She's beautiful and growing more and more each day. We love her so much! Happy 2 month birthday today little girl!!!

Looking Forward

My beautiful baby is 8 weeks old today and as this year comes to an end I cannot believe all that we have experienced these past 12 months. Beginning with selling our house, buying our new one and the birth of Mia, it's been an eventful year. Thanks to Ms. Mia we were finally blessed with something positive towards the end of the year. There is no sugar coating it, this has been a tough year on both Mark and I and I think we are both looking forward to settling in during 2010 and getting some normalcy back into our lives. I am greatly looking forward to Mia's next 12 months and all that is to come with watching her grow and learn. In just eight short weeks she has grown so much I just can't believe it. I am also thrilled that I followed through with my resolution of 2009 to start this blog. I was able to make a post a month, so in 2010 my resolution is to continue this blog but try to write more. To all that follow my posts - I wish you a prosperous and Happy New Year for you and your families.

She's Perfect!!!!

I am officially a mommy. Mia Jane Wolff was born yesterday, November 5, 2009, at 1:57 am. I thought while the baby is in the nursery and the husband is at home with our dogs I would take a time to write about the past 24 or so hours.

Wednesday morning I went in for my routine doctor's appointment, but as I prepared earlier that morning in the shower I just had a feeling that would be the last time I would be home for a while. And by home, I mean yes our home, not our in-laws basement. We moved this past Saturday, October 31.

As I waited for Shannon to come pick me up to chauffeur me to my appointment, I sat down and took my morning blood pressure as I had been instructed to do so since my appointment the previous week. This confirmed that I would most likely not be returning home that day.

As I met with my doctor (this, mind you, is the third doctor I have seen in three weeks as my doctor decided to go on a long vacation so very close to my due date, silly that she wouldn't plan her schedule around my due date) and discussed my high blood pressure for the third week in a row, she stated I think we'll just have you go over to Labor & Delivery now and check in. Like now, I believe were my exact words? Having tried to mentally prepare myself for this all the previous evening and that morning, I still wasn't sure I was so ready to really have this baby, just yet. Well that didn't really matter anymore, because I was being induced and asap!

As I proceeded to the waiting room, where my sister was patiently waiting (a mother times two herself, she had the same feeling I had had that morning) we left the doctor's office and proceeded directly to the hospital. After a small, hormonal, nervous, poop in my pants kind of cry, I called Mark and Shannon and I then proceeded to the blue elevators, went up to the 2nd floor and checked in. Within minutes I was in a room, hooked up to my IV and potocin. Within an hour, the doctor was there to break my water. I hung in there until I got to be about 3 cm with which came the mighty contractions. They were getting stronger by the minute and increasing their intensity each time, so with that came the epidural, my saving grace!! It was quite scary to deal with considering it was another unknown, but I felt great after it was over. The epidural hung in there and I breezed through the next several hours until I started getting a lot of pressure. My friend, my drug doctor, came back with some more fun cocktail for me and I then felt much better. By 1:15 am or so, after about 15 hours, I was pushing and 37 minutes later, Ms. Mia Jane was born. It was an amazing experience and the nurses and doctor were great. Mark was fantastic and was the exact support system I needed to push me through.

So here we are on day #2 and things are going well. One more day in the hospital and we get to go home tomorrow morning. Mia is absolutely beautiful and just gets cuter by the minute. As I sit here in my hospital room, by myself, it's feels different to think of myself now that I am a mother. When I think of a mother, I think of my mom, not me. If I have anyone to look up to it is definitely her. Having raised three great girls, there is no one I would rather turn to for advice. I have a lot of support from my family and friends and they have all been so great so far. There is nothing more special than seeing your parents hold your child for the first time or to see your sisters hold their niece and officially transform into "aunthood" or see your closest friends hold your daughterI am so blessed to have experienced such a journey with my pregnancy. My daughter is healthy and completely perfect. Within minutes, we went from a family of two to a family of three. Seeing Mark transform into a daddy is amazing. He is so in love with his little girl and I can't wait to experience all the adventures that we have in store for us.

Finally!!

