Our future home

Today we found out the offer we put on the house we wanted was approved! So, we have taken the first step towards home ownership.
Very exciting, and very very scary!
Now we have to worry about inspection, and closing costs. Ahh! Our closing date will be set for May 31st. Which will give us 2 months to move, which is kind of good because the house does need to painted. The entire interior is painted an ugly peachy pink kind of color. Gag!
The first floor needs new flooring, unless we want to stick with the pre-stained carpeting. Unfortunately that task will probably have to wait until we get our security deposit money back from our apartment, so like, 3 months after we move in :-( But thankfully the 2nd and 3rd floor have new carpeting, so we won't have to worry about that.
The neighborhood seems really nice. We met our next door neighbor already and apparently it's the type of neighborhood that people spend their whole lives in. Case in point, our neighbor grew up in his house, bought it from his parents, and is still living there today. It seems like a good location to raise kids.
It's a twin Victorian style and I am in love with the big, bright windows :-) Even the finished attic is so bright and cheery.
So I'm scared to death about making such a big life-step but also excited about finally owning a home and having plenty of space to raise my kids

They melt in your mouth, not in your hand

Here is proof that M&Ms are liars!

I'm hoping blue M&M dye comes out of shirts!

It's almost over!

Actually a lot of things are almost over.

1. My pregnancy... only 2-ish weeks left! Woohoo!
2. Salao. This season has been killing me! Since I have a lot of work hours on the weekends, and Ryan isn't here because of Salao I've been playing the mommy and employee role at the same time, and it's really really wearing me thin
3. The search for a house. Yesterday I saw a house that seems like a good fit for us. Can anyone say 5 bedrooms? Yeah, it would be wonderful because we'd have plenty of space for an office/guest room, and playroom. Plus a fully fenced in yard, and it's centrally located to everything. Not to mention it has a wrap around porch, and a deck. Unfortunately Ryan has not seen it yet, so we can't put in an offer. But, he'll be going to see it on Sunday and we'll take it from there :-)

Ugh, so gross

Ryleigh woke up with a runny nose this morning. So all day long I've been chasing her around with a box of tissues. Like any 2 year old she's not too fond of getting her nose wiped. At one point I told her she needed it wiped again, and she ran away into my bedroom.
When she came out of the bedroom I looked and noticed her nose was clean.
So I asked her if she had wiped her nose.
R:"Yes"
M: "Did you find a tissue in my room".
R: "No"
M: "So what did you wipe your nose on?"
R: "The bed"
M: "You wiped your nose on my bed? Can you show me where?"

At which point she led me back into my room and pointed to the snot on my sheets. Lovely.
The joys of having kids.

And tonight I realized I hadn't packed anything in my hospital bag for Xander. So I packed him some clothes, binkies, and then I packed a burp cloth, and all the memories of baby spit-up came rushing back.
Can't wait! Haha

Conversations with Ryleigh

Today Ryleigh and I had the following conversation:

R: Is that a tree?
M: No, it's a bush. A bush is like a little tree.
R: Apples grow on it?
M: No, apples don't grow on bushes, but blueberries do.
R: Does Santa live in a bush?
M: ??? Um, no Santa does not live in a bush
R: Santa lives in his house.
M. Right, Ryleigh, Santa lives in his house, not in a bush.

So random. I love this kid, but sometimes I just don't know where she comes up with this stuff

19 days

The countdown is officially in the teens. woohoo!

A couple people at church told me it looks like the baby dropped a little... I'm still getting kicked in the ribs like crazy, so I don't tend to agree, but hopefully they're right!

Ryan has decided that I will go into labor on Saturday. We're going to a friend's house for dinner, and it happens to be the same friends whose house we went to the night I went into labor with Ryleigh :-) It was a fun night, and I remember sitting on their couch feeling the first twinges of labor back pain, and by time we got home that night I pretty much knew Ryleigh would be born the next day. So, here's hoping!

And we finally got a double stroller- the one big thing we needed for the baby. 25$ off Craigslist! yay! As soon as we got it Ryleigh said, "That's Ryleigh, and Xander's stroller". I had explain to her that I was looking for a stroller for them to both ride in the other day, but I am still pretty amazed at how well she grasped it.

We also moved the pack & play from the car, where we've been keeping it for months, to inside the house. The only other step we need to take to prepare for the baby is to install his car seat into my car.

And I might go buy blue bath towels. I realized all our baby bath towels are pink. Call me weird, but I just don't want to wrap my son up in pink bath towels.

That is all for now :-)

You win some, you lose some

Recap of my week: very busy!

On Tuesday I had my doctor's appointment where they said Xander's heartrate dipped low for a couple seconds. As a result, while trying to juggle Ryleigh in the doctor's office they said I needed to take a non-stress test that takes about 20-25 minutes. Thank God my wonderful husband walked in right before the test began and was able to take the little peanut off my hands.

My doctor also ordered an ultrasound, which thank God again, my mother in law was able to watch Ryleigh so I could go to my appointment alone. Everything checked out fine.

