New House

It's been FIVE months since I have written a blog post. I don't think I have ever gone that long without posting. I guess it's because life just goes now - it's not new and exciting. There are very few adventures. Day to day life now doesn't include monthly trips to random fun Asian countries/cities. It doesn't include new baby experiences. I'm not having a lot of revelations about life in general...I will eventually write a post about surviving a year (almost!) with three kids 5.5 and under, but not yet. I'm still collecting my thoughts.

In the meantime, since December, we have traveled VERY little - really only to Michigan a few times and one trip to San Francisco. Sam registered for kindergarten in March. Sam and Elie continue to LOVE school (Temple Shalom in West Newton), we had a few weeks of all being sick with high fevers for five days, each. I started running again (usually with a kid or two in a B.O.B.). We have had a lot of low-key weekends. It's HARD to do more than one thing each day. Sam started soccer with other kids from her school for next year.

Samara is now 5.5. She turned into a big kid. She likes to read small words. She's figuring out everything and how it all works. She still loves to ride her two wheeler, she is working on her hand stand. She can flip over a bar. She does the fire pole on the playground and also the monkey bars. She has a couple of friends at school that she is obsessed with and loves to play with. She has an incredibly vivid imagination. She is also a fantastic big sister - she helps so much with both, teaching Elie how to do everything and helping them each get what they need. She makes Koby happy before I even realize he's unhappy.

Elie is 2.5 and also seems to have turned into a big kid. He does not stop talking - telling stories about everything - true and not so true. He is particularly obsessed with diving and knows the names of all of the gear and many of the fish. He knows what you need to do to set up your diving equipment and how it all works (quiz him - you won't believe it). He still LOVES his guitar. He is stuck on Purim and very stuck on the story - particularly the Haman part. When asked what his name is, he may or may not say, "Haman." He eats so much fruit, I can't believe he only poops five times a day. He started riding his bike with training wheels.

Koby will be one soon, and he's still a super easy baby. He is so happy to be sitting. Or playing. Or hanging out in a stroller. Or whatever. He's just so chill. He went through a few months when he didn't like other people (other than me), but he's over that now, and he waves, blows kisses, smiles left and right and has a lot of babble to say. He seems to say, "da-da" and maybe "hi." He doesn't quite crawl, but he finally scoots and gets around the floor. He still doesn't really flip over. He likes to stand up on things. He eats lots of purees and picks up some foods on his own. He still doesn't sleep, but we talked to a sleep consultant last week, and it's actually getting better (knock on wood...). We're working on sleeping from 7:15-3:30 and then again for a few hours. Last week he was waking to eat at 1 and 4 - at ELEVEN MONTHS. And when he "cried it out" he cried for HOURS per night, for at least 5 days at a time (so I was advised to stop each time). I can't wait to stop going to sleep at 8:30 pm. Matt waits for that time too.

Oh - and we bought a house. I guess we're staying here for a while.

We started looking at houses at the beginning of March. I looked in my emails each day to see what came on line. There were a few that looked interesting. I sent Matt to this one house in Chestnut Hill (kinda a snobby area) just so he could see what kind of house I liked - though I didn't like the neighborhood. He went to see the house and he hated it. He came home so mad he couldn't even talk to me. He just went for a run. And he saw a sign in our neighborhood for an Open House. He went there, and he saw it was 4 bedrooms. He toured it and said, "this is it. We want this house." He ran home and said, "go right now - they're closing. I think we want this house." I hadn't even seen it on my emails, because it was super under-priced in order to create a bidding war. I went at 3pm. I ran through it as they were closing up. Looked great. "Bids are due by 8pm - and I already have five," said the agent as I walked out. Awesome. We called our next door neighbor, Sandra, who is a well known agent in this area. We said "What do we do? We want this house. We are not pre-approved for a mortgage. Bids are due in about 4.5 hours." She told us whom to call and what to do. We did it. Bid went in. LET THE STRESS BEGIN! Koby had an ear infection. Koby was puking. Elie was sick. Sam had just gotten over a fever. Aaaaaahhhhh!!!

