Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Closing... finally!
The second appraisal came in well above the first, which is good for clearing the way for the loan to finish, but not so good for our taxes! Oh well! We're all set to close at 3:00 tomorrow, and my mom is supposed to be here to watch Bella while we're at the lawyer's office. Now, those of you who know my mom know that she is chronically late to EVERYTHING... AND she has to drive through Atlanta traffic to get here... so we're keeping our fingers crossed she makes it out here on time to take over Bella duty! Otherwise, we'll have to bring earplugs for everyone to wear during closing... I have a feeling Bella would get VERY bored sitting in a lawyer's office for an hour! After the heat advisory dies down tomorrow night, we're planning to move most of our stuff with the help of one of Stephen's bandmates in the U-Haul. Friday will be time for some mad and fast cleaning in the duplex, then we'll say good-bye to Hidden Creek Drive! We can't wait to get out of here! Hard to believe we will be sleeping in our very own house tomorrow night, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise (points go to whoever can recognize that phrase!).
Friday, July 23, 2010
Delayed
Our closing day on the house was supposed to be today, but we found out yesterday afternoon that it will be pushed back to late next week. An inconvenience, but certainly not the end of the world. The current owner of the house is a realtor who bought it in the spring as a foreclosure, and fixed it up to make a profit off of it. The problem is that he owned the home for less than 90 days, and there are some sort of new strict regulations about that with mortgages. We are having to wait now for a second appraisal to be done on the house, and after that we should (hopefully!) be good to go.
We're cutting it down to the wire now, as our closing date will be the day before our lease is over. But I'm sure it will all work out... Our loan officer asked me if we were on "pins and needles," and I'm thinking no, not exactly, this is nothing compared to what we've been through lately! lol. My mom has been awesome to agree to coming out whenever we do end up moving next week to help watch Bella.
And speaking of babysitters... Stephen had his first ever real gig recently (at The New Earth Music Hall in Athens), and guess who couldn't be there to see it?? Yours truly, and Yours Truly, Jr. The irony...! Stephen and I have been together for NINE years, when I could have gone to any show, anyplace, anytime. But now I'm stuck at home with our sweet little babe. We're hoping that next time we can get a grandparent from Alabama to drive over for a visit and a little babysitting. Stephen's parents are lined up for the next gig, in September, which will be at Terrapin Brewery here in Athens. Terrapin expects 200-600 people at their shows, so that's exciting! Stephen's band has come up with a name, Junker, and they have about 15 original songs now, all written by Stephen. An awesome pedal steel player joined the band a couple of weeks ago (who has a recording studio at his house!), so things are looking up for the band right now.
We're cutting it down to the wire now, as our closing date will be the day before our lease is over. But I'm sure it will all work out... Our loan officer asked me if we were on "pins and needles," and I'm thinking no, not exactly, this is nothing compared to what we've been through lately! lol. My mom has been awesome to agree to coming out whenever we do end up moving next week to help watch Bella.
And speaking of babysitters... Stephen had his first ever real gig recently (at The New Earth Music Hall in Athens), and guess who couldn't be there to see it?? Yours truly, and Yours Truly, Jr. The irony...! Stephen and I have been together for NINE years, when I could have gone to any show, anyplace, anytime. But now I'm stuck at home with our sweet little babe. We're hoping that next time we can get a grandparent from Alabama to drive over for a visit and a little babysitting. Stephen's parents are lined up for the next gig, in September, which will be at Terrapin Brewery here in Athens. Terrapin expects 200-600 people at their shows, so that's exciting! Stephen's band has come up with a name, Junker, and they have about 15 original songs now, all written by Stephen. An awesome pedal steel player joined the band a couple of weeks ago (who has a recording studio at his house!), so things are looking up for the band right now.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Smiley Girl
Here are some of those sweet smiles I've been telling you about! I finally caught a few on camera while Stephen was serenading Bella on his guitar. She loves listening to it-- it makes her laugh and kick her legs in joy!
