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Closing time

So. Today is closing day! The day Luke and I officially become homeowners for the first time in our lives. Final walk-through is at 2:30 p.m., closing is at 3:00, and of course we're still waiting to get final numbers from the bank for our cashier's check because why should we expect things to run smoothly?

I came into work this morning with a huge rock in my stomach (aside from Baby Brother), and as excited as we are to begin this new chapter of adulthood, Luke and I couldn't be more nervous. And because everything's happening so late in the afternoon, I'm not sure how we're going to celebrate. Maybe remove the "For Sale" sign in the front yard. Possibly go out to dinner because there's dried Rice-A-Roni on the stove from last night and Kara will need to eat shortly after we close and our apartment is a good forty minutes from our new pad. Continue to hash out paint colors and a schedule of what we can reasonably expect to accomplish before our October 28th move-in day. Originally the plan was to spend three weekends painting the entire house and the last weekend moving in, but my nephew Danny's baptism is now set for on October 26 and by the way, Ryan is moving to Germany to reunite with her army husband the weekend before that, and there's no way I'm missing out on my last chance to see her before spring. This leaves us only two working weekends left, so the NEW objective is to simply finish the second floor before the new carpet and bathroom tiles are installed later in the month.

Not that any of this makes me the slightest bit uneasy. Or crabby. Or hungry for a big bowl of spinach dip and a day in my pajamas.

It's overwhelming, how much there is to do before vacating our apartment; so overwhelming, in fact, that all I can do is think about October in small, manageable chunks. Call the flooring company. Price-check options for Internet, phone, and cable. (Yes, after more than three years of doing without, the Frema-Useless Clutter household just might hop on the cable bandwagon again.) (Also, I'm thinking not so much with the Comcast.) Buy primer and paint. Figure out when to paint. Figure out what to do with Kara. I would totally put her to work if she could walk more than five steps at a time. Also, if she could be trusted to keep her gums off the paintbrush.

(Actually, we do have some plans for Kara. A friend of mine from work who I knew from my Saint Joe days is going to come to the house and keep her company next Saturday so Luke and I can tackle the upstairs at the same time. Marissa heard about our baby-sitterless plight and actually volunteered to baby-sit. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a beautiful, paid friendship.)

In more uplifting news, did I tell you how much fun Kara is these days? Oh, wait, I guess I did. But I want to document it here, too, that my baby toddles and eats yogurt and "reads" her board books the right way and still has to play with my hair when I rock her to sleep. Luke and I are constantly looking at pictures from her newborn days and marveling over how much personality she's developed since then, how active she is, and how she loves us through each fumble. I would never categorize myself as patient, and I'm embarrassed to admit how damn frustrating parenthood is sometimes, but despite my shortcomings, Kara still scrambles to my arms when I come home each day. The biggest fear I had about being a working mom--that she wouldn't want me as much--has now reversed into my biggest obstacle, at least when trying to tackle my daily to-dos. She can't get enough of me. But I wouldn't want it any other way.

It's amazing to think that soon, there will be TWO little wonderfuls vying for my attention.

This was taken last Wednesday morning to document me at 20 weeks. Tomorrow I will be 21 weeks. Where is the time going?

Kara doesn't know, either.

It's mind-boggling, how much I love her.

Trying to bring pretty back

At nineteen weeks and some change, I finally feel like I'm coming into my own with this pregnancy. Having more energy and a cute little baby bump to boot have inspired me to take more pride in my appearance as opposed to those first couple of months, when just rolling out of bed and showering required supreme effort. Blow-drying my hair? Ha! Don't make me laugh.

Now, though? I'm not sure where to start.

I desperately need a hair cut, but my stylist is in Chicago and I'm not brave enough to try somebody new, so that will have to wait until the end of October, when Luke, Kara, and I will make the trip for little Danny's baptism. I plan on adding to my maternity wardrobe, but new clothes aren't enough. As always, whether I'm gestating or not, my biggest problem has to do with my skin.

Before returning to work in March, I went on a postpartum shopping spree to load up on products that I hoped would reduce the appearance of blemishes and even out my color. And once I went back, I took great care to apply the moisturizer, primer, and foundation. I used Philosophy's "On a Clear Day" kit and was pleased with the results. It was groovy, baby.

