Fresh Start 2010

YAY!

We're moving! We're MOVING!!!
No, we haven't bought a home (much to my parents' chagrin) but we're
M-O-V-I-N-G!
I still kind of can't believe it.
Andrew and I moved into our little 2 bedroom apartment a stone's throw from downtown Mtn. View over 5 and a half years ago. We had already outgrown it when we were expecting Sadie, but we've made it work just fine for the past 2 and a half years.
With Bun's due date looming, we decided it was a priority to find a place with more space. We've been looking at rental houses all over the South Bay area for a couple of months, feeling hopeful and determined. Hopeful that we'd find something we really liked for a good price, with good landlords, etc. and determined not to stress about it.
Well, the stars aligned and voila! - we found a cute little house just on the other side of our beloved downtown for only a few hundred more dollars than what we pay now. It's almost too good to be true.


It's definitely funky/old/a bit odd, but I still can't believe all of the little aspects that make it such a sweet deal:

• 3 bedrooms (one's teeny tiny, but that's all Bun needs)
• 2 bathrooms (oh, bliss)
• gas stove (I think every other rental we looked at had a junky old electric stove)
• central heat (no more banging & pinging in the middle of the night from a wall heater)
• a big playroom for Sadie
• indoor laundry (w/d included)
• 2 car garage (that we will NOT fill with junk this time...ahem!)
  
• 2 cute little parks within walking distance
• very close to the bike trail that Andrew takes to work
• very near our dear friends A & G (who are expecting their first baby in June)
• still walking distance to downtown
• awesome landlords

and the best part:

• it's a month-to-month rental, so we didn't have to sign a year of our life away on a lease! We'll be able to continue to get all of our ducks in a row or whatever and still inch toward the goal of home ownership.

That's the part I'm hoping will assuage my mom, dad and anyone else who has been humming the refrain, "now's the time to buy! this is it! rates will never be lower!" etc. (which, for what it's worth, has been ringing in my ears for...oh, about 2 and a half years now.)

Jeez...new car, new home, new baby on the way. I like the way 2010 is shaping up so far.

I *heart* this article!

I'm on the opposite coast from Park Slope, Brooklyn, but I have totally noticed/experienced this phenomenon.
Actually, certain aspects of this topic are even sort of an "elephant in the room" issue amongst my own working vs. stay-at-home mom friends. (Let alone my single or childless-by choice or not-friends.)
I can honestly say that I had absolutely NO idea that becoming a mother would entail anything like this. I mean, seriously? Having to be defensive about my choice to be a mom (especially a stay-at-home mom) and then worrying that people think I am tossing around some sense of entitlement about it? Having to feel like I owe strangers apologies for taking an extra few seconds to wriggle a stroller through a coffee shop door (9 times out of 10 without any help offered)? Getting glared at for being in someone's way on the sidewalk for a moment while my toddler stops to crouch down and check out an ant or an acorn or a leaf?

I guess I'm not old enough yet to say that nothing surprises me.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/11/22/mommy_hate/index.html

"Everybody Hates Mommy" by Lynn Harris

*

double diss

Ugh.
Sadie just got SO dissed by her little 5 year old neighbor friend.
It started out perfectly - a soft knock on the door just as Sadie was waking up from her nap, K's sweet face asking if Sadie could play. Sadie was delighted to wake up to a playmate and was immediately all smiles and giggles.
The two of them got into a few of Sadie's toys and then K asked if they could do Play-Doh. So I set them up in the kitchen and started prepping for dinner while they smushed and rolled and poked at the colorful blobs I had set in front of them.
Sadie adores this little girl, but rarely interacts with her, as there are 3 other older kids in our complex who often pull K's focus. They all race around on their bikes and razor scooters while Sadie watches and plays with her chalk or hula hoop.
Sure enough, a few minutes into Play-Doh time, M, one of the older girls (mind you she's only 8) knocked on our door and asked if K could come out to play.
(you've gotta love the audacity of small children)
I said, "Well, K is here playing with Sadie right now, but you're welcome to come and join them, if you'd like." She mumbled something about not wanting to, and K jumped out of her seat to go with the older, clearly more appealing M. I said to K, "do you want to stay and play with Sadie?" and she said "no, I want to go outside because I'm bored."
Ouch.
Thank God Sadie is still too young to understand well enough to get her feelings hurt, but I was stung. I'd better grow some thicker skin if I think I'm going to survive the grade school and middle school and *gulp* high school years, watching my sweet girl navigate through the perilous ups and downs of girlhood.
Ugh.
Serious dread.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Our Christmas Card Photo:

Perfectly Content with a Hula Hoop and a Tea Set from Santa:

Our Little Elf Sadie Looking Quite Grown Up:

Super Cheesy Mama & Sadie Smushed Faces Happy Picture:

Light a candle.

On December 19, 2007, Jennifer and Graham Gibbs Bankston tragically passed away.
Jenny suffered silently with postpartum depression but her symptoms could have been detected and treated. Jenny's Light was created by her family to be a source of information, hope and inspiration. We strive to stop this type of tragedy from happening to others. The mission of Jenny's Light is to improve and save lives by increasing awareness of all perinatal mood disorders including postpartum depression.

Light a candle.
Hug your loved ones.
Call a friend you're thinking about.

If you know any new mothers, ask them how they are doing.
Really ask. And then listen.
Offer and give a little support if you can. Perhaps you can spare an hour to sit with the baby so that mom can take a shower or a nap. Bring a meal? Do an errand for her? Even a small gesture could make a huge difference.
Especially this time of year.

Rest in peace, Jenny and Graham. You're in my thoughts.

Catch Up

Okay, now that little Ruby is home-sweet-home in Montana, I can refocus. (I was *really* preoccupied with that little one's situation!)

Thanksgiving in MA was wonderful. I am one of those rare, lucky individuals whose got mutual adoration with the in-laws going on. Seriously. Lucky. We stayed for 8 nights and really enjoyed ourselves the whole time.
Nana had art projects for Sadie:

Uncle Justin and Daddy got to reminisce with 30+ year old toys (Legos, Matchbox cars and marbles):

Sadie fell in love with a bunch of her second cousins:

We even got to see some sheep at Nana and Papa's friends' house:

We returned on December 1st and had to kick it into high gear for Christmas prep. We have a cute little tree which Sadie adores:

We've introduced the whole "Santa" thing as well as the concept of Baby Jesus. Funny story - my mom was with me when I had a chance to talk to Sadie about Christmas being Baby Jesus' birthday. I said something like "his mama is Mary, and she had a little boy." Sadie just looked at me and then cocked her head to the side and said, "No, mama. Mary had a little lamb."

She's loving the lights, decorations, trees, music, etc. this year. It's fun to watch. This will be a memorable holiday for us with her.

distracted

I sat down to update my blog (I've neglected it so!) this morning but got sidetracked catching up on a few of my favorite blogs that I read.
Turns out one of the gals in Montana that I follow has been going through hell with her new baby. I'm feeling for her and her family big time.
So, I'll have to attempt an update later.