Adventures in Homeowning

A long overdue update

2011-11-29T18:03:00.002-06:00

Hello folks!

This update is long overdue! What can I say? Facebook ate my blog? I have been posting lots of updates there so the blog has been neglected for the past few months. Also, things have been busy busy around the Nemec house, so I will do my best to catch you up.

First things first...

Leo's going to be a big brother! To a little brother!

I am 21 weeks pregnant baby boy #2 due April 9, 2012. We are super excited and think Leo is going to be a great big brother!

Lil bro, I will teach you how to be cool.

So far, my pregnancy is going great. I was super tired in the first trimester, but now in the second trimester, I am energized and feeling good. Now that we know we are cooking a little boy, it is time to get down to business -- picking a name and painting the nursery (will be the second upstairs room, formerly known as the comic room, which has moved to the basement). I think we may also paint Leo's room too, we'll see!

A quick photo montage from the past few months...

JULY: Leo turned 1!

Birthday trip to the zoo

Sesame Street themed birthday

AUGUST: Leo @ 13 months

Leo channels Bret Michaels

Happy guy after a bath

SEPTEMBER: Leo @ 14 months

Reading with Mom

Ready for football season! Practicing running the Oscar.

OCTOBER: Leo @ 15 months

Leo does Honolulu!

Beautiful beach babies

Family photo op on the beach ... even baby #2 is there in the bump!

Leo the pumpkin trick-or-treats!

Hi Grandpa!

Leo gets candy. Grandpa gets a hug.

Leo says "What is this for again?"

Leo with Grandma and Grandpa

NOVEMBER: Leo @ 16 months

Dad and his favorite Chicago Bear

No more bottles for this big boy! (Leo, not Daddy)

A Saturday morning nap with Daddy man.

Checking out the tree -- he loves it! And loves the "choo choo" that goes around it.

Masse family Christmas: A little under the weather but still found time
to snuggle with Pepere for a story.

You were right Memere, this carpet IS nice!

10 of the 15 Masse cousins!

Dad instigates the horse play at Memere's house and Leo is glad to grab
a pillow and join in the merriment!

Leo is growing up so fast!

He is such a joy.

At 16 months, we are off the bottle (hooray!)

and will be working on loosing the pacifier

over Christmas break.

He is saying lots of words --

aside from the normal ones,

some of our favorites are:

Cookie (as in Monster), Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird,

turtle, yak, shoes, socks, hat, coat

AND

poo poos and pee pees!

We are not pushing potty training

but Leo is starting to tell us when

he goes, so that is a start!

He's still doing great at daycare and

surprises us daily with new things

that he learns.

He loves:

Elmo, books, flash cards, trucks, Elmo, puzzles,
Elmo and baths! (I can hear him splashing

around with Dad now!)

He is going to be a great big brother!

He kisses Mom's tummy and we are starting

to talk about his little brother each day.

In other news ...

We are really enjoying our new basement and

have finally unpacked most of the items that were

stored in our garage. Daddy has moved

all his comics down in to his new room and

is loving it. We have a little more decorating

to do and hope to share some pictures soon.

That's all for now!

Love,

C, A, L and baby boy

Leo on TV (maybe)

2011-07-12T00:16:00.000-05:00

A photo from Leo's one year photo shoot.
Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography.

If you live in the Chicago area, and watch the morning news, you *might* see Leo on TV on Wednesday morning! I submitted this photo for NBC5 Chicago's First Birthdays. I hope Leo makes it on the air for his birthday!!

Happy birthday little guy! We love you very very much!

Love,

Mom + Dad

The Basement is FINALLY done!! Hooray!

2011-07-12T00:03:00.001-05:00

Wow. I am so exhausted.

And I usually like to post pictures of big projects

after everything looks perfect.

But, I now understand that, when you have a child,

getting to perfect in your house takes a lot longer.

So ... I will post what we have now!!

To sum up this project:

It used to look like this (scroll down in the linked post for pics).

It took twice as long as the contractor promised me --

was told 4-5 weeks, took about 8-9 weeks --

but we are happy with the end result.

And we now have our basement back as

livable, enjoyable space with lots of room for

playing and hanging out!

Hooray!!

The tour:

Staircase down. Yes, the two corner stairs need the carpet
put back on (see! not perfect!) They were temporarily
removed to get our new couch down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs. An open living room / playroom area.
The doorway you see behind the couch goes to a small bedroom.

Another view at the bottom of the stairs. Left door goes to a bedroom.
Right door leads to a full bath. The bookcases in between are from
my former office. We're adding doors to these so we can hide
some of our stuff.

Another view. New 47" TV. Ikea TV stand from Craigslist.
The taupe chair swivels so it can face the TV or Leo's play area.
That is a big closet with sliding doors in the back by the play area.

Leo's area. To be filled with toys soon enough.

More of Leo's area.

