Big news, WE’RE BUYING A HOUSE! No, seriously. We’re buying a house.
The best thing about the house is the location. It’s just outside the beltway in Annandale, VA in a community called Truro. Truro is nearly all modern homes built in the late 60′s and early 70′s. There are perks like a community pool, tennis courts, and all these wooded hiking/biking trails. It’s in one of the best school districts in the DC metro area. Truro seems like a fantastic place to raise a family, and we love that all the homes are modern style.
The house itself is AWESOME. It checks all the boxes plus more. It’s huge, around 2,300 square feet. Has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a separate family room, a master bathroom, a garage, two fireplaces, and nearly a 1/2 acre private wooded lot. The things I love most about the house are the floor-to-ceiling windows and cathedral wood ceiling in the living/dining room. The modern style is exactly what we’re looking for. The other thing I love is that it’s completely move-in ready. We don’t even have to paint. And there’s potential in the future to improve the value of the home. Adding hardwood floors and renovating the kitchen are something we’d definitely do down the line.
It’s so crazy and happening so fast! We found a home inspector and are doing the inspection on Sunday. This guy is awesome. He’s on HGTV and DIY Network and is basically the “Holmes” of DC. A co-worker recommended him and I can’t wait until Sunday.
Now we’re working on choosing a lender for our mortgage. At first loans seemed so confusing to me, but now I totally understand what we’re getting and it’s just about finding the most competitive quote.
There’s so much to do! We need to find someone to rent our apartment so we don’t get screwed by our management company. I posted it on craigslist, but so far no bites.
I can’t wait to see the house again and learn all about it on Sunday. Hopefully there are no major issues.
In Joe’s search for a coming home outfit for the baby, he found a cute onesie that said “hello, world” across the front. He didn’t realize this is a double entendre. In programming, printing “hello, world” is often the first program you learn. It’s perfect! So today I bought this onesie. It’s actually custom made because I couldn’t find one with the right font anywhere.
Hopefully it’s the right size and soft enough and everything. Now we need to pick out a cute little cap for him too. I think that’s probably enough for the coming home outfit. On the message boards people post these elaborate outfits with suspenders and buckles and stuff. It seems so uncomfortable for a newborn! This is the first thing he’ll ever wear so I think it should be simple. Plus it will be July so I don’t want something too warm.
I’m starting to get sick of this whole “being pregnant” thing. I’m anxious for him to arrive already. We have about 2 1/2 more months, and something tells me it only gets worse from here.
At least the next three weeks will go by fast. Next weekend we’re going to NYC. It’s Kate’s bachelorette party, so I’ll be going to dinner with them in the city Saturday night. We will also see Joe’s dad and stepmom’s new place, which I’m really excited about. They just sold their house and bought a condo and renovated the whole thing. I can’t wait to see it.
The next weekend after that we’re going to Newport, RI for Joe’s cousin’s wedding. Newport is really nice and it will be fun to see everyone, but by then I will be friggin enormous. I bought this dress to wear.
After that is my baby shower! The BabyQ will be held at my parents’ house on May 5 and should be awesome.
Hopefully all the travel will make the next few weeks fly by. There will be no more travel after that until he’s born.
I finished reading the Steve Jobs book. It was really good. Now I started one of Joe’s favorites, To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.
We’ve started getting gifts from our registry! It’s so exciting. We’ve received several gifts so far. I also ordered the crib mattress and this very cool modern mobile. It has dots and robots and the colors are custom to match the rug. The mattress arrived yesterday and I’m very happy with it. Quality seems great and it’s a perfect fit with the crib.
We signed up for two classes at the hospital:
Childbirth Education Preparation Class
Personalized preparation for your birth experience that includes: what to expect at each stage of labor, how to work with your labor, possible interventions, your birth plan, some comfort measures and a tour of the perinatal department. All questions are welcomed. Taught by a Certified Childbirth Educator.
Baby Care and Infant CPR Class
Learn about newborn care, growth and development, adaptations and hands on doll practice. Learn to understand when your baby is doing well and when he/she needs help. Infant CPR skills – birth to 1 year – are taught by a Certified American Heart Association CPR Instructor.
These wont be until the end of May, beginning of June though.
The only bummer lately is that I failed my glucose screening test and need to do this intense three-hour glucose tolerance test tomorrow, starting at 7am. It may have had something to do with the incredibly large Icee I had at the Hunger Games movie the day before my test with Erin. Oops.
It was my birthday on Sunday. Lucky number 26. Joe and Erin gave me such a great weekend. On Saturday Eri took me to get a manicure/pedicure. We both got purple and it was really fun. Joe made a delicious dinner for me Saturday night. He made butter poached lobster tails over crispy crab latkes and my all-time favorite, Gabe’s seafood salad.
