Bone Tired

So the moving is coming along. We are two, possibly three, weeks out - depending on the close of the escrow. It has been such a busy last few weeks. Mr. D was right when he said that I wouldn't be sad about leaving our house... I don't have time to be sad right now.

Of course his reason for why I wouldn't be sad would be cause I would be doing the "happy dance" over getting into the new house. Now don't get me wrong, I am super excited about this new place, but I am a little more emotionally tied to our current place than Mr. D. It's just how I am. This is really only the 2nd place I can remember living, so its really no wonder that I have planted my roots rather deep.

So this moving business is tiring. I am, what they say, bone-tired. Perhaps the fact that I have been up with kids the past few nights doesn't help either.

Mr. Paul-liwog has four, count them, FOUR teeth all cut on top right now. Poor guy. He's doing better now that they have all cut through, but the last week was not fun at all.

Then there is Miss Grace. Miss Mommy's-Bed is she should be called the last few nights. She has decided that she would rather sleep in Mommy's Bed. I feel bad, but we just can't start this right now. I am still up nursing Paul at least once a night and I don't need Grace in bed with us too waking up when I have to nurse. Besides none of us sleep all that great when we're all in one bed.

Okay, maybe they all do, but Mom doesn't. And we all need Mom to get some sleep.

So back to the drama. And yes, its been drama. She has been waking up and just crying and crying and crying for Mommy's Bed. I have tried all sorts of methods to deal with this from firm discipline to cuddling with her for a while in her room to just plain ol' cry-it-out sister. Nothing has been the magic solution yet. I'm hoping that consistency will just pay off eventually for me. I hope. For all of our sakes.

So not to leave on a sour kid note - here are some adorable pics we took on a day trip back in April. Yes, I haven't been posting enough to get them up in a timely manner. But don't worry, we haven't changed that much in the past couple weeks.

My 30 Day Challenge

Two weeks ago my agent called to tell me that he recommended that we take our house off the market for the time being. We had two homes down the street going for less than ours (same floorplan) and it probably wasn't the best time. I said fine - I was tired of the constant picking up for the past 50 days.

The next day we received an offer on the house.

That Tuesday, two days later, we submitted a counteroffer with the contingency that we have to find a house. And we made an offer on a house.

Our counteroffer was accepted, but we didn't get the house.

We gave it another shot - did a search of the area before backing out of the deal on our house.

Last Tuesday we submitted another offer. We found out Thursday that we got the house.

We are now in escrow, closing in what's that? Oh yes, 30 days!
Folks, I guess that means its time to pack.

So that's the 30 day challenge. Pack up my belongings and move them about 10 miles southeast.

I realized in that in my past 30 years of living, I have never really moved. I grew up in the same house and when I got married, I basically took the clothes out of the closet in my bedroom and brought them to my new house with Mr. D. I put a couple boxes of books in my car and called it a move.

Even when I helped Mr. D move into our current home in his bachelor days - the move consisted of a truck with a small trailer. There was a bed, a dresser, couch and a few odds and ends. I think the neighbors must have chuckled, or cringed, when they saw our sad move-in.

This time, however, it is going to be quite a bit different. I've had 8 years to accumulate things to put in cupboards and hang on the walls, as well as 2 kids who come with several containers of outgrown clothes, numerous stuffed animals, cribs, changing tables, swings, and playpens.

Tomorrow the challenge is: Pack Books. Gotta start somewhere.
I'll keep you posted friends.

Happy Easter

So not only is it already April, but it is already mid-April. Wow. That seems to be the common opening for me these day - "wow, its been so long and I haven't updated." Maybe I should just use that as a title for this blog. sara-who-updates-once-a-month.blogspot.com.

Anyhoo.

We had a wonderful day yesterday. We went to church in the morning (on time!) and enjoyed a great service celebrating the Jesus' resurrection and our salvation. We then headed to Grandma's to eat too much and enjoy family time.

We also learned a few things yesterday.

1. House hunting doesn't stop just because its Easter. I received three phone calls from realtors yesterday regarding the house. One of whom seemed put out that I told him we were celebrating Easter with our family and not showing the house today. After that, I just let the calls roll to voicemail.

