month or more of our time to do all the finish work. If you look at a calendar, that's puts us smack in the holidays and we'll likely be working straight through Baby's arrival. Yippee! I was able to take this all in stride since it was anticipated.

Here's the kicker. We looked at the structural plans again and how they impact our living space. It is now official. Every room in the house will be touched. On top of that, our bedroom will largely suffer. There is a new beam that needs to go in to support the new roofline. It goes right over the bed. Oh, and let's not forget the posts that need to support that new beam. And new headers for the windows. It's starting to look like we won't be able to stay here while the construction is happening. I don't know yet what we're going to do. 2-3 months is too long to impose upon friends. And family lives to far away. One option is to put the bed on the three season porch (with new curtains and a space heater.) Another option is to find an apartment with a short term lease.

Oh, I almost forgot the budget issues! How could I? The GC came in with a budget that is the same, if not more, than our total financing package. And this only covers the contractors' time! We are purchasing 85% of the materials. Combined, these two costs puts the project budget WAY over. We have some creative thinking to do about reducing scope and telling the GC that he needs to cut his costs.

This is how to make a pregnant lady very unhappy.

What's Your Design Style?

2008-08-10T08:46:00.004-04:00

With the house renovation soon to be underway, I've been thinking about how I'd like to set up the final space. What's our "style"? Is it modern, classic, urban, minimalist? I like to think that I am a traditionalist, but with flair. Unfortunately, my design skills have fallen by the wayside since living with hubby. He fancies himself a designer of sorts and tends to push for what he likes. He does have good taste and for the most part, I like what he chooses. (Don't get me started on the papyrus he brought back from Egypt and now wants to hang in the master suite.) I must say that our dining room with the orange wall and curtains (made from fabric hubby seleced) is my favorite room.

I came across a little test to help determine one's style. You select from a sampling of images for each question and there are about 12 questions. My style was "classic country" where inspiration is taking from the surrounding countryside. It is "the epitome of what a family home should stand for: warm, welcoming, cosy and comfortable. There's nothing at all pretentious about this style, just a love of the good, simple pleasures in life." I can't really argue with that.

A Tale of Two Additions

2008-08-03T17:24:00.003-04:00

To paraphrase Dickens, it is the best of times and it is the worse of times. Well, not really.

Hubby and I are expecting our first baby, due in early/mid-January 2009. This is something we've wanted for a while and our wish was granted. We are very excited as are our friends and extended families. This is the first grandchild on my side and the fifth on hubby's. We are choosing to keep the gender unknown until the birth. How many real surprises can you have in life? I'll fill you in on the pregnancy itself in other posts.

At this same time, we are about to undergo a huge home renovation and addition. We've been planning this since January and due to various setbacks, we're finally breaking ground at the end of August. The goal is to have the foundation dug, addition framed and "buttoned" by mid-October, then finish all the interior work finished by year's end. Family and friends: consider this the official notice that we will be calling upon you frequently in the coming months to help with demolition, floor installation, cabinet hanging, nailing trim, and painting. The original plan was that Hubby and I would do most of the work, but I'm now out of commission for a very good reason.

Somehow, it will all get done. Wish us luck!

Visit with the Gerries

2008-08-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, we were invited to Monument Beach on Cape Cod to spend time with one of Hubby's fraternity brothers and his family. They were going to be visiting for the week from Colorado. We greatly enjoy spending time with these friends and we only see them about once every two years. This visit was especially poignant as there was recently some bad health news, but a positive prognosis for recovery. We also wanted to share with them our good news of the Little One expected in January.

Our two days on The Cape were fantastic. We had so-so weather on the first day (got to see some spectacular storms cross Buzzards Bay) and phenomenal on the second day. We swam, played with the kids (3 between the ages of 2.5 and 5,) ate good meals (I love me some PB&J), read, played cribbage, and talked. It's special to be with people with whom you can talk about anything and everything, which we did.

