HEY YOU GUYS

HEY GUYS!!! We finally have internet again!!!! So happy to be back in the game. I can't believe that it's been almost a month since my last post. Soooo many things have changed.

We have a new home, I have a new job, we have an entirely new routing for Dex, and oh yeah, I've hit that third trimester. 30 weeks by now actually. I feel as though I'm almost living a new life.

However, in this new life, we have been doing a lot of settling. Today was the last day in my first full week of new job/ half-time stay at home mama. (The other half of the time is Logan being a stay at home dad!)

So I'm a little tuckered to try to start a full update. It is to come for sure. I also hear that wonderful door, meaning my two year old is up from his nap. More to come soon, I promise! But for now... I need to go and smother my boy in wake up kisses.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

There have been many changes since my last post. First, I will apologize for how long it has been. Due to these changes, I have really not had any time or internet to get any posts up. (Including now… this post is being written with hopes to get it up soon.)

I guess I’ll start with the basics. We are all doing well. Busy and slightly stressed, but good. I am now 27 weeks pregnant, meaning I am entering my third trimester. I have no idea how I’ve gotten this far along! I went to a Dr. appointment on Monday and fully expected to go back in another month. Instead I was told to go back in three weeks for my 30 week check-up and then every two weeks after that. What? Didn’t I just take a look at those little lines appearing? How am I at that point? But anyway… Still feeling well. Slight heartburn occasionally, but other than that still going strong. I’ve gained a total of 15 pounds so far. I feel my hormones taking over occasionally, but nothing like last time. (Sorry to Logan and the other two members of the tri-force for bearing the brunt of most of that).

Now on to the changes. There have been two major changes in the last few weeks. One is that we are in the process of moving. Due to some issues of safety (don’t worry, noone was hurt, but we are going to make sure that stays that way), we decided a quick change of venue was in order. So, we are now taking it slightly slow and getting our stuff over to a new apartment. Meaning dealing with not ever having everything I need, and often not staying at the same place as Logan. It has been easier for him to be closer to work for the moment of having one car, which makes sense in our heads but is hard to do for sure.

The other change is that I have officially given my two weeks at my job and taken another position. I will (and have already started) be a personal assistant/ office manager for a woman that owns her own business. I am really excited about the change. It will be nice to have a job that isn’t on my feet and is different from what I have been doing for the last few years. It also allows us to work a schedule around Logan’s work schedule so our child(ren!) will be able to stay home with one of us and not have to go to daycare.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where this all takes us, but for now am working two jobs, moving, watching Declan quite a bit by myself and entering my third trimester. It is a lot, but I feel strangely more motivated when kept busier. It is sort of like working full time and taking three grad school classes while in my first trimester with Dex. It just makes me feel less sedentary to have a super full plate. I hope that feeling continues and doesn’t turn into being too overwhelmed!

I have faith. That it will all work out. 

And just because I haven't posted any in awhile... there are tons more, but no time right now!

Love for Mommy and "baby brudder" 

Post bath hair. Look how long it is!

Home Sweet Home

So Dear Readers,

We have a new home. I can't believe it's been ten days since I last posted. To play that broken record one last time... that's what having no internet does. Things here have changed quite a bit in the last few days. I have a new position at my school and we have a new home. I am now the Accelerated Pre-K teacher and have my own class. It's a big transition for all of us but I'm excited about the prospects.

And we have  a new home! We pretty much moved across the street, so Logan can still walk to work. We have TWO bedrooms again so Logan and I don't have to sleep in the living room anymore, and we can finally settle. It was really scary for me to have a whole year lease ahead of me... I wasn't sure if I was ready for that kind of commitment, but I think it will be good. I'm excited to actually be able to decorate and make it OURS. I feel like Declan is starting to get to the age where he will start caring about his home and his room, and I'm so glad I get to give that to him. (Though a house would be great also...)

Speaking of that little devil, to update those who miss him greatly... He is going to be a Roman gladiator for Halloween. He was a pretty big hit at school and I had lots of people ask me where I got it and look pretty boggled when I said I made it. Hopefully he will get distracted enough to wear his golden laurel wreath out on Halloween or else you mayyyy get him confused with an angel or a girl or something. He is talking more now. He repeats a lot of words and is constantly describing things around him. I don't like that he has picked up saying "Mine" from school, but what can you do. He walks well and mostly runs everywhere he goes. He is a pretty picky eater which we are trying to change. He loves his stuffed musical sheep, Daisy. Sometimes he prefers to sleep in his pack and play because it makes him feel safe. He has three molars and the fourth is coming in along with the two bottom teeth to make a foursome down there. He is so funny and sunny and loving. He gives hugs and kisses and waves goodbye to everyone. Pretty much he is awesome.

