Four Happiness Friday

Is tomorrow seriously the last day of February already?! Goodness gracious this month went by in a blink of the eye.  I feel like we were just celebrating Valentine's Day. This was a big week with plenty of celebrating and happy things! Without further ado, this week's four happiness...

1. We close on our house in ONE MONTH! Literally. On this day next month I will be anxious as all hell as we prepare for closing on our townhouse and moving into our new house.  It is SO exciting and SO overwhelming. It's a lot to wrap my head around.  To be honest though, even with the home inspection done and packing in full swing, it still hasn't quite hit me that we are moving. I still cannot believe we are saying goodbye to our townhouse and hello to our big girl grown-up house.  Prepare for me to share this sentiment another 786 times.

2. This was a big week for birthdays for our family! On Sunday we celebrated my father-in-law's birthday.  On Monday we celebrated my mama turning SIXTY! [And if that is what sixty looks like, then I was definitely born into the right gene pool!] And yesterday we celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday.  Natalie loved it :)  

3. We also had another celebration on Tuesday - Natalie's transferversary!  Two years ago Tuesday, Dr. O'Brien gently placed that little embryo in my uterus and she decided to stick around and it has been one hell of a ride.  It is absolutely incredible that we got to see her as just as few hundred cells to this crazy, spunky little girl who likes to wake up and chat with herself at 3 in the morning.  Yep - that happened.  Natalie woke up happy as a clam at three in the morning and decided there was no better time to practice her words - especially puppy and turtle.  She found herself to be absolutely hysterical and I couldn't help by smile as I drifted back to sleep. 

4. This week I discovered that I can upload videos and store them for FREE and PRIVATELY on Google drive.  This is amazing news.  I am constantly being told by Apple that I need more storage on my phone but I (1) refuse to buy more storage and (2) have a hard time letting go of videos. Discovering this feature of Google drive could not have come at a better time.  I was able to free up quite a bit of space on my phone after uploading the videos to a safe place. If you knew about this already - why didn't you tell me?! If you didn't know about this yet, you are so welcome! I am thrilled that now I have a place where I can safely store my treasures, where I can access it whenever I want AND I can easily share them with people. It's so perfect.

(5) And this week, I have a bonus happiness moment to share.  This morning when I came down the stairs, I found our two dogs snuggled together on a comforter that Brandon had folded and put on the floor for Natalie to play on.  These two are totally aware that something is going on and they cannot figure out what it is.  I guess the mountains of moving boxes don't really mean anything to them.  Lately, I find them relying on each other more and more to maintain some semblance of normal. It's moments like these that I absolutely love those terrible dogs :)

I hope everyone else had a fun week! Wishing everyone a warm & safe weekend :)

two year transferversary

Today is a very special day for Brandon and me.  It's an anniversary of sorts celebrated by those in the infertility world.  On this day two years ago, one perfect little embryo was transferred.  It was the last step in a big journey that lead to a new chapter in our lives: parenthood.

I remember the drive to Shady Grove well. I remember being so anxious. I remember finding so much comfort in seeing my friend Teran working at the front desk when Brandon and I got off the elevator. I remember feeling comforted by Sabrina's smiling face when she came out to get us to take us back to the transfer area. I remember feeling so at ease when Karen and Dr. O'Brien came into the room to get the show started.  I am lucky to work with such incredible people who make these miracles happen.  And while I know that they strive to be as wonderful to all of our patients as they were to me, they really made me feel like I was a VIP. And I know to them, I am, and they absolutely are to me. I will forever hold the people who made my dream of parenthood possible in the highest regard.

It's crazy to see how much she has grown and changed over the course of two years.  On this day, I cannot help but stare at her in wonder and awe.  To have seen her as just a few hundred cells to now this sassy, spunky little girl - it is truly incredible. It makes me so emotional.  Life is really the most amazing thing and it should be cherished. That little girl is an absolute gift from God and I am so lucky to have her. Brandon and I are so blessed to be her parents.  On this day especially, I can't help but say thank you Shady Grove Fertility, for making our dreams come true.  

Natalie's first transferversary :)

Happy 2nd Transferversary, little miss :)

Happy Transferversary, Natalie Grace. It has been so much fun watching you grow-up.  You are so smart, silly, brave and funny. You are beautiful inside and out. Don't ever change! Your father and I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us in the years to come :) We love you to the moon and back and all the stars in the sky.  

