Bathtub Find!

Jason and I are seriously frugal and we have learned a lot over the years about how to save money on renovation projects without sacrificing quality.  Since we purchased our first home in 2005, we've completely remodeled two homes and now this major renovation and addition makes our third.  We have three rental properties and one empty lot and when we did the previous remodels, we did so keeping in mind that tenants would ultimately live in the space and knowing that it would need to be versatile to a variety of tastes and easy to maintain.  This time, it's a little different because everything is being selected just for us.  We have a little more room to be creative and build and finish the home to our own tastes. 

One item that became important to me was finding a tub that would be big enough for either of us to enjoy using without feeling like a sardine stuffed in a can.  We're not little!  It became clear pretty quick that a five-foot tub wouldn't work, nor would a 36" wide tub.  We ended up modifying our master bath floor plan slightly - changing the pocket door to the toilet closet to a swinging door - to make room for a 42 x 72" whirlpool tub.  Tubs aren't cheap!  We searched high and low online, in big box stores and at one particular liquidation store that I refer to as "the place where dreams go to die."  

A friend recommended a plumbing supply company in Nashville, and we checked it out even though we were skeptical about getting a good value.  We were surprised to find out that a builder/contractor had ordered four very nice whirlpool tubs for a project and never picked them up, so we saved more than 66% on the tub we purchased.  This Jason tub (Jason is "son of Jacuzzi" - a brand started by a former Jacuzzi employee) is the one we selected.  

We keep learning new things throughout the process and this was one of my favorite bargains.  Now I know it doesn't hurt to ask about items on hand like this that can be purchased for a steal. 

House Update

We've hit a point with the house where we're frustrated and ready to see things move along quicker, easier, and with fewer change orders! Overall, it's still an awesome process, but it is not without challenges.  We knew renovating and adding on to an older home would bring a fair number of unforeseen situations, but the number of them has been a little overwhelming at times. 

First, we had the fireplace, the floor joists, the sub flooring and the popcorn ceilings.  We removed the fireplace, replaced the sub flooring, added joists and we will be sheet rocking the ceilings in the existing house to cover the popcorn ceiling because it could not be removed by sanding.  

While the pipes were winterized, we ran into some serious leak issues when the temperatures thawed.  Twenty-two leaks to be exact.  We decided to replace all of the plumbing rather than repair the existing plumbing so going forward, we should be in good shape.

The latest challenge is too technical to get into too much detail here, but it involves the pitch of the roof.  We hired an architect to draw up the plans for our addition and renovation for many reasons; one of the foremost reasons was the importance to us of not having a roof line that jutted above the existing structure that would be visible from the street.  We had a near-miss with the construction of the roof over the last week but were able to work it out so that the pitch is as it should be.

Here are some of the latest pictures:

Part of the roof pitch problem-solving - we had to decide between 45" or 24" overhangs.  The 45" would have required additional support, so we're going with 24".

View of the kitchen from the living room.

Pantry - located within the kitchen on the end of the right side of the horseshoe layout

Hallway from the existing house to the master suite and laundry room - to the right of the new kitchen

Laundry Room

Linen closet in the new hallway to the master/laundry

Closet in the master bedroom

New master bath and toilet closet. It will have a separate whirpool tub, shower and water closet.

Master bedroom. The hardest to capture because I had limited camera sight lines.

More to come soon!

Hawkes' First Month

Wow, it has been six weeks already since Hawkes joined our family! None of us has ever been so tired or happy to have this little guy with us.  I forgot how exhausting it is to have a newborn and also how sweet.

Likes: being held, being rocked, baths, riding in the car, stroller rides (after a rocky start, he likes them now), his bouncy seat, SOPHIE, the Ergo carrier, the ABC song sung by Sophie, pretty much anything Sophie does!  The love is mutual - watch this.

Dislikes: the witching hours of about 6pm to 8pm, crib naps (see above - likes behind held!), waiting more than 0.3 seconds to eat when he's hungry, the swing

Personality: loves to gaze at the ones he loves.  Gets excited hearing Sophie's voice and gave her his first real smile.  Loves snuggling.  Makes a true bird call noise just before sneezing.  I have tried for a month to capture this hilarious and endearing bird call on camera and finally got a second of it here. Now that we're on week 6, he's really developing a personality - making funny faces, discovering body parts (hands, feet, tongue, blowing bubbles) and reacting to our funny faces. 

