I have no euphemism

I have no "hunting" euphemism for signed purchase agreement. But we have one of those - yay! I've avoided celebrating because all the contingencies on the sale haven't been met so I'm not 100% confident that we're actually going to get this house. I'm going to be crushed if I don't, I won't even try to lie. But I'm not changing our address yet or anything.

It's a nice size house on a nice size lot in a nice neighborhood. There are lots of nice things about it.

And then there's the ugly.

It's painted dark brown with school bus yellow trim.

The living room/dining room carpet used to be burnt orange almost-shag and is now a filthy brown.

The family room carpet (and drapes) are cherry red with orange, gold and brown wallpaper. And paneling.

The switch cover in the upstairs bath has glitter in the material somehow.

We can see past the ugly to the generous square footage, easy open floor plan, ample storage, roomy lot and well kept neighbors. After our eyes adjust that is. But there's a lot of cosmetic work to do. We have a plan to do floors and walls (and cleaning) before we move in and save a few rooms for after we're living there. Long term, a new kitchen may be in our future. And a deck.

But for now, I'm trying to fool myself into being realistic that we're contingent and this whole thing might fall apart. I really really hope it doesn't though...

Memorial Day

How about some Friday Fill-Ins for Memorial Day!

1. On my laziest day I like to sun myself and drink iced tea!
2. Having a clean house makes me feel like I'm being productive.
3. I love little kisses and big hugs.
4. This summer I want to move out of my mom's house again!
5. Motherhood made me start my blog.
6. Red ripe strawberries and orange popsicles.

Kind of fun...

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

Not a fun Friday

I missed the boat on Haiku Friday, Fill-Ins Friday, or any other kind of blog or real life enjoyment on Friday. Mostly because I caught rotovirus from Deuce.



I felt bad for him before, but now that I know what his guts have felt like for 3 days, I really feel for him.



I'm not really sure what else to say because no one wants to know any more information than that. So I'll move on.



Haiku Saturday:



Nap time comes and goes

Exhausted baby crying

Let's nap together.

Friday Fill-Ins

I went down a really fun trail of blogs today that led me to Friday Fill-Ins.
I don't want to abandon Haiku Friday, but this seems fun too. I'm going to do last week's today and see how I like it.

I'll do this new-house theme based on the place we have an offer in on!

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to take my shoes off and walk on that old yucky carpet!
2. Not knowing where the weed whacker is reminds me that summer is almost here!
3. I cannot live without my rubber gloves.
4. Pulling out shrubs and scraping off tile are two things I'd like to try.
5. When life hands you lemons use them to deodorize the garbage disposal.
6. Listening to cicadas on hot summer mornings is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to (pretending this is Friday) getting a home inspection, tomorrow my plans include (pretending this is Saturday) going to our old house and Sunday, I want to pack boxes!

That was pretty fun. Not sure it's so fun that I would forgo Haiku Friday... we'll see.

I Do

If I find any photos on the web anywhere I'll add them.

I won't go in to all the planning details, but I'll just say I wanted all the big dress/pomp and circumstance stuff. I love weddings and this day was all me.

I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7. Showered, dried the hair per hairdresser instructions. Drove across town to pick up my SIL Anna. We met the other girls (Alyson, Ashley & Jamie) at my mom's and then went to get our hair done.

Came back to the house, drank mimosas, got dressed... and waited. We didn't get married until 4PM, so there was a lot of waiting. I started hyperventilating at one point.

Finally the photographer was there, then the limo came, then over to the church for more waiting. I wanted to go to the bathroom before the big event, and Anna said she would help me. We pulled my dress over my head, I backed into the stall, went, got put back together... then Anna noticed that I had TP trailing out from under my dress!! She hitched up the dress again, grabbed that TP and swore never to tell anyone. So far as I know, she never did (which of course you're free to do now, Anna, since it's on the internet). I loved her before that day, but from that moment on I've thought of her as a sister. Who the heck else would pull TP out of your stockings?!

