The New Salemites

Mmmmmm...apple!

2009-01-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

My Big Girl

2008-12-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

It seems like time is just flying by. The old adage is true that time flies when you're having fun...and we are definitely having the time of our lives with our Plum. My baby is getting so big! I was just looking at *old* pictures...*way* back when she was just in her first month...and I literally sat here at the computer crying just looking at how tiny and fragile she was. It seems like we brought her home just yesterday and yet it seems like she's always been with me.

The pictures above are of her in her new Christmas high chair. The amber teething necklace was also a gift from Mom. I hope it helps; those toofs are definitely trying to make their way into the world. Although we had a gigantic snow and ice storm which prevented us from traveling to Grandma and Grandpa H's for Christmas, we still enjoyed a super-cozy and very special first Christmas snowed in, just our little family. Now that the weather has subsided we'll be celebrating with the grandparents H this coming weekend. It's kinda fun; we get Christmas extended this year! The holidays will continue as grandparents T are coming mid-January. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy and lucky and blessed right now... so on that note I think I'm going to climb into bed next to my loves and hold this feeling in my heart. Good night, sweet friends.

oxo

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T22:30:00.001-08:00

Celeriac is your Friend

2008-12-18T01:08:00.000-08:00

We signed up for an organic, local fruit and vegetable delivery service a couple months ago in an effort to eat healthier and focus on local, in season foods. As you can see, it's encouraged us to try some new things. We're pretty vegalicious here at the HTH household but there are some veggies that we hadn't tried, the above being one of them. As it turns out, the aforementioned is a celery Root, or celeriac and it ended up in a quite delicious potato/celeriac gratin. My favorite thing about this service, provided by Organics to You, it opening up our box and decided what to cook from our surprise bounty. We've also been eating so much healthier, focusing on whole foods and less processed sugars. We are on the waiting list for a CSA starting in the spring but I think this will get us through the winter nicely.

In Plum news, it seems like she is growing and changing every day. What an exciting time this is for us! She's scooting around now, rolling from front to back, grabbing everything in sight and becoming quite the little comedian. She just loves to laugh and loves to make us laugh, which we've been doing a lot of. She also is completely and utterly in love with Rigby, her new BFF. Although he's really great with her, Rigby's not quite sure that it qualifies as love just yet. I think we'll get there though.

Plum @ 4.5 months:)

2008-11-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

I know everyone isn't on our YouTube account so I'm posting this here, too. If you want to be added to our account so you receive our video updates, shoot me an email and I'll send you an invitation. You actually have to go in and create your own account to be able to access our videos. Sort of a pain in the arse, so I apologize in advance. *sorry!*

Another giveaway

2008-11-23T10:34:00.001-08:00

I can't get enough of these lately. I am new the the Mama Blogosphere and had no idea how many giveaways were out there for website promotion. Here's another great one, this time for cloth dipes. It's the same as the carrier giveaways; you just need to post a comment to win. Go to Kelly's Closet to enter. Good luck!

Sarah

Momsicles

2008-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

I thought this was a really cool idea! How to make a Momsicle.

Will Blog for Baby Carrier

2008-11-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

Since having Plum, something I would say that I couldn't live without are my baby carriers. I currently have two that I use regularly, a Yamo SSC (soft structured carrier) and a Babyhawk mei tai. To find out more check out The Baby Wearer, which is a really good resource for learning more about babywearing. They also have an FSOT where I bought my Yamo and got a grrrreat deal on it. This week is National Babywearing Week and several websites are giving away free carriers in honor. To my two prego friends out there, you can register to win on the following blogs by just posting a comment. You can also do other things to increase your odds of winning (like blogging about their contests;) To my not-prego friends and family, feel free to register and give it to us if you win! Lol...couldn't resist:) I haven't tried any of these carriers out, though both the Beco and Ergo have good reviews and are similar to the SSC that I have. I was considering both of them and would still love to have one. One thing that's really cool about the Beco and Ergo is that they have an infant insert (it's built into the Beco) that allows you to put the baby in the carrier before putting her on your back. The Beco even touts that you can pass the carrier back and forth between wearers without removing baby. Some of the many benefits of these types of carriers are being able to carry your LO on both your front and back, walk comfortably with them for extended periods of time, cook or do chores with them on your back. Many, like the Yamo I have, is good until baby reaches 40 lbs. Another nice benefit is discrete breastfeeding, although I will attest that it does take some practice! Many folks say that a ring sling works best for bfing but I have yet to try one out. Here are the following websites to register on.

Thrifty & Chic Mom is giving away a Beco Butterfly 1.0 carrier.
NW Mom Finds is giving away an Ergo.
Rookie Moms is giving away a Scootababy.

Peace & Good luck!

Playing catch up

2008-11-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for awhile but I promise we're all well and happy. I feel like I've been floating in my little Plum world, just us, filling our days with figuring this whole thing out and becoming a family. The weather hear has turned and the rainy season is upon us. We had our first day of Sun today since November began I think, and oh was it lovely! Since Plum turned a couple months old we started back on our walks together and have been walking at least 4 or 5 miles a day. I've been determined to keep it up rain or shine and so far the weather's only kept us home for a couple days. We both enjoy it so much and Plum ends up taking her morning nap during the latter half of our walk in her carrier. I also recently purchased the world's largest (and brightest-green-just-try-to-stop-me-from-walking) umbrella to hopefully keep us dry. I put her in the carrier on my front and then button her up in my sweater or jacket to keep her warm. It's an awesome setup. She gets her nap (and gets to be snuggled up against me) and I get my workout! I just read an awesome article called Urban Hikes in this issue of my new favorite magazine, Mothering, and it reminded me of us; and how I hope we'll keep up this pleasant routine.

In other Plum news, we had our 4-month checkup on Monday. Can you believe it's been 4 months? And now for the statistics for those of you who like that sort of thing;)

Weight: 13 lbs, 10.5 oz (38th %)
Height: 25 3/4 (88th %)
Head Circum. 40 1/4 (22th %)

This week baby girl has become very interested in feeling textures and has discovered her very interesting and amazing feet. She's also picked out a seemingly favorite toy, a hand-knit bunny from her Auntie, which she picked up by herself this week...and of course bunny immediately goes right in the mouth. Bunny tastes sooo good!