There were 19 bids. We waived all contingencies. We made a high bid. It was accepted. We couldn't believe it. We were so excited for a minute. Then...Shit!!! WHAT DID WE DO!!!??? We waived our contingencies!?!?! We were buying a house built in 1939 with no inspection!?!? Our agent had said we could get an inspector to come in before we signed the purchase and sales agreement, just informally, and not negotiate based on the inspection, but we could walk away if we saw too much bad stuff. But the sellers would not let us in with an inspector. They did let me go in with a builder/contractor. He said there were a few things that he worried about - but not major damage. And all houses here have SOMETHING. So we ended up putting a heck of a lot of money down with the purchase and sales agreement without an inspection. Then I got the fever and got super sick. Koby continued to be sick. Stressful. Then we got an inspector in. There were a few things, but nothing that major. PHEW!!!!! We closed yesterday. We own a house!

It's a 1939 colonial, a few streets from ours. It's exactly the same layout downstairs as our house, except it has an addition of a family room, an eat-in kitchen (and updated kitchen) and a master bedroom and bathroom upstairs. It's on a dead end street with three houses on the street. It's across the street from a field with about six soccer fields, four tennis courts and a playground. It's a six minute walk to Newton Centre T and Peet's Coffee (critical), plus the rest of the shops and restaurants in Newton Centre. It's still walk-able to Nancy's and our favorite playground in Newton Highlands, but we did add about 8 minutes to each of those. Let the fun begin!!!

Oh - can someone teach me:
How do we make grass in the back yard? What do we need to do to our yard? We have a whole back corner that looks like a mess of vines. I need help!
What do we need to do to the house on what basis? Like what kind of maintenance?
What else do we need to know about owning a house!?

Koby and Grandma in Florida in December

Hanukkah in Florida with Grandma, Grandpa, Savta, Papa and Jeremy

Happy New Years 2016! Doesn't get more exciting than this...

Cute.

Super mild winter. Cute kids in sled.

Sam ice skated for the first (and second and third) time!

Koby sleeps like this. Honest!!

Elie and Uncle Dan in N. California

With Bubbie and Zaydie on the cable car in San Francisco

Saying goodbye to Sadie, our cousin-dog :(

Half Moon Bay

I voted in the primaries! With three little kids (and one had a feb. It was so hard. But I got there!

The kid clearly lacks personality

Samara's self portrait

Shabbat in Elie's school when he was the ozer (helper)

Daddy was in Asia, so Savta came to shabbat in Elie's class

Monkey!

Worst photo ever taken. He thought he was smiling

Such a happy dude

Elie gets his teeth checked for the first time

Tile shopping couldn't be more fun.

Koby and our neighbor-dog, Tenzing

Elie had a tea party with his friends and brother. At like 6:20 am

Here's the house! Before photos...

Living room (to the right of entry)

Family room (behind living room)

Eat-in kitchen area

Dining room

This will be an extra bedroom/office/guest room

Sam and Elie will sleep in this big one

Koby gets the purple one

Matt's working on re-doing this bathroom

I'm not confident we can fill all of this space.

Master bedroom

Florida in Dec w Savta - too tired to move this one

Florida in Dec

Sad State of Fashion Affairs

I have never been into fashion. I have never had a good fashion sense. But I have tried to look a little nice in the past. I had fun socks. I have played around with scarves, and occasionally jewelry (mostly earrings). I also enjoyed a few different types of shoes.

Now it's all different. I need:
- To never think about what is on my body
- To be covered completely (tricky areas seem to be belly, butt crack and breasts, while breastfeeding all the time)
- To be so completely comfortable

This means that I have worn either flip flops or sneakers nearly every day for the last year or so (other than during the crazy snow time, when I wore boots exclusively). I need to be able to slip on and off my shoes. I have no time to tie them or zip them or buckle them. Plus I usually am carrying a child or two. Who has two hands to put on shoes? Even my Danskos are taking my mental space, since they aren't tightly fitting.

