A Busy June with Landscaping and Grant Writing

To say that my June 2014 was busy would be an understatement. I guess I could say the chaos started when we decided to completely renovate the backyard at the end of May. It's something we have wanted to do since we moved in three years ago, but other projects have taken priority. To keep it on the cheap (as we always try to do), we wanted to do the work ourselves. With a baby we knew it would be tough for Colin and I to do it ourselves, so we enlisted the help of my family.  My parents are extremely hard-working and they enjoy doing work outside. We confirmed that they were on board to help us with the project during Memorial Day week (during my dad's "vacation" to NC) and then I set out to try and have everything coordinated to ensure delivery when we would be ready.

This is what our backyard looked like on Friday May 23rd

With the help of a hydraulic tiller, it looked like this on Sunday May 25th 

After getting 13 cubic yards of soil, this is the yard on Monday, May 26th

And finally, after four adults spent a full day laying sod, 

this is the yard on Wednesday, May 28th

My brother ended up joining us that week for his "vacation" and we put him to work laying sod on Wednesday.  The four adults working in teams of two helped us get all four pallets down. It took three and a half pallets to cover the entire backyard and we got about half a pallet down in the front. We hadn't planned to do the entire front since our neighbors don't have great lawns, but I was able to negotiate more sod because we had a significant amount of pieces that came damaged. We used the bad pieces to patch some of the gaps or along the edges of the lawn and had to wait until mid-June to get another pallet and a half of sod, which now covers almost the entire front.  

With the added sod for the front lawn and a decision to build a below-ground fire pit and cement patio, the project went from a week-long project to a month-long project.  My dad was the champ for doing so much of the manual labor of blending the tilled and new topsoil and leveling it off. My brother was a trooper for laying sod while he wasn't feeling well. And my mom was so helpful in taking care of Rose so both Colin and I could help. Colin worked non-stop, tilling the entire yard and scooping out the area for the fire pit. I got to take a break from the physical labor to use the hydraulic equipment to level the tilled dirt and bring the topsoil to the backyard from the front.  I must have made about 40 trips back and forth with the machine. But, it was a lot easier than spreading the dirt! 

Colin and my dad break up tree roots and figure out how to make the fire pit

I get to level off the dirt with the hydraulic machine

A covered pallet sits in the front yard while we work in the back

The finished front yard

Two pallets of sod ready to be put down

Team Val and Nikki lay sod on one side of the yard

Team Mark and Colin lay sod on the second side of the yard

Once we got all the sod down, we all tried to relax a bit the rest of the week. After all, it was my last week working part time from home before going back to the office full time. Unfortunately for me, that last week of May was also when a federal grant was released - which meant the month of June would include writing a grant. At the beginning of the month it felt like I had lots of time. But by the end of the month, after countless meetings and what felt like endless writing, I was exhausted! It didn't help that most evenings and weekends I was chipping away at our morphed landscaping project.  Because of the additional sod we received mid-June and not having our reinforcements to help (except my mom to watch Rose), Colin and I spent an entire Saturday manually tilling soil, spreading topsoil, and laying sod.

Three cubic yards of soil and and extra pallet of sod for the front yard -
just a fraction of the entire landscaping project

The finished (unplanned) side yard

The fire-pit was a challenge because we had to dig a hole that would accommodate a large cubic cement base in an area with lots of tree roots. The hydraulic machine was extremely helpful, but my dad and Colin still had to dig a fair amount.  Once we had the pit down, the more tedious project of building a cement stone patio begin. We probably spent about 30 hours mixing concrete and filling molds during the month of June. That doesn't include the many trips to Lowe's to buy the 80lb bags! Some of the time has been done on weekends and a fair amount has been done week nights.  

Fire-pit in the ground and the beginnings of a cement patio

My dad and I filling cement patio molds

We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel on the patio and only have a few corner sections to complete and sand to fill between the molds. The space will certainly be used - especially when the weather cools down and the days are short (and mosquitoes are less prevalent). I am really looking forward to enjoying the fruit of our labor! I'm now in the market for a hammock since there is a perfect spot for it between the two trees where the patio and grass meet.

Patio mostly done
Perfect spot for a hammock between the trees to the right in this image

Patio close up

The grass (Zeon Zoysia) has been coming in beautifully, except for a few patches where we think Darwin has been peeing. We have some calls out to the professionals and are trying to re-train Darwin to pee off the grass. Thanks to my dad visiting again last week, we now also have a raised garden bed with some herbs planted. Hopefully it is not too late in the summer. 

