After a very long, drawn out process of trying to close on the house, we are finally in our new home!! The closing was a week ago yesterday, and we began moving that afternoon. Wouldn't you know it--the temp was 100 degrees when we began packing up the UHaul! It figures--when we moved to Grayson, it was the coldest day of the year--it was in the teens when the movers arrived and it took them over an hour to get their truck up our steep driveway in Douglasville. Of course, I wasn't even helping during that move--poor Noah had been sick for days, and we ended up at the pediatrician. They went to catheter Noah to test his urine, and he was so dehydrated that they couldn't get anything, so they rushed us to Scottish Rite. After 3 bags of IV fluid, we were released and got home late that Friday night. The movers had gotten everything into the house, but there was a lot to do. Unfortunately, Noah did not get better, and we ended up back at Scottish Rite on Sunday. A month later, Katie got a nasty case of the flu that kept her in bed for literally a week, and at one point, her fever got up to 106 degrees, and I rushed her to the hospital, where she also had some IV fluids. We had a rough start in Grayson, but we truly loved the area and made friends. It was only appropriate for us to move away from that house on the hottest day of the year after moving in on the coldest day of the year. I must admit, I'll take the heat ANY day over the cold. When it's cold, I can't help because I get too cold to move.
The move on Friday took 12 hours. Luck was on our side. UHaul said they had no big trucks for the weekend, and Chris' friends who had volunteered to help us move were all busy, so we were about the call movers when Chris' mom said her friends were willing to help. Chris went to UHaul to get a small truck, and was surprised to find out a large truck had just been returned and we could have it until 9 am on Saturday. Quickly, people began arriving to help us out. The kids went with Chris' parents for the weekend, and suddenly, we had about 10 people helping us out. God was looking out for us. Our next door neighbor in Grayson unexpectedly showed up to help, as well as Chris' co-worker and numerous other friends. We loaded up the truck and came to Dacula to unload it. It took 5 men to get our poor washer up the stairs, but they worked quickly and efficiently. Some people left after the truck was unloaded, but others stayed for another run back to Grayson for another truckload. The UHaul was unpacked for a second time around 3:30 am, and we ended up dropping it back off and stopping at Waffle House for some breakfast. We got to bed just as the sun was rising, and we got up aroundv 10:30 am. Chris had to work, but I went back to the Grayson house because our friends were helping to take the swingset apart and move it for us. We ended up moving for another 12 hours that day, and we had to get a new toilet for the downstairs half bath. Saturday night we went to be around 5 am, so at least the sun wasn't up yet. Chris let me sleep until 1 pm on Sunday, but he couldn't sleep, so he unpacked. We went back to Grayson to clean up the house, and we left it spotless. The bank rep. was so impressed on Monday! He said they would be able to put the house on the market immediately, and he thanked us profusely for keeping the house in such good condition. I had to scrub our new house because, unfortunately, the prior tenants did not care and left the house a filthy mess. I bleached the counters in the kitchen, and scrubs the floors. We had had the carpets dry cleaned and disinfected, and we replaced all of the toilet seats. We have begun replacing the crummy, dirty blinds with fresh plantation blinds, and we have painted the kids' bedrooms and bathroom. My poor kitchen has a really ugly floor, so I am hoping to pick up some hours at Van Adams to save up for a new floor! We will begin painting the family room and kitchen soon, because it desperately needs paint! The house was a fantastic deal, but it will take a lot of paint to get it looking great inside.
Now my stress is different--I'm stressed about making our house a home, which is nicer than worrying about getting the house!
Showing posts with label new house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new house. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Patience
I am not a very patient person. I really do try to be. I think my kids have taught me a lot about patience, sometimes without even meaning to. I have learned to be calmer when I take all three of them out, and I have learned the things that set them off. When you're pregnant, you have to wait 9 months to meet this amazing person that you have felt grow inside of you for almost a year. Potty training--oh, yes, much patience is needed for that as well!
If I have learned one thing during this process of buying a short sale house, it's that I need to be patient, and that's been a challenge. I have so many ideas for ways to make the house our home that I am eager and want to get started. I feel like a child on Christmas--I can't wait to see my present!
