The 2015 Challenge

Prior to making our announcement to my parents, Husband speculated that they might offer us money or make some other grand gesture after learning that we needed to do IVF. The discussion made me uncomfortable, as it brought me back to my conversation with Myrtle, where she thought I was entitled to ask my parents to fund a night nurse because we had spent so much to give them a grandchild. I instructed Husband that he was only to discuss the financial aspects if specifically asked, and that he should reply with vague answers. It didn't take much prompting. After one question, Husband sung like a canary and divulged the full amount. Although we had agreed that we would only give each other one gift less than fifty dollars as Christmas presents, my parents announced that they would get us new garage doors. (As you read this, remember to pronounce the word gar-ege rather than gah-raghe.) Ours are wooden and they're pretty ratty.

The prior home owners removed the automatic operators, so they need to be opened manually and propped up...

Nonetheless, neither car has seen the inside of our garage since we moved in almost five years ago. The garage has served as a workshop during our renovation products as well as a location to store all things random crap. Finishing the garage has been on our grand to-do list, but relatively low on the priority ranking. In addition to the pregnancy and infertility announcements, the weather may have encouraged my parents' offer. It was pouring rain and unseasonably cold on the night they arrived. Getting wet and cold while lifting suitcases out of the boot yielded concerns about getting a baby in and out of the car seat. I was tempted to voice that the cold and rainy days are rather few, but Co-worker convinced me how useful a functional garage can be. "Your kids fall asleep while you're driving, and you just pull into the garage, put the baby monitor in the car, let them sleep while you go in the house and get shit done." So, we thanked my parents for their very generous present. However, this gift has become a little like one of those If You Give a Mouse a Cookie books...

Prior to mounting the garage door openers, we should dry wall the ceiling...

If we'll be dry walling the ceiling, then we finish the walls...

If we're going to be pulling cars into the garage, then we'll need to improve our "organisation" system
   

So, we should create some extra storage space above the rafters...

And we might as well give the floors an epoxy treatment...

Not to sound ungrateful, but this gift of the garage doors is going to involve a bit of money and work on our part, which we weren't quite expecting. My Dad suggested that he and Husband could tackle the project while he and my mother come to visit/help after Jate's arrival. I quickly rejected that suggestion. Firstly, I know how all-consuming renovating can be, and I want Husband to learn his fatherly duties. Specifically, nappy changing. Although, I know it's good to have normal volume in the house, as a fetus is exposed to a lot of sounds in utero, pure quiet can be startling, but I don't think the loud noises from power tools will be particularly soothing. I'm also not a germophobe, but no matter what room you renovate, the dust and dirt invade the entire house. Finally, although we've said that we'll fit baby into our lives, rather than revolving our lives around the baby, after all this time, he or she will have earned their moment in the sun... It later occurred to me that my Dad may not really know how to help care for an infant. Paternity time wasn't a concept in 1976. I was born on a Saturday, came home on Sunday and he probably went back to work on Monday. Scheduling conflicts don't allow my dad to come out before Jate's due date, so it will be up to us to complete the garage before Jate's arrival, which could be earlier than anticipated. Long time readers may recall our 2013 Challenge, when I tried to become pregnant before finishing painting and installing all our kitchen cabinets. Watch this space for updates on our progress.