Mom and Dad

I don't know where to start talking about the last 10 days or so. Bobby posted a photo of our gutted bathroom. Our ONLY bathroom. It looks much better now, but it's still only barely functional. The sink and countertop were not finished today as hoped. Maybe by Friday, they say. Until then, we'll continue to wash our hands, shave, and brush our teeth in the kitchen sink. The contractor won't come out to caulk the tub and shower until the countertop is ready, either, so blue tape is our temporary solution there. Our showers must be kept short and cool to minimize steam/water on the exposed drywall and green board. *sigh*

We haven't been harping on the contractor or caulking things ourselves because we already have enough work to do. My dad has worked nonstop on every project: demolition, demolition, demolition, moving and installing new light fixtures and a fan, installing a wider door, ripping out drywall in the kitchen to inspect termite damage, replacing drywall when the termite damage turned out to be not-so-bad, spraying texture on the new walls, hand-texturing our new bathroom ceiling with a bucket of joint compound and a cement trowel, installing shelves in the garage, and finishing up all the drywall that the contractors left behind. He's saving us thousands of dollars and months of time. I can't imagine how to BEGIN to repay him.

My mom has also been working nonstop on another series of projects: sewing window treatments for the kitchen, doing dishes after every meal (my kitchen has never been so clean so often before!), sewing a maternity skirt for me, helping with meal preparation, entertaining the babe, helping me with other events and responsibilities that I scheduled this same week (oops), chatting spirituality and parenting and friendship and self-discovery with me whenever the mood strikes to chat, and (most importantly) uplifting and empowering me as a mom. She's got a knack for helping without belittling or judging. She seems to know just the right tasks to do (i.e. taking out the trash, clearing off the table, telling me to rest for a minute, volunteering to read Alice a story, putting the folded laundry away, emptying the dishwasher, making 3 pumpkin pies, etc.) at just the right time so they never clutter my "ugh, gotta remember to do THAT" list. That is the best gift in all the world.

I don't believe there's any way to express my gratitude properly. Alice and I will be taking my parents back to the airport tomorrow. It's a long drive to St. Louis, but I'm looking forward to those last few hours with my parents.