We also had some great news today. My parents will be coming to visit us on January 10th of next year. Yay! We're so excited for their visit and happy that we'll get to celebrate a late holiday together. I was feeling pretty bummed out as we'd decided we couldn't make it back for Christmas since we just spent a big $$$ chunk insulating the money pit....errhm..I mean...house..;)

And now for the bad news..Great Grandma D is in the hospital again. She fell today and cracked her pelvis. As awful as it sounds, apparently the doctor felt that it was akin to breaking a rib and that it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Please send some good thoughts her way! Knowing this woman, with her strong spirit and optimism, she'll be back in the saddle in no time.

2008-10-13T22:26:00.001-07:00

I just found something sweet:)

Brainy Babies

2008-10-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

Bebe and I adventured out into the world of library storytime this Wednesday...and with the exception of her being slightly scared and crying off and on, and me sweating from being out in a "social situation' for the first time in months, we had a great time;) Our local library has a Brainy Babies bilingual storytime. Hearing multiple languages in the first year of life is supposed to be good for their brain development, although with her daddy's genes she'll probably being a frickin' genius anyway:) I also thought maybe, what, with my 4 years of Spanish I might be even able to understand the children's stories since I can't understand Telemundo to save my life. Not so much the case but I did relearn the lyrics to the Itsy Bitsy Spider. They incorporated music in between the stories which they sang in both Spanish and English. For a first time mother who's never been exposed to this whole new world, it was kind of a strange experience. Lots of kids (most older than Bebe) crawling and running and motating around. What amazing chaos to be in a room full of little ones. Just a little glimpse into what's in store over the next years.

Good night all and sleep tight. Here's a pic of Plum and Pops:)

And I wax nostalgic

2008-10-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was perfect. Every since I got pregnant, I've been thinking back to my childhood with happy thoughts. Even more so now that Plum is here. We went out to a U-pick farm on Saturday to pick tomatoes. The season is almost over and I just wanted a few more 'real' tomatoes in my belly. This farm was so much like where I grew up. It looked the same with a big, beautiful garden and chickens making there clucky-sweet chicken noises. We chatted with the farmers who were really nice people and called each other Mom and Dad. We paid for our produce in a box by a scale where you weighed it yourself and just put in the right amount. Before we left the woman told me to make sure and make lots of memories with our new daughter. We ended up picking 7 pounds of tomatoes and several pounds of grapes. The next day we made and canned salsa and ended up with 12 jars that we felt so proud of.

Salsa Man

The new Mei Tai carrier works great for cooking!

Our only picture from the farm

gratuitous cute baby pic for grandparents;)

sleepless in salem

2008-10-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

I can't sleep tonight. Bebe is all snuggled up next to Daddy and I thought I'd might as well get up and write a bit. They were so sweet when I left them, my two beautiful people that look alike. A few hours ago while I was getting ready for bed it seemed like a great idea to chop on my hair. I've been wanting to cut it every since I had Plum but I just haven't been able to find the time or bring myself to spend the money on a haircut I probably will hate anyway. Right after I had her it was all falling out and now she's pulling it out so I just wear it up in an unwashed-for-two-weeks ugly ponytail;) You think I'm joking about the two weeks. I guess I've been letting myself go. Anyway, off came 4 inches. Of course I didn't get it even and it's funny looking. Rem said he cut it straight across in back tomorrow night. What a guy! I just wish I could be more put-together or hip or something. I wish I could look like my friend Megan. She's so cool. I'm just an old mom with dirty hair.

And then there where three...

2008-09-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back! And here she is...our beautiful little girl. What an amazing journey the past 3 months have been. As I'm sure you know, we welcomed our new little Plum into our lives on July 4th. I can't even begin to explain how amazing these last months have been other than to say that this has been the best and most beautiful time of my life. I've learned so much and feel so blessed that this sweet little girl has chosen me and changed my life forever. I am so in love with this tiny person, this sweet pudding dreamgirl firefly pancake...who is only all of my very best parts.

I was induced because of preeclamsia which was a pretty wild start and certainly not how I was expecting it to go down but considering the birth went really smoothly. Poor Plum did get off to a rough start and had trouble eating her mommy snacks for the first 6 weeks but by now everything is going just great. It's late and Daddy and Plum are already asleep on the couch but I just wanted to shoot off a quick hello and post a couple pictures. I'll write more soon.

T.

Plum and Daddy

Plum in her Peanut Shell

The new family:):):)

Childbirth Education

2008-06-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Going on week 34: 6 weeks to go!

2008-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we only have six weeks left until my due date!

Time seems to be flying by. I thought I'd better include a neked belly shot this time around so you could see how much the tummy has grown! It's so funny; I was looking back at my 18 and 19 week pictures today and I remember that I thought I looked SO pregnant then and I was just tiny:) Aside from getting to the point of being a wee bit uncomfortable and short of breath, everything's been going really well. We've been working our butts off on the house lately but now that it's June we're planning on changing focus towards getting all the last minute preparations done that we need to for the baby...and hopefully doing a little relaxing before everything gets really crazy around here! I've been in nesting mode big time this last week. I've been washing baby clothes, buying diapers, baby wash, little socks and nursing bras (wee!!!) and other little things we need, doing a lot of reading about birth and breastfeeding...and we just finished our birth preparation class last week. I don't know if we really feel any more prepared or not, but at least we know what the hospitals policies are and we got to talk to some other couples going through the same big life event. Mom is coming to visit mid-June and I'm really looking forward to that. It's going to be nice to have some company and a little change of pace. If I go 2 or 3 weeks early, I might even have the baby while she's here;) I think I'll definitely be ready by then. If she would be healthy, I'd have her today. :)

