Reno Update...

Yes, there is a slight update on the reno progress:)  This week we managed to get some of the side panels up to see what they looked like which was great!  Everything is starting to fall together. 

The biggest accomplishment this week was finally purchasing the dishwasher!  We figured we'd wait for the black friday sales to see if we could score a great deal.  Well, we got a deal but not one of black friday caliber - oh well.  None the less we're happy with our new dishwashwer which should be here no later than Dec 5 (but i'm hoping and praying that it arrives sooner!)

Isn't she pretty:)  She's a Bosch 24 in built in beauty with hidden controls to keep little fingers from getting into trouble!

We also purchased our faucet - the Delta Leland series with a pull out head and the magnetic latch to keep it in.  We're super excited!  Now we just need to get the last panels in and we're ready for granite on Friday!

Here's the list - not a ton of progress but  some....

The list:

- new cabinets need installed (70%)
- install temp sink and plumbing
- install door fronts, hardware, drawers (50%)
- install plinth and filler wood
- remove and purchase new dishwasher
- new countertop needs ordered (and then installed)
- permanent plumbing needs installed
- new backsplash needs installed
- whole kitchen needs painted
- install new light switch for under cabinet lighting - run the line too 

- install under cabinet lighting

- finish the electrical for the heated floors

- scrub every surface in the rest of the house and clear it of dust

They say the darndest things..

We had the pleasure of spending the last few days with our nephews K and B who are 4 and 2.5 respectively.  They are quite the handful and we're definitely in for something with our little man once he gets older but oh wow - these guys are amazing!:)  Not only are they hilarious and full of life and energy - they say the most histerical things!  Just a sampling of the last 2 hours with them (mostly said by little K since I'm still learning to decipher little B's ramblings)

"I'm in chip heaven" said by little K as he consumes his 10th handful of tortilla chips

"You're my butt microphone Macie!" said by little K as he whips our poor Vizsla around by the tail singing "oh yea baby - my heart starts pumping".  Oh Macie has no idea what she's in for!

"I told you I was the fastest boy around" to DH during our after Turkey Day walk after trying to out run him and the dog.

There are so many more and I have to keep writing them down because it's moments like this that will get us thru the screaming, sleepless nights, and stress of our little mans early years.

Pregnancy Brain...

Call it stress, call it hormones, whatever it is - pregnancy brain is finally setting in!

Case in point, I always forget to put the top down on the washer so the clothes never actually get washed.  I'll come down to check on it and find that things are still sitting there soaking. Oh well, that's been happening for a while now.  Well today it went to a whole new level - not only did I forget to put the top down but i forgot to put in detergent and turn the stinkin thing on!  I'm sitting here happily typing away thinking my clothes are getting washed when in fact they are sitting in a dry wash tub with no soap....oh boy.  Time to start leaving post it's around to remind myself (a habit that I've always had).

Stock tip to anyone that reads this - buy stock in 3M because I'm about to go buy out all the stores in the area of their post-its.

A little bit of growth...

So...um yea.. there's been a bit of growth:) The progression below is 14,20,and 26 weeks respectively. Not a huge change between 14 and 20 - mostly bloat changes but 20 to 26 - whoa!

26 Weeks....

How far along are you? 26 Weeks

Total Weight gain/loss? um...turkey day is this week, can we just pretend to ignore the scale?

Stretch marks? Nope:)

Baby Movement? he goes thru spurts. There'll be a day or two when I don't feel him much followed by a few days of gangbuster movements!

Best moment this week? DH finally felt the little man!  We were laying in bed after I got home and Hans (the babe) was kicking furiously so I pulled DH's hand over to the belly and he finally got to feel it!  He was funny.  He was like "if I can feel this, then you really must feel like he's punching his way out!" - yes dear, that's about how it feels sometimes.  

Food Cravings? Nothing really substantial lately.  I have yet to have the overwhelming feeling that I just must have something....i was always craving prone to begin with.


Belly button in or out? Still in but barely

Milestones? Well, this happened a few weeks ago but I finally had to take off my wedding band and e-ring.  They were starting to get really tight and I didn't want to take a chance of them getting started.  The baby bedding arrived this week too!
 
Weekly Wisdom?   Don't over do it.  I used to know what my body could handle activity wise but I'm finding myself getting really run down and tired to the point where I'm starting to get sick. I need to remember that I am carrying a child and not my normal go-go-go self. 




