What's Old is New Again

Look familiar? It should. This was our rental house for 2 years when we first moved to Northern Florida. Then, a bunch of CRAZINESS went down, and we decided to move. Before the crazy struck, we loved living in that house. It was brand new and gave us plenty of room to entertain with all of the outdoor space. It was a nice home.

When we packed up and moved out, we never expected to return. Well, never say never! This house is once again home, and this time, it's really ours. We bought the home from the bank as a foreclosure and then promptly ripped it apart! Technically, I believe the term is remodeling, but I call things like I see it. We tore our new house to shreds, and then, slowly rebuilt it to be even better. For two years, we casually commented on what we would do with the house if it was ours. Never in a million years did we actually believe it one day would be. It's funny how life works.

I really couldn't even begin to showcase all of the work that went into our remodel, but I will show off some of the more dramatic changes. The stairs were one of the first things to go. Maybe not the best plan since their removal cut off access to the second floor for about 2 weeks. The contractors had to scale ladders outside to access the second floor. I'm fairly certain our painters hated us for that.

Good-bye, carpet! Hello, hard wood!

We (Okay, the painting crew) painted every single surface in the house and changed every light fixture.   We had a crew of 7-8 painters at our house Monday - Friday for about a month. Affordable it was not, but WOW what a difference a little (errr...a lot of) paint makes. The paint alone made the house new again.

All of the carpet on the first floor had to go. It's just not a good choice when you have 3 boys!

Continuing the improvements, we designed some custom built-ins that better reflected our personal style. Our general contractor tried multiple times to talk me out of removing our overly ornate stone fireplace. I understand that it was expensive stone, but it just didn't suit our house. It was carefully taken apart and will no doubt make some new owner quite happy.

What do you think? I LOVE it! Even our contractor admitted I was right when the project was completed. Of course, the customer is always right.

The stairs and fireplace wall changes made a HUGE statement, but my favorite carpentry project was the addition of our lockers.

These lockers are going to be my saving grace! I am a neat-freak. I don't like clutter. However, Anh doesn't hesitate to point out that I do like stuff. A minimalist I am NOT! Anh calls me an organized pack rat, and while I don't necessarily agree with that label, I will admit that we have a lot of stuff. That's okay as long as everything is organized. These lockers keep all of our day-to-day necessities (purses, backpacks, diaper bags, briefcases, hoodies, sports gear, etc) neat & tidy! If I was only allowed to have one thing, it would have been these lockers!

Another fun addition, is our patio screen. We don't have much of a backyard, but we wanted to have access to our patch of grass. This electric screen seemed like the ideal solution. We can lower it if we want to enjoy a meal on the screened porch rather than be a meal for the mosquitoes or we can raise it if we want to play on the grass. The best of both worlds!

The kitchen wasn't originally on the remodeling list, but things/ideas started to spiral out of control, and we definitely adopted that "Oh what the hell!" mentality. You know, it really is easy to get all wrapped up in the pursuit of perfection. When you've already blown your budget completely, what's a little more, right?! LOL

We decided to test the new look on the bar...

SOLD! I loved it. Full steam ahead!

While my favorite spot in the house is the kitchen, the theatre room is by far the hands-down winner for the boys, and do mean all the boys!

Of course, that was before we completed the pool!

 

Originally, we had planned to build our dream home, but then decided against it in favor of remodeling this house and making it our own. I remember thinking on a daily basis during our 9 month long remodeling adventure, "Thank God we didn't decide to build!" Now as I reflect back on the nightmare of remodeling a home while living in it with 3 small children, I think, "Why didn't we just build?!" Remodeling definitely wasn't an easy or cheap or even sane decision, but in the end, we are sooooo happy with the result. This really is our HOME. It always was. It just took a bit of drama/crazy to realize it. Here's to many more years of memories under this roof!!!

Drum Roll Please

Allow me to introduce the special guest we've all been waiting for...

Grant Dinh!!! To say that we are in love would be an understatement!

Sticking with tradition, we selected a Vietnamese middle name. Dinh means "Summit" and "Peace." It also happens to be Ong Noi's middle name and BaBa's grandfather's name. Clearly, a special name for a special baby.

As for Grant's birth story, it starts with a sleepless night for mom. The first of many one could say! After tossing and turning for hours & hours, I climbed out of bed at 4:30am on the morning of January 5th, 2012 and got ready to head to the hospital for my scheduled c-section. Anh and I discussed how it seemed like Mother's Day weekend when we learned I was expecting was both a lifetime ago and just yesterday. Nine months had flown by in terms of time, but man oh man, I felt like I had been pregnant FOREVER! I could hardly believe that it was finally time to welcome our third son into the world!

I asked Anh to take this picture as the "before" shot. Note the large pregnant belly under the covers. I wish I could say that I was completely calm, cool, and collected. Maybe I was on the exterior, but my mind was racing with a million thoughts as we waited patiently to be wheeled into surgery.

My Anesthesiologist and CRNA came by to introduce themselves, and then my OB stopped in to brief us on what to expect during the surgery. Having been through 2 previous c-sections with Jaxon and Baylor, I should have known what to expect, but I had been telling Anh for weeks that I couldn't really remember a lot of the details from my deliveries. I guess it's true that you block out the bad and only remember the good stuff! However, as my CRNA stood there prepping me, it ALL came flooding back. I was overwhelmed by all that I was about to go through and teared up. Abdominal surgery and the recovery is no walk in the park! At least I'm rewarded with pretty much the best prize EVER!As my OB delivered Grant, the room fell completely silent and moments later his faint cry was music to our ears. The OR team laughed and exclaimed, "That's a big boy!" and everyone began to guess what he would weigh. Anh and I had both overestimated...

