May 2006 Weddings
Dear Community,
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Whats new?????
I know everyone on this board is soo busy with real estate, children, careers, etc...... GIve an update - what is going on, how are you????
I am well - I hit 30 weeks yesterday! 8 weeks of bedrest down, 6 to go!! I can do this. Still onmy couch, hanging out!!
Have a great day - Thanks for giving me something to read - haha!
Re: Whats new?????
Yay for reaching 30 weeks!! Keep crossing your legs or whatever you have been doing
Work is crazy right now. I already have almost 30 hours in so far this week?!?
We are starting to reconcile ourselves with staying in our house for a couple of years. Our contract with our realtor ends at the end of the month and we are getting really tired of the process. We haven't had any showings in the past week, we are not hopeful that we will sell by the end of the month. So we are already making plans to add a bath. I am going to re-do the spare bedroom asap too.
So great about reaching 30 weeks Angela!
Denise I'm sorry about work and house frustrations.
I'm sick.
So that made the weekend tough and the start of this week yucky too. I'm looking forward to a weekend with no plans so far. I've been enjoying having Joe home last night (he had the day off) and again tonight (he's working 7-3). It makes a world of difference being able to spend some time together for a change.
YAY! 30 weeks!!! I remember how excited I was to reach that point. You are absolutely right, you can do this!
I've been telling myself the same thing lately...
We walked away from the short sale house that had so much potential and space. We didn't feel comfortable with all the money we had to put into it to make it more energy efficient w/o knowing approx how much heating would cost us after we made those changes (it was $500 in November for just heat since no one was living there. I don't remember it being that cold this past November either). Plus, it needed SO much other work. It would have taken us FOREVER to do it all.
We've seen several other houses but haven't found the one for us yet.
We considered putting an offer in on a house in Highland Park area. It was a great updated house and although the kitchen was updated beautifully, it was small and didn't have a pantry. The fireplace was finished over
and the living room was a little tight. There wasn't an entry way. AND it had a strange half bath addition. You had to walk out onto the screened in porch (off of the kitchen) to get to the half bath and laundry rooms. Fine for warmer days but that would suck in the winter. The full bath was very small too. We loved the house but couldn't get past these issues.
We saw a house yesterday that we love and were ready to make an offer but after reading the disclosure and thinking about the issues we think we are likely walking away from this one too. It has nearly everything that we want but the taxes and utilities are higher and it has sewage issues. The owners have Roto Rooter come out every 18months-2 years to clean tree roots from the sewage line due to "slowness". I know there may be issues with an older home but I don't think I can deal with sewage in the basement. My aunt had me even more concerned when she said "what if the tree roots break a line and you have to have your whole yard dug up?". Ugh, this was a painful decision b/c the house had 4 bigger bedrooms, great closet space, hardwood floors, nice neighborhood, Camp Hill SD, etc.
Anyone have experience with tree roots in sewer lines?
Another issue was that 2 bedrooms on the 1st floor and 2 on the second. I'm not sure how I feel about that with 2 children. Any thoughts on this?
We've had some more showings of our house and another scheduled for tomorrow. We're dropping the price by 5k soon.
In the past week I have become so sick from this pregnancy. I find it much worse than it was with Ethan but that may be b/c I didn't have Ethan to take care of and I could eat whatever I wanted. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I can't even have saltines b/c they contain wheat, one of Ethan's allergies. I moved his allergist appt up from June to next week to see if he's outgrown anything. I pray that he has so that he and I can both have more foods. I am in a constant state of nausea.
My foster mother passed away on Friday. Today was her funeral and I couldn't attend b/c we were down to one car (one was damaged yesterday and needed to be repaired today) and I couldn't handle driving 4 hours today w/o throwing up.
The good news? Matt got a promotion! I'm so proud of him! Ethan is walking ALL OVER THE PLACE and is learning new things every day. It is so fun to watch him learn new things. I can't wait for you to experience that with your little boy!! Today Ethan learned to raise his hands and shrug his shoulders after mimicking me when I asked him where his pacifier went.
Well, I'm sure this reading kept you busy for a while. Thanks, it helped me to get it all out too!
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Denise, I'm so sorry about your house frustrations too. I can't imagine. I'm already frustrated and we haven't been at this for quite as long or had lost buyers & houses. And wow, you've worked my full work week in 2 days! Holy cow, you need a vacation!
