Painting, Moving, and IKEA Trips

First of all I would like to sincerely apologize to my one follower (LOVE YOU DONNA) for the procrastination I have engaged in over the past several weeks.  I am recommitting myself to this process and hope to be more engaging in upcoming weeks.

With that being said, the Starkie's have been ridiculously busy over the past few weeks.  The following is a recap of events since we last spoke:

1. Lindsey went to the hospital and was admitted for approximately 3 hours.  It was precautionary as there was a chance she was having pre-term labor at 24 weeks.  The issue wasn't pre-term labor, but an irritated cervix.  The bad part is I didn't go to the hospital which turned out to be a HUGE mistake.  This lapse in judgment has caused regret and shame on my part and I will not make the mistake again.

DDLT (Daddy Do List Tip) #1 - Expectant Fathers, if your wife has complications, even if she repeatedly tells you it's probably not a big deal and you shouldn't come to see her, GO TO HER AND COMFORT HER.  Don't be an idiot like me.  You are never to busy to attend to your baby momma's health needs.  If you don't go, much consternation will follow.  Trust me on this one.

2. We are moving to a duplex approximately 1 mile away from our current condo.  The rent is cheaper, utilities are included, and it is an actual house with a huge yard.  We are very excited to be able to begin entertaining again because it means a lot to us.  The house is owned by Lindsey's employer and they are allowing us to paint as we like and even purchased the paint and supplies for us.  As such, we have been extremely busy preparing the new place for habitation and the ultimate arrival of young George.  And with the business has come all the hassles of moving including guilting your friends into helping you move, changing utilities (or cancelling in our case as utilities are included woop woop!), and general turmoil that ensues when relocating to a new habitat.


DDLT #2 - Don't move with a pregnant wife if you have an option not to.  This could be difficult with unexpected babies, but it really is difficult for an expectant mother.  Particularly one like mine that has difficulty restraining from the temptation of attempting to lift heavy boxes or carry rugs.

A few pictures of the new place:

Kitchen

 

 Dining Room

Living room (the mirror will be hung in time)

Rug in living room.

 Ben leveling off the stripes for the nursery!

 



3. With the new place, we have smaller closets and decided to invest in chest of drawers for myself, Lindsey, and one to work as storage/changing table for George.  We researched and were ultimately enlightened to the glories of IKEA by our friends Kara and Chris (aka C-Money, aka Big Daddy Fireworks, aka the Donkey)!  We are thankful for their friendship and particularly for their frugalness and style with regards to chest of drawers.  We were able to purchase three chest of drawers and a tv stand for less than $700! It was a wonderful experience making the trip to Atlanta to be engrossed by the magnificence of the IKEA store.  We successfully purchased all that we needed, brought all of the furniture home in our Murano (all the furniture is boxed and I will assemble this week), and are now feeling prepared to fully move into the new place this week.  We now have a changing table, chest of drawers, crib, and bassinet for George.  And with two showers this weekend (thank you so much to the hostesses and family for the blessings you have/are giving us), the timing is perfect and the stress is abating.  Now all that is left to do to finalize the house, other than assembling furniture and moving the beds in, is to finish painting the nursery!  The picture above is a sneak peek, but the final pictures will be following with the next post.

DDLT (Daddy Do List Tip) #3 - Go to IKEA for furniture if at all possible.  I'm a huge fan of this place now because of the amount of furniture we were able to get at such an affordable price.  The quality is fine for the next few years so I'm happy.  The furniture isn't solid wood that will last for a lifetime, but honestly, what new family in their 20s needs a solid wood changing table?  IKEA is practical and has well-planned pieces and organizational items to design a new house of nursery (I did not receive any compensation for this plug but welcome any to come). 

DDLT (Daddy Do List Tip) #4 - If you make a trip to IKEA, research your purchases before you go.  We did pick up a few knick knacks while there, but if you don't plan, you will be overwhelmed and will either overspend or second guess every decision you make.  There is just so much cool stuff to choose from that preparation is a must.  See below for a link of the chest of drawers we chose for George (Laura and Charlie, Lindsey's sister and brother-in-law, asked us to pick up the same one for their soon-to-be baby Tays!).  The other two dressers we purchased were the same style, but in a different color for our bedroom.

White Dresser/Changing Table for George

In closing, I would again like to apologize for my tardiness but assure you dedicated follower(s) that I will be posting more frequently and in greater detail.  Lindsey is 28 weeks and the fun is ramping up! Thank you for your support and interest!

The List - overarching principles

The following is a list of items I want little George to know and believe:

1. The love story of Jesus; how he relentlessly pursues us and how he is at the right hand of the father with our names on his lips, interceding for us. His love cannot be earned and his grace is overflowing. 

2. His name means farmer or earth worker; he should know the value of hard work and that nothing worthwhile comes easy. Also, his middle name is shared with his father and represents a great man who wrestled with God and lead the Israel nation.

3. His mother should be cherished; she is  a Godly women who is loving, kind, selfless, and we are so blessed to have her.

4. It's okay to be different; his father was not one to stray from the mainstream in his early years which led to regrets in his later years. Don't be afraid to try new things or go out of your comfort zone. You will never experience all of the adventure and wonders in this world if you don't take the first step. Leaders lead, not follow.

5. You're daddy will always love you, no matter what; he will know this by my relentless pursuit of him. I don't want a day to go by that he doesn't hear his dad tell him he loves him. I want to be his best friend, his mentor, and confidant. Most of all, I want to disciple him in the ways of Christ.

This is the beginning of my journey and the list above I will hold close to my heart. Of course there are many other things I hope to teach George, but these items seem like a logical and meaningful starting point to me. 

Welcome - Procreation Puzzlement

Holy crap I'm gonna be a dad in (estimated) 136 days.  I know I will have a son because I saw his (above average sized) little winky on the ultrasound.  I also know what his name will be because (my wife and) I will give it to him.  That, unfortunately, is all that I know.  My wealth of fatherly knowledge is summed up in 3 sentences and one of those is an estimate (the only fact is the above average size). 

Welcome to The Daddy Do List blog where you can experience first hand the goals, worries, victories and defeats of a first-time dad as he attempts to raise a functioning and contributing member of society.  I will probably post logistical items throughout this journey (i.e., what strollers we buy, what diapers are best, the best way to avoid being peed on), but my goal for this blog is to document the values I want to pass on to this boy and how exactly I intend to do that. 

I want to be clear that I am completely and utterly overwhelmed with the amount of things for which I feel a need to plan.  I really have no idea what is in store for me.  Friends have told me that having a child shows you how selfish you are and that is frightening because I'm already a selfish jerk in some respects.  All I can do is my best, but I feel that this blog will be a way for me to focus on the important things while documenting the journey.

In closing I would like to recall one of my favorite John Prine songs related to worrying and how a formidable obstacle can be overcome with perseverance and trust:

"That's the way that the world goes round,
You're up one day, the next you're down,
It's a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown,
That's the way that the world goes round."

I'm pretty sure I'm in ten feet of water right now but I have no intention of drowning.  Tune in next time for the first Daddy Do List (I reserve the right to alter this list at any time) and a comprehensive update of the pregnancy to date.