Grant tipped the scales at 8 lbs, 1 oz.

20 inches long

(The exact same as his brother Jaxon.)

After cleaning Grant up and looking him over, the nurses him over to Anh to introduce to me, his anxious mother. It was love at first sight! To me, he was perfect in every way. Luckily, that statement remains true to this day. Grant is a happy and healthy baby that hasn't caused us to worry one bit. I'm sure that feeling won't last long! Kids always find a way to make their parents worry!
Anh accompanied Grant to the nursery where the medical team could examine him thoroughly, and I hung out with my OB in the OR for a bit longer so he could piece me back together. That panic that I had experienced earlier had been wiped away with the adrenaline rush of motherhood. Thankfully, that adrenaline carried me through the next 48 hours of my hospital stay. Truth be told, I was okay after the first 24 hours. That's when I was able to shed the wires to the five machines that they had tethered to me for constant monitoring. Ugh! I'm glad I won't have to do that again!

Jaxon, Baylor, and Grant are all worth it though. I'm sure the pain of delivery will pale in comparison to the pain of their teen years! Yikes!

We spent the next few hours staring at our new baby. As soon as we received the final report ruling out an issues, Anh began texting/emailing pictures, and eventually started the process of calling all the family and friends who I'm sure were anxiously awaiting the announcement of Grant's arrival.

Of course, as everyone started receiving pictures, the debate began over who he resembles. Every vote for Jaxon was balanced with a vote for Baylor. Anh and I think he's the perfect blend of his two older brothers, but it's a bit scary how similar he looks to Jaxon in some pictures. I'll make an honest effort in the next few days to upload a few photos for comparison.

Anh left Grant & I only briefly that first day, and it was simply so we could be reunited as a family of FIVE! Both Jaxon and Baylor were giddy with excitement as they entered my hospital room and met their new baby brother for the first time. It was a moment that will forever be etched in my mind, and Aunt Kelly took a great photo of us that allows us to share the memory with everyone else.
I remember every detail of Jaxon's introduction to newborn Baylor, and I thought that special moment would be impossible to top. I was wrong! It was clear from those first seconds that these three brothers are going to have a very special bond. You just wait & see!

Aunt Kelly was even eager to get in some cuddle time with our little guy. Which if you know Kelly, is saying a lot! Now, she had zero interest in changing diapers and seemed ready to dodge spit-up at any moment. Ha! We owe Aunt Kelly a lot for her help with Jaxon and Baylor during my hospital stay. She made sure that for at least 48 hours, we could focus all our attention on little Grant. I hope he appreciated it because it's never going to be that way again. Everyone will have to patient and wait their turn.

I only stayed in the hospital 2 nights, and both nights, the boys came up to spend some quality time with their baby brother. It was nice to be able to have that bonding time as a family. Plus, Jaxon and Baylor seemed to really enjoy the hospital's cafeteria food. (I wish I could say the same!) I don't think I've seen them eat that much EVER! We may have to go back occasionally for dinner. Yeah...NO!

As enchanted as Jaxon and Baylor seemed to be by Grant, he was equally mesmerized by them. I 100% believe that Grant recognized each of our voices. He responded to each of us, but didn't even seem to realize that the nurses and doctors were there.

Jaxon hadn't really shown much interest in my pregnancy until the very end, but with 10 days to go, he started to count down the days. I could actually see the excitement building for Jax, and when he finally held his brother for the first time, I knew I had been worried for nothing. Like the rest of us, Jaxon instantly fell in love, and I do believe he is going to be a big help to me.

As for Baylor, I think he was simply relieved that the big day had finally arrived. I'm not sure who was more ready, me or Baylor?! Every few days throughout my pregnancy, Baylor would ask me, "When is baby Grant going to come out?" He always seemed crushed when I would explain that we had to wait a bit longer. The biggest emotional blow actually seemed to come when the boys accompanied me to my final pre-delivery doctor appointment. As we pulled into the parking lot, Jaxon said, "Oh, I remember this place." It was confusing to him because he was always in school during my appointments. Only Baylor had regularly joined me for the monthly visits. As Jaxon mentally connected the dots, Baylor announced, "Yeah! We're going to take the baby out!" Anh and I couldn't help laughing. Sorry, Baylor! It would be just a little bit longer. He was so disappointed! However, it really made the special moment captured in this picture all the more touching. Baylor finally had his baby! He was finally a "big brother," and Jaxon was a "bigger brother."

Yes, Grant, you made us wait an eternity to meet you, but you are worth each and every second! I can't wait to share the joy with our family as they travel from near and far to meet you. To say that you are loved, doesn't even scratch the surface.
Not only will you have two adoring parents, but you've been blessed with two admiring brothers. I can't promise that they'll always be this thrilled to have you around...especially once you're mobile and messing with "their" things/toys, but I know that you are going to hold a special place in their hearts...
Because that's just how it works with brothers! You're wired that way. May your paths always lead back to each other!