Happy 1 Month Birthday!!

It is hard to believe that my little girl is 1 month old. Actually she is 1 month and a couple of days, but we won't do the couple of days thing. She has grown so much and I still remember the very first time I laid eyes on her. As difficult and painful as the entire pregnancy and birth was, it was worth every moment of it. As soon as I saw her face for the 1st time, I forgot about all the pain. Okay...I didn't as the first time I saw her face, I was still being repaired and was in pain then. But you know what I mean.

Here is a pretty picture that I took of my baby girl a few days ago. Isn't she beautiful?? :-)



I think she has this Rocker Princess thing going on if you ask me. Now that my camera is working somewhat better, I'll take a better picture of her in a tiara and sash.

The sleeping is going okay. Last night, she started to slip back into her "I'm A Diva" mode and I so was not having it. So during her last crying spell of the evening, I got up and made her a nice warm bath. I then gave her a bath and washed her hair. After that I dressed her for bed and gave her a bottle and she was out like a light. I have decided that this is going to be her nightly ritual. She slept very well after all of that. She was sleep by 6:55pm and did not wake up until almost midnight and when she did wake up, she ate and got her diaper changed and went right back to sleep for another 5 hours. So we are getting there. There is still some work to do and will take awhile to get on a regular schedule, but it is oh so close!!!

Update on house situation: I've been kind of off looking at houses and getting things ready for the house. I decided I really don't want that condo out in Justice...It's really too far for us right now. So we'll be hanging out a little closer to Chicago. Three houses have come up and are the top 3 options for us. I'll talk about each of them:

House #1: The cheapest of the 3. The monthly mortgage would be $850. It has the most bedrooms at 4. It has a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen, basement, a full bath and a half bath. This one comes with all kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer. It is in a classic Chicago Brick Bungalow style (which is what we wanted) and is located right across the street from a K-8 school. It also is about 2 blocks away from the major bus route we are close to now. It is really close to my fave hospital and fave pizza place. Kids would be able to stay in same school system. This house is not that far from me right now. Probably no longer than a 10 minute drive. Very diverse neighborhood, with Blacks and Hispanics.

House #2: In the area that I really, really want (close to Midway Airport). It is so close to Midway airport, that I have no doubt you could sit on the back porch and see inside planes as they pass by. Okay..not that close...but it's no more than 4 blocks from Midway. It's really close to the Orange Line. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, basement...only appliances are fridge and stove. A school is close by although I am not sure how many blocks away. Great area, very quiet. This one is $150 more a month that #1 coming in at $1,000 a month. The only bad things about this one are...it has one less bedroom than #1 and on Sunday's, it would be virtually impossible to get to a bus line without walking at least 4 blocks, as the bus line that is close to this house does not run on Sundays. It's in the traditional Brick Bungalow style that one sees a lot in Chicago, especially in this area. Kids can stay in the same school system. Not sure of the entire area makeup, but I know there are a lot of Hispanic families in this area, not sure of how many Black families. I also know this is the safest area, as a majority of the non-families who are there are airline employees.

House #3: Farther away than the other two. Is in Dolton, very close to my mothers house. Maybe like 5 blocks away, if that. 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bath, living room, dining, kitchen, basement. Not sure about the appliances. Good area. This one is on the top of our budget, at $1,350 per month. I am not sure how far from any transportation it is, but if it is where I think it is, then it is pretty far away. Not sure how close schools are, or how close any shopping is. And unless you have a car....you are basically stuck in the house or better get used to walking long distances to get somewhere. Kids would have to go into an entirely new school system. Not sure of the area as I haven't spent too much time outside around here.


We still have some time to think about it. As tax time is a few weeks off. We are looking at about 6 weeks max. Now people see why I wasn't so gung-ho on decorating this place with new furniture and stuff. I told everyone that this last move was temporary, as I did not want to stay in this area any longer than I had to. Will promise to keep you updated.