Home Sweet Home

We closed on our homes without any problems, but the move itself was more complicated. The movers that were going to haul our "big stuff" over on Friday had their lights burn out, so they had to reschedule for Saturday morning. Then, our U-Haul truck overheated... at least it was in front of our new house so we could unload (it took them 2 days to tow it off- never use them again!) Our water and DSL service was delayed too.

The refridgerators were delivered on time, but we had to put in a service call to level the doors on both. The new couches for the downstairs living room came a week after we moved in, but the leather was damaged. We just got them switched out for new ones today.

On the Monday following our move, I went back to work. It is nice to be back at school, but tiring too. I haven't gotten as settled in as I would like around the house either, but we plan to work on that this weekend. Got to get some Christmas decorations up, do some shopping and more "settling in" this weekend too!
:) S

Finally...the move!

We closed on our current house Monday and we close on our new home tomorrow. We've been madly packing, but I've not gotten as much done as I'd like. Marley has been quite demanding as she adjusts to her new reflux meds.

Anyway, we're going to stay up late tonight to finish as much as we can. We close tomorrow at 10:00 and movers are hauling our "big stuff" over between 4-6. We have the refridgerators scheduled to deliver that night, but unfortunately the new couches won't come until next week.

Tomorrow night, although we'll have just the basics, we'll be spending our first night in our new home! I'm excited but I'll miss this house too. I'll miss having a "dog room" right off the porch, Jaxon's nursery we worked so hard on, the big trees out back and of course, the memories we made in this house. But the new place is going to be great! I go back to work Monday, but hope to get most of the unpacking done asap! :) S

A Busy December...

After trying to squeeze us for more $ off the sales price, our buyers finally gave up and have only asked for window screen replacements, toilets to be re-leveled and a termite treatment "just in case" by the deck. That's a rip, since they found no evidence of termites on the inspection, but at this point we figured we'll do it. Better that we give a little and keep the buyers since we have our other house already lined up & waiting for us. We have our inspection at the new house today so hopefully it'll go well!
I've not had much luck in the child care search for Marley. :( My mom has said she can come watch her in December as I only work from the 5th-15th. I think I'll take her up on it. It'll save me a month of paying for child care for Marley (even though I only would work for 2 weeks) and it will free up time to pack as we're still set to close Dec.15-16 and move that weekend. Then in January, if I still haven't found someone to watch Marley, I'll put her in at Stepping Stone. It's more expensive, but also has a low ratio of 1 adult per 3 kids and there are more eyes around watching... for some reason I'm kind of worried about her being alone with someone other than me.
So, this month I go back to work, we have mom coming to stay for 2 weeks to watch Marley, and then we move to a new house all before Christmas! It'll be pretty wild! :) S

We're moving...

I went house hunting with my realtor last week and while we were out, we got a contract offer on our house! :) My parents came up that next night to take Jaxon for the weekend, so we decided to go look at houses again with just Marley. We looked in several different neighborhoods and saw a few possibilities, but nothing really jumped out at us. We went to see one last house before we were going to call it quits and grab lunch. Wouldn't you know it- the last one was it! I really like the neighborhood it is in and when we looked at pros/cons, we couldn't really list any.
So we put in a contract offer and barring any problems with inspections or our buyers, we got the house! Fingers crossed it goes smoothly! The sellers at the new house are moving out now and want to move up the closing - and if our buyers can do it, we may be moving around the end of the month! For now, the closing on our current house is set for December 15th and the new house closes on December 16th,. If all goes well, we'll be celebrating Christmas in our new home! I'll keep you posted! S

Halloween!

We took Jaxon for his first trick-or-treat with Dylan, Shelby and their neighbors Zack, Xander and Kelsey. He was shy at first and had a hard time keeping up with the seasoned pros, but ended up having a blast. Marley wore a pumpkin sleep-n-play and slept in the sling while we went house to house. We had lots of fun! Now, if only I could keep out of the candy! Ha ha!

September & the last pregnancy update!