And in other news, here's something else to smile about: my mom is getting married September fourth! She's found a great guy and I'm super happy for her. He has my full approval! Mom's having a very small wedding, but she asked me to be the maid of honor and I'm so thrilled that I'll get to be by her side while she says her vows. As an added bonus, I don't have to do any of the normal maid of honor duties since this is mom's third time at the alter and she doesn't want to make a big deal out it. And I'm going to get to re-wear one of my previous bridesmaid dresses from another September wedding I was in several years ago. (Those of you who have multiple bridesmaid dresses hanging in your closet know how rare it is to actually wear one of them again... and I really liked this one so it's actually kind of exciting... that is, if I can squeeze back into it!)
And some news that's not too smiley: it looks like our closing date may get pushed back a few days, which would be a bummer because my mom has already arranged to come out this weekend and watch Isabella on our big moving day, which was supposed to be Saturday. We're hoping it still works out to close this Friday instead of having to wait until next week!
And in other news, here's something else to smile about: my mom is getting married September fourth! She's found a great guy and I'm super happy for her. He has my full approval! Mom's having a very small wedding, but she asked me to be the maid of honor and I'm so thrilled that I'll get to be by her side while she says her vows. As an added bonus, I don't have to do any of the normal maid of honor duties since this is mom's third time at the alter and she doesn't want to make a big deal out it. And I'm going to get to re-wear one of my previous bridesmaid dresses from another September wedding I was in several years ago. (Those of you who have multiple bridesmaid dresses hanging in your closet know how rare it is to actually wear one of them again... and I really liked this one so it's actually kind of exciting... that is, if I can squeeze back into it!)
And some news that's not too smiley: it looks like our closing date may get pushed back a few days, which would be a bummer because my mom has already arranged to come out this weekend and watch Isabella on our big moving day, which was supposed to be Saturday. We're hoping it still works out to close this Friday instead of having to wait until next week!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Three Months Old
WOW! I can't believe Bella is already a quarter of a year old. Before I know it she'll be a year old, then two years old, then she'll be starting kindergarten, and the next thing I know she'll be driving, moving out of the house and going to college... OK maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But it is crazy to think how quickly this is all going to pass... and that's why I want to treasure every moment, good or bad, with our sweet baby.
Bella is "growing like a weed," as they say here in the South. She is still small for her age (I just put away the last of her newborn size clothes last week), but she is already outgrowing the length of her 0-3 mo. clothes with footies in them! She can hold her head up on her own for a long time without support now, and she is starting to kick up a storm with her legs. She's discovered that she can kick and flail her arms around in the bathtub and she has lots of fun making a big mess with all her splashing! I've been working on getting her to smile, and many times she will smile back at me. This weekend she laughed for a long time while I was playing peek-a-boo with her. It was so amazing... I love seeing the happiness in her face. Bella's favorite baby talk words are "guy," "kuy," "guh," "ah," and "ka." She's finally gotten really good at tracking moving people and objects and she LOVES to watch Stephen (I tell myself it's because of all the contrast in his face with the beard and mustache, NOT because Daddy is her favorite...). I think she is a little bit behind developmentally because she was born so early, but she's getting there. The pediatrician said it could take her about 6 months to catch up with the other babies her age, but that's OK, she'll get there.
Bella had lots of firsts this month, including her first Fourth of July
First Music Festival, Athfest, in downtown Athens. This is the closest I would let Bella get to the stage and speakers! It was so nice to see lots of other young families with strollers there.
She loved hearing the music, and seems to enjoy music more and more every day. (Notice the fluorescent ear plugs!)
Nighttime is still a struggle. I think that is mostly our fault for making it hard for Bella to get into a daily napping/eating routine since we have been so busy between getting ready to move, taking road trips, and taking her on errands. I think she would be a lot better off if she stayed home more. A month ago, our challenge was to get her used to sleeping in her bed instead of ours. Now she sleeps really well in her pack and play since we started swaddling her and turning a fan on near her for white noise, but there are still nights when she wakes up at 12:00 a.m., 2:00, 4:00, 6:00... She is actually waking up more often now than she did a month ago. She has slept for 5, 6, and 7 hour stretches before at night, but that is very rare. Stephen and I are racking our brains trying to figure out how to get her on the right track. She seems to understand that nighttime is for sleeping-- she has a bedtime routine, and when she wakes up at night it's not because she wants to stay awake or play, she just eats and goes right back to sleep. I think she is getting used to eating too much at night instead of in the day, and she is also getting too used to nursing to get back to sleep, which turns into a vicious nighttime eating cycle... so that's what we're working on.
