Well we found out this week through the Real Estate agent that the Owner of our unit will give us 2 weeks free rent if we move out April 15 - 30, and 1 weeks free rent if we move out April 1 -15.  If we move out before then we get charged with breaking the lease, and if we stay til the end of the lease, which is apparently May 31 - not Aug as we thought, we will be moving the day before the baby is born...hmmmmm, what fun decisions to make.

The Real Estate told us that the women had been overseas but now wanted to come back home and move into her unit as she has just had a baby! The Real Estate said, 'so you are both in the same position'.Great!  There goes all hope of milking our delicate situation. 

Caleb and I have talked about it, and I guess the most sensible thing to do is move out between April 15 - 30, with or without a new place to move to.  The alternative is too hard to co-ordinate... how cld we move home when I am full term and due the next day?  It just wouldn't work.  I could come a week early even, and then what?

So, we are existing in limbo land at the moment, which surprisingly isn't as hard as it sounds.  I could very well be a hive-covered, freaked-out nervous wreck, but am managing to take it all in my stride.

Interestingly enough, today a friend called us about a notice that was in their church bulletin this morning.  It said...

2 bedroom house with sleepout and sunroom, $240 a week.  Available April 1st

How good does that sound?

$5 more than we pay here.  Considering what we pay here is the price set 2 years ago, that is cheap!! Everything has gone up over the last 2 years, and we are not looking at finding anything under $270 - we are realistically looking at $300..which means,

"Hello boss, can I have a payrise?"  - for Caleb.  But that is a WHOLE other story.

Anyway...

this ad sounded too good to be true.

We raced home after lunch, called the owner, and he said we could drive past and have a look at it.  He said we were the first ones to call about it, and he said it sounded like it would suit us to a T.

Oh Happy Day!!

It turned out it was in the suburb next to ours!  Another plus.  Which also, coincidently happens to be a very lovely, green leafy suburb.

So we jumped into the car, full of excitement, ready to behold our little miracle.

We entered the street with wide eyes, only to be greated with a BIG OLE' white house, with the most unkempt lawn in the street.  I am talking, safari.

The wheelie bin was sitting out on the curb, the only one in the street.  A pile of faded, yellow papers hung limply from the letterbox.  The front window obviously had no flyscreens, I noticed this as the mock lace curtains still in place from the 70's swung in and out of the open window.  The front screen door wasn't actually shut, but hung haphazardly on it's hinges.

OH MY...

The words...

"this is a dump"

went through my mind.

Though trying to look on the bright side I reasoned, perhaps it wouldn't look so bad with the lawn mowed.

And new curtains.

And a lick of paint.

Hmmmmmmmm.

So as of yet, we haven't even had a chance to look inside, and maybe it won't be that bad...

maybe.

I am sure I spied a set of orange and brown curtains hanging in the sun room though.  You know the heavy, dusty type, also left over from the 70's?

My guess is if the haven't changed the curtains in the past 26 years, the carpet and the tiles in the bathroom and kitchen aren't going to be looking too crash hot either.

*sigh.

So until we get a look inside... here's hoping.

By the way, everything is going great with baby.  They are just my silent little passenger on this crazy journey.  Kicks are getting stronger every day. 

The last few days have been pretty full-on.

For no real reason, I was highly emotional over the weekend, and spent much of Sunday in a foul mood, and a good part of Sunday night crying.  Now, I am not going to blame this on pregnancy hormones, that would just be too easy.  Sometimes these things just happen, and happen they did, on the weekend.

When I woke up this morning I was feeling bad that I had put the baby under duress. I went through all my various baby books, and searched the web, to see how our emotions can affect our baby in-utero.  It seems there is no real conclusive evidence... but it wouldn't be so far fetched to think that while I am crying and angry, little bub, who shares my blood and hormones etc, would be feeling a little irritated too.

So I was sitting on the bed moping this morning, as I went through my 'Pregnancy Bible' only to receive a call from my husband telling me that the Real Estate had called and so kindly informed him that the owner of our rental wants to move in, in April!!!

WHAT THE :   !

Besides the fact that we have a signed lease agreement until AUGUST... I am pregnant and had NOOOOO plans of moving now, while pregnant, or with a new born in August when the lease is officially up.

But.. alas...

It seems God has other plans.

