Jeez, it's been awhile, huh?

Well, Mike and I closed on the house. We're thrilled to get it. I already emailed all of my friends and family to give them our new address even though we won't be staying there full-time until next week. I took pictures of the living room and the carpet and the paint chips I'm thinking about using, but I accidentally packed the USB cord for my camera so you'll all have to believe me that it'll be awesome. I'm thinking of a bright peach. Our living room (actually, every room) is really small and I figured peach would give it some color and also brighten it up. I felt kind of silly, though, because in middle school I thought that the color combination of peach and sea green was the shit. I thought that when I got older I'd have a house that was totally peach and sea green and beige and it would be all done up in a southwestern motif. And now my prediction will come 1/3 of the way true.

We have to strip off the wallpaper first. I'm dreading that. We're also trying to figure out how to finish fencing in our yard for less than the $1200 the contractor quoted us. I'm dreading that too.

Speaking of dread, it's my last full week of school. My last day is the 16th. You'd think that the fact that I'm leaving would make me more mellow, but I've become terrified of having my paperwork mistakes discovered. This year I've made more than my share. It doesn't matter that I helped umpteen kids and their families, the only thing my supervisor cares about is the fact that I forgot to check an option on box 7 of page 6A. I'm so tense that if I think about it too much I can't sleep, can't eat, can't even breathe. I don't know how I'll get through the next week.

This summer, though, is going to be great. Settling into our new house, being back in Milwaukee, and having the whole summer to spend with Mike and P. I can't wait.

Rings

Even though it's been a year since I've been pregnant my left ring finger still hasn't returned to its normal size. That means that I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings. I've been wearing a ring with white sapphires that I got last year, but the longer I wear it the less I like it. I thought about re-sizing my wedding rings, but after talking to the jeweler I decided to wait. She said that multiple re-sizings can damage the rings, so I figured I'd wait until I'm done having kids, and then get them re-sized once and for all.

In the meantime I've been considering getting a replacement. I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on my decoy wedding ring, but I do want something unique. I found all of these on Overstock.com for fifty dollars or less apiece.

I've been drawn to smoky quartz lately. It's so pretty and different. I liked these three examples.




I also like the simplicity and small size of this ring, but I'm not crazy about the color.


I am crazy, however, about the color of this ring. It's orange sapphire. Again, it's pretty and different.


I don't know if I'll buy anything, but it's something to think about.

This is motherhood

Yesterday I was answering an email while P was playing nearby. He had his back to me and I heard him saying, "Ma...ma...ma...ma...ma..." I glanced over and he wasn't calling me or upset in any way...he was just saying my name over and over.

I marveled at that - it was almost like he was just enjoying the sound of my name. I wondered if saying it reminded him of me, and brought him a feeling of safety and security. I felt so happy that I could make him feel so safe and so warm. I went over to him to give him a little hug.

And then I saw that he wasn't saying my name - he was just opening his mouth over and over so he could blow bubbles with his spit.

Thanks, kid.

P turned twelve months old this week. It's amazing what he can do. He walks easily and is learning to run. He can climb on the furniture. He's learning to use a spoon and fork and is mastering drinking from a lidless cup without spilling any on himself. He's started scribbling (although we don't usually let him have scribbling implements yet). He also uses these words consistently:

Mama (my name, not just the spit-blowing noise)
Dada
No (that one's charming)
Vroom (the car noise)
Good (Mike and I are split on this one - Mike insists that he uses this word when he's enjoying his food, and I say it's more the sound he makes when he's using his tongue to propel food backward in his mouth)
Ba (Mike says he uses this for bottle, but I haven't heard it)

I can't wait to see what comes next.

Wow

Yesterday we had P's first birthday party. On Wednesday he officially turns one year old.

Tomorrow I'm going to call the HR department and arrange a time to sign my contract for my new job next year.

Also tomorrow Mike is faxing in the last of our paperwork to complete our mortgage.

In less than two weeks I'll have a contract for a new job, if all goes well with the appraisal we'll have a new house, and we'll officially be the parents of a toddler.

It feels like things are changing so fast. Hopefully it'll all lead to bigger and better things.

