Wow. Another year has come and almost gone. So many things I have NOT kept caught up on...so I will attempt to give a short version.
Its Soph's first Christmas. Her very first one! And I feel like it was just ok. Why?? Partly b/c I barley took any pictures. The poor kid isnt going to have a memory of it except what her parents caught on film, er...digital file, and we barley have any.
She's getting too damn big. She will be 9 months in 2 days. What a big girl! Im trying to savor every moment we get to cuddle...which is ONLY when she is nursing. Its slipping away way too fast! Its hard too b/c she only nurses before naps and at bedtime, which can be pretty crazy. Sometimes I'm just hoping she will hurry it up b/c I have to get back out to Jack, or we are right in the middle of something, and the other times its in the middle of the night (YES, STILL), which Im tired and really dont want to get up for anyways. But I do. Iv'e only got 3 more months of this bonding experience with her....I wish I had more time to focus on it, and less distractions. Maybe tomorrow....and the next day, and the next....and so it goes.
Many of you dont know, but we were trying to get a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for Jack. Its a super small device (about the size of a 9v battery) that is poked into his belly and can be there for 7 days. It would mean we could see much sooner if he was trending high, we could catch the lows before they got too low, AND it would mean less finger pokes. WAY LESS. We sent a claim to our insurance co. in October....they denied it. So we appealed it and Merry Christmas! We found out they are going to approve it! The device should be here on the 28th!! We are stoked about this.
What else?? I dont know...Life.
Stay tuned....I'm trying to update more frequently than the last couple months!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Wait...
Wow. Nothing since August?? I must have fallen off the face of the earth! Or decided to sell our house, pack everything up, put an offer on a "short sale house" (HAHAHA if anyone is familiar with the term "short" sale), move into my in-laws house while we house hunt/wait for our dream house, have no idea where any of my stuff is b/c its in boxes somewhere at the storage unit. Yep...it was the latter.
So yes. We did decide to put our cute lil house out there on the market. We were worried about getting any offers. Well, that was just silly. One would think in the current real estate market that houses would sit for a while. Well, not ours. Nope. That was not the case.
We sporadically decided at the end of September that we would put our house on the market in a month (end of October). We were super busy with life and needed that time. I think part of it was to mentally prepare for a move. What prompted this sudden decision?? A house we saw. It is our dream house. It is a house that has a yard for the kids. It has 4 bedrooms (you know, just in case we decide to have one more). It has a cute neighborhood. It has space - 3000 sq ft of space!! It has 2 garages. It is perfect. We put our offer in at the same time we put ours on the market, in October. Alas, the problem. It is a "short sale."
Once we got our house ready to invite complete strangers to come over, walk through our house looking at our personal effects and allowing them to analyze our life from the furnishings and decorations of our taste, we had a quick ride. I was out of town with the 2 kids for a wedding and the house just exploded! Exploded with interest! I was getting call after call while I was in Chicago. To our amazement, we had a full price offer before I even left Chicago! I was having documents faxed to me and faxing them back. It was crazy.
I get back to PDX and suddenly we have to start packing. But WAIT!! It was only on the market for a few days. It wasnt suppose to go that quickly! We ended up being out of the house just before Thanksgiving. Where to?? Well...this family of four is shackin up with the in-laws! For how long?? Well, either until we get a YES from the bank (not our bank) or find a different house.
Ok...so about short sales. For those who dont know, the bank has to eat a portion of money on the loan. Basically its one step above having a foreclosed house. Once an offer is made, it sits on some pencil-pusher desk in a stack that obviously has no importance. Eventually, they go through the stack and decide if they can take that much of a loss...basically, they decide if they could get more for forclosing the house and having it go to auction.
Our recent hurdle? We were in a bidding war over this house. Why?? Because it is worth it. The good news?? The other people just recently pulled out. The bad news?? We could have sat at our original offer.
So, we are still waiting. Patiently waiting. Waiting....