Bathroom. Yes, there are still tags on my rugs.
Wanted to see if I liked them. I am kind of
scheeved out by a toilet rug ... but it keeps
your feet warm. It is a basement, after all.
What to do, what to do?

Shower stall. Off white subway tile inside.

Ikea vanity with two big drawers. Blue-y grey towels.

Behind the door.

Close up of bathroom floor tile. It is a greenish grey with brown edges.

Door from main area into laundry space.

Laundry room. New tile floor in shades of brown. New back door.

Storage cabinets. Doors on wall lead to storage that is under the staircase.

Laundry! That nook back by the electrical box will eventually be
Adam's workbench/tool area.

The giant dehumidifier that keeps our basement dry.
Bifold doors lead to the water heater/furnace.

The soon-to-be new comic room!

Little nook by the door will be perfect for a display case.

A wall of closet that will house Adam's comic boxes inside.

Open doors. Adam's comics will be in here eventually.

We'll share more later as we decorate and furnish!

Ta ta!

C + A +L

Leo: Eleven Months Old

2011-07-11T23:46:00.001-05:00

Hey friends!

Meowie wowie! Leo is 11 months old!

Actually ... um ... he is ONE DAY AWAY

from TURNING ONE!!!

*sniff sniff* *single tear*

I am a little behind here, clearly.

But, better late than never!

Here is what has been happening with the little dude:

Walking? Who needs it!

Leo likes to run!

Although he got some new shoes

that will slow him down temporarily
until he gets used to them

He is saying "Ya! Ya! Ya!"

and "done" (I think)

Lots of "oooooo"ing these days

and fun noises with his tongue (see video)

Does a good pattycake with the "rolling" motion

Trying lots of new foods
And seeming to like to organize things

And after nine months with his fabulous babysitter

(Thank you K.C.!)

he started day care / school today

and did great!

Here are some pics and videos

from the past month!

Enjoy!

Still as cute as ever

Started swim lessons

Keep on swimming!

Taking a break with mom.

Uncle Tony and fam came for a visit

He's so silly

Dinner time

Kisses and laughs with mom

Father's day

With his best bud

New sandals for summer

Watering plants with Grandpa

Filling the can

Snuggling with his buddies

Say what?

First parade - 4th of July 2011

Saw some fun things ...

And some scary things ...

Leo says Ooooo fun

Then Ooooo scary

More fun!

With his twin

Father and son; Yes, I know, he looks like his dad.

With his buds Lyla and Evan

Pattycake!

Running on the new basement carpet

A visit from the armpit monster

First day of school. New backpack (thanks Auntie Christine)
and new kicks (thanks Grandma)

Ready to make new friends!

That's all for now!

C + A + L

Leo: Ten Months Old

2011-06-04T22:17:00.002-05:00

The fastest kid in town, no doubt!

Whoa Nelly!

Leo is 10 months old!

Actually, he is almost 11 months old now (9 more days).

But in this post, we'll talk about happenings in the last month.

First --

We have a walker!

He is going all over on his own two feet.

Getting better and better at it everyday.

He continues to be very energetic.

Had his first swim this month.

He can say "No no no" (uh oh Mom & Dad)

and Grampa N. taught him how

to say "Vroom Vroom" when playing

with his trucks.

He also got his top two teeth,

is clapping, pointing and dancing.

He is growing and growing!

Here are a few pics

and videos from

the last month.

Enjoy!

Watch out world. I've got on baby jeggings.

Just another day at the office. Time to count the toys.

Comparing notes with his colleagues Spidey and Cap'n America

Check out my top two teeth

First swim with buddy Ethan

First Mother's Day

He likes books again! Although, I get suspicious when
he is quietly reading in the corner, if you know what I mean.

Nothing like the wind in your face -- even artificial wind from a rubber block

Eating the Hulk

Burning off some energy at the gym on a rainy day

Look at me!

Big boy

Dad walks, Leo walks

What to do next?

Clap clap clap

That's all for now!

C + A + L

PS: I know I promise a house post ... coming soon ... need a couple more weeks ...

Leo: Nine Months Old

2011-05-01T22:23:00.001-05:00

Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography

Hello!

Leo is nine months old!

What's new...

He sometimes stands without holding onto anything

and has take a step or two

but we don't consider it walking YET

Definitely cruising though

(walking whilst holding on to furniture)

Eating big people food like cooked carrots, chicken,

ham and Cinnabons

Likes going to the park

Likes to be chased

Feeds himself

Gives kisses

Enjoys bathtime, except in Grandma's pink tub

Still only has two teeth

Chatty as ever

Obsessed with remote controls

and best of all,

SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT
(most nights) 7pm to 7am!

Here are some pics and videos.

Enjoy!

Helping Grandpa with the water heater

A boy and his tools

Practicing walking before bed

Big boy jammies!

