Three is Becoming Four

There is much to report at the Backyard Baers camp.

We spent the summer working, working and more working. The contractors we hired finished up the major projects in late summer. That includes the siding, the roof, the kitchen, and the half bath. Pretty big projects that I didn’t have the time or know-how to take on. Meanwhile, I have pressed on with the many projects on my to-do list. At this point, I have removed wallpaper in three rooms and patched/painted each room, patched/painted the living room, replaced all electric sockets and switches, replaced several light fixtures, installed a garage door opener, chopped and split a ton of firewood, and built a bedroom.Yup, I’ve built a bedroom. We needed another bedroom, and the basement is totally unfinished, so I constructed a bedroom near a future bathroom (that’s a future project). We put up the studs, insulated, put up the drywall, boxed out the window, and right now I am working on painting it. Once I have it painted, I will add the trim and install the drop ceiling. It has been a lot of work, and a huge learning experience, but I have enjoyed it and we were able to save a lot of money. I have to admit, I think the best part is the sense of accomplishment I get from the feeling that I built a bedroom. It was literally just a large open area, but we have added the walls complete with electrical outlets and even a light with a switch. I am quite proud of the way it has turned out. We’re not done yet, like I said, I still need to add another coat of paint, install the baseboards, and then put in the drop ceiling. The drop ceiling may be a challenge, but at this point I feel confident it is all going to come together and look pretty good.

So, why did we need a fourth bedroom so badly that we dropped what we were doing and started building one? Because in mid-December, three will become four … that’s right, we are due our second child, a boy this time! So, that has really dictated the order of some of our projects. Priority No.1 was getting the baby room ready, and then we had to have a room where our guests could stay. As you can probably imagine, we will have quite a few people coming to visit once he’s born, and I didn’t want to just stick them on the couch in our living room. And long-term, we were going to need a spare bedroom anyways, as we do have a lot of family and friends visit.

PKB had mixed feelings about her coming brother at first, but has gotten more excited as time has progressed. At first, she was just very disappointed she wasn’t going to have a baby sister.

So, to say times have been hectic is an understatement … more so for some than others. Pretty sure my wife was never thrilled about being pregnant and living in a construction zone … one without a kitchen and only one bathroom, which was on the second floor. Apparently, waking up three or four times a night and having to climb a flight of stairs to use the bathroom got old pretty quick.