Will We or Won't We?

For the past month or more, I've been on the fence about whether to sell my house and move into something bigger. The broker recommended I look at properties in my price range to make sure I like what's out there (she insists my place will sell fast), and I quickly discovered that it's like going to the dog shelter "just to look" at the puppies.

After seeing my options I decided this is the right time, and got to work decluttering my house to get it ready to list. Then we hit a snag when I applied for my pre-approval. My credit score is 3 points away from qualifying me for a conventional mortgage (much better rates than FHA) so the broker advised me to pay off a couple of things and try again in early October. Argh! The biggest issue appeared to be a parking ticket from CA nearly 7 years ago, which had been sent to collections.

It was hugely beneficial seeing how other homes on the market have been prepared for sale. It surprised me how many sellers haven't taken that extra day to remove wallpaper borders and fill nail holes. A tiny bit of extra effort removes the distracting "projects" the buyer would have to do, but so few people do it. (These are regular for-sale homes, not short sales or foreclosures.) And I'm pretty sure every home we saw had a distinctive smell - one like Vicks, one like eucalyptus leaves, most like some sort of scented candle. I feel like I'll have an advantage when I finally list my house.

Most of my larger items from my failed yard sale sold over the past week - I think people saw the expired Craigslist ad and got really excited when the stuff they wanted was still available. Most people who emailed showed up right away and didn't even try to talk me down on the price. I met one family with a little boy who could pass for Felix's brother...we got to talking, and it turns out they want to adopt their second child and had all kinds of questions for me.

Over the past two weekends I've also had the pleasure of attending a number of get-togethers not planned by me. It's been a lot of fun, especially seeing people interact with Felix. Everyone has been great about giving me a hand with Felix so I can enjoy myself.

Yesterday my coworker held a solstice BBQ at her home on a golf course, so the guys cut out early to go golfing and I decided to treat myself to a pedicure at the mall while Felix was still at daycare. It was awesome. I even got myself a pretzel and rode the escalator in those flimsy paper shoes they give you. It's been a long time since I rode an escalator!

Sunset at our summer solstice BBQ.

Impromptu diner breakfast Friday before work. Felix slooooowly brought the crayons to his mouth while pretending to eat them.

Felix and Hayden enjoying grandpa's new tire swing. I can't believe how much their little faces look alike here.

What. A. Weekend.

Felix and I woke up at 6 AM to have a yard sale on Saturday. I sold about $10 worth of stuff. Lots of people who wanted the larger items were no-shows. Not a total waste of time, though, as my house needed to be de-cluttered and the garage needed to be cleaned anyway.

So I closed up the garage around 9:30 AM, and packed the last few things we’d need for a night of camping with some friends. The campground is about 2 hours from town and doesn’t allow reservations, so it took an extra 45 minutes (and a really scary old logging road) to find them, but it was so worth it once we arrived.

View from our campsite at Horsethief.

They had borrowed an RV so I didn’t have to bother with a tent, and it was a nice luxury to have a bathroom, lights and heat. It was my first time trying to camp with two babies in the same space, and there was definitely some squawking and middle-of-the-night crying, but no big meltdowns, thankfully. Felix has outgrown the mini Pack N Play for sleeping, so I pulled him up on to my bed after much tossing and turning. He slept on top of the covers, face in the corner, butt up and in my face. I think we got about 6 hours of broken sleep.

Good morning!

It also turned out to be a milestone weekend, as Felix cut his third tooth and figured out how to blow (on hot food, for example.) He scrunches up his face and some air comes out his nose, too, but he has the right idea, and it’s SO cute.

During the day we took a few little hikes around the river, where we saw an osprey swoop down and grab a fish right out of the water. At night, we had wine and gourmet smores around the campfire. (Place your toasted marshmallow on top of a Le Petit Ecolier.)

