Davis - 3 months

You've been with us for three months. Technically, 12. A whole year. That surprised/happy/anxious/holy sh*t feeling that hit me the moment that little + sign showed up still hasn't left. We have our routines now and we can't imagine life without you, but I'm still grasping that I'm a mom. I'm a mom. I have to take a deep breath every time I think/say/write that.

These pictures were taken in our living room in our new house. We finally moved in on August 29, just a few days after your two month birthday. The rug you are laying on is the one mommy and daddy stood on when they got married last year. Our anniversary was one of many events this past month.

You gained a new nickname this month - lollipop, 'cause you're tall and skinny with a big ol' head.

We think your eyes are going to end up blue like daddy's. I think you are also going to have your daddy's energy and strength. You don't like to sit still much. When we're walking you like to face out and absorb the world around you. You want to stand all the time (with us holding you up, of course). Your little legs and arms seem so strong for how small they are.

As I said above, we moved into Norcross when you were nine weeks old. We survived our first sickness together (mama had a pretty serious cold) and you started sleeping in your real crib in your nursery.

At ten weeks you finally started playing with toys. Over the course of the month you went from punching and staring at your toys to grabbing them and putting them in your mouth. Though toys are not required - you also love to shove your fingers/fist in your mouth any chance you get. And you are drooling like crazy! We have to keep a drool bib on you at all times or you'll soak through your clothes in a matter of minutes.

At eleven weeks Aunt Genna came to visit. Aunt Genna has a very animated face and voice - you loved staring at her while she spoke and babbling with her. Your babbling went from the occasional grunt and coo to all out conversation this month. Your favorite time to babble is just after your first morning feeding. You sit on my lap, stare into my eyes, smile, laugh, and babble as long as I'll let you.

At twelve weeks Aunt Jill and cousin Olivia came to visit. Neither one of them could get enough of you. Olivia especially loved reading to you and playing with you.

Around twelve weeks is also when you rolled from your back to your tummy for the first time. It made me nervous because you did it in your crib while you were swaddled. Now we're working on getting you to sleep out of a swaddle.

At thirteen weeks/three months mommy spent her first night away from you. She spent a night in Atlanta with some of her girlfriends. We all did great!

Sleep. You're doing pretty well. Your scheduled hasn't changed too much - just shifted an hour earlier. You eat some time between 3 and 5 am, and then about every 3 hours after that until you go to bed at 7. You've gone many nights straight until your feeding time (one night you even made it until 6 am!), but you have started a bad habit of waking and demanding your pacifier around 1 am. We're hoping you'll be able to soothe yourself back to sleep when this happens and you are out of the swaddle. We'll see! Naps aren't as routine as feedings. You nap frequently, but your nap schedule is not predictable.

This is my last month at home with you. I'm trying to enjoy every moment with you - even the moments where I'm exhausted, your crying, and we're both covered in spit up.

Norcross Now

It felt like it might never happen, but we finally moved into Norcross. On August 29, 2015 there was still a long list of things that needed to be done to the house, but we couldn't wait any longer. The date was pushed back five (five!) times.

We shared some before photos of the house way back in June 2014. Then, we shared the plans in February 2015. Now, finally, here are the after renovation shots. We like old stuff and tried to keep the spirit of the original house wherever possible. 

Front of house - porch and sidewalk added, new windows and paint, lots of landscaping to be done!

View of street from front porch - Restoration Hardware light fixture scored on Craigslist

View immediately upon entering house - notice view straight through to backyard

Original living room - floors refinished, new paint and trim, fireplace surround to be redone in the future

Other side of living room/entry

Office - Hardwood floor added, new paint and light fixture

Front hallway - Double-door laundry closet converted to single-door closet with air intake vent

Front bathroom - window removed for addition, new floor and shower tile, new tub, toilet, and light

Guest bedroom - window removed for addition, floor refinished, new paint and light fixture

Other side of guest bedroom

Nursery - floor refinished, new paint and light fixture

Other side of nursery

Entrance into kitchen/dining/great room

Kitchen & Dining Room - Merged original kitchen and dining area into kitchen, added dining area 

Pantry - all new

New Laundry Room - Used washer and dryer scored from traveling friends!