How things can change in a month! Here's what's been happening around here:

Jaxon ended up in the ER this month after having a febrile seizure. He had a cold and started with a high temp. of 99, so I gave him some tylenol. About an hour or so later, he was up to 103- I took him upstairs to put him in a cool bath and before I could even get him in tub, he started shaking and was up to 105! It was terrible! He was lethargic and stopped talking to me, and overall he just looked out of it. They were able to get his fever down and he was fine... they expect no future problems resulting from it, but I just pray that it never happens again!

We put our house on the market this month and have had a couple of people in to see it, but no big hits yet. We worked very hard to get the house organized and looking good- I'm LOVING it! I swear to keep clutter free whether we stay here or move. I thought keeping Jaxon's toys under wraps would be tough, but he's handling it well and has been good about cleaning up before bedtime too (lots of his toys are packed away and the rest are in a big wicker trunk, so we can rotate them out.)

Brian was pretty sure he'd be getting a pink slip from work at the end of this month (which would obviously put an end to any ideas about moving.) The timing on one hand was bad- with the baby coming, the house would have to be pulled off and we'd be staying here, and he'd be looking for a new job asap. But on the other hand, with the terrible devastation so many are going through with hurricane Katrina, it's hard to be worried about something as little as a layoff. At least we'd have a house and family to come home to. He talked with his boss today and it looks like he should make it through after all, but in case the cuts continue, he's pipelining to find other jobs just in case.

My fantastic assistants threw a shower for me today- I knew they were going to have cake and well wishes, but didn't expect anything of this magnitude. I got so many wonderful gifts- and I was not expecting that- so of course, I ended up crying! Pregnancy hormones can be bad! :) It was a very nice surprise and definitely helps me realize that yes... I'm having a baby really soon!

Pregnancy update: I've been having some pains and contractions, but overall, I still think I'm doing remarkably well for being 9 months pregnant! I have only 2 days left before my maternity leave starts and 9 days until Marley's EDD. My doctor has scheduled me for an induction if I don;t go into labor myself. He has me set to go into the hospital the night of the 29th to deliver the 30th. Because I'm positive for group b strep this time and have a history of fast labor, he thinks this is necessary to be sure I get the dose of antibiotics before delivery. I'm ok with the idea as I think it would only take them breaking my water to get things moving, and since the order would be there for an epidural as soon as I ask for it, I'm happy. As long as I've got the epi, I'll be just fine!

The next time I write, Marley will probably be here! Keep your fingers crossed hurricane Rita doesn't do too much damage up here (or that I don't deliver during it!)

S

Daycare, pregnancy, moving and back to school!!!

Well, the school year has started and except for being very tired, it's off to a great start! Well, Jaxon has been at the new daycare for two weeks and is slowly becoming accustomed it it. He still cries when I drop him off (but usually I hear him stop before I leave the building) and he screams "MAMA, MAMA!" when I come to pick him up. But, I do think he's getting better. They had a music presentation Friday and they said he LOVED it! Of course, later it'll cost if I want to keep him in the music program, but he loves "mu-gick!" so I may try it out. He started a week before the 3 year olds moved up, and he seems better now that there are kids his age in class. He said "Bye, friends!" when we left which made me feel better too. He has already gotten a cold though- one of the daycare drawbacks I guess.

I'm feeling pretty good still which is good for 8 months along! I'm definitely carrying this baby differently though... it's funny how each pregnancy can be so different. Here's hoping the labor and delivery goes as well with Marley as it did with Jaxon! I still don't feel like I'm going to have a baby (and it's only 40 days until my EDD!) I'm not sure if it's just because I'm too busy to really think about it, but I don't feel anywhere near as prepared as I did when I was pregnant with Jax. I've not gone to birthing class or done up her nursery either, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. I know the feeling will change when Marley arrives- ready or not, she'll be here soon!

We met with our realtor yesterday and she suggested moving a few things and gave us a little bit of work to do before she puts it on MLS, but no surprises- they were all things we'd talked about doing anyway. Our listing will be up next weekend! We're the only house in our range in the neighborhood too- every other seller is either much smaller/cheaper or larger/higher priced. Keep your fingers crossed for us that the lack of competition helps us sell quickly!

