Getting ready for Gabe

Yesterday I spent the entire day cleaning all the clothes we have for Gabe. So, quite a lot of time... :)

Turns out that we really have TONS of newborn and up to 3 months clothes for him! Thanks to everyone who gifted us with all these items!


And also quite a lot of hats, bibs, blankets, blankies, toys... I think we're ok for the first months of his life

Tips I was given to wash baby's clothes

It should be straight forward BUT:
Allergen-free laundry detergent (i.e. no scent), and NO fabric softener. I was dreaming of nice flowery scents on our baby's clothes, I guess we'll have to do without it... :(
I remember Bea giving me one of Hugo's onesie when I left to Norway, it smelled both like him and also like fabric softener, very comforting! Guess he wasn't allergic.
Plus, clothes that aren't 100% cotton or close don't wash well and don't stay soft, which isn't recommended for a baby's skin and can cause rashes.
Being pretty allergic and having eczema+skin issues pretty quickly myself, I can easily picture this. And we already use non-scented laundry detergent for Shad who's allergic to regular laundry detergents...
We're both hoping Gabe won't inherit from our allergic genes...

Hello Kitty Bumble Bee

Hello Kitty Bumble Bee
Originally uploaded by manueb

I love HK, and I love bumble bees :) Gift from my hubby one night last week, after he came home from work! He said "I thought you could use a new friend :)" Super super cute!
A little plastic HK is standing next to it for scaling.

Bathroom makeover - finished!

Now we've got a nice, modern, spacious bathroom to use!

IKEA cabinets.... here we go!

IKEA cabinets.... here we go!
Originally uploaded by manueb

Here we can see my hubby fully concentrated and starting to put up the sink and dishwasher units.. Tomorrow the plumber is coming to hook it all up, good thing we don't have to do that ourselves... One thing less to worry about!

Painting red... over grey primer: so much easier!!

Painting red... over grey primer: so much easier!!
Originally uploaded by manueb

Finally the kitchen paint is done! It feels like the entire process took forever! We're paint pros now. To paint red colors, use a grey primar, allowing to coat once, perhaps twice only! Sooo much easier than when I painted the purple box in the dinning room (5 layers???).

Driver's license part 2: the driving test

I got my driver's license this morning! We got up at 5:20 to queue early at DPS, got there first, and I took the test, passed with 0 mistakes!!! Hurray!!!!!!
Finally, that's done! :)

Kitchen Demolition, Day 1

Kitchen Demolition, Day 1
Originally uploaded by manueb

The demolition of the kitchen started yesterday, it's a bit scary I have to admit it... on top of that, we received our new kitchen in 130 boxes.. and when the kitchen walls are back up, we'll have to deal with that..
One day, we're going to have time for Gabriel's room...

Gabe's Shower

Gabe's Shower
Originally uploaded by manueb

A big thanks to all our friends for this nice baby shower - the first ever for me :)
Thank you for all your beautiful gifts, and special thanks to the organizers, especially to Ame who hosted and prepared everything, in a Hawaiian style! :)
And also now, I know I am a size 10 in toilet paper sheets. Very valuable information!

Bathroom and hallway renovation

Coat number 2, can't wait til we get all painted and have a nice, clear bathroom!
Originally uploaded by manueb

For the last 3 weeks we've been renovating our bathroom and hallway, giving it a newer, much cleaner and modern look!
I tilled the hallway and the top of the tub, and Shad did all the rest, the cement boards, the face of the tub, tiling the bathroom floor, cutting the tiles (the worst part)...
This was by far one of the hardest jobs weve done ourselves.
Not so easy to do house work with a HUGE belly...
We're getting ready for Gabriel, with a much healthier setting.

First tile yeah!!!

Extremely encouraging and finally getting there... Shad put up the first tiles in the bathroom yesterday night! It's going to look sooooo good!

Lisa's 30th bday

It was Lisa's 30th bday this week and we celebrated with a very good cake from Upper Crust bakery... yuuuum! First time I had a cake from that place!

Here we go again!

We've started house work again. Our goal before the baby's born: tile the hallway floor and bathroom floor, repaint the bathroom, redo the entire kitchen... which means having the dywall taken down and new one put up, and then, big trip to IKEA..
Let's not forget we also need to do the baby's room...

Driver's license part 1

The count down til I can actually drive has started...
We went to DPS this morning and I took the written test that I passed :) and I now have the permit to drive, with Shad, or take driving lessons...
Almost there!

