In Recent News...

I did not fall off the face of the planet!

It is shameful-positively shameful-that I have not blogged in almost a year. It's not for lack of material, I assure you. In fact, I've had so many things to blog about that real life just ended up getting in the way entirely.

So what have I been doing in the last 9 months? What haven't I been doing?!

When I left you last June it was because we were trying to move. It seemed like a simple enough project, but alas-every time we managed to put together enough money for moving costs we had another unexpected and ridiculously expensive bill (isn't that how it always works?). Luckily, since we were moving toward the grandparents (who love and missed their grandchildren) they were very motivated to help us and, in a very generous gesture, offered to let us stay with them for a month to save a little extra money for move in costs to our new apartment.

It was a completely doable plan...until Hubby's job (which had transferred him to our new location) surprised him by cutting his hours to 18 hours a week.

So we extended our stay with my in laws just a little bit. No problem.

Until, because of that whole economy tanking thing, the standards for credit on apartment applications seemed to jump overnight. When you already have particularly terrible credit, this is not good news. The "one month, plus a little bit" ended up becoming indefinite.

No matter how much you love your in laws this is not a good idea-and it is especially not a good idea when there is something significantly less pleasant than love between you and your mother in law. It's easy to be civil over dinner or for a few weeks, but living together for any extended period of time (especially when there is no end in sight) is....well, unpleasant.

It becomes even more unpleasant when you have to look them in the eye after living with them for nearly two months-while your husband works just 18 hours a week and you are rejected daily from apartments that cockroaches wouldn't live in-and tell them that you are pregnant with your third child. New Baby Girl~13w2d Ultrasound

I don't think I've seen anyone turn that particular shade of furious before. It was truly awesome scientific phenomena that would have been worth studying if it weren't directed at me.

Thankfully, God heard my panicky prayers and things started picking up. Hubby was promoted to a new position which guaranteed 40 hours per week, and got a little pay bump to go with it. The private owner of a gorgeous 3bd/2.5ba 1500 sqft brand-spanking-new townhouse decided that we were good, hardworking people and practically gave us the place-no credit check, no first and last months rent-just days after we were turned down on yet another 1bd/1 ba 550sq ft public housing apartment. We moved in just before Christmas, and things have been going great!
Our Pretty, Pretty Living/Dining Area

We took January to get settled in, and February was busy with prenatal appointments and celebrating Baby Bug's FIRST BIRTHDAY (I can't believe she's a year old!!), and now it's March already. I'm starting my every two week OB/GYN appointments this week, Monkey will be turning 5 next Friday and we're having his party the following Saturday, then we're having the baby shower (my first ever!) in April, and having the new baby (another little girl!) in May. While it may seem like we're still going a thousand miles an hour (and I guess I am really)
things have gotten back into a nice-busy-routine.
I'm so excited to finally be able to get all of this stuff on paper....well, you know what I mean....and I'm hoping I can visit everyone's blogs really soon.

YAY! Time to start blogging again!

New Baby Bump 27w3d(a little bit ago)>>>>