New Half Bathroom - Loving the black penny hex tile with charcoal grout

Additional view of half bath

View from other side of new great room - our vision of a light-filled airy room was achieved!

New Master Bedroom - fireplace and door to back porch

View from other side of master bedroom - privacy wall added since room is off main area

(picture missing - master walk-through closet)

New Master Bathroom - A work in progress on moving day

Master bathroom - massive double shower

Another view of the master bathroom

Back porch - This photo was taken about a week before we moved in. The beams and railings were painted white. The floor was stained after we moved in.

Another view of the porch

Davis - 2 months

You are two months old. One-sixth of a year old. Seems so insignificant - yet so significant. Some time during this past month, when we weren't looking, you changed from a cuddly, squishy newborn to an incredibly alert and social infant. You're going to be a little boy before we know it. While we look forward to the days where we don't have to wipe your butt or schedule our days around your feedings and sleep schedule, we are going to miss cradling your tiny body in our arms and staring into your adorable face. Who knew a simple smile from a baby could bring so much happiness?

These pictures were taken on the very special quilt CoCo made for you. If you look closely, you'll see turtles and alligators embroidered into the fabric. We chose these specific photos because they show some of your developments this month. The one on the left shows your gaze and the one on right shows you enjoying some tummy time.

At five weeks you started smiling. Daddy had been waiting anxiously for this moment. He loves to hold you close to his face and do everything he can to make you smile. You also started "talking" (babbling) around this time. You have a really alert time for about an hour after each meal. During this time you do tummy time, sit in your bouncer, and babble. You love tummy time, though lately you've started immediately rolling onto your back instead of hanging out on your tummy.

Your full vision came in somewhere between weeks five and six. Overtime we walk into a room, especially if its a new place, you look around in amazement. Soaking in what you're seeing inch by inch.

We had your one-month check-up when you were five and half weeks old (Dr. Ankrah was on vacation). You weighed in at 10 pounds, 10 ounces (55th percentile) and measured 22.13 inches long (62nd percentile). And we figured out why you hate having things on your head - it's huge! It measured 16 inches in circumference (99th percentile)! You got a vaccine shot in your thigh and screamed. It was probably more traumatic for mom than it was for you. Overall Dr. Ankrah said you are developing perfectly - you must have read the book on where you should be developmentally because you've hit all the milestones.

By six weeks you were consistently sleeping six hours - sometimes going as long as seven or eight. Your typically eat at 4 am, 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm. Your nighttime sleep is 8 to 8 and your naps, when you'll take them, are around 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm. In the last week or so you've started to push that schedule an hour earlier, preferring to start the night time routine at 7 pm. It used to take about an hour to get you to fall asleep at night (we would go in every 10 minutes or so to comfort you, give you a pacifier, etc), but now we just put you down when you're done eating and you get yourself to sleep. Sometimes you stay awake in the crib for an hour, but you are quiet and entertain yourself until you fall asleep. We're getting to the point now where most of the time you just fall asleep almost immediately.

We did our first family trip when you were seven weeks old. Mommy's friend, Lisette, was having her bachelorette party in Asheville, NC. Mommy wasn't ready to leave you for the weekend, so all three of us (Tad stayed with Brad & Steve) rented a place near the girls. Mommy went back and forth between her boys and her girls throughout the weekend. You got to spend a lot of quality time alone with daddy. We were nervous you were going to be thrown off of your schedule due to the travel, but you did quite well. So far you've been a very adaptable baby.

At eight weeks you and mommy spent two nights alone at home without daddy. Daddy went to Ocean City, MD for an annual boys trip. Mommy was nervous but you were really good and things went well.

At eight and a half weeks we were supposed to finally (FINALLY!) move into Norcross. CoCo and Aunt Bailey came into town to help us with the move. Unfortunately, the house still wasn't ready... We're hoping to move later this week when you are nine weeks old. Although we didn't move, they were a huge help getting the house packed up and they loved seeing your smiling face. We were pretty stressed about the house and that stress seemed to get passed on to you.

We're still adjusting to being a family of four, but we're close to understanding our new normal. I'm sure things will be turned upside down during the move. I hope you love our new home as much as we do.

