It seems like I have very little time these days to post. It�s not really that I have no time after all Baby Boy sleeps quite a bit of the time and I haven�t returned to work yet. My Darling just returned to work today and perhaps that is why I now find the time to share my new life. I must admit I was very selfish of the time I had with my Family and I was loath to give up any of the time we had together with our new baby.

Currently my Baby Boy is blissfully sleeping. Last night he wasn�t able to sleep perhaps due to gas or maybe just awake and interested in the red light that shines from the snakes tank. Normally I feed him in my Great Grandmothers rocking chair in our room but with My Darling heading back to work this morning and Baby Boy fussing through the third feeding (around 4 am) I moved to the living room. I was rewarded with the pleasure of seeing My Darling off to work (he considered this a pleasant event as well). I miss having him here and I�m certain he is missing us as well.

I don�t know if I have mentioned this here or not but we received approval for the house. After 4 months of dithering around the bank responded yes with the caveat that we had to close by the 28th (two weeks from the date we were informed of the acceptance of our offer). We are very busy getting ready for the task of getting the house ready and moving in by the end of October (at least we will not be moving in winter). The house is a short sale (pre-foreclosure) which means the owners were not concerned about the condition of the house when they vacated more than six months ago. The garage is filled with garbage including what appears to be the contents of the cupboards and refrigerator, The odor is putrid (My Darling swears there must be something dead in there). The house smells of dog, cat and mildew requiring removal of the rugs and serious cleaning.

I�m back from a break (you didn�t even notice I was gone), I had to feed Baby Boy. He is now keeping me company as I type away. I also took a call from My Darling and discussed the agenda for the great house clean-up due to launch immediately following the closing on Friday. The goal is to finish cleaning by Sunday. The timing of the sale while rushed is actually better than if it had come sooner because I would have been useless weighed down as I was with my Baby Boy. Now I can participate in the preparation of my new home.

In addition to the clean-up we will also have to carpet, and replace all of the windows. There are not a lot of windows because the house was built in 1978 a time when light and airy was not the phrase to describe the average home. I have been given the task of choosing the paint colors for the rooms. My Darling has asserted he is unable to select colors suggesting that while he might choose colors he likes he is certain they would look horrible on the walls. I�m not absolutely certain my taste is any better. Our bedroom is Asian in theme as we both favor Asian d�cor. We plan on carrying the theme throughout the house. For the bedroom I suggested we opt for a neutral color and add cherry blossom or bamboo art on an accent wall. I�m a little shy about painting the accents directly on the wall but they do it all the time on TV and it looks great.

There is so much to do and we still have to finish packing (and repack the stuff we partially unpacked over the past months as we waited to see if we were going to get the house.) I�m a bit overwhelmed. I am still not feeling all that well. I have an appointment tomorrow to investigate some lingering pain and symptoms of possible infection. It is most likely nothing but with a c-section (major surgery) it is best to err on the side of caution. I don�t feel well and I�m not going to ignore it. I don�t think it is bad enough to stop me from helping with the clean-up as long as I take frequent breaks to rest. My SIL has volunteered to watch Baby Boy (I don�t want him exposed to all the stuff in the air as we clean. I plan on wearing a dust mask myself). It will be hard to be away from him a whole day but I suppose its practice for when I return to work. After we get the place cleaned out we will bring Baby Boy with us as we work on other thing (like the windows.) We will need to leave him with the SIL when we paint as well. I hate the idea of being away from him.

It�s amazing how quickly your life becomes all about the tiny new addition. Mind you I don�t think I could just stay home and take care of a baby. The house would soon be tip top and then there would be little to occupy me, let alone occupy my mind. Best case scenario would have me home most of the time telecommuting. That is the plan for my return to work but I�m not sure how long I will be allowed to work from home. I know my boss would like to make it permanent with me in the office once or twice a week but the president isn�t convinced that I can work from home without being distracted. I think I could track time spent feeding and caring for Baby Boy and add that time onto the end of the day (the better to cover our West Coast customers who currently must contact us by 2 pm or wait until the following day for assistance. It would be a little inconvenient to work late but if I�m at home at least I can see my Baby Boy and My Darling while I work.

Baby Boy is fussing again so I have to go. Thanks to all who sent good wishes. I hope to post more frequently from now on.

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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