Disaster Recovery

No, we have not been affected by Ike. From what I gather, it hit east of Austin and kept a safe distance from us. The Austin ISD (and therefore Aurora’s daycare) closed at Noon yesterday in order to keep the roads clear and provide shelter, just in case. Our TV’s been out for a week, so other than that, you probably know more about it than we do.

From the looks of our house you’d think we were hit by a hurricane. We’re still dealing with all kinds of contractors (and the expenses that come with them), but it seems like there’s an end in sight. We got a new A/C unit on Thursday, and around that same time the cable company came and fixed the Internet cable that the siding guys had accidentally severed (can you imagine, me and Chuck without Internet for a full day?!). The siding is up and they’re about halfway done painting. In the daylight, the color is a little more burnt orange than we’d expected. Go Longhorns!

I picked out new flooring on Thursday, and late last night decided to list our old laminate on Craigslist, free to anybody willing to pull it up and take it away. The damaged part had already been removed, and it’s just a snap-lock laminate, definitely in good enough condition to re-use. I woke up to 25 emails from people who wanted our floors! A nice couple came by this morning with little mallets and crowbars and got everything up and out in about an hour (with Chuck’s help). Not only do they get “new” floors for their dining room and hallway, but we save money from not having to pay the flooring guys to demo and dispose of it, and of course, we’re reducing the waste that would’ve ended up at the dump. Win-win-win. Aurora, Tater and & I just sat on the sidelines and watched in awe as our flooring disappeared little by little…

We still don’t have a plan for the built-in shelving unit, but new floors should be in by the end of the week, along with new toilets. For anybody who’s visited us, you know our toilets are high-flow and all have problems. One you have to hold and jiggle the handle, another won’t stop running unless you finesse it just right, and the one in our bathroom has a chain that keeps falling off (I hate reaching in to fix it). Well, one of the line items on the floor estimate was taking up and reinstalling the toilet in the downstairs bathroom - $165. I said hey, if we’re paying somebody to install a toilet, let’s have them install a new one. And if we’re getting one new toilet, why not get all three? Compared to the siding and floors, it’s a fairly easy and inexpensive project.

Chuck says the floodgates have been opened and it’s time to start closing them off. Once you start with home repairs, it’s hard to know when to stop.

Escape

We're currently living in Chuck's studio. It doesn't have plumbing, but it does have air conditioning and the TV works. This was me and Aurora earlier this afternoon...

And this is what's going on right now. Rora's trying to sleep on the futon while Chuck's hard at work. Tonight we'll all sleep on the futon. It'll be like a combination of camping and staying in a hotel.

We're getting a new A/C unit installed on Thursday, but we're having trouble finding somebody to replace the built-in cabinet. That has to be done before we get new floors, so the rest of the interior stuff is at a little bit of a stand still.

Tonight I purchased a plane ticket to take Aurora to visit my parents and grandparents in Florida. It was a quick decision, but I've been looking at airfare to AZ for Thanksgiving and it's so expensive right now. I figured if we go to AZ, I should take a trip to FL as well, and scheduling is easier with my family since they're mostly retired. I don't have to work that trip around a holiday - so I found a great fare and booked it. I'll be going for a long weekend at the end of September, then Chuck will be taking his own trip to AZ the following weekend to attend our friend Corey's wedding. Even that trip was more expensive - I'm not sure why flying to AZ is so much more than flying to FL right now, but it was about $100 more. I'll keep looking for a good fare to Phoenix for Thanksgiving. Aurora and Zeland are scheduled to have a photoshoot together!

I think I bought the ticket partially because I just feel like I want to get away from all this construction craziness. Of course, by the time we actually travel, chances are everything will be fixed and our house will be perfect.

Misery and joy

Well, the construction workers are still busy outside with the siding and balcony, but the inside work has yet to begin. I'm getting quotes to rebuild the water damaged built-in cabinet, and we'll get the flooring guys out to make our selection and get them started later this week.

In the meantime, our A/C unit malfunctioned once again, this time doing no damage to our home but leaving us with the most miserable indoor heat and humidity. Apparently a transformer blew up, and Chuck made the executive decision that it wasn't worth fixing because what we really need is a whole new system. Unfortunately, I have no idea how long that will take, as we're still pricing it out. Everything with these projects just keeps getting more and more expensive, which is harder to handle than it normally would be due to the fact that it's 85 degrees inside my house and none of us is getting nearly enough sleep. Even the baby's restless and sweaty. Also, I have a sore throat.

