I was going to post Quick Takes all about my new doctor's appointment today, but as I was reading through the blogs on my list this afternoon and catching up, I read about Lucky as Sunshine's loss of her little boy at 21 weeks. He was stillborn and she had to deliver her precious little boy last night. After reading her story of loss, and already emotional from my appointment, it just doesn't feel right to blog today. Go over and give her some love and prayers as she deals with the unthinkable. I cannot imagine the roller coaster of emotions for someone who is IF, then suffers a miscarriage, and now this- a perfect little boy born just a few weeks too early. I've been offering up prayers for her and her husband all day today. Please join me in doing the same.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Quick Takes (41): Organized or Not So Much?
Anyways, that's a little background information. Onto Quick Takes...
Organizing my time: I've been thinking a lot lately about how much time I waste each day doing unimportant tasks and how I feel like I never get things done around the house. Therefore, I'm going to try a weekly schedule for cleaning and tasks that are important to me. I'm still working on the daily details, but I hope to share it with you soon and get ideas for what works/doesn't work for you.
Organizing our spiritual growth as a family: In line with the weekly schedule, I've also been thinking a lot about starting some sort of family Sabbath time. DH and I are still talking about this one, so it's not quite as far along as the weekly schedule, but we are both getting burned out on work. It seems like every day I have a to-do list for him and I, and there's not much time left to grow as a family spiritually. Yes, we attend church on Sundays, but I'm talking about beyond that. After we get home from church, it's often straight into work mode, NFL football, or something else. Therefore, we're thinking about a time where we can invest a few hours (hopefully working up to a day...maybe?) in growing our family spiritually. This probably won't happen on a Sunday given a variety of factors, but we're still talking about what to do. We're calling it our family sabbath time because it'll be a time for us to rest (no to-do lists), enjoy each other's company, and grow in our faith together with each other. I'd love suggestions or ideas if you already do something similar!
Organizing R's sleep schedule: It looks like we are fast approaching the "transition from 2 naps to 1 nap" time period with R. Goodbye, mostly predictable nap schedule. Hello, uncertain nap schedule. Most days it's a fight to get her to take 2 naps, even though she still shows signs of needing two. I'm uncertain if I should just jump in full speed ahead and make the transition to 1 or continue going back and forth between 1 and 2 each day given what she shows/needs. All the uncertainty can drive me crazy each day, but I think this is pretty common at this stage.
Organizing our food stash: It's been hard to build up our pantry and freezer supply since we've been here because we never knew when we might be moving from the rental. Now that we know we're in our home for awhile, it's time to start stocking up on deals. First off, Zaycon chicken. I've done this one before, but it was in our previous state. I'm happy to report Zaycon is in our new state as well. This is the company where you buy various meats that are free from hormones, additives, and preservatives for a reasonable price (1.84/lb for chicken) but in bulk (40 lbs of chicken). We're splitting the order with a friend, but are still excited about having 20 lbs of chicken in our freezer soon! DH has been severely meat-deprived (it's been hard to find good deals), so after the chicken comes he's going to stake out beef deals.
Organizing my health: I made a decision on the Napro Dr debate I mentioned in my last email. I scheduled an appointment with the closer doctor (who knows Napro but isn't up to date on it any more) and will see what I think when I meet her in person. I like that her new patient appts typically take 1 to 1.25 hours! That impressed me and the staff said she would be willing to work with me if I still wanted to chart Creighton, the Marquette model (which she focuses on now), or some combo (I did take my BBT while doing Creighton charting). So we shall see. The appt. isn't too far away, so I'm already getting a little worried about even going back to a doctor to discuss my health. Ahh.
Not so much organized: So we finally got our claim settled from the moving company that moved us cross-country in January! How's that for not being organized? I will put the blame on us for taking awhile to submit our claim and then the moving company for not reading our information carefully and making us send a rebuttal back. Ugh. That company (Stevens Van Lines) was awful to work with. I can assure you we won't be going with them ever again should God decide we need to move. I don't recall how much I talked about the horrible experience we had with the packers, movers, driver, and contact person, but it was horrid. So many of our things were damaged because of their poor packing, and we hardly got compensated. Ugh. So frustrating, but we did get some compensation and are going to leave it at that.
