Is that a light I see, through the dusty haze?

Firstly, thanks to everyone that has contacted me to check that I am OK. I am really touched by the care and support of my virtual network.

In answer to that question, yes I am ok. I have just been totally snowed under with trying to get things done here so that I can have a baby! Caught up in real life instead of my online one I guess, which some may say is a good thing. Personally, having a few moments to sit down and reflect and blog would be my preference.

So - LOTS has happened since my last update. Things are starting to come together. I am working my way through the dust.

The Kitchen
Having the kitchen done was a major upheaval. Of course all of the contents of the cupboards had to come out, so they ended up filling the lounge. Then the new kitchen units arrived, and these had to be stored in the lounge too. This actually meant that I couldn't even move through the space, never mind find a place to sit. And of course I had no cooking facilities either, and at times no gas or electricity. Fortunately my mum and dad live close by and they were kind enough to put me up for a couple of weeks while it was all happening. I did come back regularly and look at how things were going. I am regretting now that I didn't take step by step photographs, but at the time I found it all so overwhelming and depressing I couldn't even photograph the state of the place.  Anyway - basically it has gone from this


To this


To be honest, I am not too sure what I think of it. Maybe the tiles are too orange. Initially I was going to have some green in there, but I decided against it. Perhaps it would have been better. Ah well - once I get all the stuff back on the benches and the grout goes in it will be fine. To be honest, I am almost past caring at this point - I just want it over with!

The tiler will be back to do the grout on Thursday, and after that it should be COMPLETE!

The Laundry
This is also being tiled today and will be grouted and FINISHED on Thursday

The Bathroom
The shower is now fully functioning with hot water which is fabulous. They are coming to lay the floor on Friday and then that will be DONE too!

Nursery
Everything got moved from the old study leaving it free to become the nursery. I bought a  very disappointing and flimsy wardrobe (the carpenter added some reinforcement in the form of corner braces so it is not quite so bad now, but still...) Although the internet is a great place to buy things most of the time, sometimes it really would pay to look at what you are purchasing first. I got my revenge with the online review though!

I managed to find a cot on ebay for a good price and bought a new mattress. I also got lots of baby clothes and cloth nappies (Motherease, for the interested!) from ebay and from some lovely friends and rellies, washed them all and put them away. It was so lovely to see all those little clothes  and nappies on the line, and I do find myself looking in the door every now and again.






















The quilt on the cot just arrived this weekend and was made by baby's grandmother on daddy's side. Not only is it beautiful, it is also a wonderful gesture which shows that, despite the extraordinary circumstances, baby is welcome in their family too - that means so much!



With this, I can conclude that the nursery is READY!

The big clean
I can assure you that you don't have this much building work done in your house without creating a huge amount of dust. When I moved back in after the kitchen was finished the place was a nightmare to say the least - you could hardly tell the colour of the carpet or the lounge suite. So, I set to work, washing and ironing seat covers and curtains, and cleaning carpets... I did totally wear myself out and suffer for it, but it was worth it to spend a day relaxing in a clean lounge. 

I still have a few house jobs to do. Once the tiler has finished there will be some touching up to be done on the paintwork, and I still have few cleaning and moving and tidying things to do to get everything into it's home, hooks to put up and that sort of thing, but really THE END IS IN SIGHT!

Finishing work
I have also finished work, a little over a week ago now, and although this may be earlier than most people finish, I was actually ready for it. It was also good timing as I ran out of students! With the first paper of the GCSE maths exam taking place yesterday and paper 2 on Thursday, my services are not required until next year. I have high hopes for this year's group too. I really feel that many of the students that I worked with could have made the jump from a D to a C. I am looking forward to results day to find out how they all did.

Concluding my studies
A final thing that I want to get to get finished prior to munchkin's entry in to the world is my studies. I have been going to uni on weekends and in school holidays for the past year to do a course that will make me a qualified maths specialist. I have just 2 more days to attend, finishing next week, and the essays and exams to complete. My plan is to have the whole thing completed by 21st June. Having done all of the coursework, the presentation and completed 2 of the 4 essays (one of them in the last 2 days!) I am confident that this will happen too. 

