House of Cards ... and Hair.

Have you guys watched House of Cards yet? It's the new Netflix-produced series that is now available on Netflix streaming. I'm not sure whether there are other places you can watch it. Well, if you haven't, you probably should. Because it's actually really awesome.

Kevin Spacey plays a Congressman who is also the House Majority Whip, and political drama and intrigue ensues. It's exactly B's style of television show, and I am generally a sucker for a good dramatic television of any kind. We started watching it this weekend, and we only have two episodes left to go. When we first heard that Netflix was producing its own series, we weren't sure whether they would release all the episodes at once, or if they might actually try to be more like a television network, releasing a new episode every week. They did release all of them at once, embracing what is most awesome about watching television episodes on Netflix (aka, allowing us viewers to stream episodes non-stop, schedule permitting). All the characters are so driven by their own desire for power, it's one of those shows that don't make you feel bad about your own moderate success (unlike my feeling of overall inadequacy when watching the first season of Girls).

More importantly, can I pull off Robin Wright's hair? (I've been considering a major hair change. B is not convinced, but men always like long hair so I don't take his opinion too seriously.)

Photos courtesy of Robin Wright's Facebook Page

Here is the other option I am considering:

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Lastly, for ease of input, here is what my hair looks like right now, in a not-flattering photo I've taken in the middle of this writing blog post.

Would it have killed me to put on some lip goss before snapping this pic, and maybe smiling a bit? The answer is YES.

In other Netflix related news, here are some other programs that have been streamed on the weekends:

World Without End, based on Ken Follett's novel, and a pseudo-sequel to his Pillars of the Earth. Excellent, if you're into period stories. B was not a big fan, but I secretly like that so that I have something to stream while he is at work on Saturdays.

American Horror Story, Season 1. I got on the American Horror Story bandwagon way too late this year. I noticed it on Netflix and watched the entire first season over the span of a couple of weeks, but by that time, it was already way too close to the Season 2 finale to catch up. I'm [im]patiently waiting for the "new episodes" icon to pop up on my screen so that I can catch up.

We've tried Breaking Bad, and it has surprised me how difficult it's been for me to get sucked in. I'm usually pretty easy to engage, but we've watched two episodes without feeling the need to go any further into the series. I'm not one to miss out on something everyone seems to like, but I'm not convinced on this one. What else do I need to add to my instant queue? And also, seriously, tell me what you think I should do with my hair. I am not afraid.

Behind the scenes

Our life, save the financial trouble caused by late paychecks, has been pretty dandy for the past few months. New house, weight loss successes, good weekends are probably to thank for our overall decent moods. We are happy, we get along, we laugh. This morning, before leaving for work and for no apparent reason, B and I had a sometimes-screaming fight.

Bloggers (or Facebookers, Instragrammers, or Tweeters) don't usually document these moments in their lives. We get snippets, moments that people want to share with their friends and families. We are told that every couple fights. Fighting is normal! But you never really know, do you? Except for those rare and awkward moments when you get a small glimpse into someone's real domestic life when your sister in law snaps at her husband in front of you, there isn't the opportunity to find out what a "happy" couple's fights look like. So, in the interest of being candid, here is our latest.

B has the day off. He had to take Mia to the pediatrician for a follow up appointment to make sure the month-long strep/ear infection/scarlett fever had gone away completely. I had to get myself ready for work. This small break in our routine apparently set things in motion making both of us irrationally angry with one another. Having a kid makes a household of two working parents and a baby who attends daycare desperately in need of a routine, and this is something we rely on heavily to get us all out to our respective locations as necessary. This morning, my train of thought was that since he was off, he'd take over all the Mia duties. And his train of thought was that since he had to leave the house at roughly the same time, I would keep my routine exactly as normal to get Mia ready in time. The smallest lack of communication is almost always the culprit in our house.

Instead of simply saying, "Honey, are you good to get Mia ready before the Doctor?", or him "Honey, will you be able to get Mia ready for the Doctor?", we both just assume the other is okay with what is going on in the other person's head, and phrases like "Mia is almost 2. How do you not know what goes in her lunch?" or "Are you just sitting and watching the Today Show instead of getting ready for work?" get thrown around. Even worse, our morning at home ends with "I hope you do NOT enjoy your day off", and "You'll be really sorry if I get in a car accident".

Followed of course with some "I'm sorry, I overreacted." text messages about 20 minutes later.

Weight-loss milestone #1

15 lbs down, 36 days in.

As of this morning, I weighed the exact amount I weighed on the day I found out I was pregnant. I specifically weighed myself a few moments after seeing the double lines wanting to keep track of how much I gained for the next 9 months. In the end, I gained just around 25 lbs.

So, stepping on the scale this morning, only two days after the indulgence of our mini superbowl party, I was pretty proud of myself and continue to be. I did try my fancy designer jeans on, but those do not fit yet. (Like, not even close. My ass and thighs being the main culprits) Though the number is there, I suppose the weight is still distributed differently. I'm OK with that, I did grow a human, after all. I'm sure those jeans will fit again in another 10 lbs and a lot of butt and thigh toning. The exercise portion of the new year's resolution has yet to kick in since the whole family has just been continuously sick since the first of the year.

In other news, things are better all around. The work-paycheck situation is unchanged, but we've made several adjustments to our expenses and used some of our forbearance time on student loans to ease the lack of available cash a bit. B got some good news at work regarding a small raise and a small bonus, so those two things should help us through the upcoming weeks.

Plus, this week, the Bachelor is on TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! This season is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Weekend most ordinary

B works almost every Saturday, getting maybe one off every month. Usually, I mark the calendar for those Saturdays weeks in advance and plan something exciting. This Saturday, the plan was to take the one hour drive to the small town of Pahrump, NV and spend the afternoon having lunch at their winery and touring the vineyards. But, Saturday something even more rare than B having a Saturday off occurred: it rained in Las Vegas. Although it wasn't any kind of torrential rain, just a nice pleasant drizzle, it still wasn't something that we wanted to be out in all day.

I tried to come up with a few contingency plans. We thought of the Discovery Children's Museum, the Natural History Museum, but it occurred to us that every other family in Las Vegas would be there too. So, instead, we had the most ordinary weekend you could imagine, and it was glorious. We did eventually get dressed, in our finest casual wear for a trip to my favorite new place, where Mia got way too excited in the children's section. We read about 8 books, but only got through the first three pages before she wanted  to move on to the next book on the shelf at her height. I picked out a Madeline and an Olivia book to bring home for her, but her short attention span continued at home that night too. I kept right on reading Madeline despite her protests because it was my fave as a kid, and besides, I wanted to know the ending. Later that afternoon, I planned out all dinners for the week from the South Beach Diet Cookbook (still going strong -- 13 lbs down!) and we headed to the grocery store.

The Little Miss after her 3 1/2 hour nap on Saturday, not happy about being woken up.