The most beautiful sight in the world... my angel asleep in my arms.
Bella is "growing like a weed," as they say here in the South. She is still small for her age (I just put away the last of her newborn size clothes last week), but she is already outgrowing the length of her 0-3 mo. clothes with footies in them! She can hold her head up on her own for a long time without support now, and she is starting to kick up a storm with her legs. She's discovered that she can kick and flail her arms around in the bathtub and she has lots of fun making a big mess with all her splashing! I've been working on getting her to smile, and many times she will smile back at me. This weekend she laughed for a long time while I was playing peek-a-boo with her. It was so amazing... I love seeing the happiness in her face. Bella's favorite baby talk words are "guy," "kuy," "guh," "ah," and "ka." She's finally gotten really good at tracking moving people and objects and she LOVES to watch Stephen (I tell myself it's because of all the contrast in his face with the beard and mustache, NOT because Daddy is her favorite...). I think she is a little bit behind developmentally because she was born so early, but she's getting there. The pediatrician said it could take her about 6 months to catch up with the other babies her age, but that's OK, she'll get there.
Bella had lots of firsts this month, including her first Fourth of July
First Music Festival, Athfest, in downtown Athens. This is the closest I would let Bella get to the stage and speakers! It was so nice to see lots of other young families with strollers there.
She loved hearing the music, and seems to enjoy music more and more every day. (Notice the fluorescent ear plugs!)
Nighttime is still a struggle. I think that is mostly our fault for making it hard for Bella to get into a daily napping/eating routine since we have been so busy between getting ready to move, taking road trips, and taking her on errands. I think she would be a lot better off if she stayed home more. A month ago, our challenge was to get her used to sleeping in her bed instead of ours. Now she sleeps really well in her pack and play since we started swaddling her and turning a fan on near her for white noise, but there are still nights when she wakes up at 12:00 a.m., 2:00, 4:00, 6:00... She is actually waking up more often now than she did a month ago. She has slept for 5, 6, and 7 hour stretches before at night, but that is very rare. Stephen and I are racking our brains trying to figure out how to get her on the right track. She seems to understand that nighttime is for sleeping-- she has a bedtime routine, and when she wakes up at night it's not because she wants to stay awake or play, she just eats and goes right back to sleep. I think she is getting used to eating too much at night instead of in the day, and she is also getting too used to nursing to get back to sleep, which turns into a vicious nighttime eating cycle... so that's what we're working on.
The most beautiful sight in the world... my angel asleep in my arms.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
New House
For the last month, Stephen and I have been in the process of buying our first home, and are all set to close on July 23. We are super excited about it and can't wait to get out of the duplex we've been renting for the last year! We looked at about 15 houses in the Athens area (and poor Bella got drug around to every one of them!). The most important thing we wanted was a safe, family-friendly neighborhood, in a nice area with a low crime rate and good resale potential; and in the end there was only one house that met all of those qualifications and was within our budget. Not our dream home, but certainly livable, and I think it will be really cute once we make some improvements.
Here are all the details about the house: 3bd/2ba, 1160 square feet, built in 1992, fenced-in backyard, covered front porch, one-car garage, eat-in kitchen, wood-burning fireplace in living room, 10-15 minute drive from campus, and very close to grocery stores, restaurants, the state botanical gardens, and a huge playground. The house is also on a cul-de-sac, which will be great when Bella starts riding a bike. We're most excited about Bella getting a room of her own and I can't wait to finally decorate a nursery for her.
