… is a very very very old house. 🙂

Let’s start by saying that my husband despises our house with the fire of a thousand suns. I’m not as vitriolic when I think about our house. I’m happy to have a roof and it’s really small so very easy to clean but it’s definitely not ideal.

I think he hates it because it was a house he didn’t really want to begin with. It’s a real fixer-upper that he bought with his girlfriend at the time and they bought in a town that she chose because she wanted to be closer to her family. But then they broke up and he got stuck with this house that he never wanted and I don’t think she even lives in town anymore which is a little funny. Another thing is that the house is said to have been built in the 1800’s so eeeeverything is old and so terribly skew. It’s really fun fixing a house that defies the laws of physics.

Our plan is to overhaul the entire place so that we can sell it and find something with more room. It’s just been so long. We started working on it mmmaaybe 5 years ago and we’ve been in hiatus until now. We’ve done some good work though. I’ll walk you through what we have planned for each room and what’s already been done.

Kitchen: Thankfully the kitchen is done and it is perfect. N re-did it before we met and I absolutely love it! I think it makes living in the house bearable since it’s my favourite room of any house.

Dining Room: We finished this room last year or the year before I think. I remember painting doors outside while worrying about my 2nd embryo that had just been transferred. I think we did a really good job. Here are some before and afters.

TV Room:  We’ve put in new windows but we need new walls. We have lovely (*sarcasm) wood paneling on the walls that makes the room look incredibly small. We need to change the ceiling and add better lighting. Currently we have a broken light/fan combo that’s missing a blade because of a rambunctious game a boy and his cat were playing. And then we’ll need to trim it out as well. It doesn’t sound like a big job but we did the same thing in dining room and it took months and it was torturous because N is a perfectionist and I am not.

Bathroom: Oooh girl. This room is a disaster and oh so very tiny. Basically, if you stick your arms out and try to spin around you will touch everything. Yes your knees will knock into the toilet too. We don’t have tiles on the floor we have 80’s vinyl squares and a few of them are loose, so that’s fun. If you sit on the toilet your right side will be lovingly caressed by the shower curtain. This is especially nice when the curtain is wet. The previous owner, in his infinite house designing wisdom, managed to fit the window a quarter of the way into the shower area. Thank goodness for frosted glass. He also used non water resistant screws to screw in the shower wall. It looks great. Then we have a radiator with chipped paint that takes up a huge chunk of the room as well. Gorgeous. We have 5 more chipped paint radiators throughout the house so at least there’s a flow.

Needless to say, if we could bulldoze this room we could. Everything needs to be updated but I’m the most excited about it because the possibilities are endless.

Bedroom: Thankfully this room needs the least work. The windows are new and even though the walls and ceilings are uneven and warped-ish we’re just going to slap on new paint. The current orange walls and green trim that the ex painted it doesn’t match my…. anything really… why orange & green? We need a new light fixture too and it needs to be trimmed as well. This is supposed to be a kid’s room but we’re sleeping in it right now. N’s computer is there too. And it has to be said, we’re sleeping in an adult bunk bed. I’m not even remotely kidding. Most days I can ignore it but I really this is my biggest gripe with the house. I can’t wait to get a real grown up bed. With a headboard even.

Upstairs: Okay, this used to be just a storage and cat play area. It’s a big area that was awkwardly split into two rooms with shoddy carpeting that the cats mauled. We want this to be a master bedroom and we want to add a bathroom. So when we started this reno a few years ago we absolutely gutted it. We got a plumber and he put in the pipes for a shower, toilet and sink. We then started framing the bathroom and closet. And we put in new subfloor. There’s actually a funny story.

N and our friend B were putting in the subfloor one day. I was downstairs roaming about and I  heard a crash and right above my head a leg came crashing through the ceiling!! Then I heard B yell for N and two second later another crash and a second leg breaking through the ceiling! WTH!! N had slipped and fallen through and B went to save him and fell through as well. It was pretty funny. Anyway.

So we put the sub-floor down (worst job ever because skew house) and started on the insulation for the roof when N started having second thoughts. There wasn’t enough room up there for a master and a bathroom. He wanted a dormer put in. So we halted all renovations and put some thought into it. We thought for about 4 or 5 years. Yes, years. But we finally did it. We finally found someone to put in a dormer for us. It cost quite a bit but it will be so worth it. And and! He’s going to redo all the framing and the sub-floor. I’m so excited!!