Sunday, more of the same. A long walk with the dogs avoiding puddles, reading, knitting, playing, but mostly lounging and mostly in my slippers and yoga pants. The perfect way to spend a weekend. We'll go to that winery next time, but surprisingly, this Monday morning, I feel extremely satisfied with the two days we spent at home.

Stupid Realizations: the Public Library Rocks.

So, I'm not sure why I've been such an idiot for my entire adult life, but after a particularly hellish morning trying to figure out what to do regarding my 9 day late paycheck (which I did manage to get, by the way. Except today it's payday again and well, that's not happening. AGAIN.), I really wanted some new books. Real books, not Kindle ones, that I could flip through.

My first instinct was of course, Costco. The last time we went there for our monthly diapers, wipes, fruit cups, applesauce run, I wistfully looked at the book section but the impatient toddler pointing to the applesauce box and demanding "appu" got me back on track pretty quickly. Besides, that table was dominated by Fifty Shades of Grey (I have read the first 50 Shades, which I borrowed from my Mother of all people - I finished the first book and read about 3 pages of the second book before confirming that I couldn't stand it).

Then after trying to figure out where the closest Barnes and Noble was to our new neighborhood and realizing that it's actually not at all close, I had the brilliant (for me) thought of looking up the Clark County Public Library. OMG. I'm so SMRT. You can have as many books as you want without paying for them? Brilliant.

I filled out the application for a library card online, found the closest location to my house and decided to browse. I got super excited and had a huge list by the time I was ready to leave, but I couldn't possibly read all of these in the 3 weeks they give you. So yeah, I ended up with an indulgent Philippa Gregory book (The White Queen, part of the Cousin's War series about the Platagenets), which I've always loved reading and a book of knitting patterns. I also learned that for the more popular books, there is a waiting list. So, that's fine. I'm on the list for JK Rowling's new book, Mindy Kaling's book, and the Song of Fire and Ice series that HBO's Game of Thrones is based on, and a few others that I don't even remember. This morning, I just got an email that the Game of Thrones is available, so I'm REALLY EXCITED.

I'm heading over there and spending no money after I don't get my paycheck after work today.

What I don't want to post about

It's been tough coming up with things to write about recently, because there are many things that I don't want to write about. I don't want to devote an entire post to them, because, well, it sucks, but I also want to write about something on this blog of mine.

• I don't want to write about how I'm changing what I eat. I went back and re-read the posts that I had tagged "weight loss" to see how much of my blog I have devoted to something that I've always struggled with. It's not an inordinate amount, thankfully. I didn't want to make a topic out of being back on the South Beach Diet plan, thinking that I'd tried (and obviously failed) it so many times in the past year. The last time I did it, I lasted 4 weeks. I didn't realize that I had gotten so far last time, that I had given up past where I am now. I'm starting my 3rd week now and suddenly got very deflated. I feel different this time - it feels like I'm having fewer cravings, making a better effort to cook every night and keeping my menu diverse enough to keep me from wanting to stray. Something big is different this time, though. B is on it with me, and has been very committed to it. We've both moved from the very restrictive Phase 1 (no sugars/carbs/fats/caffeine/alcohol whatsoever) to Phase 2 (gradually reintroducing complex carbs, whole grains, caffeine and alcohol). Yes, he's been more liberal with his reintroduction than I have, but it doesn't bother me in the least. My temptations don't come at home, since we are both committed to changing out food intake (or as B puts it "taking control of our waistlines", LOLZ), but at work, where my Filipino coworkers make a rice cooker full of evil jasmine rice every day for lunch. I'm not tempted so much as feeling sad about not being able to have any. I'm not hungry. My meals are nutritious and tasty. And, I've lost and am continuing to lose weight. 3 weeks in and I'm already down 11 lbs, to B's 15 lbs. Some of my old work pants are even starting to fit, though I have yet to wear any because they are a bit snug. In a couple of weeks, my wardrobe options will increase dramatically, and I love that thought!

• I don't want to write about how sick we've been since January 1st. Mia had pink-eye and strep. B had pink-eye, strep and an ear infection. I was also sick, but Minute Clinic assured me everything I had was viral. Also, as the least affected by whatever was going through our house, I was the caretaker for the two others. B turns into a bigger baby than Mia does, needing "directions" on how to care for himself. "Should I take my Tylenol now? What can I do to make my throat feel better?" I have to admit that I lost patience with him on more than one occasion.

• I don't want to write about my frustrations with my job. Not wanting to work for this Company (or really, at all anymore) but not wanting to move. My plan is still to take the Nevada bar this summer and hope that I can find something else. It seems like any job that is out there that I might qualify for would require us to move again. I don't want to do that to B, who really enjoys and does well at his job, and I really don't want to do that to my parents, who essentially bought this house knowing we would be their tenants. So, I come to work every morning, and wait for my paycheck (7 days late at this point).

That's it. Those are the things that have been on my mind, that I don't like to think about. So, until something happens that I want to write about, there you go. 

Guilty Pleasures: Girls, the series.

Happy Monday! (or in my case, Happy-no paycheck four days after payday, dammit I thought my company was supposed to be doing better-Monday!) Did everyone have a great weekend? We did, other than having no money. Did everyone watch the Golden Globes? Did 25-year old Lena Dunham make anyone else feel like they were total bums who had accomplished nothing in their life (which is 4 years longer than hers)?

I don't normally feel that way, only this morning when I am feeling how broke I am, despite knowing that I SHOULD NOT BE. As of moving and my Cable Company giving us 3 months of free HBO and Starz, and subsequently discovering the HBO On Demand feature, B and I have been dutifully watching all the HBO series that are available from the beginning. In this order, we watched: Game of Thrones, Girls and Newsroom. My favorite: Girls. B's favorite: Newsroom.

Not having HBO basically since moving out of my parents' house, I have learned to ignore all the praise and accolades that normally follow these HBO series, telling myself that this is not money I need to spend on a monthly basis. Like many other women of my generation, I own the full Sex and the City series on DVD, and have watched it many more times than I should (as the the DVD cases can prove). In college, we spent many a snow day cooped up in our little townhouse apartment having Sopranos marathons. But beyond that, my HBO knowledge is lacking. Well, I think my unwillingness to increase my cable package might actually be ending, which is unfortunately exactly what my cable company intended when giving me the free three months that conveniently expire right before the new season of Game of Thrones starts.

Clearly, I am not the only person to think Girls is awesome, you know, since it won many an award last night. But did you know that Lena Dunham, the previously mentioned 25 year old, is the creator, director, producer and star of this show? Unbelievable. Who has that kind of creative talent? As a person who has always wanted to be creative but whose biggest creative success so far are a small Etsy Shop and a Mommy Blog, I am in awe. But back to the show itself. I think it purposely follows the set up for Sex and the City. 4 women, with one main character who can't seem to get her shit together. Since these women are in their early twenties, it does not follow the Friends/Sex and the City trend of an unexplicably high-end lifestyle. These girls live in Brooklyn, in not so nice apartments, with not expensive looking clothes. The mishaps are not unlike the ones my friends and I had when we were between 20-25. As I was recommending it to my Mom, I had to add the caveat: "It might be too young for you... sometimes, it's even a bit too young for me." But it is, excellent. Smart, funny, and does a great job portraying the naive 25 and under Girl.

