Renovation Update v.04.06.06

We were, once again, lucky to get some help from Grammy and Papa today. Jason took two days off from work to put some time into the renovation. Today we were able to tape and mud all of the seams in the sheetrock. We also did a little more demolition, removing a poorly-engineered built-in bookshelf that a former owner had inserted into what used to be a doorway. We plan on sheetrocking over the doorway but leaving a cased opening at the top. Sort of like it was, minus the built-in.

Tomorrow we'll get a second round of mud up on the drywall that's already up, and frame and sheetrock the door opening.

Avery is a little under the weather. We have to give him nebulizer treatments to help out some pretty bad congestion in his chest. (Read: hold him down while holding a mask over his face while he screams and thrashes for ten minutes.) He seems to feel much better after the treatment though, and despite his cold, he's in good spirits, as usual.

The Office

Today was just another day at the office. This is me holding one of three ball pythons delivered today. Bob, my coworker and proud papa, brought his new babies home shortly after they arrived in their nondescript cardboard box labeled 'perishable'.

Renovation Station

So we had a fairly productive weekend working on our little renovation project. We now have two finish coats of paint on the bathroom ceiling; the living room ceiling is all primed; the stairwell wall is all sheetrocked; and the stairwell ceiling is insulated and all of the strapping is hung.

Papa and Grammy came over on Saturday and were a huge help with the drywall. We also have to credit them with the idea of insulating the stairwell ceiling before we hang the new tiles. Avery has been a huge help as well. Look closely and you'll see him at the top of the stairs with his trusty hammer.

We bought a miter saw this morning, which we'll need to cut the trim and the flooring. We also have the new ceiling tiles purchased. Some of the next steps include finishing the drywall (taping, etc.), hanging the ceiling tiles, painting the living room walls and ceiling and hanging the crown molding. The bamboo flooring is supposed to be delivered on Tuesday, so when all of those things are done, we'll be ready to put the floor down.

Little Nole

Avery is sporting his Florida State t-shirt today! When he sees Chief Osceola, he starts to sing the Florida State fight song - well he kind of grunts it really... but he lifts his hands over his head in the end with a good 'woooo'. Happy Birthday to Bryan today!!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jason! Our house may be in ruins but there will be cake!

Not Part of the Plan

So here's the thing... The demolition crew (jason) apparently had a miscommunication with the designer/foreman (jen). The picture of the stairway is the result. "Oh, don't take THAT wall down?" Oh yeah, the "core project" is going well. That's what we're calling the project that we set out to do, namely the livingroom and bathroom ceiling and the livingroom floor. The ceilings all look great. Jen has one coat of primer on them all. As for the "extra" (that's what we're calling the still-expanding ancillary project), we now have to attempt our first sheetrocking job in a stairway. It will involve some tricky trim-work too. We'll keep everyone posted, and try to put some pictures of the "core" project soon.

Renovation Update

Today is day three for the contractors.  They managed to get the sheetrock in the living room hung on Monday.  On Tuesday, they hung the sheetrock in the bathroom and mudded both rooms.  Today they’re back to do some sanding.  It looks great so far.  I think they’re scared of Jen, who has had some tough quality control questions for them. 

Happy Spring!

Avery put these leis on himself. I think he was celebrating the start of spring.
Tonight when we asked Avery if he was ready for a bath, he signed 'bath' completely unprompted by us. We show him this sign often during our evening routine but he has never repeated it-this was the first time he signed it. Its amazing how much he is understanding and communicating these days. 

Renovation Day 1: Demolition and Fan Installation

We began the renovation of our livingroom and bathroom ceilings today. First we tore down the ceiling in the bathroom. It's interesting when you do something like this because you get to learn a bit about the history of the house. We discovered that the bathroom used to be about a foot narrower. When the previous owners renovated the kitchen and bath, they moved the bathroom wall about a foot back and then dropped the ceiling a couple of inches. Much of the previous ceiling is still intact. We left all of the strapping in place because the sheetrock can be installed right on it. We removed the old bathroom vent fan and bought an improved (read: supersucker) fan. We managed to get that installed and wired up this afternoon. We had to do a bit of monkey engineering to hang it, since the strapping prevented us from hanging it directly on the joists. I just hung another piece of 2X6 on the side of the joist and put a couple of furring strips up and it worked well.

The contractor starts hanging sheetrock tomorrow. Actually starting this project is giving us some motivation to think about some other projects we'd like to do. We'll keep everyone posted on our progress.

Its Finished!

I finished Avery's sweater last night. Its just a little big for him now which is perfect. Its made of cotton so it should be nice for spring. I'm excited to see him wearing it!

Signing

Avery is signing more and more these days. He loves to watch his Signing Time video!! This morning I asked if he wanted to eat, and he signed 'eat'. Once in his high chair, he signed 'milk', so I gave him a glass of milk and he drank a lot of it! When he finished his last bite, he signed 'all done'. He signed all of these signs without any prompting. We're still working on 'more'. Its really exciting to have him communicate with us before he can talk!

First tooth update, its almost here. The gum has started to break but the tooth hasn't made its way out yet... won't be long.