So yes. We did decide to put our cute lil house out there on the market. We were worried about getting any offers. Well, that was just silly. One would think in the current real estate market that houses would sit for a while. Well, not ours. Nope. That was not the case.
We sporadically decided at the end of September that we would put our house on the market in a month (end of October). We were super busy with life and needed that time. I think part of it was to mentally prepare for a move. What prompted this sudden decision?? A house we saw. It is our dream house. It is a house that has a yard for the kids. It has 4 bedrooms (you know, just in case we decide to have one more). It has a cute neighborhood. It has space - 3000 sq ft of space!! It has 2 garages. It is perfect. We put our offer in at the same time we put ours on the market, in October. Alas, the problem. It is a "short sale."
Once we got our house ready to invite complete strangers to come over, walk through our house looking at our personal effects and allowing them to analyze our life from the furnishings and decorations of our taste, we had a quick ride. I was out of town with the 2 kids for a wedding and the house just exploded! Exploded with interest! I was getting call after call while I was in Chicago. To our amazement, we had a full price offer before I even left Chicago! I was having documents faxed to me and faxing them back. It was crazy.
I get back to PDX and suddenly we have to start packing. But WAIT!! It was only on the market for a few days. It wasnt suppose to go that quickly! We ended up being out of the house just before Thanksgiving. Where to?? Well...this family of four is shackin up with the in-laws! For how long?? Well, either until we get a YES from the bank (not our bank) or find a different house.
Ok...so about short sales. For those who dont know, the bank has to eat a portion of money on the loan. Basically its one step above having a foreclosed house. Once an offer is made, it sits on some pencil-pusher desk in a stack that obviously has no importance. Eventually, they go through the stack and decide if they can take that much of a loss...basically, they decide if they could get more for forclosing the house and having it go to auction.
Our recent hurdle? We were in a bidding war over this house. Why?? Because it is worth it. The good news?? The other people just recently pulled out. The bad news?? We could have sat at our original offer.
So, we are still waiting. Patiently waiting. Waiting....
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
See Attle
Well, last week we took a trip up to Seattle for the day. It was a ton of fun, just wish we were there longer; but it was sandwiched in between work days for me.
We told Jack about going to Seattle the night before and he got all excited about going to "Seattle." He kept saying, "Were going to Seattle tomorrow??!!" So cute because he was so excited about it. Well, the next morning, the kid does NOT forget anything. "Were going to Seattle?!" Wow. Impressive. Like I said, he doesnt forget a thing. So we are driving and he continues to chant that phrase, and suddenly we realize that he does not think we are going to Seattle....he thinks we are going to SEE Attle! So we start telling him that were going to the city of Seattle...too late. The damage was already done. He was insistent that we see "Attle." I was meeting a friend there so we totally had to tell Jack that she was "Attle" and that was who we were going to see.
It was so cute. We tried and tried, but those new station hey everything.
We told Jack about going to Seattle the night before and he got all excited about going to "Seattle." He kept saying, "Were going to Seattle tomorrow??!!" So cute because he was so excited about it. Well, the next morning, the kid does NOT forget anything. "Were going to Seattle?!" Wow. Impressive. Like I said, he doesnt forget a thing. So we are driving and he continues to chant that phrase, and suddenly we realize that he does not think we are going to Seattle....he thinks we are going to SEE Attle! So we start telling him that were going to the city of Seattle...too late. The damage was already done. He was insistent that we see "Attle." I was meeting a friend there so we totally had to tell Jack that she was "Attle" and that was who we were going to see.
It was so cute. We tried and tried, but those new station hey everything.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Original Budda Day
We were SUPER excited! For our honey moon we backpacked through SE Asia. We did the loop: Thialand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia. But we started in Bangkock. A whirl of new faces, new scents, new visions. Everything was so new. And we were...tourists. We hit the main strip on KoSan Road where we found a cheap place to stay. I kid you not, it was like the room Leonardo DeCaprio stayed in on the movie The Beach. Dingy, dirty, noisy, stains on the wall, no sheets on the bed and stains on the bed. We didnt sleep well that night, but it was late when we got in and I think this was the only place we could find a room.
