Squeaky clean, and loving it

Ok so my previous post was premature, it looks like Virginia and Aubrey will spend yet another week away from home. The windows are in and look amazing, but there some touch up painting (smelly), baseboards to be installed (dusty) and finally our beautiful counter top was being installed. So everything remains shrouded in plastic, and I am once again living in the bedroom. With all that, it looks great! I am so excited about the new stuff, it looks awesome! I'm trying to get the place sort of organized for when V and A get back, which will be this weekend! No ifs ands or buts about it.

In the meantime here are some pictures from last week up in Vancouver. Aubrey has just recently discovered that he likes baths! He giggles, and splashes.












I love this picture! I have no idea what was going through his little mind at this moment, but it's priceless.

Windows, windows, windows...

Well the work is coming to a close on the 2 week long window project. At times I thought it would never happen. I never thought I'd be a person who covets a new window, but when I finally got to see and feel one of the new windows, and slide it up and down with the greatest of ease, I was in heaven! We've had such crappy, noisy, drafty windows for so long I'd forgotten what it meant to have good, quality windows. How HGTV nerdy of me! Below are a few vids from the work in progress.


Window Project continues... I feel a draft from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.

Yes you're seeing correct, that is an open hole in the wall, with a 4 story drop. At least it was sunny that morning.


I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll, you know the rest... from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.

Be sure to turn up your volume when you watch this one. This is how I imagine the 3 little pigs must have felt, well the ones in the straw house, not the brick.

The Return of the Exiles

Well this is it, we're finally coming to the end of window replacement in our house. So little Aubrey and Virginia can finally return from exile. They've been hold up at Mom's in Vancouver for the last 2 weeks. I was up there last weekend and collected a bunch of new pics and a video or 2. So I'll let the pictures do the talking for me...

















Aubrey in training... TummyTime, feel the burn... from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.


Aubrey'd like a word with you... from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.

And let's not forget about Haley, who has also been put out, but she appears to be making the most of it.


Haley and Toby playing... from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.


Haley and Toby tearing up the living room from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.

Where does the time go?

Truthfully I don't know how many people actually read this, but regardless I feel bad about not keeping it up-to-date. I'm sure it's like a lot of other things in my life that are not particularly critical, but yet I find a way to make myself feel bad if I don't keep them going. Having said that, it's surprising how having a child, another human being that depends on you for everything, can make the things the previously pre-occupied your mind, drift ever so easily into the background. Why should this blog be any different.

On occasion I am inspired to write, now is one of those times. I was just reading through Rion and Mike's blog, they are prolific bloggers, photographers and storytellers, and friends from back in college. I often find myself rediscovering my love of photography and storytelling whenever I visit one of their many sites. They also always have a line on some cool new site or piece of electronics gear (I need one of these!). They are expecting a baby any time now, and I'm especially curious to see if their blogging diminishes. However, I suspect it will only increase.

Anyway, now that I've dispensed with the preamble, lets get to the meat of things. It has been so long since we've posted anything, I don't know where to start. As you'd expect we have dozens of photos and a few videos of little Aubrey, every week he discovers something new in this world we're all so used to. It's amazing to see him becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. I never realized how much joy I'd find in watching him pull, poke and swing wildly at some colorful plastic toys attached to his co-sleeper, there is such determination in his face when a toy is just out of reach.



He's also discovered his leg, back and neck muscles can work together to roll him over. Since this discovery a few weeks back, he's been rolling all over the place, ya can't look away for a second if he's on the bed or changing table cause he'll end up on the floor, which would no doubt traumatize me and Virginia more then him!



He's graduated from the "swaddling" technique (think Burrito wrap) to sleep and nap, a technique that we'd gotten pretty good at implementing successfully, to the completely unpredictable "big arms" or "arms a flayling" technique. In other words he sleep like the rest of us, on his back with a blanket over him. This is a big step in development, but for us parents trying to get the little man back to sleep at 3 am it can be a frustrating experience. Alas, it is one of many changes, all with their own pros and cons.