Regardless, we're doing our best to maintain our sanity and keep a sense of humor about it all. Last night we captured this silly video. You tube isn't letting me embed it like normal, but basically this is what life is like around here much of the time. Aurora is most definitely finding her voice! She had already been squealing for over a half hour before this video was taken, and it's also toned down due to the fact that Chuck's nearby. I think the squawking is usually a ploy on her part to get his attention, as her noises are always at their finest when I'm sitting in this chair and she's facing daddy at his computer. She focuses all her energy on him, and if he comes over to see her, she stops and just about hurts herself with an undeniable full-body joy.

The oversided jammies were just the best I could do to keep her from over-heating last night. All her other pj's are long-sleeved with footies. Tonight she's sleeping downstairs in the pack'n'play in a onesie. These are sad times indeed for the Wadey family...

I got peed on!

This week was full of silly, strange, random and interesting things.

Thursday Chuck was so busy that I felt bad leaving the baby with him for 5 hours while I went off to work. So, as soon as I got home I grabbed her and let him get to work. Normally he helps give her a bath; I run the water and grab the towels, and he undresses her and brings her over to me - holding her at full arm’s length mind you, just incase any bodily fluids escape. This time I figured I would do it alone, no problem! I’ve done it before. Well, let’s just say this time I did things in the wrong order. First I undressed her, then I brought her with me into the bathroom and sat her little naked bottom on my lap while I ran the water. Note to self: running water = peeing baby.

That day he moved his computer upstairs with the baby and turned the music on. She quickly conked out for her afternoon nap, and he actually emailed this photo to me at work. It made me smile.

Then I came home to THIS! He was out checking the progress of the siding project, in just about the most stylish outfit ever. I guess that’s just a perk of working from home.

Friday morning I headed off to work just after 7am, leaving Chuck & Aurora asleep at home. So, Chuck brought Rora to daycare, and he said when he got there, Carole had another baby, Adi, on her lap. Well, Adi looks a lot like Aurora - they both have cute little noses, bald heads, and while sitting in Carole’s lap I’m sure she looked about the same size. When Chuck went to hand Aurora to Carole, Adi shouted out “Daddy!” Can you imagine his surprise!? Not only isn’t he her daddy, he’s never heard a baby talk!!! Adi’s actually 8 months old, but I can totally imagine him thinking at first that she was about Rora’s age and just being shocked. It’s amazing how much difference a few months can make.

This weekend Chuck & I both had dreams about Tater. She recently peed on the carpet and pooped outside our bedroom door. Not okay! Chuck dreamed that of course she was upset with us, because we’d gotten a fluffy white kitty that she hated! I dreamed that she pooped on our blanket on our bed while we were sleeping, and we threw her out the window onto the roof to be an outdoor kitty. Then (in my dream) I saw foxes and wolves outside devouring all the outdoor kitties and I started to cry, but some sort of metal bird scarecrow held up by helium balloons was keeping me from opening the window to go get her. Strange.

Today Robin sent me the description for a show she’s going to take Grandma Nancy to while she’s visiting the Chicago area this week. It’s called Funny, You Don't Look Like A Grandmother. I can’t wait to hear her review of it – it sounds very silly, and oh so appropriate for the new grandmother of two.

And this evening, we gave our little Rora rice cereal for the first time. I had made up my mind I’d wait to begin solid foods until at least her 5-month birthday, but my friend Bethany gave me the idea that I could mix some in with her evening bottle to thicken it up and perhaps keep her fuller longer so she’ll sleep better. The pediatrician actually said that one sign she’s ready for solids is that she wakes up more in the night again, which is exactly what’s been happening lately. I didn’t add too much, so we’ll see if it makes a difference!

Here’s a cute picture of my girl from earlier today, practicing her feet-grabbing and sitting-up skills while watching a DVD.

Tomorrow we're having breakfast with Bethany and her 2 kiddos - Orion who's 2 years old, and Atticus who is just about 1 month old. I just found out Raquel had her son, Julian, too... babies babies everywhere!!! Congrats to both new mommies!

Mommy's Big Girl

Today I took Aurora in for her 4 month appointment with her pediatrician. She’s actually 4-1/2 months old, but waiting until September worked a little better with our insurance. At her last appointments she was so little, she just laid in her blankie until Dr. Sood came to check on her. Today she kicked around and grabbed at the paper on the table like a big silly!




