May 19, 2009

  • Quick Update

    I'm feeling a bit guilty about dropping off the face of the earth when it comes to my "in real life" friends ... I haven't talked to some close friends in months! There's just been so much going on. I promise things will be better after we move next week!  So, to kind of make up for it, I'm going to do a quick update here.

    This past weekend, my cousin Daniel, who's my age, visited from Taiwan with his girlfriend. They stayed with my mom (more room at her place; plus mine is a disaster zone from packing), but came over on Saturday and Sunday for visits with us and Jack. Jack was very happy to have so much company (and to see the gifts that Daniel brought ... namely two more cars, a little Mini Cooper and a Mercedes convertible).

    From left, Johnny, Jack (obsessed with one of his new cars), me, Daniel, his girlfriend, June and my mom, on our couch
    May 180

    I can't believe how quickly Jack is growing. He's becoming more and more verbal. He said "I love you" back to us for the first time last week. It sounds like "Uh uv ooh," but it's so adorable. He knows all of his major body parts, and he's starting to string two or three words together. I can't go for a drive without constant commentary -- Jack is especially good at recognizing cars driven by other family members. When we see a Highlander, he points and says "Ma-Ma" (his name for my mom, with a fourth tone on that second "Ma," for you fellow Mandarin speakers); when we see a Mini Cooper, he calls out for June; and when we see a Beetle, he calls out for Johnny (poor Johnny, relegated to driving my old Beetle). When Jack's in a good mood, he also says hi to the checkout people at the grocery store, then asks them for "juice." I don't know why he thinks they have juice for him, but it's funny. He's turning into a big boy, for sure. Some days I look at him and marvel at the fact that he once fit into my belly.

    Sleeping in his big boy bed, with a nest of pillows around him

    May 168

    Check out my new favorite father-son picture. I took this last night.

    My men
    May 177

    Let's see, what else is going on? I'm now 32.5 weeks pregnant ... the weeks are going by fast. We move next Thursday; I am so excited. Speaking of the house, renovations are actually going to be finished a week ahead of schedule. Everything will be done tomorrow! There will be a couple of things for our builder to tie up, like installing the cooktop (Lowe's won't have it in until two days before we move), and installing a light fixture in the master bedroom, but those will be taken care of before our move-in date. I stopped by yesterday, which was 11 days after renovations began, and it was 95% done.

    The hardwood floors. This is in the den. White molding will go around the base of the wall. The floor supplier ran out of the kind of wood we chose, so we got a free upgrade to Canadian Maple floors ... a much higher-quality material than we'd chosen. Score!

    May 169

    The completed second bathroom. Seriously, this is 10000000 better than the original bathroom. The original sink didn't even come up to my hips. You'll see when I post the "before" pics. The two sinks will be convenient because so many people (Jack, his little brother, my mom while she's living with us, and guests) will use this bathroom.
    May 172

    Our new back door.

    May 174

    Freshly painted exterior with new white trim on the windows and along the roof. Our builder also mowed and fertilized our lawn, rescuing it from its yellow-brown weedy state, and trimmed our rose bushes. Once those grow back, it'll look really nice. The door will be painted white this week, and we'll also plant little flowers along both sides of the walkway eventually.

    May 175

    I'm not sure whether we or our neighbors are more grateful for these changes. Now the house is no longer the dog of an otherwise adorable series of houses.  Wish us luck with the move!

    Oh, you fellow So You Think You Can Dance fans ... if I feel up to it, I might start a post-show synopsis here on my blog every Friday. We'll see! I can't wait for the premiere this Thursday. And, did you see that they also lined up a fall season?! Woo-hoo!

Comments (7)

  • Hey, Beverly   I read your previous entry and this one...EVERYTHING looks GREAT!!!  I absolutely love your kitchen and the colors you've chosen and the second bathroom looks really nice!  The hardwood floors are beautiful and what a wonderful builder you have   I can't believe he mowed and fertilized the lawn for you and trimmed the rose bushes.  Everything will look so terrific for our arrival

    I also love the picture of Johnny and Jack   I think Jack has Johnny's cheeks (is it possible to have someone's cheeks?).

    Going back to your previous entry...what did you think of the season finale of Grey's?  My mouth dropped.  They really left us hanging there!  I'm trying not to read anything about the actors because if anyone is leaving I don't want to know about it...I want to be surprised with whatever happens!

  • @shelly1196 - Thank you, Shelly! I know, I said, "Everything has to be in tip-top shapes for Shelly, Shaun, Hannah and Aidan! Chop chop!" :) Tee hee hee. As for Grey's, well, yes, my mouth dropped open, too! I got chills when it was revealed that George was John Doe. I felt like Izzy was predictable; of course the season was going to end with her on the brink of death (you gotta have a cliffhanger, and that was an obvious one. Plus Katherine Heigl has long been rumored to want off the show). I read about the actors, and no worries -- rumors are that both TR Knight and Katherine Heigl want off, but there are no confirmations. Supposedly KH has been saying recently that she'll stay if the show will have her; I don't know about TR Knight. Of course I hope both Izzy and George make it, but if I were to guess, I'd say one of them is dead. :( Don't know which one, though! Truth be told, Izzy has annoyed me much of the last season (her Denny hallucinations before they were explained really got on my nerves!). I've always liked George. I guess we'll have to wait. But seriously, they shouldn't do that to a woman in her third tri. I almost went into labor watching that!

  • The new place looks AMAZING!  It's really coming together!  I hope all goes well with your move next week, can't believe it's happening so fast!  Hmm... I feel like I need to type a sentance without an exclamation point at the end of it.  Ahhh, much better! 

  • Wow, I can't believe how fast you completed your renovations!!!!! Then again you have a team of 11 contractors, do they service in the east coast!?

    You drive a highlander? We're about to pick up a new one this week! I wanted a sienna but my husband refuses to get a minivan. Let me know how you like the car and if it's good for kids!

  • @babybitez - Tina, I don't personally drive a Highlander, but my mom has for the past many, many years (Jack calls for her when he sees Highlanders ;) ). As soon as we can financially manage it, though, we're going to trade in our Beetle for a Highlander, even though we have a Toyota RAV4. I've driven the Highlander a lot, and have driven Jack in it. It is a GREAT car for a family. It has ample, ample trunk space, the seating is cushy, and it feels very stable. I actually think of the Highlander as "almost minivan." I don't want a minivan either, but we need more space than RAV4 for two kids, so that's why we'll be getting a Highlander in the next few years. You could get third-row seating, but I wonder if that would be too cramped. I want the Highlander Hybrid! Good luck with your decision.

  • The father son pic is sooo cute!

  • Everything is looking so great on your renovation. Sooo jealous of your granite counter tops!

    Jack is so adorable and is seriously getting so big!!! He needs to give Brandon some tips on how to sleep on his own bed. :)

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