Goodbye 2009... Hello House!

So we did it! We closed on our house yesterday! Closing took forever. I was hoping for that magical moment when I would suddenly feel like a homeowner... Perhaps I would hear angels singing when the keys were handed across the table or the sun would burst out of the gray, hailing sky. I at least thought there would be a SOLD! banner on the real estate sign in the front yard that I could take a proud picture in front of. But nope. We just kept signing paper after paper. The lawyer did a good job of distilling each page of teeny tiny print into a one-sentence summary, but at the end of the day, I just slapped my signature on it like I was told. I thought it would be weird seeing the sellers, but they turned out to be completely lovely people (a good thing, since we were stuck there together for more than an hour while the law firm dealt with technical difficulties). But in the end, we got our shiny gold keys and fancy new house! And our wonderful real estate agent gave us an elegant box of stationary with our new address as a present. And she doesn't even know how much I adore snail mail! (And for the record, she totally offered to put up a SOLD! sign just for me, but I told her not to worry about it. Apparently that doesn't really happen anymore. But at least the for sale sign was gone by the time we finished closing.)

Naturally, to celebrate spending all that money, we went straight to Target so we could spend some more on a baby crib and take it to Olde Atlanta. I had a slight moment of panic when we walked in and all I could think of were all the things we needed to do, pack, move, fix, paint, change, buy... But then I remembered that this is our house to live in for a long, long time and we don't need to have everything perfect right away. I mean, like we would actually eat in our dining room even if we had furniture?! Still, it will be a relief to be in and unpacked. After moving every two years and religiously saving boxes each time so they can be reused, I really might light a huge bonfire with them after we're done with this move.

Now I just have to learn how to park in a garage. Knowing my skills, it will be harder than it looks!

And thus does 2009 draw to a close. We end it in a vastly different place than when we started. Never in my life would I have thought that this would be the year we got pregnant and bought our first house. That plan was so totally not on the agenda at this time last year, not even by a long shot. Why, my biggest goal at the beginning of 2009 was to run the Peachtree Road Race! And 2010 promises to be even bigger. As Donald Trump would say, it's gonna be the hugest, most amazing year ever. We'll keep you posted - thanks for coming along for the ride. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! We'll be celebrating with our families, reviving some of our favorite holiday traditions. Frantically wrapping presents the night before. The Christmas Eve Swedish/Italian feast with my parents, complete with Swedish meatballs and stuffed shells and that molded jello salad thing. Yelling at dad for wanting to clean up all the wrapping paper instead of joyously throwing it on the floor as we open each gift. Driving through McIntosh Corner to check out the lights (this year with an added critical eye of how we'll decorate our own house next year!) Finding a Christmas Eve service with real candlelight and tearing up during Silent Night. Being told to hurry up and take a shower so we can open presents Christmas morning at the Loughman's after eating Lee Anne's famous breakfast casserole. Going on a last minute mission to find some eggnog after my mother-in-law figured we wouldn't want any because it's so bad for you. (For the record, none of us have a problem with that. Bring on the nog!) Trying to decide which of all the new books I received I want to crack open first. Eating too much. And then eating some more. Making the annual pilgrimage to return the gifts that don't fit, and then coming away even happier because the after-Christmas sales are so awesome. Napping. And knowing throughout it all that this is our last Christmas as just the two of us. Next year there will be a little girl to share all these traditions with, and we'll be making some new ones as a new family. Or as my friend Robin eloquently pointed out, "I hope Santa is good to you this year, because next year it will be all about the baby!" And you know, I'm probably okay with that.

I didn't send out cards this year, but I hope all of you know how much each of you mean to us. Wishing you love and joy and hugs this holiday season. May your days be merry and bright.

Here's looking at you, kid!

A new poll is up! Who will our baby girl look like when she's born? Will she have dark, curly hair like her mom? Blue eyes like her dad? Will she be bald like her Grandpa Frank? Or will she, like all babies, look like Winston Churchill? Vote now!