The school year is off to a great start, but I'm definitely tired. My class seems to be running pretty smoothly with the new program and I'm really enjoying it so far. I hope all goes well when I'm home on leave. I plan on working until the week before I'm due and going back to work the first full week of December. I may try to get my mom to come watch the baby for those two weeks in December and hopefully will have a sitter lined up for January.

We'll keep you posted! S :)

Jaxon's 2nd Birthday!

I'm new at posting pictures on here and so this is just a test! I'll have to get some good pics!

It's hard to believe our little guy is two years old! Time certainly flies when they're little. We had Jaxon's birthday party today at the house with just family and although it wasn't really planned well, we had a GREAT time! When everyone started to arrive he got SO excited and I think he knew we were all together to celebrate him! He started to clap his hands and spin in circles, smiling and laughing, stomping his feet... I've NEVER seen him that wound up! He opened presents first to make room on the table for our late lunch.

I thought this kid had every toy known to man, but apparently not, he cleaned up today! We got him a set of NFL sheets for his bed, 2 new Little Touch Leap Pad books, a Vtech discovery farm, some clothes and a Spongebob Squarepants fold out couch with sleeping bag. Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Brent got him 2 Sesame Street coloring books and 3 different Sesame Street swim floats. Grandma and Grandpa Schock got him a Little Tykes electric keyboard stand with a mic, Pottery Barn letter abacus, and an Action Sounds Trike. Great Grandma Schock got him a T-Ball set. Grandma and Grandpa Baldwin got him a Grow-to-Pro basketball net and a Naturally Playful freestanding slide. He LOVED everything and wanted to play all day! He was sad when "night-night time" came around for sure!

We grilled burgers, had fixings and cake late in the afternoon and then sat back and watched him play inside and outside until about 7:00 when everyone headed home. It was definitely a full day for all of us and hopefully Jax will sleep good tonight! What a great birthday for our boy! Now the only problem is finding what gift to give him from the baby when he comes to the hospital to meet her... maybe a guitar? Guess I'll have to find something!

Jax had his 2 year well check today and it went pretty well. His height is still off the growth chart at 38". She also said that doubling their height at 2 years is a good estimate of how tall they'll be as an adult (which puts him at 6'4"!!!) We'll all be looking up to him I guess! His weight was in the 90th percentile at 32 lbs. Anyway, just wanted to update you on our BIG little boy! :)

:) S

July update...

Well it's definitely summer and boy is it HOT in Texas! We've had a solid week of 100+ temperatures and as much as I hate to say it, I sometimes wish summer was over already! See...the heat is getting to me! :)

Jaxon turns 2 next week and I just can't believe how much he's grown! I've had a blast with him this summer. His speech has really taken off in the last few weeks and it's so exciting to hear all the new words everyday. Sometimes at night when he's trying to fall asleep I'll hear him talking in his room. He has conversations with invisible mama and daddy and counts like "Count Von Count" on Sesame Street too (1 ah,ah,ah....2 ah,ah,ah! It's hilarious!) When he's awake he talks even more, labeling all kinds of things in the house and trying to imitate whatever we are talking about.

Even though it's very hot here, he still loves to go "Ow-side!" (outside- but when he says it, its like the samurai shouting "Bonzai!" It's hilarious!) He really loves playing in the pool (both the "real pool" and the kiddie pool in the backyard.) He also loves to get dirty playing in the sandbox, swinging in his swing and pushing anything he can get his hands on back and forth on the deck. He's too funny!

The pregnancy is going along pretty well. I definitely feel like I'm carrying her differently than I did with Jax, but I'm feeling pretty good. Of course, I feel as if I look like a buffalo but otherwise it's good! To think I was worried earlier because I didn't feel like I was showing or gaining enough! Ha ha! Anyway, we can't wait for our little girl and I just know that Jaxon will be a great big brother! :) S

Jaxon's "Big Boy Bed!"

