Itchy Feet

The Boy and I returned home to Canberra after many years in the big smoke almost 2 years ago now, with the hope of soon starting a family - unbeknown to us, Little Miss was already on the way, the best ever Boxing Day surprise, and confirmation our choice to relocate was the right one.

Ever since we have been dedicated to hard-core penny pinching, desperately trying to get together the deposit to purchase a Home - quite a feat on one salary, and what has seemed like an excruciatingly long wait as the bank balance slowly climbed.

We are oh so close now to reaching our goal, and have been scanning the For Sale listings twice daily of late - just waiting for that perfect nest to pop up and snatch for ourselves.

While we have been home-owners before, it is funny how much stronger the longing and need has been felt this time around...The desire to provide a secure, warm and safe environment for our baby girl has magnified our impatience, but also motivated us to watch every dollar we spend all the more.  Not to mention those unwavering nesting impulses, when all I want to do is wallpaper and hammer nails in to walls for pretty pictures to hang!

We've been shacked up in a quaint little weatherboard to date, with creaky floorboards, rattling windows and a wild, jungle-like yard.  Although she's got her flaws and we can't wait to move on, this wonky cottage has been good to us - a place of many firsts for our family.

This is the place I experienced those first exhilarating hours of labour in, and the first and only home our baby Matilda has known in her short life.  All those cherished baby milestones were achieved under this roof - the first smiles, words, meals and crawls - no doubt her first steps will be across these battered floorboards before our time here is up! 
We shared our first Christmas as a family of three here, will celebrate Matilda's first Birthday here next week...It seems sad that Matilda will have no recollection of her time in this little abode, when for her Daddy and I it will always remain a place of so many cherished memories.

I will remind myself of this when those feet start itching - remember that this place is special for SO many reasons...Our next home is out there waiting for us somewhere, and when the time is right we will move on - for now, we'll be content to snuggle in and enjoy her rickety quirks a little longer.

**as fate would have it, since drafting this post a couple of days ago, a nifty 80's bungalow has come up for sale, with our names written all over it!! stay tuned to see if she will be OURS!!!  eep!!!