'Tis the Season

Can you believe we're already halfway through December? How did this happen?! Maybe it's because I'm not putting up decorations this year, but I'm having a hard time getting into the holly-jolly spirit. The only signs of the holiday around our apartment are the foot-tall tree on the end table, a handful of cards and a cup with candy canes. Oh well. It will make next year all that more spectacular!

So we finally made our baby registry. My friend and mom extraordinaire Heather walked me through Babies R Us and pointed to everything we could possibly need. And babies need a lot. I had no idea pacifiers come in different sizes, or that babies don't always like every brand. Same for bottles. We debated the pros and cons of washcloth thickness and types of bath toys. It's nuts to think that within the first year, babies go from helpless infants to crawling, walking, grabbing machines. Apparently I can kiss my earrings goodbye for quite a while. But Heather's advice was excellent and I know I'll be putting her on speed dial once this baby shows up and I have no idea what to do with her!

It is slowly starting to dawn on me that in 11 short weeks, I'll go from being pregnant to being a mom. With a child. Who will be mine forever. I've gotten used to being pregnant. I mean, after 29 weeks, you will get used to anything. But soon she'll be here, filling my arms. And the thought simultaneously thrills and terrifies me!

So to lighten things up a bit, here is one of my all-time favorite baby products, modeled by my sweet Teddy. A little background on Teddy. I got her for my second birthday, when my family lived on the O.M. ship Logos. I think my birthday party was held in a lifeboat and we had Coke out of glass bottles. Teddy (such an original name, I know) used to have a little red felt tongue, but in a fit of jealous rage, one of my childhood playmates ripped it off. And she used to be much plumper, but years of love have worn her down better than a Weight Watchers diet. But she's stuck with me through it all and looks just charming in her new outfit:

A baby bathrobe!! I can't help it, I love them. Everyone tells me I'll never use them. In fact, this one came from Heather. Her daughter Lucy, you guessed it, never used it. But I don't care. I think they are so cute.

And here's something else that might become a new favorite item. It's the Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse and apparently it will change our lives. Here's the story. Matt and I were registering at Target. Seeing us with the registry gun and looks of complete bewilderment, a random woman felt compelled to walk up to us and recommend the Seahorse. Apparently it has magical powers that will send babies straight into a blissful sleep. She talked about it with the reverence generally reserved for national treasures or priceless artifacts. Hearing our conversation, another random woman stopped by and corroborated the story, again with the slightly glazed look of a devoted follower. I practically heard angels singing when she talked. So naturally we had to add this Holy Grail to the registry. Although for some reason, it never made it on there. And Target online wasn't even showing it. And Babies R Us showed it out of stock. Hot items, I guess. Finally I found one on Amazon and stuck in on my wish list, which is when I discovered something very suspicious:


Pink things cost more than blue things! What the heck?! Blue seahorse: $9.99. The pink version? More than $25! I call it the Pink Privilege. It's insane! And this isn't the first time I've noticed. I saw some closet organizers - the pink version was at least five bucks more than the blue version. Why?! I, for one, will not be playing that game. Baby Girl will just have to be happy with blue. And to be perfectly honest, too much pink is going to get a bit nauseating. I'm more irritated than anything. What a scam! I am NOT paying more for something just for the privilege of getting it in pink.Anyway, that's my soapbox and I'm stepping down now.

UPDATE: Bah humbug on Target for not letting me add the Seahorse to our baby registry. Bah humbug on Babies R Us for not having the Seahorse in stock. And the biggest bah humbug of all on Amazon, for wanting to charge 15 bucks more for the pink version of the Seahorse! A big Merry Christmas goes out instead to Walmart, for stocking both colors of the little Seahorse, for the same price. Matt and I have officially bought our first baby gift... Baby Girl will be getting not one but BOTH Seahorses, the blue and the pink.

It's almost Christmas! Let the eggnog flow! We're looking forward to seeing lots of family and friends this holiday season. Everyone stay safe! More to come...

Home Sweet Home!