Visiting with friends Dominic and Alice

First White Sox game. Hooray!

With Dad

South Paw!

It was Mom and Son day

Sharing blue cotton candy

More from Leo's 9 month photos
Photo by Christina Bailitz

Photo by Christina Bailitz

First Easter!

Leo with his very own remote control.
Thanks Easter Bunny!

With both sets of grandparents

That's all on the Leo front for now!

We have a home project in the works and

will be posting on it in the next month or so.

C + A + L

Leo: Eight Months Old -- Part Two

2011-03-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

Leo: Eight Months Old

2011-03-30T00:17:00.001-05:00

Oh my land!

Where does the time go?

Leo is eight-and-a-half months old!

Good golly miss molly.

Let's see...

He is more and more active every day...

sometimes does the baby sign for "more"

when he wants a snack (thanks to the babysitter!)

and also learned "so big!" from the sitter

Is happy and chatty and smiley

Pulls up to stand with ease and knows how

to get back down to the floor gently

Is practicing walking with push toys

and can climb stairs (supervised, of course!)
Plays well independently and with others!

Here are some pics and vids

from the past few weeks.

Enjoy!

The Nemec men: Daddy, Uncle Joey, Leo and Grandpa

Playing at the Children's Museum with Mom and Dad

Climbing up the rock wall

Wbat a big boy!

Exploring uncharted areas of the house

Serious about loving his mommy

Breaking out the comic swag! Spiderman sweatshirt from the
Marchiori's ... Flash t-shirt from Daddy

A sweet boy and his ma

He wishes he could eat this sandwich

This is Leo! Smiley happy guy!

Looking up at Dad

Cool Wolverine hoodie from Auntie Rebecca, Uncle Adelmo
and cousins

Videos:

Leo and Dad face off: RASPBERRIES!

Mom and Dad speak Leo's language. The language of BA!

Who knew dining room chairs could be so fun?!

Leo gets excited about his favorite Bert & Ernie song

Leo eats puffs and does "SO BIG!"

Leo climbs the stairs to visit his friend

Leo signs "more"

Just some cute mugging

That's all for now!

C + A + L

PS:

Oh yeah...

we are about to remodel the basement!

Hooray... more on this soon!

Leo: Seven Months Old

2011-03-01T23:18:00.002-06:00

Leo is seven months old!

This month is a big month!

He's got two bottom teeth

and by the amount of drool he has now

there are probably more to come soon.

He is a crawling dynamo.

And he is pulling up to stand!

He is a busy busy boy!

He loves to eat and chit chat.

His new favorite word is "blah".

He mimicks.

And he loves Sesame Street

(he gets to watch a little on YouTube now and then).

Here are some videos and photos

from the past few weeks!

Enjoy!

PS: Pretty soon, we'll start talking about the house again!

There is a project in planning...

Stay tuned...

Playing with his activity center. Thanks Danielle C!

With his hero, Dad

Playing at Monkey Bizness with Mom

A look of glee

His favorite toys: the wipes box, the Aquaphor jar,
Dad's slipper and an empty tissue box

Dancin' with Dad

A family photo from the six month shot
Photo by Christina Bailitz

The snowman hat
Photo by Christina Bailitz

Some videos:

Ta ta for now!

C + A + L

Leo: Six Months Old

2011-02-02T14:48:00.020-06:00

Happy New Year!

Leo is six months old!

Actually, in 11 days, he'll be seven months old

but hey, better late than never, right?

Leo is doing great!

Big milestones this month:

Babbling ("dada" when happy, "mama" when sad)

and

*practically* crawling (any day now)

Laughing a lot

Loves to eat and does a great job

Here are some of our favorite pics

and videos from the past month:

Blizzard 2011:

Bring on the snow!

Baby vs. snow drift

He wasn't a big fan of the wind in his face

Our snow angel

With Mama

Trip to the Museum of Science and Industry:

Whoa. Science is cool. Checking out stuff with Grandpa.

Happy baby, happy mama

Look of relief after a little bit of puke-y

More exploring!

Thrilled to learn all about cow dung

Six month photos by Christina Bailitz:

In his Cosby sweater that accentuates his baby blues

Showing off his skills

In his snowman coat from Aunt Katie and Uncle Joey

Tuckered out. He was not feeling well this day and was a real trooper.

Miscellaneous photos:

Hanging with pals at a play date with mommy group

Eating bananas with Memere

Hey Pepere! I have that hat too! We're twins!

At the table for dinner, Leo tries a pickle

I'm not a baby, I'm a thug

Loving up on Uncle Joey. Contrary to popular belief,
I am NOT afraid of beards. See?!?

Happy guy in the johnny jumper

Lounging with Dad

Happy bear (before the loss to the Packers)

Loves kisses from mama

Loves his Word World Bee from Auntie Christine

The Heart Break Kid with Grandma and Grandpa.
A moment of glee on one of his sick days.

