The Schmidt Family Grows: Adam, Liss, Morgan, Hadley, Maddie, & Jessie
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Waiting.
We are still waiting to hear if anything is to come from our showing today. The house was 99% ready which is about the best I think a family of three and a half plus two dogs can do. Fingers crossed...and taking the night to do minimal anything. Except maybe eat some ice cream.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
First. Showing. Ever!
I don't know when I'm going to be able to blog that I'm not exhausted. When I have time to blog, it means I'm too tired from the previous evenings/days/life of being a pregnant house-seller that I can't move enough to barely help Adam with the next (now getting smaller) project, cleaning, shampooing, or whatever else comes up to make this place sparkle like the diamond it is. ;-)
That said, we busted our hineys again this past week after less than ideal reviews from the realtor showing we had last Tuesday (really, the house wasn't ready. we should have waited until this week to let them all come through). At today's "actual" realtor showing (last one, usually a house only has one when it's actually ready), we're guessing it went well as we have our first showing tomorrow at 4:45pm!! I had all intentions of not doing much of anything tonight other than any last minute toys being put away, dishes, etc., but I must admit that I am in the process of letting a coat of touch-up paint dry by what we affectionately call "the hole in the wall" as there were several areas that needed it from Jessie's nails as she jumped through the hole from the couch while being too excited to get outside to be bothered with going around on the floor like a normal dog. Sigh. If she tries it again, I may launch her through the window on her way through the hole. :)
Morgan...we are so lucky to have her. I hate telling her she has to wait b/c we have to vacuum, or mow the lawn, or something last minute in the morning to help the house sell...and while she's had her moments of low tolerance, she's had lots more moments of "Ok, mommy/daddy!" and plays on her own.
So wish us luck that our first showing goes well tomorrow. I'm hopeful...but cautiously optimistic. That said, it just takes one!
That said, we busted our hineys again this past week after less than ideal reviews from the realtor showing we had last Tuesday (really, the house wasn't ready. we should have waited until this week to let them all come through). At today's "actual" realtor showing (last one, usually a house only has one when it's actually ready), we're guessing it went well as we have our first showing tomorrow at 4:45pm!! I had all intentions of not doing much of anything tonight other than any last minute toys being put away, dishes, etc., but I must admit that I am in the process of letting a coat of touch-up paint dry by what we affectionately call "the hole in the wall" as there were several areas that needed it from Jessie's nails as she jumped through the hole from the couch while being too excited to get outside to be bothered with going around on the floor like a normal dog. Sigh. If she tries it again, I may launch her through the window on her way through the hole. :)
Morgan...we are so lucky to have her. I hate telling her she has to wait b/c we have to vacuum, or mow the lawn, or something last minute in the morning to help the house sell...and while she's had her moments of low tolerance, she's had lots more moments of "Ok, mommy/daddy!" and plays on her own.
So wish us luck that our first showing goes well tomorrow. I'm hopeful...but cautiously optimistic. That said, it just takes one!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Girls Only
Since the past several posts have been dedicated to the housing project we're taking on (ps. we're officially listed today!), I decided it's time to update on the girls only. So here goes:
Baby Sister
~She continues to kick like crazy. She definitely has her cycles of awake and asleep time, especially when I lay with an unsupported belly on my side. She loved the afternoon portion of my all-day staff meeting yesterday and I wonder if it's b/c she hasn't heard "loud speaker" voices yet.
~I'm 23w1d along. She's about a foot long now and weighs just over a pound, however, if she's anything like Morgan she might be a little more than that in terms of weight.
~I really wonder how she's positioned b/c there are lots of times she kicks me, well, in the rear? Either way, we love feeling her kick and yesterday morning was the first time she really "played" back and forth with Adam.
~I feel like I'm getting to know Baby Sister earlier this time than I did with Morgan. I can't stress how much I love having my babies with me where ever I go while I'm pregnant with them. Sometimes I actually "miss" her even though I haven't formally met her yet. As weird as this all sounds, it's true. I want a full-term pregnancy (which shouldn't be a problem, ha), but I really can't wait to meet her.
