Greetings From Our New Nest

I know, I know... where have we been? Well, we are finally trying to "come up for air" and emerge from the depths of moving craziness. There has been so much to do and when not trying to tackle the giant "to-do" list that keeps growing, and John's not working, we are trying to have fun and play with our kids. At the same time, and we must be crazy, we have tried to embrace the holiday spirit and have put up some modest lights on the house, hung a wreath and actually have a tree with lights. The house is lacking our traditional "Griswold" flair in that we haven't put up lights and decorations everywhere, but it's certainly a respectable effort given our current situation! The tree, however, is a sad little sight. It's got lights on the top two-thirds and no ornaments... and I still find myself saying "NO!" every other minute to both kids. Perhaps I should have forgone the tree... but I just can't give it up, no matter how sad it looks and no matter how consistent it forces me to be in my parenting. (Sometimes saying "no" and then giving consequences for repeat naughty behavior can be the most challenging part of parenting. Being consistent is so important... and so very exhausting!)

So much to catch-up on that I don't really know where to begin! (I've said that before on this blog, haven't I?!)

I guess I will start with the week of the move, itself. On the Sunday before we left, my amazing girlfriends (from college... we've been friends now for a LONG time!) took me out for a fantastic dinner. Amy, Becky and Erin... thank you so much for such a wonderful evening... one that I didn't want to end for fear that it would be the last one for a very long, much too long, time. I don't remember the last time the four of us had a "girl date" that didn't include kids! I think it was when I was pregnant with Preston...? I spent my drive there and home biting my tongue and trying not to cry, sure I'd never stop once I started. Even though we are all so busy with our own families, it has been innately comforting knowing that you are just a car ride away. Now that you're not, surely we will need each other more! I just hope that you all decide to visit... often... and together - - so we can have that kind of dinner again, soon! I miss you so much already... but I thank you for fueling me with "SMC Sisterhood Strength" before I left! I love you all so much!

It goes without saying that my mom is the only reason we actually made it out of town. While I took care of the kids and the day-to-day stuff, she did all the hard work. Never in a million years could I have packed our house alone. Never. Likewise, I couldn't have unpacked it alone. She had the kids' rooms unpacked and comfy the first night that we stayed at the house. By the time she left (the Friday after Thanksgiving) the family room and kitchen all looked like home. Thanks, Nana! You ROCK! And, thank you for taking care of so much of the logistics in getting the old house ready to rent out. I truly cannot think of ways to thank and repay you. Certainly, if I had the cash, you'd be sitting at some fancy spa resort being pampered like a movie star!

We CAN'T WAIT to see you next week! We all miss you SO much!

We've had a few little hiccups (or "comedy of errors") along the way, but nothing that can't be fixed and certainly nothing horrible. Not all of our stuff made it on the moving truck. (And, to think that I tried to purge our lives a little... but, still, too much stuff. I need to learn to be a minimalist... and so does John!) So, the moving company will be delivering our overflow next week. It's all "garage stuff" for the most part, so it hasn't been missed much yet and will just need to be organized along with the rest of the stuff that's already in our garage!

We had a huge plumbing overflow (oohhh... fun!) on the first Sunday in the house. I was madly doing laundry and the master bath toilet kept gurgling whenever the washer drained. Eventually, it overflowed. Good times! Then, John went to get some work done (again, because things that require brainpower are difficult to accomplish with the kids awake!) and stepped out the front door into a puddle of sewer... yucky. The flower bed "runneth over," down the driveway and into the street. So pretty. So I spent the rest of the day trying to get in touch with the landlord and then finally just called a plumber as it couldn't wait. Lots of roots in the line... typical of older homes. Reminds us of our first house we bought together... so there's some nostalgia in the stopped-up sewer for us. I guess that's something!

In all, the house is working out great. I have a hard time being a tenant, though, as I've never really done it before. So I keep looking at what I'd change - - how I'd redo the floors, the yard, the kitchen, the baths. And it's really hard for me to remember NOT to do that. I am very happy here, don't get me wrong. It's so nice to be with John again... even if only for five minutes a day when he's working.

