Monday, July 23, 2007
The wake-up dance
Provided she's slept enough, waking up from her nap is probably Lea's happiest time. She has been pulling herself up to standing in her crib for a few weeks now, and has been learning the fine art of jumping on the bed. Sometimes she does this when she's in there alone, but never more exuberantly than when one of us comes in to retrieve her from her nap. I swear, she's the happiest creature on the planet.
Toofers, by request
It's hard to take a picture of baby teeth!
Don't mind me, forcibly holding her jaw open...
Don't mind me, forcibly holding her jaw open...
Monday, July 9, 2007
Adventures in Home Ownership, Part I
Brian discovered a leak. Water was pooling under the cats' litterbox, in our basement. After ruling out a cat pee mis-fire, we discovered that the water was coming from underneath a wall, the other side of which was the crawl space where our heat pump (which is also an air conditioner) is installed.
That's when we realized that a water pipe leading to(? from?) the heat pump looked like this:
Water had been pooling there, and had obviously done so before, but this was the first time there was enough to creep into the cat-litter area, where we could see it. Hmm. No one had been in, or put anything in, the crawl space in a while (and the A/C had certainly been for long periods before), so the damage wasn't new... so why so much leaking now, and only now? For a while, we thought it was a water supply line (especially since it's insulated PVC pipe, typically used for supply lines). We figured somehow the heat pump used cold water in its air conditioning capacity. But, if that were the case, it would have leaked WAY more and way earlier in the summer.
So, after several hours of Googling ("How do air conditioners work?" "Cracked pipe leading to A/C" "Water line for heat pump"), I did what any new homeowner would do: I called my mom. Who immediately guessed it was condensation. Then I called my Uncle Rich, who confirmed that it was indeed the "condensate line" (hence the recent much-greater-output of water, as we've been in a heat wave and the A/C must be working extra hard, creating more condensation) and that it was no big deal, really, as long as the water was draining somewhere (it was, into a drain by our water heater). But, he said confidently, you could probably fix it yourself. And I did! I went out to the hardware store this morning and spent 5 minutes in the plumbing aisle (note: you get funny looks in hardware stores if you are 25 years old, and female, and have a baby strapped to your back, and are comparing different kinds of PVC cement). Then I spent 10 minutes at home, cutting out the broken section of pipe:
... cutting a new piece to fit, priming all the fittings, and gluing it all together. Total cost: $23. That includes a fancy-schmancy PVC cutting tool that I probably didn't really need, but is nice to have and I didn't mind the excuse to buy it (hey, come to think of it, that's another lesson learned from Rich!).
All done!
That's when we realized that a water pipe leading to(? from?) the heat pump looked like this:
Water had been pooling there, and had obviously done so before, but this was the first time there was enough to creep into the cat-litter area, where we could see it. Hmm. No one had been in, or put anything in, the crawl space in a while (and the A/C had certainly been for long periods before), so the damage wasn't new... so why so much leaking now, and only now? For a while, we thought it was a water supply line (especially since it's insulated PVC pipe, typically used for supply lines). We figured somehow the heat pump used cold water in its air conditioning capacity. But, if that were the case, it would have leaked WAY more and way earlier in the summer.
So, after several hours of Googling ("How do air conditioners work?" "Cracked pipe leading to A/C" "Water line for heat pump"), I did what any new homeowner would do: I called my mom. Who immediately guessed it was condensation. Then I called my Uncle Rich, who confirmed that it was indeed the "condensate line" (hence the recent much-greater-output of water, as we've been in a heat wave and the A/C must be working extra hard, creating more condensation) and that it was no big deal, really, as long as the water was draining somewhere (it was, into a drain by our water heater). But, he said confidently, you could probably fix it yourself. And I did! I went out to the hardware store this morning and spent 5 minutes in the plumbing aisle (note: you get funny looks in hardware stores if you are 25 years old, and female, and have a baby strapped to your back, and are comparing different kinds of PVC cement). Then I spent 10 minutes at home, cutting out the broken section of pipe:
... cutting a new piece to fit, priming all the fittings, and gluing it all together. Total cost: $23. That includes a fancy-schmancy PVC cutting tool that I probably didn't really need, but is nice to have and I didn't mind the excuse to buy it (hey, come to think of it, that's another lesson learned from Rich!).
All done!
