Stressors

This fixing up a house stuff is pretty difficult. So is food poisoning. So is my 15 month old girl. On the plus side I've really learned a whole lot, almost none of which actually has anything to do with fixing up a house. If you want to fix up a house I recommend surrounding yourself with supportive family and friends! It was so great to have Dan's parents and then my parents in town and then when they left all our friends have so very graciously offered to help out. They just showed up! There's nothing like being in a hard spot to make you realize how much help is out there. And also that "out there" isn't as far as you'd think. The medical school student community is composed of such a wonderful and supportive group of people. I'm ever so grateful to be a part of it. I also sincerely hope that I will be able to touch some of them and lift them up as much as they have done for me. They are so SO generous! It's so funny because none of us have a whole lot. We're all strapped for money, time, energy, and resources, but everywhere I turn I seem to be the recipient of so many gifts given to me freely. Everything from manpower and babysitting to some friends offering to let us live in their home while they're gone. We have to be out of our apartment on the 1st and we probably wont be ready to pass the occupancy permit inspection until the second week of July. Our friends are going to be out of town for five weeks starting this Saturday so they just offered. What a stress reliever.

Also, I've learned that it's important to communicate with Daniel clearly and unemotionally. A lot of our disagreements aren't actually disagreements after we talk about them. I've found that if I just tell Dan what would make me happy he works to do it (even if he does think it's silly) and I know that I try my best to do that for him as well. I have a great husband. We're both learning how to navigate things so much more right now.

Learning means we make mistakes. I've found it's important to be kind to myself and to my husband when either of us makes mistakes. They happen. The important part is to figure out what to do from there.

Finally I've learned that it's stinking exhausting to take care of our baby and our apartment in the midst of all this. It's so easy to just give in to every whim she has right now so that I can get back to getting the house done. I know that wont help me long term and it usually doesn't even help me in the short term either. Specific issues I'm working on: mommy gets to shower alone, no you can't have chocolate cookies for breakfast, naps can be taken in other places than your crib.

Here's the update as to what's happened. We got the plumbing in the bathroom fixed (again) and the sub floor down (again), the porch is stripped (thanks Piersons and Gilkeys), the spindles on part of the banister are in the process of being stripped (thanks Gilkeys). Dan is hopefully getting the counter top on and the dishwasher in tonight. That is if his drill battery will work long enough for him to actually cut the support pieces.