Four Happiness Friday

Another week down, another week closer to closing!  I cannot wrap my head around how fast February is flying by.  It does not seem possible that we're almost done with this month! However, it means we're that much closer to spring and while I was super excited about winter and snow, I guess I had totally forgotten about the bitter cold, 9 degree winter mornings. Oh well. Here are my four happiness things this week:

1. On Monday I got to have lunch with my best friend, Caitlin.  It felt like an eternity since we had gotten to see each other so it was nice to get to have a lunch date and to laugh and catch up :)  The only thing we were missing is the drinks.  Dang work getting in the way!  We went to Coastal Flats. I got the coastal shrimp roll and it was AMAZING even if they did screw up my order a little bit. 

2. Natalie has her 15 month well visit today.  I am dying to know how big she is now. The other night I was holding her as she fell asleep (the one joy of a sick child) and dang she got heavy fast! I am having the big debate: when do we turn the car seat around?  The MVA in the state of Maryland recommends 1 year/20 pounds. We have definitely hit the one year mark and we hit the 20 pound mark long before her first birthday. I know it's the safest for her to be rear facing (and the American Academy of Pediatrics says she should be until AT LEAST 2) but forward facing could be so much fun.  It could also be hell. Ahh decisions, decisions. 

3. the new Tiramisu latte from Starbucks. I got it on a whim on Wednesday morning and OH MY GOSHHHH. It is amazing. I am in love. It was definitely the perfect mid-week pick me up!

4. We have our home inspection TOMORROW! It was supposed to be last weekend but there was a scheduling error.  I am so excited to go see our house again :) I have been pinning things like crazy about how I want to decorate and what I want to do.  I told Brandon that I wanted to be smarter about decorating this time around. I want to decorate like a grown-up to make our house a home, not a twenty-five year old newly-wed who just bought her first house.  We agreed that we want to take our time decorating and not put things on the walls right away.  However, that does not apply to the little girl's room.  Her name on the wall is one of the first things I want to do in the new house.  I have to admit, I am beyond excited that I get to do Natalie's room again! I am keeping it pink and navy because I love it, but she will have a bigger room so there is more space to play with :) Eek! 

Hope everyone has safe, WARM, fun weekends :)

and so it begins... packing pt 1

Brandon and I are in full blown packing and trashing mode.  We are being realistic (or at least trying to be!) about what needs to make the move with us and doing our best to get rid of as much as possible.  We don't want to bring clutter to the new house.  After all, this is our big girl grown-up house.  And to be honest, this deep cleaning has been liberating.  The past week or so has been pretty hectic so we haven't gotten much done in the way of packing; however, on Sunday we went through our clothes to see what we could donate.  Turns out, we hoard clothes - especially sweatshirts - and I had an entire big plastic bin of sweatpants that I never knew existed that I am so not getting rid of. Brandon might kill me :)

...oh the things you find when packing!

my sick little helper :) 

We can't wait to watch her grow into this gem we found :)

In total, we came up with SEVEN bags of clothes and shoes to donate.  And we haven't even looked through the tubs of sweatshirts in our storage closet in the basement!  That's a lot of stuff that we will not have to try to find a home for in the new house! 

the donation loot

We also have several pieces of furniture that we know are not going to make the move so we will be trying to sell those first and if they don't go by the end of the week, then we will be taking them to the Salvation Army or the Habitat for Humanity donation site.  While we still have a LONG way to go, it was nice to get some things out of the house.  It definitely helps to feel like we are getting somewhere - even if it doesn't look like it!  I just have to keep reminding myself that we are taking steps in the right direction :)

home sale 101

This whole home sale process has been eye opening.  Brandon and I have learned quite a lot. Some of these things will be helpful to the every day reader.  Some of these are just lessons we learned the hard way. Here are seven lessons learned about selling your home:

1. If you want people to call for a showing, then put the baby down for a nap.  This works 100% of the time.  It is especially effective when the baby fights the nap for thirty minutes prior to falling asleep.  Another good idea - start doing weekly meal prep and have three pots/pans going at one time.  This will ensure the phone rings.

2. While not particularly helpful to anyone else, we learned that Gemma gets car sick. This is a new development. 

2a. As a result of our new knowledge from number 2, we also discovered that Natalie feeds Gemma entirely too much of her lunches/dinners.

3. Buy stock in coffee places with a drive-thru. Almost every time we had to leave the house with the baby and dogs in the car, we were sure to stop at a drive-thru coffee place.  Quick, easy and totally necessary. By buying stock in a company of that nature, you are sure to make up what you are spending with every visit.  This would have been helpful prior to putting our house on the market, but good to know for those thinking about it.  

