The Final Stretch...

It's hard to believe, but I only have one more week until I'm officially 9 months pregnant. In theory, I could be having a kid this time next month (and wondering whether she'll be a Leap Baby). All in all, it's been remarkably easy - I've had no morning sickness, no stretch marks, and a healthy appetite (as evidenced by the photo shown here, taken this morning. Never knew I could miss my chin so much). So I've had nothing to complain about, though I have been a bit frustrated these past few weeks at how tired I am all the time. It forces me to relax rather than be in my constant state of go-go-go. That and the fact that all of my joints are turning to Jell-O in preparation for labor. If anyone needs a good laugh watch an 8-month pregnant woman try to hold a fork or glass of water (just be wary of the consequences once she gets her strength back in a few months).

But we're all ready to go. My mom came down a few weeks ago and helped us do the nursery, and we were thrown two awesome showers, thanks to my mom, sister Cathy, Aunt Judy, sister-in-law Stacy, mother-in-law Carolyn, and family friend Pat! We've got a pediatrician, day care, and have taken a couple baby classes. Now, we're just getting ourselves educated on how the heck to take care of a baby. I'm reading the book The Happiest Baby on the Block right now, which emphasizes the importance of swaddling. David's Wallace doll has been kind enough to let us practice on him (although I can't say he's thrilled about it).

We're also prepping the pets for the big change. Jonas is no longer allowed in the backseat of the car, for fear he'll smother the kid in his zeal to stick his head out the window. We've installed a system of bars that confines him to the far back. He's been a bit whiny about it so far, even though we set him up with a blanket and some toys to make it feel more homey. Meanwhile, the cats have to be taught not to sleep on the changing pad or in the crib. We came home one night to find Mazzy curled up contentedly on the changing pad on the dresser, as if to say, "Thank you, how considerate of you to put this cozy bed on the dresser for me to sleep upon." Then there's the whole concern about cats stealing a baby's breath while in the crib (or, you know, simply sitting on her face while she's sleeping). So we're using a trick David read about in one of his expectant father books - cover the pad and mattress with tin foil. Tip: don't just put a sheet of foil in the middle of the crib or pad. Cover the whole thing with tin foil. I peaked in the crib yesterday to see Mazzy sleeping in a corner that hadn't been covered.

We're pretty excited, though already missing the idea of sleep. Allison's been kicking around pretty actively lately, and is getting ready for the big day herself by facing head down (thanks, Sweetie). I take her swimming once a week at a prenatal water aerobics class, which is more difficult than I thought it would be but is great for keeping me in shape. Can't say I'm fond of fraternizing with all the other expectant moms, which the class advertises as being one of the perks. While David and I are mostly concerned with how to make our kid smart - shielding her from the mind-numbing effects of TV for as long as possible, reading to her daily, and seeking out a Mandarin-speaking tutor, most of the women in my class are more concerned about finding cute curtains or the right shade of green paint for their nursery. One woman almost strangled her husband after realizing he'd chosen a yellowish green instead of the sage green she'd always dreamed would adorn her child's walls. Don't worry - she broke down in tears and got the paint she wanted.

Happy Fall!

The leaves have turned (or perhaps completely fallen where you live) and the air is finally getting cool. To celebrate, I thought I'd share with all of you the wassail recipe that has come to be known as Karen's Wassail among my circle of southern friends.

In truth, this wassail recipe belongs to the Macktown Historical Society. Stephen Mack was a pioneer who settled Macktown in what is now my hometown, Rockton, Ill. The namesake of my middle school married the namesake of my high school - Hononegah, disputably the daughter of a Potawatomie Indian chief. There are two stories as to how they may have met. One legend has it that Mack became sick from fever and that Hononegah nursed him back to health. In another, Mack was an advisor to the local chief but was despised by the people because he refused to sell alcohol and firearms to them. So they plotted to kill him. Hononegah reportedly either hid Mack in a barrel or met him in the woods to warn him of the plan. Mack became so grateful to her that he decided to be her husband. (Thanks, Wikipedia, for refreshing my memory.)

As a girl my girl scout troop and I, led by my mother, would dress up in Victorian dresses and help the historical society give tours at Mack's home, just a few minutes from where I grew up. We'd decorate a little Christmas tree with ornaments we'd made in the style of the time and sing Christmas carols from the parlor to visitors. And in the kitchen there was always hot wassail on the stove, filling the entire house with a sweet aroma.

So here you go. Enjoy! And Happy Turkey Day!