Videos:

Leo crawls! (Sped up for your viewing pleasure)

Dad eats chicken legs!

Leo babbles! Da da da!

Leo tries the cup!

Leo eats oatmeal!

Leo says ma mam ma (only when he is sad)

Leo: Five Months Old

2010-12-30T20:41:00.005-06:00

Happy Holidays!
Leo is five months old!
Actually, five and A HALF months old.

Wowie zowie.

We had a wonderful first Christmas with the little guy.

He is such a good boy.

Lately, he is...

... rolling over all the time

... liking solid food, has tried most
of the Stage 1 veggies

and will be trying fruit soon

... reading comics with Dad

... sleeping pretty good at night

... talkative!

... enjoying bouncing in his jumperoo

... giving kisses (or at least open mouth slobbering)

... working on sitting up but not quite there yet

Here are a few pics and videos from the past month.

Enjoy! Happy New Year!

Official Santa photo ... too tired for smiles

After the Santa photo, a sudden burst of energy at the sight of Daddy!

Jolly Leo with Grandma & Grandpa on Christmas Eve

Happy little dude

Five months old and rockin' a mohawk!

Yum! Sweet potatoes and peas! My favorite!

Mmmmm. Green beans. Not sweet potatoes, but I'll still eat it.

With 13 of 15 grandkids on the Masse side! Ages 16 to 5 months.

More fun with Masse cousins.

Snoozing on the way home from Memere & Pepere's Christmas festivities

Love those baby blues

Who's got bigger blue eyes? Leo or Glow Worm?

And some videos:

More soon!

C, A + L

Leo: Four Months Old

2010-11-25T20:06:00.006-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
Leo is four months old!

What's new...

Leo had a fun halloween.

Dressed up as a Scarecrow and a Lion.

Has fun reaching for his toes.

Likes to vocalize... I call him our baby pterodactyl.
Lots of screeching!

Started cereal last week.
Still trying to get the hang of the spoon.

Sleeping in his crib in his room
after four months in mom and dad's room.
Still getting adjusted to his big boy bed.

All in all, he's doing great
and is excited to be celebrating
his first Thanksgiving as a real live boy!
(Last year, he was just a bean in mommy's belly)

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble!

Mom, Dad and Leo

At his four month appointment,

he weighed 14 lbs and was 25 inches long!

Here are some pics and videos from the past month.
Enjoy!

From his three month photo shoot
(photos by Christina Bailitz Photography):

Serious boy. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Kisses from Dad. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Smiley guy. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Shy guy. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Baby feet. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Leo and Mom. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Pensive gnome. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Happy gnome. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Beautiful boy. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Snazzy Leo with Percy. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Happy family. (Photo by Christina Bailitz Photography)

Some snapshots:

Ready for the Chicago winter!

Mmmm Milky Way

Leo on Halloween as a lion
Pallin' around with Dad

With buddies Lucas (as Scooby) and Ethan (as Lobster) and Mommy's friends Sarah and Kim
Lion attack! He loved Ethan's googly eyes.
Who's this cat?
Leo and Big Bird hang out on Grampa's mower
Gramma and Grampa already putting Leo to work

Some videos:
So happy to be reading with Dad...

Practicing eating cereal...

Advanced chow 101:

Who let the dogs out?

Exersaucer time... Thanks Danielle!

Went to the witch doctor... Leo laughed...

Monster Mash!

That's all for now!
C + A + L

Leo: Three Months Old

2010-10-19T03:53:00.007-05:00

Leo is 14 weeks old!

That's 3 months, 2 weeks old!

He's getting SOOOOO big.

Mommy went back to work and

Leo is doing well with the babysitter.

On Wednesdays, he goes to Grandma
and Grandpa's house, which he loves!

He is "chatting" up a storm and
has rolled over from tummy to back.

Leo was obsessed with "raspberries" for a week
but now, that is "soooo 12 weeks old".

Here are some pics and videos

from the past few weeks.

Enjoy!

Monday night football with Dad

Getting ready to go to the sitter's

Happy boy playing with Mom

Isn't he dapper!

One night where we tested unswaddled sleep
(didn't last long due to wacky wavy arms!)

Play date with Ethan...

And Lucas! (holding hands... awww!)

Playing with Mom

And with Dad!

Getting toasty for a walk on a brisk day

Zonked and toasty after the walk

Play date with Colin

Taking time to smell the roses with Dad

Enjoying the backyard

Not too sure about this pumpkin

Smiles McGiles with Grandma

Cheering on Grandpa as he waters the plants

Getting ready for travels

Reading some Entertainment Weekly in the Bumbo

Loves his big boy chair!

Some videos:

Leo rolls:

Chatting with Dad before bed:

Leo squeals (and Dad tries to be sneaky
about video taping):

Leo in his imaginary car:

Fun with paper at the doctor's office:

Leo makes raspberries:

Leo: 5-10 weeks

2010-09-22T21:30:00.006-05:00

Leo is 10 weeks old!

