Making Babies

"Where do babies come from?"

Isn't that the one question all parents dread? Ok, I suppose the other one would be about S.E.X. but in that context, they are closely related (one does lead to the other).

Ken and I decided fairly quickly that time is of the essence as us law folks like to say. We can dwell on the negative and wonder where we went wrong but we can't do that. We trust in the fact that there are some things that are beyond our earthly wisdom ... and we've made peace with it.

Making babies is no joke.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything to this blog. I hope someday soon it will have happier posts with ultrasound pictures and baby shower excitement. As of now, it hasn't happened quite yet.

Right now, we're keeping busy with home renovation, family get togethers and little Gizmo (we've changed our pup's name) seen below with his new best friend.

Breaking Down the Walls

Rain, rain go away! The weather in this area has been rain and a lot of it. Life isn't put on hold because of inclement weather though! Otherwise, the Northeast could never function!!

We've begun renovating our bedroom so we are currently sleeping in our living room and living in our dining room. Everyone feels a little displaced but Kitty seems to be taking it well.

I'm picking up Jax tomorrow night from the airport! Here are a few more recent pictures ...

How can you refuse anything to this face?

We're all excited about his arrival! I've yet to figure out his sleeping area, food space and anything else but will be sorting it all out tomorrow morning!

In Hamilton style, we have also begun the bedroom renovation. Here are the BEFORE pictures:

This house was built in 1902 and in fashion, the walls are NOT insulated and it is all horsehair plaster!

DUST is everywhere and I'll be forever dusting!

We're also thinking about growing our little family again. It was hard to even think about for a little while so soon after but the hurt is fading and is replaced with renewed energy. But we're letting things run their course.

Big dreams don't disappear in chaos.

They are simply tucked away for a rainy day.

The walls are finally coming down.

Introducing ...

Jax!!!

STATS:

Full name: Jaxson

Breed: French Bulldog

Color: Cream

Date of Birth: January 15, 2010

Place of Birth: Hunter Ridge Kennel, OK

Jax has wonderful folks looking after him there until he is old enough to travel on his own.

We're so thrilled about Jax becoming a part of our lives!
Below are a few pictures ...

ONE WEEK OLD - JANUARY 29th

TWO WEEKS OLD - JANUARY 29th

THREE WEEKS OLD - February 5th

We'll continue to post pictures and more details at homecoming  :)

Gocco Wedding - Part Deux

It's been awhile since I've posted anything here ... Let's catch up.

Ken's left ring finger was mangled in a car door on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Rush to the ER.

Many hours, three stitches, a broken finger and high as a kite, he was allowed to go home. He didn't feel much pain thanks to the Percocets but there was the constant changing of the dressings. Gruesome.

The next few days after that were a blur as he caught a severe cold on top of it. Two more ER visits in the days to follow uncovered an ear infection and a stomach/flu virus.

I had my own surgery the week after "the event" above.

And lately, I've been in training for work then working before and after training was over. It has not been a good New Year for any of us here quite yet.

On a lighter note, both of us have loved our food changes. Since Food, Inc., we're both much more conscious of our food. Ken is taking it a little more extreme than I am but that's ok. It's all part of the fun. He is a lot more involved in cooking so we end up spending more quality time together. Overall a win-win situation.

More recently, we've bought and made grass fed beef burgers, free-range & antibiotic/hormone free roasted chicken, homemade peanut butter, potato chips and a lot of organic eggs :) Also throw into that a fancy mandolin and requests for a Kitchen-Aid mixer, food processor and a bread maker (Ken's requests!!! Boy, our registry will have a few of these gadgets).

Neither of us are fanatics about this but we just have a heightened awareness.

I am getting back to planning our formal reception and renewal ceremony later this fall. Small steps make this process easier but a lot of help also doesn't hurt! I have on hand MANY helpful hands, hearts and minds as well as a TALENTED event planner extraordinaire (who also happens to be a very good friend of mine) who has signed on to sort out my jumbled ideas.

First part consists of DIY projects. I only have one word that inspires me to undertake such things.

GOCCO.

All will be revealed as I will chronicle it all here as I fumble, fail, try again and hopefully succeed!

Food, Inc.

For those of you who haven't yet seen this, give it a look-see. The things you see may startle and surprise you. There is a lot going on in the food industry that we know very little about. Considering food is a universal importance, it should strike horror into all eyes watching.

Since we've watched this, we've been making more of a conscious effort to know where our meat is coming from and how it is getting into our hands. This doesn't mean we've taken up farming and butchering the meat ourselves but it is about awareness and taking a wholehearted interest in the details in our lives.

All this heightened sense of consciousness has also bled into other aspects of our lives that doesn't necessarily show obvious relevance.

We take a little more time soaking in the mundane minutiae of our daily lives and taking pleasure in it. It was almost as if we had been living in Plato's cave and we had been released to see the true images of the gray shadows we thought to be true. And now in hindsight, we're returning to the cave to see if others will also entertain giving the truth a chance.

Where am I going with this?

The past few months have been utter shock, awe and horror muddled into an emotional volcano that sputters searing pain from within out to the fallout experienced by others close by. And yet, we're tied to this volitile collapse and for now, we only see the devastation. Over time, we'll see if our ashes will create fertile ground or hardened rock.

At the moment, my plumbing is undergoing serious scrutiny. We are trying to be patient. We are trying to avoid negativity and are shunning ignorance altogether. We've used this space to express great joy, unspeakable pain and many moments in between. We'll continue to do so regardless of how many people do or do not read it. Thank you for those of you who are out there and have gone through a similar experience.

There is none so other than a kindred spirit connected through tragedy to aid the healing.

Who said "Feeling is healing?" That is so true.