Celebrating Baby at work

My sweet friend Beth at work organized a shower to celebrate the coming birth of our baby, and the cake she got was just the cutest thing I've ever seen. Here is a picture:



It was so nice to be celebrated by my work friends who have seen me grow bigger and bigger over the past months. Despite my strict guidance of "no gifts" a few people brought gifts anyway. Thanks to my generous friends, Baby Brother now has two blankets (not in pink like the stack I have at home!), three adorable outfits, a hat, and a special brag book photo album.

And I think my favorite gift was for me, not for Baby... A few days ago I had remarked to a friend that I was starting to look like the "before" picture in one of those glamour makeover magazines. She gave me a gift certificate to a nearby day spa/salon, to help me feel more like an "after" picture. So sweet!! What a nice treat today. My work friends don't read this blog, but pretending that they do for a moment, HUGS to you all! 

Experiment with Digi-scrapping

I have been experimenting with digital scrapbooking, where you create a layout on the computer rather than with paper and actual photos. I attempted a layout of the photos from our Milagra Ridge family outing. What do you think?

Family outing to Milagra Ridge

This afternoon we drove up to a pretty open space preserve near South San Francisco called Milagra Ridge. It was a pretty site, although it turned out to be more challenging than we anticipated to make our way up and down the hill with a toddler and my 8 month pregnant body... in the mud no less! But nevertheless, we got a few cute shots of our afternoon:

Tulip Photo Shoot

We live just down the street from the Sunset headquarters, and they have a beautiful display of tulips out front. Jeff swung by there this morning and came back with some spectacular shots of the tulips. Here is one of my favorites. There are several more posted on his photography blog at: www.fleeting-glimpse-photography.com. 

Carpet!

Last step of my Phase One remodel is complete! The carpeting went in today. Here is the new view into our hallway:

And here is Baby Brother's new room. Empty and boring right now, but what a nice backdrop I now have to work with.

And here is another view of the hallway from the other direction. You can't really tell here, but it's a nice subtle stripe texture, in a color called "Sand." I'm so pleased with it! Feels great underfoot too. Makes the back of the house feel so different.

Julia's Expressions: 20 Months Old

 

Fireplace Before and After

BEFORE:


AFTER:


Well, that was worth it! 

Julia on the swing

 

Painting Progress Report: RED!

The first coat of red went on the walls in the kitchen today. It makes a strong statement, that's for sure! Just a little red goes a long way. Most of the house is being painted in subdued shades of cream and tan, but I have a feeling that these few square feet of red in the kitchen, the central room of the house (physically and conceptually) will make the whole house feel colorful and adventurous. It may take some getting used to... but I think I am going to like it, especially once we put things up on the walls.

I have moved back home, by the way, as of tonight. (Many thanks, again, to Grammy and Grandpa for hosting Julia and me for over a week!) The back rooms of the house are mostly done, so with some open windows tonight I think Julia and I will survive just fine. It sure feels good to be home again.

Solo Getaway

This weekend I decided to take a little self-care break and I checked myself into the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. With the paint smell still in the house, it was a good excuse to leave Jeff and Julia behind for a father-daughter weekend, and do a little 8-month-pregnant-pampering. I arrived at the hotel on Saturday in time for lunch overlooking the water. I had a facial, took a 2 hour nap, and ordered in room service and the latest Harry Potter movie. This morning, I took an early walk and then headed back to my room for some reading by the chair next to the window, which looked out onto this view.

Then, it was off to a liesurely breakfast in town, and some shopping. Just what I needed...

Painting project - first view

I dropped by the house today to check on the progress of the paint job, which has been ongoing all week. We still have a long way to go, but so far it's looking great. Our bedroom is the farthest along. What a difference from the prior pale apricot walls and ceiling with grey trim and grey doors! The combination of the crown moulding, the new doors, the white trim and the new tan walls are so much better. I can't wait to see the rest of the house!

Preview of Julia's preteen years?

Julia and I have been spending the week with Grammy and Grandpa, since our house is being painted (and we're trying to escape the fumes.) Yesterday she was playing around
in Grammy's kitchen with my cell phone. A preview of the preteen years?

Jeff's trip to Yosemite

Last weekend Jeff went on another Yosemite photography excursion. Here are two of my top pics from the trip:

Baby shower for Kim

We went to Pasadena for the weekend to attend Kim's shower (my sister in law) whose baby girl Kira is due April 11th (exactly one month before my due date!) The shower was hosted by several of Susan's friends and was held at the Tournament of Roses headquarters. Here are some pictures.

The ladies gathering:


The adorably decorated gift table:

Kim, Susan, and the hostesses:

Me and Kim:

New outfit for Julia

 

Closet expansion project: Before and During

In the room that will be Julia's, the closet is poorly designed, such that you access it by a narrow door at one end that makes it impossible to reach anything at the other end of the closet. Here is the "before" picture:


We decided to try widening the opening. Here is what our handyman did today:



I think it's going to be so much better! I was originally planning to have bifold double doors installed (the kind that accordian out from the middle, allowing full access to the opening) but now I'm thinking of putting a pretty curtain across the opening instead. It will soften that wall, provide very easy access, and be cheaper too. If it doesn't look right we can always go back to the door plan. Next steps are to bring in a painter to clean it all up (as well as paint Julia's walls pink!), and then we will put in carpeting (which will cover up the floor patch.) Finally, install the curtain, and probably we'll need to fix up the inside of the closet with some better shelving, child-height clothing rods, etc. It's going to be great!
(These two pictures also give a good sense of the "before and after" on our interior door project -- look at the room entry door in both pictures. What an improvement!)

New Doors!

We replaced our flat old interior doors with new, paneled doors and upgraded hardware. Here's what the new doors and handles look like:

What a different they make! I really like how it turned out. Here's a picture of our double closet doors. Clearly, we need to get that trim painted to match... that's next!