I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who left such kind, supportive comments on my post about the house selling. I probably shouldn't blog when I'm so stressed. I'm not freaking out as much now, and we're making progress on our move. We have had so many kind people offer to help us out in any way possible. The relief society has arranged to have some ladies come over and help me pack up my kitchen --a huge task-- tomorrow. I feel so blessed to have such a great ward and to know so many people who care about us and are willing to help.
As far as we know, the deal on the house is going through. We've had the appraisal and taken care of all the requests they had from the inspection. We just have to pack up and get out of here. Grant hopes to be out this weekend because he has a major report for work due on Monday, so he'll probably have to work late, which would prevent him from doing any moving that day. I hope all will go smoothly. I feel like we've made a lot of progress, but the closer we get to the weekend, the more I dread that we will find there is so much more to do than we thought.
Still no news on our search for a house. I decided to stop worrying so much about it at least for this week. Even if we were to find something, we'd still end up needing to move to my parents' house for a little while so the deal could go through. So, I decided it would be best if I just focus on moving for now and worry about finding a house once we're out of this one. We both really hope to find something here in West Salem again, especially in our same ward. On the other hand, we acknowledge that the Lord might need us somewhere else (even if it isn't our top choice).
That's what's going on for now. I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post again. Thanks for all your kind thoughts and support, expressed or not, I've felt and appreciated it.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Pregnancy Questions
There are several questions you hear pretty often when people know you're pregnant. I don't think I noticed it as much the first time around as I have with this pregnancy. People and their curiosity are funny. I don't want to give off the impression that I'm annoyed by the questions people ask me. I just find it interesting what questions are asked the most and under what circumstances the questions are asked.
First off, there is the constant: How are you feeling?
You hear this one all throughout your pregnancy, from all kinds of people. For me, it never gets old. I like that people show more concern when someone is pregnant, even if I answer that question several times a day. Plus, when you start to show, you have a physical reminder to people to ask you how you're doing, so you hear this question even more. I always feel like I don't have much to report when I'm asked this question. But, in this case, I think it's better to not have an interesting answer. I'd much rather repeat, "I feel great," than talk about swelling ankles, early contractions, high blood pressure, or any of the other many complications that can come with pregnancy. I'm counting my blessings to have a healthy baby and a fairly easy pregnancy.
The other main repeated questions seem to go in stages throughout the pregnancy.
Question #1: Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?
This is the first question that came up with most people. It's kind of funny how just the news of us expecting another child isn't quite enough. These days, people want specifics. That's not to say that I'm not one of them. I admit I feel a twinge of disappointment whenever a friend tells me they are waiting to find out the gender of the baby. You mean I have to wait 4 extra months?! Oh the torture! Some asked if we already knew if it was a boy or a girl. A few even asked this immediately after finding out I was even pregnant. You would think that with ultrasounds being so common these days, people would know you have to wait until later in the pregnancy. I wanted to say, "Umm. . . my baby's the size of a thumbprint. No, of course I don't know what gender it is yet!" But I never said that.
So, when the much-awaited day finally came and we were able to have our ultrasound that would reveal the gender of our child, I looked forward to satisfying the throng of people who were anxious to know. Surely they could relax, finally knowing the answer to the burning question. But the answer to that question only brought on another question.
Question #2: Have you thought of any names?
Step aside, question #1, you have a replacement. Okay, it's another girl. What will you name her? Names are tough. A name has to fit a person their entire life. I tend to shy away from overly popular names. I also don't like names that could be a boy's name or a girl's name. I'm more than a bit saddened by all the great boys' names that have been stolen for girls. Once it's been used as a girl's name, there's no going back. Boys' names are being depleted like crazy because of this! I know I'm silly to gripe about this since I don't need to worry about a boy's name right now, but still! Can I get an amen?
