Rollercoaster

Our ride continues... preapproved for our home loan 2 weeks ago, permit approved last week we were flying high and getting ramped up for starting our build when... DENIED! Our loan was denied unless we can come up with an ungodly amount of cash - screeching halt. One last attempt with a mortgage broker is in the works, but unfortunately and heartbreakingly we fear we will be crammed into our tiny house for another year. We've been told the main reason is the extremely cautious nature of the banks right now and their reluctance to provide jumbo loans. I wonder who they are lending to...

Work last week was chaotic and left me frazzled beyond what even a partial weekend off can heal. And off with a bang again today - don't know how much longer I can handle this on my own. Coupled with all three of us fighting chest colds/laryngitis made for much too short of a weekend.

On a major upside - Ainsley turned two last week Wednesday! I can hardly believe it's been 2 whole years! So many little things trigger memories of those first three excruciating weeks and it feels like just yesterday - most recently, the annual bike-to-work week reminded me of all the bikers coming into Children's on Week 2 of our stay there. But then I look at Ainsley and it's like I can hardly remember life without her in it. I don't know if it's pregger hormones or nostalgia but last night when Dean was out playing soccer and A & I were both tired and crabby we started watching "Mamma Mia". We were cuddling on the sofa during the "Slipping through my fingers" song and I started crying just thinking about her growing up. Even now getting a little teary writing about it - could be lack of sleep - it is 2am!

Anyways, we took A to Woodland Park Zoo the Sunday prior to her birthday and spent the day there with Auntie Erika & Uncle Mark as well as some fun time around and around and around on the slide at Green Lake. New fave = slides. We got a catalog in the mail from Toys 'R Us and unfortunately, it is her new favorite reading material! She keeps pointing to the slides and playsets asking "Me slide?" over & over again. Maybe if this build doesn't go through we'll invest in the Taj Mahal-esque playset at Costco. As midweek birthdays go with busy parents, her actual birthday was pretty sedate - chasing her up and down the bleachers at Civic Field while Dean played soccer. Definately got a good stair workout, but after a long day I would have preferred to sit! We gave her her bikes the day before since Dean was off and could play with her and she absolutely LOVES them! She even likes her helmet because she know that means she gets to ride her bike! We thought that would for sure be a struggle given how much she hates hats and her hair being messed with, but luckily not an issue. At least one thing isn't. Definately hit the highly opinionated "I do it" stage. She's also started whispering little secrets to us and making up huge stories about we don't know what half the time. Also, LOVES hide & seek and she's so quiet and will stay in one place so long it's kinda scary - especially when she figures out how to really hide...

On the pregger front - 30+ weeks and definately in countdown mode! As easy as pregnancy is and has been for me both times by this point I'm ready to have the child. Although the internal movement still amazes me - nothing like watching little elbows and a head protruding from your abdomen. Ainsley's interested in the process - we talk a lot about being a big sister and she seems pretty in tune to the baby in mommy's belly. We were taking Week 29 belly shots and when we finished she lined up at the wall and posed with hands on belly so we had to take a few of those too - too funny!!!