naming baby e

Since Dima and I decided to be surprised about Baby E.'s gender we're keeping the names we've decided on to ourselves as well. That doesn't mean it's not interesting to muse on what's popular these days or even in days gone by. I found this tool called the Baby Name Voyager.

Using an interesting visual display it tells you how popular certain names were in distant and recent history and when such names reigned or didn't reign supreme. Jennifer for example, which spiked right around the time that my parents named me, has since been on a drastic decline. And Dimitri (I had to spell it differently so it would register as a name in the tool.), which saw a drastic rise from zero in the early 80s and is now experiencing another surge.



Further investigation tells me that our chosen names for Baby E. are neither popular nor unpopular these days. How's that for cryptic?

shiny objects

Ordered this today from West Elm. The mobile for over Baby E.'s crib. Lovin' it! And even better... it was on sale with FREE shipping. Lovin' it even more!




More pictures of the room later. Dima finished painting over the weekend... four walls in Behr Asparagus (which looks more like perfectly ripened avocado flesh). He wouldn't let me help. Fumes. But with the white crib from Christina and Mike and the changing table from the Bobos, which we also painted crisp white, it's looking wonderful.

the final fabric

The final choices have been made. And I have to say I'm quite happy with them. Unfortunately Amy Butler's Lotus Wall Flower in Cherry bit the dust. I loved the combo but it was making finding complimentary fabrics impossible. Not that there aren't any out there. But every stripe I found and tried to buy just as quickly went out of stock. Sigh*


So on a trip to the local fabric store with my mom we ditched the cherry and went for a pumpkin color that I think both Dima and I like better. We then bought some coordinating fabrics that Mom will use in the quilt but the basics of the bumper and skirt will remain. Fabric 1 (from left to right) will be the skirt and fabrics 4 and 5 will be the bumper. We're leaving the quilt composition to mom. Very exciting!

What a Way to Start Your Day...

So I had a fun commute to work the other day... She said with disdain and thinly veiled sarcasm.

Dima dropped me off as usual at the Wheaton Metro Station. You may not know this but Wheaton has the longest single-span escalator set in the Western Hemisphere, 230 feet (70 m) in length[1]. Though it may look like I'm just showing off with my knowledge of either the Metro System and/or escalators, I am not. This is central to the point of my story. (I also do happen to know a bit about the Metro System. I have another blog that I've been really slack about keeping up with: metro.texture, which is all random pictures I've taken with my cell phone camera on the Metro.) I digress...

Dima dropped me off. I got my Washington Post Express from my favorite newspaper guy and entered the station. Swiped my Smartrip card and stepped on to the escalator. So far this is a normal day. And the hours that preceded it were normal too. (I got up, took my vitamins, my allergy medicine, fed the cat checked my email, etc. )

About halfway down the escalator I started to feel ill. And with every second of descent the nausea grew more and more intense. I stopped walking down the escalator and thought if I just stop moving it will go away. No luck. About two-thirds of the way down I decided to get off as quickly as possible so as much as I could in my bulbous condition, I sprinted to the bottom. Standing there I started to feel even more sick. I tried to decide... do I continue to walk toward the platform or do I find a place to puke? Finding a place to puke won out.

Now, as anyone who rides the DC Metro with any regularity knows, (or maybe you don't know until you're in a desperate situation like mine) since 9-11 any an all types of open receptacles have have been removed from the stations. Even the newspaper recycle bins have been moved up to the exits of the stations and off the platform. And the trash cans that are still on the platform are bomb-proof, so if you're feeling the need to throw up you've got to defy physics and practically stick you head in from the side to make a deposit.

Well, faced with this lack of options I scurried, as well as I could, to the Glenmont platform. On that side of the station the trains head away from the city and at that time of morning there would be less people to witness the humiliating display that was soon to come.

Look I managed to find a picture of the Glenmont side. See the arrow? That's were my desperate search finally came to an end. I leaned over and threw up into what I like to call the pit of despair. This pit is full of trash, gunk, God knows what else and as extra bonus it's all wet. So there's me, by the orange arrow, hoping against hope that that was it. No such luck. Another wave of nausea hit and I leaned over again. In my second heave (sorry to be so graphic) not only did I throw up but my phone dislodged itself from my purse and flew over the side into the pit of despair.

Let's take a pause to let that sink in.

So by this time I'm just weeping. Because, one, no one likes to throw up, and two, now my phone is in the gunk and what am I supposed to do about it. And to top it off, I had made special effort not to be seen during any of this, so no one has seen me! No one has offered to help the poor pregnant woman that has thrown up into the pit of despair. It was horrible.

