April - what a month this should be!
As this solidly spring month rolls in with uncharacteristically chilly weather, we naturally look ahead at events to come.
This is HUGE month for the Allmens, because we are likely to become first time parents before April is done. At the doctor last week, Rachel heard that her OB/GYN would not let her go more than a week past her due date of April 25th. So, the chance of a May delivery is slim.
Today Rachel spent a lot of energy getting the baby's clothes washed. We packed up a few things (6 month old clothes, heavy blankets) that we will not need immediately, which has cleared up some space in the nursery. We have gotten some criticism from others for not fully decorating our nursery, and for not putting the crib together yet. But with a move likely in the next two months, I feel that energy would be better spent in prepping the baby's room in our permanent home. The baby will be sleeping with us until that point anyway!!
We also got the car seat out today, and tried it out. The LATCH system works much easier than using the seat belts, which is what Rachel remembers using with her siblings. The base was secured with little trouble in a few minutes. We just need to get Rachel's hospital bag packed, and we will be all set in case the baby decided to come a little early!
Because dates will be harder to come by in few weeks, we went out to Franco's, the nice little Italian place on the corner, for dinner. I had veal and Rachel had the stuffed manicotti. Of course we had the giagantic slice of extra creamy homemade Tiramisu to top it off. I like this place (and its Tiramisu) but there is a well known Italian place down the street from our new digs as well.
The other big transition for April will be the pending close on our new house. We have told some more people, but honestly the excitement has waned somewhat. After last week's flurry of activity - viewing the house, putting in an offer, submitting documents to the lender, having the inspection - this week has been peaceful and quiet. The seller's Realtor and lawyer are both out of town, and our Realtor is sick so the lines of communication have been off. Hopefully this does not impact the closing date. We have still not heard back about out list of repair items.
I am also having trouble getting us signed up for TaxSmart. This is a city of Chicago program that offers federal income tax credits for 20% of the interest paid on a mortgage - for the life of the loan, up to $2000 in credits per year. That could make for some nice tex refunds year after year. Problem is, eligibility for the program is based on household income. And though our income will be well under the limit in a few weeks, right now we are classified as a DINK home (double income no kids) and our eligibility is questionable. We are perfect for this program in principle, but the timing might have thrown things off just enough. Sigh.
In other news, last Friday I was out of school on college visits with our sophomores. We visited the Illinois Institute of Technology (we passed by our house on the bus ride there), Northeastern Illinois (I did not travel with the group that went there) and to Depaul. I took a few pictures, but will not post them here (a Chicago teacher got in big trouble for questionable taste in this area last week). However, you can check them out on my modest class website if you are curious.
As this solidly spring month rolls in with uncharacteristically chilly weather, we naturally look ahead at events to come.
This is HUGE month for the Allmens, because we are likely to become first time parents before April is done. At the doctor last week, Rachel heard that her OB/GYN would not let her go more than a week past her due date of April 25th. So, the chance of a May delivery is slim.
We also got the car seat out today, and tried it out. The LATCH system works much easier than using the seat belts, which is what Rachel remembers using with her siblings. The base was secured with little trouble in a few minutes. We just need to get Rachel's hospital bag packed, and we will be all set in case the baby decided to come a little early!
Because dates will be harder to come by in few weeks, we went out to Franco's, the nice little Italian place on the corner, for dinner. I had veal and Rachel had the stuffed manicotti. Of course we had the giagantic slice of extra creamy homemade Tiramisu to top it off. I like this place (and its Tiramisu) but there is a well known Italian place down the street from our new digs as well.
The other big transition for April will be the pending close on our new house. We have told some more people, but honestly the excitement has waned somewhat. After last week's flurry of activity - viewing the house, putting in an offer, submitting documents to the lender, having the inspection - this week has been peaceful and quiet. The seller's Realtor and lawyer are both out of town, and our Realtor is sick so the lines of communication have been off. Hopefully this does not impact the closing date. We have still not heard back about out list of repair items.
I am also having trouble getting us signed up for TaxSmart. This is a city of Chicago program that offers federal income tax credits for 20% of the interest paid on a mortgage - for the life of the loan, up to $2000 in credits per year. That could make for some nice tex refunds year after year. Problem is, eligibility for the program is based on household income. And though our income will be well under the limit in a few weeks, right now we are classified as a DINK home (double income no kids) and our eligibility is questionable. We are perfect for this program in principle, but the timing might have thrown things off just enough. Sigh.
In other news, last Friday I was out of school on college visits with our sophomores. We visited the Illinois Institute of Technology (we passed by our house on the bus ride there), Northeastern Illinois (I did not travel with the group that went there) and to Depaul. I took a few pictures, but will not post them here (a Chicago teacher got in big trouble for questionable taste in this area last week). However, you can check them out on my modest class website if you are curious.
-alan
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