Yesterday was the best day. It may have been my favorite day with my daughter to date. Sure, there were some not so great moments (her screaming in the car while we waited for a train to move... her covered in spit up and with snot running down her face... trying to finish Christmas shopping with a cranky, non-napping, baby... you get the picture). BUT. Then there was the game of peek-a-boo.
We were in Lowe's, trying to pick out grout for our new fireplace tile (which incidentally did NOT arrive). I noticed Ava had put the blanket over her face. All the way over her face. So I thought about it for a second, decided the blanket probably hampered her breathing and gently pulled it down. She was grinning and laughing. I chuckled and went back to looking at grout. For just a moment. Until I saw Ava put the blanket back over her head and it dawned on me. She was playing with me! Ava has always loved peek-a-boo, but she has never initiated it. So, I smiled and waited... sure enough, she pulled the blanket down and started to laugh. She thought she was so funny! I thought she was wonderful.
And so it went for probably 10 minutes. Ava kept putting the blanket up and pulling it down. I would say "Boo!" when she uncovered her face and she just roared. She laughed so hard - her full belly laugh - that it was contagious. I was laughing, the other people in Lowe's were laughing, and Aaron was laughing when I called him to share the moment. You could tell Ava thought she was a big-timer... and it was the coolest thing to see her thinking about playing a game. It was the greatest day ever.
Oh, and last night - Ava slept all the way through.
Greatest. Day. Ever.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Life with "Busy"
Wow. Everyone tells you that kids grow fast. It seems to be one of those generic statements that new parents are supposed to agree with... you know, the smile and nod. But, it appears to be true.
We should have known that Ava would be busy. She was in a hurry from the womb (4+ weeks early anyone?). The speed at which things have changed around here is still pretty impressive.
A week or so ago, Ava could crawl backwards. It was pretty funny, actually. She didn't want to be going backward... but the more excited she got about moving, the more she pushed herself in the wrong direction. We would laugh and she would get frustrated, move further backward, and cry. All fun. Lately though, the motion has been all forward.
She is into everything! Boxes, cords, toys, phones, you name it. She sees it, lines herself up, and goes for it. She is getting fast! It is unreal. The whole procedure is pretty interesting to watch. She hasn't quite figured out how to angle after things. If she wants to change her orientation, she stops, rotates however many degrees (by pivoting on her impressive belly) and starts again. Too funny.
In all honesty, I don't know how I am going to keep up! I will try to post a video of her moving tomorrow. For now, it is off to bed (hopefully, we will have another good night!)
We should have known that Ava would be busy. She was in a hurry from the womb (4+ weeks early anyone?). The speed at which things have changed around here is still pretty impressive.
A week or so ago, Ava could crawl backwards. It was pretty funny, actually. She didn't want to be going backward... but the more excited she got about moving, the more she pushed herself in the wrong direction. We would laugh and she would get frustrated, move further backward, and cry. All fun. Lately though, the motion has been all forward.
She is into everything! Boxes, cords, toys, phones, you name it. She sees it, lines herself up, and goes for it. She is getting fast! It is unreal. The whole procedure is pretty interesting to watch. She hasn't quite figured out how to angle after things. If she wants to change her orientation, she stops, rotates however many degrees (by pivoting on her impressive belly) and starts again. Too funny.
In all honesty, I don't know how I am going to keep up! I will try to post a video of her moving tomorrow. For now, it is off to bed (hopefully, we will have another good night!)
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Progress!!!! PROGRESS!!!
We are making progress! Sleep progress! I want to shout it from the roof, which I might be tempted to do, except for the snow and ice. But still.
P. R. O. G. R. E. S. S.
I know I sound excited. And rested. Because I am. I also know we probably could have been excited and rested before if we had just done what everyone told us to do... and let her cry (with comfort at intervals). But I couldn't do it. I tried. And I couldn't do it. I did, however, start making changes to our routine (mostly at nap time). Those changes helped (thank you Elizabeth Pantley, author of the No-Cry Sleep Solution) but our first sleep plan didn't quite get us over the hump.
