The waiting game

We have managed to check pretty much everything off our list! The crib is set up, the car seat is installed, the changing table is stocked, the laundry is done. And yet it seems like there is something missing... Oh, that's right... a baby! So now we're playing the waiting game. The good news is that we had time to go to a movie today (probably our last for a while)... but the bad news is that means that we're not any closer to having a Christmas baby - or really any baby. Apparently, we are not on the stork's rounds just yet...

In the absence of that excitement, we are planning to sit back and enjoy a Christmas together. Holiday movies and hot cocoa tonight, candlelight church service tomorrow, and a special menu planned for Saturday. Hopefully, we'll have more exciting news to report sometime soon. In the meantime, keep waiting with us!

Off to the Races

Success! We finally have a car seat base installed in one of our cars!! We are now able to transport baby when s/he arrives. We tested out the seat with a teddy bear to make sure that the harness was installed correctly and I added the ultrasound of Baby Bubb's face to make it easier to imagine with a baby. And for the folks that are worried about Aaron's car seats... don't. Protective seat covers were installed prior to the car seat base to ensure minimal damage. We still need to put a base in the MINI, but correctly installing a car seat in even one car felt like a major victory, so we didn't attempt a second one for the night.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

We started (and finished!) our Christmas decorating yesterday. We decided that as much as we'd like to have a tree up for our first Christmas in the new house, we didn't want to be those people that still had a tree up at Easter or beyond! We kept it simple instead and got out only a few decorations that will be easy to put away after baby's arrival. Of course, we put our stockings up... just in case Santa has a few small items to drop off here!

We also put up a holy family centerpiece. As you can see, it has a calming effect on even the wildest of of cats making Azrael want to be good during the holiday season.

And what holiday would be complete without some manly cars? So far, the cats have left these undisturbed... a Christmas miracle indeed!

Today we will do a little holiday baking as I have a feeling Baby Bubb loves Christmas cookies!

Too much turkey?

I've had several requests for photos of what I look like now, so I thought it was time to post one. No, the bulge is not from a very large Thanksgiving dinner... it is Baby Bubb at just over 34 weeks! And although it has become harder to put on socks and cut my toenails, I still feel really good and am able to get around quite comfortably for the most part. However, I think Aaron will agree that I can no longer sneak behind him in the kitchen - there is always inadvertent contact!

We've made progress on our to do list over the past week, but most of it doesn't really show well in pictures. We picked up a few more cloth diapers and now have enough to cover our little guy or gal when the time comes. We also have what we believe to be all the supplies we'll need on hand at that time. We also packed a bag for the hospital... not that we're planning on using it, but the Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared" after all. We also started reading our car seat instructions. The hope is that we'll finish reading and installing that sometime over the next several days. I think we're still on pace to wrap everything up by the end of this month. Only a few days left now!!

The High Life

We now have seating for 9 in our dining room! And although the high chair won't get a lot of use right away, this was on Aaron's list to complete before Baby Bubb arrives. It's probably better that we complete tasks involving complex instructions and allen wrenches before we are sleep deprived and unable to comprehend the basic English in which the instructions are written. And I have to admit... for a high chair, this one is pretty stylish, so I don't mind having it out already!

Why don't all towels come with hoods?

As part of our preparations for baby, we've done plenty of laundry. For some reason, it seems that ALL baby clothes are cute, just because they are so much smaller than regular clothes. It's kind of like the small cans of soda or the mini cookies - being tiny just makes things adorable.

Today's photo shows the place where our guest towels used to hang, now replaced with hooded towels to wrap up Baby Bubb. Not to worry, guests. The regular sized towels are nearby in the vanity. We also hung up one super cute ducky robe, also intended for baby, but I suppose if it fits any of our guests, they are welcome to it as well!

Some Assembly Required

This weekend we continued to check items off our to-do list. We are halfway through our childbirth classes and we got brave and started assembling some of the items that we received at our baby shower. Although I've heard tales of how complex it can be to assemble basic child care items, we managed to complete two different products. The baby bouncer, shown above with my handsome assistant, and the travel play yard shown below (neither assistant was available for that shot as the box that it came in was far more interesting by this time).

