05.29.08
In the Jungle
My teenager finally made it back home for the summer. Yipee! It is great to have her back and makes me realize how much I miss her when she’s not around. Che is warming up to her too. In fact, he is quite mesmerized when she plays the guitar for him. The look on his face is one of awe and wonder as he tries to participate. I’m so thrilled to have both my children home. I just wish I were able to spend more time at home with them.
05.12.08
Firsts
Che had a number of firsts over the past couple of weeks. In addition to his first birthday, his first real taste of chocolate, and his first balloon, Che had his first hair cut, and his first bath at home. *Sniff* My little baby is growing up.
You can see all the videos of Che by going directly to our YouTube page. Or, you can watch them below.
05.07.08
It Must Be Magic
Che turned one year old last week, and thanks to a potential whooping cough incident at his daycare, Che got to spend the morning at the doctor’s office with his parents, and the rest of the day home with dad. Then he got a full day with mom the next day. I think he was more pleased with having his parents around than he was with the gifts.
We managed to get some chocolate cupcakes made and Feech wrapped his presents, so it was an official birthday celebration. He was mesmerized by the candle, which we barely managed to keep him from grabbing. I’m sure the magic would have worn off had he managed to grab it.
Che’s Croatian grandparents sent him a Pinocchio marionette from their visit to Tuscany. Che really enjoyed watching it walk around, as if by magic.
Che’s American grandparents sent him a stuffed puppy dog with several balloons tied to it. Che couldn’t take his eyes off the balloons. He loves them. He will look at them, then look at me and smile, then look at the balloons again. He also managed to somehow detach the largest balloon from the bouquet and it is now trapped in the vaulted ceiling. Not sure how we will get it down from there without popping it, but Che still likes to crane his neck back and look at it.
The only difference between magic and technology is your ability to understand it. I haven’t been awed by something in a while, so it is fun to see the wonder and amazement in Che’s face as he experiences new things that are surely magic to him. I can also see the gears spinning in his head as he tried to make sense of what he is experiencing. That magic will fade all to quickly. I’m going to savor it while it lasts.
05.04.08
Plumbing Project Complete
I did complete the plumbing project on April 29. Here is what the room looked like before:
Notice the less than 2 feet downspout for the washing machine that is in the ceiling. Not very washing-machine friendly. This set up also had the kitchen and washing machine going into the same 200 gallon cesspool, while the 700 gallon cess pool had just the bathroom sink. Let’s just call it poor planning.
Here is the new, improved basement plumbing. I know it’s still ugly, but everything works–without flooding. And we now have a basement sink. The sink is a great blessing since the condensation dryer and the dehumidifier both require frequent emptying. Yea!
Under normal circumstances, I would try to hide the piping. However, based on the set up of our basement, I thought we were safer keeping the pipes exposed. I’m afraid to know what is behind the wood panels.
Also, one minor correction. Teo’s friend who wielded the copper piping for me isn’t a professional plumber. He’s a machine tool maker. Regardless of his title, I really appreciated his help and blowtorch!
