pirula, Strange to me, in that I zero photos of my kitchen on this computer, and only one kitchen photo on any of my online photo hosting sites. I have so many progress/construction shots of the master bathroom and my daughter's "mousehole bed" bedroom because those were done for magazine photo shoots. The only one I have of my kitchen is a very limited shot, but it does show the end-grain teak butcher block that I made for our island endcap. It's roughly 4' square with a clipped corner, and 5" thick. West Systems epoxy to hold it together and a mineral oil finish. This thing was soooooo heavy. In the background you can see a bit of the remainder of the teak countertops, the countertops are 2" thick and 30" deep. My wife is 5'1", you can see an elevation step in the countertop, it was lowered to suit her. To the left it's a bit lower, it's a run about 12' long that has the sink. The higher elevation is about 6' long, it covers the dishwasher and a few banks of drawers. Design-wise we love the layout, it's always worked well for our family. Construction-wise, this was my first foray into woodworking and cabinetmaking. No disasters, which was a relief!

I wonder if it would be possible to return to Jen_C's original question, you guys? Seems to me that's what these forums are for.....as for anything else, well...you guys can start your OWN forum and duke it out amongst yourselves over THERE. ___________________________________________ As to the original question(s), seems to me you're asking the following: 1) Is it normal for a baby to have their days and nights mixed up, as far as sleeping? The short answer is yes, lol. If you think back to when your baby was still inside you...try to remember what time of day or night the baby was most active. For my DS, he was most active inside me from about 11 pm to about 4 am.....so when he was born, he was most active during those hours. Seems like it took me forever to get him onto a somewhat "normal" schedule. 2) Is it ok to let your newborn baby cry herself to sleep? For me, personally....when DS was newborn, my DH and I rocked him to sleep, or cuddled with him on our bed until he did. We didn't let him cry himself to sleep when he was newborn. 3) How long do you allow the baby to cry before you pick him/her up for a cuddle? Again, for me personally.....in the beginning, when DS was newborn, I picked him up immediately. As time has passed, however, I'm letting the amount of time he cries to be a little longer. He's 6 months old now, and I let him cry maybe 10 mins before I go back in to reassure him. I don't necessarily pick him up, though. Standing over or near the crib reassures DS just fine, most of the time. Sometimes, though....even after giving him 10 mins to get to sleep on his own, and then reassuring him from above or near the crib...he still needs a cuddle. So, I cuddle! Just for a few mins, then it's back in the bed. Sometimes this gets repeated about 3-4 times before he actually goes to sleep. He's falling asleep a lot more on his own now. For me, gradually increasing the time I allow him to cry has worked, and it's teaching him to be a little more self-reliant, while he still knows that we're there. 4) How long in between feedings? My DS woke up about every 2 hours anyway, so I NEVER had to worry about him going too long without food. Of course, at night...this meant I didn't get much sleep, either! :) 5) and finally, WHEN CAN YOU CATCH UP ON SLEEP? LOLOL...this is the question for the ages. I don't think I'll EVER catch up. Now, mind you, there are babies that sleep much longer (envious sigh). A friend of mine had twin boys, who slept 7-8 hours STRAIGHT, right from birth!! She had to wake them to feed, but holy cow, they were NEVER in any danger of starving, lol. They're 8 months old now and they weigh upwards of 27 lbs each. (when they were born, one weighed just under 8 lbs, and one was just over 8 lbs. At 38 weeks, no less! Can you imagine if she'd gone the full 40 weeks??)

Hi jnh896, I usually get a 3' by 24' poster board and paint it fully with 2 coats of the color I am considering. You can buy a sample size at most paint stores now. Paint 1 board for each sample. When dry, you can carry the large board around the room in different lights. You can better choose then. Never select colors from small swatches. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: that home site

It is a great way for family and friends to stay connected with your progress. I have friends who used this site in the past... Our daughter did the shot every day at home, are they at all receptive to you doing that? Sure would beat the drive when you are tired. Lots of prayers coming daily for a healthy future!