Moving right along on the Great Room Swap of 2019…

After we took out the baseboard heater, we discovered that we needed a slightly different configuration of forced-air heater than we had previously purchased, if you will recall.  Well, new heater finally got shipped to the store, the Webmaster picked it up, and Great-Grandpa was back in town and available to lend a hand.

Ta-da!  New heater installed!

And then Auntie – our personal interior decorator – started pushing us to get paint samples so we can get started on the projects.  By the time we had made two visits to Home Depot, the wall was starting to look like modern art.

This was mostly because Ane had a little too much fun painting, and did multiple squares of her colors on the same wall that I was sampling on for the little boys.

Guess we’ll have to cover this spot with primer before we paint for real…

Auntie’s best friend JZ (the best photographer EVER, too) and her husband had a baby girl in June, and we finally got to meet Baby Bee yesterday!

Actually, Ane missed out (too bad for her, because she missed out on some sweet baby time), but the boys got to meet her.  Tad was not excited (babies are all the same to him, and a crying baby is a straight up nope); Thumper looked at her and said, “baby,” and then walked on by.

But Rerun, who ADORES babies, was thrilled to hold Baby Bee.

We did give her to Rerun to hold once she had dropped off to sleep – she had been fussy – and my phone is above her head.  Baby Bee is all about the white noise, especially for water sounds, so I pulled out the Calm app and she was listening to falling rain.  Her mother downloaded the app (which is free) while Rerun was cuddling her.  And while she was sleeping, he did not want to give her up!

For such a hyperactive kid, he really does have the ability to sit still if baby cuddles are involved!

In case you’re wondering what Tad’s teeth looked like, pre-braces….

This was the day he got the braces on, in October of 2017.

He has done SO MUCH GROWING in the last 21 months.  The braces were such a sensory struggle for him, but he persevered and is now getting used to wearing the Invisalign retainer (which is its own sensory challenge).  He is definitely a happy kid!

Now you see them…

… now you don’t!

Tad has been counting down the days to getting his braces off ever since the orthodontist told him a few months ago that he could likely get them off after school got out for summer vacation.  Well, I took him to that appointment when he got the thumbs-up to schedule the removal… which he was NOT happy that he would have to wait to do.  The Webmaster took him today for the actual removal.  The brackets came off, the teeth were cleaned, and he had impressions done for his Invisalign retainer.  He has to wear the Invisalign for the first 48 hours (except for meals), then every night afterward.

That second picture isn’t a normal smile, but it’s what you get when you ask Tad if you can see his teeth.  What a goof.  But he’s a happy goof.