The play yard was more complex to assemble, but it wasn't too bad and it seems like it will be very handy when the baby first arrives (it has a bassinet) in addition to when we're traveling. That's two more items of the list... but there are still more items on the list than off of it. We'll continue to work on those things with the hope of being done by the end of November. Good thing we have a few weeks left!

Getting Closer

After a fantastic baby shower last weekend, we had plenty of chores to keep us busy this weekend. We didn't manage to get any of the baby toys or pack and play assembled, but we did manage to get two loads of baby laundry done so we could start to put items away in the nursery. Believe it or not, there is still another load of laundry to do, but I ran out of steam yesterday. Who would have thought all those tiny things could take up so much space in the washer and dryer?!?!?

In addition to the nursery work, we also picked all of the carrots out of our garden. It turns out there were plenty more than we anticipated. I guess Aaron is going to have to learn to love carrots! We also got our storm window onto the front door and did a few other related winterizing chores. It wasn't warm out yesterday, but we figured it was only going to get colder as the days move into November, so we got as much done as we could. And this morning as we both took a little longer getting out of bed, it was quite noticeable to both of us just how much we managed to do over the weekend!

Loft 2.0

So with the introduction of the nursery, you may (or may not) be asking yourself where the office went. The answer is just around the corner... literally! The loft has been converted from a TV watching zone to an office/study. I still have a quiet corner for the few remaining days I have on the work at home program (switching to four 10-hour days after I return from maternity leave). The only difference is that now I don't have a door to lock the cats out when they are being pests. This is usually only an issue from 3-4pm when they remember that they are hungry... the rest of the time, they are able to sleep quite contentedly in any number of places upstairs.

In other baby news... our niece, who was due around the same time as Baby Bubb decided to make an early appearance to the world and arrived yesterday! Welcome Piper Noel to the family!! We're looking forward to introducing her to her cousin sometime around the end/beginning of the year.

Making Room for Baby

We spent several hours yesterday cleaning out the north bedroom aka my former office aka the new nursery. Everything office related has been redistributed and now the dresser drawers are completely empty and awaiting all the various baby accoutrements to be placed inside. The closet was also emptied out with the contents finding new homes in the loft, guest room, living room, entry way, and basement.

The cats greatly enjoyed the excitement of multiple closet doors open at once and followed us around to help us with our reorganization. And although we didn't particularly care for the process of clearing out, it is a huge relief to have this task complete and to know that we have a dedicated space for Baby Bubb whenever he or she chooses to arrive.

Nesting

I'm not sure that we're officially nesting yet, but we're definitely trying to wrap up loose ends around the house so that everything is done come December. To that end, we put up a bird house next to the garden so that some of our fine, feathered friends will have a place hatch a youngster or two come spring (preferably not in our gutters again!). And since it's Indian Summer (over 70 this weekend!) we'll be planting crocus bulbs and fertilizing the lawn as part of our final outdoor activities. I also need to pick the carrots out of our garden, but so far, the deer have kept their distance, so I've been letting them grow for as long as I can.

I hear that the third trimester eventually gets a wee bit uncomfortable, so our goal is to have most of our chores complete in the next two months, just in case. I guess we'll see how much progress we make!!

MTV Cribs

After a rough first trimester and a very enjoyable second trimester, I am finally making time to update the blog and post things related to our baby journey. Baby Bubb is due at the end of the year (December 31st) and we are very excited to meet him or her.

We officially have a crib in the nursery (thanks Wally!) Note Azrael is overseeing operations - it will be interesting to see how both our furry boys adjust to the latest addition to the family. Hopefully, they welcome our little Cabbage with open paws.

The crib was surprisingly easy to set up... there were a few instructions on the mattress board so we could get the right pieces back together. This was definitely the best six-pack money I've ever spent!!