We are officially under contract on a house! I'm so excited! We spotted this house months ago, before we were even formally house-hunting. We adored the neighborhood... when we drove by one Saturday, everyone waved at us! It's like they already wanted us to move in. So when it was still on the market as our home search got underway, we decided to take a look. And when they dropped the price, we decided to make an offer. After making a bid, we drove back by and the neighbors were out in the yard with their two little kids and they waved at us too! I took it as a good sign. And after a lightening quick negotiation, it was ours! It is the perfect starter home for us - four bedrooms, a great sunroom, screened-in porch and deck, right on the golf course (!) Okay, so it's way better than we ever imagined for our starter home. I even have the nursery all picked out and I already love the color - no paint needed! We hope to close by the end of December, giving us two months to get everything settled before Baby Girl makes her appearance.

It is a huge relief to have a house, I'm not going to lie. Already walking up our apartment stairs is starting to get to me... I can't imagine doing it while lugging a baby carrier and diaper bag and purse and groceries. But people aren't kidding when they say house buying is one of the more stressful things to do in your life. There is so much second guessing. For me, the most important factor was always the neighborhood. The house I can live with or fix up or change. But you can't change a neighborhood. I found myself critically examining the other homes... why was the lawn not cut over there? Why did those people have eight cars parked in the driveway? Why were there so many Michigan fans on that street? It felt snobby, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to find a place where I would feel safe taking the baby on a walk, or wouldn't worry that five years down the road everything is foreclosed on. Fortunately, we found a house in one of our favorite neighborhoods where I have zero worries about any of the above concerns. And as a bonus, we love the house! Win-win!

I'm continually amazed by Matt's confidence and assurance going through this process. From planning our budget to researching various loans and closing attorneys, he has been a rock. He has thought of details that would never have crossed my mind. I'm too busy trying to pick fabric for the nursery and worrying about a few leftover nail holes that need to be patched! The more stressed I've gotten, the more calm he's been. (Aren't we the perfect pair?) And soon all the hard work will pay off. Now I just have to pack up our apartment - a tricky feat since I'm not supposed to be lifting anything heavy. But with a little holiday music and some hot chocolate for energy, I'm all set to go.

Next up: I have a doctor's appointment this Thursday, including my glucose test. Fun, fun! I also expect a frightening report from the scale. Over the last month, I have gone from "I'm pregnant!" to "I'm PREGNANT." It will be interesting/horrifying to see how much weight I've packed on. In the meantime, Baby Girl continues to perfect her Dancing with the Stars routine, getting so worked up at times that Matt has actually pulled his hand off my belly with a horrified "how do you stand that?!" But in all seriousness, I have been blessed with an incredibly easy pregnancy thus far, and here's hoping it stays that way for the next 12 weeks. (I know, 12 weeks. That's really not that much time. I try not to think about it or my hands start sweating.) More updates to come!

Anyone want some cereal?

I'm about to fly my nerd flag, but I don't care. I just had the best shopping experience at Publix. I generally only shop Publix for their buy one get one free deals, and in the cereal aisle, I found something even better. Four boxes of Fiber One cereal for 10 bucks. Now I have never eaten Fiber One cereal. It sounds overly healthy and possibly gross, although the pictures on the box look okay. But more importantly, a box normally costs 4.49 or something obscene like that. And here I was, getting it for 2.50. Can't pass up that deal! (I can rarely pass up anything on sale.)

But it gets better! In the Publix sales flyer, there was a coupon for 4 dollars off the purchase of four boxes of Fiber One cereal. So now, instead of four boxes for 10 bucks, I was getting four boxes for 6 bucks! THEN I realized I had another coupon for an additional dollar off! Stay with me, folks... I just bought four boxes of cereal, regularly prices at 4.49 a box, for a grand total of 5 bucks. I win!

And who cares that there are now 14 unopened boxes of cereal in my pantry (we stocked up on Quaker Oat Squares while they were bogo; it is our absolute favorite cereal). We'll eat it eventually!