Sean came to me, his face was one of resignation, “Can you grab my headlamp?”
I dashed to the kitchen, you know, like 39+week pregnant are wont to do, and snagged the headlamp from the drawer of the table in our kitchen, the kitchen that is just three light fixtures and the trim around one window from being completed. Sean was waiting for me upstairs, he was kneeling in front of a wall.
I looked at him and then at the wall. He was directly in front of the small access panel to the plumbing of our upstairs bathroom, the only bathroom with a shower.
Shit. Fuck. Of fucking course.
“What are you thinking?” I asked after my silent homeowner prayer.
“Honey, I think we have a leak. Can you run the water?” He was calm, eerily so.*
I tiptoed into the bathroom and turned on the water, all the while holding my breath.
I knew as surely as the baby kicked within me that the leak was back. The bathroom, and in fact all the plumbing in the house, had been blighted at best since the day we bought it. I watched the slump of his shoulders and felt the tension in his silence.
“Leaking?” I asked gently.
“Yup.”
“Bad?”
“Honey, it’s everywhere,” and he shut off his headlamp.
We took measurements, knowing even as we wrote the numbers, that there would be no easy fits. We explored every option. Bathfitters and Re-Bath being in the thousands of dollars are not in the budget, the adhesive wall panels are too large and calking and regrouting has not worked. The bathtub is 51 inches long and 29 inches wide. Standard bathtub surrounds – 60″ x 32″.
Crap. Piss. Damn.
At 6:30 tonight Sean began gutting the bathroom. At 7:15 he found redemption, the drywall behind the tiles that he had been tearing down was soaked through, the underside covered in mold, the 2×4 studs along the tub wall were rotted end to end.
So, here we sit, mold-free and bath and showerless.
Last night I was having contractions, tonight I am thinking serene thoughts, crossing my legs and praying for an affordable available plumber come Monday. Tomorrow the girls will go to Nana’s for a sleepover and Sean and I will frame out a new wall to add the 8 inches necessary to install a standard tub and shower surround.
Ain’t life grand?
*Here and now I would like to announce publicly that my husband is the out-of-this-world amazing for keeping his cool and helping me stay calm(ish) through this nightmare. Hopefully I can return the favor by not going into labor until we’ve slept and bathed.
OMG, I can't believe the timing. DIDN'T it know you were about to give birth? GEES. What a jerk. (the leak, not your husband) that is fantastic that he is so handy. (the husband) Can't believe you got all that done in an evening. GOOD luck, for real. Especially on the baby part. You are an amazing writer, I read every single post on both. Your girls are darling too! I can't wait to get the good news.
At least you'll get a bigger tub out of it. That's something, right? No?
You realize that you are going into labor tonight? That's the way it works. Worst possible timing = baby delivery. But hey! You'll get to see your toes again!
That's the best thing ever.
oh dear … hang in there 🙂 w00t for calming husbands!
Oh man, thats bad luck, but hey- look on the bright side! If you go into labor they have showers at the hospital!
OH MY GOD. Oh, Amanda, you and I share the same black cloud!
Wishing you an affordable plumber and a hot shower ASAP.
PS – thank you for curing me of my yen for an older home.
OH CRAP. I'm so sorry. I hope you get someone out there fast.
Please take care.
Your timing is…awesome?
Not fun.
I am new here, so perhaps if I read further I'll find that, for example, you are planning to labor at home with a midwife. But if NOT, if you're planning a hospital birth, you are SO IN LUCK: you can shower THERE!
But if you're going to labor at home, betcha you can convince people to boil water and get fresh towels—and they'll scurry, thinking it's for the birth, and then you just take yourself a little sponge bath right there.
We used ReBath in our bathroom if you want to see it and/or use it you are welcome to come on down!!!
Wow, so sorry about your bathroom. Glad to hear your hubby is such a great guy! Good luck!
Oh hell! This is NOT what you guys NEED right now! Where are the karma Gods?????
We too have a leaky tub, and no budget to repair it, but we found that the leak was really in the part of the plumbing that fills the tub, not the shower. So no one bathes…showers only. Unless you're willing to fill a bathtub from the shower fixture, and use a plug to stop the drain. Which works. When you're broke you have to be creative.
Oh good grief… but happy this is happening before a brand new baby is there with you!!
And again I say… I love that you appreciate what you have. Your hubby is a rock star and it sounds like you are both lucky to have each other!! And I love that about you two!