Nursery: Final Reveal

It's been 5 months since Pace arrived and I JUST realized that I never showed you final photos of the nursery.....EEK!  I was doing some cleaning and organizing in his room this afternoon (he is growing out of clothes so fast that I can barely keep up with retiring the old and bringing out the new), and realized that the last nursery posts (here, here and here) left out a few details.

So, without further ado, here is Pace's completed nursery:

 

 

No big changes or additions, just a few finishing touches to the walls and the bookcase.  He received sa ton of wonderful books and learning toys from friends and family (which is amazing) as well as a few different personalized banks (pig, noah's ark, elephant and a british mail slot)....I guess people were trying to send him a not-so-subtle message.....SAVE, PACE, SAVE (and don't put it in that crazy market...haha)!!  The bookcase is coming along really nicely.  It's even a little crowded at the moment.  I need to weed out some stuff that he can use now and put away a few things (books & toys for older kid, etc.).  We use a large majority of the books though, so I might just need to stack them differently!  Pace loves when we read to him.  I had heard that babies love when you read to them even before they can understand what you are saying, but I was always skeptical.  But, Pace has proven me wrong....he will sit in my lap and just stare at (or grab at) the book while I read it to him for quite a long time.  We always do a book before bedtime, but I'm finding that he likes to sit down and relax with a book before his naps too.  Hopefully he will grow up to be a book-lover like his parents!  :)

But enough about that, moving on to the other additions to the room:

I made this little piece of artwork just a few days before Pace arrived.  I had planned on blogging on it the day that my water broke....oops!  I had pieces of yellow and white craft paper in the house from an older project and an IKEA Ribba Frame (8x10).  It took me two tries and a lot of patience, but I finally got all the letters to fit in the frame.  All I did was draw out an 8x10 border and measure out equal horizontal lines on the white paper.  I had to sketch and re-sketch the letters a few times to makes sure they would fit in the space, but when it finally came together, it only took about 15 minutes to cut out the letters with an exacto-knife.  I then traced the 8x10 shape onto the yellow paper and glued the individual letters on with rubber cement.  All in all, it took me about an hour (since I also did a second one that finishes the little song, "you make me happy when skies are gray", but decided that I liked the one by itself.   I still have the other one lying around in case I change my mind though (which isn't likely since I had to squeeze those letters a little more and I don't think it looks as neat as the other one).  Only cost about $20 for the whole project because I had most of the supplies at home (and the frames were $9.99/ea). 

We had these letters from Michaels since the second trimester, but since we were keeping the name a secret, we didn't put them up on the wall until after he arrived.  We just eye-balled the spacing when we put them up.  The "E" looks like its a little too high in this picture, but maybe its just the angle of the photo.  Hm.....that's going to bug me!!  Hahah!!

So, that's it folks.  The final nursery reveal.  I am really happy with it and it seems like Pace likes it as well (although all he really does in the room is sleep, so I'm not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing).  I'm sure it will grow and evolve with his little personality over the years, but for now, I think its a great little space for him.


And just for a little perspective, here is a quick before and after:

Before

After

Before

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And speaking of growing....he is just getting so big so fast.  I can't take it!!!

These were taken a month ago, so he is even bigger now!!  I have to take some 5 months shots, so I will update you with new pictures of him soon!  :)

And I apologize for the lack of posts during the holiday season.  People warned me that it is crazy when you have kids and everyone wants to see him.  I didn't believe it, but I do now.  It was a blast but I am a little glad that it's over and we can get back into a normal routine!  YAY!  Happy New Year everyone!!

Basement Renovation: Phase 2

I thought renovation was slow when we were the ones doing the work (especially since it took about 8 months to complete our kitchen), but I've come to the realization that it is slow no matter who is doing the heavy lifting.  In fact, it's taking about twice as long as our contractor initially estimated.  Between inspections and ordering materials, there is a new set-back every day.  So....needless to say....we are not as far along as we would have hoped at the end of December. 

Here is where we are at today:

The framing and insulation is all up (that purple stuff is actually 1.5 inch thick foam that is supposed to be just as/if not more effective than regular insulation).  I wish I knew the name of it, but I only saw one of the packages a few weeks back and at this point in my life, my memory is pretty much non-existent!  But I do remember that the r-value (which is the energy efficiency of the insulation) is about 13-14, which is what is required by code.  The inspector didn't love the idea of it when he first came to check out the progress, but our contractor convinced him that it was the best thing since sliced bread, so he gave him the thumbs up to keep going.  I guess the reason we went with this material was to maintain as much living space in the basement as possible.  If we went with standard depth insulation, it would have taken away another few inches from each wall.  I suppose it's not a lot of space when you are looking at numbers, but the contractor insisted that it would make a difference in the finished space.  So we will just have to see how it all turns out......