2. I think my kids are the cutest. Especially when they are matching. I think I'm going to start matching them for every special occasion. Okay, probably not. But so cute, don't you think?






3. Peeps are gross - at least according to my family. They are strange, sugary concoctions that will outlast the nuclear attack with the twinkies. Even Grace knew where they belong.






4. I love my kids. Okay, I already knew that one. But I just needed an excuse to post more pictures!

The Gateway Cosmetic

So my one fan told me I haven't updated. I guess I should be flattered I have a fan. Thanks fan.

So the house, the kids and the sickness have been keeping me from updating. As my mom used to say when I was growing up, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." Well, it's not that bad, but we have been passing the cold around the house. Well, the girls have been anyhow. Amazingly Mr. D has avoided it, as has Paul.

The house is still for sale. We are more than halfway through our 90 day listing. I think at the end of the 90 days we are going to pull it down for a while and rethink and pray about what to do. We have been going around in circles with our association and the State concerning the sad burned-out hill behind our home. We may end up investing some of our own funds into landscaping, or even more desirable, a nice block wall. If that's the case, we will definitely end up staying put for a while.

So that's the house and the sickness. The kids are good too. I think of cute and clever little stories about them to share, but then just never get around to typing them out. And they aren't so clever and cute two weeks later.

But I've got a cute one for tonight. Yes, it's actually from tonight.

So there's this show on TLC called Toddlers & Tiaras. I've never actually watched the show from start to finish, but have caught enough tidbits to get the gist. It's a beauty pageants for the diaper-wearing set. These little girls are fluffed, styled and made up with oodles of ribbons, lace, make-up, and fake hairpieces. They look like little walking and talking dolls.



There have been a few times when I shake my head as I flip past the show and wonder, "who does this to their 2 year old?"

Well, we don't go as far as the spray tans and false eyelashes around here... yet. We're just sticking to fake curls for now. Grace was super excited to go to bed like this.




I'm not sure why I feel a little guilty about rolling up my 2 year old's hair in sponge curlers. Perhaps I am subconsciously telling her that her straight hair isn't cute enough? Or are sponge curlers the gateway cosmetic and next week I am telling her to stand still until the eyelash adhesive dries? Or is this the start of a lifetime of beauty regimes aimed to improve one's appearance. Really, I think Grace's mommy over analyzes to a fault and the fact is that I just want her hair to look cute and curly for the family picture tomorrow.

Next week we'll introduce her to the eyelash curler.

All These Photos

My computer is getting old and tired. We've had it for about six years - which is what, like 600 in computer years. Plus I realized that it is bogged down with pictures. Serious amounts of pictures.

My mom has a box full of pictures of cute little Sara-baby. She made me an album of my childhood a few years back - taking the best of the yellowed photos, which didn't amount to too many. My life from 0-2 years is depicted in about three pages of photos.

My kids?
Grace can review her life from 0-2 years in about oh, 1,000+ pictures. On second thought, we took about 1,000 pictures alone when we made the 2008 calendar of her last year. Granted, I went back and deleted about 1/3 of those, but still, that was just ONE month.

It's a little overwhelming how to handle all the photos.

My goal for now is to go back through them - weed out the blurry, unflattering, screaming baby shots. Okay, I may leave a few screaming baby shots - I don't want Grace to grow up thinking she was smiling all the time. I don't want to edit her a new reality.

After that, I need to back them up to my external hard drive. I've been printing the best of the best each month and putting them in photo albums. I know many people feel that is passe - but I can't break the habit yet. Besides, who wants to sit in front of my computer and review pictures? I need to be annoying mom and bust out photo albums.

So what does everyone else do these days?

I keep trying to catch up on my photos, but then there are just more there waiting to be downloaded, saved, and printed.

What a Surprise

Kids are just little surprises all the time. Like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.

Last Friday I had an appointment to take Grace in for a hearing test. Since she seems to be a little delayed with her language skills, our pediatrician recommended the test just as a precaution. I could have told her as Dr. Mom that Grace's hearing is just fine. She can instantly recognize the theme to her favorite cartoons from the other room. But then again, there are times when she just doesn't seem to hear me tell her to pick up her toys. And I'll be standing right next to her. Funny how that works.

