Once again we traveled to Vancouver for Christmas. This time we were traveling with Claire, which gave us some concern ahead of time but turned out to be a non-issue. Claire was a great traveler, either sleeping or being quiet on all four legs of our journey! Someone in the Bellingham airport even called her the perfect baby! Megan picked us up late Wednesday evening after we arrived in Bellingham. Other than Claire crying in the border lineup, our trip to Vancouver went very smoothly.
In Vancouver, we went to the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Gardens for the first time. It features 1.4 million lights on display in a garden. It was much bigger and brighter than the display at the Idaho Botanical Garden but way more crowded. I think I like the Idaho experience better - less crowded, more spaced out, and it has LED trees! Dave works at the garden and was very helpful in arranging our visit - thank you Dave!
Our visit to Vancouver was dampened by a stomach flu bug that was being passed around. Dave, Greg, Liz, Megan, and Emily were all affected but somehow all three of us managed to escape. Despite at least one person being sick for much of the visit, we did a little bit of shopping, attended the Christmas Eve service at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, and were there for the Christmas brunch and Christmas dinner at the Shepherd house. We had lots of good times with family and had a great time giving and receiving presents! Of course Claire had a big haul, consisting of books, toys, clothes (thank you Dave for the Santa suit!), and other items. Everyone was excited to meet Claire and we were very happy that she behaved well during her first trip away from home.
Our return trip was also uneventful (thank you Claire!) and was highlighted by a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Bellingham where we got a few things to cram into our already stuffed suitcases and some food to eat in the Bellingham airport. We got home late in the evening on Tuesday and I had to look forward to two days of work.
We hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Christmas 2011 Pictures!
Christmas 2011 Video
Present Opening Video
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Claire - December 2011 Update
Here are a few pictures of Claire from the past month or so. The last few are taken from the nighttime Christmas light display "Winter Garden aGlow" at the Idaho Botanical Garden which we attended with Bonnie. We offer our apologizes for the low quality cell phone pictures. While the poor quality pictures may not reveal it, the lights were great and Claire was mesmerized the whole time! Also included are a couple of pictures from downtown Boise. Enjoy!
Claire December 2011 Pictures!
Claire December 2011 Pictures!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas Decorations
Usually we don't do much in the way of decoration, but this year we decided to up the ante a bit. Besides the usual tree and train, we put lights on the house, car, and my desk at work. I got the idea for putting lights on the car from Ian and it has proven very popular here!
Christmas 2011 Decorations Pictures!
Train Video
Christmas 2011 Decorations Pictures!
Train Video
Monday, December 12, 2011
Bull Mountain Snowshoe
Dan invited me on a snowshoe trip to Bull Mountain just over the Utah border. This peak is noted for being a county highpoint and for having substantial topological prominence. Dan had failed on this peak the weekend prior (due to bad weather and navigational errors) and was ready for revenge. We met at 5am and were soon heading to south central Idaho to bag the peak. After a stop in Burley crossed the Utah line and we were at the trailhead ready to go just before 9am. The weather was pretty good for us - mild temperatures (in the 30s), high clouds, and minimal wind.
We were able to make good progress up the ATV trail and thence to a smaller trail up Lake Fork. This trail started out good but was soon obscured by blowdowns in several places. Dan did an amazing job bypassing the obstructions and managing to find the trail fragments, making what would have been an arduous struggle through snowy forest into a reasonable endeavor. Eventually we worked our way high enough that we could see a clear path to the ridge leading to the summit. It was a steep grunt up to the ridge top, but from there it was a straightforward ascent to the very flat summit of Bull Mountain.
The summit views were great and took in some ranges I had not seen in a long time. Due to fog, we couldn't see the Great Salt Lake immediately to our south. The summit register was filled with familiar names from the county highpointing community and made for great reading. Other than the flatness of the summit, everything about this peak was great. Our descent was much quicker than our ascent and we were easily back on the interstate heading home before dark.
