Mommy on the Move: Big Changes (maybe) and the brain that wouldn't die.

Enough about baby sleep. Actually - knock on wood - things have settled down a bit. Chaya still isn't sleeping as much as she needs (by which I mean she's still acting pretty tired), but she's mostly taking naps, and her morning wake up is closer to 5 a.m. recently.

But the course of true sleep never did run on pure Delta Waves.

Things I thought about instead of sleeping last night.

Background: Out of the Royal Cobalt Blue (or thereabouts) our realtor sent us a new listing yesterday during Chaya's afternoon nap. Some finagling over schedules (mostly baby, but with a twist of Superbowl Parties and rabid demand for viewings of the place) ensued. Before we knew it, we were turning around from our Saturday Starbucks date to sweep up the baby and head out on the road to Marvelous Mt. Vernon and its cabaret of curtilate curiosities. I am proud of my turnaround, rushing out to the car with pockets full of bells and books, and a purse full of baby snacks. I am also proud of Chaya's chill with the cumulative hours of driving and her inability to actually run around the house. 

We've seen some interesting places. A master bathroom facing out over a park through lofty oriels. M.C. Escheresque lodges. 

But this time, it was a hit. A large basement for our exercise equipment. Double car garage (holy moley). Beautiful kitchen. Great rooms. Nice bathrooms. Enough space, but not too much. Directly across from our favorite park. A six minute walk to the elementary school and quirky little grocery/taqueria...

And of course an exquisite view of (1) Little Mountain hovering over the mist like a Chinese painting, (2) the substation next door. 

That's actually a relief. It's pretty prominent in the view. We were wondering why the price was so low for the place. We're guessing it's related to that. 

And so, we've decided that the competition is heavy and we're ready to make an "escalating offer" - I'm not even sure our maximum price will be competitive, given the interest in the home and the Mt Vernon market. But it's still pretty exciting. And scary. And sudden despite some months of idly looking. 

Naturally, my brain had to weigh in. But only after bedtime. (I could barely keep my eyes open when we were watching youtube after baby bedtime, but put me near a pillow and BING)

1. That place is really nice. Wow. It's almost like it's made for us. Ok, wait, it's not actually totally perfect. Chaya's room would be right in between two bathrooms and it's all on one floor. So there's a likelihood that noise in the kitchen or the main room would carry far more. And when we have some guests over, that can be loud. I would miss having the bedrooms on a separate floor. But it is a really cool house. 

2. But while we're at it, moving? Chaya does not sleep well in new environments. It'll be a little different with all her stuff, but by all reports the sleep (that is just settling down again) is gonna be brutally impacted. What do we do if she starts waking up at 3 a.m.? Ah lord, it was just a matter of time.

3. I'll see more of Andrew. That would be nice. Though at this point, Chaya's getting up before him anyways. Now it'll be even earlier than him. So will he really see more of her? But maybe he'll be able to watch Chaya a little so I can gather breakfast while she's actually up instead of constantly trying to beat her ever regressing wake up? Or maybe we could have dinner a little earlier so at least she's getting enough rest. Earlier bedtimes do seem to yield slightly later wake up times (slightly) and longer night sleeps over all. But again. Moving? She'll never sleep again. She's always wanting to watch that video of the baby giraffe moving around. Wonder if I could sit her down somewhere and let her watch that while I get things ready. Where will that infantino seat go?

4. Where will I run/walk? If it's too loud to get up and do things in the kitchen, should I sneak into the basement and run on the treadmill before Chaya gets up? YMCA? Don't they have classes you can bring 18 month olds too? Maybe I should sign up for one of those here. What about that toddler music class she's taking. I should sign up for that too. We're not gonna move within 6 weeks. But the 9:15 one with the scary bigger kids or the 10:15 one that's too close to nap time but which has all Chaya's friends?? Will she ever not be traumatized by the experience? Well we're not going to music class there if we move. Wonder if there's...

5. The library in Mt. Vernon isn't that good apparently. And there won't be Bloedel. There's Jungle Playground. The Kids Museum. We'll have to get a membership. Man are we ever gonna use our FIG membership if we live so far away? Costco membership. We'll have to get one of those again. Man, I'm gonna miss Freddy's. But there are some good stores. Chaya likes going "shooii" (shopping) in the morning when no other kids stuff is open yet.