So that broke the tension, and everything got going. I waited on the stairs with my dad, and our song started. And I couldn't move. The florist was waiving to us, and finally we started walking. I got about 2 steps down the aisle before I broke out sobbing. I laughed and sobbed down the aisle (my dad was the strong one, who would have guessed?). I got all the way down the aisle to where my mom was, and locked eyes with her, and she was so happy and it actually calmed me because she knows me so well and if any of this was wrong she would have dragged me right back up the aisle!

Of course, DeuceDad is there watching all this crying and he looked a little nervous. My dad handed me off and we went onto the alter. Rev. Vertigan - who made us both feel so comfortable - did such a great job, and our friend Rachel cried her way through Walt Whitman's Song of the Open Road.

Part of that reading is "I give you myself before preaching or law" and Rev. Vertigan said "that's a wonderful sentiment and I'm glad you chose to read that. But you're not married until I say so!"

So we're saying our vows and Bob's sort of looking at me like "are you going to faint?". I said everything, it's just that I meant it so much it was hard to verbalize. We exchanged the rings. Then the kiss. Our kiss was botched. I gave him a peck, but he wanted a real kiss, so he kept holding me, so I pecked again... Poor DeuceDad. I just didn't want to give church tongue like in the Wedding Singer!

So back up the aisle and lots of hugs, and then a great party!

There's so much more to tell, but that's the ceremony. The ceremony meant a lot to me. Obviously our marriage itself, the day to day, is the most important part, but those 25 minutes were momentous for me.

Thanks for reading!

TGIF

Creativity
Illudes me when I'm tired
and miss my baby.

We've been house hunting in the evenings so I haven't spent much time at all with Deuce. DeuceDad drops him off at daycare and picks him up, and I work until about 6 every day... I am so glad it's the weekend and I can have him around me for two straight days. He makes me happier.

And then there were three

Deuce cut his first top tooth!!

Yay Deuce!!

Blurg

A Buyer

Big news -- we signed an agreement to sell our house! A bittersweet day. I just hope the deal goes through. So much can happen before the inspection and the commitment letter. DeuceDad and I are trying to rein in the house shopping mania because in a week or so we'll know pretty much for sure if we have a deal. Until then it's not worth really committing.

Why so skeptical? Our buyer is asking for a lot of concessions, leading us to believe they're a little cash strapped. That means they may have a little harder time getting a mortgage, and the house is going to have to appraise a little higher than we're confident it's worth so they can borrow the whole amount. None of that is our problem unless it doesn't work out and then we lost at least a week if not more of marketing time. And then I'll be mad. And I don't want to be mad.

The thing about living in a small town is that everyone knows too much about everyone else's business. Our agent's cousin works at the bank where the buyers are applying for their loan and gave him a "reassuring feeling" that it will work out. God only knows what that means. Except that nobody's business is private in a small town.

So we're keeping our fingers crossed. We agreed to give them two weeks to get their commitment letter (generous considering their piddly earnest deposit). Two weeks of wondering/hoping/imaginary decorating a new house. My toes are crossed too.

They're not kidding about the water thing

Medical experts, weight loss experts, all the experts suggest that people drink somewhere between 6 and 58 glasses of water per day. To varying degrees that has never been a problem for me. I've typically worked desk jobs and I keep a glass/cup/bottle/Brita pitcher there and drink all day long.

The two and a half weeks I've just been so crazy that I've let my water drinking go. (New boss is a long-meetings guy and I don't want to be getting up to refill/visit the lav). Plus that bout of IBS put me behind the water 8-ball.

The weird thing is I can tell - my skin is really dry and almost a little wrinkly. Blech.

So today I've dreamed up some ways to work water drinking back into my day-to-day.

1. Drink a glass every time you fill a sippy cup/bottle
2. Keep one of these fancy new aluminum bottles on the desk at work (BPA free!)
3. Drink a full glass while taking pills/vitamin in the morning
4. Get up from desk once an hour to stretch legs and refill/freshen water supply
5. Refill every time I head for the bathroom
6. Switch to decaf coffee (maybe someone else would consider this a real option...)
7. Set Outlook reminder
8. Get some Crystal Light flavor packets
9. Keep lemon wedges in fridge
10. Drink one glass of water for each caffeinated beverage
11. Put water pitcher on the table at dinner to encourage chugging
12. Have a contest with DeuceDad (I will most likely choke to death)
13. Increase by one glass per day
14. Keep a chart
15. Try new juices
16. Chat at the water cooler. Refill before returning to desk
17. Try to teach Deuce to drink through a straw

Drink up!

