Saturday, October 27, 2007

My husband, the fix-it man


Here is Ryan finishing up the fixing of the dryer. He and a friend took it apart last night and found the offending belt. This morning Ryan tracked one down at a parts shop in town and then began the task of putting the belt on and the dryer back together. We had the drum on and off several times before finally getting it to spin. Apparently you can't just put the belt on the pulley - it has to go on in a very specific way!

Stephen is up now from his nap. What should we have for dinner?

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Great Pumpkin Patch




Stephen and I got to enjoy the Great Pumpkin Patch yesterday morning in Arthur. We met some friends there and explored the exhibits showcasing many types of squash as well as animals. We even got to navigate a maze made of hay bales! It was a little chilly out but we did pretty well all bundled up - him in his Iowa sweatshirt and me in Ryan's Illinois hoodie.

Last night our dryer broke. I don't consider this a huge crisis, because I do like to hang clothes on the line. But many days I would put them in the dryer for a little touch-up. We also wash diapers every other day, so several rainy days in a row could prove to be a problem. Or just less-than-ideal conditions. Take today, for example. There was no rain. Yet the clothes still weren't entirely dry. We are not well-prepared for such a situation, considering we don't have a drying rack and our kitchen chairs can't weather dampness. Here is what our living room looks like right now.

Monday, October 22, 2007

A Quick Bedtime Note

I'm ready to call it a night, but I wanted to put an update about our appointment today. We heard the heartbeat again (160 bpm) and we found out that my thyroid labs came back perfectly normal. That's a relief.

Ryan was supposed to have 2 jazz tests today, but one of the classes was cancelled, so that test is postponed until Wednesday.

Next time you see Stephen, ask him what a horse says ...

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Worthless Outlet Covers

This morning I went to see what Stephen was so excited about in the hallway; he had managed to get one of the plastic outlet covers off. Thinking it was a fluke, or that it had been loose, I put it back on and watched what he did. Sure enough, he felt around the cover until he got to the part that has a little bit of room for a fingernail and stuck his tiny little finger in there and yanked the whole piece out. I wonder if the covers are more of a hazard than safety feature at this point because it's enticing to pull them out. I think we'll take a trip to the hardware store tonight and get the (much more expensive and complicated) full outlet covers. I'll let you know when he figures those out ...

He took his first steps last Sunday!!! It was so exciting to watch as he took off from Ryan to me without holding on to anything. He took 5 steps and did very well. Yesterday I think was a turning point for him; I saw him walking several times without me there coaching and coaxing him. I'll try to get some video on YouTube soon.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Cookies, Potstickers, and Chicken Nuggets

Ryan thinks this pregnancy is characterized by food. According to him, last time I was much more emotional and this time I have lots of cravings. He would know. He lives with me. Last week I had to talk myself out of ordering pizza; after I saw a pizza hut commercial on TV it was hard not to pick up the phone and order ... Stephen was in bed so going to the store to get a frozen one was out of the question and Ryan was gone. Then the next day I saw a Home Improvement rerun and Tim Allen said "fajita chimichunga" and I had the most wonderful memories of going to Chi-Chi's for lunch on a Sunday afternoon with my family and ordering a chimichunga. Wow, were they good and did I know how to eat them! I thought that this post that is titled with some of the things we ate today could include a photo of Stephen after eating part of his sunbutter and jelly sandwich. He loved it! (And we got to slip in the Iowa bib, hereby congratulating them on their win over Illinois today. Yes, I know where we live. But I also know who Stephen's grandpa is.)

I had a C-U Symphony concert tonight, and my friend Sumin was able to come and see it. It was the very first time she left her 3-month-old baby with her husband for the evening! The two of them hung out with Ryan and Stephen. And when we got back from the concert, both babies were sleeping and neither husband was! Looks like success to me!

Ryan is currently out finishing a limo job. We've had this gigantic stretch hummer limousine in our driveway much of the day since he had it earlier to pick the party up from the wedding. I'm eating some Korean cookies that Sumin brought and putting off the dishes I created when baking a banana bread earlier.

We're going to attempt a much-needed haircut on the little man tomorrow morning. It's not gonna be pretty. We'll probably spare our neighbors from doing it too early in the day.

Pregnancy update: I've begun to feel the slightest little movements. I remember feeling them when I was pregnant with Stephen, even really early on, but this time I know what it is - that it's not just indigestion. It's pretty cool to know that a 3-inch-long person is performing in a solo gymnastics show in there.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

To the Cubs fans: We tried. We really did.


My mom got this t-shirt for Stephen, and even though Ryan is a Tigers fan, I put this shirt on Stephen. I guess it didn't do much, but he has another shirt that will probably still fit next summer!

Yesterday Stephen and I took our friends Sumin and Jeongwoo to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch. We had a great time looking at the animals in the petting zoo, sipping cider, and walking out to the pumpkin patch.

Today we got together with Eric and Bethany for a Bible discussion at their place, which is something we will hopefully make a regular part of our week. Stephen can be a little distracting, but we managed to discuss a few things today. Later in the day, they took Stephen to the park while Ryan was working at school and I was practicing for symphony rehearsals, which start tomorrow.

Right now I am excited because all of the dishes are done. This has not happened since Heather was here last week. Who is to blame for fewer dishes? None other than Papa George. Thanks, Heidi, for the gift certificate.