Speaking of Guilty Pleasures, Happy Bachelor Monday!

Back to 5

...and after that holiday hiatus from seriousness, we are back in full force.

The past few weeks of shortened work weeks have been glorious. It's wonderful to think that you're days off outnumber your working days for a very short period of the year. Actually, I'm not sure it's always this way, I think it's just the way the calendar happened to fall this year. Plus, factor in your daughter's contraction of pink eye and various other viral maladies, preventing her for going into daycare, and you've earned yourself a couple of extra days at home, as I did last week. But, several days into her antibiotics cycle and a looming Big Thing at work on Thursday, and I have to be back, whether my throat likes it or not. (As it turns out, my husband does not have a looming Big Thing, and since I took sick days to cover Mia's ban from daycare, he how has the luxury to pink-eye it up at home - to be clear, I never got it, diligent hand-washer that I am.)

Anyhoov. Not only am I back because the Holidays are over, but I am also back to working 5 days a week, and therefore also back to full sized paychecks! That is very exciting. And although the re-institution of full time work is not (yet) company wide, I hardly feel guilty at all, considering looming Big Thing. Although working reduced hours had its obvious cons, I've gotten very used to having a weekday of rest, and to take care of various errands. I have a feeling I'm going to get much busier very quickly, and slightly crabbier, since I will no longer have a day of just hanging out with myself. Most weeks, B gets a week day off and works Saturdays. It's never been much of a problem, Mia and I do fun things together on Saturdays because I always have my weekday off to catch up on the things that are best done without a child around, such as laundry. I'll just tell myself that with my increased income, Mia and I might actually be able to do things that Cost Money on Saturdays since our budget won't be quite as tight (though, still tight).

Another welcome back to normalcy that this beautiful Monday brings is the much anticipated return of the Bachelor. Although I am much more obsessed with the Bachelorette, this is still a very good thing in my mind. My weekly two hours of pure indulgence start tonight. For now, it will unfortunately without the glass of  wine (South Beach Diet, Phase 1, Day 8, lbs: -8), but should still be just as satisfying. Sean was edited to be a bit serious and boring on Emily's season, but he comes across much more laid back and fun in the previews. Plus, I'm sure ABC will make up for it with some good casting for the women competing to be his wife. My dream is to be one of those people who writes a recap of the entire episode. "HONEY, QUIET I'M WORKING". Anyone want to make me an offer?

Christmas Recap in Pictures

As I sit here, lamenting over the fact that I am currently at work and regretting not taking three days of vacation time in order to sit at home knitting, I remind myself that there is a mere three hours left before I am off again for another 4 day break.

Christmas was infinitely better than I thought it would be, celebrating with just the three of us, but embracing the friends and (sort of) family that we do have in town. In the days leading up to Christmas, we packed in as many of the activities that I intended for us to do in the month of December. We went to the Springs Preserve to see their lights and decorations. They called it something along the lines of an "extravaganza" and although an extravaganza it was not, it was still lovely and chilly, so the two Chicagoans that we are were happy to bundle up ever so slightly.

On Christmas Eve day (could we pick a worse time? I suppose we could have, going on Christmas Day itself...) we decided to venture down to the Strip for the first time in what felt like ages and play tourist in our own city. The Bellagio has a "Conservatory" of plans and flowers, whose themes switch monthly. Last year, we delayed our venture down to the strip to January, so we missed the Christmas display but saw the Chinese new year display. This year, I wanted to make a point to see the Christmas flowers and decorations. We were not disappointed, and it was actually really beautiful and worth braving the crowd.

We spent Christmas Eve dinner with my sort of cousins, having a grand old Filipino time and playing Christmas Eve Bingo, where I won $32. Being as tipsy as the strange sparkling red wine I was drinking would allow, the three of us still had an excellent time.

Christmas Day was chock-full of toddler presents. Clothes, toys, and more clothes. Of course we had bought some of them, but so many came from far away family, that it made us feel not at all on our own for Christmas. Plus, when there is a toddler involved in Christmas, it's hard to feel lonely or isolated, since she just brings so much joy and excitement. Everyone spent the day playing with their toys (B watched a Blu-Ray while wearing his spanking new slippers, Mia played with her musical castle and grocery cart and register, and I made and drank an excellent cup of coffee out of my Keurig).

I hope everyone else's holiday was excellent, too!

Silence

There are no words. I worked from home on Friday, so I had the television on and learned about the shooting in Sandy Hook very early in the day. Alone in my house, with my daughter in a bright happy daycare, I watched and listened. I cried in the shower, thinking of my storage closet with the gifts from Santa waiting to be wrapped and put under the tree. Realizing that those poor parents probably had the same stash.

I can't and won't write more on it. Whatever I start to write sounds trite. But this morning, as my healthy and happy daughter sat in my warm lap, on my bed for 10 minutes watching morning cartoons, I didn't want to interrupt these few minutes of peace to go about with the rest of our morning routine. Her sweet smelling hair, the feel of her chubby belly under my arm, the softness of her cheek against my neck. I appreciate these more than ever, and I promise that I will remember to appreciate her, always.

House Pictures!

Well, our house is really coming together. Living in a house has a way of making you feel so very grown up. B and I have found ourselves being much more domestic after work than we had ever been before. It might be a combination of finally getting out of the apartment we now realize was a shit hole, and being excited about living in a new place, but whatever the reason, I like it. Hopefully this isn't a "for now" situation, but we have been very on top of dishes, cleaning up after dinner, etc. Downstairs, we are fully moved in. Except for the intention to paint over the white walls, which I would like to do immediately but I digress.

Pictures!

Living room/Dining room. Please don't mind the pantless toddler, the toy car, and the knitting patterns strewn on the coffee table and couch. Also, the table is very small and I am currently monitoring Craigslist for a more appropriate replacement.

Living room and Stairwell, viewed from the dining room. Please don't mind the husband watching football.

Kitchen/Dining. We intend to buy stools for the kitchen island, but for now, that is the dog-bed area. And yes, I am drinking a glass of wine.

18 months!

Yesterday, we took Mia in for her 18 month well check. My pediatrician was a bit shocked to see us both in the room. It was amazing that we both happened to be able to take our week day off in time for the well-visit. Mia is tiny, as usual, but healthy.

18 Month Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs, 7 oz.  10th percentile

Height: 31 Inches  25th percentile

Head circumference: 45.5cm  25th percentile

Milestones: Runs; Climbs; Can take stairs while holding hand; 20+ word vocabulary; Mimics what we say and do; Eats with a fork and spoon; Points at body parts.