They started on Tuesday and it’s coming along nicely so far. I’ll post some before and after pics of this when I download them off my phone 🙂

Other: We need new stairs going upstairs. They are awful. We need a new front door and stairs leading up to the house. And we need a complete overhaul of the outside area. A deck or something for curb appeal.

The goal is really to be out of the downstairs bedroom at least (and sleeping in a grown up bed!!). Right now we have no space for a permanent resident. Lordy, when I think about it all it makes me a little queasy but I am very excited to be picking up the reno again. I know I hated it when we were in the thick of it. N and I do not work well together. But when it’s done, it’s awesome.

I’ll be posting progress as we go so I hope you all like home reno blogs lol.

I’m going to do a quick Lucky Bean update below for anyone who is interested. Sorry this post has been a bit long.

 

 

 

 

*Lucky Bean Update*

 

We stopped all meds on the 26th. It was extremely nerve wracking and at that point I was still spotting. Not any noteworthy spotting but still spotting. I had a thought that it was the prenatal. The brand I was using had raspberry leaf in it which was playing on my mind for a while since it’s supposed to tone the uterus and might cause contractions. I became very wary of it and eventually just decided to stop and I grabbed the first prenatal I could find at Walgreens. A yucky gummy which I’m not happy with but whatever. And 2 days after quitting the other prenatal the spotting stopped. I have no idea if it’s related of course but let’s go with “mama knows best” on this one :).

I also bought myself a doppler and we’ve since used it 3 times with success each time. The first time at about 10.5 weeks. I can’t explain the feelings I had when we heard it. I can’t really explain any of my feelings. I think awe would best describe it. I still feel like I’m watching a movie and this isn’t really happening to us.

We had our first prenatal appointment on Friday. I was so nervous I was shaking on the drive there and then my IVF inspiration song came on the radio (Don’t Stop Believing by Journey) and I had a big relieved cry by myself. I think that was Lucky telling me that everything’s gonna be okay. That was a good cry.

The doctor is fantastic. She was extremely sensitive to our struggle and she was also knowledgeable on translocations which was a relief since I had to explain it to her nurse before she came in and didn’t want to do it again (no disrespect to the nurse though). The appointment itself was very quick. Nothing like an IVF clinic. They did a quick doppler check (HR 169), a pap smear, list of tests and a good, funny conversation all within about 20 minutes. N apologized to her for making likely making her work on Christmas. She laughed and said not to worry but we’re sure she’ll be in sunny Mexico that week anyway lol.

I didn’t get an ultrasound but I asked if we could but unfortunately they couldn’t schedule it for that day. We are going back in 2 weeks and we’ll get one then. She did ask if we wanted to come back in 2 or 4 weeks. We opted for 2 weeks but I felt pretty confident after leaving that I think we can stretch to 4 weeks after the next appointment…. I thhhink.

We opted to have the NIPT and another genetic test (results in about 7 days) and I’m starting to get nervous about it. She didn’t think we needed it because of PGD but we went for it anyway. She also tested me for a clotting disease. This was something she was worried about since my mom has DVT and it could be hereditary. I think our clinic tested me for clotting issues but I’m not sure.

She also wants me to do the 1hr glucose test before the next appointment. I felt like this is a bit early but it could be because I’m an oldie. And some ladies on instagram have heard of or had 2 glucose tests.

So all in all I am very happy we went this this doctor and this hospital. Almost everyone I know gave birth at the hospital and their stories were very reassuring. N was born there too. We made the right decision, I’m sure. It is going to take some getting used to the relaxed nature of this part of the journey. I’m used to regimented check ups and long dr’s appointments. The fact that I wasn’t given an exact date and time for the glucose test (and other tests) is strange. Everything is “as long as it’s between x and y weeks you’re good” and I’m used to “be there at 7am sharp or no baby for you”.

Oh and lastly, Dr P called me last week. This was another teary drive for me. He called to check in and to wish us all the best and asked us to please send birth announcement etc etc. I really wanted to email the entire team after our prenatal appointment to say thank you so I’m sad he called first. I don’t want him thinking I’m not grateful. I just wanted to make sure all was well. But it is what it is. I’m sending the email now.

Gosh I just realized how long this update was. This whole post in fact, phew.

Thank you for hanging in this long. This last month at work has been brutal and will continue to be brutal until after school closes on the 26th. So until then, my friends, I am sending you all my love and I’m thinking of all of you where ever you are in your journeys.