New friends of the family

Amidst all the excitement of a new addition to our family, I also wanted to report that we have two new additions to the household (not the family). These new friends are making our lives infinitely easier, and the timing couldn’t be better, considering that Baby V. will be here in a few months, along with all its dirty laundry.

For ages I have apparently grossly under-estimated the power of a new washer and dryer to change one’s life. We inherited a washer-dryer combo when we purchased the house three years ago. They weren’t much to look at. They were at least 30 years old, but hey, they worked.

For years Joe has patiently suggested that we consider purchasing something more efficient that also offers greater function, but I have been steadfast in my belief that we must eek every last bit of life out of these things--drive them into the ground. I showed no signs of compromise in three years. That was, until the washer’s spin cycle became so short, literally 3.5 minutes, that I’d have to re-run it three times before I could put the clothes in the dryer and not be concerned about starting a fire. I might as well have done the wash outside in a big metal tub! The dryer must have been in cahoots with the washer. In its last weeks the dryer took nearly an hour and a half to fully dry a load.

I had nightmares of passing my maternity leave in the basement, dodging spiders and centipedes, with a baby screaming in my ear, all so that I could re-run the spin cycle 15 times one load of baby clothes. By then, using the dryer would probably be as effective as putting the clothes in the toaster to dry them. Time to face the music, Liz: you need a new washer and dryer. You can’t handle all the extra baby laundry with your 19th century set-up.

Our new appliances are gems. Our clothes come out intact. The large capacity washer appears to use a fraction of the water. And the coolest thing—the dryer has a light inside!! This changes everything. And now we feel one step closer to being ready for Baby V.