no house

Nope, no house. Bummer.

We knew going into this that the current owner has a history of being difficult. He has turned down several offers in the past. But we were hopeful that we were offering something good. And both our realtor and his were very positive about our offer, they were hopeful that this could finally be what it takes to get this place sold.

Guess not.

I was pretty good during the negotiations about not getting too emotional. And I think me and Mr. P did a good job not getting swept up, and extending ourselves more than we agreed on beforehand. We acted rationally and negotiated to our limits, which were eventually rejected. We felt ok about it falling through, knowing we had done all we could.

But the day after it fell through, then I was pretty sad about it. Am still pretty sad about it.

Oh well. We will find something else. It just may take awhile.

Bummer.

House?

I'm here. I'm trying to get back into things on the interwebs. Life has been just so busy - good busy, but still really busy.

Now that the Critter Girl is up, standing and cruising all over the house, I just can't sit around on the computer while she plays on her playmat. Because she is not on her playmat. She is everywhere!! So fun, but, whew, so tiring!

And we are looking at moving. Which is so exciting, because our cute townhouse, which was a perfect place for me and Mr. P and the cat is now the smallest place known to man. And our storage locker is overflowing. And our garage has become storage locker #2. We need to move.

But it seems to be happening fast. Like we've been looking online (Hi, my name is Pie, and I am a Redfin addict. Hi Pie.) for over a year, and just started touring houses. And last night we found it. As Mr. P has termed it, our Forever House. When I move out of there, its to the nursing home. Or the grave. Seriously, the house is that good.

We put in an offer, and are now waiting. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, as it has a good chance of not working out. I know this in my head, but in my heart - I'm already decorating the place for Valentine's Day. Yikes.

So a lot going on here. But I miss you guys, so I will make a pledge to keep up more. Scout's honor, from a Brownie drop-out.

11 months

(I know I've been totally MIA. Everything's fine, just busy with holiday stuff and life in general. My Reader is overflowing, I swear I will get caught up soon. Really.)

OMG - only one more month til you are a year old. How can it be?? Well, happy 11 month birthday, my sweet Critter Girl!!

This has been another busy busy month of developments for you Critter Girl! So what happened?

Pulling Up! You are pulling up on every last thing these days. You don't care if it is something stable - like the coffee table - or not-so-stable - like your play rocker - you will pull up on it. With varying success, as the bruises on your forehead prove. You look like a prize fighter.

Cruising! You will move your way around the room, touching and shaking and getting into everything in your reach. A whole new level of babyproofing is going on around here. You have also let go and stood (for a few seconds) by yourself. I won't be at all surprised if you walk soon.

Language! You say Mama (or Mom-mom, or just Mom, which is funny to hear you say) and Dada correctly. You know those are our names. You know Dada's voice, and when he calls during the day to check up on you, you love to talk to him on the phone. You hear him, light up and say "Dada!!" with such delight. And I know it's not just the phone that makes you say it - you talked to a girlfriend of mine, and just looked confused that it wasn't Dada on the phone. You also say "KiCa" for the Kitty Cat. So you know the names of all the important people in your life. It is so very super sweet. You are also waving now, and can clap and shake things on demand. You have become a little language sponge.

It seems like changes in you are happening so fast these days. One minute you are lying on the floor, the next you are up and moving all around, calling out for me. I can't wait to see what the next month holds for you. And I will be busy planning your first birthday party. Surreal, and exciting too.

I love you more than I ever thought possible, my sweet Critter Girl. I am so happy to be your Mama.