Monday, October 26, 2015

A Letter to Our Upstairs Neighbor…

We toured many apartment buildings before finding this perfect location—between the granite countertops, new carpet, and HUGE Master Bathroom, it was love at first site (despite the ungodly price tag)! Me, being my normal lazy self would not even consider a walk-up…I wanted to be on the ground floor where I didn’t have to worry about running down the stairs each morning in my heels or climbing the stairs after a long day at work with 5 grocery sacks in each hand because heaven forbid I make more than one trip up the stairs. My soon-to-be husband mentioned that we might have noisy neighbors upstairs, but the ladies at the front desk reassured me that they have NEVER had problems with any of their upstairs neighbors, nor had any tenants complained, so I thought surely this apartment (that had granite countertops and crown molding) had used soundproofing barriers between the floors!

We moved into our new apartment and, in our newly wedded bliss, had no complaints of our new apartment (besides a minor ant infestation that maintenance quickly fixed). Then, one afternoon we heard it—a sound that has come to haunt us. What sound did we hear? At first, we thought we heard a bowling ball roll across our ceiling, and then we decided perhaps there were small children playing upstairs or maybe even a dog and that we should just let it go. Later that night as we were lying in bed, we heard another noise…this time, it was the sound of a sumo wrestler walking across our ceiling…and jumping. Then we heard cabinet doors slamming, then more sumo walking. What in the world was wrong with our neighbors? We were actually relieved to hear our annoyingly loud air conditioning unit kick on—that sound was a welcome white noise to the sound of our sumo wrestling neighbor.

Over the next few months, I made it my mission to figure out who lived above us and what excuse they might have for being so extremely noisy at the oddest times of day (and night). Upon the realization that there were, in fact, no sumo wrestlers in our apartment complex, we were at a loss for what their excuse could possibly be. After a few noise complaints went unaddressed, and many nights of the temptation to pull a Mr. Heckles on them (the only things stopping me from going to that extreme were 1) How Mr. Heckles died and 2) The fear that I would damage the ceiling and lose our damage deposit), we realized that we would just have to deal with the situation.

via

Finally, hope was found in the form of our new house being built! We could see the light at the end of the tunnel! Since our neighbor, clearly wasn’t going to be moving anytime soon, at least we would be! We began counting down the days—not to the completion of our house, but to the date we would move out of our apartment!

As I laid in bed last night, listening to the sound of my neighbor pacing the floor from 9:30-12:00 and again from 4:00-5:00, I began drafting a letter that I would like to leave on his door the day we move out. It will go a little something like this…

Dear Neighbor in Apartment 1123:

It is with great joy that we leave you this letter, as it means that we are moving today! When we first moved into the apartment beneath you 18 months ago, we were so excited to begin our new life as newlyweds in such a wonderful apartment (after all, we were paying a small fortune for this slice of heaven).  Soon after, we were blessed to hear the presence of our upstairs neighbor (you). We thought you might be bowling with your children or playing fetch with your Great Dane by the sounds of things and we were momentarily excited that there might be another young couple nearby. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, we were continuously blessed with noise from above—a constant reminder that the world did not revolve around us newlyweds! We began to wonder if you were practicing to be a sumo wrestler; everyone knows their schedules consist of eat, sleep, eat, sleep, practice, eat, sleep, and repeat, so the schedule fit perfectly with your untimely noises.

I have always loved my sleep—8 hours each night plus 1-2 naps on the weekend was my idea of a good time, so when I became pregnant, I finally had an excuse for my laziness! Based on my exhaustion, not even you could hinder my sleep—I was like a bear in hibernation, or so I thought… One Sunday evening, the night before the always dreaded Monday, and a very important ultrasound to check on the little blessing growing inside of me, you decided to pace the floor for 2½ hours (perhaps you had a big match coming up that you were worried about, or like to study while walking, or just found out your girlfriend was pregnant and were walking off the overwhelming feeling of fear…we will never know the reason). I laid in bed, on the verge of tears, overcome with exhaustion and wished nothing but the best things upon you. Then, when you finally stopped moving long enough for me to fall asleep (or the sound of our amazingly loud air conditioner drowned the sounds of you), I was awoken to the sound of stomping a mere 4 hours later. As I hit snooze the following morning and slowly dragged myself out of bed, I was just so overwhelmingly thankful for your thoughtfulness—how did you ever know that because I was leaving early from work that day for an ultrasound, I would not be able to take a nap in my car during my lunch break and would be so exhausted after only 4 hours of sleep the previous night, that Monday would FLY by? My cup runneth over.

I do hope that you show the new tenants of Apartment 1113 as much grace and thoughtfulness as you did us. I pray that they be as numerous as the Brady Bunch (I would say the Duggars, but Lord knows they wouldn’t fit into a two-bedroom apartment), as loud as the Kardashians, and as musically talented as the Partridge Family so that they can share that blessing with you! Only then, will this world be just.

Sincerely,


Your Former Neighbors in Apartment 1113

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

How we told our family about Baby L

We really wanted to wait until our first ultrasound to announce our pregnancy to everyone, but we quickly realized that we couldn't keep it a secret from everyone for that long. We decided to tell my mom and Jacob's grandparents soon after we found out, but it took us a little while to decide how to tell them. We finally decided to get little gift boxes and put a baby item in each box with a little note from Baby L. After searching like three stores, we finally found items we were happy with! For my mom, we did a little pair of booties and a note that said "Please hold on to my first pair of booties. I will need them when I arrive in May!" And for Jacob's grandparents, we did a little vibrating toy and a note that said "Please hold on to this toy for me in case my parents forget to pack one when I come visit!"