On another note, our awesome friends Joe and Trace threw an amazing party for us on Memorial Day weekend. It was a blessing for our baby and it was so much fun! They had great food including dark-chocolate covered strawberries and vegan chocolate cake (yum!!!) and the icing on that cake was that my beautiful friend, Megan flew in from D.C. for the weekend. We couldn't have asked for a better party. It made us feel so loved and special. It was basically like a shower but much more casual. Oh, and we had a piñata. How many showers have you been to that were so cool that you had a piñata? That's what I thought. Joe and Tracey sent out invites that included a request for all our friends and family to send back a blessing card with a positive message, blessing, kind words or birth story for us to help support us with our upcoming event, i.e the birth of our child. We're putting all the blessing cards that we get back into a keepsake album that we can take to the hospital for positive encouragement. It has been so wonderful getting all those blessing back in the mail! We are going to treasure our album forever. They also had everyone locally that attended the blessing hand-paint onesies for us and they turned out so cute! Our little girl has a whole wardrobe of these funky-cool handmade onesies from our friends and family. Check our our Picassa album for some pictures from the blessing. Thanks Joe and Tracey and thanks to our all our wonderful friends and family for all your support and encouragement.

Love you all,
Sarah

The nursery is coming along!

2008-05-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

I ordered and assembled the nursery furniture a few weeks ago and it looks great! I'll tell you though, if we hadn't had so much Ikea assembly experience, I NEVER would have gotten the dresser together; the instructions were horrible! I had fun doing it though. Sometimes life's smallest accomplishments make you feel just great. I also bought the bedding last week. I decided to keep it neutral...you know...just in case;)

The J and I are getting ready for "another" work weekend on the house. He's now officially now started man-nesting, which I didn't realize would happen, but it did. More on that later as I think man-nesting might need a whole post dedicated to it. And it just happened as I'm slowing down I think. I'll post some more pictures soon.

Love and Peace,
Sarah

Quick update

2008-05-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few quick pictures since it's been awhile! We've been a little lazy about taking belly pictures. I'll be 31 weeks this Thursday.

We also celebrated Jeremy's 31st birthday April 27th. We had dinner with Grandma Dell and his parents the weekend before and then just he and I celebrated on his b-day. I finally managed to make a purdy b-day cake so I have to include a gratuitous pic of that since my baking skills are hit or miss;)

The cake and some photoshop pop art I made J.

My baby's daddy. Isn't he amazing? I love this beautiful person so much it hurts sometimes.

28 weeks

2008-04-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Not pregnant......

and preeeeeeegnant! A little perspective changes everything. Am I really going to get bigger than this? Is it possible? What did I sign up for???!!! :)

Woof!

2008-04-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our Anniversary Trip

2008-04-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

On Easter weekend we drove to Gold Beach, Oregon, near the California/Oregon coast to get away for our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was an awesome, much-needed escape. We did a lot of hiking along the coast line, beach combing and drove down to Jedediah Smith Redwood forest in Northern California. It was so beautiful! Click on the pic below to check out our album.

Xoxo,
sjt-h

Coast hike north of Gold Beach

Pictures from Mom's Visit

2008-04-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Mom & I at Oceanside

As I mentioned in my last post, Mom came out to visit for 3 weeks in mid-February. I finally got the pictures posted on our web album if you want to check them out. Some of the pix are of us putting some final touches on the kitchen and dining room. We hung a light fixture above the dining room table (we can finally see to do crossword puzzles!) and put up the toe-kick and a window treatment in the kitchen. It wasn't ALL work though! We played lots of 500 and Rummicube, hosted the Holmans and Hnats for dinner and visited Grandma Dell and the Holmans for dinner in Gresham. We made time for two day trips as well. We went to the coast via Tillamook where we toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory and Blue Heron French Cheese. We drove through Oceanside, Pacific City (where we stopped for lunch) and Neskowin, making several stops on the beautiful beaches. We also visited The Glockenspiel Restaurant where we had breakfast and listened to the glockenspiel play, then drove up to the Queen of Angels Monastery. It was sort of a coincidence that we ended up at the monastery, actually. We started talking to a gentleman at breakfast who recommended it because of the spectacular view point of the valley as it's situated high on a hill. The grounds were almost as beautiful as the view so we have quite a few pictures taken there. Enjoy the pix and talk to you more soon!

XXOO,
Sarah

Mom and J at Queen of Angels

The rest of the pictures are up on our web album:) http://picasaweb.google.com/stillerholman/2008Feb

February and March

2008-03-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Now that it's almost April I suppose I should talk a little bit about the past couple of months which have just seemed to fly by. We've managed to keep pretty busy as of late. Mom came to visit in mid-February and we had such a great time. We got a lot of stuff done around the house and took time to have some fun, too. Of course I think I gained a few more pounds having Mom here because she spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking lots of goodies that pregnant girl couldn't control herself around but that's okay. Now is a good time to gain a few pounds anyway, right;)? I also have to say how lucky Jeremy and I were because he didn't clean the cat litter the whole time Mom was here and I didn't do the dishes! Talk about spoiling us! It was so nice having her here but lonely now that she's gone:) My friend Tracy and I have talked about how being pregnant and starting a family makes you miss your own family even more and boy is it true. I didn't realize how hard this part would be. Trace went through the same thing as she got pregnant shortly after she moved out here and away from her parents. I suppose it makes you appreciate the time you do spend together though even more...and look forward to it more as well. That's the most positive thing I can say about being afar. As Forrest Gump would say, "and that's all I have to say about that..." **sigh** :)

Here's a pic of me and Baby Girl. This was a couple weeks ago so I'm a little bigger now but haven't taken a recent picture. I'll try to update soon:) I was about 23 weeks in this picture and I'm now 25 weeks. I look angry in the picture but I assure you that I am really quite delighted. I am just trying to be cool. Only three more weeks to go and we'll begin the 3rd trimester. It's hard to believe we'll be meeting our new little Holmanian in just a few months!

