Over the years, I’ve helped many expectant mothers remodel to get ready for new babies. Newborns are serious motivation: I like to call babies (with all love and respect) the ticking time bomb of remodeling. Pregnant women might terrify some contractors. I find them thrilling!

Every homeowner has a honey-do list of things to tackle, but everything comes into sharp focus when a couple finds out they’re expecting. I once worked with a client who was five months pregnant on an insanely fast remodel of a home she and her husband bought.

Most decisions were made with drill-sergeant like precision and speed. When it came to the paint colors, though, she felt panicky and indecisive, and stressed that she might pick the wrong palette. In the moment it felt like a crisis. We went through paint samples — almost a hundred of them — and I encouraged her to try to release the pressure to pick the perfect colors. Instead, we focused on what felt pleasing, comforting and was easy to coordinate with her existing furniture in order to get ready for Junior’s impending arrival.

Several months later, she was able to laugh about what felt so serious at the time. She even repainted a few rooms with stronger colors now that she felt more confident in herself and her vision for the home. Bottom line – babies bring change! Sometimes you just gotta let go and release the need to have a “perfect” anything.

What’s the craziest thing you put on your to-do list when you found out you were expecting? Did you get it done in time?