Where To Find Us

It has been almost a year and a half since the last post on this blog. We all joined Facebook and left Blogspot behind. A few of us have found other blogging homes since then:


Sarah shares her adventures in motherhood with a big dose of humor on http://alittlewhineandcheese.com/.


Kelly hasn't blogged in a while but she showcases her creative side on http://kslife.wordpress.com/.


And I am just figuring out the direction I want my blog to take at http://twinklingofani.blogspot.com/.


We hope you'll come visit at us at our personal blogs. And maybe someday we'll all come back to visit Apartment 5B.

Happy birthday, Kelly!

Happy birthday, dear friend! Sorry I'm just now getting around to posting this. Seems we've moved most of the action over to Facebook. Hope you had a wonderful day! We expect a full report of the festivities.

Testicular cancer, schmesticular schmancer

5/12/2009: I have been waiting for several weeks to be able to post this. I am so happy to announce that I am going to be an aunt again. (For those keeping track at home, that's three similar announcements in 18 months, all different parents.) Anyway, this time it is my brother Robbie and his wife Jenni. Most of you will remember that Robbie had testicular cancer 2 years ago at this time. He had surgery to remove the affected testicle and then went through 9 weeks of chemotherapy, so even though tests indicated he would probably be able to have kids naturally, it wasn't guaranteed. 

Jenni is due around December 1st. They heard a strong heartbeat at the doctor's office today. And we are so excited to meet little Rubik (their nickname for the baby until they find out the sex - more on that in a month or two so stay tuned).

5/14/2009 Update: Here is a link to Jenni's version of the story, which I suppose is the one that matters most. Also, since Robbie posted this information as his Facebook profile I guess I can share. If I have a niece, she will be called Ruby Mae. If I have a nephew, he will be Maverick Russell. As in, "I'm Charlotte Blackwood." "I'm Maverick." "Maverick?? Did your mother not like you or something?" "No, it's my call sign." "Oh, you're a pilot!" "That's right, a naval aviator."

Today is Etsy Day!

A group of Etsy sellers got together and declared today, April 24, as ETSY DAY. Don't know what Etsy is? Etsy is an "online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade." Clothes, toys, craft patterns, leather goods, candles, jewelry, papergoods, art prints, you name it, someone on Etsy is creating it. And it is a spectacular website for finding one-of-a-kind and even customized gifts. Mother's Day is just around the corner, after all. My Etsy ID is johannai if you want to check out some of my favorites, such as...

- Bookplates by oiseaux
- Mobiles by spindesigns and SaltyandSweet
- Jewelry by hazelnutcottage
- Accessories by kailochic, hollystalder, moxieandoliver, redrubyrose, awcombes and post
- Shadow puppets by orangemoontoys
- Polynesian items by islandcostumes, KaLimaNanea, solcreations1, and ohanabylea
- Wall Art by wardomatic, lindsayart, kellyrae, irenesuchocki, yellena, Geninne and elloh
- Party and cake decorating supplies by HeyYoYo and LayerCakeShop
- Gifts for moms and kids by shutthefrontdoor

I could go on and on. Do you have a favorite? Tell us about it in the comments.

Jumping the Shark

I thought the term was ubiquitous but since I've had several questions as to what my last post was about I thought I'd provide a primer.

From wikipedia:

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak.

So to give an example, many people think that Moonlighting jumped the shark when Maddie and David finally hooked up. And Jon and I just had a discussion about at what point The Cosby Show jumped. He says it was when Olivia was added - I say it was the addition of Pam. The Jump The Shark website is no more but you can still get the book from Amazon. Hope that helps. What are you favorite, or most frustrating, jump the shark moments?

Uh-oh...

Did My Boys just jump the shark? Your thoughts in the comments, please.

This is a test.

This is only a test.  A test to see if I can type an entire post with one hand. Not so fun. I am almost ashamed to explain why I have to do this. Yesterday morning I tripped over Ray on our morning walk. I put my arms out straight in front of me to try to avoid crushing the dog and knew immediately that I was hurt. Jon couldn't leave work right away so I got Ray home and my parents met me there to take me to the E.R. (Don't any doctors' offices have Saturday hours? I couldn't find one.) I guess it's just a sprain - the x-rays were clear - but wow, does it hurt. It's pretty frustrating not to be able to do simple things like put my hair in a ponytail but I should be feeling better by the end of the week. Which is good, since we are going to Seattle to visit my sister-in-law Rachel on Thursday. I very much hope we have this flight attendant on our trip.

Music Survey

Greg posted a fun music survey over on Bloggy McBloggerson. 

Happy birthday, Megan!

 

Happy birthday, Heather!!!

We love you and can't wait to see you! We're so glad you're finally here at Apt 5B with us!

Pre-Christmas Post

The New York Times had an article this week about how people are turning to crafty and handmade gifts this year in an effort to save money and personalize Christmas. I did that as well, but instead of making the gifts myself, I shopped on etsy.com, "an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade." I figured we are close enough to the present opening that I can give a shout out to the artists I purchased from without giving anything away.

