The doggie door arrives...

Earlier this week, I brought Simon his doggie door for the house. We went with a PetSafe In-Wall unit that is pretty much the standard in dog doors. The location of the dog door was somewhat a problem. The wall by the back door would be the ideal location, but there is an electrical outlet and the natural gas shutoff value for the fireplace right next to it. Hence, no dice. OK, so the next option was the kitchenette area. Well, I initially ruled it out due to the stud placements and initial checking. (The dog door is supposed to fit between the studs and is about 12" wide. The studs in the kitchenette seem to be about 8" apart.) So, we had finally thought about it and were going to put it in the dining room. Well, after I ordered the unit, I decided and hashed a plan to get it back to where I wanted in the kitchenette.

To get it there under the window, I removed the siding and foam insulation (cheapo builder!). Well, the window is narrow and already had one supporting stud, and I decide to remove the extra one in the way. Then I reinforced the window with two new studs on each side that would allow the extra clearance for the dog door. Then I put plywood on the outside instead of insulation.

After that, the installation was pretty straightforward according to the instructions. Here's a couple pictures of the final result.



One thing to note is there is about a foot between the door, so I'm going to build a platform and ramp for Simon and some of his smaller buddies. I can imagine Charlie, who is a 20lb beagle might not want to make that leap in and out.

Susanna at 17 months

Isn't she adorable? She got this outfit from Grandma Nina.

Twilight Saga...

Some of you may have heard about Stephenie Meyer's series called Twilight. There are four books in the series, and it's about vampires. That's all I'm going to tell you, so I don't ruin it for those who haven't finished/read it yet.

I began "reading" (listening on CD) these books because a) they're incredibly popular and b) two of my KY friends (hi Alyssa and Stephanie!) have raved about the books on THEIR blogs. I wasn't sure what to think, especially with the vampire element. But I'm open-minded and willing to try new things, so I checked out the first book on CD from my library (I'm frugal; I rarely buy fiction books unless I know I'm going to read them again and again and again. These books qualify, but I haven't bought them yet) and...

Oh. My. Gosh. These books are good. There's Twilight, then New Moon, then Eclipse, then Breaking Dawn (the final book). I just finished Breaking Dawn. It's taken me almost three months to get through the series because I keep having to wait until the book on CD version is available at the library (I was on the "hold list" for the last book for about two months). Then it takes two weeks of commuting to finish the book. If I had read them the traditional way, I could have been done within a week.

It's an incredible series, and very "clean" in terms of morality and ethics. It's marketed for young adults (teenagers) and written by a Mormon, which are two possible reasons. I'd rate the books at PG-13 because there are some hints of violence and teenage hormones. There are some very strong themes and messages that run through the series...love, loyalty, self-denial, family, etc.

If you liked Harry Potter at all, you will probably like this series. I'm very sad that I've read all the books...I guess I'll just have to re-read them for the fun of it.

For those who have read the series, I was fairly happy with the ending, although I can think of a few spin-off possibilities...

Miscellaneous

OK, so posting every six weeks isn't that bad, right? Right???

Allow me to provide a few updates:

• Christmas was fun, and I think that Susanna really enjoyed it. She's really not into the gift thing (yet), which took the pressure off of us. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents and James' mom came down on Christmas Day. Our gifts to each other were exceptionally domestic; I got a laundry sorter and crock pot, and James got a quesadilla maker and cookware.
• With great fear and trembling, I am putting myself up for an appointment this year. I've been working on some of my own issues that contributed to the SJ debacle and also much better informed on how to handle a "problem church." I think that the local church and I deserve to give each other another chance. I'm just terrified, which may be a good thing. At least I won't be cocky.
• I am LOVING my residency. I love my fellow residents, my supervisor, and the rest of the Pastoral Care staff. I also like Riverside. I hate the commute (40 miles each way) but at least I get to listen to lots of books on CD...the residency ends on August 31.
• Susanna is still not walking. She is standing fairly well with support and is developing more muscle tone, which is key. She's still working with the PT, and will do so until she reaches our goal (able to walk/run easily) or her third birthday, whichever comes first. Apparently I didn't walk until I was about 22 months, so this may be a genetic thing.
• Outside the walking issue, she is still clearly the most adorable, intelligent, and personable child alive. James and I are absolutely enthralled by her, and she charms everyone she meets. She's been sick more this year, with two ear infections and a recent bout of bronchiolitis (thankfully, no ER trip this time!), but her daycare is larger and she's not getting "mommy's milk" anymore. However, she's still pretty healthy, which is a relief. Last time we checked, she was about 31" long and weighed about 23 lbs. She has a smattering of words and lots of unrecognizable sounds. She likes bananas, quesadillas, green beans, and chocolate chip cookies.
• Simon is enjoying his life as a suburban dog and likes barking at the other dogs in the neighborhood. His closest "friend" is Charlie, whose parents are Joel and Melissa (good friends of ours who live in Hampton). He is incredibly gentle with Susanna, who calls him "Dog dog" and likes to pet/hit him. We have yet to see him snap or growl at her. He just gets up and moves when he's had enough. Simon is still extremely cuddly and likes sleeping in bed with us.
• James is doing very, very well at work. He's already gotten a big, fat raise and a performance award. He likes what he's doing, which is a nice change from those last few months at NCCU. Job Satisfaction + Job Success = Happy Husband.

And...I think that's about it. I'll try and post some pictures soon, so you can see how absolutely cute our daughter is.