Outlets!

Today the unthinkable happened: We rewired the apartment. I can't express how excited this makes me. I'm such a nerd.

(First, a quick baby update from my OB/GYN. At week 30, The Henry is now 3.3 pounds, up a full pound since week 28! He's also already turned around head-first, ready to be born, which means he doesn't have much room to kick around in there.)

The electrician we chose is Ruphert James, who has been an electrician for over 20 years with his family. We were very satisfied with the experience. Unlike all the other electricians we met, he returned our calls, showed up on time, and didn't charge us extra for securing permits and moving outlets. He and his team finished the whole rewiring job in six hours, and left our apartment neat and swept.

They installed a new, modern circuit-breaker box, and moved several outlets that were above-wall or in weird places. They also gave us an extra countertop appliance outlet, which is just plain amazing to me, since we've been running off powerstrips for so many years. We now have new circuits for the stove, microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator. We also have separate circuits and outlets for the computers and the home entertainment center.

Oh, and apparently the reason our ceiling fixtures flickered occasionally is that mice used to live in the old fusebox! Now that the wires have been reconnected and nothing but lightbulbs are on the old circuits, the problem appears to have been resolved.

FP is plastering over the holes so that we can finish the walls and move onto the next phase: installing the base cabinets so that the granite installer can template our countertops on Tuesday. Phew.