The Baldwin Circus

2008-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

I have quit blogger!! Here is the link to the new blog at wordpress

http://thebaldwincircus.wordpress.com

We Have an Offer!!

2008-02-03T13:39:00.001-08:00

Last night we had a showing on the house. And today, they made an offer!! I about pooped my pants. We paid $139 for the house in 2004. All we have done it build a shed, small deck and dog kennel. Only one house in this neigborhood has sold for as much as $180. We have it listed at $179 and our offer is for $175!! They also want us to pay some closing costs, so our total would be about $170. I have been watching houses in this area for about six months now. Everything, I mean everything, has been sitting for months. I was so worried that we would be doing the same. So we are going to take it and run!!

Nate's First Day

2008-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

Nate first day was great. For now, his shift is Monday to Friday 8-4. This is cake, Englund had him working 7:30-5:30 Monday to Friday and every other Saturday. He said it was boring, they made him watch. But I know he is happy, it sounded like he had a good day.

Hannah is better. Not all the way, but she is speaking and is awake part of the time. They still don't know what is wrong and they are having a specialist from the mid-west come to see her.

Nothing else special, Ash and I are home and taking it easy. Last night he woke up scared and screaming asking for "dada". So sad, I had to bring him to bed with me. I think he is getting his two year old molars, he keeps having me feel his mouth in the back and he keeps jabbing his fingers back there. I have a feeling we have a long week ahead of us. (Jon, he is a few months shy of two.)

Also, I am thinking of switching to wordpress. I keep having problems with blogger, I can't add pictures now nor can I use the spell checker. I have been looking at it and it seems user friendly. I like the blog hit counter. I will let you know when I do the switch, if I do.

Worried

2008-01-31T07:45:00.000-08:00

Nate's cousin Hannah is in the hospital. She has had a flu for a while and yesterday she lost it. She went into a coma like state, vomited all over, couldn't move and would not wake. Her dad called an ambulance and she was rushed to Portland in the end. She is 16. She now is in intensive care and comes in and out. They did a brain scan and found a "dark spot." So, they told her parents they think it might be MS or a very old bactreial infection. She is on steroids and anti-bactreial and nothing has changed for a day. We are all very worried. It always blows me away how someone can just be ill and then be really ill, deathly. Happy lives lost in an instant. Here is her myspace

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=24592011

2008-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a bad day. The lady I babysit for changed her day from Wednesday to Thursday this week. Her oldest daughter had been sick all Tuesday night and was fine Wednesday, but to be safe, she stayed home with her. So, everything is fine and they come over today. Halfway through my shift, the youngest starts vomiting. I felt so bad for the baby, and we have just been though this. I have a load of vomit towels and a prayer that none of us catch it. That is the last thing I need it to have another spell of vomiting, selling the house and Nate gone. So this is a call to everyone, pray we don't get it!! I disinfected everything I could, if we don't get it by Saturday, I think we are in the clear. Maybe I don't want to babysit.....

Childrens Cartoons

2008-01-24T09:39:00.001-08:00

I was just watching TV with Ash and we came across this weird program. Yo Gabba Gabba, very interesting cartoon. It is on at 11:30 on Nickelodeon. We let Ash watch almost anything. Some women I know are against Spongebob, but we love it. In fact, we own all the seasons that are one DVD. I try to let Ash only watch TV first thing in the morning, but he has grown tall enough to turn the TV on. And when I babysit, they get to watch TV while I put the baby to sleep. I want him to be able to watch TV, but during times his in otherwise not active with anything else. Any TV opinions out there? But if any of you readers want to watch something weird one day - check out Yo Gabba Gabba.

Who are you?