Mia, at 18 months,

You are a bundle of energy and sass. You are constantly on the move, and any silence in the house just means trouble. You have gotten so fiesty, and we are really starting to catch a glimpse of what your terrible twos are going to look like. It is your way, or the meltdown face on the floor way. You want to eat on your own, on your own plate and with your own fork or spoon. If the food falls off the spoon, you may ask for help, but want to put it in your own mouth. That's fine with me, Mama finally gets to have dinner while everyone else does!

You are so playful and sweet, most of the time. You want to read books, watch Yo Gabba Gabba, and do everything to make us laugh. You have so many words, but you still get pretty frustrated when you can't communicate. All in good time. You'll be speaking in sentences in no time! 

Speaking of Bunnies, a couple of weeks ago while packing up the apartment, we found a stuffed bunny of mine that you have totally fallen in love with. You sleep with "Buttee" every night, and ask for him as soon as you're in your jammies. We love that she plays with Bunny, because it was a special purchase for us. The day B and I got sworn in to the Illinois Bar, the ceremony was at Navy Pier. On our way out, we walked the entire length of the Pier, and in the front was a Build A Bear workshop. We were both in such a good mood, we went in to build a stuffed animal to commemorate the day... and now, just three short years later, here you are enjoying our special little bunny. 

Our favorite little quirk of yours is that at random moments during your play, you'll go "Oh, Chloe!" As I've mentioned on here many a time, our beloved Beagle is now 14 years old and basically deaf. B and I have to YELL her name in order to get her attention. Mia, I think that you may have misinterpreted our meaning and think that "Oh Chloe" is some kind of curse word. Something will fall off the table, and you'll say "Oh, no! Chloe!" (What the Chloe did you just say to me?). Toddlers, you guys are hilarious. But, you continue to love your doggies more than any other toy, and you're finally learning to say Swarley ("Swaley"), and your previous "Tatty" for "Doggie" has evolved into "Cocky". (Also, socks=cock, walk=cocka) Do you sense a theme?

Our biggest hurdle continues to be sleep. I feel like I've been complaining about this since you were born, but Mama and Papa are very cranky when they don't get consistent sleep. We spoke to your Pediatrician about this, and she reminded us that we did some sleep training a few months ago which worked well before Lola (My Mom) came to visit. So, last night was night #1 of sleep training, which consists of going to you as soon as you cry, reassuring you without picking you up, and leaving the room. 10 minutes later, if you're still crying, repeat. Then, 20 minutes later. Then, 30, etc. Last night, we had to go all the way up to 40 before you quieted down and slept through the night from midnight to 6:30am. Not enough sleep for sure, but more consecutive hours than we've had in a while. We'll see how night #2 goes.

We love you more and more everyday, and last night, B summed it up perfectly. I'm so glad we made the baby we got, she's so awesome. That you are, Bunny. 

Love,

Mama and Papa

A DIY Christmas

I'm not sure why I wait until after Thanksgiving to start putting together Christmas gifts, but 30 days does not seem like enough time to put everything together the way I want to. Especially not when that 30 days is actually just 2 hours per night once dinner is made and cleaned up, and my toddler is put to bed. Shopping for gifts is a pleasure for me. I love trying to think of things to give out, and this year even more so, with Mia actively playing with toys and starting to show preferences. Although I don't think she'll understand what is coming, I think once she realizes what is under those colorful wrappings, she'll be very excited to tear everything up.

It also seems like our list gets longer each year. There's the kids. Mia, our nephew, and a couple of friends kids. I took care of that on cyber monday. Not many. There's each other. This year, we are being very practical. B wants an exercise bike that we are currently scouring craigslist for. Mia broke our coffee pot, so I'd like a new one, so that, I can actually make coffee instead of drinking a Diet Pepsi every morning. As for the rest: my work colleagues, B's work colleagues, and friends that's where it starts getting time consuming. As much as I'd love to go out and pick something out for every person based on their personalities and tastes, that just isn't going to happen.

Since we have been in a reduced income household for over 6 months now, I think I've come up with a decent way of still having gifts for everyone without spending an inordinate amount of money. So, this year, will be a DIY Christmas. I will tell myself that the gifts will be so filled with love and thoughtfulness that they will not be perceived as cheap. RIGHT?

For women: Frenchie's Frills bracelets. Perhaps a single or double wrap, depending on the person. I have plenty of inventory left over from the Halloween craft show, and will likely have plenty left after our upcoming one in mid-December. Also, I have quite a few supplies to make any more, as needed. No money spent there -- I have everything I need. 

For men/families: Hand knit Christmas tree ornaments. I found a pattern yesterday, purchased some Styrofoam balls from Michael's for $10, two balls of yarn for $4 each, and viola. I spent about an hour and a half on my first one yesterday and I'm halfway through, so if I get used to the pattern, that should be plenty of time for about 15. (Juliet, act surprised!)

Now, this is our first year with a daycare. I am definitely giving a gift to the 3 main teachers in Mia's 1 year old room, but what about the rest of the staff? I was thinking I might buy a box of bagels and coffee one morning for them, but does that seem like too little?

House Christening Fail

Well. Our first night in the house was... not great. Instead of Christening the house the traditional way, I Christened it on Sunday night by running to our shiny master bathroom (tripping over many boxes and stray hangers on the way) and ... vomiting. B did the same thing to the powder room toilet this morning around 5 am. I am keeping a very close eye on Mia who is so very sure to come next, although, I'm hoping she gave it to ME and we just didn't notice amidst the teething and moving angst. Because really, where else would we have gotten something like this except the dreaded daycare plague?

So, things haven't exactly gone as planned with the whole unpacking thing. Things went swimmingly with the moving of the stuff though, since evidently B is a moving MACHINE and had made two trips from the apartment to the house by the time Mia and I woke up last friday morning. Motivated by saving money on the movers, he probably took at least a dozen trips back and forth between the two places (which are NOT close by, I should add) in my Insight with the back seats folded down. 6 boxes at a time, and everything but the furniture was in the house by the time the moving truck got to the apartment on Sunday. 2 1/2 hours after that, and all the furniture was at the house, too (another score, because we paid by the hour, with a 2 hour minimum). 

The former owners wanted to stay in the house for a couple of weeks after the closing because they couldn't close on their new house immediately. After some negotiations, the agreement was: Leave the fridge, stay two weeks. In my (and my parents') mind, this seemed perfectly reasonable and fair. Evidently, they felt their fridge was worth far more than their (or OUR) convenience. They didn't take the fridge, but they did take a couple of things that in my opinion is clearly a FIXTURE (Hello -- I remember something from Real Estate Law) such as a bathroom cabinet, a toilet paper dispenser and towel rack. When I asked our realtor to ask for the bathroom cabinet back, their response was "No, you already got the fridge. You can buy a new bathroom cabinet yourselves, it's from Target". Not the point, but thanks, assholes. 