I suppose I should go start unpacking otherwise Declan will unpack it all for me tomorrow by throwing it around the apartment or putting things in random drawers. I'm so happy to have the internet back!

Tomorrow!

We had a great weekend getting to hang out with lots of family. Logan's mom was in town so we had many family dinners and Declan learned to say "Hello" (or more precisely... Hewwo). However, the germs that the little man were introduced to at school last week have officially taken their toll. He was starting a cold this weekend, and just when I thought it was getting better... he woke up yesterday morning with his eyes glued shut from yucky stuff coming out. His eye isn't red so I'm thinking it's not pinkeye. I think it's just the cold coming out every place it can. My poor guy. Everyone send good thoughts our way because my health insurance won't kick in for awhile!

However, I'm sure he will be in a good mood because tomorrow my brother comes to town! I'm super psyched to show him around Austin and I know that he will fall in love. I can't wait. Then... on Friday my mom will be here too! We always spend Columbus Day weekend together, usually in VT, but we're bringing the Foleys to Austin to take over. Hopefully we can find some stand-ins for our usual array of events. 

So I've been thinking about what I miss the most of what we didn't bring with us to move cross country. (Just in case anyone ever is wondering what the important things are)

*Our mattress

*Vacuum

*Microwave

*TV

There really isn't a whole lot else that I miss, and the only thing we have replaced on that list is our mattress because we needed somewhere to sleep. 

Sorry that this is kind of all over the place. Without being able to update more often, I kind of forget what I had wanted to say. Ahh... off to enjoy my few moments of alone time during the rest of my break. 

Missing everyone back home!!!

Cowboy Baby

Yesterday in our unpacking, we found the cowboy boots Declan got for his birthday. The exciting news... they finally fit AND he can walk so he can tromp around in them. The even more exciting news is that he loves them. He woke up this morning and saw them sitting next to the other shoes. He brought them over to Logan and by the time I was upstairs, he was already a mini cowboy.

I love watching him care about things and gain preferences for some things over others. He is growing up and growing into himself and his personality. I can't wait to see where it goes.

We have been busy packing and cleaning and moving into our new place, and hopefully will be fully in by this evening. Once we're there, we won't have internet and probably won't until at least one of us has a job and can afford another bill thrown our way. So until then it will be internet on our phones of course, but for the majority of communication- coffee shops and libraries.

Cowboy pictures to come. :-)

Hellooo Austin Texas

Well guys, we've made it. Actually... we made it here Tuesday night. Sorry about the lack of updates, but we got here pretty late on Tuesday and then my mom and D man got here Wednesday, so we've been trying to settle and show my mom around. It's been a good time so far since I have decided it's still a vacation for me as long as my mom is here. After she leaves I'll buckle down and do the whole "getting a job" thing again. Logan has an interview at Barnes and Noble on Tuesday... a second interview since he already had a phone interview. So let's all cross our fingers and think good thoughts and pray according to what works for you that all works out. Once we know at least where one of us works, we can work on getting a place to live and getting our lives more together. For now we're just seeing the sights and spending quality family time together.

Arkansas!

Well... we have been on our trip for two LONG days of driving so far. We've made it to Arkansas and have finally stopped for the night and have actually found WiFi for the first time on the trip. (PS we tried using it at McDonald's and... well... it didn't work. You suck McDonald's) It's late and we need to sleep so we can finish out the rest of the ride tomorrow so this is just a short update as to where we are. I'll write more about the trip later but some highlights...

*Tennessee takes FOREVER to drive through. Legit I think it took 12 hours.

*We weren't able to take a trailer... we ended up taking a truck and towing our car. More about that debacle later.

*Stopped in Bucksnort, TN. No really... Bucksnort. Come on. (Note from Logan... they must have a good dental industry there. It seems as though they were able to save three whole teeth for the gas station attendant)

*We miss Declan like crazy.

