Remember my New Year's post and how I mentioned this would be the year for change??
Well, change #1 slapped us in the face Monday night....
....and it hurts like hell!
We got a text from our daycare provider that she needed to talk with us. I thought it might be specific to us, so out of curiosity I texted some other Moms and found out they had received the text as well. So what could it be?
I called her and she informed me that she was accepting a "real" job and would be closing up daycare in 4 weeks.
My heart crumbled.
It took us so long to find her the first time around and she was everything we were looking for (and more!).
I immediately felt stressed out. I knew how long this search took us the first time....months.
Yes, months.
And what do we have now? 4 WEEKS.
I'm sure you can imagine what I've been doing when Avery goes to bed and naps....yep, searching for daycare. I already contacted the Childcare Council and got a list and have been searching the NYS site like mad.
So far, I'm sort of discouraged and starting to panic.
I called about 10 people (we're trying to stick with in-home care if we can) so far-I left messages with 6 of them and they haven't called back at all. Three of them have no openings and one might have a spot. She's supposed to look into things and call me back. I've already burnt through my emailed list and most of the state site with no progress. It sucks.
We are meeting with one provider tonight that our current daycare provider suggested. She's brand new to the daycare scene and has a bunch of openings. I'm hoping it goes well!
What makes it harder is that we're so used to where we are going that everything and everyone will be compared to her. And I just don't know how they'll measure up.
One thing I'm thankful for is that Avery only goes there once a week right now (she was going to bump up to 2 days in March). Because of that, I don't think this will be as traumatizing to her as it might be to the kids who are there daily. But still....it's very hard and I honestly hate going through this. I know the new providers are going to give us the answers we want to hear and it's pretty much a "gut" feeling if the place is right or not.
(Sigh)
If this is how all of our changes are going to be this year, I don't want any more!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Craigslist Crazy!
I'm officially a Craigslist post whore! Haha!
Friday when Avery napped, I started to tackle our attic. We have a ton of stuff up there to go through and decide if we want to keep it, or pitch it. I spent about an hour up there going through a few things and mostly doing some rearranging of things-making a "keep" pile, a "sell" pile and a "throw out" pile.
Yesterday when Avery napped, both Gabe and I spent about 2 hours up there starting to sift through things. We did pretty well, but still have a ways to go.
In the process, I took some pictures of some bigger items I wanted to sell on Craigslist.
Then the fun began!
Last night I did 10 posts on Craigslist! Yep, TEN!
And today I woke up to find 5 emails about items already! Yay! We actually had one person over tonight interested in something and they'll be back tomorrow to pick it up. One thing down, many more to go...but hey, it's a start, right?!
Friday when Avery napped, I started to tackle our attic. We have a ton of stuff up there to go through and decide if we want to keep it, or pitch it. I spent about an hour up there going through a few things and mostly doing some rearranging of things-making a "keep" pile, a "sell" pile and a "throw out" pile.
Yesterday when Avery napped, both Gabe and I spent about 2 hours up there starting to sift through things. We did pretty well, but still have a ways to go.
In the process, I took some pictures of some bigger items I wanted to sell on Craigslist.
Then the fun began!
Last night I did 10 posts on Craigslist! Yep, TEN!
And today I woke up to find 5 emails about items already! Yay! We actually had one person over tonight interested in something and they'll be back tomorrow to pick it up. One thing down, many more to go...but hey, it's a start, right?!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Home Building Update
I haven't updated on this in awhile. In fact, I've only mentioned it in one post.
So I'll update as much as I can, but I haven't mentioned it again because it's still not a "done deal".
I think we ended up meeting with 3 or 4 builders. We went through some of their model homes, looked at floor plans, checked out what their standards are (basically what you get for the base price of the home), and saw what things are considered an upgrade (a step up from the standard that will cost you more money).
We chose a builder that we want to go with and priced out a floor plan we liked. It ended up being over our budget. So we went back to the drawing board and picked out another (slightly smaller) floor plan that will keep us in budget.