Karen's (stolen) Wassail
1 gallon apple cider
4 cups cranberry juice
2 cups orange juice
2 cups brown sugar
4-5 cinnamon sticks

Combine ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Can be refrigerated and reheated. Serve hot with cinnamon sticks.

The New Addition (no I haven't had the baby yet)

So I have a rambunctious dog, an indoor cat I have trouble keeping indoors, am still grieving over the loss of my other kitty, and am in the middle of a dozen major house projects. Oh, and I'm pregnant, and have all those life-changing experiences associated with that coming up in the very near future.

What better time to get a new kitten?

We didn't plan on it. I sent David to the vet last week to pick up Jonas from his annual exam, and the vet told him she was thinking of us the other day. Then she showed him The Kitten. David couldn't resist. He held her, played with her, even took her picture. And then came home with those same sweet pleading eyes he had when he first saw Joe's pound puppy photo. The vet said The Kitten loves people, dogs and other cats. Which describes our household. And she's just plain sweet.

We took the weekend to think about it, then decided what the heck. The vet said we can bring her back at any time if it doesn't work out - even six months from now. But it looks like it's going to work out. She's quite the cuddler, and it's actually been really great having a new little bundle of energy running around.

We're introducing her to the other pets slowly. Right now The Kitten is confined to the back bedroom, a paradise of toy mice, scratching pads and kitty beds. David and I trade off spending time with her and with the other pets, around whom we try to act like nothing's different. Mazzy doesn't seem to notice the new addition. This weekend we're going to try putting a towel that The Kitten's been sleeping on under Mazzy's food bowl to get her used to the smell. Eventually we'll move up to letting them sniff each other from under the door, then give The Kitten more and more run of the house. I think she's ready for that step now. She's already made a break for the hallway several times.

Jonas seems to be adjusting much more quickly. He's been very curious about what we've been hiding in the back room. So this morning David let him in. He had him lie down while The Kitten explored around him. Joe showed no interest in her - he was focused only on the treat in David's hand. Reportedly The Kitten thinks Jonas' tail is the greatest toy in the world. After batting that around for awhile she bravely ventured up to his face, and he let her sniff him without growling or making any threatening faces.

Now we need a name. We're really stuck on this point. Ironically we had no trouble coming up with boy and girl names for our unborn child but now sit around the dinner table throwing around names for a cat. So we are now open to suggestions. Anyone got any good cat names? We're feeling the pressure to find one soon before she becomes simply The Kitten forever.

Prison Break, Season 2

Crazy, I know. Two blog posts in a day from me. I definitely should be safe from Bill's stinky fish email for awhile. But had to share with you a "Guess what Jonas did" story.

We came home from a pumpkin carving party Halloween weekend, fully expecting to hear Jonas' loud and obnoxious barking from the back yard. But it was dead quiet. My first thought was that he somehow had found a new way to escape the yard. But we went inside, and he came running down the hall toward us, excitedly wagging his tail and offering some shredded stuffed animal in his jowls. Next thought: How in the world did I forget to put him outside before we left? We all know how Jonas is banned from being inside because of the terrible things he does to my furiture. But I distinctly remembered putting him and his dinner out back. Then we saw it - a huge hole in the screen of the back window. We'd left the windows open to get some fresh air into the house while we were out. My dumb dog managed to escape his yard to get INTO the house. Who does that?

Then my third thought - where's Mazzy? Not in the house, of course. So David and I grabbed the flashlight and went out scouring the neighborhood for my little escape artist (I'm sure she put Joe up to tearing the hole in the screen). All I could think about as we searched was how much it would stink to have lost both my cats in a matter of months. But by the time we got back to the house, there she was, outside the window (which was now closed) trying to jump back in through the hole in the screen. Phew.

Jonas spent the next day nursing his paw, which he apparently hurt by shreading a huge hole in a metal screen. We had no sympathy for him. Too bad he probably didn't associate tearing screen=hurt paw. We keep the back windows closed while we're gone now.

Progress Report

Well we've started the house painting project. We're doing the back first so we can perfect our method before painting the more frequently viewed front. Already we've seen improvement in our technique, and it's really starting to look pretty good.





We bought several small cans of different shades of brown paint from Home Depot and painted samples of each on the side of our shed (which we plan to tear down some day). One color was too light, the other too dark, a third too pink. The favorite, however, turned out to be the only one that seemed to require two coats - which means more paint and more expense. I was also nervous at first at how orange it looked when wet. It's called wine barrel - in the photo it's the color on the right and left sides. The far right shows how it looks with just one coat. Now compare that with the wheel barrel in the photo and you can understand why I was concerned.

