We are starting to get a few things ready in the house for when we are a family of four. Wow, just saying that makes me smile.. a FAMILY of FOUR!

Not so long ago I was just a silly young thing learning the ways of the world. I wanted to be 21 forever. Now, I can’t pretend anymore. I have joined the ranks of the adult world. I’m going to have two kids… I’m all grown up… I’m getting old! For me, that’s quite hard to admit. Eeek!

But back to the topic. Home improvement. We have an empty room upstairs that we are going to do up for Keira, so she has her own room when her little brother comes along. I have already ordered her a new cot bed, going to install air cond, new curtains and cupboards for her.

We are also thinking of getting a maid, but no room for a maid in the house now, so looking at extending somewhere to make a small, tiny room.

And, have just completed our first home improvement project Our backyard.

when we first moved in 3 years ago, our little backyard was quite pretty. There was nice grass and leafy plants to look at. Here is what it looked like back then:

But if you notice even then the grass was turning yellow… After awhile all the grass died, and NEVER grew back again. Three years later, the backyard was overgrown with weeds, stones and yellow dirt.

Some of the weeds were three feet high! Sorry I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the horrible yard. Just imagine a messy, dirty place, you wouldn’t step foot in and you got it!

I decided to get rid of the dirt and “grass” and pave it all up with tiles and pebbles, with the further idea that Keira will be able to play outside when it’s cool.

And now here’s the new look backyard!

In my plans I also want a water feature, a few more potted plants and some garden chairs so we really can relax and enjoy the area. Ambitious eh? But the place is quite small AND it has been raining every evening for the past week, so we haven’t been able to go out to enjoy it at all yet let alone add in new features!

Hopefully this new backyard will be easy to maintain and will always look pretty… tiles and pebbles, quite weatherproof right?

We got the whole house mosquito netted yesterday. Every window, door and gap has been sealed, so no buzzing pest - flies or mosquitoes (hopefully even spiders and cockroaches!) can come in.

But now our windows look like this.

FIVE layers of “protection”. FIVE. Let me count them for you:

1. Windows - to keep nature out
2. Grills - to keep criminals out
3. Mosquito net - to keep bugs out
4. Security system, that little white box you see in the bottom corner - to keep try hard criminals out
5. Curtains - to keep the sun and prying eyes out.

Hmm, feels as if we are the ones imprisoned in here… But actually I feel a lot more comfortable and safer in the house now.

Before Keira, I wouldn’t have bothered with the mosquito netting, but now, what don’t we do for her? Especially when she lets me do this to her hair

I love it. heehee.

She’s still a handful tho. I ventured out in the car with her a few days ago to do shopping.

Ended up carrying her on one hip, pushing a buggy full of groceries with one hand, while trying to pay for a loaf of bread with the other.

My body was so tired and sore that night!

But seriously, she just has to give you one cheeky grin and you forget all the times she is naughty, and fussy and whingey and demanding… until the next time round of course.

But then the mistress of manipulation just flashes her cute smile and my memory is wiped clean again. I mean just look at her! The pigtails! I can tie her hair up in cute pigtails!

ps. rosy cheeks, i wonder how long they’ll last.

Tonight on the ten minute drive back home, Keira didn’t whinge, she didn’t cry, she didn’t struggle or ask for food. She simply sat quietly and comfortably and stared at her hands as the patterns of light and shadow of the lamp posts and trees outside rushed across her palms and fingers.

Could it be that the Keira who until now barely had a five minute car seat threshold is finally getting used to it?

I dare not hope, because the girl is incorrigible, but I’ll enjoy these times when she is an angel.

We’ve been driving out with her pretty much everyday, and each time we go, even for a 10 minute drive, I arm myself with fruits, bread and more fruits, because that seems the only way to keep her from crying in her carseat.

I was desperate enough one time to even give her something I said I wouldn’t until she is much older… a lollipop!

It only kept her quiet for about 5 minutes tho… So I won’t use that again.

Anyway, we’ll see how she does tomorrow. Speaking of which, tomorrow, we should be able to move back into our house

We still have some unpacking to do, but all the essentials are done. The house has already started to get messy! Argh.

There was a time, back when we were a twosome when I prided myself in maintaining a pristine, colour co-ordinated, pretty home.

I had delicate little pottery things sitting on shelves, expensive photo frames strategically placed around the living room, even fancy soap dispensers!

Those were the days Before Keira.

Here’s a photo of the house in 2006 B.K. It’s a cosy little corner we set up to relax and enjoy a book.

Here’s the same place in 2009 A.K.

Yup, we’ve gifted it to the messy newcomer of the family.

Actually now when I look at all our old stuff from the times B.K. - Music CDs, DVDs, silly decorative items - I realise that I don’t value them anymore. I look at them and think what do I need these for?

Sigh, I lost my old self some time in the past two years and didn’t even realise it… But, I think I’ll keep some of those little trinkets anyway, just so that every now and again I can look at them and remember me.