When I wrote my post on Tuesday, I was very bitter, angry, and above all else, disappointed. There is only one other time I have felt that way, and it was in 2005. When Katie was about 18 months old, just after Christmas, Chris and I went to Cherokee, NC. It was our first trip since having Katie that she didn't go with us, but it was a much-needed break. After coming home, I found out I was pregnant and due in October, just after Katie's second birthday. I was so excited! My OB-GYN does not confirm pregnancies until you are at least 6-8 weeks along. The reason for this is that they do a free, early ultrasound to make sure everything is moving along as it should be, and the heart doesn't usually begin beating until around the 5th week of the pregnancy. I went in when I was 8 weeks pregnant. I was having morning sickness and felt very pregnant. When we looked at the ultrasound, though, I knew immediately something was wrong. I couldn't see the flickering of a heartbeat, and the baby wasn't as big as it should've been. I didn't understand--when I had a miscarriage before Katie, my pregnancy symptoms simply vanished and I began bleeding. This time, though, I was ill. I was not bleeding. I knew they had to be wrong, so I refused their advice of scheduling a D&C immediately and asked for another ultrasound and some bloodwork. When the bloodwork came back, I was indeed pregnant--my numbers of HGC were around 75,000, a good number for where I was in the pregnancy. However, my numbers from 2 days later dropped a little, so we had another ultrasound, and the baby was smaller. I felt empty inside. I began crying, and I couldn't stop. Chris knew how upset I was, so we left Katie with his parents and headed out to Biloxi, MS because I wanted to go to a beach. We packed nothing. My crying continued most of the drive, but when we got there, I felt better. We didn't find a hotel room until 3 am, but we ate Whattaburger and talked. We went dancing. Basically, we got away. The next day, we went to the beach and enjoyed the salt air for a bit, then we drove back home. I had my D&C on March 16, and vividly remember watching "The Incredibles" with Chris and Katie that night. However, the worst was yet to come. After my surgery, they tested the pregnancy materials and discovered that I had had a partial molar pregnancy. This means the child had an extra set of genes, but the worst part was that a molar pregnancy, even when removed surgically, could come back and spread like cancer in my uterus. I didn't know how things could get worse, but they did. My dr. recommended not getting pregnant for a year, and I would have tests often to test my HGC levels. Once they hit 0, I would be told to wait 3 more months and then I could try again. My patience was maxed out. Not only would I never meet that child, I wasn't allowed to get pregnant again for a YEAR! That felt like an eternity to me. I knew in my heart God must have a plan, but I felt alone. I started having weekly tests, and my HGC levels dropped drastically after 1 week. By the time it had been a month since my surgery, my levels hit 0. At that time, I was told to wait the 3 months, but then I could try again and not wait the year. After 2 months, I discovered I was pregnant. My doctor wasn't happy, but immediately began tests, and the baby was healthy. At 14 weeks, I began bleeding, and I couldn't stand the thought of another miscarriage. I went to the doctor, and the ultrasound not only revealed a healthy baby, but we found out it was a boy due on Valentine's Day! Aidan was born on Feb. 7, 2006, and was quite healthy. Sometimes I wonder what the other child would've been like, but I know that Aidan was meant to be here instead. He's a loving, sweet boy, and I cannot imagine our family without him.
So, even though I'm disappointed that I'm not in the new house today, as we planned, I know that we will be. Somehow, some way, things will work out, and my patience will be rewarded. We are blessed that Ironstone, the bank that owns our current rental house, has agreed to let us stay indefinately, and we do not pay rent, either. Every month that goes by without rent or mortgage means we are saving that much more money in our account, building up a bigger nest egg. I couldn't see it the other day, but I'm beginning to see the hidden blessing in waiting.
If I have learned one thing during this process of buying a short sale house, it's that I need to be patient, and that's been a challenge. I have so many ideas for ways to make the house our home that I am eager and want to get started. I feel like a child on Christmas--I can't wait to see my present!