The fun news: Rora weighs 14 lbs 12 oz and is 25 inches long, placing her firmly in the 75th percentile for height and weight. Interestingly, her head circumference is 40 cm, putting her in only the 25th percentile there. I hope that doesn't mean she has a small brain! Not my girl!

The not-so-fun news: More vaccinations. One by mouth and three shots. Chuck didn't come to this appointment with us, so I held her little hands the whole time. She proved that she's not only a big girl with regards to her size, but she was a brave big girl with her shots too. She cried at the moment the shots were given, but once the nurse was done, she recovered so quickly. She did cry on the way home, and it was a quiet sad cry, but smiled as soon as she saw her daddy. Here she is with band aids on her legs.

Dr. Sood asked me a bunch of questions, and said she's very pleased with how we're doing, including the breastfeeding and Rora's sleep patterns. She said we can introduce rice cereal and solids - that it sounds like Aurora's ready anytime. I don't know for sure that I'm ready yet!

Long Lazy Weekend

Saturday morning we headed up the street to Bee Caves & Cuernavaca to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Laura Bush Library. Almost 200 people showed up (all wearing red, white, and blue) and an aerial photographer took pictures of us lined up on the outline of the building.

Rora has several red outfits to choose from, but she decided to wear the overalls Grandma Nancy gave us before she was born. They fit perfectly now, but even with a pink onesie, people thought she was a boy. Oh well!

We will surely enjoy this library once it’s built, so it was neat that we got to be a part of the groundbreaking.

Yesterday we headed to the garden center off Bee Caves and 360. We’re looking for ideas for low maintenance plants to put in once the siding’s done. If you've been here, you'll recognize the pink flamingos – but I think this picture looks like something straight out of Mary Poppins!

So, we really haven’t done much this weekend, but I went into it with just one goal: to catch up on sleep. That’s easier said than done when you have a baby. Luckily, she cooperated for at least PART of the weekend. Saturday night she slept completely through the night, and then I napped with her twice. Last night wasn’t as great, but I’m pretty sure we have more napping ahead of us. Today we plan on doing several loads of laundry, food shopping, and getting ready for a busy week ahead. Oh, and Daniela just invited us over for dinner! If you haven't checked out her blog, you should... Rora gets lots of face time there.

Now if only I could get a massage... my shoulders are killing me from carrying this heavy girl around!

House Colors

Earlier in the week we emailed several friends and family a mock-up of color choices for the paint scheme of the house. After getting tons of feedback, it seemed like the popular vote went to a design with various shades of brown (it was Chuck's favorite too, though I think he actually used 5 colors) with second place going to a khaki green and beige combo. After much discussion, some arguing, rumors and speculation, we've come to a decision.... I wanted to stick with just 2 or 3 colors max, and most people (including me) liked the idea of keeping the door red as opposed to painting it black. So, here's our compromise!

Of course, this is just our digital mock up. We're keeping fingers crossed that the real colors will look as good. Thanks so much for all your input. Stay tuned - real life pictures to come!

Construction Zone

Today I worked from home and spent the day letting contractors in and out of the house. Some planned, some not so planned.

We’re having work done to the balcony, as the wood rot at the bottom was making it unstable and the beams and handrails were falling apart. Our neighbor across the street said his house was built at the same time as ours, and his balcony “fell down” years ago. Yikes! Once they’re done, we're having the siding replaced as well (more wood rot). Next we'll be repainting... stay tuned for the color-scheme we choose!

As if this wasn’t disruptive enough, we had an A/C water leak earlier in the week which caused damage to our living room floor and the carpet and contents of our coat closet. We had a claims representative out early this morning. Once she decided this would be covered by our insurance, she sent in a water mediation person to take up the floor and dry it out, and a flooring guy to take measurements and samples of the wood and padding. We have a pretty high deductible, and I want to put in a higher quality floor than we currently have, so it won’t exactly be free to fix. But it’ll be nice to have something better than the cheap laminate the previous owners put in. It's something I've wanted to replace since we moved in.

Not only did we have a pick-up truck, a huge trailer, and a van in our driveway – but a school bus broke down outside our house, which caused a lot of excitement. Well, it was exciting for the teenagers on the bus, but not so fun for the bus driver! Another bus had to come rescue the kids. Good thing we didn't have anywhere we needed to go right then...

Aurora spent much of her day napping and grabbing her feet (that’s new!). She was very happy today, but she spit up on me more than any other day I can remember. Maybe all the commotion made her nervous.