Restored

Remember back when we were living in a tiny, cramped apartment with degenerates for neighbors who smashed into our car and drove away without so much as a note? Us too!! But finally, the last visible reminder of that day has been removed and the Infiniti restored to its former glory. Behold! A new bumper for Aaron's car!! There has been much rejoicing (note the thumbs up in the photo)!


And speaking of damage and restoration... In a storm this week, the wind blew one of our trees down (not a nice live one; one of the dead ones). Fortunately, nothing was damaged, although that may not be the same story the tree would give you...

Having no tools other than a hand saw, we decided to check with our neighbors to find out if they had a chainsaw. The neighbors to the East may or may not (the guy who might have a chainsaw was out of town and his wife clearly did not get involved in his yard care affairs). The neighbors to the West did have a chainsaw... but seemed a little reluctant to let Aaron go swinging it around. So they were nice enough to come over and cut up the tree for us while Aaron went to work stacking it! Now we have a nice stash of wood to burn in our fire pit.

...All we need now is a fire pit!!!

The Grass is Always Greener

Thanks to a few good rainstorms and a whole lot of watering by us, the grass is really starting to green up nicely! The front yard is looking really good and the back yard (which was planted 5 days later) is really starting to come in now as well. We may actually need to mow soon!


But since mowing wasn't required this weekend, we found another way to fill the time... we planted our garden. Aaron was wonderful enough to rototill the ground and then we both worked to plant everything. If it all comes up, we will have 10 different varieties of vegetables. If it doesn't, we will have a very orderly looking area of dirt!

The Last Straw

After a 14-hour marathon day on Monday, we managed to finish seeding the yard. We ran out of straw with about a third of the yard to go. It was actually a relief... I don't think Aaron would have agreed to stop otherwise! So after Paul helped us replenish our straw supplies, we finally finished spreading the straw on Tuesday night.


Turns out that was the easy part! Once it was all done, we needed to start watering. After a somewhat feeble first attempt, our neighbors took pity on us and brought over 4 sprinklers (the fancy tripod kind!) and several hoses so we've been watering ever since. And this morning, after a reasonable downpour last night, we had grass sprouting up in the front yard!! It's pretty cool to see our hard work paying off already.

A Yard is Bigger Than I Thought...

The unpacking has completed (which I suppose means I should post a few pictures, but those are coming in a later post - stay tuned!) and now we are looking to the outside of the house. This past week, we've had a lot of heavy machinery in our yard to move rocks, power rake, and grade. The good news is that our unsightly silt fence has been removed... the bad news is that we have been slaving away to plant grass and cover it with straw to keep our new yard from eroding away in the rain.


So far, the front yard has been completed by the crew and Aaron and I managed to plant grass and wildflowers on Thursday night before the rains came. It rained much of Friday, which means the yard is too wet today for more machinery. The crew will be back tomorrow to work on the back yard, which means that we will be sowing seeds and throwing straw on Sunday and Monday. I am actually enjoying the straw in the yard because even that is more attractive than the mud moat we've had all spring!

Now the Work Begins

We had an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, immediately after we were granted occupancy (around 11:30 am). Several dignitaries were there (ok, just our builder) but we had a blast cutting through the ribbon to make it official. We spent 16 hours hauling boxes on Friday using a cargo van and probably wouldn't have been able to do the third trip without the help of Jeff. I know there's no way I could have lifted the other end of our TV, even if I hadn't been hauling stuff for 12 hours already!!


The move on Saturday went very smoothly. The strapping young lads shown above made it all possible. They were able to load the moving van with all our furniture in around 2 hours! And although the weather was less than ideal (mist and fog), everything was in the correct rooms a little after noon! I hear that there was even enough time for one of the guys to ride the elliptical trainer down the hill behind our house, but I have yet to see photographic proof of said ride.


And finally, here's a preview of the house taken last Thursday after all the cleaning had been finished. Above is the kitchen and the two below are of the pantry. I probably won't post more pictures until we get a little more settled (since there are only two rooms without boxes in them right now).