The next day was our first real day there and we were so thrilled! We only had about a total of 3 hours sleep in the past two days with travel time and a NEW time zone chane...but we were ready to explore this forign land. Some nice local saw us walking and informed us it was a special government holiday, Budda Day, and the TukTuks were cheaper on this day, but only the green ones, b/c the green ones were government owned. He asked if we had seen much so far and was telling us a couple places we had to check out. "WOW, the people here are so nice!" we were thinking. So what did we do?? Flag down the next green TukTuk we saw! We were off on our adventure to see temples. It was amazing...everywhere our driver took us, it was like the people knew we were coming. They would make a comment about the holiday and told us it was good luck to donate to the temple we were in on Budda Day. At the time we had no idea...but we were taken to a few really cool, known temples, and a lot of little ones. It was only at the little ones, where most of the tourists WERNT that they knew we were coming....and they all told us one more new place we needed to check out, like a special store, b/c it was Budda Day and there were "special price"...so we did. First we wound up at some secluded gem shop where they really wanted us to buy something. When we said we were waiting till the end of our trip, when we were back in Bangkock, they told us we could have "Sale price only today, on Budda Day." Then it was off to another temple where they too referred us to a shop with "special prices for the holiday" then to a market with a travel agent, trying to get us to buy a package for while we were there...we didnt do this either b/c we just wanted to be uncommitted and be able to go from one place to the next...lucky us that this is what we WANTED to do...how we wanted to experience this trip. Then off to a few more temples, then to a suite shop. Now, Craig DID want a tailor-made suite, but again, the plan was to do this when we got back to Bangkock before we left back to The States...but they had us, "Special price today only for Budda Day." They had Craig standing on a platform measuring length, height, shoulder width, wiast, etc. He was getting spun around and whirled from one side to the other while they took all his measurements. It was exciting, and fun to be cauht up in this tailor made suite thing. We walked out with a recipt for a suite that would be ready to pick up when we got back. Now off to another temple...and this time, we started to realize things were a little strange...the people at the next temple knew things about us they shouldnt....we just bought a suite, it was our first day in Bangkock, we just got married...things like that. Wierd...then we were off to another place and we heard the TukTuk driver talking to someone, we decided it was a heads up to the next place. By now, we were tired, hungry and done with this. We just wanted to go back to Khaosan Road, get a bite to eat, a drink to sip and enjoy the day/eve. Our TukTuk driver wouldnt take us back. He insisted we had to make one more stop to another store. We eneded up going to the last place, a jewrly store, but quickly decided we were done. They kept saying, "Oh, Look, so pretty!" UGH! We were HAD! Damn Budda Day! So from then on, we referred to Craigs suit as his Budda Day Suit. It is a nice suit, and still fits...
