Teresa has something to tell you

Early June Teresa videos: Random

Teresa happy in Bumbo (up high) while Mama washes dishes:



Teresa fell asleep in Papa's arms:



Teresa all cute in her summer dress:



Teresa pulls paper off the table:

Early June Teresa Videos: Playtime

Teresa playing in her exersaucer for the first time:
(I think my conversation with David in the background is funny)



Teresa sucking on her exersaucer:



Teresa playing in her exersaucer after some practice:



Teresa fell over on her toy:

Grandpa meets Teresa

My dad came to visit Teresa for the first time last week. He got a lot of "big grins" out of her, as he called them.

Teresa also had some sad times while her Grandpa was here. Here are two videos from his visit:

Quick Housing Update

I haven't thought much about blogging lately, mostly because we're putting so much mental energy into the search for and choosing of a home to purchase. The seller of the Killingdeer house refused to come down much from his asking price, which we believe is more than the house is worth. My dad visited us earlier this week and I took him to see the house, which he confirmed is in need of much work. Therefore, we ended negotiations with the seller on Tuesday and returned to house hunting. I believe it is providential that we did not end up with the Killingdeer house...God surely has something better for us in mind. Now, if only we could determine what that is, and soon!

Here's an opportunity for you to help us: do you or have you ever lived in a house with one large living space? How do you use it? How do you keep it tidy (especially considering children's toys)? My second choice house has a split bedroom plan (master on one side and two other bedrooms on the other side) and a long great room with the kitchen off to the side. The great room has a window, a fireplace, and a sliding glass door to the backyard. There's a chandelier over the dining area, and the rest of the room is wide open.

David is wary of buying the house because he's not sure how we would configure and use the great room. Will doing all of our eating, sitting, playing, computer time/working, learning, and family prayer in one room build our unity as a family or drive us crazy?

What's in a (street) name?

Negotiations continue on our first choice house...we may have to walk away on this one. I am incredibly grateful I can trust God and my husband on this!

One interesting thing about this house is the name of the street it is on: Killingdeer. I Googled it to see if it is a reference to something else, but the only hits were related to that specific street. It is a unique name...with a somewhat negative connotation (although the hunters in my family probably find it amusing). I did discover that killdeer is the name of a bird, but the street is not Killdeer - it's definitely Killingdeer.

Which leaves me thinking: who comes up with street names? I've seen nice developments that go on themes; Camelot, for example, might have a King Arthur Rd., a Guinevere Ct., a Round Table Cir., and an Excalibur Ln. But when houses in an area are built at different times by different builders, who decides?

And here's another question: what would you like to name a street, or a set of streets in a development, if you could?

PS On our honeymoon in the North Carolina mountains, we drove by several dirt roads labeled Hicks. No kidding!

Photo Credit: kittyz202

We made an offer on a house today

Some of you know that David and I have been seriously house hunting for about a month now. So much time and mental energy has gone into this process, especially David's. He's been incredibly diligent with researching areas of town, crime maps, flood plains, home listings, repair/renovation estimates, and more. We've been out with our realtor several times and have seen about a dozen houses. We've number crunched, deliberated pros and cons, and pored over pictures and details with family members.

Yesterday, after seeing 3 new (old) houses, we returned to our previous top choice and sat in it for a while (I nursed Teresa while sitting on the hearth). It just felt right. So we decided to make an offer. This morning we met with our realtor to complete the paperwork. Now it's in the seller's hands.

Overall, we have great peace about moving forward on this house. We've put it all in the Lord's hands and we trust that He will continue to guide us. However, an eminent "big change" has left me unsettled and poor David is suffering the brunt of my stress-induced behavior. My mind is already racing ahead to all the stuff we will need to get and do if we get the house. A mixture of excitement (so much to learn!) and fear (so much could go wrong!) about the future is hindering my ability to function in the present. Lord, help me!

David knew we both needed a break, so he suggested we go to see the movie "Up." I was fearful about taking a 3-and-a-half-month-old into a movie theatre, but David was reassuring. Everything turned out wonderfully! The movie is really cute and, although the high volume woke Teresa up as soon as we took our seats and kept her awake the whole time, she only fussed briefly twice. The rest of the time she nursed, stood supported on my legs, or sat in our laps and watched the screen. We covered her ears when the soundtrack got intense, but she was happy as a clam. Even changing her diaper in my lap went smoothly. Deo gratias!

One last little thing to share: when the movie ended, I had Teresa in my lap covered by a cream-colored blanket with medium-sized bears on it (a spare blanket we keep in David's car and rarely use). She actually bent forward and stroked one of the bears repeatedly. She is amazing!

Humbling experience of the day

Today I bit the bullet and performed one of my least favorite chores: I scrubbed our bathtub. Just as I was finishing up the job (rinsing off the walls and knob and spout), the drain stopped draining. Dirty water pooled in the bottom of the tub.

I reached in to see if the drain was plugged with hair - nope. I tried the plunger - that only stirred up more muck. So I called our apartment office and asked whether a maintenance man could come and unplug my drain. The assistant manager wrote up a ticket for me.

Two hours later, the friendly maintenance man arrived. When he first came to work for the apartment complex and paid a call to our home, he noticed all our sacred art and inquired about my faith. He shared the story of his (recent) conversion to Christianity. So we have a little bond. And maybe he won't tell everyone how silly I am after our encounter today!

Back to the story: after he explained that my long hair was the likely culprit (even though we use a hair trap), he took a wetvac into our bathroom and started suctioning. Then he turned the machine off and called out to me: "Do you ever take baths?"

"No," I replied as I went into the room.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Two years."

"Have you ever taken a bath here?"

"Maybe two when I was pregnant," I answered, remembering the relief a hot water soak provided when I was in labor and forgetting the lovely little soaks I took postpartum.

"Did you use a stopper or did you flip the drain switch?"

"I used the switch," I assured him. Then the lightbulb went off.

"It was up."

Doh! I had accidentally flipped up the switch while I was cleaning it, but I didn't even think about it when the water didn't drain. So silly!

I thanked the maintenance man profusely, apologized for taking his time for something so silly, and lightheartedly proposed that it was probably a pleasure for him to get such an easy job. He agreed, having replaced a water heater and a garbage disposal already today.

As we prepare to purchase a home this summer, I'm thinking about how much I'm going to miss the ability to call the office for maintenance help. Then again, I'm sure I'll learn a thing or two when I have to do it myself (with David, of course). For instance, how bath drain switches work!