I'm looking progressively tired in this pics - time to figure out how to get more sleep!:)

Reno Progress...

So get out the popcorn!  Here comes another thrilling installation of renovation nation...

We made great progress!  We spent yesterday picking out and then ordering granite (among other things house but non kitchen related).  We picked something called Labrador Black which is a pretty consistent black granite with warm amber undertones (as warm as you can make black I supposed).  They did the digital template that evening and we expect sign off tomorrow on the design so that we can have it installed Dec 4!!

Today we went to two - yes, TWO - Ikeas in order to find everything we needed.  As it turned out, our normal Ikea was rearranging their warehouse and it went on 4 days longer than it was supposed to (or than what they had on their website) and we couldn't get what we needed from them.  So, since we have to have it prior to the granite going in, that meant we had to drive to the other Ikea - 40 min away - to get what we needed. We're fortunate to live smack in middle of two Ikeas (read: equa-distant) but going from one to the other is a bit of a haul.  We did get to see the monuments downtown on our trip though - haha.

Another pre-requ of the granite install is to have the dishwasher purchased and installed prior.  Since DH has a volleyball game tomorrow and we're leaving for the family on wed, we have Tuesday to find, purchase, and arrange install prior to the Dec 4 granite guys!

Ah....we're soooooo close to having a fully working kitchen again!  We still have a ways to go even after the countertops go in but we'll have counterspace and a brand new sink/faucet!

No pictures this time as there's not a ton of change (the cabinets have fronts but..)

The list:
- new cabinets need installed (70%)
- install temp sink and plumbing
- install door fronts, hardware, drawers (50%)
- install plinth and filler wood
- remove and purchase new dishwasher
- new countertop needs ordered (and then installed)
- permanent plumbing needs installed
- new backsplash needs installed
- whole kitchen needs painted
- install new light switch for under cabinet lighting - run the line too 

- install under cabinet lighting

- finish the electrical for the heated floors

- scrub every surface in the rest of the house and clear it of dust

25 weeks...

I'm finally done traveling I think so that's a great thing! Traveling while pregnant is a challenge.  It's not so much the getting around part because walking/flying/etc are no problem.  Its the eating situation.  It's just so hard to eat well while away from home when your only option is to eat out.  I tried really hard to eat fruit etc for breakfast but lunch and dinner were always out somewhere and I always paid for it later - Rolaids Soft Chews are my newest best friend!

How far along are you? 25 Weeks (and a few days - thank you work travel!)

Total Weight gain/loss? pretending not to notice...

Stretch marks? Nope:)

Baby Movement? Kunfu fighter for sure

Best moment this week? Chivalry is not dead! Maybe not a "best moment" but definitely a sweet surprise.  I was using mass transit while I was in San Fran and had more than one occasion where a gentleman gave up his seat on the crowded bus or train to allow front heavy me to have a seat.  

Food Cravings? Still have an apple/apple juice thing going on (which is good because apple juice is not as acidic as OJ which causes all sorts of pain!)

Belly button in or out? Still in but stretching

Milestones? Well, we're past viability and the babe is about 1.5 lbs now!  He looks like a little doll (or so the books say)
 
Weekly Wisdom?   Get your fiber! haha...and water for sure!  The body functions much better when you get plenty of both!

Excuse how exhausted I look.  It was my first day in SFO and I was spent!

Woodland Creatures...

Welcome the new additions to the yet-to-be-started nursery!  I found them at Target today and they'll be perfect in the little man's room as decoration (up high on a shelf so he can't get them when he gets bigger!).  They match the bedding I picked out last week and are just too adorable to pass up.

Weekend Update...

So this weekend we had friends in town and didn't make much progress but there was some:)  This past week we finally got a sink in with real drainage so we can stop using the downstairs powder room.  We also got the rest of the bottoms and the last top cabinet in.  Lastly I started installing the fronts to what cabinets I could.  It's finally starting to shape up like a kitchen! 

This week is a business trip for me again but I'm leaving instructions:)  We should try to get the electrical done, or at least to a point where we can cap what's live and turn the power back on so I can use my oven again!

This coming weekend we'll hunt for granite, a dishwasher and a microwave.  Hopefully we can schedule the template guy to come prior to turkey day which means we'll have a countertop by the first or second week of dec (which means we'll have a fully functioning kitchen again!).