2008-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have one loyal reader that I now of. She kindly comments on almost all my posts and it is great because no one else does! Thank you Nicole for letting me know you read, sorry I don't do the same as often. This is a call to all the other readers out there to send me a comment. We would like to know what family keeps up with us and if I have any fans - ha ha. POST A COMMENT

My House is On-Line

2008-01-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

If anyone wants to be snoopy and see my house, here it is
http://www.emeraldcoastrealty.com/detail.php?mls=08-335

They are still working on getting the pictures on and the virtual tour, but hopefully by the end of the week it should be complete. We had agent tours today, but no lookers yet. A house just across the street now has a pending status, and it has been on the market since summer. But if it sells..... We are hopeful because of the drop in interest and a package that Oregon is looking at putting together for first time buyers. We shall see.

On another note, Ash is the smartest kid I know. He got a shape and color puzzle for Christmas. I brought it out the other day and he nailed it in a couple of times. I was excited, but I don't know if he was. He is starting to throw the biggest fits now. he freaks when dad leaves for work, the other day it took me 1/2 hour to clam him down. Yesterday he would not let me pick him up out of the crib from nap, that took and hour to resolve. Today's daddy exit was much better, so maybe he is on the mend.

Ox Found a Home

2008-01-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

Our big dog Ox found a home. We had been trying to find him a home for about six months now, and it is finally done. We had tried three homes before and none worked out. It was so hard, because we would cry when he would leave, feel better and be bummed when he came back. I think it is done now. We had the humane society locally and in Corvallis list him on petfinder.com. We had nothing for a long time, then bang, two in one day. The guy that got him is great. He is 54 and no kids, girlfriend, house and works. His dogs died of old age and he was trying to find a new dog. Both Nate and I had a good feeling about him and his girlfriend. They are the kind of people that let the dog like your face and that kind of thing. So, we are really relieved that it is done. Sad that he is gone, but happy. He was driving me insane toward the end. We didn't walk him anymore, or do anything with him for that matter. He would just whine and whine. So I would have a kid screaming and dog whining non stop. Something had to change. And when we move, if we rent, it will be a lot easier. We still have the little dog, Gabe and our cat disappeared about four months ago. We are a single pet family and it is nice. I know Ox will be well taken care of and the couple said they would keep in touch for a while and let us know how it goes. He will get to sleep in the house and have the devoted attention of two dog lovers with no kids, what more could he ask for.

Good News Again

2008-01-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Nate has verbal confirmation that he has the job!! They want him to start Feb 1. Very exciting stuff. So, the house should go on the market in a few days, he put notice into his current job, and now all we do is wait. Hopefully it will happen soon, but we are prepared to wait up to six months. We can not afford rent and a mortgage, nor do we want to be landlords or live with our parents. So, we sell and wait. Our realtor is great, very nice and I think she will work for us. She says not much is on the market in our area under 200K, so we might get some hits. We shall see.....

The cost of parenthood

2008-01-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

So, today has been a lovely day. The sun came out, the weather is great. Ash and I got up early and went shopping, bought shoes, sunglasses and pie. We get home and Nate has accomplished a ton around the house. He washed windows, made us lunch and really cleaned out the car. We eat and Ash and I take a lovely two hour nap.

We wake up and Nate says he is going to take Ash to the park and I can stay and chill. Awww, what a great day. Then, Ash picks up MY brand new pair of sunglasses, not his, and snaps them. I was sooo ticked. I don't buy myself much, this was my treat. I loved them, they matched me and now they are gone. The point being, this lovely day cost me $13 in sunglasses and my feeling of "I look great in these." I guess the nap was worth it.

I hate winter

2008-01-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

Ash and I are sick again! This time we have colds, nothing too bad. The crummy snuffles and sneezes. He is needy as hell and all he wants is to be held. Driving me nuts, hopefully it will be over soon. In luck, a neighbor gave us a newly used toy and he loves it, keeping him out of my hands for while. And he is learning how to skip, I love it. He runs around the house with this little hop laughing his head off.

On other news, I have been keeping an eye on the housing market in out area for a while. For about a month or more, six homes where for sell on my one mile street alone. They ranged 168k to 200k. I just looked last night and four dropped off. I am not sure if they sold or just got pulled. Hopefully they all are sold, but I have a feeling they where pulled so they could get a new 08' listing number. We are trying to make our house stand out a little, but I think if we price it right and don't get too greedy, we'll see.

