Wanting but Waiting...

[star sparkle]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

It only started for me when we moved. Like that baseball movie, if you build it they will come. And I have the child care situation figured out. That's what it took. It's also helped that all of my friends are diving in and I have been spending more time with the babies. Being around them helped my brain move over. I'm not craving a baby super hard to the point of depression like some of my friends but I am now looking forward to it. I just hope that come December everything works the way it's supposed to and we are able to have a healthy baby. I have a drawer full of wondfos for ovulation and HCG donated by a friend who is now 12 weeks. December will be here before I know it!

 

[TooPatient]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

When I think about the changes in life and my body and all the little things that could go wrong, it scares me. I think that is natural. We do what we can to make a home that will be safe and healthy for a baby and then go with the flow. I don't think you can ever feel completely "ready" for such a huge thing.

It does help that we have a teenager already (my step daughter) living with us and I've had experience with babies/toddlers on up. Of course some days having a teenager is a great birth control -- "OMG!!! A baby will grow into a teenager!!! "

DH will be 58 soon. I hadn't really thought I felt strongly one way or another until my period was a full week late and I cried when the HPT was negative. When there was a birth control oopsie and my period was a few days late, I was disappointed to get another negative HPT. I think if it hadn't been for those two events I probably would have just stayed on my birth control and not thought about it until much later (if ever).

But now that I've got the idea in my head and have talked about it with DH, I'm all ready to go. (unless I think too much about the details and "what if...." stuff) Nothing quite like fighting the urge to strip down and pounce on him

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I know what you mean about the teenagers. I have much younger brothers who are about to turn 11 and I was just talking to my Mom the other day about how they were easier to deal with at 5!

 

[TooPatient]

DH had a brilliant plan about how to build a workshop, shift the office downstairs (to what is now garage), make me a big pantry, and put a nursery next to our room!
It is actually feasible!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

DH had a brilliant plan about how to build a workshop, shift the office downstairs (to what is now garage), make me a big pantry, and put a nursery next to our room!
It is actually feasible!

Yay!

 

[TooPatient]

DH had a brilliant plan about how to build a workshop, shift the office downstairs (to what is now garage), make me a big pantry, and put a nursery next to our room!
It is actually feasible!

Yay!

I cut a hole in the wall of our hall closet. It seemed like a good idea...
Looked like we had about 35 square feet of unused space that would allow us to grow the hall closet into a walk in plus add more closet for "A".

Now we have a hole in the wall above the stairs

Oh well!
We DID discover that we can very easily add a six foot deep shelving section (about five feet high & five feet wide) so that will give us more storage.
Should be able to finish that over the next month or two

NOT going to get all of the mega renovation done before TTC! We don't mind having the baby in our current room with us for a few months or even cleaning out the office and using it as a nursery/office combo for a year if we have to.


Going to do the mega renovation in stages. Our neighbor owns his own construction company (and they do beautiful work) so we're going to talk with him to make sure our plans aren't too crazy. I'll draft up the plans for what we have now and what we're hoping to end up with. We can also do another plan for the first stage so that we can do the mega work in 2 parts. Looks like we won't be messing with any structural walls so it shouldn't be too bad that way. DH knows all the electrical codes and how to do that sort of thing. We have the tools to do all the framing, flooring, electrical stuff, etc. Will have a gas line guy do that part and a plumber do that.

Currently thinking we'll do a master suite in the garage for us (DH hates current master bath) then move "A" into what is currently our room. This will be great for her as she'll get her own bathroom & far bigger bedroom (she is super excited by this idea!). We'd also do a nursery downstairs next to our room plus a pantry and a project-room (sewing, music, additional book storage). Also planning to run gas line to kitchen and into the new master suite so we can have a separate water heater for our bathroom (instead of carefully sequencing showers to avoid cold water). Garage stuff will shift to free-standing workshop/garage (15x20?) in back.