Art from kellyrae

Art from lindsayart

Address labels and stickers from SimplyEmbellish

T-shirt and onesies from phippsart

Baby accessories from hushboutique

Christmas Shopping

So for anyone out there that still needs a Christmas gift for a little girl (or maybe even a big girl), check out these auctions on eBay. There are 7 beautiful dolls available, handmade by Alicia Paulson. They are similar to the pattern in her new book Stitched In Time. Each one benefits a different organization such as World Vision or the Red Cross. But hurry, there are only 35 hours left. Here's the full scoop, including a little background for each of the girls pictured below. Happy bidding!

A New Way of Life

We've been dog parents for 3 weeks now and except for a few small bumps in the road, it has been really nice. Jon's new favorite time of day is his morning walk with Ray. (Should I be jealous?) I look around the apartment and think of how much we've altered our schedules and space to accommodate our little one. We've rearranged our bedroom to make room for a soft crate and we've given up some valuable real estate on the first floor for a gigantic food and water bowl, a fluffy bed, a metal crate, a baby gate to guard the stairs, and toy box. We eat at our table now instead of on the couch - it's bar height so it makes it hard for Ray to beg - and we snack standing up at the counter which is probably better for us because we don't eat as much. 

This time of year, Jon works a lot of extra hours and it can be a little lonely around the house so I am really enjoying having a companion to hang out with and take care of. We talk on the phone just as much as always but now there is always a dog report involved: where Ray was walked, for how long, was he good on the leash, did he do something naughty or incredibly cute. I told Jon that eventually this won't be so new and we'll go back to talking about other things. I imagine this is exactly what it's like to have a new baby, right down to getting up in the middle of the night to take him outside. (Thankfully, we're over that.)

By the way, Ray is not 7 months as we were originally told. He's probably somewhere between 12 and 18 months, so he is about as big as he's going to get. He might fill out a bit but he's definitely on the small side for a lab. That's fine with us. And we found a phenomenal vet right down the street since we can't take him to Houston every time he needs shots or has the sniffles.

Not long after we got Ray we also realized that we have more cable than we thought we were paying for. Until we sort it out, we are enjoying ESPN, TLC, Animal Panet, and National Geographic. We've watched all of the recent episodes of Dog Whisperer (that Cesar Millan is a genius), It's Me Or The Dog, Dog Town, Whale Wars, and What Not To Wear (Marianna's story is my favorite). Kristy, if you'd go to work for the Houston SPCA I could watch you on TV. That would be cool.

As for Cesar Millan's show, it always bugs me that he hangs out in Vegas, Los Angeles, and Arizona - very sunny, hot places - and he and has trainees never wear sunglasses. Random, yes, but it is a problem for me almost everytime I watch. Has anyone else noticed this?

Not much else going on here. Just keeping our eyes on this situation. Will let you know if there's any news.

These eyes get me every time.

Happy birthday, Katie!

Hope you found a fun way to celebrate. We love you!!!

Placeholder

This post is just a placeholder until we get vital stats, but Megan had babies last night. Big ones. If you're keeping score at home, that's 4 boys. Five, if you count Todd, and I guess we should. As soon as we get some vital stats, we'll post them. And hopefully Megan or Todd can stop by briefly and post a picture (or two). Yay for new babies!

Introducing...

Ray LaMontagne Iwaszkowiec
approximately 7 months old
51 pounds, about 28 inches tall

Update from Houston

It was a relief to see this Facebook status posted from Christa's phone this morning. I talked to Kristy last night and they were prepared. They were basically just waiting for the power to go out. They were somewhat concerned about some large trees in their neighbor's yard but Kristy said that their house sits high enough on the lot that they weren't too worried about flooding. Even if their house is safe, the rest of their city is going to be a mess for awhile.

As for the rest of Texas, Ike is coming for you next. Sarah, Rachel H, Laura C, Danielle, Kelly C., and Mitsi, be safe and update when you can.

Update, 9-13-08 11:05 a.m.: Got a text from Kristy. No damage to their house or cars and no major flooding at their house either. Still no power so they are sticking to texting message for now to conserve battery power. Laura just texted from Palestine, TX - they've got 45-50 mph winds and lots of rain but they're doing okay.

Happy Birthday, Kristy!!!

Happy 31st! We love you! I hope you and Christa have fun plans for celebrating.

Introducing...

Updated with correct stats.....

Kelly, sorry to bump your post, but I need to introduce you all to someone.

This is my brand new niece, Irene Hope. She arrived by c-section last night at 11:26 after a long, grueling day of unproductive labor and weighed in at 9 pounds, 22 inches long. It sounds like Shannon was really a trooper through it all. Irene had a little trouble breathing right at the beginning but mom & daughter are both stable and doing well now. Isn't she beautiful? Welcome to the family, Little Sparky.

Flood Update

Okay, since everybody is asking I just thought I'd give a quick update on the flood. We're fine. New Town is dry and will probably stay that way. The highway is closed tonight because the flood is forcing deer to higher ground and the water is right up to the shoulder of 370. It's going to continue to spread through most of the day tomorrow so I guess there is the possibility that it could cause New Town Boulevard to be closed but we could still get in and out the back way. I have some pictures posted on Flickr - they're not great but there are a few of the view from 370 that should give you some perspective.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9347435@N06/sets/72157605778300006/