Point of No Return

Not that we were at a point of return before this, but I am officially in the third trimester - known to some as the home stretch. Known (so I hear) to others as "misery". If I hear from one more person how I'm going to blow up like a balloon now ("Kate, you look great so far, but it's coming"), I'm going to snap and start pelting anyone who comes near me with stale cookies.

BUT I am happy to report that, according to the doctor, everything is perfectly fine, on track, and healthy. At this most recent appointment on Tuesday, she even managed to somewhat assuage my concerns about day care options and share my frustration with the Arlington childcare "scene". It's a pretty amazing microcosm of some of the other competitive aspects of DC in general. But I'll leave that rant for my always-willing brother :).

Anyway, as I sit at my desk sipping my homemade "latte" (i.e. microwaved milk with cinnamon, yes, I am 97 years old), I wonder what progress has been made to the house today. Because they have FINALLY started. Demolition/construction has officially started, MUCH to our relief, so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes (more or less) according to plan.

Day 1: as of yesterday, they'd started removing brick from the current attic exterior. I'm hoping that they focus next on building my home gym and sauna.

Now, I'm a realist, some might say a cynic, and, despite the July 1st deadline our contractor wants to adhere to, I'm pretty sure there will still be a not insignificant amount of activity going on well into July (and August?). But my main predictions for the next 2-3 months are:
   1) Maya will escape, at minimum, 3 times. We have somehow managed to strike terror in the heart of
     each person working on the construction at the thought of losing her. I promise we didn't overdo it or
     freak them out intentionally, but we've definitely been asked more about the best place to keep the cat
     than anything else. I say she will escape not through any fault of anyone else; she is simply determined to
     be an outdoor cat, even if only for a few, fleeting moments.
   2) Upon finally going through all of my old stuff that was, until Sunday, being stored in the attic, I will
     discover at least 9 language learning books that are NOT German, 4 pairs of ipod headphones, and,
     possibly, my old Comcast box from 2001.
   3) Christopher will spend no fewer than 400 hours over the next 2 months reading HGTV magazine AND
     watching HGTV. Scratch that, 600 hours.
   4) I will go into labor while home sick on a random Tuesday in mid-July, and I'll have to be driven to the
     hospital by the construction worker who speaks the least amount of English.

Ah, good times.