Way back when, Tom and I had plans to go away somewhere warm and tropical this winter. And then zika happened, and I was pregnant, so that plan was nixed. We started researching alternative warm places that were a bit safer. Plans were made, destinations decided on... and then I got tired and never booked anything. It just seemed like so much work to fly so far and do so many things, especially when the things I'd really want to do, I wouldn't be allowed to because of bubbles. So eventually plan D was implemented, and we combined a weekend away with a staycation.
The Garage That Wouldn't
So a quick update on our garage. So it turned out that the breaker had gone bad and knocked out power to our entire basement. A quick trip to Lowe's gave us the new piece we needed, and then all we needed to do was swap it out.
We've actually had to replace a breaker before, so we weren't too worried about doing it again. Switch off the main power to the house, remove the front of the electrical panel, and then swap out the pieces. (Also enlist the help of an assistant to hold a flashlight!).
Two Quick Stories
Homeowner Mysteries
Confession: I have never once unlocked a door to our house with a key, and entered that way.
Every single time I've come home, I've entered through the garage. My car has a built in button to open the door from inside the car. And if that were ever to fail, I have the actual garage door opener in my glove box. This week my car happens to be getting some minor work done, so I've been driving a rental, and using that spare garage door opener. Tom does the same thing.
Expectation vs Reality
Expectation: The piece of furniture you ordered and scheduled for delivery on Monday, will be delivered on Monday.
Reality: You'll get a call from the delivery people saying they'll deliver on Monday. Then they call you back and say, um they're not sure, but they'll get back to you. Then they call back and say they absolutely will deliver on Monday. They promise, pinky swear. Then another call. Oops, their mistake... they're not delivering on Monday after all... you're totally cool with changing all of your plans, right?
The 2nd Trimester is Boring
Late Night Wake Up Call
One of the random side effects/symptoms of pregnancy, is bloody noses. Weird, right? Of course there's a totally logical reason for it, but it's still an annoying and odd thing to have to deal with among all the other changes your body is going through. One of the suggestions that doctors give you to deal with them, is to get a humidifier. A humidifier also happens to be one of the only things you're able to use to treat a cold, which I came down with this past week.
So off to the store we went last weekend to buy a cool mist humidifier. We'll likely need one for the baby anyway, so it seemed like a smart investment. I used it mostly at night, and it was actually working! I think I only had one bloody nose this week (trust me, that's a huge improvement) and my cold passed pretty quickly too. I was hooked.
What Do You Do When it Snows?
So we have some snow. A lot of snow.
A few days ago we had no snow on the ground and now we have almost two feet. For a while, the snow had been light and fluffy, which was helpful for shoveling, but not great for playing. Finally, one night Tom came running into the house. I'd been napping, and he'd been out shoveling.
The Dinosaur Penguin
Alternatively titled, "Anatomy Scan: How I Scared Tom Half to Death"
Ultrasounds - An exciting experience where you get to watch a TV screen showing your baby moving around. Or the time to figure out any and all genetic problems, health issues, and life ending debilitations. One of those is a lot more fun than the other, but the reality is, both are true.
The Magic of Ikea
Remember when I shared some pictures of our dining room chairs? And at the end of the post, if you had been paying attention, you would have realized I had no idea what to do with the wall behind the table. At the time I was hanging cards on it, utilizing three screws that were already in the wall when we moved in. It kind of worked, for then anyway, but it definitely wasn't meant as a permanent solution.
Basement: The Before Post
Stop Dancing on my Bladder
So after the last, not so encouraging ultrasound, Tom and I were ready for a do over. That chance came when we were given the option of doing a down syndrome test, which requires an ultrasound. I'll be honest, I just heard ultrasound and said I was in. Especially because it was at a different office where they had the new, high tech ultrasounds. I knew we'd be able to see a lot more, and have a much better chance at hearing a heartbeat. The results of the test meant very little to me compared to that.
Heading into the appointment, I was mostly excited and just a little bit nervous. I knew things were probably okay, but I still really wanted to hear that heartbeat as confirmation. Then I checked the website and looked at the pre-appointment instructions... and that's when I became very nervous.
The First Heartbeat: Sort Of
Alternatively titled, "How I almost gave Tom a heart attack."
So the first appointment I had was with a midwife, and was supposed to be mostly a checkup for me, and gathering a medical history. It was in the middle of the day and Tom had to work, so I went alone. I'd already gotten all the medical information from him, so it wasn't a big deal. At the very end of the appointment, the midwife decided to try and do a quick ultrasound to check and make sure it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy.
One More Thing to Cross off the List
Slowly but surely, it's happening. We're moving in a bit more, decorating and making things feel like home. For a while now, I've had a stack of picture frames littering the office floor. Waiting to be put somewhere or hung up.
Finally I found myself with a free day, and decided to start hanging them on the wall by our stairs. Originally I had a plan to map out where everything was going to go, but I realized that was causing me to delay starting the project since I wasn't sure how to do it. In the end I just grabbed the drill and started hanging things.
Pregnancy: The Symptoms
I mostly didn't know what to expect for pregnancy symptoms. I figured I'd be puking in garbage cans left and right and making Tom go out in the middle of the night to buy me pickles. (Again, thanks movies). I've seen friends and family members pregnant before, and it didn't seem that bad? But as I soon found out, most of pregnancy is about suffering in private.
Seriously, who decided that the worst pregnancy symptoms would happen at the beginning when you're not supposed to be telling anyone you're pregnant!? It's the worst cruel joke nature could play on you. I was lying and faking my way through life while feeling like I was going to die at the same time. I was also feeling a bit dramatic haha.
The Nursery Round I
I wish I had a better 'before' picture of this room for you. Something more than a half painted wall to show you what it looked like. I don't even have one from the walk through I don't think - it was the previous owner's daughter's room, and they didn't post any pictures of it on the listing, and I never took any. Once we moved in, it was always just an empty room, so we never went in there. The walls were a dusty rose (or as I call it, dirty pink) and the only room of the entire house where I hated the paint color.
I think in the back of our mind we always knew it would be a future baby's room, whenever that happened to be. In fact I often referred to it as the baby's room. It was better than "the extra bedroom that isn't the guest room, and isn't the craft room, you know the ugly one with the gross pink walls?"
#Adulting
Pregnancy: The First Few Days
For another post about how life is different from movies, let's explore what we did after finding out I was pregnant.
In the movies, this is a huge turning point! Lots of things happen very quickly! Symptoms start immediately. A visit to the doctor is planned for the next day. Funny things happen. People are told. In reality, none of this happens.
I Suck at Registries
Maybe it's because I'm pregnant and don't have a ton of energy. Or maybe I'm just not a registry person. After all, we never really did a wedding registry. We had a super small one that we did online. We never went to a store to pick things out. Either way, setting up a baby registry was a nightmare for me!
I'd been putting it off for a while. For some reason it didn't sound fun. Even though I love shopping and I love babies, something about the registry made me want to avoid it at all costs. It was Tom who finally convinced me to go. Convinced, begged.. same difference.
Basement Update
There's a reason you're always supposed to get multiple quotes when you're having anyone do work on your house. One of those reasons is, you never know when the first company you talk to is insane, even if they seem like the most well know and popular choice.
Two weeks ago we had Brian from Total Basement Finishing/Black Dog Builders come by to look at our basement. Brian's was a contractor, not just some creepy sales guy there to make us spend the most possible. I told him from the beginning that Tom and I were numbers people, and that was what was going to be important to us.