It's finally official - we are homeowners again! We closed this past Wednesday, without a hiccup. We are in full swing with getting the work done on the house and hope to be in by the end of the month! It's an exciting time! We've waited a long time for this and are so ready to have a place to call home again! Not to mention our dogs will love us when they get in that backyard. No more chains, they can run free (to the fence anyway) and finally get some much needed exercise!! Time to plan and decorate!

Update

After a near emotional breakdown by a very pregnant woman this morning, I have taken in some much needed sunshine at lunch and am spending the rest of today and this weekend sending only positive energy to my friend at the seller's bank. I'm thinking he may find this energy helpful as he seems to be so overloaded with work that he can't address our file. Maybe this extra push will get us to the closing table next week. To further explain the reason for my emotional breakdown this morning, let me begin by discussing the emails we have received since yesterday's post. The listing agent emailed our agent to let her know that she had left yet another message for the negotiator at the bank (I think this at least 10 messages by now and who knows how many emails). Our agent did not accept this response and without totally falling on her knees begging asked the L/A what further we can do. You cannot tell us that this guy can go over a week without returning any phone calls or emails and still keep his job right? In addition, per the L/A, there is no one else she can call or talk to, so she is again complacent with waiting on the bank to get back to her. This will not work for us, not anymore. We have been patient long enough. Her response to our agent's pleading email to HELP us is that this is just the way banks work, there is nothing further that can be done. In her exact words, "be patient....it will be ok." We just have to wait to hear from them. I DON'T THINK SO! Our agent called her first thing this morning, as she received an email late last night indicating something about the "issue that still has to be dealt with." Ummmm....what issue? News to us that there is now a cloud on the title that the seller's title company has to get removed before we can close. She didn't know this yesterday? In addition, the L/A told us she is not "worried about the letter." Not worried? Really? Good for you lady! (Is it bad that I looked up her profile today so I could see what she looked like and then emailed it to my husband and asked him if we could blow it up and turn it into a dart board?) She also told our agent to let us know that it will be most unlikely that we will be able to close by Tuesday, instead probably Friday. The L/A some how is unable to give us a firm answer about anything. We really want to close by the end of the month to save on the interest we will owe if we close at the beginning of the month. Well this is unacceptable to us, so our agent is doing the best she can to get this L/A to get her sh** together. I've truly determined that the word helpless is the worst one in the dictionary. It has to be one of the worst human emotions! Latest update (before lunch)...seems as though the title company can clear the cloud by Tuesday and maybe we'll still close then. Only missing one minor detail, the approval letter from the bank. Still no idea on the status of this, so we shall just wait and see. Stay tuned...this is exciting! NOT! But this blog sure is great therapy for me and I'm writing again, something I have not done in a VERY long time! Not to toot my own horn here, but I think I deserve the pregnant woman of the year award. This is too much for anyone to have to go through. In the end, we will be stronger people and ready to take on any future obstacles we may encounter. I have the best husband ever! We'll make it through anything if we've made it through this. I love you bebe - you are my rock!!

5 months, 1 week, 2 days and counting...

OK...seriously...will this ever end? Here we sit two and a half days from when we are scheduled to close on the new house (yes, finally), but we have again hit the brakes. The listing agent has now been unsuccessful in contacting the negotiator at the seller's bank for over a week. They gave us final verbal approval last Tuesday, but we are waiting on the official approval letter from them. We don't know if the letter has been drafted or mailed and in addition have no idea if the bank knows of our closing date because he WON'T CALL HER BACK!!! All we know is that the contract is approved. I just can't handle it much longer. I'm not very good with situations that are out of my control and specifically those that have been out of my control for an excess of five months. Hopefully the house gods will grant us our wish and several prayers and this will somehow turnaround in the next few days and we really will close on the house. I'm just not feeling good about it. To add to the pressure, the baby is due five weeks from Saturday. Hang on there little girl! Mommy and Daddy are working really hard to get you a house before you arrive.

