We've had a difficult, crazy, super busy last couple of months, but we had our 38-week checkup today (everything looks good), and this weekend we're moving out of our house, and into a room in Brett's parents' house until our NEW house is finally ready. If you didn't know this was happening, here's the super short version of the story:
We found a house we LOVED in early April, made an offer on it, the owner (Freddie Mac) accepted our offer, we signed the mutual acceptance paperwork, and here it is the end of May and we're STILL WAITING for them to finish signing the docs themselves. They've been awful. Missed deadlines right and left, uncommunicative, uncooperative, unsympathetic, etc. They signed SOME of the docs last week, sent them all back to us as if they were complete, we sent them back asking for them to finish filling them out (seriously, how hard does it need to be?), and we're still waiting. We were supposed to close on the house on 05/26 (which was pushed out from 05/21 at THEIR request), our agent has been trying to contact them all week to find out whether or not that's still going to happen, and she finally got an email back this afternoon saying "that's so not going to happen," (their words), and asking for an extension to 06/05. Our loan lock lasts until 06/02. They said that's OUR problem. The house needs the hardwoods refinished, carpet installed, paint everywhere, and appliances before we move in. We can't even schedule that work let alone start it, because they won't give us a solid answer on when FOR SURE we'll be able to close. I hate them. Moving on.
So...in the middle of all this house craziness and Brett having some pretty important stuff going on at work, Arie has been happily kicking and squirming his way to full term. He could come any day now! He could come TODAY even!!! But let's hope not - we have a looot of packing/moving to do this weekend. My hips, thighs, crotch, abdomen, etc are killing me, Brett says my feet "look like elephant feet," my acid reflux could probably dissolve metal, and my belly is so huge that my pants and shirts no longer meet in the middle, despite the fact that everything in my current wardrobe sports the word "maternity" somewhere on the label. And I couldn't be happier. :) We're sooo excited to meet Arie. I'm starting to get a little scared of my impending "natural childbirth," and I'm worrying about how breastfeeding will go, how my recovery will work with all of the stuff we have going on, what Arie will be like, how healthy he'll be, and whether or not I'll be a good mom, at least at first.
Luckily Brett's been amazingly supportive and excited, and we have tons of wonderful friends and family around that have been willing to help with things. My shower was phenomenal - more people showed up than I thought could possibly fit in Brett's grandma's house (at least twice as many people came as I thought would!), and they all had wonderful gifts to give. Literally almost everything we needed or wanted was given to us. We couldn't have wished for a more generous crowd. And Brett had a shower at work where they gave us even MORE awesome stuff, and things have been coming in the mail from people out of town...it's actually been really moving. Yes, I have cried. :)
It feels really good to know that this kid will be so loved. Obviously by us, but also by all of you. When we decided to start "trying" last year, it was because WE felt ready, and we wanted to have children together, but so many things never occurred to us at that time - all the things about pregnancy/childcare we didn't know, how our lives would change, how our relationships with friends, family, and each other would change, how our priorities and views of the world would change. The fact that we have so many people out there giving us such great advice and support has helped us tremendously in our journey, and while I don't think any new parent ever feels 100% prepared (if they do, they're probably wrong), we both feel like we have a good solid start. We know we can handle this, and a large part of that confidence has come from help and advice that you all have given us. So thank you for that! :)
I have no idea when Arie will decide to blow this popsicle stand, but when he does we're still planning on posting Twitter updates, so subscribe to that if you're interested. Since we'll most likely be guests in someone else's house during the first week or so after he's born, frequent visitors might be even less of a good idea than they normally are during the first couple of weeks. If you're interested in stopping by, shoot us an email or vm after the birth, and we'll try to set something up. I warn you now that I will look hideous, and possibly breastfeed in front of you. I'm just sayin'.
Oh! Also...our phone number is changing. As of next week, if you call our old home number it will give you our new home number, but that's just a vm box until we get our phones set up at the new house. [Insert profanity-laced grumbles about Freddie Mac here.] I know that sucks, especially at Baby Time, but whaddayagonnado. Initially we weren't even going to re-sign up for a land line, but after haggling with Comcast I got them to agree to local phone, local cable (we weren't going to get cable, either), and interwebs for $4 more a month than interwebs alone. So thank Comcast that we even have a home phone at all! :) We also still have our cells of course. If you have one or both of those numbers, good for you.
Some other things I guess I should acknowledge - I'm turning 31 this weekend. On the day we relinquish possession of our house to the buyers. I will cry on my birthday, but it won't be an "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" kind of thing, because I won't have a party to cry at. So boo for me. Don't feel too bad for me though - Brett turns ***30*** (the big three-oh!) a few weeks after Arie is born, so I'm pretty sure his birthday will go under-recognized as well, and it's a big one. For MY 30th we went to San Fransisco, and it was amazing. I feel pretty guilty that Brett's won't be comparable, but I guess he'll have a new baby to play with. And hopefully a new house. And a wife who no longer resembles an overweight, stretch mark-covered, hideously swollen, whiny, moody, sugar-craving, constantly sore, slow-as-a-snail, clumsy-as-an-ox, manatee. Instead he'll have a hormonally imbalanced milk cow with a deflated beach ball for an abdomen. So that's something, at least! :)
