House Of Webb: Walls, floors and filling up my automobile wearing a swimsuit

I have just come from my weekly Monday night aqua aerobics class. I love this class and the ladies that I see every week. I'm not sure what we do more of - the exercises or gossiping? Whatever happens, I always come out of the class having giggled the whole way through. What gets me really going is the pool pony race we get to do at the end of the class where we all 'saddle up' on two pool noodles each and paddle from one end to the other. Brilliant.

Tonight I was quite overwhelmed. The very crafty Sarah from class gave me a beautiful hand crocheted cot blanket that she had made herself. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts and it is absolutely beautiful. I met Sarah when I started aqua around week 16 of pregnancy and being presented with such a beautiful handmade gift from someone I have only known for such a short time was incredibly special.

Reg with Sarah's beautiful blanket

I LOVE this blanket

Yesterday Reg and I had our birthday party at the local Yarraville Gardens. Reg and I have been together for a decade and lived together for over half of that, so we are not usually 'present people'. However, with the upcoming arrival of little Cobb Webb, we have been inundated with so many gifts and fabulous hand me downs from friends and family that we have again been overwhelmed with the generosity of people around us. It's wonderful to know that an upcoming bub arrival still excites and brings together the local community.

Before the party kicked off. A cracker of a day in the Gardens.

Mum, me and two melons - happy 31st Ali! (thanks Dohrmann for the pic)

It's been a busy few days at the House of Webb. Things are happening really quickly and it hit me like a slap in the face this afternoon that we are on the home stretch... which means, we will soon have an inside toilet.

Our plasterers from TJR Plastering have almost finished their spectacular work and will be putting together the finishing touches to our walls over the next few days. Plasterer Des came up with this great idea of 'framing' our pressed metal ceiling panels with strappings. Strappings are decorative plaster frames - similar to a picture rail ledgy thing. We have chosen a decorative strapping to bring the old and the new part of the house together.

The strapping sheet - We like #867

Todd and Gio have been busy finishing up our architraves outside around the windows and the doors. Reg pitched in today and sanded the weatherboards ready for their first lick of undercoat. We are doing the painting ourselves, however this will take some time with Reg busily working through Food and Wine Festival Time (for chef WAGS - you know what I'm talking 'bout).

On Wednesday our floorboards arrive as does our teak 1960s vanity. I am also picking up the leadlight window I bought from a garage sale a while ago. Our pals at Arcadia Leadlight in Seddon have been working on this for some time, so I'm very excited to see the window revitalised.

I'm not sure when the floorboards will be put in place, but I am assuming this will happen in the next week or so. Once they are down, our kitchen will come in to the picture, waterproofing and tiling of the bathroom will commence and bang, we will almost have a house.

I'm at that stage of pregnancy - 8 months along - where it's all getting a wee bit hard. I seem to be so tired by the end of the day, that the only thing that can save me is a one hour nap followed by a swim.

I totally had this awesome vision of baking delicious meals for my husband while on mat leave, ready for when he came home, house all tidy, martini in hand and a Henry Mancini record on. It's totally the opposite - Reg comes home, I try my best with baby brain at communicating what has been happening with the renos, ask him to do a gazillion things such as fill the portaloo with water and move the watermelon off the floor, tell him all about how talcum powder is a pregnant woman's best friend and crack the shits because it's hot/there's nothing on television/I'm hungry/not hungry/there's nothing to eat/I put petrol in the car while only wearing my swimsuit/Stephanie died in Bold and Beautiful/the internet isn't fast enough/I can't undo my shoelace etc.

The best husband ever.

Thank Christ Reg is patient.

Tomorrow I am going to the beach with Cheef Dog followed by a serious napping session at my friend's apartment in the air con. Bring. It. On. The boys can breathe a sigh of relief!

In the meantime, here's some pics of the boys 'hard at work'.

With love,

Ali