One year ago today I peed on a little white stick. And then I did it again.... and again.... and again just to be sure that the tests weren't playing a trick on me. Each time I did it, the same word stared back at me from the digital readout: Pregnant. As we had not yet been officially "trying" to have a baby, I knew it would come as quite a shock to Brad- it had thrown me for a loop!
Anyone who knows me knows what a sentimental fool I am. I think every occasion is a call for a celebration- including our 18 month anniversary, which happened to be June 27, 2005. The same day I found out I was pregnant. So I knew that Brad would not be surprised by an anniversary present, something small to remind him how much I love him. As luck would have it, I ended up getting off of work early that day and headed straight for the mall to buy Brad's favorite treat- a cookie cake from the Great American Cookie Company.
When Brad got home from class that evening I had the cookie cake sitting on the dining room table. The look on Brad's face when he opened the box was priceless- a look I will never forget as long as I live.
And now a year has passed since that first little stick turned pink and now I am watching my almost 4 month old little girl playing on her mat with her favorite toy, her linkable letters. She is so much more wonderful than we ever imagined she would be. She hit a milestone the other night when she rolled over from her stomach to her back. It was the most amazing thing to witness such a tiny little person lift her head up and push so hard and then finally roll over. Brad and I cheered for her as if she'd just crossed the finish line of an Olympic race.... which she may as well have. I couldn't have been more proud.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
A Year in Review
Monday, June 26, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Home Sweet Dirt Lot
After months of going back and forth, trying to make a decision about buying a house, Brad and I finally figured out that the best thing for us to do was to build. We had found a neighborhood a back in late April called Panther Trace in Riverview. We walked through the models and fell in love with the Remington, a Standard Pacific home. We had decided to go ahead and do whatever necessary to get this house and then I starter having second thoughts. The builder was still waiting for lots to be released, and I got impatient and told Brad as much. He agreed with me, but then he started thinking about it again as it got closer to the end of May when they said the lots were to be released. Then we got a phone call from the sales rep saying the lots were now available, and it was like a sign, that it was where we were supposed to be.
So yesterday we loaded up and drove to Riverview, where we put the house under contract. We picked our lot, signed the forms and stuck a SOLD sign in our new 'yard'. Our tentative closing date is May 18, 2007.
The house is a 2-story, 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house with a full sized loft that Brad is going to turn into a theater room; about 1784 square feet. The master bedroom, family room, dining room and kitchen are on the ground floor and the 3 other bedrooms, bathroom and loft are all upstairs. I am so excited to think about decorating the house- we have an appointment on July 18 to meet with the interior designer and pick all our colors. After so many months of ups and downs, it is so exciting to know that at the end of this next year we are going to have our own home, custom built for our little family.
You can visit the neigborhood at www.panthertrace.com. If you click on the title of this post you can view the floorplan for the Remington model. Panther Trace is a master-planned community with a club house, 2 pools, playgrounds and sports complex. We are actually going to be living in phase 2 which is just now beginning construction. The best part is, with all the meetings we will have with the builders in the next year we know that this last year in an apartment is just going to fly by!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Moving Day 101
Today's Lesson: Moving During a Hurricane
Let me start by saying that it is usually not a good idea to move during a hurricane, or tropical storm, of any of these anomalies that spring forth from the Caribbean or African Coast during the tourist seasons. This was proven on Monday when we moved into our apartment in Bradenton just as T.S. Alberto (see above, left) was moving past the Bay Area. High winds and occasionally driving rain make it harder than normal to carry cardboard boxes... especially when the Uhaul leaked the whole way from Ocala and a good number of boxes suffered severe water damage. All in all, however, moving day went fairly sooth. I have to say that I would much rather move in hurricane-like weather than when it is 100 degrees outside with 95% humidity. Anyone who has ever moved within the state of Florida has experienced such weather and will agree that it is not fun. Especially if you live on the top floor. Stairs are a beast. It is for this reason that we are in a ground floor apartment which has caused the unreasonable, panicky side of me (yes, it does exist) to emerge. If an anti-burglary tool or resource is out there, I have tried to find it. I want window locks in the nursery, though I would prefer bullet-proof glass on Savannah's windows. (Did I mention the unreasonable part yet?)
The hardest part of the move was when Brad received a call from his office Tuesday morning telling him a spot had opened up in a seminar he needs to take that was full until July. This was not a problem until we learned that the seminar was Wednesday-Friday, meaning he had to leave to go to Orlando Tuesday night. Luckily my mom was able to stay one more day to help me, but now here I sit in a new apartment in a new city where I know not a single soul and having to sleep by myself in said apartment with a 3 month old. Luckily I have Peyton for protection but Savannah's pack-n-play is out in my car and I have yet to figure out how to carry it and her at the same time so she actually slept in her crib last night while I sat in our bedroom clutching the baby monitor and jumping up at every slight sound. Savannah slept soundly through the night. I did not.
But now I am sitting in our apartment surrounded by stacks of boxes and mountains of baby items and half unpacked rooms and I couldn't be happier to be living in the midst of all this chaos because finally, after 6 months, we are in our own place again . Once everything is unpacked and in some semblance of order I will post some pictures, especially the long-awaited photos of Savannah's nursery that is a mess right now but is the first thing i am going to tackle when Brad gets home tomorrow night. So hopefully by the end of the weekend it will be in order and posted for all to enjoy.