Anyway. I don't have many pictures to show, since the house looks like hell. (See above involving the Vomit.) But I do have two pictures of things I am awfully proud of:

CABINET SPACE! This cabinet holds all 12 of our red wine, white wine and champagne flutes, half of which were still in their original Crate and Barrel packaging from our wedding. 

The washer/dryer! B, Mia, Swarley and I all watched the first 8 minutes of the inaugural load, like a bunch of fools. Swarley barked, Mia "whoa"ed and B and I wondered how could so little water wash the clothes?

Anyway, I'm all better now. Poor B is at work feeling miserable since he has been off since Friday, so he can't take an outright sick day, though I hope for his sake that he can get out early. This afternoon, my office closes at 1pm, so I am off to the old apartment to clean up as much as possible and bring the final items over. More pictures as soon as there are no longer boxes in them!

I Miss My Mommy

I really miss my Mommy. You'd think in your late 20's you'd be able to handle living across the country from your parents. That if you could muster the courage to move away at 22, that by 28 it'd be even easier- that you'd be completely "over" it, used to it, okay with it. That you'd feel like a grown a$$ adult and be okay on your own. But some days and times I just really want my Mom and/or Dad. Some moments I miss them so much I can't function- I just need a good cry. And I get jealous of those, like my husband and some of my friends, who have never lived more than a few hours from their folks and family. I think sometimes they take it for granted. There, I admitted it, I miss my Mommy. And I know, I wrote a month ago about how my Mom lost her job and my parents feel it's possibly the time to relocate out West, and that it makes me nervous because I don't know what I really want...*breath break*...and I still don't. Luckily, perhaps, it's not my decision to make. God/fate will step in and they will go wherever jobs can be found. But it's simply evidence that I really am torn. For every phone conversation that ends with me wanting to poke myself in the eye with a fork, there are moments like today when I am so sad it feels like someone is stabbing my heart with that damn fork.

Holiday around the corner

This morning, after reading several holiday facebook and blog posts, I realized that we've been so focused on the move (T-5 days) that I have totally forgotten to get excited about the holidays. Well, not completely since I did pick out Mia's gift from Santa from the Target toy catalog, but since I spent the weekend wearing my sherling-lined slippers, even Las Vegas is reminding me that the Holidays are a-comin'.

Since my time at home has been totally dominated by cardboard boxes, plastic bins and permanent markers, sitting down at my desk this morning after a 3 day weekend of marathon packing, I also made another realization. B, Mia and I will be spending our first holiday season on our own, as our own family. From Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, neither my nor B's family will be around for the celebrations. Last year, we spent Thanksgiving at our apartment and the following long weekend in an RV, and then Christmas in France.

We had previously planned on going to Chicago for Christmas, but because we have already been there twice this year for various weddings, and because this move is costing many dollars despite our most valiant attempts at being cheap, we are staying put. I had been toying with the idea of doing an overnight somewhere like Mt. Charleston or St. George, UT to make Christmas Eve and Day less lonely, but I'm reconsidering. It might feel even more lonely if we are in a hotel room somewhere.

So for now, the plan will be to celebrate on our own, as a little family of three, in our new little house which will hopefully be fully unpacked and organized. This year is proving to be much less eventful, but hopefully just as happy!

Mia's First Election

She stayed up until the networks made their projections. Not because we thought she needed to be awake for it or anything, but because I couldn't get myself away from the television for long enough to start her bedtime routine until 8 (which normally starts at 7, right after dinner). We were all very distracted, but at least for the next election (when she is 5 1/2!!!) we'll be able to show her this:

She claps when there is clapping on TV.

The Frenchie household is happy that Nevada went blue, at least in the Presidential Election.

Monday Assortment

The Packing 2012 is going slowly but is progressing. Embarrassingly, I had to spend the longest time organizing all of my hobby supplies. One entire plastic storage bin for my yarn, knitting needles and pattern books, and one entire plastic storage bin for my beads and their supplies, only to find that I had more stashed elsewhere and no room in either plastic storage bin.

When you still have two weeks before you have to leave, it's very difficult to pack only things you aren't going to need in the next two weeks. I packed all of our pet stuff, only to have to go through it again a few hours later to locate the heart worm medicine. Ditto when I got bored with the one knitting project I kept out, and had to dig through to locate supplies for another. (I realize the second was purely of my own, stupid, making). The kitchen remains untouched and is likely the biggest job of course -- my reasoning being that the kitchen cabinets do not need to be emptied for the movers, whereas the various shelving units do. We are planning on moving the non-furniture items ourselves, so as to save on the $89 per hour the movers are charging. We have cars and two weeks to clear out the apartment after our scheduled move, we can handle the remaining items. Of course, I say that now... The closing was last week and went very smoothly. I had to sign "[Mom's First Name Middle Name Maiden Name Married Name] by [Frenchie Middle Name Maiden Name Married Name] as her attorney in fact " every. single. time. which highly amused the title company guy, but our realtor gave me a gift basket with towels and chocolate, so it was all worth it. Now we wait until the evening of the 15th, and we will be given the keys. On the morning of the 16th, I will have scheduled a cleaning service, a carpet cleaning service, and washer dryer delivery. On the 18th, we will sleep in our new home!

Mia helps sort through my jewelry by wearing my bangles, and Hawaiian necklace.

We had a lovely and productive weekend despite the boxes starting to make us feel like we're living in a fort. Mia and I went to Stroller Strides on Saturday morning, and I had two victories. 1) I did not even come close to passing out. 2) I am not even remotely sore. We got Mia's second official haircut at a kids salon, and it was very uneventful and great. Mia sad in a Lightning McQueen Chair, watched Little Einsteins and did not cry one bit. She was very squirmy, but the hairdresser managed to cut her bangs very straight across anyway (as you can see in the above picture).

And then came Sunday night and The Walking Dead. I'd like to think that I've become much less sensitive to the gore and not too afraid of the zombies anymore, but last night's episode really threw me off. Not only was it extremely gory, but also... yikes. I couldn't sleep and my stomach was uneasy for the rest of the evening. I was actually grateful when Mia wouldn't settle down in her crib again, only for having an excuse to snuggle her very close to me and make sure she was... you know, safe from Walkers. I can hardly blame Mia for being completely unable to take advantage of that extra hour.

Annoyed ... and Halloween!

Sleep has been a constant battle in our house for... the past 17 months. Lately, and I fear, until several weeks after we have moved into the new house (Nov 18th will be the first night we sleep there), we will continue to lose.

Mia has a "touch of strep", pediatrician's words, and a huge case of molars coming in. So, she's still unhappy and clingy. Tuesday night, she wouldn't even go down in her own crib and stayed up until Midnight. I already knew I was keeping her home on Wednesday, so, I graciously told B to go to bed, and I would sleep in Mia's room with her. I quickly followed this up with "Since you are off on Thursday, you can do the same for me tomorrow night."