Journeys
Lea and I spent a lovely and relaxing week in Exton, where I got a massage, did some shopping, and got to see most of the Hallman clan at an early Happy-Birthday-Granddad gathering.
Friday, we headed to OCNJ, where Brian met us mid-afternoon, and Eric joined us late that night after flying into BWI, where my Dad picked him up. Jenny came down Saturday AM, Mom and Dad drove to CT, and we spent some decent beach time, although it was a grayish day. That didn't stop babies from smiling...
... or grownups from shamelessly entertaining themselves.
We tried very hard to keep her protected from the sun, but Lea was having none of the hat.
Sunday was Lea's first Citizens' Bank Park adventure (Philllies 5, Mets 3), but I neglected to take any pictures. Ah well. We were able to keep her entertained in her seat for about 4 innings, and strolled around the park for the fifth and sixth, nursed in the First Aid station (a popular activity, as it turns out) for the seventh, before returning briefly to our seats and leaving sometime during the eighth. All in all, it was a successful outing, and I look forward to many more.
Monday was another beach day, and then Tuesday we headed to the Cape May County zoo (free!). I'm so conflicted about zoos, precisely because I love animals so damn much. I want to see them, and watch them interact, and learn about them, and I want Lea to do the same. But I don't want them to be sad, and some species (apes and elephants, to name the major ones) always seem sad in zoos. It's a hard call. Luckily, this zoo didn't have many animals that fit that category, at least in my perspective. It's a nice place to stroll around, well shaded and decently laid-out. I think Lea was mostly excited about watching other kids, of which there were approximately one million.
She also enjoyed the little swimming turtles:
And the big lumbering turtles.
Flamingos:
And prairie dogs (this is her watching prairie dogs, I swear):
That night we took her back down to the beach, where she seemed a little bit freaked out by the water (it was a love-hate relationship. The first night, she screamed her face off the second her toes touched. Then she seemed better, in general, but every once in a while she would still get this look of terror. We think it had to do with looking out at the surface of the ocean and not understanding why it was moving). Anyway, by the end, we could splash a little bit with no looks of panic.
She had a similar progression with the sand. That first day, we set up the gate, but it turned out not to matter because she wouldn't even go to the edge of the sand. Well, that fear was conquered by about Beach Day Three, when she decided that the expanse of sand was too exciting to pass up, and proceeded to crawl farther and faster than she ever has, in all directions, back and forth, in circles, with a huge grin on her face. It was hilarious.
Wednesday, the Fourth, was kind of a miserable one for me because I had a nasty stomach bug. But everyone else got to enjoy the annual five-blocks-worth-of-Central-Avenue fourth of July parade (crowd favorites: the 44th street kazoo band, old ladies in bikinis, kids dressed up in patriotic garb, and the year's Miss Night in Venice candidates). Apparently Lea did not care for the police sirens, but once again loved kid-watching.
We left town early Thursday, taking the Cape May-Lewes ferry across into Delaware (state number 10!) and driving down the peninsula to Virginia Beach. Brian's grandmother Mary Hutcheson had passed away Sunday evening after a tough few years facing Alzheimer's and at one point, a stroke. We know she's finally at peace now, but it has been very sad to say good-bye. Her funeral service was held Thursday afternoon, and then we all had dinner with the rest of the family, which was really nice. Lea was on her best behavior and I know everyone really enjoyed seeing her during such a rough time.
We finished our gigantic triangle Friday night, getting home late and crashing. Then on Saturday we headed to a local park where we introduced Lea to playground equipment.
Um, she's really cute.
Friday, we headed to OCNJ, where Brian met us mid-afternoon, and Eric joined us late that night after flying into BWI, where my Dad picked him up. Jenny came down Saturday AM, Mom and Dad drove to CT, and we spent some decent beach time, although it was a grayish day. That didn't stop babies from smiling...
... or grownups from shamelessly entertaining themselves.
We tried very hard to keep her protected from the sun, but Lea was having none of the hat.
Sunday was Lea's first Citizens' Bank Park adventure (Philllies 5, Mets 3), but I neglected to take any pictures. Ah well. We were able to keep her entertained in her seat for about 4 innings, and strolled around the park for the fifth and sixth, nursed in the First Aid station (a popular activity, as it turns out) for the seventh, before returning briefly to our seats and leaving sometime during the eighth. All in all, it was a successful outing, and I look forward to many more.
