Career Milestone

Gary had his first court appearance Feb. 22nd in front of the Indiana Court of Appeals.  I was on hand as the proud wife and supporter (Eliza too, she was jumping around during the argument), and best of all, to take a picture after!

What a handsome guy!

Just a photo and a check-in!

I posted a couple weeks ago about Gary and my engagement anniversary.  We had a fabulous dinner at Palomino to commemorate, and I've been meaning to share a picture from that night!  We weren't sitting in the best place for lighting purposes, so the picture kind of sucks, but oh well.  :)

This is almost a better picture of the awesome pear bread pudding we had for dessert than of us! 

Happy Oscar viewing!

26 Weeks!

As promised :)  I see a rounder, bigger bump!

100 Days!!

As of 2/21/11 we are 100 days away from the due date.  We planned on celebrating this little milestone, but it was such a rainy day we decided to put it off until tomorrow when we'll have 99 days left.  What are we going to do?  Take advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free coupons for milkshakes at Steak-n-Shake!  I'll get some french fries, too, for good measure.  :)

It is hard to believe we can count down from the double digits now.  It is going very quickly.  As I sit here and hold my computer in my lap, Baby Rom is nudging/kicking quite regularly.  She can even make the computer jolt a little!  I remember wishing and wishing all December and part of January to feel those kicks.  To be honest, sometimes they make me feel very uncomfortable--I know that may worsen as she gets bigger and stronger and has less room to move around.

Gary joked today, "only 100 days until we lose our freedom!"  That's one way of looking at it!  But we can't wait.

p.s. Tomorrow night or Wednesday I'll be posting my week 26 baby bump picture, promise :)  I just haven't taken it yet.  Only 1 week away from the 3rd trimester---whoa.

Looking more and more like a home!

When Abby and I stopped by the house on Thursday, the melting snow flooded the basement. With no electricity the sump pump could not run, so the builders ran an extension cord down to the pump in the basement and ran PVC pipping from the sump out to the front door. On Saturday the the basement was mostly dry and the PVC was gone.

Below is the drive-up view of the house. The house faces east/south-east. You will notice labels on the windows to give everyone an idea what room is what. We are very luck to have the lot we have. It's one of the larger lots in the complex, plus no other homes are very close to the house. And, the street we live on should not be very busy.

Right now, the plumbing is being installed and most of the HVAC is complete. The three of us are admiring our new fireplace (and wishing it was on...it was cold inside the house). Joy snapped the photo while standing in what will be the kitchen. On the floor are the red and blue water lines waiting patiently to be installed. The three windows and the sliding door face the west, which is nice because we will have natural light in the great room and kitchen until the sun sets.

Eliza's future bathtub is in! Also in the guest bath will be a double vanity.

Here are the beginnings of the master walk-in shower. Needless to say, we are very excited for the big shower.

Two very happy homeowners!

Our "new" sidewalk

As we walked out to our car yesterday morning, a steady stream of water poured out from the earth onto our sidewalk. As it turns out, the water main broke. So we have this (about 6 feet deep).

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Schmoopy.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARY!!!

Today is Gary's 27th birthday.  He's finally as old as me again! :) 

Birthdays are fun, because you get to say nice things about people in public that you normally wouldn't say.  For example, Gary is probably the greatest husband in the world.  We've been married almost five years (and together for much longer than that), but during that time he's grown to enjoy Project Runway, HGTV, Desperate Housewives (he really just likes Carlos & Gaby), and other random reality shows that I like.  Also, Gary is good at things I hate doing, like loading the dishwasher and putting in loads of laundry (I fold).  He's also incredibly smart, witty, and all-around-nice.  People like him and he's outgoing.  Gary is understanding and sweet when I have bad days (pregnant or not!); he doesn't really have bad days because he's just that awesome.  He is amazing with children and is going to be the greatest dad in the world.

Nearly all of my life's biggest experiences have included Gary.  We've grown up together, evolved together, learned together, succeeded and failed together.  We've celebrated many birthdays together, and I can't wait to celebrate 60 or 70 more.

I love you, Gary!

Stepping Foot Inside Our House

We went inside our house for the first time today.  We were able to walk the main and upper floors and Gary ventured a few feet into the basement.  I took a TON of pictures, so here we go!

