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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Guy, A Girl, An Endless Blue Sky

Just around the corner, in a matter of a few weeks we will celebrate our 6th anniversary of marriage. In reality we've known each other for 13 years but it took a few of those years to figure out that we were meant for each other. The house is quiet and I am feeling nostalgic. I scanned this old photo, I believe we are both 24 in it. This was a polaroid self portrait taken on the roof of his car standing outside our tent at Sasquatch music festival at the Gorge in Eastern Washington. You would never know it from the photo but I had just survived a horrible bout with sunstroke the night before and was certain at many points that I was going to die. Oh to be young and bounce back that beautifully from feeling so terrible. We were on our way to Portland to consider whether we would someday want to live there. We were not married yet, I can't remember if we were engaged either. All I know is that it was fantastic, full of love, great music and the excitement of our lives together just really beginning.




Six years, so much change. What an amazing journey it has been. I love this guy.

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Balloons and Father's Day

The weekend hasn't been exactly what I envisioned when thinking about this years Father's Day. No triumphant Father's Day brunch due to Scott's intense work schedule, in fact only about 2 hours spent together today. On top of the time crunch I functioned through most of today with a pretty treacherous migraine. The tv has been on more then I like and Cora has been rolling with the punches as well as to be expected. All that aside she and I managed to pick out a fantastically personal flower arrangement for Scott and set it aside with some nice beer to help celebrate the day. The big present was a seriously impressive gas grill for the patio, but logistics forced us to give that to him several weeks early so he could enjoy early summer bbqing at its finest.

This morning during our errand running Cora got her first helium balloon and man that thing has been a hit. She has kept it near her all day, even napping with it dangling over her crib. It is so adorable to watch and leaves me wishing it was that easy for an adult to be filled with joy and wonder.

cora,summer

The grey wall in the background is an experiment in chalkboard paint. It needs a few more coats then it's all family memos and kiddo fun time.

cora,summer


Scott's flowers, simple and sweet.

fathers day flowers

Have I mentioned how much this kiddo loves watermelon? I remember that when I was pregnant with her I was obsessed with it, including at one point eating an entire melon by myself in a single day. So I guess the old wives tale is true in this regard, what you crave while pregnant is an indication of what that child loves. I can hardly keep up with her consumption, as long as she knows there is more watermelon she is pointing up at the counter with extreme concern until another piece is handed down to her. This is probably TMI but she is even pooping red half the time thanks to her watermelon intake.

cora,summer

cora,summertime


In other news...THE BRACES ARE OFF!!!! Woo hoo! Now I just have these retainers to deal with. It's a hard adjustment, in some ways they are a bigger pain then the braces. Mostly my irritation with them is in the way they affect my speech. It is very hard to speak with them in and usually involves lisping and possibly spitting on the person I am addressing. I am supposed to wear these 24 hours a day for a full year. We'll see how well that goes.

crystal,braces

And here we have another little video. I needed to catch a simple moment in Cora's day so I can look back and remember this time. It is filled with the dance between a tiny toddler who still needs help and an increasingly independent child who is more communicative every day. It all changes so very quickly.


Cora's First Balloon from Crystal Calanca on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Prepping For Number Two

I know I have said it before but it finally feels like this is really happening, that this pregnancy isn't some abstract experiment. Lists are being created, nesting is happening people! The advantage to a second baby is that most of the baby gear bases are covered, especially when new baby is the same gender as number one thereby allowing a reuse of all clothing. Regardless of the overlap I have a small and tightly selected list of pieces we will be adding to make life easier with two. Another advantage to a second swing at parenthood is we have a solid idea of what works for us and what doesn't so it is easier to wade through all the gimmicky items and know exactly what we need. Here is my condensed list so far:

  • A rocking bassinet stand for our moses basket. My mother in law scored us a beautiful basket when we were expecting Cora.  I am sewing a new organic cotton liner for it this time around. This stand allows us to use it as a bassinet and easily move baby around the house. With Cora we used the pack and play more but our new apartment is smaller and I think this will work much better for the first few months.

  • Photo credit: wee textile blog, amazing, you should check it out!
  • Ikea Minnen bed for Cora. We have managed to buy one of these in fantastic used condition from Craigslist but need to replace the mattress with something nicer. I scored a new down comforter for her at Target on clearance for $8 (!!!!) and am sewing her fitted sheets and a comforter cover this week.

Photo credit: I am still trying to find my original link. If any of you recognize this let me know.  This photo has been the inspiration behind the girl's room here at our new place. I used this same paint color as well, it's Benjamin Moore Robin's Nest


  • Baby swing, something small and simple. My fantastic sister in law bought us one for Cora and we used it so much the motor burned out. I will be scouring used children's stores for one.

  • A 22" flatscreen tv for our bedroom. I have never thought it a good idea to have a television in the bedroom since it interrupts sleep habits, however, a temporary placement of one will be a godsend through the first few sleepless months. I also think it will buy me a few more minutes in the mornings when Cora can snuggle up with me and a nursing baby and watch sesame street. I am thinking this will be another Craigslist acquisition or perhaps Target with a coupon.

  • A few pieces of Organic layette clothing, I loved these long sleepers with the open bottom. I am a big fan of Kate Quinn, Kickypants and Hannah Anderson organic cotton. We will be in Seattle next weekend and are going to check out the Kate Quinn outlet store and there is a Hannah Anderson outlet here as well, the hope is to score some of these pieces at a decent discount. I have also been checking our used children's stores but so far am only finding pieces for 6 months and up.




  • 2 new nursing bras. Pretty self explanatory and an absolute necessity.

  • 2-3 of these amazing Gap nursing tops. I nursed Cora without owning even one official nursing shirt. While is is completely possible, I sure would like to have something designed for the job.



  • And the cherry on top. The one item I am most hoping for on this entire list, the item that we are saving and saving for. The Phil & Ted explorer stroller with second seat. Let me say this, I underestimated the need for a great stroller with Cora. We got by for awhile with a really nice umbrella style stroller but a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant again we upgraded to a Joovy Zoom and life has been so much easier. The only problem is the Joovy doesn't fit two kids. So copious research and "test drives" later and I am sold on this model. It even has a car seat adapter so I can pop the infant car seat onto it while Cora rides comfortably in the lower  seat. I still can not believe that strollers can cost so much but with the amount of jogging, walking and urban navigating (trains, buses, crowded sidewalks) we do it is a necessity.



Photo credit: www.jilliansdrawers.com

There you have it, a second time mom's wish list. I am also working on a whole new cloth diapering system but this time around I am sewing them from scratch. I completed the very first diaper cover yesterday and even though it turned out way too big for Cora, I am shocked and excited that it actually looks like a functional diaper cover (complete with waterproof layer). So far the experiment is going well and I will be making more in even smaller sizes for the new baby as well.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Chinese Garden

This last week we had some very close and loved friends visiting us. As is the custom, we spent some time playing in our beautiful city. This visit we made it to the Chinese Garden which is a lovely and serene sacred space in the middle of downtown Portland. Aside from being attacked by a Blue Jay it was a very calming and lovely experience.

Lots of other busy stuff here. Scott has been working 70-80 hour work weeks so life has been hectic to say the least. Only one more week of this chaos and we can relax a bit. I will be back blogging once I have rested up.

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