We've been wanting to get Jaxon moved into a "big boy bed" for a few reasons. First, he's big for his age and barely fits into his crib. And second they say not to try to make the transition around big life changes (like moving or a new baby)- and since we are expecting both, we wanted to get started. We ended up buying him a full size and putting the boxsprings and mattress on the floor in his room. Then we ran over to target to find sheets for his new bed and were disappointed by their selection, but since we bought the bed on a whim and wanted to try it out that night, we let him pick out a sheet set he liked. He opted for "Bob-bob" (or Spongebob Squarepants for those of you who don't speak 2 year old caveman!)
He was SO excited and before Brian could even put the mattress upstairs, Jax was pretending to sleep on the boxsprings! We put quilts on the floor around the bed and pillows on the one exposed side so he wouldn't roll out and he went right to sleep! Now, naptime wasn't as easy. He got out of bed, tried to open the door and threw some stuffed animals, but after 10 minutes, he figured out it was naptime as usual and went to sleep. It was too cute watching him climb up into bed on the video monitor- he was talking to "Bob-bob" for a few minutes and then finally went down to sleep! We hope to take apart the crib soon to make more room for him and to distance him from it so when the baby moves out of the bassinet, he won't feel like she's taking over his territory. I'm both excited and a little sad- my little baby is growing up! :) S

It's a ...

GIRL! According to the ultrasound tech, she's "pretty sure" we're expecting a GIRL this time around so we'll have one of each! This time, the doctor put the ultrasound on DVD too, so I know the grandparents will be excited to see the baby in action. Now it finally feels like I'm pregnant again - work and a toddler keep me too busy to think about it!

Brian and I are thrilled and just wanted to share the news! Hope everyone is doing well and hope to hear from you soon too! We're not 100% sure about what her name will be yet and may decide to keep that to ourselves until she's born, but that's a hard secret to keep! :)

Meanwhile, I've got 2 days left with students and 1 work day before I'm out for the summer. I'm hoping to spend lots of time with Jaxon as it's our last summer as a family of 3. We're getting the house ready to sell, but I still may try to move him into a "big boy bed" in the extra bedroom. The baby will be in a bassinet next to our bed for a few months, but that way, Jax will be out of his crib long enough so it doesn't seem like she's taking over his territory. I'll keep you posted on any summer plans!

Pregnancy update - May

Well, I'm a little over 19 weeks and I can finally say I'm starting to feel pregnant. This pregnancy is going by a whole lot faster than it did with Jaxon- I think life with a toddler and a full-time teaching job keep me too busy to think about it! :)
I've been feeling movement and I've starting to show within the last 2 weeks. I still have not gained any weight to speak of, which is strange since I don't get sick when I'm pregnant, but I'm hoping that I'll be within a normal range. I've definitely been eating enough so I'm sure it'll be fine! It is one week until the big ultrasound and we're very excited! We'll be sure to keep you posted if the baby cooperates and we find out if it's another boy or a girl, so be on the lookout for an e-mail Monday, May 16th!

S

April update...

Well, its April and my birthday has come and gone, but I still can't believe I'm 27 years old now. I remember thinking that once I graduated college, I would feel "grown up," but no. After getting married, having a toddler and another baby on the way, I still don't feel "old!" I guess that's a good thing! :)
I went to the doctor and told him about my concerns- I'm 4 months pregnant and hadn't gained any weight. When I was pregnant with Jaxon, the doc had to tell me to lay off the Blue Bell or I'd have been huge! He said not to worry and that the heartbeat sounded great. So... now I just have to wait until May 16th to get the ultrasound and at that point, it should be easy to tell if I'm having a boy or a girl. I have no real "intuition" about it being a boy or a girl and have had dreams about having both. I guess I've got a 50% chance of guessing correctly anyway right? :) Brian took a half day of vacation so he can go with me and we're hoping that once we find out the sex, we can decide on a name. It is SO much harder to pick out names the second time around! I'm also ready for the baby to stop being an "it."

