Kitchen and Update

We got an official update today from Gladney about Baby A. We were told that he is the only baby they have ever known who can come across as polite. He's laid-back and, even when he's having a bad day, it's easy to get a crooked smile out of him.

We also got our memory card in the mail today from the Breedloves with dozens of pictures. I was amazed at his range of facial expressions. It was quite a glimpse into his personality. My favorite photo probably is one where he's screaming. Amy told me that he'd been perfectly happy until she had to put him down, and then the yelling commenced, so like any good friend would do, she snapped his photo.

This baby in particular does nothing but get cuter as these long weeks go by.

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This is what our kitchen looked like when we bought the house. It was functional, but we weren't crazy about the linoleum floors, the funky countertops, the bright red cabinets (which I wouldn't have minded so much if the kitchen wasn't so small--as is, it made me feel like I was drowning in red), and what we disliked most was this corner:
This odd corner is probably a result of fridges being built shorter than the monster-ones we use today. That's our best guess. It became a rite of passage among our friends to violently curse our kitchen as each one hit their heads on this god-awful corner. The first time I did it was one of the few times in my life I have let out the mother of all cuss-words. I was seeing stars, people. That corner was evil.

So back before Thanksgiving, we decided to do something about that corner. By December, the kitchen looked like this:We had holes in the floor and everything!

After ripping out walls, making thousands of tiny decisions, agonizing over what materials to use, having the granite counter-top break in two pieces last week (that was fun), and numerous screw-ups by hardware stores, we're almost finished. We still need to put in a back-splash and the glass for the cabinet doors and get a refrigerator that fits the hole built for it, and there's the last granite slab to install for the pass-through, but here's what the kitchen looks like today:
Ted installed the floors, did most of the plumbing and all of the electrical work himself. He even installed "hidden" speakers that are connected wirelessly to our office computer, which impresses our friends for sure.
Here's an example of what his mood lighting is like.

The cats liked playing in the upper cabinets above the stove.

It's so nice to having a fully functioning kitchen again. We even kicked the cats out of the cabinets eventually.

Lastly, did I cry during the Oscars last night? Not a ton, though I did get a lump in my throat a couple of times. I yelled at the screen when Marketa Irglova got cut off, but John Stewart made it all better by bringing her out and giving her the moment back. She's a dear. So is he.