The Fishers Do It Center is AWESOME!

So, every time I've ever needed anything for home improvement, I can almost always find what I need at the Fishers Do It Center. I've asked myself WHY I even bother looking at Lowes, Menards or Home Depot. Chances are the Do It Center will have the same thing or better and certainly has the people who make sure you have everything you need for every project. So, when I needed to bust up the patio earlier this week...I went there to find a Jackhammer...which I proceeded to rent, and came home and busted out the patio. After a 4 hour jackhammer rental and taking two 1-ton loads of concrete to its final resting place in Noblesville, the back is ready for our latest improvement project of a paver patio.

Of course, what kind of patio would I have if I had no table? Finding a table in late September is quite a challenge. I had better luck finding every type of Christmas tree and decoration! Of coursem the Do It Center had just what I needed! A nice table with 4 chairs/cushions on clearance for almost 50% off!! It was their last one....so Tony bought it last night, and I went in just about an hour ago to pick it up. When I walked in, I was greeted by two really nice gentlemen....who helped me find the table which we had bought. Shelly (who is the reason I come to the Do It Center for projects because she was so great helping me with some flower purchases about 5 years ago) was at the front and offered to watch Zac while we loaded everything into the truck. So, of course, I appreciated the extra hands and set off to move the truck so we could get everything loaded! When I came back in another person was oogling over Zac...and then Shelly encouraged us to stay and grab some food at the Customer Appreciation luncheon...well, it was almost over...but there was still some food. Since I hadn't eaten lunch yet, this sounded quite appealing! She took Zac back to the picnic area while I finished loading up and moved the truck back to a parking space...by the time I got back to the picnic...there were 4 people admiring the little guy. I hope he doesn't remember how all these girls are going ga ga over him when he gets to be a teenager! Anyways, he was just SOOOO happy to be at the Do It Center. I think he is going to like doing home projects as he gets older...or gardening with mom/grandpa....or perhaps painting will be his forte?

We had to get a pose of him at the picnic. He eagerly grabbed this paintbrush and smiled for the camera! The was really the first object he has picked up, kept in his hand and actively moved around! I might have to go back and buy this paintbrush for a toy :) Wish I would've thought about that while I was there! C

Anyways, a big thanks to the folks at Do It Center for re-affirming for me why I shop there. It feels like you are doing a project with friends/family whenver you have one.....and Shelly even loaded me up with a plate of goodies (homemade cookies and cupcakes) to take home to Tony!

Ligonier Marshmallow Festival!

Every year, the Annual Marshmallow festival happens in Ligonier, Indiana over Labor Day weekend. Zac got to attend his first one where he saw the cool old cars, and received a free bag or two of Marshmallows for attending! In fact, I think he may have been attacked by the Marshmallows!
It looks like he wants to eat some, doesn't it? :)

Zac goes to Eastern Hancock!

On August 27, Zac and I went to Eastern Hancock to watch the Lady Royals take on Greenfield Central in Volleyball. Bekah is on the JV team and Cyndi is on the varsity team.

Jessica and Eric were there too watching...and of course, they wanted to hold Zac as soon as we got there!
After Bekah's game was done, she came up and held Zac...but he was paying more attention to Cyndi playing the game than to Bekah!! :)

Check out my latest adventure

I have decided to start baking bread for this last month of my maternity leave...check it out:
http://breadtodaygonetomorrow.blogspot.com

Visiting with Friends!

Part of the fun of being a new mom and being off for 12 weeks is getting to go out and be social! That being said, I didn't really start doing this until about 2 weeks ago...and I am definitely keeping my schedule full!

My friend Jessica stopped by with her son Beckett who is 4 months old a couple weeks ago and brought us some YUMMY cookies and Spaghetti sauce. It was so nice to see her...as we haven't gotten together in a LONG time...like maybe since her wedding when I made her wedding cake? It was nice to get some advice and feedback about being a mom from her. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures of Beckett and Zac together..so here is a picture of her wedding cake ;)

Then I got together with my friend Cindy who had Madeline about 3 weeks before Zac. It was fun to sit and share stories about the development of the kids...about getting advice from people who you don't want it from....and to just look at the two kids side by side. While Madeline is 3 weeks older, she is about 1 pound less...and it was amazing how much difference that pound makes! When Cindy sends me the picture we took, I'll post it here...we have a side by side of the two with them making the same 'archer' pose!

On Monday, I went to my friend Amy's house out in the country and had a fabulous time with her...again, discussing 'mommy hood'. It is amazing how much of an instant bond you have with other moms out there. The topic of conversation most certainly ends up being about the kiddos....I wonder if there will ever be a day where I actually talk about something other than Zac! :) Amy has a son Paul, and he was born the beginning of May...so about 2 months older than Zac and ready to start cereal any day now! Aren't the two of them looking so cute??

