Ducks

No, not the cute little "quack quack" ducks that you see at the park and feed bread to.
The ducks I speak of are all of the little things that have to be in some kind of order to make any kind of freaking decision or life changing move.
For instance - buying a house.  Not only do we need to time it right with the end of our lease (God knows we don't need to be paying to live in 2 places at once), but we have to, oh yeah, FIND the place.  Is it in a good neighborhood?  Good schools (we're staying out of Columbus schools)?  Taxes ok?  Does it have a 2 car garage or only 1?  Is it bigger than 1200 square feet?  B/c we have a LOT of stuff.  Basement?  Basements are okay if the walls aren't bowing in.  How old's the water heater?  AC?  Roof?  So we find the place.  Great.  Make an offer.  Get it inspected.  Get it appraised.  Do the paperwork.  And oh yeah, even if we're lucky enough to find a house with sellers willing to help with closing costs, we need to show a lot of money in the el banco. 
Having a baby.  For something so little, they sure require a lot of prior thinking (or should require prior thinking....half of what's wrong with the world if you ask me, but that's a whole other conversation).  If we got pregnant now, when would my maternity leave kick in?  (April, by the way, in case you were wondering - right at the end of snow and beginning of mulch season.  Yes please!!  :))  Daycare expenses......baby STUFF.......would our parents be able to make it over here in time?  We (I) say we're ready now, but are we really?  Am I really ready to give up sleeping in on weekends?  Going out to eat as often as we do (which isn't often to begin with)?  Being able to grocery shop on a whim at 11pm on Saturdays so that our Sundays are free to sit by the pool?  What about us?  Are we ok?  We've been through a lot in the last 34 months and some-weeks of marriage, but we seem to have made it out on the other side tested by fire and stronger because of it. 
What if we get a house, have a baby, and all of a sudden Chris or I's job moves?  Or we have to/ need to move closer to our parents (God forbid)? 
I wish there was something I could do to keep my head from spinning with all of this.  A day doesn't go by that I'm not thinking of babies in SOME way.....either a friend is having one (2 friends in the last week, probably a dozen already this year if I counted!), another friend is finding out they're having one (or a cousin - found out my cousin Kristi is pregnant with Baby #2!  Ava, who will be 2 this September, is going to be a big sister!), I'm organizing showers for someone, stupid pregnancy tests come on TV EVERY OTHER COMMERCIAL, books and clothes and toys and magazines are all but screaming: "HAVE A BABY!"  - Mind you, though, it's not all of these things pressuring me into thinking we're ready.  I really and truly do feel like this is it....this is our time to create a little person and be parents.  But sheesh - talk about information overload.
Houses - we've been in someway searching or looking at houses for about a month now, and there is just so MUCH.  So much to think about and ask about and talk about.  Pros and cons.  Good points & bad points.  What can't we live without, and what can we live with?
Can I just move back home with my parents?  Is it too late for that?
If so, time to go curl up in fetal position somewhere......