Once we get the counter top in, we can divide our time between the nursery and the kitchen.  It's about time!  The crib is here and hanging out in my office until we get the other room emptied (thank Ryan for helping to carry it up the stairs!)

The list:
- new cabinets need installed (70%)
- install temp sink and plumbing
- install door fronts, hardware, drawers (50%)
- install plinth and filler wood
- remove and purchase new dishwasher
- new countertop needs ordered (and then installed)
- permanent plumbing needs installed
- new backsplash needs installed
- whole kitchen needs painted

- install new light switch for under cabinet lighting - run the line too 
- install under cabinet lighting

- finish the electrical for the heated floors

- scrub every surface in the rest of the house and clear it of dust

This all ends in a baby...

oh boy!  Someone mentioned this on a chat board I frequent and it made me think - this 9 months of waiting, writing, and preparing will all end in a baby!  A live little human being that is wholly dependent on DH and I - and a boy no less (i've already got enough worries line up for the next 20 years)!

I've been having these moment more and more frequently. I'll be doing something and realize that it just won't be the same when little man arrives.  Not that it's a bad thing, don't get me wrong we're super excited and I really can't wait but it's all still surreal.  I really don't think it will hit me until we're walking in the front door with our new little human and then wondering what the heck we got ourselves into!

Take yesterday for example.  DH and I had a late night and ended up sleeping in later in the AM.  Laying there, semi awake, I realized that our days of sleeping in (or getting any type of restful sleep) are numbered! Or when I was taking a shower.  I spent 15 min in there - after I'd washed my hair and what not - just standing under the water as it fell around me and I realized that come March, showers that last longer than 5 min will be a luxury.  Walking the dog, making dinner, even my work day will be different when our little dude shows is pretty face. 

But you know what?  I'm perfectly at ease with that (okay, not perfectly, but I'll adjust).  We've had our time to do what we what, when we want etc.  It's time now to show our little one how great the world is what what cool things there are to be had and done. It does scare the bejezzus out of me that he'll actually grow up and go thru those lovely teen years but it also excites me to see what he becomes and what kind of man he'll be.

I'm sure every parent-to-be has these fears and I'm almost positive that they've figured they're way thru it.  I'm also positive that I'm in (we're in :) ) for 50+ years of worry, excitement, joy, sorrow, love and laughter and I'm okay with that:)

..No, I'm better thank okay....I'm ecstatic!

24 weeks...

How far along are you? 24 Weeks

Total Weight gain/loss? um...ya...up 17lbs so far.  Doc was surprised at the jump, hopefully it's because little man had a growth spurt and not all the Halloween candy I ate - ack!

Stretch marks? Nope:)

Baby Movement? Yup, all the time - karate chops and ninja rolls

Best moment this week? Lots of fun things this week.  1. My mom felt the baby kick!  Sad that DH hasn't yet but I dont know that he knows exactly what he's feeling even if he did feel little man kick.  He can see the belly rock and roll all the time now.  2. Bean has a nick name now too - Hans:)  3. I ordered little man's crib (see in previous post)

Food Cravings? Apples!

Belly button in or out? Still in but stretching

Milestones? I'm now into my last 1/3 of the second trimester.  Little man will start packing on the pounds over the next few weeks (as will mamma i'm sure:( )
 
Weekly Wisdom?   Yes, aches and pains are normal and no, you're not a baby for complaining about them:)


I feel like there's not a ton of change in the pics but as I look at them side by side there's more volume in the belly if you get what I mean.  He's starting to spread out more to the sides than to the front.

No piggy flu here...

Docs had a few shots left of the H1N1 vaccine so now I'm immune (supposedly) from the piggy flu! Yay!  I can go to Cali next week and not worry as much:)

Nursery....

So, even with the kitchen reno going on, I need to start thinking about the baby's nursery (I mean, we're almost 6 months along after all, this baby is coming whether we like it or not!).  I've been looking for bedding for a while now and am so fickle! I've fallen in love with no less than 2 sets :(  Although I think though that I've finally made up my mind (and need to stop looking at bedding for fear of falling in love again).