He's growing bigger and bigger every day.

At his two month check up,

he was 11 lbs and 23 inches long.

He handled his shots like a champ.

He's cooing and smiling up a storm.

And... he is sleeping through the night!!

10 pm to 6 am most of the time!

Here are a *few* pics from the past six weeks.

And a *few* videos too!

In Mommy's christening gown... so pretty!

Play date with Serena

Tuckered out after play date

Chillin' in his night gown

Being inspecting by furry creatures

I love the 80's!

With new lion from Sydney and Gavin...

... that turns into a fuzzy blanket

Do we sense a theme here?

How big is Leo? SOOOOO BIG!!

Visiting Memere and Pepere

Telling secrets

Hiding

Happy Leo

In one of his outfits from Auntie Christine (and the Attic!)

Ready to go!

Swing time

In moby wrap with mommy

Snoozin' with Daddy

Leo and his buddy

@ 8 weeks old with Mommy

Snowman hat from Grandma and Grandpa

He's a happy guy!

Even when Daddy puts him in the straight jacket

First Bears Game

Love my frog jammies

Getting ready to go to sleepytown

After his two month check up

Trip to the aquarium with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa

Turtle, turtle

Candygram

Checkin' out the fishies

Lovin' on a plastic penquin

Kissin' his new bud from the aquarium

Snugglin' with Percy

Don't like being all dressed up!

Ahhh! That's better!

Check out my muscles!

With the ladies from Mommy's office

Go Bears!

Leo talks to Grandpa

Playing "Who's there?" with Daddy

Happy baby feet

Walking on sunshine

So strong!

Eating daddy's hair

Daddyman is funny

Exercising

More Grandpa talking...

Bouncy seat fun

Still loves the owls

More soon...

C+A+L

Leo: 4 weeks old

2010-08-16T12:13:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone!

We can't believe it has already been one month since Leo arrived! How time flies!

While this blog is typically used for updates on home improvements, with our new bambino, there is not a lot of home projects going on. So, we thought we'd update you on our LEO PROJECT!

Since this is our first update, it is a little long. Hope you enjoy it.

I have also posted a separate post below with Leo's Birth Story.

Birth to Four Weeks Highlights

It has been a great first four weeks with Leo. Being parents and taking care of a tiny baby is definitely a tough job -- but it gets easier everyday. Plus, it certainly makes it easier when that tiny baby is SO CUTE.

Leo's had lots of visitors! Here are just a few:

Aunt Sara and Cousin Isabella

Mommy with Cousin Austin and Leo. The oldest Masse grandchild, Austin, with the youngest, Leo! Leo is sitting in Austin's baseball glove.

Cousin Kaelyn. She, Auntie Christine and Cousin Austin
came all the way from Hawaii just to meet Leo!

Leo has a pretty mellow disposition (he gets this from Daddy) and is a very good baby. He doesn't cry a lot -- only when he is tired, hungry, lonely or has a dirty diaper -- he definitely doesn't like being dirty (he gets this from Mommy!). He is also an excellent napper and sleeper. He has been sleeping in 4-5 hour stretches at night which is great.

He also looks just like Daddy, with Mommy's dimples.

Big yawn! Yep, handsome like daddy!

Before he was a week old, Leo was baptized. It was a wonderful celebration with family and he did a smashing job. Here are a few pics of the day:

Getting dressed in Daddy's christening gown

The baptism with Godfather Uncle Joe and
Godmother Auntie Christine

A more recent picture of Leo dressed
in Memere and Mommy's christening gown

Despite some issues early on with jaudice, Leo is healthy and growing bigger everyday. His stats from his one month appointment:

Weight: 8 lbs 11 oz (20% percentile)
Height: 22 in (70% percentile)
Head: 50% percentile

So... he is long, lean with an average head!

Leo sunbathing during his first week to help
with his jaundice. Keiki the Lion stands guard.

At one month, Leo is very alert and loves to play and smile.

With Daddy in matching Superman shirts

We spend a lot of time listening to music on Pandora, which he seems to like.

Under the play gym, listening to the Bee Gees

Play gym close-up!

In a onsie made by Aunt Katie

Rockin' out in the bouncy seat

And of course, Daddy is very silly so that is very entertaining for Leo (and Mommy too).

Daddy and Grandma being silly with one of Mommy's childhood dolls. Daddy thinks this doll looks like Chucky. So imagine all the fun he has with it.

Leo is instantly calmed when he lays next to Mommy or Daddy. And he loves story time with Daddy -- Daddy reads both children's books AND comic books!

Story time with Daddy

A few more pics:

Mommy and Leo visit Daddy at work

He likes baths and kicking his little legs in the water

After his bath

Some Leo videos

One month picture outtakes from August 15

Compare these pics to the ones in the post below and you can see how much he's grown!