Tentatively:

1 -- Draw up plans for downstairs (DH wants to buy plastic sheeting to staple up so we can get a feel for how big rooms would be too)
2 -- Add shelving to closet (add supports & plywood to top for ceiling so it isn't open into roof then sheetrock & shelves)
3 -- Tear out electricity from garage (this is a not to code MESS that needed fixed anyway)
4 -- Tear out cabinets & shift all garage stuff to front half
5 -- Frame in rooms in back half of garage (master suite & pantry?)
6 -- Cut down tree & move existing shed
7 -- Build workshop
8 -- Frame in rooms in front of garage (nursery? & project-room/library) including removing garage doors & re-siding chunk of house

Hope to have the first two done in the next month or so.
3, 4, and 5 hopefully over summer
6 over winter/spring
7 over summer 2015
8 summer/fall 2015

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Wow that's a lot of work to do! We are only renting so our to do list is just cosmetic. I just ordered an area rug to cover the entire floor of the small nursery and I'm going to have to trim it a bit and re bind the rug so we can take it with us again when we eventually leave. Then all we are going to do is a full repaint of the nursery room, reseal the windows with some caulk, order and install cordless honeycomb shades to help keep the room warmer and change the ceiling light fixture. The rug I only did now because it was a great bargain. We'll do the rest at the end of summer since I'll be off and home for a few weeks. I would rather do the work now before I'm trying to get preggo. We're also getting our puppy in August so it'll be a busy month for sure!

 

[MuffDog]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

I never felt 'ready' (whatever that means). I mean...how can you be ready for something you have no real understanding of? Are you ready to totally change your life? Are you ready to totally change your relationship with your DH? Are you ready to learn the meaning of true love? How can you be 'ready' for all of that?

I mean...some people have baby fever - I never had that. I wasn't keen on changing up my life because I liked how it was!! However...as many others will tell you here, I thought about my future Christmas dinner table and I saw children there. Grown children.

And there is only one way to get there....(ok...not JUST one way, but you know what I mean).

So yeah...we had sex. We got pregnant. I had the baby and realized that I must have been ready because there he was and I was thrilled. I never have once looked back and thought "if only I did _____ before we had the baby" or "I wish I had more time to do ______". We are adaptable you know. You will adjust. You won't even realize you did until one night you are sitting at home while your baby sleeps and you think about how you aren't even SAD that you aren't out partying, because you totally wouldn't have been out partying anyways.

You know?

Anyways - that is why we made the jump from WBW to TTC. I'm now going through the same thing for round 2. ha.

 

[amc80]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

I never felt 'ready' (whatever that means). I mean...how can you be ready for something you have no real understanding of? Are you ready to totally change your life? Are you ready to totally change your relationship with your DH? Are you ready to learn the meaning of true love? How can you be 'ready' for all of that?

I mean...some people have baby fever - I never had that. I wasn't keen on changing up my life because I liked how it was!! However...as many others will tell you here, I thought about my future Christmas dinner table and I saw children there. Grown children.

And there is only one way to get there....(ok...not JUST one way, but you know what I mean).

So yeah...we had sex. We got pregnant. I had the baby and realized that I must have been ready because there he was and I was thrilled. I never have once looked back and thought "if only I did _____ before we had the baby" or "I wish I had more time to do ______". We are adaptable you know. You will adjust. You won't even realize you did until one night you are sitting at home while your baby sleeps and you think about how you aren't even SAD that you aren't out partying, because you totally wouldn't have been out partying anyways.

You know?

Anyways - that is why we made the jump from WBW to TTC. I'm now going through the same thing for round 2. ha.

This is all so true. DH and I were talking about going out and came to the realization that we'd rather be at home on the couch.

I never felt truly ready for a baby. I wanted one so badly, but I was only looking forward to the fun stuff (the BFP, the ultrasound, picking a name, etc.). The idea of an actual baby to take care of was pretty daunting until...well, it's still daunting. I am much more excited about #2 because I am so much more prepared. I know what to expect this time which is huge.

 

[TooPatient]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

I never felt 'ready' (whatever that means). I mean...how can you be ready for something you have no real understanding of? Are you ready to totally change your life? Are you ready to totally change your relationship with your DH? Are you ready to learn the meaning of true love? How can you be 'ready' for all of that?

I mean...some people have baby fever - I never had that. I wasn't keen on changing up my life because I liked how it was!! However...as many others will tell you here, I thought about my future Christmas dinner table and I saw children there. Grown children.

And there is only one way to get there....(ok...not JUST one way, but you know what I mean).