*The waiter at Cracker Barrel (who called me Ma'am in every single sentence, even if he wasn't talking to me, he worked it in there somehow) is praying for our us and our trip. It was sweet but a bit of overkill. I'm really not doing the story justice now. He was ridiculous.

Needing sleep now. Until next time we are Texas bound!

Last Day to Pack

I sit here, surrounded by to-do lists, piles of things to get packed, and my 16 month old toddling around undoing every job I complete and attempting to unpack everything I put into boxes. Today is my last day to get this done. I won't be leaving for Texas until Sunday, but today is my last day at this newest "home". I have two days of wedding fun ahead of me, but I am slightly unable to see it at this moment.

I can't believe that this is really happening. I've been wanting the excitement and adventure of moving to a completely different place for the last two or three years. I had gone so far to make plans to move to Oklahoma before Logan and I got together. I had started the application to OSU, had a place to stay and even had plane tickets booked for my friend who was going to drive there with me. Then I met Logan and fell completely and totally head-over-heels in love, and just couldn't go. I stayed to find out where things could go and was pregnant within two months. My traveling adventures came to a pause.

I say pause because here we are, about to press the play button again. I stayed while I was pregnant and while Declan was small because I needed the comfort of having my family around, and also because I couldn't bear to take him away from them. I have always been close with my family. We celebrate every holiday together from Christmas to the 4th of July. I want that for him. I want him to know his cousins and grandparents and have that special bond. So it tears my hearts apart a little to know that I'm taking him away from that (with my side of the family anyway). However, I know that we are young and if we are to adventure, now is the time. We are at points in our careers that it is easy to leave them, Declan is not in school yet, and it will only get harder from here. Anything can happen. I know that if I really needed it, I would have several people that would gladly get me a ticket to come home. I'm not saying that I am going to need it... but it is still nice to know that my support system won't disappear because I have moved a few miles away.

I have had a huge mental block with actually getting things packed up. It's hard to make it real. I know that it will be great, and a learning experience, and a chance for Logan and I to start something new with our little family. However, to everyone on the East Coast... know that I will miss you terribly.

Sorry so short

So most of my entries have been pretty short lately. I think that with the no-job situation and trying to figure out our lives I am just plain tired. I wish I had words of wisdom or funny comments, but my brain seems pretty fried.

We went down to visit my dad yesterday. Declan and I were able to spend the day out on his boat (and get use out of Declan's life jacket) and go to the beach. It was really nice to take a day off of worrying about moving stuff and just be. We swam and played in the sand and ate seafood and just had a nice time.

Today was the day that we had to start saying goodbye. I'm pretty sure it hasn't hit me that we're really leaving yet. I'm pushing that feeling off until the last second and I'm sure poor Logan will have to deal with most of it. (Sorry in advance love!) But the trailer is reserved... storage is set... place to live and flights and everything have been booked... it's really happening.

I'm back!

Hey all. I hope I didn't leave you all in suspense while I took a week off. (Who am I kidding... I'm sure no one cares) The small one and I took a trip to CT to see my mom. We had a family photo shoot on the beach resulting in some great/hilarious pictures. *One of my favorite moments was when we went to get ice cream from the ice cream truck - for only $1, how can you beat it- and we were all dressed head to toe in matching long sleeve shirts and jeans while everyone around us was in tiny shorts and bathing suits. Pretty funny* Declan and I took some time in with Gramby and spent a lot of time napping and on the beach.

I don't know if I mentioned it before but he's walking now!! Therefore, has been getting pretty tired from all his extra hard work.

The move is less than two weeks away, as is Mel's (and Casey's) wedding! Pretty stoked to have had some great bachelorette parties in the last weekend. Now pretty excited for the upcoming ceremonies (though I will only be able to attend one). We're leaving the 8th... the day after the wedding. Little man will be watched up here and flown down a few days later so we don't have to be fighting a 16 month old the whole way. Thank goodness.

I'm not really sure what else to say. Had to start paying back student loans today. That means I REALLY need to get my act together and find a job so I'm not left with nothing. I feel a little all over the place, with the house hopping and being jobless. I'm mostly ok, and pretty excited about everything, but there are some moments that hit me with the no-hope-of-a-job thing. I'm sure it will all work out once we're there but only time will tell I guess.

Until then... more packing will ensue!

