After a low of 46 degrees in the house this morning, the lovely repairman came, replaced a part, performed the maintenance that should have been performed back in June (part of the deal to buy the house included the former owner's getting the furnace and water heater serviced before closing-- apparently whoever serviced it in June barely did more than slap a sticker on it). Anyway, we are now up to a balmy 55 degrees and rising!

We slept on the aerobed in front of the gas fireplace-- which the furnace guy said is just an "insert" and provides minimal radiant heat while actually sucking heat from the house. Good to know. Anyway, the usual problem with aerobeds is that, because they are filled with air, they offer minimal insulation and are often cold to sleep on. While that is fine for the summer, we remedied that issue by putting one down comforter underneath us and then blankets and another down comforter on top. This, along with each wearing two layers and a hat, kept us warm throughout the night.

There is a problem with our furnace. As in, it is not turning on. Just in time for what will probably end up being the snowiest day in Seattle this year in the midst of the coldest weather Seattle has seen in many years.

I was home all day. When I got up this AM, I turned up the thermostat and heard the furnace come on and do it's thing... but I don't think it turned on after that. When I came downstairs around 3:30pm, the thermostat said it was 60 degrees (when I had manually turned it up to 70 earlier). I wanted to rule out thermostat issues before issuing the "Crisis! Come home now!" alert to DH. Virtually any other day of the year, this would not have been a "crisis," but I knew trying to get someone out here to repair the furnace would be virtually impossible because of the weather, road conditions, and the time. Our big fear here is frozen pipes. We have a gas fireplace and plenty of ways to keep warm (heck, we could walk to a hotel if it came to that), but the small amount of heat from the fireplace isn't going to stop our pipes from freezing. Anyway, DH got home around 4:30 and confirmed my suspicion that it wasn't the thermostat, but the furnace. I just walked all the way to the nearest hardware store (uphill both ways in the snow ) to buy new furnace filters (in case that was the problem) and a space heater (which, DH just tried to plug-in and it doesn't work-- AWESOME), while DH stayed home trying desperately to get someone ANYONE who knows about furnace repair to come to our house. No one can come until tomorrow morning and changing the furnace filter didn't fix the problem.

While writing this self-pitying blog about me and my whiny little house problems, I got an email from one of my best friends. I knew she was being deployed to Iraq soon, but apparently her plane leaves tonight. Nothing like a swift kick in the butt from Perspective. I was going to ask for prayers that our pipes don't freeze, but I'd rather any prayers go toward her safety.

I can't believe that I haven't worked in almost a year-- and, yet, I haven't. And it has been an adjustment. I was used to having my own money and not having to negotiate very much about what was done with it. Now, it seems, everything is a negotiation. I'm not complaining, as I know DH and I are still very fortunate, but I understand better now how money becomes a problem in a relationship. I, for my part, am working on compromising more and insisting less. I have been shopping craigslist for baby stuff and found the exact changing table I had been looking at in the store (3 of them, actually) and got it for a third the price (and felt good about reusing instead of buying new). I'll probably also get a glider off of craigslist. We did finally manage to come to a decision on living room furniture and may actually have a couch come January! Baby steps, right?

In other news, I think I may have to make the leap to maternity pants soon. I went to Target today and bought two pairs of pants- one of which seems to fit me okay now (with a bit of room to stretch) and the other is a bit loose. I can still get away with normal pants + rubber band + bella band, but it's getting less and less comfortable with each passing day. I've been able to feel the baby for the past ~2 weeks and the movement is becoming more consistent. I have to say, it feels really weird when he stretches himself out (at least, that is what it feels like he is doing).