Moving On

Like all good things, D's vacation has come to an end (more like a screeching halt) and he is back at work and on call tonight. Which means I won't see him until tomorrow afternoon. However, we (and I say "we" very loosely!) got a lot done on the house this past week. It's still not move-inable, but it's going to be sooner rather than later. I think most everything would have gotten done, but Dad and D are updating the electricity which is a) very time-consuming and b) a two-man job. We also had professional electricians come in to update the fuse boxes to a 100 amp service instead of the measly 60 amp that we had. They still have a few more things left to do with the electricity and the problem will be finding time when both are available to do it (D's on call all day Saturday and into Sunday this weekend...). What they did do? The baby's room and the Master bedroom are all painted and cleaned up. They just have to hook up the electricity and all will be done there. D's dad even installed the blinds, which makes it look and feel more homey. I have the curtains, too, they just have to be put up. Saturday night D and I set up the baby's changing table and crib in his/her room and I LOVE how they look. I set up the changing table all by myself while D was doing some electrical work and then we both tackled the crib. Dad, Yana, and Ry stopped by for a minute on their way somewhere and the little room was filled, which means we didn't get a lot accomplished, but it was fun none the less.

What else? The hallway just needs to be painted, the bathroom just needs some decorations (which I'm hot on the trail for), the kitchen ceiling looks horrible (they were yucky smokers) so they're scraping and painting and possibly even spraying the ceiling (you know, with the little bumpy things?). I'm steelwooling the kitchen cabinets so someone can urethane them into looking all shiny. Dad is insisting we add knobs and crown molding to make it look complete. We weren't completely sold on the idea (just another expense), so he went out and got the crown molding himself. I have to admit, the kitchen will look beautiful when it's all done. I'm going for an Italian look, so I've been getting things along that line. The living room just needs to be painted. D installed the ceiling fan on Sunday and it looks so nice. It's matches our furniture nicely. We're thinking of getting a sofa/sleeper sofa for that room since our chaise won't conveniently fit into the space. We went furniture shopping this weekend and got some ideas.

And then the dining area just needs some paint and shades and curtains to complete it. We took out the stained glass door (these homeowners definitely had an 80's theme to their style!) and Mom and Dad bought us a French door (D actually had the idea to put one there!) to go in its place. The dining area has a lot of windows and the French door will let in all that natural light. I'm so happy with how everything is turning out!! The basement and garage (boring!) just need to be painted. Here are some pictures. I forgot to get some of the crib and changing table, but I just might wait until I get the rocking chair in there, too, along with some other decorations. It's a fun and pressure-filled process all at the same time because I'm trying to get most of it done before the baby comes. I won't be doing much regarding the house at that point...for a few weeks at least.

In Baby news, I'm seeing the dr once a week now. Last week I wasn't dilated and this week I didn't bother asking him to check. The baby was squirming all around last week when the dr was checking the heartbeat, which he said he really didn't have to do because it was obviously the baby was doing quite well in there. A little too well, a little too comfy, I fear. Yesterday, he was sleeping, so his heartbeat was slower, but of course when the dr took the heart monitor off, he started his acrobatics again. I should just say he continued with his acrobatics. This child does not stop. This morning somehow D ended up facing me while we were still in bed and decided to try to cuddle with me that way, which meant his knee was at my belly. As soon as he moved into that position, Baby started kicking or punching his knee, quite a few times. D was laughing, I was trying to sleep. That's another thing the dr did yesterday -- check Baby's position. He's head down (yay!) and his bottom is the big thing that sticks out from the middle of my belly and rolls from side to side all the time. The dr said he can do another ultrasound if we have time, but he didn't make it seem like it'd actually happen. I know they do one if you're in labor and they think Baby is breech. We'll see. I'm ready to have this baby. He just seems so uncomfortable in there with all his squirming, so I told him that he could easily fix that by coming out. Nothing yet. Already not listening! I'm definitely feeling more pressure, but I don't think he's dropped. Which doesn't really mean much because they don't necessarily have to drop before labor, but one can hope.

So in the meantime, I'm still enjoying the freedom of not working and being able to relax or shop or visit or anything else. Although the days are always busy and next week is already September and I'm not exactly sure how that all happened. Mom and I went to Babies R Us yesterday and got pretty much everything that remained on my registry, which wasn't a lot at all, with the 10% off coupon they mailed to me. I have another coupon that starts on Friday, so I'll go back then and get the few remaining items. I'll do the same with Target, although I have everything I need at this point, so I'm not in much of a hurry.

Mom and Dad are off in Mystic for the day, D is working all day and on call all night, not sure where Ryan and Yana are, but this is prime shopping time!

Brief aside: I just walked into my parent's room and saw this. The cradle has been there for a week, but I'm seeing all these items being added to the whole setup each day. Yesterday, Mom, Yana, and I went to the Christmas Tree Shoppe (love that store!!) and Baby came away with a "My 1st Thanksgiving" bib and a hand print kit! This baby is so spoiled...


Inside the cradle: a sleep positioner (Mom bought this for Baby because she feels bad that the baby has to sleep on his back...) and bibs that say "I love Grandma/pa". Outside the cradle: the two going-home outfits, one for a boy, one for a girl. Mom's going to wash whichever one we need and bring it to the hospital. And of course there's the changing pad. I have the cover and the little pads to go on the cover, they're just not washed yet.