Back to the subject at hand. I don't like sharing possibilities for baby's names with other people. It's hard enough for Grant and I to come up with a name that sounds good to both of us and feels like it will fit our baby. I don't need to run it by other people and give them a chance to weigh in on the subject! If I'm not completely decided about a name and so-and-so says they hate it, while I'm trying to make my decision, that will always be ringing in my head. I try not to be a person who cares too much what other people think, but I do tend to try to please everyone. It's just too much input on an already difficult decision! That's why I like to keep it between Grant and myself until we're sure our minds are made up. . . relatively. I have such a hard time committing that even once we decided to name Eleanor, I kept telling people the clause of "unless she's born and totally doesn't seem like an Eleanor."
There's also the issue of name thieves. If you tell people a name or a couple of names you're considering, you haven't staked a definite claim. You're still just tossing things around. So, if you happen to mention a name that has never occurred to them that they really like, that name is still fair game. They could be pregnant and due before me and take the name. Or, they might know someone who is pregnant and suggest it to them. Thus, creating more children with that same name and turning a once unique name into the latest fad. Or even if it didn't turn out to be the name you wanted to use for the baby, it could be a name you like enough to want to hold onto for the next baby. But, if someone takes it in the time in between, well, then it's just used. That's not to say that I flatter myself that I have such great taste in baby names that everyone will want to be just like me. You just never know. There are no "dibs" when it comes to names.
If you wait to tell people the baby's name until you've made up your mind, people are less likely to tell you if they think the name is atrocious. It's more of a done deal, so they want to be polite. Plus, people know you're going to use that name, so even if the baby isn't born yet, the name is pretty much claimed for your baby.
So where are we on the road to naming our baby? Well, here's the deal. Grant thinks that as far as he is concerned, the name is chosen. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a name that started out as my idea back when we were tossing out ideas. Since then, Grant decided he loves it and it's the name for our baby. I go back and forth (back to the issue that I can't commit to a name). I love it most days, but it's just so hard to know for sure if that's the name I want to call my child for their entire life. But, when I think about coming up with another name, I'm stumped. Nothing comes to mind, and I would have to find something that Grant could somehow love more than the current name. So, I'm basically this. . . close to deciding once and for all that we'll just go ahead and use that name for sure. Hey, if I decide I don't really like it as much down the road, maybe I'll just shrug it off as the child I let Grant name :)
Here's the real question that's been floating around in my mind. A friend of mine waited until her baby was born to reveal the name to family and friends, keeping it a surprise. I like surprises. I thought that could be fun. Although my friend named her baby after a much loved family member, and this name is just one we found and liked. On the other hand, Grant has been anxious to share the name with others ever since he declared that tootsie #2's name was decided. As a result of that and a moment of weakness on my part, there are actually 4 people who already know what name was our possible top choice. So, what do the rest of you think? Should we zip our lips until the baby is born, and keep it a surprise (hoping of course, the 4 who already know stick to secrecy)? Or, as soon as I get my act together and decide to make that commitment, spread the word? What do you think? I'm going to create a poll so you can weigh in on the subject as you please.
Oh, and as far as a common question for the end stages of pregnancy, I don't know yet for this time around. Going off of memory, I'd have to say the most common question was more of a statement: I'll bet you're ready to be done/ for that baby to be here/ to pop. (There are variations on the same theme.) These statements were inaccurate in relation to me because, in spite of the awkwardness of my size, I enjoyed being pregnant, and I remained pretty nervous about becoming a parent right up until. . . well, I guess it's starting to wear off by now.
First off, there is the constant: How are you feeling?
You hear this one all throughout your pregnancy, from all kinds of people. For me, it never gets old. I like that people show more concern when someone is pregnant, even if I answer that question several times a day. Plus, when you start to show, you have a physical reminder to people to ask you how you're doing, so you hear this question even more. I always feel like I don't have much to report when I'm asked this question. But, in this case, I think it's better to not have an interesting answer. I'd much rather repeat, "I feel great," than talk about swelling ankles, early contractions, high blood pressure, or any of the other many complications that can come with pregnancy. I'm counting my blessings to have a healthy baby and a fairly easy pregnancy.
The other main repeated questions seem to go in stages throughout the pregnancy.
Question #1: Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?
