Duchrow With It!: Week 26: Home Sweet (Hectic) Home!

Dear Baby,

Did you feel the sugar rush? We had an appointment this week and Mom had to drink a high-glucose, orange-flavored beverage. It wasn't as bad as anticipated. You were quite squirmy for the rest of the day after it. If your summersaults weren't caused by the sugar high, maybe you enjoyed Dad's yummy cooking? Or maybe you felt squished because of my stretching during yoga class?

It's been quite an eventful last few weeks for Dad and Mom. Our search for a new house has continued. In the past year or more our hunt has brought us quite the variety of options. We've visited many different locations and neighborhoods in the Coulee Region, gained new perspectives and insights about what we want in a home, and battled mixed emotions to include both highs and lows throughout our search. We never had a style of home or neighborhood in mind. During our hunt we were intentional about keeping a mental list of features that would be nice to have, but never let this list limit our options. If any property had the slightest potential we'd schedule an appointment to visit. We've kept faith knowing that God is the perfect realtor and when the right house came along we'd realize it! Easier said than done sometimes. Prayers helped us stay patient.

About a month ago Dad stumbled upon a new real estate listing. We followed our usual M.O. This is a process that included a drive by to assess curb appeal. Looks good. Contacting the selling party asking if we could see the property. Yes, we could. Dad doing his diligent research and digging deep for important information. Hmmm, checks out okay. Arriving to the showing with as little pre-conceived opinion as possible. Wow, we liked it! We really, really liked it!

Baby D, we have found your perfect first home. And, like He always does, our Perfect Realtor came through!

This past month has been a whirlwind of paperwork, phone calls and appointments — all welcomed chaos on the journey to becoming homeowners again! We cannot wait to get into the new space and create a home!

As we walk through the big, empty rooms we imagine all the memories that will be made within our new walls. We've already picked what room will be yours. Last week we visited the house late at night. I walked upstairs to your room, stood in the dark space and thought about all the late nights and early mornings I'll spend there. It is fun to imagine all the possibilities for how we could decorate your nursery. But, I know the only thing that will truly make it complete is you. I can't wait to cuddle you and hold you in that room.

We love the layout of our home. It doesn't have the yard that Dad (and partly now me) would love, but it's in a neighborhood that has a wonderful vibe. It has a backyard for you to play in. It comes with an unfinished basement where Dad can dabble in projects. I think he's looking forward to that. Perhaps we'll designate an area in the basement for you to leave toys strewn about, crash ridable toys into unfinished walls, and wreck havoc in any way you choose. My favorite part of the whole process has been shopping for appliances. Picking paint colors will also be fun, although slightly overwhelming.
The final days of November are sure to be hectic as we re-pack our belongings and situate ourselves into a new space. We'll settle just in time for the holidays to get crazy. We'll take one last breather as a family of two in mid January before you arrive and our lives change forever!
Our nurse says you're growing perfectly and your heart beat sounds healthy. It's reassuring to know this. It's also reassuring and thrilling to know that when you do arrive we will get to welcome you to our NEW home!