All at once

Week 23

House news:
It seems like everything is coming together all at once!
Here's a summary of what happened this week:

• The majority of the painting was accomplished
• The glass for the shower doors was installed
• The vanities for the bathrooms were finished
• Sconces, dimmer switches and finishes around recessed lighting were installed
• Construction of the entertainment center for back room began
• Measurements for granite counters happened
• Installation of cable/phone/internet
• Furniture shopping: we bought a kitchen table and chairs, a rug for under the table, two reading chairs, a pendant lamp for over kitchen table and bathroom fixtures (towel bars and toilet paper holders)

At the end of this coming week our house is going to look like a house. The painting will be finished while closet organizers, granite and all of our appliances will be installed. After everything is put into the house the final step is finishing the floors and then we can FINALLY move in! Our target move-in date is the second weekend in February. I can't wait!

Master bathroom vanity cabinetry

In Nico's painted nursery!

The beginning of the construction of our entertainment center

Glass shower door

Staircase sconce

Vanity and sconce for Nico's bathroom

Nico: 9 weeks

Nico turned 2 months old this week! Nico is getting so big that I had to bring out the 3-6 month clothes. Some of the 0-3 month shirts can't fit over Nico's gigantic head :)

Here are his measurements taken at the pediatrician's:

Weight: 13 pounds 5 ounces (75-90 percentile)
Length: 24 inches (95 percentile)
Head: 41 centimeters (95 percentile)

In two months Nico has made known what his likes and dislikes are...
Dislikes: tummy time, getting his nose aspirated, bringing a shirt over his head, getting strapped into his carrier
Neutral: the bassinet, baths, being swaddled, bottles and the pacifier
Likes: his swing, the breast, mom and dad singing to him, being bounced up and down, looking in the mirror, being burped, the changing table, napping on mom and dad and lying on his side.

2 months old!

Nico's cheeks are in the 110 percentile

Nico recently discovered he can gnaw on his hands

House Tetris

Week 22

House news:
The main task that was accomplished this week was staining the floors. We are hoping to have the painters in again this week to put the first coat of paint on all of the walls. HOWEVER, just because you are ready for the next step does not necessarily mean the next step is ready for you. Jim and I are experiencing a bit of a headache when it comes to organizing and scheduling things to get done. Our bathroom vanities were built and installed approximately 2 weeks late which affected when the granite people could come to the house and measure and start fabricating. The granite people ideally want to install their materials before the painters begin their job as to not "mess up the walls". The last thing we want is for the house to just sit for one week just to have the vanities installed instead of getting the major job of painting done. It turns out that everything is going to work out. This week I took pictures of the floors. The staining is not completely finished and turned out a bit darker than what we chose. We are pleased with the results!

Staircase sans balusters which are being painted white

Formal dining room

Looking toward the front of the house

Kitchen

Nico (& the rest of the family): 8 weeks
I am whatever you say I am...

I am happy

I am playful

I am cranky

I am serious

I am contemplating

I am pouting

I am flirting

Mufasa loves the changing table too

The jungle playmat looks like cat heaven but he has stayed away from it

When Nico is sleeping Mufasa capitalizes on some cuddle time

Nico's girlfriend Evie :)

Father-son bonding

Watching paint dry

Week 21

House news:
The painting of all the finishes have been completed and the process of sanding and staining the floors has begun this past week. The next two weeks are going to consist of finishing the painting and the floors. I don't have any pictures of the house this week.

NICO: 7 weeks
Nico is continuing to grow and is making different and new sounds each day. He tends to be in the best mood when he first wakes up in the morning. We start each morning at his changing table where he smiles and coos. This past week I broke out the jungle themed playmat and he loved lying on it...well he mostly hammed it up to himself in the mirror.
A few weeks back I signed up for a class called "Lullabies" at the Old Towne School of Music. Our first class was this past week. The songs we learned were "folky" and we sang along with the instructor who played the guitar and other instruments. Nico LOVED it!
Jim and I also left Nico with a babysitter (Aunt Renee') for the first time this past week so that we could ice skate by Wrigley Field. I'd say the experience was a success and Aunt Renee' quickly discovered the fact that Nico loves the changing table.

Experiencing his jungle-themed playmat for the first time

AND we've gone cross-eyed again

Looking in the mirror...

...and liking what he sees!

55 degrees in January meant a walk in Wrigleyville

Nico loves his changing table

Playtime!

Reflecting...

Counter productive

Week 20

House news:
All of the finishes of the house are done. We decided not to put a coffered ceiling into our back room because it would require putting an awning over the entry to the back room thus closing off that space. At the end of this past week the painters began painting all of the finishes and will start with all the walls next week. Jim and I picked out the counter tops for both of the upstairs bathroom's. Let me just say that shopping for granite/counter tops is a close second of things I hate/feel tortured by (picking out tile is #1). I don't know what it is...maybe the fact that I lack imagination when it comes to designing a bathroom or the fact that I have expensive taste and have to be reeled back to reality time and again.
Jim, Nico and I made a trip to IKEA to mainly pick out handles for the kitchen cabinets and look at closet organizers and rugs. I carried Nico around on my hip because I felt bad keeping him in his infant seat all day. He was in heaven being jiggled around on my side and looking up at all the lights. I admit that I enjoyed all the compliments on my cute baby :)
 I believe the only thing that is scheduled to get done this week is painting. I can't wait to see how the colors will turn out!

Kitchen cabinets!

More cabinets

Even MORE cabinetry in the butler's pantry = storage heaven!

Back door

Wainscoting that needs to be painted in the formal dining room

Front (side) door

New siding for the house is being installed

NICO: 6 weeks
The many faces of Nico James Ammirati...




Smiley face

Chillax face

Cross-eyed face

Poopy face

Sleepy-angelic face

 

Gaining more head control with tummy time



Party on and keep the fist pump alive!

Finishing touches

Week 19

House news:
The finishes for the house are coming along. New siding for the outside portion of the dormer was started this past week. The staircase leading to the second floor was redone and the baseboards, crown molding and window and door framing are finished. Installation of the kitchen cabinets and wainscoting on the first floor was started. Jim started installing speakers for our house surround sound...and they work! I spent an afternoon picking out paint colors for every single room in the house. I went with a lot of muted blues and greys...I hope it all looks good. Just when we thought that we have most things picked out we realize that we need little things like door knobs, mirrors for the bathroom, towel bars and closet organizers. It looks like a trip to IKEA is in order this week. Everyone asks when our estimated move in date is and we STILL don't have one. Ironically Jim's last hair cut was August 15th which is the day we closed on the house. We decided that he should not cut his hair until we move into the house.

New staircase that needs to be stained and painted

Crown molding

Upstairs hallway: baseboards

Master shower sans fixtures

 NICO: Week 5

5 weeks

Indeed!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!