The kids are really happy. Gracie took to her new room like a champ and LOVES it. She had NO problem adjusting... a miracle, really. The first night in the house, she knew exactly where to go to bang on the door with her feet and furiously sign "bath time." I was so pleased and so incredibly relieved. Preston, on the otherhand, will NOT sleep in his room unless placed there after having fallen asleep in the family room. My sweet, easy-to-bed-boy, who used to throw me kisses through the slats in his crib before he laid down and closed his eyes, now stands there screaming "NOOOOOOOO, NOOOOOOO, NOOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs, shaking like a leaf and sobbing. He seems genuinely terrified and will not let up the tears. He doesn't get exhausted enough to just lay down and fall asleep. ANY advice on this front is greatly appreciated. I did NOT see this one coming in any way. He used to go down for bed and naps so easily. His new room is much bigger than the old one (same with Gracie's)... perhaps that's too scary for him... a whole wall of shelves for all the toys and books. Not sure. The landlords were kind enough to let us paint the kids' rooms the same color as their old rooms to help with the transition... minus Preston's red accent wall... so things look somewhat familiar.

Advice needed, please! Oh... and should I mention that the terrible two's have set in with a vengeance... more on that, later. (I really don't think the "two's" have anything to do with the sleep issue.)

John is surviving the break-in phase. It's difficult at best and he's not really enjoying it... and that's the intention. It's called "break-in" for a reason. It's not supposed to be fun. I have to hand it to him. He's always required a lot of sleep - - and I mean A LOT! Even when I worked full-time and he worked part-time, I always had the bulk of the night shifts with Gracie because I have learned to survive on very, very little sleep. He learned how to do that a little bit better at the Academy and it seems to have stuck. So, he's balancing the work, the "home work" (all the reports and studying he still needs to do on his own time) and his family really well considering. On his days off, he is all about family time while the kids are awake - - and the kids (and I!) have been loving it! It's so nice to see his face every day! It's even nice to have the ability to be frustrated that he leaves his dirty clothes on the floor two feet from the hamper! I hoped the Academy would have fixed that... can't win 'em all! Ha!

He was on the "swing" shift to start and now has moved to "graveyard" just yesterday. Needless to say, we are all trying to adapt to his new schedule. Thank goodness he can sleep through anything! Now he just needs to figure out exactly when to sleep!

The kids and I have kept exceptionally busy during the days. We have started the marathon of doctor and therapy appointments for Gracie. Fifteen in all (I thought 13 before... but I miscounted!) and the specialists for her "major issues" (not my phrase, a nurse's at school) must all release her prior to the start of school. We can't get in to all of them this month, so she won't be able to start school until sometime in late January. Oh... then there's the school placement. I have toured two programs for her. Both are good, but for very different reasons. This, too, will have to be another post. Let's just say that John and I are weighing all the pros and cons (sites unseen for him) and trying to come up with a decision by the end of the week. I will be talking with two of Gracie's former teachers to get their input, as well.

In the meantime, here are some catch-up photos from the past month!
Let's start with the nostalgia!
On John's last weekend at the old house, we took the kids for a long walk, went to the park and then they each took a "last ride" in the swing that hung in one of our trees in the front yard. That tree was no taller than John the day we moved in. Now it's huge!
(I thought I had emotionally detached myself from the house the day I drove away, but going through these pics made me a little homesick, I must confess. Today, when the kids and I ran an errand, I drove down to the beach for a second and got over it!)

So... how cute are they?!

If you look closely, you can see Gracie signing "swing."

My Camelias were in full bloom, but nothing was as hard to leave behind as this piece of concrete that stopped time with the names of our family as it existed in 2004 when we completely re-did the backyard.

Preston thoroughly enjoys his new backyard... and so does Gracie. Neither seem to miss the old one we worked so hard for!!! :-) This is a good thing! The "things" that matter (or we let ourselves think they do) do not matter at all to the kids. They don't miss the newness of the old house, the meticulously landscaped yards, the hardwood floors (okay... maybe Miss Gracie does for scooting, but not for her traction when trying to sit up against furniture!) or the crown moulding. They just care that we are all together, they have a place to play, a place to be loved on by both their parents. They still get to have a bath every night and share the center of an Oreo (or two) when Mommy gives in. The kids know, regardless of whether they are able to intellectualize it, what really matters and remind us of that all the time!

Greetings from our new nest... our new home!