where to start...

it's about time that i posted an update on this move so here goes...

day one:
after a massive amount of help from friends and family* we were finally packed and ready to go. Tyler's amazing parents volunteered to drive the moving truck (we truly would not have made this trip without them), we loaded Tyler's SUV on to the trailer, and packed our little nugget in to the car. we were nervous for the drive with a new baby but also optimistic about a road trip. nobody likes being cooped up in a car for 3 days but i was secretly excited to have Tyler all to myself for long talks and countless driving games.
about 2 hours into the drive the "water pump"? in the car broke and it overheated. we had to be rescued by Tyler's parents (the first of countless rescues throughout this move). thanks to them, we were able to switch the SUV for the car on the trailer and get Ruby loaded right before rain hit. it's funny because i actually said "well there's the hiccup. every move has a hiccup and i guess it could be worse." if i had only known...

day two:
day two actually went very well except for the screaming baby. i will just say that our child is an excellent traveler... until she isn't. as soon as she's done, she's done. the second day she decided she was done in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota. i seriously considered pitching a tent on the side of the road because i didn't think we'd ever make it to civilization. we did make it.

day three:
day three was the day we got here. we pulled in to the most adorable, picture-perfect neighborhood to see the most adorable, picture-perfect house. needless to say, i was thrilled. i practically skipped up the walk to the front door that opened to my ideal home. as soon as we started up the stairs we were hit with the most overpowering smell of cigarettes. apparently the previous tenants and downstairs neighbors were chain-smokers. i think you could hear the sound of our hearts breaking. we looked around a bit but had to leave after about 5 minutes because we were all getting headaches.
we checked ourselves in to another hotel room for the night and started going over our options. finding another rental property quickly became unrealistic because there was nothing that fit our requirements (washer and dryer in unit and a safe neighborhood. we are sooo high maintenance, right?) and the background check and application process for any property takes 2 weeks for non residents. we were homeless. up the proverbial creek. no paddle. all that.
after a few hours of trying to sort out a solution we were exhausted and starving and decided we needed to get a good meal. we got five minutes from the hotel when our second vehicle broke down. there we were, stranded on the side of a road we had never driven on, in a city we had never been before and i couldn't help it; i started laughing. we were homeless and both of our "dependable" cars had broken down. it was not funny... a little funny. Tyler's parents probably still think i'm nuts.
we did find a tow truck, a ride back to our hotel room, and a rental car eventually. the SUV is still in a shop somewhere but we've been told we'll get an estimate this week sometime ...yay.

day four:
the best solution we could think of was trying to get rid of the smell in cigarette house. it needed to be repainted and every square inch needed to be scoured. the landlord okayed buying new paint and supplies and we got to work (i say "we" but i just tended Ruby in the hotel room away from the smell). Tyler and his parents spent 2 days painting and cleaning before i could bring Ruby back to inspect the place. when i did, the smell was almost completely gone! oh happy day! we were moving in!
long story short, the rank smell came back. with vengeance. we've tried every remedy in the book but the smell won't stay gone. the downstairs neighbors do smoke after all. i still feel terrible that all that work was done for nothing.

the days since then have all blended together but they included a constantly screaming baby, a broken toilet, a bed that collapsed under us, an air conditioner that doesn't work in eighty something degree weather, a shower that has hot water for about 3 minutes and doesn't drain, and all of our things packed in to the room that smells the least like smoke so it doesn't get ruined.
worst. move. ever.

on the upside:
miraculously, our original landlord happened to be buying a new property around the corner that she planned to rent out as soon as she closed on it. this place is new and clean and we'll hopefully move in by the end of the week. woohoo! i am REALLY excited for our new place. it's still in the picture-perfect neighborhood and it's smoke-free. Tyler and i have walked by about a thousand times to peek in the windows. i'll try to post pictures as soon as we're moved in and settled. also, we got our car back from the shop ($1000 fix! ouch!) so we at least have one vehicle now. plus, we went to church on sunday and found out that we have the greatest ward. everyone was extremely kind and asked if they could help.

i'll feel way better as soon as we are settled into our new place but for now i'm glad we have such good friends and family to support us through this ordeal. i know it could be a lot worse.

*To everyone who helped us move, you are amazing! We love you and couldn't do this without you. Thank you so much!

Moving Day!

