Hello out there!
9 years ago
Friday, August 31, 2012
She's here!
Miss Emma is one week old today! She's beautiful, perfect, and looks just like her big brother. :) So far, she loves her sleep (also like her brother and sister) and is pretty chill unless you mess with her by changing her diaper. We love her very much!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Current countdowns
My life is a series of countdowns right now...
13 days until my big kid goes to Papa and Nana Camp for 5 days
14 days until our 7th wedding anniversary (or 8th, depending on which wedding you count ;)
17 days until my 31st birthday
18 days until we close on the sale of our very first house and the purchase of our next one plus move all our possessions
21 days until my big kid starts swimming lessons for the first time
2 months minus one day until we're a family of FIVE (unless she decides to grace us with her presence earlier!)
I'm relatively sure that we could not possibly fit anything else into the next 3 months. And no, it's not stressful AT ALL. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only pregnant women ever to pray to stay pregnant as long as possible in the months of July and August, when it's already hit 100 degrees in June ;)
13 days until my big kid goes to Papa and Nana Camp for 5 days
14 days until our 7th wedding anniversary (or 8th, depending on which wedding you count ;)
17 days until my 31st birthday
18 days until we close on the sale of our very first house and the purchase of our next one plus move all our possessions
21 days until my big kid starts swimming lessons for the first time
2 months minus one day until we're a family of FIVE (unless she decides to grace us with her presence earlier!)
I'm relatively sure that we could not possibly fit anything else into the next 3 months. And no, it's not stressful AT ALL. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only pregnant women ever to pray to stay pregnant as long as possible in the months of July and August, when it's already hit 100 degrees in June ;)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
More about THE house
Let me start by saying that after the first time we went inside this house-that-shall-soon-be-ours, we took it off the list. Not because we didn't like the house, but because it has a giant inground pool. Which will be great in about 5 years or so, but with 2 kids 3 and under and one more on the way, it's a little daunting. Ok, flat-out scary. The thought of one of my kids drowning terrifies me.
But after looking at EVERY house on the market in our price range with the right number of bedrooms, we were back to this house. So we went back. And liked it even more, after comparing it to all of the other options.
We went back again today for inspections. There are only minor things that need to be fixed. The inspector was very impressed with the quality of the house. And I love it even more. We got to visit with the homeowner quite a bit today, and it's evident that they love this house and took great care of it.
He told us about the neighbors and lots of little details about the house that would have taken us a year to figure out. And the more we find out about this house, the more it is completely obvious that THIS is the house that God planned for us. So many little details that Ryan and I have talked about wanting in a house, lots of things that were really just wishful thinking, are here. In this house. I'm just going to have to trust God to keep my babies safe around the pool. I'm pretty sure He can handle it ;)
I'm so excited. It's going to be a rough month packing and moving, but I know we can do it. It just amazes me how God takes care of us. Even in the desires of our hearts that aren't "needs."
But after looking at EVERY house on the market in our price range with the right number of bedrooms, we were back to this house. So we went back. And liked it even more, after comparing it to all of the other options.
We went back again today for inspections. There are only minor things that need to be fixed. The inspector was very impressed with the quality of the house. And I love it even more. We got to visit with the homeowner quite a bit today, and it's evident that they love this house and took great care of it.
He told us about the neighbors and lots of little details about the house that would have taken us a year to figure out. And the more we find out about this house, the more it is completely obvious that THIS is the house that God planned for us. So many little details that Ryan and I have talked about wanting in a house, lots of things that were really just wishful thinking, are here. In this house. I'm just going to have to trust God to keep my babies safe around the pool. I'm pretty sure He can handle it ;)
I'm so excited. It's going to be a rough month packing and moving, but I know we can do it. It just amazes me how God takes care of us. Even in the desires of our hearts that aren't "needs."
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
House hunting
It's been a whirlwind week. I don't even know what day it is. It started last Saturday.
We went and looked at a few houses with our realtor. Didn't really find anything we loved. We left with instructions to call if there was anything that popped up that we wanted to see, but we were in no hurry.
We went and picked up the kids and dog from my mom's (they had all been over there because our house was being shown while we were out). About an hour after we got home, our realtor called and said she had an offer and could she bring it by about 45 minutes later. So my mom came over to entertain the kids and we met with our realtor. The offer was asking price with a few other things. We countered. They countered back. We countered again. They accepted. Closing is set for July 13. That's 5 weeks from today, y'all.
