Wednesday, July 27, 2011

BTW

By the way, I never got a chance to post about our latest, and hopefully last, car purchase. We lost our 2008 Camry to a random tree falling in Burnsville last month, which you can revisit by viewing the devastation here. Since then, Mr. DeBoer has been diligently dealing with insurance people, appraisal people, sales people, city people and the like to find us a replacement. The week before Maci arrived, to the day, we finally found our new ghetto cruiser. We stuck with the Camry because well, we love it and we managed to get a newer year with less miles out of the deal. Meet our 2009 Toyota Camry LE in black. Sharp eh? Like a schnazzy tuxedo but without the ugly tails. Also, thanks to Shawn's infamous haggling, we scored a great price and therefore could afford to tack on a warranty for the beauty which will cover every major repair needed until she reaches 100,000 miles. Meaning, we should never have to pay bucu bucks to fix anything until we've had it for roughly seven or so years. Peace, of, mind.

I should say, however, that warranty does not cover any superficial body work which we just so happened to have to have done recently. It turns out, while it was parked in the ramp at the hospital, some foreign substance dripped all over it leaving white streaks and blotches on the driver's side door, roof and hood. Not only did we not know what it was, we couldn't get it off. Shawn tried the auto wash, the brush wash, the hand wash, some lime remover recommended by a guy, all to no avail. That's when it ended up at the body shop for a complete buff and shine job. Thank heaven that did the trick and she is again perty as can be. If only we had taken some photos before leaving the hospital we could've pursued some pennies for our trouble but we were a little preoccupied with making sure we got our newborn home alive. Priorities.

I just hope and pray that we are done with the car buying process. I didn't even do anything and I'm completely over the hassle. I feel like we've had to deal with more car crap now then we ever did with the two '94 Chevys so let's just hope things simmer down for a while and we can start to enjoy and reap the rewards of our new rides. 




Sunday, July 24, 2011

Maci

Miss Maci Mae has been home for almost a week now. While I haven't gotten around to blogging the "birthing story" I at least found time to upload some photos. I should report though that she is already above her birth weight and continues to eat like a champ. I also need to report, or reiterate, how much of a saving grace it has been to have Shawn home during all this. In case you hadn't heard, he got a job the day before I went into labor therefore he will continue to be home until he starts his new gig August 22nd. Talk about timing. Okay, I promise, more to come, but for now, enjoy some photos.

Post Breakfast

Toga! Toga! Toga!

Father/Daughter Bonding

Sportin the Comb Over

What's Up Doc?

Exhaustion

Chillaxin on Dad's Lap

Uber Chillaxin on Dad's Lap

Primo Uber Chillaxin on Dad's Lap

She Takes a Pacifier. AMEN.

Polite Little Lady

Leo's Sniffer Suspects Something New

First Nap in Da Crib

Chipotle Carnitas Burrito

Down and Give Me 10!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Cletus



Team DeBoer would like to introduce our newest member, formally known as Cletus the Fetus, our baby GIRL Maci Mae DeBoer. She was born Saturday, July 16th at 7:49am. She was 6 lbs., 3.8 ounces and 19 inches long. She is healthy as a lark, has a ton of beautiful hair and simply cannot be more perfect (in her biased parents eyes). She was very punctual and came early and unexpected therefore her type A mom did not have a bag packed, a camera ready and a plan in place. However, we love her all the more for it because we went through the experience just us, just our family, just as it was supposed to be. The sorted affair and complete story is to come but for now, know that we all are healthy, happy, adjusting and in love.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Nursery

I'll interrupt my birth plan composing and home run derby watching to bring you some long awaited photos of Cletus' nursery.

But first, a trip down memory lane…
This is the room the first time we toured the house.
This is the room after we moved in and it became the dog's room.
This is the room present day (facing the great street of Ruggles).
With such a narrow hall and small bedroom it was hard to get a full shot of the room so let me break it down for you. First, make sure you take notice of the white trim in the photo above. This was the first window frame that got painted and thanks to neighbor Sara, the rest of the trim in the room did as well, including the closet doors. To finish things off, Shawn installed a new oil rubbed bronze door handle and he spray painted all other metallic inventory in a matching shade to create cohesion. I know. Impressive.

East wall or looking right when you walk in.
West wall or looking left when you walk in.
South wall or looking back at the door you walked in from (see Leo's butt for door entry).
In order to decorate on the cheap, I came up with a few quick and easy solutions. Some original, some stolen and some just plain dumb luck.

