It's here! It's here!
Hooray! Hooray! The dishwasher is installed and has been used...a lot! It's a beautiful thing, and I can't believe we lasted this long without one. The contractor was great! He removed the old drawers to make space, installed and leveled the dishwasher, rebuilt a portion of a very narrow corner cabinet so it is more functional, and hooked everything up. He even installed a garbage disposal, which has also made a huge difference--though I'm a little nervous about how this will work, long-term, with our old pipes. Fingers crossed! It took a few weekends to accomplish but it's finally in! Here's a picture of the kitchen when we moved in. Making space for the dishwasher: