Standstill

It’s been a couple weeks since my last update, but I suppose that’s because there wasn't too much that I had to share. I got really busy with work and time just slipped on by. Baby bump got bigger though, take a look:

21 Weeks

Still at 21 Weeks

Today - 23 Weeks

Also, I finally got around to uploading our “work in progress” pictures. This first set was taken in late August when we were picking out paint colors and ripping out flooring.

 
   

Unfortunately, the floor prep took quite a toll on Chris. From using the jackhammer so long, he actually jammed up his trigger finger and gave himself tendinitis. A couple Airrosti visits helped a great deal, but he still couldn't do a whole lot. In case you were wondering, yes this is the reason Chris’s arm is taped up in the picture where he’s holding me and yes he’s the one who wanted pink. His injury really slowed us down when it was time to start painting, but at least he wasn't the only one working. I've been able to help since we’re using Benjamin Moore’s zero-VOC Natura paint and keeping all the windows open. Also, Chris’s mom actually painted our entire master bedroom while we were at work one day. It was the sweetest thing ever and we couldn't be more grateful. Chris and I finished out the detail work in there last week and finally have one completely painted room.

We also took apart the kitchen island (planning to make it 2/3 of its original size) and got most of the living room and kitchen painted. I had been worried about the double story walls and started interviewing contractors, but Chris insisted he could do it on his own and bought himself a 24 ft extension ladder. It makes me incredibly nervous whenever he’s on there but he doesn't seem to mind.

And of course all this work led Chris to hurt himself again. Thankfully it wasn't a fall, but oddly enough, it was his shoulder this time. He had strained his shoulder muscle very badly over a year ago (the spasms led to him being unable to turn his head for over a week) and it never healed completely. So this past week when it started aching, he would ice it after painting. He got a massage on Thursday, but that night when he went to move the extension ladder, he pulled something and now has a very stiff neck. When he went back to his masseuse yesterday, he was warned that his muscle was on the brink of tearing and that it wouldn't be wise to lift anything for the next 2-3 weeks. He really needs to take some time to heal.

So with that, we've pretty much hit a standstill. With me pregnant and him injured, neither of us is in a position to climb on two-story ladders or even haul around floor planks for that matter. It’s time to suck it up and pay someone to finish. Unfortunately all the contractors that we've talked to can’t start until late October or early November. I guess this means we’ll be living upstairs for at least another month. I was hoping we’d be done by my birthday but now can only hope to be finished by Thanksgiving. Meanwhile the empty lot next door not only has a slab now, but also a good portion of the frame as well. The first story of the frame went up in just one day. Sure makes me wonder if the neighbor will have an entire house before we have a floor!

The Porta-Potty showed up Friday