The next day was our first real day there and we were so thrilled! We only had about a total of 3 hours sleep in the past two days with travel time and a NEW time zone chane...but we were ready to explore this forign land. Some nice local saw us walking and informed us it was a special government holiday, Budda Day, and the TukTuks were cheaper on this day, but only the green ones, b/c the green ones were government owned. He asked if we had seen much so far and was telling us a couple places we had to check out. "WOW, the people here are so nice!" we were thinking. So what did we do?? Flag down the next green TukTuk we saw! We were off on our adventure to see temples. It was amazing...everywhere our driver took us, it was like the people knew we were coming. They would make a comment about the holiday and told us it was good luck to donate to the temple we were in on Budda Day. At the time we had no idea...but we were taken to a few really cool, known temples, and a lot of little ones. It was only at the little ones, where most of the tourists WERNT that they knew we were coming....and they all told us one more new place we needed to check out, like a special store, b/c it was Budda Day and there were "special price"...so we did. First we wound up at some secluded gem shop where they really wanted us to buy something. When we said we were waiting till the end of our trip, when we were back in Bangkock, they told us we could have "Sale price only today, on Budda Day." Then it was off to another temple where they too referred us to a shop with "special prices for the holiday" then to a market with a travel agent, trying to get us to buy a package for while we were there...we didnt do this either b/c we just wanted to be uncommitted and be able to go from one place to the next...lucky us that this is what we WANTED to do...how we wanted to experience this trip. Then off to a few more temples, then to a suite shop. Now, Craig DID want a tailor-made suite, but again, the plan was to do this when we got back to Bangkock before we left back to The States...but they had us, "Special price today only for Budda Day." They had Craig standing on a platform measuring length, height, shoulder width, wiast, etc. He was getting spun around and whirled from one side to the other while they took all his measurements. It was exciting, and fun to be cauht up in this tailor made suite thing. We walked out with a recipt for a suite that would be ready to pick up when we got back. Now off to another temple...and this time, we started to realize things were a little strange...the people at the next temple knew things about us they shouldnt....we just bought a suite, it was our first day in Bangkock, we just got married...things like that. Wierd...then we were off to another place and we heard the TukTuk driver talking to someone, we decided it was a heads up to the next place. By now, we were tired, hungry and done with this. We just wanted to go back to Khaosan Road, get a bite to eat, a drink to sip and enjoy the day/eve. Our TukTuk driver wouldnt take us back. He insisted we had to make one more stop to another store. We eneded up going to the last place, a jewrly store, but quickly decided we were done. They kept saying, "Oh, Look, so pretty!" UGH! We were HAD! Damn Budda Day! So from then on, we referred to Craigs suit as his Budda Day Suit. It is a nice suit, and still fits...
My Personal Budda Day
Well, we are quickly approaching record breaking days. The kind of days you would expect in Arizona or Texas. The kind of days you NEED relief from the heat. The kind of days you could literally crack an egg on the pavement and watch it cook. I think its going on one week of Hattie's hot.
So, every year we toy with getting a window A/C unit...and every year decide we can tough out those few days and camp out in the basement. Yesterday, I went to get Jack from his nap and he was SOAKED. I mean, if you didnt know he was sleeping, youd think the kid just returned from running in the sprinklers! And night...UGH. The fans just blow warm air around.
Today was the day. We decided yesterday that I would go down to the hardware store and pick up an A/C unit. So did everyone else in a 50 mile radius of Portland....and they ALL went to the same place! (According to the owner of the store, everyone else was out and was referring them to his store). My expectation was to run in, grab my A/C unit, run out, get home, get it set up before Jacks nap and WALA...COOL BEDROOMS! This was SO NOT THE CASE.
Luckily, "Ammy" wanted to see Jack so I dropped him off with the diaper bag...I mean, Soph and I were going to be 45 min tops. I park in a "30 min only parking" space right in front of the store. I walk inside and BAM....there are people in one big line zig-zagging through the store. Its a typical hardware store...small isles, old store, poor A/C and a fan blowing. As I entered, some lady tells me "good luck." Im like...luck?? What?? She tells me she was in line for 2 hours.
Sure enough, we waited a good 2.5 hours. 2.5 hours with loads of people. Sweaty people. People who, like me were in dire need of an A/C unit. Men, women, children; we were all sandwiched in this hardware store with no where to go but forward. Mind you, I left the entire diaper bag with Jack at ammys house, and Ive got Sophia with me. The good part about breastfeeding is that the supply is always with you. I had the supply, but I left my Hooter Hider in the diaper bag. I mean, like I said, this was only going to be 45 minutes tops! Luckily I had a FLANNEL burp cloth in the truck. I made this work....I had to. Im standing up, sweating myself, trying to cover myself with this burp cloth, holding Sophia while she eats. All I hear is the sucking sound, with a little choke here and there from too much milk all at once. Im wondering what the other people are thinking, and VERY thankful that Portland is so liberal minded with nursing in public.
