Busy, busy

It's now July, which is a big month for us. We close on the house next week, eeek! I'm excited, but nervous that something might happen and things won't go as planned. Let's just hope everything continues to go smoothly!

We went shopping Saturday and Sunday and were able to get several things we've needed to get for the house. Even though we don't close for a week, Zane will be leaving about 4 days later, so we wanted to buy our appliances and such before that. We found everything we wanted at Sears, and they were having a pretty good sale, so we ended up getting some good deals. We bought this stove :http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02271479000P?vName=&cName=&sName=&mv=cmp

We decided on this refrigerator:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04604569000P?vName=Appliances&cName=Refrigerators&sName=Side-by-Side+Refrigerators

We also bought an over-the-range microwave, since counter space in the kitchen is a little weird, with the bar on the one side. We'll be better off having the microwave in space-saving location, rather than clutter up the counters with everything. Plus, the one we have is on it's way out, so that was something we were going to buy soon. We also got several miscellaneous items at Lowe's (like cabinet hardware) and bought a new dining room set, which we've needed. I'm just excited to finally close on the house and get in there and start working on it. My mind is all over the place, with thoughts of what we need to get and things we need to do. The more that gets done, the less I have to think about.
Also, my MIL has decided to come visit this summer. I don't really mind the visit, it's WHEN she is coming to visit. She wants to help us move, which seems like a great idea, until I think of entertaining houseguests in the midst of a move. My FIL will also be coming for at least a few days, and I can guarantee he won't be much help unless we're actually moving that weekend. I really wish they would come at a time that we could enjoy having them here, instead of a time that is so stressful. I can get a little stressed out having them around anyway, I'm just worried how bad it will be when we are moving too.
Abigail's birthday is coming up! This month, on the 23rd, my little girl will be 2 years old. Amongst everything else, I still have to finish getting her birthday gifts. We already bought her a bike, Tickle Me Elmo and a broom set (she loves to mimic me sweeping). I still want to get her a set of blocks, and I had a few Elmo things, like a hooded towel and utensils, that I saw and wanted to pick up. Her party will be the following Sunday, since Zane will be home that Saturday from his drill. I'm doing a Lilo and Stitch theme for it, because she is big on that right now. My mom is making a Lilo and Stitch themed cake, I won a banner, napkins and streamers off of eBay a few days ago, and now I just have to get some balloons and invitations. The balloons will be easy, I can get those off of eBay for cheap too, but the invites will have to be whatever I can find. I'm not feeling creative enough to make them this year, and the ones I can find are pricey, since the Lilo and Stitch theme is discontinued.

In case I'm not back before Friday, Happy 4th of July everyone! Remember to keep in mind that freedom isn't free, on this Independence Day, and remember the soldiers that are still serving overseas. They need all of the thoughts and prayers they can get to return home safely to thier families.

We need a break

I really dislike DH's job right now. There's times that I have to remind myself of the good aspects of it, just to keep from telling him to quit. We were told this job would require very little out-of-town travel, and now we're going on our, ohhhh...5th or 6th week that he's been gone overnight at least once. He was gone for drill 2 weekends ago, home Sunday night, gone Wed-Fri that week in New York, came home, we had Saturday, Sunday he was gone all day, because we got him and my dad tickets to the race, then he's home for a day and off again the rest of the week, back to Ohio, then New York; he was home Thursday and had to take off again Sunday to go back to Illinois for some conference for work. He'll be home probably tomorrow afternoon, but now they might have him and his coworker stop for a job somewhere along the way, so we might be lucky to have him back by the end of the week. Can we catch a break? At this time last year, he was in the middle of a 14 month deployment, I didn't think it would be too much to ask to have my husband home. We've adjusted pretty well, it was actually harder when he was gone all week and only home a day or two on the weekend. Abigail is doing well transitioning to having him gone for those few days, and suddenly appearing at home one morning. It still sucks though, we need to spend some quality time as a family. My MIL wants to pop in while Zane is still gone to drill next month, she even mentioned staying 4 WEEKS! (Where's the shocked smiley when you need it?) Yikes...I did 3 weeks last summer, on my own, and wanted to rip my hair out by the end. I don't know if having DH around is better or worse, at least I have someone to be my advocate when I need it.

So far (*knock on wood*) everything seems to be on track with the house. We faxed in our application packet last week though, and they called yesterday claiming they haven't recieved it. Grrrr! Zane had just talked to the woman we've been working with, a few minutes before we sent the fax, and she knew it was on the way. Why didn't she call sooner when she realized she didn't get it? We're going to be p*ssed if this delays closing, because we did what we needed to, and worked our butts off for several days getting everything done that was needed. We're still waiting to hear back from the appraiser/inspector and we're hoping for good news. Most of the house doesn't worry us, it's not old enough to have any problems. It's apparent that the deck off the back was a DIY project by the previous owners, though. Workable, but a little unsteady overall. Even if they don't require us to fix it before moving in, we'll do it ourselves for peace of mind. Our realtor also mentioned that they could note that the house doesn't have appliances, and require them before he can pass it. I'm not so worried about about the inspection, we just need to close on time, because Zane leaves a few days later for his 2 week drill, and then that would really delay things. I wanted to do a few small things while he's gone, even if I can't get the painting done, which is the major project.

I had my first midwife appointment yesterday at the birth center. So far, I really love it. It was strange having such a comfortable setting for an appointment. I was the only one there, besides the midwife and the woman who works the desk, which is definitely a first for a prenatal appointment. This time was just the basic medical history appointment, to get my background and get to know me. She gave me a lot of information, on nutrition and such. I'm really excited for the birth (and probably equally nervous too) just because I know things will go well this time and I'll be much happier with my experience.

Here's a few pictures of our peanut I never shared. This was at 12 weeks.

Catching up

I was having some troubles with Blogger, so I haven't been able to update in a while. A quick rundown...
I'm 14 weeks pregnant now, which means I'm officially in the 2nd trimester! Over the next month, the pregnancy will start to get so much more exciting, with feeling the baby move and watching my belly start to really grow. I think I've felt little peanut, but I can't be sure, so I hate to say that I have. I was the same way with Abigail though, I was unsure for a week or two because the movements weren't that strong. I felt her for the first time at 18 weeks, so hopefully a little sooner with this babe. I'm feeling better, no more nausea or major fatigue. I've developed more frequent headaches and predictable nighttime heartburn (oh, joy!). My belly is growing, but not much yet. I've pretty much been the same size for several weeks, with a little pop at one point. I grew 0.5 inches, so we're getting somewhere. I know the true growth really starts in the next few weeks though. I'm excited to get that adorable baby belly again!

We are in the process of buying a house. We finally found one that we really like, and after taking a second look, we decided to put an offer down. I'm such an impatient person, so it's hard to wait like that, with no idea when you'll get a response. Arghhh! But we got the call the on Wednesday that our offer was accepted, so we have the house! Now we are starting another lengthy process of getting things done to close. The most fustrating thing so far has been trying to figure out financing. After almost a full day of fustration, I'm starting to understand what is going on. The terms are confusing and figuring out what this is for or what that is for. We need someone to sit down with us and explain some of this, it's very hard to do over the phone. But Zane was in NY all week, so we haven't had a choice. He'll be home later tonight and tomorrow we're going into a local bank to get a quote from them. I am hoping that we get some good news, because the bank we've been working with so far, hasn't told us what we want to hear.

I'll update with some pictures and more later. Hopefully I don't have anymore problems getting on, what a pain!