Shhh….
I write this as both little man and big man are taking a nap and recovering from a fun stomach bug. But with that said…
We did it!
Not only did we became parents in the last few months, but we also managed to purchase a new place, move, and attempt to settle down. And it has been an incredible adventure (ahem, challenge :)!
The Story of Our Place
We had been on the lookout to purchase a new place for quite some time. As soon as we found our rental space, we knew that we eventually wanted to have our own. What we did not know was what we really wanted. We went back and forth on location (such as East Capitol and Dupont), back and forth on size (2 bedrooms? 3 bedrooms? 5 bedrooms for a rental unit??), back and forth on type (townhome? single-family??), and back and forth on timing (I wanted ASAP, Robert… was more cautious, hehe). Ultimately, what worked for us had nothing to do with what either of us expected.
Location
We ended up purchasing our home in Glover Park, happily situated a mere 0.5 miles from both Georgetown and American University. What truly sold us on the location were three key things:
We are one block away from one of the best hiking parks in DC, an incredibly appealing thing for these urbanites;
We are across the street from one of the best elementary schools in the city;
It’s quiet but close to everything.
Size
This was a big one (no pun intended). We really couldn’t quite decide on the size we wanted to purchase. If we wanted to go for three bedrooms or more, we became quite limited in the neighborhoods available and the condition of the homes. Neither of us were ready to tackle a major project with a newborn. So even though we started out looking for a three-bedroom unit, we decided to purchase a two-bedroom unit instead. It gave us enough flexibility to have a kid or two, without slaving away at taking care of a large house.
Type
A surprise here too… we were dead-set on buying a townhome. Until the word of the wise came through in suggesting that we consider a condo instead. Why a condo?
Maintenance - it is a breeze compared to owning a house. No roofs to worry about, no stucco to worry about, pretty much there is nothing to worry about other than the occasional appliance trouble (looking at you, dryer).
Living Small - an aspiration of mine that is finally realizing! I have grown incredibly tired of stuff. Thankfully, Robert is on board with this one. So we have methodically been getting rid of stuff we do not need or use and have become exceedingly picky with acquiring new stuff (baby stuff included).
Timing
That one we did not control too much… In fact, once we saw our condo, we fell in love with it so much, that we were signing the offer and papers while I was in labor… Yup, you read that right! You could say this place is indeed labor of love! :)
There are so many things that make this place special: the views, the layout, the fact that this is Stefan’s first home! But I think I will save that for another time.
In the meantime, I should probably introduce you to our little, perfect Stefan:
After a good 36 hours of labor, I would say that he was well worth it! Pictured here, at about 5 months :). <3
A few months back, a co-worker of mine convinced me to join my company's Spartan Race team. He didn't talk it up much: he mentioned it's a long-ish run with a few fun obstacles. You know, no big deal. Something someone who runs as much as me should complete more than easily (read, you don't really need to train for it). Ha ha ha.