Sunday we all went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I love aquariums! The fish were so interesting and they had an awesome shark exhibit. It was very cool. We walked around Federal Hill in Baltimore for a while and ate lunch at Abbey’s Burger Bistro, which was pretty awesome. They had a great beer list and all different kinds of burger meats.
Joe gave me two birthday gifts. One was this duffel bag that we can use for the hospital “go bag” when the baby is born. The other was this Lullaby Renditions of Weezer CD. It’s baby music made from Weezer’s best hits. SO COOL!!! I love it.
This weekend we’re going to Florida for Passover at Nana’s house. I’m really excited to see everyone.
The sad news is I’m nearing the end of compiling our registry. What seemed so overwhelming a month or two ago is now completely under control. There are a few things here and there that I still need to add, but it’s basically done. It’s a ton of stuff. And I’m sure I didn’t think of everything.
The latest “big decision” was which diaper bag to get. We want one that is unisex messenger bag style, so Joe will wear it too. Also I don’t want one that is too big. Some of these diaper bags are monstrosities that could double as a backpack through Europe, and that seems a bit excessive. I hate schlepping tons of stuff with me, so I want a bag that holds just the essentials. After viewing a ton of bags online and many bags in the store, I finally settled on this one. I like it better in person than in the picture. It’s the right size, not feminine, has all kinds of pockets, a changing pad is included, and the pockets on the sides are insulated for bottles.
I also registered for this changing station thing, which got great reviews and seemed like it would be useful for quick trips or anytime we don’t need to bring a whole diaper bag with us.
The nursery is still coming along. The crib arrived last week and Joe assembled it. It looks awesome! It’s so nice and matches the dresser perfectly. The quality is so good. I’m really glad we were able to get a higher end crib. It makes a big difference. Thanks Mom and Dad!!
We also started putting up the curtains. They look great. The dark brown color matches the colors in the rug and adds some nice contrast since everything is so light in the room. I think the only other thing I might buy as it gets closer to the baby shower is the crib mattress and a mobile. I’ve yet to pick out the mobile but I think I might buy it from etsy.com, which will make it difficult to register for.
We bought the rug! It arrived yesterday and looks awesome. I really love it. It’s fun for a kid’s room, but modern and cool and not cutesy. I don’t care for baby-themed stuff. The only thing in the room that will be “baby” patterned are maybe some fitted sheets. MAYBE. Still going for a modern look. I want to find a dramatic mobile to hang from the ceiling, with that and the rug being the design centerpieces of the room.
Well and the crib of course! Mom and Dad are buying the crib for my birthday and it’s already shipped! I’m so excited to get it. It will match the dresser perfectly and gets incredible reviews. People say the materials and construction are outstanding and the design is totally our style. It’s going to look so good.
I picked out this mattress, but will hold off on ordering for a while. We’ve got plenty of time. I like it because it’s all foam and reversible. One side is extra firm for a newborn and the other side is a bit softer for a toddler.
In other baby news, I finished assembling all the shower invitations last night. We will send them out today or tomorrow. www.babypally.com is up and running. It’s mostly geared towards the shower, but our registry is also available there.
Working on www.joepally.com now for Joe’s comedy. Hopefully I can knock it out in the next few days. Today’s Friday and it’s finally started to feel like winter is over. I’m looking forward to the weekend.
Found a very cool house today that’s our style and in Virginia! It’s a bit dated but has a ton of potential. The location is actually incredible. It’s inside the beltway, very close to DC and Arlington, and is a great neighborhood with the right schools.
It needs some work, but looks to be all cosmetic. Kitchen and baths could be redone, but it has hardwood floors under the carpeting, a master bathroom, and looks like two additional bedrooms in the basement (plus three bedrooms on the main floor).
We’ve been half-heartedly house hunting for a while now, keeping an eye out for good finds. It’s both fun and frustrating. We want to save a bit more money, but we also want to buy a home while the market is so good. The hardest part for us is that we’re in love with this mid-century modern style. It’s so interesting and appealing. The homes tend to have high ceilings, huge windows, private wooded yards, and a great use of space. It’s hard to consider anything else for our family home. It would be ideal to find one that still has the original kitchen and baths, as long as they’re in decent shape. We could renovate them over time in our modern style. I always want to gag when I see one of these homes and the owner has put in a traditional style kitchen. It doesn’t match the home and I’d want to tear it out anyways. What a waste!
So we’re going to see this place on Sunday. It’s hard not to get excited about it. I want to save more money but then I see something like this and the mortgage payment would be pretty much the same as our rent. The location is just amazing and the potential is there for a long-term family home. It would be a great investment in a very desirable area. I can’t wait to see it.
