Monday, March 29, 2010

It's a boy!

Last Friday, we found out that our bun in the oven is a boy! While we are beyond happy that the baby is healthy, I have to admit that I was a little sad. For some reason, it brought back childhood memories of wishing for a sister. I love my brothers, but after so much testosterone in the family home, I hoped for a little estrogen ally to teach and learn from. But alas, it wasn't in the cards, and I have to say that having so many brothers made me who I am today (a.k.a. a tough broad).

More and more, the reality of becoming a mother is hitting me. I'm starting to feel the baby move and my body is changing quickly. Now when we talk about the baby we say "him" instead of "it." I think both Ryan and I are starting to feel the time crunch to get ready for the little guy. I'm working in the garden like crazy (while I can) to get vegetables and fruit planted, clean up after winter, and plant in anticipation of a zen like space this summer when I probably won't be able to move as easily as I can now.

Ryan is spending nearly every free minute in the basement framing, putting in a window, and trying to get things finished so we can move our office to its new home in the basement. The room that currently operates as an office will become the new nursery, but we need a space to put the computer, files, etc.

After I finish in the garden, I will help with finishing up the basement and getting things organized in the house. I love spring cleaning and purging belongings that someone else can use. For me, it's like a form of therapy -- like hitting the "restart" button. I often notice my mental state changes for the worse when things are in disarray and chaos. I get frustrated easily, I feel anxious, and I have a hard time focusing on the present. I'm no neat freak (not by a long stretch), but I don't like feeling buried by things that are useless to me. My dream is to have a nicely organized home where I can find what I want or need quickly.

As I enter the organization phase of my nesting, I'll post about the good, bad, and the ugly of getting your life together before baby.

Thanks for reading!


Friday, March 12, 2010

The Little Yellow Bus

Ryan has a childhood friend, Chris Devendorf, who sent us a book for the baby-to-be. The crazy part? Chris wrote the book! Chris is a teacher, and the book ("The Little Yellow Bus") is an educational adventure with lots of activities for kids. Check it out on Amazon!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Spring has Sprung!

Ryan and I have been working like crazy. Ryan is pushing to get a software program ready for the iPad release later this month. I'm balancing the legislative session, a new role with our national office working on water quality issues, and trying to maintain my other work responsibilities.

This afternoon, I took 10 minutes to walk around my garden and take pictures of the early spring blooms. This winter has been unusually warm -- in fact the state is preparing for a possible drought emergency this summer. Flowers that usually bloom in March bloomed in late January or early February. I'm getting excited to move plants around and see what my garden does this year!

Periwinkle in my woodland shade garden.


Hyacinth close up.


Camelia explosion!


Forsythia -- a little piece of sunshine in winter!


Tulips in a pot.
What color do you think they will be?


Pot with red twigged dogwood and pansies.
In Seattle, pansies bloom year round, so this was my holiday themed pot.


Sunset through our blooming tree (not sure what type of tree it is yet!).