The builder only has one lot left so we have no choice in that at all. It ends up that it's a corner lot on a sort of busy street. The lot is big enough (.5 acre) that it shouldn't be a problem and the street isn't super busy (not like Transit Rd in Buffalo or Jefferson Rd in Roc).
We had to get pre-approved for our mortgage which was a challenge. Since we don't want to sell our house first (and find interim housing), they had to approve us carrying both mortgages, which was hard to find someone willing to do that. But.....we did!!
Once we were pre-approved, the builder's realtor came over and we signed a contract. Gabe mailed in a deposit to them to hold the lot.
But....all of this can fall through if we don't get official approval for the mortgages. We submitted everything in December, but they are so busy that we won't hear for sure until mid-month. So...that's why this isn't a "done deal" yet. Once we get mortgage approval, we will officially be going through with this and they will break ground on the new house in March or April (which is VERY exciting!).
I'll keep ya posted!!
So I'll update as much as I can, but I haven't mentioned it again because it's still not a "done deal".
I think we ended up meeting with 3 or 4 builders. We went through some of their model homes, looked at floor plans, checked out what their standards are (basically what you get for the base price of the home), and saw what things are considered an upgrade (a step up from the standard that will cost you more money).
We chose a builder that we want to go with and priced out a floor plan we liked. It ended up being over our budget. So we went back to the drawing board and picked out another (slightly smaller) floor plan that will keep us in budget.
The builder only has one lot left so we have no choice in that at all. It ends up that it's a corner lot on a sort of busy street. The lot is big enough (.5 acre) that it shouldn't be a problem and the street isn't super busy (not like Transit Rd in Buffalo or Jefferson Rd in Roc).
We had to get pre-approved for our mortgage which was a challenge. Since we don't want to sell our house first (and find interim housing), they had to approve us carrying both mortgages, which was hard to find someone willing to do that. But.....we did!!
Once we were pre-approved, the builder's realtor came over and we signed a contract. Gabe mailed in a deposit to them to hold the lot.
But....all of this can fall through if we don't get official approval for the mortgages. We submitted everything in December, but they are so busy that we won't hear for sure until mid-month. So...that's why this isn't a "done deal" yet. Once we get mortgage approval, we will officially be going through with this and they will break ground on the new house in March or April (which is VERY exciting!).
I'll keep ya posted!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Playdate!
My friend Jen and her two boys, Nicholas and Ryan, came over to play today. We haven't seen them in awhile with the chaos of the holidays, so we decided we had to get together!
Nicholas is 3 and Ryan is 15months and it's fun to see the kids interact! I think today they played really well together and actually played! A few months ago it seemed like they were all doing their own thing, but today they seemed to follow each other around and do things together so it was cute to see them!
Here are all 3 of them crammed into Avery's little Elmo tent:
and the tent kept getting knocked down and Ryan figured out a way to stand up and poke his head through the door!
And finally I got one of all of them looking at me! Yay!
We had a great time with them today-hopefully we'll do another one soon!
Nicholas is 3 and Ryan is 15months and it's fun to see the kids interact! I think today they played really well together and actually played! A few months ago it seemed like they were all doing their own thing, but today they seemed to follow each other around and do things together so it was cute to see them!
Here are all 3 of them crammed into Avery's little Elmo tent:
and the tent kept getting knocked down and Ryan figured out a way to stand up and poke his head through the door!
And finally I got one of all of them looking at me! Yay!
We had a great time with them today-hopefully we'll do another one soon!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, New 'Do, New Moves
First I want to take a moment and say Happy New Year!
Thank you all for following along in our journey and I hope you continue to follow us through this year.
Every year I think, what a difference a year makes. I mean, just look at us last year!
Avery is no longer a baby...she's a little girl now! It's hard to remember those days already, which makes me sad.
2010 was a pretty great year...our first whole year with Avery in our lives and a celebration of her first year with us! We were lucky enough to go on 3 big trips this year-Florida, New Orleans, and NYC. All were wonderful and it was great checking off other places I visited on the map. But most of all, we enjoyed life-the day to day grind of work, dinner, putting a little one to bed, and retiring for the night. We had family gatherings, time with friends, milestones, births, deaths, and everything in between. And I enjoyed every minute of it!