Everyday he is more expressive in his face, his voice and his body. He grabs for things, makes silly face and blows bubbles and appears to be reading my mind!






On the home front we are in full remodeling mode. We've decided to sell our place so we can move into a nice 3 bed, 2 bath house about 10 blocks from our current place. It was a tough decision to sell, we love our little place, but we need more space as we're falling over each other and the many baby related things I swore up and down I would never buy. So in order to sell we need to get the place all fixed up, new kitchen floor, counters, appliances, tile back splash, and some electrical work. bathrooms been painted (by me), new tile floors, bathtub refinished (looks amazing!) and fixtures (me too). This morning there was a crew there beginning to install new windows in the entire place. And another group is busy staining baseboards and hopefully installing them soon. It's crazy! I only wish we'd been more decisive when we first bought the place and made these improvements then. Oh well, so it goes. :-)






This Old House from Ashley Bright on Vimeo.

And where is Virginia and Aubrey through all this remodeling chaos? They are up in Vancouver at Mom's house, hanging out with Lita. And they may be there for a little while longer, as our windows are looking like a big, long, difficult job. In the meantime I am holding things down here at home. It's so lonely here, I've gotten so used to having my famdamily here all the time. Not to mention I have been hold up in the bedroom since it's the only room in the house that isn't turned upside down, with furniture covered in plastic sheets, and generally ib a state of chaos.

Well there ya have it, a little update on our lives. :-)

Swing a Ding Ding

OH MY GAWD!! Aubery is asleep as I write this! And for more than 30 minutes now. I have managed to gobble down 2 slices of pizza, a can of coke, make the bed, put away his clothes and mine, sort the laundry and write a long ass reply to my friend Michele. He is sleeping so soundly that I need to go check if he is still breathing. Be right back................................OK- he is still alive- GOOD-

Aubrey had a sort of melt down this morning as we dropped off his poppa at work and despite conventional wisdom, I decided to push my luck and drive all the way to Northgate while he was sleeping. As soon as I left I-5, the wailing began. OH LORDY, it was as though Bush asministration got a hold of him back there and was practicing "enhanced interrogation". It started off innocent enough, but it quickly turned deadly and I made the executive decision that it would better for both of us if he just screamed his head off until we got home instead of pulling over. By the time we got home, it was time for his nap. So I put him down only for my crazy 3 legged mutt to bark her ass off when she heard someone in the hallway. So, of course he woke up, BUT, not all the way and I took this opportunity to put him in his swing. IT worked like a charm and he has been asleep for more than an hour now. Whew- now I can final go about my business and waste time online. :)

Sorry this update is so short- I am going to take this opportunity to pee, eat and breathe. By the way, mom, pop, and baby are all well. Happy new year and I hope all is well on your side of the screen.

Busy, busy, busy!

Well it's been a while since we posted anything, so here's the last few weeks in a nutshell. We've been busy, busy!

Ah, nothing like a beautiful sunrise when you're up at the crack of dawn with Aubrey (he likes to get up!)


If I'm lucky Aubrey falls back to sleep for a couple more hours, but he usually makes us work for it. Bouncy, bouncy on the yoga ball or rockin and rollin in the rocking chair. We've discovered that if you have a rocking chair on carpet it moves sideways as you rock. Ahh physics who knew. So when you finally have him nice and sleepy, dozing off you have rocked you're way across the room and are rubbing up against the coffee table, TV or couch, in either case you're gonna disrupt him trying to get yourself unstuck!


More often he is bright eyed and ready to go. "Where we going today Dad!? I'm ready for some entertainment!" Aubrey's become very vocal lately, engaging us in great conversations with arm gestures and everything.