Enter tired Aaron. He said we had to do something different. Let her cry if we needed to, but do something different. So we thought about it, argued about it, talked about it, and made another plan (using another suggestion from Ms. Pantley). Since Ava was waking to nurse at night (a lot) we thought we needed to stop that. If I tried to comfort her without nursing, she went ballistic. Soooo... we decided to try Aaron comforting her at night. He would go in and hold her, rock her, do whatever he could to make her sleep and put her down.. just no nursing. Bingo. No nursing, no crying, no waking. The changes we had made at nap time allowed her to fall asleep quickly (without a lot of fussing/crying) and since she couldn't see me, she didn't want to nurse. We haven't had total success yet, but we are definitely seeing progress. After two nights of our new plan, Aaron just has to go in and pat her on the back if she stirs. We are hoping to eliminate that step next. So we are getting there! Which is good. Very, very good.
In non-sleep news, Ava hates Santa. Really. She hates him. We have photographic evidence of her dislike. I figure this will change when she figures out it is his name on her shiny new boxes under the tree. The boxes are way cooler than the contents anyway.
Ava is now crawling (forwards!). The backwards crawling was very frustrating for her, but it was sure easier for us. She can also go from her belly to sitting up. We have to baby-proof the house. Hard to believe 8 months have gone by.
Here are some new photos!
P. R. O. G. R. E. S. S.
I know I sound excited. And rested. Because I am. I also know we probably could have been excited and rested before if we had just done what everyone told us to do... and let her cry (with comfort at intervals). But I couldn't do it. I tried. And I couldn't do it. I did, however, start making changes to our routine (mostly at nap time). Those changes helped (thank you Elizabeth Pantley, author of the No-Cry Sleep Solution) but our first sleep plan didn't quite get us over the hump.
Enter tired Aaron. He said we had to do something different. Let her cry if we needed to, but do something different. So we thought about it, argued about it, talked about it, and made another plan (using another suggestion from Ms. Pantley). Since Ava was waking to nurse at night (a lot) we thought we needed to stop that. If I tried to comfort her without nursing, she went ballistic. Soooo... we decided to try Aaron comforting her at night. He would go in and hold her, rock her, do whatever he could to make her sleep and put her down.. just no nursing. Bingo. No nursing, no crying, no waking. The changes we had made at nap time allowed her to fall asleep quickly (without a lot of fussing/crying) and since she couldn't see me, she didn't want to nurse. We haven't had total success yet, but we are definitely seeing progress. After two nights of our new plan, Aaron just has to go in and pat her on the back if she stirs. We are hoping to eliminate that step next. So we are getting there! Which is good. Very, very good.
In non-sleep news, Ava hates Santa. Really. She hates him. We have photographic evidence of her dislike. I figure this will change when she figures out it is his name on her shiny new boxes under the tree. The boxes are way cooler than the contents anyway.
Ava is now crawling (forwards!). The backwards crawling was very frustrating for her, but it was sure easier for us. She can also go from her belly to sitting up. We have to baby-proof the house. Hard to believe 8 months have gone by.
Here are some new photos!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Sleep is for the weak
Wrote this one a while ago and was too tired to post. Figured it would be good background for the next post.
******
Alternately titled: Sleep. You don't know what you've got 'till its gone.
We used to sleep. Back before puke-a-palooza that is. Ava was sleeping from 8:30 pm until 5:00 am. All in a row, without a whimper. It was magic. Easy. Fabulous. I used to listen those "other" mothers, the tired mothers, complain and moan about how their babies just wouldn't sleep at night. The were comparing notes on the Ferber method, the Happiest Baby on the Block method, the Baby-wise method... all of these "methods" to teach you how to raise a baby that sleeps at night. We didn't need those books - nope, not us. We were all set.
Cue ominous music now. Then there was a tooth, and then there was a virus, another tooth, another virus. And now we are here. One of the "other" mothers, tired and reading all of the books. Trying to figure out where we went wrong.
Ava is up a lot at night. Sometimes she wants to eat, sometimes she doesn't.
The most frustrating thing is that we had a routine and it worked - right up until it didn't. And now we are starting over. But humans need sleep. Babies need sleep. Moms and Dads need sleep.
I have now read all kinds of "sleep help" books... and of course, they make you feel like the worst mother in the world. Should have done this, that, or the other thing. Start doing this, that, and the other thing now. Sleep is easy they say... all you need to do is follow the steps they have written and you are set. Would be a piece of cake if they all agreed, which they don't.
Not sure what we are going to do. Wish us luck... and sweet dreams.
******
Alternately titled: Sleep. You don't know what you've got 'till its gone.
