Saturday morning snuggle time

March 5, 2016March 12, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

William holding his little sister as she sleeps this morning. Ben held her earlier, but he hates having his picture taken.

More pictures…

March 1, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

…because, who doesn’t need more baby pictures?

Isabella is doing well. Yesterday she got her first checkup at the pediatrician, and everything was good. She is eating well and sleeping well. She even gives us one or two 4-hour stretches at night (at least for now), so I can’t complain. Susanna is healing well, and we even all took a little bit to enjoy a short walk in the spring-like weather here.

Sleeping, eating, pooping and more sleeping

February 28, 2016March 12, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

I get to enjoy a few minutes snuggling with Isabella while she sleeps. Not much else to do other than take pictures and post them on the Internet. The other option is to move and disturb her.

Sunday morning visit to get lab work done

February 28, 2016March 12, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Isabella was a little jaundiced yesterday when they sent her home, so we get a (hopefully) quick trip to the lab to get blood drawn this morning to check up on her.

She was a champ last night. Sleeping from 11:30 to about 3:30 and then back asleep to almost 7.

Welcome home, Isabella

February 27, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Susanna holding Isabella moments after delivery.

Will holding his little sister this morning before we took her home.

Sleeping in her crib at home this afternoon.

Sleeping in the hospital Thursday evening.

The boys ready to go home with Isabella this morning.

The Wait.

February 20, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Now comes the wait. Susanna’s due date came and went earlier this week as Isabella pushes towards 42 weeks.

The nursery is ready. The boys are ready. I’m ready. And most of all, Susanna is very ready.

So we wait. And try to keep busy.

When the arctic chill drops down from Canada, we sit inside, watch TV, do crossword puzzles and play on the computers. When the warmth returns we venture for walks in the woods (and still spend a lot of time inside watching TV and doing crossword puzzles). Most days, Susanna hasn’t been able to hike as far as we used to last summer. But yesterday, with the temperatures pushing into the 30s, we ventured way back into the woods, letting the dogs stretch their legs and get a good run in. Something that Targa has sorely missed this winter. And something Tucker sorely needs to get a little less fat.

This weekend we will try to make plans. This morning I will attempt to fix the leaking shower valve. I stopped by Home Depot last night and got the repair parts. I expect to have to swing by this morning and get parts that I probably have forgotten. After chores, we will head out and look for a source for gutters. Something better than the white gutters available at Home Depot. And after that, another trip into the woods. Hopefully plans that will get interrupted by labor. But if not, at least we will try to keep busy.

Another snow day!

February 8, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

The boys are stuck at home with another snow day. This morning Will planned out our day so we didn’t just sit around and play video games all day. This morning Will and I went for a walk with the dogs in the early snow. After the walk we cleaned the house and the boys played Minecraft for a while. Now Will and Susanna are cooking lunch while Ben and I take it easy.

This afternoon the boys will get more screen time, though Ben and I will head to the workshop to build shelves.

Will walking ahead in the falling snow this morning. — Will walking ahead in snow this morning.

Storm Damage

February 6, 2016February 6, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

We have (or rather had) two large hydrangea trees in the front of the house on either side of the old stairs down to the road. The northern of the two trees was in pretty poor shape after some storm damage over the last two years, and the wet snow this weekend finished it. So we are left with one large tree in the front of the house.

It is a bummer – the trees provided some privacy on the front porch (with the house being so close to the road. But on the other side, they are large and block the view of the front of the house. So this is an opportunity to redo the landscaping in the front of the house. Susanna and I like the idea of a shrub/tree on either side of the stairs, but we have to pick one that won’t get large and the roots won’t destroy the wall. Does anyone have any suggestions on trees/shrubs?

The front of the house with the remaining hydrangea tree. It is rather large and may be worth taking down in the spring - depending on what we decide to replace the other tree with. — The front of the house with the remaining hydrangea tree. It is rather large and may be worth taking down in the spring – depending on what we decide to replace the other tree with. You can see the broken tree cut up on the right side of the stairs. We will need to fix (or remove) the handrail going down the stairs and do some repairs to the stairs this summer.

Another view of the front of the house. The house is very close to the road, so it limits what we can plant there.

Snow Day!

February 6, 2016 ~ Chuck ~ Leave a comment

Preston canceled school yesterday – we had a storm blow through during the day dumping 5-8 inches of snow on us and turning the roads into a slushy slippery mess. The boys came over in the morning and spend a lot of time just hanging out, watching some TV and playing Minecraft for a while.

In the afternoon the boys and I went outside. First for a snowball fight and then sledding.