On the way home, we stopped at Wendy's in Burley. This choice was questionable due to the really slow service. The highlight of the Wendy's visit was the person in front of us who had to wait 5-10 minutes to get his order taken. After ordering a frosty, the cashier said "That's it?! If I had known you were only ordering a frosty, I would have taken your order much sooner!". Fortunately we didn't have to wait as long as he did for our orders but I left with a great memory of bad restaurant service.
In short, this was a very fun and rewarding snowshoe ascent under very pleasant conditions.
Bull Mountain Snowshoe Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
We were able to make good progress up the ATV trail and thence to a smaller trail up Lake Fork. This trail started out good but was soon obscured by blowdowns in several places. Dan did an amazing job bypassing the obstructions and managing to find the trail fragments, making what would have been an arduous struggle through snowy forest into a reasonable endeavor. Eventually we worked our way high enough that we could see a clear path to the ridge leading to the summit. It was a steep grunt up to the ridge top, but from there it was a straightforward ascent to the very flat summit of Bull Mountain.
The summit views were great and took in some ranges I had not seen in a long time. Due to fog, we couldn't see the Great Salt Lake immediately to our south. The summit register was filled with familiar names from the county highpointing community and made for great reading. Other than the flatness of the summit, everything about this peak was great. Our descent was much quicker than our ascent and we were easily back on the interstate heading home before dark.
On the way home, we stopped at Wendy's in Burley. This choice was questionable due to the really slow service. The highlight of the Wendy's visit was the person in front of us who had to wait 5-10 minutes to get his order taken. After ordering a frosty, the cashier said "That's it?! If I had known you were only ordering a frosty, I would have taken your order much sooner!". Fortunately we didn't have to wait as long as he did for our orders but I left with a great memory of bad restaurant service.
In short, this was a very fun and rewarding snowshoe ascent under very pleasant conditions.
Bull Mountain Snowshoe Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Peak 5140' Hike
A few weeks ago, I embarked on a short hike in the Boise foothills above Robie Creek. The destination was Peak 5140', a little known peak in a mostly ignored area. After driving up Robie Creek and over Crooked Summit I parked at a suitable spot and began hiking up up the west slopes of the peak. The going was easy at first but got brushier as a I got higher. After slogging for a bit, I eventually reached the summit which was simply a mass of brush with no views. Disappointing, but not unexpected!
After a short time visiting the high areas in the brush, I decided I'd see if I could find a good route over to nearby Daggett Point. I quickly found a good trail and made nice progress, however soon I was surfing through heavy brush again slowly descending toward Daggett Creek. Since I had limited time, I chose to turn around and save Daggett Point for another day.
On the way out I decided to explore a third peak, Zephyr Ridge Point. A little bit of hiking from Crooked Summit revealed it has a house on top and is part of the Wilderness Ranch subdivision. At that point I lost interest and returned to the vehicle. Only one peak, but it was nice to see a nearby area that is seldom hiked.
Peak 5140' Pictures
Trip statistics: 3h, 4 miles, 1600' elevation gain
After a short time visiting the high areas in the brush, I decided I'd see if I could find a good route over to nearby Daggett Point. I quickly found a good trail and made nice progress, however soon I was surfing through heavy brush again slowly descending toward Daggett Creek. Since I had limited time, I chose to turn around and save Daggett Point for another day.
On the way out I decided to explore a third peak, Zephyr Ridge Point. A little bit of hiking from Crooked Summit revealed it has a house on top and is part of the Wilderness Ranch subdivision. At that point I lost interest and returned to the vehicle. Only one peak, but it was nice to see a nearby area that is seldom hiked.
Peak 5140' Pictures
Trip statistics: 3h, 4 miles, 1600' elevation gain
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving 2011
This year for Thanksgiving Katie, Claire, and I met Gary and Bonnie for dinner. This year dinner was at Berryhill & Co., an upper-end casual restaurant in downtown Boise. They had a buffet which featured turkey, roast beef, ham, an excellent salad, bread (yum), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, pasta, and various dessert dishes including pumpkin pie. It was very good and made for a very enjoyable Thanksgiving evening! Oh and Claire was very quiet throughout dinner!
The rest of the weekend was dominated by football watching and Christmas decorating. There will be a separate blog post on the decorations but for now we have a few more Claire pictures!