Sunday afternoon, we went back out and looked at around 10 more houses. Didn't love any of them. So Monday morning, I went and met with our realtor and we looked through every listing that remotely met our criteria. We came up with a list of about 10 more to look at. We went and looked at 2, then I had to go relieve the baby-sitter (thanks, Aunt Julia!). I got the kids, and our realtor and I drug (dragged?) them around to look at 5 more houses. You haven't really lived until you drag a 3 year old and a 1 year old in and out of the car repeatedly and into houses where they can't touch anything. Ha! But we survived.
There was one I wanted Ryan to see, so that evening, we took the kids and went to 4 or 5 other houses, plus the one we'd already been to that day. By the end of that night, we had 3 houses we were interested in, although there were things we didn't like about each of them.
Tuesday morning, one of those houses dropped in price (it was the most expensive of all of them). We decided to go back to that one and one other one that evening. After looking at them again, we decided to make an offer on the one with a pool. That was the main drawback to this particular house. We really liked pretty much everything else.
Our realtor got the contract done and we signed it Wednesday. She sent it to the other realtor that afternoon. We had put an expiration on the offer for today at 5 pm. If this one doesn't work out, we've got to move on something else very VERY soon to be able to do a closing on July 13.
Today at 4:30, we heard back finally. They countered. Not a great counter, but they had come down a little. Within 30 minutes, Ryan and I had decided what to counter back, and let our realtor know. She was going to give them until 10 pm tonight. So here we are. At 9:15. And we still haven't heard. So we're waiting...
Stay tuned...
We went and looked at a few houses with our realtor. Didn't really find anything we loved. We left with instructions to call if there was anything that popped up that we wanted to see, but we were in no hurry.
We went and picked up the kids and dog from my mom's (they had all been over there because our house was being shown while we were out). About an hour after we got home, our realtor called and said she had an offer and could she bring it by about 45 minutes later. So my mom came over to entertain the kids and we met with our realtor. The offer was asking price with a few other things. We countered. They countered back. We countered again. They accepted. Closing is set for July 13. That's 5 weeks from today, y'all.
Sunday afternoon, we went back out and looked at around 10 more houses. Didn't love any of them. So Monday morning, I went and met with our realtor and we looked through every listing that remotely met our criteria. We came up with a list of about 10 more to look at. We went and looked at 2, then I had to go relieve the baby-sitter (thanks, Aunt Julia!). I got the kids, and our realtor and I drug (dragged?) them around to look at 5 more houses. You haven't really lived until you drag a 3 year old and a 1 year old in and out of the car repeatedly and into houses where they can't touch anything. Ha! But we survived.
There was one I wanted Ryan to see, so that evening, we took the kids and went to 4 or 5 other houses, plus the one we'd already been to that day. By the end of that night, we had 3 houses we were interested in, although there were things we didn't like about each of them.
Tuesday morning, one of those houses dropped in price (it was the most expensive of all of them). We decided to go back to that one and one other one that evening. After looking at them again, we decided to make an offer on the one with a pool. That was the main drawback to this particular house. We really liked pretty much everything else.
Our realtor got the contract done and we signed it Wednesday. She sent it to the other realtor that afternoon. We had put an expiration on the offer for today at 5 pm. If this one doesn't work out, we've got to move on something else very VERY soon to be able to do a closing on July 13.
Today at 4:30, we heard back finally. They countered. Not a great counter, but they had come down a little. Within 30 minutes, Ryan and I had decided what to counter back, and let our realtor know. She was going to give them until 10 pm tonight. So here we are. At 9:15. And we still haven't heard. So we're waiting...
Stay tuned...
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Baby-wearing
I posted this link on Facebook earlier today, and wanted to share a little more about my thoughts...
http://www.everythingmomandbaby.com/2012/05/how-carrying-your-baby-front-facing-out.html?m=1
When Cade was a baby, I had a Jeep brand carrier that was borrowed from a friend. I used it several times, mainly when he was little and I was going to visit my former school. It was a great way to keep little germy fingers off of him. I think I only used it once with him facing out, but that was because by the time he was "allowed" to face out, he weighed a billion pounds and I didn't want to carry him like that :)
With Ava, I had a wrap that was borrowed from a friend. As I did research on the different ways I could use it, I kept running into information about "front facing out." Apparently, it's not healthy for babies' development for them to face out in a carrier. Not a problem, she was little bitty anyway, and liked to be snuggled up facing me.
As she got bigger, I used the wrap less, and then I had to give it back to my friend because she had a newborn. So I started looking into some other kind of carrier that I could still carry her in, and that could also go on my back. She was okay being on my front facing in, but I knew if I could put her on my back, she'd be able to see a lot more. I decided to go with a soft-structured carrier called a Boba. She loves it. It's ergonomically designed for mom and baby, and I can actually carry Cade in it if I want to.
