January 21, 2015 - Our House

As I said at the start of this project, 2014 was a GIANT year for Elizabeth and I.  We got married, we both changed jobs, we bought a house, and we found out about Nugget.  These major events have come in such quick succession that it's almost like we haven't been able to fully appreciate each thing that has come up.  Right as we have settled in to celebrating one thing, something equally great has come in to steal it's thunder. I don't mean to brag, and I don't mean to boast (but I like hot butter on my breakfast toast...sorry, couldn't help it), and I also don't mean to sound like I'm complaining.  I could never be more grateful for the life that I'm leading.

But I know that it's important to appreciate what you have in life, and to not take anything for granted (these monthly projects have really been a positive influence on me).  So last night, I used this blog to not only get ready for Nugget, but also to appreciate something else that happened in our lives in 2014: Our House.

Our house, is a very, very, very fine house...

711 Percy Street has been our home since October, but it feels like we have lived there forever.  We love our neighborhood, and we know that we have found the place where we want to raise Nugget.  It's in walking distance to downtown Greensboro, NewBridge Bank Park where the Grasshoppers play, the Farmer's Curb Market, and many other local sites.  It's a house where we can see ourselves with our growing family.  It's a home where I'm going to make a lifetime of memories with Elizabeth and with Nugget.

I want Nugget to feel safe here (and I also want Elizabeth and I to feel comfortable having him here).  This is his Fortress of Solitude.  And I want to make sure that I have a plan in place to make it as safe a house as possible.  To do this, I went around last night and started my baby-proofing plan.  I identified several areas where I will need to install a babygate.  The first is our butler's pantry, which is also where we keep the cats food and box.  We have a makeshift gate set up already to prevent Merlin from eating the cat's food (because apparently we don't feed him enough), but I'd like to see it get updated before Nugget gets on the scene.

 

I also want to put a gate at both the bottom and top of the staircase:

 We have a lot of cabinets in the kitchen, and I'll need to install several of these:

  

This an example of a cabinet lock.  It prevents Nugget from opening doors that he shouldn't be opening.  There are a variety of different kinds.  Some look pretty easy to set up, while others look like you need to be Thomas Crown to open. Parents, any advice on which kind to use?  Are they really necessary?

I went around each room and found out where I will need to install baby proof outlet covers.  I never stuck anything in a wall outlet as a kid, but I do vividly remember sticking my finger in a lamp socket when the bulb was removed.  Lesson learned, and luckily there was no permanent brain damage or memory loss...so what were we talking about again?

Elizabeth and I have already started on his nursery (for another time and another post), so he will have a space of his own once he gets here.  The other rooms in the house are relatively safe (I took down all of the sharp knives I had dangling from the ceilings, and I begrudgingly got rid of the shark pool in the study...I'm making a lot of sacrifices for you, Nugget).

While I was going around the house and identifying potential safety hazards (I thought all faucets were supposed to have a hot, cold, and acid setting?), I started picturing Nugget growing up here.

I saw him eating dinner here with me and Elizabeth...

 

I saw him getting a bath in here (when the sink was otherwise occupied)...

I saw him watching the Pats (and the Panthers) with me every Sunday here...

I saw him rocking in this swing with his folks...

I saw him swinging from the tire swing that I vow to set up from the branch of this tree...

 

I saw him having pirate ninja adventures in this backyard...

 

And in doing all of this I realized that "baby-proofing" was an incorrect word for what I was doing.  Instead, I was making sure that this house, that Elizabeth and I have fallen in love with, will be the place that Nugget will always call "home."