Monthly Archives: September 2009

Sep 29 2009

settling in

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Well, the internet has been hooked up and I’m catching up online while trying to unpack at the same time! Oh, and taking naps…! :-) That has been wonderful!!

The move went pretty well. In a lot of ways I wasn’t as organized as I have been in the past, but I think more stuff was packed beforehand this time. We have one more carload still at the apartment – miscellaneous stuff like the floor lamps and a few other things. Then I need to vacuum the living room (the rest of the rooms have already been cleaned) and we’ll be good to turn in our keys tomorrow! I think this is the best shape I have left an apartment. As sad as I am to leave it, I will be glad to be only in one place. A lot happened in that apartment – we found out we were pregnant, I spent a lot of time sick in bed there during my first trimester, Savannah was born there… but we’ll be making new memories in our house. Moving on, moving up!

Some thoughts about the move:
* I was off on my time estimates so we had a couple of people show up at the tail end of unloading the truck at the new house. So, we put them to work putting away the kitchen and setting up the bedroom. Oh my word. I wish I had done that with every move! In the craziness of the day, it was SOOO nice to have some semblance of order when you go to bed at night, and I think having your kitchen put away and your bed made just really emotionally makes all the difference.
* I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to do it, but we did. SO many awesome people stepped in and helped. Several friends came over to help me pack beforehand, which really made a difference. Our Sunday School class stepped in and helped on moving day. Paul and I think that helping others move builds community, and we enjoy that aspect of the hard work.
* Having someone come and hold Savannah while I do stuff was a good idea too. I wish I had taken advantage of more offers beforehand. :-) There are just some things you have to do yourself, and I’m grateful Savannah will be held by anyone.
* I’m glad Savannah takes a bottle. Pumping and bottle feeding for moving day took a load off my mind, since breastfeeding isn’t completely smooth for me yet – especially when there is a lot of hubbub around!

Thoughts about our new house:
* So much to do!!
* We can hear a train in the distance from our house. It makes us smile. It’s not close enough to be loud, but for some reason we both find the sound of a train horn in the distance comforting and happy.
* I wasn’t expecting how different it would be with hardwood floors! We went out and bought felt pads for our furniture. And rubber pads for the couches so they stop slip-sliding all over the living room. :-)
* Our house is close to the entrance to our neighborhood, so there is a good amount of traffic (for a residential area). It will take some getting used to at night, I think.
* As predicted, the kitties absolutely love the bay window. I put a pillow there and Lewis is curled up right now. They also love the stairs and keep racing up and down, and sprawling at the top of the stairs where they can survey the world. I hope they like their new house.
* I can’t wait to redo the kitchen! In the meantime, though, I’m trying to make it work.

Sep 25 2009

almost here

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Tomorrow is the big moving day. I can’t believe it’s here already…! We have to turn over the keys to our apartment next Wednesday, so we’re hoping to get everything moved tomorrow and Sunday so we can spend Monday cleaning the apartment.

I’ll probably be out of commission for a while, since we don’t have internet yet at our house. (We ordered it back at the beginning of September, believe it or not.) It’s supposed to come this week… hopefully it won’t take too long! I am too addicted. :-)

I will be SO glad to be in the house. I am looking forward to: 1) being able to take a nap in the middle of the day, 2) have all my stuff in one place, and 3) be able to start getting some sort of schedule/routine in place. It will be a long time before we’re unpacked and settled but I think just being in the house will make a huge difference. I can finally rest like all post partum mommies are supposed to do. I will sit on the couch all day and watch TV. :-) (I will miss my cable TV sooo much!!!)

But I have to get through tomorrow first. It’s supposed to rain so that should make things fun. :-)

Sep 22 2009

dear savannah: one month

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Dear Savannah,

Today you are one month old! Wow, it hardly seems like it’s been that long… this month has passed SO quickly. I can’t believe that only a month ago I hadn’t met you yet – only felt you move and kick. And now I’ve been with you every day since!

This is the only month you’ll spend in the apartment where you were born. It makes me a little sad to be leaving, because I’ll never be able to point to the bathroom and tell you “You were born there!” I’m sure you’ll like your new house, though, where you’ll get your own room. It’s fun to imagine you growing up there.