When I got back to the US I couldn't believe the black pants / yoga pants / leggings phenomenon. It may be present in Singapore, but I was too hot to ever wear anything more than shorts/skirts, so if it was there, I didn't notice it. I couldn't believe how nearly everyone here (West Bloomfield area / Newton area...) wore black pants, nearly everyday. Now I totally get it. They cover the butt crack. They are so comfortable. You can even spot wash them when you get puked on or yogurted during the day. Magical. I only have one pair, though, so I have to space out wearing them. My days of wearing pants a few times without washing them are over (for now).

My two pairs of jeans and two pairs of pants (they both happen to be navy) are all mostly comfortable, but they are low fitting, and they do not hide my bottom (perhaps the bottom has grown - but that's for another day...). Somehow I need to find some new pants that are comfortable, not sweat-pants-ish and do not ride down...This is an immediate concern. In the meantime I can usually tuck in a tank top and pull up my pants as much as possible.

Nursing tank tops are life savers. If you have to nurse in public all day long, at least your belly is covered. That helps a little bit.

I need to layer. If I'm hot, I need to shed a layer. I have zero patience to be hot for more than a minute. I don't have time to nicely take something off and put it somewhere where it can sit nicely. The extra layer has to be a fleece or zip up or something easy.

Tie strings around hoods are insanely annoying right now - Koby ends up trying to nurse from them, they dip into dirty diapers, baths, dinner...no good at all.

All this to say that nearly everyday I wear the same thing:
Some plain shirt - long sleeved or short sleeved
A nursing tank top
A fleece or hoodie
A pair of pants
A super comfy pair of running socks
Sneakers
I haven't changed my jewelry in over a year.

How boring.

I know my limits - but we can still get out a little

Three kids who are so young and cannot wipe their own asses is hard. Much of the time (M, T, W, Th 9-1 and F 9-12) Samara is in school. Some of the time (M, W 9-1, F 9-12) Samara and Elie are in school. Some of the time they're all sleeping (usually 1:30 - 3 these days). All of the rest of the time I have them all, usually all awake.

If everyone is happy and nothing is wrong, and everyone is listening to me, we could go anywhere! We could go shoe shopping, because I could work with one at a time and the other two would wait patiently. We could go to any playground, because when someone is doing something dangerous, or running away, they would stop when I said stop. We could go to a playdate anywhere, because they would all play nicely and safely. But...the reality is that someone is often unhappy, or shy, or needs a little extra something, and we can't go anywhere. We can go to very few places, actually, and we have to have certain things with us in order to do it.

We can go to a few gated playgrounds (Larz Anderson and Newton Highlands are my favorite). We can go to the Farmers' Market - and we have gone, nearly every week since August. We can go on a walk if I have a double stroller and also bring a scooter. Sam and Elie usually take turns on the scooter. Though Samara can (and DID!) hike 4 miles in one day, she sometimes craps out when we're on a walk, and when I have a 2 year old and a baby - I literally CANNOT carry her or help her. I need her to figure it out. But...sometimes Elie is happy to scoot, and she can ride in the stroller. We can go to someone's house for a playdate if their house is completely Elie-Safe and if they don't mind open nursing. We cannot really go out for meals (kill me now). We definitely cannot run errands (I took a babysitter with me shoe shopping for the kids, and even that was SO hard!). I can do anything if I have 2 of the 3 - as long as those two are not Elie and Koby at the same time. Otherwise, I know my limits.

And when I leave the house I always have: a water bottle for Elie, Samara and myself, 5 diapers for the baby and 4 diapers for Elie, wipes, 2 plastic bags (one for dirty clothes and one for a dirty diaper), hand sanitizer, change mat, extra clothes for Koby (extra clothes for the other two are in the back of the minivan at all times), tissues, emergency snack - usually bars, sometimes cereal or fruit, a baby carrier (hoping to get Koby in the Ergo. He has been too small so far, so we have been using the sling and Moby), stickers or some other entertainment book in case of being stuck somewhere, my wallet, my phone, sunglasses and any weather-related necessities.