And somewhat related to the move but not organizing...the rental home is under contract already! The homeowners put it up on the market shortly after we moved out and had it under contract within a few days. Someone wants to buy that awful place for the same price we paid for our current home! I can't believe it. My jaw nearly dropped when I heard the news (we have a mutual acquaintance that told me). I'll be anxious to hear what happens after the inspection...
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Getting out of a funk
Lately, I've had a major case of the blahs. I don't really know when the funk started, but I haven't really liked who I've been lately. Ever had that happen to you?
It probably all started some time over the summer with the busy-ness of everything, but I don't think I realized it until just recently. I've been in a major funk and wondered if I might be dealing with some depression, low thyroid, and/or adrenal stress. I gained 5 pounds over the summer (probably due to poor diet) and am not sleeping as much as I should be (I'm a night owl and R has been waking at 5:30 or 5:45 lately). We finally got our scale set up, which confirmed what I already knew about my weight since I have very few pants or shorts that fit. I'm mad that I haven't watched what I've been eating as much, and I haven't been exercising much at all. I blame it on the heat and humidity (seriously, who wants to exercise when you're sweating before even beginning?), but really it's been my lack of discipline and self-control.
And I've been seriously lacking in the motivation department as well. We still have tons of boxes to unpack and then all the decorating I want to do to make it our own home. But I don't have the drive to get it done, and DH isn't naturally motivated to do house projects when he gets home unless I nag/gently remind him.
As a result of it all, I decided it's time to find a new doctor in the area. I last saw my Napro Dr. in June...as in June 2012. Yikes! That's terrible. Aside from an urgent care trip here and there, I have not been to a doctor in 15 months! It's time to get back into that routine for my health, but also the health of my family.
For you see, when I'm in a funk, it effects the whole family. I'm less patient with R, more short-tempered with DH, and I'm just overall not fun to be around. I do not like that about myself and hate that those closest to me are the ones who suffer most when I'm not doing well. That needs to change. I want it to change, especially before R gets any older.
I was excited to find a Napro Dr. super close by, but I've heard mixed reviews on her and how much she actually practices/keeps up with Napro right now. The next closest one is 3 hours away, and I'm just not sure that distance is realistic for me at the moment. With a toddler that's nursing and still taking 2 naps a day, I can't just leave her behind, and I'm not sure I'm up for a roadtrip and 1st doctor's appt. with her by myself. So I'm mulling over my options...see the local Dr now to just get in and get a feel for how well I connect with her and her proposed treatment plan or take the plunge and go directly to the up to date Napro Dr (who has a few months wait time for an appt).
But then even thinking about going back to a Dr starts to freak me out a bit because I'm reminded of our whole journey with Napro...all the tests....the waiting....the blood draws every cycle....and I'm so not ready or interested to go down that road again. Perhaps (most likely) it's my fear and anxiety. I'm not ready to TTC for #2 (well technically this would be #4) yet, but at 35 years old, I feel like I should be soon. I worry about how bad my health is right now given the lack of exercise and poor diet. Thanks to PCOS, I'm sure my hormones are all over the place. I get anxious thinking about if we'll even be able to have another child. I'm fearful of a 3rd miscarriage.
And yet I want our family to grow. I want R to have a sibling (or more). I've always envisioned our family being at least 4, but never 3. Who knows...maybe adoption is on our horizon as the means through which God grows our family (my husband wants to foster and/or adopt at some point), but right now my heart is not there. I long for another child of our own. Thankfully, God has it all under control in His infinite wisdom; it's just waiting for it to be revealed that is still hard for me.
Just as all the anxiety about choosing a doctor, and tests, and health threatened to overwhelm me, I started a new women's Bible study for the school year. It was perfect timing for me as exactly what I needed. Studying God's Word always helps me gain the proper perspective, have hope and peace, and lessen the anxiety I get from worrying. This is an international Bible study where people around the world all study the same subject and same format with a group in their location. I have longed to be a part of this Bible study for years (actually since 2001 when I first heard about it living in China...crazy, right?), but I have never lived in an area that had a study group close by....until this year! I finally got to sign up and we are studying the book of Matthew all year!