Today I had to go back to my doctor for another non-stress test as a precaution. Unfortunately no one was here to watch Ryleigh. Midway through an episode of Dora on my iPod she decided she didn't want to stay occupied. Instead she decided to reach her feet out of her stroller, and scoot herself all around the exam room! I was strapped up to a machine and could not stop her. Absolutely awful and very very stressful. But, thank God that test came out normal as well.

Unfortunately, because of that one time when Xander's heart rate went low I now have to do the non-stress test at every appointment from here on out. Which means, extra long appointments with a little girl who does not enjoy sitting in her stroller the whole time. What fun that's going to be!

While all this was going on we also made a decision to put an offer on the house we've been looking at. We made a firm offer at $10,000 less than the asking price, and we were denied. Kinda bummed, but we still have plenty of time for the house hunt. However, right now the majority of houses up for sale are short sales. I really, really don't want to do a short sale because I am not a patient person who can wait around for months to hear what the banks say.... but in this economy, short sales are abundant, and ready to move-in houses are not :-(

Oh good. More stress.

Today I went to yet another doctor's appointment. (Going once a week is just so much fun).
While we were there the doctor noticed Xander's heartrate went low. It came back up and leveled out, but that was a cause for concern. So, the doctor asked me to stay for a non-stress test. It's just a test where they monitor the baby's heartbeat for about 20 minutes. Thank God Ryan had already planned on picking Ryleigh up during my appointment, because she was misbehaving and acting horrible during the appointment, I would hate to think of what she would have done with another 20 minutes!
So I did the non-stress test and again Xander's heartbeat went low for a couple seconds and then went back up again.
My doctor said there's usually 2 reasons for that to happen. 1) it could just be that he's in a position where he's squishing the cord, but then once he moves it's okay. or 2) the fluid levels could be low.
So now I have to go for another ultrasound this week, hopefully tomorrow or Thursday, to check the fluid levels, and then I have to go for another non-stress test on Friday.
Then depending on the results of those tests I may have to go to the doctor's twice a week for non-stress tests.

So now I have to drive all around south jersey this week, in between working 2 part-time jobs, and taking care of Ryleigh. Plus worrying about all the added medical expenses at a time when we wanted to put an offer in on a house :-(
And I know it's all worth it to make sure my baby is okay, but seriously, I've already been burnt out for weeks, I just don't know how much more I can take!

Happy Valentine's Day

I am so blessed to have these 2 people in my life. They are my world, my joy, and my loves.

A Day in the Life...

A day in the life of a stay at home mom. (For those of you who think it's a cushy job).
Today I...
-Made breakfast
-Finally reorganized Ryleigh's closet, my closet, and the living room closet
-Made cookies
-Vacuumed up all the cookie crumbs Ry got everywhere
-Took a shower and bathed Ryleigh
-Made lunch
-Put Ry down for a nap
-Worked for an hour and 15 minutes
-Finally got some time to myself and watched a show on Netflix
-Played with Ryleigh
-Worked for 3 hours
-Unloaded the dishwasher
-Made dinner

.... and now I am waiting for my Ry's to get home from the soccer game so we can eat.
-Then I will clean up from dinner
-Then I have to pack up my stuff, and Ryleigh's stuff for the weekend (Our weekends are Sunday + Mondays).
-And I figure while I'm packing up that stuff I may as well pack my hospital bag.
-Then I have to put Ryleigh to bed
- And then finally I may actually get to spend some time with my husband, and catch up on tv shows I've missed because I work 7 days a week

Being a stay at home mom is no job for lazy people :-)

What to do???

For the past 2 nights I have not been able to sleep due to stress. Not about the baby, but about the whole house buying situation.

We found a house we both like. It is in our price range, in the school district we want, and about a mile off the highway. At the end of the street is a playground with football fields and baseball fields, and a river for fishing. The house has a big, fenced in backyard that already has a big swing set that the sellers are going to leave behind. It also has a hot tub that may or may not be staying. It has 4 bedrooms, so I would have a room to use as an office. Plus, newer kitchen appliances including a double oven. And a side door that goes from the driveway straight to the kitchen, which is one little feature I have really been wanting. The house also has a wood burning stove, which I love, and it would save on heat.
Sounds great, right? Well of course there is a problem with it. It's a Cape style. The one style of house I do not want. 2 bedrooms upstairs, and 2 bedrooms downstairs. Which means, unless the kids share a room someone will have to be on a different level from us. I do not like that idea at all. So many scenarios go through my head. Of course they could easily share a room when they're younger, but thinking about the big picture it just wouldn't work out.
So do we buy the house and deal with that situation as it arises or do we keep looking? No house will be perfect. Is this the thing we should compromise on? Right now the houses in our price range are seriously flying off the shelves. Anytime we mention a property to our realtor we find out it's under contract. We don't have time to wait. And yet, we do, because we want to close in June and that's still 4 months away. And if we do get this house it may mean we'll have to stretch our budget and pay rent + a mortgage for 1 month depending on the closing date.
So many decisions leading to my lack of sleep!
Well that and the baby who feels like he's kicking me in the sternum!

