The First Week in Our New House

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ast Saturday was the day that felt like it would never come.

Sam was back from his work trip, the builders were almost finished. We were FINALLY able to move into our new house after three long months.

Being 36 weeks pregnant and suffering from this bloody annoying SPD has meant I’ve not been particularly helpful with the move.

I’ve spent a lot of time delegating. And an extraordinary amount of time staring around in a daze, admiring the particular shade of flooring we spent far too long deliberating over, processing how it looks in place in our house, taking it all in….punctuated with moments where I realise I have no idea where the infant car seat is, and bark orders at Sam. It’s a fine balance between enjoying the new space, and panicking at how unprepared we are and how much there is to do in the very short space of time before the baby will be here.

I keep wondering when we will get used to the space. Going from a two bed terrace, to a house with a proper kitchen, three bedrooms, an upstairs bathroom, a HUGE family room and a living room to boot seems a crazy amount of extra space.

Sam and I smile as the kids hurtle around with their toys, enjoying the freedom of movement that our old house couldn’t grant.

The space is made even more vast by the fact that we’ve run out of budget for the finishing touches. We’ve never really bought furniture before, always accepting hand-me-downs and freecycled items. But this house needs a lot more than could fit in our last house. The wardrobes, big sofas, and the big dining table we had grand plans for will have to wait as we purchase maybe one item month by month.

For now, we are making do with clothes rails and our old two seater sofa (I’m sure that will become very interesting at the point I’m breastfeeding a small baby most of the day and everyone else wants to sit down as well).

We also need to save for our big kitchen appliances now. So, the kitchen has gaps where the range cooker, dishwasher, and big american-style fridge-freezer will eventually be. It’s by no means the finished article, but we will get there slowly.

One day, I’d love to show you the finished rooms, but we’re not at that stage yet. As well as budget, we’ve run out of time to decorate before we take a pause to concentrate on bringing a new family member into our lives. Every room has a coat of white, eventually we want to pick paint colours for a few of the rooms. But we’re more than happy to take the rest of our house renovations slowly – we’ve earned this pause, and it definitely feels like it’s time to focus on family life for a little while. I want to soak in our new baby, I don’t want those weeks to pass in a blur.

Is there any sight better than freshly washed newborn whites?

As we hadn’t ever lived in this house before we started renovations, for the last three months this house has felt more like the builders than ours. At times, it’s been hard to think of it as a home, or visualise the end result. But now we are finally in, and it feels as natural as anything.

After three months of living between our parent’s houses, it didn’t take long at all to make ourselves at home here. To start living as a family again. And it’s been such a simple but welcome change. Just before our third baby is born, to spend time together in our family home. A new place, but our old routines.

As I write this, I can see our family car sitting outside our family home. Things we have been wishing for for six years. Things that we weren’t sure were achievable for us. Sam has a kitchen that he has been able to design himself. I have the dream open plan kitchen/diner/living room that makes family living so much more enjoyable.

It shouldn’t feel real, but it does, because we know how long it’s taken to get here. It’s only a modest three bedroom mid-terrace, but it’s a moment of huge pride for our family. We’ll be appreciating it for a long time to come.