Davis - 1 month

Davis hit 1 month on July 26, 2014. Since his two week update, he has learned to "blow bubbles," spit up his entire meal after eating, and sleep 6 hours straight (but not consistently...). I never realized how entertaining watching an infant could be. We especially love watching him wake up - his stretches, yawns, farts, and faces are adorable. Yes - even the farts.

Davis has also met more people that love him. Lisette, Nora, Anna, Jeff, Ompah (Grandpa Griswold), and Mimi (Terri). On my birthday (July 23) we brought him along to Zada Jane's for leisurely breakfast. We sat outside and he was perfect. We also brought him along to another restaurant for drinks on the patio - that outing was a little less successful. We had a number of friends over on my birthday and Davis loved all the attention. We're slowly figuring out how to do our pre-baby activities with baby.

CoCo (Grandma Fitzpatrick) visited for a few days again. Mom and dad got to go on a date while she was here. Davis loved spending time with her. Lulu (CoCo's pup) also tagged along. At first Lulu and Tad didn't get along, but they loved each other by the end of the few days.

Later in the month Ompah and Mimi visited. Davis loved being held by both of them and they couldn't keep their eyes off of him. Love all around.

Still no schedule yet, but we do have a bit of a routine down. We wake up between 6 and 8. Eat. Change. Kilborne Acres/park walk before 9, if possible. Nap during/after walk. Eat around 10. Play for a bit. Change. Nap. Mom does chores. Eat around 1. Change. Snuggle. Nap. Mom tries to rest/nap too. Eat around 4. Change. Active time! Dad gets home. Bouncer and/or carrier while we prep dinner. Bouncer and/or carseat while mom and dad eat dinner. Eat around 7. Change. Evening walk - often in Plaza Midwood after we visit Norcross to check on the progress at the house. Eat around 9 (you like to eat more frequently at night...). Change. Fussy time! Eat again around 11. Sleep 'til 4! Repeat.

These photos were taken in our backyard at Sheridan. We loved bringing Davis home to Sheridan but we're also looking forward to our new home. We hope the two month update will be written from there!

Colors

Drywall is up and floors are down. This means we're getting to the exciting part of the renovations at Norcross - finishes! One of the big decisions that will impact the feel of the house is colors - floor colors, cabinet colors, tile colors, trim colors, grout colors, wall colors.... who knew there were so many color decisions to make!

We've settled on our paint colors. They are pretty neutral. It's hard to know what color you really want until you are in a space and really experience it. We hope we love the colors and don't need to make any changes but we'll see.

For the interior - Behr Subtle Touch will touch most spaces (living room, hallways, full bathrooms, bedroom 2/guest room, kitchen, pantry, laundry room, and dining area). We have this in a number of our rooms at Sheridan and love it. We'll also keep the same master bedroom color we have at Sheridan - Behr Porpoise. The great room will be Gladden Silver Birch. On screen it looks tan but in person it looks more like a very soft grey. All safe colors so far. The office and bedroom 1/nursery are where we're taking a bit more of a chance with Glidden Blue-Grey Slate. The half bath, trim and closets will be white.

For the exterior we've selected three colors: Glidden Shady Blue for the body of the house, Behr Stately White for the trim, and Behr Starless Night for the accents (doors, shutters, etc).

Davis - Your First Two Weeks

Davis Rittenhouse Griswold. You made a dramatic entrance into our world on June 26, 2015 at 2:13 a.m - 10 days after your due date. 8 lbs 5 oz. We immediately fell in love. Although it's only been two weeks, we can't imagine our world without you.

In these pictures you are basking in the morning light that streams through our living room picture window. In the picture on the right you are laying on one of the blankets that Great Grandma Rittenhouse knitted for you. She is the Grandma you are named after, Winifred Davis Rittenhouse.

We took these pictures during a morning walk in Kilbourne park. In the picture on the left you are laying in the hole 11 disc golf basket - the one daddy threw a hole in one into. He believes your conception and the hole in one happened at the same time... In the picture on the right you are making your classic grumpy Grandpa face. I think you inherited this from me - sorry!

