Tutu Much

Talk about incriminating.  Channing is rather proud of this picture when he sees it.  He's cute.  He knows it.  I'm sure in 10 more years, his feelings will have dramatically changed.  I already have visions of then vs. now photos at Channing's high school graduation open house or this picture plastered across t-shirts worn to a surprise 40th birthday party.  

For the record, I did not ask Channing to strike this pose.  It was completely his own doing.  The tutu was out in preparation for a photo shoot of ME.  Channing stole it and put it on instead of the shorts and t-shirt that I asked that he dress himself in.  Usually, he asks that I wear it, that we dance & that I hold him while we do.  He likes the way the tulle tickles his legs.  

It's just too precious not to share.  And, it has reason.  The tutu does anyway.  Channing wearing it is just a little boy being silly.  


I was honored with this red tutu in memory of Ali Nunery.  Perhaps you recall her story from this post.  Her family is working hard to carry on her legacy.  Today, I'm being featured on her blog www.rockpink4ali.com.  Pop on over to check it out, read my story & those of the other honorees.  I'm humbled to be in such company.  Humbled.  

Remembering

It's not as if we need an excuse.  We remember her every.  single.  day.  Baby Sophie.  Funny, in a way, that we still call her that.  She'd have turned two today. 

We had a quiet dinner last night.  The invitation was very last minute.  Which, if you know me well, you know how much of a planner I am in regard to dinners and parties and dinner parties.  It's hard to know how to meld together the joy and the melancholy.  So I avoided the issue until the 11th hour and then sent a hasty email to very few.  


Of course, dessert included strawberries.  We sang Happy Birthday.  Channing blew out the candles.  And we remembered, with light yet heavy hearts the bitty girl that exuded big love.  Thankful for her time with us.  So deeply sadden by our loss.  

I melt every time I see this picture of Channing and his two Sophies.  He loves his bitty girl.  Both of them.  

Big things are brewing in her honor.  BIG things.  Just you wait and see. 

Red Umbrella-I'm Done!!

Technically, this post is a week past due.  A week and two days past due to be precise.  On Friday, July 13, I sat in the chemo chair for the last time (pre-baby for sure, but hopefully for good!!).  See these faces?  Yep, that's pretty much how they looked thru the entire three-hour process.  We're ecstatic!  

I wasn't home post-chemo for more than 10 minutes when a knock at the door revealed this:

I know.  Beautiful, aren't they!!??!!  WM surprised me with a dozen sunflowers (my absolute favorite) for each round of chemo.  Six dozen sunflowers!!!  That man spoils me rotten.  Rotten!!  My two helpers were quick to get the stems cut and the blooms into vases.  They were strewn about the house all week.  Never before have I had flowers in practically every room in the house.  Even Channing selected a blossom to put on the dresser in his room.  

So, what now?  Well, I do have an appointment at the end of August to talk to my surgeon, Dr. O'Leary with regard to my double mastectomy.  When, with a newborn and a preschooler, is that going to be 'convenient'?  [Ahem.]  After the little guy's arrival, I will finally have the MRI that most cancer patients would have started their course of care with.  That is, at this point, all I know.  


Can I be honest?  I think I'm going to miss being bald.  Really.  I liked it.  My hair never did totally fall out.  It was just impossibly thin & gross.  I shaved my head every few days with an electric razor.  I burst into fits of uncontrollable giggles the night before my last chemo, having one of those 'never in my lifetime...' moments.  I was shaving my head in preparation to go out for dinner with WM & his family.  Shaving.  My.  Head.  for a date of sorts.  You know, like putting on make-up and jewelry.  I found it hysterical.  


A special thanks to my sister, Sarah, & her husband, Jesse, who let us crash their dinner the other night so that post-meal, Sarah could take a couple of pictures for me.  I needed a red umbrella shot for this post.  She captured it just perfectly-a little umbrella, a lotta belly.

As 'my' song goes, I'm gonna be OK so let it rain!!

Icing on the Cake

As  you well know, I thoroughly enjoy my creative endeavors.  I thrive on them.  But, there are times when I step back from a project and it's just a bit off.  It isn't quite right.  I've followed every step in the directions right down to the last one, yet the word 'finished' doesn't come to mind.  


That's how we've felt about our kitchen since moving into our little, red house just over a year ago.  Don't get me wrong.  It's a lovely, lovely kitchen.  The counter space stretches on and on.  There are plenty of places to stash and store this and that.  It's pictured all the time here on Fresh Picked as Channing & I chop, stir, bake and/or cook our way through yet another recipe.  It is likely more memories have been made in our kitchen than in any other room in our house.  However, until today, it's never been quite right.

