Random Pics 4/28/11

Here are some random pics from the last few days.

Good morning!

 Now that Cal is using his hands more, he really likes exploring toys and stuffed animals:
 

  



His arm is moving so fast it's a blur!

  

Sometimes a thumb is enough entertainment

Cal has also been spending quality time with his grandparents:

 

Go JETS!

The NFL may not have a season this year, but if they do, their youngest fan will be rooting them on (thanks Aunt Kate and Uncle Josh).

House Update: Foundation Walls

Despite all the rain, work on the house is still moving along quickly.  

The foundation for the new mudroom is almost done.  This was much deeper than we thought it would be, so sometime in the future, we may decide to open up a door to it from the basement and turn it into a storage area or wine cellar ;)

Inside of mudroom foundation

Outside view of mudroom foundation

The walls for the addition are coming along well.  You can see the new basement (the section with the ladder) and the old basement (on the other side of the studs).  A metal beam will be put in where the studs are to turn it into one large room which we hope to finish before Cal goes to college.  

This is a view from the old kitchen (just on the ther side of the tarp).  They have taken out most of the wall and just have some supports in since a metal beam will be going in here shortly as well.  Eventually, this will open into a newly expanded kitchen and new family room (the addition).

So far we have passed inspection well so we expect progress to continue at the same rate.  Now if only the April showers would hurry up and turn into May flowers!

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was Cal's first holiday.  We celebrated Easter with Nana, Poppy, Aunt Kate and Uncle Josh (and a bonus visit from Jackie Macchi).

Cal was dressed in his finest.  (It was a bit warm for a hat, but we had to at least take a picture with it on)



There were lots of goodies in his Easter basket:

He got to sit at the dinner table like a big boy and had an in-depth conversation with Poppy on golf clubs:

And is anxiously awaiting the day when he can actually eat some of the candy in his basket!

P.S.  Cal is still growing steadily - he just passed the 15 lb mark!

Renovation Part Deux

Tim and I should have our own HGTV show.   Maybe it could be about a couple that knows nothing about construction but decides to simultaenously undertake a ginormous renovation in the suburbs and a renovation of a NY apartment (and of course, is living in neither place).

The work on the apt is pretty far along.  Thanks to Cal's early arrival, I didn't have the chance to take any before pictures, but I'll see if I can dig some up.  Until then, hopefully you remember the before, and here is the now:

All the cabinets in the kitchen have been completely removed.  Once the building approves our kitchen plans, we will have new cabinets and hardware, countertops and sink.  The layout will be pretty similar to the old one, except with more drawers and the peninsula will be raised with a lip for a breakfast bar.  Yes, the accent wall is a strange shade of orange, but once the white cabinets are in, it will hopefully be a nice contrast.

Kitchen

All the walls, ceiling and doors have been scraped, re-plastered, sanded and painted.

Bedroom



Bedroom door

 


Bedroom ceiling

Everything now looks crisp and clean.  No more paint chips falling down on our heads!

We fixed up the bathroom too.  This wall had been missing a bunch of tile that just had a bunch of plaster filling it up.  Now it has been re-tiled:

Bathroom

Once the kitchen is done, we just have to redo the floors.  Let us know if you know of anyone that wants to rent a cozy, newly renovated 1-bedroom!

Milestone Alert!

Cal is learning to use his hands!  He's already discovered sucking on his hand (his thumb isn't enough - he tries to get his whole fist in his mouth), has batted at a few things and clawed at Mommy's neck, but today, he purposely grabbed and held onto a toy.  He picked it up, shook it furiously, tried to eat it, dropped it and picked it up several more times.

The whole time he was grabbing the toy with his left hand, Cal was also trying to suck on his right hand.

He's a multitasker!

Sitting Like a Big Boy

Cal is now able to sit up when propped against something.  It may not seem like a big accomplishment, but not long ago, he would tip to one side or crumble forward.  Instead of always staring at the ceiling or floor, he can sit up and see the whole room or sit next to me while we read a story.  It's a whole new world and he's loving it!

Real or Fake?

Time for a poll. We were in Buy Buy Baby, and I saw this SnuggleNest:

It seemed like a good idea, and is basically how we're sleeping with Cal right now as he continues rebelling against the crib.  But here's my question.  Is the baby in the picture real or fake?  The people are obviously real, but the baby looks awfully plastic-y.  It's unclear to me why they couldn't put a real baby in the picture (if it is indeed a doll) and I don't know why, but it seems a bit creepy.

But then I was looking at some pictures of Cal, and with his very fair complexion, sometimes the way the light hits him makes him look kind of fake too...

So what do you think?  Is the baby in the SnuggleNest picture real?

And They're Off!

FINALLY.  After many many months, construction on our house has started!

First, the 10 second background.  Tim and I bought a 3-bedroom house in Summit, NJ last June. 

The previous family had lived in the house for almost 60 years, and probably hadn't done any work on it for 40 years.  We envisioned a modest renovation to expand the second floor to include a 4th bedroom and update the kitchen.  Of course, with all renovation projects, we kept finding things we wanted to add on and improve, and before we knew it, our little project (and our budget) was not so little anymore.  And then, as with all construction projects, plans took longer than expected, permits took longer than expected, and we've just been waiting, waiting, waiting.

Last week, we got our permits, and the crews descended on the house on Friday.  They have excavated for the 3-floor addition (which will be an expanded basement, family room and master bedroom) and poured the footings.  Here was the back of the house before:

The structure on the left (the old family room) is completely demolished, as is the sunroom.  Here is what it looks like now:

Here is the size of the back addition and a sense of scale for how deep this hole is.  On the left you can also see a hint of the foundation for the new mudroom:

Our fabulous 50s era kitchen is totally gone.  Before:

Now:

So progress is being made pretty quickly.  But the highlight of my day was fulfilling a lifetime dream of operating construction equipment.  Here I am in the backhoe (with a VERY big grin):

Check that off the bucket list!  Now if only I could get my hands on a wrecking ball..

The Wu Cousins

This past Sunday, Tim and I visited Edison so that Cal could see Grandma (Pwo Pwo) and Grandpa Wu (Gong Gong).  He also got to meet Uncle Joe, Aunt Emily and his cousins Lauren (3 1/2 years) and Maddie (1 year) for the first time!

A Conversation with Cal

For the last month or so, Cal has been cooing, but in the last 2 weeks, it seems he has discovered his voice and really likes the sound of it!  He "talks" all the time now... click on the link to see a sample:

Cal Talking 041111

P.S. Notice he suddenly becomes quiet when I suggest one of our daytime activities to be in the crib.

Welcome!

Welcome to our new blog! 


Tim and I have so much going on - Baby Cal, Princess Reyna, the Summit house reno, the NY apartment reno, never mind all the everyday adventures of life.  So we thought this would be a great way to keep everyone updated, and be able to post pictures and videos. 

First, a disclaimer.  I am not saavy on the whole social media/blogging thing.  I still haven't figured out how to write on someone's wall on Facebook, I'm confused by all the weird symbols in Twitter, and I had to look up what "blog" meant before I started this post.  So if you're reading this, it's a big accomplishment.

Like everything else though, we will figure it out as we go along...