A stream of consciousness about your first two weeks: 

• We call you tree frog because of the way you like to lay during skin to skin time with mommy and daddy, which seems to calm you. At just over a week you started to be able to see more with your eyes. We noticed you opening them up more widely and looking around. You love looking out windows. You also love the outdoors. Sometimes when you're really fussy dad takes you out and you immediately calm. We think you like the warmth of the fresh air and the sounds of the birds and bugs (especially the cicadas). You also really like walks. The bumpier the better so we try to take you "off roading" in Kilbourne park. When you're in a cuddly mood but we have work to do we tie you to one of us using the sleepy wrap. You cuddle up on our chests and usually fall asleep while we do chores. 
• You and Tad seem to be getting along okay. He's definitely curious and a bit jealous. We think he'll like you more when you're a toddler and able to play with him. He used to get nervous and hide when you cried - now he sits near you until you calm. He wants to protect you.
• You eat a lot. Nearly 3 ounces every 2 hours. That's what most 1 month olds eat. Your appetite and mama's ample breast milk supply are why you were up over your birth weight in less than a week. Based on daddy's precise weight calculations (using the bathroom scale) you were 9.5 pounds by day 12. That's a pound gained! 
• You sleep a lot. Except at bedtime when we want you to... You'll sleep for nearly four hour stretches once you are down - but a 2-3 hour nap is more typical.
• You require lots of love and attention, but you're a good baby overall. You are so sweet and usually only cry when you need something - food, attention, a clean diaper, to pass some gas...
• Noise doesn't seem to bother you. You startle a bit sometimes when Tad suddenly barks loudly at the UPS delivery person (we've been ordering a lot of stuff from Amazon) but quickly return to whatever it was you were doing. We've even had you in the bouncer next to the blender while you were sleeping - you didn't seem to notice. 
• You've met lots of people that loved you before they met you. Aunt Jill was there the moment you came into the world. Then CoCo (Grandma Fitzpatrick) arrived on your third day. Aunt Bailey came at 6 days. A parade of friends and neighbors came by to meet you and bring food and gifts. Neighbors Janice, Ethel, and Brad & Steve. Friends Alice (and Brennan!), the Funderburgs, Annelise, and Tim. 
• We've completed a number of successful outings. The first (besides your trip home on your second day) was a visit to our soon-to-be new home on Norcross on your third day. On your fourth day we went to the pediatrician (you are thriving and don't need to be seen again for a month!). On your fifth and 7th days we went to see a lactation consultant (let's just say - Ow!), and some time during your second week we went to ReStore. Of course, we also took lots of walks - typically one in the morning and one in the evening. 
• You don't like things on your head, getting dressed (see first item since getting dressed usually involves putting a onesie over your head), daddy's cold hands, or schedules (you like to eat, sleep, cuddle on your own time, not when we want you to).

Taking care of you is exhausting. But you're worth it. 

Kitchen details ( a.k.a. decision exhaustion)

There are so many decisions to make with the new house!! Privileged people problems, I know ... but seriously - so many decisions.

For the last week we've been wrestling with kitchen decisions. Many have been made.

• Appliances
• Standard size french door refrigerator - We knew going in we wanted french door without an external water dispenser and stuck with these preferences. We considered custom paneling (why do manufacturers charge more for panel ready fridges when it is less material for them???) and counter-depth in lieu of standard depth. Ultimately, we decided to forgo both for cost savings and ease of replacement in the future. We're still shopping for the exact model. We've narrowed it down to a few options and the upcoming 4th of July sales will be the determining factor.
• GE Cafe Free Standing Dual-Fuel Range - We thought a lot about this decision. I was initially leaning towards a pro-style range and Alex was leaning towards a more traditional range. The GE Cafe range is a nice compromise between the two. It doesn't have the exact "look" I was hoping for, but I'm not willing to increase our budget by $3k just for a look. Based on the research we've done, it cooks and bakes as well, if not better, than the Wolf and Thermador options we were considering. It is still a splurge, but one we think we'll be happy we made every time we use it.
• Dishwasher - We're still narrowing down the options here. As with the fridge, we considered and then vetoed the custom paneling option. Given that the kitchen is in a shared open space with the dining and great rooms, we are concerned with noise. Right now the front-runner is a Bosch that claims to be super quiet.
• Rohl chrome bridge faucet - Funny story. We went to a local plumbing supply showroom and picked out everything we thought we wanted for the house (2 1/2 bathrooms and the kitchen). Our budget was about $2k and we joked that the quote would come in around $5k. It came in at $12k!!! And that was with a friendly discount. Woah. We had to make a lot of adjustments. The one splurge we didn't adjust was the Rohl kitchen faucet. The kitchen island is HUGE and will be a centerpiece in our home. We feel the faucet is almost like a piece of art that we will be looking at and using every day. Also, our salesperson gave us a ridiculous deal. We can't wait to see it in the space.
• Finishes
• Counters: Our counters will be white marble or white granite. We hear marble is higher maintenance but I like the look A LOT and, surprisingly, white granite may be significantly more expensive. We've looked at some options in warehouses and are waiting on our contractor to get back to us with quotes.
• Floors: We will have the same hardwood flooring throughout the house.
• Cabinets: We're going with basic white shaker style cabinetry. We're playing with some open shelving options that would accommodate hanging pots and pans. A lot of people don't like open shelving and warn us against it - but we've had it in Sheridan for the last 2 years and love the ease of access to everyday dishes. 
• Light fixtures and hardware: This is where the most indecision is coming in. I've narrowed it down to two options:
• "Classic vintage" - schoolhouse pendants, oil rubbed bronze drawer pulls, white wood range hood, OR