Our new (used) car

We got our new car last thursday at Carmax, it's a white Saturn, L200 model. So far, so good. Personally, I like it a lot... and it's much easier for me to sit in it right now. I have trouble hopping up in the truck! And it's also much more baby-friendly... Can't wait to be able to drive it!


Thank you to my parents who gave us the money to do it :)

Celestial Gabriel

Celestial Gabriel
Originally uploaded by manueb

That's it, it's the name we picked for our little angel! Gabriel :) Perfect!

Galveston, TX - Memorial Day weekend

Galveston, TX - Memorial Day weekend
Originally uploaded by manueb

We were in Galveston for the long Memorial Day weekend. When it was raining (flooding) everywhere else, we actually got pretty good weather there! It's a beautiful little town/island with a lot of history, very colorful too! We stayed at a charming and luxurious b&b, Grace Manor (http://www.gracemanor-galveston.com/), that I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants a nice quiet, relaxing stay. The Manor is held by Barb, who happens to be a great cook, we loved waking up to the smell of breakfast (served with champagne/mimosas...) and the afternoon warm homemade cookies... lovely!!!

I heart Grey Bunny

I heart Grey Bunny
Originally uploaded by manueb

I've been productive lately and been making some funny plushes and decoration items for our house... Since we got our new sewing machine a couple weeks ago!
I started a new blog to post all these crafty things: http://crazeecrafteez.blogspot.com/
So check it out!

Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden
Originally uploaded by manueb

The other beauty of the city! For me who loves asian culture, it was a great weekend!! What a relaxing, soothing park.. Although I strongly recommand going early to avoir tourist buses...

Lan Su Yuan—the Portland Classical Chinese Garden

Lan Su Yuan—the Portland Classical Chinese Garden
Originally uploaded by manueb

One of the beauties of the city. In the middle of Chinatown. Too bad that Portland's Chinatown is not better maintained, it could be a really great area.

Portland, OR

Portland, OR
Originally uploaded by manueb

We were in Portland last week for 4 days. Shad was at a Ruby conference, and I took the opportunity to browse the city! It was great, a real city with public transport, and a lively downtown, shops we can walk to, sidewalks... :)

Ultrasound@ week23 and 3 days

FINALLY!!!

This morning there was no possible doubt! Thanks to our great obgyn we had an extra "gender" ultrasound this month. We couldn't see anything in the previous ultrasound because the baby was moving too much and the cord was right in front of the genitalia.
This time, anyway you look at it, there it is :)

Baby listing at Babies R'Us

I went with Ame on friday to sign up for a baby registry at Babies R'Us.. They also sell maternity clothes, and believe or not, there are no changing rooms!
How am I supposed to try on these BE-AU-TI-FUL breastfeeding bras then...?? Well, inside the store, on top of my clothes, in front of people. Not that I care, mind you :)
Which also shows, btw, how tremendously sexy those bras are...

Back from our Honeymoon in Hawaii

Ok, that was last week, but the weather's been so bad and depressing since that I've slacked and not posted anything..
Our hotel was in Kailua-Kona on the west side. Beautiful luxuous hotel, and beautiful -although touristy- town.
We spent the whole week or so discovering the Big Island, its beaches (green sand, black sand):



its volcanoes, finally! I've been wanting to do that for 15 years! Although we didn't actually get to see any hot red flowing lava, it will be for next time... when we're (at least) 3!
We've watched breathtaking sunsets, saw geckos, sea turtles, lost of tropical fish while snorkeling. Shad got sunburned, I bought lots of hawaiian and japanese fabrics. We had lots of good food and amazing tropical fruits, and much much more... all the pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/manueb/collections/72157600165799237/

In the mean time well, in May, we've got lots to look forward to, friends visiting next weekend, a trip to Portland mid-May. I will accompany Shad to a conference, which will allow me to visit the city, as I've never been there. And then 3 days to Galveston for Memorial day... relaxing! Hoping to know in the mean time the gender of our baby!!!

Weather forecast for our party!

Weather forecast for our party!
Originally uploaded by manueb.

Well, we can't fight against the weather... we had to do the party inside. so much for that great party tent we got, all the lights, and working so hard on the yard to make it look nice! hehehe

Queens at the spa

Queens at the spa
Originally uploaded by manueb.

Here's what we did the previous afternoon to the party! A nice manucure/pedicure at a vietnamese Spa on South Congress.. Highly recommanded!