We used to sleep. Back before puke-a-palooza that is. Ava was sleeping from 8:30 pm until 5:00 am. All in a row, without a whimper. It was magic. Easy. Fabulous. I used to listen those "other" mothers, the tired mothers, complain and moan about how their babies just wouldn't sleep at night. The were comparing notes on the Ferber method, the Happiest Baby on the Block method, the Baby-wise method... all of these "methods" to teach you how to raise a baby that sleeps at night. We didn't need those books - nope, not us. We were all set.
Cue ominous music now. Then there was a tooth, and then there was a virus, another tooth, another virus. And now we are here. One of the "other" mothers, tired and reading all of the books. Trying to figure out where we went wrong.
Ava is up a lot at night. Sometimes she wants to eat, sometimes she doesn't.
The most frustrating thing is that we had a routine and it worked - right up until it didn't. And now we are starting over. But humans need sleep. Babies need sleep. Moms and Dads need sleep.
I have now read all kinds of "sleep help" books... and of course, they make you feel like the worst mother in the world. Should have done this, that, or the other thing. Start doing this, that, and the other thing now. Sleep is easy they say... all you need to do is follow the steps they have written and you are set. Would be a piece of cake if they all agreed, which they don't.
Not sure what we are going to do. Wish us luck... and sweet dreams.
Friday, October 31, 2008
One sick baby...
plus one sick mamma, one sick daddy, two sick grandmas, and at least one sick grandpa equals...
tired.
Very. Very. Tired.
Oh, and lots of pedialyte. Which would be better if Ava still took a bottle. As she doesn't, we had to use a feeding tube and a 20 ml syringe. Not fun.
Things are better today - we are still recovering (everyone got sick on Wednesday). To add to the fun, Ava got another tooth yesterday! That makes two - both front bottom.
We didn't trick or treat as we were sick, but here is a photo of Ava and her pumpkin.
Also a photo of Ava sitting up...
tired.
Very. Very. Tired.
Oh, and lots of pedialyte. Which would be better if Ava still took a bottle. As she doesn't, we had to use a feeding tube and a 20 ml syringe. Not fun.
Things are better today - we are still recovering (everyone got sick on Wednesday). To add to the fun, Ava got another tooth yesterday! That makes two - both front bottom.
We didn't trick or treat as we were sick, but here is a photo of Ava and her pumpkin.
Also a photo of Ava sitting up...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Teeth!
Ava has her first tooth. It poked through Friday... and has only gotten more visible since then. I will say that we are back to sleeping through the night. The week or so before the tooth appeared was pretty ugly.
Looks like her tooth is going to be adorably crooked... :) I will post a photo as soon as it becomes easier to see.
For now, we are enjoying all of the toothless smiles we can. Pretty soon they will be gone. She is growing so fast.
We have started solids - so far, she has eaten rice cereal, avacado, sweet potato, and butternut squash. Next up on the menu is carrot! Wahoo. I have to say that making baby food is pretty easy. I have really enjoyed it. I may have enjoyed it too much, as we have lots of food cubes frozen!
Looks like her tooth is going to be adorably crooked... :) I will post a photo as soon as it becomes easier to see.
For now, we are enjoying all of the toothless smiles we can. Pretty soon they will be gone. She is growing so fast.
We have started solids - so far, she has eaten rice cereal, avacado, sweet potato, and butternut squash. Next up on the menu is carrot! Wahoo. I have to say that making baby food is pretty easy. I have really enjoyed it. I may have enjoyed it too much, as we have lots of food cubes frozen!
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Big "Point-Five-Oh"
Otherwise known as 6 months old!
We have been parents for 6 months. Half of one year. It sounds like such a long time, but it feels like we brought her home yesterday. Without a doubt, this has been the best 6 months. Ever.
When she smiles and gives us a belly laugh, there is no place I would rather be.
We toured the Applets and Cotlets factory. Ava had to wear a hair net over her bald little head. It was pretty adorable.
She is rolling over now and can sit up almost by herself. At the moment, her favorite toys are tags. She LOVES the tags on all her toys. Watching her search for them and extend her little hand to try to pinch the tag with her fingers is wonderful. She is learning, and we get to watch it. Amazing.
Here are some photos...
We have been parents for 6 months. Half of one year. It sounds like such a long time, but it feels like we brought her home yesterday. Without a doubt, this has been the best 6 months. Ever.