It's officially here! Our apartment is empty, the baseboards have been scrubbed and our phone chargers are nowhere to be found. We're all packed up and heading to Minneapolis bright and early tomorrow morning. I'm completely down about having to leave our family and friends and our home but I'm trying to be optimistic about this new "adventure". There's always some good to be had from new experiences and I know this isn't an exception. Tyler will be starting school at the end of the month for air traffic controlling. It will be loads of work but he's the hardest worker I know so he'll do great. In the meantime, Ruby will spend her first year in Minnesota and I'm sure we'll make some great memories. As for me, I am desperately, madly, deeply, head-over-heals, crazy in love with my little family and as long as we're together I'll be home.
P.S. This will be a three day drive with a new baby so please keep us in your prayers!

Ruby loves her mobile!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

It’s been two months since this precious baby has entered our family and not a day goes by that I don't marvel at the luck we've had. I pinch myself thinking what did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful gift and what an honor it is to be a mom! That being said, I've learned that some days are easier than others with a new baby. I know any parents reading this will understand. There are some (scratch that. Most) days you feel completely exhausted, emotionally and physically. Like you've been on the roughest ride and you've worked SO hard but you've accomplished absolutely nothing. Do you know those days? Today was a particularly difficult day...

I'll start by saying we've been trying to start the nighttime routine after some prodding from the pediatrician. It hasn't all been smooth sailing. We have been sleeping with Ruby in our bed since the beginning. While this has helped to calm my nerves about the big, hairy, always on my mind, new-mom's-most-terrifying-nightmare: SIDS; it hasn't done much to help with the exhaustion. News flash: it’s harder to get good, restful sleep with a newborn in your bed. Well the pediatrician said to kick the kid to the curb (his words) and put her in the other room with the monitor. After a couple of days and some convincing from the husband I agreed to try the bassinet next to the bed (baby steps and all that). The first night was amazing. My sweet baby slept for 5 hours straight before gently fussing for her bottle, ate, burped, and went right back to sleep for another 4 hours! It had to be the best sleep all of us had since she was born and I was converted. Well, last night wasn't as easy. You see, the trick is to give her the last meal around 8:00 and then keep Little Miss awake and active until bedtime. This way she's tuckered out and sleeps like...well, a baby. Miss Ruby decided instead that she wanted her meal at 6:00 last night and could not be persuaded otherwise. As much as you try, you cannot keep a sleepy baby awake for 4 hours (at least not ours) so we gave in and put her to bed at 7:30. This started a chain reaction throwing the whole night off and starting my morning at 4:00 am with a clingy, fickle, and impossibly-fussy baby (Only made worse by the fact that my loving husband had an ultra-late day at work, leaving me alone with said rascal for longer than usual).

All day long my perfect angel has been acting like I am the bane of her existence. She’s fussed, cried, growled (yes, growled), and blessed me with that red-in-the-face, mouth wide open without sound for a second and then the most miserable screaming that rips a mom's heart right out...all day long. I tried what seems like everything: standing, sitting, rocking, bouncing, singing, sitting in the dark, going outside, giving and taking away her soother, changing, bathing, massaging, swaddling, feeding, burping, and cuddling her, holding her in EVERY possible position (and yes, I took her temperature). No dice. I swear, if I could translate for her it would sound something like: "No mom, you may not feed me all at once. I demand my lunch be fed to me in two minute intervals between long bouts of screaming," "uh-uh-uh, I can see you're thinking about sitting down with me. I suggest you don't," "no mom, I will not be happy without a soother in my mouth at all times. In fact, why don't you just hold it in there for me? I can't be bothered to keep suction on it for more than 10 seconds," "what's that? You need to use the bathroom? Don't make me laugh," "oh yes, I did just fill my diaper like a champ. Let's see you clean that up without laying me down." I kid, of course. My baby wasn't intentionally trying to make this day more difficult for me (right?) and I'm sure this has been just as frustrating for her as it has been for me. At any rate I will survive this day even if I means staying in my pajamas all day, eating left-over chocolate cupcakes for EVERY meal, and (I cringe) leaving my teeth unbrushed.

*Also, if you're wondering how I had time to write this down with a crying baby in my arms; the curious child seems only to be happy while perched on my lap in front of the computer. Maybe the sound of the keyboard?... so there you go.

Update: It's almost midnight and my poor child is still fighting sleep with fury. Wish me luck that this horror of a day ends with a peaceful night's sleep and a much easier day tomorrow. After all, we do have a fun shopping trip planned at the market!