All the girls together

All the girls together
Originally uploaded by manueb.

Here we all are in Austin, the same night we went to pick up Cat at the airport, Laure and Sophie were waiting for us at home... Shad had no clue of this, only Manue knew his time. Another well kept surprise!

Surprise, Manue is in Austin!

Surprise, Manue is in Austin!
Originally uploaded by manueb.

My best friend Manue arrived friday and it was a total suprise! We were at the restaurant with Shad, and suddenly, there she was! What a nice surprise, the best possible!

Mini-muffin baking

Mini-muffin baking
Originally uploaded by manueb.

While it's raining, raining, raining :( And then Shad comes home from work with a big smile on his face "You've been baking!" :)
Sure have!

These are:
-lemon
-cocoa and bitterwsweet chocolate chips
-dried cranberries and white chocolate chips

YUMMY!!

Too cute, Hugo feeding Lucas

My beautiful nephews

Garden expenses, not so bad...

...Considering we had first seen a landscaper who wanted $23,000 to do the front and backyards, with irrigation systems.

Total cost of what we've done:
-$1,300 for grass sods and good top soil (The Grass Patch)
-$290 for 7 cubic yards of gravel (3/4'-1'1/4) that did actually both the riverwal AND the driveway
-$200 of lawn edging
-$24 for 1 cubic yard of mulch
-$150-$200 of plants and flowers
-$64 for the lattice beneath the deck
-$50 for hoses and sprinklers
-$150 tools (new shovel, leaves vacuum/blower and metal reciprocating saw)

TOTAL: $2,238!!! So, less than 10% of what was originally bid.

Of course, it took us longer, but... :)

Our new garden...

... Or should I just say "our garden"! We can't really say we had one before, it was rather a dump field..


Lots of hard work, possibly what was the hardest physically all round the house, but so rewarding. Especially when we get the nice long ratan chairs to go with it and relax. Even if we haven't really had time to relax yet!

Home Improvement in Austin, who to go with.

Now that all the contractors and workers are out of our house, here's a few contractors' names I can give you, if you're looking for things to be done.

- Chase Electrics, for electricity work. They're beyond good and we've trusted their judgment in much more that electrical stuff. We've become friends :)

- ManorFoster for foundation repair. Extremely competent guys and working with a good spirit. Eager to get the job well done. Plus, will repair a few things here and there, broken pipes, a bit of carpentry. Very efficient.

- Rob Clinchard and Harold Starke, for floor refinishing.

- The Grass Patch, for grass sods. Extremely fast and competent.

- Texas Painting Company, for the house exterior paint. very nice guys.

- A1 Restauration, for the restauration of tubs and sinks.

- Austin Landscape Supplies, for gravel delivery. Quick delivery.

- JLJ Building construction for drywall demolition and construction. Great customer care too.

We've used other contractors for other improvements, but as it did not necessarily go well (too moody or rude), I will not put up there names here.

Over all I'd give the advice of planning twice the time you've estimated to get everything done. Some of the work is dependant of weather conditions. And also, the contractors might be working for somebody whilst working for you... That's what we experienced at least!



I hope this is helpful!

Upstairs floor refinishing

Upstairs floor refinishing
Originally uploaded by manueb.

The floor is finally done! By Rob Clinchard's workmen. Very very good results, we're pretty happy with all that was done. They told us that we had exceptional floors, that boards like this were not cut anymore. So we're a bit proud :)

New grass sods!

New grass sods!
Originally uploaded by manueb.

They were laid down yesterday! Finally!
Now we have to water it like crazy for 4 weeks, and we can't walk on it nor put any weight on it for the same amount of time. A bit tricky, especially for our coming party... but we'll manage.
It's not very green right now, but it will be in a couple of days, once the grass will have had enough water again.
Now, we're "left" with edging the grass, preparing or riverwalk with weed control fabric. We're getting 7 cubic yards of pebbles delivered on monday! CRAZY!

The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson

The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson
Originally uploaded by manueb.

I was browsing through old pictures to print some for our dinning room project, and I absolutely wanted some of these.
The Weather Project from Olafur Eliasson, danish architect, artist...
Set in the Tate Modern end of 2003, through the 1st trimester of 2004, basically a "sun" would rise and set at the time the real sun would rise and set, get warm during the "day". Brilliant, brilliant concept, a semi-circle, made of mono-frequency lamps (we all appeared to be in 'black and white'!) projected in a mirror.
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/eliasson/default.htm

Our house paint

Our house paint
Originally uploaded by manueb.

