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Hey guys, how are you? I've been extra busy lately, what with getting stuff ready for our baby and house hunting, on top of regular life and work. Plus, the weather is getting super nice so whenever I have free time, I just want to get outside and go for a walk! Definitely not complaining about that...but it does mean I haven't had a lot of time for blogging. So today I thought I'd share a quick update of what's going on with me!
Pregnancy-wise...I'm still feeling good. We got the results back from our ultrasound and the baby is healthy and normal (yay!). I felt him really kick for the first time yesterday, and Ben even felt one too! We've started gathering baby stuff, including the crib, the stroller, and some other smaller items. I've been having fun planning how to decorate his nursery, and looking at cute baby stuff online. We also started planning a babymoon! I tried to convince Ben we should go to Hawaii, but he was really nervous about me flying when I'm that far along (we won't have enough vacation time built up until the week of Memorial Day, when I'll be 32 weeks pregnant). So we decided on Victoria, BC. Neither of us have ever been there and it looks really beautiful. It's not tropical beaches, but I'm still really excited! We haven't picked a name yet, but we do have a front-runner that we're kicking around. Names that we've considered but decided against are: Gideon, Asher, Elliott, and Austin. I also really liked the name Ethan but our last name is Allen so that one was quickly ruled out. Any suggestions for similar boy's names? We like ones that are somewhat classic, but not super common.
House-wise...we've been going to open houses every weekend, and have seen two houses so far that we really liked. One of them was an old white farmhouse (above) with over an acre of property--which is really rare for this area. It was also exactly the price we were hoping for, and in the exact area we've been targeting. The only problem? It was a legitimate hoarder house that hadn't been updated in decades and needed MAJOR work (plumbling, electrical, flooding basement, new roof, the works). Being a fan of the show Fixer Upper, I was up for the challenge. But Ben talked me out of it, and honestly I think he was right. It had the potential to be a dream house, but it also could have been a total nightmare. The second house we liked is a 1920's Craftsman that is totally updated and move-in ready. It has lots of big windows, wood floors underneath the carpet, and four bedrooms in the main house (all exactly what we wanted). The cherry on top is that it has a little cottage in the back complete with a kitchen, bathroom, washer/dryer, and one bedroom, so we can make some income by renting it out. The main problem with this house is that it's farther out from Seattle (a little over an hour during commute time). But we think we could make it work.
Life-wise...I've been enjoying the beautiful spring weather that Seattle is having! We went and saw the daffodil fields in Skagit Valley a few weekends ago, as well as the cherry trees at UW. And I've been going for walks almost every day. It's such a mood-lifter to see the sun shining, especially after our rainy and stormy winter. I'm loving it!
Those are the main updates with me. Like I said, life has been busy...but it's all good and exciting stuff! What's new with you?
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So glad you get to walk in the sun!! Also glad you didn't do the fixer upper. A bit unsafe with a baby on the way. I always also consider the health issues with a home with a hoarding history. Good call Ben! The name Lincoln is already taken, so not much help from me! (I always wanted a Benjamin ;) Hmmmm. So glad for your pregnancy health. Big hugs from this gramma to you all!
Haha, yeah Ben is a great balance for me! He is the practical one, I am the dreamer. :)
LINCOLN!
So cute, I agree! I have a friend with a son named Lincoln though...
We took our babymoon drive to BC as well, staying along the Sunshine Coast and coming back through Victoria. Lemme know if you want good recs on where to stay! And good luck house hunting! That farmhouse would be a dream if you had the money/energy to renovate.. But with a baby, who has time for that!? The craftsman sounds just as lovely. What area outside of Seattle are you looking at?
I just looked up your blog post about your babymoon...the places you stayed look AMAZING!! I will definitely look into those. We've been house hunting in Shoreline & Edmonds (where we currently live), but just started looking a little further out. The craftsman is in Northwest Everett. It's in a really cute historic neighborhood!
take all the time you want to enjoy this brief moment in life! Taking a babymoon is something I wish we did, because traveling with a baby/toddler poses some significant challenges. Vacation will never be the same! As for names, we have a girl (Laina) but if we had a boy, we really liked the name Garrison. Also, my husband has a son from a previous marriage and his name is Finn, which is awesome! Other fave boy names: Daniel, Jameson and Ashton. Have fun!