This month has been full of challenges, not just the kind that come with having a new little guy and making lots of adjustments.  Many of you know Jason had back surgery just 9 days ago after suffering tremendous pain from a disc herniation.  We may share more about that another time. What this means for him is that he hasn't gotten to pick up, rock, play with Hawkes like he wants to.  He hasn't gotten to share those middle of the night moments with him that you would think a guy wouldn't miss, but I know he does miss them. We're confident that in a few short weeks, Jason will be able to do all of those things and make up for lost time. He is the best dad and my best friend, and we all look forward to seeing him back in business!  Sophie and Hawkes and some precious moments as a family, despite the challenges, have made this the best month we can remember.

We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends

It seems like a good time to ask for prayers if you pray or vibes and positive thoughts if that's more your thing. Jason is having back surgery on Tuesday and we are hopeful that it will bring relief in every way for him and our family. Without going into too much detail, he has a disc herniation and some accompanying issues that he's tried to tackle in every other way, but now that those other avenues have been exhausted, it's time for surgery. We're confident in the abilities of the surgeon, Dr. Richard Lebow, and look forward to seeing good results.  This hormonal and tired new mom looks forward to finally seeing him be able to rock our baby and move without pain. 

 

We appreciate every single thought and prayer and will post an update after the surgery!

Hospital Bag Checklist

Having a second baby gave me a slight advantage when I packed a bag for the hospital because I knew what I wished I had the first time around and kind of remembered what I was glad I had.  Here's what we brought, and it seems like a lot but it all fit in one small weekender bag:

For me:
Glamourmom nursing tanks
Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Sleep bras - Target 
Bravado Silk Seamless Nursing Bra

Robe
2 button-down nightshirts
2 pair leggings, 2 cardigans
Slippers
Comfortable flats
Pillow
Phone/iPad and charger
Camera
Glasses and enough contacts for a few days
Toiletries, including Cetaphil face wipes and heavy-duty lotion (your skin will be DRY from the hospital air and especially if you are breastfeeding)
Toilet paper!!  You do not want the hospital-grade TP.
Forgot to bring a bath towel!  Also might want to pack a blanket for the new dad. Our hospital had plenty of blankets but you never know!

For Hawkes:
2 newborn sleepers
2 three-month sleepers (we weren't sure how big he'd be and low and behold, he was born almost too big for NB clothing!)
Miracle blanket for swaddling (we've moved to Halo Swaddle Sleepsacks and SwaddleMe swaddles now that we're home)
A couple of receiving blankets
Carseat

To pack all these things in my weekender, I used a couple of sets of these eBags packing cubes.  I can't say enough good things about the packing cubes - they're great for keeping things organized and separating my clothes from Hawkes', toiletries from clothing, etc. 

Vanderbilt has a variety of room service food options and snacks available at no cost (outside of the $$$$ we spend to be there!) so I didn't pack any food, but otherwise might have packed granola bars, nuts, etc to have on hand because having a baby for me is like running a race - I am starving and parched for days after!  I also didn't pack diapers and wipes because I knew those would be available. 
 
That's it! Hope this helps someone out there! 

 

The Blocks are in!

This may not seem cheer-worthy, but it is!  After weeks of weather-related delays (too wet to dig the footers, too cold to pour the concrete, etc) all the stars finally aligned long enough to get those footers dug and concrete poured so that the blocks could go in and the framing of the addition can start soon!  As you can see, this photo was taken from the comfort of my car because it was raining like crazy today.  The space closest to the car is the kitchen, with the laundry room in between that and the master suite and hallway on the farthest side. 

We've also selected cabinets for the kitchen so I'll have some photos of the sample gallery to share soon and some details about the type of wood, the company, and some of the features we're including.  For now, though, I'm feeling ecstatic about the progress!

Is it Just Me Or...

Is the doorbell that much louder when you have a sleeping baby in the house? I swear, every delivery (accompanied by ridiculous dog-barking) arrives just when Hawkes settles in for that last late afternoon nap. 

I'm trying to get my act together to write a real post, but wanted to share some photos of the first two days Hawkes was here with us at Vanderbilt until then. 

Our first family photo, minus Sophie. Someone asked if I was wearing makeup and the answer is I might have had a little residual makeup from the previous day at work - I was in labor from about noon on 1/13 until I delivered at 5:24am on 1/14.  Washing my face wasn't exactly a priority!

Hawkes!

Kids, in case you don't know the conversion, 4.080 kg is NINE POUNDS!

Proud dad

Keeping it real. She was excited about Hawkes, but she's still three!

Who knew we'd have a great hospital room view? And gorgeous flowers from some thoughtful well-wishers.

Love this pic of the proud big sister

And another...

Headed home!

 

 

 

Just for fun, here's us going home with newborn Sophie!