Well, that's all for now. I plan to post at least once a month with Leo updates. Stay tuned for more!

C + A + L

Leo's Birth Story

2010-08-16T09:20:00.010-05:00

It all began on Monday, July 12.

By then, Leo was one week past his expected date of delivery -- July 5. While I hadn't wanted Leo to be born early, I was certainly ready by July 5. So, as July 5 came and went, and the days passed, I got increasingly anxious about going into labor. Where would I be? Would I be alone? Would it be scary? But, even though I was anxious, we were both very excited to meet our little guy.

Us the Saturday before Leo was born ... getting ice cream at the Plush Horse

Let's jump back one day to Sunday, July 11. I woke up at 4 am with cramps and thought for sure this was going to be the day. I presented a plan to Adam: we should go into the city (where my hospital is) and spend the day... see a couple of movies, go out to eat ... take all of our bags, of course ... in case the little guy decided to make his debut. The cramps, I thought, were certainly a sign of the big event.

Adam says "Will you come today?? Or maybe tomorrow??"

We saw two movies (Despicable Me and Cyrus, both pretty good) and ate some Lou Malnati's pizza. But no baby action.

As we drove back to Oak Lawn, past the hospital, I told Leo that he had one last chance to bust out, but nothing. I whimpered a bit during the drive back home because I started to worry I would be alone when I went into labor (i.e. Adam would be at work).

Back to Monday. The work day came and went. Adam got home just as I was finishing up my work day. I started to feel a little funny, so I ate a bowl of Life cereal, knowing that if we went to the hospital, I wouldn't be able to eat anything. I started to have what I thought were contractions (based upon this description from Adam's mom: contractions will start in the back, move around to the front of your abdomen, and "crescendo"... start mild, get worse and then pass). So, I pulled out my iPod Touch and launched my contraction timer app. Sure enough, they were contractions. They started to get worse -- I felt like I couldn't sit down but I couldn't walk either. So I told Adam he should probably eat dinner because we were going to the hospital.

I didn't want to come home to a dirty kitchen so I insisted that we unload/load the dishwasher before we leave. This was kind of funny because I would go from taskmaster to evil woman every time a contraction came. But we completed the chore and off we went to the hospital. Luckily, it was about 6pm. So we had no traffic from our house into the city and made it to Northwestern in about 35 minutes.

Us on July 5, my due date... love Adam's face in this photo... hee hee

We checked into triage and I was dilated two centimeters. This was progress from my last appointment three days earlier, when I was only dilated one centimeter. However, doctor's orders were for me to walk the halls of triage for a hour. If I was in true labor, my contractions would worsen (fun!). If I was in false labor, they would die down and I would go home.

So, we walked for a hour. That was one tough hour, I will say that. Sure enough, contractions got worse and when the nurse checked me, I was dilated to four centimeters. It was time to go up to labor and delivery.

Now... I will *attempt* to a make a long story short ...

I was admitted. I got my epidural around 11 pm and I felt so much better. I remember telling the anesthesiologist she was my most favorite person ever. I give props to women who can give birth drug free, but for me, it was the way to go. The epidural allowed me to rest and gave me relief from my contractions, which had started to make me shake and feel nauseous. Throughout the night, the doctors broke my water and then continued to monitor me and check my progress.

There were a couple of scary things that happened. At one point, the doctors determined that Leo had his first bowel movement in the womb. This meant that a team of pediatricians would need to be present for the delivery so they could suction any stool, called meconium, out of the baby's airways. They warned us that we would not hear Leo cry until the pediatricians were done suctioning the little guy. In addition, there were two times where nine or ten doctors/nurses rushed in the room because the little guy's heart rate dropped. They would have me change positions on the bed -- at one point, they asked me to get on all fours... very difficult when you are numb from an epidural -- until Leo's heartbeat was normal. Luckily, a friend had told me that this happened to her, so I did my best to stay calm. Everything was okay.

When I made it about eight centimeters, my doctor came in to check things out. Leo's head was in the perfect position, but I wasn't dilating all the way. To make things more difficult, when they would increase my pitocin in order to strengthen my contractions, and help dilation, Leo's heart rate would decelerate. So, the doctor said he would let me go one more hour, and they would increase the pit slowly to see if they could get me to ten centimeters. If not, I'd be having a C-section. I told the doctor, "You're the boss". While I didn't want a C-section, at that point, I wanted Leo out safely. Plus, even with the epidural, my body was tired and ready to be done.

When the doctor came back an hour later, Leo's head had continued to drop into the perfect position and I was nearly ten centimeters dilated. After a couple of pushes, the doctor helped me a little so I was fully dilated. Hooray! Almost time to push! He suggested we turn down my epidural so I could feel the "urge" ... so they did just that and I started pushing at about 10 am on Tuesday, July 13.