Tomorrow is 4 months

I try to keep my posts positive, but today I must vent just a bit... Tomorrow, to the date, it has been four months since we have put a contract on a house. The short sale process is time consuming and we understood that going in, but it is now at a level of severe frustration for me considering my daughter is due in three months and I am still living in my in-laws basement. We received approval from the seller's bank about 2 weeks ago, since then we have had our inspection and determined there are some major issues that need to be resolved before we proceed with this purchase. One involving cracked water pipes that need to be repaired so that we can complete the inspection and two involving mold that is growing in the basement (just lovely). The house is only 7 years old and was supposedly winterized, so we certainly did not anticipate these issues. Due to the nature of the repairs, even though we are buying the property "as-is," we have gone back to the bank and asked them to pay. I've always (for the most part, most days) tried to keep the mindset that these issues are not anything I can control and I cannot force the bank to be quick about anything so it is all therefore very out of my control. I keep telling myself it will all work out and we'll still get a good deal on the house. There is something that keeps telling me this house will work and Mark feels the same way. I don't know why exactly, but I hope it is not just because I don't want to start this process all over again. We don't have time to go after another short sale or foreclosure, so we'll have to buy a house the "normal" way and that is a bit frightening. There are still good deals out there that are not in short sale or foreclosure, but not this good. It is just such a great deal that we have to work a bit harder to get what we want. Waiting 3 1/2 months for approval was not enough torture I guess! We're holding on to this "investment" for just a little bit longer, but we will have to move on soon. Everyone keeps telling us to move on, be careful, make sure you are not getting involved with a money pit, etc. As much as I appreciate and respect everyone's input and opinion, we need this to work. If the bank handles these repairs (if not all, a pretty good slice) this is still a steal! This will greatly benefit us financially if we can tie up these loose ends, fix er' up and sell in a couple of years! We've submitted bids, at the banks request, to fix the pipes and remove the mold. But here we are on Monday and still no word from the bank or agents today. We were told last Friday that they (our agent and the listing agent) were hopeful to have a response that day. I need to just stop believing that because I get so easily disappointed. My poor husband struggles with how to keep me happy as this whole thing has affected my mood and I'm not the most chipper person these days. I tell him there is nothing he can do because it is what it is and I can' t do anything about it so I just keep going each day hoping we'll eventually hear something positive. I feel bad that he feels guilty because it is not his fault, but he is a good, caring husband that wants to ensure that I am happy. It's a rough time, we've been without our space since March 27 and I'll be 7 months pregnant on Saturday. My first shower is rapidly approaching this Saturday and I never thought in a million years that I wouldn't be in a house by the time my first shower got here. I'm most fearful that I will have this baby and we will not have a house, although Mark promises this will not be the case. So we'll continue to keep our fingers and toes crossed tightly and say our prayers each night that we will end up where is best for our growing family. Right now I am trying to stay calm and do what is best for me and my baby girl. Somedays are easier than others, but I am still very blessed because I have the family and friends that I have and the support that I need. Mark and I would just really like a break! A glass of wine would be nice too, but I will have to wait a little bit longer for that!!

It's a...

GIRL! We are so excited to welcome another girl into our families. For those that don't know, I am one of three girls in my family and Mark has one sister. My oldest sister has two girls and Mark's sister has two girls. Girls, girls everywhere! Our cousin has a girl and my very best friend has a girl as well. We are now in our 22nd week, so we are more than half way there. I can't wait for the day I get to meet our precious princess! In the meantime I've enjoyed some recent baby purchases and many gifts we've received already. I hope this girl loves pink as much as her mommy. I look forward to nesting in our new house (fingers still crossed, hope to hear more next week) and spending time with family and friends at my upcoming baby showers! Oh and the name is a secret, so you will just have to wait until November 15thish!!!

