lately

Lately we have been house hunting.

Nosing around other peoples homes...

trying to replace their things with your own.

Squinting our eyes and imagining Theodore screaming down the hall...

Eva reading books in her special corner...

and baby rocking and walking in every single room.

Dreaming of dinners around our table...

Saturday mornings in the kitchen...

and porch sitting in the evening with all the little tucked in bed.

It has been time consuming and energy draining.

Picking the pros and the cons...

Debating and questioning.

An then we found a house.

The house that you can imagine all the little feet pattering and finger prints on the windows.

We have been neck high in negotiations, inspections and lots of waiting.

We are at the tail end of it all.

Back to waiting and hoping that things work out.

Waiting on the seller and knowing there is another offer in the wings.

Please, oh please be the right home for us.

****UPDATE****
House is ours... closing on or before May 31st.
So very happy and excited.

A Full Summer

I really can't believe it is August.  

August is supposed to be hot as blazes and it means back to school time.

Right now it is 65° and breezy 

and I am not ready to admit Eva has a school supply list.

We have been going and going. Trips to parks, riding big-girl bikes with training wheels.  Picking tomatoes and making pickles.  Swimming in the pool and getting goosebumps in the breeze.  Hiking and hanging out with friends and family.

At the end of the day, I am brushing sand off the couch, gathering shoes from under the dining room table and marveling at how another day sped by...

and how we fit so much in at the same time.

Life is full and good.

Our day

morning sparkle

shredding

lunch

simmering lentils

parking lot

sink full

practicing


TV time

clean laundry

Her favorite shoes... her ballet shoes.
Or tap shoes or princess shoes.
Very multi-functional.

Shredded veggies - I sneak them into everything.
Chili, spagetti, lettuce wraps, mac and cheese.
These carrots were destined for a curry.

I cooked a lot yesterday, since we stayed in.
Made triple batches and filled the freezer.
and pureed carrots for the little man.

He is trying.
Knees and hands up.
So far it is either a face plant forward...
or a big slide backward.
Both tend to make him pretty mad.

When Mike is overnight in the hospital, bedtime is about timing.
Getting Theodore asleep or at least happy...
So his sister can have her bedtime story and song.
Sometimes TV saves the day.

Night

I can hear Michael reading to Eva.

He is so much better at it than me...

special voices and sound effects.
He really makes the stories so much fun.

A steamy cup of tea beside me and
the handles of the pump bag peaking into view.

There is a Theodore asleep on my chest...
with little snores and sighs.

Bedtime at our house lately.

Right now

I love a good donut and pumpkin is my very favorite.  

I wish I had ordered two now.

This morning I walked outside and it smelled like a big pile of leaves... 

Hello October!

Eva was a cuddle-bug yesterday.  It was so nice.

Today, Eva hit, kicked and screamed her way to her afternoon nap.

Add in a few NO MOMMY! I will not... (fill in what ever I asked her to do). 

I don't want to!!!

Comeback cuddle-bug, please come back.

Theodore's weight check this morning went okay.
He is still gaining, but not as much as we hoped.

I am working on the "me" part of this equation.
Just trying to settle in and be okay with it all.

I did a huge closet clean out yesterday. 

I plan to get rid of the junk and add some nicer things.

Although, I have no clue what kind of nicer things to add.

It can be hard to clean your closet when you still have a few extra baby pounds, 

but I think it helped me this time.

If was conflicted on ditching something, I tried it on. 

The baby weight usually tipped the scale to the donate pile.

Hello

Autumn is here.

Overnight we went from summer heat...
to sunshine with a crisp breeze and chilly nights.

I am pulling out jackets, scarves and hats.
Putting away the shorts and summer dresses today.

And I am trying to sort through all the baby clothes.
The ones that little Theodore has already growing out of...
and the baby-Eva clothes saved for him - incase he was a she instead.

So today I am surrounding myself in piles.
Letting summer sun and tiny pink rompers go...
and taking time-outs to find Eva some more red leaves for her growing collection.

Hello Autumn.

  

Whirlpool - Broken Washer

After living in our apartment for six months with a newborn/infant Eva-monster...

an apartment that did not have it's own washer and dryer...

where I had to go down to the basement to the coin operated laundry...

It was interesting.

Wearing Eva and carrying laundry down the crooked stairs...

or waiting until she was asleep, locking the apartment and running to the basement with the baby monitor.

When we moved, the first thing I did was set up the delivery of our new washer and dryer.

I hugged them when they arrived.

They made me smile... I loved them.

Then, last week, the washer started sounding like an airplane.

A huge 747 taking off in our basement would have been quieter.

So we called the repair man.

He came this morning.

By the faces he was making I knew it was bad.

Then he asked how long ago I bought the washer... 

if I knew when the warranty expired.

Oh-no.

He was getting ready to break the bad news, when he stopped and said he was going to call Whirlpool.

He chatted on the phone a few minutes and then started smiling.

Whirlpool was covering the parts... even though the warranty expired.

Parts that would have cost way more than the washer was brand new.

He was shocked and so was I.

While I am super relieved and glad it is getting fixed...

A two year-old washer shouldn't break.

I remember my mom hoping, wishing her old avocado-green washer would die.

A hand-me-down from her mom...

just so she could get a shiny new one that had automatic fabric softener dispenser.

I am going to do some posting today.

The same message boards I searched to see what was causing the airplane-like noises...

I am going to be posting about the free parts.

I guess it never hurts to call the company - thanks Repair Guy Randy.

Weekend

It seems like trees have bloomed overnight.

Seriously, our neighbors tree did just that...

went to bed and it was just buds and woke up to it being covered in flowers.