When I wrote my post on Tuesday, I was very bitter, angry, and above all else, disappointed. There is only one other time I have felt that way, and it was in 2005. When Katie was about 18 months old, just after Christmas, Chris and I went to Cherokee, NC. It was our first trip since having Katie that she didn't go with us, but it was a much-needed break. After coming home, I found out I was pregnant and due in October, just after Katie's second birthday. I was so excited! My OB-GYN does not confirm pregnancies until you are at least 6-8 weeks along. The reason for this is that they do a free, early ultrasound to make sure everything is moving along as it should be, and the heart doesn't usually begin beating until around the 5th week of the pregnancy. I went in when I was 8 weeks pregnant. I was having morning sickness and felt very pregnant. When we looked at the ultrasound, though, I knew immediately something was wrong. I couldn't see the flickering of a heartbeat, and the baby wasn't as big as it should've been. I didn't understand--when I had a miscarriage before Katie, my pregnancy symptoms simply vanished and I began bleeding. This time, though, I was ill. I was not bleeding. I knew they had to be wrong, so I refused their advice of scheduling a D&C immediately and asked for another ultrasound and some bloodwork. When the bloodwork came back, I was indeed pregnant--my numbers of HGC were around 75,000, a good number for where I was in the pregnancy. However, my numbers from 2 days later dropped a little, so we had another ultrasound, and the baby was smaller. I felt empty inside. I began crying, and I couldn't stop. Chris knew how upset I was, so we left Katie with his parents and headed out to Biloxi, MS because I wanted to go to a beach. We packed nothing. My crying continued most of the drive, but when we got there, I felt better. We didn't find a hotel room until 3 am, but we ate Whattaburger and talked. We went dancing. Basically, we got away. The next day, we went to the beach and enjoyed the salt air for a bit, then we drove back home. I had my D&C on March 16, and vividly remember watching "The Incredibles" with Chris and Katie that night. However, the worst was yet to come. After my surgery, they tested the pregnancy materials and discovered that I had had a partial molar pregnancy. This means the child had an extra set of genes, but the worst part was that a molar pregnancy, even when removed surgically, could come back and spread like cancer in my uterus. I didn't know how things could get worse, but they did. My dr. recommended not getting pregnant for a year, and I would have tests often to test my HGC levels. Once they hit 0, I would be told to wait 3 more months and then I could try again. My patience was maxed out. Not only would I never meet that child, I wasn't allowed to get pregnant again for a YEAR! That felt like an eternity to me. I knew in my heart God must have a plan, but I felt alone. I started having weekly tests, and my HGC levels dropped drastically after 1 week. By the time it had been a month since my surgery, my levels hit 0. At that time, I was told to wait the 3 months, but then I could try again and not wait the year. After 2 months, I discovered I was pregnant. My doctor wasn't happy, but immediately began tests, and the baby was healthy. At 14 weeks, I began bleeding, and I couldn't stand the thought of another miscarriage. I went to the doctor, and the ultrasound not only revealed a healthy baby, but we found out it was a boy due on Valentine's Day! Aidan was born on Feb. 7, 2006, and was quite healthy. Sometimes I wonder what the other child would've been like, but I know that Aidan was meant to be here instead. He's a loving, sweet boy, and I cannot imagine our family without him.
So, even though I'm disappointed that I'm not in the new house today, as we planned, I know that we will be. Somehow, some way, things will work out, and my patience will be rewarded. We are blessed that Ironstone, the bank that owns our current rental house, has agreed to let us stay indefinately, and we do not pay rent, either. Every month that goes by without rent or mortgage means we are saving that much more money in our account, building up a bigger nest egg. I couldn't see it the other day, but I'm beginning to see the hidden blessing in waiting.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Done
I'm done. I've had it. A family can only take so much stress before it begins to destroy them. I wish we had never looked into buying a house. It's been one disappointment after another, and I can't handle any more. Our closing was supposed to be tomorrow. We were having the carpets cleaned today and having our final walk-through. The utilities are on, we are packed, and everything is in boxes. We have to be out of our current house by July 5--and we were lucky to get those 5 days. Aidan is set to begin Pre-K by our new subdivision, and we have friends helping us move.
We began looking at houses in March. After searching for a few weeks, we found a house we thought was perfect, and we made an offer on the house in late March. We had our pre-approval, and our closing was set for May 24. The seller accepted our offer, so we had to wait for BOA to approve it since it's a short sale. According to new laws, they had to give us an answer within 10 days. 10 days came and went, and still no response. Finally, at the end of April, BOA gave us the approval. We began finalizing the details for the loan, and that's when we realized Chris' credit score had dropped 130 pts. Now, he has zero debt and had not taken out any new cards or loans. That's when we realized that our loan officer's advice had destroyed Chris' credit. Somehow, against all odds, we finally got a loan approval. Unfortunately, we couldn't get verification of credentials quickly, so we kept being told that closing was 2 weeks away. Finally, we got a closing date of June 30 last week. I couldn't get excited--I had been disappointed too many times. Last Friday, things fell apart again. BOA was trying to add another $8000 to the loan because we hadn't closed by June 22! Umm....we TRIED to, but kept getting told we had to wait for approvals. The bank backed down and kept the loan amount they had originally agreed to. Chris and I were prepared to walk, but luckily, things fell back into place.