I also participated in an art project by a local Portland photographer last month called 'Skeletons in the Closet'. Check it out at http://www.fritzphoto.com/art/ If you go to the website, make sure to click on the introduction to read what it's about before you go through the pictures. My picture and story aren't up yet but I'll keep you posted. It is a grant-funded work featuring men and women who currently (or at one time in their lives) have struggled with eating disorders. As soon as I saw his work I knew I wanted to participate in it but it took me a lot of time to get up the courage to do it. As some of you may know, I used to be anorexic/bulimic. I wanted to participate in this project for a couple of reasons. I wanted to "come out" so to speak and tell my story because I think that hearing about someone's healing process can be extremely healing to others whom are still struggling. I also wanted to revisit my own body issues and I felt like this was a really powerful way to begin this process. Both to praise myself for how far I've come and to remind myself that I still have a lot more work to do when it comes to truly loving my body. I'm hoping to hang one of my pictures up somewhere where I can look at it every day to remind myself to not be so damn critical when I look in the mirror. I think being pregnant has really made me think about the issues surrounding our body images a great deal. And being pregnant while doing the photo shoot was even more meaningful because I am developing a deeper respect for my body each day for everything that it is currently going through. I can't say that I'm not having a hard time with my body changes and gaining weight but I can also say that it's helping me to view my body in a different way. In a "Women are so awesome! We are freaking SUPERHEROS" kind of way! You ladies know what I mean!

I have to run now but I'll post more soon. I have to put all the pictures up from Mom's visit and Jeremy and my 3rd anniversary trip, which I have yet to talk about! Man, was I ever behind on the blogging! I miss you all so much and love you to pieces! Drop me a line, I'm lonely out here in the big woods!

Sarah

It's a.....

2008-02-26T16:39:00.001-08:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!! Apparently our first ultrasound (and my maternal instincts) were off! We're so excited though and it's great to know more about our sweet, new little person. Mom got to go the ultrasound with us since she's currently visiting which made it even more special. I'm also starting to feel her kick now on a pretty regular basis.

18 weeks

2008-02-13T02:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm 18 weeks and popping out of my clothes! The fun continues! Maybe that shouldn't have an explanation point after it;) We had our monthly doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looked good. The doctor found the heartbeat with no trouble this time, so no emergency ultrasound:) Yay! I've had a cold for a week and half that I can't seem to knock and although I haven't been feeling horrible the doctor felt it was a sinus infection that might hang on for a long time and prescribed an antibiotic. I'm up with a nasty cough tonight as you can see by the timestamp, so hopefully the drugs will kick in and knock this infection out. There was also a slight mix-up with the ultrasound so we didn't have it yesterday when we went into the doctor. I wanted to mention this since I've been telling everybody that we find out if it's a boy or a girl this week! We'll have to wait a little longer. I guess we were supposed to schedule the ultrasound and we thought that the doctor's office scheduled it, which they did last time because it was an "emergency". Anyway, I'm actually kind of excited that it's postponed because my mom is coming to visit next week and now she'll get to be here for it! Check out my chubby belly pics and take special note of the background, which is our new nursery color. Love you all! Have a great night!

On Faith...

2008-02-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

I found this poem and wanted to pass it on. Love you all!

Sarah

An Ode to Faith
-by Patrick Overter
When you have come to the edge
Of all the light you know,
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing that
One of two things will happen,
There will be something solid to stand on,
Or you will be taught how to fly.

Belly Shot: 17 Weeks!

2008-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

We've reached 17 weeks! It's been a pretty exciting past couple weeks for us. I will start with the best news first. Last Friday I went into the doctor to have blood drawn for the quad-screen. This is the test where they check your blood for the certain substances and can then determine the chances of your baby having a neural tube defect like spina bifida or anencephaly or a chromosomal defect like Down Syndrome or Edwards Syndrome. My blood screen came back showing that our baby had almost no chance of having any of these problems. Needless to say, we're very relieved.

The other thing that happened this week is that I have started to feel the baby moving. It's just a slight fluttering at this point and I've only felt it a few times, but it was so exciting! I'm also getting my bump so here are some pictures for those of you who won't get to see see my pregnancy in person.

Iowa Trip and Doctor's Appointment

2008-01-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

We got back from a wonderful belated Christmas vacation to Iowa on Tuesday. We had such a great time there; very relaxing which was EXACTLY what we needed. We stayed with my parents and got in lots of card and Rummikub playing, some movies, several nice long walks in the country, Christmas celebrations with both my parents and the Abrams side of the family, and great conversation. Oh and some snow! It snowed 3 times while we were there, which was really fun to see since it's more of a novelty to me after living in places where it doesn't snow much for the past 8 years. I just want to say how really great it was to see my wonderful family while I was back. It was so good to catch up with my cousins and their beautiful kids and my aunt and uncles and all of the Abrams. Thanks to Mom and Janise for putting together a great day and to everyone for coming! It means so much to me to get to see you all when we're back in Iowa. :):):) I wasn't ready to come home by the time our vacation was over but it helps that Mom will be coming out to visit at the end of February, only a month from now:) Yay!

The day after we got back, we had our 2nd Doctor's appointment. I thought I was slated for an ultrasound but as it turned out, I wasn't. During the appointment our doctor was unable to detect the fetal heartbeat so she sent us over to the hospital for an ultrasound anyway. It gave us a little scare, but I really felt like everything was okay and didn't (luckily) have much time to think about it since she sent us over to get the ultrasound the same day. The ultrasound showed a strong heartbeat and everything else to be great. Baby is doing well! It was a really neat ultrasound because the baby was extremely active and moving his arms and legs (2 arms, 2 legs:) around and jumping all over. The sonographer said that at this age, babies end up flailing a lot due to lack of muscle control. It was very exciting to see our baby flail! I couldn't believe that he is moving around so much and I can't feel a thing:) The other big news is....we still don't know for sure if the baby is a boy or a girl. Although, there appears to be a little penis at this point, the sonographer wouldn't give us more than a 51% chance in favor of a boy:) He said he wasn't a betting man and didn't want us to go home and paint our nursery blue if he was wrong. We have another ultrasound in about a month so we'll find out for sure then. Below are some pictures which definitely need descriptions. It's a little hard to tell what's what if you don't have someone telling you what you're looking at.