Aww, thank you Dianna! It does feel like it's going by so fast already. I love the name Laina! Garrison is also cute, although I'm not sure about the nickname Gary (Ben had an old boss named Gary that wasn't the greatest). I saw something that said "you never realize how many people you dislike until you start trying to name your baby." Haha! Kind of true--I think that's why a lot of people gravitate towards more unique names that they don't have a history with.
Thanks so much for all the name suggestions!!! I'm really liking both Finn and Jameson too.
Glad you are feeling well. I love naming my babies. It's fun it's also stressful, you want it to be right and perfect and without even meeting them yet lol. We named our kids Kennedy (girl), Emerson (boy), Layton James (girl). We like names that are unisex, easily pronounced but unique. So we always check the baby naming lists to make sure they are way down there. It's hard to meet all the criteria. But also tons of fun and totally a priveledge.
Love the farm house. But I'm sure Ben was right. There's a difference with potential and a total money pit. I love fixer upper too, but they also have a huge budget. So if you have an extra 80k-150k to fix it up after the mortgage then that's different. Our first home was built in 1890 and structurally it was in great shape, but we still put 40k in. For new kitchen, bathrooms, painting inside and out, pouring concrete in the basement, insulating etc.
I'm enjoying the sunshine too, we live in south jersey 5 minutes from the beach. So I'm loving just driving over to the boardwalk with the kids and walking. Love the sunshine and I swear the sound of the waves does something so sweet to my soul. We also got a huge swing set for the kids in the backyard. So I'm really excited about sitting outside and enjoying the weather. I'm in the process of looking for beautiful outdoor furniture. We have a new build, so the lot is quite small. But I think with great furniture and a fire pit, some string lights it could feel like a great and inviting space to be in. I also want to really learn to garden. I feel like I'm 31 and it's time for me to be better at these things lol.
Ooh, I LOVE all your kids' names! They're the perfect amount of unique. Well done :)
And yeah, that sweet old farmhouse...I'm a little sad because it will probably get torn down by developers and a big McMansion will go up in its place. But we weren't in a good position to fix it up (time, skills, or money-wise) so there's really nothing to wonder about or regret. I have faith that we'll get something better suited to us.
So glad you're getting sunshine too!! It is totally therapeutic, especially combined with the sound of waves crashing. Ahhhh. I also love that you're working on a beautiful outdoor space and garden! That sounds like the perfect project for this time of year. And I completely agree, a small space can be really beautiful and inviting. There's a darling coffee shop I used to go to when we (briefly) lived in California that had a small but amazing outdoor area with string lights, pretty outdoor furniture, and wood stumps as end tables. I was always really inspired by how they made that little space feel like an oasis in the city.
That coffee house atmosphere sounds like exactly what I'm going for. I really want like a few different areas to hang out, like dining table area, wicker sectional area, fire pit area. I love decorating inside, but so far I have really not been so great at the outside. Knowing how plants grow and weeding and all that are not my favorite. We got a nice big white 6ft fence around the whole backyard though, so that means while the kids play I can really do some gardening. For some reason inside seems fun but outside seems overwhelming. I'm still excited to get something done this season.
Yay! I love that idea. Fire pits are so great. I know what you mean, I am definitely NOT a gardener or landscaper so any outside work definitely feels more intimidating than interiors, for me as well. I am terrible at weeding and worms and bugs gross me out, haha. I think the key would be finding low maintenance plants that grow well in your area without needing a lot of attention. I love big properties and spacious yards, but I certainly don't want to spend every weekend maintaining one!
Baby naming is so fun but so h a r d !! I laughed when I saw that quote you put in the comments section! so true! ;D
Do you still like the name Micah? I remember when you really liked that one! We we really like it, but for us with the last name of Tara it would be too matchy matchy for a boy :/
Good to hear that you're already gathering up baby necessities and also getting out in the sun! Postpartum, the sun makes a huge difference for me! :) And let me know if you ever have any pregnancy/baby/registry type questions! I'd love to help if I can :)
Best wishes for finding the right home! The craftsman sounds lovely!
I do like the name Micah! Good memory :) It's still in the running, but we have another name picked out that we like a little better. Not sure yet if it's "the one." How long did it take you to decide on Annalyn's name? Did you tell people before she was born?
I am SURE I will have lots of questions and I'd love to get your advice! Thanks, Rachel :)