Monday, December 27, 2010

Theo's Two Month Photos




We took Theo's two month photos with his giraffe on December 13th. It has just taken this long for me to get them off the camera and uploaded properly. I also managed to put all his giraffe photos in the same gallery, which makes it very obvious how much he has grown in only two months time.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

MotionX-GPS Track: Crystal Mountain Skiing

Name:Crystal Mountain Skiing
Date:Dec 26, 2010 10:57 am
Map:
(valid until Jun 24, 2011)
View on Map
Distance:17.0 miles
Elapsed Time:4:57:07
Avg Speed:3.4 mph
Max Speed:30.5 mph
Avg Pace:17' 30" per mile
Min Altitude:4,203 ft
Max Altitude:6,556 ft
Start Time:2010-12-26T18:57:00Z
Start Location:
Latitude:46.931281º N
Longitude:121.473926º W
End Location:
Latitude:46.930238º N
Longitude:121.486122º W
 

Friday, December 24, 2010

First Egg!




This morning we had let the chickens out to roam the yard. This is something we do once or twice a week so it's not unusual but typically the chickens roam together. I noticed there were only three chickens so naturally I worried that perhaps a cat had gotten the fourth. But I found her sitting in a nesting box, squawking. I suspected she was laying an egg, so later when I saw all four out again, I went and checked. Sure enough, an egg was had. I think (hope?) the first egg is smaller than later eggs, because this one sure is small!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Weighing In



Theo tipped the scales at 11.95 oz at his follow-up appointment today. Conclusion: Feed him more.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Baby Essentials

Now that we've had Theo for almost two months, a few items have emerged as incredibly useful and I though we should share. These are listed in order starting with the most useful. (Just to be clear, these are things we already own and use, so please don't buy them for us -- but feel free to buy them for yourselves if you have a small baby and think they might work for you too)

1. Total Baby - This is an iPhone app which takes over once the baby is born. At the hospital they'll give you a sheet you can take home and use to keep track of feedings, naps, and diaper changes. Total Baby does it all. If you don't own an iPhone or iPod Touch, it's worth buying one just for this app. - $5 available via the iTunes store.

2. Prince Lionheart The Original Slumber Bear. This is essentially a glorified teddy bear with a white noise machine inside -- which happens to be "womb sounds". Theo's too young to sleep with a teddy bear, so the box inside comes out and hangs on the bassinet. The first night we got this, Theo slept for six hours. Since then he's gotten up to routinely sleeping 8+ hours every night. This thing chews through batteries pretty quickly but it's worth it.





3. Fisher Price Soothe N Play Bouncer - Woodland Animals. Because Theo likes to bounce, although honestly the vibration isn't enough for him and we actively have to rock him with a foot.





4. Baby Swing For those times we need Theo to sleep and he's fussy and we don't want to hold him, this thing plus the white noise iPhone app are wonderful! It goes hand-in-hand with the bouncer, but sometimes Theo wants to bounce, and sometimes he prefers to swing.






5. IQ Baby Baby Buzz. This isn't as important now, but when Theo was less than a month old he really hated being on the changing table, and the music this guy plays was the only way we could get him to calm down even the slightest bit. It chews through batteries like there's no tomorrow, however. It needed new batteries every 3-4 days!





6. AngelCare Baby Monitor. This is just a baby monitor on steriods. It's got the audio, of course, but it also has temperature with alarms so if the baby's room gets too hot or too cold, you know. But that's not the reason this makes the list, especially since Theo still sleeps in the room with us. This monitor comes with a motion-sensitive plate that slides underneath the mattress. His breathing is enough movement to set off the sensor. Should he stop breathing (or get picked up by us), the monitor notices that, sends a warning beep in ten seconds, and ten seconds later alarms. Theo doesn't have breathing problems or anything like that, but SIDS is very scary and this gives me a lot of peace of mind, especially once Theo started sleeping for 8+ hours each night.





7. White Noise iPhone App. Like the name says, plays white noise out of the iPhone speaker. I crank it up as loud as it goes, and it really soothes Theo. Very useful at some of the worst moments. The only downside is if you need to turn it off, and sometimes Theo is crying, I need to turn it off faster than the process of unlocking the phone allows. - Free via the iTunes Store, with ads and nags.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Two month check up


Two month check up
Theo got poked and prodded today. He weighs 11 lbs 5 oz, is 24.5 inches tall, and his head measures 15.5 inches around.


Monday, December 13, 2010

Theo is two months old today!



He is a champion sleeper and loves eating, smiling, and playing with his lion or anything else with a face.


Friday, December 10, 2010

Theo and his duck


During his bath last night, Theo played with his duck. He has tracked it before, but this was the first time he interacted with it of his own accord, batting it around with his hands.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Breakfast of Parents

This is what happens to pancakes when one microwaves them for 11 minutes instead of 1 minute 10 seconds. Plus the house gets very smokey.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Holiday Wishlists

For anyone looking to get presents, please feel free to peruse the following lists:

Michal's Wishlist
Sarah's Wishlist
Theo's Baby Registry at Amazon
Theo's Baby Registry at Target

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Dust or snow storm?

Here is what happens when you let your husband loose with a sander in a room full of dry wall.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Theo in his game day attire

Go Yellow Jackets!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy First T-Day Theo!