So yeah...we had sex. We got pregnant. I had the baby and realized that I must have been ready because there he was and I was thrilled. I never have once looked back and thought "if only I did _____ before we had the baby" or "I wish I had more time to do ______". We are adaptable you know. You will adjust. You won't even realize you did until one night you are sitting at home while your baby sleeps and you think about how you aren't even SAD that you aren't out partying, because you totally wouldn't have been out partying anyways.

You know?

Anyways - that is why we made the jump from WBW to TTC. I'm now going through the same thing for round 2. ha.

Mega life change and change in your relationship with DH for sure!

I get a little scared still and start to think that maybe I like things how they are and I'd be happiest without a baby.... and then I find myself staring at the baby in the grocery store or dreaming about nursery furniture.

Having "A" here probably helps me feel better about that. I was super scared (but really wanted her here!) when we were getting ready for another fight to get her in our home. We were looking at a year or more of fighting (best case was supposed to be 9 months to transition) so I figured it would be gradual and all that.... Yeah. Things got crazy. The unexpected happened. We signed papers around 7pm and picked her up to be with us forever about 15 hours later!

Now this is the new "normal" that feels so comfortable and scary to think about changing
I have no doubts (okay... so I have doubts and then no doubts and then doubts and then....) that when we have a baby, we'll take some time to get adjusted and then that will be the new normal and it will be good.



I am SOOOOOOO glad you ladies are here!
If I told DH every time I was thinking of this he'd think I was crazy
(We do talk daily or more about baby preparations and what we want during pregnancy/labor and life with a baby )

 

[star sparkle]

Whatever is in the water that you ladies are drinking, can you please pass some of it to me? Our TTC timeline is quickly approaching (Sept - Oct), and I still don't feel ready.

I never felt 'ready' (whatever that means). I mean...how can you be ready for something you have no real understanding of? Are you ready to totally change your life? Are you ready to totally change your relationship with your DH? Are you ready to learn the meaning of true love? How can you be 'ready' for all of that?

I mean...some people have baby fever - I never had that. I wasn't keen on changing up my life because I liked how it was!! However...as many others will tell you here, I thought about my future Christmas dinner table and I saw children there. Grown children.

And there is only one way to get there....(ok...not JUST one way, but you know what I mean).

So yeah...we had sex. We got pregnant. I had the baby and realized that I must have been ready because there he was and I was thrilled. I never have once looked back and thought "if only I did _____ before we had the baby" or "I wish I had more time to do ______". We are adaptable you know. You will adjust. You won't even realize you did until one night you are sitting at home while your baby sleeps and you think about how you aren't even SAD that you aren't out partying, because you totally wouldn't have been out partying anyways.

You know?

Anyways - that is why we made the jump from WBW to TTC. I'm now going through the same thing for round 2. ha.

Thanks for this post, I feel exactly the way you're describing. I DON'T feel ready to completely change my life, I LOVE the life that DH and I have right now. I've never had baby fever, I don't ever expect to have baby fever, and that makes me doubt our timeline/decision to TTC later this year. I beat myself up because I feel like I *should* be ready and I'm just not, when I see/hear/read about so many women who are just itching to start a family and wish they were pregnant yesterday.

Then I feel even worse about it because there's nothing I feel like I need to go/do/see in the world before having a kid - I've lived quite a fun-filled life thus far, DH and I have travelled a lot together and we've had tons of amazing experiences together, so it's not that.

We've never been the partying types, we don't stay out late, so I'm not afraid of losing that scene since I never participated.

I guess my biggest issue right now is that I love the place DH and I are at, and I love the freedom and flexibility we have to do whatever we want whenever we want. We have a bunch of extracurricular interests (skiing, diving, running, wine tasting, etc) and our current lifestyle allows us to do those things at the drop of a hat. I know a kid will change all that. I know a baby wouldn't "ruin" our lives, it'll just be a drastic change, but it's hard not to feel that way sometimes.

Ideally I'd wait 2ish years before TTC, but DH's work situation and our living situation would make that NOT the ideal situation for us and baby in the long run. Which is why I'm in this whole freaking out stage to begin with.

 

[star sparkle]

This is all so true. DH and I were talking about going out and came to the realization that we'd rather be at home on the couch.