Big Sister
~Morgan enjoys kissing and tickling her little sister. And elbowing her while crawling on mommy. ;-)
~Morgan is now fully integrated into her big girl bed. We kept the crib in her room for a week but she never even asked for it or looked back so off to the other room it went on Sunday. She did very well with this part of the transition and now calls it "Baby's bed" whenever she notices it.
~Morgan hasn't woken up with a wet diaper since she started sleeping in her big girl bed. We didn't talk to her about it or anything but just praised her in the morning when she woke up dry (like it's the coolest thing ever, since it is). It's been a week ago Sunday. PROUD.
~Morgan's language is at least at the 2 1/2-3 year old level right now according to my norm data. She's picking up new words every day and frequently using 4-word utterances. Lots of times she says 3-word utterances back to back but I'm not prepared to call those 6-word utterances...yet. ;-)
~While she is the shining apple of our eye at the moment, she is also becoming QUITE the little drama queen sometimes with meltdowns. They are typically short-lived but they are getting a bit more intense.
~When she gets "owies," she now has the choice to either get a kiss or be tough. She chooses both about equally much to Daddy's enjoyment.
~Morgan is becoming SUPER brave on playground equipment and tonight she went down the second biggest curly slide she's ever seen. She freely climbs up ladders (with MorD right there to catch but really aren't needed), chains, and other climbing equipment with foot/hand holds. And she LOVES it.
~She's really into praying for people she knows outside of our immediate family at night when we say prayers. It's adorable. And when we ask her at the very end of the night what her favorite part of the day was, her answers are almost always something to smile and laugh about when the other parent gets to hear what it was. Tonight her favorite part was the water and the ducks. (we devoted her awake time to her tonight since we've been crazy house people the past two weeks. we went to the park to feed the ducks/geese on the pond and then to the playground.)
I love my girls. I feel so lucky to have them and sometimes can't imagine how I thought I'd be living the life of a mommy of all boys (given Adam's lineage and whatnot). I wouldn't trade my girls for the world and I thank God every day for them. xo
Baby Sister
~She continues to kick like crazy. She definitely has her cycles of awake and asleep time, especially when I lay with an unsupported belly on my side. She loved the afternoon portion of my all-day staff meeting yesterday and I wonder if it's b/c she hasn't heard "loud speaker" voices yet.
~I'm 23w1d along. She's about a foot long now and weighs just over a pound, however, if she's anything like Morgan she might be a little more than that in terms of weight.
~I really wonder how she's positioned b/c there are lots of times she kicks me, well, in the rear? Either way, we love feeling her kick and yesterday morning was the first time she really "played" back and forth with Adam.
~I feel like I'm getting to know Baby Sister earlier this time than I did with Morgan. I can't stress how much I love having my babies with me where ever I go while I'm pregnant with them. Sometimes I actually "miss" her even though I haven't formally met her yet. As weird as this all sounds, it's true. I want a full-term pregnancy (which shouldn't be a problem, ha), but I really can't wait to meet her.
Big Sister
~Morgan enjoys kissing and tickling her little sister. And elbowing her while crawling on mommy. ;-)
~Morgan is now fully integrated into her big girl bed. We kept the crib in her room for a week but she never even asked for it or looked back so off to the other room it went on Sunday. She did very well with this part of the transition and now calls it "Baby's bed" whenever she notices it.
~Morgan hasn't woken up with a wet diaper since she started sleeping in her big girl bed. We didn't talk to her about it or anything but just praised her in the morning when she woke up dry (like it's the coolest thing ever, since it is). It's been a week ago Sunday. PROUD.
~Morgan's language is at least at the 2 1/2-3 year old level right now according to my norm data. She's picking up new words every day and frequently using 4-word utterances. Lots of times she says 3-word utterances back to back but I'm not prepared to call those 6-word utterances...yet. ;-)
~While she is the shining apple of our eye at the moment, she is also becoming QUITE the little drama queen sometimes with meltdowns. They are typically short-lived but they are getting a bit more intense.
