The Start of the End, The End of the Wait

Tomorrow we get to see our new house. The wait will be over and we can start anew! Tomorrow the cleaning and carpet people will come and go and we can finally move in. We start with the small stuff and work our way to the big stuff. By Sunday night I will be sitting on this chair in a whole new environment. Actually, I'm sure I'll be passed out on the floor after moving all this stuff and cleaning this place up. Either way, we are happy to be starting a new chapter in a new place. Yippeeee!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Our little monkey Nathan is quite the imitator these days. Shake your head, he will shake his too. Say a word or sentence, he will often try to copy the sounds, or at least the length and tone of what you just said. Scratch your head and he will sometimes do that. Walk down the stairs and - HEY! Yeah, he tried that today. We were upstairs and he was busy playing with the clock radio (he knows which button to push to turn on the music so he can dance). The next instant he was by the stairs and poised to walk down them like a big person does. Little does he realize his little legs aren't quite long enough yet. He took a tumble. All the way down. I ran to him too late but Leo got there just in time to catch him at the bottom. Had he hit the ground . . . I don't even want to think about it. Leo heard me screaming and came running. Poor thing was shaken up - literally - but otherwise perfectly fine. Kids are resilient. Thank GOD! This on top of having a nasty little cold that has been making Nathan cough and whine (oh yay, more whining) and sniffle. Poor baby. I'm hoping tomorrow starts a new day with a fresh start of better health and no tumbles! Later in the day I was getting the paper and decided to get a scratch off. I figured if we were lucky enough to escape harm on the stairs I had better check my luck with a scratch off ticket. I won $10.

Perhaps luck will stay with us this week as well. We will need it as we have a busy time ahead. We have finalized plans and we are definitely moving! I've had a hard time letting myself get excited for the move since it seemed like such a stretch that we would even get this house. But it's happening. Many boxes have been packed and even my rose bushes have been unearthed so I can take them with us. We close on this house Thursday and can get into the other house starting that day. We will move in the big stuff Sunday and be out of here by this time next week. We close on the other house on the 10th. The time between closings isn't ideal but since the new one is empty now we can get in and get comfy soon. Yay!

And that's pretty much what is taking over our minds at this point. The lists of things to do are long and many. We really had no idea this would happen now instead of a year from now. All for the best though. This looks like it's going to be a great house and we can't wait to make it ours!

Open & Close

So really, you probably want to know what's going on with Nathan, not my gutters and windows. Well, a lot actually. He is quite the toddler now. Temper tantrums and all. I told you I knew it was coming - it's just a surprise when it actually does. The falling to the ground, throwing back of the head, whining and crying as if the end of the world is upon us. Yes, this is a regular occurrence more and more. But all that aside, Nate is mostly a happy baby. He has learned to pull open drawers - low heavy ones with files in them; taller and smaller ones with candles in them. Ones with video cameras and nail files and lotions and books! A whole new world is out there in those drawers! And doors - he just loves to open and close things. So now he will go into a room, turn around and close the door. So when I go looking for him when he so masterfully escapes I can't just look down a hallway. I have to go open the doors too. As long as he can't reach the locks . . .

Nathan also LOVES to be outside. He will bring me his sandals so we can put them on and go outside. When Grandma Jo was here a few weeks ago we went outside with her in the evenings to water the flowers. He has since been carrying the water can around trying to take care of the flowers.

He also just loves water (even the water in the toilet bowl - Ick!). Baths are a favorite time for him and when we do go out and water with the hose he likes to stick his hands out and feel the sprinkles. We must get a sprinkler this summer! For his birthday, Nonni and Poppi Stan got him a big pirate-ship-looking thing for playing with water. I can't wait to set it up and play. Hopefully soon and on the deck at the new place . . . ?

Lots of other stuff going on that I'll add in another post soon. In the meantime I have to go chase Nathan as he opens and closes his way through the house!

One Thing Leads to Another

I know I am delinquent on posting when someone says "Hey! What's the deal?!" I'll tell you the deal. It all starts with one little task. . .

Since we have been in house-selling mode for months now, I am constantly cleaning, fixing and improving where I can. I planted some new flowers a little while back and put these two nice planters on either side of the front door. The clay/ dirt in the pots ran all over the place and stained the sidewalk red. Ick! To remedy the stain (that we just power washed, by the way) I borrowed our neighbors power washer again. So I do that in no time. Then, I tackled the corner of the house that was looking a little green. That was easy. Well, since we have the power washer and it's all set up, why not do the back patio? Okey dokey. Looks great. But man, while I was out there I noticed the gutters need some attention. We clean out the gutters and run some water through them. While I'm up there on the ladder I notice there's a lot of dirt on the side of the house. I bet a quick spray will help. Ah yes, much better. Ooops. The windows sure are spotty now. Guess I'll wash the outside. Oh, the dirt is on the inside. Oh, the bottom half needs cleaning too. Shoot, look at that pollen collecting in the sill. Crap, I've made a mess all over the floor. Shit - this place is a MESS!

What started with a simple task ended up as a 90 minute cleaning spree. It's almost 3pm. Maybe I should shower today . . .

So if you're wondering what the heck I'm doing, now you know! Anyone want a nice clean house?!