Basically, we read a chapter in Matthew a week, answer study questions designed to be done over 6 days, and then get together with a small group to share our answers and hear a lecture on the material. I joined a day study, which means R comes with me for the children's program portion of it where she has her teachers lead her in a simplified (very simplified) version of what I'm learning along with sing hymns together, pray, etc. I love that even at such a young age she is hearing the Bible and singing hymns! Well, she's probably just listening to the singing now, but at the end of the year in May, I imagine she will be singing along. It is never too young to start training up a child in the faith, in my opinion. Proverbs 22:6 speaks to the importance of the training of children (I apply this to our Godchildren as well).
The thing that I've really appreciated (and we're only 2 weeks into the study) is that I've had to get back some of my self-discipline that has been lost for awhile. Most days the homework takes at least 20 minutes of reading and reflecting, and for me to get the most out of the material, I need to do it earlier in the day rather than in the evening. So it means I get to practice better time management. This is a good thing for me. I love that I'm spending time in the Word every day. I already feel like my spirits are higher and my mood is brighter, even though nothing has changed with my uncertainties, fears, or worries. But somehow, reading God's Word makes those fears become less and makes me focus on the things that are important (the things that matter for eternity). He promises that His Word doesn't return empty (Isaiah 55:10) and the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
We have access to a living word! That is pretty amazing. I don't know why I let so many things clutter my mind and suck away my time. I don't know why I place reading God's Word by the wayside. It took me awhile to figure out what was out of sync in my life, but I'm so glad I figured it out and am back on track with weekly Bible study and daily time in the Word. So my cure for getting out of a funk? Time in God's Word.
It probably all started some time over the summer with the busy-ness of everything, but I don't think I realized it until just recently. I've been in a major funk and wondered if I might be dealing with some depression, low thyroid, and/or adrenal stress. I gained 5 pounds over the summer (probably due to poor diet) and am not sleeping as much as I should be (I'm a night owl and R has been waking at 5:30 or 5:45 lately). We finally got our scale set up, which confirmed what I already knew about my weight since I have very few pants or shorts that fit. I'm mad that I haven't watched what I've been eating as much, and I haven't been exercising much at all. I blame it on the heat and humidity (seriously, who wants to exercise when you're sweating before even beginning?), but really it's been my lack of discipline and self-control.
And I've been seriously lacking in the motivation department as well. We still have tons of boxes to unpack and then all the decorating I want to do to make it our own home. But I don't have the drive to get it done, and DH isn't naturally motivated to do house projects when he gets home unless I nag/gently remind him.
As a result of it all, I decided it's time to find a new doctor in the area. I last saw my Napro Dr. in June...as in June 2012. Yikes! That's terrible. Aside from an urgent care trip here and there, I have not been to a doctor in 15 months! It's time to get back into that routine for my health, but also the health of my family.
For you see, when I'm in a funk, it effects the whole family. I'm less patient with R, more short-tempered with DH, and I'm just overall not fun to be around. I do not like that about myself and hate that those closest to me are the ones who suffer most when I'm not doing well. That needs to change. I want it to change, especially before R gets any older.
I was excited to find a Napro Dr. super close by, but I've heard mixed reviews on her and how much she actually practices/keeps up with Napro right now. The next closest one is 3 hours away, and I'm just not sure that distance is realistic for me at the moment. With a toddler that's nursing and still taking 2 naps a day, I can't just leave her behind, and I'm not sure I'm up for a roadtrip and 1st doctor's appt. with her by myself. So I'm mulling over my options...see the local Dr now to just get in and get a feel for how well I connect with her and her proposed treatment plan or take the plunge and go directly to the up to date Napro Dr (who has a few months wait time for an appt).