You’ve changed a lot in the past month. I feel like you’ve gotten so big! You had your one-month checkup yesterday at the doctor, and you have gained a pound since you were born. The doctor said you are healthy and perfect! You seem so to me too. You’ve also grown two inches since you were born. I have noticed that your face has stretched out a bit, looking less like a newborn and more like a little baby. You still have such kissable cheeks though. I never understood how kissable baby cheeks were, but I definitely realize it now! I also am amazed at your eyes. I love when you’re awake and alert and looking around – and when you focus on my face. Your eyes are blue/gray and I’m curious to see what color they settle on as you grow older. You make the most adorable faces. Sometimes you put your lips in a little O and look like you’re trying to blow a bubble!

You’ve been a pretty good baby, breaking us in easily as first time parents. Your daddy had never even changed a diaper before until he changed yours in the hospital! I’ve noticed you seem to like noise and commotion, which is good because there has been a lot of that. If it’s quiet, I turn on music on my computer and that seems to calm you down. There have been a lot of people who have come to visit you. You’ve met all your aunts and uncles and grandparents so far, and one of your great-grandmas. You’ve also met almost all of your great-aunts and great-uncles on your mom’s side! You’ve met a lot of our friends who have come over to see you, and a few of their kids who I’m sure will be your best friends. :-)

Developmentally, you’re doing great! You are holding your head up really well, though I still have to make sure I support it. You LOVE taking baths, and don’t even seem bothered when the water gets into your eyes. You like to grin and kick your legs and wave your arms. I know it’s just a matter of time before you’re splashing around in the bathtub. You like to be swaddled sometimes, especially at night. You also like your Paci – again at night. When you’re fussy, you enjoy being in my arms and bouncing on the exercise ball. I hope to get a rocking chair when we move so we can cuddle and rock together! You are sleeping well, usually from midnight to 5 or 6am, and waking up every two hours after that. One night you slept almost 7 hours! I look forward to that being the norm. :-)

Our schedule has been really busy this month since we’re trying to get the house ready to move in this weekend. You’ve been happy to go with the flow, though. You sleep a lot, especially in the car. Sometimes we bring you in the store in your carseat and sometimes I put you in the sling. You always get a lot of comments about what a cute baby you are. I like showing you off! When we are at the house, you sleep in the pack and play and don’t seem to notice hammering or sounds of people working around you. I’m so glad! You have spent a lot of time with your Grandma and Grandpa this month, but they go back to Orlando tomorrow. It’s been nice having them here, and I know they will miss seeing you every day. Your other Grandma and Grandpa live in Massachusetts, and they are coming to see you again in November. In the meantime, they like me to take pictures of you with my phone and send them a picture each day.

One thing that I’ve noticed this month has been how my love for you has changed and grown. When I was pregnant, I didn’t feel the bond that a lot of pregnant mommies talk about – feeling head over heels in love with their unborn child. I wasn’t sure when that love would come for me. I felt a desire to care for and protect you, but that crazy mother love didn’t come right away. I don’t know when it came, but I realize now that I love you so much! I want to cuddle you and kiss your cheeks and tell you I love you. I am glad you’re my daughter, and I’m glad I have met you. I am excited to see the person you become!

I look forward to many, many more months with you – watching you change and grow into the woman God created!

Love, Mommy

Sep 21 2009

when it rains…

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I feel like I need to write about the rain we’ve had. Oh, we’ve had rain!! Tons and tons of it. I am trying to remember when the rain started… but it has been raining every day for at least a week, and very often it is heavy rain and storms. It’s supposed to let up on Thursday, and I’m very excited about it!

I’m sure if you watch or read the news you’ll see reports of all the flooding in metro Atlanta. It’s crazy! We go from a drought to this.

The area around my apartment doesn’t seem to be too affected by the water. However, our backyard at our new house is flooded. The biggest reason for that is our neighbors have built walls that force all the water from their yard into our backyard. So… when all this rain stops we need to go back there and figure out how to keep our yard from flooding every time the downpour starts. For now… we have a lot of other things to worry about.

The rain is hurting our attempts to finish painting the house. The A/C is not currently working, and while it is not hot, we still have to leave the doors/windows open to keep the house from being too stuffy. However, it’s VERY humid and the paint isn’t drying! We are moving in on Saturday, so I hope that it dries by then.

Speaking of moving, I really hope the rain stops for our move, or it’s going to be very miserable! We have moved in the rain before (apartment #3), and it just makes everything more complicated.

I would write more but Savannah is fussing. I’ll write again later if I’m not swept away first! :-)

(P.S. Love this picture of Paul!)