Claire Thanksgiving Pictures
Claire's Bath Video
Claire Babbling Video
The rest of the weekend was dominated by football watching and Christmas decorating. There will be a separate blog post on the decorations but for now we have a few more Claire pictures!
Claire Thanksgiving Pictures
Claire's Bath Video
Claire Babbling Video
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Granite Peak Hike
Dan put together a trip with Michael and Sean to visit Granite Peak in Nevada. After minimal deliberation, I decided to join. We left Boise just after 6am on Sunday and began the long drive down to northern Nevada. It was just after 10am when we parked at the trailhead above Hinkey Summit and below Granite Peak. From the start, it was a relatively quick hike up and down the peak at just over two hours for the round trip. The route was very straightforward (follow a fence line, then hike up) and got us to the top in a very direct fashion. The summit block has some easy and fun class 3 climbing to finish off the ascent. The summit views from Granite were impressive and were new vistas for all of us!
Since we drove so far, we weren't content for settling for one short hike. We also climbed nearby Peak 8560+ and Buckskin Mountain before departing. Both of these were very simple and direct ascents from nearby roads. Michael's FJ Cruiser was very helpful in getting us close to these peaks!
In short, this was a great hike with two new hiking partners in a new area under beautiful Fall skies and warm weather. Simply put, it was a great day!
Granite Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Since we drove so far, we weren't content for settling for one short hike. We also climbed nearby Peak 8560+ and Buckskin Mountain before departing. Both of these were very simple and direct ascents from nearby roads. Michael's FJ Cruiser was very helpful in getting us close to these peaks!
In short, this was a great hike with two new hiking partners in a new area under beautiful Fall skies and warm weather. Simply put, it was a great day!
Granite Peak Pictures!
GPS Track
Dan's Trip Report
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Claire - Halloween Update
Below are a few pictures of Claire in her various Halloween outfits and a duck costume courtesy of Katie's coworker Richard. While Claire looks cute in the costume, she wasn't very happy with it and we were lucky to get any pictures where she wasn't fussing!
Also included are a few older pictures from my phone!
Claire - Halloween Pictures
Also included are a few older pictures from my phone!
Claire - Halloween Pictures
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Gardiner Peak Hike
On Sunday I went on a short hike in the Boise foothills. The destination was Gardiner Peak, a little known peak in the Boise foothills which seemed to have a trail. I parked at Peace Rock (along the Boise Ridge Road south of Bogus Basin) and followed the very obvious bicycle trail through the forest in the general direction of the peak. Before long, there was a junction and I headed right. From there the trail climbs to an open ridge and leads almost all the way to the summit. A quick jaunt off of the trail under the forest canopy led me to the summit, which is adorned by a cairn and register. Summit views are limited but I was blown away with how pleasant the day was - warm weather with a mild breeze and lots of Fall colors!
The day was so enjoyable I extended the hike by exploring the trail in the direction of Clear Creek Summit. I didn't go all the way but it probably extended the hike by an hour or so. In my opinion, this little known hike is one of the most pleasant in the foothills!
Trip statistics: 7.25 miles, 1100' elevation gain, 2.25 hours
Gardiner Peak Hike Pictures!
The day was so enjoyable I extended the hike by exploring the trail in the direction of Clear Creek Summit. I didn't go all the way but it probably extended the hike by an hour or so. In my opinion, this little known hike is one of the most pleasant in the foothills!
Trip statistics: 7.25 miles, 1100' elevation gain, 2.25 hours
Gardiner Peak Hike Pictures!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Claire - October 2011
Here are few pictures of Claire (and the rest of the family) from Grandma Vickery's visit. As a special bonus for our readers, a few other pictures are included as well. Enjoy!
Claire - October 2011
Claire - October 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Claire's First Bath
Here are a few pictures from Claire's first bath last Thursday. She seemed to like the water very much and didn't put up any sort of fuss. Our future swimmer perhaps??
Bath Pictures!
Bath Pictures!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Announcing Claire Elizabeth Vickery!