This is the first question that came up with most people. It's kind of funny how just the news of us expecting another child isn't quite enough. These days, people want specifics. That's not to say that I'm not one of them. I admit I feel a twinge of disappointment whenever a friend tells me they are waiting to find out the gender of the baby. You mean I have to wait 4 extra months?! Oh the torture! Some asked if we already knew if it was a boy or a girl. A few even asked this immediately after finding out I was even pregnant. You would think that with ultrasounds being so common these days, people would know you have to wait until later in the pregnancy. I wanted to say, "Umm. . . my baby's the size of a thumbprint. No, of course I don't know what gender it is yet!" But I never said that.
So, when the much-awaited day finally came and we were able to have our ultrasound that would reveal the gender of our child, I looked forward to satisfying the throng of people who were anxious to know. Surely they could relax, finally knowing the answer to the burning question. But the answer to that question only brought on another question.
Question #2: Have you thought of any names?
Step aside, question #1, you have a replacement. Okay, it's another girl. What will you name her? Names are tough. A name has to fit a person their entire life. I tend to shy away from overly popular names. I also don't like names that could be a boy's name or a girl's name. I'm more than a bit saddened by all the great boys' names that have been stolen for girls. Once it's been used as a girl's name, there's no going back. Boys' names are being depleted like crazy because of this! I know I'm silly to gripe about this since I don't need to worry about a boy's name right now, but still! Can I get an amen?
Back to the subject at hand. I don't like sharing possibilities for baby's names with other people. It's hard enough for Grant and I to come up with a name that sounds good to both of us and feels like it will fit our baby. I don't need to run it by other people and give them a chance to weigh in on the subject! If I'm not completely decided about a name and so-and-so says they hate it, while I'm trying to make my decision, that will always be ringing in my head. I try not to be a person who cares too much what other people think, but I do tend to try to please everyone. It's just too much input on an already difficult decision! That's why I like to keep it between Grant and myself until we're sure our minds are made up. . . relatively. I have such a hard time committing that even once we decided to name Eleanor, I kept telling people the clause of "unless she's born and totally doesn't seem like an Eleanor."
There's also the issue of name thieves. If you tell people a name or a couple of names you're considering, you haven't staked a definite claim. You're still just tossing things around. So, if you happen to mention a name that has never occurred to them that they really like, that name is still fair game. They could be pregnant and due before me and take the name. Or, they might know someone who is pregnant and suggest it to them. Thus, creating more children with that same name and turning a once unique name into the latest fad. Or even if it didn't turn out to be the name you wanted to use for the baby, it could be a name you like enough to want to hold onto for the next baby. But, if someone takes it in the time in between, well, then it's just used. That's not to say that I flatter myself that I have such great taste in baby names that everyone will want to be just like me. You just never know. There are no "dibs" when it comes to names.
If you wait to tell people the baby's name until you've made up your mind, people are less likely to tell you if they think the name is atrocious. It's more of a done deal, so they want to be polite. Plus, people know you're going to use that name, so even if the baby isn't born yet, the name is pretty much claimed for your baby.
So where are we on the road to naming our baby? Well, here's the deal. Grant thinks that as far as he is concerned, the name is chosen. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a name that started out as my idea back when we were tossing out ideas. Since then, Grant decided he loves it and it's the name for our baby. I go back and forth (back to the issue that I can't commit to a name). I love it most days, but it's just so hard to know for sure if that's the name I want to call my child for their entire life. But, when I think about coming up with another name, I'm stumped. Nothing comes to mind, and I would have to find something that Grant could somehow love more than the current name. So, I'm basically this. . . close to deciding once and for all that we'll just go ahead and use that name for sure. Hey, if I decide I don't really like it as much down the road, maybe I'll just shrug it off as the child I let Grant name :)
Here's the real question that's been floating around in my mind. A friend of mine waited until her baby was born to reveal the name to family and friends, keeping it a surprise. I like surprises. I thought that could be fun. Although my friend named her baby after a much loved family member, and this name is just one we found and liked. On the other hand, Grant has been anxious to share the name with others ever since he declared that tootsie #2's name was decided. As a result of that and a moment of weakness on my part, there are actually 4 people who already know what name was our possible top choice. So, what do the rest of you think? Should we zip our lips until the baby is born, and keep it a surprise (hoping of course, the 4 who already know stick to secrecy)? Or, as soon as I get my act together and decide to make that commitment, spread the word? What do you think? I'm going to create a poll so you can weigh in on the subject as you please.