Monday was another beach day, and then Tuesday we headed to the Cape May County zoo (free!). I'm so conflicted about zoos, precisely because I love animals so damn much. I want to see them, and watch them interact, and learn about them, and I want Lea to do the same. But I don't want them to be sad, and some species (apes and elephants, to name the major ones) always seem sad in zoos. It's a hard call. Luckily, this zoo didn't have many animals that fit that category, at least in my perspective. It's a nice place to stroll around, well shaded and decently laid-out. I think Lea was mostly excited about watching other kids, of which there were approximately one million.
She also enjoyed the little swimming turtles:
And the big lumbering turtles.
Flamingos:
And prairie dogs (this is her watching prairie dogs, I swear):
That night we took her back down to the beach, where she seemed a little bit freaked out by the water (it was a love-hate relationship. The first night, she screamed her face off the second her toes touched. Then she seemed better, in general, but every once in a while she would still get this look of terror. We think it had to do with looking out at the surface of the ocean and not understanding why it was moving). Anyway, by the end, we could splash a little bit with no looks of panic.
She had a similar progression with the sand. That first day, we set up the gate, but it turned out not to matter because she wouldn't even go to the edge of the sand. Well, that fear was conquered by about Beach Day Three, when she decided that the expanse of sand was too exciting to pass up, and proceeded to crawl farther and faster than she ever has, in all directions, back and forth, in circles, with a huge grin on her face. It was hilarious.
Wednesday, the Fourth, was kind of a miserable one for me because I had a nasty stomach bug. But everyone else got to enjoy the annual five-blocks-worth-of-Central-Avenue fourth of July parade (crowd favorites: the 44th street kazoo band, old ladies in bikinis, kids dressed up in patriotic garb, and the year's Miss Night in Venice candidates). Apparently Lea did not care for the police sirens, but once again loved kid-watching.
We left town early Thursday, taking the Cape May-Lewes ferry across into Delaware (state number 10!) and driving down the peninsula to Virginia Beach. Brian's grandmother Mary Hutcheson had passed away Sunday evening after a tough few years facing Alzheimer's and at one point, a stroke. We know she's finally at peace now, but it has been very sad to say good-bye. Her funeral service was held Thursday afternoon, and then we all had dinner with the rest of the family, which was really nice. Lea was on her best behavior and I know everyone really enjoyed seeing her during such a rough time.
We finished our gigantic triangle Friday night, getting home late and crashing. Then on Saturday we headed to a local park where we introduced Lea to playground equipment.
Um, she's really cute.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Summer=Harry Kalas on the Radio
And even though he only seemed to be doing the play by play for ONE inning-- the fourth; and even though Philadelphia Magazine is not shy about speculating that he may be losing his grip/polish; and even though the Phillies' impending 10,000th loss is making news even in Virginia Beach; and even though, to be honest, I was barely listening to the actual events of the game...
...there's something so comforting about that voice, and about hearing it, through some miracle of radio-broadcast, in our little corner of southwest Virginia, at the tail end of a very long drive. I don't know how this works, but 1210AM out of Philly consistently makes it pretty far down 81. Tonight, the game was still crystal-clear as we pulled into our parking spot. As of right now, they're up 6-4 and I kind of don't care what happens next. Call me a fair-weather fan, or an oblivious one, but the poetry of baseball has always mattered to me way more than the standings. And sorry, Philly Mag, but Harry K still feels like a poet to me.
Pictures and a re-cap of my last two weeks of traveling to come... uh, when I sift through all of the bags we haphazardly flung into the car when we left Ocean City.
...there's something so comforting about that voice, and about hearing it, through some miracle of radio-broadcast, in our little corner of southwest Virginia, at the tail end of a very long drive. I don't know how this works, but 1210AM out of Philly consistently makes it pretty far down 81. Tonight, the game was still crystal-clear as we pulled into our parking spot. As of right now, they're up 6-4 and I kind of don't care what happens next. Call me a fair-weather fan, or an oblivious one, but the poetry of baseball has always mattered to me way more than the standings. And sorry, Philly Mag, but Harry K still feels like a poet to me.
Pictures and a re-cap of my last two weeks of traveling to come... uh, when I sift through all of the bags we haphazardly flung into the car when we left Ocean City.
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