Well, after a glorious night of trick of treating fairyness, Mia woke up and I nudged B to get her. I went back to sleep. What do you know, but I get woken up to Mia being thrust into my sleeping arms. B and I discussed it the night before. Mia is a Mama's girl, so if she wouldn't calm down with B, he'd bring her in our room. I assumed this is what happened. The next morning, after a fitful night of Mia repositioning herself on various parts of my body, I asked B very sympathetically how long he had tried to calm her down before giving up. "Oh. I forgot that I was supposed to do that."

Oh, how convenient. 

But, on the bright side, this:

She was great! She walked up to the houses very firmly holding on to our hands. She held out her pumpkin and was very excited to see all the doggies and pumpkins around. She walked around, stopped briefly to survey her loot, refused to let us carry her pumpkin when it got heavy ("MINE!") and kept her wings and flower crown on the whole time. We had a lot of fun going around with Juliet's family.

Post Apocalyptic Nonsense

When I was a kid, I would hyperventilate at the Planetarium when I tried to wrap my brain around the idea that the universe went on forever. It freaked me out to think of earth, and of myself, as a tiny spec in the grand scheme of things. I'm not sure you can call it an existential crisis when it happens to an 11 year old, but there you have it.

Nowadays, the same type of feelings spring up when something big happens. In this case, Hurricane Sandy. Of course, I worry about my friends on the East Coast, and I'm sure everything will be fine as long as everyone stays safe. But when I look out my window and see not a single cloud in the sky, my heart rate quickens a tiny bit at the thought of how far away we really are from our friends and family scattered throughout the country, and in a lot of cases, the world. The physical vastness of the planet (and the Universe!) compared to what our bodies are physically capable of freaks me out. Mainly, it scares me that, should something like the Day After Tomorrow happen, our little family wouldn't be able to strap on some hiking boots and rejoin the rest of our family because we are just too far away.

Before this post takes a turn for the far too serious, let me disclose that B and I have been serially watching the Walking Dead all weekend anytime Mia is asleep. We have about 8 episodes left to go before we are totally caught up and can start watching what is currently airing on AMC. Ever since the days that I got majorly into Lost, about 50% of the thoughts I have while watching an apocalyptic style show (Lost, Revolution - which I watched 2 episodes of before giving up because I didn't like the main character) are somewhat wistful about how much simpler life would be if something like that would happen. Not so much in the case of the Walking Dead -- I do not fantasize about living in a world where there are zombies ready to eat you around every corner. But a world without electricity, or marooned on a tropical island? Sure.

The reason anyone can actually go away from home for anything is that it's easy to stay in touch. It was easy to pick up the phone or sign into AIM back in college, and it is even easier now to sign into Skype and have an actual face to face conversation with your parent, or make sure your child knows her grandparents' faces. It's easy to get on a plane and visit your grandmother for Christmas, so that she can see her great-grandchild. All of it is easy, and when I have my existential crises, at least I'm reminded not to take it for granted.

Because, it may come a day when there are flesh eating zombies preventing me from getting on a plane for a friend's wedding. But probably not. Until then, everyone on the East Coast stay safe!

More, All Done, Shoes, Outside.

A couple of mornings ago, when I was changing Mia's diaper, she strung those four words together. Now, it may have been a total fluke, but, I'd like to think that Mia was very plainly telling me about what she wanted to do that morning. She'd like to eat "more" ("More" being her universal descriptor for food, then she'd like to be "all done" and get down from her high chair. Then, she'd like to pick her "shoes" out and put them on, and finally, she'd like to go "outside". Sounds good, Mia.

Outside of that very cute display, Mia has had a rough week. Her bottom molars are popping out, and it is making her a very unhappy little toddler. She wants to snuggle, but she doesn't want to snuggle. She wants to read a book, but she doesn't want to read a book. She wants to sleep in our bed, but she's uncomfortable (and tells us so). These are very complex emotions for a 17 month old. I felt the little pointy tips of her second bottom molar yesterday as I was brushing her teeth, so I'm thinking we should be home free by the weekend. Or at least we'd better be, because we're going on 5 weeks of no sleep here.

Other than teeth, out little life is packed full of activities over the next couple of weeks. I'm my parents' power of attorney for the Real Estate closing, so I'm pretty excited for the closing and walk through on Tuesday. It'll be exciting to see the house again, but since the current owners are staying for two more weeks after the closing, it won't be empty yet. I was hoping to have a nice long stretch of time between the closing and the end of our apartment lease, so that I could paint without any furniture in the house, but hey, the situation can't be too perfect. I do have a couple of colors picked out from Lowes though. A nice bright yellow for Mia's room, a dusty rose/taupe color for the living room and a Robin's Egg blue color for our bedroom. After living in a rental with white on white walls for 2 years, I'm ready for some warmth and color! B is not thrilled to execute my big painting plans, but quite frankly, I'm the better room painter. I'll start a "House" label once we move in and start updating about the redecorating plans. We'll be buying a couch and a dining table at some point in the first few months, but we're not sure how quickly that can be done. I hate our couch, with a passion, and I desperately want something baby and dog proof. Since my parents will be our landlords, it really feels like we'll be able to make a home there and I'm very excited for that. I had a grand old time taking care of their condo in Chicago during law school, and this feels even better. There will be a backyard, a bedroom for Mia and a designated guest room. I'll post pictures as soon as the current owners get their stuff OUT.

Anniversaries?

I've got a topic/question/situation/issue that I'm looking for feedback on: What do you ladies and your husbands or significant others do for your anniversary each year?
I'm wondering if for most people anniversaries are not really huge deals. If in fact I'm the crazy one making more of a deal out of it, or WANTING to make more of a deal out of it, than I should, or rather if most people do truly quite a bit for their wedding anniversary and my husband needs a slap upside the head for being so casual.
I was going to spell out what I wanted to do this year, vs. my husband's desires, vs. what we plan to do as a compromise now. Instead, I'd like to hear from you ladies first as to what you typically do, and if those plans, gifts, etc., are your first choice or usually a compromise because you and your man's opinions differ (heck, maybe for some of you, HE'S the one who thinks bigger than you do). Then after some responses I'll fill you in on Romeo and my current situation.
FYI: It's the middle of the night, but technically Monday, and our anniversary is Wednesday, so the more dialogue the faster, the better, in case he does deserve the dog house and I deserve a change of plans in time. (Or perhaps vice versa, like I said, it is possible I'm the extreme one.) But no matter when you gals have time to respond, even after the "big" [?] day, I'd still appreciate it all for future reference.
Thanks!

Tidbits

I can't seem to get myself together enough to compose an actual topic for this post, but I want to write something, so we'll go with the classic bullet points.

