dastardly catastrophe: the end of the apostrophe!

Despite having studied linguistics, I’m really not a grammar maven.   Of course, I certainly enjoy listening for speech patterns and I have some pet peeves.  For example, I think the distinction between “you’re” and “your” is really important.

infant safety: what’s changed in the last 30 years?

I want to share a little bit of baby safety research for our parents, some of whom haven’t been around babies much for the last 30 years, give or take.

spring is sprung and flower identification

You’ve probably seen the headlines that this was Seattle’s wettest March since record keeping began in the 1890’s.  However, Jack and I both thought it was a pretty nice month.  Having some good weather fall on weekends makes a big impression. 

baby prep time

A few weekends ago, my sister and friend threw an absolutely fabulous baby shower for us.  It was lovely to see so many (female) friends and family and all of the thoughtful gifts make the baby more of a reality. 

rainfall comparison and the Sequim Banana Belt

We spent the holiday weekend in Sequim, hoping for a little break from the typical winter rain.  As it turns out, a storm went through most of Western Washington, so it didn’t really work out to be a dry weekend.  On the bright side, we did have clear weather for most of Sunday so we walked Dungeness Spit and the bluffs nearby.

not even a fair weather fan

As you may have heard, the Seahawks won the super bowl and Seattle celebrated a major championship for the first time in many years. 

winter picnic 2014

(see winter picnic 2013)
This year I (temporarily) took on a little bit of responsibility at the picnic as my parents were out of the country.  We survived and by the time time picnic started the rain had cleared.

pregnancy reads

These are the best books we’ve come across so far, related to pregnancy, birth and babies.  I checked out lots of books from the library, read many of them and bought a few.  There are thousands of books on the subject so figuring out what to read can be tough and I hope this post is helpful to friends.

well-aged pictures from our Grand Adventure!

So, in the two years that we’ve been back, I’ve finally managed to sort through the 10,384 pictures we took on our big trip. 

nursery rhyme Jack

Behind the scenes, we are quietly making lists of potential baby names.  Jack’s parents did a great job choosing his name.  They managed to pick a familiar classic at the absolute nadir of it’s popularity, in the 1980’s. 

hiking report 3

previous hiking reports: 1, 2

5-7 July 2013 -  Lake Ozette and Cape Alava, Olympic Peninsula

• We hiked in and out by ourselves but camped and walked the beach with Tiffany, Johnny, Kendall, Scott and Kristina
•  http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lake-ozette
• 9.4 miles out and back plus lots of beach walking

W.A.C = We Acquired Clearance/ Water Availability Certificate

We got a special early Christmas present form Seattle Public Utilities, which boils down to the right to build (sanely) on the land we already own.  What a relief!

2013 in review

The themes that carried us through 2013 were pregnancy and house-design, so if I had to pick one word to described the year, it would be anticipation.

anticipating the view

We’re still working with Seattle Public Utilities on a realistic solution to the water main/access issue (it’s a long, and still-changing story…). 

current house design, with no explanation

why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday

I love Thanksgiving.   It is so simple.   People + food + a festive attitude = Thanksgiving.  Religion, gift giving and expectations do not factor into the equation. Because it’s so close to Christmas and people are likely to save cross country travel for the end of the year, there’s a love-the-one-you’re with and the-more-the-merrier sensibility to Thanksgiving.  Also it is always a much-needed four-day weekend.

Thursday lunchtime jaunt

Today at the last minute, Jack and I decided to meet at the market.  We bought some flowers for a gift and then took advantage of the rare combination of being together during business hours on a day with clear weather by going to the roof deck of a skyscraper a few blocks from the market.

thank you, William Pollack

I've learned a lot about pregnancy, birth and human development in the last few months of reading, but the thing that has surprised me most is the severity of Rh disease.  I had heard of this blood type incompatibility before, but now have a very personal motivation to understand it better.

house design teaser

land anniversary

It’s now been about a year since we bought our little piece of land in the Central District (we are landed) and though our last post, building permit: first pass, had a bit of a cliff hanger ending, we’re feeling optimistic and excited about the house.