The Bangor girl moves to Brewer

After many months of looking and many months of waiting after finding the perfect place, our little (growing) family is in our new home.

Our new home

Home sweet home.

When Tony and I moved to Bangor from Lewiston (a year ago today, in fact!) we found a cozy apartment that was close to work but quite a bit smaller than the house we left behind. I spent the year looking for a place that could be a more forever home — looking much more fervently when we knew that Baby Runs was on the way.

Our house in Lewiston,  4 years ago when we first closed on it.

Our house in Lewiston, 4 years ago when we first closed on it.

I set up alerts on IFTTT — If This Then That — that sent me an email every time a 3 bedroom or larger living unit was posted on Craigslist. I combed the classifieds every Saturday morning.

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Things I wanted in a new place to live:

  • More space. We went from a 1500 sq. foot house to an 800 sq. foot apartment.

    It was well designed but small.

    The old apartment. It was well designed but small.

  • A dining room. We love to play board games and entertain friends but had no comfortable place to do that.
  • PrivacyNot because I am a very private person (LOL! If I were, I wouldn’t be a very good blogger!), but because our dogs are loud and obnoxious and I hated being those people with the annoying dogs.
  • A walkable neighborhood. For most parts of Bangor, this was not a problem, though I have a lot of opinions on things the city could do to make it more cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly.
  • West Bangor. Bangor is my home. It’s where my parents and my brother live. It’s where I work. It’s where my dad was born and where my grandparents were born. It’s where I went to high school. It’s where I got married. Even looking at east-side places felt a little out of my comfort zone.*

*I know it sounds silly that I have lived places where I knew no one and/or did not speak the language and yet I did not want to live on the other side of the Kenduskaeg Stream. 

There’s something to be said about living close to where you grew up. I was born in Philadelphia and lived the first 14 years of my life there. My mom’s family is from Michigan and my dad’s family is from Bangor, so we were a daylong drive from either family. For the most part, growing up near family is something I didn’t get to do, and I’m glad little Baby Runs will be near at least some of her extended family.

I only had to compromise on one point. The place we eventually found was … gasp … in Brewer.

Scoop enjoying the new digs.

Scoop enjoying the new digs.

  • We have a big backyard, much bigger than at our old house.
  • We have a room for a nursery, which will be designed with a penguin theme.
  • We are less than two miles from work, though it’s about a 3-mile walk because we have to go up to the Chamberlain Bridge.
  • We are in a terrific walkable neighborhood. There are at least three or four playgrounds within a mile, sidewalks at least two miles out in every direction, and not too much traffic.
  • We have a completely remodeled kitchen and bathroom. Our landlord did an amazing AMAZING job.
When we first saw this kitchen, it had a pile of sheetrock in the middle and a hole in the wall for the plumbing.

When we first saw this kitchen, it had a pile of sheetrock in the middle and a hole in the wall for the plumbing.

We found the house in March (when I was about 6 months pregnant), but it wasn’t ready for us until the end of May (8 months pregnant). The difference between how I felt at 6 months and 8 months was huge. This winter I had no problem cleaning and repainting our old house to get it ready for the tenants. This weekend, I would unpack one box and then some quality time with the maternity pillow.

Though sometimes there is a little competition for it.

Though sometimes there is a little competition for it.

Monday marked 34 weeks. Baby Runs is the size of a cantaloupe (4.75 lbs.) and is no longer at risk of health problems for premature delivery. She now has a nursery and (almost!) a daycare provider, but she does not have a name yet.

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.