We haven’t met our son yet, but Jeremy and I feel pretty confident that he will be a lot like us (is this a rookie mistake seasoned parents?) No doubt he’ll be a handsome, part-time graphic designing, guitar playing doctor like his dad; a soft rock loving, altruistic and idealistic, theatre scholar like his mom; and he’ll possess a savvy design aesthetic grounded in a love of mid-century modern furniture.

With this in mind - we’re trying to create a nursery for our little guy that is not only functional, but also modern and sophisticated. Not too babyish. No primary colors. No trucks. No dinosaurs. Subtle, soft, cozy and contemporary.

Step one: identify a crib that doesn’t scream, “A BABY LIVES HERE!” Hard to do, but we think DwellStudio has accomplished it! Observe…

Step two: choose storage pieces that will grow with the baby, and possibly, work in other rooms in our home as we move and grow. Thank you Ikea, for your commitment to cool, modern, affordable furniture. See below…

and

Step three: choose a decor “theme” that is gender neutral and that doesn’t relegate the boy to one of three professions: sports star, race car driver, construction worker. We’ve chosen a nature theme - an homage to Waterton and our beloved home state of Utah. These prints from etsy.com are a start…

Step four: find a rocking chair that is both attractive and useful. I’m not sure if the following will work - but I LOVE it! I have spent an entire day looking at gliders, and man, are they U-G-L-Y. Check it out:

I don’t think I can create a baby registry at Urban Outfitters…with my birthday and Christmas coming, maybe I’ll be able to buy this delightful mid-century modern rocker for our nursery. We haven’t started to put the nursery together yet, but we will after Christmas. I’ll post pictures. In the mean time, I welcome your suggestions.

It’s hard to believe that March will be here before we know it!

Jeremy is in Utah - visiting our family and friends, eating at all the restaurants I am desperately craving, hiking in the mountains.

I am in Cleveland - earning money to pay our bills, walking our dogs, eating dinner by myself.

To pass some time this weekend, I think I will undertake a craft project. I know, it’s the Utah in me, but I feel comforted by crafts. Here are a few I am thinking of:

Ruffles Felt Pillow for our own Eames Rocker

Bittersweet Autumn Wreath - to add some harvest spirit to our front door

Glowing Hurricane Glasses - to add a bit more autumn flavor to our apartment

Glittered Pumpkins - to add a splash of fabulous-ness to our house!

So - I’ll let you know how it goes. And maybe I’ll post pictures of my project here when it’s finished.

Although I am (somewhat) ashamed to admit it - I take comfort in crafts.

In case you haven’t heard, Jen is pregnant. This is an SOS from pregnancy-land. Jen’s palate has reverted. She craves macaroni and cheese, and plain pizza. And strangely, food from restaurants at home.

Here is a wish-list of victuals that will satiate her baby-burdened appettite:

• Junior Crown Burger w/cheese, no onions
• Cafe Rio Salad no meat
• Sweet & Sour Heaven from China Grill
• Mushroom Pizza Bender with their bagged salad and Rod’s Ranch Dressing
• Cheese Enchilada Platter from La Morelia’s
• Guacamole Tostada from Red Iguana
• Spring Rolls and #127 from La Cai Noodle House

If I don’t stop her now this list will just go on and on. Hope everyone back home is enjoying their access to food that gets better the farther east you go.

People say ” having a baby changes everything.” And while it is true that I don’t “have” a baby yet - the idea of becoming a parent is shifting my perspective. When children were merely speculative, the idea of raising them away from family wasn’t a big deal. Nor was creating our own vacation spots where ever we happened to live. Of course we’d go home for the holidays and hopefully make it to the beach or to Waterton once in a while…but I perceived these places as part of my history and not as part of our future.

But, today, as I look out my window and onto the campus, I have a physical longing for the beach. A longing to sift through the sand  to look for shells. I long to sit down with my grandmother and play cards. Roast marshmallows in the fire pit. Race around the go-cart track with my brothers. It makes sense as I shift into another phase of life - my other life seems so comforting…

For now I will have to be satisfied with pictures.

Until next summer.

Look what we’ve got going!

I know, I know. About time we got in the baby business. Just got this last friday. Just for clarification, here’s a little modification of the above image to show the size and shape of our little one:

Let the congratulations commence

Me! The preclinical years are D-O-N-E. In two weeks I”ll be working in the hospital. Still a long ways to go before the illustrious title of “Doctor” is bestowed upon me. But, a major step has been completed. Thank goodness. I’ve had about all the nose-in-a-book memorization I can take.

Everyone knows I make my grandma a calendar every year. I’ve been doing it for about 5 years, and am always trying to come up with new ideas. Well, this year, I made a calendar based on the mosaics I blogged about several months ago. I asked each member of my family the following questions (an abbreviated list based on the original):

1. First letter of your first name

2. Favorite color

3. Favorite Season

4. Dream Vacation

5. Favorite dessert

6. Favorite Thing About Life

7. One Word to Describe You

I also included a picture of each participant in the eighth square. The following are a few examples of the mosaics I created. I hope you enjoy!

Pretty cool, huh? Now I need to start thinking about the 2010 calendar. I already have a GREAT idea!

Hey everyone, have you seen February? I swear I left it right here. I mean, I just barely picked it up. I’m sure I only put it down for a second. It was just here and now I have no idea where it went.

We just received some very exciting news! Our wonderful friends, Will and Jessica Goldstein, are having a little boy in July! For those of you who don’t know - these are the Goldsteins:

And this is their baby:

We are so excited to meet little Gus! Congratualtions to the growing Goldstein family!

The sun was shining today. Finally. I think it was a good omen. I interviewed for a job today that I think I would be really, really, really, good at. I would be working at Case (the University Jeremy and I both attend) in the Alumni Relations Department working with current students to help them become engaged alumni. Seriously, I would be perfect.

If I get this job (please start thinking good things about me right NOW!) I would work in the Alumni House - check it out!

I know - it is totally gorgeous! For more information about the Alumni House and Case Western Reserve University, click the links above.

Here’s hoping that this sunny day will be the first of many!