Sonny is growing up....

Isn't he handsome??!! He's 7 weeks, 1 day today and he'll be going to his new home at our neighbor's next week. I will miss him a lot, but I know he will be very loved and he will be close by if we want to visit him! His new home has 6 children...so he will have a blast!

New Closet!

The closet and linen closet drywalled before framing...that window will not be there when it's all done.

Sean's dad helped with the closet framing. The house is almost 100 years old, so not square at all...have to fudge things a little to make it all work! The open space in the wall is the back of the bathtub...Sean has to install a removable access panel in case of clogs or leaks! The linen closet will be almost 2 feet wide...bigger than we originally planned, but it will allow me to store quite a bit more.

And here it is all drywalled, ready for spackle! Sean won't be doing that until ALL the drywall is up in the room. Then it's on to painting and installing the cherry Pergo floor!

The Chimney is Gone!!

Sean took sort of a half day this morning to finish the chimney and clean out the room. WHAT A MESS!! It was full of old soot...some had even hardened...nasty. The bricks came apart so easily because of the old mortar...which was all over the floor. We've been using the Hefty Force Flex to get rid of all the mortar, drywall and plaster...they are really very strong bags! I highly recommend them!

Instead of dragging all the bricks down the stairs and outside, we piled them on the sunporch roof just outside the window, then threw them on the ground out back. We will be using the good bricks for a small pathway between Pam's and our house...probably through the little garden that will be there.

The next thing to happen is the door on the left has to be taken off and the trim and remainder of the lathe removed. THEN, Sean will be putting up drywall where the girl's closet will be and then framing the closet and linen closet as well as running more wiring!

Now that the chimney is out, it seems that everything will be moving along much faster! Sean's dad is coming out in the morning to install new heating ducts and vents for both bedrooms...this winter they will be warm!

Week 14 - Starting the 2nd Trimester!

I'm popping right out!! Today I'm 14 weeks 2 days..into my 2nd trimester already! The nausea is finally subsiding...which I am more than ecstatic about! I was taking anti-nausea meds for a little while, which did help, but then they started giving me awful headaches, so I stopped taking them. I have to make very sure I drink enough fluids and eat enough protein along with lots of fruits and veggies...that makes a huge difference with my headaches and tiredness.

I haven't felt Mini Who move yet...but that should be soon. I think I felt the other three move in the fourth month! My next appointment is Monday the 30th...I'll update again!

Change in Nursery Plans!!

Sean diligently working on insulation where the girl's closet will be built. We decided to move the girls into this room instead. It will be just about the same size as their old room. Having a bunk bed helps with this tremendously...it will fit nicely into the corner next to the other window.

We will also be extending the bathroom out about a foot or so and building a new linen closet behind the bathtub, which is to the far left of where Sean is in the photo. This means we'll be putting in new flooring, which will be tile, and ripping out the old linen closet. We'll also be replacing the old medicine cabinet...THAT I'm very much looking forward to! It will also get a new coat of paint...very unsure on the color still.

This is the old chimney that was hiding in that small closet we ripped out. Tonight, Sean will be starting the process of tearing that out! He has to empty it first...it is FULL of soot, etc. At least it's all dry and we can use the shop vac! Then he has to go up in the attic and chip the bricks apart, layer by layer. The mortar is old and falls apart quite easily, so hopefully this job will go quickly! Sean's been putting it off...it will be a mess!

This is the far wall on the north side of our house. The first layer of insulation board and foam to fill in the cracks and holes is done. Next comes the wiring and installing outlet, switch and light boxes. Then the pink insulation can go in...then...the drywall!

Sean and I will be making a trip to Lowe's maybe this weekend to start picking out flooring, drywall, paint, lights, etc...for this room. Pretty sure we'll be putting in wood flooring over the old pine planks. There are so many choices and colors... I'm thinking of a lighter wood for the girl's room. They've talked about having each wall painted a different pastel color...so a light wood floor would be beautiful!

For the nursery, the walls will be painted a very light yellow. I'm thinking a dark wood would look awesome...but then, I don't know what color crib we'll have....hmmm. I know I don't want a white one. I do want a transitional crib...so the color of the crib and floor really need to look nice together!

Sonogram and due date!!

Finally...my first sonogram photo!! I went in on Thursday for my monthly OB visit, very much looking forward to this next sonogram. Mini Who is VERY active!! Dr. P(not my regular dr) had a difficult time getting measurements! :)
Mini Who measures just about 4 cm from head to rump.
I measured at 10 weeks 4 days on Thursday and my official due date is September 21st! Just 4 days after Sean's birthday!

