THIS IS TAKING ENTIRELY TOO LONG

Update: THIS IS TAKING ENTIRELY TOO LONG, but Tally, expectant and all, is being a great sport about it. And things are cracking on.

We got delayed hanging drywall for several reasons. First and foremost, it's really hard work. Hanging drywall is rewarding, because you can really see progress fast when you hang a couple sheets. But it will also make you glad you went to law school...or any school...or even just the being-hit-on-the-head classes as famously featured in the Monty Python "I'd like to buy an argument" sketch. But alas, I digress. It's tedious work, too. The old adage "measure twice, cut once" has no application here. My advice is to measure three times, at least, and then be prepared to skew, strain, trim, and cuss for several minutes until the piece finally fits and you can hold it in its unsteady perch with your left hand, holding screws in your mouth, while driving screws with the drill in the right hand.

Then we got held up with some more plumbing issues. (Yes, come to find out, the supply pipes were leaking too.) Then I wasted several days trying to fix said issues myself. Then I wasted another two weeks researching and ruminating whether to re-plumb the whole house with PEX. Wisely, Tally overruled the idea, with extreme prejudice. Thanks to my man Ed for hooking us up with leak-free copper supply tubing for the sink.

So then we're ready to finish drywalling...and at this point I have to give a shout out to my homies and co-MVPs of the month, Derek and Carter Cavin, ages 34 and 1, respectively. I simply could not have gotten the last piece of wallboard up without Derek's willing assistance. Carter mostly pointed, slobbered, and went "Ooooh!!!" But you'd be surprised how much help that really is.

While working, I ceremonially eat fast food meals in the construction zone. I think it's important to consecrate the kitchen as a place of eating early on in the process.

So, we have legal water and electricity, all of the drywall is now up, and it's mostly taped and mudded. Soon, we can actually do some painting--something Tally is anxious to see happen. And I am too, because that's when we really get to see her great taste and design talents start coming together. (Like when she convinced me on eight lights instead of six...good call on that one, baby.)

And I'm looking forward to putting the floor in, too. This, sadly, required the purchase of a new tool, a DeWalt 10" compound miter saw and 80-tooth finish blade. I was sorry to have to do it, really, because, I mean, who has room for one of those dagone things? But you've got to take the bad with the good.

Really, I have to blame Seth for this frivolous purchase. We were talking construction strategy, when he asked me how I was planning to cut the new flooring to length. "With my flippin' circular saw, what do you think!" I said. Well, he convinced me that this idea was indeed folly. And, probably it was. Lowe's was running a great deal on the saw at 15% off. Seth bought one too.

Right now, honestly, I'm looking forward to a reason to take the saw out of the box and actually look at it, let alone use it.

Maybe it wasn't fair to throw that "expectant" thing in there at the beginning and then leave the reader hanging. Yes, we are proud, humbled, and amazed at God's little handiwork. We're at 13 weeks, and even several weeks ago we saw the little guy moving his little arms and legs all over the place on the sonogram. Speechless with awe.