We got soooo much done this past weekend at Waldo… thanks to some great family who spent the hot days with us! Just a couple of more days to go and we are done… This is an offical shout out and another big THANK YOU to our parents, Chelsie, Aunt Kristy, and Mark!

And here is a peak of some of the work we’ve been doing:

This is the big room - the living/dining room. This is a before (from the listing when we bought it) and after - actually, it’s not a total after because we have since tiled the mantle floor with some small subway tile that matches the kitchen backsplash. But it shows the paint job Jim Sias did, and the floor refinishing we just had done. Plus, the stain glass lights/fans replaced the bad track lighting.

Then, here is a picture of the master bedroom. This mostly features the floors again, the stained doors (they were stripped), new door hardware and paint job. One thing you can’t tell from this is that we rebuilt the closets. They were once too shallow to fit a coat hanger.

Here’s my second fav (or most noticeable) change of the house: the kitchen. Some little touch ups to do (take the blue plastic off the appliances!!), but you get the idea!

Our favorite big change is the bathroom. I need to get some good "after pictures" … but until then… keep this before in mind:

Not sure what I’m going to do with him once Bella Reese gets here! Here, we’re laying on the couch, and he is always laying on me like he is the baby. He can be for the next 7 weeks… :)

Here are last week (31) and this week (32)… we are officially 8 months today!

And here’s the cute boy who takes these pics every week for us!

We went to Piedmont tonight for a tour of the maternity center. Then we stayed for an hour long class about labor. It was crazy. Some things we knew, but most we didn’t - it was good info. Then the lady said she was going to show a video and Chris and I turned into 12 year old kids again and got squirmish. It actually wasn’t bad at all, it was just showing some people’s stories. We just didn’t know what we were about to see! But it was sweet and we both got tears in our eyes! Chris said he was looking forward to the experience and having our families there and stuff - we saw all the waiting areas and the rooms are nice!

Between the nursery furniture being across the hall from us, and that hospital visit, we are extremely excited and awaiting the arrival of Bella Reese in just around 8 weeks!

Our baby furniture is here!

It looks pretty bare right now, we have some decorating to do, but it is beautiful! And that glider is wonderfullllllllll! So comfy!!!

We also worked it so that we could keep the piano in there, Chris wants to be able to play for Bella Reese.

And in the bottom pic, those are little red crocs mom got for us - hanging from the window. Can’t wait until she can wear them - little kid shoes are just too cute!

http://theblondefamily.blogsome.com/ - check it out!!!!!!!!!

So, there is a never a dull moment at the McIver house. NEVER. Well, I may be a little biased.

A big thing happened today in the McIver household - the youngest "blonde" member has gone to college. We saw Chelsie off to UGA (O House) today. Chris and I are so excited for her - these are the years that you really learn who you are - so have a blast, Chelsie. But it is huge for my parents too. In a sense, they are becoming empty nesters. Although my brothers will keep them company, I know it won’t be the same with her gone.

But the cool thing about the McIver household is that it will always be a fun house to go to. (And, that’s even when it moves locations eventually).

Chelise has been waiting for this part of life to happen for SOOOOO long. And we are very excited for her.

This day adds to how I have been feeling lately. I wish things could stop in time right now, and stay just as they are. (Well, maybe go to the end of the year, around Christmas, and then stop, the holidays are a good place to stop). Things are just good. Everyone is healthy and new beginnings are happening. Life has been going too fast lately (this is where Chris inserts "actually, they have been going by at the same pace.") I just don’t like change as much as I would like to say that I do.

I feel as though I am rambling and not being clear. I’ll outline what I’m thinking right now:

1) Life is too busy. I would rather be spending time with our families than working on this house we are trying to sell. But I know it needs to get done before Bella Reese. And we only have 2 weeks (hopefully) left, and then we can hang a lot. And I am really looking forward to that.

2) Having a kid makes me worry about safety of EVERYONE around me, almost too much. I was even worried about Chelsie’s loft falling on people sitting under it today. Although this mainly involves Chris and family, (especially since Chris has taken up bike riding around Atlanta!) I also love my doggies, and hope that my old man Astro makes it another 13 years. I love him. Geez, and I don’t even have a kid yet.

