Stinkerpants

What’s New With Me!

July 28, 2010 in Parenthood & Life • Miscellaneous Ramblings

Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback yesterday via Facebook, Twitter and the blog!  There are still some kinks being worked out (specifically with Feedburner, which magically went from saying I had hundreds of subscribers to 36 in a matter of minutes. This is very scary & hopefully not true), so if you see anything amiss please let me know!

Business stuff aside, how about a little personal update?  A LOT of stuff has being going on the past few months.  I have been getting bigger and bigger.  We found out we’re having a little girl, and we’re going to name her Charlie.  We’re super, super excited.  I had completely convinced myself that she was going to be a boy, and I was really shocked and thrilled to find out that I get to buy clothes for a girl.  The only person who is possibly more excited about this prospect than I am is my mom, who has gone absolutely insane making stuff for this kid (I am so lucky!).  I can’t wait to show you guys.

My mom, constructing the bumper for Charlie's crib. Her room is SO. CUTE.

Another thing I can’t wait to show you guys?  Our. new. house.  Well, technically it’s a condo.  We have been wanting to move out of the ‘burbs and into a more urban area for a VERY long time, but we didn’t think it was financially feasible, given that we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The median home price here is something like $400k.  That’s the median home price, which also factors in the cost of tiny homes in really bad areas.  And we saw some of those really bad areas, oh yes we did.  $300k for a house with a bullet hole in the bedroom window, right next to the freeway? In an ugly suburb we didn’t want to live in anyway?  Yep, we saw it.  Although I think that one was a little overpriced. ;)

We decided to start our search after we realized that a) we might actually be able to afford something because of all the foreclosures right now; b) trying to split our bedroom into a bedroom/nursery when our living room was already a living room/office kind of made me want to die.  We talked to an amazing mortgage broker who explained that we could, indeed, make it work, and I immediately started pulling up MLS listings.

We had a lot of trials and tribulations along the way (and I’m more than happy to answer any questions anybody has about this process, just ask!), but our awesome real estate agent helped us to find a foreclosed condo in our ideal area.  We thought we didn’t have a chance in hell at it, but our realtor said, “it’s worth a shot!”  So we bid on it.  We were one of at least six offers, and after three weeks of waiting, we figured we’d lost out.  Then, out of the middle of nowhere, we found out WE GOT IT!  We were SO excited.  

But seriously, getting an approved offer in this market is only the first step of a very long journey.  The buying-a-foreclosure process is a major pain in the ass.  We had to extend our loan contingency twice because the bank that owned the place was taking so long.  A couple of times, we thought we might lose the place, and I became one of the most superstitious people on the planet (as if my Clarisonic losing a charge has any bearing on anything!). It was about three months straight of non-stop stress, but in the end...we got it.  And we’ve been living here for about two weeks and love it.  

The night we got the keys, we sat on the living room floor & ate take-out from our favorite Italian place, now just five minutes away.

A lot of work needed to be done before we could move in (the people who lived here before were DISGUSTING - no joke), so I can show you a lot of fun before and after photos once we’re all set up.  I’m really thrilled to be in a neighborhood with a walk score of 89 (seriously a dream come true for me) in a three bedroom, two bathroom place.  We can’t believe our luck.  We must have done something really great in a past life.

The night we moved in, I very nearly went into labor.  Well, I guess I kind of did go into labor?  I don’t know, haha.  We ended up in Labor & Delivery in the middle of the night, where I was having some pretty serious contractions.  Those things HURT, you guys.  But after getting IV fluids, I was sent home and they eventually subsided.  I was told to "take it easy," which is an awful thing to say to a Type A personality who loves to decorate and is surrounded by boxes (and also happens to also be nesting).  It has been an exercise in asking for help, which I've never been very good at.  I usually move kitchen tables by myself.  I’ve been getting Braxton-Hicks contractions pretty much ever since, but I’m getting used to them now, and because I'm now considered "full term" I don't have to sit on my butt as much anymore, which is great.  We’re thinking she’s coming early, but who knows?  She’ll probably be late, like most first babies.  ;)

Anyway, that’s a bit of a summary of the past few months for you guys.  I hope you’re all doing well, and I can’t wait to catch up!