I suck at blogging

2008-01-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

So, I really stink at blogging. Not only do I have little to share, I do it rarely. This would be the update for the Baldwins since I last posted.

We bought a car!! A little early since we don't know if Nate has the job, but it was a great deal. A 2002 Camry with 58000 miles on it. I love it. I don't know how we where a single car family for so long.

Christmas was great. Ash had a ton of fun and we did not get over loaded with gifts. We stayed home for the holiday and made a trip to Astoria over the new year. It was the most relaxing holiday we have ever had.

Nate's job is looking more likely. He got a letter of conditional hire. Which means, if he passes all the physical tests (hearing, sight etc) then he is hired. He took the last of the tests on Jan 4, so we should hear back soon. Englund Marine did give him his bonus, which is great. We where a little worried they might hold it.

I started babysitting last week. A three year old and a thirteen month old. Ash loves the older girl, but is very jealous of the younger girl. He keeps telling her to "go" and wants me to hold him all the time. He is doing normal things, like hiding toys and playing keep away. But he is doing well with sharing and not taking a toy when it is being played with. He naps really well when they are here. I lay him down, and only once do I need to go in again and tell him to lay down. I thought it would be harder. I CAN NOT get the little one to go to sleep. So, it is easier to keep her up and play. Maybe after she has been here a while....

Here are some holiday photos:

It's out in the open now...

2007-12-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Well, now I can talk! Nate had applied for a job with Clatsop County Corrections. He passed the written exam, the PT exam and the interview. Yesterday the man doing the hiring came to Newport! He sat and talked with me, and went to Englund Marine to talk with Nate's boss. He has an interview with the Sheriff on Jan 3 and an appointment for a mental exam on Jan 4. If he passes these last two tests, he should have the job! This would mean he would start in Feb for academy in the valley and our house goes on the market. As soon as we find out if he gets this job, we get a new car!! I will stay at out house while he is in academy and until the house sells, don't really want to to live with parents and can not afford rent and mortgage. So, we will see how long it takes to sell this house. Nate's boss is pissed because he did not say anything to him about applying for the job. But last time Nate said something, his job went straight to the papers and he heard that his kinda manager said "if they hire someone, Nate will probably be fired." His boss doesn't get it. So, pray he gets this job because if he doesn't I don't think Englund Marine will be nice to him anymore. We'll see how the next few weeks go for Nate.

On another note, we where sick again!!!! This time, Ash got sick Sunday and was barfing all day. Then Monday night, Nate spends the night in the bathroom. Ash starts barfing again. Thank goodness Von was here, because I started getting sick early Tuesday morning. It was mayhem in this house, we are still recovering. None of us wants to eat and Ash is still going through diapers like crazy. But we are all hydrated and recovering. So, hopefully by x-mas we will be perfect. P.S. Tuesday was my b-day.. Happy Birthday to me

2007-12-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

2007-12-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

I am looking for a new home.
My name is Oxford and I am 3 ½ years old.
My family has a hard time keeping up with me, so I need someone who can take me places and keep me busy. I whine like crazy because no one pays attention to me and I shed a lot.
I love to run, eat and chase balls. I am about 85 pounds and strong.
I will follow you everywhere and I like to stay by my master’s side. I am good with other dogs and kids, but I do get excited and tend to knock them down. I like cats, but as soon as they run, I will chase them. I can be an outside or inside dog. I am house broken, micro chipped, neutered and up to date on my shots. I was adopted from a Corvallis pound and don’t want to go back. I need a committed family to take care of me. I come with my crate, flea medicine, toys and food. My family is desperate to find me a home, and I need someone to play with.
Call my house at 541-563-4456 and talk to Nate
I live in Waldport Oregon on the coast.

Stormy....

