Moving into our New Suburban, American Reality

Since I last wrote a lot has happened. We finished up Samara's half year with Temple Israel, spent lots of time with family and a few friends in Michigan and even Cleveland, packed up and FINALLY left Michigan. We moved our childhood things out of our parents' house. We moved our unused wedding gifts out of our parents' house (I just used my standing mixer for the first time. It was a wedding gift in 2006!!!)...we even took our childhood furniture with us. Boy were our parents happy to see us go (ok - they were sad too, but imagine how much stuff went with us!).

Matt started working the week that I last wrote. He stayed in a serviced apartment in Chinatown and he came back to Detroit a few times to visit us. So far so good - though his work life has been changed drastically by our arrival in Boston.

Six days before we left I had a bit of excitement with Influenza A. Yes, I got the flu shot (we all did). I must have picked it up from my visits to Samara's class - it seemed like everyone in her class had it. I isolated myself for four days and somehow no one else got sick. Thank god for my parents and in-laws. My mom really took charge with the kids, from waking to sleep and everything in between. It's no easy task for a mom...and way more energy for a savta. I rested and focused on getting better in time to fly.

Monday the 15th (the day I got super sick), the movers came to my parents' house and packed everything. They did the same at our storage unit and loaded it all into their truck the next day. Our car also got picked up to go on a big truck all the way here. Friday the 19th we got possession of our rental house and at 8am the moving truck (and Matt) showed up to begin the craziness. The guys were SUPER awesome and helped with things that were well beyond their job description (felt on the bottom of furniture, moving an extra refrigerator to the basement, finding appropriate placements for furniture...). Saturday the 20th Matt was at the house alllllll day trying to find the most important things and get the kids' rooms in workable order for sleeping. Sunday the 21st I flew with the kids - my FIRST time flying alone with kids - can you believe it? I never want to do it again - and Jeremy met us at the airport, flying from Chicago. I am an awful pregnant lady, and I don't want to lift anything or do anything that strains me. That mostly sucks for everyone around me, but thank goodness I have good people around me! We rented a car at the airport, along with car seats, which I hate doing, but ours were in our car...and we didn't know when that would arrive...After Elie christened the house by pooing through his clothes (and Matt's) and then peeing on the floor (all within the first five minutes of arrival) - we were HOME!

Sunday and Monday I did not sit down. Jeremy and I and Matt, when he was not working, were trying to get the downstairs safe for Elie to be Elie, find more critical elements to our life and just make the house liveable. 

Samara transitioned into a big girl bed (I know - it's about time. She was 4 years and nearly 3 months, but I wanted to keep her in there as long as she was happy. She actually probably would be happy to stay, but this was a good transition point). She has a barrier on the edge so she doesn't fall out. She has Frozen sheets. She is in heaven. She LOVES it and has had zero transition issues. She doesn't come out at night, though she does see new shadows which have been scaring her sometimes. In the morning she still waits until her clock turns green and then calls for us. Twice she got out on her own and found me and Elie. She loves her bed and her room and can't get enough.

Elie transitioned from a pack n'play into Samara's crib, and also there were zero issues. He's sleeping like a champ and, other than a few days where he decided he didn't want a morning nap, he's napping better than before. I love that he finally has his own bed and room. He was in our spare room in Singapore and all over the place in Michigan. Also with this one...it was about time. 

The house is fantastic (for a rental...for now...). I absolutely love the location. We're a five minute walk from the train, about 15 minutes from Newton Centre (coffee, good bagels, felafel, ice cream...), seven minutes from Newton Highlands (not sure yet what that has to offer, but we will explore), five minutes from a small playground (but it's a playground) and about 15 minutes from a fantastic playground. If we get in the car we can drive anywhere quickly. There are two Trader Joe's within three miles, a huge grocery store, a Whole Foods, pet store...pretty much everything really close. Our neighborhood is super cute and people seem active and friendly, though we haven't met any neighbors yet. We also live a mile away from some of my favorite cousins - although only one lives there right now. We were able to see them a few times while Jer was in town, and it is such an amazing novelty to live in a place where family lives - I have no idea what it will be like!

The house itself feels about twice the size of our Singapore apartment, though apparently it's only 1.5 times. It has a large living room, nice size dining room, great basement (not finished, but with a carpeted play area for the kids and also a nice storage area), a small kitchen that is better than what I had remembered when I saw it, four bedrooms, a 3 seasons room (it's FREEZING right now but it's a great place for extra toys), a detached garage, nice yard...it's exactly what we needed.

Jeremy stayed for eight days and was INCREDIBLY helpful - carrying stuff, unpacking stuff, organizing stuff and most importantly playing endlessly with the kids. It was so super nice of him to come and help - and when he offered he didn't know that I would be pregnant and slightly useless.

We didn't get out too much, but we ventured to Chinatown on Christmas for dim sum and the North End for Italian food that weekend. Chinatown was much more successful. Both were interesting.

Sunday and Monday I ended up standing too long and something weird was happening with my legs. After calling my OB in Michigan and then the new one here, everyone agreed that I had to go to an urgent care and then get ultrasounds at an ER...so that was a bit inconvenient for me and everyone else involved, but luckily there was nothing majorly wrong. Turns out I will just have ugly legs for the rest of my life (and I have a real appointment with my new OB on Monday so I'll see what she says), but I'll live.

Now that we're sort of unpacked and the holidays have passed, we get to start almost normal life. Sam starts school Monday which will provide a good routine for me and Elie (and Sam). Matt's not loving the commute, but he's surviving. We are totally suburban, boring, American! And I love it!

Next on the agenda is meeting people, finding gymnastics and Chinese for Sam, music class for Elie and getting to know the area. I have about four months before I'm a whale, so I need to take advantage and get out there (assuming my legs work!). Off we go...