My brother is going to do a mural on the wall that coordinates with the bedding and the latest stuff that I've picked out will give him lots of options I hope.  Here's what we're looking at:

It's called Enchanted Hollow from Eddie Bauer.  I saw it at Baby Depot and just fell in love (again:) ).  It's has all the outdoorsy elements we wanted for our little man including a cute little fox, hedgehog, and owls!  I just can't get over the cute little animals on the quilt!  I figured he'd do a forest theme on the walls or something..we'll see once he gets painting.  It should also work for a little girl if we happen to luck out with child #2 down the road.

We also ordered the crib this weekend from Babies R Us.  Mom and I felt bad, the guy at the store was helpful but didn't get to reap the commission reward because they didn't have the crib in stock and advised us to order it on line (which was actually better for us but I still felt bad).

Here's the crib we bought:

It's the Babi Italia Classic Eastside crib.  I really went back and forth between a sleigh type crib, one with a higher back, and this one.  In the end I liked the simplicity and build of this one and how it can be either masculine or feminine depending on the bedding. Plus, even with the mattress down in the lower positions, I can still reach in and put the baby down (yes, i tried this in the store, with my pretend baby!)  I need to find a changing table to match it but can do that in my own time.  Those you don't have to order way out in advance.

The last thing we'll need for the nursery is the rocking chair.  I really don't want a glider but that seems to be all they sell.  DH and I talked about a poang chair from Ikea in leather so it's easy to clean but then I sat in this baby:

It's the Rock-A-Bye chair from BRU in chocolate chenelle. It goes against just about everything i said i wanted in a chair (rocker, simple, washable, cheap) but it's so squishy and comfy and not only rocks but swivels that I think I must have it! There's an ottoman that goes along that will be necessary too but for now I'm concentrating on the chair.  The seat is deep but not too deep so I can still reach the floor comfortably with my feet so when I'm nursing I can use my knees to prop things up.  Now I just need to raise the $350 that it costs (not including the ottoman!).  Ack - such a lovely chair at such an unlovely price.

Anyways, we've not started to assemble any of this yet. I still need to get DH's computer out of the baby's room and into my loft office but that's an entirely new project that requires the purchase of matching desks and a bookshelf (because the loft is exposed and I'm OCD about matching, we can't just put any ole desk out there next to my existing desk).  I may need to just give up and deal with that later - we'll see:)

...Maybe we'll have this done before he gets here (note to baby - please take your full time cooking, no month early surprises here please)

With a little helps from our friends...

and family...:)  we've made great progress in our kitchen reno!  This weekend mom and dad king arrived with Tucker so everyone was entertained:)  Dad and Mark spent friday finishing the dry wall and running electrical, saturday the two of them managed to get all of our top cabinets hung and even started on the bottoms! It's really starting to look like a kitchen now!

Here's the list as we stand today:

- new cabinets need installed (70%)
- install temp sink and plumbing
- install door fronts, hardware, drawers (30%)
- install plinth and filler wood
- remove and purchase new dishwasher
- new countertop needs ordered (and then installed)
- permanent plumbing needs installed
- new backsplash needs installed
- whole kitchen needs painted

- install new light switch for under cabinet lighting - run the line too 
- install under cabinet lighting

- finish the electrical for the heated floors

- scrub every surface in the rest of the house and clear it of dust 

- dry wall the new pantry area so we can hang cabinets

- build cabinets

- seal the floor

- replace valves on copper under the sink so things actually shut off 

- run to Ikea to pick up missing pieces

- fix the fridge cabinet spacing

- old vinyl tile flooring (all three layers) needs removed (25% done)
- new travertine flooring needs installed (80%)
- possible new under floor heating to be installed with the floor (that is if we dont need a new circut run for it)
- temporary kitchen needs assembled outside so we can do dishes and eat (not necessary - we're working around it)
- need to fill the propane tank so we can actually eat once the stove is disconnected
- cabinets need emptied
- cabinets need removed (80% - still have a few uppers in there)
- old built in pantry needs demoed
- light switch needs moved (not necessary)

DH is tired for sure and I'm sure my dad is too.  Mom and I spent most of the weekend making sure they were well fed and caffeinated and did some shopping for baby!  Next weekend we have friends in town and will likely take a break but are hoping that we can get the rest of the bases in this week so we have all the boxes in and ready to go.

It's really starting to shape up now, I'm soo excited!!

Reason # 212 of why i love my dog...

