Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you: we added a bathroom to our house.

In a perfect world we would have bought a house that already had everything we needed and wanted, but as you may recall the market was crazy competitive and our time frame was short, so we ended up making a few compromises.

Two bathrooms was a must for Andy all along. Me? I was flexible. I’d grown up in a house with just one bathroom. In fact, we only had a bathtub — no shower, even. And that was just fine. But I failed to factor in that I also grew up in a family of three, whereas we were soon to be a family of five. And I also failed to factor in how spoiled I’d gotten by the five bathrooms in our house in Benin. “Okay, you’re right,” I admitted to Andy quickly after moving in, and so we began seeking out contractors.

We started construction a few weeks before my due date with assurances that the project would be done well before the baby arrived. Guess what: there were delays. And then Jonah came early. So there we were, caring for our tiny new addition with a whirlwind of workers coming and going every which way. With sawdust hanging constantly in the air. With loud tools disturbing sleep that was already lacking. Let’s just say, it was not the happiest few weeks of my life.

But, we got through it. And we have a nice little master bath to show for it. I don’t have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to use the bathroom after nursing! I can wash pump parts right there in our room! And Andy doesn’t have to share a shower with his mother-in-law. Ah, civilization.

One of these days we plan to renovate the kitchen and finish the basement, but seeing as how we’ll only be living here for another 10 months or so, those projects will probably wait. Sorry, potential renters.

Speaking of potential renters… anyone looking for a quaint 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom Cape Cod in Falls Church come August or September 2014? You know where to find us.