Oh, and as far as a common question for the end stages of pregnancy, I don't know yet for this time around. Going off of memory, I'd have to say the most common question was more of a statement: I'll bet you're ready to be done/ for that baby to be here/ to pop. (There are variations on the same theme.) These statements were inaccurate in relation to me because, in spite of the awkwardness of my size, I enjoyed being pregnant, and I remained pretty nervous about becoming a parent right up until. . . well, I guess it's starting to wear off by now.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Good: We did get everything in order and get our house on the market as of last Monday.
Good: We went to the coast last weekend after doing serious cleaning around the house so it would look good if anyone wanted to look at it.
Good: We got an offer from the first person who looked at it just last Friday.
Good: The offer was for our full asking price.
Bad: Our buyer is in a real hurry and wants to close next Friday and have us out of here July 1st.
Ugly: They did an inspection on the house on Saturday while we were still at the coast. Since we weren't there, they had to practically empty our bedroom closet to get to the crawlspace access that's at the top of our closet. Our bedroom closet is one of the few places I hadn't had time to clean out and make nice and neat. They laid things carefully on our bed so we could put them back how we wanted, trying to be respectful. I cried. I was so humiliated that they had to displace our mess while we were gone. How embarrassing!
Good: We've already talked to my mother about moving to her place for a while so we won't be homeless while we look for a place to live.
Good: At least we only had to clean the house once for people to look at it!
Good: Now if we find a house we want, we won't have any contingencies.
Good: We can save money for a bigger down payment until we do find a place.
Good: We signed papers on Monday to accept their offer and any issues they wanted taken care of from the inspection (most of them were minor, though we have to treat the garage for carpenter ants).
Good: Also last week, the price on the house we've had our eyes on was lowered.
Bad: The lowered price raises pressure on us because of competition, and we haven't made our minds up.
Good: We got to take a long, contemplating look at that house on Monday, and we viewed several other homes in W. Salem and one in S. Salem.
Bad: We're starting to have doubts about the house we had our eye on. We're afraid we might start to feel cramped in it before we want to have to move again.
Ugly: We saw some standing water in the basement-- not a lot, but there was some there.
Good: We found another house we really liked, close to the school, lots of space. It's not our dream home as far as style, but it's very practical for our needs. It's a foreclosure, so it would be an automatic equity gain. Plus, they want a quick sale-- wouldn't it be nice not to have to move twice!
Bad: We found out that house already has an offer, but they hadn't done the inspection yet. We quickly put in a back-up offer yesterday morning, offering more than asking price in hopes that they will be difficult enough with the first buyer that the first buyer will walk.
Ugly, Ugly, Ugly: When our offer was sent, the other realtor let us know that we aren't the only back-up offer on the table! So, basically, we are third in line for that house. We don't even know how much the other back up person offered. They have to reject or accept our offer by 5pm today, but even if they accept, we have to wait for the other two buyers to somehow bow out. So, basically, it's a shot in the dark.
Good: We got the counter offer to our counter offer today on our sale.
Bad: Our realtor tried to protect us by changing the language from "close date: June 27th, seller will be out by July 1st" to "close date: June 27th, seller will be out 4 days after funding." The other realtor took issue with the change because the buyer is in such a hurry to get over here that they didn't want any chance for error, even if their funds weren't in order!
Ugly: Their realtor had words with Meredith (our realtor) and hung up on her! How immature!
Good: Luckily, we have a realty team (Mike and Meredith), and Mike called her back and smoothed things over. Meredith won't deal with her anymore so that we don't have any more squabbles. The language is set the way they want it now, but they're going to have to make an addendum if the funds aren't there on the 27th, which is what our realtors were trying to save them the trouble of doing in the first place. (Sigh)
Good (for some): The more we look, the more we realize we really don't want to be uprooted right now. We want to stay in W. Salem. We want to stay in our ward, if at all possible.
Bad: With our "dream home" looking like less and less of a dream and our second option only retaining a very very thin shred of hope, we're left with no real prospects.