I'll keep you all posted! :) S

Finally some good news...

I got accepted into the UT Masters program for Early Childhood Special Education (of course this baby postpones those plans for now, but maybe next fall.) I was very excited to get a spot as they are in high demand and I almost felt bad as 3 of my fellow colleagues did not get in, but maybe since I'm declining, one of them will get my spot. It was bittersweet, but I can always get back into the program later.

After much pressure from my PPCD Lead and my principal, the powers that be in RRISD have decided to leave 1 of the 5 programs scheduled to close open to relieve any crowding and it's my classroom! So not only do I get to forego the pregnant job hunt, but I'll get either a larger room or 2 adjoining rooms. Plus, it'll be a Together We Can program- that's where for low tuition, RRISD employees can bring their kids to PPCD to serve as developmental role models- and so Jaxon will be able to come to school with me once he's 3 for less than we'd pay for child care. How cool is that!!!

Brian and I are getting the house ready to sell after all. We went back and forth about whether or not to move. On one hand, we like our house and don't need much more than this, but on the other hand, we'd like more of a neighborhood feel and we'd love an extra playroom too. We bought this house when I was 2 months pregnant with Jaxon and Brian reminded me how much easier it was to move before the baby came. He thinks that if we put it off much longer, that the baby will be here and then it'll be even harder to move. Brian has convinced me to look outside of my "comfort zone" into Cedar Park, Leander and Georgetown as well as in Round Rock. Hopefully this will be our last move for awhile!

Jaxon is feeling better after a month's worth of colds and viral junk. Brian has had bronchitis twice this month and I've been keeping a close eye on him to be sure it doesn't turn into pneumonia- luckily he's much better about going to the doctor than I am. I've been feeling great- again I don't really feel pregnant. I'm starting to get a little pudge now, but still not really gaining weight. I did get to hear the heartbeat at the last appointment and go back after my birthday in April. I think the doctor is going to put off my ultrasound until the May appointment, so I have to wait until then to find out if it's another boy or a girl. I'm trying to enjoy every minute as this pregnancy will most likely be my last- so far so good!

:) S

March update...

Jaxon got over his viral junk but it took almost a whole week. The poor baby was miserable! He's feeling better but having some teething problems right now. His top canines finally came through and his bottom canines are almost there. Hopefully he'll get his second molars soon so we'll be done with this! :) Brian and I went with Rick to the lake last weekend and Jaxon got to stay with my parents. He had an absolute blast and even managed to beat the rain and go to the zoo. He liked sitting on the big kimodo dragon statue and got to see several animals before the rain returned.
Brian's car ended up costing a little more than a grand. Typical- we get a car paid off and then something like that happens! It's spring break here and we're enjoying it. Surprisingly this is the first year in quite a while that I wasn't counting down to spring break, but even so, I'm glad it's here! Brian is at the lake again with Rick for a few days and when he returns, Jax is going back to his grandparents' house so we can have a mini-vacation alone. Brian says we can go anywhere I want, but I'm not sure where I want to go. It'll be short only 4 days and I don't exactly want to shell out big bucks at the moment, so I don't know what we'll do. First I though we could get a loft downtown and hang out there, but obviously I wasn't thinking- I'm pregnant and don't need to be around the smoke (but the live music and quiet dinners would've been nice!)
I'm feeling so good that I sometimes forget I'm pregnant...doesn't that sound ridiculous? I've not gained any weight either which makes me a bit nervous. I guess I should be happy. I go back to the doctor in a week to hear the heartbeat and I'm hoping that will alleviate some of my fears. In the meanwhile, I'm trying not to stress about everything else - job, moving, need new child care, having a new baby and a toddler, 2 in diapers- no worries right? Eeek!
Anyway, Jax and I are enjoying some time together at home while Brian is fishing and it's been really nice. We went to Todd and Wendy's yesterday so Jax and Dylan could play together and I could get some baby time with Shelby. It seems so foreign to hold a little baby again. I swear you forget that you ever had one that small. It won't be easy at first (and child care will be really bad) but I think the timing is going to work out really well after all. We've got about 8 weeks until we find out what we're having and that will make it more real too. I'd like Jax to have a brother, but a little girl would be nice too. I guess I'll just wait and see if I start having any intuition and then get confirmation at the ultrasound. I'll keep you posted!