~When she gets "owies," she now has the choice to either get a kiss or be tough. She chooses both about equally much to Daddy's enjoyment.
~Morgan is becoming SUPER brave on playground equipment and tonight she went down the second biggest curly slide she's ever seen. She freely climbs up ladders (with MorD right there to catch but really aren't needed), chains, and other climbing equipment with foot/hand holds. And she LOVES it.
~She's really into praying for people she knows outside of our immediate family at night when we say prayers. It's adorable. And when we ask her at the very end of the night what her favorite part of the day was, her answers are almost always something to smile and laugh about when the other parent gets to hear what it was. Tonight her favorite part was the water and the ducks. (we devoted her awake time to her tonight since we've been crazy house people the past two weeks. we went to the park to feed the ducks/geese on the pond and then to the playground.)
I love my girls. I feel so lucky to have them and sometimes can't imagine how I thought I'd be living the life of a mommy of all boys (given Adam's lineage and whatnot). I wouldn't trade my girls for the world and I thank God every day for them. xo
Monday, August 22, 2011
Ex. Haust. Ed.
That would be one of the top 3 words to describe Adam and I after 12 days of getting the house ready for sale. The other two words? Hopeful and Anxious. We're possibly sitting in an even BETTER position to buy the house we want as the sellers are becoming more desperate by the hour and we have about a week to take super advantage. After that, it's just regular advantage. More on that later.
The house is pretty much ready. There are a few things we're hiring out yet but they are small, really, and my super amazing cleaning person is finishing up our "project" house tomorrow afternoon. Sara (realtor, best in the biz) came and took pictures today. She also went over all the paperwork and it was all I could do but to sign and say find us a buyer before sending her off. All the realtors in her office are coming through our house tomorrow.
Morgan's been a trooper through all this. We took her out for ice cream last night and she has a promise of a night at the park tomorrow for sitting so well (thank you, Bubble Guppies and Diego) during paperwork time. Walking around the house and taking pictures time? Totally different ballgame/child.
I'm tired. I have to make a list for the cleaning person tomorrow. More soon. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I'm posting SOLD soon...
The house is pretty much ready. There are a few things we're hiring out yet but they are small, really, and my super amazing cleaning person is finishing up our "project" house tomorrow afternoon. Sara (realtor, best in the biz) came and took pictures today. She also went over all the paperwork and it was all I could do but to sign and say find us a buyer before sending her off. All the realtors in her office are coming through our house tomorrow.
Morgan's been a trooper through all this. We took her out for ice cream last night and she has a promise of a night at the park tomorrow for sitting so well (thank you, Bubble Guppies and Diego) during paperwork time. Walking around the house and taking pictures time? Totally different ballgame/child.
I'm tired. I have to make a list for the cleaning person tomorrow. More soon. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I'm posting SOLD soon...
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Dear Morgan,
Thank you for being such a good girl when we go out for dinner. And anywhere, really. Don't get me wrong, you're no little angel as you still have your "toddler" moments. But it warms my heart that people notice you're well behaved in public (again, 98% of the time) and I'm very proud of you for that.
Love, your mommy who doesn't like to be cooped up in the house all the time and enjoys taking you places. xo
Thank you for being such a good girl when we go out for dinner. And anywhere, really. Don't get me wrong, you're no little angel as you still have your "toddler" moments. But it warms my heart that people notice you're well behaved in public (again, 98% of the time) and I'm very proud of you for that.
Love, your mommy who doesn't like to be cooped up in the house all the time and enjoys taking you places. xo
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Quick update
Ok...hello roller coaster ride.
As of Tuesday night, we had decided against the whole selling/buying house thing. It was too risky and we were pretty sure that while we COULD do it, we shouldn't do it.
As of this morning, I was starting to lean more towards Adam's theory that we can do this and it shouldn't be a problem. Dang him and his research.
As of tonight, after a very candid discussion between Adam and our realtor, I'm 99% we're back on for listing this house and seeing what happens. We'll write a contingency offer on our current house that we have to get the house we want before leaving/selling this house so in case it sells, we're not living on the curb or in an (gasp, not again) apartment.