TEXAS

So guys. Here's the big update I guess. Our plan to move to Texas has been put in action. Well... soon anyway. We're going to be leaving MA and heading due South August 8th. So I'll get to see pretty much all of my family at Mel's wedding the day before we leave. No jobs as of yet, but things are looking ok for Logan. We've been given the opportunity for a place to stay while getting settles sooo... time to make the leap.

I'm excited and nervous. It'll be good (but better once I find a job)!

Sidenote: It was a lot harder to write this and put it into words than I thought. Being real is kind of scary.

To My Wonderful Husband

I didn't end up writing a Father's Day post to brag about the wonderful man in my life. Things have been busy and stressful and we've both been dealing with a lot. I guess I wrote about him recently with our anniversary, but with the last few days, it didn't do him justice.

To my rock,
Thank you so much for everything you do. Watching you blossom into a grownup is the biggest blessing. You have grown from a party frat guy into a responsible (mostly) husband and father. Every day I get to wake up in your arms and I can't tell you how special I feel knowing that no matter what I look like, you will smile and kiss me and say "Good morning, beautiful." Seriously. You seem to enjoy my bed-head. Who else but you?

I get to watch you light up our son's face when you enter the room. Your absolute and true love for him is apparent at first glance. You were born to be a dad. I can't put into words how beautiful you are when you are with him.

To be more specific about where this is coming from, thank you for everything with this move. Thank you for being reassuring, thank you for putting in your time. Thank you for not sleeping last night and going out and getting me Tylenol when I couldn't function anymore. Thank you for driving me to a bed and then driving yourself back to the house to work. Thank you for telling me you love me even when I got sleep that you didn't. Thank you for lifting things and dealing with the stinky garbage. Thank you for THANKING ME and telling ME how good I am to YOU when all I did was get your stuff together and get you a sandwich to have before you WENT TO WORK with NO sleep.

You amaze me.

I love you super much.

Two Days Left

It feels weird with not blogging in awhile. I've been busy packing and organizing and fighting for any sleep that I can find. Two nights left in this apartment. Two days to finish packing. Ahhh... the etiquette of writing online. I have so many stories of why I am so glad to get out of this apartment, but perhaps should take the high road and keep it to myself (in written form anyway) so as to not offend any future landlords that may find this/ the current ones I have if they even know how to use the internet? Is that being too cautious? Oh well... I suppose too cautious for now annddddd perhaps stories with pseudonyms later? They're pretty good stories. Oh well. We'll see.

There isn't too much to keep everyone informed of. I have entered unemployement/ stay-at-home mom phase. I hate how much pressure there is to get a job. I'm not quite sure how to say what I feel without offending either SAHM's or working moms. I suppose I'll just say that I wish I had the opportunity to enjoy being a SAHM. I feel like the time I have at home will be full of running around and trying to find a job while I wish I could just enjoy the summer and sunshine with my little one. However, I know we're not in the place to be able to do that. I will FOR SURE still enjoy my sunny days with my sunny boy, but I suppose I should just say that I will move onward and upward and not let that little thought of pressure get to me. I will let it drive me to find the perfect situation for our family... but will not let it get me down.

For now I should get back to finding the motivation to get back to packing and not let the bed catch my attention. Oh hello there...

Close!

Oh Dear Blog World. To those who keep up with this (with only 7 followers it's hard to know who actually reads this thing), we are getting close to life changing time. Moving is a week from TOMORROW. Yikes! So much to do that I am hopefully alleviating some of the stress by slight venting here first. I'm not sure if I said it before but our plan is to put our stuff in storage up here while figuring out job stuff down there. Once Logan's transfer goes through or I get a job... we're there.

I am getting super anxious about everything that will be happening in the next few weeks, and it doesn't help that a lot of it is up in the air. I am currently trying to just breathe and know that it will work out just the way that it is supposed to. Wish me luck with that and with packing.

Bah!

Moving is SO expensive.
We are out of our apartment two weeks from today.
We are not packed.
We have so much stuff.
And we have no idea where we are going after that.
Logan's work is being SO slow with getting back to us.
And I have no job and none in sight.
I would get any job I could... except that I have to take care of Declan and childcare is mad expensive and Logan's schedule changes every day.

Slightly stressed.