As many of our readers have likely heard, our daughter Claire Elizabeth Vickery was born on Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 4:50AM MDT at St. Luke's Hospital in Meridian. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 21" tall!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Katie's doctor recommended that she be induced so we headed to the hospital around 2:30PM on Tuesday afternoon. As the induction progressed, Katie's contractions intensified around 11PM and she labored through the early morning. The nurses initially didn't think the labor was progressing well but around 3AM it became clear things were moving quickly. By 4:15AM or so it became apparent to all of the staff that the baby was imminent and after a little bit of delivery drama, Claire emerged into the world healthy at 4:50AM! It was truly a magical moment for me, unlike anything I've experienced before. After I got to hold her, I was surprised how calm Claire was after such a traumatic experience!
The labor and delivery was difficult for Katie but she was great and healthy as well. I'll let her elaborate on her experience in a future blog post! Afterwards, we spent the next two nights at the hospital getting acquainted with Claire and trying to get her feeding properly, a task that is still ongoing but progressing nicely. The nurses at the hospital were great and provided all kinds of help with regard to laboring, baby care, feeding, swaddling, and anything else we needed. On Thursday Claire got her first visitors: our friend Diana, her Great-Grandma Dow, her Grandaunt Bonnie and her Granduncle Gary. She may have not shown it, but I know she was super-excited to meet all the new people! On Friday Claire got to go on her first car ride as we were officially discharged to begin our life together. On Saturday Liz (Katie's Mom) arrived from Vancouver to meet her new granddaughter and hopefully make our transition a little less overwhelming.
Claire has her first doctor appointment tomorrow which will hopefully be all good news. Then after that, she'll be ready for her one week birthday. More soon!
Baby Pictures!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Due Date!!.. and a Short Hike
Today is our due date, however as of this typing there is no sign of "Baby Vickery" arriving imminently. Katie has her doctor appointment tomorrow so maybe we'll know more then. For now, it is day-by-day!
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
With Katie's approval I used the nice weather and "lack of babyness" to go on a short hike in the Boise foothills. After leaving the house, I tuned in the Jaguars game on the satellite radio and listened to them achieve an opening day victory. As that was playing out, I drove up the 8th Street Extension which was quite rough - I got my old LeSabre up this road in 2001 and now there are a few spots where I wasn't sure about the Escape making it. But all was well and I was soon hiking uphill toward Peak 6218', an extremely obscure peak along the Boise Ridge. The hike promised to be short, only a half mile each way. I started in an open area but soon found myself trying to avoid increasing amounts of brush. It soon became evident that the peak is surrounded by an unbroken thicket of chaparral and other vegetation which I would have to confront directly. What I assumed would be a short and easy hike turned into a arduous slog through thick, chest-high (and higher) vegetation. Eventually I made the summit, which fortunately features a small rocky area devoid of the brush that was everywhere else. The views of the surrounding area were good, including the Bogus Basin area, Boise Peak, and Gardiner Peak. I decided to descend a different way (a more western aspect) but found the brush to be just as bad that way. On the way home, I drove down Bogus Basin Road which is a much better access route than 8th Street for this area.
In short, I don't really recommend anyone climb this peak unless that person likes miserable plodding through thickets. Maybe it would be better in late Fall?
Trip statistics: 1.25 miles, 650' elevation gain, 1.5 hours
Peak 6218' Hike Pictures
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Baby Vickery Update time!
Well, folks, once again it's update time on the baby-baking process! This time, there are even some exciting pictures to entertain you! So, sit back, relax, and let the 39-weeks-pregnant lady do all the talking (er..typing) :-)
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
As Zach mentioned in his last post, this past Friday was officially my last day of work - I'm now on Maternity Leave, so I've joined the ranks of the unemployed! While it's very strange to think that I won't be going back to work on Tuesday, I know it will be great to have a different type of boss once this little kiddo arrives!