Then my tummy started growing. I could still use my Boba for a while, but it eventually got uncomfortable (there's a strap across your midsection). So I started researching again, for something that I could carry Ava on my hip, and still be comfortable for her and me. I ended up getting a ring sling, which I can use to carry Ava (or new baby girl) on my front (facing in :), or on my hip, or even on my back. Ava LOVES being carried on my hip in the ring sling, and I love that my arms don't get tired having to hold her all the time when we're out. It's faster and easier to put her in it than messing with the stroller, and she's content to be in it for much longer than she stays happy in the stroller.
Any time spent wearing your baby is special bonding time, and I think it helps contribute to their emotional security. I just wanted to share the information I have found about safe baby-wearing and help educate those around me :)
http://www.everythingmomandbaby.com/2012/05/how-carrying-your-baby-front-facing-out.html?m=1
When Cade was a baby, I had a Jeep brand carrier that was borrowed from a friend. I used it several times, mainly when he was little and I was going to visit my former school. It was a great way to keep little germy fingers off of him. I think I only used it once with him facing out, but that was because by the time he was "allowed" to face out, he weighed a billion pounds and I didn't want to carry him like that :)
With Ava, I had a wrap that was borrowed from a friend. As I did research on the different ways I could use it, I kept running into information about "front facing out." Apparently, it's not healthy for babies' development for them to face out in a carrier. Not a problem, she was little bitty anyway, and liked to be snuggled up facing me.
As she got bigger, I used the wrap less, and then I had to give it back to my friend because she had a newborn. So I started looking into some other kind of carrier that I could still carry her in, and that could also go on my back. She was okay being on my front facing in, but I knew if I could put her on my back, she'd be able to see a lot more. I decided to go with a soft-structured carrier called a Boba. She loves it. It's ergonomically designed for mom and baby, and I can actually carry Cade in it if I want to.
Then my tummy started growing. I could still use my Boba for a while, but it eventually got uncomfortable (there's a strap across your midsection). So I started researching again, for something that I could carry Ava on my hip, and still be comfortable for her and me. I ended up getting a ring sling, which I can use to carry Ava (or new baby girl) on my front (facing in :), or on my hip, or even on my back. Ava LOVES being carried on my hip in the ring sling, and I love that my arms don't get tired having to hold her all the time when we're out. It's faster and easier to put her in it than messing with the stroller, and she's content to be in it for much longer than she stays happy in the stroller.
Any time spent wearing your baby is special bonding time, and I think it helps contribute to their emotional security. I just wanted to share the information I have found about safe baby-wearing and help educate those around me :)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Birthdays
One week ago, Cade turned 3. Today, Ava is 1. In between, we had a birthday party for both of them with the fam. I don't know how many years it will be "cool" to share a birthday party with your little sis, but Cade was delighted to this year.
I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed that afternoon. We've had 3 birthday parties for Cade and 1 for Ava in this house. Little tiny baby girl will not (if all goes according to plan...ha!) have any of her birthday parties here, and Cade and Ava won't have any more, either. The "plan" is for us to be in a new, bigger house by the time little tiny baby girl gets here. Obviously, several things have to happen first, so we'll see how it all actually plays out. And I'm excited for the possibility for our growing family to have more room, but this house holds so many memories...it's going to be hard to let go. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Girlfriend is one today, and I've been pregnant for almost half of her life. Good grief. No wonder I feel like it went so fast...I was tired, nauseous, and in shock for most of it :)
Happy birthday to my baby girl. And happy late birthday to my baby boy, who's not such a baby anymore. I love you both more than I can say.
I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed that afternoon. We've had 3 birthday parties for Cade and 1 for Ava in this house. Little tiny baby girl will not (if all goes according to plan...ha!) have any of her birthday parties here, and Cade and Ava won't have any more, either. The "plan" is for us to be in a new, bigger house by the time little tiny baby girl gets here. Obviously, several things have to happen first, so we'll see how it all actually plays out. And I'm excited for the possibility for our growing family to have more room, but this house holds so many memories...it's going to be hard to let go. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Girlfriend is one today, and I've been pregnant for almost half of her life. Good grief. No wonder I feel like it went so fast...I was tired, nauseous, and in shock for most of it :)
Happy birthday to my baby girl. And happy late birthday to my baby boy, who's not such a baby anymore. I love you both more than I can say.
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