The new lawn after a month and freshly made and planted raised garden bed

The lawn leading to the patio area

Thanks to beautiful weather the entire July 4th weekend, we all spent a lot of time out on the deck enjoying the yard (and a few hours trying to finish up the patio).  I see lots of playing in the yard and lounging on the patio in our future!  I cannot thank my family enough for all the help they have provided.

A 4 Month Update

People told me the first 3 months of a baby's life are rough on the parents. Harvey Karp, author of "Happiest Baby on the Block" calls the time period "the 4th trimester" - where babies still desire the comforting life inside the womb.  While I haven't had a "colicky" baby, or a baby that has required an overwhelming amount of attention at night, I am glad to be out of the first trimester.

Over the past month, Rose has really grown both physically and developmentally. She has learned how to hold herself up and now puts everything in her mouth. She is still a mostly smiley girl, a mostly good sleeper, and quite the talker.

Because of her ability to flip from her back to her front, we have stopped swaddling her arms, but we still put her in a sleep sack. There have been several nights since she turned 4 months that she has slept through the night (11pm-6 or 7am), but she still wakes up for a middle-of-the-night feed most nights.  Her eyes are still blue, though they sometimes look like they have glints of hazel or brown, depending on the lighting. Her hair is starting to come in and appears to be very light brown.

At 16 weeks (just shy of 4 months), I had to go back into the office full-time. We are fortunate to have my mom watch Rose for the summer so we can delay day care and Rose has transitioned very well. They have spent quite a few afternoons at the pool and Rose now loves splashing in the water!

Just before going back to work, we took a rather quick trip to visit friends and family in the northeast. It was a whirl-wind tour, and Rose did great, proving herself to be an easy traveler.

At her 4 month doctor's visit, we were updated on her stats - At 13lbs, 11oz and 24.5", she is close to the 50th percentile for weight and 70th percentile for height. Compared to her 2 month stats, she is consistent with her weight and fluctuates with her height. I think the fluctuation is a result of inaccurate measuring. At 2 months, I think they didn't stretch her out and at this visit I think they didn't put the measuring tape against her head properly.  I think she is closer to the 50th percentile for height.  Thankfully, she continues to be very healthy and quickly fought her first bout with a head cold/nasal congestion at 3.5 months.

Rose in mommy's outfit at 3 months

Rose in her own clothes at 3 months

The Clemente-Miller clan on Mother's Day

Rose smiling with her Aunts

Rose meets Everett and after holding his hand for a minute

she reminds him that she is two weeks older

On a cool day, Rose is bundled up in the Ergo carrier with her Avó

Rose meets not-so-little baby Rhys and big girl Reilly over dinner

Uncle Mark makes a quick visit with Rose before her walk with Avô

Uncle Mark gets to spend more time with his precious little niece

Colin has joined his law school buddies in the wonderful world of parenting 

Rose gets to meet her new friends McKenzie and Keith Jr.

All eyes are on Rose for Avô's early birthday dinner

Rose at 4 months

 13lbs, 11oz and 24.5"

We love our little moon face!

Some of my Favorite Rose Things

I will get Rose's 3-month pictures up soon, but I wanted to post about some of my favorite things related to this amazing little girl before I forget.

I love that she knows who mommy is and gives me a great big smile when I talk to her

I love that she is now trying to talk to us and her sounds are the cutest

I love when she stares at me and takes in what I am telling her

I love that she can entertain herself on her activity mat, pulling whatever she can get her hands on

I love how generous she is with her smiles

I love that she cries a lot less than she used to

I love that she goes right back to sleep after eating in the middle of the night and in the morning and usually sleeps for stretches longer than 3 hours.

I love that she is a solid baby - doing a great job holding her head up and standing on her legs

I love that she spends a few minutes stretching herself out after I remove her swaddle every morning

I love how she coos when I massage her face

I love that she is a social butterfly and loves social situations

I love that she is easy to travel with

I love her perfect little face and perfect shaped head

I leave you with some adorable pictures...

The first day in the Bumbo (first 3 photos)

Our first trip to the neighborhood pool

A regular occurrence - falling asleep on the activity mat

She's tired, but she won't let go of the keys

Happy Mother's Day

Got to celebrate my first Mother's Day surrounded by family on a beautiful day. What more could a girl ask for?

The Clemente's

A nice family shot

Avo, Mom, and Rose

Another nice family shot

The Mothers on Mother's Day

Isabella and Rose

Rose is comfy sleeping with daddy

After a power snooze, Rose is ready to 

show how great she is at holding her head up!

I hope all you mothers had a nice day surrounded by those you love.