Last Saturday (Aug 27th) was my baby shower with all my coworkers. It was a very relaxed afternoon of chatting, baby-holding (one of my coworkers brought her 3-week-old son), and snacks (including homemade peanut butter & jelly cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream frosting...I have an AMAZING coworker/cupcake-making queen!). Oh, there was also some gift-opening that took place! My coworkers were outrageously generous, and the little peanut now has a whole bunch of blankets, lots of onesies, many toys & books (including "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch!) and adorable stuffed animals, to name just a few items! We also got a few packs of diapers & wipes, so we're set for at least a couple of weeks in that department. One of my coworkers donated her (barely used!) baby carrier, as well as her (gently used) baby monitors among other things. It was a wonderful day, and as soon as the host sends me the pictures she took, I'll get them posted! For now, you can see some of the items in the below pictures of the nursery.
The nursery has progressed, and we now have most stuff ready to go, including the artwork I found online. There are still a few things that we need to get (a laundry basket might be useful, for instance!), but that's something I'll be working on this week. I'm also going to try my hand at making a mobile to hang over the crib...because it is appalling to me that crib mobiles range from $50 (for your standard plastic arm with little animals hanging from it) to $80 or $120 (for a handmade mobile out of dowels/fishing line/hand-sewn felt animals). I figure that I can pick up a dowel from Home Depot, some cheap fishing line and some felt animals or something from the Craft store, and throw it all together for much cheaper! We'll see how this goes...wish me luck!
****You can click on the below pictures to make them bigger*****
View from the doorway, looking into the nursery (note my awesome Cabbage Patch Kids sitting on the toybox - one was even used for swaddling practice!). Also, the blanket over the side of the crib was a gift from Zach's coworker Linda - just beautiful!
View of the change-table/dresser station, as well as the bookshelf (lovingly filled by Grandma Vickery & the Aprim family!), and my Mom's awesome rocking chair that she rocked all of us in, just a few years ago! The green blanket is from IKEA, and is being used as a buffer to keep the rocking chair back from hitting the wall. You can also see the artwork on the walls - more on that shortly! The stainless steel garbage can by the door is actually the diaper pail :-)
A shot of the ceiling & light fixture, so you can see the colors & the sunshiney light!
View of the crib (don't worry, the blanket & stuffed animals/pillow will be removed before the baby is put in the crib - don't want any suffocation to take place! Also, the crib bumpers (there's one on the front, too) are made of breathable mesh...I haven't made up my mind about their design/colors yet, but if anything they'll keep the kid from getting limbs stuck through the crib slats! The adorable blue dog was a gift (along with other great items!) from Jan's friend Michelle, in Tampa - thank you, Michelle! You can also see the hand-made blanket on the front a little better in this shot.
A shot of the (kinda wild!) curtains!
Here's a close-up of the alphabet print I found on etsy.com - the artist who made this print (who is from Kamloops, BC!), also made the farm animal prints below - so cute!!
What? A sheep? How unexpected!
And of course an adorable pig!
And finally, this cow was too cute to pass up!
Me, modeling the awesome cloth diapers I got on sale - look at those totally adorable colours! In case anyone wonders, we'll be doing disposable diapers for the first few months (while we adjust to life as parents!) and then I'll try switching to cloth (at least while we're home - travelling with cloth diapers just seems like a LOT of trouble & mess!). This is our starter set of 6 - I couldn't pass up the sale, and loved the colours. Plus, they're "one size", with adjustable snaps, so they'll fit from infant to toddler.
Annnnnd finally...Here are a couple of shots of me in all my 39-week-pregnant glory. Pardon the "goofball" aspect of the first picture!
The profile picture was a special request from my Auntie Barb (Hi Manitoba relatives/readers!), but I figured others might also be interested!
And there you have it, folks - a baby update, complete with pictures! Big plans for this week include:
- Sleeping
- Washing/folding/organizing baby clothes
- Cleaning
- Shopping for a few things
- Attempting to be crafty & try to make a crib mobile
- Doctor's appointment & Non-Stress Test (to monitor the baby's heartbeat)
- Cooking/Baking to stock up some food in the freezer
Should be an exciting week! Hope you have a great week, too!
Also, sending lots and lots of love & hugs to my Grandma, who is being sprung from the hospital & heading home today...I'm sure you're glad to be outta there, Grandma!! We love you!
-Love,
Katie
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