It's not that she uses pillows like a human or insists on laying on a blanket or a pillow even when she's on a comfy soft futon mattress or the fact that she's a complete goof and totally gaga for tennis balls, it's that she knows when something's wrong with one of us!

Today was a challenging day at work for me. Being away for a few days at a trade show left me very very behind in my work (even though I worked overtime prior to leaving to try to make up for it...). Lots of decisions were made and things were changed and I had to catch up and adjust to all of it (nothing bad, just different). Combine that with non stop meetings, exhaustion, hormones, and a barking dog - well, suffice to say, I totally lost it - utter melt down in the middle of the work day (thank goodness I work from home!).  

Part of it was the four legged furry ones fault and I yelled at her for that (out of frustration and having nowhere else to displace my feelings - which I feel totally bad for) but after the tears started, she hopped down from her perch and crawled into my lap to love me as if to say, "It's okay mom - I'm sorry, don't cry".  A few wet Willys later she had me cracking up and the tears had vanished!

Having her here during those stressful times has really helped!  Things start to get crazy and I simply walk over to her for a quick cuddle.  She never turns me away and is always happy to oblige with a sniff or a kiss and it makes the world feel right again. 

If I have this much love for a non-biological critter I can only imagine what I'm going to feel when this little man shows up!

23 weeks...a little late....

How far along are you? 23 Weeks (and a few days by now)

Total Weight gain/loss? haven't looked since last week.  Hopefully all the walking and standing around for the trade show counteracted the great food we had in NYC!

Stretch marks? Nope:)

Baby Movement? He's definitely got a pattern now - which unfortunately tends to be late night and wee early morning...but it's still fun.  His kicks are getting harder and just this week I saw my belly move when he kicked it!

Best moment this week? DH saw the baby kick last night.  He's yet to feel it but did see my entire belly rock and roll when little man laid a karate chop to my belly button!

Food Cravings? My cravings have to do with what i see around me - nothing yet that I can't live without thought.

Belly button in or out? Still in but stretching

Milestones? I'm almost 2/3's of the way thru my second tri - ahhh!!!
 
Weekly Wisdom?   Everyone will tell you your bigger or smaller than you should be at this time of your pregnancy - don't listen to them:) You're perfectly on target for you!


And here's the belly shot from my lovely hotel room in NYC wearing our orange trade show shirts and looking much like a pumpkin:)

Reno Progress....

So, this past weekend we were up to the usual - renovation!  This time we had some help from mom and dad kloep!  We hosted a cabinet building party which was a smashing success!  Not only did we get all the cabinets built in record time but we removed all the remaining cabinets and microwave - now we have a completely non functional kitchen.  Well, okay, not completely but with no micro or sink things are pretty limited (thankfully I'll be NYC this week  - poor DH has to fend for himself).

Here's the list as we stand today:

- old vinyl tile flooring (all three layers) needs removed (25% done)
- new travertine flooring needs installed (80%)
- possible new under floor heating to be installed with the floor (that is if we dont need a new circut run for it)
- temporary kitchen needs assembled outside so we can do dishes and eat (not necessary - we're working around it)
- need to fill the propane tank so we can actually eat once the stove is disconnected
- cabinets need emptied
- cabinets need removed (80% - still have a few uppers in there)
- old built in pantry needs demoed
- light switch needs moved (not necessary)
- new cabinets need installed (25%)
- new countertop needs ordered (and then installed)
- new backsplash needs installed
- whole kitchen needs painted
- remove and purchase new dishwasher

- install new light switch for under cabinet lighting - run the line too

- dry wall the new pantry area so we can hang cabinets

- build cabinets

- seal the floor

- finish the electrical for the heated floors

- replace valves on copper under the sink so things actually shut off

- install door fronts, hardware, drawers

- run to Ikea to pick up missing pieces

- run to the dump with large truck full of debris

- fix the fridge cabinet spacing
 
This coming weekend we're hanging cabinets!  DH has Wednesday off so he's going to run electrical for the under cabinet lights and finish the last little bit of floor tile and get the walls ready for hanging!  Mom and Dad King will be here to help out and hopefully by the time they leave, we'll have the boxes on the walls and can start putting shelves and faces on!  If we're lucky we can get a temporary sink hooked up and be almost back to normal!

I took a few pics that I have to get off the computer...maybe later this week...