Finally the job is (well) done! We went from white to bright green! It matches the trees, and will look more cheerful in winter!
Now we need to hang the screens back up, one they'll be refinished. And some day in a far future, fix the front porch, whenever we'll be able to afford that!

With Benoit in Barton Springs

With Benoit in Barton Springs
Originally uploaded by manueb.

Benoit visited us in Austin this sunday. He drove from Houston where he's staying all week for a convention. Good thing is, he'll be back in 4 weeks for the party in April :)
We ate at Curra's, a classic, for its avocado margarita..
We showed him Barton Springs and the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens (that we had never visited before... hmm), it was a great day, except for the weather that abandoned us, just today! pfffff :)

New fence, and yard work

New fence, and yard work
Originally uploaded by manueb.

That's it, our fence is done! The job was extremely well done and quick, we're very happy with the result. It might make it harder to have grass sods in, but we'll see. It's moving forward!

iChat with my family

iChat with my family
Originally uploaded by manueb.

The quality of iChat sometimes amazes me.. Can be bad, but when it works well, it's much much better than Skype!

Good things continue to happen

We got our new sofa delivered yesterday, fits perfectly in our living room, it's so cozy now! We're still going to go to IKEA for a couple of less expensive stuff :)

Meanwhile, the foundation is almost done, as is the installation of central AC and heat.. The painting of the house starts tomorrow... Almost there!

Here's what happens when you're not careful! :)

Just kidding...
We were at the obgyn today for the third month's ultrasound and everything is fine! The baby was jumping around everywhere, and pedaling in fluid, very cute.
We're extremely happy!

Makeover of the downstairs bathroom

Makeover of the downstairs bathroom
Originally uploaded by manueb.

That's it, we've finally done some work in our main bathroom, had the leaks fixed and moved the bathtub and toilet around. It is AWESOME! feels much bigger already. Next steps will be to paint, probably white, so the room feels larger, plus tile the floor and get rid of that awful linoleum :)
We're getting there.
So nice to take a bath in this huge bathtub :)

The house (leveling) breaks...

The actual leveling on our house started yesterday, and will end today. 2 days of me watching the house being jacked, and cracked. It really feels like it's going to fall apart although of course, it won't. Or will it?
Anyway, what had to happen happened, a window broke in Shad's office and the walls of the dinning room are popping out... One of the front doors doesn't shut anymore and the backdoor is stuck! More fixing to do! I hope today will bring less surprises than yesterday (we also had the main water pipe break!).
The blue bedroom also has a wall that popped out... booh..

Let's see today, they're done with the outer walls, so it looks like the worst is behind us. Hopefully..



When I think of all the time we've spent fixing up this room...

Portuguese Man O'War

That's what these blue jellyfishes are.
Quite poisonous apparently... although beautiful!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War

South Padre Island, TX

South Padre Island, TX, originally uploaded by manueb.

We were away this last weekend to relax a bit from all our housework and also to celebrate our 6 months' wedding anniversary!
Unfortunately, the weather was not as nice and warm as planned but rather rainy and windy, but we still managed to make the most of it. Nice walks on the beach, walks in the sand dunes, funny tours in the local souvenir shops, and a good seafood restaurant on saturday where we had lobster! YUMMY :)
We've seen a lot of birds, and of these blue sticky things on the beach. We assumed they were jellyfish, altough they lloked really odd and seemed to feed from the sand with only one "tentacule" reaching in. very very strange. Nothing we've seen before!
It was nice to get away while our house is being leveled... pictures coming soon (when the leveling is done!)

Franklin County, at the farm, VA

Franklin County, VA, originally uploaded by manueb.

We are finally home in Virginia, visiting all the family, for the first time for me!
On our first day we got to see the family farm, and Hub (one of Shad's great uncles) let us borrow his 4 wheels in the forest and all around. The weather was (still is) beautiful, and it was an awesome day, meeting lots of good people :)

Hello Kitty is travelling

Hello Kitty is travelling, originally uploaded by manueb.

Here we are in Austin, and Laure and Ian's Hello Kitty's decided to come with us. Sorry this strip is in french...
It's a joke we play on Laure and Ian: we take things from their home, put them in other people's places, and wait and see how long it takes them to realize that their stuff is gone.. can seem a bit mean, but really is fun! hehehe

It's not my fault, Hello Kitty begged me to take her with me! :)