beat the heat

New Yorkers are so cool. What's new?! Check out this article about the other coasters making pools in dumpsters.

Stantients, sliding door, bathroom organized!

This weekend I made a little shade to hang in front of the boxes that hold all our stuff in the bathroom--and then we went to storables and got cool stackable crates to replace the boxes AND this really nice laundry hamper. I just like to stand and look at the under-sink area now. And before I wanted to shut the door to not see it. Ahhh. Sweet progress

These pics are kind of old now, but Tyler has been doing some more construction magic. These are the stantients (custom made by Grant!) and panels for between them. Eventually there will be a railing on top. The plan is to make a three-ply glu-lam of one inch boards so it has a pretty cross section. That is about all I know about that, but it sounds really cool when Tyler talks about it. The green panels were found for free! yes, for free and I think they look really slick. Dwell, eat your heart out.

And, finally, we can send Finn to his room when he's been naughty and he can shut the door. It's a real beaut. Tyler put it all up the door is nice and heavy so it slides really smoothly. When it is open, the pantry is blocked (save that little sliver of shelves to the right). Yet another major stride in our quality of life.

am i back in the swing of blogging?

let's hope. here's more from the pounder.

finn got a new hat (thanks becca!) that sarah generously helped him model for you.

and, well, it's a touch big yet, but we're hoping either that his head gets big fast, or that we have sun ALL year so he can wear it everyday.


And it might not seem like much, but getting something into your hand and then close to your mouth to slobber on it is actually a skill you have to learn and practice. way to go finnjamin!

and, sheesh, if this one doesn't get you, i don't know what will.

closet!

Tyler is really getting it down! He has invented/adapted a really cool way to build shelves. Here are the ingredients:
1. Long pieces of all-thread
2. 1" washers and nuts to fit whatever size all-thread is appropriate
3. Brackets for the wall and appropriate screws (dry-wall, wood, etc... depending on your wall.)
4. Material for the shelf--we used Birch plywood in the closet and walnut veneer in the kitchen. I think he finished the kitchen with Osmo and the closet with polyeurethane.
5. Electric drill
6. Clamps to attach to something above, or screws to attach to the wall above.
He drills holes for the all-thread a couple inches from the face of the shelf, threads the all-thread through, then secures the wood on the top side with a nut and the bottom side with a washer and nut. They are super sleek and simple.
Here is our new closet. Nice work, T! We are going to get some boxes for sweaters and so forth, improve our shoe situation down below, get some kind of screen to slide in front and eventually build out something to replace our dressers, too. All for future posts in future times.

how many posts can be called "more pictures of finn"?

The mug. Finn and his faces is becoming a theme. Let the drama continue!

Finn's new hat

I had some car time on the way to and from Annie and Kevin's wedding so I spent it working on reproducing this really cute hat Tyler and I saw at a street fair. Mostly hand sewn, it's made from a t-shirt that was much better on me when my tummy was huge. There was a cool orange square screened on the center that i cut around for accents. These were taken on a day spent at J and Ryan's house beating the heat on the front porch.

And one to show you how the guy is growing! He is a major chatterbox, has started to copy us a little -- sticks his tongue and tries to make roaring noises. He was sleeping 8-10 hour nights but has started waking up again after 5 or 6. Let's hope it's a phase! I was having some REALLY productive days there for a while. He can grab things and get them into his mouth, though his aim is not stellar yet and he is spending more and more time on his tummy doing frog legs and squealing.

60 seconds in the life of Finn

Click on the image for the full effect.

Wow! Newborns don't do much but sheesh, four weeks out and they really start going for it. These shots are around 6 or so and he keeps getting more and more expressive. Really, he's so advanced. I think he must be a drama genius. Check out the one that is third down on the left. The caption: "Do it again and I slap you!" Where does he learn this stuff? I tell ya. And then, third down on the right: "You've got something with that flying solar car idea...I'll talk to my people." And to think, it all started in the far left corner with an almost-gonna-cry grimace and yawn and it ends in an almost asleep state. The range is amazing. I already know this guy is really going somewhere with his acting.

And yes, the blog has turned into a baby blog. I swear I will post something about the amazing onions and beets I pickled today(at least they look amazing), or the fresh pesto I made, or how my P-patch is a complete weed-lot but is still producing tons of good stuff, or Annie and Kevin's wedding invitation and how cute the bachelorette party was mostly because all of Annie's friends (and Annie) made it so fun and sweet. Or I will just default back to the person that consumes 21 out of 24 of my hours a day and post some pictures of all the darling things that people gave us for Finn or more pictures of him or I could talk about the sun hat I want to make him and on and on. More on that sun hat later!
Okay, so I am really burning the midnight oil now, so why quit. Here are a few more.

We have started cutting off some of Finn's onesies because he is so darn long! And we are packing in those cloth diapers which take up more room than the disposables so everything got a little smaller a few weeks ago.

Cute hat T's buddy, JJ gave to Finn. Can't wait till fall when he can start wearing it around.

And, Walla Walla Sweets that I grew in my P-Patch at Oxbow Park. I am brimming with pride. I can't believe I suffered through being so pregnant and crouching in that silly patch, but it is paying off and it is so rewarding to eat what I have grown there. It makes me think that maybe I am more gardener than landscape architect. Unfortunately my tomatoes are flagging because of neglect. I was fantasizing that I would have SO many I wouldn't be able to eat them but the way things are looking, I will be lucky if I get 20 tomatoes out of my 6 plants! Oh, and one volunteer tomato makes 7!

finally an update on Finn!