We have also made a lot of progress on electrical and plumbing in the basement.  The two photos above are just close-up shots of the pump that we needed to install for the bathroom.  On the left, you can see the drainage ditch they had to carve out first.  The bottom right leg will be where the sink goes, the bottom left leg is where the toilet will be and the top left is where the shower will drain to.  The pump was then installed in the upper right corner of that first photo with the pipes connected to it.  Once that was complete, they filled the ditch with some rocks and cement to make it all level again.  You can sort of see the floor of the bathroom after the ditch was filled in the right-hand photo.  And then the pump is that lovely round black thing with the white pipes coming from it.  This type of waste system is supposed to drain all of the water from the sink, toilet and shower and then pump it up into the existing sewage waste pipe that we have running along the wall in the basement.  You can see it snaking around the center of the wall in the picture to the left.  We had to build a shelf-like wall in the back office to accommodate the pipe (which you can sort of see in the right photo).  It's a little inconvenient, but definitely not the end of the world.  We will find a way to incorporate it into our design scheme once the walls have all been put up. 

And speaking of the walls, that is our next phase.  Brian will be working on a few little projects here and there this weekend (building out a shelf in the bathroom to hide the waste pipe and venting the dryer), but the sheetrock guy is coming on Tuesday to get started.  I can't wait to see how it shapes up.  It's hard to visualize everything with just the framing, so hopefully we will get a good sense of the space once he is done with the sheetrock! 

YAY!!  Until our next update, hope you are all surviving the last few days of holiday chaos!!  I am going to attempt to run out tomorrow for some last minute things......eeek!!  Wish me luck! 

Thank You

Although Thanksgiving has come and gone (in the blink of an eye it seems), I still want to take some time to reflect on the things that I am thankful for this year:

(1) My little peanut.....of course:

Over the years I have heard the phrase, "I could just eat you up" countless times.  Normally its coming from someone of an older generation, so I assumed it was an old school thing.  But now, I can honestly say that I understand exactly what they meant.  No wonder some animals eat their children......they are just TOO damn cute!!  :) 

(2) My amazing husband.  He hasn't taken 1 day off since Pace arrived......just totally swamped.....but you would never know it.  He is so helpful and thoughtful and supportive.  Despite his long hours, he still manages to be around and available whenever we need him.  He must feel like he is being pulled in a million different directions (picture stretch armstrong....or inspector gadget, if you will), but he does it with such a calm, cool demeanor that it looks almost easy.  I'm not saying that motherhood isn't daunting, but I guess I just appreciate that he is trying his best to be everything for us.  He never ceases to amaze me.  Never.

(3) My wonderful family:  Without them, I really don't think I would have made it through the last three months.  Pace is an amazing child (like sleeping through the night at 2 months, amazing), but it's still a tough job and everyone has been unbelievably supportive.  It is wonderful to have them around for my own sanity, but I also love that Pace is becoming so close to his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins at such an early age.  I am truly blessed.

My family

My In-Laws

 

My Mom

My mom, especially, has been my rock.  Any time I needed anything, she was there by my side....whether it was a last minute drive to be with me while Brian traveled or a phone call in the middle of the night to ask advice or just vent.  Pace looks unhappy in this photo, but I assure you that you can't wipe the smile off his face when grandma is around.  Just pure joy.  He almost always gets the hiccups when he is with her because he giggles so much.  It is adorable.  I just love watching them bond. 

(4) Friends: It amazes me every day how lucky we are to have so many wonderful friends in our lives.  They have all been so thoughtful and generous and supportive since Pace arrived.  He came into a world with so much love and affection around him.  I could not be more grateful for all of the well wishes and visits and phone calls from everyone since he has arrived.  On the days when I felt like I was the worst parent in the world (for no particular reason, usually), I could turn to my friends and they would tell me how they did the same thing or they felt the same way at some point too.  I knew that I was never the only one in the world that was feeling that way or dealing with that emotion, but sometimes it felt like that and I didn't know what to do.  But just 2 minutes into a conversation with one of my friends and I would be laughing and smiling about it.  What would I have done and what will I do without you all.  Not only am I thankful for the wonderful people that have been in our lives (both individually and as a couple) for years and years, but I am also so grateful to God or the real-estate fairy or WHOEVER it was that brought us to this town and this street.  There are 4 other babies under the age of 1 on my street (who will all go to school with Pace) and even more babies his age right around the corner.  We are truly blessed to be in this neighborhood and in this house (which I am also thankful for). 

