waiting for 5 years and 9 months ....

We waited a really long time for our son.  And not just the traditional 9 months of pregnancy.  More like 5 years and 9 months .....

Our first miscarriage was in the summer of 2006 and we were devastated.  The subsequent miscarriages after that weren't any easier to cope with.  Neither were the appointments with doctors and specialists who never could give us a solid explanation for any of our losses.  So you can imagine our delight at becoming pregnant, again, in January.  And each week there was a good ultrasound appointment.  And each week the baby got bigger.  And then one week we check on the baby and he is DANCING in my tummy like that crazy Irish guy from Riverdance!  Which makes us think, "Maybe this time will be different!  We've never seen anything like this on an ultrasound before!"

Sure enough - this time was different and Nolan was the DANCING-EST baby I could ever imagine for his entire pregnancy!  He wiggled and moved and shoved and pushed and danced right up to the 39th week and then made his grand debut.

So welcome to the world Nolan Wilton Goetz.  We've been waiting 5 years and 9 months to meet you and bring you home!

An open letter to Baby-Goetz

Dear, sweet, darling Baby-Goetz,

              You are heavy.

              I am tired.

              Get out.

Love,

Your devoted Mother

Republican Dogs

We've joked about it before ... but we have Republican Dogs.  For the past 8 years they have waged a campaign of "Shock and Awe" on the backyard that has yielded numerous victories.  While patrolling the West, North and Eastern borders of their territory they have successfully neutralized insurgents ranging from your standard squirrel, to the occasional mole and even the unsightly possum. 

Their methods are effective and efficient.  Squirrels are particularly easy to detect; Brodi chases them down the fence line while Bailey circles around in front of them and them jumps against the fence hard enough to knock them into the yard.  The moles and possums were caught under cover of darkness so I cannot report on those battles.  However I suspect the attacks were swift and methodical as these unfortunate insurgents are left intact.  O_o

Please note that Mark and I have indoctrinated the dogs concerning any particular political persuasion.  They were adopted, as individuals, during their adolescence, and each seems to have arrived at our home with their political tendencies already established - just like Brodi showed up fearing laundry baskets and Bailey was carrying around a few extra pounds that she never quite shed.  Clearly they have found kindred spirits in each other and that has amplified any passion they had already.

Last night we suffered a friendly-fire accident.  It was horrible - you never think it will happen to your own troops, but it does.  I'm still not speaking to Bailey and have contemplated pulling her off of the front lines for a while.  A day or two in the garage might do her some good.  NATO has been unable to confirm why a front-yard-bunny ventured under the fence into dog territory, however you can imagine the horror for all involved.  Mr. Goetz reports he will inspect and repair the fence, making any necessary arrangements to keep this incident to a one-time event.  For Bailey's sake I hope he is successful.

Nesting .... in the Nursery FINALLY!

It started out a little rough - there was quite a bit to organize and move and clean and sort.  But it is coming together in the most satisfying way!  This little Goetz-Baby is going to have the sweetest nursery ever because so many people helped us create the space:

Best Friend Erin picked out the perfect paint color.

Brother Joe painted the Nursery.

Gramma Jeanne Betsy gave us her childhood bedroom furniture set.

Nana and Papa bought a crib and the glider.

Grams gave us a Bassinett that has seen three generations of babies.

The Dagg Family shared bedding, curtains, a lampshade and a darling mobile with us.

Aunt Carrie and Cousin Jacob gave us a sweet plaque and storage baskets.

And then Daddy put it all together ... just for Baby!

Nesting - the bathroom project is done!

 The bathroom is DONE and it is gorgeous!

Mark finished sealing all of the tile and granite the same week that my lillies bloomed...

He even hung my collection of antique keys....

The shower is completely sealed and we love the new tile there as well ....

Got my knick-knacks up ...

Here's a close-up of the accent tile Mark installed .....

And the tile again with my keys!  My husband is amazing - this room is beautiful!

still working on the bathroom .....

So the floor used to look like this:

But Mark laid marble tile, so now we have this!

 And the shower looked like this:

 But Mark installed a new shower .....

AND he installed new tile!













DON'T WORRY .... those purple stripes on the wall are the next order of business!  We've got a gallon of the perfect paint color ready to go.  Now we just need a few extra hours in the day!

Nesting ... in the master bathroom

Mark already re-did the bathroom for me in 2003 when we moved into the house.  It was a slight facelift at the time; something designed to remove the strawberry wall paper and carpeting and "make sense" of a purple counter top while still meeting our monetary criteria as broke homeowners.  Here's the first-round AFTER pic:

Mark gave it a great reno and we've been happy in there for almost 8 years.  But lately we were aware of tiles shifting in the shower indicating water damage and we knew that we would have to gut the entire room to replace dry wall and flooring.  We picked "right before the baby arrives because a deadline and self-induced stress are fun!"

Bruddah-Joe came over to help Mark with the demo and this is what my bathroom looks like now:

And here are all of the new cabinets, fixtures, tiles and shower pieces - occupying real estate in the nursery:

Pray for us ..... maybe we bit off more than we can chew on this one!  And I do get to use the term "we" for this project.  Cuz I lay on the sofa and yell words of encouragement at Mark while he works .... "Sounds loud in there hunny - good job!  Need another beer?"  Ya know, supportive things like that!