This ones for Caelen, who crafted that cool jumper he has on. And Aubrey agree's "Libra's Rule!" But said he can't wait to wear the other shirt she made him that says "I Hate Bush" or "Bush Sucks" or something like that. Which is good, since between Virginia and I, and quite frankly most everyone I know, we are tired of talking about how much Bush and his ilk suck, so better Aubrey picks up the torch! "You go boy!"


Dad was in town last week for a little visit. That's granddad or pops to to Aubrey. Was great to see him and glad he could meet his grandson.


As you can see, they had some in-depth conversations. I think the topic was the current Real Estate crisis in the states and how it may or may not be caused by Aubrey's dirty diaper. Or something like that .


Out at the park. It was a little chilly that day, hence the stylish (I drive an MG) hat and scarf. It's a little odd to see myself with a beard and dad without, for most of my life it was the opposite.


Virginia and Aubrey chilling as the chaos of dogsville happened around her. There were a couple little dogs, including our own Haley, who kept jumping up on the bench to see if Aubrey wanted to play too.


I'll say it, as you're thinking it. "Oh my gawd he's so cute!!!" And it is true, he is cute. People have stopped me in the grocery store when I have Aubrey in his little bear suit to see if it is a big teddy bear or not. He got this outfit courtesy of Nana, or Lula, as she is now known.


"GRRRR! GRRRR! get that camera out of my face!"


Despite the look on Aubrey's face we've discovered he really does like showers. Well as least more then baths, which seem to illicit an immediate look of panic followed by screaming. So showers it is. You can't quite tell but those are socks on Virginia's hands, so "the little nipper" doesn't slip. It's like trying to hold a greased pig, or so I assume considering I've never held a greased pig, as for as you know anyway! :-)


We all headed up to Canada for a pre-christmas funk at Mom's. And look who showed up, it's LITA! I'm so glad Lita had the chance to meet Aubrey. Turns out they have something in common... an unexplained, but harmless, bump on the backs of their heads. Some kind of kindred spirits perhaps? I know Lita is wise beyond her years, so maybe Aubrey will be too. The nurses commented on how his facial features were more developed and mature then most babies. Makes me go... hummmm?


And here's the whole famdamily. Unfortunately Caelen and her posse had yet to arrive at this point, so no pix of them.


After not too long Aubrey was saying "Damn enough of the ooing and awing already. Put me down!" He's looking stylish in his hip "iPood" t-shirt and fuzzy bunny slippers. I want a pair too, they are so damn soft!


"Ya I'm chillin, so what of it?"


Aubrey got to meet all of his cousins, including the newest addition, Ivy. They seemed to hit it off. They were overheard saying something about "... ya the families a little nuts, but they mean well and are fun to watch... just go with it!"


"Ahh I am exhausted! Til next time! Now leave me to sleep"

That rare thing... snow in the city.

Yes that's right, snow in Seattle... about 3 inches. I know all you out there from back east are saying... "3 inches? Big fricken deal!" And I agree, but then again for us leftcoasties, this really is a big deal. If it ever snows on a workday the city will effectively shutdown, except for those eastcoast transplants who are saying... "3 inches? Big fricken deal!" But see they don't realize that no one out here can actually drive worth a dam in the snow, and if someone has an SUV, they will be even worse. So to all you eastcoast, "snowcapable" drivers out there beware of the lefty in the SUV... he or she is trouble. And if you have any doubts, I direct your attention to the video below from a little snowstorm last year.



Having grown up in this area I knew full well that the snow would be gone even faster then it arrived so I grabbed my gear at the first sight of flakes and headed out to play. As you can see below the whole famdamily headed out for some fresh air and fun.



Yes that cloth wrapped bundle of joy attached to me is little Aubrey. We asked if he wanted to come out and play, but he decided to sit this one out. Maybe another day. Unlike Aubrey, when we asked if Haley wanted to play the answer was a resounding, "Hell ya babies!!!" As you can see below she loves the snow. She's doing her own version of a snow angel.