Us & Charleston

Things have settled a bit since the move and the baby news and so i figured it was time to update.  With the help of our dear friends PJ and Lydia Gravis, the move went smoothly.  Until the goodbyes that is.  My but that was dramatic, I blame PJ.  Everything is unpacked and we've settled into our little 2 bedroom townhome in Mount Pleasant, just over the Cooper bridge from Charleston.  We are about ten minutes from the city (chad's campus) and 5 minutes from the beach.  How lucky we are to be so close to the water!  Sullivan's island is 4 miles from our house and we plan to spend quite a bit of time there.  Let me just say, east coast water is like bath water...it's warm, people.  Griffey is absolutely in love with the beach.  As soon as he sees the tall grass and the dock out to the sand, he starts pointing, laughing and dances with excitement.  He laughs and laughs in the water, loves splashing around in the waves and throws a tantrum when we get out (that's been a fun phase, tantrums all day).

Our house is small, but we love having a split level.  It's much more quiet for when baby naps or when chad needs to escape for studying.  I've hung pictures on the wall and tried to make our new place feel a bit more homey.  We have been blessed with bigger closets than what we had in our last home- a plus indeed.  Also, our kitchen has a little dining area and we were able to fit a cute round kitchen table to sit at!  no more eating dinner in front of the TV!!  We do miss having a yard of our very own but student living doesn't allow for such luxuries.  At least, not when you're trying to keep housing costs down.  We feel very lucky to have found a suitable situation- sight unseen before move-in.  

Chad is almost through with his first semester of school, just a couple of weeks left and one last anatomy test.  He's the only male in the entire program, the oldest (we kind of expected that) and nobody has kids.  Okay so yah, it's been a little bit tough to make friends.  Good news is that I'm the official hair stylist for the program.  I've gotten to know several of the girls from doing their hair- which has been quite fun.  It's been a wee bit rough for Chad trying to keep his head above water in anatomy, while balancing family life at home.  He's working super hard everyday and I'm so proud of him.  I must say, the work load they give these students is ridiculous.  Summer semester is condensed- so it's not actually a full semester.  Yet, they are expected to keep up and handle the load of a full semester with anatomy and surface anatomy thrown into the mix.  There are never enough hours in the day to actually LEARN all of the material, he just has to be great at memorization (which he struggles with) and somehow fake his way through it all (which he also struggles with).  Never mind what that muscle or nerve actually does, just remember it.  interesting, hmm.

Change is hard, and new is only fun for so long.  Around our 2nd month mark in Charleston, we kept thinking our extended "vacation" would end and that we'd be going home soon to what was familiar.  We are missing our home in the West, the mountains, friends, family and many other things we had to leave behind.  We miss our jobs(weird, right?), our daily routines- even the grocery store that saved us so many pennies.  Saying goodbye to our dog Gretschen was probably one of the hardest parts.  We think about her often and wonder if we really did the right thing in leaving her behind.  the answer is always the same, we just could not afford to bring her (i hate money).  her particular breed prohibited us from renting almost everywhere.  i think chad misses her the most.  her absence has deffinatley left a strange void in our family, one that i didn't quite expect and we are heart-broken.  Due to distance, we have been unable to attend funerals, weddings and other events that have been so important to us; we can only do so much from so far away.  To Grandma Poulsen, we love you and we will miss you.  You have taught us so much about love, responsibility and the importance of a good attitude!  Thank you.  To Jon & Cass, we love you both and are so excited you're taking the plunge!  Sorry we can't be there to witness it but we know it will be one hell of a party; congratulations!  To our dear friends, we think of you often and hope for your success.  To our families, we love and miss you so much.  I can't bear the thought of raising my boys without you near.

Love to all, until we meet again...
the sanders crew

on his way.

i think those were the first words out of my mouth.  is this a joke?  and then chad laughed, and i cried.  and i'm pretty sure we spent the next month trying to figure out just how it all happened.

PREGNANT.  Baby no. 2 is on his way.  That's correct, I said his.  IT'S A BOY!
We had a very early ultrasound confirm the sex of baby.  Actually, the technicians weren't even allowed to comment on the subject so early on, but- it was evident and there was little room for error (let me tell you!).  I'm 15 weeks along and already have a bump to prove it.  After weeks of processing this info (and trying to ignore it) and enduring the morning sickness,  i think we're pretty darn excited.  seriously, is first trimester fun for anybody?!

Sometimes, the best things in life, you don't choose, they just happen and, It took me a while to come around to this, i admit.  i mean, i know it all sounds a bit silly now but, i had a really hard time letting go of my fears and the fact that i didn't plan this!  How could i be a good mommy to 2 babies at once?  Do i have enough love, time and attention for another one?  I deffinatly don't have the energy.  When does one find the time for things like showering when there are 2 kiddos?  I realize tons of mommies are doing it and have done it- and i salute you and ask for advice!  But, i think this feels just a little bit harder knowing that i won't have help- we just moved 2000 miles away from our good friends and families (which is another post completely that i have yet to compose).

Babies are a blessing; that we know for sure.  we sure can't imagine life without our little griffey motoring around.  And, i can't keep from thinking this new little guy wanted so badly to come to earth and be with his big brother.  the boys will be 18 months apart and i can't wait to watch them pal around together.

happy birthday baby.

I can't believe he's one year old!  SERIOUSLY.  Where did the time go?  i'm so so so lucky to be his mommy.  literally, i think i have the sweetest baby on the planet.  he makes me laugh every single day.  at one, Griffey is a wild wild man.  he waves, smiles and says "hi"-all day long to everyone...it's quite humorous.  we stop a whole lot of traffic wherever we go.  lately, G pulls himself up to everything and walks along the couch.  he takes steps if we hold his arms.  he says mama, mommy, dada, daddy, hi daddy, baby(kind of) and baba.  he shakes his head no (excuse me, who taught him that?), dances to music, sings to himself and adores rolling a baseball back and forth.  baby boy LOVES the beach.  i think he was born to be a fishy.  Griff loves to play with his aunts and uncles and cousin Beckett Flynn.  he has 4 bottom teeth and two top teeth just made an appearance this week.  his favorite foods are peaches, canteloupe, bananas, yogurt, black beans and cheerios.

Griff spent his 1st birthday in California with family (minus daddy who couldn't get away due to classes; don't worry, we had 2 parties).  everyone gathered together for my grandma's funeral.  it turned out to be a very bittersweet weekend.  we are so happy gran is out of pain and with grandpa again.  i think of her every time i play the piano.  I'm so thankful i was blessed with a slice of her musical gifts.  she was a very talented musician, although she'd never admit to it in a hundred years.  we love you gran.

ps, traveling alone with a baby really wears me out.  more posts to come soon.