I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time looking at area rugs on the Internet. But I think I’ve found one at last! It’s from West Elm and has all the colors I’m looking for. It’s 5′x8′ so it would take up most of the empty floor space in the nursery. The crib would look great on top of it.
I’ve been persuaded not to use crib bumpers, so the idea of buying a complete bedding set has little appeal. They say you’re really only supposed to have a fitted sheet in there, no blankets or anything. So the new plan is to buy an assortment of fun crib sheets that are in the same color family. And possibly a crib skirt, depending on how it looks without.
The other thing I’ve spent a ton of time researching is breastfeeding systems. TMI ALERT! Stop reading if you don’t care about breastfeeding.
Even though I’m a little freaked out, breastfeeding does make total sense. It’s more healthy and more economical. Turns out there’s a lot of stuff you need, especially if you plan to go back to work or if you want anyone else to be able to feed the baby. From what I’ve read, Medela seems to be the best system. They have this portable breastpump and a whole breastmilk storage and feeding system where you can bottle feed the breastmilk. I’ve spent WAY too much time reading Amazon reviews of breastpumps. Like more time than anyone should ever feel compelled to spend. I think this is the system we will go with.
We inherited two huge boxes of baby clothes from Vanesa and Jardieu. There’s so much stuff and it’s all really cute, but we had nowhere to put it. I insisted we go to IKEA and purchase the dresser for the nursery. Fast forward a few hours to Joe assembling the dresser and discovering that it’s missing one of the leg pieces. So annoying! IKEA is supposed to be mailing us the piece, but it’s been a full week and alas, the dresser is still half-assembled and nothing is put away. It we don’t get it in the next few days we may have to drive back to IKEA to get it in person. IKEA sucks.
We also bought this floor lamp for the nursery. There’s no lighting in the room, so it was important that we get something bright enough. It arrived yesterday and I love it! Very modern and 150w is definitely bright. Also, turns out it matches the table lamps we have in the bedroom, so someday those could go in his room too.
Next on the list is crib bedding. I want to decide on a design so I can pick everything else to match. I’ve been looking at curtains for instance, and discovered that they sell “thermal” curtains, which are insulated to keep cold drafts out during the winter and heat out during the summer. They also completely block out light. This is perfect because the nursery has two huge windows and also a door to the balcony. We’ll need to weatherproof the door in the winter, but these curtains should be sufficient for the windows.
So far I like this crib bedding, but I need to look a bit more before I decide. There’s a controversy over crib bumpers, and apparently the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends they not be used because of a risk of suffocation should the infant roll onto it. Read more here. They’re even banned in Chicago. I need to read bit more before deciding if I’m convinced. Seems like the risk is extremely small, but god forbid right? I will probably forgo the bumper.
My birthday is coming up. Lucky number 26. I got my hair cut to celebrate preemptively. This year’s festivities will be pretty low key I imagine.
It’s too bad this house isn’t in Virginia. If it was, today would be a very good day. But sadly it’s in Wheaton, MD and I don’t want to live there, no matter how cool my windows and kitchen are.
Here goes my attempt to blog more frequently. Unfortunately for you, it’s all about baby gear.
We haven’t decided if we will keep the baby in our bedroom for the first few months, or put him in his crib right away. I guess we won’t know for sure until he’s here, but I want to be ready with something for the bedroom if needed.
After MUCH online research, it seems like the best option is to buy one of these Pack ‘n Play things that come with a bassinet. That way you can reuse it later as a playard. My main concern is that the standard “mattress” in the Pack ‘n Play is completely inadequate for a newborn to sleep on every night.
So it turns out they make this playard mattress that fits perfectly in the Pack ‘n Play and is made for infants. There are sheets that go with it and everything. It seems so simple, but I’ve been researching the options for weeks and finally concluded that this is the most practical, economical, and most importantly safest and comfortable for the baby.
This weekend I want to check out the Pack ‘n Play in the store, and if I like it, onto the registry it will go. Not sure who still reads this blog, but if you have kids, where did your baby sleep for the first few months?
I ordered invitations for my baby shower, which will be held at my parent’s house in Mass. I’m really excited for the BBQ (babyQ) theme and the invitation design came out great. Hopefully the colors all print right. I’m working on www.babypally.com, where people can RSVP to the shower. Also working on www.joepally.com for Joe’s comedy site. AND of course our wedding album is still hanging over my head. Lots to do in the next few weeks and months…
It was an exciting weekend. We cleaned out the sun room to get it ready for the nursery! We put up some bookcases to separate it from the living room, which miraculously fit ALL of our books. I still want to get baskets for the empty shelves to add some extra storage. We put up another shelf in my walk-in closet, with a whole side free for the baby. I even ordered baby-sized hangers from Amazon.
