five months
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Can you believe Jane (or JJ or Janie Jo) will be five months old on Thursday? I know, I can't believe it either. She is just the sweetest baby. Lots of smiles. She thinks Cate hung the moon.

After talking to anyone who would listen about our sleeping travails, I finally bought a $75 crib on craigslist and Jane has a little setup in the guest room. Our upstairs only has two bedrooms — the girls will share at some point — so we were just sort of moving Jane upstairs and downstairs from bassinet to bassinet depending on the time of day but it wasn't working out for her or me. And I was totally feeling guilty that Jane didn't have a dedicated space in the house. So most of this weekend was spent reorganizing baby stuff. Really fun actually.

finally! a crib for baby jane
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

And then yesterday Telfer and I were sitting around having a glass of wine during naptime. I showed him a few pictures of living rooms that I liked and in two seconds we were rearranging furniture and now tonight we are headed to Home Depot to custom order rugs for our living room and dining room. We have so many fun ideas for our house! I love that we love doing this type of stuff together.

What else have we been up to?

• Cate is so charming. She is still talking about going through the carwash on Saturday. Keywords: storm, scary, brave. She loves going on little adventures with Telfer or Grammy & Papa.
• I joined Bible Study Fellowship at the beginning of January. This year's study is Isaiah. The bible study is so rich and deep and just what I need right now. Cate loves "Bible Study-Ship" to the point that she cries every time I pick her up. Jane is the lone dissenter as BSF is right during her morning nap…
• My friend Sherry and I went to see Black Swan on Friday night. Oh my goodness. Scary but fabulous! Those costumes and the final scenes! I can't wait to see it again now that I know the trajectory of the story.
• I just asked Telfer if he had any news and he gave me these two gems: He passed his Echo Boards and now doesn't have to take another test for ten years. Also, he now has to wear a hood over his beard in the OR. Anesthesiologist or fast food worker? I think the experience is souring him on the reality of facial hair. I will be so sad when he shaves…

telfer and his babies 3
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

cannonbeach
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Telfer, Jane and I met my parents in Cannon Beach this weekend. We had such good weather and such a good time. Do you realize we live three hours from Cannon Beach? And that’s with a 20 minute stop! Cate stayed with Grammy and Papa (thank you! thank you!) but we are taking her with us next time. She would love the beach – especially all the rockies free for the taking. We did bring her a few home though – we couldn’t help it…

 

One of the best memories I have of New York is listening to the Irish writers Colm Toibin and Colum McCann speak at Symphony Space last Spring with Anna and Amanda. And Colum McCann liked Amanda's scarf. We were collectively thrilled. If you have never read anything by Colm Toibin, start with Brooklyn. And then move to The Master (fictional portrayal of Henry James). Colm Toibin consistently writes about the Irish immigrant and the shifting notion of home. The stories in The Empty Family are, as you might expect, rather gloomy and several stories might not be for everyone. But then again, most short stories are rather gloomy which is probably why I love them so much.