So we wait...

Before the Baby Shower

James, Nate and Me

We had our baby shower on the 5th of June. It was a long but fun day. We had it at James' parents' house, and our first guest was a grad school friend who was passing through on his way back to Michigan. The picture with him and the picture of the cake table before the festivities was all that I managed to get. Ooops. The cake table had the dresses and bibs I made hanging around it. Also a baby picture of James on the left and me on the right. And on the left corner of the mirror is his first baby hat, and on the right is a bonnet of mine. The picture to the left is the first picture of me since I have been showing. Too bad you still can't see much because I am sitting... We just keep forgetting to take pictures. Anyway, the shower lasted until about 6 and we had a large turnout. It was mostly James' family and friends, but my mom and brother came as well. After the shower was over we opened all of the lovely gifts. Needless to say, we got a lot of pink outfits. We got a couple of things off the registry, but overall, people got what they wanted to get. Which is fine. We are definitely just happy to have the stuff in the first place. We did get some duplicate items that we had to return. And we got a bunch of gift cards and cash, which are always welcome. Since the shower, we have been trying to cross the remaining items off the list. We even got the crib - a gift from James' parents - but it is in a box and needs to be assembled. I can't wait to see it though.

Every now and then we say to each other, "I think our luck is turning around." We said that on the 10th, which was James' birthday. We got an apartment and he got a job that day. Kind of.

He got off work early that day and went out to drop off resumes at a couple of places. He hadn't heard back from the most promising lead in a couple of weeks, so he was ready to move on. His contact at that company had not been answering emails or returning calls. He decided that if he had time, he would go by and see that guy as well.

On the way there he got a call from the owner of a property we had been looking at, and the guy said he'd like to meet on the next Monday to work out lease details and sign a lease! This place is located in a neighborhood close to downtown called Butchertown. It is a shotgun house with a vacant upstairs studio apartment. It has 3 rooms plus a kitchen and bath. It was built somewhere around 1850, has 14' ceilings, tall windows and exposed brick in one of the rooms. It has washer/dryer hookups, a dishwasher, and a side yard. It is currently being renovated, so we will be the first to live in the new space. We found out about it through one of James' mom's friends. Her friend is friends with the owners of this place, so we knew about it before it went on the market. Plus we had a personal recommendation.

He Caught the Garter

Anyway, back to the 10th. He was worried that the good news about the apartment meant that there would be no good news about the job because we rarely catch a break, and never 2 breaks in one day! But he managed to stop by and see his contact with that company. He apologized for not getting back to James sooner, but had been super busy, etc... James asked him if there was still an open position or if he should move on. He mentioned that time is getting tight for us with the baby coming soon, and the guy said that as far as he is concerned, "it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when" he is hired. The guy asked if he could wait a little longer - maybe around 30 days. So we took that as more good news!

Some Bubbles for Romantic Effect

Overall a pretty good birthday for James. That evening he had to go to a wedding rehearsal. He was a groomsman in his friend's wedding, so he got to see some old friends that evening too. I met him at the rehearsal dinner and we stopped by a bar to see some of his other friends on the way home.

The next day was the wedding, which was lovely. The reception was lavish, and lots of fun, but much more fun if you could drink, I suspect. I don't miss drinking very often, that is, until we get around an open bar and everyone is celebrating...

Our First Piece of Furniture

The next Monday we met with our future landlord. We got the paperwork and agreed on a monthly rent. The next weekend we started furniture shopping. We got one piece. It is a 50's or 60's buffet with hutch. It is pretty cool. It reminds me of something my grandmother would have had. It was originally $395, but had been marked down to $195. We offered $150, and they accepted. Here is a crappy cell phone picture of it. I can't wait to accessorize it with my Pyrex... We also got a set of 4 little Pyrex bowls for $1. Can't beat that.

Our move date is July 1, and I am crawling out of my skin to get to that day. We have so much baby stuff to unpack and organize, so much furniture to get, so much to do before the baby comes. None of it can really be done until we get into the house. So we wait....