My house is now 90% packed. Our kids have picked out paint. We are ready to move. Today, though, the unthinkable happened. Chris got a call from our realtor explaining that the seller doesn't have the right to sell the house. The deed to the house is in a trust, and no one can figure out who has the right to sell. So now, we are back at square one. My nerves are fried. I am in tears. I am beyond done. So, we don't know what's going to happen. We need major prayers.
We began looking at houses in March. After searching for a few weeks, we found a house we thought was perfect, and we made an offer on the house in late March. We had our pre-approval, and our closing was set for May 24. The seller accepted our offer, so we had to wait for BOA to approve it since it's a short sale. According to new laws, they had to give us an answer within 10 days. 10 days came and went, and still no response. Finally, at the end of April, BOA gave us the approval. We began finalizing the details for the loan, and that's when we realized Chris' credit score had dropped 130 pts. Now, he has zero debt and had not taken out any new cards or loans. That's when we realized that our loan officer's advice had destroyed Chris' credit. Somehow, against all odds, we finally got a loan approval. Unfortunately, we couldn't get verification of credentials quickly, so we kept being told that closing was 2 weeks away. Finally, we got a closing date of June 30 last week. I couldn't get excited--I had been disappointed too many times. Last Friday, things fell apart again. BOA was trying to add another $8000 to the loan because we hadn't closed by June 22! Umm....we TRIED to, but kept getting told we had to wait for approvals. The bank backed down and kept the loan amount they had originally agreed to. Chris and I were prepared to walk, but luckily, things fell back into place.
My house is now 90% packed. Our kids have picked out paint. We are ready to move. Today, though, the unthinkable happened. Chris got a call from our realtor explaining that the seller doesn't have the right to sell the house. The deed to the house is in a trust, and no one can figure out who has the right to sell. So now, we are back at square one. My nerves are fried. I am in tears. I am beyond done. So, we don't know what's going to happen. We need major prayers.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Progress
As a mother, I have many days that do not rank high in my memory--honestly, they are days I would like to forget. For the most part, though, I have great days mixed with not so great moments. Occasionally, I will have fantastic days, days when all of the stars appear to have aligned and all is right with the world.
I awoke this morning to the sound of my husband's phone ringing. Now, anyone who knows me knows not to call me prior to 9 am--I am not much of a morning person. However, feel free to call me at 1 am!! Seriously, though, I am completely out of it most mornings and stumble my way out front to see the kids. Anyway, the kids' dentist office called not once, but twice! I returned their call only to discover that, since changing our dental benefits, we would no longer qualify for $5 office visits. Instead, we would be charged the fantastic price of $159 PER CHILD! For some reason, their dentist is considered to be a specialist, so I told the office thanks, but no thanks. Instead, I called the dentist Chris and I use and was able to set up appointments for all three kids at the end of July, thus qualifying for $5 visits. I figured I must be in for a forgettable kind of day.
Our realtor called next. As most of you know, we have had a contract on a house since the end of March, and our original closing date was May 24. Our loan officer was kind enough to make a royal mess out of everything, so we are still waiting on a closing date. The catch is that we are supposed to be out of our rental house June 30. Our former landlord was kind enough to not pay the mortgage with our rent money, so the bank foreclosed on the house at the beginning of May. However, the bank has been extremely generous in allowing us to finish our lease at the rental house, and not even charge us rent! Since it was not our fault that the landlord did not pay the mortgage, the bank is very willing to work with us. When Chris got off of the phone and told me we are closing on June 30, I barely reacted. I guess I've been disappointed so many times with this house that I'm finding it hard to believe that we are actually moving next Wednesday!! However, it's official--we will be moving next week! That changed my perspective on the day.