But after a few hours of drying it toned down to a nice reddish brown, so we took a leap of faith and bought a few buckets of it, along with some black suede for the trim.






Now after two weekends and a few evenings, we have almost finished the entire back side of the house. Here's some before, during and after shots for ya. Rolling is awesome - it gets so much done so quickly. But the way the boards are on our house we have to use a brush to paint the narrow, inset boards. Between that and the trim progress seems slow. I also made the mistake this weekend of walking around the house and seeing how much more house we have to go.





But we'll get there. Especially since we're calling in reinforcements - my parents-in-law - next weekend to help speed things up before the cold weather (and my growing belly) make the work too difficult for me and David to finish.

BEFORE (YCH)

AFTER (YAY!)

Goodbye, mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream house

I love my house. I knew from the moment I first walked in it during our house hunt that I wanted it. It's a mid-century modern house with a fabulous Great Room, in which the kitchen, living room, dining area and a sun room are all part of one large area. It's very welcoming, and I knew it would be a great room for hosting. David loved it, too. But there were two things about the house that he hated - the tremendously overgrown back yard and the mint-green-with-black-trim paint job on the outside. He disliked these two features so much he almost didn't want to buy the place. I convinced him that these were easily fixable, and that cleared the way for us to close the deal.

As soon as we moved in last summer we started hacking away at the mass of bushes and thorny vines that were choking the outside. That basically doubled the size of our yard. It's now under control, and next spring we may even be able to start landscaping and adding plants we actually want.

This month, it's time to fulfill the other condition of our house purchase. Painting!

There is a watercolor picture of our house hanging in the sun room. It's the architect's rendition of the house from the 50s, and it shows the outside as a plain but attractive brown - obviously it had just been stained, not painted. David and I really like how our house looks in this picture and cannot understand why the woman who had lived here for 40-some years decided mint green was preferable. From what we can tell in places where the paint is peeling she even had it painted mint green several times over the years. So we are definitely set on going back to some shade of brown, which may be tricky, as we'll have to choose a paint that resembles wood tone because staining just isn't an option anymore.

So to help us choose the right color, I turned to Photoshop for help. Here are some possibilities I came up with:

Dark Brown: I don't mind this color, but David thinks it comes off looking cheap.











Cedar: This shade would closely match our wood fence, and currently is our favorite. But is it too matchy-matchy?














Light Cedar: While not our favorite, this color closely resembles the color depicted in the architect's rendition.

We do know we want to go with a dark brown or even black trim. We've researched colors traditionally used on mid-century modern homes, and whenever we found a brown house it had black trim, and we think it looks pretty good - though I don't think it really works on other styles of houses. The other most popular color palette for mid-century moderns involve painting the house white, which is definitely out of the question for us.

This weekend we're going to make a run to Home Depot for some samples, and maybe a few small cans that we can test out on the back of the house. But feel free to cast your vote for your favorite - or tell us these are all awful.

In the end, we may just say forget it - let's just go crazy and really cement our home's reputation as the most garish in the neighborhood.

Everyone, meet Allison

Yes, it is strange that this is the first post I've written on this subject. Most of you, my friends and family, know that I am pregnant. For those of you whom I haven't had the opportunity to tell yet, surprise! I am 19 weeks in - that's 5 months if you don't want to do the math - and yesterday David and I learned that we are having a girl. This came as a complete shock to both of us - we were approximately 98.2% sure it was a boy - sure enough, in fact, that we've been calling my belly Jack for the past few weeks. But we are in no way disappointed. We're very excited and happy, and actually seeing her and knowing that she's a her has made this whole experience more real. I'm pleased to share with all of you one of her first photos in human form.


We have decided to name her Allison Guy Griner. She's about 8 inches long now, and weighs just over half a pound. She has four chambers in her heart, a liver, two kidneys, and two hemispheres in her brain. This week, her brain's figuring out how to use her five senses, and she can apparently already hear my voice. We read somewhere that David should talk to my stomach so she can get used to his voice, too. So, of course, he speaks to her in his best Sean Connery voice. Boy, is she in for a surprise.

In case you're wondering, I'm feeling great. I was somehow very fortunate and did not have morning sickness. I'm past the stage where I'm tired all the time so I have lots of energy to do things like dig a 16-foot trench in the front yard. More on that later.

And I'm finally at a point where my belly's big enough where people can say with confidence, "Oh, you're pregnant!" rather than think quietly to themselves, "Is she pregnant, or is she just letting herself go a little?"