Jen, I hope you're feeling better soon. I hear you loud and clear ... it's amazing how different the night is when you have your husband there to be a part of the evening routine. You've been so great doing it on your own all this time but it's nice to have help and time spent together. I hope Joe gets a shift change sooner than he expects.
TTC since Jan 07. Dx with PCOS Jan 08
Hi ladies!!!! Yay for 30 weeks...I am so proud of you!!!!! You are coming down the home stretch now. : )
Denise, I'm so sorry to hear about the house issues. I hope something works out for you soon, you poor thing!
Jen, yuck...being sick in the spring really sucks!!! I hope you feel better soon and enjoy your family time.
Christina, so much going on in your life right now. I'm so so sorry to hear about your foster mom. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Sounds like the house hunting isn't going so well...bummer! I know there are a few houses for sale in Green Lane Farms (development right next to where Jill and I live)...nice neighborhood and it would be west shore schools. I know someone mentioned to you on FB about WS schools being terrible but I totally disagree with that. Someone will always have a comment about a school district so don't let that sway your decision. Anyway, I will keep my eyes pealed for houses. New Cumberland is a wonderful little town and I see "for sale" signs a lot. Good luck!! Sorry that you are really sick with this pregnancy...that stinks when you are chasing a 15 month old around. Congrats to Matt!!!!!
Life is pretty busy for us here. Erik has a job interview this afternoon and I am praying SOOOOOOO hard that it works out. He really needs this...actually WE really need this. His current job SUCKS and he travels SOOOOO much with no mileage reimbursement. $100 a week just in gas for him. Money is really really tight for us right now and I am trying to get into work as much as I can and I am having a couple lia sophia shows a month so it does help. We just didn't expect a $12k a year DECREASE in Erik's salary...this of course happened about a month after I got pregnant with Keaton. Having money issues is so stressful so I'm praying this interview goes well for him. It's more pay and no travel!!! Other than that, I enjoy every second with my little man. He is such a ham, making us laugh all the time. I started looking into birthday stuff for him already....can you believe he will be 1 year old in 3 short months?!?!
I hope you all have a nice afternoon. Enjoy the weather!!
Congrats on making it to 30 weeks, Angela! Not too much longer now!
Wow! It sounds like everyone is in a period of life transitions lately. Christina - I'm so sorry to hear about your foster mom....and your morning sickness, too. I hope you can find a house you like soon. The right one will come up, I'm sure. New things are coming on the market every day right now. Not sure this would apply with the tree root thing, but American Water always sends out some type of insurance you can buy from them for sewer and water lines in your yard for like $14 a month. If something breaks, they'll fix it. The neighbors at my old house used to buy it since our sewer lines ran a really, really long way from the house out to the alley.
I hope everyone else is doing well. Denise - I hear ya about the work load lately. I worked more hours last week than I have in years, and we just got a company-wide email from the president telling us busy season is upon and everyone needs to step it up. Oh, great....I can't find enough time in the day to get things done already, let alone extra workload.
Nothing else much new for us, thankfully. The bath renovation is done, so I'll probably concentrate on some smaller house projects coming up. I told Dh that I want to move again soon. I was half not-serious and half serious, I think. He was about to kill me, I think, since we've only been here a year.
While I love the house and yard, we don't enjoy the neighborhood as much as we'd hoped, and we have a lot of wasted space. We'll see...
The girls are doing really well. Eloise is enjoying preschool (she'll be sad when it let's out for summer), and Maddy is....well, enjoying annoying her sister. Maddy's talking more every day, and just cracks us up. She's definitely the clown of the family. That's about it for us though....not a whole lot.
I hope things for every else start to pick up soon. Good luck to the house and job seekers! And hope those that aren't feeling well, feel better soon!
Wow, 30 weeks? Time is flying by!! You will be meeting your baby boy in no time!!
Denise - sorry to hear about all the issues w/buying and selling your home!
Jen - sorry you are sick, yuck! what is wrong? I have been battling a cold of some sort these past few days and it definitely sucks!! that is great that joe has been home last night and will be home tonite. i bet you are loving spending time with your family!!
Christina - so sorry to hear about your foster mother and your pregnancy nausea. I hope the nausea passes soon! its great that you are getting so many showings on your house..and i know you will find your dream home in time!!
Lesli - good luck to Erik! it seems you both really want (and need) him to get this job. i will be sending lots of good thoughts your way!!
as for me there isn't too much going on. we just got back from a nice long vacation in Aruba. we both really needed it! now i am just trying to recover from this cold i picked up along the way somewhere. take care ladies!!
