Busy Getting Ready for the Move

So, it’s been a little while since I had a spare minute to sit down and write (not that I really have a spare minute right now, except the kids are all asleep and so is Michael [because he has to get up at 4:45 in the morning for another fun 30-hour surgery shift] so I can’t get much packing done right now without waking everyone up). I have spent the last little while trying to get my computer files all backup up before we pack up the computer (and my computer is slowly dying, so everything takes about a million times longer than it should on that computer), and I finished what I could do on that tonight, but I don’t feel ready to go to sleep just yet, so I thought I’d give a real quick update of what I’ve been up to lately before getting some sleep for another day of packing tomorrow:

So, over the last two or three weeks I have spent hours researching the values of minivans and haggling with the insurance to increase the amount of money they were offering us to total our van before finally giving up and accepting the money because I just didn’t have another few weeks to spend on this (although I did get them to increase their offer a whole $13 from their original price!); I found a minivan for sale, we test drove it and then took it to our mechanic to make sure their were no hidden problems before we purchased it a few days ago; we bought a new carseat since this van didn’t have the built-in child safety seat like our last one did (even though we have an extra carseat sitting in our storage unit in New York, oh well); I have managed to feed my family from the meager amount of food left on our shelf in the pantry and in the fridge (and from the generous offers of friends and family members to have us over to dinner) since I refuse to stock up on groceries a week or so before moving (although I think we’re going to have to break down and do a grocery shopping trip soon); I have taken Courtland to his 4-month check-up (he is tall, is still gaining weight well, is about ready to start solid foods, and will probably need some physical therapy soon after we move for his torticollis [how he always holds his head to one side]), and taken Isaac to his first dentist appointment (the dentist says that the discoloration on his front tooth isn’t decay and is something that we shouldn’t worry about on baby teeth, and his teeth look good); I have visited 3 of our 4 visiting teaching sisters (thanks to my companion who set up the appointments this month); I have paid the ticket for the car accident (luckily I didn’t have to go to court like the police officer at the accident said); I checked out the canning machine from the cannery and canned 48 cans of barley, oats, beans, corn, etc.; I survived what I think was probably Michael’s longest work week – 110 hours – (he was overnight every 2 to 3 days since some of the others were on vacation and he had to cover for them); I returned the rental car unharmed (I have been nervous every time I drive since the accident – not that I’m scared to drive, but that I know any tiny little mistake or glance in the wrong direction by me or any other driver on the road could easily result in wrecked cars and weeks of the inconvenience of having to deal with the insurance company); I spent an entire day (except for about an hour in the afternoon of holding the baby and getting him to sleep) going through the entire house room by room (and the back yard and garage) making sure that we collected all of our things, checking under furniture and in couches for toys, trying to make sure that we got everything we needed to pack and making a list of anything we couldn’t pack yet so we don’t forget it when we leave; vacuumed the whole downstairs, even moving all the furniture to get under everything, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the floor in the laundry room, scrubbed the deck off, did the dishes, and wiped out the fridge and the pantry shelves; moved everything that we have left to pack into our bedroom; moved everything (with Michael’s help) that we have already packed into the garage so it’s all ready to load into the moving truck on Thursday evening; stayed up until 3am helping my friend Jill make a blog and get photos posted to it; researched which bank to set up an account with in Rochester (so we can have a cashier’s check from a local bank for the closing costs on our house when we get out there); talked to the lender, lawyer, and realtor about various house-buying things a number of times; gone to Michael’s graduation dinner this evening (even though he still has to keep working for another week); been very pleased that Kolby has started to make breakfast for himself and his brothers in the mornings and that most of the time everything is even cleaned up by the time I get up; chosen homeowner’s insurance; made a dumb mistake when writing a check that almost caused us to get some fees for over-drafting on our checking account (sure glad Michael picked up on that error before it was too late, so we had time to rush over to the bank and correct it!); worked on backing up my slow-slow-slow computer; cut Kolby’s, Eli’s, Camden’s, and Isaac’s hair; given Isaac multiple baths in the sink after he started his latest trick of putting his yogurt bowl on his head whenever he finishes eating breakfast; and packed a lot (I’m feeling a lot better now that we are getting closer to being done with the packing, and I will feel even more better once we are done with it all).

Oh yeah, and I’ve changed 5 sets of clothes, prepared about 5 bottles, acted as mediator during about 27 disagreements, cleaned up approximately 78 messes, sent children to about 13 time-outs, gotten about 11 hugs, and changed between 6 and 12 diapers each day.

Well, I'd better get some sleep. Good night!