I never felt truly ready for a baby. I wanted one so badly, but I was only looking forward to the fun stuff (the BFP, the ultrasound, picking a name, etc.). The idea of an actual baby to take care of was pretty daunting until...well, it's still daunting. I am much more excited about #2 because I am so much more prepared. I know what to expect this time which is huge.

See, for me, I'm not worried at all about actually being a parent or caring for a baby. I know we're capable of it and can do a good job. I'm worried about the lifestyle changes, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad about the prospect of it no longer just being DH and I.

 

[amc80]

This is all so true. DH and I were talking about going out and came to the realization that we'd rather be at home on the couch.

I never felt truly ready for a baby. I wanted one so badly, but I was only looking forward to the fun stuff (the BFP, the ultrasound, picking a name, etc.). The idea of an actual baby to take care of was pretty daunting until...well, it's still daunting. I am much more excited about #2 because I am so much more prepared. I know what to expect this time which is huge.

See, for me, I'm not worried at all about actually being a parent or caring for a baby. I know we're capable of it and can do a good job. I'm worried about the lifestyle changes, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad about the prospect of it no longer just being DH and I.

It's definitely a huge change. I don't think there's any way to prepare for it, either, which doesn't help. Everything becomes more difficult. No more running out the door for a quick trip to the store. No more peeing in private. Showering? HA! Only if he's napping. Eating out used to be our favorite thing, and now we rarely do it. B is at that age where sitting still (and quiet) isn't his strong point.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

So some more future nursery progress has been made. Cordless blinds are up as are blackout curtains for one of the windows. I am glad to say that the addition of these two things has warmed up the room quite a bit. The area rug will be coming tomorrow and I'm hoping I like the color since it was such a good price. The only other things I would do as I can would be the ceiling light fixture and paint. I swear I will not buy any (more) specific baby stuff unless I'm actually preggo. I feel like now it's actually going to be hard to wait until December in some ways. At the same time I'm glad I still have time to live life on a whim. Whew.

 

[pancake]

Life has definitely changed for us but the changes are not as rigid as you might think. We still eat out a lot - just earlier, and we pick restaurants that are relatively child-friendly. We can still go on dates, just need to plan ahead more. We still travel, but instead of "exploring" type trips, we do R&R trips that allow us to relax together as a family (which isn't a compromise in any way - it's what we want).

I think you will find that your priorities realign themselves once you have a baby and that there will not be as much grieving for your "old" life as you fear. We are, without doubt, happier and more fulfilled than we ever were before (and we were pretty darn happy!).

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Star Sparkle, I think it's really smart to be so aware of the changes a baby brings to your lifestyle and your relationship with your spouse. I know that I was never one of those women who longed to have a baby and be a mother. My DH and I were together for 12 years (married for 4) before we got pregnant with our first. I always said that my life would have been full without having kids--we loved travelling, eating out, spending weekends hiking, rock climbing, etc. Anyway, you get the idea--I was like you in that I liked our lives and knew that because we were so active, our lives would have to change.

We actually did have long-term goals before having kids. Not just financially (another big impact on our lives), but we had a pre-kid travel bucket list and while I know there is no "perfect" time to have a baby, I really treasure the things we crossed off that list before getting pregnant.

Now I have a 2 year old and a 2 month old. And honestly, life is very different. But my experience is similar to Pancake's. We still go out to eat at least once a week, we just go earlier. We still take vacations, but they are R&R vacations (for now). And we are still really active on the weekends. We go to the aquarium, the museum of fine arts, the science museum, the children's museum, plus our toddler has swimming class, art class, music class, etc.-- so it's not like we're just sitting at home because we have kids. Our activities are just different. And honestly? It's a lot of fun. I would have never expected that I would be the parent that would love doing toddler art with my kid, but I do. And soon they'll be older and we'll be taking those bigger, more involved vacations again.

Another thing that surprised me is how much more time DH and I spend together now. We used to work late often. And would sometimes do our own thing on weekends. But now we get home from the office earlier to spend more time with the kids. And they are in bed by 7:30, so that gives us a few hours each night to ourselves. Granted, sometimes we are both working at the kitchen table, but we also watch movies, have dinner and talk. Plus we are really lucky that we have great sleepers and we are usually up before they are, so we haven't felt the sleep depravation that I think can put a lot of stress on a relationship.