Ugly: I'm probably going to end up surrounded by unpacked boxes with a newborn or living at my parents' and moving with a newborn!
Ugly: Our close date is next Friday, and we haven't packed a thing because we've been too busy house-hunting, and the deal isn't even in escrow yet!
Ugly: I'm beginning to realize I'm never going to find a place that comes even close to my wonderful, huge kitchen with tons of cabinets!
My current mantra:
Good: We went to the coast last weekend after doing serious cleaning around the house so it would look good if anyone wanted to look at it.
Good: We got an offer from the first person who looked at it just last Friday.
Good: The offer was for our full asking price.
Bad: Our buyer is in a real hurry and wants to close next Friday and have us out of here July 1st.
Ugly: They did an inspection on the house on Saturday while we were still at the coast. Since we weren't there, they had to practically empty our bedroom closet to get to the crawlspace access that's at the top of our closet. Our bedroom closet is one of the few places I hadn't had time to clean out and make nice and neat. They laid things carefully on our bed so we could put them back how we wanted, trying to be respectful. I cried. I was so humiliated that they had to displace our mess while we were gone. How embarrassing!
Good: We've already talked to my mother about moving to her place for a while so we won't be homeless while we look for a place to live.
Good: At least we only had to clean the house once for people to look at it!
Good: Now if we find a house we want, we won't have any contingencies.
Good: We can save money for a bigger down payment until we do find a place.
Good: We signed papers on Monday to accept their offer and any issues they wanted taken care of from the inspection (most of them were minor, though we have to treat the garage for carpenter ants).
Good: Also last week, the price on the house we've had our eyes on was lowered.
Bad: The lowered price raises pressure on us because of competition, and we haven't made our minds up.
Good: We got to take a long, contemplating look at that house on Monday, and we viewed several other homes in W. Salem and one in S. Salem.
Bad: We're starting to have doubts about the house we had our eye on. We're afraid we might start to feel cramped in it before we want to have to move again.
Ugly: We saw some standing water in the basement-- not a lot, but there was some there.
Good: We found another house we really liked, close to the school, lots of space. It's not our dream home as far as style, but it's very practical for our needs. It's a foreclosure, so it would be an automatic equity gain. Plus, they want a quick sale-- wouldn't it be nice not to have to move twice!
Bad: We found out that house already has an offer, but they hadn't done the inspection yet. We quickly put in a back-up offer yesterday morning, offering more than asking price in hopes that they will be difficult enough with the first buyer that the first buyer will walk.
Ugly, Ugly, Ugly: When our offer was sent, the other realtor let us know that we aren't the only back-up offer on the table! So, basically, we are third in line for that house. We don't even know how much the other back up person offered. They have to reject or accept our offer by 5pm today, but even if they accept, we have to wait for the other two buyers to somehow bow out. So, basically, it's a shot in the dark.
Good: We got the counter offer to our counter offer today on our sale.
Bad: Our realtor tried to protect us by changing the language from "close date: June 27th, seller will be out by July 1st" to "close date: June 27th, seller will be out 4 days after funding." The other realtor took issue with the change because the buyer is in such a hurry to get over here that they didn't want any chance for error, even if their funds weren't in order!
Ugly: Their realtor had words with Meredith (our realtor) and hung up on her! How immature!
Good: Luckily, we have a realty team (Mike and Meredith), and Mike called her back and smoothed things over. Meredith won't deal with her anymore so that we don't have any more squabbles. The language is set the way they want it now, but they're going to have to make an addendum if the funds aren't there on the 27th, which is what our realtors were trying to save them the trouble of doing in the first place. (Sigh)
Have I mentioned that I hate this whole process!?
Bad: With our "dream home" looking like less and less of a dream and our second option only retaining a very very thin shred of hope, we're left with no real prospects.
Ugly: I'm probably going to end up surrounded by unpacked boxes with a newborn or living at my parents' and moving with a newborn!
Ugly: Our close date is next Friday, and we haven't packed a thing because we've been too busy house-hunting, and the deal isn't even in escrow yet!
Ugly: I'm beginning to realize I'm never going to find a place that comes even close to my wonderful, huge kitchen with tons of cabinets!