I think that is the main stuff. So really, I just have all kinds of stuff going on in my head with bringing a child into this world. I am SO pumped but anxious and worried, ready but not ready, looking forward to her future, but not wanting anything to change within my world. I guess I can’t have it all.

To change the subject a little - our baby furniture is getting delivered this week!!! That makes it feel pretty darn real, if my moving belly doesn’t already…

Welcome The Ford’s - Jeff and Kelly - to the blog world! I have a feeling that Kelly’s postings will be just as funny as Heather’s. Both girls are hilarious. I need to work on my entries and spice them up some! I put a link to the Ford’s blog to the right.

I love this - Sara Lovell, you are next!!! :)

I guess it’s about time for a count down instead of counting weeks… so 10 more to go until the due date!  Katie’s stomach is growing before our eyes, and Reese is about 3 lbs. now and 15 inches long.  Our baby furniture has arrived, but we are still waiting on the comfortable chair…things are starting to come together.  The Waldo house is getting closer to completion, and we will be very happy to get our weekends back soon.

It’s funny how my perspective is changing, too.  For whatever reason, maybe God’s regimen of training, I’ve noticed that I take a little longer to admire the beauty of children I see everywhere…I’ve never really paid attention before.  I’ve seen Katie’s stomach move like crazy; proof that there really is life in there…maybe I thought that a woman gets pregnant and then has the baby.  Nothing in between.  The process is amazing.  If pregnancy wasn’t 40 weeks long, we’d never have the chance to acclimate and get excited about the idea and responsibility of raising a child.  God is smart.

Does this mean we’re becoming adults?   

Here are a couple of pictures from weeks 29 & 30.

Waldo.

Seriously, it’s our second job. We have a new goal set, to just get it on the market before the Dawgs start (Sep 1st)!

I love this house. It was mine and Chris’ first home. It was a dream, a vision, and it’s finally coming together. We had a plan to buy this house, live in it two + years, and then resell it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to sell it — I am so ready to start working on a nursery since I only have a little over 10 WEEKS left! - but it’s kinda sad at the same time. It is a cute house, a cute little yard, a great street, and has AWESOME neighbors. Plus, we’ve fixed it up way more than when we actually lived there! I just want to take one shower in the cool new bathroom we did. Plus, it was our first house, so I’m a little sad to see it go and new people live there. But I suppose it is almost 100 years old, and we weren’t the first to live there. I will miss Waldo.

So, I want to show some before pictures, and some progress pictures. Soon enough, we’ll have some final product pictures. And maybe you can even help us find a buyer!

For example, here’s a progression of the front of the house…. when we bought this foreclosure, it had a HUGE dead tree in the front. We had to have that removed, and from there rebuild the fence and repave the sidewalk with the old bricks. The porch was falling in, and Chris and our awesome friend Mark rebuilt the porch - adding recessed lighting, fans, and bead board ceiling. Lastly, we’d pick a color and go with it…

When we bought the home…

after the tree was removed and some yard work, but with a droopy porch…

A solid rebuild during a cold March…

with all the fancy adds…

after a paint job… yard isn’t as nice, but…

This past week/ weekend, we finished refinishing the tub, started staining doors, got granite installed in the kitchen, and Chris installed the kitchen faucet. Next steps: kitchen backsplash, tile in front of fireplace, refinish the floors, and yardwork. Countdown: 4 weeks until I want to list!

Traditional McIver birthday dinner…. Frontera, "Feliz Cumpleanous A Ti", a sombrero, and some great laughs.

We love you, Keegs, can’t believe you are 20………

This was last Friday night… ate with some homies at El Rodeo (couldn’t tell you the last time we’ve been there!!) Happy B-day Josh, and congrats on finding out you and Beth are having a boy!!

Hanging on a Friday night (weekend before last) … with Morgan, Kelly and Bobby… we hadn’t taken pictures in forever, so we made up for lost time…

At Taqueria del Sol…

Then back to our pad for a round of photos… I’ll spare you the 40 others.

Bobby was so excited to give Chris an early "congrats" gift for the birth of our first child… a pipe that he restored. (Chris and Bobby’s good ol’ past time - pipes) I thought that was so thoughtful! And they loved posing with them!