Sunday morning, we weren’t in a hurry to get home since there were no evening obligations. Felix and I finally packed up and left the campsite around 2:00. I stopped in nearby Cascade for some coffee and Felix was already asleep, as scheduled. The plan was for him to nap all the way home, so I could enjoy a nice drive through winding mountain roads.

On our way out of Cascade, quite a few emergency vehicles passed us. About 17 miles later, all the highway traffic came to a complete stop. A park-your-car, read-a-book, get-out-and-stretch-your-legs stop. We waited for almost an hour, until Felix was awake and crying, and I had learned that a head-on collision was blocking both lanes a couple of miles ahead of us.

He didn't enjoy the highway stop.

With a really hungry kid, no baby snacks, a broken phone charger (service was spotty anyway) and a quarter tank of gas, I decided to turn around and go back. We got to a place called Cougar Mountain Lodge, an overpriced greasy spoon/convenience store type place with no shade other than the dusty front porch.

Lesson learned - pack healthy snacks, even on short trips!

By this time, the authorities had stopped letting people try to get through, so the lodge was overflowing with hot, tired campers (and dogs) who just wanted to get home. I agonized over going all the way back to Cascade to fill up my tank (and getting behind the 17 additional miles of traffic that had accumulated), or pressing my luck and trying to make it 30 miles to the next town when the roads opened. I decided to stay put, mostly to save Felix from even more hours in the car.

About 2 1/2 hours later, we saw the air ambulance fly out and a tow truck came by with the remains of the minivan involved in the accident. “Horrific” is the only word I can use to describe it. I was relieved to learn later that there was only one victim (the driver at fault) and not a family of 7 killed by a cattle truck as rumor had it. Funny how rumors spread, even in the middle of nowhere.

The roads eventually opened again and traffic started moving slowly but surely. We were very happy to get back home - it felt like we had been gone much longer than one night!

Now I Can Relax...

My sister-in-law's long-awaited baby shower was finally this weekend. She's due in just a couple/few weeks, so it sort of felt like we were waiting till the last minute when we set the date of June 1. But the weather was beautiful, we had lots of help and delicious home made goodies, the turnout was great and I got lots of compliments on my efforts.

One cupcake had a plastic baby in it, and the recipient is supposedly next to get pregnant.

Measuring yarn to see whose prediction of Jill's belly size was most accurate. She has only gained 22 lbs. and many people guessed 2x too big!

Grandpa babysat all three grandkids during the shower. When I went to pick up Felix more than 4 hours after I dropped him off, he greeted me, then went back into the yard to play some more. (And fell asleep within seconds of being buckled into his car seat.)

Water table fun!

Classic railing peek.

When we got home last night, I was tempted to sit on my butt for the rest of the weekend. The baby shower marked the end of my event-planning commitments for the foreseeable future, and it felt so good to sit down and not have to make any lists or bake anything.

That didn't last long, though. This morning was too beautiful to sit home, so Felix and I went for a long walk on the greenbelt. Then we dropped off a meal for a family with a new baby (organized through our babies & tots group), and I got to snuggle an adorable, tiny 3-week old baby who's not even 7 pounds yet.

After that, we dropped off some more baby gear for my sister-in-law and brother, and stopped by Pizzalchik for lunch (featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives). We were way overdue for lunch and I could feel my stomach rumbling, and for some reason the service took for-EV-er. But the patio was lovely and Felix was extremely patient, and everyone around us raved about his behavior and wondered if he was always that happy.

Mmm pizza.

Felix's cognitive abilities are developing so fast right now. He figured out how to drink out of a straw, and knows to hand me things when he's done with them (or needs a refill.) He interacts with his toys in very deliberate ways, like pressing a button till it plays a particular song (then looking at me to dance), and has picked up on toy features I hadn't noticed. He loves pointing out every "ca" in the neighborhood, and has a very quiet, thoughtful tone when telling me about them. Here's a little video of him saying "ca".