My current mantra:
Try not to panic!
Try not to panic!
Try not to panic!
Try not to panic!
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I don't want to cause any problems with my pregnancy from stress. My last pregnancy was smooth sailing, but I didn't have so much to deal with. My biggest problem is that I don't delegate well. I don't ask for help. I'm trying to have faith and keep it together and try to help Grant keep it together. I think it's really hard for him when he's the provider of the family. We're doing our best. If you see me and I fall apart over some small thing and start crying, just know it's not you, and I'm not crazy-- I hope.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tah-da!
Our kitchen has been finished for a while, but it's been a little too crazy around here for me to post these. So if you haven't already seen it, here's how all our hard work turned out. . .
This is what it looks like now. Grant did a great job on the counter tops and back splash.
Here's our little desk area with the new counter top and small tiles around the back.
Doesn't it lighten/freshen things up? I'm loving it!
We used to have this blank space between the fridge and the end of the counter. It housed our garbage and brooms, and it looked rather awkward and unfinished. See, we had to take out the tall cabinet in the top picture that used to be to the right of the fridge. This was done so that the fridge could be scootched over so that the dishwasher door wouldn't hit it when you tried to open the dishwasher. So, a trip to Ikea took care of that blank space with this new cabinet, a cabinet which, as you can see, I have filled with all of our favorite health foods. I still should find a better place for the mop. If you look just above my can of flour (church cannery issued), you can see where we had to readjust the size of the cabinets to fit the fridge. But I think it's less noticeable now.
Here's what it looks like above the stove. Grant did such a good job. I'm so lucky to have such a talented, hard-working, (and brave) husband.
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This is a before shot. We didn't take a before picture recently (probably because we were in such a hurry to get started), but I managed to dig this one out of our old photo files. This was taken in spring of 2005, before we had painted anything, before new appliances and my blessed dishwasher, even before Eleanor (but she was cookin').
This is what it looks like now. Grant did a great job on the counter tops and back splash.
Here's our little desk area with the new counter top and small tiles around the back.
Doesn't it lighten/freshen things up? I'm loving it!
We used to have this blank space between the fridge and the end of the counter. It housed our garbage and brooms, and it looked rather awkward and unfinished. See, we had to take out the tall cabinet in the top picture that used to be to the right of the fridge. This was done so that the fridge could be scootched over so that the dishwasher door wouldn't hit it when you tried to open the dishwasher. So, a trip to Ikea took care of that blank space with this new cabinet, a cabinet which, as you can see, I have filled with all of our favorite health foods. I still should find a better place for the mop. If you look just above my can of flour (church cannery issued), you can see where we had to readjust the size of the cabinets to fit the fridge. But I think it's less noticeable now.
Here's what it looks like above the stove. Grant did such a good job. I'm so lucky to have such a talented, hard-working, (and brave) husband. Special thanks to Duane, Gary, and Stuart for all the advice/help they were willing to give Grant during this big project.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Sunday Picnic
We've been having quite a few picnics lately, either because of the nice weather or just the fact that our house projects have kicked us out of the kitchen. When we got home from church on Sunday and asked Eleanor what she wanted for lunch, she said "I wanna have a pic-pic outside on a blanket." It was fairly nice out, so why would we refuse? We got our food ready and went out on the front lawn. I think she ate better because of it.
Our little "pic-pic." I'm not looking because I didn't know I was in a picture.
We brought out a bottle of root beer to share, and Eleanor wanted to drink it right out of the bottle. This probably didn't give off the best impression to people who saw it as they drove by. For the record, my daughter is not a 2yr old alcoholic.
Good to the last drop.
Haley has been asking how big I am, and even though I'm not to keen on how I tend to look in photos, I'll do anything for Haley. So here's my pooch at almost 6 months.
Our yard looks so good after all of Grant's hard work! I should have taken some pictures of it. I've been busy cleaning because our realtor is coming tomorrow afternoon for us to sign listing papers, and I want our house to look "immaculate" enough. I took pictures of the kitchen today. I'll try to post them soon. Wish us luck. We're almost on the market. . .
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