• Sleep. There has been little of it since my Mom came to town... nearly 4 weeks ago. Mia's been in a pack n play in our room, since you know, we are still in our 2 bedroom apartment. She wakes up at the sound of a pin dropping, and since she finds that I am RIGHT NEXT TO HER, she gets is MAD. So yeah. Last night being a totally run of the mill night of being up from 12:30-3 am, repeatedly asking to go "Outside", because, you know, that's what all babies should do at 3am. 
• Yesterday was my reduced hours day. Normally, I hate to take a Monday because it is nicer to have a mid-week break, but I had my annual exam at the OB in the morning and hate coming to work after my legs have been up in the stirrups. TMI? This morning and all last night while dealing with my child, I was totally psyching myself out about catching up on work this morning. I had this very strong feeling of dread for this one phone call I had to make that I had put off on Friday afternoon. Then, I made myself pick up the phone first thing after walking in, and of course it was totally undramatic and fine. All that hand/steering wheel wringing for nothing. I both hate and love when that happens.

Mia both loved and hated this turtle at Springs Preserve.

• Also, coming into the office after dealing with a cranky toddler, I thought that I was at least home free from baby sounds, smells and... liquids for a good 8 hours. But no, my boss' 8 month old grand kid is here and also cranky. Also, I managed not to escape baby urine and spit up, because he got both things on my top about 45 minutes ago when I volunteered to give my boss a break and walk him around the office.
• My Mom went to Chicago for the weekend to visit my Brother, and we had a nice little family weekend. Mia and I went to the playground on our own on Saturday because she was bouncing off the walls. It's gotten cooler 'round these parts, so it'll be a pleasure to be outside for the next couple of weeks.

Fall in Vegas. With leaves!!

• Crafts. Juliet and I are going to be teaming up for a craft fair this weekend, so my apartment is covered in stray beads and scraps of leather. It's been fun, but I have been consumed with having a good selection for the fair. If we have any local readers, come to Christ the King Catholic Community on Torrey Pines and Tropicana between 9am-6pm and look for Frilly Kreations for a selection of fleece blankets and leather wrap bracelets. Of course, I probably won't even sell half of my inventory, so leftovers will all go up on Etsy in the following couple of days.
• I can't seem to think of anything to close on, so rather than just abruptly ending this post, I'll warn you that I'm abruptly ending this post.

What Do I Actually Want?

***Yeah, this is really, really, long, and I apologize.  I don't know what happened.  Read it in more than one sitting if you must, but I do think it hits on some primal, yet unspoken thoughts we all have when it comes to our parents, no matter what our age and situation.  Or, of course, maybe it's just me.  :)  Oh, and it's almost 6am and I haven't slept yet, so sentence structure and grammar?  Yeah, not really happening.  Bonus points for every word you find that isn't really an actual word, but just something I made up that sounds passable.  See?  That right there.***

Here's what's up:  I found out today that my mother lost her job.  I've glanced through all my posts and realize I haven't written a lot about my parents.  A ton about my MIL and FIL, but not my own folks.  This also means I haven't nicknamed them yet, and first initials won't do, because my dad shares his first initial with someone we already write about.  Um, gosh, why did I save trying to be creative and coming up with blog nicknames for my own parents at 5am?  Think, Juliet, think.  Oh, okay, let's go "Lord C" and Lady C," for you know, Lord and Lady Capulet from the play.

So, Lady C lost her job.  Details are fuzzy, as in non-existent.  I missed her teary voice mail on my cell by literally 10 minutes, and by the time I called back, she wasn't picking up.  We have been playing phone tag the entire evening.  What I do know is that I'm shocked but not surprised, and yes, before you pause too long wondering, it is entirely possible to be shocked yet not surprised.  I am not surprised because she has been worried and talking about fear over losing her job for probably 2 years now due to the fact that the company replaced her direct boss (she's an administrative assistant) and he didn't like her as much as the previous person did.  Not being there first hand I have never known whether this was just my mother being a worrywart like me (hey, you wondered where I got it?)  or whether there was due cause for her concern.  Thus, my lack of surprise, however I was shocked by the actual news, because while I've heard her worry for years, nothing ever happened nor were there any warning signs that something might.

What makes matters worse than "simply" being laid off in an economy where jobs are still scarce, the fact that Lady C doesn't have a college degree (she worked for the company 16+ years and climbed the ladder from receptionist to her final position as admin assistant to the office manager), and that companies seem to want young doe-eyed 20 somethings they can pay minimum wage and no benefits, is the fact that my mother was the bread winner (and source of health insurance benefits) in my parents' household.  My dad, Lord C, lost his full-time job at least 3 years ago.  He's been working from home selling health insurance, but it doesn't have benefits, and while he's tight-lipped, I know he's struggling finding clients and making a living because a year ago he picked up a part-time job at Bath and Body Works, and a few weeks ago a second part-time job as a gas station attendant.  (For those of you playing along at home, that's 3 jobs total.)  Not exactly how I pictured my 63 year-old father, who used to make $60,000+ a year as a top department store salesman, living out what should be his last working decade.

Oh boy, this post is way too long, and I haven't even gotten to the real actual reason for writing tonight.  Let me cut to the chase-- if that's even possible at this point.  I miss my parents like crazy.  I moved to Las Vegas 6 years ago, straight out of college, not really knowing what would happen, how long I'd be here, etc, etc, etc.  But I do acknowledge it was completely my choice to move 1,735 miles-- the exact distance from my front door to theirs.  What I didn't plan on was falling in love, getting married, and having a child 1,735 miles away from them.  And it's hard.  Hard as hell.  My son only knows Grandma MIL and Grandpa FIL.  I want him to know Grandma C and Grandpa C.  Romeo has tried to comfort me by saying that as a kid he had one set of local grandparents and one set of long-distance ones.  And while yes, he was closer emotionally to the local set, he doesn't have super, amazing, one-of-a-kind memories of them.  Those memories are reserved for his long-distance grandparents.  The fact that those visits were fewer and far between makes the memories sweeter.  I appreciate the sentiment, but frankly, I think it's a load of crap.  I want my parents here.  I've wanted them here since I was pregnant.  And not just for Tybalt's sake.  I want them to know him as well.  I also am sick and tired of everything from holidays and special occasions to everyday excursions to the park or the mall being only with Romeo's mom.  I want my own Mom (and Dad).  I miss them.  I want Christmases with them that don't require trying to budget $2,000 for airline tickets, hotels, rental car, etc.  I want my parents to just drive to our place for a dinner every once in a while, and us to them.  I want them to get the chance to babysit Tybalt instead of that right and privilege only belonging to Romeo's mom.

