On the move...

As some of you may already know – today was moving day for us!  Ivan & I made a somewhat impulsive, yet well researched decision to move this year…and it ended up happening faster than expected.  In December we started thinking about finishing the basement to add a guestspace since Rya decided the double bed we had intended for guests is actually hers.  By December we realized it would probably cost more to finish the basement than a new downpayment so we told ourselves we would ‘just look’ this year and maybe move next year.  By February I convinced Ivan that interest rates are too good to pass up so when we found a house we loved in March, we went for it.  We quickly organized and staged our house and must’ve done a good job since it sold on the first day on the market (which Ivan was very relieved about since he had to coordinate a carpet cleaning appointment with 3 showings and 2 babies!).  Our adrenalyn helped us to pack up within our 30 day move and today it finally became real.  Ivan & I loaded & unloaded a truck with all the boxes we could squeeze in and are getting some friends to help with the heavy stuff tomorrow…plus of course babysitters to help the process go smoother. 

I definitely have some mixed feelings about our move since our house has been so special to us.  I literally had my babies in this house (which I did not advertise on MLS), and Ivan and I transformed from a couple into parents here.  This house was brand new so we’ve enjoyed the luxury of low maintenance and more space than we need.  Don’t get me wrong – I love my walk-in closet and soaker tub…but we re-evaluated our wishlist and realized that those have fallen lower on our priority list.  Our new area also means we don’t yet have a school and although we could wait a couple more years, it isn’t looking promising.  Our current neighborhood is quiet, but that’s also because it’s not exactly near anything.  The neighborhood we’re moving to is called ‘Sundance’, which reminds us a bit more of ‘home’ in Toronto.  Our house is a 15 minute walk to everything from the train station to shopping to a YMCA.  It’s one of Calgary’s lake communities so we can take the kids for a dip and even canoeing or paddleboating in the summer!  And it has all 3 levels of schools so our girls won’t have to wake up early for long bus rides.  Since it’s a more established community, the house we bought is older and a bit smaller – but we’re actually happy about that since it seems to have more practical space than we have now.  The basement is finished with a guestroom and even has a tiny little playroom that will be a perfect hideout for the kiddies.  It’s a split-level style of house, which I’ve always really wanted for the cozy factor.  Ivan’s going to miss his garden, but the new yard has a large deck we love and the the house has a wood burning fireplace, which he’s always wanted.  All in all, the few things we’ll miss are small compared to the many things we love about our new home and neighborhood. 

So off I go to bed for the last time in Copperfield…and fingers crossed that Rya adjusts to her new home as quickly as we do. 

Mrs. Dubbies

Since I apparently forgot to share any new updates on baby in my last post, I will catch up with a blog entirely about her.  First off, we are still finding it nearly impossible to call her by her name, so poor little Kassiah is usually referred to as Chubbz, Chubbies, Chubba-Doosky, or Chubby Dubbies.  My mom keeps reminding me that we’d better stop before she understands and gets offended, so the best we can do is call her ‘Mrs. Dubbies’ as a code word : )

Mrs. Dubbies is 9 months old today!  Whereas I didn’t really feel the ‘time flies’ syndrome so much with Rya, it is totally true with Mrs. Dubbies.  I guess since it’s harder to stop and enjoy the little moments when you have two, Mrs. Dubbies seems to be growing up overnight.  She still sleeps in my bed (which I have to admit, I’m far more addicted to than she is) and it never fails that in my sleepy daze I wonder why Mariah is still breastfeeding since Mrs. Dubbies is so big that she can’t possibly be my ‘baby’.  Lucky for us her cuddliness persists throughout the day as well.  Some babies push you away when you lean in for a hug or kiss…but not Mrs. Dubbies.  She leans right back in and usually ends up with her face hiding in the crevice of your neck.  As the name suggests, Mrs. Dubbies continues to have rolls upon rolls of places to kiss and she usually shrieks and then giggles when you do.  Her other noises include ‘ba-ba-ba’s (which she does extras of when she sees a phone), ‘aaaah’ (which daddy taught her to do when he pours warm water on her back at bath time), and care of her older sister’s annoying habit: ‘eh-eh-eh’, when she wants something out of reach.  Sometimes Mrs. Dubbies combines her ba-ba’s with the action of banging her face against the couch cushions when she pulls herself up to a stand.  And she learned ‘the hard way’ that it’s not a good idea to try this on the bathtub or the dining table!

Mrs. Dubbies’ has a love-hate relationship with her big sister.  She has mostly learned to avoid her since Rya loves to push, kick & bite for no other reason than jealousy and because she can.  But when the two of them are sitting down quietly together, it’s usually because Rya’s feeding Mrs. Dubbies some fries or nuggets, which Mrs. Dubbies is smarter enough to enjoy in silence.  Mrs. Dubbies is slowly starting to experiment with crawling and independence.  She seems more content at night after Rya’s bedtime since she knows she can roam around without any threats nearby.  But their (and Ivan’s) favourite time of day is laying them both down in bed together when they first wake up in the morning.  Sometimes Rya plays with Mrs. Dubbies hair and they chat away together for several minutes until one gets tired of the girl time.  It’s such a nice image of the future – can’t wait to watch our girls turn into bff’s!