Fish, duck and frog hooded towels along with a swaddle blanket adorn four 3M plastic hooks.
We just so happened to receive perfectly color coordinated towels for Cletus that I decided to make them a wall display and make them easy to grab in the process. Side note: My favorite is still the frog. I don't know what it is about that green but it makes me happy. You've seen my bathroom right? On the right end is one of three aden + anais bamboo muslin swaddle blankets I splurged on. These are by far the softest blankets I have ever felt. They stretch and conform to make the perfect swaddle while allowing the baby to breath and not overheat. Meaning, they're perfect for a July baby! If you've never seen them, you must check them out. Scratch that, you must feel them out. I will confiscate these for myself without shame or guilt as soon as Cletus' outgrows them.

Framed Shel Silverstein poems flank Cletus' crib.
I happened across this fantastic matte idea while perusing a blog on my blog roll and thought it was a perfect idea to spice up this collection. We bought the matching frames from Ikea and the fabric from Hancocks. With some extra spray mount I still had laying around from college, Shawn adhered the fabric to the existing white matte. He was solo on this effort as spray mount is probably one of the worst inhalants that exist and therefore, not allowed for me to use. Then I scanned the poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends (borrowed from the library as I think my copy still exists at Mom's house… ahem), did a little Photoshopping, printed them out and plopped 'em in. The hardest part about this project? Yep, picking the poems. I flagged and highlighted (that's for you Boss Deb) several from both Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic and finally, with Shawn's assistance, deduced it down to three. They are "Invitation", "Listen to the Mustn'ts" and "No Difference". I absolutely, positively LOVE these books. I can still recite quite of few of my favorite by heart. Shawn, on the other hand, was issued a stern lecture from me because not only had he never read them, he had never even heard of them. Ohemgeeeeeee! He's now a student of Mr. Silverstein's and has welcomed him into his expansive reading repertoire. I know, bout time!

Oh and the second hardest part about this project? Hanging the three frames level, equally spaced out and in the center of the crib. Yeah there was a battle brewing there when we started the project but the good ole laser level and Shawn's math saved the day and no Bassets or babies were harmed in the process.


Here's where the plain dumb luck comes into play. After painting the room a blueish, greenish, jadeish, gender neutral shade, who's official name is "Firmament" by the way, and picking a bright green and subtle aqua as some accents, it dawned on me that I had the perfect artwork for this nursery's wall. My Peter Pan painting! Or should I say, the Peter Pan painting. I painstakingly completed this work back in high school although I have no recollection of what year it was. I do recall it winning first place at the art show. Eat your heart out Bob Ross. All I did was have it framed at Michaels during a 50% off sale (never pay full price for such needs) and we stuck it on the wall. Simple=happy DeBoers.

Peter Pan (and I guess Tinkerbell)
Detailed closeup… yeah, it sucked and it took me for-ev-er!
Next comes the boring details or necessities that make up a nursery. First up, clothes. I have yet to figure out how I want to organize these so here they still sit, in the crib, washed and folded, cute and small. If you look closely, you will see the edge of Cletus' abode in a purple tank at the bottom of the photo. Can't hide it, don't care.


Here's where we got a little handy and maybe a little obsessive. You see, the cable and Internet hookup is in this room and sits right behind the crib. The crib with slots. With slots that a small child's hand will eventually fit through. So, we buzzed down a few blocks to the local Ace Hardware and bought a sort of tubing device to feed the telephone wire up through. Shawn painted it to match the wall, screwed it on and then I placed white electrical tape over the remainder of the wire that showed. Voila. The last of the offensive cords all sit nicely zip-tied behind and under the crib and rug. This is also a good time to point out that Mr. DeBoer switched out all the outlets and covers to crisp, new white ones instead of the lovely bisque ones that existed previously. I had my doubts, don't get me wrong. After all, we were the ones that had a drill smoking when trying to attach kitchen hardware because we didn't know the drill was in reverse, but I had faith and I also had the pleasure of being gone while he figured it out and completed the task so it was easier on my nerves. Everything worked, there were no fires, no electrocutions and I was very, very pleased and proud. Not to mention he put a dimmer switch in where the old generic switch existed originally. Bam! Instant baby mood lighting.