Congrats on getting to 30 weeks, Angela! That is absolutely wonderful news.
Add me to the list of complainers in this post. I'm feeling awful about things this week and it is only Tuesday.
I was doing really well and staying strong, thinking positive thoughts about DH's job search, my own job search, and the possibility of a x-country move. My birthday was last week, and I really think that I was using it as some kind of marker for things hoping that we'd have a better idea of where our life was headed by that point. Well, that came and went, and we're no where closer to having jobs than we were 3 months ago.
DH's contact in Pittsburgh is still waiting to hear from his clients on when they are going to move forward with things. The only thing we know is that when he gets the news, he'll likely offer DH a job, and DH will have to be there ASAP. So, that would mean figuring out what to do with our townhouse (sell or rent) and find a place to stay in Pitt all in a matter of a week or so. I had applied for a job in Pitt too, and was hoping to hear last week, but still nothing there so I'm thinking that I was passed over. I have no idea what I'd like to do in Pitt, so even if DH gets this job, I'm not sure what to do because we need 2 incomes ultimately.
I've also applied for a fellowship at NIH in MD. I was also really hopeful about that, and expect to hear from them about scheduling a first interview this week. This would be great for several reasons...proximity to central pa and the family, potential to move up within NIH or take those skills elsewhere, good prospects for jobs for DH in the area. But, then I started looking at housing prices in the Bethesda area and holy sticker shock! We'd be living in box on the side of the road for a while.
Then sometimes I think about what all this moving and new job stuff would mean for Caleb...finding a new daycare (have to do that even if we stay here since our sitter is going back to work), losing the awesome flexibility that I have at my current job which allows me to spend tons of time with Caleb, possibility of longer commute resulting in even less time spent with him...etc, etc, etc.
I guess I just don't know what I want, and I'm losing faith that things will work out the way they are supposed to (or how I want them to). The closer we get to the end of the semester, the more desperation I feel about wanting to be settled. Ughh...I hate the waiting game!
So sorry to hear about your foster mother, Christina, and all the stuff you are going through with pregnancy and Ethan's allergies. I've been thinking about you and wondering if you were able to get to a nutritionist to figure things out for both Ethan and the new baby. Good luck with the allergist appointment. Hopefully at least some of the allergies have cleared up.
Sorry to those of you who are experiencing house selling/hunting issues. Definitely rough times out there. I hope you are all able to find the place that is right for you and get a reasonable price for your place.
Lesli, fingers crossed for Erik's job. Let us know how things go.
Wow! Lots going on with you ladies!
Angela- Congrats on making it to 30 weeks! Won't be long now!
Denise- I'm sorry you've had such a hard time with the real estate process. Good luck with your renovations! I hope things work out for the best.
Jen- I was sick last week/this weekend too while DH was away. It was awful. I really hope you feel better soon.
Christina- Holy cow! Soo much going on! I'm very sorry to hear about your foster mother. I'm thinking about you and your family in this sad time.
In regard to your home buying process....We have to get our basement pipes rooted out every 18 months to 2 years as well. Honestly, in comparision to some of the other things that happen as a homeowner, to me, it's not that big of a deal. That being said, prior to having bought our home, our lines were scoped with a camera so we knew that they were in good shape when we bought the house. Having the pipes burst is a smaller worry for us. Roots in the line is a common problem in areas that have older homes and a lot of old trees (like Camp Hill and New Cumberland). It's definitely a consideration, but like I said, as someone who has to deal with it, it's not a huge issue. Feel free to give me a call if you have anymore questions about this! Oh, and I'm with Lesli....I will happily send Brynne to school in the WSSD. In my experience, all schools on the West Shore (CH, MASD, CV, etc. are good ones!)
I hope you feel better soon. Morning sickness stinks, and it sounds like it's even worse with all of Ethan's allergies! I hope you find a safe snack that meets your needs soon!
Lesli- I've been checking our website everyday! I'll let you know if I hear of any jobs!
Jill- I had to laugh at Maddy annoying her sister! Sounds like you have some silly girls! I love it.
Becky- Good luck with your job/daycare search. I know you were so happy with your sitter! I'm sorry you have to change. I had wonderful luck using care.com. The search is so difficult but I wish you luck!
As for me, I've been pretty busy as well! Brynne turns one on Sunday, so I've been working hard planning her party! I'm so excited to see everyone AND get all the final details finished. I swear I put more time into this party than I did my own wedding! Next year....Chuck E Cheese...or somewhere that figures all this stuff out for you!