4. If you don't like the drive around approach, sitting in your car and waiting is super entertaining.  It was awesome to see who was in our house. It made me feel a little bit better and made the process a little less weird.  [Note: I am sure that people thought we were total creeps. I am ok with that.]  I hated not knowing who had been in my house and how long they had been in there. Sitting in the car also meant far less time spent out of our house (and not cleaning up dog vomit).  During a showing block from 1:30-2:30 we would be gone from 1:15 until at least 2:45.  When we sat in the car, we were usually back in our house within 30 minutes.

5. People are so incredibly inconsiderate. I was definitely not prepared for this one.  On more than one occasion, someone knocked down several of the vertical blinds at the back door and left them on the floor. I can understand not trying to put them back on if you're not familiar with how vertical blinds work (even this is a stretch), but at least pick them up and put them on the kitchen table.  People would also just walk through the house with muddy shoes. There is a door mat right by the front door.  How hard is common courtesy?! 

6. A good realtor makes a world of a difference.  We bought our townhouse with Mike so it made sense that we would call him to sell it and to buy our next house.  He is wonderful.  He was attentive to our emails and texts. He was patient and happily explained and re-explained things when we were only able to half listen because we were chasing Natalie around. And when we signed all of the paperwork, he kept her entertained so that we could sign in peace and savor the moments. If you need a realtor in MD or PA, let me know :)

7. It is stressful. Wine helps. A lot. We only had our house on the market for a little over two weeks and we were so over it. It is an emotionally draining process. It's a good idea to mentally prepare for the process.  We put our house up on a whim and I hope we never, ever have to do it again!

Four Happiness Friday

Happy Friday the 13th!  And happy 15 months to my little boog :) Hard to believe that she is already 15 months; however, with how sassy she has been lately it's also hard to believe she is not 15.  As crazy as she makes me, she makes me a million times happier.  Enough wtih the mushy gushy, we've survived another week and what a friggin week it was.  I cannot believe that we are halfway through the month of February! Time is flying right now and with everything going on I feel like I am going to blink and it's going to be April. So without further ado, here is this week's four happiness.

1. Monday night we were presented the offers on our house.  Yep - offers! Somehow we ended up in a multiple offer situation.  Brandon and I were worried we'd never sell the townhouse and we ended up with more people wanting it than we had thought possible.  Our realtor told us when we listed it that it would be under contract by Valentine's Day. Damned if he wasn't right :)  So we are officially under contract on our townhouse AND... we are officially under contract with the new house! As I posted earlier on Monday, last Saturday we went to see a house and as we drove down the street, something just seemed different.  We knew pretty quickly that it was our house.  It's very exciting (and very stressful).  If everything goes as planned, we will go to closing on March 27th.  That will be here before we know it! 

2. On Tuesday, our daycare provider had a doctors appointment so she didn't open until 12:30. Considering, I wouldn't get to work until almost 1:30 and my day ends at 3:30, it didn't make much sense to drive 65+ mile round trip to go in. That being said, I had a day off with the little miss.  She is growing up so quickly.  It really is amazing. She is so smart and sassy and funny. I really loved getting some extra mommy and mini time in this week :) I am really blessed to have such a happy, healthy little girl.

3. I bought a big girl purse.  If I am going to buy a big girl house, I needed to get my shit together and have a real bag. I have my wristlet and it's lovely but I needed something more because I looked like a crazy lady carrying a wristlet and my calendar (ahem, my bible - I would die without my calendar) and my phone. Jordan and I went to Target to pick up a few things for a baby shower we had for one of our co-workers and while we were there we looked at bags.  I love bag shopping with Jordan. She keeps me practical while also encouraging me to be bold.  We found this one and I loved it. We debated what makes a good bag, a good bag. It had to be practical and something I could use year round. I don't have the time or energy to switch between warm weather and cold weather bags. It needed to be big enough to keep some of Natalie's things, but not so big that it would weigh me down.  This bag is perfect and I am in love. 

4. It's jeans day! Today our office is having a fundraiser for the Cade Foundation which does really awesome work supporting families struggling with infertility. (Obviously, this is going to be near and dear to my heart for lots of reasons.)  Employees get to wear jeans for a $5 donation.  It's a small thing to some (aka those people who have casual Friday, every Friday) but a HUGE thing to this girl.  It took me far less time to get my shit together this morning. Jeans + sweater + boots + new big girl bag and out the door. 

This weekend we have the home inspection.  We are crossing our fingers for good news and hard wood under the carpets!  Hope everyone has wonderful weekends full of love and good food. Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! 

what a weekend.

What a dang weekend.

