Andrea Goes to Washington


washington monument
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

So, I have been a really poor blogger lately. The end of April and the beginning of May was a little on the busy side for both of us. Telfer attended a weekend conference in Seattle while I spent a week in D.C. at a conference. I was home for a day and then we both flew to Boise for Claire and Nate’s graduation at NNU. The next day we went to Prineville to spend time with Alyssa, Nate, Eden, Cora and Neva. We flew home and twelve hours later Telfer flew to New York for a fellowship interview at Columbia. Whew. Telfer bounces back really fast but I am just now recovering. Blame it on the pregnancy, right?

Anyway, my trip to Washington was fabulous. I stayed with Missy and Jason one night and their little house is just as cute in person as it is on their blog. We enjoyed good food at their house and at their favorite restaurant (is that fair Missy?), the Lebanese Taverna. Missy and I went to the Folger Shakespeare Library and the independent bookstore Politics and Prose. Yes, we continue to be English majors well into adulthood. I had a great week in D.C. at the conference and even met Burton, Tracie, Eleanor and her friend Melanie at a Ethiopian (you eat with your hands, dipping bits of bread into little mounds of lentils, curry, vegetables, etc.) restaurant in D.C. So fun.

Neva Marie


pretty baby neva
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Meet our FOURTH niece and Alyssa and Nate’s third daughter.

Neva was born on Saturday night weighing in at 6 lbs, 11 ounces and 20 inches long. Alyssa had an epidural for the first time (not for want of trying the first two times) and she highly recommends the experience.

In other news, I am at a conference in D.C. until tomorrow…more pictures later. My internet connectivity has been a little sporadic.

Nesting a wee bit early


olivia and her mother
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

A busy couple of weeks here in Redlands (Telfer especially)…but! apparently not busy enough to think about a few baby things. I like a good project and "having a baby" definitely constitutes a project. So many details to obsess over and unknowns to contemplate! This baby already has a number of spreadsheets and timelines and what-if contingency plans dedicated to its well-being. Slightly ridiculous, but very fun.

Anyway, for the most part (well, except I have found some great deals on clothing) I have held off from buying baby things, but over the weekend I did purchase two things. I framed a New Yorker illustration by Ian Falconer of Olivia’s mother reading Goodnight Moon. Hopefully you all know Olivia (if you don’t, you should).


deer
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

And really, what baby wouldn’t delight in a deer figurine that is also a bank? All for $4.99 at Urban Outfitters.


mrs. meyers
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

This isn’t exactly related but I am currently obsessing over Mrs. Meyer’s all-natural, earth-friendly cleaning products. I have a set in the Rhubarb scent, and I am telling you, nothing has ever made me want to clean my counters more. I sent my mom a little package and she is in total agreement. I bought the set at Whole Foods but later found out that Cost Plus usually carries the products too.

The excitement of it all


first roses
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Behold my first roses of the year. We planted eight rose bushes when we moved into our house three years ago and I am telling you, it’s all about the third year. They are laden with buds.

Other reasons why I am excited:

  • It’s Friday and I am pregnant and tired.
  • I scored a copy of The Lace Reader on LibraryThing’s early reviewer program. It doesn’t come out until July. This makes me very happy.
  • Apparently, there is a new version of A Room with a View coming out on Masterpiece Theater on Sunday night. Of course I will DVR it but the mention of A Room with a View makes me nostalgic. My friend Gretchen Stoops introduced me to the 1986 film when we were freshman in high school, inspiring a lifetime love of E.M. Forester’s novels (Howard’s End, A Room with a View, and A Passage to India). My parents, however, when watching the movie with their enraptured daughter, were not so inspired by the naked men running around in the lake scene.