A Walk in the Woods

We went out for a walk in the woods to find a geocache today. In the process, we found a great new place to take walks. It was a warm day and Avery had fun stopping along the trail to touch the trees. Max was happy to get out and tromp through the woods too. We managed to find the geocache after a bit of searching. We're looking forward to more warm weather like this and getting out into the woods. 

Eating the Cake

Sorry to disappoint... he was fairly tidy with his cake. 

The Frogstomp

Today was Avery's birthday party. Avery had a great time and was happy to see everyone. Thanks to everyone for coming up and spending the day with us! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One year ago today we holding Avery for the first time. I remember every moment like it was yesterday. It doesn't seem possible that an entire year has passed since his birth! The birthday flag and banner greeted Avery as we arrived at daycare this morning. His friends are very excited to have a birthday party this afternoon. They were all hugging and kissing Avery! We'll have a quiet family celebration this evening Elmo style! We'll post photos this evening. Our sweet baby boy is ONE today, can you believe it?

Almost One

This little man turns one on Thursday! I can't believe a whole year has passed. Avery is really starting to interact with us a lot. We can tell him to take a drink of milk at dinner and he picks up his glass and drinks. We can tell him to go get his monkey and give him some love and he finds his stuffed animal and hugs him. He's starting to sign food, more, milk, and all done... on his terms and not on demand... but he's definitely signing. He's taking 5-6 steps at a time and while crawling is still the most efficient mode of tranportation he does walk. What an amazing year this has been!!

1w+1d=1y

 

It’s a bit hard to believe that AGR will be one year old in a week.  I watched him playing this morning and it’s a pretty amazing thing how he’s changed, and how he changes every day. 

 

Walking the Walk

He started taking a few steps this week. He's been practicing walking from Mom to couch and back. He thinks it's quite fun. 

My Guys

Here are my two most favorite guys in the whole world! I love them!! -jlr

Happy Valentines Day!

While red is a traditional Valentines Day color... ours will be pink. Amoxicillian pink to be exact. Avery has an ear infection. He doesn't have a fever... just a bad cold. Poor little guy! 

Play Time

Avery enjoys playing in the 'clubhouse' during the day. 

Yaaaaaayyyy!

So Avery and I were driving home yesterday and we were listening to a CD because he looks at me with a funny look until I turn on the music. The song got done and he turned to me and yelled, "Yaaaaaaay," and started clapping. He did the same thing on drive this morning. How cute? -jgr

They're Back !

Avery and Jen returned safely this afternoon, although the snow almost caused them to be re-routed to Burlington, Vermont. I think Avery got a little bit crazier while he was gone. Probably Devon's influence. Glad the family's back together again. 

Homeward Bound

We're all packed and ready to leave bright and early in the morning. We're looking forward to seeing dad at the airport in the afternoon. We've had a great vacation weekend. Avery has been the best traveling companion!

Little Nole

Avery is sporting his new baby shades, new bucket hat and his very first football (of course its a Florida State football). He ate lunch at Chili's for lunch (his second restaurant experience ever). Tomorrow we hope to take another trip out to the beach with Cera (Devon's 4-legged baby). We are enjoying our warm vacation (78 degrees today) but wish daddy was here.

The Sunshine State

Avery and I arrived safely in Jacksonsville last night. He was a great travelling companion. All of the excitement and travel caused a little stomach upset (ok-not so little) on the way out of the airport. A little laundry and a good night's rest and all is better. Bryan, Devon and I took Avery out to Jax beach to his first restaurant experience - we ate outside on a patio watching passerbys and had views of the sand dunes. Then it was out for coffee and a stroll on the beach. We're having a good trip. We miss dad and the 4-legged children.

Off to Florida

Jen and Avery are off to Florida, so it's just me and the "other" kids. It was definitely strange to see Avery on the other side of the glass at the airport, about to board a plane. I haven't gone a day without seeing him for ten months, and it seems very odd. I'm sure they're having a good time. I hear that Uncle Bryan is on his way up to Jacksonville to visit right now. Can't wait until they get back, though! -jgr

Sporty Spice

Avery is modeling his Baby Gap fleece vest (compliments of Grammah) and his cotton duck hat. We're making sure things fit before we pack our bags. He is standing up by himself in the picture.

Jaime and Jessie - you're in our thoughts. We are anxious to meet both Rylee and Hunter. 

Pajama Party

Every Friday for the month of January, the children are invited to wear their pajamas to daycare. This is not typical photogenic Avery... this picture was taken bright and early this morning and he wasn't giving out his typical camera smiles (he's usually such a ham in front of the lens). 

We're leaving on a jet plane...

Avery and I are flying to Jacksonville in two weeks to see Auntie Devon! I'm very excited and nervous about flying with my little man. Hopefully he sleeps on the plane and we are able to sit in a row by ourselves - keep your fingers crossed for us and our fellow passengers! A weekend with Devon will be worth the effort - look for pictures and a full report when we return.

Avery and his Harem

Avery is happy to be in the midst of his girlfriends. 

First Geocache

We took a trip the the Bangor City Forest today to find our first geocache. It was a beautiful day for it, though a bit slippery on the trails. Avery tagged along in his backpack and enjoyed the ride. Especially when Mommy had to duck to go under a fallen tree in the trail.