SEPT. 19 UPDATE: Back to the tub

First, a baby update:

Look at that handsome smile! Erik is getting more social all the time.


... and big! I put away all the 0-3 month clothes already. They still just fit, but it's no fun trying to force little hands and feet into tight clothing, and it can't be that comfortable either.


This is what Erik thought after the first flash from the camera went off.

... OK, so about our bathing situation. Well, we had it all planned out -- we were going to do the shower stall to save space, and avoid a wall that blocked a window. Then we talked to the plumber.

Unfortunately, putting in the shower stall as we had it meant putting water pipes in an outside wall. "If we lived in California, it wouldn't be a problem," Roger the plumber said. But we live where it can stay below zero for weeks at a time, so it is a problem.

We could have built another wall in front of that outside wall, and put the pipe in that, but then Roger asked if the walls in the granary-house were square. Not by a long shot. For the most part, I think being a little bit off square just adds character, but apparently it also adds all sorts of problems if you want to install a shower stall; getting the doors to hang right and not leak is nearly impossible. Or at least, it requires massive amounts of silicone gel, and still might not work.

I can adjust to a lot of changes in this whole housebuilding process, but I want whatever we end up doing to work. So, we went back to the tub plan. This means we have to build another wall on the west side of the shower stall for the water pipes to go in, but at least those pipes won't freeze. It also means the bathroom window is in a strange cubbyhole between two walls. That's odd, but I don't see a good solution to that at this point without making the bathroom smaller, which I don't want to do -- I want to make sure there's enough room to move around a little bit when bathing the kids.

OK, I was just interrupted for a nursing break, and now it's late. More tomorrow. ... Roger will be here about midmorning to finish his work, with the new tub/shower unit we bought tonight. Dave was working for the last three hours getting things ready for Roger, part of the time by the light of one lamp, powered by an extension cord stretching from the house, since he'd blown a fuse out there and didn't have any to replace it with. But for now, off to sleep for a few blessed hours!