Month: July 2008

Wade and I have been taking walks in the evenings and sometimes the dogs are allowed to join us. We have discovered that Madison does like to swim – especially if there are ducks present. We let her off the leash and she runs for the water and comes back when called. At least she normally does. Tonight she got close enough to a duck that she thought she had it. She ignored us and swam and ran and swam. When she finally got out Wade was not happy. I think now she is allowed to go swimming but only if no ducks are present.

We are only having one baby. Other than that nothing much new. I’m right on schedule. The doctor did print out an image for me and if I get industrious I’ll post it later. It mostly looks like a tiny blob with arms and maybe legs.

Last week Wade and I were shopping in Menard’s (a home improvement store that carries a little bit of everything) and I bought a bag of Pringles Minis. They were delicious and I finished the bag in a few days. Ever since I have been hunting for more. The grocery store doesn’t carry them and neither does CVS. Who would have thought a home improvement store would be on the cutting edge? We were in Menard’s again today to price out a new fence and I bought a bag – yum!

We have a new foster dog, for at least a little while. They are desperate for foster families and Wade was willing to give it a try. I requested an older dog and was instead talked into a 1.5 year old unaltered male who can climb a 6′ fence. He’s very sweet, but doesn’t know any commands. We’ll see how he adjusts.

Maren called today and asked if I wanted to take a walk. I was supposed to go to the doctor, but they had mixed up the appointment times so that wasn’t going to happen. A walk sounded great. Elise was captivated by Madison and we all got a little exercise. Maren also dropped off the first of her lending items – pregnancy books. I spent the rest of the day napping – it’s a rough life, isn’t it?

I proceeded to be a slug this weekend, but Wade was quite productive. I can now be a slug in style with our new ceiling fan in the living room. The room had no overhead power, but Wade figured out how to make it work. He also added an outlet in the guest room so that the bedside table lamp and alarm clock can be plugged in.

Wade and decided to go out for breakfast this morning. Everyone told us that “George Webb” is the equivalent of Waffle House. They were wrong. It is small, open 24 hours, and serves breakfast all the time, but that does not make it a Waffle House. We are really enjoying Milwaukee, but we desperately miss some of our old favorite restaurants.

Wade and I have both been anxiously awaiting the new Batman movie. We bought our tickets online and stood in line for thirty minutes to get good seats. It was awesome! I love these Batman movies!

The church we have been attending is rumored to have a young couple’s social group, but we hadn’t actually seen the group. It turns out they were having a social gathering this week at Vino 100. Wade and I aren’t much for drinking – me especially right now – but we had a great time meeting everyone and hanging out.

I think the realities of being pregnant are finally sinking in. Morning sickness hit with a vengeance right after I went to the doctor. The bad news is it wasn’t just in the morning. The good news seems to be that it only lasted three days. We’ll see what comes in the future.

Everything worked out just right this morning. Madison stayed in bed with me and didn’t go out with Wade. When I was walking downstairs, I actually looked out the window and saw:

Poor Madison has to stay in until the ducks decide to leave, but it’s pretty cute to see them in the backyard.

Wade and I found out yesterday – We’re having a baby. The baby is due on March 6th.

Madison looks cute and sweet, but she’s a lot of trouble.

Today she figured out how to climb the chain-link fence. I have to admit it was rather amazing to watch, but it just makes our life a little more difficult. Wade ran the electric wire further down the fence when he got home from work. Madison ran right to the fence and then proceeded to whine and cry and hide in the house. She’s a smart dog. She’ll learn eventually.

My dad is on a roll this year. He just won his third straight drag racing event! You can even watch some of the races live at the ADRL website. My dad doesn’t often show a genuine grin so this picture was great:

Before I decided to go to Charleston with my mom, Wade and I made a deal. I would go on vacation, but I couldn’t leave a list of things for him to do. I thought that meant he was going to relax and enjoy. Nope – he attacked projects with a vengeance. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing all week, but I knew he had completed 6 projects. When I got home, I was shocked to see:
1) The island butcher block and plant window refinished
2) New can lights in the Kitchen
3) The disposal moved to the other side of the sink
4) The windows between my office and the dining room removed
5) The master bedroom door replaced
6) Sod or seed the backyard
Kitchen Before and After:

Dining Room Before and After:

The biggest project was removing the windows. We are desperate for wall space and although we would lose some light we thought this was a good way to go. Seeing the finished project, we definitely made the right choice. Both the office and the dining room actually feel larger with the windows gone.

I surprised Wade and arrived two hours early. It turns out the trains from Chicago to Milwaukee are unreserved and your ticket is good for any train within a three day window. This saved me a three hour wait in Chicago. Wade picked me up with flowers and Madison. We went out for dinner and a little shoe shopping before driving downtown for Summerfest – Milwaukee’s outdoor music fest.
The festival lasts all week and I missed everything but the last night. We didn’t know any of the bands, but figured we’d just go for the experience. We found a parking spot on the road and walked a good 20 minutes to the gate. Then we learned that no cameras were allowed. We took this quick picture and then turn around to walk back to the car.

At this point we had spent almost an hour walking so we decided to park closer and pay the fee. We made our way in and to the country stage for “Lady Antebellum”. They evidently only have two songs out and then played Tom Petty and other artists. We walked to all of the other stages before deciding we had seen, enjoyed, and were done.

Mom and I spent the morning on the beach and I finally got some sun. Then we met up with Leland and Dabney to tour the Edmondston-Alston House where Dabney gave tours many years ago. We enjoyed seeing the restored house and playing on the veranda. They had the neatest toy – a joggling board. I’m going to see if Wade can make me one.

After the tour we strolled through The Market and then went for a carriage tour before a seafood dinner on the water.