The blue ribbon and tulle were actually left over from our wedding so that was a perk! 

We delivered the box to my mom that weekend and she was in tears before she even opened the card...I knew I should have put that on top! Haha. I wish I had snapped a picture of her reaction, but I forgot (plus she would have been mad at me for taking a picture). She said she had been worried about me because the last few times we had talked on the phone, I had seemed upset. I told her that's what happens when you are trying to keep such a big secret from someone you talk to daily! Haha. 

We then mailed the other box to Arizona and (not so patiently) waited for it to get to his grandparents. We got the delivery notification and kept waiting for his grandma to called but by around 10:00 that night, we finally gave up and fell asleep. About an hour later, I woke Jacob up telling him his phone was ringing. He didn't grab the phone in time, so he called her back...except he was so tired and excited, he called me! Haha. Once he finally got his grandma called, she was so excited and congratulated us.

Telling the rest of the family wasn't quite so easy....

I had ordered cute little iron-on decals from etsy but I never got a tracking number, so I kept emailing the seller. Once a week had passed, without ever hearing back from the seller, I tearfully went to Hobby Lobby and bought iron-on printer paper and spent hours that evening creating a design of my own. It was super cute and I was, once again, excited.


Unfortunately, that excitement was short lived...

What I didn't realize when I purchased the iron-on paper is that it wasn't invisible...it left the white border all around the text. At this point, I went hysterical (we will blame it on the hormones) and all but threw myself on the ground in tears. Jacob, bless is heart, just hugged me and told me he would fix it. Unfortunately, it wasn't fixable. 

At this point, I had spent $10 on the etsy decals I still hadn't received, $10 on shirts, and like $10 on stupid iron-on paper that was useless. $30 may not seem like much, but to a hormonal, disappointed, perfectionist like me, it might as well have been the end of the world! I sat on the couch crying while Jacob browsed Pinterest for new ideas. 

We finally decided we would buy a chalk board for my niece and nephew to hold with the original phrase from the shirts written on it. However, since you can never predict how toddlers will cooperate, we also planned a back up--we would do a cute little box with a ladybug in it (since that's how big Baby L was). So, we both spent our lunch hours the next day at Michaels and Hobby Lobby getting our new supplies and created this: 


Surprisingly, my niece and nephew both cooperated and we didn't end up needing the ladybug boxes, but they were cute at least! 



After filing a complaint with etsy, I finally got a response from the seller and told her I wanted a refund. I agreed to mail her decals back to her if/when they arrived and we parted ways. I still have not received the decals! 

Despite all the tears, drama, and trips to craft stores, our announcements turned out perfect and we were so happy to not be harboring that big secret anymore! 

Next up was our ultrasound and public announcements... 

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Awkward & Awesome

Awkward: That I am seeing more and more girls wearing the tattoo chain chokers and bracelets that were popular when I was in high school. Are they making a comeback?! Exhibit A: 


Does this mean that black velvet chokers and power beads will be coming back soon? If so, I really wish I had kept my pink power beads--they were my fav! 

Awkward: Puking in public bathrooms! Well, actually puking in general is pretty dang awkward but it's ten times worse when you have to discreetly do it in a public bathroom at work next to two other stalls. Speaking of which, I have decided not to announce my pregnancy at work just yet...I'm going to wait until people start to notice and are brave enough to ask me. Haha. Should create some more awkward moments for your enjoyment! You're welcome! Also, in case you are wondering, I am not friends with any coworkers on social media so there is no way they can find out (aside from the obvious). Any guesses on how long it will take people to start asking? 

Awkward: Taking your husband to your first ultrasound appointment where he proceeds to act like a kid in a candy store touching EVERYTHING! The spotlight attached to the end of the exam table? Check! Cotton swabs? Check! Cotton balls? Check! Gauze? Check! Sutures Tool Kit? Check! Blinds on the window? Check! Condoms? Check! By the time the Doctor came in, I was about to pee myself from laughing so hard! I guess awkward situations bring out his inner child--gotta love it! 

Awkward: The type of ultrasounds they do in early pregnancy. In case you haven't experienced them just yet and don't understand why it would be awkward, just picture this: 

 
See the object in the lower left hand side of the picture? You're welcome! 

Awesome: Jacob's face and that entire picture. Might possibly be my favorite picture...ever! There is just too much awesomeness to handle.

Awesome: I have a baby growing inside of me! I will be a mom in like 7 months!! 


Monday, October 5, 2015

Baby L Will Arrive in May

I apologize for the radio silence the past couple of weeks. I have been harboring a secret that was nearly impossible to keep to myself, so it was easier to not blog at all than to risk shouting our news from the rooftops! 

Despite my joy, I was overwhelmed with fear--fear that it was all too good to be true, fear that something would be wrong with the baby, fear that the child that I already loved so much would be taken from me, but after my appointment today a lot of those fears were pushed to the side (though I'm sure as a mother, those fears will never fully go away) when I saw that little baby and tiny heart beating at 170bpm. I almost cried I was so happy! 

We are so excited to share our news with the world now!