Mamma got crafty!

We are on day 5 of the great quinoa trial. I'm very sorry I have to do this (TMI, I know, but this is my world!) but I really must report that this morning, Mia had what could very well be her first normal BM! She said she had to go potty, and she wasn't kidding! On the downside, she was pretty out of sorts today. Very clingy, not feverish but had that clammy feel like a fever had broken and the sweat dried. She didn't complain about any pains except her feet. No idea what that conglomeration of symptoms would point to!

We ferried Daddy around while his Jeep was getting a checkup. He had a transportation briefing (details about the move) this morning, so we went to JoAnn's and grabbed some supplies to finish the car seat cover. After we picked him up, we went to the hospital where we requested our records, xrays and spoke with Mia's case manager. She's helping us have the smoothest possible transition between medical facilities. We grabbed our grocery bag of prescriptions and headed towards home. We then dropped Gary at the shop, went home and did NOT take a nap. The rest of the day was spent in almost equal parts sewing and play. She thought it was very cool to watch me serge the edges and commended me often. "GOOD MATCHING MOMMY!"

The cover is a triumph for me! I was not willing to drop over $60 for a used one on Ebay (though now I understand why the "custom" covers are $90!) and couldn't find any on Craigslist. I called Mom and Grandma to get their ideas on how to make my own pattern without taking apart our current cover. We decided that draping and pinning the fabric would be the best route so I got busy doing that, tracing the seams and cutting out the pre-pattern (I used an old sheet). I made all of my markings, then traced the sheet pieces onto paper, added seam allowance and transferred markings for holes. Now, for me to use a pre-made pattern is usually a joke. Something always comes out wrong or mismatched and I have to do a lot of seam ripping and re-stitching. However, when I make my own from scratch, the entire thing fits perfectly, except for the skirt that cinches it on, but it was a quick fix. Go figure.

How many more kid-in-a-box pictures can we get away with?

I believe my sister would say, "Woot woot holla holla!" Or something like that.

This is the way the toddler packs...

We have our official paper orders now, so we are on full power move mode. We've been scrounging boxes and paper from craigslist and other leads. Right now the moving box business is pretty cut-throat! There are so many moves happening right now that boxes and packing paper are an endangered resource, and probably responsible for deforestation everywhere. I know my own carbon footprint is probably the size of Canada right now, just for the sake of ease!

We are on the hunt for a property manager at the moment. We have a couple of good candidates, one being ex-military and highly recommended for his aggressiveness. I'd rather sell this place and get out from under it. We are already looking at housing in Springs and while it's cheaper than housing here, we still have to get as low as possible because we are going to be paying for the nutritional therapy out of pocket until and if we can get medicaid in CO. We qualified for TEFRA here no problem, but these things are state mandated and do not just transfer. The minimal level of care may be different. She's a medical gem up here, but she might be old news elsewhere. Plus there is preschool and my classes. We might end up in a tiny apartment with most of our big junk in storage, but it can be done!

We don't plan on going so low rent that we end up in the ghetto, plus there are environmental factors to take into consideration when you live with Mia. We'll get enough housing allowance to get a "nice" place, but we don't plan on maxing it out just because we can. If we can get rent and utilities covered with a little more than half of it, we'll be able to save the other half for the therapy payments, or for emergencies with the house in Alaska. We also have to consider Mia's standards of living. Pets= bad. Carpet=bad. Old=bad. All of the housing that we've looked at on post seems to have been built circa 1960's, though there are certainly newer units. Their housing is subcontracted like it is up here, and that is VERY unappealing. If it is anything like the housing company up here, we are running full speed in the opposite direction. It really depends on what the housing office can do for us. If they can get us into a place that has minimal or newer carpet, eh, okay. We'll just have to get a very good vacuum cleaner. If they are unwilling to even try and help us keep her safe, it's outside we go. We're overwhelmed with the housing questions right now, as you can see! Helen says go for the academy if we can, but when Gary tried calling the housing office today (and I mean tried more than 20 times, no joke) he got no answer. If that is an indicator of the service, sheesh. We may do well to try and find a rental that is just close by.
I'm rambling and "thinking out loud" at this point, so on with the pictures!

It is important that every pile of boxes is tested for impact resistance. The toddler was just resistant.

"Decorate the boxes! Make them pretty for moving!" This bought roughly 25 minutes of packing time.

"And now for my next trick..."

The girl is in box heaven right now!

Christmas, Birthdays, Boxes and Teaparties

Boxation Fixation runs in the family.

Mia had her very own little tree that her Grandma Dollman gave to her. It must have seen every room in the house!

Our church lets the children set up the nativity every Christmas, and if you ask Mia, sheep belong on the roof.

On our way to the neighbors on Christmas morning. The kid rides in style.

Mia needed little help ripping into the presents once she remembered that good things come in wrapped packages!

Mia loves to play tea party, Rabbit isn't all that interested.

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

After next year, I'm quitting. No more "gettin up there". If I find more than 25 candles on my cake EVER, someone gets it.