A No Go on the House...

Its kind of unfortunate, but the seller's didn't even counter our offer. Their agent even told our agent that it was a good offer (and better than the offer they received earlier that day), but that they have been very unwilling to budge from their asking price. The seller's agent even told them they wouldn't get their list price in this market... they had even received an offer within the first week of being on the market for only $5,000 below asking and didn't even counter because they were 'insulted'. Good luck to them... and that house just wasn't meant to be ours!

The Big Hunt for a Little House...

So we looked at a house for the third time on Wednesday. We were pretty sure we wanted to make an offer, but decided to sleep on it! We set up a meeting with our realtor to write up the offer on Friday. Friday afternoon we got an email... someone put an offer in on the house that morning. The seller's agent said they'd like to see our offer because the other people low-balled. We had to start out offering a little higher then we were originally going to but still under what we had already decided was the highest we'd go for this property. We gave them until 5 p.m. Saturday so we'll see what happens! We're nervous, anxious, excited just to find out what they have to say. If its meant to be ours, it'll work out!

Jack is getting to be more and more alert everyday! His little personality is so fun to watch interact with people and all the new things he is noticing. Below is a picture of him holding/chewing on his "baby" that Aunt Laurie, Uncle Chic, and his Chilicki cousins gave him... he really has started to enjoy the texture! We've started to take it everywhere.

Somebody's Got a Case of the Mondays...

So going back to work for week two was harder than starting back week one in my opinion! It almost felt as if last week was a temporary thing... until today. I keep telling myself I am lucky enough to have short weeks through the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30) because of having to use up my vacation.

This coming Wednesday night, Matt and I are going to check out a home (for the 3rd time) that we might make an offer on! Very exciting, nerve-wracking, etc. but nonetheless a good thing. We've asked my parents to come along to help us pick up on any possible issues that we might not notice. They've bought a house or two in their day and it definitely doesn't hurt to have extra eyes on such a large purchase.

This evening I put away some of Jack's first clothes that he has since outgrown. Its not that I hadn't known he didn't fit in them anymore, but I hadn't pulled them out of his dresser until tonight. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, but it makes me kind of sad to be putting away some of the adorable teeny, tiny clothes that he wore as early as his first day home! I can not believe how big he's gotten at just over two months old! Speaking of, I forgot to update everyone on his stats from his 2 month check-up: 13 lbs. 2 oz. and 23.25 inches long! That's up 5 lbs and 2.75 inches from birth!

First Week Back

Luckily, for me the dreaded "first week" went very fast! Getting to see Jack midway through the day both Monday & Tuesday helped a ton... as well as getting to take a 1/2 day on Friday. My long recovery from childbirth is kind of a blessing in disguise, short-term disability insurance covered all of my leave due to "complications" (my doctor said I have a high pain tolerance, I figured I don't have anything to compare it to). I ended up with 10 of my vacation days (which I had saved to get paid out during my leave) must be used by September 30th (end of the fiscal year)! I'm so happy, I get close to 3-day weeks until then... making my part-time transition time pretty much come true!

For all of you breastfeeding moms out there, you know its not always easy! After the first week or so of tough times I came to really appreciate the bonding & snuggle time while feeding Jack. I didn't realize I would, but I really did miss those times this week. I am still nursing when at home but I am pumping 3 times throughout the workday so Jack can get breastmilk while I'm away. Pleasantly, so far I have been able to keep up with his needs (its always daunting to plan on something that may not come easily). I can already tell it might be tricky getting those three times a day in, but I really want to make it happen!

Well, this weekend we're kind of laying low! Last night we went to the mall, I got a couple of shower gifts for my friends getting married this fall and we also got a couple of cute onsies for Jack from The Children's Place! One saying "Man of the Year" another saying "Dad's New Football Buddy" (you can guess which one Matt really likes).

We cut our night pretty close because I knew Jack was getting kinda hungry but I thought he would be fine until we got home... needless to say the last few lights we hit before home were pretty much torture! He was hungry and screaming, by time we got him home and I was nursing him there were big ole tears streaming down his face. I will always hate those situations, but it wasn't the first and I'm sure it won't be the last.

We get to go house hunting again tomorrow! We got our pre-approval letter finally (we had a verbal amount from the consultation with the mortgage broker before) and it was higher than what we want to spend, but its nice to now have in writing! There are a few houses near old Hilliard that we're going to see and one in North Clintonville just south of Worthington. Matt and I are constantly struggling with making the right decision on this... buying your first home is kinda a big deal! We plan on living there for 3-5 years; our cars are the only things we've made long-term commitments to.... well, with the exception of each other through marriage and our son through parenthood! We're so excited for this new adventure! (Its not like we haven't started anything new in the past couple of years... ha ha!)

Tonight, we're off to my parents' house and out to dinner with my family and my grandma who's coming into town from Dayton. Should be fun, but now I need to get Jack fed and dressed!