Now that I'm knocked up again, though, the tools at my disposal have changed. I love the overall effect of Philosophy's acne products, but the magical step-two serum is now off-limits until I deliver, and it seems like a waste of time and money to use the others out of sequene. For a while I continued to buy the facewash, but I'm going to run out of my current supply any day now, and it doesn't appear to be as effective without the added boost of the serum and the creams. Also, I'm too lazy to go to the mall and buy more, so I'm scratching that, too, even though it would also give me the opportunity to restock on my absolute favorite Clinique product in the whole entire world. End result? Right now I'm going the drugstore route and relying on Aveeno to keep my face clean and moisturized until Baby Brother makes his debut.

Did I ever tell you about how the rest of my beauty finds worked out? Of course I didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have set myself up to talk about them right here and now.

Since 2005, I had been utilizing every last drop of my bottle of Becca's Mattifying Primer because of how silky the mousse-like texture felt on my skin. So on my back-to-work shopping spree, I originally searched for that. However, the gal at Sephora said the brand had been discontinued and pimped the Smashbox Photofinish Light Foundation Primer as a worthy alternative. Amalah is a huge fan of Smashbox as well, so I gave it a shot. And I liked it! But it was one of the few times in my cosmetic history where I actually depleted a product over the span of a couple of months as opposed to a couple of YEARS. And when that product is forty buck a pop, that will. not. do.

So I went back to Sephora, where this time Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer was pimped out instead, and I said yes because it was ten dollars cheaper. But this primer? I do not like. It feels good going on but leaves my face greasy and shiny all the livelong day. According to some of the reviewers who faced the same problem, this probably isn't the best choice for those with oily or combination skin.

I still have a lot left, but because I don't like it, I've stopped wearing make-up altogether, even though I actually quite enjoy the LORAC foundation I found in March. This means I've been showing up to work in all my prenatal, pimply glory. I have finally decided this must stop.

So in vain I looked up Becca on Google, and what do you know, the brand wasn't discontinued after all. And oh, look, there's my primer! So did the Sephora girl lie to my face, or did she mean to imply that Sephora discontinued the stocking of Becca products? If it's the latter, she certainly could've MENTIONED the ability to buy it elsewhere. But whatever. I'm thisclose to doing exactly that. I'm sure my complexion and my coworkers will thank me.

Before my Oops, I Did It Again Moment in May, physically I was in a good place. I felt more confident about how I looked, and I was on the right track to losing the last few pounds of my baby weight. Pregnancy is a blessing, but hot damn, am I excited to do that again.

So, to sum up, Aveeno cleanser and moisturizer (including night cream! my, but I'm fancy), Becca primer, and LORAC foundation. I guess I DO know where to start. Carry on, then, but not without sharing your own favorite beauty and skincare products. You know, for future reference. Sisters have to help each other out, you know?

Let's Hear It For The Boy

Well, THERE went two weeks of personal blogging I'll never get back.

The mini-hiatus was unintentional, but life, it has been busy. Between welcoming sweet baby girls, working out insurance and inspection details for our September 30 closing, and keeping up with projects at work, I'm lucky I've managed to update my Parents blog. But, you know, they pay me, so it wasn't that hard of a decision to make.

Speaking of Parents, if you're a follower, you learned on Friday that a penis was discovered in my uterus.

Thanks to the cheesecake I had at lunch, Baby Brother was much more cooperative during his ultrasound than Kara was for hers, so we saw the goods twice. Also, his very adorable profile.

Oh, and we might've purchased a few little boy things. Maybe. Just a few.

I so thought this baby was going to be a girl (thanks for nothing, stupid old wives' tales), but disappointed would be the last word I'd use to describe what it felt like to learn about my son. Luke and I couldn't be more excited.

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I really appreciated all of your comments regarding our new house and our plight with the kitchen cabinets. Despite the amount of work we know it's going to take, Luke and I have decided to bite the bullet and repaint them a soft, creamy color. Paired with a khaki/tan shade on the walls, that should be enough to even things out and keep the first-floor rooms from clashing with each other, no matter what colors we end up using. I was quite impressed with Dr. Maureen's paint job, and after seeing her "before" pictures, I better understand why in certain cases, painting over the wood actually makes more sense than keeping the cabinets in their current condition. I have no idea what shape my cabinets were in before they were subjected to all that green, but after visiting the Valspar Web site to review paint swatches, I think I know where the sellers got their inspiration.

Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

The kicker? I actually DON'T MIND the color scheme in this room. But when you swap out the laminate flooring for a blah white tile and eliminate more than half the square footage, including the kick-ass island, what could have been a warm and inviting look becomes cramped and mismatched in a less impressive space. Oh, well. Live and learn.

The time between now and when we actually move in October is already making me nervous, wondering if we can paint every room and every damn cabinet prior to the second floor's carpet and tile job, prioritizing the items we want to add/upgrade in our home, counting every penny and trying to maximize it best we can. It's overwhelming now, but I trust that once we have the keys in hand, everything will suddenly appear much more managable. In the meantime, let's all ooh and ahh over Kara, who turned nine months old today and currently steals our hearts with her open-mouthed kisses, determination to walk, and ability to babble Mama and Dada at just the right time.

The apple of our eye indeed!

Much cuter than the professional shots she took at Target last month. We'll be redoing them this weekend at Portrait Innovations.

Today it's orchards, tomorrow undergraduate education. Sob.

Cribs, Frema-style

OK, first off, you all will be happy to know that tonight, Randy--yes, that Randy--left a comment on my last entry about the Cringe launch. According to my stat counter, which is how I confirmed it was really him and not someone playing a cruel, cruel joke, he found my blog after typing his full name into Google, which in turn led him to this set of diary entries. Don't worry, I've already reassured Luke that our marriage is strong and will likely outlive the newness of this shocking development, though pretty soon I might have to start stuffing dollars in the Randy jar, so happy am I that my old crush and friend is finally in the know about his kind-of published status.

(You caught the Friends reference, yes? Monica's obsessive talk about Richard? Chandler no likey? Monica coughing up dough for each Richard reference?)

(And the pun, it has officially been killed.)

Second, house talk! You've been waiting for it, I know. Our inspection was last Thursday, and Luke stayed home with Kara while I poked and prodded every nook and cranny of our future residence for two hours. It was the first time I'd been in the house since our showing, so it was comforting to see the place again and confirm we made the right decision. We so, so did.

And I have the pictures to prove it. Walk with me, won't you?

Here's the exterior. Originally Luke and I wanted to stay away from houses like this because there's no presentation to speak of, but after four months of fruitless searching, we suddenly became more open-minded. The trim needs paint, and the siding will eventually be replaced in a color that isn't yellow, but it's not hurting us for now.

Welcome to our living room. The laminate floors are new, and the space is more than our current living room and dining room combined. AND THEN SOME. Plus, lots of windows for plenty of natural light.

When I saw this corner, the first thing that came to mind was, "Playroom." Not that we'll turn it into an actual room, mind you, but this is the perfect place to carve out a books and toys area for Kara and Number Two. Since the house is a two-story, the last thing Luke needs is to spend his days trampling on the staircase to retrieve additional options for early childhood entertainment.

The dining room, which leads to the back yard. The chandelier is tacky ("tacky" being a theme that runs through the entire house, as you'll soon see), but the space is perfect.

First shot of the back yard. When I first saw it, I nearly wet myself because the lot was by far the biggest of all the many, many, MANY houses Luke and I have seen since May. The current owners have four dogs, which explains the poor condition of the lawn, but grass, it grows. I can totally imagine running around with the kids here, playing tag, wading in the kiddie pool, throwing a ball around, or simply enjoying hot dogs on the grill. This was one of the biggest selling points for me.

Second half of the yard.

Now, let's check out the upstairs.

(The upstairs! I grew up in a three-bedroom apartment building in Chicago with my parents, four siblings, and a dog. We owned the building, but space was tight, and lil' Frema dreamed of the day she would live in a house. She never imagined the possibility of a second floor.)

(Also, poor lil' Frema, missing out on all this cool stuff. Printing the Randy poem, buying a house. My adult self weeps for her.)

You're looking at the house's second big selling point (for us): the loft. At our price range and in our current market, Luke and I could be picky enough to narrow our search to at least three bedrooms, but a fourth for office space just wasn't feasible. Situated at the top of the staircase, this loft can hold a generously sized desk, filing cabinet, the works. This enables us to keep all things computer related out of our living room and our bedroom and award each child a bedroom of his/her very own, also a luxury lil' Frema would have died for. If we ever have a third, the gender-sharers can bunk up. The first one to complain gets demoted to the sleeper sofa.

