April 2, 2008
We slide in the pro-style appliances from Jenn-Air (www.jennair.com) and do the happy dance. The counters and floors have been protected with layers of cardboard and painter’s tape. A flurry of subs will be in next week to do their punch list work of last fixes throughout the house. Once they’re done, the floor installers will run the third and final coat of polyurethane on the hardwood floors and then we’ll be ready to move in. I’ve been here with Owen working all day, every day. We continue to pick away at the construction clean up.

April 8, 2008
They run the final coat of polyurethane and give us strict instructions: Nothing heavy or sharp on the floors for at least a month while the topcoat cures. We can’t wait another month before moving in, so our floors will be our fourth child for the next few weeks, requiring lots of babying.

April 12, 2008
Good-bye, townhouse. (And thank you, Mrs. Sprecher!) Today, finally, we move back home during an unexpected spring snowstorm. It’s move No. 4 and Owen is 9 weeks old. We still have one final push of projects left, but we can live there happily as we do it. We are greeted at the door with a bouquet of balloons from our neighbors, welcoming us back.

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