Six months ago or so, i read an article on-line about avoiding remodeling stress, and it had some interesting tips and I thought I "got" it...
They went something like,
Start with the end in mind
Minimize your downtime
Get out of town for a few days
Roll with the small changes
Have the right attitude about mistakes
Hire a professional
I wouldn't even consider not hiring a professional and our contractor has been WONDERFUL. He is easy-going and pleasant. I have been mindful not to change gears too often, but when I do...he is awesome about rolling with it.
So anywho...here we are three weeks into to the remodel and the stress is HERE. Money being a major factor. We are well north of the initial bid. And it's no fault of anyone that I can tell. Things just come up, which is where "roll with the small changes" comes in.
I am behind in the things I wanted to be doing along with the contractor too. There is a LARGE amount of blue wallpaper that needs to be destroyed! Ugh, please promise you will only use wallpaper in tiny areas, after all other forms of decorating have failed. It's such a pain in the arse.
With all that being said, I feel pretty good about things. Going into this deal, I thought we would only be in this house for about three-five more years. But after all this time and money, I am reevaluating what we need in a house. We don't need more space...we aren't out-growing this house. We just need to be smarter about use of space. I see us staying in this place for more like ten years.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Belly Bump Update
25 Weeks
This picture isn't very scientific...I'm not sure if you are able to gauge how big the belly bump really is, but it's shot. Still feeling pretty good, still enjoying the 2nd trimester energy and not nearly as sick as I was even ten weeks ago. I did vomit this morning and I have no idea why. I've nearly perfected the art of puking, so it isn't a big deal anymore. Just when I get the petechiae healed on my face, I have another round of purging.
The babe seems to be growing right along. He is into rolling kick-boxing moves at this point. They don't always feel great but it's a nice confirmation he is healthy and happy.
It's unbelievable to me this adventure will move into the baby moon in the next 15 weeks or so. I have had very little heartburn with this pregnancy, so I am wondering if this will be my first bald baby. I can't wait to see his little face. :)
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Long time no post...
Fall is here finally, and the HaYes' have all sorts of exciting stuff going on.
I was super involved this year in our school's annual fundraising gala, which was a huge success. I felt blessed to be involved, it takes a lot of time and energy, but there were valuable lessons learned along the way. Being pregnant changed my energy level, and I would like to think my snarkiness level too.
Wyeth seems to be enjoying school. According to his teacher, he considered one of six proficient readers in the class. He participated in soccer again this fall, however I am not convinced soccer is his sport. Mr. Workin' is often frustrated by the end of each game due to Wy's lack of hustle and need to trash talk on the field. He is somehow too social to be into it. I have been more frustrated with Wy lately for an overall lack of listening. He is often off in some "La La" land. I am guessing part of the problem is my uber-high expectations, but there has to be a happy middle ground. His basketball season is starting, and I overheard a long talk by daddy regarding listening to the coaches and other adults. So I am not alone in my feelings.
Ella has been hit and miss. There are days at a time when she is pleasant as punch and overall our easiest child. And then something shifts and she melts down six times a day. Oh the tears! I will always carry a fair amount of guilt for the fact she got shoved out of babyhood. On the other hand...the older she gets the more convinced I am that her neediness level has little to do with birth-order and more to do with her personality. I want her to be a happy, well adjusted child, but it takes everything I have not to lock her in a closet. Something about her personality stirs a fear in me that I am not ready to deal with. School has been a much better experience this year. She loves her teacher and shows more try for Mrs. Brown than she will for me. I love my Ella-Bella and don't want anything but the best for her...it's learning to enjoy the ride.
Fara is the most confident little person in our family. And with that comes a violent rage that gets her in a fair about of trouble at home. She went to her first experience of school ready to conqueror the world and was actually disappointed when I went to pick her up. I think Fara will be the most effected by the birth of our new baby. She is still pretty possessive of me and she thoroughly enjoys her role as the baby. I just don't worry about her on the same level as I do the other two. If she is heavy on my mind, it's due to a physical problem like fever or complaints of pain. She is mean to Ella and Wyeth from time to time, but I mostly feel like she is defending herself.
The baby is growing along. I still vomit from time to time and there seems to be no rhyme to reason to it. We are down to one bathroom with our remodel and it's no fun to get sick with an audience, but at least it's few and far between. My weight has plateaued and my blood-pressure looks great. I am feeling a large amount of movement all day and night. Nesting has been in the front of my mind and I am sure that is largely due to the fact the house is in shambles for the remodel.
There is so much more going on that I want to update on...I will try to get back here to write more soon.
I was super involved this year in our school's annual fundraising gala, which was a huge success. I felt blessed to be involved, it takes a lot of time and energy, but there were valuable lessons learned along the way. Being pregnant changed my energy level, and I would like to think my snarkiness level too.
Wyeth seems to be enjoying school. According to his teacher, he considered one of six proficient readers in the class. He participated in soccer again this fall, however I am not convinced soccer is his sport. Mr. Workin' is often frustrated by the end of each game due to Wy's lack of hustle and need to trash talk on the field. He is somehow too social to be into it. I have been more frustrated with Wy lately for an overall lack of listening. He is often off in some "La La" land. I am guessing part of the problem is my uber-high expectations, but there has to be a happy middle ground. His basketball season is starting, and I overheard a long talk by daddy regarding listening to the coaches and other adults. So I am not alone in my feelings.
Ella has been hit and miss. There are days at a time when she is pleasant as punch and overall our easiest child. And then something shifts and she melts down six times a day. Oh the tears! I will always carry a fair amount of guilt for the fact she got shoved out of babyhood. On the other hand...the older she gets the more convinced I am that her neediness level has little to do with birth-order and more to do with her personality. I want her to be a happy, well adjusted child, but it takes everything I have not to lock her in a closet. Something about her personality stirs a fear in me that I am not ready to deal with. School has been a much better experience this year. She loves her teacher and shows more try for Mrs. Brown than she will for me. I love my Ella-Bella and don't want anything but the best for her...it's learning to enjoy the ride.
Fara is the most confident little person in our family. And with that comes a violent rage that gets her in a fair about of trouble at home. She went to her first experience of school ready to conqueror the world and was actually disappointed when I went to pick her up. I think Fara will be the most effected by the birth of our new baby. She is still pretty possessive of me and she thoroughly enjoys her role as the baby. I just don't worry about her on the same level as I do the other two. If she is heavy on my mind, it's due to a physical problem like fever or complaints of pain. She is mean to Ella and Wyeth from time to time, but I mostly feel like she is defending herself.
The baby is growing along. I still vomit from time to time and there seems to be no rhyme to reason to it. We are down to one bathroom with our remodel and it's no fun to get sick with an audience, but at least it's few and far between. My weight has plateaued and my blood-pressure looks great. I am feeling a large amount of movement all day and night. Nesting has been in the front of my mind and I am sure that is largely due to the fact the house is in shambles for the remodel.
There is so much more going on that I want to update on...I will try to get back here to write more soon.
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