I Moved!

Ok, it's not quite what you think. I moved from Century 21 (been there for the last 4 years) to Equity Real Estate. I've been thinking about switching brokerages for a while now...but I hadn't found the right fit. I had interviewed with maybe 4 or 5 other brokers over the past year or so, but so far I hadn't clicked with any of them (except one, but I wasn't thrilled with the way the paycheck system worked). Anyways, my husband's good friend, Chris, has been working with Equity for a while now and he loves it. So I decided to meet with the broker there and it was a hit! I really liked him and how everything was set up. First of all, it's a flat fee company. What that means is that with every house deal I close, I pay a pre-set amount to the company, no matter what the purchase price is on the home. Love this!

At Century 21, they had me on a percentage split--so when I closed a deal, first all the commission went to C21, then they take like 8% off the top of that to go toward the national brand, then they'd split it roughly 70/30 and I'd get the 70% of what was left. ANYWAYS--the point is, since I've had Jase I pretty much work from home. I hardly ever ever ever go into the office (so I'm not using any equipment, lights, desk space, etc) and I never make it to sales meetings either (too hard with a toddler). Yet I was still paying so much of my check to them and it just didn't make any sense. And now I mostly work off of referrals, so I'm not as busy as I was a year or so ago--so every penny I make counts! Now that I'm with Equity, I think it will just be a great fit for me. Everything is done via fax/online and I submit/enter it all myself (paperwork, etc.) which is pretty much how I've been doing it anyways. They have very little overhead so the company can survive with the agents paying so much less of their checks to the company. The broker is really friendly and easy to talk to (bonus) which is super important to me. Though I will miss my friends at C21 dearly, I'm looking forward to doing my next real estate deal with Equity! So keep me posted if y'all know anyone who needs to buy or sell!!!

Jase & The Dentist (and other tidbits)

Yes, I forgot to take my camera along. Oh well, I guess it didn't matter much anyways bc Jase refused to sit in the dentist chair. When asked, he just sweetly said "Nooooo" with his lips puckered out (it's a cute way he says no, I should try to get it on video sometime). The night before at home we played "dentist," and I put a lamp in my face, laid down, and let Jase poke around in my mouth with a toothbrush. Then we did it to him, too. I think that helped a bit. In retrospect, I think it would have been good to have him actually watch me getting my teeth cleaned so that he would have a chance to get used to the experience and the dental staff before they tried to look at his teeth.

Anyways, he did sit in the regular chair and show the hygienist (and dentist) how he brushes his teeth. He even opened up his mouth for them to look at. They said he had a bit of crowding with his teeth (whatever that means), but until the permanent teeth start coming in (around age 5-6) we wouldn't know for sure if he's going to have crooked teeth or not. Poor Roob had lots of teeth problems when he was a child, so he is worried that Jase may have inherited this from him. But for now, his teeth look great and that's good news. The dentist also felt his jaw and said that it feels like it's aligned well (phew). Then Jase got to pick a prize out of the big treasure chest they had (he chose a squishy green ball) and got a cool new toothbrush to try out! By the time Jase was done, then he wanted to play around with the equipment some more. The hygienist let him push the buttons to move the dental chair up & down, and he actually sat in it! So I think next trip will be better.

After the dentist trip, we went to Target. They have Toy Story 1 & 2 for sale in a DVD/BluRay disc combo set. Each movie also includes a free movie ticket to Toy Story 3 (coming this summer to theaters)! If you buy both 1 & 2 at Target, you get $10 off. Also, I check a website called "slickdeals.net" where I found more coupons that Disney is offering for another $10 off for each DVD. So basically you get $30 off if you buy 1 & 2. I have been wanting to get these movies for Jase bc I hear how much little boys just loooove Toy Story. I was sooo excited! So we go to the store and sure enough they only had Toy Story 1 on the shelf. Everything else was sold out. Blah blah blah of course. So we go to customer service and this poor girl spends like 30 minutes (seriously I still am not sure why this took soooo long??) calling other stores and checking to see if they had it. She called about 4 or 5 stores and one of those calls was to store about 20 min away. Whomever she spoke with there told her they had some but they were on hold. When she hung up and told us that, we said "I thought y'all couldn't hold sale items?" and she said, "Oh yes, you're right. Weird." So we just took our little selves straight to the store that was "holding" some (because ALL of the other Target stores were sold out). I walked in and explained to customer service what was going on. She said they didn't have any on hold but she'd check with electronics dept. So I went over there and a guy met me there. I relayed the info that we'd been told at the other Target store, and I said "If y'all are holding any I'd like to buy a copy of both Toy Story 1 & 2 bc you're not allowed to do that." So he opens up the bin and sure enough, there was a set that was wrapped with a note that they were holding it for someone. AH HA! So he asked me if that is what I wanted and I said, "YES." Done. He took the note off and handed them both over to me. I was soooooooo excited!! In case you didn't know, Toy Story has been NO WHERE to be found on the shelves in any stores for quite some time now. I knew that when Toy Story 3 came out they'd re-release the other videos...I didn't want to lose out on my sweet coupons either, so all in all it ended well. I got the videos for a STEAL (both for under $20, and they each come with a regular DVD-good for car-and a BluRay disc-good for the house, oh AND 2 free tickets to Toy Story 3) AND Jase now has a totally awesome Easter present. :) To infinity and beyond!