First, the fireplace in great room with two nooks:

This is the kitchen and pantry:

This is the study right off the front door:

This is a spare bedroom:

A view of the large master bedroom:

The nursery:

Two walk-in closets back-to-back:

The stairway:

Another view of the study and our neighbors across the street:

Garage (and the bath tub/shower):

Great Room windows (and Gary measuring!):

Dining area and kitchen (sink will be under the small window):

Our walk-in pantry:

Basement, long portion:

Basement bath rough in and equipment portion:

A friendly reminder to the workers (no, we didn't put this up ourselves!):

We're required to wear hard hats.  This is us standing in the front doorway:

Front Porch (that's the study):

Garage door is on:

So, that was a lot of pictures.  I didn't take any of the bathrooms or laundry room; they weren't very discernible as separate spaces.  We were told drywall might start by the end of this week.  We'll be back Saturday with my parents, so we shall see if that came true!  If not, then they may start drywall next week.  It is really looking like we'll officially close on the house at the beginning of May.  Yahoo!

Happy Valentine's Day

Whether you are attached or single, we want to wish you all our love on Valentine's Day!  Gary and I haven't traditionally celebrated Valentine's in a major way, but we are doing something special this year.  Let me explain:

Five years ago, Gary and I were seniors in college.  We were also secretly engaged--only our families and a handful of friends knew.  Being the cash-strapped students we were (and having been together already for nearly 9 years), I had not yet been given an engagement ring even though we had already taken care of a bulk of the planning.  Gary's mom had given him a diamond ring for me, but it needed to be re-set.  In January of 2006 (DePauw's winter term), Gary and I moved to Naples, FL to make some money at a restaurant.  After 3.5 weeks of really hard work (double shifts waitressing and food-running), we had amassed a nice chunk of change!  We ended up using the bulk of that money to pay for our future honeymoon, but Gary also used a portion on my engagement ring.

That February, the ring was ready for pick up.  Valentine's Day was approaching, but instead of being too cliche, Gary and I decided we'd go for a special dinner the day after Valentine's Day--it would be much easier to get a reservation!  We chose a restaurant we'd never been to:  Palomino in downtown Indy.  So, on February 15, 2006, Gary and I dressed up and headed to Indianapolis.  We had a wonderful dinner at Palomino, during which Gary gave me a card.  I don't recall all of the wording inside, but I do remember a portion of what he wrote inside:  "I can't wait to make this official."  Not being ones to make a big scene, Gary came and sat next to me on the booth seat and opened the ring box.  Even though I had a say in the ring, I was still in awe of it--what girl isn't?!  It was a really special night.  The weekend following we announced our happy news to Gary's closest friends at his 22nd birthday dinner.  I had a candlepass at my sorority to announce the news the next week.  What a fun time that was!

It is hard to believe that was five years ago!  So, in honor of our engagement anniversary, Gary and I are headed to dinner at Palomino this Tuesday, February 15th, the day after Valentine's Day.  To add to the nostalgia, many of the friends we celebrated Gary's 22nd birthday are joining us this weekend to celebrate his 27th birthday dinner!

<3 I hope you all get to celebrate the people and things you love this Valentine's Day!  <3

We have a roof over our heads

Well that looks like a house. Even through the bitter cold and ice, the builders did a considerable amount of work. The nursery is the two windows on the left; the other three windows is one of the bedrooms. Next to the front door is the study.

View from just outside the garage. The three windows are in the great room. I think most of the framing arrived to the site already assembled (at least the rook decking did). The roof is not completely shingled, but I imagine at the time of this post, it will be complete.

It took a while, but the SOLD sign is finally up (coincidence that we just received approval for our mortgage, I think not).

If you want to view a larger image of any of the pictures uploaded in this post or any other, just click the picture and you will be able to view a much larger version.

Updated Progress List

The framing is done and the house is mostly weather proofed. Below is the updated checklist. Click the list and you will be able to view a version that you can actually read. And if you can't read the larger version, perhaps you need to make an appointment to see Dr. Troutman.

What Abby Does

I know I can't best Gary's post about his work and office, but I thought I would post to explain a little of what my 9-5 life is like (well, actually 8:30-4:30).  The subject matter of my work is confidential, but I can give a general description.

My official job title is Law Clerk.  I assist Justice Rucker on the Indiana Supreme Court.  According to the Federal Judicial Center, "The practice of hiring a recently graduated law student to serve as an in-chambers judicial assistant was pioneered by Horace Gray. Both as the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (1864–1881) and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1882–1902)."  But, "it was not until 1919 that [the federal government] provided funding for the hiring of legally trained assistants."  These assistants were called "law clerks" to distinguish them from other clerical staff.  These early law clerks conducted legal research, checked citations, and performed a wide range of personal and administrative tasks for their judges.  (http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/admin_03_11.html).

My job is much like the description immediately above:  I research, check citations, and so some administrative tasks--though not much.  The bulk of my job is research and writing for various cases before the Court.  I work with both civil and criminal law; federal and state law.  Yes, I am still a licensed attorney, I am not in private practice (i.e. serving clients) currently.  I do get paid nicely for what I do; I am not an intern.

