Baby Bump Update

Well I guess you really wouldn't call it a bump anymore!!

Everything is going well. She is now just over 27 weeks along and the little one is really moving now! You can see her tummy move and at times she really is active. I believe we have an appointment next week with the midwife.




I will write more later about the projects I have been working on around the house.

24 Weeks!

Ok so it's 24 weeks tomorrow but close enough. Emma is doing great! She is slowly getting used to growing and having her wonderful belly stretch each day. I know I have said this before but it really does seem to grow every time I see her.

Tomorrow we have another appointment with the midwife but will really only be a quick check up.

Still Working

Well, since my last post I managed to get laid off. Its been a week and a half and at first I was bummed that I had lost my job. Not that I really liked the job at all but it was an easy job with ok hours and good pay. But now that's its been a while and I have been busy with projects around the house, its actually kind of nice. Granted it will be nice to find a new job but for the moment, being off during the summer and getting a ton of work done is really a blessing.

I have been pretty much busy each day since being let go. I re-stained the fence in the front yard, built a new compost bin to replace the temporary one that we have been using for too long, and started with the baby's room and getting the outside of the house ready for painting.

I've only taken some pictures of the new cabinets from Ikea of course that we custom installed into the old closets. It was a bit sad to rip out the crown molding that I worked so hard to get in the first time. Oh well it's worth it!!

First One Installed

Getting ready to install the second cabinet

Had to custom modify the bottom for the crawl space

New Doors!!

Crown and molding installed

Baby bump update coming soon....I promise!!!

21 1/2 Weeks & Garden Harvest

Well it hot out and we are trying to stay cool! 90 is just a bit too hot for me lately! The dogs are all passed out and I would have to say that it sounds like a nice idea!!

Emma is now 21 weeks and 3 days along and I am happy to say that I finally got to feel the baby kick last night. Crazy amazing feeling for me...and I'm sure for Emma too. It only feels like a heart beat once or twice but it was really wonderful to feel it.

Here is an updated picture!



Also managed to build the trellis that Emma wanted for the tomatoes and beans on the back of the first box. A second one is coming once the cucumbers and melon get bigger. Was a pretty good deal in making it too and was quick to build and install.



Here's some pictures of the recent harvest in the backyard.

Reno Visit

This past weekend we headed on down to visit with Rosie and Mike and the newest addition to the family, Taylor Dianne Hope. We mostly hung out at the house and enjoyed a relaxing time doing nothing but holding Taylor.

I managed to get some photos of her...mostly sleeping of course but she is such a cutie!! We miss her already!



I will post more later when I get a chance and post some pictures of a short day trip up to Lake Tahoe with Camille.

New Doors and Weekend Ahead

I keep on forgetting to update the blog but I guess I have been busy at work and at home in the evenings. I will try better.

Everything is going great with the baby so far. Emma has more energy now and seems to be getting more used to the baby growing a bunch each day. She seems to be growing by the day and its amazing to see. Emma also said that she might have felt her kick. I of course tried too but didn't feel anything. I also try and listen but not sure really what I hear. Still fun though.

Last weekend was a big introduction into doors!! I managed to finally finish putting the last coats of Poly on the new front door and installed it. Of course ran into a few issues with it fitting perfectly but after a few tries it worked!! So hard to know what you are doing when you have no clue. Here are some pictures.







After the front door was done I decided to replace the old partially broken door in the garage with the previous front door. Thought that would have been easy as well but turned out to be an all day install. Long story short, I tore out a 3rd of the old broken door frame no realizing that it was one whole piece, and decided to design and build my own replacement. I figured for $2.45, I could for sure make my own instead of buying one for $40!! It worked but of course took the rest of the day to make sure it would work. Oh well, lesson learned and it just means the next door will be easier....I hope!

Lastly, we are headed to see our new niece in Reno. We head out tonight and come back on Monday. Can't wait to get pictures!!!

Weekend with Suzan

This past weekend Suzan came to visit before she headed on over to see Rosie and wait for baby Taylor to be born into the world. It was nice and relaxing which is exactly what we needed.

We started out the weekend with breakfast out and then going to Sauvie Island Farms to pick some really great Hood Strawberries. The price was right and it really didn't take all that long to get a large flat filled to capacity. I have to admit, I spent a good amount of time eating then as I picked them and taking a few pictures here and there.









Then Emma made a wonderful Strawberry Shortcake which was perfect and really hit the spot.

Then that evening we headed to one of our favorite places, Siam Society. They always have great food and it's fairly close to home.

Took a few pictures while we were waiting.





And if you haven't heard, we are having a GIRL!! We went to get the ultrasound last Thursday and the checked everything out. She looks healthy and is progressing along as she should be. We are both very excited!! Time is flying by though! So much to do to get ready before all our attention is focused on the new arrival.

18.4 Weeks

Summer Storm

As the day went by I kept on hearing about how the weather was going to get a bit rough. The wind started to pick up and the rain started to come down off and on. I had heard on an emergency alert on the radio that a funnel cloud had been spotted in Vancouver and south of Portland in McMinville...so that wasn't too encouraging.