(5) The ability to stay home:  I don't think I've updated you all on my situation, but B and I decided that it would be alright financially if I stayed home a little longer with Pace before returning to work/school (whatever I decide to do).  I did ask my company for a part-time schedule, but they really needed someone full-time for my position.  I was a little disappointed at first, but now that I have officially been a stay-at-home-mom for a few weeks, I feel so much better about the decision.  I couldn't imagine missing all of his smiles and laughs and cries.....any of it.  It is all so precious.  I was never really in love with my job, anyway, so this is the perfect chance for me to start over.  Maybe go back to school or take some classes.  I will decide on that in the next few months, but for now I am enjoying my one-on-one time with Pace.  He has changed my world and I am so excited to see what the future brings for the both of us.....

 

And of course, (6) I am thankful for all of you that have continued to read despite my long hiatus.  I apologize for dropping off the map for a while, but I really appreciate that you stuck by my side and continue to read.  It means the world to me.  And I really do have a lot of fun stuff happening in our casa that I can't wait to share with you.  From the slow-moving basement renovation to the little art/photo projects I've been working on.....I have a lot to fill you in on!!  And now that Pace is starting to get into a nap schedule during the day, I can allot some time each day to sit down and write.  I'm sure you haven't been waiting with bated breath for my next post (haha), but I hope that you will tune in over the next few months for some exciting changes!!  I have also been bad about visiting all of your sites lately, so I promise to get back into that as well.  I am truly lacking in the inspiration department these days, so I'm eager to see what you have all been up to!!!  

So thanks again for reading and following along with my crazy life.  And even if no one is reading this anymore, it feels so so so good to be writing and thinking again....haha!!  And not the kind of thinking that is required to fill a 6 oz. bottle or do the laundry.  I almost feel a sigh of relief now that I've written....like a weight is lifted off my shoulders and I can relax now that some of those thoughts have been released from my mind.  Does anyone else feel like that when they write?

And I'm sure there are a million and one things that I am forgetting on my thank you list, but those are the real important ones.  Other than that, there are just some other general ones, like financial stability, health, etc.  But those aren't as fun to talk about......

What are you thankful for this year??

Basement Renovation: Phase 1

We officially broke ground on the basement project.  Let the madness begin...

To save some money, we have decided to do as much demo and framing as we can before calling in reinforcements.  And since we aren't going to be able to help with the electrical, plumbing and heating portions of the renovation, the demo and framing are the only parts that we can really contribute to at this point.  

Here is what it looked like after a full day of framing last weekend:

Part of the basement (near the boiler) is being left unfinished for storage space, so the wall being built in this photo has a door frame cut out (on the far left) so that we can have access to everything when the rest of the space is built out.  We are planning to use two bifold doors to give us the most amount of room to move large items in and out of the space (including the boiler, if necessary).  If we used french doors we would have to make the adjacent hallway that much wider, which wasn't ideal considering the small space we have to begin with.

In the photo above, you will see a space built out for a future wine/beverage center.  There was a great deal of real estate beneath the stairs, so we thought it would make the most sense to be able to tuck a little entertaining area in there there, along with some shelves for storage.  Instead of just boxing the space out, why not make use of it? 

We added this extra lolli (lalli???) column (the dark grey metal post in the center of the photo..haha) for added support to the beam above that is carrying additional weight from the wall opening in our kitchen/dining room area.  It was not required during the kitchen renovation (read more about that here), but it couldn't hurt while the area is all opened up.  A little extra support is always better than none, right? 
 

And here is that storage room doorway I was speaking of earlier.  It will help us to get some larger items in and out.  On a totally unrelated note, I can't believe how much STUFF we have in there.  Ugh!!  I'm pretty sure those 4 tote bins on the left are ALL filled with christmas things.  I used to have everything organized and labeled, but I think I rearranged some things when we moved in and nothing seems to correspond with its label anymore.  Whoops!!  I guess its a rainy/snowy day project for this winter!

Above you can see the side view of the under-stair storage space when we first started framing. 
And here it is after a few hours of working..... 

 

 
We are planning on adding a wine/beverage fridge on the bottom half flanked by wine storage cubbies on either side.  There will also be a stone countertop (hopefully we will find a cheap remnant piece at a local stone yard) and a shelf for some liquor or food.  We have high hopes of entertaining down here, but honestly I see this space as a playroom in the future.....so, more than likely, our lovely little wine fridge will end up being a juice box and milk fridge with space for goldfish and sippy cups on the nice marble countertop.  Haha!  I'm totally ok with that though....

These last two pictures show the long view of the basement (underneath the half bath and kitchen...to give you perspective).  It it wide open now, but it will eventually be an office/guest bedroom, full bathroom with stand-up shower, and a closet for the laundry.  Can't wait!!!!