When she smiles and gives us a belly laugh, there is no place I would rather be.
We toured the Applets and Cotlets factory. Ava had to wear a hair net over her bald little head. It was pretty adorable.
She is rolling over now and can sit up almost by herself. At the moment, her favorite toys are tags. She LOVES the tags on all her toys. Watching her search for them and extend her little hand to try to pinch the tag with her fingers is wonderful. She is learning, and we get to watch it. Amazing.
Here are some photos...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sweet Laughter
I can't believe it has been five months. Ava is five months old!!! Unbelievable. She loves to stand up (with balancing help). She sits with some help... just like a real, little, person.
Ava has started noticing Inde. She laughs and smiles at her - so that is good. We have no idea how Inde will react when Ava gets mobile. Hopefully, things will go well. Ava can roll to her side if motivated (a toy will do the trick) but in general, isn't too interested in moving.
I have posted more photos and will try to post a video of her laughing. The video is a few weeks old - she really gets going now! She laughs the most at her daddy... I will not make any comments about why that is... though it is so tempting!
In other, non-baby news, the domestic blog is up and running. It is basically a chronicle of a few friends and their efforts to be more domestic... cheese-making, bread-baking, canning, pepper-smoking, fun. Misadventures and kitchen mistakes, but fun. If you are interested, here is the link. I didn't name it. :)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Photos and more...
I was such a good poster for such a little while. Here are some new photos of the little one and some other random ramblings.
Ava is over four months old now... and she smiles and laughs. She also is learning to make sounds. Lots of loud sounds. Loud sounds at three in the morning. She tried out the sound "mmm" for 45 minutes at full volume last night, er, this morning. The big news from our four month appointment is anemia. Yup, the princess is iron deficient. We are fairly certain it was caused by prematurity as babies tend to store iron their last month in the womb (that would be the same month she decided she didn't need). So, we have started iron drops and she will get retested in a month.
An unintended consequence of the iron drops has been stained clothes. Hers and mine. She spits it up (evidently it tastes terrible) and it causes what is essentially a rust spot. Cream of Tartar to the rescue. I had tried everything to get these spots out. The magic bullet? A paste of C of T on the spot, held over a mix of boiling water and more C of T, and then dipped in the same water. Magic.
As most of you know, I love to bake. A friend of mine has started a new blog about all things domestic... and I am going to blog about bread for them! I will post the link here when it gets going.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
"That" Mother....
I had to stop seeing Dr. Google the other day. As much as I like him, he tends to be a bit of an alarmist. That really isn't good for me. His bedside manner also leaves a little to be desired. In fact, the only thing Dr. Google really has going for him is his ability to make house calls at any time... even 3 am. Oh - and there is no copay.
Aaron really doesn't like Dr. Google. I think his dislike stems from the fact that when the good Dr. worried me (pretty much every time he was consulted), Aaron had to calm me down. So, we made the decision not to see him anymore. It has been hard, but we are managing. There have been some unintended consequences though.
For example, I am afraid I am turning into "that" mother. You know the one. She calls the nurse every time her child has so much as a sniffle. Things like "Hi Susan. It is so-and-so's mother. So-and-so's spit up is neon yellow. I was just wondering if I needed to worry about that..." Or "Hi Susan. It is so-and-so's mom again. I am so sorry to call so much. I was just wondering if it was normal for so-and-so to have a flat spot on the back of her head..."
Susan (our nurse - who should be nominated for sainthood) never says a word about us being frequent callers. She always laughs, gives great advice, and makes us feel very welcome. The few times we have called and our call has resulted in a surprise visit to the Dr., Susan has met us in the hall and been a great help. She has great advice for us every time we have a question. If she wasn't so cool, we probably wouldn't call so much! (Great eh? Finding a way to pin my neurosis on the amazing nurse... :)
I was talking to my friend Megan (hi Megan) the other day about being "that" mother. She is a pediatric nurse, so I figured she would tell me to stop calling and let poor Susan get some work done. Instead, she just laughed and said she was "that" mother too. I won't embarrass Meg by telling you all about the time she took Grace to the real Dr. (after visiting Dr. Google) telling the her that Grace had a brain tumor (she didn't). Dr. Google really is an alarmist.
Anyway, I am pretty resigned to being "that" mother. I hope Susan puts up with us - instead of changing her office number and moving to Florida.