Amy gave me some pointers for my Bread Project and recommended a great book called "The Bread Bakers Apprentice". I've been reading it and LOVING it!

Tuesday, I went to Borders to buy this book and one called "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes" with my friend Carissa (Who is expecting a little one in December). Zac did great with his first visit to a bookstore! I saw some of the cutest books in the kids section....but it is a bit premature to begin buying them....maybe some relatives will give Zac books instead of Toys if they want to give him presents? (hint hint!)

Today I'm off to buy a Pizza Peel and the base ingredients for my French Baguette (which I WILL master in the next month!). I can't wait for the taste tests of this project!

Bathtime!

Zac absolutely loves bathtime! He loves to splash around in the water and is so relaxed afterwards! Check out how cute he is when he is drying off! It is so funny how his hair is curly when it is wet, and then it goes into its crazy, straight, looks like I just got out of bed look when it gets dry!

Hangin' with Cousin Mariah!

On Tuesday, August 25th, Mariah came over to hang out with Zac and I for the day. He decided to really start interacting with his mobile fish friends right as she got there. He was smiling and talking and laughing at the little things as they spun around above his head on the swing! These are the first smiles I've FINALLY caught on the camera!

After some playing, Zac got hungry...so I had Mariah give him his bottle...and I discovered this was her first time feeding a kid! She did an awesome job...but didn't want to burp him because he always throws such a FIT when you interrupt his dinnertime. He's going to be like his mom and not answer the phone during dinner when he gets older...HA HA.



After he ate, we went to Cancun for some yummy Mexican for lunch (and Zac slept), then we went to the movie theater to see Julie and Julia (and he slept, then ate)....then we headed to TJ Maxx to get me some non-pregnant jeans! Yay. One size bigger than normal....but that isn't too shabby. Hopefully I'll be back into my pre-pregnant jeans by Thanksgiving! (Then I have the bigger ones to wear on Thanksgiving day for all the yummy food!)

Julie and Julia inspired me to take up a food baking project for the last month of my time off from work and home with Zac. I am going to try to embark on a bread making mission. My goal is to make REAL french bread like we bought on the streets of Paris. I have yet to find anywhere here that makes a baguette like those!!

Zac takes Sanders to a Sheep Herding Lesson!

On Wednesday, August 26th, Zac wanted to take Sanders up to Muncie to visit Ferreh's farm and let him herd some sheep. He'd heard a lot about it from me......so when he asked to take the pup up there, how could I refuse? So, we decked Zac out in his Osh Kosh overalls and headed out to the farm!

When we got there, Sanders was excited as always! He was sooo glad to be back. We had a really good couple of lessons and Sanders seemed a lot more interested in the sheep and wanting to work with me during the lesson while Zac sat on the sidelines as a spectator being quiet and just taking in the good country air!

After the lesson, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Thackery's house and ended up getting to play with a teddy bear while I got to can Tomato Juice for my first time. :)

Zac's first Colts game!

On August 20th, we took Zac to see his first Colts' game! We donned Zac in his Colts outfit from Aunt Lela and headed out! We went to the Colts vs. Eagles pre-season game (no Michael Vick at this game, thank goodness!). Can you believe you have to have a ticket to take a child of ANY age to the game? That's right...a full price ticket. Fortunately, it was a preseason game and our friend Cindy had 2 tickets for sale for really cheap!

Zac did really well with the lights and the noise for most of the time. There were a couple times when the crowd got LOUD and he freaked a bit...but I was able to console him pretty quickly by walking out into the concourse where it was a bit quieter. I forgot how loud Colts games are!!

We also ended up finding out Tony's cousin Ronnie was at the game...so we got to sit and hang with him!

Crabby Zac!

Well, he hasn't been THAT crabby....except for around 8/9ish every night. But I think that is because he starts to get sleepy from the long days we have.

We snapped this picture on Monday at Grandma and Grandpa Thackery's house. I think it is just adorable!

The first 3 weeks with Zac!

It is hard to believe that 3 weeks have already passed since the birth of Zac and we haven't officially updated the blog...so here goes the 3 week catch up!

Seeing as how our son was LOVING his home in what was a very comfy uterus, the doctor mad the decision to induce labor on Tuesday, July 14th. At 9:45AM, they broke my water, and at 10:30AM, pitocin was started to begin labor. After a relatively short labor, Isaac Anthony Halsey was born at 6:40PM at Community North Hospital in Indianapolis. He weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long with a 14.5" circumference for his head. Below is a picture of us with the doctor about 20-30 minutes after he was born! We were so lucky to have our entire family there to meet the little guy after he was born. I think in total, we counted 16 family members! We even had a cheering section that came in immediately after the epidural was administered and I was at about 5cm dilated!! I love my nieces and nephew! They definitely made the labor process entertaining (which would not have been possible without the epidural!)

Zac came out with a TON of hair...which is always the first comment we get when someone meets the little guy! The other thing he came out with was a touch of jaundice...enough that we had to put him on this device known as a Biliblanket which delivers UV light to break down the bilirubin which builds up and causes the jaundice. Unfortunately, as cute as he was as a glow worm.....it was NOT fun to have to carry him around for 3 days wrapped up in a cocoon with the glow worm light. It made for some challenging feeding sessions and sleep sessions...but we endured through it all. Then we found out the little man was tongue tied which was making feeding a very challenging/sore event. So, we took him to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist and had his frenulum clipped to fix the tongue tie (lift up your tongue and look at that little flimsy flap of skin that connects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth...that is a frenulum) and hopefully help with the feeding (as well as possible speech problems in the future). We are continuing to work through this and the guy gets 'physical therapy' now from us, as we try to strengthen his tongue and make it stick out farther than his bottom gum line.

We've also been so lucky to have so many friends/family helping us out by watching the little guy and fixing us food, and bringing us goodies for the kiddo and ourselves. This entire event has really showed us how much love people have in their hearts and we really feel blessed to have everyone in our lives.

Here are some pictures from our first 3 weeks!
A family photo at the hospital
4 Generations of Halseys!
Our little man giving the 'Pickup Truck' wave!
A snooze with Daddy!
In the hospital, the kiddo didn't want to miss a thing! Always bright eyed and looking around!
1.5 weeks old at home with Mom!

Zac rolls over at 13 days old?!?

No, this wasn't a fluke! His umbilical cord stump fell off yesterday (on Day 12), so today was our first day to have some tummy time! I thought perhaps he just did it once as a fluke...but no, he did it over and over, and both to the right and to the left! Do kids do this this early?! AMAZING!

After some chaotic 'nesting', everything is ready! T minus 5 days!

I can't believe it is July already. YIKES! 5 days until the due date...and we are so excited. Tony asks almost every night "I wonder what he'll look like?" We got a little bit of a glimpse at the ultrasound at week 36 (seems like that was FOREVER ago!). Looks like he is going to have a head of hair and chubby cheeks!!It has certainly been anything but a boring final few weeks leading up to now....it all began the day before the hail storm when our AC wasn't cooling....and we had to put 2 lbs of freon in the unit. The service guy recommended we consider replacing the AC and the furnace. The AC is 14 years old, and the furnace is almost 20. Looks like that is on our 'to do list'...but probably not until a little later...especially after we received the quote from the salesman!! The house is staying cool for now.

Then the hailstorm onset...that left us with needing new garage doors and siding, and possibly a couple of slopes of our roof....thanks to our awesome friend Aaron, he and his brother were able to get out within two weeks of the incident and get us all taken care of. I was worried people would be banging around on the house with a new infant around....which would be even more sleep deprivation for this mom-to-be who needs her 8 hours a night. [Yes, I know, this will be changing dramtically anytime now!!]

While getting the repairs done on the house, we realized just how rotten several of the trim boards on our house were...so we hired our friend Chris to come out and paint all the trim and replace any rotten boards. There must have been at least 20 rotten pieces....it was so worth hiring out!

Then the day after the siding was replaced, I was trying to put some of the finishing touches on the organization of the nursery......and as I was getting ready to put shelving in the closet, I smelled a mildew like smell as my foot touched a 'cold' piece of carpet. That 'cold' was actually damp...no wait, make that WET. The carpet was soaked in the closet. GUH! I then discovered that the water heater was leaking (and likely had been for a while) and had soaked the carpet/carpet pad. Needless to say, we ripped up the carpet and had to buy a new water heater. Thanks to Tony's FABULOUS cousin, we got some fancy new carpet in the nursery. It totally makes me want to refloor the entire house...but that project will have to wait, along with the heater/AC.

After the house decided to stop breaking on us (was there anything left to go wrong?), we finally got the finishing touches put on the room. Tony finished the crib...which is AMAZING!!!!! Doesn't it look awesome with the new carpet and the fabulous rocker? The room is so comfortable. I love sitting in there and just relaxing now. :) Of course, that quiet time is about to be eliminated.....but I'm sure I'll still love sitting in this room!

So, Tony has officially declared me the most expensive 'nester' that the pregnant world has ever seen! I've definitely had my share of 'preparing'....unfortunately, it hasn't been in a super productive cleaning way..the house is still dusty, the floors are dirty...and my office is.......HOPELESS!

