Fire!

We were thinking we would do our home inspection this Saturday. Yesterday, however, something happened to change our plans. I had sent an e-mail to the other agency in the middle of the week mentioning the gas and roof problems. No one called me; no one responded to my e-mail. Our friend/landlord/prospective neighbor called yesterday to tell us someone was working on the roof. Ben stopped by on his way home from lunch to check things out. When he arrived, lo, and behold, fire trucks were there! The silly people who were working on the roof used ice melt to get the snow off so they could fix it. This caused a torrent down the wall behind the electrical panel and zap! a fire!

Luckily, the damage isn't too severe. The stairwell wall around the panel is burned, and the firefighters had to put a hole in the kitchen ceiling to get access to the attic to fight the blaze. It does smell like smoke in there now, though, and the roof still isn't fixed.

The big question, of course, is whether or not we will still buy the house. We don't know yet. We sent a long and detailed e-mail to the other agency yesterday, and we are anxiously awaiting the response. Then we should have enough information about timing and exactly what they will fix to know whether to buy it or walk away.

The worst case scenario is that we just give it up for lost and stay where we are. That wouldn't be too nice to the people who were planning on moving here in March, but they haven't given notice in their current rental. (They're our friends, too.) The best case scenario, of course, is if they have to do new carpet and paint for us to get rid of the smell! I'm not holding my breath though; this is the government.

Home Inspection, take 1

Dave Barry wrote a book called Homes and Other Black Holes. I thought it was a very funny book when I read it in high school, but I'm afraid I might identify with it too much to find it funny now.

Last Saturday, we met Ben's dad at the new house to do our inspection. We had called the utility companies so we could have gas, power, and water to check things out. Upon arriving, Ben's dad went to the gas meter while Ben went to the electrical panel to turn on the power. There was a red tag on the gas meter informing us that the gas had started running immediately upon being turned on. It probably just means the pilot lights were left on. Meanwhile, Ben got a mild shock. It turns out there is a leak between the old house and the kitchen addition. The water was also dripping down behind the electrical panel. Well, we gave it up for lost and came home.

We now need to fix the roof. Thanks, by the way, to all those of our friends and family who have so kindly volunteered to help us do it!!! We will be calling you when we finally close.

I'm just grateful we learned about it now instead of after we move in. I'm really glad it was raining last Saturday for that reason! Really, it's best if you can see a good rainstorm in a prospective house.

Some would call us crazy to buy the home in this condition. We still feel that this is the right home for us.

Well, kids are beckoning. May you all have a lovely weekend!!!

Job Title: Referee

One of my biggest pet peeves in parenting is as follows:

Child A wants Object 1. Child B wants Object 1. Parent (a) introduces Object 2, intending it to distract and mollify Child B. Now Child B wants Object 2. Child A decides that Object 2 is better than Object 1. Object 1 now lies dejectedly in the middle of the floor as the argument continues over Object 2. Parent (a) shakes head, and proceeds to look for Object C.

Have you ever been: 1) Parent (a); 2) Child A; 3) Object 1?

Baby Kisses

Buster is too cute! Today has been one of those "Do I have to be the mom?" days. I have a cold and a good book I want to read. I'm also tired. However, a few minutes ago, Buster came fussing to my knee while I was reading blogs. I picked him up and started playing with him. He leaned over and gave me a baby kiss. He gives the best baby kisses! So for just a few minutes, I was very glad to be a mom...until someone hit someone else upstairs... Ah, the roller coaster.

Quotable Quotes

Me: "Kandy, please come down and clean up your toys!"
Kandy: "I can't, Mommy."
Me: "Why?"
Kandy: "I'm in the middle of a fight right now."
Sunny: (screams in frustration)

Awesome site!

I found a really cool site that I wanted to share! It's called retailmenot.com. I now go there before I order anything online. It's a place to share promo codes for tons of sites. I have used it to get free shipping, discounts, and other goodies. Today I got 15% off some shoes. If you order stuff online, you should really check it out.

"You don't nurse grandbabies."

My cousin recently wrote on her blog about the great weaning dilemma. Her only daughter just turned one, so it is on her mind. I started to comment, but it got way too long. She inspired me, though, so I thought I would post a bit on my own blog about this topic.

She is concerned what people will think if she nurses a one-year-old during the day, and the doctor says she might be more likely to sleep through the night if she is weaned and on a more regular schedule.

Such a dilemma! My big advice? Don't worry about weird looks. Each nursing relationship is different, and no one should judge yours.

I don't have my kids on a strict schedule, but I do have a routine. Nursing is just after sleeping and before bedtime--no demand-feeding for me! I had to feel like I had some control over things! It made it easy to drop feedings. Most of my kids started dropping feedings on their own around 12 months and nursed the last time around 18 months. Missy and Sunny held on to their morning feedings the longest; Kandy loved the evenings. Because of the routine, though, I don't really have to nurse in public after about 9 months. (Good thing--none of them ever let me use a blanket.)

Buster is 10 months. He likes to chew. He, too, is teething, has a cold, and seems to get a lot of nutrition at night when there aren't big sisters around to distract him. And some days, we are chasing around so much that he misses some high chair feedings, or he gets graham crackers instead of baby food.

As I contemplate when to wean, I think about how I want my body back to myself, and I'd like to sleep through the night, too. I also think, though, of the lost cuddle time and the end of this very special part of the mother-child relationship. Buster is not much for cuddling without eating. Even his eating isn't too cuddly unless he falls asleep--he is more into grabbing, punching, and wiggling. When he weans, though, I will be able to diet. We might be able to get a night away from the kids. But will I ever nurse again?

So it is hard to let go, so in spite of pain and difficulties, I'll probably keep nursing him till 18 months or so, too. As someone else commented on her blog, you can never go back. I was at a retreat with other moms once, and one came into the room where I was nursing Kandy. She was so wistful, so I mentioned that she wasn't far off from having grandchildren. "You don't nurse grandbabies," she replied. It has made me think things over more than once, to try and really enjoy this phase. Someday this season of my life will be over. I won't miss working at my computer with a child crying at my knee or pressing the reset button. I will miss a certain little girl climbing into my lap, her little arms reaching around me, whispering, "I love you, Mommy."I won't miss stressing about noises waking the baby, but I will miss the pre-nap stories and snuggles. I won't miss them waking me up in the night, but I will miss them snuggling into bed with me in the mornings.

Motherhood is ever a balancing act between surviving and enjoying the present.

Well, now a baby is fussing for my attention, so I better stop writing about motherhood and go practice it.

New house

This is a picture of the house we are hoping to close on next month.

Buster 9 & 10 months

So I got a little behind on the pictures...

Here is Buster at 9 months:I couldn't get him to smile or stretch his legs out. Actually, he did smile between pictures, but our camera has a very annoying delay.

And here he is at 10 months:
Missy is helping him to stretch out!

Quotable Quotes VIII

Sunny: "I just measured the drawer. It was 12 ounces!"

Is it spring yet?

Yesterday in the car, we were talking about how the holidays were over and school was starting the next day. Missy piped up and asked if it was almost spring. We told her it was at least 2 months away, to which she responded, "I'm going to be cold for the rest of my life!"

Go, Utes!

We had a fun evening tonight (okay, well, technically it was last night) watching the U play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. We originally went to our friends' house to play some games, but we all got way too interested in the football game. I don't mind--it was awesome!