The Bitch is Back

And when I say "Bitch," I am not only referring to myself, but to the Bitch AF.

(1) I GET TO KEEP MY JOB! MyBoss won the re-election (very easily), so this bee-otch is back for another 4 years!!! (Spoiler alert: this is the one high-point of my post.)

(2) I am in. a. mood. And a really. bad. one. Queen-bitch level. I have this flex spending account that has a hefty balance in it that has to be spent by December 31. My acupuncturist does not take credit cards, so I have to pay by check, and then file a claim. My first claim was filed 2.5 weeks ago. I called to check on it today.... no claim on record there. So... while my personal account quickly dwindles in balance, Flex idiots get to keep the owed-to-me-money in their fat corporate accounts. I hate red tape. Oh, then there's more. Dry.Cl.ean.USA has filed bankruptcy... conveniently after ruining a suit beyond repair, accepting my claim, then ignoring my claim. I now have to file a claim in federal court.... in a Chapter 11 case... as an unsecured debt. Basically, in layman's terms, this means I'll be lucky to receive $5 for a very nice suit. I am SO pissed off. And why so angry at this crap? Read on to (3):

(3) AF showed up today. On day 26. Bitch. All the tiny little needles going in to me on a weekly basis did nothing this cycle. I was hoping she would hold off for another two days. Dr. Needle says "wait to next cycle to see if work" (in his Asian accent). Oh, but my mood is certainly like the AF cycles of yore....

(4) House crap. It was a done deal basically. Until OtherHouseWife freaked (after papers drawn and ready to be signed). She has a fear that "what-if" she loses her job? Will they have to move in to a one-bedroom home (ours that they are buying as a rental property) if she does lose her job? Welcome to my fu*#ing world - stay for a week in Casa-de-Mini. (I do have a little guilt about writing this last point... OtherHouseWife is a friend of mine.... NEVER mix business with friendship.)

I'm so over this infertility/adoption/childlessness/house/flex-spending/filing-claim shit.

I need a drink. NOW.

Missing My Bloggers

GatorMan and I just returned from a "mini-break" to the mountains... which did not include (in the phrasology of those living in the mountains:) the "internets" (yes, plural). So the first thing I do when I walk in the door? Log on to the "internets" to get the updates on all of my fellow bloggers! I feel like I have been completely out-of-the-loop, and it is so good to be back in!

On the way to the mountains, I spoke with Intermediary's Husband again, and got the update on Juno and Ukulele. Everything looks fantastic, Ukulele is great, Juno is great.... and here's the best news: Juno is more positive about the adoption than she has ever been! Don't get me wrong, she's always been for it, but her attitude is taking a more "positive" turn. Think back to when you were 15 . . . . . I know I could barely decide what boy I liked more, much less make a decision that would impact so many lives all at once. I am hoping this positive attitude is the pre-adoption counseling she is going through.

House update: We may have one! We walked through a possibility on Wednesday right before we left and really liked it. Is it absolutely the 100% perfect house of our dreams? No. But we also realize that whatever house we get we will only be in for ~5 years or so. So.... this is a very good option for that time frame. GatorMan and I want to go through the house one more time before we sign any papers.

Overall, it's been a great week.... lots of relaxing, wine, fall leaves, cool air, and us-time. As much as I loved it all, I hope that it is the last chance we have for it before we become the family we desperately want to be!

Dinner with *Friends* - Part 2

Tonight we had dinner at my favorite mexican restaurant (and yes, margaritas included) with one of my very best friends who is visiting from Indiana while her husband finishes his out-processing with the military. My friend, H, and I went to college together and were in the same sorority. It is so good to have her here, even if it is only for a few days. I live about 18 hours from where I grew up, so any friendly face from the past is always welcome! Anyway, the point to this story is I am debating whether to talk to her about Ukulele or not. Odd to type this while she and her husband sit across from me in the living room! She has had at least two (that I know of) miscarriages in the last year and a half - one of them with twins. So I know she would be a sympathetic ear with the IF leg of my journey.... it's just that whole jinxing thing where Ukulele is concerned.

Oh, I'm hoping to have a positive update on the Realtor front tomorrow. Realtor and I came to an understanding a couple of days ago, and now he is back on the pedal and moving forward. He called today with a really good lead on a possible home for us. Keep your fingers crossed!

As for Dr. Needle - I go to him tomorrow for my third visit. Still too soon to see if any of this works (on us) or not.... but I'll keep you posted as it goes along.