So I head back to the now feared escalator. I need help. I don't know what is wrong with me and my phone is in a disgusting, wet hole. As is to be expected the ride makes me feel ill again and I cry the whole way up. It was great.

When I reach the top I head straight to the kiosk where the station manager sits. She was standing outside the door and listened in horror as I apologized for throwing up downstairs and then explained through weepy tears what had happened. First things first, she asks me if I needed an ambulance. I considered this but dismissed it, thinking it was motion sickness or lack of breakfast. (Which I was going to eat when I got to the office so don't get too excited about the Prego not taking care of herself.) The manager, whom I would later come to know was Ms. Wright, saw right away that I'm in a state. She ushers me into the kiosk, insists I sit in her chair, GIVES me the water out of HER lunch and goes to get the maintenance man.

When the two of them get back I re-explain to them and a gathering crowd of Metro employees what happened. Major, the maintenance man, asks "did [I] throw up ON the platform." And when I explain, no, I threw up into the pit of despair, I can see the relief on his face. Because, of course, no one has to clean up the pit of despair. Now all we have to do is get my phone out of it.

So we head back down to the platform, this time by elevator since clearly the 230 foot escalator had played a part in my malaise. On the way we chat a little. I comment on his height, which is significant and find that he is an inch taller than Dima, 6'9". We discuss the type of car he drives/fits into and visa versa. He then proceeds to tell me about a store in Frederick, Md. that makes clothes for tall men, giants even. Through all of this I've apologized again and again, about 10 times, and thanked him for helping me. He kindly acts as if it's no big deal.

So we get to the platform and lead him to the pit of despair. We immediately see my phone in pieces, minus the battery pack. See when my phone flew out of my purse and smacked into the muck, it broke apart. The back came off and the battery slid out of site under the platform. Major begins to use his nifty grabbing tool to get each of the pieces and pull them out of the pit. Still, we could not find the batteries. I insist it's okay. I can get another battery pack. At least I've got the phone, and more importantly the information in the phone. So what does he do? He crawls over the side and down into the pit of despair. All 6'9" of him. Good grief.

Well long story short he ducked underneath the platform and retrieved my battery pack from the muck, climbed back out, then took me back upstairs to the EMPLOYEE restroom so I could clean myself and my phone up. I did so and then upon exit profusely thanked Major and Ms. Wright for everything they had done. Then I headed back down the elevator and to work.

By far, though it started out horribly, this is the best Metro experience of my life.

The State of the Prego

I thought a quick update of where we are in the whole pregnancy thing would be appropriate. Today I am 28 weeks and 2 days. Baby E. is due July 21st, although at this point I either look like I'm due in 4 weeks instead of 12 OR I'm carrying multiples. Neither is the case... unless, there's a Houdini baby in there hiding exactly behind his/her sibling. This is of course unlikely and in general it "feels" like there's only one... not that I've got much experience in what it FEELS like to have one vs. two babies inside me.

In terms of feeling... lately Baby E. has taken on the character of a sumo wrestler. Lots of squatting and pushing outward in all directions. Less kicking and more just EXPANDING. Not especially comfortable but it makes for quite a show on the exterior belly. The other day Dima felt something pointy when he placed his hand over my belly. I have yet to see this and I understand at some point I'll be able to see feet and hands, etc. Just not yet.

I have no belly button at this point. Just a saucer.

I will also point out that though my belly is huge, the rest of me is not. I am mostly gaining girth in the belly department and have not, as of yet, taken on that puffy look that plagued the likes of say... Tori Spelling. Thank God! Fingers crossed on that front!

Other things to know... So far we have successfully navigated all the sonograms and we still do not know the gender of Baby E. There is plenty of speculation to go around though. Most people think we're in for a boy. A few think it's a girl. I flip-flop depending on the dreams I'm having. I'm not sure where Dima stands on it this week. Last check he thinks it's a girl. What we are sure of... we're expecting a human child.

The names are done. We have firsts and middles chosen for either gender. We are not sharing, much to Dima's sister's chagrin. We've also found that in the absence of a name some of our friends have taken to calling the Baby E. after themselves. So far we've heard Baby Daniel and Baby Natasha. Neither are right.

That's what I can think of right now. Or remember at least. The prego brain is in full force of late and I've got the mind of sieve. More later... if I remember how to blog.

Bumper Madness

Aside from Melba's total confusion about not being able to get into the baby's room we're having a bit of a crisis around decor. Or I am. Dima is experiencing it a bit differently. But he's going ahead and letting me have my crisis, which is a sign of a good husband.

My mom has offered to make the bedding set for the baby: crib bumper and skirt and a quilt, like the ones she made for my nephews. I've been on a mad search for just the right fabrics for, sadly, what is going on months. I found them...