Ever since we put an offer in on the new house, I've been so worried about Aidan's Pre-K enrollment. Back on March 1, I got up at 5:45 am (I know, right?!) and made sure I got to Pre-K registration around 6 am to grab a highly sought-after slot. Well, that school is in Grayson, and will not be as convenient once we move. I went to a school that is across the street from our new neighborhood, hoping that they might have some space. Naturally, I was told there was a waiting list and would find out in June if another class was added. I got the call today--Aidan is in! Orientation is at the end of July!
With some many positive things happening today, Chris and I decided to take the kids to The Home Depot to pick out paint colors and grab some things for the new house (such as doorknobs--yes, the former occupants took the doorknobs!). We will actually order the paint next week, when we move, but we wanted the kids to pick their colors and we wanted to see some options for the rest of the house.
However, the biggest surprise today was Noah! Sure, I was excited Aidan got into the convenient Pre-K. I was amazed to get an actual closing day on the house. But I nearly cried when I realized that, for the first time in at least 6 months, Noah ATE (not drank) three meals today! He actually did it! For breakfast, he had milk and a granola bar--typically, it's only milk. Lunch was fun--we went out to Zaxby's, and Noah actually ate most of his grilled cheese and a few fries. Dinner amazed me the most, though--he ate almost his entire bowl of chili, and I filled it up! Now that's what I call progress!!!! I never would've thought I'd be so excited about my child eating.
I awoke this morning to the sound of my husband's phone ringing. Now, anyone who knows me knows not to call me prior to 9 am--I am not much of a morning person. However, feel free to call me at 1 am!! Seriously, though, I am completely out of it most mornings and stumble my way out front to see the kids. Anyway, the kids' dentist office called not once, but twice! I returned their call only to discover that, since changing our dental benefits, we would no longer qualify for $5 office visits. Instead, we would be charged the fantastic price of $159 PER CHILD! For some reason, their dentist is considered to be a specialist, so I told the office thanks, but no thanks. Instead, I called the dentist Chris and I use and was able to set up appointments for all three kids at the end of July, thus qualifying for $5 visits. I figured I must be in for a forgettable kind of day.
Our realtor called next. As most of you know, we have had a contract on a house since the end of March, and our original closing date was May 24. Our loan officer was kind enough to make a royal mess out of everything, so we are still waiting on a closing date. The catch is that we are supposed to be out of our rental house June 30. Our former landlord was kind enough to not pay the mortgage with our rent money, so the bank foreclosed on the house at the beginning of May. However, the bank has been extremely generous in allowing us to finish our lease at the rental house, and not even charge us rent! Since it was not our fault that the landlord did not pay the mortgage, the bank is very willing to work with us. When Chris got off of the phone and told me we are closing on June 30, I barely reacted. I guess I've been disappointed so many times with this house that I'm finding it hard to believe that we are actually moving next Wednesday!! However, it's official--we will be moving next week! That changed my perspective on the day.
Ever since we put an offer in on the new house, I've been so worried about Aidan's Pre-K enrollment. Back on March 1, I got up at 5:45 am (I know, right?!) and made sure I got to Pre-K registration around 6 am to grab a highly sought-after slot. Well, that school is in Grayson, and will not be as convenient once we move. I went to a school that is across the street from our new neighborhood, hoping that they might have some space. Naturally, I was told there was a waiting list and would find out in June if another class was added. I got the call today--Aidan is in! Orientation is at the end of July!
With some many positive things happening today, Chris and I decided to take the kids to The Home Depot to pick out paint colors and grab some things for the new house (such as doorknobs--yes, the former occupants took the doorknobs!). We will actually order the paint next week, when we move, but we wanted the kids to pick their colors and we wanted to see some options for the rest of the house.
However, the biggest surprise today was Noah! Sure, I was excited Aidan got into the convenient Pre-K. I was amazed to get an actual closing day on the house. But I nearly cried when I realized that, for the first time in at least 6 months, Noah ATE (not drank) three meals today! He actually did it! For breakfast, he had milk and a granola bar--typically, it's only milk. Lunch was fun--we went out to Zaxby's, and Noah actually ate most of his grilled cheese and a few fries. Dinner amazed me the most, though--he ate almost his entire bowl of chili, and I filled it up! Now that's what I call progress!!!! I never would've thought I'd be so excited about my child eating.
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