But then even thinking about going back to a Dr starts to freak me out a bit because I'm reminded of our whole journey with Napro...all the tests....the waiting....the blood draws every cycle....and I'm so not ready or interested to go down that road again. Perhaps (most likely) it's my fear and anxiety. I'm not ready to TTC for #2 (well technically this would be #4) yet, but at 35 years old, I feel like I should be soon. I worry about how bad my health is right now given the lack of exercise and poor diet. Thanks to PCOS, I'm sure my hormones are all over the place. I get anxious thinking about if we'll even be able to have another child. I'm fearful of a 3rd miscarriage.
And yet I want our family to grow. I want R to have a sibling (or more). I've always envisioned our family being at least 4, but never 3. Who knows...maybe adoption is on our horizon as the means through which God grows our family (my husband wants to foster and/or adopt at some point), but right now my heart is not there. I long for another child of our own. Thankfully, God has it all under control in His infinite wisdom; it's just waiting for it to be revealed that is still hard for me.
Just as all the anxiety about choosing a doctor, and tests, and health threatened to overwhelm me, I started a new women's Bible study for the school year. It was perfect timing for me as exactly what I needed. Studying God's Word always helps me gain the proper perspective, have hope and peace, and lessen the anxiety I get from worrying. This is an international Bible study where people around the world all study the same subject and same format with a group in their location. I have longed to be a part of this Bible study for years (actually since 2001 when I first heard about it living in China...crazy, right?), but I have never lived in an area that had a study group close by....until this year! I finally got to sign up and we are studying the book of Matthew all year!
Basically, we read a chapter in Matthew a week, answer study questions designed to be done over 6 days, and then get together with a small group to share our answers and hear a lecture on the material. I joined a day study, which means R comes with me for the children's program portion of it where she has her teachers lead her in a simplified (very simplified) version of what I'm learning along with sing hymns together, pray, etc. I love that even at such a young age she is hearing the Bible and singing hymns! Well, she's probably just listening to the singing now, but at the end of the year in May, I imagine she will be singing along. It is never too young to start training up a child in the faith, in my opinion. Proverbs 22:6 speaks to the importance of the training of children (I apply this to our Godchildren as well).
The thing that I've really appreciated (and we're only 2 weeks into the study) is that I've had to get back some of my self-discipline that has been lost for awhile. Most days the homework takes at least 20 minutes of reading and reflecting, and for me to get the most out of the material, I need to do it earlier in the day rather than in the evening. So it means I get to practice better time management. This is a good thing for me. I love that I'm spending time in the Word every day. I already feel like my spirits are higher and my mood is brighter, even though nothing has changed with my uncertainties, fears, or worries. But somehow, reading God's Word makes those fears become less and makes me focus on the things that are important (the things that matter for eternity). He promises that His Word doesn't return empty (Isaiah 55:10) and the Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
We have access to a living word! That is pretty amazing. I don't know why I let so many things clutter my mind and suck away my time. I don't know why I place reading God's Word by the wayside. It took me awhile to figure out what was out of sync in my life, but I'm so glad I figured it out and am back on track with weekly Bible study and daily time in the Word. So my cure for getting out of a funk? Time in God's Word.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Ode to the rental
Oh dear rental house,
It's been about a month since we parted ways, and I have to be honest, I haven't really missed you much. Catholic Mutt was right when she called that one. I'm a little surprised at how quickly I got over you, but then again, I didn't realize how bad you were until we had left. In fact, probably the only things that I really miss are the front drive in garage and the short drive to church along with being able to walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, and fast food restaurants. Other than that, I really wasn't sad to see you go.
Yes, we do have many memories of you during our 7 months together, but most of them are comical.
-the awful blue-green kitchen cabinets
-the matching blue-green colored carpet in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Yes, the kitchen cabinets were the same color. And who carpets their bathrooms anyways? Do you know how weird it is to vacuum around a toilet?
-the toilet room, as I affectionately called it, in our bathroom
-the self-made tanning bed in the basement
I'm not joking! They really used this before they moved out. Obviously, they didn't want it anymore since they left it. I didn't go near that thing, but man, we sure got a good laugh whenever friends came over and wanted a tour of the house. We had to show off our tanning bed then!