Second view of the loft.

The first half of our bedroom. Notice I said half because this room is GINORMOUS. The fire-engine red paint has got to go, and it will, but I prefer to focus on the large window

and walk-in closet

and this whole other section I have no idea how to deal with yet. Library? Tea room? The possibilities are endless.

But I love that it's there.

The master bath. Which has its own closet. I am in love.

Not with the carpet, though. The current owners are the original builders, so why they approved carpeting to be installed in a room that is so NOT appropriate for carpet is beyond me, but it's an oversight that will soon be rectified, as Luke and I are having the entire upstairs re-carpeted and two bathrooms re-tiled. Or in this specific instance, tiled. We subtracted the cost from our offer specifically for that purpose. The carpet and tile have been chosen, and the deposit was made last night. I know it'll make a huge difference in getting the place to feel like home.

Also, in removing signs of life with FOUR DOGS. Blech.

Bedroom number one. It's smaller than the second bedroom, but it's closest to the master so I'm calling it number one.

Luke and I made offers on three houses earlier this summer, all of which fell through (thank God), and house number three also had non-master bedrooms that weren't identical in size, and it bugged the crap out of me. Here, it doesn't bother me at all, just because the house is so spacious that the chances of us tripping all over each other are slim, and also, again with the sleeper sofa if I hear so much as a peep about how Big Sister has the bigger room. She's the oldest. Them's the breaks.

The second full bathroom, which one day will receive more TLC by way of new cabinetry and mirror fixture but for now will have to settle for new paint and tile. Apparently, the sellers' daughter felt comfortable enough with me to leave remnants of her primping routine scattered across the sink.

Also apparently, she thought bathroom shelving was better used for storing beanie babies than her hair spray collection.

Second bedroom, first time you bear witness to the sellers' love for stars. But it won't be the last!

And as if the yard, master bedroom, and loft weren't enough to seal the deal, God planted a sign that this house was meant to be ours.

It's almost as if Harry Potter himself wanted us to live here. And really, who are we to say no?

There are two rooms left to show you. Two rooms I specifically saved for last because they almost--ALMOST--caused me to walk away. Which would have been crazy after all you've just seen. But that just shows you the extent of the tacky.

The kitchen in all its pea-green-cabinetry glory. With orange walls. Hold me.

The kicker? Is that the woman painted the cabinets JUST FOR THE PURPOSE OF SELLING THE HOUSE. Against her agent's advice. Because she wanted to list this room as "updated." Excuse me while I bang my head against her handiwork.

In all seriousness, this isn't the first house we've seen with painted kitchen cabinets; consequently, this isn't the first time I've looked down on a couple for painting their kitchen cabinets. We're not quite sure what to do with them. Stripping and staining would be quite the job, re-painting them is even less appealing, and replacing them altogether isn't in the cards, budget-wise. I figured we'd just leave them alone until next year and redo them with bonus money, but then I started thinking about color choices for the living room and how limiting the cabinet color is to our first-floor decor. Luke thinks I'm insane--"They're separate rooms!"--but there's no way I could move forward on a blue color scheme for the living room when those horrid green atrocities are visible from my ass print on the couch. If you have suggestions, bring them on.

The blow is only slightly lessened by the nice-sized pantry next to the fridge and adjacent half-bath, but we'll live. Even though that bathroom's tainted, too.

Because of course all the cabinets have to match! Sob.

Also, more stars!

So, that's our house. Luke and I worked damn hard to be able to afford a house on one income and take on a mortgage that won't keep us up at night, and never in a million years did I expect to find anything more than a suitable starter home to outgrow after five years. This place fell from the sky, and to label it a "starter" when there's so much room to play around with would be sinful. The negotiations were relatively painless, and a week later we had a signed purchase agreement and a September 30th closing date. Our apartment lease ends on Halloween, so the plan is to paint for two weeks, re-carpet and tile the third week, and move in the last weekend of October. Hooray for not having to make a mortgage payment until November.

And now, time for bed, seeing as tomorrow I'll be at the hospital with Molly welcoming baby Marin into the world! Be sure to check her blog for updates.