Homeowner = To-do list

The home-oriented projects have continued, as we know they will indefinitely for as long as we live here.

Many of the "special" projects, the type that one doesn't do on an ongoing maintenance basis, are done. The attic fan is in, all door knobs and closures are installed, the birch trees have been removed and the big pine tree has been trimmed up out of the way (with lots of thanks to Ron V, who risked his own limbs to remove its!). My office is functional, as are all the other rooms in the house. All books are out of their boxes and half of them are on their shelves; none of them are organized in any way. Some large special projects remain, but only a few need attention before the new baby comes, including catching up on the filing.

Part of the filing includes getting all the new user manuals stashed somewhere. Yes, part of getting the homestead going includes getting a bunch of power tools. Miter saw, air compressor, lawn mower, gas-powered yard tool with weed whip and chain saw attachments, and a recip saw have all found homes in the utility room or garage. This then means that getting some organization going in the garage is becoming more important, but it's workable even now. Then there are the shade-structures, rugs, curtains, and soon some electronics stuff to consolidate our data, printer, and media. Getting set up is in fact a lot of fun, but it sure does take a while.

Living here has always been a continuous pleasant discovery. Our guest house is such a wonderful thing to have. The location is so convenient and yet we still haven't taken advantage of many of the plusses it has to offer. Meaghann noted the other day how nice it is to see so many friends when we go to the music events or the farmers' market in downtown Campbell. We're very happy to be here, and we're only getting started, with a bright road ahead.

Skylar is a joy every day. Sure, he tests us on occasion, but he is sweet and interesting and curious and funny and brilliant every moment. He's excellent at sharing, communicating (preverbally), putting things away, and helping us with whatever he can. He's still very good whenever we go out, and it's clear that he loves living here at least as much as we do. He seems to understand at this point that there's a baby in Mommy's tummy and he has shown himself to be very gentle, interested, and respectful with little babies. We're sure he's going to be a wonderful big brother and very happy to have a constant playmate.

The new baby seems to be very active in ways that Skylar wasn't so much. This baby even at 8 months insists on performing full somersaults and stretching the limits of Meg's tummy for many hours of every day. The doctor wrote down that it's a boy, but based on my read of the ultrasound and some other differences, I still think there's a strong chance it's a girl. So it will be an anticipated reveal when the day finally comes. Either way will be fantastic, but we think naming a girl might be easier.