-all the other junk that was there when we moved in
Like this lovely outdoorsy room! Another highlight of the house tour:-)
-not having a refrigerator included and not realizing this until I went to pick up the keys to the house
-the resident raccoon in the attic and then the rooftop visits at 3am when DH would have to go outside and chase him off the roof, so we could continue sleeping
-the weird, velcro-on doorbell that would randomly go off until we just unplugged the interior part
-the outside light that needed to be turned on from the inside with a remote
-the carpenter ant colony in the kitchen that ate a whole bottle of Terro in one night!
-the front door that would scratch the hardwood floor every time you opened it
-the noisy plumbing that would wake R up whenever running water
-the cockroaches galore found in every room we lived in (and some of which may have decided to move with us because they were ready to leave you)
-the moss growing on the driveway that would make us slip when walking on it
-the squirrels chewing on the plastic trim of the deck thinking it was a tasty treat
-the guest bath toilet that would randomly run until we plugged it up with an aerosol can
-the Jenn-air cooktop in the moveable island. We hated that thing with the downdraft
-the electrical current. We went through so many light bulbs in that house. More in 7 months than our entire 8 years in our previous house! Some fixtures we put 3 new bulbs in.
-And then there was the fact there weren't any light fixtures in any of the bedrooms. We had to plug lamps into certain outlets, so that when we flipped the light switch on, those lamps would come on. But it still wasn't as effective as overhead lighting.
OK. I think you probably get the idea that we weren't too fond of you and all your quirky ways. And you did have a lot of quirks! You were only 34 years old with 2 homeowners. We had higher expectations for you.
But I do have to thank you, dear rental house. For you see, living in you has really made me appreciate our "new to us" 27 year old home. I can better deal with some of the issues here because we lived through you. So for that, I am thankful.
So long, rental house. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen!!
It's been about a month since we parted ways, and I have to be honest, I haven't really missed you much. Catholic Mutt was right when she called that one. I'm a little surprised at how quickly I got over you, but then again, I didn't realize how bad you were until we had left. In fact, probably the only things that I really miss are the front drive in garage and the short drive to church along with being able to walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, and fast food restaurants. Other than that, I really wasn't sad to see you go.
Yes, we do have many memories of you during our 7 months together, but most of them are comical.
-the awful blue-green kitchen cabinets
-the matching blue-green colored carpet in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Yes, the kitchen cabinets were the same color. And who carpets their bathrooms anyways? Do you know how weird it is to vacuum around a toilet?
-the self-made tanning bed in the basement
-all the other junk that was there when we moved in
-not having a refrigerator included and not realizing this until I went to pick up the keys to the house
-the resident raccoon in the attic and then the rooftop visits at 3am when DH would have to go outside and chase him off the roof, so we could continue sleeping
-the weird, velcro-on doorbell that would randomly go off until we just unplugged the interior part
-the outside light that needed to be turned on from the inside with a remote
-the carpenter ant colony in the kitchen that ate a whole bottle of Terro in one night!
-the front door that would scratch the hardwood floor every time you opened it
-the noisy plumbing that would wake R up whenever running water
-the cockroaches galore found in every room we lived in (and some of which may have decided to move with us because they were ready to leave you)
-the moss growing on the driveway that would make us slip when walking on it
-the squirrels chewing on the plastic trim of the deck thinking it was a tasty treat
-the guest bath toilet that would randomly run until we plugged it up with an aerosol can
-the Jenn-air cooktop in the moveable island. We hated that thing with the downdraft
-the electrical current. We went through so many light bulbs in that house. More in 7 months than our entire 8 years in our previous house! Some fixtures we put 3 new bulbs in.
-And then there was the fact there weren't any light fixtures in any of the bedrooms. We had to plug lamps into certain outlets, so that when we flipped the light switch on, those lamps would come on. But it still wasn't as effective as overhead lighting.
OK. I think you probably get the idea that we weren't too fond of you and all your quirky ways. And you did have a lot of quirks! You were only 34 years old with 2 homeowners. We had higher expectations for you.