Baby #2 Update for March 18th

Had another doctor's visit today. According to the u/s measurements they think this boy already weighs 7 lbs! I have three weeks left, and at about .5 lb/week that'll put him at about 8.5 lbs when he's born! So we're taking bets as to how much bigger or smaller he'll truly be.

I am actually getting really excited about the baby coming. Finally. I feel a lot of my stress leaving and I can now focus on this little bundle of joy that is coming. I look at Jase and how much I love him and how cute he CAN be (ok, how cute he IS) and wonder what little brother's personality will be like.

The thing causing me the most anxiety is the nursing thing. Anyone who knows me knows how horrific it was for about 4 to 5 weeks my first time around...so now I am just trying to put that out of my head and tell myself if it's THAT bad again, I don't HAVE to do it. I don't have to cry and dread each and every feeding around the clock for days and days. That is what Similac is for--LOL. So we'll see. Besides that, today I am just really looking forward to meeting this little guy!

And names. Oh names. Ugh. So far it's still a toss up between Cody or Ian. Keep in mind it has to sound good with our last name as well as good with Jase's name (you know, when someone asks me "what's your boys' names?" I can say "Cody and Jase," etc. Make sense?)

Here's a few others on the list: Rowan, Lane, Drew, Liam (like it but kinda mouthy with our last name), Jack, Joey. I'm open to plenty of other suggestions, too. Hit me up in the comments.

No Energy & Too Many Things to do

I am cooking dinner for our church's missionaries tonight. Normally I get excited about cooking for people, but today I just want to crawl in bed and sleep. My ENTIRE house needs to be cleaned. Leaning over and picking things up off the floor is a 36 week pregnant lady's worst nightmare. It's miserable. I want to hire a maid. Oh and my good friend and her boyfriend are coming over, too. I feel completely overwhelmed and plain exhausted. And there's a 2 year old running around tossing things all over the place as I pick them up, dipping the broom in the toilet, spraying the water bottle all over his clothes, and taking apart the vacuum. Life.

I am doing a mostly "green" theme with the food since it's ST. Patty's Day. I should be cleaning/cooking now but I just can't do it. All my body wants me to do is SIT DOWN. I'm making green kool-aid, cheesy bread, lima beans w/ ham over rice, krista's bringing a green salad, and for dessert I'm doing individual fruit pizzas with kiwi (green), strawberries, and bananas. Sounds yummy, right? I am sure it will all be great. As long as I can get up off this chair and start cooking. They'll be here in 3 hours. ARGH!!!!

This weekend is also my birthday. Of course I have NO PLANS, what's new. I can't even narrow down what I want to do. Ideally I think I'd like to just hang out with my cute hubby (sans Jase), but that means I need a sitter. And then what will we do? I am not in the mood to plan anything, but I know if I don't then I'll be all bummed out we didn't do anything special or fun. Not to mention the next time the 2 of us get any alone time will be about 5 years from now--new baby coming soon, ya know. Sigh. Any ideas?

Wow, what a whiny post.

Winter non-Wonderland

This morning Jase woke up before me. I was up at 3 in the morning with horrible heartburn due to eating spaghetti the night before and not taking a heartburn pill. OOPS. Anyways, I heard him playing in his room so I went in there to go get him (we've taught him not to come out of his room until mom or dad comes in there to get him). When I opened the door, at first I didn't see him. He had climbed on top of the changing table and was laying there on his back playing with the powder and said, "Hey mom, can you change my poo poos?" Ha. Funny. Ok, so I did. I'm still not exactly sure how he got on top of that changing table, though. It's pretty high off the ground, so that's not good. Anyways, being as pregnant as I am, about halfway through the diaper change I had to go pee really bad. I finished him up and left for about 1 minute.

Upon returning, half of his room and everything in it was COVERED in a blanket of powder. ARGH!!!!!! He had shaken powder from up on top of the changing table and it was in EVERY nook and cranny you can imagine. GRRRREAT way to start off the day, right? I'm so pregnant that it is just uncomfy to get on my hands and knees and try to use all the mini vac attachments to suck up powder from the furniture. I was beyond irritated (but this time I tried really hard not to fuss too much at Jase like I did the other day--heh heh). Oh, and for those of you who don't know, his room has black furniture in it--so you can imagine having a white powder snowfall in there was just awesome.

At least it forced me to dust. :)

This Woman's Work.