We FINALLY tiled our backsplash.  Well, we didn't.  Jeff did.  We were given his name by someone who works for our builder as someone who could do a job well and at a more than reasonable cost.  He did not disappoint.  Nope, not in the least.  His work is impeccable.  Not only that, but he was a good sport about keeping me company this morning.  I sewed.  He applied grout.  All the while we chatted, a real treat for someone who typically spends her days conversing with a three-year-old.  

Just look at our beautiful kitchen.  Stunning.  Yes, I'm swooning over my own kitchen.  I've already been online looking at recipes for what to cook or bake first so my culinary delights can be framed by our glistening tile backsplash rather than the often used blue wall.  At last, it's done-the icing on our kitchen cake.

365 Project-Weeks 23 through 28

Unceremoniously, here are weeks 23 through 28.  While the blog has been relatively quiet, life has not.  We've been embracing it all.  Every little bit.

1.  Even his t-shirt eyed the ice cream sandwich Channing enjoyed one hot afternoon while sitting on the front porch.  2.  This is what happens when you ask Channing to smile nicely for a picture with Uncle Joe.  3.  We're gearing up and getting ready.  The olympics are now less than 2 weeks away.  Our house is filled with excitement & anticipation.  4.  At one point, this summer was cool enough to enjoy afternoon bike rides with pit stops that allowed for rock throwing at the pond down the street.  Oh how I miss those days.  5.  Desperate for an activity that would keep Channing occupied for more than 10 minutes, I caved and bought him Play-Doh.  6.  Holly & Lynnea stopped for dinner one evening bringing with them a bouquet of sunflowers (my absolute favorite!!).  Channing thought they were a fun place to try to hide.  7.  Bow tie onesies.  Too cute.  Way too cute!!  And super easy to whip up in and afternoon.  

1.  Scraps on the dining room floor.  I made a new Boppy cover one afternoon.  You'll see the finished result when I finally finish our nursery and share those photos.  2.  Stop, young man!!  That's mom's tutu you're dashing off with!!  3. Channing carefully tucked a couple of his favorite bedtime reads into WM's suitcase one morning as WM was dashing out the door.  They had story time that night via Google Chat.  Love it!  4.  This is the celebration leap of a young man who just made his first hole-in-one.  Believe it or not, he made TWO that evening.  Atta boy!!  5.  Blueberry muffins, fresh squeezed OJ and bow tie onesies were dropped off across the street, welcoming Jim & Kelli's sweet boy, Jonah, to the neighborhood.  In a matter of months, FOUR baby boys are due in our corner of the neighborhood.  6.  Channing was determined to BAM! me with his bubble gun.  7.  I'm amazed every time I pass one of these on the kitchen or dining room floor.  Channing's block towers have gotten increasingly creative and complex-physical proof of those wheels I frequently see turning in that sweet head of his.

1.  Boys & their toys.  iPad time for Channing & Anderson with WM.  2.  Channing and his 'little hopper.'  He discovered a small toad on our driveway after kissing WM & sending him off to work one weekday morning.  3.  Like father, like son.  Neither of my boys can resist the temptation of meringue, sneaking bites from the edges when they thing no one is watching.  4.  Schlopp.  Schlopp.  Beautiful schlopp.  Beautiful schlopp with a cherry on top.  This is what Channing sings each time he has ice cream courtesy of Dr. Seuss' Oh The Thinks You Can Think.  5.  "Fancy beautiful."  One afternoon, Channing asked to wear a 'bald lady scarf' so he could be fancy beautiful just like me.  Melted this mama's heart.  He sure did.  6.  Home made Play-Doh.  While I despise the store bought stuff due to the crumbly mess it makes, the kind we make ourselves is fantastic.  7.  We started digging out Channing's old clothes in anticipation of a bitty brother's arrival.  Channing couldn't believe he actually wore that onesie on the way home from the hospital.  He kept holding it up and laughing at how small it is. 

1.  In addition to decorating the nursery, we've been busy sprucing up other places in our house too.  We're thrilled with our upholstered headboard courtesy of West Elm.  2.  Big Helper Channing attacked an old foot stool with a pair of pliers, helping pull staples and remove old upholstery fabric.  3.  Window markers.  Yet another too hot to play outside distraction.  4.  My insulin pen, a necessary part of my nightly routine, now that I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  Oh joy.  5.   Potential colors for our bedroom and the nursery.  The master bedroom has now been painted courtesy of Walt & WM.  The nursery is still on the To Do list.  6.  Cousins, post-bath & pre-bed, watching a show on the iPad.  7.  Channing & Fred the Monster kicking it in the green rocking chair. 