After about an hour of waiting, the store owner loudly announces he just sold the last 2 units. BUT, if you wish, you can stay in line and pre-order one for tomorrows shipment in order to guarantee you will get one. So, I do this. Soph has to eat again, the nice woman in front of me helps move the car seat each time we move up in line. Did I mention how hot it was in the store?? Even though there was a fan & an A/C on...do you know how much heat people generate just standing??
Well, I finally got to the front of the line and....SHIT! I have NO IDEA WHAT I NEED. My plan was the cheapest window unit (b/c I dont like the thought of spending money on this, even though it will make things pleasant at home.) He asks what Im needing to cool, and I tell him 2 bedrooms. I was then made to believe I needed a 10,000 btu window unit to cool a space that large. Then, somehow I was convinced I needed to buy the "portable floor model A/C" b/c it was only $100 more than the window unit I was already talked into upgrading to. OK..sold. What the hell happened?? I planned on spending a small penny... Now, as Craig says...I had a BUDDA DAY! And also as he said...it better make it cold enough so he can wear his budda suite (another blog) comfortably.
After this...I was exhausted and informed him we were "dining out" (as Jack likes to say) for the sole reason that I NEEDED to sit in the A/C for a few hours.
So, every year we toy with getting a window A/C unit...and every year decide we can tough out those few days and camp out in the basement. Yesterday, I went to get Jack from his nap and he was SOAKED. I mean, if you didnt know he was sleeping, youd think the kid just returned from running in the sprinklers! And night...UGH. The fans just blow warm air around.
Today was the day. We decided yesterday that I would go down to the hardware store and pick up an A/C unit. So did everyone else in a 50 mile radius of Portland....and they ALL went to the same place! (According to the owner of the store, everyone else was out and was referring them to his store). My expectation was to run in, grab my A/C unit, run out, get home, get it set up before Jacks nap and WALA...COOL BEDROOMS! This was SO NOT THE CASE.
Luckily, "Ammy" wanted to see Jack so I dropped him off with the diaper bag...I mean, Soph and I were going to be 45 min tops. I park in a "30 min only parking" space right in front of the store. I walk inside and BAM....there are people in one big line zig-zagging through the store. Its a typical hardware store...small isles, old store, poor A/C and a fan blowing. As I entered, some lady tells me "good luck." Im like...luck?? What?? She tells me she was in line for 2 hours.
Sure enough, we waited a good 2.5 hours. 2.5 hours with loads of people. Sweaty people. People who, like me were in dire need of an A/C unit. Men, women, children; we were all sandwiched in this hardware store with no where to go but forward. Mind you, I left the entire diaper bag with Jack at ammys house, and Ive got Sophia with me. The good part about breastfeeding is that the supply is always with you. I had the supply, but I left my Hooter Hider in the diaper bag. I mean, like I said, this was only going to be 45 minutes tops! Luckily I had a FLANNEL burp cloth in the truck. I made this work....I had to. Im standing up, sweating myself, trying to cover myself with this burp cloth, holding Sophia while she eats. All I hear is the sucking sound, with a little choke here and there from too much milk all at once. Im wondering what the other people are thinking, and VERY thankful that Portland is so liberal minded with nursing in public.
After about an hour of waiting, the store owner loudly announces he just sold the last 2 units. BUT, if you wish, you can stay in line and pre-order one for tomorrows shipment in order to guarantee you will get one. So, I do this. Soph has to eat again, the nice woman in front of me helps move the car seat each time we move up in line. Did I mention how hot it was in the store?? Even though there was a fan & an A/C on...do you know how much heat people generate just standing??
Well, I finally got to the front of the line and....SHIT! I have NO IDEA WHAT I NEED. My plan was the cheapest window unit (b/c I dont like the thought of spending money on this, even though it will make things pleasant at home.) He asks what Im needing to cool, and I tell him 2 bedrooms. I was then made to believe I needed a 10,000 btu window unit to cool a space that large. Then, somehow I was convinced I needed to buy the "portable floor model A/C" b/c it was only $100 more than the window unit I was already talked into upgrading to. OK..sold. What the hell happened?? I planned on spending a small penny... Now, as Craig says...I had a BUDDA DAY! And also as he said...it better make it cold enough so he can wear his budda suite (another blog) comfortably.