How have I lived almost 35 years and not heard this song before? Last night on American Idol Michael Lynch sang this at the end of the show. I wasn't really sure what the song was all about, but after everyone was raving over it I had to do a bit of googling on it. Apparently, it was originally written for a movie called, "She's Having a Baby." I watched a clip (click HERE for movie clip) from the movie where the song is played, and it's basically about this young couple having their first child but the child is breeched and she ends up having surgery. The song is playing during the surgery scene (they won't let the husband come in and he panics) and the husband is reflecting back on their life, and all the things he shoulda woulda coulda done better, etc. I was crying like a hormonal pregnant woman watching it! Wait, I am! So back on AI, I really liked how Kara cried and said that she could relate since she didn't have a child (that made me sad). For some reason I really like her--she is my favorite judge. And then it was so sweet how Simon was with her (y'all know he's usually so grumpy). So overall it was a good moment on AI and I thought I'd post the link here if you wanted to see the performance. I love gospel, I love soul--so I really liked his rendition of this song. CLICK HERE for the american idol clip.

Here's the lyrics to the song, I think they can be interpreted in a few different ways--which is always cool with songwriting...

Pray God you can cope.
I stand outside this woman's work,
This woman's world.
Ooh, it's hard on the man,
Now his part is over.
Now starts the craft of the father.

I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking

Of all the things I should've said,
That I never said.
All the things we should've done,
That we never did.
All the things I should've given,
But I didn't.

Oh, darling, make it go,
Make it go away.

Give me these moments back.
Give them back to me.
Give me that little kiss.
Give me your hand.

(I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.
I know you have a little life in you yet.
I know you have a lot of strength left.)

I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking

Of all the things we should've said,
That were never said.
All the things we should've done,
That we never did.
All the things that you needed from me.
All the things that you wanted for me.
All the things that I should've given,
But I didn't.

Oh, darling, make it go away.
Just make it go away now.

Baby Belly @ 34 Weeks

Nothing like trying to take a sidewards pic of yourself in the dark in a tiny bathroom and hoping the camera doesn't fall off the shelf above the toilet and into the toilet! LOL. Didn't happen, by the way. :) But you should have seen how many pics I took that had my head cut out of them! Ha ha ha.A scary shot from the front...hello basketball!
Figured I better stay consistent and take another one (like I did at 29 weeks) standing in the living room.
Not sure my belly can stretch any farther! I am paranoid about getting even more stretch marks so I make sure to lotion up with this vitamin E stuff I found at Sam's. I have 5 more weeks to go, so I hope my skin can take it! I found these jeans online from Gap. When I first ordered them they were too big and saggy (hate that), so I took a risk and ordered a size smaller. Score! They fit MUCH better and stay up pretty good when I'm walking around. However, sitting down can be a problem bc they only have a small demi stretch panel on them, so it tends to hurt if I'm sitting for too long. Oh well, they are the best fitting pants I have at the moment!

Baby #2 update

Hi. I feel rather guilty for how LITTLE I've documented my 2nd pregnancy. For my 1st one, I had a pregnancy diary and everything! I was all over it! I guess the "novelty" has worn off or something--or maybe it's just because my life is much more hectic with a toddler in it. Yeah, I'll take that last excuse.

I have a doctor's appointment in just a little while. We are supposed to be scheduling the C-section today! I am so anxious about the entire thing! Yet at the same time, the belly is becoming a bit cumbersome, so it will be nice to get this little (or big) guy outta me. This pregnancy overall hasn't been too bad--I was less sick during my 1st trimester than I was with Jase. My 2nd trimester is what really gave me a run for my money. My sciatic joint problems were oh, so painful. From what I researched online, that is typically the time frame where it will be a problem if it's going to be. For me, it sure was! I remember days I could barely walk, much less sit on the ground, lean over, etc. It was awful. Then one day, it was gone! Woo hoo! So now really I have been feeling pretty good overall...the heartburn was getting a bit ridiculous so I finally gave in to the Zantac (hallelujah!). That has helped a TON. I try to take only one/day at the most. So far that seems to be plenty sufficient. I haven't really had any major cravings except for 2 things: cold cereal with milk, and Coke. Yes, Coke. It's nuts. I know it isn't good for the baby so I try to avoid it--but wow, is the craving ever strong. And McDonald's has the BEST fountain Coke around. So if I see those golden arches and my car starts pulling into the parking lot...well...heh heh.

Update: Ok I'm back from the doctor's appointment! Baby is growing well! According to the ultrasound he's about 5 pounds 11 oz. I still have 5 weeks to go, and they estimate the baby growing about a half pound per week...so that puts him at roughly 8 pounds when he will be born. My doctor will be scheduling the c-section for April 8th. I have to be there at 6am. This is so strange to have like a "D-day!" Ha ha ha. But it's nice, too, bc it will make it so much easier to make arrangements for Jasey. Anyways, I am all sorts of anxious and nervous--ugh. I just hope he's healthy and strong. Oh and by the way, at my previous 2 appointments I've managed to stay the same weight. However, at this one I've gained 4 lbs in just 2 weeks! Eeks! But I can't complain--throughout this pregnancy I've lost more weight than I've gained, and for that I am super thankful!

One more thing. Forgot to say a couple nights ago while laying in bed, I felt the baby hiccuping! I have never noticed that before, so it was kind of cute.