Feeling lousy and lucky all at once
Last week I commuted to London 3 days in a row for uni, getting up at 5.30 am and catching the 6.43am train.  The week left me completely drained of energy and enthusiasm, with legs and feet that more closely resembled those of an elephant than of a human being, and along with that, a feeling of total overwhelm that I will never be though all of this and recovered in time to have a baby. To top it all off, I then developed a stinking cold.

On Friday afternoon, baby daddy arrived and we started sorting out the final things we need to do to be baby ready. This included things like buying a car seat, and writing the birth preferences. He also did heaps of jobs for me, like plant things in my garden, which has become incredibly difficult with an enormous belly... We trawled around the shops trying to buy the final items until I was dead on my elephant feet and could look no more. On Sunday, he sent me an email with details of an order for everything else on the list, which he had found, bought, and arranged to be delivered to my house. What an amazing guy. I cried with relief/joy/gratitude when the email came though.

Then, just a couple of hours later, another email from my friend and doula, answering all my questions about the birth preferences. She makes all the difference, knowing she will be there makes me so much more relaxed about the whole process. I know she will support me, encourage me, advise me and defend me and it all so very reassuring.

So, with the cold, the hormones and the fatigue, Sunday was an interesting day emotionally. Despite feeling lousy, I have a gorgeous friend to help me with the birth, an amazing baby daddy, and a beautiful baby wriggling in my belly, so I also feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

Hello, and thanks for stopping by. My name is Emma and I am a lifestyle entrepreneur, writer, teacher, coach and mentor. I am passionate about eating real food, learning, travel and health. I get to spend my days with my amazing son who has chosen to learn from the world rather than at school. We write to share the life we love and to help others create a life they love too.

4 comments:

  1. Wow Em, talk about 'nesting', you have taken that to new heights. I'm sure the desire to have everything 'ready' is really strong, but remember the world will keep turning even if it is not! Your place looks gorgeous (even the tiles!) and i hope that it is a space that feels homey and comfortable for you. Well done on the study - that's enough now too! And good move to finish up work now, give yourself time to rest. Looking forward to the next update. Lisa xx

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  2. Maybe it is the biggest nesting exercise ever - though the garage conversion and bathroom were on the plan from the outset...

    I just didn't do it straight away in case I needed to spend the money on fertility treatment (thankfully not)

    ... and then I daren't make a start until I was safely through first 12 weeks as I didn't want to tempt fate,

    ...and then the kitchen flooded and ruined the floor and half the units,

    .. and of course everything took twice as long as planned.

    You're right though, even if nothing else got done it would be fine to have a baby here now - 3 weeks ago the house wasn't liveable in so it's all good really.

    Speaking of looking forward to the next update - when's yours?

    Hope all is well

    xxx

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  3. Welcome back to virtual reality. I missed you. Great what you've achieved over the last month though. It seems like everything is wrapping up perfectly in time for a few weeks of R&R before bubs joins you. Very exciting.

    I like the kitchen tiles too. Nice earthy colour, suits a kitchen methinks. Two questions though... where's the fridge? More importantly, where's the dishwasher?!

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  4. Thanks Mama Bear, yes I am liking the tiles too - just not sure about how they go with the green, which is odd as I nearly got green tiles too (same colour as walls) and they mixed in perfectly well with the orange... Anyway, it looks a bit less orange in real life, and now the grout is in it has lightened up.

    The fridge is hidden away in a cupboard (strange English thing to hide your fridge) - will take a picture for next update.

    I don't have dishwasher - I don't like them. I find loading and emptying the dishwasher far worse than washing up. Plus whatever you need is always dirty in the dishwasher. I did think ahead though and designed the kitchen so that I could put one in easily if I change my mind in the future!

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