This is from the Farmers' Market yesterday. There is a booth for Green Newton, and the woman, Margaret (dressed as the devil here) runs the booth and is FANTASTIC with kids. She always has something fun to show them - caterpillars, dead beetles, cocoons, butterflies you can make out of folding paper...SO MANY THINGS. We usually play at her booth for a long while, then we take balls and play up at the basketball courts. In the middle we try to buy some veggies and fruit.

Today the kids didn't have school, as it was a professional development day for the teachers. (Next week will be our first full week of school, though last week was our fault as we were traveling on Friday. It's November next week. That's crazy). Many of the kids from school went to this trampoline park where the kids get to jump and bounce around. Though I haven't been to this specific one, these are the types of places where you really have to be an active parent and help your kid if they need it (or if your kid is jumping on someone's head, and perhaps that kid needs your help). I KNOW that if I went there and I had to nurse the baby, or if he had a pooplosion, or if someone needed to go to the bathroom, or if someone was feeling shy and didn't want to participate...or...or...or...I would find it super stressful and not enjoyable. 

So instead of joining the rest, the kids and I went to Drumlin Farm. We have been to this farm countless times since May, and we absolutely love it. I haven't yet gone with all kids alone, but also I didn't have a stroller Koby could be in, so I was always stuck wearing him. Changing Elie's diaper or helping Elie at all while wearing Koby is not easy, so I had always gone with a babysitter, family member, or some other adult. Koby FINALLY fits in all of our strollers, and he could stay all bundled up like a burrito while the other kids had a great time at the farm. And it was so super fun. We DID have a pooplosion. We DID have a few times where someone was grumpy or cold, or whatever, but being in a safe place where the kids can run around and I don't have to watch every second, and also being able to put everything down into a stroller made it so that we could cope with each moment and even have a great time.

Today at the farm

I forgot Elie's coat at home, so I gave him my fleece, and he was somehow fine (though he did have a full set of long underwear on). We just rolled up the sleeves...

The Berkshires

We just got back from a fun, long weekend in the Berkshires. I had always heard of these Berkshires, and I visited Camp Ramah in the Berkshires for a day...but I had never been to Western Mass and not really explored the Berkshires.

My parents flew in on Thursday night, and they spent the night at Nancy's, right near by. At 7:15, while we were all upstairs and the kids were just thinking about getting out of bed, the front door opened, and in they came. My dad rushed up the stairs to get onto his hands and knees and crawl into Elie's room to surprise him as a "horse." Phew - I didn't have to watch two of my kids for the rest of the weekend. We got the car packed up, and by 9 we were on the road...

Gotta love that minivan. We all fit (SEVEN PEOPLE!), plus all of our stuff, a stroller, ice chest and food for the weekend...and it wasn't even squishy (says the lady who sat in the front the whole time...maybe I should ask my parents...).

First stop was near Amherst, at the Eric Carle Museum. It was pretty cool to see so much of his beautiful art and be introduced to so many books that we had never even heard of. We had a great time exploring the museum and doing crafts.

After the museum we went to Northampton and had a fantastic lunch/brunch at Jake's. We walked all around - including all over Smith's campus. Elie had a nap in the stroller and Sam was a champ and walked the whole way. We then hopped back in the car and drove north to the place we were staying, just outside of Sheburne Falls. 

After we got the baby down for a nap (and Matt too), the rest of us went to town to the Farmer's Market. There were two stalls of veggies, a few other random stalls plus a tuba and guitar (and harmonica at the same time) player. The music was the highlight. We grabbed a few veggies and went home to make a simple dinner. Sam and Elie were sleeping in the same room, and we had made the mistake in New Hampshire of putting them to bed at the same time. We had to get Elie to bed by 7, so Sam could go to bed after, but not too late. It worked. All slept well.

When I came out of bed, the kids couldn't even stop reading for a second to say hello to me. They love their Savta.

We got up and out around 9 to a hike called High Ledges, up the mountain behind where we were staying. The hike was basically a mile out to this amazing look out (at high ledges...) and then back. The kids enjoyed a short additional hike with my parents on a more strenuous path with some elevation while I was feeding the baby. The leaves were BEAUTIFUL, and the sky was beautiful (it was cloudy after this for the rest of the weekend).