I tried to post some pictures, but ran into a few technical difficulties. I will try again later...
Aaron really doesn't like Dr. Google. I think his dislike stems from the fact that when the good Dr. worried me (pretty much every time he was consulted), Aaron had to calm me down. So, we made the decision not to see him anymore. It has been hard, but we are managing. There have been some unintended consequences though.
For example, I am afraid I am turning into "that" mother. You know the one. She calls the nurse every time her child has so much as a sniffle. Things like "Hi Susan. It is so-and-so's mother. So-and-so's spit up is neon yellow. I was just wondering if I needed to worry about that..." Or "Hi Susan. It is so-and-so's mom again. I am so sorry to call so much. I was just wondering if it was normal for so-and-so to have a flat spot on the back of her head..."
Susan (our nurse - who should be nominated for sainthood) never says a word about us being frequent callers. She always laughs, gives great advice, and makes us feel very welcome. The few times we have called and our call has resulted in a surprise visit to the Dr., Susan has met us in the hall and been a great help. She has great advice for us every time we have a question. If she wasn't so cool, we probably wouldn't call so much! (Great eh? Finding a way to pin my neurosis on the amazing nurse... :)
I was talking to my friend Megan (hi Megan) the other day about being "that" mother. She is a pediatric nurse, so I figured she would tell me to stop calling and let poor Susan get some work done. Instead, she just laughed and said she was "that" mother too. I won't embarrass Meg by telling you all about the time she took Grace to the real Dr. (after visiting Dr. Google) telling the her that Grace had a brain tumor (she didn't). Dr. Google really is an alarmist.
Anyway, I am pretty resigned to being "that" mother. I hope Susan puts up with us - instead of changing her office number and moving to Florida.
I tried to post some pictures, but ran into a few technical difficulties. I will try again later...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
My daughter's favorite toy!
It is so hard to believe that Ava is almost 3 months old. She even has a favorite toy! I don't know why that matters so much to me - I suppose it is just a little more evidence that she is a real, live, human (as opposed to a pooping, eating, sleeping, machine!). More than the smiling, the idea that my daughter has a preference is pretty astounding. I know that it is just a black and white ball that makes a crinkling noise, but it will be in her baby box forever now!
She has started grasping a bit more these days. I don't know if it is intentional or not, but seeing a rattle in her hands is as striking to me as the idea that she can prefer one ball over another.
When we were in the hospital, it seemed as though progress was measured in ounces. That was a little easier to wrap my head around. Now progress is all of these little steps she takes very day. Sometimes, it seems as though she is getting big so fast, and other times, well, she still seems so very small!
I will post more photos soon so you can all see the little chunk!
She has started grasping a bit more these days. I don't know if it is intentional or not, but seeing a rattle in her hands is as striking to me as the idea that she can prefer one ball over another.
When we were in the hospital, it seemed as though progress was measured in ounces. That was a little easier to wrap my head around. Now progress is all of these little steps she takes very day. Sometimes, it seems as though she is getting big so fast, and other times, well, she still seems so very small!
I will post more photos soon so you can all see the little chunk!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Cleaning up...
It seems like I spend most of my time cleaning things these days. Or, at least meaning to clean things. I do a lot of laundry and I always mean to vaccuum. I suppose I have time to vaccuum - it is just that I would rather sleep, or make sure we all have clean clothes to wear, or cook.
Ava generates more laundry than anyone I have ever met. Not just for her either. For the whole family. By the time a day is over, she has spit up on at least two of my shirts, one futon cover, her outfit, and who knows what else. So, given the amount of cleaning I do, it is no wonder I felt like cleaning up the blog. Hence, the new layout. Hope you all like it.
In other, unrelated, news - we are making progress on the diaper rash. The hairdrier we are using to blow her dry after every change seems to be doing the trick. Who knew?
It is odd to be so focused on things like spit up and diaper rash. I knew I was going to enjoy being a mom, but I didn't know that I would be capable of holding entire conversations about baby bottoms and the merits of cloth diapers. Moving on...
We went to a 50th anniversary celebration this weekend - it was wonderful. We had a great time and Ava did remarkably well with the car ride and the heat. Shannon and Jami did a beautiful job with all of the arrangements! It was so nice to visit with family. I have posted a few photos from the day.