Anyway, just in case you thought I was actually going to relax, I've gotten more serious about selling my house (and letting go of the investment property dream). I looked up some home selling tips and "get rid of the clutter" is obviously #1. So I spent a good chunk of tonight going through closets and pantries and putting together boxes and bags full of stuff I don't need, plus a few other larger items I never use. Now I need to have a yard sale. And inevitably, having a cleaner, fresher house (I had all the windows open) makes it seem extra nice, so I'm okay if selling doesn't work out for this year. But this place was in such shambles, I had to do something about it. I'll probably meet with a lender this week just to crunch some numbers.

Camping!

A couple of months ago, I got the itch and decided to start planning our annual Memorial Day camping trip, which gets cancelled about half the time due to bad weather. I was excited when my sister-in-law and brother agreed to come along, even though she’s only a few weeks away from her due date.

So we booked a campsite and invited some people, and as people do, many couldn’t decide and/or changed their RSVPs at the last minute. My parents were a big “maybe” for one night, since my dad had spent the month in Africa and wasn’t due home until almost midnight on Saturday. And last I heard before we left town, his first flight was delayed and possibly going to throw his whole schedule.

Anyway, 6 of us (plus Felix) headed up on Saturday. The weather was decent and we had fun setting up our tents, gathering firewood and going for little hikes. I set up Felix’s mini Pack N Play and he was mostly happy to stay in there as needed. He could stand up and cruise around the edge to see the whole campsite, and didn’t mind eating snacks and looking at books either. We had hobo stews (Felix’s first) and just enjoyed a really nice night around the campfire.

End of a long camping weekend? Nope, we'd been at the site for about 20 minutes when I took this!

Big boy chair, table, bowl and his first hobo stew.

Felix and I have never coslept, nor has he slept on a mattress or with blankets, so the first night was a little rough. He woke up crying around 3, then again at 5, but we cobbled together enough sleep to survive Sunday. My favorite part of camping is the early mornings around a damp campfire. Getting the fire going, boiling water for my instant Starbucks, cooking cinnamon rolls on sticks, waiting for the sun to peek over the mountain and send everyone running to change into shorts.

Early morning hike for firewood.

It started to rain Sunday afternoon, so we packed up our chairs and food and retreated to our tents for a nap. Felix and I slept hard, and I had a sneaking suspicion the sun had come out, but was so tired, I didn’t lift the blanket off my face. Then around 2:30, my brother woke me up, “Mom and dad just pulled in!” I could hardly believe that after all that traveling (including a 17-hour flight from Johannesburg to London), my dad was up to pack the camper and come join us. 

 

Wearing grandpa's hat.

The skies were clear and sunny by then, and my mom insisted on changing campsites from what they had reserved. We didn’t think much about it because she always wants to change campsites, but it all made sense when my other brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew pulled up a few minutes later! We went from a chill group of 6 to a noisy clan of 13 spanning two campsites in less than an hour. Then the rain started again, and we all piled into my parents’ pop-up camper for drinks and games.

Come on in!

Dinner on night two. Jayda's on crumb watch, as usual.

The boys.

It sprinkled off and on that night, but Monday was clear. Felix and I got home around 1:30 in the afternoon, totally exhausted and filthy from head to toe. I can’t wait to do it again!

First Birthday Party in Photos

Cute monster cupcakes ready to party!

Kids from 15 months - 15 years were good sports about the games and silly hats!

 

 

Trying to get him to clap for the What Can Baby Do? game.

It takes a village...

Hmm...not bad, not bad.

Sharing with grandma.

Reading a book while sporting a chocolate goatee.

My brother surprised me with a video documenting Felix's first year, set to the most perfect song. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odua3bOPU7E

Mother's Day

I'm probably one of the last mommy bloggers to write about this Mother's Day. There's no reason in particular for the late post, other than the fact I'm extremely busy and the holiday was nothing out of the ordinary this year. It actually paled in comparison to last year's event, as I was preparing to get up early the next morning to drive to Oregon for Felix's birth. Yes, it will be hard to top the anticipation and excitement of Mother's Day 2012!