But one of the final four keeps eluding purchase. I need a coordinating stripe and cannot find one I like that I can actually buy at the same time. Frustrating in the extreme. So far I've liked Amy Butler's Sunbloom Stripe in turquoise which is nowhere to be found and then Robert Kaufman's Mary Rose Mod Stripe which is found, but out of stock.

To top it off I finally got the third of the three I've been able to buy and the company I bought from sent the wrong yardage. They were short by 1.5 yards! AND they're office is closed for a week while the host a quilters convention. Oy!

I'm taking what I have to Mom today and she's going to get started on the most important thing, which is the bumper. Can't have Baby E. knocking his/her noggin' on a hard crib. When we find more fabric she'll move on to the other stuff.

love this no. 1

Designer David Trubridge of Unless from New Zealand, created this lamp of sustainably grown birch. Gorgeous!

g... what a cool idea

So I discovered something. Or a freelance client of mine put me on to something. And now that I've shown Dima, we've decided to give it a try. This may be a classic case of new parents syndrome just waiting to happen but in all of our efforts to make lifestyle changes that are better for the planet we're going to give it a try.

gDiapers! Green-diapers without too much hassle. I'm intrigued and, quite frankly, more excited about these diapers than I ever though I could get about diapers. We wanted to make an effort and not send a ton of crap, pardon the pun, into landfills. So yes, we have been discussing the options...

Ultimately, I just couldn't go the route of cloth diapers, though some friends have had great success. Since we'll be sending Baby E. to daycare after I go back to work, we couldn't realistically consider cloth as an option. And even though the washing is supposedly better for the environment than the tossing, I just couldn't deal with the idea of using them. Additionally, my mother, who used them with me, looked horrified at the mention of it.

So when I cam across gDiapers I thought what a great happy medium. They have a gDiapers 101 on their Web site for more information, but essentially they're flushable (as well as compostable and biodegradable within months) diaper inserts in a reusable cloth "pant." Really.

We're going to get a starter kit and try it out after Baby E. arrives. And even if our post-World War II plumbing can't handle it we can always throw them in the garden (ha!) or at least feel less guilty about putting them in the trash because they degrade so quickly. Who knows we may look back and laugh at ourselves for being so first-time baby, greenie trend followers, but I hope it works out. For a little extra expense we'll be doing better for the planet and our kid in the longrun.

save the plastic, save the world

I'm very excited about my new purchase. Through a series of links through a couple of other blogs (http://www.whisperingpine.org/>>> http://www.notmartha.com/>>>) I ended up at http://www.delight.com/ and found: Envirosax Delightfully Pretty Reusable Grocery Bags. I can't wait for them to come in. (Though it will be quite a wait. End of May.) We are overrun by excess plastic grocery bags. They have their purpose for sure—namely as receptacles for the contents of Melba's litter box—but they will no longer be the main way we tote groceries home!

the biggest adventure

The biggest adventure of late is the baking of a baby E. We're learning something new every day. One big ah-ha moment was when I figured out that the weeks that the doctor was measuring our progress in reality translated to a full 10, yes TEN, months.

So now as I enter the 6th of my 10th month, we're getting down to business. We've built a crib last week. And from what we can tell, the biggest adventure for Melba lately is that she is no longer allowed in what was the guest room and is now the baby's room. Total confusion on that front.

more later...

the latest...

We've been hard at work on our house projects. So hard at work in fact that we haven't had time to blog them. But I've just discovered the "Blog This!" feature on Picasa. And hopefully it will help us get back on track. This is my first time trying it so we'll see. The picture above is of Dimitry's handiwork over the sink... I helped a bit. We successfully installed two new halogen lights and and he and Robin Cavanaugh installed the track lighting. Since then we've also installed a beautiful pendant light over the new peninsula. All that's left in the kitchen is:

1. Patch the holes
2. Paint the walls
3. Hook up copper piping to the new refrigerator so we can use the built-in water dispenser
4. Frame in the mirrors in the dining room so they don't look so 70s
5. Reorganize the new cabinets and drawers and the pantry so we can efficiently use all of our new storage space...

Then we'll be done! RIIIIIIIGHT...

Ti-imbb-berrrrrrrr...

The big maple by our driveway is coming down today. The tree guys just arrived and incredibly, within about 20 minutes, they made mincemeat out of the straggly holly tree next to the oak. They cut the trunk at the ground and pretty much just put the whole tree in the chipper. Noisy? Dusty? Yes. Impressive? That too.

They're climbing the tree now... more later.

Melba Toast... What a Cat!

I'll tell you something... what more could you ask for in a cat. She's the Handy Man's assistant. She even help me a little bit tonight...