Anyhow, back to my Friday. Grace woke up at the crack of dawn, okay, 6:20, but way too early. She was cranky, and wanted to eat right away, so we did breakfast and then we had to start getting ready to go. However, her crankiness wasn't soothed by yogurt and peanut butter toast. She didn't want to go upstairs, she didn't want to go potty, she didn't want to get dressed. It's taking all my self-control to remain calm with her.... through gritted teeth.

Finally she gets onboard with the fact that we ARE getting ready, and we ARE going to get dressed, and we ARE going bye-bye. Fortunately, Paul took a nice long morning nap while we got ready.

So we're ready. Finally. And running late. What else is new?

We get to the medical offices. I'm not sure where the Audiology department is located. I'm maneuvering the beast of a double stroller through hallways and on elevators. I find the office. And the doctor has been waiting for me. Yes, cause I'm late.

I apologize. Tell her I was lost... blah,blah,blah. She doesn't look too amused as I squish my beastie stroller into her office.

She hesitates.
"Did you get the letter," she asks me.

What letter?

"The letter that recommends you leave small children at home or bring a companion because you are going to have to be in the test room with Grace. Will your baby be quiet?"

I hesitate.

Who knows? I look at Paul, wide-eyed from his morning nap, and think, "Lady, your guess is as good as mine."

"Let's try it," I tell her. Oh, and I didn't get any letter. I promise.

So we go through all the tests. Grace gets prodded and poked. She takes it all in stride. She even smiles and interacts with the doctor. We leave Paul as we go into a sound booth to listen to noises. He waits patiently, playing with his little chew toy. Never making a peep.

The doctor tells me repeatedly how great my kids are behaving. She says most 2-year-olds don't like to sit still and have things stuck in their ears. And the baby is so good too she mentions.

I don't know what to say. Should I tell her that I suspect that these are some sort of pod children that resemble my own in a freakish way.

But then like I said, kids are just a surprise everyday. I never know what to expect... and sometimes, it can be a pleasant surprise.

There's A Lovely Backyard View for Sale

So I still haven't caught up on American Idol... but here I am updating. Check me out.

Anyhow, we made it through the first weekend of having the house on the market. We cleaned a lot, straightened things up, hid the undesirable things in the house like baby potties, hampers, and excessive toys. We pulled out the "company" couch pillows. And then we waited for the phone to ring. And waited.

Surprisingly we did get three calls for showings.

I don't think we have an offers coming down the pike though.

Call #1
A young couple with a baby, and a rather snooty realtor. They breezed in. I let them look around downstairs while I went upstairs. I hear them rustling in the blinds leading to the backyard. Then in less than five minutes, they are leaving. "Thanks", says snooty realtor. I think they took one look at our lovely burnt, treeless hillside, or perhaps it was the train that was passing at that time, and they ran. Can't say I really blame them.

Call #2
They are expected between 11 and noon on Sunday. I'm waiting. Mr. D took Grace down to the park so they were out of the house. It's 12:30pm. I'm waiting. I happen to get up with Paul and walk by the window. I see a white SUV slow down in front of the house. I figure that must be them. I discreetly glance out front. Sure enough, the white SUV has pulled over just down from our house. Then the phone rings. Miss Realtor tells me that they are planning on moving on from this area. It won't work for her client. Wow. Now they are just driving by and seeing our backyard view and fleeing.

Call #3
While I was waiting for Callers #2, I received this third call. After our prior disappointments, I didn't have high hopes. This was the best one of the bunch. (Yeah, doesn't say much). It was a mom and her teenage son. They at least went through the entire house. Albeit, quickly. My feeling from them was that they were going through all the available houses in our community to get a feel of what's out there. They commented when they walked in, "oh, we haven't been in this floorplan yet." And then they went on to say that they weren't real serious yet.

So that was our first venture in home selling. A lot of rush and a lot of waiting. And Grace got a lot of park time, so she was thrilled.

The trick for me will be keeping the house spit-spot clean all the time. I'm just betting on not getting any weekday calls, or else I'll be in trouble. I will have to do more than just hide a baby potty. I'll be shoving dirty dishes in the closet too!