I think the sex of Mini Who can be found out around week 20. I don't want to be surprised...never have. Since I have two very different decorating ideas this time, plus people who have many things gender specific to pass on to me, I need to know. It will makes things go so much smoother.

Sean was not able to go with my to this appointment due to taking over as boss for the week, so my best friend and neighbor, Pam, HAPPILY went with me. I almost think she was more excited than I!! She cannot have any more biological children(she has 3), so she told me she's going to live vicariously through this pregnancy!! LOL!! I, of course, don't mind at all!

Dr P prescribed me anti-nausea meds...thank goodness!! I have to take one every 8 hours...it just dissolves on my tongue. They are really working! Yesterday I was able to eat cereal with milk(dairy has not been agreeing with me) and a good-sized salad for lunch!!! I'm actually looking forward to making dinner tonight without gagging the entire time! The only side effects I'm noticing are a slight headache which I'm trying to counter with more water intake and a slight extra tiredness.

Stop back again soon...I plan to post a new belly pic!!

More Nursery Demolition!!

The third or fourth bin full of old plaster...this stuff is SO heavy!

Lots of lathe to be burned!

All of this lathe has to come down! There is blown-in insulation behind it...most has settled...that's why this room is so cold!

That used to be the girl's closet on the other side of that open wall. I had the idea to use this space to add a little extra square footage to the nursery. We'll have to build a new, smaller closet inside the girl's room on the other side of the white wall.

I'm so very excited about this...I can just picture it all finished!! And I look forward to when I can share those photos with you!

1st trimester almost over....

Within a week or two, my first trimester is coming to a close, and hopefully so will the nausea. Mornings have been okay...it's the afternoons and evenings that are the worst. I actually got sick 4 days in a row last week...so exhausting and not daring to eat anything for fear or getting sick again!

Yesterday was a pretty good day and I'm thankful for that. I had only slight nausea and around 9PM, I discovered that eating a few handfuls of Kix cereal with no milk comforted my stomach!!

Thursday at 10AM is my next OB appt with sonogram, so I will be asking my Dr about nausea meds. We'll see what comes of that.

I may be posting again later with more demo pics of the nursery...depends on how I feel though!

Mood Swings Anyone???

These last few days have been rough...the nausea is consuming me and it's been very hard to put a smile on my face and keep it there. I am also watching Pam's neices this week for the most part as her and her family are very ill with whatever NASTY bug is going around! The girls are very good when they are here, but with the nausea and my mood swings, my patience is unfortunately very thin(mostly when Caitlin and Sara argue) and I have to really catch myself.

On top of this, our cat Gracie unexpectedly had kittens on Sunday! We thought she was just eating too much and not getting enough exercise! Hah! I wasn't home when Gracie delivered the first one...which ended up dying...Sean had no idea what to do and was totally grossed out. I rushed home with my nephew, Rocco(I was watching him), and got Gracie settled in the cellar until she stopped bleeding, the kitten taken care of and everyone calmed down!

About 3 hours later, as I was sitting in the rocker watching TV with Gracie on my lap, I felt her belly get hard....and OH...she started to push!! She wasn't done delivering, so I took her in the kitchen on a towel and helped her with the next kitten. I had to take the sac off and cut the cord because Gracie was clueless, again. Me playing vet again...this happens a lot! This kitten is a very light orange/tan tiger...and so cute! It may be darker once the kitten fuzz is replaced.

Being pregnant and seeing a precious little kitten dead is really hard, especially when I'm pregnant. Last night I was mad at Sean for not trying to save the first kitten, but then totally understood his aversion to blood, etc...he just couldn't do it. So I'm not mad anymore. I think something may have been wrong with that one anyway...something about it's front leg wasn't right.

So to anyone who prays, please pray for this nausea to subside soon. It's really wearing me down.

Curl up in a ball.....

That's what I feel like doing most days now. My nausea has been so bad the past week and a half, that I just want to curl up in a ball under warm blankets and sleep the day away...sometimes I just want to cry. I've only actually gotten sick once...and that was from brushing my teeth. sigh.

I'm doing okay today so far...but it's only 9:30 AM. I had a couple waffles with peanut butter for breakfast and that seems to be helping. I'm thinking I'm lacking in protein, but when EVERYTHING makes me gag, it's really hard to make anything for myself. I feel even worse that I can barely make anything for the kids or Sean. Even looking in the refrigerator was making me gag yesterday...I think it was the thought of certain things in there.

It was so bad yesterday, that I asked my best friend, Pam to pick up a McD's bacon ranch salad with crispy chicken and ranch dressing. It was the only thing that sounded good and I needed the protein from the chicken plus the fresh greens. It really did help tremendously...
so THANK YOU PAM!!