So while I think it's really smart to anticipate the changes in your life, I think you might be surprised about how easy it is. I expected the worst and it's so much better than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting to genuinely love doing so much with them. It doesn't feel like I'm sacrificing anything.

Just wanted to share since I had the same fears as you!

 

[JGator]

We also still eat out a lot, but we try to get home by 8pm when we used to go out at 8pm. Our daughter is asleep by 9pm which is late compared to a lot of the PS kids - some sleep at 7pm. And, we go to noisier, family friendly places. We are totally constrained on travel. We had a bad experience - 4 hours of crying on an 8 hour flight back in December. So, we are afraid to take her on a flight which we will have to do at some point because DH's family lives on the other coast in the US and in Europe. And, my family lives a 2 hour flight away. We do not have any family nearby so we have no one to watch the baby for us to go out alone. We could hire someone, but we pay a lot already for our nanny so the thought of paying Overtime hours to the nanny so we can go out to eat is not very appealing. So, no movies or dinner out without the baby in the last 18 months! And, only 2 trips with the baby. We also are fearful of travelling and staying in a hotel room with the baby because we would all have to sleep at the same time so I'm trying to find a place with a separate bedroom for future vacations. When you are breast feeding, you have to BF or pump regularly so your life revolves around more schedules than it used to. You also have to plan your life around nap times. And, until my daughter was 14 months old - she was up multiple times per night so I was living in a complete sleep deprived fog. We love our baby to pieces, but we are so much more constrained and tied to home now than we ever were in the past! She brings so much joy and happiness to our lives though so it is worth it, and I am assuming at some point, these constraints will ease up as she gets older!

 

[star sparkle]

amc - See, hearing stuff like that is what freaks me out!!

Asscher - Dayyum, girl! Looks at you go!

pancake - Thank you for sharing! It's a different perspective that I've actually never heard before, so I appreciate hearing that. Usually it's all doom and gloom and makes me want to swear off having kids forever.

NewEnglandLady - Your post made me feel a ton better, thank you so much. You and your DH sound a lot like my DH and I, and it's nice to know that it's not all "bad." I know and anticipate that a baby will change our lives pretty drastically, but the part of me that is terrified of losing the freedom DH and I have argues with another part of me that says having a kid will be fun, too, for the reasons you mention. I bet it would be tons of fun to experience the everyday things with my child, expose them to the world, and see it through their eyes. Like you, I seem to be expecting the worst, but I'm so happy to hear that it doesn't necessarily turn out that way.

JGator - Thanks for sharking your experience! I guess the fact of the matter is that every baby/child is different, and there's no telling what will happen once you take that bundle home with you.

 

[pancake]

Don't get me wrong, star sparkle - there are loads of experiences that I cherish from the pre-baby days! Our year of travelling around Europe and SE Asia, lots of fine dining, theatre, concerts, impromptu winery weekends, all that stuff. We had a rich and full life before we had S. But what we have now is better - we get little tastes of our "old life" every now and then and they are like a special treat, but I think that now we've had S, the idea of going back to life as it was feels a bit empty because it is now so full of her and everything that we do together. It has also changed my relationship with my husband for the better - it has been hard work and even though S is the most easygoing kid on the planet, there's no doubt that having a kid challenges a relationship no matter HOW chilled out the kid is. But we are stronger, closer, a better team. That's not to say that ZOMG YOU SHOULD JUMP IN THIS SECOND or anything Just that I think you guys will be just fine!

 

[star sparkle]

Don't get me wrong, star sparkle - there are loads of experiences that I cherish from the pre-baby days! Our year of travelling around Europe and SE Asia, lots of fine dining, theatre, concerts, impromptu winery weekends, all that stuff. We had a rich and full life before we had S.

Yeah, this sounds just like DH and I. We take a few big trips per year with smaller, domestic and weekend trips interspersed in between. We love fine dining, theatre, and Napa is practically in our backyard so we are able to go there on a whim and enjoy a day there! We live in a great area that offers so much, and we love taking advantage of what we have.

