We Might Be Moving

(I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch, hence the title of this post...hehe)

 We are currently in escrow on a home and Lord willing we will be moving in a little over a month. We're staying in the same area but finally settling down into our own place.

The fact of the matter is that our one bedroom, 500 square foot rented home is just too small to easily accommodate two children. The space itself isn't exactly the problem per se....it's more of the layout and the lack of a separate room for the children (unless we go live outside while they are napping! Oh... and take the cats with us). I can't imagine having two babies napping in this place, and as any parent knows, you do not want to live a life where your children don't nap!

My husband and I had wanted to buy a house in cash and that plan seemed like it would be feasible in a couple years until my husband was laid off last year. God provided a much better job for him in terms of working hours and the overall environment, but it did have lower pay. We knew that paying cash anytime soon would be out of the question.

We've been living debt free and we didn't want to have a mortgage, but decided that is the best option for us at this time. Renting a two bedroom place around here would be more expensive than what we will pay as a mortgage and would give us less space than this house we are buying. Not to mention, it wouldn't have the awesome outdoor space for the kids that it does!

We are excited and truly hoping that everything goes well during escrow so that we can move in a little after our son's first birthday! I'm looking forward to having double the space we have now, a separate bedroom for the children to sleep in, and being able to access the bathroom at all times. It also has great outdoor space and a separate sun porch where we can contain the cats (which is a very important point to me--I am tired of kitties interrupting nap time and having a litter box in my bathroom).

It also is move in ready. All we need to do is paint it our desired colors. Yes, there is a lot of updating that could be done, but it doesn't concern me at this point in my life. I know most people want granite counter tops and nice flooring, but I'm so over caring about that. I know that most places can look 75% better with paint and the way you decorate it.

At times I feel disappointed that we will no longer be debt free, so this is an area where I am really having to trust God and let go. The cheapskate in me does not like paying interest. But when I think about the chaos that would come from living in this little space, I know that we are doing the right thing to maintain peace in our family.

I will try to be better about updating here as we make the move and hopefully get to show you some before and after shots. Decorating is definitely one of my passions!

Pregnancy Weight

With my last pregnancy, I gained fifty pounds (maybe even 55 if you'd weighed me on the day I had him). I never in a million years expected to gain so much! I thought for sure I would have one of those "cute" pregnant bellies and gain around 25 or 30 at the most. My mother had gained only 25 pounds with each of her babies and I just expected I would do the same.

It was so hard to be carrying around that much weight by the end of the pregnancy. I felt huge. Like a monster that made the earth rumble under my feet with each step--pound, pound, pound. And waddle, waddle, waddle, of course.

Going into this for the second time, I have to admit that's the thing I'm really not looking forward to. Feeling huge, having trouble getting around, barely being able to walk. It's the worst part of pregnancy in my book! Especially since this baby will be due in the heat of summer.

I keep wondering if there's any way I could gain less this time, and if it would be healthy to do so? Am I just one of those people who needs to gain a ton of weight to be able to carry a healthy baby? Did I overeat? I put no limit on my intake of food, as midwives and doctor's generally advise against it today unless you have a condition like gestational diabetes. I ate almost entirely healthy, made from scratch meals. But I ate SO much of everything. Especially in the last two months.

I have been lucky in that breastfeeding allowed me to shed all of my pregnancy weight by four months postpartum. So at least I am going into the second pregnancy without extra weight from the first. However, this time, I hope to watch the quantity of what I eat and really ask myself if I "need" to eat more, or am just eating from boredom. It may not make a difference in what I gain.....

But it would be so nice to only gain 25 pounds and still feel somewhat agile! Especially since I will have another little person to chase after this time!

The Unexpected

It's a windy and cold day here, and there is a lot that my brain is processing.

The last two weeks have been very eventful. There has been a lot of bad news. Our only car was in a car accident and is out of commission. A family member suffered a heart attack. Other family members are having problems with their jobs. A friend broke up with her fiance and their engagement is over. In the midst of all this, I had a teething baby that was clingy and whiny. To top it off, this is my husband's busy season for work and he is away on business almost every week.

When he finally did make it home to us for the weekend, he was sick and the weekend we had hoped to enjoy together was instead full of tissues, coughing, and a fever.

In the midst of all this, we learned something surprising: we are pregnant with baby number two. Wow. With our first only 7 months old, you can bet I was surprised starring at that positive pregnancy test. So many things ran through my mind. People will think we are crazy. How will I manage two under two?

But despite the little fears that creep in, I know deep in my soul that this is good. And that this is right. I could never know when to "plan" the next child for us. There are too many things to consider and I'd get overwhelmed. But God knows. And His timing is perfect, so we can rest assured that this is the perfect time for this child to come to us.

So we thank Him and look forward to who this child will be and what they will add to our family.

Now that I already have one, I look forward even more to what they will be like--their personality, their hair color, their face. I look forward to meeting them for the first time...that precious moment that can never be forgotten. Their little newborn cry. There is so much to look forward to!

And for every thought that whispers, "what if" and "how will you..." there is the strength and peace of God that envelopes me and reassures me that He will give me what I need each day at a time.

When the Kitchen is Clean...

You should make sure there is photographic evidence. My husband is away on business for a few days, and not having to cook dinner meant extra time and less dishes. So I actually accomplished this:

Yes, it feels glorious. I don't see the kitchen this clean very often. There's usually at least 20 dishes in the sink. And today I even mopped the floors! *pats self on back*  It's not easy getting things done when you have a 4 month old and are up from 3-5 in the morning. If some of these photos are a little bit blurry, that's because I was trying not to get a certain curious baby in the photos... 

I was wearing him in my wrap and trying to take pictures around him. Here's an even more hilarious one when I used the flash and nearly blinded him. :P

 Most of the time my house is decked out along these lines....messy desks...

 And just a full on wild circus of craziness with my two cats who love to knock over my chair. Every. Single. Day.

 I'm learning to let go. I'm a perfectionist and I love a clean house. But when I remember the things that make it messy--my dear husband, my crazy cats, and my precious baby--I wouldn't ever, *ever* trade them for a quiet, clean, magazine-worthy house.