2007-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. My mom and stepdad came down to hang with us. Brian helped Nate tackle some house projects that we didn't know what to do with. So, we got some siding replaced and a new back porch light. I love it!! With it getting darker out, it is nice to see in the backyard for a change. Ash and I got sick over the holiday also. We decided to cook Friday because I went grocery shopping on Wednesday and was exhausted. I did not want to cook Thursday. I will never go to the grocery store on the day before I holiday again. So, Thursday we celebrated my mom's birthday. I made a chocolate cheesecake that was awesome! But at the end of the night, I was not feeling good so I was taking it easy. We where all sitting on the couch and Nate had given Ash his first bite of cheesecake. Instantly he started fussing and I knew he was going to throw up. So I scooped him and ran to the bathroom and sure enough he puked all over me. And since I was not feeling well also, I was up all night doing the same thing. The next day we where better, but Nate cooked and mom and Brian helped. Nate got up at 4am with Brian and they hit the sales on Friday. So, my amazing husband went shopping at 5am, cooked dinner and installed a back light on Friday while I chilled on the couch most of the day.

So, we have installed a floor in our sunroom since then and I love it. It looks so much better then the indoor/outdoor carpet we had. It it officially Ash's playroom and it is great. Toys come out and I can close the door and ignore it all if I want to. We survived the storm, lost power for about a day and a half. Not bad, but it was nice to get heat and hot water back. About four trees within a block fell and a neighbors roof was blown apart (just the tabs).

Not much otherwise. My last day at work is the 21st, then I start babysitting. Ash has fizzled on the potty chair, but at least we know he knows what it is for. He is trying to wink and it is very funny. One of these days, I will post the video of him trying. Nate and I are considering getting second car, which I really hope we do. One car gets old really fast and we have been doing it for over a year now. We'll see, maybe....

My goodness, it just keeps coming

2007-11-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

So, since my last post Ash has gotten better. My mom works for early intervention and she talked to one of the counselors. They said that he may have starting dreaming, which he has started to talk in his sleep. He is in a much better mood and has started sleeping all night again. The other day he just starting whining out of the blue and I asked what was wrong and he pointed to his check and signed owey. So, teeth? I think the sleeping all night has made him better, so I don't know. He has let us start to brush his teeth again, showers are no longer a freak out and he let me measure his head the other day. I am thankful for full night's of sleep again. So with that said, last night was a dosey. Just after we put him to bed, he vomits all of his dinner. And it continues like that until 2 AM!! Poor kid, he was so sick. Nate slept with him and I was running to his room every time I heard the gagging. But after the 10 o'clock shift he pretty much slept through it all. Nate got an interview for one of the jobs and we hear back in the middle of December if they are interested in hiring him. We never get out hopes up, but a change would be good. I have started my projects on the house. My sunroom is now a playroom and my room is no longer red, but an ugly beige. We figure when we sell the house, people will like beige better then blood red. I just have to do flooring in the sunroom and all I have left are little projects. When I am done, I will post pictures of it all. We have a bunch to do outside, but now it is winter so we will do on nice days. If they come. My mom and stepdad are coming to my house for Thanksgiving, totally excited to spend a holiday at home and Brian is going to help with a few projects for us, like installing a back porch light. Aaaahhh being a home owner....

Freak!!

2007-11-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ash has changed a little in the last week. He has started to freak out at little things. He won't let us pour water on his head anymore, screams like he is dying. Freaks out in the shower or bath, doesn't matter. He really goes crazy with teeth brushing now, where as before, it was okay. He won't let me put a shirt on without throwing a huge fit. We tried to measure his head yesterday (doc's orders) and he totally lost it. We won't sleep, up all night, falling asleep is okay he just won't stay asleep. At first we thought teething, but we are starting to think it might be something else. It's driving me nuts, the fits, screaming, and I am worried that something real might be wrong. Yesterday we where eating lunch in town and he threw up all the lunch. Is that part of it? It all seems to be about his head. I don't know, we go for shots tomorrow with the nurse, we'll see if she thinks would should see the doctor. I wish I just knew why he was so upset with us doing stuff around his head, and I wish he would sleep again. Anybody think I should be worried, or is he just a toddler? (Had to show a memory pic)