Aaron, our neighbor giving Finn a snuggle.

Tyler testing out having Finn sleep on his tummy while watching a movie.

Post-milk curl-up. A Finn standard.
These are all a bit old, but there is more to come. They guy is smiling and maybe sort of giggling and that is way too entertaining to allow for time to blog! eeesh.

a shirt that i wish were mine

the red and white shirt i am wearing in the pic below holding finn is super cute and i love it. my mom and dad gave it to me as a new mommy gift. but, of course, it hasn't stopped me from wanting other new shirts. this one is from one of my favorite designers, Wiksten Made. and i might try and sew one jsut like it. don't know if i have the skills for that...

Finn Potts Philipsen comes in with a wail!

Early, but what a relief to have him already. I finished work on Thursday expecting to have a week or so of torturous anticipation of the birth, but instead, Finn came right along and surprised all with an early arrival.

He weighs 8lbs 10oz
Is 22 inches long
Looks like he will tan way better than his Mom
Has light brownish red hair
and smells like heaven.
What a gift!

The labor was tough but Tyler was a super champ of a tireless partner helping me through all the agony and the midwives were lovely, so calm, so dear and so good at their jobs! I was really blown away.

Can't wait for you all to meet him.

Updates on the lil' unit

3 WEEKS til DUE DATE! (May 16)
howdy doo.
it's official. there's no going back. we're having a baby and and based on the way my body feels i am pretty eager to get that guy out of my uterus and into a backpack for tyler to carry! ha ha! anyway, a couple updates on the lil' unit (that's our place, not the baby)

Not my best diptych ever but Tyler built this cool screen to cover our bed area.

pantry + cake + built-ins for baby

So much good stuff has been happening. Not much time to write, just feast your eyes.

Cheryl made a BRILLIANT cake for my shower last weekend. I made a mini copy of it for a shower this weekend and used peeps instead of rubber duckies. It wasn't half as delicious (honestly) but it was still good. Yellow cake, three layer, raspberry filling and butter frosting. I ate so much of Cheryl's all week that I didn't even want any!

Tyler is getting so good at building stuff. These are bookshelves and cabinets in the babe's room. Awesome! Thanks to his new tool, he really blazes in there.

And the much spoken of pantry! Lovely.

I really got you!

Boy, I have had so many calls about that twins posting. I didn't think that many of you actually looked at the blog! I better make sure my punctuation and grammar are top notch from now on, with such a big audience. So, here are the long-promised updates on construction and so forth. I want to do a HUGE baby-shower post where I take pics of all the darling things people have been giving us, but I am not sure I am going to get to it. I have a pretty long to-do list these days and about half the amount of energy I normally have. You'll see why when you scroll down to my latest belly comparison shot. And speaking of feeling diffferent, I have a few poems memorized and for some reason and one of them is "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath. I think about it all the time right now and have a whole new understanding for what she must have been feeling. I certainly feel like "a ponderous house," "a means, a stage, a cow in a calf."

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.

So, here goes a flurry of photo-updates and narration. Get comfortable. This is a long one.

Yes, I have had a growth spurt. People keep saying to me, you look really big for how far along you are, and I just don't think they see other pregnant women. Tyler and I started a birthing class and I am, by a pretty decent margin, the furthest along and these ladies are competing with me in size. So, I feel a little better knowing that I may not have to birth a total tanker. I don't feel fat or anything, just cumbersome and everyone telling me how big I am is kind of weird. Never say that to a pregnant lady. Just say, you look great, or ask her how she feels. Seriously.




My Mom and Dad are remodeling and have passed on several extremely useful items to us. A nice couch with a hide-a-bed (come visit!), a really nice, big, energy efficient fridge (i am in heaven), a dresser [(Tyler doesn't have to keep his clothes in a tiny baby dresser and crates) note the gray and black FLOR carpet tiles--they are so cool and make it seem like a living room now] and this lovely tree that I remember from childhood as a tiny little sapling that we hung little red balls on at Christmas(Norfolk Pine).

Oooh! And check out the wall that blocks in the baby room and runs around and up the stair. Josh has been saving these really nice slabs of finished, birch veneer plywood for us at his job site--totally free! Thanks Josh!--and we painted the edges black (and the wall behind-Aaron's idea and so good) for drama and used them as the wall cladding. It is really so classy and designer, it transforms our entry/foyer/living room. Oh yea, the living room is going to take place downstairs, I think. For a while it was going to be upstairs, but it will be so nice to have the lounging area away from our bed AND close to the kitchen so I can socialize while I cook for all of you and make cocktails and do that sort of stuff. And there will be far fewer full martini glasses walking upstairs in heals. Our place is going to be the ultimate entertaining area. I can't wait to have a big party!

APRIL FOOLS!

Just kidding. There's just one and that is ENOUGH, I tell you!
I got a few of you. he he!

TWINS???!?!?!

Holy mackerel. I took off from work early today to get my second ultrasound and we got some really crazy news. They just didn't catch this in the first glimpse and since we go to a midwife, we haven't had an ultrasound since. So, we're having TWINS!!
eeeek. double of everything. no wonder why my tummy is soooo huge!