This is a side profile from the waist up. You can see the baby's left arm, which he is holding up to his head. The bright white areas are the bones so if you look close you can make out the skull and lower down you can see the rib cage.

This is another side profile. The baby's head is at the right of the picture. You can see his forehead and nose in the profile. The bright white line at the bottom of the picture is the baby's spine. The legs aren't showing in this picture so it looks a little odd. They would be at the left of the picture. He does have legs! They just aren't showing.

This one is really cryptic, but it's the baby's face from a front view. It looks really skeletal in this picture but if you look close you can make out two eyes and the nose. You can also see where his arms are protruding, although you can't see the entire arms in this picture.

In this picture the sonographer was trying specifically to zoom in on the baby's boy or girl parts. The baby is lying on his back and the picture shows what "appears" to be a bitty boy part. I asked my friend Susie (mother of a teenage boy) if it was too embarrassing for our baby to post this to which she said. "Embarrassing? Not for a boy! They're so proud of those things - always happy to have an audience!!!" Thanks for putting that into perspective for me:)

Baby names

2007-12-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Before I got pregnant, I thought I'd be a pretty calm mom-to-be. I didn't think I'd sweat the small stuff. In fact, I tried to make a secret pact with myself not to. I guess I'm doing relatively well holding myself to that pact...or at least trying to! The thing that I didn't realize is that it isn't possible not to have worries and fears and insecurities pop into your head..and obsess about them somewhat. At least if you're me:) I guess maybe it's how long you let them hang out there that's important.

My thought process usually tends to go down a path something like this before I can regain control: Am I eating healthy enough since I've been feeling so sick? Is my baby going to be normal? Will he or she have Downs Syndrome? Am I going to have a miscarriage? Did I breath too much paint in while hubby was painting? Are hot showers okay if it raises your body temperature too much? Why do they tell you not to take hot baths but never mention hot showers? Oh boy, my showers are definitely too hot. I need to take colder showers. I wonder if my make-up has aluminum in it? Why did my first doctor tell me Tylenol wasn't okay in the first trimester and my second doctor said it was fine? Why am I worrying about Tylenol when I haven't even taken it? Oh, I guess there was that one time right after I found out I was pregnant. Is there lead in our house? Please please please please please please please please please let my baby be okay. I'm trying to do the very best that I can!

I find that whenever I'm feeling stressed or worried about the many things there are to be stressed and/or worried about while pregnant it calms me down to think about something fun and simple....like baby names! I really like thinking about baby names. Maybe a little too much. I think it comforts me because when I think of baby names, when I actually assign a name to the little plum in my belly, it makes it seem so real. It makes my little plum a child who is healthy and safe; who has all the scary stuff out of the way...who has a name. I think I need to buy myself a GIANT book of baby names to read in bed before I go to sleep at night. Hey, whatever works, right? :)

Here are some names Jeremy and I have thought of that we both like:

Coen
Ezra
Keene
Micah
Jonah
Jonus
Tripp
Mazzy
Zoe
Piper
Beatrice (BeBe)

I would also like to say that I completely adore the name Clementine but I am alone on that one;)

UCLA Study

2007-12-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his forehead while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected.

On a brighter note...

2007-12-20T16:01:00.001-08:00

On a much brighter note, for those of you who don't know (and actually read my blog).....We're pregnant! It's hard to be too bummed out about the winter with such good news growing in my belly. I keep meaning to post about it but, as usual, I've been a big, fat, blog slacker. Maybe this new endeavor will keep me busy with stuff to blog about:) This Thursday begins my 11th week of pregnancy, nearing the end of the first trimester. I'm already starting to feel a little bit better. The morning, afternoon and evening sickness now seems to be diminishing to mostly just evening sickness and a few waves of nausea throughout the day. I can finally look at vegetables again. Weirdest thing, there isn't a vegetable that I've met that I don't love; but for some reason, everything green and crunchy has completely grossed me out for the past month. Go figure. Pregnancy is WEIRD. All of the sudden, wham!?! You turn into some nutty, hormonally challenged wack-job who cries all the time and hates vegetables. Who knew?

We waited to tell people for awhile because of some early complications but everything is looking really great! We've had two ultrasounds and everything looked good. The last ultrasound was at 8 weeks and we got to see and hear the heart beating at both, which was amazing. I'll post the 8-monther. See if you can figure out which body parts are which:) Some days, I still cant believe I'm actually pregnant. It's so wonderful and overwhelming and cool and scary all at once!

Florida

2007-12-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

It is our second winter in Oregon and I find myself missing Florida, almost desperately. I think it's partly due to my growing distaste for Oregon's winters and maybe partly due to our friends Joe and Tracey taking a two week vacation there to visit her parents for the holidays. I talked to Tracey on the phone today on the first day of their vacation and we reminisced about what it was like living there. I remembered the lovely saltiness in the air that hits you the second you get off the plane or walk out of your house in the morning. I remembered the smell of Eucalyptus in the air on the warm summer nights. I remembered that short year that Jeremy and I lived just a block from the beach in that condo, the sound of the waves crashing from our balcony. I remembered walking on the beach almost every night after work, the sea unwinding me like nothing else every had, mental stitch by stitch. The tide would mold the beach in a different way each day and it always seemed different and interesting, yet familiar.

Perhaps the nostalgia is brought on because I have no friends yet in Salem, after almost being here a year and a half. I had the best group of friends in Florida, my own little family that had pieced together in the absence of my real family being so far away. We had the best get-togethers and our home was always filled with friends and good food. I miss Susie and Ruth and Eric and Carol and Marianne. I miss Eric and Lisa even though they were hard to hook up with. I miss my old friends from Agcert and Rockwell. I know it's my own fault that I haven't made new friends here, I just feel out of my element. We've been fixing up the house so I haven't felt like having people over. The rain makes me feel depressed and anti-social. I didn't meet anybody through my work because it was a solitary job, not like the office jobs I've had in the past. I know it will get better but today is just one of those days where you have to let it all out and have a good cry. I haven't gotten to the 'good cry' part yet but I have a feeling it's coming.

