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!