But now it's on to the new-the start of a new year with the unknown before us. I don't know what's on the horizon, but I'll tell you this....my gut tells me this is the year of change.
So I started the year off with a new 'do and I'm loving it! It's maybe a little shorter than I like, but it'll grow! The cut itself is wonderful and the picture doesn't do it justice!
And Avery started off the new year with some new dance moves! Check her out!
I hope 2011 brings you much happiness and prosperity!
Happy New Year!
Thank you all for following along in our journey and I hope you continue to follow us through this year.
Every year I think, what a difference a year makes. I mean, just look at us last year!
Avery is no longer a baby...she's a little girl now! It's hard to remember those days already, which makes me sad.
2010 was a pretty great year...our first whole year with Avery in our lives and a celebration of her first year with us! We were lucky enough to go on 3 big trips this year-Florida, New Orleans, and NYC. All were wonderful and it was great checking off other places I visited on the map. But most of all, we enjoyed life-the day to day grind of work, dinner, putting a little one to bed, and retiring for the night. We had family gatherings, time with friends, milestones, births, deaths, and everything in between. And I enjoyed every minute of it!
But now it's on to the new-the start of a new year with the unknown before us. I don't know what's on the horizon, but I'll tell you this....my gut tells me this is the year of change.
So I started the year off with a new 'do and I'm loving it! It's maybe a little shorter than I like, but it'll grow! The cut itself is wonderful and the picture doesn't do it justice!
And Avery started off the new year with some new dance moves! Check her out!
I hope 2011 brings you much happiness and prosperity!
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
18 Month Appt & A Birthday!
Yesterday was Gabe's birthday!
As part of his birthday "fun", we had to take Avery for her 18month checkup. I was dreading it because I knew what her last appointment was like and at her last appointment, the doctor told us to be prepared for her to act the same way at her 18 month one.
But, I'm happy to say that we were pleasantly surprised! She got on the scale and got measured without a fuss! The doctor came in and talked with us awhile, and Avery just sat on the exam table looking through books like nothing was going on. She let him listen to her heart and lungs just fine. The only part she wasn't too thrilled with was looking in her mouth and of course the shots. But even then, she only cried a minute or so.
The doctor told us what he has said for many visits now-that she's developmentally ahead of the game. He said that she was acting more like a 2 year old than an 18 month old. She's still my tall, thin girl....she's 31.5" tall (which might be wrong because that was her height last month so there's no way she hasn't grown in 3 months) and weighs 21lbs 8oz (in the 10th percentile). Overall a very healthy girl!!
After her appointment, Gabe went to lunch with some friends and I stayed home and got Avery down for her nap. When he got home and she woke up, he opened his gifts and we had pasta for dinner. Then we just relaxed the rest of the night.
Happy Birthday Gabe!!
As part of his birthday "fun", we had to take Avery for her 18month checkup. I was dreading it because I knew what her last appointment was like and at her last appointment, the doctor told us to be prepared for her to act the same way at her 18 month one.
But, I'm happy to say that we were pleasantly surprised! She got on the scale and got measured without a fuss! The doctor came in and talked with us awhile, and Avery just sat on the exam table looking through books like nothing was going on. She let him listen to her heart and lungs just fine. The only part she wasn't too thrilled with was looking in her mouth and of course the shots. But even then, she only cried a minute or so.
The doctor told us what he has said for many visits now-that she's developmentally ahead of the game. He said that she was acting more like a 2 year old than an 18 month old. She's still my tall, thin girl....she's 31.5" tall (which might be wrong because that was her height last month so there's no way she hasn't grown in 3 months) and weighs 21lbs 8oz (in the 10th percentile). Overall a very healthy girl!!
After her appointment, Gabe went to lunch with some friends and I stayed home and got Avery down for her nap. When he got home and she woke up, he opened his gifts and we had pasta for dinner. Then we just relaxed the rest of the night.
