In which we build a stairway to the garden.

The new house came with some old stairs leading down to the garden. I just went through all of my pictures, trying to find a photo of the dilapidated steps. This is the closest I've got:



Apparently the top section of steps were so unimpressive that I managed to never take a picture of them, not even when we removed them last week.

The steps were formed by two planks of wood that at one time were attached to the runners. But over time, they just became loose boards — portals to the black decaying bug condo beneath them. Blech! If you didn't step very carefully, the board at the front of your step would wobble off. Not only were the planks shifty, but there was no railing to hold onto should your ankle give way. No one was allowed down the steps without supervision.



My husband and his dad (and the occasional helper) spent the week building the new staircase and fitting it into the old slot.





My job was to stain them. I tried to choose a color that worked with the existing steps and pavers further down.



These are actually interim steps, until we can do what we really want to do with the slope — create a gradual path down to the garden that cuts in front of the little patio with the chairs. A path that is less stair-y, and more wheelbarrow-y.



I like the new stairs. Every time I go down to the garden, I think "Oh, hey, new stairs!" It's a good thing.



Speaking of the garden, it's really exploding.



Here's the before shot, two months ago:



And here it is now:



I can't believe that this is what the package of seeds that arrived in the mail turned into. Science is amazing!

The tomatoes are going crazy. This is a shot of them two weeks ago.



And now, 14 days later, they've grown over the top of their cages!



Now when I do my daily stare-down of the garden to gawk at how much it has grown, I can stumble on the way there and it will be okay because there's a rail to grab.



Hi, new stairs and rail! I like you.

A handmade present from my 6 year old to my 1 year old.

When it came time for the baby's first birthday, my daughter went into her typical 8 year old wanna-be mother mode and decided that she needed to make a present for her baby brother. Not only that, but her other little brothers should make presents, too.

They were excited to go along with her grand schemes this time.



One night, they went into the boys' room with paper and markers. I'm not sure what went on in there, but when they came out, my 6 year old had produced this for his baby brother (with help from his big sister):



It's a coloring book! Awww!!



"Dinosaurs are cool and scary." It's a guide to dragons and dinosaurs. Everything a little brother should know about such beasts.



They're mean, and they're nice.



(The meat-eater looks much happier. Just sayin'.)



And, a few important notes about dragons.





This is the last page of the not exactly finished product.



The picture on this one has not been drawn yet.



It should be — um — informative!

A year full of healing and smiling.

A year ago, we were in pretty sad shape as a family. Happy, but not exactly healthy. A year later, we're still trying to recover and get back to full speed. To help us get back to pre-pregnancy shape, we've signed up for one of those Tough Mudder course races... you know, the ones with mud and electrified wires and obstacles like something you'd see on that show Wipe Out. I'm still not sure how I feel about this! I think it will be fun, but I'm a worrier and I'm nervous about potential injuries. And freezing cold water doesn't thrill me, either. We're still too close to winter for me to think that it's a good idea. But we have until September to get our act together. By then I'm sure I'll long for the freezing water. Maybe. We'll see. (Oh crap, what have I gotten myself into!?!)



In the meantime, our baby turned one year old yesterday!



He is a friendly giant teddy bear of a baby. He smiles all the time, clumsily lumbers along, and does what he can to make the big people laugh. And he's very good at making us laugh. When he takes a bath, he lays flat on his back and he intently and rhythmically splashes his arms and legs from the moment he touches the water, delighted with the sound and feel.



His words are mostly garble with lots of B, M, and G sounds. But he did finally manage to add "Dada" and "uh-oh" to his word list. He also waves goodbye and claps very slowly and inaccurately while looking dumbfounded.



He tries to say "peekaboo," but it comes out with way too many syllables, and wrong ones at that — "bee bee buh guh boo boo!"





He can pull himself to a standing position, but cannot let go. This is very problematic when he needs to clap. He takes a few moments to think about it, then slaps instead of claps, with a big grin.





His cheeks make me want to have twenty more babies.



He eats whatever I give him. He's not picky. It all goes in, and he does the best he can with the only two little teeth he's got.





He is easy to put to bed, just give him a drink and lay him down and he'll usually drift off, but he has trouble staying asleep. He wakes up 2 or 3 times after we put him down for the night. But I'm okay with it, since he usually only wakes up once after 1:00 a.m. and I can live with that.



I love his glossy blonde hair. He doesn't have a lot of hair, but that doesn't keep him from being snuggly. He crawls to me, making happy sounds, and head-butts my leg like the cat does. And while he rarely falls asleep in my arms, when he's tired, he rests his heavy head on my shoulder and gently pats my arm as I gently pat his back.



I love him!

My older children decided to make presents for him. They were awesome. This is a coloring book made by my 6 year old.



My daughter tied a blanket for him,







and the 4 year old drew him a picture.







He unwrapped it, then chucked it at his little brother.



He had a great birthday. He especially loved the little noise makers.



That is, until one betrayed him and poked him in the face.







That was the signal that it was time for bed. I changed his clothes and walked up to his room as he lay his silky head on my shoulder.

This morning, he was so excited to see that all the toys were still here! He has been so content today.

Happy birthday, Mr. Chubbles! Thank you for this past year of baby awesomeness!

You can find his birth story here.