Back to Work, Back to Work...

So my first couple of days back went surprisingly well... My first day back included lunch with my boys and some of the ladies at work! I got to show of our little man to my coworkers and get a Jack fix. Matt and I had gone to a wedding when Jack was a month old and spent 4 hours away from him then; this made splitting my full day up much easier. Not to mention I had 250+ emails to sort through that day (and this after I had checked my email a couple times on leave and deleted some "junk"). It was also nice for Matt to get to spend a whole day of father-son time. Their day ended like this:

Today was again relatively easy, but Jack had his 2 month check-up and immunizations. Matt met me at the pediatrician's office and was the strong on, while I was pacing in the tiny exam room holding back my own tears while Jack was crying through his shots. Jack spent the rest of the day with Grandma and Aunt Rachel and did really well! My mom said he took a nice long nap and ate a little bit, but was in pretty good spirits.

Tomorrow is my first full day without my baby boy... Here's to hoping that goes well! I go straight from work to pick him up at Grandma's, I better not get a speeding ticket! Ha ha!

Weekend Wrap-up

This weekend was a busy one for my last weekend before going back to work full-time!

Friday evening we went out to dinner with some friends of ours to say goodbye to a couple that is moving to KY! It's never easy to say bye to friends, but this is a great opportunity for them and we wish them the best of luck.

Yesterday we went to lunch with a friend to say goodbye as she heads back to school for her last year of grad school. We also took Jack to his first Clippers game, and it was my first time to the new stadium! And it is truly a beautiful stadium... and it was even named the 2009 Ballpark of the Year beating out the new NY stadium. Not bad for a minor league baseball team's stadium, huh? Here's a pic of us at the game:

Today we went looking at houses again. We looked at four houses and discovered an area of town that we really like! There is a potential home in Hilliard that we saw, but it didn't scream "buy me" so we're going to keep looking. Update on the house we saw last Thursday, its now in contract... kinda a bummer since we really liked the yard and the layout. Oh well, we can keep an eye on it, in this economy unfortunately not everyone's financing goes through.

Today is my last official day of maternity leave. I am heartbroken to be leaving my little guy, but as parents Matt & I have realized that we do what we have to all because of our son. We're both working at this point so we make sure he can have a good life! Matt will be with Jack all day tomorrow, which he'll definitely enjoy... and I'll be a little jealous of. (Matt has been back to work for 6 1/2 weeks though.)

I'll definitely post tomorrow after my first day back at work!

Jack

My baby's 2nd picture (the first he is a nakey boy). Born June 17 at 8 lbs. 2 oz., 20.5 inches!

My Welcome to Blogging...

So I'm definitely new to the blogging world, but I have enjoyed reading those of friends and those on topics I've Googled (i.e. pregnancy, motherhood, cooking, etc.).

A little bit about me... I've been married to my wonderful husband and best friend, Matt, for over a year and a half. We have a beautiful 8 week old son, Jack, who is our world and our favorite entertainment. Being a mother has been an amazing experience so far and I can not wait for all of the excitement that is yet to come!

After a little over 8 weeks of maternity leave, I will be returning to work as a chemist. I know that going back to work won't be easy, but its what we have to do [for the time being.] We're blessed enough that my mom has offered to come to watch Jack while we're working. (If you've ever looked into childcare options you know how much money this will save us... can you say, college fund?)

Throughout Jack's short life I have been breastfeeding and I plan on continuing this once going back to work. I've already bought a pump and I am lucky that my work has a "Mom's Room" that I can reserve for pumping during the workday, with a fridge and lockers to store my stuff. Although I'm definitely not ashamed of breastfeeding or pumping for my son, I would feel slightly awkward lugging my pump back and forth around the office building! My main concern with trying to maintain breastfeeding is that my supply may not be able to keep up with my growing son's needs [in case I can not pump as often as he is eating], but I try to just focus on what I can do. Every blog/online article I read on working full-time and pumping says that even if you mix breast milk and formula its still a great thing for Baby. We shall see... hopefully we won't have to address supplementing with formula! That is my goal!

To make things more crazy in our life right now, we're also house-hunting! If you know me, I have moved quite a few times growing up and I truly feel it made me who I am today but I am eager to settle down for a little bit. (I have always told Matt that I am willing to move in the future.) We finally went out with the realtor last Thursday (things were a little crazy there for a while with a newborn). We saw 3 homes, one of which is a potential home for us! I keep having to remind myself that it's our first home, but I am so focused on future resale value, details, etc. The potential house is: 3 BR, 1 BA split level (built in the 70s) in a great school district and pretty good location for commuting. Positives: nice open kitchen, 2 living spaces (partially finished lower level), in a cul-de-sac, and HUGE lot (almost 1/2 acre) for in the suburbs. Downsides: no garage, only 1 bath, needs some minor cosmetic updating. All in all a good first time looking at homes, we're going out tomorrow to another area of town!