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Moving on!
We've found a house! Well, not just a house, but could potentially be our dream house! It's everything I imagined when I envisioned living in Canada with Stephen, Jake and the girls. It's got 3 bedrooms upstairs and another in the finished basement. The basement also boasts plenty of room for 2 more bedrooms, which suits our big family perfectly. (Especially as I'm planning another little-un!)
Just a few minutes ago, I called our real estate agent and made an offer for the house. How exciting is that!? Should the offer be accepted (unlikely, as we offered quite a bit less than they asked), we have set the completion date as November 3rd. With my birthday about a week later, I can't think of any better gift.
The house is in Cornwall, Ontario. It needs a bit of updating but seems to be in great condition. We will, of course, have it inspected to make sure that we're right on that though. The updating includes things like getting rid of the yellow kitchen cabinets and the pink bathroom tiles that look like they're straight out of the 70's. Other than that, very little needs doing. We feel like we've found a gem and are very keen to keep it.
On the 'Jake' front... he's an angel. He's dealt with our long daily car trips with much patience and has caused very little fuss. Stephen and I fill ourselves with guilt over keeping Jake tucked up in his car seat all day, every day, but he makes everything better by continuing to smile. The darling sleeps right through the night and eats like a child twice his size. He can sit up now (for short periods of time) and is finally taking his own weight on his legs. I am, as usual, a proud Mum.
Speaking of Mums, my Mum can't get enough of him. He is, without a doubt, the most popular person in this house. But then, we always knew he would be.
New houses and new schools
'Our' new house gets it's inspection tomorrow. We'll get to find out if all is as it seems. The house seems in excellent condition - solidly built of brick with a sturdy-looking roof - but surprises do tend to rear their ugly heads sometimes in situations like these. So we'll meet up with Mike The Inspector at 1:30 at the house. He show us around and point out anything that he feels is amiss.
I'm looking forward to going to the house tomorrow primarily because we'll get to have another look at the property. We'll bring our tape-measures and the digital video camera and come away with some things to think about. Which room will be Jake's? What will we decorate first? What furniture do we need before we move in and what can wait until we're settled in the house? The price of the house has stretched us a bit so we have a lot to consider. But I'm so pleased with the house and despite being told numerous times not to get my hopes up, I have to admit that hopes are indeed up. But, baring any major occurences now, the house is ours, so I feel justified in daydreaming about watching Jake play in the back garden while I bake cookies in our new kitchen.
(Ok, I'll admit; I'm not really the cookie-baking type... but I'd like to be! Motherhood brings it out of me.)
Today will be a leisurely day with very little that must be done. I will however be calling a High School in Cornwall to see if Ruth can attend in the very near future. She'll be so happy to hear that! (Oh yes, that was sarcasm.)
Our new house
Isn't she puuuurdy?
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(So much better than our 2-bedroom semi-detached in England!)
Not long now!
So the house is ours now and the inspection went quite well. The house is solidly-built and the roof is in good condition. The only thing that the inspector expressed worry about was the electrics. When the guy opened the cover on the fuse box, the house lights flickered - a sign that something is loose and that could be a fire hazard. So we've arranged for an electrician to visit the house and fix a few things before we move in. We take possession on October 28th - that's right, within a few weeks of making the offer... no messing around in this country!!
At the moment, we have pretty much no furniture. My Mum has given us a dryer - which is very helpful as we've paid more for the house than we orginally set out to do and we've stretched outselves a bit because we are desperate not to have a mortgage. My Mum has also given us a TV and a brand new set of pots and pans. Other than that, we better get shopping because we won't even have beds to sleep on. Ikea.com, here I come!
Jake is able to stand. Well, to be honest, that statement is a bit of an exaggeration. He can hold his own weight on his legs if someone is holding him upright. As yet, his balance has not kicked in. He can sit by himself, but still tends to lean way forward. Then we end up supporting his back so that he doesn't slouch too much. He talks our ears off and has this really high-pitched squeal that could burst an ear drum. He has one tooth - on the bottom, at the front - and another one just starting to poke through. Our baby's growing up!!
Clever boy, sick boy
I sit here feeling a bit fuzzy-headed today because my sleep was disturbed numerous times last night. Jake has his very first cold. He got it courtesy, most probably, of one of his sisters, who came down with a cold a few days ago. Many cuddles and kisses later, Jake’s nose is running, he’s got a nasty cough and is in a foul mood. He’s very tired – as are we – but fights sleep until he cannot fight it anymore. The poor kid looks quite pale too, with red-rimmed eyes. ffice
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On top of all that, he’s teething too. If he’s not getting doses of Calpol, he’s getting doses of Bonjela. Two teeth have broken through the gums on the bottom and one looks ready to break on the top. He’s looking very cute when he smiles and shows his new teeth. Even cuter than before!
He’s a noisy baby too. Shouting, talking, repeating the same noise over and over again. His very favorite thing is what the English call ‘blowing raspberries’. You know, like a farting noise, with his tongue between his lips. Needless to say, he sprays saliva all over the place when he does this. But we can’t get him to stop! And I’m getting the blame for teaching him how to do it. I used to do that at him because it made him smile. Stupidly, I never anticipated that he’d copy it! Clever boy.
In demand?
From BBC Radio Scotland!
"Hello,
I'm running an item on baby-blogging and was wondering if you'd like to
take part? Could you give me a call on the numbers below please?
Thanks and best wishes,"
Call Scotland? Now that we're on the other side of the pond... 
Teething Babies
I've seen and read you weblog and think it's such a great source of info -
so helpful to others. I see you;ve mentioned teething and stuff and wondered if you'd link to our site www.teething-babies.co.uk
Thanks and all the best...
New teeth!
Our baby has two bottom front teeth! The pictures not very clear, but its so hard to show off your babys new teeth without him trying to suck on your fingers!