This is just a fan I guess. Nothing special but it happened to be in the perfect shade of green. I had to have it. It's from Targay Olé of course. We do plan to use it to woo Cletus to sleep the same way we're woo'd and that is constant noise. We had originally planned on using a humidifier to do the job but the one we bought turned out to be frinkin' ultrasonic (dammit) so it makes virtually no noise.


Here is a Basset. He just so happened to be in the room during my photo shoot but I also found it appropriate because he is the number one occupier of the new recliner. He's not supposed to get on it mind you. We've caught him up there half a dozen times and if he didn't damn near match the thing and look so cute, we might've kicked him to the curb because there is nothing more frustrating then buying a new piece of furniture and having dog hair on it before you even get to take it for a rock. This photo also gives you a better look at the carpet. The lovely grayish, blueish shag rug hails from Ikea and is the bassets second favorite place to be because let's face it, they'd be on our laps all night if we let 'em.


Here lies a changing table. A Craiglist find that was originally from Pottery Barn and in immaculate shape. I adore the drawers, shelves and bright green storage bins I picked up from, you guessed it, Targay, on the cheap. You will also notice an Ewock's feet creeping out the side. That's Mr. Wicket. Cletus will love him if it's the last thing I do.


Alas, the crib. The crib is from Babies R'Us and the best part about it, besides it's beauty, is it's low profile. Meaning, it's short. So height challenged individuals such as myself don't have to stand on my tippy toes to lean over and lay down a sleeping baby. The mattress does lower three settings and the whole thing does convert transform into a daybed and full bed after we're done getting the most use out of it as a crib. Which in the event that Cletus turns out to be the terror we fear, the crib might just get used this once.


Now, the boring closet. Doesn't look like much yet because like I said, I haven't come up with an organization system. The OCD wheels are a turnin though. The bookshelf is from Pier One and used to live in the guest room but got the boot when the computer and desk had to be moved into there. So now it will end up as storage for something baby. Also notice the green clothes basket? I'm obsessed. I know. Isn't it frickin cool though?


The other side of said closet is where you'll see our lovely stroller that matches our lovely car seat that is now filled with lovely glass and at the salvage yard inside our old lovely Camry. The new seat should arrive any day now… hopefully. Above it is what we call the Cornstuble tub. If we have a girl, we, are, set. We did pull some gender neutral newborn stuff out of it first though…


Back to the chair. I think I would be safe in saying this is Shawn's favorite part of the room. We came across this beauty at a Slumberland outlet store. It reminds us of a big, comfy, warn baseball glove and is just as comfortable. It was the first and last we sat it before taking it home with us. Next to it, another basset, who just so happens to match it perfectly. Coincidence?


Basset's view of the forbidden seat.
This last odd shot is to show more of the curtains. They also hail from Ikea and do a lovely job of blocking out the light without making the room feel cavernous. The curtain rods are again from Target and all were hung with our favorite laser level and therefore came out perfect and free of tricks and tantrum throwing.


There you have it. Every last part of it. And now because it's 11:00pm, I'm going to go waddle to bed and crash for about 30 minutes where I will then wake up and pee for the first of 18 times during the night. Peace out readers. Cletus… go to sleep.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Declarations

Or, random conclusions from a prego brain.

1. An at-home-husband is like Xanax for the OCD mind and spandex for the pregnant soul.
I have never loved it more then this month that Shawn is a teacher. A teacher with the summers off. A teacher who likes to keep himself busy in order to feel productive. He's like silly puddy in my swollen hands. I mean that in the greatest way possible. He doesn't always do things willingly or with his dimpled smile, but he always does them and his help has meant more to me then every single Oreo I ate these past nine months. From cleaning the bathroom to calling pediatricians to finding two new cars to job searching to dog washing to lawn mowing to nursery decorating to feet rubbing. Shawn has been my savior. I'm not sure he's handled my hormones, mood swings and insecurities with as much grace as the chores, but I'll take it because let's face it, personal hygiene is a daunting task for me let alone trying to do anything else. Therefore I'm grateful for nothing more then a marked check box on my never-ending to-do list.

2. Trying to get men to go to the doctor is like trying to find meaning in a Will Ferrell movie.
It's impossible. It's ridiculous. It's a waste of time. Above all, it's frustrating as HELL. I go to the doctor. I get my eyes checked yearly and my teeth cleaned every six months. I lay in those stirrups and scoot all the way to the end of the table like every other obeying, self-conscious female out there. Why is it so tough to get my husband to do the same, minus the stirrups but with a little coughing? Case in point: his eyes are terrible. Terrible. As in he barely passed his sight test to renew his driver's license. They are constantly red, cause him pain and are starting to give him headaches. All this and he has yet to visit the eye doctor. Why? I want one good reason why not? They might make him wear contacts? They might make him feel better? It's not because they cost money because he's got the Cadillac of insurances right now. Blog followers: Get. On. Him. "Sick balls, Chopper!"