Our realtor isn't coming until Monday evening which makes me feel MUCH better about the state of the house as it is. Really, there isn't much to do besides hiring someone to come in and do major top/bottom deep cleaning and finishing a bit more of the organization of a few rooms, basic cleaning, and binning up our (sniffle sniffle) family/personal pictures.
Wish us luck...God will continue to lead us on the path we are to be on and I truly trust in his judgement and grace. Let's just hope we hear him correctly before it's too late one way or the other!
As of Tuesday night, we had decided against the whole selling/buying house thing. It was too risky and we were pretty sure that while we COULD do it, we shouldn't do it.
As of this morning, I was starting to lean more towards Adam's theory that we can do this and it shouldn't be a problem. Dang him and his research.
As of tonight, after a very candid discussion between Adam and our realtor, I'm 99% we're back on for listing this house and seeing what happens. We'll write a contingency offer on our current house that we have to get the house we want before leaving/selling this house so in case it sells, we're not living on the curb or in an (gasp, not again) apartment.
Our realtor isn't coming until Monday evening which makes me feel MUCH better about the state of the house as it is. Really, there isn't much to do besides hiring someone to come in and do major top/bottom deep cleaning and finishing a bit more of the organization of a few rooms, basic cleaning, and binning up our (sniffle sniffle) family/personal pictures.
Wish us luck...God will continue to lead us on the path we are to be on and I truly trust in his judgement and grace. Let's just hope we hear him correctly before it's too late one way or the other!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Well...let's be spontaneous, shall we?
So here's the deal. I realize it's been a while since I posted but there's good reason...
The $h!t hit the fan on Tuesday. A week or two ago, Adam found a house he wanted us to look at. I digress - Adam does not care for our house. I don't mind it and actually love quite a few things about this house (hello kids' bedrooms! Huge!!) but we both knew that this was not going to be our "forever" house from the beginning. So opposite of digressing - regressing? - we looked at this house in a lovely subdivision about 2-3 miles from our house (in Mark Twain for all you Muscatine-ers) and it was rather easy to say no and move on...however, our amazing realtor (who we really love - she's truly amazing and the best in the area at what she does) said that if we had time, there was another house around the corner in the subdivision that we should look at that was comparable in price (even a little less) with better upgrades and whatnot. So off we go...
Only to find the house of our dreams. Seriously, this is the house that we pictured as our "forever" house. It's beautiful. It's ready to go and I could only find 3 minor things I might change over YEARS (meaning not projects that need to be done immediately) but only b/c it could be our forever house and we'd make it ours all the way. With our current house, we like it but there are just projects after projects that we can't seem to stop doing b/c we want it to be ours and it's endless. That said, I do like our house now - it's NOT a bad house contrary to Adam's popular belief.
So here are my thoughts -
The $h!t hit the fan on Tuesday. A week or two ago, Adam found a house he wanted us to look at. I digress - Adam does not care for our house. I don't mind it and actually love quite a few things about this house (hello kids' bedrooms! Huge!!) but we both knew that this was not going to be our "forever" house from the beginning. So opposite of digressing - regressing? - we looked at this house in a lovely subdivision about 2-3 miles from our house (in Mark Twain for all you Muscatine-ers) and it was rather easy to say no and move on...however, our amazing realtor (who we really love - she's truly amazing and the best in the area at what she does) said that if we had time, there was another house around the corner in the subdivision that we should look at that was comparable in price (even a little less) with better upgrades and whatnot. So off we go...
Only to find the house of our dreams. Seriously, this is the house that we pictured as our "forever" house. It's beautiful. It's ready to go and I could only find 3 minor things I might change over YEARS (meaning not projects that need to be done immediately) but only b/c it could be our forever house and we'd make it ours all the way. With our current house, we like it but there are just projects after projects that we can't seem to stop doing b/c we want it to be ours and it's endless. That said, I do like our house now - it's NOT a bad house contrary to Adam's popular belief.
So here are my thoughts -
- I love the house we are hoping to buy.