We had a house inspection and termite inspection done, and the seller has agreed to fix most of the issues that came up on the reports. Overall, the house is in good condition, and the only bad thing about it is that the roof, water heater, and heating and air are all from 1992, which means we'll probably have to replace them while we are the owners of the house.
Front of house
Front porch
Kitchen (Peeling this outdated wallpaper will be our first project!)
Living room (I'm thinking taupe for the walls)
Backyard and deck (veggie garden going in next summer!)
We're going to visit the folks in Alabama this weekend, then we'll have a week to pack, followed by a week to move, so there may not be many blog posts for awhile. I have no idea how we're going to pack and move with Bella in tow but I guess we'll figure it out. Really wishing there was someone close by to watch her! I feel bad about putting her through the stress of moving, but hopefully she'll get over it when she finds out how great it is to have her own room where she's not disturbed by us.
Here are all the details about the house: 3bd/2ba, 1160 square feet, built in 1992, fenced-in backyard, covered front porch, one-car garage, eat-in kitchen, wood-burning fireplace in living room, 10-15 minute drive from campus, and very close to grocery stores, restaurants, the state botanical gardens, and a huge playground. The house is also on a cul-de-sac, which will be great when Bella starts riding a bike. We're most excited about Bella getting a room of her own and I can't wait to finally decorate a nursery for her.
We had a house inspection and termite inspection done, and the seller has agreed to fix most of the issues that came up on the reports. Overall, the house is in good condition, and the only bad thing about it is that the roof, water heater, and heating and air are all from 1992, which means we'll probably have to replace them while we are the owners of the house.
Front of house
Front porch
Kitchen (Peeling this outdated wallpaper will be our first project!)
Living room (I'm thinking taupe for the walls)
Backyard and deck (veggie garden going in next summer!)
We're going to visit the folks in Alabama this weekend, then we'll have a week to pack, followed by a week to move, so there may not be many blog posts for awhile. I have no idea how we're going to pack and move with Bella in tow but I guess we'll figure it out. Really wishing there was someone close by to watch her! I feel bad about putting her through the stress of moving, but hopefully she'll get over it when she finds out how great it is to have her own room where she's not disturbed by us.
Friday, July 2, 2010
A Day in the Life of Bella
Playing
Baby Talking
Bathing
What day could be complete without crying?
Cuddling
Sleeping
And I'll spare you a picture of Bella's other daily activities, which include either my lactating breasts or diapers. But for those of you who can see the humor in diaper stories, here's our best one yet: Bella had her two-month shots a couple of weeks ago and has felt hot quite a few times since then, so I have to check her temperature pretty often. We all know the best way to take a baby temp is rectally, so I don't even mess with the oral or underarm, just go straight for the bootie. I was in the middle of the six-second rectal temperature taking, when with no warning signs whatsoever, Bella blew out a doo-doo that was so forceful it blew the thermometer out of her hiney and sprayed poop all over me, her diaper changing pad, and her Boppy pillow. Oh, yes. It was a mess. Thank God for Dreft stain remover (and thank you Jenny for the recommendation!). I told Stephen that Bella's just practicing on me so that her aim will be perfected for when he is the one taking her temperature...
Baby Talking
Bathing
What day could be complete without crying?
Cuddling
Sleeping
And I'll spare you a picture of Bella's other daily activities, which include either my lactating breasts or diapers. But for those of you who can see the humor in diaper stories, here's our best one yet: Bella had her two-month shots a couple of weeks ago and has felt hot quite a few times since then, so I have to check her temperature pretty often. We all know the best way to take a baby temp is rectally, so I don't even mess with the oral or underarm, just go straight for the bootie. I was in the middle of the six-second rectal temperature taking, when with no warning signs whatsoever, Bella blew out a doo-doo that was so forceful it blew the thermometer out of her hiney and sprayed poop all over me, her diaper changing pad, and her Boppy pillow. Oh, yes. It was a mess. Thank God for Dreft stain remover (and thank you Jenny for the recommendation!). I told Stephen that Bella's just practicing on me so that her aim will be perfected for when he is the one taking her temperature...
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