The "hole in the ceiling" project is now complete.  The furniture is back in the room.  We have reclaimed our dining room enough to have guests over to eat!  Now on to the basement project, which was put on hold to complete the "hole in the ceiling".  Check out the before and after pics! 

Update on the "hole in the ceiling" - Calm has begun to settle over the DeFlinnerFranco household, as the family has trekked back to Ohio, the roofers (who were here on and off for nearly a week) are gone, and the "mudder" comes today.  What I'm not looking forward to is the dust.  And more dust.  Etc. 

It's a major holiday upheaval in the DeFlinnerFranco household.  Who could expect any less?  Just one week ago we made the decision to rid ourselves of the boring 8 ft. ceiling in the living room and add some "lift" and light.  A ceiling job, if you will.  Prompted by the impending new roof, and opportunity to add natural light to our otherwise dim north-facing house, we decided living room skylights and a few skytubes would be the answer to our electricity-draining prayers.  Where, do you ask is our holiday tree?  On the front porch, of course!  Where any good Tennessean puts something they otherwise have no space for.  Check out the pictures for progress. 

I turned 11 months last week, but I'm still not crawling or cruising.  Mommy and Daddy are starting to tell everyone I have this weird disorder (infantile patellar anti-contact syndrome) that they made up to shut people up who bug them that I'm not crawling.  Could it just be that I don't want to crawl?  I'm talking up a storm, though. Last night, I made my first sentence, a combination of mama and the sign for milk.  What can I say, I know what I want and how to get it. - Elizabeth

It wasn't until after work that it hit me that six years ago today the twin towers fell.  Jeff was watching a show on the history channel when I got home from work.  I had been writing the date all day in my hospital notes, but narry a mention of today's significance.  Then it struck me that six years is a LONG time.  September 2001 was a horrible month for me professionally, but it's likely what ended us here in Chattanooga.  And what drove me to be so fervent about what hospitals like mine have to offer for family physicians.  If you had told me that day that 6 years later I would be an academic family physician, married, with a nearly one year old child, in southeastern TN, I would not have paid you for your Tarot reading. - Gina

Here's a lesson in what your kid can get into in the span of two minutes.  This is little Owen Samuels, 6 weeks younger than Elizabeth, but infinitely more mobile.  He loves trash and beer.  Nobody is too good for our Elizabeth!!!

August 6, 2007

It's been a busy few months for me, and I've been quite the travelling babe.  Aunt Karen and Uncle Ryan came to visit in June, and we went to Nashville to visit Mo and Justin and Alicia, Bernie and Clara!  Then a few weeks later, mommy and I took my first airplane ride to visit grandma and grandpa in Cleveland.  In case I was getting bored hanging out with daddy at home all the time, mommy thought she'd change things up by bringing us with her to Kansas City!  Boy, did I have fun.  All the doctors loved me and I got to play with lots of new people.  I just wish I had teeth...that food sure looked good!

It was so windy today that our beach tent filled with sand, and my stroller actually walked itself down the beach.  WHEEEE!!!!  Mommy was mad we couldn't be on the beach, but I had fun at the pool.  I have to learn to close my mouth when we go under water, though, or I sputter and cough and cry.  Mommy was trying to teach me to float on my back, but I didn't much like that either!  For dinner we went to Hudson's on the River - the view was really pretty and after dinner a nice lady took our picture.  - Elizabeth

Boy has it been a crazy 24 hours.  I had a fever last night to 102 and mommy and daddy were really worried, and I cried half the night 'cause I didn't feel good.  No more fever today, but then I got this rash, which grammie thinks is roseola.  She's probably right.  I went in the pool again today, but the pictures are on the other camera - you'll have to wait to see 'em!  I liked it a little better today...I'll become a water baby yet! - Lizzy Beth

Mommy and daddy took me to Bluffton, SC today to see some cool old buildings and walk around for a little bit.  Then I got to go in the pool for the very first time.  It was cold and I didn't like it, but I sat in my little floatie that grammie bought me and whimpered! - Lizzy Beth

Today was my first day at the beach.  I got to wear my new bathing suit and this silly little swim diaper thing.  Mostly, I slept in my pimpin' stroller (other babies on the beach are just green when they see my ride).  Mommy let me sit in the water and play with the sand - I was totally fascinated.  It was way different than the bathtub!  - Elizabeth Paige

Mana-mana, dum daah, dah-dah, dum.  Mana-mana.   I sing this song in my sleep.  It's the Animal Song from the Muppets, and it's on Elizabeth's favorite CD, a gift from Drs Kara and Andrew, and little Oliver.  A great CD, really, with artists like Barenaked Ladies, and Sara McLachlan.  But after the hundredth time around, you either sing along, or break the stereo.  In lieu of violent behavior in front of my child, I'll choose to "La-La-La-La Lemon" my way through life, from now on! 

Six months ago, we were spending our first night together.  It's amazing how much life can change in a mere six months.  And that you happily sing along to "It's got to be clean!" simply to see her smile.  - Gina

The temperature has dipped to the high 70's. that's 78 to be exact, yesterday. I hope our northern family isn't too jealous. Things are well here. We have lots of work to the house yet to do. The man cave is coming along. It is mostly painted and moved into. I will try to have pictures soon. Elizabeth is growing up so fast. We put her in a bouncy seat and she was finally getting the hang of it after much wailing and squalling. By the end she was starting to bounce. This is her second day of feeding. More food is ending up on her than in her. The first day daddy wasn't prepared and we soiled her, the seat, my clothes, the floor and Toby.. though Toby didn't seem to mind, as he eagerly licked it off himself, the floor, me, and the seat.

-Jeff

Now, nearly five months after the premier of fdclan.com, I have access to blogging!  I can edit pictures, and add blogs of what Elizabeth is doing, what we are not doing, and what the dogs are destroying, etc.  Fed Elizabeth on the lounge chair in the backyard at noon today.  It was 70 degrees!  She loved the sunshine and was so enthralled with being outside that she got distracted from her favorite activity - eating!  Gotta go for now...babies to catch! - Gina

Hello from Chattanooga for all of our friends and family. Hope you enjoy all the photos recently posted of Elizabeth. By the way, John, Pics of the bike will be forth coming. Enjoy... -Jeff.