OKGo Video

2007-11-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Janise and Karlissa just sent me this. I had to share. Pretty impressive, eh?

Fireplace fix

2007-11-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

So, this is mostly for Mom, whom I keep telling "I painted the fireplace cabinets" and forgetting to send a picture. I'll put a before and after picture in because it makes me feel like we've actually accomplished something:) Jeremy is plumbing in the bathroom as I'm writing this (10:50 pm) because our faucet broke...sometimes I feel like our old house is falling apart faster than we can fix it up;) Thus the before and after, Mom, just to make me feel better! I can do that, right? :) It looks so WHITE in the picture, but honestly it doesn't FEEL that white when you're in the room. Or maybe it is just because I am so sweet and good that white suits me like my angel attire that I usually wear, so it just seems normal to me when I'm in the room. Really.

A memorable Summer

2007-11-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

We did get a chance to do a couple things besides work on the *$%^$@#$! kitchen this summer. In September, we took a wonderful trip back to Iowa to visit the family. We were there for almost two weeks and had such a relaxing vacation. It was exactly what we needed. We did some trout fishing and got to be there to celebrate both my parents birthdays. We caught up with a lot of family and friends. And of course, no visit to Iowa would be complete without a family picnic. A special thanks to my parents and the Firman's for putting it together and to all the family for coming. We had so much fun!

Another summer highlight was seeing two of my best friends.

While we were back in Iowa, we visited Tracy Merkel and her fiance, Matt, in Cedar Rapids. We only stayed one night but it was great to catch up. We got to see their new house and Tracy and I had a chance to discuss her upcoming wedding (summer 2008).

I also took a solo trip to D.C. to visit my friend Megan a week after getting back from Iowa. I hadn't been to D.C. before so we went to the capitol and saw some of the sights. I have to say that my favorite was the Vietnam Memorial. It was very moving. I think it was even more poignant to me since we are now in another horrific war with no end in sight. It was fun being in the city and it was so great to see Megan. She's one of those friends where, no matter how long your apart, when your together it's as if not a day has passed.

November in Oregon

2007-11-06T09:16:00.001-08:00

I've been horrible about posting and I do apologize. I've missed you all! So let's catch up with each other, shall we? Drop me a line and let me know what's new with you.

So me, I can't believe November is here already and the holidays are right around the corner. Time just seems to being whizzing by. With my job, I'm in the retail stores almost every day, and they actually put the Christmas stuff up right after the kids went back to school. As soon as all the notebooks, pencils, binders and backpacks where gone, the Christmas trees went up. It was mildly terrifying. I thought it might ruin my holiday spirit at first. I thought by the holidays I might be grumpy and scroogey and yelling bah-humbug at every passerby. Now that November has rolled around, I happily discover that isn't the case. I am starting to get a warm feeling deep in my heart that is radiating slowly throughout my body into the very ends of my fingers and toes, just like the darn Grinch. I'm having fantasies filled with Tofurkey and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and family and friends gathered together around the table. I find myself drifting into thoughts of my wonderful family and all of my amazing friends and the feeling so very thankful. I feel thankful that we are close to the Holman's during the holidays as it makes it so much more special being close to family. They have really made me part of their family and I have so enjoyed becoming part of my second families' holiday traditions. (Okay, now I'm distracted because I'm thinking about fruit soup....mmmmmm........) I am also thankful that Joe and Tracey moved to Portland because they are my family now, too. It's going to be exciting this year to get to spend some of little Nylah Hnat's very first Christmas with her! What a special Christmas this is going to be!
And there's more... as an added special bonus to the coming season, I haven't been able to stop smiling since we purchased tickets to go back to Iowa for post-Christmas celebration with my parents at the beginning of January. I think it's going to be a perfect way to start out 2008. I think I've also got Mom talked into coming out for a visit a month or two after that. We are doing a good job of spreading the visits out nicely and talking on the phone so being far away is more bearable. I'm looking forward to (hopefully lots) of snow when we're back in January and also sneaking in to vote in the primary. Go HRC! Have they moved it up that far yet? We'll at least get a good head's up on the election commercials.

On another front and probably my most annoyingly-talked-about subject, our kitchen is almost finished. Another thing to be thankful for! It is now fully functioning and looking great. We still have a few finishing touches to complete but we're so close. Here are a few pictures.

I heart countertops

2007-08-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

The countertops are almost done...and they are so beautiful! Bob crafted a plywood edge for us that makes them so unique! The formica ended up looking a lot like metal, which was exactly what we wanted. They are so modern and cool and....just perfect I think.

Furry Update

2007-08-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

More cute pics of the kids....

Rigby fishing with us near Lake Detroit

What happened to my legs? They were there earlier... Oh well..zzzzzzzzzzzz....

Typical morning at our house.
3/4 bed=animals
1/4 bed=Sarah
Jeremy?

Fishing on the North Santiam and Hanging out on the deck...life is good!!!!

2007-08-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post

2007-08-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

So I've obviously been slacking on the blog. I have no excuse other than we've been really pushing forward on The Kitchen (it deserves to be capitol I believe) and other minor house projects. I've also been painting the upstairs living room/dining room. I'll upload some new pictures to our picassa albums of the progress soon.

The other big event (and more fun that working on the kitchen!:) was a visit from the Parents in late June. They came out and stayed for almost 2 weeks. It was wonderful! We had so much fun, although it's never long enough. Jeremy and I both got our fishing licenses while they were here and we all tried our hand at fishing. We all caught at least one fish while they were here but not without effort;) We still have to find all the good fishing spots as I know they abound here but the Tiller-Holman's (Sarah and Jeremy) are newbies at finding them. We camped at the end of my parents visit in the Detroit Lake area. We found a beautiful campground that was right on the North Santiam River and camped under huge douglas firs. We had the best time! Thanks so much for coming to visit us!

