Why We Are Moving

Yes, we are going to be out of our apartment by the end of next month and into a duplex with a small yard.  I'll explain a little bit about how we found this place because it took months to find it.

We started looking for a new place to live way back in July because our lease was up at the end of August.  We already knew that we weren't going to renew the lease and we ended up going month to month until now.  We wanted to get something with a little bit of a yard because Oscar really needs a place to potty of leash.  He absolutely hates going to the bathroom on leash and that's what he has to do here.  It's also really hard for me to take him out potty all the time when Louis isn't home because if Zachary's sleep schedule.  I hate it and Oscar hates it.  Sadie doesn't really care because she just uses the litter box.  Also, we currently don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment and it is a pain to try to get it all done during the day.  I have had back problems in the past and still have issues every once in a while.  It hurts a lot when I have to carry Zachary and the heavy laundry baskets + laundry soap.  Sometimes I have to wait until Louis gets homes so that I can leave Zach at the apartment with him.  Louis can't really help with it right now because he is either working or doing schoolwork.  Those were the two big things for us.

Finding a place that had yard and washer/dryer in our price range was easy.  It was harder to find a place that allowed pets.  We found a couple of place but we were close to getting them but didn't because someone else did.  It was very frustrating and seemed endless at times.  I had even started putting ads on craigslist under the "Housing Wanted" section since August but nothing came of it.  Then, a few weeks ago, I re-posted the ad and got an email the next day.  This time it was from a woman who had a duplex that would be ready on the 15th of November.  It's 1020 sf with 2 beds and 1 bath and it has a shed in the back that can be used for storage.  We looked at the place and it looks really nice.  Some things have been updated like the kitchen and some flooring.  Some parts would need to be fixed but the landlord was okay with us fixing things ourselves if we brought it up to her before we do it. Examples:  the carpet will need to be replaced because it is starting to fray in some places and Zach would have fun pulling at it.  She is going to clean the carpet before we move in though.  Also, the bathtub will eventually need to be replaced as the surface has been worn off in places.  These are fixes that we can make is she pays for the materials.

We have signed the lease and will get the keys on the 14th.  I am looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.

Oh, I almost forgot the most important reason for moving!  We wanted to get into a better neighborhood to raise our kids in.  In the last 3 months there has been a robbery at the bank a block from our apartment, a friend in the neighboring apartment got her apartment broken into, and just last week there was a stabbing at the apartment complex next to ours,  We don't like going out for walks during the day because there are creepy people out there and we NEVER walk alone at night in our parking lot because there are even creepier people out at night.  Police are at our apartment complex several times a week and it's very unsettling.  We want to feel safer in our own home and this duplex will do just that.  It's in a great little neighborhood that won't have drug addicts walking around all over the place.

He's Walking!

My little man Zachary started walking last week at 10.5 months.  It's so amazing to see my boy growing up right before my eyes.  It seems like just yesterday I was holding him in my arms for the first time in the hospital.  First, the standing pictures.

Oscar wasn't too thrilled in this one...

You know there is a video coming next.  Here it is!

10 Month Update

Zachary is getting so big and the last 10 months have just flown by so fast.  He still loves watching people and loves playing with his dogs.  Here are some other things about Z.

He loves standing and can stand on his own for short periods of time.

We just got him the Vtech Alphabet Train and he enjoys pushing it around the apartment.

He looks really cute in the 18 month Justice League shirt that he got from his Aunt Angelique.  I never would have thought he would be wearing it this soon.

Z loves playing with his toys and also making a mess with them.

He wearing mostly 18 month clothes except for pants.  He still has to wear 6-12 and 12 month pants (even though the are short on him) because the 18 month are way too loose on this skinny boy.  They always fall off him!

He has the most adorable smile!

And is all around cute!  I love this kid!

He's Never Going To Live This Down

Last week, I was putting away some hair clips that I use for photos with our Guinea Pig, Spice, and Zachary took a lot of interest in them.  He especially liked a little blue flower clip and was playing with it in his hands.  I thought, " We'll just put it in your hair since you like it so much!".  This is how it turned out.

I wasn't sure how he would like it since he's never had anything in his hair, but he didn't even care.

Maybe I should show these to him when he's in high school and get him totally embarrassed.

This is what his hair looked like after I took the clip out.

Zachary's 9 Month Check-Up

Zachary had his 9 month check-up with a doctor on Monday and everything went really well.  He didn't see his regular doctor again because his schedule was all booked up since he came back to work and isn't working as many hours.  The doctor we did see was great and I talked with her about several issues that I will talk about in upcoming posts.

Here are Z's stats:  He is 29.5 inches long (86.45%) and 19 lbs 4 oz (39.43%).  This is why he's starting to fit into 18 month clothes, but they are all baggy on him.

He wasn't feeling his best when I took these pictures yesterday so he looks like he's going to cry in a few of them.  We've just been dealing with colds the past few days at our house.

He loves his Jingle dog!

His shirt says: My Dad Knows Alot, But Mom Knows Better

He was so close to crying in these two because he just didn't feel good.

Sadie's New Dog Bed

Okay, not really, but she thinks it is!  Zach was getting too big for the seat in the Step N' Play and didn't want to use it anymore.  We took the seat out and put it on the floor until we found a place to put it.  Sadie thinks it's all for her and wants to lay in her "new dog bed" every chance she can get,  I guess she will just have to learn the hard way that it's not always going to be there.

My Son Might Be Part Beaver

Zachary has always loved wood.  When he started crawling, it was like a new door opened up to him and every piece of wood in the house was a target for his mouth.  His crib has taken the biggest beating because of this.  He sinks his teeth into the wood and slides his mouth up and down the side.  It's gotten a lot worse since he started standing up on his own.  If he wakes up or doesn't want to sleep, he will scream and chomp down on the wood.  Now, I'm going to make a fleece cover for the sides so it will protect the wood.

This is what happens to a crib when 8 teeth get a hold of it.

You can actually tell which side faces the door because it's the side he almost always chews on when he wants out of the crib.  Door = a magical opening which Mommy or Daddy comes out of to come save him.

9 Month Update

I can't believe that my baby is already 9 months old!  Why does time fly so fast?!  Here's a little about Zachary at 9 months.

He pulls himself up on everything.  From the dog crate to his Step N' Play, nothing is too hard.  He actually likes to stand in front of the dog crate while the dogs are in there and laugh at them.  We're not sure if he does it because he loves the dogs or that he is mocking them for not being able to get out.

His teething has been really bad this month.  The only time he drools is while teething and he's been doing a lot of it!  He had a rash under his mouth last week from all the drool and I had to wipe his chin a lot.  He also chewed on his hands all the time.  All that teething was good though, because he now has 8 teeth!

Speaking of teeth, he loves smiling and showing his teeth off!  He has a super cute smile too!

Don't be fooled by that cute face though, this boy has a bad temper!  He will hit, kick, and bite when he doesn't get what he wants.  I'm going to have my hands full with this kid!

Moving the Crib Down

This is very bitter-sweet for me because is means that my little baby is growing up.  We finally had to move Zach's crib mattress down because he finally figured out how to pull himself up in the crib.  He's actually on his knees in the pictures below.

This was him standing up.  He was so proud of himself!

I pulled out the tools and put  the crib down a notch.  I honestly don't think he would ever try to climb out because he's not that type of baby.  He's more into crying until someone picks him up.