• "Classy clean" - clear glass pendants, glass drawer pulls with either chrome or oil rubbed bronze backings/screws, and a stainless steel range hood

You can view real life kitchens with these different options on my "new kitchen" Pinterest board. 

So, what do you think - should we go with classic vintage or classy clean?

Preparing for TAB

If taking care of a baby is as much work as preparing for a baby... we're in trouble. I guess that means we're in a lot of trouble.

Bump at 27 1/2 weeks

We've been getting lots of questions about TAB (Talla & Alex's baby), so I thought a quick post might be helpful.

Our baby boy's estimated due date is June 16, 2015. Our other big addition has an estimated due date of June 15. This means we'll either be moving in while I'm about 40 weeks pregnant, or while we have a newborn to contend with. Lucky for us, we also own Sheridan so we can determine our move out date.

The house construction makes preparing the nursery a bit difficult. The best we can do is pick everything out and hope it comes together as we've imagine it. We've decided to make "bedroom 3" the nursery. We anticipate spending a lot of time in there and love the light this room gets. Plus, it used to be Alex's bedroom so it has an awwwww factor to it. :)

Here are two real nurseries that have given me the bulk of my inspiration for Tab's nursery:

Source: http://www.lesueurinteriorsblog.com/2012/08/julians-nursery.html

Source: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-sophisticated-grown-up-nurseries-183291

As you can see from the photos, we're not really going for any particular theme. The colors will generally be navy, white, gray, and touches of red. My belief is he won't remember or care what the room looks like so we need to make it comfortable for us adults. 

We've scored a basic white crib, navy and white striped swivel rocker, and a beautiful Persian rug off of Craigslist. We plan to use an old dresser currently in my dressing room for the changing table. Now we have to figure out the paint color and art/decorations. We're going back and forth between navy or gray walls. I'm leaning more towards navy and Alex is in the gray camp.

Besides the nursery, I hear there is a whole lot of stuff the baby needs. My friend Kelley helped me register at Babies-R-Us a few weeks ago. She's a mom so getting her perspective was incredibly helpful but I've since edited the registry quite a bit. I found a lot of comparable items on Amazon for a lot cheaper, thought a lot about what I think we can do without, and tried to find more environmentally friendly products where possible.

We don't expect gifts, but some family and friends have asked for a bit of gift-giving guidance. Hopefully this helps: 

1. We have a universal registry on Amazon.com and are also registered at Babies-R-Us

2. As much as possible, we're trying to make decisions that are economical, practical, and environmentally friendly. For example, we usually prefer things made with natural materials (cotton, wood, etc) over synthetics, and in some cases, prefer used over new (except for the car seat, we're happy to receive used items found on Craigslist or elsewhere).

3. We didn't register for many specific clothing, toys, or books. We look forward to seeing what others pick out in these areas. 

4. We're not big fans of the super cutesy/cartoony baby products and are trying to select things that are gender neutral.

Again, we definitely don't expect anything from anyone. The best gift of all will be introducing you all to our little man!

