A Baby, A House, and A Dog.

I got it into my head when I was a kid that someday I wanted to own a house, have a dog, and have a baby. Of course, I knew I had to be older and married to get all three. Well, I'm married now and I don't have any of those things.

A Baby:

I've always been a planner. I plan my birthday party a month or two in advance. I plan how I will spend each day. I plan what meals I'm making on which day. I plan everything. When I started dating Jon, I decided I wanted to wait 4 years after we were married to have kids. That has since changed.

First I did the math and realized I would be 26 if I waited 4 years, and I would be over 30 by the time the 4 kids I want are born. Second, I changed. I want kids sooner. It could be that my brothers are having kids recently -- one on Christmas and another one due for a different brother in March. Regardless of what exactly made me change my mind, it changed.

Jon and I discussed trying to time our baby to come during the part of the year when his job is less demanding -- September to February. That means conception time is from December to May. However, right now it's September, and I keep wishing I were pregnant. Part of me thinks how easily it would be to "forget" to take my pill, but the practical part of me thinks I need to wait until the timing is right. So wait I must, but maybe for only a couple months. I'm really liking the idea of getting pregnant in December, announcing it at Christmas, and having the baby born in September. This way Jon's busy season will be over for the most part and he will be able to spend more time at home with me and the baby. If the baby is born in February, Jon's rafting season starts in March and he will be busy and not home much.

The only worry I have is our credit card debt. Right now if we keep to our scheduled payment plan, we will have it paid off by September, hence my reason to wait a little longer to conceive. But, I'm hoping that my Christmas bonus and our tax return will be large enough to decrease that time frame, but we'll have to wait and see. Most likely we won't conceive until February, just to allow a little time for debt to be paid off and to ensure Jon will be home in case the baby comes early.

A House:

The next thing is a house. Our goal is to pay off our debt and start drastically saving for a down payment. By drastic, I mean saving about $1,000 a month until we get enough for a down payment and still have some money in savings for emergencies. I've realized that most likely our first baby is going to come while we still live in an apartment. Fortunately, our one bedroom apartment has a den that we can use as a baby room. I would have to move the desk, filing cabinets, and my sewing stuff elsewhere, but it's doable. I just wish it were possible to have a house bought before a baby is born.

The advantages of having a house after the baby is born is that we will probably have downsized some of our items to accommodate the baby. Plus, I will be making less money (I will be working part time), and we will be better able to determine what we really can afford. I have my heart set on a one-acre parcel a few blocks from our apartment. It's on the market for $70,000, but it was last assessed at $47,500, which will allow for a better bargaining chip. We've decided that we want to buy a piece of land, at least an acre big, and put a manufactured home on it. Then later in life we will build the "dream house" on one half of it. I grew up on an acre parcel so smaller parcels are too small for my preferences. While I still want that certain parcel, we plan on talking to a realtor and having him or her find exactly what we want for exactly the right price.

A Dog:




Aside from a house and a baby, a dog is next on my life. Actually, 2 dogs, and not just any dog, but a Siberian Husky. I had one growing up and I've always loved that breed of dog. I also had an Alaskan Malamute, but those tend to run at least $300 more for one puppy. I want a puppy so I can train them young to obey my commands. I want two unrelated puppies, one male and one female, so I can have puppies. Selling puppies would allow us a little extra income too. However, I don't want inside dogs; they will be outside dogs. And since our current living situation is in an apartment, we won't be getting pups until we have a house. And even when that happens we probably won't get puppies until all the kids are born and our good-sized kennel is built.

While I don't have a house, a dog, or a baby, I don't consider myself a failure. I know that some day I will have all 3. It may take a while to get them all, but I will still be happy with where I am at in life. I may not like my job, but I love Jon, I love Spokane, I love my church and serving there, and I love being the favorite aunt to many nieces and nephews. I know that in time I will have a baby, a house, and a dog. It's just a matter of waiting.