But I do have to thank you, dear rental house. For you see, living in you has really made me appreciate our "new to us" 27 year old home. I can better deal with some of the issues here because we lived through you. So for that, I am thankful.
So long, rental house. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen!!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Quick Takes (40): Moving, Mustiness, Pierogies, and Strep
Ummm...so is it pathetic to admit I actually started this Quick Takes post for last Friday?!? Oh man. I've had a severe case of the blahs lately. Not sure what is going on.
All moved! Woo hoo. This seems sort of a given now since my last post was weeks ago, but we made the final moving load, cleaned the rental home, and turned in keys all in the same day. That meant we were out of the rental one day earlier than we had planned thanks to some motivated friends getting us out ASAP.
Musty smell. Pee yoo! We moved just in time because I hadn't realized how stinky that place was. All of our clothes that were hanging in the closet there reek of that musty smell. I sort of flipped out once we had moved out and I realized that. Does that mean we went around smelling musty for 7 months?!? I knew our bedroom was musty and ran a dehumidifier to help with that, but our sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, and clothes all stink! I've been in the process of washing everything to get rid of the smell. I still have some clothes left to do and we threw away a few pillows because they were horrible. Man...our sinuses are surely rejoicing now.
Settling in. Yee haw! Our house just feels so right for us. The neighborhood is great and the neighbors we have met have been so friendly and welcoming. People are active in this community, which we like, because someone is always out walking or running. It is so much quieter than our rental house and just feels so peaceful and safe. Remember how paranoid I was at the rental? Yeah, not so much here. We're getting settled "one box at a time" we say.
Polish festival. Yum oo! Went to a polish festival at a local parish recently and it was so much fun to celebrate my Polish heritage. I had the best pierogies ever. Seriously, these were the fattest, yummiest pierogies made by volunteers from the church. They had cabbage rolls, polish beer, baked goods, authentic music, dancing, and costumes, and more! And I couldn't get over all the Polish people of all ages were speaking. My grandma would have loved it! I found out later they have a Polish-speaking mass there each week. Who know there was such a Polish population here? Definitely going back to the festival next year. R even loved pierogi!
Strep throat. Boo hoo! I was seriously down for the count for days with strep throat being the victor. Even after I got on meds, my throat was still painfully raw for 4. more. days. Oh my gosh. I haven't been that sick in a long long time. Not fun. Not fun at all. Hoping the meds kicked it and I don't need a 2nd round of them. I've only been off meds for 3 days. Thankfully, neither DH or R got sick, so at least that was good. And there is a cool story about our God-daughter that came out of it, but I'll have to type that up in a non-Quick Takes post!
TV addict. Oh no! We've done a pretty good job (in my opinion) of not letting R watch much or any TV. I've read about not allowing screen time for kids under 2, and I've tried to follow this except for now, all of a sudden, she loves it. She turns it on herself and loves watching Curious George. She'll watch an entire show, and then she gets mad when it's over and the monkey isn't on anymore. Any time we are in the same room as the TV, she wants to have it on. Heck, any time we're on the main level, she makes her way into the TV room to turn it on. I'm about ready to move the TV to our bedroom or the garage because I don't know what else to try. Any advice?
Missing there. Boo hoo! I've had a serious case of missing the previous area we lived in. I've been missing the start of the semester, the campus buzzing with students around, my teaching job, friends, our church there, etc. It's been really, really hard lately and I'm not sure why. I mean, I should be all excited because we just moved into the home, and instead I'm again realizing how final our move feels. We are here, in this place, indefinitely. That means no white Christmases for R growing up, no 4 seasons like I am used to, etc. Blech. I know it's still adjustment. And adjustment takes time. And I'm not one big on change, so adjustment takes even longer with me. Still, I'd like to figure out how to cultivate more of a spirit of gratitude and joy inside rather than all the yuckiness that goes on in my head. I'll also take suggestions on gratitude and joy as well!
And with that, have a great weekend!