This year, I started the weekend with spectacularly bad sleep on Thursday night, followed by two days and nights of house sitting for my parents. The first night, their dog, my dog and Felix whined lots and woke often, leading to a second horrible night of sleep. I tried everything - yelling at the dogs, squirting them with water bottles, ignoring them. I wheeled Felix in his mini Pack N Play out of our bedroom and into the hallway, but that didn't help anyone sleep more soundly. I ended up closing my dog in the downstairs bathroom, wheeling Felix back into my old bedroom, and sleeping on the not-quite-5'6" couch in the family room downstairs, which has no curtains, so I had to throw a blanket over my face. I finally got everyone settled around 5 AM and started to doze off. Then....chirp! tweet! the birds were up outside. Sigh.

Felix after one rough night.

Sleeping in the mini Pack N Play. This is about how I felt on the couch.

Saturday was hectic and hot and involved way too much time in a car, coordinating all the required pieces for my niece's annual dance recital in a nearby town.

Saturday night was mostly a repeat sleep-wise, and I was painfully tired when Mother's Day rolled around. By 10 AM, I realized I was experiencing the true meaning of motherhood. I'd unloaded someone else's dishes, done two loads of laundry (one by hand), made my own coffee and breakfast, and had served 4 meals and a snack to creatures who couldn't do so for themselves. Later that day, I ended up doing all the grocery shopping and meal prep for dinner for the entire family, and coordinating a trip to the airport to pick up my mom. Oh, and I made sure we called my grandma to say Happy Mother's Day, since dad's in Africa and wouldn't likely be picking up a phone.

So yeah. I don't mind helping out, especially when family really needs it. But last weekend really wiped me out! I did receive some really nice cards, a cute gift from my niece and sister-in-law, and a handprint-flower and footprint-butterfly garden painting from Felix.

A Beautiful Birthday

Felix turned one this week! His birthday was yesterday, and I took the day off work to spend it with him. The weather was a gorgeous 75, sunny and breezy, and all our plans went off without a hitch.

We started by visiting the bilingual daycare he’ll start part-time when he’s 18 months old. They have about 3 structured hours during the day and the rest is meal, nap and free time, like a typical daycare. I’m so excited for him to start really learning Spanish! He loves his current daycare and the bilingual place is almost twice the price, so that’s why we’re not going full-time right away. 

Next we headed to the zoo – Felix’s first trip. Three hundred junior high students and 40 parent helpers got there right before we did, so it was a zoo within a zoo for a while! Felix loved the animals, especially the giant hares and jellyfish. There was lots of pointing and saying “that”, “yeah” and “Jayda” (our dog’s name). A leopard growled at us, the lions sat right near the glass, and the giraffes wrapped around each other and licked each other’s faces. Pretty darn cute. We rode the carousel and bought a book about baby tigers before we left. You can watch a video of the gibbon monkeys howling on Youtube.

You're going to hold on to me, right?!

Showing me the giant hares.

Best birthday ever, mom!

Next we stopped by his cousins’ house for a little playtime, and then it was back in the car for a playdate picnic at the park. I heard about it at the last minute and didn’t have time to bring a snack, but everyone there was happy to share their graham crackers and fruit with us.

After that, we visited Uncle Brian at work. His coworker gave me some freelance projects during maternity leave last summer, and she hadn’t seen Felix in a really long time. Then we ran home for a very special birthday dinner of leftover mac n cheese (hey, it was organic!) then off to Ride-Along Fitness.

Felix was sleeping hard well before 8 pm. I left him on the chair in the living room, then gently woke him up for a bottle, pjs and the first-ever reading of Felix’s Birth Story, a book I had made that covers me getting “the call” to us coming home together. 

 

His birthday party is this Saturday in the park. The forecast says 72 and sunny – fingers crossed!