- I don't hate our house that we're living in now, but if we're able to buy this new house (which we are) after selling the current one, I'd like my dream house now, not later, thankyouverymuch.
- If our house doesn't sell by Thanksgiving, we're taking it off the market until Spring.
- If we end up staying in this house, it is not a huge deal for us as obviously God didn't have this particular house in the cards for us right now. It also means that some of the projects that we've been meaning to get done will also have just gotten done a whole lot faster.
- Our realtor is shooting for us to have about a week turn-around for us to have the house "list-ready." Holy. Buckets. Needless to say, we've been working our @$$e$ off since Wednesday.
- I really hope this works out but am not going to be heartbroken if it doesn't. I realize the economy's in a downward spiral at the moment so my hopes are not super high...but boy if it does... :-D <--that's me in my new house.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Brought to you by the letter 'L'
Morgan has, in the past week or so, decided to really notice and start using the /l/ sound. I must say, it's interesting that she's suddenly shown this awareness of this sound as I've not even tried to show her /l/ in any sort of detail outside of normal speech b/c it's wayyyy too early developmentally for her to be worrying about that sound (think K-1st grade-ish, depending on the SLP). It's hard to catch on video so I'll spare myself that, but when she's really trying to make the /l/ sound, her tongue comes wayyyy out and flips around a little bit before moving on. It's rather hilarious. I giggle to myself, say it back to her with a good /l/, and move on. Just another one of those things that she says/does in error now that is totally cute but won't be to her building SLP when she's older.
In other news, Adam's parents came into town again this weekend to visit which is always pleasant and appreciated (we love having family to visit!! Especially Morgan!). It just so happened that we needed a sitter Saturday afternoon and Grandma was much obliged to help out while Al was watching Adam's softball games. After a lovely baby shower (first twin baby shower for me!), I went home to change and get Morgan and Grandma to head to more of Adam's games. Morgan did extremely well considering it was relatively hot, we were there for several hours, and ended up having dinner at bedtime and bedtime at 9pm. Did I mention it was sheer bliss that I was able to sleep in until 7:40am the next morning b/c she was so tired? :) I wouldn't recommend this being a regular event, however. She didn't nap long Sunday afternoon and the rest of the day was a whole lot of whining and crying b/c she was so over tired. Needless to say, she was in bed ON TIME last night and again let us sleep in until 7:30am today. Sigh. LOVE that extra sleep time...
Which brings me to the dreaded "this is my last week" post. I remember writing this last year too with more emotion and tears, I believe. I start regular work hours/contract time again on Monday which is both good and bad. Good b/c we will all be in routine again, Morgan will get to see her friends and beloved Mary, and I will be doing a job I love. Bad for the obvious - I will miss her like crazy. The amount of hours I won't be seeing her compared to now makes me very sad...the options to go do fun things or even keep the house up/clean will be sorely missed. I'm thinking after Christmas it will be time to get a cleaning lady...at least every other week, although my ideal situation would be weekly. We shall see...
More soon. It's almost time to deal with the completion of Go Diego Go and haul a sad little hiney outside to play...which might save us from the Diego ending storm. Yet another thing we're working on... :-D
PS. Baby Sister is continuing to be active and growing. She doesn't wake me up at night, but she definitely keeps me up at night if I'm awake for something and my mind starts going...she can usually tell when I'm up and thinking and then stays up for quite a while practicing her acrobatics. Adam's alarm doesn't help either...which is a problem that will be solved next week, I suppose. :-/
In other news, Adam's parents came into town again this weekend to visit which is always pleasant and appreciated (we love having family to visit!! Especially Morgan!). It just so happened that we needed a sitter Saturday afternoon and Grandma was much obliged to help out while Al was watching Adam's softball games. After a lovely baby shower (first twin baby shower for me!), I went home to change and get Morgan and Grandma to head to more of Adam's games. Morgan did extremely well considering it was relatively hot, we were there for several hours, and ended up having dinner at bedtime and bedtime at 9pm. Did I mention it was sheer bliss that I was able to sleep in until 7:40am the next morning b/c she was so tired? :) I wouldn't recommend this being a regular event, however. She didn't nap long Sunday afternoon and the rest of the day was a whole lot of whining and crying b/c she was so over tired. Needless to say, she was in bed ON TIME last night and again let us sleep in until 7:30am today. Sigh. LOVE that extra sleep time...