And with that, have a great weekend!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Moving Update
Phew...it's been a whirlwind of days again. They all seem to blend together lately. We closed on the house July 31st and got possession Aug. 3rd. It was neat to meet the original homeowners at the closing. They were the sweetest couple- retired and moving closer to be near their son and grandchildren. And they went to church with our next-door neighbor from the rental home. How crazy is that? They knew we were the ones buying their home after talking with their fellow church member/our neighbor. Small world.
We were over the morning we got possession to check everything out and the sellers left the home in amazing condition. They even vacuumed and cleaned after the movers had cleared their things out. Seriously, super nice people.
We set to work on a few house projects like changing door locks, adding deadbolts to all the doors since there were none, getting carpets cleaned, cleaning the chimney, roof repairs, pest spraying, and new carpeting in some rooms. Phew. That is a lot of coordinating work while balancing schedules (DH's, R's, etc.)
All of that work is done and DH and I have slowly been moving things over to the new house when we can. Our cars are small (Hyundai Elantra and Sonata), so it feels like we have been going over there a ton. At least it's only 3-4 miles away from our rental home. But still, every day we've been going over with full carloads of stuff. We managed to clear out our basement and most of the garage that way. Then we rented a small truck earlier this week and made 2 huge loads of furniture and bigger items. Our closets are emptied and we've just got kitchen and bathroom items that remain to be moved. We also have one more truck rental for the last remaining large items.
We are so close to being free of the rental! And the timing is good because DH is tired of going out at night to chase the raccoon off of our roof. One night last week he was out at 3am because the raccoon was going to town on the shingles above the master bedroom and neither of us could fall back asleep. Ugh. And my mad cockroach killing skills keep getting more and more practice here. Yuck.
We have tons of work to do moving boxes and furniture at the new house since most things are still in the basement as it was the easiest place for DH and I to put it. It has been a rough week with R. While she loves playing at the new house, she doesn't like seeing everything get packed up at the rental. She's been extra clingy and whiny. Sleep has regressed for her somewhat (we expected it with a big change like the move). And she's getting a 3rd molar in which only adds to all the irritability. For everyone's sake, but hers especially, we are ready to start settling down into our new home. I feel so bad for her, poor girl. Even extra snuggles and love don't help right now. Just a few more days!!
We were over the morning we got possession to check everything out and the sellers left the home in amazing condition. They even vacuumed and cleaned after the movers had cleared their things out. Seriously, super nice people.
We set to work on a few house projects like changing door locks, adding deadbolts to all the doors since there were none, getting carpets cleaned, cleaning the chimney, roof repairs, pest spraying, and new carpeting in some rooms. Phew. That is a lot of coordinating work while balancing schedules (DH's, R's, etc.)
All of that work is done and DH and I have slowly been moving things over to the new house when we can. Our cars are small (Hyundai Elantra and Sonata), so it feels like we have been going over there a ton. At least it's only 3-4 miles away from our rental home. But still, every day we've been going over with full carloads of stuff. We managed to clear out our basement and most of the garage that way. Then we rented a small truck earlier this week and made 2 huge loads of furniture and bigger items. Our closets are emptied and we've just got kitchen and bathroom items that remain to be moved. We also have one more truck rental for the last remaining large items.
We are so close to being free of the rental! And the timing is good because DH is tired of going out at night to chase the raccoon off of our roof. One night last week he was out at 3am because the raccoon was going to town on the shingles above the master bedroom and neither of us could fall back asleep. Ugh. And my mad cockroach killing skills keep getting more and more practice here. Yuck.
We have tons of work to do moving boxes and furniture at the new house since most things are still in the basement as it was the easiest place for DH and I to put it. It has been a rough week with R. While she loves playing at the new house, she doesn't like seeing everything get packed up at the rental. She's been extra clingy and whiny. Sleep has regressed for her somewhat (we expected it with a big change like the move). And she's getting a 3rd molar in which only adds to all the irritability. For everyone's sake, but hers especially, we are ready to start settling down into our new home. I feel so bad for her, poor girl. Even extra snuggles and love don't help right now. Just a few more days!!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Quick Takes (39): July re-cap
Ummm....hello, August ! What did you do with July? I seriously don't know where the month went. Here's a re-cap to what we've been up to. We started off the month with DH away on a youth trip for a week. He was one of the chaperones, and while he had a great time with the kids, it was hard to have him gone for a week. (This was on the heels of being gone 2 weeks for another trip, so it probably just magnified the hardness factor). These are the times I wish we were closer to family. R and I survived though, and thankfully it's probably the last long trip DH will take for awhile.