Outside plans

In the last post I shared a little about what the inside of our new house will look like. Here are some pictures and drawings that compare what the house currently looks like on the outside, and what we hope it will look like after construction is complete.

Building

Unbeknownst to us, we started building a life together in September 2011 when our paths crossed in our neighborhood park, Midwood Park. Alex was playing basketball and I was walking a friend's dog. We were the only two in the park. We had met on previous occasions, but this serendipitous meeting was different. Special. We ended up spending the whole day together, the first of many.

After getting engaged, we started thinking about where we wanted to live long term. Charlotte wasn't in question, but the neighborhood and home were. Sheridan has been a great place to live, but we both agreed it wasn't what we wanted forever. We looked at lots of homes in lots of neighborhoods and kept coming back to the house Alex lived in when we met. The house on the park. The park that we love. It wasn't for sale, but we contacted Alex's old landlords and, after some back and forth, landed on a selling price. In June 2014, it was ours.

We were thrilled to have the house due to its location, but knew it was too small for the family we envisioned. We rented it out on Airbnb to help cover the mortgage while we figured out our plans. We spent six months working with an architect, meeting with contractors, and closing on a construction loan. We've finally moved from planning to execution!

The plan we settled on more than doubles square footage of the house. The yellow highlighted section below represents the original structure.

As you can see, the plan includes an updated front porch, a larger kitchen and dining/sunroom, a great room, a master suite, and a covered back porch. The original living room, office, two bedrooms, and bathroom will get some upgrades, but no major renovations.

There are so many decisions to make when planning addtion. My worst fear is investing all of this time, money, and energy in this project and then spending the next 20+ years wishing we had planned the addition differently... Deep breath. We're trying to take this one decision at a time.

With that in mind, we do need to make final framing decisions immediately. There are a five things I'm questioning. Please weigh in!

1. Currently, the washer and dryer are located in a hall closet in the original part of the house. Initially, we thought leaving it there was the best decision. Friends with families have commented that we will probably wish we had a laundry room rather than a laundry closed.
2. The new half bath is a bit bigger than necessary - almost the same size as the full bath in the original part of the house. What if we move the washer and dryer into this space instead?
3. We still want to land with 2 1/2 bathrooms - so if we went changed the planned half bath to a laundry room, then we would need to take part of the master closet for the half bath. This would also result in four doors in the kitchen/great room open area - is that going to look funny? Will we have enough closet space if we do this?
4. We will have vaulted ceilings in the bedroom. We originally asked for a partial wall here to close the bed space off from the rest of the master suite. Our thinking is this would help if one of us is up moving around while the other is still sleeping. We still like the idea of a partition, but think we could do something less permanent and more artsy than a wall. So, the thought is to remove this little wall.
5. We had visions of having a little private porch accessed off the master. The more we look at the drawing the more it seems unnecessary to access the shared (not private) porch from the master. So - door or no door to the porch from the master bedroom?

All in a yearI

On February 9, 2014 we hiked up Crowder's Mountain to Kings Pinnacle. It was a warm, sunny perfect kind of day. When we reached the top, Alex told me I was the love of his life and asked me to marry him. The picture above was taken on February 8, 2015. A similar warm, sunny perfect kind of day on a mountain, but with a year's worth of memories added. And it was a full year!

Shortly after getting engaged, we both started new jobs within our same organizations.

We took an adventurous road trip around Puerto Rico for our annual Maycation.

In June, we closed on our soon-to-be dream house.

We were married in September.

And in October found out we were pregnant!

In between these adventures, we had lots of opportunities to spend time with friends and family. Some of these memories include Easter and Thanksgiving at Alex's mom's house in Maryland, a few visits to my sister's place in South Carolina, hosting a houseful for our engagement party, taking an annual friend's trip to Lake Jocassee, and visiting the extended Fitzpatrick and Griswold families in Minnesota and Wisconsin over Christmas.

On more somber note, I traveled to Connecticut in November for my grandfather's passing. He lived a long life (he was 94!) and the family used the opportunity to celebrate his life by spending time with each other. It was the first time since 2008 that all six of the Rittenhouse siblings were together.

The next year promises to be just as full as the last. We have a lot to do to prepare for our little man's arrival in June, the biggest item being completing our family home. More about that soon.