Happy Birthday Gabe!!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Eighteen Months!
I officially have a year and a half old daughter!
That just amazes me! When I say she's 18 months, it doesn't sound so bad, but to say she's a year and a half old?! Wow.
She's still a very good eater! She's not very picky at all with what we give her. She still loves her fruits and veggies, which I'm so thankful for! Lately she does not want to sit down to eat with us. It's a real struggle getting her into the high chair almost daily now. Even a booster seat she's not thrilled with (we tried on Xmas eve at my cousin's). I think she's just too interested in playing to sit down and have a meal, which makes it hard for us to sit down and have a meal. I'm hoping it's a phase that will pass soon!
Avery is still sleeping well-a good 11/12 hours overnight and her afternoon nap which ranges from 1.5 hours to 3hours. Can't complain about that one bit!
She seriously is like a little sponge. I swear there have been a few days that she learns a new word each day...it just amazes me! She mimics so much that we do!
She got several dolls for Christmas and will hold them and rock them saying "wah, wah, wah" like they're crying. It's the cutest thing! She loves giving them their bottles and burping them.
Some new words this month: "mine", "see" (which to her means sit), "snow", "no", "pretty", "poo-poo", "hang", "Pat" (for Aunt Pat), "help", "blue". She also puts her finger to her mouth and says "ssssh". She really knows a ton of letters and if you ask her what they are, she'll tell you. She also can spell her name with some help. She has her name really big on her bedroom wall and if you point to the letters, she says them.
She has also started to tell us when she goes "poo-poo". Usually as she's going or right after, she'll tell us and point to her butt. It's pretty cute!
Since she's talking more, she's starting not to use her signs as much, which sort of makes me sad. Some words she always signs, like "please" and "thank you"-but she doesn't say those words yet. Some signs like "more" are starting to fade since she can say the word now. She's losing some of her baby-ish-ness. Makes me sad!
Here are some of the pics I took of her today:
Petting the giraffe:
These are my favorites of the bunch:
My little devil:
Smile for Mommy!
close up (love her eyes!):
That just amazes me! When I say she's 18 months, it doesn't sound so bad, but to say she's a year and a half old?! Wow.
She's still a very good eater! She's not very picky at all with what we give her. She still loves her fruits and veggies, which I'm so thankful for! Lately she does not want to sit down to eat with us. It's a real struggle getting her into the high chair almost daily now. Even a booster seat she's not thrilled with (we tried on Xmas eve at my cousin's). I think she's just too interested in playing to sit down and have a meal, which makes it hard for us to sit down and have a meal. I'm hoping it's a phase that will pass soon!
Avery is still sleeping well-a good 11/12 hours overnight and her afternoon nap which ranges from 1.5 hours to 3hours. Can't complain about that one bit!
She seriously is like a little sponge. I swear there have been a few days that she learns a new word each day...it just amazes me! She mimics so much that we do!
She got several dolls for Christmas and will hold them and rock them saying "wah, wah, wah" like they're crying. It's the cutest thing! She loves giving them their bottles and burping them.
Some new words this month: "mine", "see" (which to her means sit), "snow", "no", "pretty", "poo-poo", "hang", "Pat" (for Aunt Pat), "help", "blue". She also puts her finger to her mouth and says "ssssh". She really knows a ton of letters and if you ask her what they are, she'll tell you. She also can spell her name with some help. She has her name really big on her bedroom wall and if you point to the letters, she says them.
She has also started to tell us when she goes "poo-poo". Usually as she's going or right after, she'll tell us and point to her butt. It's pretty cute!
Since she's talking more, she's starting not to use her signs as much, which sort of makes me sad. Some words she always signs, like "please" and "thank you"-but she doesn't say those words yet. Some signs like "more" are starting to fade since she can say the word now. She's losing some of her baby-ish-ness. Makes me sad!
Here are some of the pics I took of her today:
Petting the giraffe:
These are my favorites of the bunch:
My little devil:
Smile for Mommy!
close up (love her eyes!):
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