29 days!

March 11th is just 29 days away.
Today I got my hospital info packet, telling me all about the maternity ward. Can I just say that I love Underwood Memorial for having private rooms. They are labor, delivery, recovery rooms all in one. Which means, once I get assigned to a bed I don't have to get out of it through out my entire stay. And they are plenty big enough to accommodate lots of visitors :-)

Tomorrow I have yet another doctor's appointment because I will officially be at the 36 week mark.

I'm interested in seeing what position Xander is in. He is a squirmer just like his mommy when he's trying to sleep. He tosses and turns, and just can't seem to get comfy.

And how am I feeling? That's the question that seems to be on everyone's mind. Well, I am exhausted, uncomfortable, feeling like a hippo, and in constant pain from the pinched nerve in my back (if I can be honest). I am anxious to have this baby, and yet totally dreading the recovery time. It is so not fun! Thank God my mom will be coming to help me, and Ryan's parents are close by and always so willing to help. I would be 100times more nervous if I didn't have such wonderful support.

And Ryleigh seems as ready as possible for her baby brother. She knows where all his clothes belong, and she likes to point out the baby items we have versus her big girl stuff. She says she wants to hug and kiss Xander and feed him bottles... hopefully that will continue once she realizes he will be stealing most of mommy's attention for while. :-)

Laughs by Ryleigh

Ryleigh pretty much cracks me up every day. But, I thought I would share a couple of things she said yesterday that I found particularly funny.

Yesterday as we were getting ready to go to a Superbowl party Ryleigh said, "Go potty". So we asked, "you have to go potty?". She said, "No. Go potty". We asked again, and again she said, "No. Go potty".... it was then that the Rhode Islander in me came out and I realized what she said! RI-ers don't pronounce their R's. So when they say the word "potty", they're really saying "party". Ryleigh was saying she wanted to go to the party. hehe. I love that my little Jersey girl has a Rhode Island accent!

At the Superbowl potty Ryleigh enjoyed herself by eating tons of junk food, dancing to the Black Eyed Peas, and sitting on random people's laps. (She was allowed since it was all people from church, and church people = family). One thing she did not enjoy was slipping on the kitchen floor and busting her lip open.
I told Ryleigh her lip was all puffy. She said, "Yeah, it has all puff on it".
So I explained it doesn't have puff on it, but it is puffy. I told her to go tell Daddy so he could kiss it better. So, she went up to Ryan and showed him her "puppy" lip.

Haha.
I love that kid and her silly logic, and her silly accent...

Superbowl Significance

Every year the Superbowl rolls around and I can't help but think what I was doing during the Superbowl 5 years ago.
 It was on that day that I moved to New Jersey. I attended a couple of Superbowl parties to say good-bye to all my friends, and then Ryan and I took off for our long drive. The night before was so full of drama, and tears, and fights, and fears, I was seriously having my doubts about making the move. But, since I had already quit my job, gotten a new job, and found a place to live I decided to move anyway. It was so sad to leave so many friends behind! When I think of all the friends I left and haven't talked to since then it kinda makes me cry.
But, despite everything I'm glad I moved. It's been very, very tough but in the end I am blessed with a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, and a growing boy who will hopefully show his face soon.

But that's not all the Superbowl reminds me of.

3 years ago a co-worker of Ryan's invited us to a party at his uncle's house. This was still back when I was struggling to make friends in a new place, so I was just excited to be invited anywhere. But little did I know how much that co-worker and his wife would mean to me now. That's the day I met our friends Chad and Regina. And ever since then they have been a source of fun, friendship, and comfort. Even though we have hectic schedules right now, and don't see each other at often as we'd like I am so glad I met them 3 years ago!

And then 2 years ago during the Superbowl I was sitting in my hospital room gazing at my beautiful new baby girl. We ordered wings and pizza and had it delivered to my room and sat around watching the game on the tiny tv. Not exactly the most fun party ever, but I didn't even care. I was so wrapped up in watching my baby I don't even think I could tell you what teams were playing!

So now we'll see what's in store for this year!

Our new apartment

The first thing Ryleigh said this morning was, "we're in our new apartment. This one is not leaking".

I can't believe it was one week ago that we were moving. It seems a lot longer than that. Probably because this apartment is identical to the other one, so it doesn't feel like much of a change. However, it is a mirror image of the old one. For the most part it was an easy adjustment... except for when we try to find things in the kitchen. It's so confusing!

Poor Ryleigh is still confused. Every morning she turns the wrong way out of her bedroom. She was so used to turning left to get to the living room, but now she has to turn right.

I hate how all the baby books tell you to keep life normal, and don't make any extreme changes in your toddler's life before a new sibling comes along...
We moved last week, and we're planning on moving again within the next 5 months. Ryleigh's whole world will be turned upside down :-(