The weather has cooled...

closer to beginning of Spring weather instead of 80° that we had last week.

But I still painted my toe nails and wore my Teva's.

Even if I also had to wear a scarf today.

I was rocking Eva the other day and she started pushing on my belly.

Move Baby, Move.

Pushing it one way and then the other.

I told her it would be there for a while...

Michael is on vacation right now.

It is lovely... so lovely I might not let him go back.

Eva would help me keep him here.

We don't have big plans.

Just some small home maintenance things and hanging out.

We have our anniversary to celebrate too.

I am looking forward to this week a lot.

  
   

Today

My to-do list is getting long.

This morning, we ran errands to get some things checked off.

Two of the three things I left for...

I didn't find.

This weekend, the calendar looks pretty empty.

Most weekends are jam packed...

so hopefully I can get some of those things done.

Right now I am on couch-island as the floors dry.

Eating lunch, while the monster naps.

Every now and then, 

I like to eat lunch after she is asleep.

I just pretending I am having what she is having...

and then have my real lunch a little later.

My house smells like Murphy's Oil Soap.

I love that smell.

Floors mopped - check.

That is one thing off the list.

I would check it off...

 but the list is on my phone

and my phone is missing.

Happy 1st of March.

Week 9 of 52

Styleberry 

Firecracker Mama • Wicked Kate • What We're Saying
Love & Life • Finding Joy

Joining: Happiness Is

Made it

It should be illegal for mommies to be sick.
There is no calling in, and no back-up.

I sat on the bathroom floor at 3 am wondering...
How am I going to make it?

Things that normally would not happen... just have to.
You go into survival mode...

Breakfast is a buffet line off the couch.

Dry cereal, graham crackers, fruit snacks and an almost full sippy of milk...

Yeah, today was supposed to be grocery day.
We are running low on a lot... including milk.

Monsters are still sporting bed heads at noon.
Wearing whatever was clean and on top... even a way too big sweatshirt.

Giving hugs on my feet.

and pats on my head.

Mommy sick?  Cracker?

She tries to feed me some of her breakfast selections.

Waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me...
as I disappeared into the bathroom.
Over and over.

I get a play by play of the birds in the front lawn.

Since the trees have no leaves...

she can see last year's nests.

She says there are eggs, mommies and babies in those nests.
Tweet tweet tweet
she sings.

She colors by herself in the floor.

Tearing the paper off the crayons and showing me them one by one.

There was lots of TV and lots of lots of books.

She gave me hugs and kisses...

And we made it through the day.
She helped me make it through the day.

 

Up

This morning.

Awake in the quiet, while the monster still sleeps.

A cup of coffee.

Read a few pages.

Planned our meals.

Just sitting still.

I should do this everyday.

I am working on it... slowly.

I will probably get it down right before #2 arrives...

that is how these things work, I think.

Today we are packed up and heading north for the weekend.

We have some friends that we miss and we need to fix that.

Have a great weekend.

Joining: Project52 : Drink Up

and Friday Favorites

Okay

I try to keep things sunshine-y.

Usually, it isn't too hard.

But, I am just feeling blah today.

Normally - I can fake it until I make it.

Slap on a smile soon enough it is real.

It is just today, I don't feel like it.

I feel like I have been pushing forward,

but ending up right back where I started.

Round and round and round.

Feeling sick and then getting a colds.
Whining and crying...
the monsters snotty noses and my snotty shoulders.

We need milk again?

Clean the floors for an hour, and they are food splattered in minutes.

Didn't I just wash this shirt?
How did it get so late?

So that is it...

my mini pity party.

The monster is up from her nap.
So it is time to get over it.

Pulling up my big-girl leggings over my growing belly and smiling.

But hey... she did take a nap.

It really is all okay.

Joining: This or That Thursday

And on a side note...
Love getting mail?
The good, not bill type of mail?

Check this out...
A mommy mail swap.
I am excited.
It really is the little things.

Our morning

Forever is composed of nows.

Emily Dickinson

The monster and I are sick.

Coughy, snotty, fevery...

(are those all words?)

I woke up before she did...

mostly because my fever broke and my hair was drenched in sweat.

Michael had brought me up some tylenol before he left for work.
He's on-call again - working until tomorrow.

I couldn't fall back asleep

So I got up and showered...

Thank goodness.

I am pretty sure I smelled.

Right now...
I am eating ketchup potato chips for breakfast.
the tissue box and the monsters of Sesame Street are my close friends.
Eva is still in her PJ's.
And I am wearing leggings.

Dear leggings...
I know we just met a few days ago, but I love you.

My normal jeans are getting uncomfortable.
My maternity clothes are all too big.

You fit, your so very comfy, and because I am pregnant...
no one can say a thing about what I wear.
Because that is just not very nice.

I bought my first pair on Friday...
at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I know, a weird place to buy clothes right?
They were on clearance for $2.99.
I thought I would try them out.

Michael took Eva to breakfast and to play yesterday...
and I went shopping.
I bought three more pairs.

On an exciting note...
Michael can feel Deedle move.
Little tiny kicks.
Isn't that fun?


Joining: Sunday Citar
and a French bird


 

Sun

Finally, we are getting some sunshine.
It seems like it has been rainy and gloomy for months.
Don't get me wrong, I do like winter.

But if it isn't going to snow -
and make the world all white and sparkly...
then it better be warm.

It is supposed to be 52° tomorrow.

I love, love some sunshine.

Joining: Project52 : Shadows
and Fabulous Friday's

In Pieces

"Some" assembly required?
3 hours later...

Good thing she loved it.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa.