Nesting? I think so.

As my Mom would say, I've been doing some pretty high level nesting to prepare our house for our upcoming arrival.  At 29 weeks, I'm starting to feel the pressure to get projects completed  We have been tackling some larger projects over the fall and crossing them off the list!

First up was our garage addition.  We quickly learned after moving here that we loved having the garage attached to the house (our last garage was un-attached and we barley used it) but even though it's a two car garage, we weren't able to park both our cars and C's bike in it so we decided to add on.  Neither of us wants to be parking outside in during the upcoming Cleveland winter, especially with a baby!

Secondly and somewhat related, we decided that it was time to trade in my 2005 Jetta.  It's been a great car over the past 7+ years but with 140,000 miles on it, it was time.  Not to mention the fact that we will need something larger once we start hauling baby gear around.  It's not the day-to-day driving that we see being an issue but the family/weekend trips with both of us, the baby, baby stuff and two dogs that will require something larger than both of our little cars.  All that being said, about a month ago (after much research and many test drives) we bought a Toyota Highlander and we love it!  It has an fold-down third row (which we've used already), back up camera and leather seats (both of these were on my "must have" list).

Next came the invisible fence for Max and Lila.  We have struggled with the fence decision all summer (traditional wood fence or invisible fence) and finally made a decision to go the invisible fence route because our backyard, along with the adjoining lawns, sometimes hosts neighborhood football games.  We didn't want to end the kid's fun.  Needless to say, Max and Lila are pretty confused and scared by the change but we are working through it with lots of treats and praise.  During training, they both received one zap on the lowest level and both started to cry to the point that we've now been working only on the auditory setting.  The trainer said she's never seen dogs react the way they did to such a light zap!  FYI, Chris tried out the level one zap and said he could barely feel it.  We are not cruel and heartless, we just want our pets to be safe and to be able to enjoy the yard on their own, especially once the baby is here!

We've also bought a few pieces of furniture for the house (and had one refinished).  This piece sits in our breakfast nook and is the perfect "catch all" place for mail, briefcases, keys so our table stays clear.

This weekend, we are painting the foyer and hallways on the main (and possibly second floor).  My Mom is coming to help, since no one will allow me on a ladder or chair to paint anymore :).  We've bought some more of my favorite Benjamin Moore paint and hope that we are done in one coat.  We've decided to go with blue/blue-gray on the bottom (the really dark blue is going to be an accent color).

Lastly, we are working on the nursery!  C has sanded down the dresser we are using as a changing table and  we've picked out a crib.  I've bought fabric to start my sewing for the nursery and am researching gliders. We also found a rocker on the curb for free that we will be refurbishing for the downstairs (yes, it needs lots of work):