Just when I thought that we had some things figured out. BAM! Well, we were in our dream/forever home, or so we thought, for exactly 5 months and 3 days. Yup. It was beautiful and everything we wanted, but it was LOUD! So loud that we could not relax or get uninterrupted sleep. Every night we played "Guess that semi?!" It was awful. Now we know why the builder was offering such incentives to buy there. The community wall was too low and due to the huge park, there was absolutely nothing to absorb the noise. I had reached out to ADOT asking if there were any future plans to do some noise reducing asphalt and the response was no and only doing road preservation. Contacted the HOA and it was something they would "look into" and never got back to us. Reached out to the Councilman for our District and he said that it was the first he'd ever heard such a thing. Well, that's because the majority of the residents who live in the area take out their Miracle Ear when they go to sleep and don't hear any of it. The only nights we slept straight through were when it rained or when it was really windy. That was about 8-9 evenings. Companies don't want their trucks blowing over on the 1-17 freeway and losing their loads. We couldn't believe that we were contemplating packing up once again.
By the middle of October, we knew that we needed to do something. Started making calls to companies and investors who might want to buy our brand new build with no closing fees, etc. We agreed to sell and it wasn't the smartest move, but maybe one doesn't make such wise moves when one hasn't slept. In any case, we had eyes on a new build in a different area that was to be completed by February. By Thanksgiving, I knew that that was too long to wait. I was going nutz without sleep. So, did some poking around and found a spec home that would be completed and ready to move-in by the end of December. It was much smaller and boy did we downsize, but it meets our current needs. On New year's Eve, literally two years from when we initially started this home buying process, we moved into our newest new home.
We aren't too far from where we once lived for 16+ years. It's close to my husband's job and near all of the shopping places we frequent. There are several community pools/fitness and a brand new splash pool two doors down from our home that will be ready by this summer. You don't get as much sq ft for your money as one did all those years ago! The difference is really eye opening, but we're hoping that this will do for now. The boys have been great with the move and they settled in quickly to their new digs. We made sure to set up their rooms first and get them situated with all of their stuff before we set up any of ours. T still does drums. D took a break from swimming, but has started to attend some of the teen mtgs at the local library. There are more kids in this neighborhood and while I doubt he wants to babysit, the neighbor next door to us is expecting. I really thought that would bother me, but it doesn't now.
I guess that's where 11 years later has led me. I am still quick to notice the pregnant women around me in any type of social situation, but I'm not filled with as much hostility as I once was. I'm still angry at my OB and my own situation, but I can't change what happened. I can share about it with those who care to listen. I can talk about my experience of being pregnant in America and hope that by sharing, someone might avoid similar tragedy. It's been 11 years since we met him, said hello, and goodbye all at once. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget the details until I develop dementia. My husband took the day off, so that we could all be together as a family. We had just done a long weekend in California last month, so we didn't go away to celebrate his angelversary. We let T choose a new restaurant and he chose BJ's Restaurant and Brewery. I make the kids say the whole thing as I don't want anyone to take BJ's out of context. I still chuckle a little when I hear it though. They both found things on the menu they liked, so we are adding it to our list of favs. It's nice to have another place to go besides Chili's. T is starting to explore more new foods on his own and it's wonderful! He's so visual and now trusts that he can find something on the menu that tastes good. So, our thing is restaurants now and it's really nice to all be able to go as a family. We can take our time, have conversation, and everyone can enjoy.
Of course, I wish that there was another little boy sitting at the table with us, a third head to count in the backseat. It's selfish, but I wish he was here. I feel bad that the burden that caregiving can be will fall solely on D's shoulders when we're gone. I wish I could peek at the future just to know that T will be okay. We enter the teen years with him this year and the closer we inch toward 18, the more panicky I feel. Guardianship, limited guardianship, supported decision making, Medicaid, SSDI, ABLE accounts, autism-friendly employers, transportation, and the list goes on and on. Thankfully, there's an ample amount of informative conferences, workshops, and free webinars out there on all of these subjects. I've been trying to stay updated on it all, but it's overwhelming. I just have to remember, one day at a time. The kids are growing up so fast. They're both so much taller than me. Weird. Well, it's been a crazy start to the New Year especially with all that's going on in the world. Keep washing your hands and avoid (sick) people.