S

It HAS gotten crazier...

Remember when I said if it got any crazier, I didn't know what I'd do? Well...we're at that point now. First, Brian was involved it a hit-and-run accident (basically the other guy bumped him off the road and took off!) Brian didn't realize how badly he was hurt or the damage to the car, and since he didn't have his cell phone and no one else was around to help, he drove himself home. When I saw him the next morning, he had a huge bump and gash on his head from hitting the side of the car door and the front bumper was pretty seriously damaged. The swelling went down but he still has a terrible looking gash on his head. The car is in the shop and insurance will not pay for it because no police report was filed the night of the accident. Hopefully it won't be too expensive (it may not end up being too much more than our deductible anyway.)
Then, Jaxon gets sick while we're at a friends house. He threw up all over himself in his pack/n/play while sleeping. We clean him up as best we can and bring him home to give him a bath (of course it's about 12:30 by this time.) He got sick again at 4:30 that night. Jax has only thrown up once before so he was freaked out and the following day he didn't eat and still got sick 3 more times. I stayed home with him today and my mom will be up to watch him tomorrow. The doctor's office said to be sure he stayed hydrated and that if he had less than 3 wet diapers a day we'd need to go to the hospital (we're averaging once every 6 months with this kid!) Keep your fingers crossed that all gets better for us!

S

What a wild month!

First, let me start by saying that if it gets any crazier, I'm not sure what we'll do! We're in hyper mode to get our house ready to sell and to move into a new house. We've found two neighborhoods we really like and both are within 15 minutes of our current location. Brian really likes that they're both golf course communities too...he can see himself with Jax on the greens already! :) We're hoping to get things ready and have moved in before the baby comes.
Yes...the baby. Little did I know we were already pregnant when I wrote in the previous post we'd be trying in the summer! It wasn't exactly planned, but we're both getting really excited about our little surprise too! Brian was much more relaxed at first about being pregnant again than I was. I guess the control freak in me wanted to plan this one out just like I did with Jaxon, but now I see that I should just be thrilled that I'm able to have children. So, now that I see that the baby coming a few months earlier than I had planned will be just as wonderful and we're excited. I can't wait to find some names and to hear this baby's heartbeat. We have a few girl names we like, but we're having a hard time with boy names. I kind of want another boy (because Jaxon was SO easy) but the grandmas desperately want a girl. I guess I'll be happy with either as long as the baby is happy and healthy. The first appointment is at the end of the month and I'll keep you posted!
S

What's new in 2005?

We're off to a great start this year! Brian and I are trying to start a health kick- so far, so good. We're trying to eat better (for our sake as well as when Jaxon decides he'll only eat what we're eating.) Brian has been going to our local rec center to workout and I've been working out a little at home too.
I have decided to try for the longhorn grant to go for my masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education. If I get the grant, I'll attend school part-time free of charge and will receive a stipend for books too. It'll take me two years at that pace to finish. I wanted to go for Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorders, but the ECSE program has been structured for working people with classes on campus only Saturdays (and not every week either!) That's too good to pass up! I've gotten my letters of recommendation and both UT applications done and now I've just got to get my resume in, write my purpose and take the GRE. I'm pretty nervous about taking the test, but I'm studying up a bit and hopefully that will help me. Keep your fingers crossed!
We're organizing the house and getting it ready to sell. I'm hoping to get rid of a lot of "stuff" to make the move easier. We're still not sure where we'l end up yet, but have found several new and "newer" neighborhoods that we really like. We're hoping to move in the next few months. We're also planning on trying for baby #2 in the early summer- still trying to plan around the school year, so we'll see what happens! :) Hope to hear from you soon!

S