The outside workers will be here for about 2 weeks, and I expect it’ll take as long to get the floor situation worked out. So, for now, our house is a big noisy danger zone with construction workers hammering away outside and industrial grade fans blowing inside. Labor Day weekend may slow progress a little, but that's okay. Our laborers deserve a day off.

Photo Booth Fun

Today we went to lunch to celebrate Bailey's birthday and another semester coming to a close with our intern Brittany. Kim Barnett came along too because... that's what Kim does! And Aurora, well, you already know she can't say no to a working lunch. Luckily, she's cheap.

We went to Chuy's and couldn't resist the photo booth. Instead of getting 4 separate strips of photos, we decided to have everybody alternate through, which was extremely silly, but the result is perfect.

Aurora thought the photo booth was the most fun thing ever. She's going through a phase where flashing lights and mirrors are her favorite. She probably would've smiled in every frame even if we did get 4 separate strips! Rora's also started to reach for things with very deliberate movements, and suddenly she loves toys that make noise. It used to be all we needed to go out was her paci and a burp cloth. Now we have all these crazy toys loaded in the car seat. Hey, it's better than giving her the car keys to play with and gnaw on! I've seen that too many times. Gross.

Kim said that Aurora in person is way better than Aurora on the blog. I like to think that's a true statement. Kim Barnett in real life is better than Kim Barnett on the blog too.

Saturday

We started the day with book club. I failed to even try to obtain a copy of the book, but we were excited to go as it was being held at Gina’s house. She has two adorable 7-1/2 month old babies who are sitting up and scooting around like pros. It turns out Gina also makes a mean pancake.

We went home and Kim Barnett came over. She helped me clean up the house and played with Aurora while I took a shower. That was incredibly nice. We ordered pizza and broke open the largest watermelon I’ve ever seen outside of a county fair.

Then Teresa came over to babysit. It’s only the second time Chuck & I have had an evening out since Aurora was born, the first being on Father’s Day when Katie was visiting. It all started with a conversation that went something like this:

Teresa: Hey Amber, I just played Guitar Hero over the weekend and I’m addicted!
Amber: Then I guess you’ll have to come over more often and play at our house!
Teresa: YOU HAVE GUITAR HERO!?!?
Amber: Of course, and you can play all night long if you come over Saturday and babysit while Chuck & I go see Dark Knight in IMAX.
Teresa: OKAY!

It was just that easy. Aurora goes to sleep at about 7:30pm these days, and we got tickets to the 9:15pm show, so Teresa came over a bit early to get some awake time in with the baby girl. We also had pizza and cookies and kicked off Guitar Hero together. We hope you had as much fun as we did, Teresa - thank you!!!

The movie was intense, and seeing it in IMAX was awesome. The show was sold out but we got there early and got great seats. One thing that really surprised me was that somebody in the audience actually brought their baby! The kid only screamed at the beginning and then I’m sure fell asleep – but really people. Buy Guitar Hero.

My Littlest Volunteer

Today Aurora came to work with me. Daycare was closed for a teacher planning day. I'm not sure how much planning they need in the infant room, but it was a good excuse to bring my baby to work! Rora was very helpful – spreading joy wherever she went. Here we are with my new office-mate, Bailey.

I had an intern interview to conduct in the morning, so Brooke happily babysat for a little while. Thanks Brooke, that was fun!

Then we went to lunch with Daniela and Sarah to talk about the intern program. Aurora can't say no to a working lunch.

In the afternoon, we got to hang out with Amy, and then we looked through some clothes that Ruth’s daughter has outgrown. They won’t fit for awhile, but we got some good stuff for later on. We also danced with Kim Barnett, and she showed Aurora how to post mail. A valuable lesson.

Now we're done working for the day, so it's time to go home. Wait 'til we tell daddy all about our fun adventures at the LAF!

PS: Thanks to Devon, for letting me borrow your camera today!!!

I think I’m losing it

My hair that is. I knew that my hair got thicker during pregnancy and that eventually it would thin out again. I didn’t realize it would coincide with Aurora figuring out that she can pull on it!

Nowadays you can find my hairs in the sink and tub drains, on the floor, all over my baby, on my clothes, and on my pillowcase. I do still have more hair on my head than this daughter of mine.

Tomorrow is Aurora’s 4-month birthday. It’s amazing how fast these past few months have gone by. It’s neat to see her growing and changing and getting smarter and stronger everyday.

Eventually we'll have to teach her better table etiquette.