Pergola Project

Well, things here are going pretty good!  My shoulder is on the mend, and I actually am cleared to drive again!  I started therapy this week, so if all continues smoothly, my shoulder should be fully recovered by the time Caylee makes her debut.  I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks!  Or that we only have about another 8 to go before she's here!  I'll have to do a separate post about preparations, and one about my amazing baby shower that my mom and Victoria threw for me!  So many people came, and everyone truly showered Caylee with gifts.  She is going to be one well-loved little girl, that's for sure!

Anyway, on to the topic of this post--our new porch and pergola!  When we moved into our house, back in December 2008, we were very excited to have a covered porch.  However, we both realized that eventually we would want to expand it later...it might have been covered, but it was also a bit small.  So, we started saving our pennies, and this Spring decided to go ahead and find a contractor to tackle the project.

Alan with C&G Construction, along with his amazing work crews, got our project done in about a week!  We are so very pleased and excited about our new porch and pergola!  Here's the progression:

Hooray pergola and porch!  And the dogs, of course, believe we did it all for them lol.

Don't Do Stupid Things OR Why Standing On Chairs Is Bad

Let me start off by saying that Caylee is just fine.  With that *ahem* reassuring comment, I will now share my moment of brilliant stupidity from last week.

Last Monday, Bryan came home from work and then left again to go to the gym for his Monday run.  I planned out when I would start dinner to coincide with his return, and then took the pups outside.  It was a very pleasant evening, compared the the scorchers we had had/are having, and the sea breeze was blowing very nicely.  The only thing missing was the sound of my bamboo wind chimes, which I had taken down the week before.  I decided that I was going to hang them back up.  Bryan had been gone all of about 2 minutes at this point.  Did I think about waiting until he got home?  No.  Why?  I'm a capable and self-sufficient woman, after all.  Did I go back inside and get the step ladder?  No.  It didn't even cross my mind.  After all, I had stood on our outdoor chairs many times before without incident.

You see where this is heading, don't you?  I wish I had lol.

So, I climbed up on one of the chairs on the back porch, wind chime in hand.  Just as I was stretching up to hang the wind chime back on it's hook...well...

Yep.  The damn chair ripped on me.  I was going down.  The only thoughts in my head were "Don't land on the baby" and "Get off the concrete".  Somehow, I managed to accomplish both directives.  Someone was definitely watching out for me.  I managed to kick free of the chair/death trap, get both feet on the concrete long enough to direct my fall towards the grass, avoid the post that holds the porch up AND the pointed picket fence around the flower bed, and managed to twist so that Caylee did not get squished.  So, how did I land, you ask?

I executed an amazing pile drive maneuver to the ground using...my right shoulder.  And man did it hurt!  As I hit, I heard an unpleasant crunching sound.  I laid on the ground for a minute, and then fished my phone (miraculously unbroken) out of my pocket and called Bryan.

He hadn't yet made it to the gym...meaning all of this took place within 5 minutes of his leaving the house.  He probably broke some traffic laws to get back to me, but get back quickly he did.  He scooped me up and got me to the ER, where they took me straight back on account of Caylee.  They found her heartbeat immediately, which was good and strong, and proceeded to diagnose me with a mild fracture of the humerus.  Then, they sent us upstairs to antepartum, where monitors for Caylee and uterine activity were put on my belly.  Bryan and I were so relieved when we heard that her heartbeat was going strong, and that I wasn't having any contractions.  Luckily, my OB was the doctor on call, and after evaluating the data, she had them monitor us for another hour and then send us home.

We followed up with my new orthopedic surgeon, who confirmed the break and put me in a stylish immobilization sling...that is also hot as hell.  Fortunately, I don't need surgery, which, thanks to RA damage, would be necessary if I had landed on any other right-sided joint.

Our follow up with my OB went well, and this Friday we have our third trimester ultrasound with my maternal/fetal specialist.  I have no doubt that Caylee is fine--her heart rate at the OB's was awesome, and she's been kicking around more strongly every day--but I can't wait to see her and hear for sure that she's wonderful.

So anyway, that was my moment of brilliant stupidity.  Bryan has been very helpful, even offering to tie me in my lazy boy until Caylee gets here lol.  The sad thing is, once he sits me down in it and puts my feet up, I can't operate the lever anyway, so no rope would actually be necessary!  I don't blame him for giving me a hard time--I totally have it coming.

In conclusion, here are the lessons I have learned:

When you are pregnant, doing stupid things will get you hurt and made fun of...and you will completely deserve it.

Asking for help is not a bad thing.

Chairs are plotting, devious bastards.

Wind chimes bounce surprisingly well.

I, however, do not bounce well at all these days.

And also, that I have amazing family and friends who were all willing to drop everything to come help if I needed it.  Thanks y'all!

Caylee Projects!

Time is going by waaay to quickly!! I mean, heck, it's already June and baby girl will be here in August!  So, having realized that, I've been working to get some baby projects done before Caylee's arrival.  While the RA has not let me complete NEAR as many projects for Caylee, here are some that I have been able to finish!  Or at least start!

This will be Caylee's first beanie!  And yes, I made the pom pom myself!

This will be a fun hat for her when she's a little older...the pattern ended up being much bigger than I had anticipated.  This was my first knit-in-the-round project, and I modified the heck out of the pattern as I went, which might have had something to do with the size and some of the awkwardness in the pattern and bind off.

These are signs I made for our maternity photo shoot.  Whoop!!!  Though Class of 2034 sounds impossible lol.

And this is my current work in progress...the Owlie Sleep Sack!  I love that I found a yarn that looks like owl feathers and I love the way the owl cables turned out.  I'm hoping to make a matching hat, but we'll see if I have time, or more accurately, timely joint cooperation!

I know I've been averaging a post a month, but these next months are going to be soo busy, I'm betting there will be quite a few more than that!  Hope everyone is doing well!