I have two co-workers besides the Justice: his administrative assistant and a co-clerk.  So there are a total of 4 of us in our office, which is called "chambers."  I'm lucky to have great coworkers who like to order Jimmy Johns sometimes, or indulge in Panera breakfast from time to time.

There are a few things that make my office better than Gary's!  I have two computer screens, caller ID, a refrigerator and microwave just steps from my desk, and a free water cooler (he's supposed to pitch in).  Sometimes I get jealous, though, because Gary has a private office.  If you know me well, you will understand that sometimes I like to hole up.  That gets difficult working in one large space with no privacy.

One last thing before I bore you to sleep!  This is a two-year position.  Law clerks generally don't stay on for longer than two years, because the concept is to give recent law graduates experience in the judicial branch.  The frequent turnover also helps give the judges new perspectives and insights.  There a few lucky people out there who have permanent positions--mostly in the federal system and Indiana Court of Appeals.  This would be my dream job.

 Mostly, I'm just thankful to have a job.  I'm extremely lucky that it is one I love.

Whoah, look at that house!

Just a quick update on the house:  Gary spoke to our sales contact today and the framing is really coming along! We might have a roof by Wednesday!  Here are two pictures I snapped on my phone after work today.  We might be driving by each night this week to see all of great changes!

Most people we talk to are shocked when we tell them we're supposed to take possession of the house the first week of May.  We drove past at 5:30pm today (Monday) and there was a full crew still framing out the house.  Back when we had the huge cold snap a few weeks ago we saw crews working on other houses on a weekend in 9 degree weather.  It feels great to know we've got hard working subcontractors working on our house!

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Because little Baby Rom has a mommy that LOVES little girls' clothes!  And two grandmothers, two first-time aunts, etc, etc, whom I'm sure also love little girls' clothes.  Even her daddy has picked out and/or approved a few things for her (Daddy note:  he is completely on board with having a girly girl).

I am a little picky when it comes to clothing, though.  Here are my "ground rules."
1. Pink is great.  So is purple, turquoise, and any bright color.
2. Girly is great.  Gender neutral is ok.
3. Headbands and/or bows are adorable.  She will learn to love them!
4. Animals are not great.  In small quantities, they can be cute.  But I prefer to avoid dogs, cats, monkeys, and especially horses.  Let's not even consider reptiles, ok?  Bears, giraffes, bunnies, and the like are better.  Refer to Rule 1 if on the fence--color really makes the difference when it comes to animals.
5. Clothes that refer to "Daddy" melt my heart.
6. Puns are fun.

With those out of the way, I thought it would be fun to share a few of the cute items Eliza will model when not in her birthday suit!  As a side note, my big brother Adam took the following unedited photos.  He has been living with us since September (and it has been a remarkably smooth few months).  He is a very proud uncle and can't wait to take pictures of Eliza in her clothes!

Without further ado, here are some of Eliza's clothes:

Thank you to Aunt Alissa, Aunt April, Aunt Kolleen, Grandma Troutman, and Alissa's niece Mia for most of these.

Gary and I picked out an assortment of holiday clothes right after we found out I was pregnant.  Thank you, clearance!

Clothes Gary and I just couldn't resist!

Bigger girl clothes, thanks to Aunt April (who found the tutu onesie) and Grandma Troutman.

I fell in love with the little flowers on this top.

Thanks to Grandma Rom, Eliza has her first pair of cheerleading shoes!!

Alissa's niece Mia picked out this adorable sleeper.

Lovely little shoes from Grandma Troutman.

Mommy's Diva!  LOL!  Alissa's niece Jazmyn picked out this sassy sweat suit.

We do have a few more things than what I've shared; basic pants, tops, etc.  And I know we probably have more coming!  For the moment at least, I've scratched my shopping itch and have really moved on to the nursery and new house.  But like I said earlier, thank heaven for little girls!  Little boy clothes are cute, but there is nothing like a frilly, girly, little outfit!

Baby Bump

After much deliberation, I decided to go ahead and share pictures of my ever-expanding baby bump!  Aren't you all excited?!  I've been taking pictures every 4 weeks since I found out.  I intended to start taking pictures every 2 weeks beginning at 22 weeks along (last week). Because I was in the hospital last week, I took a 23 week picture today, and wow, there is a big difference from 20 weeks!

 5 weeks

 9 weeks

 12 weeks

 16 weeks

 20 weeks

23 weeks

I will just post the new pictures from now on.  Look how my hair is growing out, too!  Yippee!