And Baby Makes Three and Other Thoughts

It's been a while since my last post and we've been very busy. Mark and I are expecting our first baby on November 15. We are very excited and quickly approaching our 20 week ultrasound on Monday. We'll finally know (as long as the baby cooperates) whether we are having a boy or a girl. Mark wasn't so sure he wanted to find out at first, but after we talked about it he agreed that we having enough unknown going into this next chapter of ours. Maybe we'll wait to find out if we decided to have Baby Wolff #2. Unfortunately for Mark, it is not twins. He was really hoping to have two the first go around and then we would be done. I, on the other hand, am excited it's just one. I think two would be entirely too overwhelming, especially for two people who will both have to eventually go back to work full time. It's an interesting time for the Wolff's. As you may know from my previous posts, we sold our house back in March and we are still homeless. We sold it in two weeks and had to be out in another six weeks. I must say it was a bit stressful, but we did it with the help of our very gracious parents. Mark and I have been indulging in the basement at his mom and dad's since we closed on our old house. Mark, myself, and our two wonderfully puppies have been taking up residence at the in-laws for a while now. It's been great for both of us really because I have gotten to know my in-laws much better than I think I ever would have (and it's a good thing) and Mark has reconnected with both of his parents. Mark's a very independent person, but I think this situation has allowed him to be more involved with his parents again. His mom and dad are great people and very caring. In addition, we have had a contract on a new house since April 13 and yes, we still are waiting to hear further. We are currently negotiating on a short sale property in O'Fallon and let me tell you these banks require a lot of patience. Every time we turn around the deadline has been extended, 15 days turn into 30, etc. There is no time line or guideline that these banks have to follow, so we just continue to be patient and hope and pray that this will work out. There are 3 phases and we're in the 2nd which could take another week or so to wrap (or so we think) and then it's onto the 3rd phase which we really know nothing about. Please pray for us that this house works out. We have time and there is no need to panic just yet, but with a baby on the way, I need some time to nest before I start to waddle :)

"Home" Sweet "Home"

Well...we've moved out of our house, but unfortunately did not get a new house in time. The last house, as excited as we were, just wasn't meant to be. It needed a heavy amount of repairs and the listing agent wasn't the greatest to work with, to say the least and there was an investor involved, so things got a little sticky in the end and we all decided it was best to back out. So we moved on, we just haven't moved yet. We are currently living in Mark's parent's basement and it is working out great. The dogs are handling their new home quite well. We sold our house so quickly, we were thankful that they were willing to take us in and give us a place to live. Our third contract was submitted today, so we are hoping third time's a charm, so we will keep our fingers crossed and hope that this one works out. Who would have thought it would have worked out like this?? We'll keep you posted...

Movin' on up!!

Well....it's going to be done to the wire, but it looks like we have purchased a new house. There are some odds and ends that we need to finalize, but it is looking VERY positive. We will be moving to St. Peters, a place we never thought we would end up. Our game plan opened up many financial opportunities and areas of St. Louis (St. Chuck) that we never thought we would live. We always said, we would never go "across the bridge," but when you start looking it will suck you in just like everybody else. It's a good feeling to know where will be going for our next chapter. Additionally, we will be closer to our sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces and cousins. Unfortunately we will be moving further away from our parents and some of our closest friends. The house if great and a perfect opportunity to enhance our lives. For many this is a bad market and horrible economy, but fortunately for us it has presented an awesome opportunity for us financially. We will (hopefully) be getting into a house that would otherwise not be able to afford now or maybe ever. So many houses are priced way below market value, one of the reasons we decided to sell now versus wait six months, year or so. That is the latest and I will be sure to post more information (and pictures) as we get everything finalized and move in!!. Jeffy and Lucy are really excited about all the extra running space they will have. I personally am excited about my new walk-in closet!!

SOLD!!

Well, I can't believe I am saying this, but we sold our house and we did so in only 2 short weeks. It was really stressful knowing that we were getting an offer and hoping that it was what Mark wanted. For those of you that don't know, Mark has lived in 281 Ramsey for 12 years next month. I just came into the picture about 5 years ago. I kind of stepped back and let him make the decisions and chimmed in when he asked my opinion, but I knew it was important to him to get a certain amount of money for the house. I was nervous that it wasn't going to happen, but optimistic that it was only our first offer and the house had been on the market for such a short time. At the same time, with the economy as shaky as it is, would he later shoot himself in the foot six months down the road that he had rejected this offer? What it a freak thing that we got an offer so soon? Did we price it too low or did we just find a buyer that quick? It is his house and I wanted the decision to be up to him. Well after a stressful and overwhelming weekend, we finally agreed to terms that we both felt comfortable with on Sunday evening. It's an exciting time as we begin the quest for our next home, but it is overwhelming since we have not pinpointed a location and St. Louis is a big city. It will be our first journey to find a home together. We will end up where is best for us, I know that, but until March 29, I will continue to wonder where we will be next. There are so many factors to consider. It's an interesting thought trying to visualize yourself in a place you will call home and you don't even know where that is yet.

