Mud, Mud, and more Mud

There's not much to write about this week.  Chris has been working hard upstairs to put more drywall compound on the walls.  We also picked up our stair parts (balusters, rail, newel posts, etc.) so they are ready to install soon.  Plus, the paint is purchased so once the sanding is complete, painting will commence.

Samantha and I have been trying to get out during the days but it's been challenging - I'm huge (and uncomfortable), her friends have new babies, and the weather has been finicky. 

We did go to the library a few times.  One was for a "Storybook Friends" class with Grover and Elmo.  She cried almost the entire time but was so excited to talk about it when we left.  I'm not quite sure I understand but at least she says she had fun.  Here's a picture of her modeling her "Grover Party Hat!"

My due date is Friday but I still think I'm going to be late.  We'll be sure to share news when we have some to share!

Drywalled!

Our ducting and heat pump installation is complete.  We have several items we need to fix but the contractors are gone and not coming back.  We're not entirely satisfied but we don't need to turn on the system for awhile.  As Chris said, "we didn't pay for the white glove service" so I guess we got what we paid for. 

My parents came down this weekend to help out.  Chris and my dad worked on some final framing/flooring items and installed a lot of drywall.  Chris was also off work yesterday due to the snow so he was able to finish up a lot more.  Here are some before/after shots of the space:

While the boys were upstairs, my mom and I worked on spring cleaning and pre-baby nesting.  There was a lot of sorting through stuff and it wasn't fun.  We did a good cleaning of each room to remove the dust from the HVAC work.  It's nice to have it mostly finished!

On Saturday, I went to get my hair chopped off for donation.  These aren't the best pictures but it shows how much I had removed.

Here are some pictures of Samantha from this week.  She loves hoarding her toys.

She had fun using puffy paint.

She was great at color sorting cereal on shamrocks.

 

 And she enjoyed the snow cream I made yesterday after our bit snowfall.

This week should be spent upstairs with a lot of drywall compound and possibly painting this weekend (I'll keep my fingers crossed!).

Duct, Duct, Wire!

What a big (and dusty) week it's been here.  We hired a company to install our HVAC system (yes, all these years and we haven't had any central AC).  They were here two days installing ducts in the attic.  They have another day this week to finish up the install but there's already a lot of duct in the attic.

In order to put in the vents, they needed to cut into the ceiling plaster. 

I forgot how much dust plaster cutting creates.  Basically, every surface in the house was coated with a fine plaster dust layer. 

I had covered many things with sheets, etc. but it wasn't enough to eliminate any cleaning.  I think I vacuumed the house 5 times in the last week...with much more to do next week.  

We had an electrician come by on Sunday to install the high voltage wire for the air handler and condenser.  He will have to come back this week for the final hookup but it was great to have the rough in complete. 

Chris also got a lot accomplished by roughing in the wiring for the upstairs renovation.  This included moving a couple lights and switches, installing four new lights, and installing several outlets. 

Samantha and I had to hibernate in the basement while the HVAC guys were here so we weren't able to get out or do many crafts this week.  I think it's catching up to her because she has a LOT of energy today!

The weekend was beautiful and we were able to start all of our seeds for the garden this year.  We set up out on the deck and planted our tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, herbs, and some random veggies, as well as some marigolds.  Samantha had a good time playing in the dirt and planting her own flowers and tomato plant.  Hopefully she'll enjoy watching the plants grow and helping care for them.

This week we have more dust producing happening but we'll finally have an HVAC system!

Plumbed!

I don't have any photos of upstairs work to post this week but it doesn't mean Chris was slacking.  On the contrary, he worked hard to finish up the rough in plumbing for the upstairs bathroom.  Most of this work though is buried in the floor, the walls, and the attic. 

There is still some electrical work to finish, floor boards to put back in place, and some random items to complete before we can start hanging drywall. 

It was a pretty quiet week here but Samantha had a great time chasing boys around the house when our friends came over for a play date.  We also went to a play date to make some lion crafts (March comes in like a lion!).

Besides that, here is a picture of Samantha after she dressed herself (apparently she doesn't think sleeveless shirts are only for summer!).

A couple big things for the upcoming week:  The HVAC guys start installation tomorrow on our ducting and my parents will be driving down this upcoming weekend to help hang drywall upstairs.  We will hopefully have a lot of progress to show for it!