Everything is moved out of the nursery and it sits empty, anxiously awaiting the very cool furniture I’ve picked out. It’s a small space so we have to be a bit creative. This is the crib I want. And this is the dresser that will match. I’m going to put a changing pad on top of the dresser so it will double as a changing table.
I still need to pick out the rest of the decor, but everything will be pretty neutral and modern, no cutesy bears or whatever people decorate nurseries with nowadays. Our style does not include pastel colors and baby blocks everywhere, plus the nursery is open to the living room, so I want it to be neutral enough to match.
I really LOVE this rug we saw at Crate & Barrel. The photo does not do it justice, but it’s $500 so I think I will have to concede on that one. Bummer.
There is so much stuff to pick out, it’s a bit overwhelming. I guess I have some time still, but I want to research everything and the list keeps getting longer. Next up is one of those pack-n-plays that can double as a bassinet if we want to keep him in the bedroom with us at first. All the pack-n-play mattresses seem inadequate, so I’m looking for ones where you can buy a separate mattress to put in.
This weekend we’re hoping to get together with Jardieu and Vanesa to see baby Joseph and ask a million questions about newborns.
I finished reading The Hunger Games series and moved on to Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson. It’s just in time to inspire my recent purchase of a 15″ MacBook Pro! Work bought me a computer so I could work from home with the baby and it’s so sweet. It’s huge and new and shiny and awesome. I ♥ Apple.
Can I get a drum roll please… IT’S A BOY!
We had our ultrasound on Tuesday and it turns out that everyone was right except me. Both our families thought it was a boy, but I was sticking to my guns for a girl. Nope, wrong. So much for motherly instincts.
A boy is great news and we are both thrilled. Joe is very proud. We decided on a name already but we’re not telling anyone until he’s born. Except maybe my mom, who I doubt can make it five more months without knowing.
They do 3D ultrasounds at our hospital, which was unexpected and very cool. Even at 18 weeks we could see his little face and everything.
I’m continuing to window (browser window) shop for the nursery. I think I’ve picked out the crib and dresser I want. And we might buy this awesome glider from craigslist that retails for $995. Joe found it for $225 and the sellers are really nice. We looked at the crib and changing table they’re also selling but they’re too big for our space. Nice stuff though and the couple seems normal. It wouldn’t be my first choice glider, but it’s such a great deal and nothing else even compares that’s in our price range. Hopefully it works out.
Erin is starting to organize my baby shower, which we’ll do at my parents’ house May 5. I’m designing really cute invitations and it will be a BBQ theme, a babyQ if you will.
Otherwise, I just finished reading The Hunger Games and it was so good! Now I’m onto the second book, Catching Fire.
Just a quick update. In my effort to be a more active blogger, I will now share with you some of the baby stuff I’ve been surfing the Internet for the past few weeks.
As it turns out, there is a TON of stuff you need for babies. Like so much stuff that they make entire books about baby gear and what to buy. I have one such book and it’s been very helpful in explaining the differences between the many varieties of strollers, car seats, cribs, carriers, etc.
Luckily, the overwhelming task of choosing baby stuff has been fun so far. I’m leaning towards this stroller, which is a bit pricey but totally awesome and superior to all other strollers. You can remove the seat and attach an infant car seat instead to make it a travel system until the baby outgrows the car seat, which is perfect.
This is the car seat I’m considering. I’m nearly decided, but I want to do a bit more research on where it gets installed in the car (middle of backseat vs. side of backseat). It gets great reviews, I like how it looks, and safety ratings are on par with all the other competitors.
Also working on finding nursery furniture, but I’ll save that for another post.
We go for a checkup tomorrow and should be able to schedule our next ultrasound, where we’ll find out if it’s a boy or girl! I am beyond excited. The suspense is getting out of hand really.
Wow it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. A LOT has happened. I’m hoping now I can get back in the swing of things and return to regular posting in the new year.
Let’s see… what to announce first? We bought a car! Joe and I are the proud owners of a brand new 2012 Volkswagen GLI Autobahn. It’s a sporty high-end Jetta with sweet rims, leather seats, a sun roof, and all kinds of cool features. We love it.
The car purchase immediately followed my promotion at work. I am now the Director of Web and Technology. I rock!
Also, I finished my Master’s degree. I’m now a graduate of Pace University with a Master of Science in Internet Technology for e-Commerce. I’m relieved to be done with school and proud of myself for finishing my degree in less than three years while working full time.
And the biggest news of all is that I’m pregnant! No for real. It’s crazy. Joe and I are expecting our little one July 1, 2012. We are beyond excited. I’m looking forward to finding out if it’s a boy or a girl in a month or so. I think that will make the whole thing feel even more real. It’s weird to think of myself as a mother, but I guess I’ve got some time to get used to it. =)
So life has been pretty different lately. Lots to look forward to in 2012.