My husband calls it a "curve ball"

Disclaimer…this may be more of “venting” post than anything. Feel free to skip it.

Bless his heart. It’s a good thing he’s level-headed and rational. As someone who is more “passionate” (my husband would argue that this isn’t quite the right word to describe my mercurial emotions but I prefer it over the alternatives)….it can be maddening at times to have a partner who doesn’t react similarly. At the same time, it’s awfully helpful to know that one of us will remain strong under a given situation rather than both of us melting down at the same time!

Our landlady called last night to let us know that she was selling the house to her son and his new fiancé. This means that we won’t be able to renew our lease, which ends in May. This blind-sided me because she gave us permission to paint the baby’s room just a few months ago and didn’t mention this as a possibility.

While she’s completely in her rights and has to do what she has to do for her family…it’s quite bad timing for my family. Munchkin’s due date is in 8 weeks, meaning that he/she is most likely to come into the world in 6-10 weeks. We have 12 weeks to be moved into a new place. So….we have to figure out if it’s best to move early (and risk overlap in rent for a bit), or move later (and risk going into labor or having a new baby during the move). Waiting too late means that we may run out of time to look.

I’m sure that it will all work out. It’s not like the house we were renting was perfect in every way…it’s older, small, and has some quirks. But it’s been home for 2 years and it was the home I was imagining when thinking about Munchkin’s arrival. The baby’s room was mostly set up and starting to look like a nice place for a baby to hang out. Ed/Alex had painted the walls and assembled the furniture, and we were starting to put everything in it’s place. I had plans to finish some wall hangings and get everything ready for baby in the coming weeks. Now, I have to channel the nesting instinct into packing.

I was becoming anxious enough about how soon the baby was coming and all the changes that we’d be facing. Adding this into the mix hasn’t exactly made me feel serene. It also makes me feel like a horrible mom to not know for sure where my baby will lay his/her head. I realize this isn’t necessarily a realistic view, but I think a lot of hormonal women would feel this way towards the end of their pregnancy.

I’m really not looking forward to all the unsolicited advice to “just buy a house” which I’m sure is inevitable. I’ve grown weary of all the well-meaning (but often incorrect) advice to do or not do certain things because I’m pregnant. I took this in stride at first, but it’s really becoming annoying. It’s as if people don’t realize that a) I have a medical background, common sense, and plenty of factual references at my disposal if needed and b) I’m really not going to do anything that would harm me or my baby. Now, I’m sure we’ll be criticized for renting in the first place, as if a) we aren’t intelligent adults who are able to look at our financial situation and figure out what’s best for our family at a given time and in a given market, or b) that we are just happy to be nomads without a place to call our own.

In the end, I’m sure it will seem like a “curve ball” and it will all work out for the best. Right now, though, it just plain stinks. I’m trying to focus on counting my blessings, though. I have a calm-in-the-storm husband. We have a healthy baby on the way, and loving friends and family who can’t wait to meet him or her. We’re starting a new chapter in our lives. All in all I think we’re pretty fortunate.