So Close

The Gables are done! Time to buy the fascia and shiplap boards, cut the over hangs to lenght and put it all up. There are a LOT more things to do (unrelated to the roof) before we can call the inspector out but we are so close to getting it shingled and telling the tarps to "kick rocks." Some other good news is we bought all the AC/Heater units and parts and will be working on getting that installed very soon too. McCall and I are moving on up.



Front Door:
I've always wanted a huge front door. In fact it is one of my favorite qualities of the craftsman bungalow homes. The only problem we're having is finding a new door we like. McCall and I both like this door we've seen around Belmont Shores/Heights on a few old houses but can not for the life of us find a good remake. The picture below (left) is from an old 1910 home purchase booklet. The new owner had 4 doors to choose from, this being one of them.

I tried searching all the architectural salvage yards from here to New York, nothing. What do we do now? Make it ourselves! The design is fairly straight forward, Solid door with 4 windows. The door on the right is of a house in Belmont Heights; I knocked on this persons door to ask them if I could get the exact measurements off it so I could re-create it. It was just as I expected, a 48" wide door. You can ride a lazy boy on wheels right through a front door like that! I'll try to take photos of the building process but I know the finished product will be amazing and totally worth it. To bad the people who lived there did not say they were sick of it and offer to sell it to me.

First time in the pool!

Baby Girls first time in the pool. Even thought the water is still freezing she liked it!

Feng Shui

She felt the room was unbalanced and needed to do some re decorating.

May 2011

It has been a while since we have posted an update to the blog but there are good reasons for that. A lot of things have happened since we went camping at the end of April. McCall’s mother came down to visit and babysit Baines for a weekend, McCall had her first Mothers day, We went to a friends wedding in San Diego and left Baines with Nana and Papa for her first overnight stay and I was hit by a car riding my bike home from work. Fill whatever free time we had between all that with unpacking/repacking, working on the house, sitting in the ER (again) and dealing with doctors & insurance companies and you can see why finding time to update the blog has been overlooked.

The whole month of May is kind of a blur for me so I’ll just say what is going on now. Baines had her 9ish month doctors visit yesterday and was told she needs to eat more because she is tall and skinny. For height she is in the 85 percentile but for weight she is only in the 25% range. She eats all the time and we give her lots of snacks but she moves 24 hours a day. She dances when she eats, crawls at full speed everywhere she goes and thrashes in her sleep. Looks like were gonna have to step it up and keep food around for her munch on all day.

My right arm is in a cast and I’m not sure how long that will be on. The doctor thinks I tore a ligament in my wrist so I need to get an MRI done to see what’s up. If he is right then I’ll have to have surgery to get that fixed. The cast is really messing with my program at work and with the home construction. Progress has slowed to a craw but we are still doing our best to get some work done. We have until Baines' 1st birthday to get the framing completed and ready for inspection so hopefully I will not be disabled for too much longer.

Here are some pictures that were taken over the last few weeks.

(one gable almost done! They are way more work then I thought they would be)

Quick update

It's be hard to find time to work on the house the last couple of weeks but we've been able to get some things done. The main roof structure is now sheeted and we've started to build the first gable on the North side. The gables should go quickly so I hope to start working on the overhangs the weekend after next.

Pismo Beach

I’ve never liked the beach and rarely visit. I enjoy having pale skin and sand free shoes. Having a family to share experiences with has changed my opinion. Last week we went to Pismo Beach in central California. We had a really lovely time with the in-laws and our nephews. My favorite day we walked along the beach and collected Sand Dollars. The dogs went crazy running around in the water and Baines’ face lit up watching them. I loved it so much I might end up with a tan this summer.

9 Months

Dear Baines,

On Tuesday you turned 9 months old. That’s a long as it took to cook you. Which is weird because being huge and pregnant seemed to last so much longer. In nine short months you have become my best friend. You laugh at all my jokes and cuddle me when I’m feeling down. When I get home from work, I love it when you crawl over to me. You get this huge smile on your face and then give me kisses when I pick you up. I just love your baby kisses!

This last week you learned the cutest tricks. You started clapping and waving (I’m sure other kids your age do this too but I still think that you’re the smartest baby ever). All the sudden you think you can walk but you can’t. I’ve seen you pull yourself to standing and step away like you’re ready to run. Well that’s not going to work because you have zero balance. Why don’t you give your poor little head a break and take it easy for a little while. I’m not ready for you to start walking yet. I can barely keep up with your crawling.

You have this weird fixation with dog food. I don’t get it because it looks gross to me. Anytime you get a chance you book it over to the bowl and grab a piece. Last night it made it to your mouth before I could smack it away. Fishing it out of your mouth was difficult. It’s a good thing you don’t have any teeth yet. You might have chomped my finger off.

I love your guts my little Bubbies. Don’t ever question that!

xoxo,
Mommy

More

We had a lot going on over the weekend but here are a few pictures for now.