Shout out...it's a short one!

I just want to give a shout out to my husband. He is a amazing and I love him so much!! I could have never asked for a better or stronger soulmate to compliment my life!

It's a New Day!

I wanted to take some time to talk about the inspiration that has transformed in my life since our new President has officially taken the oath to lead our country. I have NEVER been as overwhelmed with emotion in any other election I have experienced. Mr. Obama's patient and calming presence makes me feel safe. The past several months have been overwhelming to so many. As we see layoffs and retirement savings go through the roof, I am just thankful that I am not a retired person or have a job that has me worried about whether I will leave work employed or not. I am thankful. I have been a fan of Barack Obama from the very beginning. I think even more of how lucky I am to be in the situation that I am. I cannot even fathom how much this affected those that were a part of the Civil Rights Movement, as they watch our new President take on the tasks and challenges of this county. Who would ever think that a black man would run this country? I, at only 30 years old, cannot comprehend the racism and overwhelming fears that were present during that time, but I've seen enough and learned enough to know that what was present in our world only 50 so years is completely unacceptable. Could you ever imagine not being able to board a bus, use a restroom or use a drinking fountain without thinking twice about your safety. Whether you are white, black, orange, yellow or green, you should be thankful that the man that has taken the oath to lead this country has promised a better future for all us, now and in the future. As a woman who is thinking of starting her next chapter and having a family, this is all I can pray for. Unity and safety, as a country it is what we need to move forward!! God bless everyone! I only hope that 2009 can be a prosperous year for all!

Why a Blog?

I have ALWAYS wanted to start a blog. As a former English teacher (I used to read a lot of books too), I have always loved to write. It's much easier for me to put my feelings down on computer (I also type much faster than I speak or write). Thanks to our cousin, Lori, I've found a great site and officially started...only 5 days into the New Year. Not too bad for one resolution of 2009.

I wanted a place where I could express my thoughts mostly for myself, but also to share with family and friends. I've created many chapters over the past several years and I am finally starting to feel settled with the exception of one small (rather large, depending on how you think about it) thing. I've moved to a new city after living in the STL all my life and back to St. Louis, changed careers (from teaching to real estate), met my hubby, got married and turned the big 30!!!

This should be a big year for us as well. Mark and I having decided we are ready to expand our family (you will hear a lot about this over the next few months). We've also officially decided to sell our house and move up. It's a sad feeling because this is Mark's first house (bachelor pad) and our first house together, but exciting as it is another chapter in our book.

It's Just Us!!

Mark and I were married in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on June 9, 2007. I can't believe we are closing in on our second year already. We met at a bar, surprise!, went on our first date a week later and with the proper cliche "the rest is history!!" Mark is the most sincere and supportive husband. He's the man of random knowledge. He is super intelligent with a passion for politics and the world. He's focused and takes pride in everything he does. He cares deeply for his family and, without hesitation, I feel he will always take care of me and hopefully, someday, our children.

One of the things that attracted me most to him was his family. They are so much like mine. I've never once felt nervous about what the future will bring for Mark and I and that is a very secure feeling. It's the same feeling I've always had growing up with my Dad. That secure feeling that there is always someone there for you, that has your back, allows you to think independently, but has the courage to tell you when you might be wrong. Mark keeps me strong in the exact same way.

He's a calming spirit, most of the time, as I am a pretty tempered Irish girl (but trying to be better :)). Most importantly, my most favorite thing about Mark is his ability to cook. He thinks healthy, but cooks creatively, and he loves it. I, on the other hand, am not much of a cook and if I was we would eat a lot of pasta...not good! I love nothing more than sitting in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of wine, watching him cook and chatting with him about life. We communicate well and often - our greatest quality.