As I was getting ready to take my 39 week photo, Sanders decided to strike a pose for Tony. Looking at this picture, I realize how much Sanders really doesn't look like a dog! What is this creature? It looks like a character from a Cartoon! HA!
And, here I am.....getting huger by the day (at least I feel like it!). This is at 39 weeks and 1 day...but who's counting?

BUSY as we approach the final 3 weeks!!

I can't believe we only have 3 weeks and 4 days before Felix the Fetus is expected to make his arrival in the world! We have been so busy trying to get ready...and we wouldn't be nearly as close to being prepared if it wasn't for our families.

Tony's dad, mom, my dad and himself have been working on the crib over the past few weekends. Tony's friend Aaron helped with some of the spindles and sanding them down. With their help, at the end of last week Tony had the entire crib put together. All he has to do now is to cut off about a foot off of each post and do some 'artsy' stuff to make it look like he wants. My mom has been great, as she has been feeding everyone who has been out to work on the crib.
Yes, you can see that Sanders has been around for the building of the crib too!

Tony is planning on finishing up the crib on Saturday along with his brother Rob. They will get the 'artsy' piece done and are also hoping to get the finish on the crib, so that we can move it into the nursery the weekend of the 20th!

I've been busy getting things ready for the nursery. Let me say one thing: "I HATE LAUNDRY!" I must have done 20 loads last weekend of just baby stuff. And I haven't even begun to put it away. That is this weekend's task.

And on top of all this baby preparedness work we've been doing, we had a HUGE hail storm on June 2nd. I'm talking BASEBALL sized hail. It was insane. Needless to say, our house is beat up. I'm trying to get everything fixed in the next couple of weeks...garage doors this weekend, siding and trim next weekend. Oh, and hopefully Tony can get the screens taken care of.

That's all from us for now! I have my ultrasound tomorrow to find out how big Felix is....I'll try to get some pictures up here after that!

Mmmm...Bones....

It all started about 3 month ago, when I gave Sanders a big meaty bone from the cow we had butchered w/Tony's family. Sanders was in COMPLETE euphoria! He loved that bone. So much that he took it outside and dug a hole and buried it. It was so funny to watch him look around to make sure no one was watching him. If he thought someone was...he'd walk away nonchalantly and act like he was up to nothing but hanging out. Me, being the sneaky human I am, watched him bury this first behind our neighbor's shed. Then I watched him move it to our flower bed...where it sat until about a week and a half ago.

Sanders decided it was time to get this deliciuos morsel out of hiding. So he did. And on an evening where we sat out with our awesome neighbors and ate pizza on their patio...he hung out in the yard and munched on his treasured bone. Actually, he munched on it so much, that there was nothing left of this bone the size of my 2 fists put together. Needless to say.....at about 3 in the morning, Tony got up and heard the dog puking. He puked for an hour and a half. Then Sanders kept puking in the morning. Poor little guy! With it being memorial day weekend, I decided after he puked again at 8:30AM and the fact he looked horrible...that I should take him to the vet to make sure there wasn't any kind of a blockage.

The vet agreed with me, that raw beef bones are fine for dogs......however, ones that have been sitting outside in the elements 'de-calcifying' end up letting the dog bite off more than he can chew...We took some x-Rays..and the little guy was fine...it was painful for a couple days as he pooped out completely dry poop with big chunks in it..but it serves him right!! :P

The vet did say that Sanders has very nice hip structure! HAHA! Also, it was funny to all of us to see how skinny Sanders really is! Enjoy these rare photos of Sanders!

The Crib is well on its way!

Wow! I just got a call from Tony. He's been out at my mom and dad's house all day working on the crib for the baby! He told me to check my email....and it looks like it has been a pretty successful Memorial Day for him! Isn't this amazing?!?! Looks like our baby will have somewhere to sleep by the time he gets here!! GREAT JOB TONY!!

Time for a haircut!

Last weekend, we got home from our baby shower in Fort Wayne....and I decided that it was time to do a little 'trimming' of the dog's hair. His puppy coat had grown out far enough, that if I cut it off, he'd be left with cords about 3-4" long. (The puppy coat was kind of rusty colored, and the cords were really flat and fat looking....they didn't look like ropes.)

So, I began my adventure by trimming just a few....then that led to a few more....and a few more....and then Tony caught me in the act. You can see the 3 piles or so laying on the ground around us. Sanders did pretty awesome to sit there and just let me clip all over.

After all was said and done, the dog looked a little less like a mop, and a little more like a dog. He looks so skinny now...it is really weird!!
On another note, Tony was brushing the cat a couple of weeks ago, and Sanders REALLY REALLY wanted to be up close and personal with Gizmo. So, he snuck in between Tony's legs, and popped his head right up in Gizmo's face. The cat just kind of scoffed at him with this look that said 'What are you looking at, you smelly beast?"