We were joined for part of each day by another college friend and his family. They live much closer to us, two towns away, and we rarely manage to meet up with them. They have a 4 y.0. and an 18 m.o, both of who love to ham for the camera.

Speaking of cameras, I brought the dSLR with us and captured some great portraits of the kids. I think it helps to get down to their level and tell them what you are trying to do. Not to mention, kids love to see pictures immediately after taking them. I also let the older kids take some pictures of their own. I think the oldest has a future as a photographer. Here is a selection of photographs from the weekend.

My Bucket List

2008-07-24T07:10:00.003-04:00

I'm not sick, old, or dying, but I think it's important to have a list of things you'd like to accomplish before you go. I was inspired by Mighty Girl. I hope to expand my list as time goes on.

Own a house on a lake in the mountains
Walk along the Great Wall

Travel to Japan

Play golf in Scotland

Section hike the Appalachian Trail

Camp in Acadia National Park

Take two weeks off every summer and rent a beach or lake house with my closest friends

Take a family ski trip

Start and (completely) finish our home renovations
Reinstitute Movie Night in the Backyard

Snowshoe in Alaska

Visit Quebec in the winter

Take inspiring photographs like those at The Big Picture (professional) and RAW (amateur)

Showcase said photographs either in a gallery or magazine

Ride in the PanMass Challenge

Volunteer

Run a 5K, then a 10K, and maybe complete a triathalon

Other peoples' lists

http://scarletwords.com/101/
http://www.43things.com/
http://www.2dobeforeidie.com/

Daily Photos

2008-07-22T16:52:00.002-04:00

I find the idea of taking a photograph a day an intriguing one. Some people choose to document things around them, others are documenting themselves.

One family has taken pictures of themselves on the same date every year for the last 30+ years. It's very interesting to see the passage of time.

I would like to try something similar, but I fear my life is very dull and uninteresting to others. Perhaps that will change as 2008 continues. Check back here for more.

Feel Good Movie of the Year

2008-07-20T21:52:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Stephanie and I watched Mamma Mia, the new movie sung to ABBA hits, and based on the hit musical. It's about a 20yo girl who is getting married. She has no idea who her father is and he could be one of three men. Of course there is drama when the three are invited to the girl's wedding, without her mother's knowledge. Meryl Streep plays the mother and does a FANTASTIC job. She puts her soul into each song; you feel the raw emotions. Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth play two of the three possible dads. Firth is completely enjoyable in his fumbling ways. Brosnan, on the other hand, is a little heavy and a so-so singer. His mouth movements ruined his musical numbers for me.

The entire theater sang along with the sound track, including the middle-aged gentleman next to me. You couldn't help but tap your feet and sway your shoulders. I highly recommend this movie if you are in need of some uplifting or just want to smile a little bigger. Two thumbs up.

BTW, The Boston Globe review was spot on if you want a professional opinion.

My favorite dogs

2008-07-16T12:28:00.006-04:00

This picture was taken for our 2006 Holiday Card. Azure was only 6 months old and Indigo was 3yr 6mos. Hubby was bribing them off camera with cheese. They'll do anything for cheese.

Xmas Dogs 2006
Originally uploaded by jakerber

Here are some outtakes from that photo shoot:

The Big Picture

2008-07-16T12:04:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite blogs is a picture blog put out by boston.com. The Big Picture is unlike most blogs in that the pictures are provided in large format, about 800x600, and high resolution. All the images selected by the editor (a computer programmer, not a Globe editor) are stunning and breath-taking. Check out in particular, the posts about the US Swimming Trials, the Tour de France, and recent volcanic activity.

Shamrell's wedding

2008-07-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

In April, we took a trip to Las Vegas for our friend Shammy's wedding. I spent several hours wandering the strip taking pictures. Enjoy!

Things to Do in Boston and the Surrounding Area

2008-07-15T21:36:00.005-04:00

Friends and I are always talking about things we'd like to do, but we never know when they are happening. Enter our shared Google Calendar. We can each add, edit, or remove events. Best of all, no more "What's there to do this weekend?"

Things to do this week