Everything's gonna be all right

I haven't written too much lately. I feel as though I'm not quite sure what words actually want to escape my mouth, my fingers, anything. We're in the process of leaving our apartment with nowhere to go. Not nowhere exactly... we have family and friends and would never be put on the streets. However, we started this journey a month and a half ago and seem to be no closer to any answers. Things are still in progress with Logan's work. I still haven't found a job and am slightly terrified that I won't. I'm just so tired and I think my subconscious is unwilling to realize that this is really happening. I need to pack and get rid of things and job search but all I want to do is sleep.

Am I so naive in thinking that things will work out? Or am I just really accepting that my life is fine the way it is and I'm not going to stress about it. I think my family thinks I'm crazy. I think they are having a hard time with our lack of plan. How can I explain that I just know it will be fine. We are young, we still have each other, and support and we will be fine. I'm going to stay happy and take naps and not stress.

Naptime

I seriously love the sound of silence more than I knew possible. And it dawned on me that I really AM (hopefully) becoming less selfish in the fact that more than I love the boys napping to get some quiet time... I really love knowing that they are getting the rest that they need. When they take super short naps I just feel bad that they aren't going to have as peppy and energetic an afternoon as they could be. When Declan woke up BEFORE 5 yesterday and then only took an slightly-over-an-hour nap... I just knew he wouldn't be as happy as he could be.

So anyway... nothing really new to report from the moving front. Things are just moving along I guess. Our apartment is starting to be shown so we have to attempt to keep it clean. Good luck to us. Declan pretty much makes that impossible seeing as he continuously knocks everything off every surface he can reach.

Thinking about having an estate sale for all those nearby. The last weekend in June. The 26th and 27th. Please come. I want to move as little as possible so I want to get rid of as much as possible.

Anyway... pretty excited for the weekend. Logan has Friday night, Saturday AND Sunday off so we actually get to have a real weekend together. My mom is coming up Saturday so we get to hang out then have a date night (which is sorely needed at this point) and then Mel's Bridal Shower is Sunday. Have I mentioned how nice it is to not be in school and actually get to live my life?

Up in the air

Right now I feel an interesting mix of pressure and ease. Our life is about to make a major change (I think, I hope). For now, though, we're not entirely sure when or how that change is going to happen. And for the most part, I'm ok with that. I've accepted that things are up in the air. I will keep applying for jobs and see what happens. Our lease is up July 1, so we are out of here then but things will depend on our job situations. I have accepted that we may be vagrants for a small while during our transition time. That's ok. We'll get a pod or storage space for our stuff and we'll figure it out.

The pressure part comes in from people asking questions about what we're going to do. When I say that I'm not really sure they raise their eyebrows. But you know what? That's ok too. We haven't really done things traditionally around here to start with. I like our life and love my boys. As long as we're together we will be ok. The money part will work itself out as long as we are following our hearts. We have so much support from family and friends that there is no way we could ever fail.

We're just doing our own thing. And we're happy. And that is all that matters.

Sunshine

The last few days have been pretty great. I spent the weekend NOT being stuck without a car. We had a nice BBQ on Monday and it was really nice to see my friends. Yesterday was muggy, but the thunderstorm cleared that up... and it caused the boys to take super naps. Then I went out to see Sex and the City with Jess and Dayna last night. I felt bad that Declan had spent so many nights not in his own crib recently (although I was with him for most of the time... just not at our house) but it was so nice to be able to go out and hang out with my girls. We then found a place with half price apps, AND they gave us a free pizza in addition to the one that apparently had too many bubbles in it? We thought they were both delicious and ended up with so much pizza.

The moving/packing is going ok. We have one big shelf packed up and given away already... which isn't that much, but it's better than my usual idea that there should be no packing before the day of the move. So... it's looking like Texas is still on the top of the list. There were a few set-backs, but I think it's in our hearts and will end up happening. Just not quite sure how and exactly when yet. Logan put in for a transfer, so we have to see how all that pans out and what happens my way with a job. For now we're just blowing in the wind and seeing where life takes us. And instead of worrying about our next step I think I'm just going to enjoy the ride. We have each other. We'll make it work.

Packing

Whose great idea was it to accumulate so much STUFF?? I have literally packed one box. One. That didn't even clear the shelf I was trying to clear. Also... that was days ago. Then I quit.

Ugh.