But what we have now is better - we get little tastes of our "old life" every now and then and they are like a special treat, but I think that now we've had S, the idea of going back to life as it was feels a bit empty because it is now so full of her and everything that we do together. It has also changed my relationship with my husband for the better - it has been hard work and even though S is the most easygoing kid on the planet, there's no doubt that having a kid challenges a relationship no matter HOW chilled out the kid is. But we are stronger, closer, a better team. That's not to say that ZOMG YOU SHOULD JUMP IN THIS SECOND or anything Just that I think you guys will be just fine!

This is awesome, and so comforting to hear! Right now it's really difficult for me to imagine that life could be *better* than it currently is, and all I can think about is the things we're going to lose once a baby comes along. Experiences like yours help me to see that we don't necessarily have to stop doing the things we enjoy or that our quality of life will go downhill.

We have 5 months left until our TTC timeline starts, and we've got a whole lot of stuff planned between now and then. I'm hopeful that as the time gets closer, I'll feel more accepting of the inevitable changes.

 

[pancake]

It's always hard to look forward with excited anticipation to something that is totally unknown! I totally get that. Even if you DON'T feel more accepting of the impending changes, it will still be ok. Once those "changes" are just a part of your life you'll get on with your lives in the new normal

Also, we still go to wineries for lunch etc, we just take the girl with us Her first long winery lunch was for our wedding anniversary when she was 10 weeks old - it was to the winery where we had our wedding reception

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Well it's been a little while, I hope you're all doing well! We have some recent developments, we will have a baby boy joining our family. He's a cavalier

I always wanted dog before baby so hopefully dog will be well trained before a baby joins us. His name is Sebastian and we'll be picking him up this Saturday! This will make the wait until December either worse or better, gotta wait and see!

I know I'm posting his pic all over the place but I'm just so excited!

 

[TooPatient]

Well it's been a little while, I hope you're all doing well! We have some recent developments, we will have a baby boy joining our family. He's a cavalier

I always wanted dog before baby so hopefully dog will be well trained before a baby joins us. His name is Sebastian and we'll be picking him up this Saturday! This will make the wait until December either worse or better, gotta wait and see!

I know I'm posting his pic all over the place but I'm just so excited!

So cute!!!

I love cavaliers!

 

[TooPatient]

Love our neighbor!

Our neighbor (the contractor -- owns & runs a great construction company in the area) listened to our ideas for the garage and said "Umm...." He had a list of challenges that would cause and actually suggested an alternative that sounds great!

His architect is coming today to talk with him about the plans they were working on for his own house (our house is identical to his) and he thinks they may be the sort of thing we're looking for too.

Can't wait to see what he says after talking to the architect! Supposed to be drawings and stuff that he will show us if he thinks it is doable -- plus a quote!
His crew can't do it right this minute and has another mega project lined up, but he thinks we can work it out so that they do part and then do another part. That would be perfect for us as we could do a bunch of non-structural stuff to keep costs down and they'd have work between projects. It would also spread the cost of remodel out over a stretch of time

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Love our neighbor!

Our neighbor (the contractor -- owns & runs a great construction company in the area) listened to our ideas for the garage and said "Umm...." He had a list of challenges that would cause and actually suggested an alternative that sounds great!

His architect is coming today to talk with him about the plans they were working on for his own house (our house is identical to his) and he thinks they may be the sort of thing we're looking for too.

Can't wait to see what he says after talking to the architect! Supposed to be drawings and stuff that he will show us if he thinks it is doable -- plus a quote!
His crew can't do it right this minute and has another mega project lined up, but he thinks we can work it out so that they do part and then do another part. That would be perfect for us as we could do a bunch of non-structural stuff to keep costs down and they'd have work between projects. It would also spread the cost of remodel out over a stretch of time

Yay for progress! We're picking up Sebastian on Saturday and the wait is killing me!

 

[TooPatient]

Where are the Sebastian pics?!?!?!?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Where are the Sebastian pics?!?!?!?

We got home late Saturday night with him and yesterday was very busy! Here he is!

 

[amc80]

Possibly the cutest puppy EVER.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Possibly the cutest puppy EVER.

Thank you so much! It might be true, all of the ladies at the vet office were beyond themselves with him. He is such a little charmer! Now we just need to get him potty trained and happily ever after!