17 days

We are on the tail end of a home/kitchen renovation. It started with the kitchen. Tiles falling a part and off the counters, breaking one by one. Drawer fronts destroyed, insufficient table space, dirty grout and dingy/grease stained walls (flat paint and no back splash has that effect). 
So, me and B thought: "Well, we have the money to fix all this now...the question is: do we want to?" We both knew that it would either happen now (before baby) or a year from now when things have settled down and we have a routine with our new boy (ie: when I'm through the post pardum issues, baby is sleeping well and napping well and I feel like I have regained some order in my life).

After some consideration we decided to go for it and it has been a wild ride:
  
We left Saturday the 5th to Rocky Point to play for the long weekend with our friends, the Eyres. We thought it would be wise to get out of the house during the first stage of the kitchen remodel. Optimistic Brandon thought it would be mostly done by the time we got home. The problem was the kitchen remodel led to a series of begats: "Well since they had to take some of the tile flooring out, we might as well have them rip it all out, well...then we have bare, unfinished, dirty floors soooo, we should probably have someone come and buff the concrete and seal it. Well, they had to patch and texture the ceiling b/c they put in recessed lighting soooo, we should probably have them paint. Considering we don't love the original wall or ceiling color we should paint the entire interior of the house and all the ceilings too, while we're at it?!
Are you overwhelmed/exhausted/annoyed yet? 
Has it been a crazy/messy/burdensome project? YES. Was the timing ideal? NO. Is is ever? No. 
So, here we are...the painters are coming to finish up tomorrow. The floor guys come on Tuesday and will finish up on Friday/Saturday and then the base boards will go in on Saturday...our contractor is coming after that to finish up a few last minute details in the kitchen: some frame work, adding the toe kicks and handles to all the drawers and cupboards.
Basically, I have the promise that it will all be finished by the time baby comes but that leaves me with a garage FULL of dirty, dry wall dust coated furniture, book shelves, toys, pots, pans, plates, frames et al. to clean up and organize back into my house.
Am I stressed out? Not most of the time. I've kind of embraced the chaos (which is SUCH a challenge for me). The changes in the home are wonderful and I know in the end I will be SO happy we took the plunge. 
And really, I've been so consumed with thoughts of this new one entering our home, I don't really care about the fact that my house is a bomb and my strange nesting needs are not being met...not even in the slightest.

In fact, I just watched Benson's birth video and sobbed. Is there anything more tender, more miraculous, more beautiful than the birth of a new babe into the world?! I think often about the boy growing hearty and strong inside me. Poor little man doesn't even have a name yet! I wonder who he is and what he will become. I think about how wonderful it will be to lay him on my chest and hold his squishy, warm, fresh, little body close to me. I am almost equally excited to watch my older boys greet him, to see their faces as they behold their tiny new friend. 

Benson has been particularly clingy lately. It's almost as if he senses the change coming. It breaks my heart a little every time I have a baby to say goodbye to one baby and welcome the new one. Not that I have to really say "goodbye" but just that their time as baby has passed and now it is time to welcome the new baby of the family. 

I will likely post "Before and After" pics of the kitchen etc. some time in the next few weeks...or they might come after we welcome our newest addition to the family. It all depends on how I'm feeling. I am being induced on the night of the 13th so hopefully by that next morning/early afternoon I will be holding my baby boy.

Till Then :)