I decided to take the lower road home since its in a canyon and might not be so bad with the wind and the chances of tree limbs falling. Germantown Road can get a little messy when the gusts start to pick up. Anyway I made it home and snapped a few shots of course on the road.



Then I arrived home and saw that our maple tree that we planted 3 years ago had split in half. I guess the wind was really blowing before I got home. Lets hope it can recover....I really like that tree.

3 Day Weekend!!

It was a busy weekend again here at the Nowell household!! Couldn't of had better weather too!! I think its been in the 70s during the day and has cooled off nicely in the evenings.

Saturday: I started off by installing some new windows in the Lean-To. We bought them at the Rebuilding Center for a whopping $12 and had the wood already from another project. It took a little while to figure out how I was going to install them but once that was figured out they went in with no issues. I wanted to also get them ready for the big party on Saturday night so I was in a little bit of a hurry. Managed to get-r-dun with 2 hours to spare.

Here's a quicky photo of them installed.



Then later in the afternoon everyone started to show up for Sadie's 30th birthday party. It was her party and so she set everything up which was nice. Emma really liked having someone else be in charge so she didn't have to do too much. She did however make the cake of course...YUM!!

Here are some pictures from the fun shindig!













Sunday: We devoted a good amount of time to pretty much do nothing!!! It seemed like a great day to kick back and enjoy the clean house and yard with nothing to do. We watched a movie, took a nap and cleaned up only a little from the party.

Monday: This day seemed like it was devoted to eating!!! Woke up to Crepes made by Emma of course. Covered in Strawberries and oh so good. I managed to get in a long run too. Ran 8.4 miles and for the first time not in the gym. Went well and was great to have a bit of a breeze to cool me off as I went. Then it was pizza for a snack, went to the park for a picnic and playtime with Puma for lunch, back home for some ice cream and to catch up on Lost and then fish tacos for dinner!! Yes I ate fish tacos!! Second fish dinner I have eaten and liked it! And lastly leftover cake from the party for dessert!! Oh yeah.



And a quick update baby bump photo. 16 weeks!!

Quick Baby Update!

We went to see the midwife this morning to check on the baby and everything sounded great! It took a while to find it but the babies heartbeat was strong. I was holding my breathe since it took a while for her to find but once she did...my own heart stopped. I don't think I will ever get used to that! Hard to believe since its on the size of a Nutter Butter at 13 weeks tomorrow!

We don't have another appointment for 6 weeks but at that time we will get to see an ultrasound!! Should be fun!!

Vacation Baby!!!

Ok so I guess I have been lacking in updating the blog lately. I guess I have been busy with the house and also we were out of town last week. No excuse really since I brought the laptop with us to California for Lance and Suzanne's wedding.

Not sure how many people check the blog but if they had they would have seen the picture on the top right that shows the progress of our baby!! We found out on Camille's birthday March 20th and its been great news ever since. We went in for an ultrasound about 3 weeks ago and got to see it growing! It was a crazy feeling actually seeing it and hearing its heartbeat.

Emma is now just over 3 months pregnant and is due on the Nov 10th!! Time is flying by.

I will write more about it later and also write more about the wedding! Was a great trip and a wonderful wedding!!

Busy Busy Bee!!

This past weekend was another busy one!! The weather was amazing so we took advantage of it to get some more work done around the house.

The list includes, building stuff, mowing the lawn, running at the gym, eating out, gardening and watching movies!!!

Emma worked on the garden some more as well as spreading the leftover compost on the plants in the front of the house and I worked on the cabinet that will be installed in the laundry room. The new washer and dryer are flat on top so we figured we could install something to take advantage of the space above it. Will be good to have right when we walk in the house from the driveway.

We of course managed to get a meal on Saturday at Halibuts. Emma was craving some fish and chips and it sounded good to me!! I forgot my camera...I know shame on me....but I would have taken a picture of our wonderful meal in the sun!!!

Here are some pictures of the cabinet with one coat of finish on it. The wood is from when I helped Pete install their new maple floors. Its a bunch of end cuts which was a little time consuming but it worked out.

My trusty Shop Dog

Bellevue Weekend Trip

This past weekend Emma and I and Puma went to deliver our sectional that we couldn't sell to John up in Bellevue. We knew it was going to rain and to be safe we covered the sectional with 2 tarps since we didn't have one that could cover the entire thing. Of course traveling with tarps is always fun since all it takes is one corner to get a little loose and the whole thing turns into a sail. After a few stops and a trip to get a few more bungy cords we managed to secure it nice and tight for the rest of the trip.

The weather wasn't all that great but we managed to get around and check out the area. John showed us around and gave us a tour of his workplace. He was kind enough to let Puma get in and out and in and out at each place we visited. It was a great weekend and we will for sure be planning on going back when its a little more sunny.

Here are some pictures of some places we visited.