When I got dressed Saturday morning, I stood at my dresser and said what says I am going to buy a house today. I needed some good ju-ju.  I put on jeans and one of my favorite long sleeve black shirts and I wore my real people boots as opposed to my Uggs. When I got down the stairs, Brandon did a double take.  If nothing else, I knew I looked good. He said to me "Mama, I am going to buy you a house today".  We had a good laugh about it while both holding out hope that he was right.

We had a showing on Saturday at noon.  When we show the house, we have to remove the dogs.  Since our recent discovery that Gemma gets carsick, we have been opting to creep on the house from the car.  For quick showings, this works well for Natalie.  For showings that take any length of time, this is brutal. We didn't want to take any chances, so I bundled Natalie up and we went to run errands. I needed an oil change anyways and wanted to pop into Target for a new thermometer and some diapers. Before Natalie and I got home, Brandon called to let us know we had gotten a formal offer on the house.  Eek!

my Target buddy :)

That afternoon we were going to see a house.  It was a quick drive from our current house and when we pulled into the driveway something felt different.  We stepped out of the car and smelled that crisp mountain air, someone had a fire going.  We walked the outside of the property while we waited for our realtor, Mike.  The yard was cute and had tons of potential.  Brandon and I both agreed that barring any crazy issues inside, we might be home.  When we got inside, there were some issues but nothing that would stop us from buying the house.  It needs some new appliances and a fresh coat of paint, but my mom once said "when you buy a house, you're paying for the appliances".  I would much rather have new ones anyways.  After looking around and doing some mental planning in my head, I knew that it was the house. I gave Brandon one look and he told Mike, it was the one.  Mike was floored.  He was surprised we knew so quickly.  But when you know, you know.  We went back to his office to write up the offer.

Mike teaching Natalie all about real estate :)

He really is the best :)

Sunday morning we opted to celebrate selling our house (we have to meet with the broker today as we are in a multiple offer situation!) and putting an offer in on the next one.  Not long after Natalie woke up from her morning nap, we got a phone call from Mike.  The sellers had accepted our offer.  We will tentatively go to closing at the end of March :)

Things are starting to fall into place and I could not be happier about that!

Four Happiness Friday

What a dang week.  Both Saturday and Sunday night, Natalie threw up so I took Monday off work to keep the little miss home.  I had planned to be off that morning anyways for a showing, but we had to cancel that because of the baby. I was not about to chance taking a puking child in my car with two dogs. No thanks. I haven't hit that kind of crazy yet.  Thankfully, it was just a 24 hour stomach bug and while she still isn't feeling 100%, at least she is keeping her food down.  This week, even though I am quite sleep deprived and have a sick babe, I have quite a bit that I am super thankful and happy about. 

1. On Tuesday morning one of the pharmacy representatives that calls on our practice brought us coffee.  I "slept" on the couch with a sick toddler Saturday and Sunday night. I didn't sleep Monday night for fear of having to get up and sleep on the couch again with said sick child; so, on Tuesday, I definitely needed coffee. Needless to say, I was really happy to see Jeff!

2. Becoming the Wilkinsons hit over 100 likes on Facebook :) I am really excited about this and I am honored to have so many people along with the ride!  If you haven't checked out the Facebook page, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/becomingthewilkinsons I will be doing random giveaways, featuring other blogs, Etsy shops and pages over there. In fact, this afternoon I will be doing a little thank you giveaway for one lucky winner who helped get the blog to 100 likes on Facebook!

3. Black Hog BBQ.  With all of the drama that has been going on during this home sale process and Natalie being sick, Brandon and I needed a little pick me up.  What better way to get a much deserved pick me up than take out dinner.  Last night, we had a showing on the house, so when I picked Natalie up at daycare, we stopped by a local bbq place to pick up dinner.  This allowed us to be out of the house for the showing, get something delicious for dinner AND not have much clean up afterwards.  It was all around win.  Plus, Natalie loves bbq so it was nice to have something for dinner that our picky palate would finally eat!

4. Good friends.  This week I have been a sleep deprived stressed out crazy lady.  I am so lucky to have friends like Jordan and Caitlin in my life.  Jordan has made coming into work on little sleep an easy thing to do.  She definitely keeps me sane every week but this week she really made me a whole person.  Caitlin has been a constant source of positive thinking this week when I have been feeling down and hopeless about finding the perfect house.  There really is no better medicine than good girlfriends. I love those girls to pieces and I have absolutely no idea where I would be without them!

Jordan, Caitlin and me - summer 2014

This weekend we have a couple showings on our house and we are hoping to go check out a  couple potential new homes for our little family!  We just have to take things one day at a time, remain "cautiously optimistic" and know that it will all work out in the end!  Hope everyone has a happy Friday and super wonderful weekends!