Restrain-ment-ish

Well, I almost did it. I almost broke down today and went to buy baby clothes. Ooooh do I have the itch! I'm already scouring baby-sites, furniture store, consumer reports, various reviews, blogs... you name it, I'm looking at it! Even though we have alredy picked out Ukulele's name, I'm even looking at baby name sites to get the meaning! I am just so damned excited! Her first name is of French/German origin (the websites differ). The French meaning is "petite and feminine," while the German meaning is "free man." So.... our little Ukulele is going to be a petite and feminine free man -- now that's interesting! Her middle name is of German origin and it means "master of the land." Hmmm. Despite their meanings, they sound great together and mean a lot to me and GatorMan.

I'm also getting the itch to sew things. Baby things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not Martha Stewart, but I can sew a straight line with the best of them. I'm thinking of sewing the crib bumper and blanket (the box pleat skirt is over my head... I'll buy that one). I cannot seem to find exactly what I am looking for, so I'll make the darned things. MamaD told me to make sure it's dark in color because nothing light can stay clean! But then I think with envy of my other friend's nursery (LittleQ - who is also a "need to know" member) with it's light and breezy colors..... Oh what a dilemna to have! I'd love to use chocolate brown with the walls painted Tiffany blue - what girl doesn't love Tiffany??!! But first we have to get the larger house so we can have a nursery.... which leads to.....

Yes, a Realtor update. The update is zilch. He's done nothing. So I sent him another *restrained* e-mail basically telling him that I wanted to discuss his marketing plans for our house. I haven't heard back yet. I'm sure he's just so busy marketing our house (even thought it's not even listed on the realty company's website yet) that he hasn't had time to check his e-mail. Whatever. I'll give him the weekend to get his crap together and do something. Anything. After that, I may not be so *restrained*.

Ok - time to go for now. Baby-stuff shopping websites are calling me.........

Need new realtor?

So in our quest to find our Ukulele, we know that we will have to get a larger home. Right now we live in a one bedroom/one bathroom townhome. Not too bad for a married couple, and not too bad for a couple wanting to adopt - in NYC. However, we are not in NYC, therefore, one bedroom/one bath is too small. After discussing my current domicile predicament with a couple of different homestudy professionals, it was agreed that we would have to move. So, the cozy townhome is now on the market - which means we have a realtor.

So yesterday GatorMan tells me that the Mr. Realtor told him that someone is interested in swapping houses with us (they have an empty house and an extra mortgage - and are interested in using ours as a rental). Both parties have seen the other's property. We're interested. Anyway, GatorMan says Mr. Realtor has spoken with Other Realtor, and as long as we REDUCE our price, and agree to pay more than the asking price on the other property, we may have a deal. WTF???? Um, yeah, I don't think so. Not in my lifetime. Ukulele can sleep in the drawer. (Just kidding, obviously.) Other Realtor says our house is overpriced for our area based on the comps. Well, the comps that Other Realtor is relying on are condos... not townhomes. BIG difference when in my townhome community WE OWN THE LAND our home sits on. Mr. Realtor and Other Realtor don't seem to think that's an issue. Well, I don't think it's an issue to have Other Realtor sit on her client's house for another year either. So anyway, last night I pull the comps - townhome comps - for our area, along with the comps for the other house, and write a very *restrained* e-mail to Mr. Realtor explaining that our house is appropriately priced and the other house is at least $20 per square foot more than every other house in its neighborhood (without good reason - I know, I've been in the house). Mr. Realtor's response this morning? -- "That's great amo! Let me know if you have any more information."

WHAT???? I'm sorry - am I now expected to do YOUR job? (And yes, he spelled "ammo" with one "m".)

How about this Mr. Realtor - "Since I am doing your job for you, how about reducing your realtor fee to half of what it is right now. That seems about fair. What? Not fair? WELL NEITHER IS MY DOING YOUR WORK!"

Whew. That's off my chest. I kindly pointed out that we do not have to sell and that we are not the ones sitting on an empty house and an extra mortgage. Mr. Realtor indicated we can negotiate early next week. Um - not unless Pompous Homeowner and Other Agent get off their high horses.

So.... while Waiting for the Ukulele, we are also trying to sell our house. In this market. Which sucks. But... we are making a valiant (most of the time) effort, and I hope that looks good to the person doing our homestudy.

On the Ukulele front - no new news. Therefore I assume that everything is status quo.