Happy First T-Day Theo!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Six Weeks Old

Theo weighed in at 10 lbs and 3 oz today. It will also be the last time he wears his monkey feet pajamas.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Theo's One Month Giraffe Photos


We took Theo's one month photos with his giraffe for comparison on November 13th, right on schedule. We're just behind on uploading photos and videos. If you saw the zero month photos here, you will notice a remarkable resemblance in the one month shots. I guess it will be a few more months before he gets used to the idea.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

One month check up

Theo weighed in at around 9 lbs 11 oz although we are not sure since he would not stay still on the scale. He is 23.5 inches long which puts him in the 90th percentile for height.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

One month old

Theo turns one month old tonight. It is amazing how fast the time goes by.

Drywall Mudding

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Drywall Update

All the ceilings are now covered and progress on walls is being made!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Construction update

With my paternity leave I did electrical and insulation. Now flailing at drywall...

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

3 Weeks Old

Theo weighed in at 8 lbs 13 oz

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Orange Party 2010


The annual Orange Party must go on, 17-day old baby or not. So this year we modified the format slightly to allow a more baby-friendly timeline, and had a blast. Thanks to everyone who attended! See all the photos from the party.

And in the interest of not over-spamming our own blog with too many posts in a day, I should note that we took Theo to the Museum of Flight on Thursday 10/28, and you can also check out those photographs as well.

Theo and the Pumpkin Farm


As we always do each October, we got some pumpkins. Sadly this year the Mt. Si Nursery's pumpkin crop was used as elk food instead, so we headed down to Carpinito Brothers' Farm in Kent to get our pumpkin fix. And who can resist a cute little baby in a giant field of pumpkins? Check out all the photos.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Two weeks old

Theo weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz at his two week appointment yesterday. Yay for hungry babies!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Theo Updates

We've got photos from my mom's visit and from Micah's visit posted! Includes lots of somewhat random videos. One day I'll figure out either Adobe Premier or how to make windows movie maker not crash, and put together a decent video.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Baby Update #6

It's a boy! Sorry this blog post had to be postponed a bit to allow some people to receive special notifications (like, say, grandparents!). He was born at 11:36pm on October 13!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Baby Update #5

8cm. 9 during contractions.

Baby Update #4

So our water broke at 1:45 or so - just after we had worried about whether we should artificially break it to speed up labor. That went great and everyone had a second wind and much excitement occurred once one of the students noticed a lot of bulging. Unfortunately a subsequent cervical exam showed only 6cm of dilation. After a few more hours of laboring we were at 6.5. And then we were still unchanged at 4pm and the midwife called it. We had debated when we might give up so it was easy to have such a definitive verdict. We are now in the University of Washington medical center with most important of all, an epidural. It really is a remarkable difference especially after 42.75 hours of labor with no interventions at all. No baby yet but we are going to rest while things progress hopefully - still at 6cm at last check.

Baby Update #3

Into hour 39 of the marathon labor session. Someone call the guiness book of world records people.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Baby Update #2

We're definitely in active labor now.

Also, if you're reading these via Facebook, be aware you ought to just check blog.sarahandmichal.com directly :-)

Baby Update #1

We're officially in labor! Contractions started last night, and Sarah is 3cm dilated.

We're going to try and keep the blog updated as we go. Please please please do not call us.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Baby Shower and Registry

Way back in June we announced right here on this blog that we were expecting. Well, that time is finally near. We'll definitely post something here when the baby arrives. For some of you (especially those of you who are going to become grandparents and aunts), you'll probably hear the news sooner. But please wait patiently :-)

In the meantime, Sarah and I both want to thank everyone who's sent presents. Formal thank-you notes need to wait, for reasons that will become clear once you receive them. We're certainly not expecting gifts, but if you feel the pressing need, allow me to take this moment to point you to our baby registries at Amazon and Target.

Finally, you have likely already received an invitation to the Orange Party which will take place on October 30, with a special time of 2-5pm this year. If for some reason we've missed you, please let us know and we'll forward you the evite (the new evite interface sucks, by the way!) or just show up anyway :)

Finally, if you absolutely cannot resist knowing whether the baby has arrived yet, please feel free to check this site which will tell you if the baby has arrived yet.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Monday, October 4, 2010

Construction: Start of Day 29

Today we get a fiberglass deck!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Construction: Start of Day 25

Most of the big action is happening on the inside now. This is a photo from the new office looking at the stairs and soon-to-be new basement entrance.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Dawn and Irwin's Wedding


On August 28th we attended the second wedding we've been to together at the Willows Lodge in Woodinville -- that of our friends Dawn and Irwin. Congratulations! See all the photos. (Sorry, for some reason a lot of the metadata went away, including capture time, so the photos aren't sorted correctly. It annoys me too.)

Friday, September 10, 2010

Construction: start of day 13

Today the plastic sheeting is up as the contractor removes the lead-painted old siding. Then the footing underneath the existing house will be prepared for a slab pour on Monday. Start of framing will follow on Tuesday, day 15.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Jefferson Park Playground Opens

A fantastic opening day for the new playground near our house. The views are stunning.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Biggest wasp nest ever

That is the wasp nest found in the "attic" portion of our old back porch during demolition. There's not a great size reference in the photo, so I'll tell you it's about as big as a yoga ball. And we thought the one we found last year in the rhododendron was huge. Come to think of it, so did the exterminator who removed it for us.

Construction - End of Day 2

Now we no longer not have a porch but there's a giant pit in the backyard.

Awesome!

First day of construction

Only one day into our project and already there is a significant difference. We have no back porch!