The contractors have been in and out since we did our part, so I will have an update with their progress shortly!  Our target date to finish was Christmas, but I'm not sure that is still realistic.  We will have a better idea of the timeline once we have all the plumbing and electrical completed (today, hopefully)!!  It's hard having other people doing the work.  I feel like I'm not in control of the project and it drives me crazy.  I sound like a total control freak, huh?  I guess its just hard to let other people do all the work when we are used to handling it all ourselves.....especially since I'm home listening/watching it all.  The thing I have to keep telling myself is that we aren't qualified to take on these parts of the project, so even if we wanted to and learned how to, it would take us FOREVER to get it all done.  #1, B has been working like crazy lately, and #2 we can't ever work together since one person is always watching the peanut upstairs.  My my how things have changed. 

Hopefully I will go downstairs this afternoon and be totally wowed by the progress.  Updates to follow.....

Basement Renovation: Planning

I know what you're thinking....you have an infant and you are trying to start another renovation NOW????  Yea, I'm thinking the same thing.......but there really isn't a perfect time to start this type of project (well maybe before Pace was born, but its clearly too late for that), so we figure we might as well get it done before the winter.  After the snow starts, we would have to shuttle all of the supplies through the kitchen.  Yikes!!  NOT ideal to say the least....and probably not even possible for some of the material.

So here is what it looked like when we moved in......lots of clutter (from the previous owners), but pretty much a blank slate:

It is basically the full footprint of the house, we are just keeping a small portion of it (about the size of the dining room) unfinished and will use that space for storage.  The main goal of this renovation is to add some play and work space to our home.  Currently our guest bedroom upstairs is doubling as an office, so it will be nice to have a separate space for both.  We are planning to have a separate office space (below the mudroom/kitchen area), a full bath (below the kitchen and half bath) and a play/entertainment area (below the living room).  As I write this out I realize that it would be SO much easier to just show you the floor plan rather than try to explain it all, but I haven't taken the time to create one just yet.  Once we get a few more details finalized, I will make sure to show you the plan a little more clearly!! 

Normally we like to do the work ourselves, but with our little bundle of joy, it's a little harder to be a complete renovating partnership like we used to be.  We are still planning on doing some things here and there, but the big stuff is being left up to the professionals, like the plumbing, heating and electrical.  We are going to do most of the framing, drywalling, tiling, painting, flooring and installation of fixtures.  It will help us save a little money on the total project and it will keep our DIY skills nice and sharp!!  Hehe.  Believe it or not, I am actually excited to do some tiling again.  I know that I was a little overwhelmed with the kitchen backsplash last fall, but I think that it will be much easier the second time around.  None of those first-time jitters....hopefully!  Still unsure of what we are using for all of the materials and finishes, but once I get it all planned out, you will be the first to know.  We are shooting for a one-month project plan, but as with most things, there will probably be delays. 

Here's hoping everything goes smoothly!!

Next up, I will try to put together a floor plan to show where everything is going to be.  The contractor is coming by tomorrow to discuss a few things, so hopefully he will help me make some decisions.

As always, I'll keep you posted on all the developments....and definitely on a more regular basis than I have been.  Sorry again about that!  This whole mom thing is AMAZING, but it sure does take up a lot of time.  Haha.  Every time I think I can sit down and write, I think of 7 other things that need to get done before he wakes up.  Yikes!

2 Months Down...

 

Clearly my plans for keeping up with the blog fell through.  Every time I would sit down to write something, Pace would need me or the phone would ring or the laundry buzzer would go off.  For some reason I thought I would have all this free time to do projects and write while Pace napped....but I forgot about all the other life things that need to happen when I have a few minutes.....like showering and brushing my teeth or paying bills.  Ha.  Boy was I naive.

But just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean that I don't have a lot to tell you.  Despite my limited free time, I have been able to get a few projects done here and there.   Like finishing the nursery, updating the guest bedroom/office, creating a hallway frame gallery, finding an umbrella for the deck and completing the walkway project (installing new steps....although we hired someone to do that part).  We are also in the beginning phases of finishing our basement.  I can't wait to share these updates with you!

For now though, I will leave you with some recent pics of the little guy.  He is changing so much every day.  I can't even stand it!

 

He loves our little photoshoots.....for now at least.  I'm sure that he will be pushing the camera out of his face once he learns that he can.  Haha.  I will enjoy it as long as I can though.

I'm also just 1.5 weeks away from returning to work and I can't tell you how much anxiety I have over it.  1/2 of me misses the office environment (weird, I know) and the social interaction and the other 1/2 can't imagine being away from my peanut for that long each day.  For some reason I thought that it would be a breeze to return to work, but the closer I get, the harder it is to swallow.  I have also been thinking about my career and I really want a change.  This would be the perfect time to do it, but I just don't know if I have the guts to take such a big leap of faith.  B is wonderful and supports me regardless of what I decide.....but that is almost harder than if he had an opinion.  I have to make this decision all on my own and it is nerve-racking!  Have any of you guys been through this before?  Did you think you would return to work and then decide not to?  Did you go back and regret it?  Any thoughts or insights on this would be amazing.  

Ugh, and I thought labor was hard......