Also....I've been practicing for our school talent show :::bows head with embarrassment:::
Our principal found out that I sang through college, so she asked me to perform something by myself. I HATE singing in public. Hate it, hate it, hate it! Not to mention the fact that it's been 6 or 7 years since I last sang with a CHOIR let alone doing a solo by myself! I chose to do, "Good Morning, Baltimore" from the show Hairspray because it's silly and funny. I told our music teacher that if I can't it the notes, I'm not even going to try. Being off key will just be silly and part of the performance. Yes, it's only a talent show....but ack! I'm scared. Please wish me luck!!!!!!!
WOW --- I'm glad I asked!!! There is a lot going on!!!! My cervix was shorter than ever today. No contractions, not dialating, there is nothing they can do to lenghten my cervix. They sent me home, back to bedrest. I was released from MFM, the high risk drs, I will just see my normal drs now.
Denise -- I'm sorry things aren't going as planned. Good luck with the renovations, keep us posted.
Jen - I hope you are feeling better soon. Summer is coming!
Christina - I'm so sorry to hear about your foster mom, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Keep us posted on the buying ans selling of homes. I'm sure all will work out, it just takes time.
I'm sorry to hear about your morning sickness and nutrition, I hope and pray Ethan's appt goes well and you could add foods back in. You are AMAZING, I don't think I would have the strength to bf with allergy concerns. I'm just glad you found pasta you can eat.
Lesli - you know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family each and every day.
Jill - Time is flying - your girls are growing up fast -- sooo cute - can't wait for Evan to make me laugh.
Becky - You know AZ is my dream home -- I wish we could switch. I will retire there. I hope all works out for the careers and move. Keep us posted.
Emmy - best of luck at the talent show --- have fun! Have fun at Brynne's 1st birthday party!!
Thank you all for all this reading!!!
I agree, lots going on with everyone. Great idea to post updates!
Angela - you are in my thoughts! You've done a wonderful job so far, 30 weeks is a great milestone. I hope the next fews weeks are smooth sailing for you. Best of luck!
I'm sorry things didn't work out with selling your house/buying a new one, Denise. Renovations can be fun though, I bet you'll enjoy selecting finishes and then redo-ing your guest room too.
Jen, feeling any better? Hopefully you're all on the mend soon. Enjoy your plan-free weekend!
Christina, I'm sorry to hear about your foster mom
And I do hope your sickness lets up soon and that you're able to introduce some new foods after Ethan's appt. w/ the allergist. You'll have to keep us updated. You're in my thought a lot w/ all this house business, hang in there.
Good luck to Erik with his job search, Lesli. Hopefully he hears positive news soon. It's so tough out there, but a positive outlook goes a long way!
Jill - moving again? so soon?! lol Good luck making that decision!
Becki - you have a lot going on as well. I really, truly hope things work out for you both and the timing is right with everything. It sounds so stressful. You're in my thoughts as well.
Emily - aw, have a blast with Brynne's party! What theme are you doing? Good luck w/ the talent show too, I'd never have the guts to do that!
Allie - I can't wait to see pics from your Aruba trip, lucky duck. I still owe you a FB message too.
Not a ton of stuff going on for us but definitely owe you girls an update. As you know DH got a job offer and started back to work in early March. Well about 9 days into it they let him go, just like that, out of the blue. He "wasn't what they were looking for". Needless to say we were both devastated...and MAD. It was a horrible time for us and my poor husband felt so defeated and embarassed that this happened to him that he hardly left the house for weeks. He jumped right back in to job hunting though and I'm happy to say that he was offered a job late last week and will start this coming Monday! This job is a much better fit for him and he feels more comfortable about everything, so even though it SUCKED that he was let go from that job after only 9 days, we both kind of feel that maybe it really, truly wasn't the place for him...he wouldn't have had this new opportunity if he were still at that company. I'm so relieved, I don't think I could have made it through a second year of unemployment.
Personally, I've been in allergy hell for the first time in my life. I don't know how people deal with this year after year. I think I've gotten it under control finally after 2 weeks of non-stop coughing due to a dry, scratchy throat. I was actually able to sleep through the night last night and the night before and it felt so good, lol. Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself! I also started a blog and have enjoyed it so far. I know a lot of you have blogs or at least like to read them, so feel free to visit if you want: http://little-happy-moments.blogspot.com/