Family update

We're quickly approaching the 8 month mark...and I'm starting to look like it! We haven't done a very good job of documenting the belly growth so far - would be easier if Max and I were at home together during any daylight hours! Isn't it supposed to be the first baby that gets the first class treatment? We'll be better with the baby pictures :) Rachel was kind enough to volunteer part of her lunch hour to a photo shoot yesterday. Here you go Mom, finally!


Let's see if the video function works...here's our little water baby. Tiger has turned into a funny, sweet, and personality-rich little guy who can't seem to stay away from the sink. Washing dishes is enormously entertaining for him, as is any other washing (face, hands, vegetables). Here he is overseeing Max's work as he fills the humidifier tank, which apparently requires rather close inspection.

Early snow

Wouldn't you know it...it's our first year with early snow and we're too busy to really get excited about it! It's nice to see anyway, and even better now that the roof metal is installed. We've seen some progress since the last update, including the finished roof! The electricians finished wiring around the middle of the month but little else has been done on the interior since then. We ordered the insulation for the interior today...the last bit of work before the drywall can go up. Max has been making headway on the exterior insulation and has two walls just about covered. Another big step towards winterization...half the windows are in now and the other half will soon follow now that the scaffolding has been moved to the north and west sides.


The east side is looking good.

It shouldn't take long to get the rest of the insulation up on these walls. Max has started reading up on installing siding but isn't looking forward to that job. It's gonna be a cold one!

The trees are getting frosty after several days of thick ice fog.

One of the last jobs of the fall was to put in the support posts for the deck...we kinda missed the fall though, so this job ended up being a lot tougher than it needed to be. We were faced with digging through 8" of frozen ground for the 12 posts. Luckily, our framer Marcus was putting another deck in just up the road and offered to piggy-back our job on the drilling equipment rented for our neighbor's deck. The holes got dug over the weekend and the cement got poured last night. Fingers are crossed that it can set up at 10F!

The rest of September

September went by too fast! Over the last few weeks I've grown out of most of my pre-pregnancy tops...evidence that the baby is putting on some weight. More evidence...for the first time tonight I was surprised by a kick that felt like it was splitting my abs. Ouch! Then another one. Either baby just learned a new move or he's changed positions again. Either way, I'm a little worried about what those baby Max legs are going to be capable of in the coming months! I'm a week into the third trimester now...really hard to believe. We've switched back to the midwife group that we started with. They're a wonderful, calm, supportive group of women and we feel like we're in good hands. All is well on the baby front.

Earlier in the month we had the floors poured to cover the tubing. This is the cleanest the house has been so far...far cleaner than it is today. Here's the kitchen and back room.


And the front entry. At the time of the pour the rough plumbing had just been finished. Since then the electricians have had their chance at the place and the walls are starting to look like a road map with main highways and side roads of wires and pipes. We've made the most progress on the utilities this month, which isn't particularly evident in photos. That's probably why we haven't loaded any here in a few weeks.

We're still working on the exterior insulation and the black weatherproof liner. Max's two-week work trip to Canada slowed down the process for a time, but we've been back at it over the last week. Rachel gave up a beautiful Saturday morning to help out.

The autumn trees were lovely while they lasted. Unfortunately they only lasted a week before a cold front came through bringing rain and snow that knocked most of the leaves to the ground. The forest looks a little less colorful these days.

We had scaffolding delivered last week and Max and our friend Franz were able to erect it in no time. The decking has been a huge help getting the bare spots on the corners patched and it will allow us to get the rest of the insulation and siding up this month. It will also be a big help to Marcus who will be back in a few days to put on the metal roofing and install the windows. Oh, to be weather tight! Maybe we'll beat winter yet!

The new yard

We had a marathon weekend of house prep that spilled over into Monday, but we managed to get eveything ready for the final grading around the house to be done. Now that the backfill covers the basement the house no longer appears too tall from the outside. Much better proportions. A bonus is that we can now reach most of the house with ladders - much easier for putting up the insulation. The birch are yellowing quickly now that the nights are cooling down. It won't be long before our new yard will be covered with dropped leaves.


Here's the back yard. Unfortunately we've run out of time to get grass seed on the ground. Something to look forward to for next spring.

Now that the grade reaches the first floor we can use the front door for the first time. The entrance steps will be built into the deck walkway which will wrap around this side of the house. Ron also did some nice touch-up work on the driveway while he was at it.

We had the plumbers run the radiant floor tubing while they were here last week. The concrete guys are scheduled to pour the main- and top-story floors on Friday, which will cover the tubing. Until then we're on hold for interior work. This photo shows the kitchen with the base cabinet footprint blocked in with 2x4's. The sink will be centered below the wide window straight ahead.

Nice view out the kitchen window. This looks out towards our second lot that borders the one we're building on to the east. That means we won't have neighbors building a house right outside our window. At the moment all sides of the property are nicely buffered from any unexpected or unwanted development.

What comes after framing?

The framers finished up their last little bits today and pulled out after a long 6 weeks on the job. Now the house is crawling with plumbers and tomorrow they'll be joined by the guys who will put in our air filtration/heat recovery system. Things are getting busy! Here's a look at the stairs heading up to the second floor. We'll have an open banister on the left next to the back room.


Again, the stairs to the second floor. We're really excited about the window seat off the landing - that's straight ahead in this picture.

This is the view from the upstairs hallway looking down over the landing. The window seat bench will be installed after the electricians finish wiring the house in a few weeks. This is on the south side of the house and should be a great sunny spot for a good book and a cup of tea...or a nap. Can't wait!

Max and I got started on the exterior insulation over Labor Day weekend. Now that the weather is turning we've got to hurry to get the septic system installed and the final grading and backfill done in the yard before the ground freezes. We've got just a few more days before Ron the dirt guy comes back with his bulldozer so we better get crackin!

The house is taking on a new look with these super white insulation sheets. I'm happy to see the black membrane get covered up...the days of Darth Vader house are numbered! This building technique calls for two layers of 2" foam board over the house exterior. That makes the basement walls a full foot thick! We were impressed with our very substantial door jam after the first two layers were in place. This should be one warm, dry basement!

Lunar eclipse

We had perfectly clear skies for the eclipse last month so Max left the house at 11pm in search of the best viewing spot. I stayed behind, happy to watch from the cabin and happier to get more than a couple of hours of sleep! I had a decent view through the trees during my outhouse trips but Max got some great photos of the event from campus.

House and family update

We've had a weather-tight roof for the last two weeks and Max has been busy mounting window and door frames to the exterior of the house. The interior walls are almost done and we now have a good feel for the interior layout. The whole house feels nice and roomy. We're very happy with the design...what a relief!


Autumn is such a nice time of year here. The light reflected off the birch trees is warm and golden. And what a beautiful forest we have on our lot. Lucky, lucky, lucky that we found it!

Tuesday brought a little surprise. This is the newest member of the family. He's not quite named yet, but we're leaning toward "Tiger". Overused? Probably, but we thought the name would go nicely with Bear. He's a 3 month old shelter kitty, playful, sweet, and inquisitive. Tiger and the two blackies, Bear and Suki, make an orange-filled oreo cookie.

He got up to say hello. Hello :)