Learning process

Well...as far as the house goes - we've pretty much thrown up our hands and said "screw her" because the homeowner is being ridiculous. We countered back to her first counter with what we thought to be a fair amount. Exactly in the middle of what we both wanted. But she countered back again and said she changed her mind...she wants to keep the washer/dryer - she wants another $500 deposit from us - and if we do that, then she'll be so kind as to drop a whole $1000 off her price. So basically, she's taking about $500 worth of appliances away, and wants more money on top of that - but she'll be gracious enough to knock the equivalent of that off her price. SOOO LAME.
I think this lady might actually be insane...because in THIS market? nobody can try to wheel and deal like that and actually expect to sell their house.

We've got our eye on a couple other places - and I think we've pretty much decided that this first house was not meant to be. The good thing is that we now know exactly how this whole process works and it won't be such a daunting task next time.
We're disappointed because we do love that house - but we'll see...we might actually still have a chance if she doesn't sucker someone else into her crazy scheme.

*******
It has been craaazy hot here lately. I walked Georgia at lunchtime and I could only go about half the distance I usually do because I was way too hot and didn't want to overdo it...plus I've been having alot of lower abdomen pains from growing this kid. Between the pains and the not sleeping well and being so hot and not fitting into any of my clothes, it's no wonder why I'm so cranky!
My poor hubby has been so good about dealing with my moods and my lack of energy and he's been a big help around the house and cleaning the cat box and all. I'm SOOOO grateful for him and how excited he is about this baby.
It still seems so surreal to me, I'm wondering when exactly it's all going to seem real. I thought once I started showing or started being able to feel movement, it would be more of a reality check...but nope, I still think this is all VERY weird and I can't really wrap my head around it all.

We have a choice of going to either French or Sierra Vista hospitals to deliver...I've been a patient at SV several times, and didn't have good experiences - plus it always seems so crowded in the maternity ward there...so my first thought was that I'd much rather be at French. It's been suggested by others that we should tour both, just to make an informed decision. So I called SV to set up a tour and they couldn't get us in for a tour for over a month...I then called French, and they set us up for a tour 3 days later. So we toured the birthing center at French and we LOVED IT. We both felt so comfortable there that we decided to cancel our tour of SV and just stick with French. Unless this pregnancy becomes high risk, or I go into labor sooner than 36 weeks...we'll be good to go!
French just seems alot more relaxed and like they really let the birthing experience be what you want it to be. They said I can wear whatever I want, I shouldn't feel like I have to be in a hospital gown - they said they really encourage laboring mom's to be up and moving around - so they'll only want me connected to the monitors for 10-15 minutes every hour once I'm admitted. Otherwise I can be cruising the halls, sitting on a birth ball, or in a birthing tub if I prefer...they don't want me to feel like I'm stuck lying flat on a bed when gravity can be helping move things along. They have DVD and CD players in the rooms...and they said I can do whatever I need to feel more comfortable or relaxed - the only thing they can't allow is candles for obvious reasons :)
So we signed up for birthing classes at French - and I've filled out all my admitting forms and everything, I just need to turn them in. I feel much better having toured the facility and feeling comfortable with how they do things and being able to sit in one of the rooms. We even bumped into our OB while we were there and he was all smiles checking in on one of his patients.

I know that I can't have any expectations about what labor will be like or even WHEN it will happen - and I also can't guarantee that I'll actually be delivering at French since it really depends on how my pregnancy goes....but I like that French has a lower c-section rate, and that they really try hard not to make anyone share a room. I also like that they seem to be more in tuned with what MOM wants, rather then what's quicker or more convenient for them.

Soooo - that's done! My OB's nurse has been bugging me to tell her which hospital we've decided on and to sign up for classes before they get full - so it feels good to finally have an answer for her. I really didn't expect to have to do any of that so soon , but apparantly the classes fill up rather quickly - there was already a long list of people for our January class...weird.
I guess not everyone is as big of procrastinators as us - heck, we even put off having a baby for 6 years! hehehe