Back in the Saddle!

Wow it's great to be home! We came home last week Thursday (mid-day)

and it has taken me until now to finally get back into my groove. Granted, it has been a bumpy ride, but we're here, and we're well, so I'll be thankful. :)

Friday found us with a broken A/C unit. Thankfully, I had a niggling feeling this was going to happen and started a home warranty a month ago. I called and explained Grace's medical condition and they assured me that it would be completed by end of business day. By 6pm, I still hadn't heard and rang back. Again, I was assured that someone would be here by 10pm. At 9:20pm, the technician called to tell me that he couldn't be here until Saturday. UGH! I fought and fought with the company, and thankfully they sent me a credit for my next "deductible". Saturday, we had high hopes when the motor was replaced, but we were warned that our compressor was on it's last legs. The technician couldn't actually repair or replace it until it gave out. How annoying! By Saturday evening, the A/C was down again. Unfortunately, it takes 48 hours to order a compressor, so we suffered through the weekend limping by with 80 degree temps inside. Today, the technician came to repair and it was 87 degrees inside! Grace and I took off to my mom's house. Quite the feat.... I haven't been in my SUV in over a month and a half, and then to have to carry all of her supplies: diaper bag, oxygen, tubing, feeding bag, feeding pump, car seat, stroller, toys, etc...I get the car started, car loaded and then go in to grab Grace. I open the backseat door and discover that my car seat base was in my mom's car! UGH!! I loaded us back up and out, suffered in the dark in the miserable heat and waited for my mom to come and get us. This is when I am so thankful that not only does she live in state, but she lives only a few blocks away- Hooray!

Tomorrow is our first cardiac appointment post-surgery. I am hopeful that things will go well. We've kept Grace on .2 liters of O2 since we came home, despite the fact that we only really need to at night and when she is grunting (working to breathe). With the withdrawal factor, I figure better safe than sorry. She still grunts a bit, even with oxygen, but this seems to be her baseline- she grunted prior to surgery too. Hopefully all is well and we can delay the inevitable cardiac cath for a few more weeks. Fingers crossed!

We've been looking at houses (as if we didn't have enough on our plates!), hoping to buy a 2nd home that is a bit larger and can fit our growing family and our gear. The plan is to rent our 1475 sq ft home to my mother, and we'll buy a 2200 sq ft home for us. Because of the crazy good market, she'll pay our new mortgage (much lower) and we'll still pay our current (much higher). We'll both benefit (hopefully!). We made an offer on 3 homes, all short sales. I am really, really in love with one of them and am hoping that it works in our favor. Thank goodness for a best friend who is in the real estate biz! (Shameless plug for one of my besties- Samantha Napoli.

She's with Powerhouse Realty) Again, fingers crossed!

Today is also Grace's 9 month birthday. It is amazing to me how far we've come in these past 9 months. Our little girl has overcome so many odds, and challenges. We're still a bit behind, but we're catching up quick. Technically, she's 10 weeks younger than 9 months (adjusted age) but according to her birth date she is chronologically 9 months. Yikes! How did it go by so fast? I took a long shower tonight and couldn't help but think about how quickly life goes by. It is so important to take a minute out of each and every day to truly be thankful and relish in the moment. I would give anything to have a child's sense of time. Summers lasted forever when we were kids- weekends too. Now, it's barely Friday and it's Monday all over again... Ah, to be old! :) Grace is chomping, literally chomping, on the biter biscuits. Tasha, Bree's mom (I think I mentioned her before?) suggested them to us and they are the BEST! Grace literally munches on them all day. I think we'll be seeing teeth in the next 2 weeks. My mom swears that Grace has said her first word, "Hi", but I'm thinking it's more of a breathy sigh... the jury is still out. She's imitating us waving- she can wave goodbye to people with her hand. She's almost able to sit up on her own. Standing with support has been out of the question for the past several weeks, and probably for a few more until we are able to pick her up under her arm pits. Unfortunately, post cardiac surgery we can only "scoop" her by the neck and bum. It works- but boy is she getting heavy!

I got her 4th of July shots in the mail tonight. I know it's a bit late, but better late than never, right? Isn't she darling?

This month is going to be CRAZY for us! I have a few cakes, which is a great thing for us financially, but adds to the chaotic weekend factor. I have two sets of relatives flying in two seperate weekends, and I have Felix's and Mimi's (AKA Grammy Pammie) birthdays! WHEW! Unfortunately, the months get crazier and crazier towards year's end. Felix will have to spend 8 weeks in Hartford, Connecticut this fall/winter. He'll go for 2 weeks at a time, with a week break or so in between each business trip. He would love for Grace and I to join him, but with RSV season just around the corner, it's a risk we can't afford. In October/November our little sister (Felix's sister to be exact) will be having her 1st child in Wyoming. We'd love to meet our niece, but again, can't risk the germs on a plane. It's amazing how much life changes when you have kids- your world is so not about you anymore, it's about the little ones. A dear friend asked me via Facebook today, "When did we grow up?" and it's so true- just yesterday we were listening to bad 80's big hair bands and talking about the junior high dance and which boys we wanted to slow dance with...

I'm out of steam and ready to relax with the hubby (he's reading book 2 0f the Lord of the Rings trilogy on my Kindle). G'Nite!