So close...

So much for my delusional dream of Little Miss being in her room by Friday. Grrr... The inspectors can't come until Monday...because it's Friday...and even though Friday is a REAL work day for most people who WORK...apparently those rules do not hold true for city codes and electrical inspectors. :-(

On a positive note, there are only a few random things to complete and we should be ready for a Monday move in. I am so glad we removed the door and put in the new window. Both changes were a pain but well worth the effort. Those two additions make the entire renovation look like the house was originally built this way. Now this would not have been the optimal way to design the space before we built the house but we tried to make what we had work for us right now. We are tickled pink over how it has turned out minus that ugly ceiling fan but for now...it stays.

I know at least two of you (AKA Grammy and Nanny) would like to see a few before and afters of the new play space. Your wish is my command...

ENTRY BEFORE:ENTRY AFTER:

OLD CLOSET AREA BEFORE (gasp at the unsightly play room):OLD CLOSET/NEW WINDOW AREA AFTER:

STEPS BEFORE:STEPS AFTER:
And this, my friends, is Little Miss' big girl room. More photos to come...
Hopefully soon...

Two down. One to go.

Previous doorway repaired...CHECK
Drywall up...CHECKNew stairs in...CHECK
Paint colors chosen...CHECK
Chandelier delivered...CHECK

Final drywall sanding and trim on Monday. Paint on Tuesday. Paint and flooring on Wednesday. Electrical and final inspection on Thursday. Move in day...Friday DECEMBER 18! Woohoooo!

Half way there...

One week in to Operation Little Miss and we are half way to move in day. At least I THINK we are half way to move in day. Here's a little update for our pals who are having trouble visualizing my description...

Removal of bonus room doorway and ugly handrail...CHECKElectrical and cable wiring...CHECKCeiling fixtures centered and moved in each new room...CHECK
Little Miss' closet constructed to my specifications...CHECKDrywall begins tomorrow and should run through Saturday. Uggggghhhhhh...NOT looking forward to the drywall dust that is certain to take over our house but desperate times call for desperate measures. We're half way there...

The Great Wall of Womble...

is up and I am one happy Momma. That's Mr. Jim over there in the corner. He's the current hero in Operation Little Miss...
We discovered on Day 2 we had a framing issue above the closet we took out to make room for a window. Long story short...they found a way around it. We're one day behind but they said they'll make up for it later.The brick is out... The new window is in...
The brick masons will be back to re-brick around it on Monday along with the electricians. Inspection on Tuesday. Drywall begins on Wednesday. Four days down. 6-9 more days to go. Wooohooooo!

Let the Renovation BEGIN...

The grand plan was to put our girls together in the same room. Visions of sisterly bonding, late night giggles, learning to share, blahblahblah filled my head for as long as I can remember. When we "met" MeiMei in March and realized the girls were 21 months apart I KNEW it was the perfect arrangement. I called it Operation Jie Mei Hwa (beautiful sisters)... ahhh... insert dreamy sigh here...

Fast forward to Thursday, September 24 (the night we returned from China)... WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING? Those visions of sisterly shenanigans have been replaced with family sleep deprivation. WHY DIDN'T SOMEONE--ANYONE--TELL ME THAT WAS THE DUMBEST IDEA I'VE EVER HAD???? One of the many things no one told me before we brought MeiMei home was that sleeping issues for adopted children can be BRUTAL. It's different than teaching my other babies to sleep. Everything has changed in MeiMei's world and apparently sleeping is extremely stressful. Trying to get an 18 month old to sleep in a brand new world feels impossible at times. Add to that a 3 year old light sleeper in the same room and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster. Bless LMs heart, she's been displaced from her nice comfy bed to the old futon in the bonus room ever since. Each attempt to get them to sleep together in the same room goes something like this...

MOMMY, Why is MeiMei screaming/yelling/laughing/kicking/looking at me? MeiMei, be quiet/still/stop staring and GO TO SLEEP! Mommy, help me! Mommy, make her ____________. Mommy, she's hurting my ears!

If I attempt to take a screaming/yelling/laughing/kicking/staring MeiMei out of the room, Little Miss thinks it's time to get up as well. "Why does SHE get to get up and I don't?" "Why do I have to take a nap and she doesn't?" "Is it time for breakfast yet?" Ugh... see what I mean?

After much thought I came up with a great solution (and believe me I've spent many 2 a.m.'s thinking about how to fix this problem over the past two months) . The Chief doubted my architectural design skills but I do believe I've hit this one out of the park. Oh ye husband of little faith. Meet the playroom...
I can't believe I'm sharing this photo for all the world to see. Technically it's the bonus room--the GINORMOUS bonus room. It's always a mess because it's huge and they never notice until it looks like a tornado went through. Initially this room was to be the "little girl suite" but the Chief hated the idea after we built the house and wanted the girls to share a bedroom. Moving is not an option. Teaching our 20 month old daughter how to sleep through the night without waking the other girls in the house is apparently not an option. Leaving Little Miss on the futon is not an option. Using the wasted space playroom more efficiently--now THAT is a GREAT idea! We have the space. Why not use it?

Today is Day 1 of Operation Little Miss. Can I tell you I've never been so excited about a wall in my life? That's right. A WALL. Over the next 10-13 business days, our playroom is going to become 40% playroom...and 60% Little Miss' bedroom... Bring on the sawdust and the drywall and the paint fumes and the brick mason and the... Well, you get the idea. I may lose my mind between now and Christmas but when it's over we're all going to reap the rewards. Stay tuned...