here's what happened

so, you might remember that when i was 8 months pregnant with maley, we sold the bungalow. we had put the bungalow on the market to "see what would happen" and we were prepared and eager to see if it would sell. we had received and negotiated an early offer and ended up not coming to agreeable terms. we waited a few more months and as my tummy grew rounder and my girl's room started taking shape, i started having thoughts of raising our baby in the bungalow and decided i didn't really want to leave. we requested the paperwork to take the bungalow off the market, but the paperwork sat on the desk unsigned.

a week or so later we had a couple from florida storm into town, request to see the bungalow twice in two days and make an offer on the third day. it was a godsend. the offer was good, considering the market, and the offer was cash which meant we didn't have to cross our fingers for a favorable appraisal. we were happy but also nervous because, well, we were about to have a baby and be homeless all at the same time.

luckily, my mom graciously let us move in with her while we looked for a new house. we spent loads of time looking at the MLS to find foreclosures and short sales and looking for deals in general. we found a foreclosure on a nice street on the side of town we wanted to be on and scheduled a viewing. it was gross. water damage and mold; not the sort of place you can envision bringing home a newborn. we were on our way out of the neighborhood when our realtor spotted another home for sale. we liked the look of it from the curb and our realtor called to see if we could see it later that day. 30 minutes later we were walking through the front door. it was clean and felt homey. the floorplan was extremely similar to the house where i spent my childhood. the built-in bookcases flanking the fireplace reminded mr. heat of his childhood home. then we noticed some of the owner's photographs, and i recognized this family. they had three daughters near my age and had attended my church. it felt like it was somehow meant to be. three months later it was ours.

it isn't perfect in terms of style. in fact, where the bungalow boasted a new jenn-aire appliance package, our new house had a 1989 "potscrubber" dishwasher. where the bungalow had awesome antique oil rubbed bronze doorknobs, our new house has brass from 1989. where the bungalow had dark stained original hardwood floors, this house has 10 year old carpet. where the bungalow had distressed wainscotting on the ceiling, this house has acoustic popcorn.

but this house feels like home. i think most of that feeling has to do with having moved in when maley was only three weeks old. i feel like we have become a family in this home, like it's the home we bought for our girl. one year ago i would have scoffed at carpet and popcorn, but now that sort of thing is easily overlooked when i think of my girl growing up here, having this home as her safe little haven, the backdrop for many many memories.

but that doesn't mean i don't have grand plans to make this new home more "me" or i guess more "us." and i plan to do it all slowly, thoughtfully, kid-friendly, and of course as affordably as possible. so i have two questions (1) should i change the name of this blog? and (2) what should i call the new house?

third question: does anyone even read this blog anymore? mom?