After this...I was exhausted and informed him we were "dining out" (as Jack likes to say) for the sole reason that I NEEDED to sit in the A/C for a few hours.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Car Wash
OMG. Last weekend we were driving around and the car needed a wash. It was all four of us in the white Corolla which now had a gray sheen to it. Knowing this, we delibertaly drove past our house to one of those drive through car washes....it would be who knows how long till we could wash the car, and we thought Jack would get a kick out of it!! Weve got Jack all pumped up and excited about going through the car wash. Im thinking, sweet...entertainment and a clean car...Ill have to do this again!
Well, as soon as Jack saw the first things that beat on the car, he was a little unsure of what to think. Then as they swished on his window, he wasnt totally digging it. He was leaning in towards the middle. Then when the next round of scrubbers came, he LOST it. It was hilarious, but so sad! Here he is, strapped in his car seat screaming, a sheer look of terror on his face, and hes reaching toward us crying. The softy that I am, I had no other option but to laugh a little (it was pretty funny), and jump into the small space between the two car seats and try to hold him. Ive got one leg stuck in the front seat still, Jack is holding on to what ever part of me he can grab on to! Poor kid. I guess there wont be any clean cars in my future...at least not with the quick drive through kind!
Well, as soon as Jack saw the first things that beat on the car, he was a little unsure of what to think. Then as they swished on his window, he wasnt totally digging it. He was leaning in towards the middle. Then when the next round of scrubbers came, he LOST it. It was hilarious, but so sad! Here he is, strapped in his car seat screaming, a sheer look of terror on his face, and hes reaching toward us crying. The softy that I am, I had no other option but to laugh a little (it was pretty funny), and jump into the small space between the two car seats and try to hold him. Ive got one leg stuck in the front seat still, Jack is holding on to what ever part of me he can grab on to! Poor kid. I guess there wont be any clean cars in my future...at least not with the quick drive through kind!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Jack's first race
He did it!! Jack has now competed in his first running race, a 60 meter dash. At 28 months of age, we have a new star athlete!!
It was too cute. Jack's endocrinologist actually told me about this event put on by Foot Traffic and basically you register anyone (even adults - they have a bunch of different events), they get a tag for their age group and they line up the kids in (his age group) 0-3. The girls went first, then the boys. I thought he missed his spot b/c I didnt notice it was all girls. I only noticed they were all small and in the next group, Jacks group, he looked like the smallest. Never mind that he is only in the 7th percentile for height!
Craig ran behind him/with him and said the whole time Jack was running and screaming, "Ahhhhh...The people are coming!!" (There were older kids lined up behind him). The look on his face, oh, he was having a blast. It didnt matter that he was one of the last to cross the finish line, he still got a cool purple ribbon.
Only bummer is....its almost over, its a 5 week deal. We will defiantly be back next Tuesday and we will keep it in our minds for next summer. It is so fun watching him "run" He moves his arms faster and says, "Im going super fast!" After his "race" we were watching other races and events, he just kept wanting to run some more. It was TOO CUTE! Just we knew about it sooner, but thanks to his doctor, we know about it now!
It was too cute. Jack's endocrinologist actually told me about this event put on by Foot Traffic and basically you register anyone (even adults - they have a bunch of different events), they get a tag for their age group and they line up the kids in (his age group) 0-3. The girls went first, then the boys. I thought he missed his spot b/c I didnt notice it was all girls. I only noticed they were all small and in the next group, Jacks group, he looked like the smallest. Never mind that he is only in the 7th percentile for height!
Only bummer is....its almost over, its a 5 week deal. We will defiantly be back next Tuesday and we will keep it in our minds for next summer. It is so fun watching him "run" He moves his arms faster and says, "Im going super fast!" After his "race" we were watching other races and events, he just kept wanting to run some more. It was TOO CUTE! Just we knew about it sooner, but thanks to his doctor, we know about it now!
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