We are truly blessed to have been able to take this journey over the past year and a half and we're really looking forward to being settled. Then, I can find our next big project!! Actually, I think we're both ready to have no next project and to just relax and enjoy everything.

I Heart Organization

Yesterday could very well be my most favorite day of checking the progress on the house. Not because everything is finished (it's not, there are several little things that will need to get done over the next few weeks, plus some exterior work in the spring). No, it was because the closet systems were installed! For a person that has a slight tendency to be organized, there is no more magical a thing than full rooms and closets dedicated to organization.


All of the pictures shown here are of my closet. Our friends at All About Organization helped us decide what to include and what would work best for us. Aaron's closet is completely different than mine (more tailored to what a dude would need, which I guess is less shoe storage, among other things). We were both thrilled with the results! Ok... I was ecstatic and Aaron was as excited as a guy can get about closets, so I think that averages out to thrilled.


The closet installers will be back again today to work on the pantry and finalize all the little details on various things (knobs on doors, etc.), so we'll have to check it out tonight when we bring my car home! That's right, starting this evening, we can attend two different events at the same time because we're a two car family again!!! That's almost as exciting as closet systems!

Magic Carpet

I know that tile has nothing to do with carpet... but our kitchen tile is up and grouted and looks fantastic! We are waiting on a few more tiles to be installed behind the stove, and a small strip over the fireplace, but otherwise, the tile is looking fantastic!


Our carpet was installed on Monday! Like most of the selections, it looks a lot different filling up a whole room vs. the tiny square we've been carrying around, but we love it! And it's made out of corn by-product, so it's a green choice. Carpet was installed in our bedroom and closets and then in the loft and upstairs bedrooms. It looks and feels great!!


Finally, our closet systems were delivered yesterday! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time (and think about it every time I try to pull something out of my tiny, inefficient apartment closet) so I am really excited to see this installed. They are going to start putting them up today!

Smoke and Mirrors

We arrived at the house on Friday night and were rewarded with something unexpected: shower doors! They look fantastic! The rest of our mirrors were also installed (one in the upstairs bath and one in the master bedroom closet area). But wait... that wasn't all! The glass in our cabinet doors was also installed! It looks even better in person than it did at the show room when we picked it out all those months ago.


Another very important, but less visually impressive improvement was in the basement. All of our heating ducts are in, which means that instead of just blowing hot air into the basement, it is directed to each room in the house. It made spending 3 hours waiting for the cable guy this morning much more enjoyable.


The last of our light fixtures are also in. The final few were outdoor lights, so not nearly as important as the others. Below is the light in our screen porch.


We're heading into the final week of construction and are busy trying to pack up everything that isn't already in a box. There are a few key things that still need to happen before we move in, but we're on schedule to start hauling stuff on Friday! We're really looking forward to this portion of the home building experience being complete!!

What Can I Say About Balusters?

On Tuesday, work continued on the plumbing and the electrical in the basement... but that doesn't exactly make for interesting pictures (some might argue that the majority of my pictures qualify!). All the balusters (aka railing pieces) were installed in the stairwells and in the loft. They really look sharp! I'm sure the cats will be eager to stuff toys through the slats...

A Picture Says 1000 Words

So much happened at the house today that I can't seem to put it into words... Instead, I'll narrate it with a little text and a lot of pictures (kind of like Aaron's favorite books!).

Undercabinet lighting in the dining room and kitchen.

The fans and overhead lights were installed in the living room today.

Our upstairs bathroom now has a shower curtain rod!

Our dining room light fixture has finally been installed! It's not at the right height for safety reasons, but it's still exquisite!!

The mirrors and towel bars have been hung in the master bathroom.

The mini faucet is for our reverse osmosis system. Translation: the drinking faucet is the tiny one.

Oh yeah... we have appliances!!!

The mirror and towel ring in the powder room.

Shelving over our washer and dryer!

The lockers in our drop zone - they still need hooks and handles to open the cabinets, but they sure came in handy when we were putting our boots back on tonight!