I feel the beast stirring inside of me

Our luck is tragic, really. At least when it comes to apartment hunting. We didn't get the historical apartment that we applied for. Someone beat us to it. As usual. So with a renewed determination, I went back to the apartment hunt. I check craigslist about a thousand times a day, and as soon as something promising shows up, I call. I try to be the first to see the place so that no other renter can have a chance to put in the application. But that's not always possible because I don't have a car. But I thought I had done it the other day. I found an awesome place, and I called as soon as they posted it. I made an appointment for the next day. The realtor told me I was first in line, and after a quick walkthrough, I knew I wanted it. I went straight home and submitted an application. Two days later I called to check on it, and she was all, "I was just about to call you" (yeah, right). Turns out that someone had mailed in an application the morning I saw the place, and they got that person's application before mine. Laaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeee. I was so angry and frustrated. What do you have to do around here to get an apartment? It is seriously a full time job. 

There was another apartment that would have been good, and it was cheap. But the woman was going to require us to get a co-signer, and her attitude about it was unyielding and unapologetic. We didn't care for her attitude, so we didn't submit an application. 

There was another guy who was supposed to show us an apartment, and he was super shady. The way he was acting made us feel like we were being profiled or something. I don't like. People need to recognize that as a pregnant woman in the heat of the summer, I am already a ticking time bomb. If they cross me, heads are bound to roll. I haven't lost it yet, but I feel it building up. I feel the beast stirring inside of me (or is that just the baby?). It's just a matter of time. Who will be the one to incur my wrath? 

And there have been more. All disappointments. We have one more lead at the moment. It is a pretty cool duplex that James' mom's friend's friend owns. Got that? So as far as I know we are the first ones to know about it, and since it is still under renovation, we should have a pretty good head start. Let's hope that our connection to the owners will give us an edge. The only worry about that one is that it won't be ready until July 1 (booo), and they don't know how much they want to charge yet. Patience, Raven. Patience. 

Assuming the baby is on time, and assuming we get this place, I will have 1 month to get our apartment together! That is insane. Especially because we have nothing. Well, we have kitchen stuff, a mattress, 2 chairs, and an old wood ironing board. And some baby stuff. I am already the type of person who likes to unpack the second I get back from vacation. Or who likes to unpack and have the house in order 2 days after a move. Combine that with my nesting instinct, and I might kill myself trying to get the place ready. 

In other news, I am doing some part time, at home internet work. That is nice, but the amount of work available is spotty, so I can't depend on a steady stream of income. But it is definitely going to help. 

Next weekend is the baby shower! I am excited about it, but a little nervous because I am not a fan of attention. Especially since 90% of the guests will be James' family and friends. So being around that many strangers/acquaintances is going to be tough. Good thing it is a coed shower, and James will be there. He can share in the attention getting. But there will be cake and BBQ, so I am pretty happy about that....I love cake. 

I keep telling James not to underestimate the power of cake. My pregnancy nemesis, Natalie Portman, quit being a vegan because she wanted cakey baked goods. Or something like that. Who cares, anyway? I'm not the only one who dislikes her pregnant guts..

We went back to Birmingham for Memorial Day weekend. We didn't do much but eat, pack up some more of my stuff and play with the dogs. I came back to Louisville with bug bites all over me. Ahhh the south. 

We still don't have a baby name. But we feel the pressure, especially since that is the #3 question asked, when discussing the baby. When am I due? Do I know what I'm having? Does she have a name? James' family thinks we have a name but are withholding information. I wish that was the case. Naming the baby has been tough. But James is dead set on a boy name. So, in the future, if we have a boy, then he will name it. So technically that means I could take full reign over naming the girl. I told him that, and he said, "That seems fair." I was hoping it wouldn't be that easy. I don't want that kind of power anyway. 

The return of the morning sickness has faded a bit. Now it is not too bad at all. The symptom of the week is rib pain, thanks to the baby poking around my ribs all day. 

Guess that's enough of an update for now. I should be back with baby shower pics next week!