1.  Channing now likes having 'coffee' in the morning.  I make it just like Grandma Max used to-8 parts milk or cream to 2 parts coffee.  He prefers Almond Joy creamer over milk & sugar and has to dunk his snack in his beverage as well.  2.  We had a lunch date with Leanne & Leo recently.  Channing once again practiced his big brother skills, playing with Leo on the floor & helping him every time his paci fell out of his mouth.  3.  Two play dates in one week.  A record for us in recent months that allowed Channing & Megan to work on their doctoring skills.  According to Dr. Megan, Channing's blood pressure was right where it should be.  He's in perfect health.  4.  Channing gets his feet painted by WM during our recent project night.  That yellow paper now accents a pink & blue butterfly that was given to Great Grandma Charlotte to decorate her room during her stay in MN.  5.  This little guy's grimace clearly says, 'Please free me from the confines of this prison.' yet I never do.  He's been stuck between the spindles of Channing's bed for quite some time now.  His expression cracks me up every time I see him.  Every time.  6.  Grilled peach & pork salad.  Diabetic food that everyone agreed was quite tasty.  7.  Channing's first experience with 4th of July sparklers.  He took great care in handling them as you can tell by the look of concentration on his face. 

1.  Dr. Flynn hard at work last Monday morning.  2.  Sharp cheddar & Wheat Thins, a perfect snack to keep my blood sugar balanced overnight.  3.  A very proud Channing & his first Frizbee.  4.  WM & Charlotte enjoying each other's company at dinner last week.  5.  Channing insisted on having his picture taken amid the flowers WM ordered & Kathy delivered in honor of a very special event last Friday.  (A separate post is coming.  Promise!)  6.  While the sprinkler was turned on for the purpose of watering the lawn, Channing used it as a means of cooling off.  This mama didn't even care that he was fully clothed.  It was that hot.  7.  Yet another DIY project in progress around here.  Our office/guest room is finally coming together too.  Yes, the urge to nest has extended far beyond the walls of the nursery.  

Paging Dr. Flynn

Channing took his job very seriously.  If you ask him, I'm positive he'd tell you Dr. Block was his assistant, not the other way around.  We were at Clinic Sofia Monday for my most recent check-up.  For a change, an ultrasound was not on the schedule which allowed for Channing to come along.


He hopped up on the chair next to the exam table where I sat and with a slight nod from Dr. Block, he instructed me to lay down.  He then proceeded to measure my big belly, declaring it ginormous (yes, that is a very exact medical term).  After conferring with Dr. Block, they decided the growth was appropriate and continued with the exam.  30 weeks.  30 centimeters.  Perfectly on track.

Assistant Block handed Dr. Flynn the doppler as she applied gel to my belly.  Without hesitation, he held the instrument in place and the sound of a wee heartbeat chugging along filled the room.  Dr. Flynn's smile said it all.  

That's MY brother in there.  Boy oh boy am I proud. 

In Cahoots

Great-grandma Charlotte + Channing + 5lbs of apple pie = one sweet pile of trouble. 

These two...Well just look at 'em.  They're in cahoots.  You can just tell by those sly looks they exchange.  And, if you think they willingly shared a single bite of that 5lb pie, you're wrong.  WRONG!  It took an awful lot of begging, pleading and finally a swift snatch-like maneuver by Walt in order for any of the rest of us to even get a taste.  Stinkers.

Artful Announcement

The paint hasn't dried, yet the photos have been uploaded to iPhoto and a blog post is swimming in my head.  What started as Channing begging to 'do a project' after dinner turned into family art night.


He grabbed construction paper, paint brushes & paints, while I cleaned up dinner dishes and WM prepped the dining room table with a drop cloth.  I thought for sure there would be peels of laughter, worming & squirming as WM began to apply paint to Channing's toes.  Nope.  He was captivated by the process.

Paint applied in just the right pattern, a footprint was pressed to paper.  Then another.  And yet another.  The result?  This:

Channing then asked with a shy smile, 'Can I paint on your bald head?'  Though the paint claimed to be washable, I hesitated & in that brief moment came a solution.  My belly.  Yes, I let Channing paint my belly.  It would be covered up if the paint at all stained my skin.  


He took great care in applying the paint just so, connecting the paint lines 'so no one can get in' whatever that means to a three-year-old mind.  I like to think it's his protective side once again shining through.

It seemed appropriate in that moment to finally share what many of you already know.  Through Channing's artistry and WM's steady finger on the camera's shutter button, we'd like you to know we're having a

Yep.  There you have it.  Another boy.  We couldn't be more excited.  Just 10 weeks to go!