Good News

2007-11-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ash went pee in the potty three times!! Today, not so good, only once. None the less, we are very excited. I don't know what I will do when the excitement of flushing his pee wears off, most likely it will be candy. We have been working like mad on the house today and we got a ton done. I painted my sun room in an effort to make a playroom. I am going to start babysitting at the beginning of the year for a friend, and I wanted to make a toy room. So the dogs are getting kicked out to the garage and the kids are moving in!! Nate rehung our front door so now the cold air will not come in. You would think that would be one of the first things that we would do when we moved in, but we waited 3 years!! Nate finished the texture on the bathroom ceiling, so now I can start painting in there and he repaired the cracks in our ceiling from the radiant heat. With Nate trying to transfer back to Astoria with Englund, we have no idea when it will happen, so we are trying to have the house ready by next summer. But we don't know how soon they will hire someone for him to train, and if that person will work out. So we have the winter to work on it, and maybe more time then that. Hopefully they will hire someone soon. We are ready to move home!! I get more anxious about it because Nate would be more willing for more babies if we knew what was up. I am sure he will give in soon! That's it for know, hopefully we will have more good news by the end of the week.

Wow, what a week

2007-11-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, since I last posted a lot has happened. We went to Astoria for a few days and that was a blast. We headed up and Ash got car sick like normal. Nothing like barf on a long road trip. Sunday we headed to the Pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island, what a great place. You could spend all day there and not spend a dime. Ash loved the animal barn and the hay maze. All the grandparents went, I think it was about 13 adults to 1 kid. The weather was great. My dad and stepmom went through the corn maze with my cousin, they where muddy when they got done. They said that they saw someone go face first in a mud hole! We picked pumpkins and headed home, everyone slept in the car but Ash!!! We hung out with everyone for week while Nate hunted with his dad, and no they did not get anything. Ash did okay with the Halloween decor at my dad's. They had a little kid ghost decoration that is about 3' tall. His arms swing out and says things in a little kid voice. Ash was so afraid!! He would run by it, once he forgot about it and froze and started crying. But Nancy and I gave it kisses and hugged it all that night. They next day out of the blue he ran over and gave it a hug, soooo cute!! We got home on Halloween and went trick or treating, he did good but we only took him to three houses. We came home and he loved giving candy out. We got about 100-150 kids this year and he loved them all. Ash would do a little dance just as kids came up and he would stare at their faces as he put a few pieces of candy in the bags. Only once did he get scared, and it was a kid dressed like Chewy, I think it was because he could not see his eyes. Tonight he went pee in the big kid potty!! He was naked after bath time on the bed and he started to freeze, so I looked and said "do you need to go potty?" He hoped up and ran for the bathroom!! We pulled out the potty and sure enough he went!! I kept gasping as he was going and he would stop, but once I gained control he finished. He flushed the pee and went right back to trying to get more out. We flushed pee about 3 times, I hope this is a sign for the future. We figure that now we can start trying to get the potty training going. I don't mind diapers, but cheaper is always better. Nate applied for two jobs, one in Clatsop County and one with the county here, so wish us luck that he passes the tests and gets an interview. I guess that is out update for now, I will post the Halloween pics and a pic of Ash's new haircut the Aunt Riss gave him.

2007-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

This week was an exciting week. Ash fell and hit his head on the sliding glass door frame. I freaked a little. It swelled up the size of a walnut shell. No real blood, but it was huge. He only cried for a minute or two and he was better, but mom was still in shock. That kid is tough, he can really take a hit and keep on going. Every day I am amazed at how much he learns and how fast he is growing. I keep trying to talk Nate into another one, but he is not quite ready. I am sure it will happen soon. Ash has really started using words, he is still a little hard to understand. He has got about a dozen words, including Spongebob. I love it, I hope he likes that cartoon as much as we do. He has just started to get a little picky with his food, but I think it is becasue I abuse the fact that he likes something. I just get stuck in easy mode. I am going to try to use this more often to keep all of you up to date with us, I like it better then myspace, all can see.

2007-10-18T09:13:00.000-07:00