Fun at the Park

The weather has been nice lately and we've been going to a park near our apartment. I love going to the park because P can run around as much as he likes without breaking anything, and be as loud as he likes without me worrying about bothering the neighbors.


When P is at the park he's making noise almost continually. Sometimes he'll call, "Mama!" or "Dada!" but mostly it's just an excited, "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!"


P isn't too sure about grass. Last summer he was too young to do much on the grass, and by the time he was scooting and crawling it was too cold to play outside. I guess grass feels dramatically different from carpet, cement, and the other synthetic ground coverings he's used to. Yesterday when we went to the park he touched it voluntarily, which was good.

Today when we went to the park it had rained in the morning, and he discovered mud. He had no qualms about touching that, believe me.


He's smiling almost constantly at the park.


He likes to climb up the slides...or try to, anyway. When there are no other kids around, we let him. He never gets anywhere, but he burns off some energy.


This is what you usually see...the back of him. He runs around exploring, and you just try to keep up.

I get weirdly emotional at the park. I guess it's partially because he looks so grown-up walking around, climbing on things, fearlessly exploring, swinging, sliding, and everything else. Plus I see all the other kids and realize that in a few years, P will be like them. Part of me wants to hold him at this age forever, but part of me can't wait to see what comes next.

More house news

Today Mike and I had the inspection on the house we want to buy.

The inspection went well. The bank won't let us have our loan unless it passes inspection, and there's only one thing that might prevent that...peeling paint on the 1940s-era garage. Our real estate agent told the owner that she could just paint it before the assessor came, and it would pass for our loan. She seemed willing to do it - she and her husband are moving into a senior apartment as soon as they sell the house, so they're motivated to get this sale over and done with. The rest of the inspection went great, though...the house was built in the 40s but was really well-maintained. The guy that lives there does maintenance for a nearby school, and the inspector said that it's clear he knew what he was doing when he took care of the house.

There were a few minor things that were wrong. One was a few loose tiles in the bathroom. The inspector recommended just pulling the loose ones up and gluing them back on. However, it's not as water-tight as we thought, so that will postpone our plans to put in a shower. He said that if we wanted to re-do the tiles, because of the way they're glued on we shouldn't try to pry them off one by one. Instead we should just tear the walls down to the studs and build them back up. "It's no big deal," he said. However, tearing any wall down to the studs sounds like a gigantic deal to me. I have friends who tear up walls or floors or bathrooms with amazing casualness. To me, the very idea is terrifying.

Mike and I are getting excited as we get closer and closer to actually getting the house. "I can finally change our own oil," I said. "No more waiting in line to drop $30 at Jiffy Lube. Now that we have a garage I can do it myself."

"And I'll be able to take a sewing class," Mike said, "so I can finally start using our sewing machine."

I just looked at him. "Our gender roles are completely reversed," I said.

We have to finish up with our loan, and the sellers have to call out the assessor. And then...I'm not sure what. It's all going pretty fast. I guess in this housing market everyone wants to just finish up as long as they have a buyer.

Possible House

Mike and I have looked at quite a few houses lately, and we've settled on one. It's small, just over 860 square feet. And from a cosmetic standpoint, it's got that old-person-stuck-in-the-70s vibe. But the roof, furnace, electric system, and air conditioning are newer. The kitchen and bathroom were remodeled within the past few years. The appliances are newer and can be included in the sale. The neighborhood is safe. There are two big parks and a library within walking distance. It's in Bay View, which is a nice active neighborhood in Milwaukee, but isn't as rowdy as the East Side, where we used to live.

So, yes. This is terrifying.

My mom asked me if my friends were nervous about buying a house. I don't think they were, at least not as nervous as I am. But a lot of my friends bought houses a few years ago during the crazy housing market when people were being pre-approved for tons of money and everyone was saying, "Yeah, yeah, buy a house!" After the housing crash it was kind of sobering. But I've run the numbers again and again, and we can afford it. It's just kind of scary.

Hopefully we'll get in tomorrow to talk to our agent and make the offer. We'll see how it goes.

In other news, yesterday I wore a pair of capri pants that I wore before I was pregnant. Hooray! That made my day.