Saturday, July 23, 2005 08:48 a.m.
I've been insanely busy since my last post. I'm beginning to feel like a broken record with the "busy" stuff, but it's true: between work and my extracurricular goings-on, I think this just might be the most hectic summer of my life so far.
We got the house I mentioned in my last post! In a little over a month, we will be homeowners and landlords! Here are a few pictures that I took during the structural inspection process a few days ago. We are still in the midst of negotiations. During the inspection, it was brought to our attention that one of the walls in the laundry room desperately needs to be rebuilt... so we will be getting an estimate from a stone mason on Monday and then presenting it to the owner's attorney, in the hopes that either (a) the owner will pay for the whole thing (unlikely, but could happen) or (b) we will split the repair costs 50/50 with the owner and the price of the house will go down a bit. As of right now, the closing is scheduled to happen on or around September 9th, and we're hoping that this little snafu won't delay things too much. Our current rental lease expires on November 30th, and we will need as much of the 2.5-month overlap as possible to take care of some minor renovations before moving. In addition to the stone work, we also want to put new cabinets and a dishwasher in the kitchen, begin work on the nursery and perhaps re-paint some of the other rooms as well.
We heard our baby's heartbeat yesterday. What a trip! It's a bit strange when it finally hits you that there is a tiny being living inside of you, kind of like an alien! It's also comforting to actually hear proof of its existence, since at this point in my pregnancy I don't really look pregnant (I've gained only 5 pounds since May) and most of the ugly symptoms, like nausea and fatigue, are beginning to subside. Sometimes, I find myself wondering if there's really anything inside me at all. Apparently, this is all about to change. Now that I have officially begun my second trimester, I can expect to pack on the pounds rather quickly and I will begin to "look" pregnant any day now. The little nugget should begin kicking within the next few weeks, too.
The rest of this weekend is going to be busy. In a few hours, T and I are driving down-state to my sister & bro-in-law's BBQ. Should be a fun evening. Tomorrow, we're going swimming in a lake near my childhood home... I haven't been swimming all summer (and it's been really hot and humid recently), so I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully my bathing suit still fits! Tomorrow afternoon, we're going to another BBQ at my friend Burr's house. I will try to take a bunch of pictures this weekend, but I might get sidetracked.
|
Wednesday, July 13, 2005 09:00 p.m.
T and I made an offer on this building tonight. It's exactly what we're looking for. Several people are bidding on it, so we're trying not to get too excited. It's really weird having so much money on the table, especially with a baby on the way.
My employer has a really shitty maternity leave policy - I'm pretty sure I will only have 2 months total to (a) give birth (b) get used to having a baby around and (c) miminally bond with the baby before I need to put him/her into a daycare center and return to the office full-time. If we somehow end up getting this house, there is absolutely no way I can even entertain the thought of extending my leave - we will need every single penny of my income, as well as T's, in order to support ourselves. In other words, I am sacrificing precious time with my first-born child so that we can buy a house in the neighborhood of our choice, (hopefully) make enough money off the rental unit to pay our mortgage, and (eventually) have the ability to expand our real estate empire. Are we being bad, selfish parents? Or are we making a wise investment that will end up benefiting our family a few years from now? I go back and forth between the two, constantly.
|
Saturday, July 9, 2005 10:23 p.m.
This past work week was challenging and exhausting. I had four really hectic, stressful days - the kind of days where you barely have time to formulate a coherent thought because you are robotically moving from one seemingly insurmountable task to another, half-assing all of them because there aren't enough hours in a day to thoroughly complete any particular one, and just when you're beginning to think to yourself, "If I move just a little bit faster, I might actually be able to get somewhat organized here,"... BAM!... your boss cheerfully dumps several more confusing, time-sensitive projects in your lap and you're deep in the weeds again. And before you know it, eight hours have passed and it's time to go home and for all your hard work, you only managed to make a slight, ineffectual dent in the huge mountain of shit that you've been hired to shovel, and you drive home feeling all jittery and panicky and make a beeline for your bed, where you fall fast asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
I knew that working for a busy not-for-profit was going to require stamina, but this week was ridiculous! And it's not going to get better for at least another month, maybe two. And honestly, I don't know if I can handle it... at least not gracefully. I make 29K a year, for Chrissakes! Hardly enough to justify turning into a miserable, braindead ball of stress five days out of every seven. And more importantly, I'm pregnant! I am supposed to be sleeping more, taking it easy... not burning the candle at both ends. I actually lost 2.5 pounds this week - not a good thing for someone with a bun in the oven.
So far, this weekend has been very relaxing by comparison. Ever since I became pregnant, I haven't wanted to venture out of the apartment much on weekends... the one exception being when Steve S. came to visit us. Initially, I was worried that I would quickly become bored and depressed what with all of the "taking it easy" I'm supposed to be doing... but actually, my nesting instinct has kicked in and I am enjoying it. I really don't miss the partying lifestyle at all. These days, my idea of a fun evening is to eat a delicious, healthy meal while listening to some good tunes, take a nice, long shower, then either get in bed to read or vegetate on the living room couch with the Netflix selection of the day. Incidentally, if any of you are Netflix members, please add me to your "Friends" list by sending an invite to kbgraetzer@mac.com. I'm always up for new film recommendations!
It's only 10:20 PM, but I'm starting to feel tired. Time to wind down to the soothing sounds of Chocolate City and enjoy being calm while I can.
|
Monday, July 4, 2005 10:07 p.m.
Happy 4th of July!
I'm back from vacation and ready to resume blogging here. The main reason why I haven't posted much during the past few months is because... I'm pregnant! I found out on May 16th, and life hasn't been the same since. And while I have had tons of topics racing through my head since then that I could have easily posted about, I wanted to wait a while and make sure everything was on track with the pregnancy before I announced it to the world. My first trimester is just about over now, so I feel comfortable sharing the news. My due date is January 21st.
The whole "wait until the second trimester to tell everyone" etiquette thing is actually a good idea in my opinion, mostly because the first trimester tends to be pretty rough and uncomfortable (at least it was for me) and who really wants to hear all the gory details about the constant nausea, fatigue and raging hormones? Until last week, my preggo routine was quite dreary: wake up and realize that I feel sick to my stomach before even getting out of bed; choke down a small bit of food and a prenatal vitamin; spend the work day running to and from the bathroom; experience a strong aversion to almost every single lunch I pack for myself, regardless of what it is, and end up snacking on crap all day instead; feel guilty about not eating healthfully enough; drag my sorry ass to the gym and walk on the treadmill for a while; drive home and feel guilty about T having to cook dinner every night because I am too damn tired to do anything; fall asleep almost immediately after eating. See what I mean? I am happy to report that the unpleasantness has finally begun to subside and, with the exception of the occasional raging hormone, I feel like I have my life back again.
While I will attempt to vary the content of my posts somewhat, please understand if I seem pre-occupied with my pregnancy and the impending challenges of motherhood. I may be a mere 6 months away from being a mom , but I'm pretty sure I'm still capable of being somewhat interesting (although I'm sure Allan feels differently).
|
