Curvy Fireplace: part I

So, background on what prompted the drill drooling in the first place.

I was working on helping a friend build a fireplace surround, and neither of our cordless drills were having the torque needed to drive some 2x4s together very well.  So he went and checked with another mutual friend (his across the street neighbor), who responded with a "I have just the tool for the job".

Enter the cute little cordless impact drill.

Swoon.

And I fell in love and the rest is history, history that can be read here.

But I thought that I would show some work-in-progress photos on the fireplace and then maybe update with done photos when done.

It's curvy.  Not anything that I would ever think up on my own (my style runs a little more traditional), but once presented was a design challenge that I wanted to take on.

Here's the mock up that I drew in Google SketchUp (love that program) before we began to make sure we were on the same page as far as what the end product would look like.  It also turned out to be very very useful in that I could extract measurements for the curves directly from the program without having to do lots of math.

Nothing against math, I like it, but this was easy and probably prevented mess ups.

The final product will vary depending on the tile they choose, but I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out.

My husband is awesome...

For he got me this drill I have been drooling over just because.

I was surprised, and actually OK with being surprised.

More than OK, ecstatic.

Why was I good with this surprise and how was I surprised?

(good question actually, seeing as how I am the master of our family accounting and see all in/outflows)

(that's why I'm usually not too keen on surprises; doesn't the thought ever cross other women's minds "wow, that's great you were thinking of me sweetheart, but I just wasn't planning on spending that money right now thank.you.very.much")

He earns something called "perk points" for being great at work.  And he used some to get me a tool.

Awwww, that is so stinking cute.

So, can I tell you why I love this particular drill so much?

It's itty bitty and fits my small hands well.

And it's an impact drill, meaning it's hammering in the screws at the same time as screwing them in.

Which is handy in situations where putting my full body weight still doesn't give the heft needed to drive something in.

What can I say, tools were invented for girls.

September 24th Ultrasound

 So we had what they call a "fetal survey" last Friday and boy was it ever.

They go over the baby head to toe, inside and outside, to check that certain things are going OK.

And our baby is a boy.

Desmond Coy.

I won't show the shot that proves it because I just don't know how I feel about posting his little boy parts all over the internet.

And I usually go by the motto "when in doubt, leave it out".

I just love these profile pictures though, looking less and less like an alien every day.

The technician says he's about the size of a little Skipper doll (remember those?)

Somewhere in the range of 7-8 ounces (I can't remember the precise number).

Cute little foot.

Everything is cuter in miniature.

Other items of note that I want to remember:

-they moved my "official" due date from 2/20/11 to 2/27/11.

They think that I'm actually at 19 weeks today vs. the almost 20 weeks the traditional clock would have me at.

I'm totally happy with this because it means more time for labor to occur naturally before someone tries to suggest inducement and I'll have to argue with them.  Within reason I don't want to be induced.

-I have a "low lying placenta"

Meaning the place in the womb where the (for lack of knowledge of better terminology) "stuff" attached, the place where the umbilical cord leads to and where all of the transfer of input and output between me and the baby happens, is closer to my cervix than the doctor's comfortable distance of 2 mm.

I'm at about 1.2 mm.

They'll do another ultrasound at 32 weeks or so to see if the placenta has migrated the .8 mm that it needs to as the uterus has grown.  This will most likely be the case and I am hoping for this resolution because if the problem persists I will most likely need a c-section, which I don't want.

At any rate, we're happy and relatively healthy and I still feel pretty dang awesome, so I don't think I could ask for more.