6.  Oh man, it'd be cool to hang out with Claudia and Sebastian. We'll be a five minute drive from them. And I could help out with the new baby. Gulp, didn't I offer to watch Sebastian when Claudia's in labor? How will I watch two of these kiddos? Can I leave Sebastian in a room alone to put Chaya down for a nap? Just skip that nap? What if it's a long labor? Where will he sleep? He stays up really late. Will I have to stay up? Will Chaya? Seriously that's what I'm thinking about?? Focus, brain, focus.

7. It'd be cool to actually learn Spanish if we move to a place with plenty of native speakers like Mt Vernon. How will I balance that with Chaya? Are there mommy and me immersion classes? Should I leave her with Claudia and do a summer program like that french one? How will that mix with my professional education? I wanted to be a GAL, but with all the recent Trumpism, I've wished I were an immigration lawyer so I could ride to the rescue. Is that something I could do? Knowing Spanish would be helpful. Isn't that all federal court? How the frig would i learn how to do that competently? Would an immigration lawyer mentor me? Can I really learn enough from CLEs and guesswork? And really I won't really know Spanish that well, ever. Too bad, that would be good even as a GAL in Mt Vernon... oh my god what am I gonna do with my life??? What preschool should Chaya go to?

8.  I have to pee again? Really? I can't possibly. What do I do on nights when I actually sleep?

9. Man, it's an extra hour of commute back for Andrew. He's putting a lot on that hour. Time with Chaya, personal time, training time, time with friends, time with me... is he really gonna get all of that in there? What if we move and he's still unhappy? What if we spend more time together and we don't like it? What if the things we've been blaming on the commute - the little kvetches and inconveniences - are actually something else entirely? I don't want to keep moving every year and a half!!

10. Oh god, moving. There's so much junk in our house. I want to burn it all. Do I really need that Instant Pot? I've never used it. But I could get rid of my rice and slow cooker and just keep that? Will I ever be able to use the food processor with the kitchen being so close to Chaya's room? Infant carseat is still downstairs. And all those piles of toys and clothes we have barely used. I'm oppressed by my possessions.

11. If I fall asleep now, I'll still get a few hours of sleep. Andrew will be home, so I can do breakfast stuff while Chaya's playing with him. Except if he has to use the bathroom or something. That assumes I won't wake up as early as I always do (Chaya has to take after me in the waking up the same time regardless of bedtime thing, sigh). Or Chaya won't wake up at 4. Or I won't ... oh like I'm gonna fall asleep.

12. Huh, again? I have to pee again? But I think I was asleep for a while. Should I do the 9:30 or the 10:15 class? I want to see my friends, but I don't want Chaya falling asleep in the car after melting down at music class.

13. I think we should put the baby gate at the foot of the stairs. Huh, that will be harder getting to the car, going down those stairs. Where should we put the other baby gate? What about the big baby gate? The living room is pretty big. I think a table by the kitchen, then Chaya's. Maybe we should get low level shelves for all Chaya's stuff... where will the (etc. etc. etc). Will they even take our offer?? 

14. It's still close to Bellingham, but it's further away. Will I still be able to visit? Should we change banks? Doctors? Pediatricians? Oh man, Chaya should see a dentist already. But maybe I should wait.

15. If I get some sleep now...

16. Maybe I should take a nap tomorrow. Naw, I'll be totally fine tomorrow. It's the day after the day I didn't get much sleep.

17. AGAIN?? Seriously! I've already peed, I don't even know how many times. This is just habit isn't it? Or god, what if I'm pregnant. What if we move and I'm pregnant and we have to move when Andrew's on his ski vacation and I'm all alone and... seriously, no.

18. But if I were going to study immigration law, where would I start. Maybe I should write the Bar Association about how to get reinstated. I know I'd need malpractice insurance and an IOLTA...

19. Was that the baby? No. What time is it? Can I get up yet?

20. But seriously, do I really want that maternity dress in the closet and where would we put the tv?

...

Wish us luck. Whatever that means.