And the thought of my parents moving "out west" from Chicago has never been absurd.  My sister and her husband live in Provo, UT.  Which, while it's a lengthy drive, is, in all honesty a very do-able trip for a long weekend.  However, while my mom was the breadwinner, and in this position, as I've [too lengthily] tried to describe and show is not just a normal title and job she could transfer to, let's say, the Las Vegas branch of the national company she works for, a move while not absurd, was not practical.  Or, more straightforward, pretty much impossible.  While my dad could do his "things" anywhere, my mother definitely could not.  I've begged, I've told her to start applying online for administrative assistant positions in any company, any field, anywhere in the west closer to my sister and me.  I've always pushed for Las Vegas, because I selfishly want them with me and their grandson, not my sister in Utah, but still, anywhere out west where they are a drive away would be fine.  But my parents' response has always been that they wish it could happen, but like I said, while my Dad is flexible, my mom couldn't leave her steady job without another job lined up, and even doing that, she wouldn't be making nearly as much by starting over at some new company that doesn't know her.  And while it's painful, I've accepted that.  But when I got the voice mail this afternoon, I couldn't help but actually feel HAPPY.  I should feel horrible and upset for the injustice my mother is feeling.  And yeah, I do.  I should be worried about my parents--my father has heart problems and my mother has arthritis, knee, and lower back problems-- and now they just lost their health insurance.  And again, yeah, I do.  Yet I also feel like this is IT.  This is the time for them to pick up everything and just move out here...NOW.  Don't scramble to find a job, Mom, and then use that one as an excuse to stay in Chicago still.  In one of her voice mails today as we played our incessant phone tag, my mother said they are in fact talking about taking the opportunity, yet at the same time, "this probably isn't the time to make rash decisions."  And I want to say, "Why not?  Now is actually the perfect time to make a rash decision."  Romeo has already told me not to get my hopes up.  Moving is expensive enough.  Imagine trying to move now that you have only the balance in your checking account to live off of.  And I get that.  I get that it seems impossible financially.  But I'm so scared that if they don't scrape the money together and do it now, they'll get tied into Illinois again, and they never will.

Here's the last thing though for tonight.  I cry myself to sleep sometimes over how much I miss my parents.  I hug Tybalt tight sometimes and cry into his shoulder that my parents aren't around to see his milestones and witness his amazing personality.  But does that truly, honestly, mean, that if and when my parents got here, I wouldn't regret them being here?  I want them here on my terms, and that's just not possible.  They'd be here on their terms.  I said somewhere up above here that I wish they lived so close they could drive to our place, or us to theirs, for dinners every once in a while.  But that's the key right there--"every once in a while."  If they are here, they are HERE.  Do I want the pressure of being expected to see them whenever they want to see me?  Do I want my parents, who arise even on their days off no later than 6am, to find out that I sleep until 1pm on the weekend when Romeo can wake up with Tybalt instead of me?  And how would I deal with the jealousy (I can see all three of their skin turning green now) when MIL, who has never had to share Tybalt in her life, now has to share with my parents?  And my parents who will want to see him every possible chance, seeing they didn't get to before, realizing they must still in fact share with MIL?

So, do I push as hard as I can and tell them exactly why they should move this instant and come out here?  Or should I resist the urge and just stand back, with my hands clean, and see what happens by fate, and by their own decisions, without a word (or much of a word) from me?  (I mean at the very, very least I would think that I need to state once again that I would welcome them here.  No?)

There is an infamous "joke" that really truly happened when I was hospitalized and only semi-conscious two years ago.  I've only been told what happened because I was so drugged that I have no memory, so I'm paraphrasing the following dialogue, and for the sake of the story you should also know that Henderson, NV is a bustling town with jobs and shopping and basically all Las Vegas has, as it's suburb, and is only about 20 minutes away from our current apartment, whereas Bullhead City, AZ, is just across the state border, with no real economy or job opportunities (let alone a mall, so who'd want to live there anyway!  lol) but about 90 minutes to 2 hours away:  My mother was at my bedside, along with Romeo.  (It was her first visit, when I was touch and go still in the ICU.  And I couldn't talk because I had already been given a tracheotomy.)  She was crying I guess and holding my hand and saying, "Daddy and I need to move out here.  We can't keep living this far away from you, 'Juliet.'"  And apparently even in my stupor I nodded and smiled and even teared up.  So she said "How would you like that, if Daddy and I moved here, huh?  Wouldn't that be good?"  And again there was more emphatic nodding and smiling on my part.  Then she said, "What about Henderson?  That would be a good choice."  At which point, I stopped smiling and shook my head 'no' violently!  Luckily my mother laughed and replied, "Too close, huh?"  And Romeo chimed in saying, "What about Bullhead City?"  To which I apparently went back to nodding fiercely and smiling widely, and the whole room busted a gut laughing so hard.

So perhaps, while I fantasize about a Norman Rockwell situation with my loving parents right here, I should take a clue from my no-holds barred, tell it like it is because the drugs are like truth-serum, semi-conscious mental state...20 minutes away?  Hell no, but feel free to move about 2 hours away so you have to call first before just dropping by for dinner...

To do list: One big check mark

I have told you repeatedly about how we've definitely outgrown our apartment. 

The top item on our to-do list for October was: Find a house to rent.

Criteria: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Tile or laminate in living areas. Small back yard. Closer to daycare. 

and.... DONE.

Remember how I told you about my Mom coming to stay for about a month? Well, I guess before she left China, my parents had decided to invest in another rental property. They already have one condo in Chicago, one that I used to live in and rent from them. Evidently, they are liking their status as Landlords, because they had decided to buy a second condo in Chicago.

When my Mom got here, I told her that we'd be moving on December 1st, and that while she was here, I'd like to go out and look at a few rental houses. My parents LOVE looking at houses, even if they aren't in the market to buy. When we lived in Chicago, one of their weekend hobbies was going to Open Houses. ("It's an Open House! They WANT you to come see the house"). I wasn't really surprised when my Mom showed quite a bit of enthusiasm and browsed the listings that I had received from our rental broker. 

One or two nights later, evidently having lots of time to think and Skype with my father overnight fighting jet lag, my Mom asks: "Would you guys like having us as Landlords?" Wait, what? 

After a couple more discussion points, the answer was a very enthusiastic Yes.

So, all last week, I came in to work late, left early, had extended lunches and was very busy on my weekday off to meet up with our Realtor and various houses around the Valley. Some old, some new. Some big, some small. House #1 was in perfect condition, but a bit smaller than I'd hoped with little storage. Not a deal-breaker, I told Mom. If this works for you, it works for us. But, it felt too soon in the process to make an offer. What if there was something bigger, with more storage, that was just as nice? 

A dozen houses later, a couple more fit the bill. One with a very large backyard, with real grass. The thought of us having to water and mow a lawn in the desert was giving me secret palpitations. Another in an ideal location was tempting, but the zero outdoor space not great. Both off the market by the time we got home from lunch that day. 

And then Friday morning, we had one last appointment. We liked the pictures, we liked the location. Mom says, if we like it in person, I have my checkbook in my purse. We walked in, saw all-tile floors, a small but big-enough back yard, an upgraded kitchen and before we even went upstairs to the bedrooms, Mom was already reaching in her bag. 3 bedrooms, 1500 square feet, 10 minutes from B's work and daycare. Our only compromise is a 1 car garage, but that is very easy to ignore when I look at the gleaming kitchen counters and seemingly endless cabinet space.

For now, I only have this picture of Mia approving of the banisters. Also, see, no carpets!

Closing is scheduled for October 31st, which means we have a leisurely 30 days to move out of the apartment and into the house. I am so excited for Halloween this year.