Elie probably hiked for about 30% of it

Pretty, no?

Bamba is the hiking snack of choice in our family

After the hike, we drove back down the mountain to Gould's Sugar House, which had the best pancakes I have EVER had. No joke. They make their own syrup too (we bought some - even that was so good). We all loved it.

After lunch we drove for a while so Elie could have a nap. We drove out to North Adams, which looked kinda cute, but we didn't get out, other than for a cup of coffee. We drove through Williamstown and Williams College. It was absolutely beautiful. Elie was still sleeping so we stayed in the car. Then we did a hike to Sunset Rock, just outside of North Adams. It was beautiful, but it started to get cold - mid-30s, and no sun. Kids were champs.

I turned Koby around, and he was loving the leaves too.

This was the first hike - so pretty!

We went to grab dinner back in Shelburne Falls, but the one good restaurant had a hour and 45 minute wait (at 5:30!!!). So we got pizza and went back for the same bedtime situation as the night before - first Elie and then Sam.

Matt and I killed my parents at Euchre - BOTH nights.

Sunday it was rainy and cold. We took it easy at the place we were staying (The Kerry Lea House on Air bnb - I SOOOO recommend it!), and we left at 11. Matt and the kids wanted to do this corn maze, so they did that, and we grabbed a quick lunch in Charlemont, near the maze. Then we drove alllllll the way back to Newton, driving through Concord on the way.

Overall, it was a super trip - beautiful to see the amazing colors. Nice to have my parents around. Felt like a real holiday, even though it was barely two days!

The Best Toys

My kids are super good at playing. They play alone. They play together. They play with strangers. They play with me or Matt. They even play with my parents on Facetime (see my previous post). They pretty much want to play all day long - with anyone who will engage. That might be normal. I don't know - these are my only kids.

If you're ever looking to get gifts for kids around my kids' ages, these are the toys that come out EVERY SINGLE day and are our favorites:

Magnatiles - these are the ULTIMATE. They were a hand-me-down from the Intraters (could we get any luckier!?). They come out nearly every day, and they're fun for adults too. They're outrageously expensive. Not sure how to get around that...

Medical Kit - We have this one from the Early Learning Centre (not sure if it's available in the US), but the kids are obsessed. It's the first thing to come off the shelf in the morning. By either kid.

Table and chairs - I bought this table and chairs from another mom in Newton (cheap!), and I put it in our "cold room" (uninsulated room off the living room), and it has changed a lot of the way the kids play. I put a whole bunch of (mostly) safe craft materials (stickers, crayons, hole punch, paper, activity books, etc.) in a cheap IKEA storage cabinet, and now they pick out things to do and sit at the table and do them. This happens multiple times a day as well. I think they like the independence of having it in a room that I can't quite see, and they can do it all themselves.

Kitchen - We originally got a hand-me-down kitchen from the Sehgals in Singapore. We LOVED this one and have nearly used it to death, but it's somehow still alive and kicking. It went in Samara's room until we moved here, and it was in the living room. That one has migrated to the basement, and the kids just got a super fancy one from my brother for all of their birthdays this year. The kitchen is also used alllllll the time. And one toy in the kitchen in particular - the eggs.

Eggs - These eggs, by TOMY are surprisingly fun for all ages. They are a super favorite and have occupied my children for days, if you were to add it all up. (Also a hand-me-down from the Sehgals). They're simple for babies to put the eggs together or try to get them into the carton. Then for older kids you can match the eyes, shapes, etc. It just keeps growing with them. Who knew?!

Doll stroller - Also a hand-me-down from the Intraters...(see a theme here?), this stroller carries someone somewhere each day. It is on its last leg and bent all over the place and probably a danger to any child coming near it...but it's incredibly fun for the kids. Every day.

This random Minnie Mouse thing that my friend Kirsten gave Sam for her fourth birthday is a surprising favorite. I totally don't get the major appeal, but they both love it.