Kitchen Remodel: Month 8

2007-06-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

Welp, here are the latest updates. I haven't posted pics of the kitchen in awhile so I'll throw a couple out there to show you how it's coming along. We are know on month 8 of our kitchen remodel, which has gone on for a "little" longer than we had anticipated. The cons are obvious I suppose, but there are also some pros, which I try to list in my mind at least once daily so that I keep a positive attitude.

1. The whole process has helped Jeremy and I to work better together. It has also given me an even greater respect for my husband's work ethic and abilities. I am so impressed every day with his perseverance and work ethic. It's not an easy task to work 40-60 hours a week and then come home and work on a kitchen remodel, yet he does it month after month. Even more surprisingly, he rarely complains.

2. Patience was never my best virtue. I have become so much more patient, which is a quality that I have always really wanted to work on. The kitchen remodel has given me a perfect opportunity to work on this quality in myself. I can now honestly say that I am a much more patient person and I'm proud of that.

3. It's summer and the weather is beautiful and perfect for grilling and eating outside. We've been doing a lot of both. Food tastes so delicious on the grill and I've become a much better grill cook! I never had much confidence in my grilling ability before and now I am starting to develop that confidence.

4. I have learned so much from this project.

5. After we are done with the kitchen, all of the other things that we want to fix up around the house seem simple.

6. The finished project is going to be so beautiful and we will appreciate it so much more having done it ourselves.

And, now, the latest pictures!

upper cabbies installed

upper cabinets, full view

pantry cabinets

It's coming along!

Memorial Day Weekend & Wine

2007-05-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

In Oregon, it is has become tradition for the bevy of local wineries to open their doors to the public to kick off the summer wine tasting season. Many of the wineries put out a spread of yummy foods and some even have live music. This April marked our one year anniversary as Oregonians and we decided to hit the road and head out once again into the beautiful heaven that is the Willamette Valley's wine country and home to the some of best Pinot Noir in the world. We went last year and we were a little too enthusiastic. We decided to go to five wineries which proved to be a little rushed and also a little (scratch that, a lot!!!!) too much to drink, although we went with our friends Joe and Tracey and it was, as spending time with them always is, a total blast.

This year we picked a different approach and decided to pick one winery that we were really interested in and then maybe stop at one or two others on the way, packing a delicious picnic of fruits, cheese and chocolate to enjoy along the way. There are so many wineries in the Willamette Valley just minutes from where we live that you can hardly drive a mile without coming across one or two. We thought it would be laid back and more of an adventure and it proved to be, what I would consider a perfect day:) Being out there amongst the vines, the beautiful scenery, mountains in the background....

We started out at Cherry Hill Winery, which was the one I was really excited to go to. They consider themselves a boutique winery because they produce a limited number of cases per year, although business is good and they are growing fast, as you can see from the vineyard pictures. I'd been wanting to try their wines for quite some time, but they are a little pricey so going to their tastings provides a great opportunity to taste some great wines that you wouldn't normally splurge on. Some of them, like Cherry Hill also waive the tasting fee if you buy a bottle. Cherry Hill proved to be our favorite of the day. All of their wines were fantastic, but their 2004 Papillion Estate Pinot Noir stood out to both of us and we bought a bottle for our next special occasion. They also have created a really laid-back environment with funny signs everywhere and an atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable, no matter your level of wine knowledge.

Pictures from Cherry Hill

baby pinot grapes

When I'm feeling sad about having no social life in Salem, all I have to do is drive 15 minutes out into the country and I remember why I was so drawn to this beautiful place. It is truly my heaven. Total sublimity....

The next wineries we visited were Left Coast Cellars, which was having their grand opening and Orchard Heights. Left Coast Cellars had some yummy Pinots and a really good Chardonnay (imho) but Orchard Heights was a little disappointing although they did have a horseshoe pit on the premise so we took advantage of that which was really fun. Note: Jeremy whooped my butt.

Pictures from Left Coast Cellars

Today's Distractions

2007-05-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

No captions! Reckless abandon! Wheeeee!

Happy Birthday, Tracy Ann!

2007-05-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post today in honor of one of the most special people in my life. I am a better person for knowing her and so very thankful to have her as a friend. She is wicked smart, funny, kind and full of life. Today is one of my very favorite days because it is the day she was born:) Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Thank you Mom & Dad!!!

2007-05-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

My parents gave me a gift certificate to this really great local store called Loose Ends www.looseends.com for my birthday in February. I purchased two rustic-looking trellises, some copper cones (which are just the coolest things ever) and a decorative birdhouse on a stake. They've all been such lovely additions to the backyard!

As you can see the trellises are coming in very handy! They're made out of heavy sticks and they look so natural. I think they have such a rustic, pastoral look to them and they're perfect for growing peas and beans on.

I wanted to wait to post a picture until I had something planted in the copper cones, but they look cool just like this! I need to drill some holes in them for drainage before I plant in them. You can also see my cute little birdhouse decoration.

"I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say Im the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul"

-They Might be Giants

The Wee Garden, continues...

2007-05-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Since we ran out of garden space, we started planting in the empty spaces in our backyard. I like the idea edible landscaping and think it looks beautiful when zucchini, pumpkins, squash, cantaloupe or cucumbers are mixed among the foliage. Above we've planted artichokes and zucchini. I don't know if you can see from the picture but the artichokes are in the very back in the right and left of the picture and the zucchini is in the lower left beside the fern.

zucchini!

Tomatoes, rubarb and watermelon.

Spaghetti squash

I planted two concord grape vines on the fence. My hope is that, not only will we have a nice harvest of grapes in a couple years but that they will grow to block the view that the neighbors have of our deck from their house. I think Jeremy could build an arbor "extension" for the top of the fence that would give us a couple more feet of privacy so Rigby can hang out naked in the back yard.

Along the fence we've planted brussel sprouts (my favorite veggie) red and yellow bell peppers, poblano and chili peppers, Japanese and purple eggplant, carrots, golden beets, sugar peas and beans. As you can see, we don't get full sun here for the entire day. The near end gets a few hours a day but it this was the only place we really had for a garden so we thought we'd give it a shot. If it doesn't work out maybe we'll consider raised beds in the front yard next year. This year will be our trial and error year:)

COFFEE!