After sitting round in shock for half an hour or so, I started to feel sad that the little spare room I had imagined would be our baby's first room, would not be.  Within another half an hour or so, I had got angry and decided to call the Rental Tenancy Authorities to sort out just how the owner could do something like this!!! Another ten minutes later and Caleb pulled into the driveway, home from work, I guess after the little demonstration he saw on the weekend he was having visions of me LOSING THE PLOT and thought it would be a smart move to get home and help me stay this side of sanity...

Another ten minutes or so later, after speaking to the RTA, and thinking a bit, I was feeling pretty good, and even excited about the move.  The benefits of moving could be:

1. I do not have to lug a baby and stroller up the large flight of stairs we have here, to get to the 2nd floor unit.

2. I  may be able to have my own little garden, which I have been pining for for a while now.

3. I can get away from the new neighbours who so kindly smoke on their verandah, causing the smoke to waft straight into our loungeroom.

4.  I can get out of this street, which thanks to the eye-sore (new monolithic apartments) across the road has become, crowded (parking wise), noisy and a bit of a party street.

5. Maybe I can raise our baby in a house rather than a unit.

It is funny because over Christmas I started to get itchy feet about wanting to move out of here and into a new setting, but due to being pregnant decided it was not gonna happen  and so resolved to remain content here in our little home... and then this.

So when it popped up, instead of being utterly distraught, I was able to quite quickly kick into somewhat excited mode.

There are still a handful of legalities that we are going to have to sift through with the lessor.. I won't go into details for fear of boring myself and you into a silent stupor...

It seems Caleb and I have a challenge before us that will either force us to live by faith, completely relying on God's provsion or.... drive us to..... well, let's not go there.

Yesterday, I went window shopping with my little sister, to look at cots for the baby.  My mum is going to buy us a brand new cot, and so now I gotta get some ideas together.  I suggested she just buy us a second hand one, but she was having none of that!  So off Dayna and I went to 'Bub's Babys Shop', which is meant to be one of the largest suppliers in Brisbane for all things baby.

It was hard.

We wandered around and around, but the truth be told, I don't really know what I am looking for in a cot!  They are not an item I have thought about or looked at before.  So it is kind of like an alien wandering around looking at automobiles, seeing nothing but shiny objects and irregular shapes.

It seemed to me, some cots were better quality than others, some were curved, some slanted, some white, tan or brown... but at the end of the day... it just comes down to personal preference.

I know my mum wants me to have a white cot, she has not so subtly dropped the hint on a number of occassions!  LOL.  And, after yesterday I am thinking, 'you know what, if she has a particuar preference, we can go with that, 'cause I don't really mind so much'. 

Caleb's folks want to buy us the pram, we had a look at those yesterday as well... but that is a whole other story.

Ahhh, the sweet relief... of maternity pants.

I don't know what I was thinking getting round in normal run of the mill pre-pregnancy pants that were just 1 size bigger than my usual pants. 

Yesterday my wonderfully generous and thoughtful friend, who just happens to be 39 weeks pregnant, came around to visit, her arms laden with gifts.  By the time she made it up the unit stairs with the box and bag in her arms in the stinky heat, she was hot, sweaty and slightly breathless - poor thing.... and all this to look forward too, yay.

She had put together a box of baby things for Caleb and I.  She said she and her husband had doubled up on soo much stuff, (well she has been collecting since highschool - 10 years ago!! The girl loves babies!) and so generously gave a heap to us! WOW! 

But then she also had put together a bag of pregnancy clothes that she no longer fits and had thought might be useful for me. OH MY! I had just, over the weekend, culled my wardrobe of all the bits and pieces that now do not do up, cause uncomfort and are just too short to cover my tum, so things were looking pretty miserable on the 'fashion' front.  But then in walked my friend with pretty, practical, pregnancy clothes!!!!

I could have danced with joy, had I not been too hot, sluggish and uncomfortable. 

And so back to what I was originally harping on about - maternity pants!  Oh - the sweet relief.

Why did I think I wouldn't need them, or want them, or like them?

They are one big sigh of relief.  There were 3 pairs in the bag - all black, with various fabrics and waist bands - and as soon as I slid one pair on, I was converted.  My tummy is free and unrestricted.  There is no pulling, tugging, stretching, just unbridled freedom.

I like it.  A lot.