We spent a whole week in MN for my brother's wedding. We had lots and lots and lots of family time, which was mostly good. DH and I were both in the wedding while R was not. That was a little bit of a challenge with all of the wedding party duties and a little one who still takes 2 naps, but overall, she did great with all the over stimulation. And we were so honored to be able to stand up for them on their big day and be present for all of their special festivities.
While there I got to spend lots of time with my Grandma since we stayed in the guest suite at her senior center. I loved watching R spend time with Grandma. I love my Grandma to death, and I'm closer to her than my own mother. She's the last living great-grandparent for R, and I'm so thankful for the time, pictures, and video I got of them together. I truly don't know if I will see her again. She's almost 91 and her health has declined considerably. And while she still drives her car (yikes!) and is fairly independent in her senior center, my heart tells me it may have been the last time or at least the last time for her to be so coherent and interactive. I had this feeling the last time I visited my Grandpa too, so I don't know if it's real or just the worry-er in me. R ate up the attention from Grandma, it was so fun to watch. And of course it makes me miss my Grandpa that he never got the chance to meet R (dang, IF and miscarriage. You make me so mad sometimes.)
Shortly after the trip, DH and I celebrated our 8th anniversary! Wow! That seems like such a long time, and yet it doesn't. I've known DH for 14 years now. Wow. And after our 1st breakup, I never would have imagined we'd get back together and get married. ha, ha. That is a funny story. God had something better in store that I didn't realize at the time in the midst of all the pain. I'm so thankful for DH- he seriously is such a better person than me. I don't deserve to be married to someone so good.
I had a college friend come to visit. She was in town for a conference, but came in early to see us. It was so fun to have her see where we are living now (she agreed it was definitely unique and odd) and she also got to see our new house since we had the walk through when she was here. R hammed it up for her, which was fun for me to watch, and my friend had lots of great ideas, advice, and encouragement to give about parenting that came at just the right time when I needed it.
I turned 35. I usually love July for the anniversary and birthday month celebrations, but this is one birthday I really wasn't looking forward to. For some reason, 35 seems so much older than 30-34 to me. Hello, AMA (advanced maternal age). Not real excited to see you. When I was younger (ie. in my 20s), I always assumed I'd be done having kids by the time I was 35. I never dreamed we'd struggle with so many different health issues for me that we only learned about after we got married. I know of the risk factors that increase with health and pregnancy after 35. And in other ways, I don't feel as old as the number looks on paper. I'm so happy and content with our one precious child now. I don't want to hurry up and rush time by. I'm not ready to jump back on the TTC wagon again with all of the tests, meds, and stress that it's meant for me in the past. Ultimately, this birthday has me trusting God even more so with my health, fertility, and size of our family. It's not the path I envisioned to be on, but I trust it's even better than I envisioned it to be!
July also marked the start of night sleep training for R. For the past several months, she's continued to wake up multiple times overnight to nurse. Thanks to some fabulous advice from a fabulous blogger (Hebrews 11:1), we started the journey to get her sleeping longer, better, and deeper at night. Hebrews' advice was just what I need to hear (well, read actually) to do what we probably should have done 2 or 3 months ago. We are still working out the kinks with bedtimes and naptimes, but she's currently sleeping 10 1/2 to 11 hours at night. Just what a growing, developing little girl needs. I, on the other hand, am not. I think it's time to sleep train myself next!
So there ya have it. Now I realize why I only posted one measly time in July! Here's to hopefully more posts in August.
So there ya have it. Now I realize why I only posted one measly time in July! Here's to hopefully more posts in August.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)