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!