We weren't really sure what had her so fascinated... but I think I figured it out. She's just waiting for us to pull out the laser level. Click here to see.

OK! Now It's Done... Really.

The Elfa went up tonight. Our brand spankin' new platinum colored shelves are cantalevering themselves up on the freshly painted wall with nothing but a jug of All and some hangers on them. I guess we'll start moving stuff back into the laundry room tomorrow.


Dima using the awesome drill we got from my parents for Christmas.


After the top track was attached we added the hanging standards...


...then we started putting on the shelves. This one I put on rightsideup.


Finished!

There were some frustrating moments... like when we realized that the "long" shelves were supposed to be on the left side rather than the right... like when I tried to put the shelf on upsidedown... like, well it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that the shelves are up and we can move on to the next project and soon all the crap that we pulled out of the laundry room in order to do this project will be going back in. Well, hopefully not all the crap. Hopefully we'll be inspired to organize ourselves a bit.

The WALL Awaits Elfa...

It's done. The wall has been primed and painted and the only thing left to do is hang the Elfa. (Man I love Elfa.)



Did I mention what a great job Robin and Dima did? And Dima has been busy as a 6'8" bee since Robin left Saturday night. Spackling, sanding, spackling, sanding, sweeping, vacuuming, spackling, sanding, and finally painting... I can't wait to get the shelves up. We designed them so there will be a place to hang damp laundry and plenty of shelves to store all kinds of junk. Dima says that this is the realization of his very own homeownership dream. And it's true. Ever since we started talking about buying a house he's been talking about wanting a basement with shelves where he can stack containers that are labeled by their contents: snowboarding, camping, disco balls, etc. By this time next week not only will he have the shelves but I'm sure he'll have at least one labeled container. In fact I guarantee it.

Laying it on Thick!

Dima has been furiously spackling and sanding for the last two nights.



The wall is now begging for it's first coats of primer and paint. I bought some today on the way home from the office but we don't have a paint tray liner so it will have to wait until tomorrow. We were hoping to get the Elfa up tomorrow but it looks like it might be Friday.

Another proud participant in all of this has been Melba Toast. She supervised the entire process on Saturday and has been there to lend Dima a hand as he spackled and sanded.



We just don't know what we would have done without her!

Raising of The WALL: Fini!

It is done! The Great Wall of the Basement is finished! It looks excellent and I can't believe they did it all in one day!



Tomorrow we will spackle and paint. If we're lucky we will be able to put the Elfa up too! Unbelievable! I wish every day of homeownership was this fun (not easy for sure... well easy for me since all I did was blog and watch). I have to get updated on all of the other projects we've done in the last couple of months. I'll squeeze that list in when I can.

Raising of The WALL: Part Deux

Dima's mom (Dusia) and his sister (Natalia) stopped by to see the progress. The going was pretty slow this morning because the guys had a hard time drilling into the cement floor to secure the sole plate. (This is where Lesson #4 was learned.) After a trip to Home Depot they were able to get all the holes drilled and now the anchors are in.

Things are moving along nicely now though. After the sole plate went down they put the top plate in. And now... they've moved on to the studs. Robin has all sorts of technical words for the anatomy of the wall, as well as his tools. We're having fun with it. Their putting in a "cripple" to span between two studs that are on either side of the HVAC duct. Dima just called it a "crutch." Thesaurus versions he says.



We also all "tagged" the wall, as a sort of graffiti time capsule. I doubt the wall will ever come down but if it does someone will wonder what they're looking at for sure. Natalia's is the most professional looking tag but her mother comes in an elegant and close second.

Lesson #4

Don't buy cheap drill bits. You only end up having to go back to Home Depot more often.

The Raising of The WALL: Part 1

Today Robin came over to help Dima frame a wall in the laundry room. They've been at Home Depot since 9:30 and have just returned with all the fixin's. The basement smells like saw dust... a wonderful smell that brings back sensory memories of my grandfather's workshop. Wood cologne.

The plan is to build the wall and then put up the Elfa shelves we bought last weekend at the end of The Container Store's 30% Off Elfa Sale. What a great product! We've now successfully installed Elfa in the office and basement guest room closets and as an entertainment unit in the TV room. All around it's been a great introduction to lessons in basic handiness.

Lesson #1: Always read the directions. Even if you've done something before, everyone can be helped by a little refresher.

Lesson #2: Stop and walk yourself through what you're going to do before you do it.

Lesson #3: With every mistake comes a lesson that you would have had to learn eventually. Roll with it. Sometimes it pays to get the lesson out of the way. Case and Point: Dima learned basic drywalling skills after he punched a hole through the wall in the office closet installing the Elfa. I'm sure that he and Robin will benefit from that lesson today.