Day 2

First of all, today our friend Noel called to tell us she was working from home and could keep Grayson all day. What a blessing! They both had a fun time- although I'm not sure how much work she got done. And it was a great surprise for Chris when she got home from work.

Today we:

-Painted the (peach) ceiling in the living and dining rooms (2 coats)
-Sanded the ridiculous texture in the den
-Removed hardware and cabinet doors in kitchen
-Began sanding the kitchen cabinet shelving

Time: 6 hours

Grayson with Noel (Thanks again, Chris and Noel!!)

Part of the hardware removed from the kitchen

Our visitor of the day, Victoria. She tried to tell Joe that she "had" to take me for a cup of coffee to talk about something really important (to get me out of the work), but he saw right through it!

Day 1

We've decided to do a quick post each day of work on the house-there is a lot to be done. We have our current rental until the 28th of this month so that hopefully we can get most of the work done before we move in with a 3-month old.

Yesterday, 2 hours after closing we started on the list.
- Removed all light and outlet plates and vents. This took a LONG time because they had all been painted over. Don't EVER do that to yourself.
- Patched walls and sanded down spots
- Removed the original baseboards (1971) on the entire first floor
-Did 2 coats of primer in the living room and dining room. 2 coats of primer, you say? Yes, when the walls are ORANGE.

Time spent: 6 hours

Once the white primer was on we we able to tell that alas, the ceiling was painted PEACH. Awesome.

Yesterday our friends Chris and Noel were our first visitors- I meant to take a picture of that but forgot. Grayson had a GREAT time with them!

We tried to keep Grayson out of the fumes as much as possible- on the patio he was able to play only about 5 feet away from us- sometimes less. The patio is shaded all day long- awesome!

This picture doesn't really show the true brightness of the orange paint color.

A Home for Team Dickerson

Today we bought a home!!! We have rented since moving up to the DC area 3 years ago because the housing prices were so overinflated that we knew the bubble would soon burst and then we would pick up the pieces. Mission accomplished!! We have waited and prayed and waited and prayed before finding the perfect place for us. The place we bought is in an area of townhouses that we lived in when we first moved up. We bought our place for roughly half of what they were selling it for 3 years ago. Thank you Lord, what a blessing!

The funny thing is that this place is not new, not cute on the outside, not a single family home with huge backyard...all things we had in our home we owned in South Carolina. And yet, I can safely say that we are 10x more excited about this purchase! Renting again and high house prices makes this time around so much sweeter.

This was our first home, for those of you who never saw it:



This is the townhouse we bought today:


It is located in Reston, VA within walking distance of the town center and the W&OD trail. The commute is great for Joe and it does have a small fenced-in backyard for Grayson and Hank.

We have a lot of work to do inside before we move in at the end of the month. Check back for before and after pictures.

Antiques

Jenny Meredith, this post is dedicated to you...

Oh my heavenly stars did I have a great day on Sunday! Mom and I packed up the babe and took a trip to Lucketts, VA, a small village about 30 minutes west of here. They pride themselves on their antiques out there- and they always have GREAT prices. I LOVE looking for antiques and vintage stuff in general, but I have never found the right things at the right time. Until Sunday!!!

My new pride and joys-

This is a dresser I will be using as a buffet in my dining room. My mom and I seriously expected the lady to quote me a price $300 above what she said- it took me less than a second to say, "sold!"

This dresser will go in our bedroom (try to imagine it without the pink decor in the store). We have 2 other pieces we have painted antique white and put glass knobs on in our room already. Notice the TILT mirror and extra deep drawers. I am considering letting Joe have the bottom drawer. What do you think? Don't you just LOVE that sold sticker?

Mom got some great old books and blue and white china to add to her everyday collection. And Grayson, well, he had a great nap in the Ergo carrier.

And now a sweet picture of my boy.


Hope everyone is having a great week!

Three Months

Grayson turned 3 months old recently. What a big boy! He has finally started noticeably filling out (until about a week ago he was still wearing his NEWBORN clothes). At his 2 month check-up in April he was in the 5th percentile for his age in height and weight. I've always wondered who "those people" are down in the lower percentiles, and as it turns out, it's us! However, the doc wasn't too worried because he is so strong developmentally AND he had a great weight gain in the last 3 weeks. I think he just got a little behind because of his feeding issues early on. And it has been fun for him to still be so little! He now weighs 11 lbs. 4 oz.

His new skills:

1. Trying to hold his bottle
2. Smiling and talking to us all the time
3. Following Hank everywhere with his eyes
4. Discovering his feet by splashing in the tub
5. Reaching for things

and for the BIG FINALE.......sleeping between 7 and 9 hours every night!!!!

In his Bumbo chair


Having fun with the tissue paper at the Doctor's office

Mother's Day- what a fun day with my boys!

June 8th is a BIG day for Team Dickerson- so check back on that day to find out WHY!

Walk to Cure Diabetes

This year I had the privilege of teaching Maggie and John in my kindergarten class. Maggie and John both have Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. What this means for them is that because their pancreas's do not produce insulin on their own they have to carefully monitor their blood sugar and inject themselves with insulin several times a day. Since they were diagnosed at about 3 years old, their parents and now they prick their finger for blood 10+ times a day to maintain healthy sugar levels. When they started kindergarten we began working them towards being more independent in caring for their disease. Maggie jumped right in and can even use her own insulin pump (with adult guidance and observation) and although John needed a little extra time to focus on the task at hand (he is a little BOY, after all) they were checking themselves in the classroom multiple times a day within a few months. Of course, I have learned an ENORMOUS amount about how serious diabetes is, how to care for yourself, and what a scary thing it can be.

The neatest thing though, has been getting to know these children and their families. I have been so blessed to watch these parents work so hard and sacrifice to keep their kids so healthy that they are having a wonderful childhood, participating in every activity and experience a kid should. An outsider would never know that Maggie and John have a life-threatening disease that requires constant vigilance.

Maggie- very intelligent, quite the thinker, always showering me with hugs and now Grayson with kisses. She has two younger brothers (one born 3 days after Grayson) and is a great helper to Mom. Sometimes we catch her getting John's stuff ready for him to check and cleaning up after him! :)

John- always wants to do the right thing- very black and white, and wants to make sure everyone else is doing the right thing too (but surprisingly not in an annoying way, he is just genuinely concerned), very smart and can read people, quite the ladies man.

On Sunday, June 7th our family will be participating in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for the Cure. I am walking for John's Buddies Team and Joe will walk for Maggie's Muscle Team. Grayson will be there to look cute. Of course, we are raising money for research and it is SUPER easy to donate! We would really appreciate a donation of even $5 or $10. To donate for Maggie's Muscle click here. To donate for John's Buddies click here. THANK YOU!

And now, pictures of Grayson, as we haven't put new ones up in awhile.

Meeting a new friend, Taylor. Look at that smile- he's all about the ladies!

Already starting to work that lip!



After eating I sometimes sit him on the couch to help with his reflux. If he falls over he usually screams; this day he was so tired he fell face down and just stayed there.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Bonding

I promise this is not a set-up; just what happens when Grayson gets hungry and starts crying. And don't worry- I picked him up and comforted him right away (after shooting the great video!). Oh, and make sure the sound is on.