Simplify

Before we had Olivia, it was a task to maintain this big old money pit we have called home since 1999, and now with Olivia in tow, it is an extra big task. Every time I need to move to another room to clean, I have to pivk up and move 23 pounds of a beloved wonderful ragdoll. And keep that sweet raggedy annie happy while I work. Most of the time I do chores after she is asleep at night, because it takes half the amount if time when I can work solo.

Today I finally took heed and brought some diaper changing items down stairs to cut down on trips up the long main staircase. When a friend of mine told me that babies with Ds walk and crawl late, she also said that it is ok because they are also smaller than typical children, but Olivia is an average size child in comparison to typical children and is a large child in comparison to children with Down syndrome. So there is more of her to love! And more opportunities for me to build muscles! I am hoping that this will help prevent osteoporosis! :-)

My husband is not getting any younger and has his own physical limitations also, so we recently contemplated moving to a smaller less aged house. But long story short, we are staying here for now.

What we are doing is rearranging how we live in this home. One is turning the large living room into a formal living dining room, such that we close it off and only use it for special occasions. Thus, it will need to be cleaned less frequently. We are also paring down furnishings. This means getting rid of furniture that we really don't need, and cutting down on how much stuff is out in tables and shelves. This will help in the long run, but right now I plug away at sorting. It is a good feeling though. I know that the library just has to be sorted one shelf at a time and the same for the butlers pantry. I sorted through the cats' three baskets of toys! It was good to get rid of choking hazards before Olivia becomes mobile.

My other realization is that I need to start looking for a handyman type person to hire to make up for my ineptness with a hammer. My 87 year old godmother gave me instructions on tearing out the old ceilings and putting up the new drywall, and all I could say is, "You are not serious, are you?" She, like many women are great renovators and very handy, but not me. I need to start asking around and pray God has some referrals :-).