Something's Missing Part 2

I only told you half the story yesterday...

Yes, we finished the mural. But that's not it. We actually finished the WHOLE ROOM.

Once again: less description, more pictures.

the whole room, as viewed from the doorway

the dresser/changing table, courtesy of Adrian's mom (it was his when he was little and has received a new coat of paint, some new hardware, and drawer liners in preparation for Tadpole)

wall words courtesy of InDeeds

changing table close-up; that book is what inspired it all (a first edition!) not to worry; it will find a safe place on a shelf at some point-- Adrian has already informed me that it would be "target practice" sitting there, but I had to get it in the room somehow, if only for the pictures)

Peter checking out the carseat, which hopefully won't be living in Tadpole's room much longer

... which brings me to the title of this post. We've got a room, a crib, a changing table, a dresser with clothes in it, some awesome wall art. What's missing?

Oh, that's right. A baby.

C'mon contractions...

Something's Missing...

My mom's been here for the past couple of days, helping me finish Tadpole's room. For those of you who don't know, she's been painting a mural on the wall off and on since September. Originally, we were going to paint it together, but then I realized a) how artistic she is, and b) how artistically inept I am. So, I mostly watched her paint. But, she did let me do some things, like paint bark on the tree and sponge paint the leaves. Stuff I couldn't mess up.

Anyway, you don't want to hear about my paint-by-numbers adventure. You want to see pictures.

Right?

I thought so.

ta-da!

Peter and Mama

just Peter
(Isn't he cute?)

the wise old owl (actually based on the bad guy from Squirrel Nutkin, but we made him much more friendly-looking)

the artist with her finished work

Baby Update

Went to the Birth Center for my weekly appointment today, and the results are (drumroll please)...

60% effaced
one fingertip dilated
Tadpole's head is at -1
and I lost a little weight!

Any day now...

In the name of distraction... snow pictures!

A few weeks ago, we got a lovely snowstorm here, the likes of which I haven't seen since high school. I took quite a few pictures, and now I finally have the chance to post them! Oh, and since then, it's snowed twice more here, including a dusting this morning. Our construction-site neighborhood looks so much more beautiful with a blanket of snow. You almost can't see the silt fences anymore. Almost.

The front door of our cute little townhouse.


Our next-door neighbors' front door. They didn't even bother digging it out, using their back door instead. But they're from upstate NY, so I guess they're used to it. The UPS man wasn't, though. He delivered a package to them a few days after this picture was taken, just throwing it into the snowdrift as close as he could get it to the door. They had to go dig it out.


My wonderful hubby was so diligent about digging us out. He must have shoveled the driveway 3 times on Saturday and at least twice on Sunday, "just in case you go into labor". I tried to explain to him that if I went into labor at 35 weeks, I'd have to go to the hospital anyway, at which point we'd call an ambulance. But the drive to protect and provide was just too strong, so I gave up trying to talk him out of it and just made him hot chocolate when he came in.


Our car is under there somewhere; I promise.


Tadpole and I enjoyed snowdrifts up to my waist (though Adrian worried constantly about me hurting myself)... and my coat still zips! Score!

Gettin' Antsy

Waiting for a baby is like waiting for Christmas... when you're 3. Christmas is probably the most exciting and hype-filled event in your little life so far. And, because you have no concept of time, you have no idea when it's coming, so you end up waking up every morning, thinking, "Is it Christmas today? How about tomorrow?". It's thrilling when you're 3 and looking forward to presents. Not so much when you're a grown-up waiting for the day when your life changes forever.

I've gotten used to being able to tell time. I know how many months, days, hours it is until my birthday, Christmas, even Friday afternoon or the next doctor's appointment. To not know when I'm suddenly going to be responsible for a brand new person is driving me nuts.

Sometime between now and the first week of February, we are going to become parents. And we're going a little crazy waiting around for it. Adrian was talking to my belly last night, telling our little boy to just come out already. I did the same thing around 2:00 this morning. The cashier at Babies R Us did it this afternoon. We're all united, little tadpole. You can get here. Any time now.

We're Back!

Hello all! Yes, it's been a while since we've posted, but now we have no excuse. We recently re-discovered the joys of having our own internet network, which hasn't happened around here for some time. And I re-discovered the joys of having a working computer. :-) Blogosphere, meet the best impulse buy we've ever made:



Yes, it's a Netbook. We decided that with the imminent arrival of our little boy and my imminent departure from work, it was worth it. It feels SO GOOD to be able to sit in any room I want and have internet (which I know is totally normal for all of you, but for me it's a luxury). So, all that to say, expect more regular posts from now on. I didn't forget about the blogging world, and I'm ready to be back!

Deepak Chopra vs. Mark Driscoll... and... go.

A few weeks ago, Nightline aired a debate on the existence of Satan. The panel consisted of Annie Lobert, Mark Driscoll, Deepak Chopra, and "Bishop" Carlton Pearson. Lobert and Pearson both advocate a feelings-oriented view on God and Satan, which produces little more than some unusual one-liners, but Driscoll and Chopra, who both concentrate on a more logical, facts-based argument, make for some interesting television. Watch these two short clips in which they really go at it. Some juicy quotes:

Driscoll: "Do you really think that people got together and said, 'Let's create a religion in which there's only one way to Heaven, we're all sinners, and hell's hot and forever's a long time,' and actually voted on that and that's what we ended up with. Were it invented, I think we would end up with something totally different, like salvation by eating chicken wings and napping. That's what I would've voted for."

Chopra: "I don't need the devil because I don't have the guilt and shame that you people have."
Driscoll: "I don't have guilt and shame; I used to, and then being forgiven lifts it. And then I don't need to rejoice in myself. I get the joy of thanking Someone rather than being proud.

Driscoll: "But you talk about love and compassion and unity and demean people by saying they're primitive."
Chopra: "You are putting all your faith in that book which was written 5,000 years ago.
Driscoll: "I put my faith in the man that this book tells the story of.

It's very easy for a Christian to lose a debate not through his words but through his attitudes. If a Christian succumbs to pride or sinful judging, he has lost the debate, even if he presents the most closely reasoned, logical argument, because he's shown us that Christianity doesn't work. It doesn't do what it claims to do. Usually, that's what happens. Debates tend to squeeze the heart and drain out all of the nasty stuff until it drips all over the other side.

In this case, it's Chopra who's dripping sin and Driscoll who's dripping love and humility. He admits that, given the choice, he'd create a religion of laziness and indulgence. He affirms that he loves and wants good for Chopra, Pearson, and the woman in the audience who disagrees with him (see part 8). THIS, truly, is a victory for Christianity. Not only is it true, it WORKS! (And not just to make us feel good, but to make us holy.) God be praised!

I highly recommend watching the whole video (all 10 parts!-- start at the beginning). It gets better once the audience starts asking questions.