Which brings me to the dreaded "this is my last week" post. I remember writing this last year too with more emotion and tears, I believe. I start regular work hours/contract time again on Monday which is both good and bad. Good b/c we will all be in routine again, Morgan will get to see her friends and beloved Mary, and I will be doing a job I love. Bad for the obvious - I will miss her like crazy. The amount of hours I won't be seeing her compared to now makes me very sad...the options to go do fun things or even keep the house up/clean will be sorely missed. I'm thinking after Christmas it will be time to get a cleaning lady...at least every other week, although my ideal situation would be weekly. We shall see...
More soon. It's almost time to deal with the completion of Go Diego Go and haul a sad little hiney outside to play...which might save us from the Diego ending storm. Yet another thing we're working on... :-D
PS. Baby Sister is continuing to be active and growing. She doesn't wake me up at night, but she definitely keeps me up at night if I'm awake for something and my mind starts going...she can usually tell when I'm up and thinking and then stays up for quite a while practicing her acrobatics. Adam's alarm doesn't help either...which is a problem that will be solved next week, I suppose. :-/
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
One for Daddy
Morgan and I have our bedtime routine for her down pretty tight. Adam has a similar "daddy" version and she loves them both. Ours goes a little something like this: I set up the room (fan, lamp for reading, monitor and noise machine on), we read 2 books (unless she desperately needs a 3rd), we say prayers, and we walk to her bed while I ask her what her favorite part of her day was (you know, ending the day on a good note, I suppose), hugs/love and that's it. Here's how the end of tonight's went (be careful - your heart might melt a little) -
(walking to her crib)
Me: "Morgan, what was your favorite part about your day?"
Morgan: (Skyping with) "Daddy!!!"
Me: "Oh honey, that was one of my favorite parts, too."
I seriously love that kid and how she can make her daddy's face light up from thousands of miles away (after I call him and tell him how awesome she is) . xo
(walking to her crib)
Me: "Morgan, what was your favorite part about your day?"
Morgan: (Skyping with) "Daddy!!!"
Me: "Oh honey, that was one of my favorite parts, too."
I seriously love that kid and how she can make her daddy's face light up from thousands of miles away (after I call him and tell him how awesome she is) . xo
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
When the ABCs met Twinkle Twinkle
Here you go - when the ABCs met Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...
How stinkin' cute was that? Silly kid. Sorry for all the heiney. I want to post it on Facebook so bad but am still debating. Clearly, singing is one of Morgan's new favorite past times. xo
Today I had my 20 week appointment for Baby Sister. There was a mix up and I ended up seeing the guy doctor again (gasp...) but it was only a heartbeat check and discussion the end. Plus he's pretty great in terms of doctors and if I hadn't fallen in love with my midwife, I might have chosen him next even though he's a guy and that breaks my rules of "no guy OB/GYN unless I'm in labor." It went very well and here are some things I learned:
- Baby Sister's heartbeat is in the 150s (they never tell me a flat out number anymore...not like it's always exact...but I had those numbers with Morgan and I'm linear).
- I've gained 10lbs since my 8 (which was really my 7) week appointment. This makes me smile b/c they didn't get to count my "I'm pregnant and eating the way I want to" weight gain before that first check up. If I'm going by my scale, I think I'm up around 13 but we'll stick with 10 b/c I clearly love that number 100x better.
- Morgan is a peach at appointments if I bring fruit snacks and the appt lasts 8 minutes. :)
- It's ok that Morgan keeps elbowing me in the belly when crawling all over me even though it feels like she might have just cracked one of Baby Sister's ribs (and mine, too).
- It's ok for me to keep mowing grass while Adam's traveling. :)
- I forgot to ask about my headaches which I'm 99% sure are a result of dehydration and/or heat.
Here's to hoping the video worked! *clink*
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