Ava generates more laundry than anyone I have ever met. Not just for her either. For the whole family. By the time a day is over, she has spit up on at least two of my shirts, one futon cover, her outfit, and who knows what else. So, given the amount of cleaning I do, it is no wonder I felt like cleaning up the blog. Hence, the new layout. Hope you all like it.
In other, unrelated, news - we are making progress on the diaper rash. The hairdrier we are using to blow her dry after every change seems to be doing the trick. Who knew?
It is odd to be so focused on things like spit up and diaper rash. I knew I was going to enjoy being a mom, but I didn't know that I would be capable of holding entire conversations about baby bottoms and the merits of cloth diapers. Moving on...
We went to a 50th anniversary celebration this weekend - it was wonderful. We had a great time and Ava did remarkably well with the car ride and the heat. Shannon and Jami did a beautiful job with all of the arrangements! It was so nice to visit with family. I have posted a few photos from the day.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Ava Elizabeth
Okay, so I am a terrible, terrible blogger. I have been promising that I would hop on and post pictures for at least a month. Anyway, here are some pictures of our little Ava. The first is my favorite photo from the hospital and the second is us trying to weigh her using my kitchen scale and a cookie sheet! I will (really, I will!) post more recent photos soon.
We are having so much fun with her. She is just starting to smile - how cool is that? At her last appointment she weighed 11 lbs - not bad for a baby who entered the world four weeks early!
I think she is quite a bit like her father. She loves to eat, has hair the color of Aaron's beard, and can sleep through an amazing amount of noise. She has a dimple in her left cheek like I do, but other than that, I suspect she is going to be daddy's girl.
We aren't sleeping much at night these days - at least not very many hours all in a row. But as she gets bigger we are hoping that will improve.
It is hard to believe two months have gone by. I think we are still in shock that she arrived so early. Here are her stats:
Ava Elizabeth
Born 4.14.08
5 lbs, 11 oz. at birth
11 lbs at her two month appointment!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
One journey's end...
Wow, I haven't posted in months. Months! Sorry about that. We are home now, after having a beautiful (and remarkably rain free) visit to Ireland and Scotland. My parents met us in Ireland and we had tons of fun drinking Guiness with them in Irish pubs. Well, everybody else had fun with the Guiness - more on that later.
On the way home, we stopped in Michigan to visit Aaron's grandma and family. I had never been met many members of Aaron's family, so it was pretty great to get to know everyone.
It always seems as though when one journey comes to an end, another one begins. That is certainly true for us. Just as we were finishing our world travels, we learned that a baby will join our family in May. Yup. A baby. In May. Pretty wild.
Fortunately, Aaron's job hunting from Norwegian campgrounds proved very successful and he was employeed with the WSDOT as an engineer before we even left Norway. I had two offers, both of which I turned down due timing and baby arrival! No better reason to say no to stress. If the right combination of consulting and at-home writing turns up, that would be great. If not, I can wait. :)
The house hunting is really the big thing. We would love to settle in Leavenworth... but boy is it expensive here. We have been in escrow once, only to have the house appraise below the sale price. The sellers made the decision not to lower the price and we started looking again. We both felt really good about our last offer, but the seller there decided not to lower her price. She is going to rent the house until May when the market will (in her opinion) improve. The hunt goes on.
Hope all of you had a great holiday!
On the way home, we stopped in Michigan to visit Aaron's grandma and family. I had never been met many members of Aaron's family, so it was pretty great to get to know everyone.
It always seems as though when one journey comes to an end, another one begins. That is certainly true for us. Just as we were finishing our world travels, we learned that a baby will join our family in May. Yup. A baby. In May. Pretty wild.
Fortunately, Aaron's job hunting from Norwegian campgrounds proved very successful and he was employeed with the WSDOT as an engineer before we even left Norway. I had two offers, both of which I turned down due timing and baby arrival! No better reason to say no to stress. If the right combination of consulting and at-home writing turns up, that would be great. If not, I can wait. :)
The house hunting is really the big thing. We would love to settle in Leavenworth... but boy is it expensive here. We have been in escrow once, only to have the house appraise below the sale price. The sellers made the decision not to lower the price and we started looking again. We both felt really good about our last offer, but the seller there decided not to lower her price. She is going to rent the house until May when the market will (in her opinion) improve. The hunt goes on.
Hope all of you had a great holiday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