3. Asking a pregnant woman to wait three to five more weeks to give birth is like asking the MN government to agree on a budget.
It will eventually happen. It will try the patience of everyone around. It will be painful but it will be worth it in the end. I'm officially ready to have this baby. Clarification: I'm officially ready to not be pregnant anymore but not sure I'm officially ready to be a parent. My curiosity has heightened about what Cletus looks like, will act like, will sleep like, will behave like. Being a very active fetus only makes me think we're in for a rude awakening. I see sleepless weeks, screaming tantrums, barking dogs and uncontrollable anxiety in my near future. I worry Cletus will come out with three legs, two heads, 18 toes and teeth. I worry something will be seriously wrong with Cletus' health. I worry something will go seriously wrong during the delivery. What can I say, I'm an expect-the-worst-but-hope-for-the-best kinda gal. I'm near the end therefore I worry. I realize all this is beyond my control and Team DeBoer will adapt to whatever happens, but it's the waiting and not knowing and anticipation that's slaying me these days. Above all, I'm fascinated at the fact that Shawn and I have created something and that something could enter the world any day now. May I have the patience to endure the challenge, may Shawn keep his humor at 3:47am, may the dogs warm Cletus to the pack with open paws and a good lick and above all, may Cletus be healthy, happy and under eight pounds.


Friday, July 1, 2011

Gradation

Camry

The photos below represent what's now left of our 2008 Camry. I didn't have time to explain previously but know, for the future, that I would never post such a spectacle without elaborating had real harm or injustice been done. That being said, here is, finally, what happened.

Shawn was painting a house (his summer job) in Burnsville Wednesday when the crew heard a loud noise. Miles, fellow painter and the most mild-mannered, polite, quiet kid you'll ever come across, leisurely strolls up to Shawn and says… "A tree just fell. I think it fell on your car." I have to take a moment here and say that I am completely envious all people who possess this "chill" personality. I covet it. I am not such a person nor do I understand how anyone can be, but it's my pipe dream to become this way someday.

Anyway, Shawn goes over to see that he can't see the Camry. It's now under the neighbors tree. It was not storming, it was not raining, it wasn't really windy, it wasn't an old tree. It was a freak accident by every definition. Luckily, no one was harmed and everything will be replaced. It's hard to tell from the photos but the roof was dented in, the trunk the same, the glass all shattered and many a fender and bumper bent beyond repair. They considered it totaled and it's on it's way to a salvage yard as we speak. Sad. Even more sad? Our brand new car seat was in the back and is now full of glass. Our insurance company will reimburse us for a brand new one, but still, sad.

Since Wednesday, Shawn has been on and off the phone with about 368 people to coordinate our insurance, the tree owner's insurance, the city of Burnsville, the loan holder of the Camry, etc. Bless his patience. I've been blessed with a man who isn't necessarily as "chill" as he used to be but is far more apt and able to deal with this kinda stuff then I am. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. The owner's of the tree had nothing but rave reviews when dealing with Mr. DeBoer and after they offered to take care of our deductible (which we couldn't in our right mind accept – it's not like they purposely pushed the tree over for heaven's sake) they worked with their insurance company to honor us with some sort of moral clause where they're insurance company will now be sending us the money to cover our deductible. Karma at it's best people. If I had been there, we would've ended up owing them money somehow… lesson to be learned by me and all others out there who may be a little "difficult" to deal with. Ahem, (*cough*) everyone in my family…

So… buttons… on your underwear. (Tell me others have heard that expression?) We're now waiting to find out what the Camry was assessed at. Our insurance company will then pay off our loan, cut us a check for the difference (hoping there is one) and we're back at square one looking for a car. We intend to end up with something as close to our original "ghetto cruiser" (Dad's terminology, not mine) as possible. Same year, same mileage, maybe white or black instead with hopefully, the same payments. Ironically, we had recently washed the beauty, put gas in it and replaced it's tires. See what we get for having nice cars with new parts that are taken care of and reliable?! Nothing like this ever happened to the Cav… or the bitchin Beretta… I'm just sayin.

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