2007-05-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

Just a quick comment on coffee and the PNW. People seem to take their coffee pretty seriously here. And what's with everyone asking you if you want a straw in your hot coffee? I've never been anywhere where people where so obsessed with straws in hot beverages? Is it just for stirring or to some people like to sip their hot beverage through a straw? Am I missing out?

There is a coffee shop on practically every corner even in Salem, which is not the cultural center of the universe by all means. Even if you're driving out in the middle of nowhere, eureka, coffee shop. Town of 30 people. Coffee shop. Or at least a drive thru coffee hut. I'm not complaining because coffee is on my list of favorite things in life. Anyway, Tracey and I were discussing this and I think we came to a basic agreement that it has something to do with the rain and the slight depression that sets in mid-winter and how coffee really gives you the extra punch you need to get through the cold, rainy mornings. I know I've been drinking a little more coffee since I moved here. Jeremy says it's a cold climate thing, but it's not as cold here as say the NE and look how much bigger coffee is here. I have to disagree. I think it's the rain.

With the many options to choose from in Oregon, I have felt the need to branch out. So far my absolute favorite is Java Crew. Their coffee is so good! Honestly, it's so good that after a year of Salem's coffee diversity, I can hardly drink a Starbucks coffee anymore. It's is second so far only to my husband's mad-coffee-making skills. Jeremy's is also my favorite because it doesn't cost $3 a cup and a girl's gotta budget. What's your favorite?

Backyard flowers

2007-05-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day outside today and I found myself distracted by the flowers in our backyard. Here's a virtual bouquet going out to all my special gals:) Mwa!

Wake up, Rigby!

2007-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

The other day Rigby DID NOT want to get out of bed...so we made him in it. He does this "thing" where, as soon as you get out of bed in the morning, he moves up and steals your pillow. What a life! Can you believe this guy?

At the Zoo

2007-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and Rhyann crawling through a crawly log at the zoo. Unfortunately you can't see Rhyann in the picture:(

This was my favorite part of the zoo. Aquariums are more my thing:) Rhyann is the cutie in the green.

Ducks! This exibit was also really neat because the ducks are on the other side of reflective glass so they come up right next to you. They were so pretty to see up so close.

Last weekend, Ruth and Rhyann came to visit and see little Nilah and stayed with Joe and Tracey in Portland. We went to the Portland Zoo with Ruth, Rhyann, Joe, Trace and Nilah on Saturday and they all came down on Sunday for a BBQ. We had so much fun on their visit! It was great to see them:) Just like the old days!

Jeremy's Birthday

2007-05-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Scarob beetle on one of Jeremy's presents (for longevity!)

PGE park, home of the Portland Beavers. They sadly lost by 1 point but it was an exciting game up until the end. Beav's tix were one of Jeremy's presents for a game the following weekend.

Unwrapping of the Birthday loot

Jeremy is mad that I posted this picture. I will post a picture of myself that I think is bad so we'll be even:) Loot: Groovy new shoes for my groovy guy and persian rug mousepad.

Cabinets installed!

2007-04-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

The kitchen cabinets are officially attached to the walls, whew! There are pictures posted in the Picasa "Kitchen Remodel" web album.

Picassa Web Albums

2007-04-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

Check out our web albums...click on the Picassa web albums link in the upper right corner:) We have all our kitchen remodel photos uploaded for your viewing pleasure.

Kitchen Remodel

2007-04-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we've been remodeling our kitchen pretty much since we moved in to our old house. It's finally really feeling like we've made progress! For a long time it felt like it was getting worse and worse and now, finally, we're seeing all our hard work begin to look like what we intended it to. As with old homes, it seemed like everything we did opened up a new can of worms and every step we tried to take forward was really two steps backward. We gutted the kitchen, took out all the old cabinets, floor, removed wallpaper, took out partial walls and updated the electricity. We cut a window in the wall to open up the kitchen to the living room and let in light and open up the space. This required bracing the ceiling in the attic so that the wall between the living and kitchen would remain structurally sound. We closed the walls back up with new drywall, put in a new floor, new appliances, new can lighting and a track lighting fixture. We're now in the process of hanging the new cabinets which we purchased from Ikea. It's been an insane, wild ride but most of all an amazing learning experience. At times we've felt like our lives were a big mess due to the big mess that has been our kitchen for so long; at other times it's made us feel like we could do anything that we set our minds to. And now for the important part; every time I used the word we in this paragraph, that "we" includes Mom and Dad Holman who have provided us so much help throughout this process. Not only have they spent many many weekends working their butts off making this dream happen for us, but they've provided us with sage advice, mentorship and moral support. If it wasn't for their experience and know how there is no way we would have attempted to do this on our own. And if it wasn't for their kind words and encouragement we never would have made it this far without mental breakdowns:)

2007-03-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Some Grape Hyacinth that came up in the back yard.

The wee garden

2007-03-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

I put in a strawberry bed (50 plants) yesterday. Hopefully they'll take. The first thing I did when I got up was run out to see how they made it through the night! I feel like a new mom:) I also hand-tilled our little garden spot along the fence in the back yard and plan to mix in compost today and plant my artichoke starts.

SPRING SPRING SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what kind of bush this is yet, but it's starting to bloom in our front yard. Anyone know?

2007-03-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Notice anything unusual in this picture of our house? Okay, here's a hint for you....do you see the shadows on the driveway? We forgot what it's called since we haven't seen it for so long, but this crazy-bright, shiny orb is burning in the sky. Spring is finally here to stay! And thank goddess because, as I've told some of you already, one more week of rain and I was about to throw myself in the street in front of an SUV. I'm kidding...mostly. Jeremy has already had to mow the lawn twice, and I got out last weekend and pruned all our bushes and gave the boxwood hedge it's spring haircut. I also got our garden started yesterday. I forgot how good spring feels after going through winter. It makes you feel so alive!

Welcome to our new home...Come on in!

2007-03-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile! Remember us?

2007-03-14T15:38:00.000-07:00