Shabbat Set - my mom got this for Sam, and it's Shabbat everyday in our house. Total favorite.

Dress up - We got an amazing set of hand-me-down dress up clothes from the Intraters (also some included that had originally been the Sehgals). They include little girl dress up clothes from all over Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, India, etc.) plus a bunch of great halloween costumes. This has been AMAZING for Sam. Whoever gets it after us is super lucky. It's kinda a priceless collection, and Sam LOVES it.

Pretend play - Samara would have loved to have a big doll house. They do have a barn that my in-laws just got for Elie, and that's becoming a favorite as well as some of these Playmobil sets (we have the vet set and the hospital - both from Jeremy). Little characters who can do stuff in different places are fun.

Baby toys - my kids favorites:
This face thing was Samara's and is Koby's all-time favorite thing to look at and grab. I think we got this as a hand-me-down from Francesca and Bernard.
Sophie. It's so expensive and seems like a silly dog toy, but they love it. (I love this article about it).
This giraffe is also a super favorite, though ours is a bit different (seems to be not made anymore).
This book (we have the woodland animals and cats) with tails. They love it! This brand is fantastic.

Finally...there is a horse that sings and walks. This actually my kids' all-time favorite toy. My in-laws brought it back from Texas. I hate it. It's so noisy. I don't do noisy toys. They all get lost (oops). Or their batteries die and they don't get replaced (I'll do it tomorrow). Or they find themselves in the basement (how did they get there?). This one has dead batteries, but they still try. Nearly everyday. They love this horse. Oy.

Maximizing Free Babysitting

We moved to the US, but we didn't move to Michigan, where all FOUR of our healthy grandparents are. Ok - actually not our grandparents, but the kids' grandparents. Having three littles who need help:

• Getting any food
• Getting any drink
• Ensuring proper hand washing and teeth brushing (though Samara usually does it on her own - perhaps not well...)
• Cleaning up everything
• 2/3 need diaper changes
• 2/3 need help getting dressed

It means that I wish I were an octopus. But I'm not. So my kids are sometimes alone eating a meal (in a high chair, strapped in, and at a little table), or they're sometimes alone playing in the living room. I literally cannot bring everyone upstairs to get the baby and change his diaper or put clothes on him. I cannot watch the kids while I prepare a meal (though I do very simple things and a lot of extra cooking, freezing and defrosting). I just can't do everything I need to do with them.

Enter grandparents. Remember - grandparents are in Michigan. We are in Massachusetts. My parents and in-laws babysite on Facetime.

Every morning we wake up around 7, get dressed and come down. Samara knows she can call my mom once it's 7:15. She will never get the code to the ipod, but once I enable it, she can decide whom she wants to call and pull the trigger. She calls my parents nearly every morning at 7:15. They catch up on what's going on. My dad does games where he teachers her numbers, playing cards, they play "the circle game" which they made up, showing something SUPER close to the camera and Sam has to guess what it is. They read books. They sing songs. They are way entertaining. Sometimes I call it the Papa and Savta show. While my parents are talking to them, they can get the million questions (4 year old and 2 year old mean a LOT of questions and ongoing dialogue that is exhausting even for this crazy extrovert), and I can make my coffee, prepare breakfasts, make lunches, do dishes, etc. My in-laws are also fantastic Facetimers, and the kids love calling them too.

I put laundry in the dryer and my mom reads books to the kids. I can go to the bathroom and my dad does math with Samara. I go get the baby and my in-laws are in the middle of a puppet show when I come back. It's amazing. Sometimes they even give me a warning that I need to step back in. "Mel - Elie is done eating." "We don't stand on the couch." From afar, they help me take care of my kids. It is SO SUPER HELPFUL.

Unrelated photos.

Kobs!

Happy in the park

Sam's new birthday bike from us, Matt's parents and my grandparents.

Apple picking

All 3 kids! Don't drop that baby...

Snack in the sukkah with friends from school

better view of the sukkah

Elie harvested this carrot!

Shake that lulav and etrog

Samara having a secret meeting, harvesting dried beans out of green beans with her buddy, Ele