A Gift of Not Being Mom?

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Originally uploaded by deucemom

Argh, I thought I scheduled this to post Sunday. Oh well, here it is a little late...

I've given some thought to what I want for Mother's Day. Snuggling in bed, going out to dinner and a walk in the park/zoo are at the top of this list. But they aren't the only things that have crossed my mind.

At 4:30 this morning, while Deuce was nursing and I was in a happy stupor from having slept 6 straight hours, I thought to myself "wouldn't it be nice to not get up during the night for Mother's Day?" It wasn't until I was up for the day at 6:30 that I realized what that meant. Nursing is our special time, and I know it's limited. He's already down to 2-3 sessions per day. I feel so much love for him while I'm holding him in my arms in the wee hours of the morning, feeding his tiny body and holding him close.

So why would it be a gift to give that up?

I'm not the only mom who would like a day off from being Mom once in a while. It's not a reflection on our families, and it's not an indictment of our partners. It's just that being Mom is a lot of work, and most of us are tired. Not sick and tired. Just sleepy.

But imagine it. A whole day with no midnight feedings, no crying on the changing table, no emptying the diaper pail. No wiping food off the kitchen floor while on hands and knees in work clothes. No pulled hair, no broken necklaces, no doctor appointments to make.

No hugs, no kisses, no little bird stretching up to share a bite of food. No head rested under a chin, no toothless grin. No tiny soft clothes, in the laundry basket or under the couch.

For Mother's Day, I want to be a mom, even if it does mean broken sleep. Who needs sleep anyhow?

Home is where the mower is

Going home tonight
To the house we own and love
So much to be done.

Sleeping in the same bed
Will be heavenly romance
No more Ward and June.

Paint the new porch trim
We won't enjoy our hard work
Fixing up to sell.

Mow the lawn and rake
The tulips have now bloomed
The yard will live on.

Not time to say 'bye
Enjoy the comfort. Privacy.
Come back on Sunday.

Thanks for reading. I don't have time to do the button (b/c I always mess it up and can't fool around with it today), so head over to A Mommy Story to check out better poets than I!

Camo for House Hunting

One should wear horizontal stripes while house hunting so as to look like a sided outbuilding.

House hunting is not for the faint of heart and that's the truth. We have been to several showings and open houses and have gathered some tips for house hunters.

• DO take care of your feet. Keep your shoes on unless directed otherwise. Wear closed toe shoes where there may be septic issues, flocks of geese, or dogs.
  
• DO approach the home slowly. Employ the element of surprise.
• DON'T panic if the big one is getting away. Another trophy is out there.
  
• DO know the locals. Have the name of an agent you are "working with". This will spare you the hard sell. DON'T put down your Grandma's number. They may actually call the agent you've listed.
  
• DO travel in pairs if you bring a child with you. One adult can stay with the child who has invariably fallen asleep while the other looks inside. DON'T WAKE A SLEEPING CHILD UP TO LOOK AT A HOUSE!
• DO identify the home's food source. Grocery: if you would drive across town to go to a better store, this isn't the neighborhood for you.
  
• DON'T poke the bears by laughing at the creepy art on the walls. Likewise, don't "ew" at the carpet in the bathroom (sorry to any carpeted-bathroom readers). Laughing and "ew"ing are considered rude. (Who knew?)
• DO study the lay of the land. Visually inspect the driveways for junked cars and the neighborhood daycare for barbed wire fences.
  

With that basic set of rules, prospective buyers will avoid frustration and embarrassing faux pas. Have fun out there!

TMI

Too much info but
I can't keep it all inside.
Literally. Yuck.

The stress has caught up.
My IBS flared again.
Shared bathroom at work.

Two days of nasty
constant gassy painfulness.
Subsist on saltines.

Immodium to
the rescue again.
I think I will live.