Three hours later, Leo was born!

The pushing was tough and after two hours, Adam said he heard my doctor ask one of the other people in the room (there were about nine or ten) if the operating room was ready -- meaning, I wasn't progressing enough with my pushing so he was considering a C-section. However, Adam said that was the point where I piped up and said "Hey! My epidural has kicked back in and I can do this! I feel good!". Turning down the epidural had helped me to feel the "urge" I guess, but it also made me very uncomfortable and unable to focus on pushing. So I had asked them to turn it back up so I could focus on my pushing instead of the pain.

I kept my eyes closed the whole time. Adam was right there with me and he was a great support person. I did open my eyes at the end, when Leo was born, at the urging of the doctor. So I got to see the little guy right when he came out. It was amazing. I was relieved it was over, and Leo was out safely. They whisked him away to get checked out. Everything was just fine.

Some pictures from the big day:

Leo minutes after he arrived

Clean and swaddled

Big foot!

Peanut, ready for his close-up

Tired but happy momma with baby

Proud papa with baby

Meeting Grandma and Grandpa Nemec for the first time

Aunt Katie and Uncle Joe stopped over to meet Leo too

Leo's birth was an amazing experience. All in all, it took about 19 hours. But he was well worth it! It was definitely one of the best days of our lives. I don't think either Adam or I will ever forget that day. We love him very much.

ROAR! Welcome Baby Leo!

2010-07-15T07:12:00.007-05:00

We are proud to present our son, Leo!

Leonard Masse Nemec
Born July 13, 2010
12:47 pm

6 lbs 14 oz
20 inches long

Nuzzle® by John Christenson

Mom and Leo are doing great!
Dad is a proud, proud papa and a champion diaper changer!

Photos by Bella Baby Photography. Taken at one day old at the hospital in the comfort of our recovery room. Aren't they beautiful?

So far:
Day 1: Amazing. Beautiful. Love. Blessed.
Day 2: Same as day 1 but with sleep deprivation. Yikes!

Adam and I never realized that we could love someone so much (we could look at Leo all day) -- and that we are so FORTUNATE to have each other in this journey because we're going to make a great team.

Stay tuned for more adventures in homeowning (and parenting)!

Love,
Carole + Adam + Leo

Waiting...

2010-06-26T11:52:00.012-05:00

So... we're now almost 39 weeks... and we're waiting for the big day.

The nursery is ready. As you'll see, there is no theme. Just colorful, stocked with meaningful items and other things we just like:

This is Adam's nostalgia corner:

- Drawing of Adam as a boy, trying to catch birds with his "bird mittens"; bird mittens hanging next to picture

- Cross from Adam's grandma

- Plaque about sons from Adam's dad

- Orange radio from Adam's grandpa

- Wooden plane Adam's dad built for him when he was a kid

- Little baby converse... given to us by my sister Christine... shoes remind me of Adam's bro Joey

The boy already has lots of books. And friends waiting to play:

Some of the artwork -- two prints from Etsy.com and a big giraffe made by Grandma Nemec:

Another shot -- blue table next to the glider is from Great Grandma Nemec's... Adam painted it this week...

Mommy's corner... Glider cushions covered by Memere Masse. Quilt made by Grandma Nemec. Fox with socks keeping the seat warm.

Close ups of the artwork from Etsy.com:

More fun prints from Etsy.com:

Close up of the giraffe made by Grandma Nemec so we can track the boy's growth:

The nursery is a guest room too... or a place for Mommy/Daddy to sleep if baby needs us near by:

View from the guest room side:

So the nursery is all set up. But, baby will start off sleeping near us downstairs, in our room, in the pack-n-play. Thanks Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe!

Little Hoot pack-n-play. Love it. Auntie Christine, look at what is hanging on the wall near by:

And the bump shots:

37 weeks:

38 weeks:

And from the front:

In other news...

The basement:

Perma Seal came to fix our faulty trench drain... Adam took the day off to supervise... As you can see, they installed a bigger drain (smaller one is the original). It took about three hours for them to fix this.

SO... You can imagine how pleased we were when it stormed the next day and this is what happened:

Ugh. Needless to say, Perma Seal will be coming back again. But with baby coming soon, they will not be back until August. Too much going on right now to deal with this!

Air duct cleaning:

As part of my nesting plan, we decided to have our air ducts vacuumed out.

Mr. Duct came by and hooked up a giant vacuum to our heating/ac system...

Then, Mr. Duct loosened all the dirt, dust and debris in our vents so the giant vacuum could suction it out.

Now we are all breathing clean air. Phew. And maybe this will help with controlling allergies. They showed us a video of the inside of one of the vents before they cleaned, and I am pretty sure the air ducts in this house have never been cleaned.

Comic room:

Not a home improvement, just a little project I did for Adam for his first father's day... comic-covered magazine boxes to hold his prized Vampirella collection:

So, I think we'll be signing off now until the big day arrives. My due date is 8 days away as of tomorrow. We can't believe he's almost here! It is very exciting... and scary... but mostly, exciting!

Stand by for the big news!

C + A

PS: Managed to catch one of the boy's kicks on camera... watch the right side of the video...

31-36 weeks... and basement waterproofing

2010-06-13T18:09:00.019-05:00

Hello!

Time for an update! This could be one of our last posts before the big day. As of tomorrow, I am full-term -- 37 weeks. We can hardly believe it! I am hoping to make it to 40 weeks so we can get some loose ends at home and work tied up before the little guy arrives.

Here's what's up:

Maternity photo shoot:

We were lucky enough to schedule a photo session with Amy Tripple Photography at the last minute right around 34 weeks. I had been thinking about doing this, but when Adam said "We should probably capture this moment" (aww) that pushed me to make the appointment. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

Bump progress:

And here are our weekly bump shots...

As you can see, I think I have "dropped". I haven't noticed much of a change. But then I saw these pictures. I think it looks like I am carrying lower.

I feel great, except for the nightly swollen feet and calves -- but this is par for the course, I am told. I am now seeing the doctor weekly, every Tuesday morning.

As of this past week, at 36 weeks:

The boy is in "ready" position, head down
Heartbeat was strong
I am not dilated at all

So, everything is going great. I have been really lucky to have a smooth pregnancy so I feel really fortunate. We are getting really excited to welcome our baby boy into the world.

And for those of you wondering, I still have an "innie" -- but barely. It is kind of flat, neither in or out. And, though I didn't think I had it, I guess I kind of have the linea nigra (line going down my tummy).

We hope to post one more time before baby comes... hopefully next weekend... to show pictures of the nursery. It is not quite ready yet, but hubby and I hope to work on it during the next week. Stay tuned.

Basement waterproofing:

As I mentioned in the last post, as part of our eventual total basement rehab, we decided to have the basement waterproofed this year. This required tearing up the basement, moving all of our belongings to the center of the space and covering them in plastic before Perma Seal came out to do their part. This grueling work was all done by Adam and his dad. It was a ton of work and they did a GREAT job.

Here is the basement before cleaning and packing:

And here is the cleaning/tear-out process:

Me, acting like I am doing something (I helped a little).

Adam did all of the hard work. As you can from these pics, it was very dirty and dusty.

Basement stairs sealed off because three stairs need to be removed for the process. A big thanks to Adam's dad for all of his help with this as well! He did a fair amount of the tear out, along with moving our washer, dryer and hot water tank.

Here are all of our basement belongings, moved to the center and covered in plastic (Dexter, anyone?):

Bottom basement stairs removed:

Everything is ready:

More plastic covered stuff:

And then, the big day:

Perma Seal arrives, digs a trench around the inside perimeter of the basement
Installs an interior drain tile and sump pump system
Backfills trench with gravel and covers it with concrete
Installs a whole basement dehumidifier

Some pics:

Broken concrete being hauled out. Against the garage, you can see all the debris from the basement tear out.

The sump:

Jackhammering the trench:

Drainage system going in:

We also had a couple of cracks repaired:

As you can see, a very dusty process:

Trench in:

Going around the fireplace:

Back filling the trench with gravel:

Crack outside repaired:

Spot where the sump pump drains out to the backyard:

An interior trench drain to collect water that seeps in the back door and direct it to the sump:

The finished sump pump system and giant dehumidifier:

Finished work, trench covered in new concrete:

So, after all of this work... and dust... you can imagine how happy we were when we discovered this after a big rain...

Water seeping in and going around the interior trench drain, and across our basement floor, into the center drain.

Um yeah. We were not happy about this. The good thing is Perma Seal is a very reputable company, and they will be correcting this problem. The bad thing: they are coming on July 2nd to do it (three days before my due date). And they will have to bust up some of the concrete again to fix it. Ugh. We are not too happy about the timing, so I will give them a buzz tomorrow to see if they can squeeze us in a little earlier.

All in all, while it was a tough project, it will be good in the long run. The system has a lifetime guarantee that stays with the house. If any water passes by the system, Perma Seal will fix it it. Plus, with the new dehumidifier, the basement is very dry.

Over the next year, we hope to finish this project little by little. We' like to keep the floor plan open for the most part, but maybe add a small room for Adam's comics, as well as a small bathroom. My hope is that, by the time the little guy is toddling around, the basement will be put back together so we can let him run wild downstairs. But for now and foreseeable future, the basement will basically stay the way it is -- a pile of stuff covered in plastic -- and we'll only go downstairs for laundry.

I think that's it for now. I hope to update next weekend with some nursery pics. Then, after that, we'll go "offline" until the bambino arrives!

Ta ta!

C + A