So long, 2023...

Our first home...

I'm getting surprisingly emotional about leaving the condo tomorrow. I really didn't think I would. I'm not that sentimental and the plan was always to stay here five years and move on, and anyone who knows me well, knows how I love sticking to a plan. But, as the boxes pile higher and the dust bunnies scurry from closets and under beds, I find myself tearing up.

Part of it is we aren't moving on to a new, better home. We're moving to an apartment, that while nice for what it is, isn't something to jump up and down over (um, we seemed to have missed the small detail that there are no bedroom closets). But the real reason for the tight throat and the quickened pulse is this is where Mark and I started our lives together. This is where we brought our daughter home and have raised her for the past 14 months. And, while I don't regret selling and I know we're doing the right thing, I also know the tears are gonna' flow tomorrow when the condo is empty and we drive that great distance of six blocks to enter our new (temporary, please let it be very temporary) place.

Maybe I'm a little sentimental after all... .

Time to move on...

...in more ways than one. The movers will be at our condo bright and early next Saturday to whisk us away to our temporary digs (hopefully very temporary). The following Monday, Miss Elaine will begin her transition from her beloved Koala room at daycare to the Chimp room down the hall. Time to leave the babies and start mingling with the toddlers!

We met with her new head teacher today and checked out the classroom. It's a bit on the snug side, but it does have windows that face the street. Lainey loves her people watching! Instead of a high chair, she'll sit on a tiny chair at a group table for meals; and instead of a crib, she'll sleep on a cot. I would love to be a fly on the wall to see this all transpire that first week (we'll be sticking to the high chair/crib situation at home). We're happy that one of Lainey's Koala teachers just switched to the Chimp room and  hoping this makes the move easier. Our girl has a bit of "stranger danger" these days. When the new teacher started in her classroom it took her four days to not scream and cry and cling to the other teachers when Ms. Tracy came in the room.

And I do hope the transition does go smoothly, because it's going to be a stressful week. On top of the move, I'll be working from 7:30am-8pm Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday (plus a commute to the 'burbs on two of those days.) So, Mark will basically be playing single parent for the week.

All-in-all we're happy she's making the move. She's bored with the babies and needs new stimulation. She's growing up and becoming her own little person, full of personality! But, the time is going too fast. It seems like just yesterday I was taking her little three-month-old self to CLP for the first time. Before I know it, she'll be getting on that school bus. Sniff, sniff!



Look out Chimps...there's a new boss in town!



The Family Dinner...Urban Myth?

Okay, help me out people. Give me some tips. How do I make a family dinner happen during the week? 'Cause it ain't happening around these parts.

At the very earliest, I get home with the Laineybug at 5:45pm, but usually closer to 6pm. If I really stretch her and she's in a particularly good mood, I can hold off feeding her until 6:30pm. Maybe, just maybe, that will be the one night of the week Mark makes it home before 7pm. So, you might be thinking, "hey, 30 minutes is enough to toss a quick meal together." And I agree. Except Lainey has mommy static cling in the evenings and that makes it hard to get much cooking accomplished. I know I could ignore her whines and tugs at my legs and force her to play on her own, but I don't want to. I'm gone from her all day, so if she wants to hang out and play or cuddle with her mom, then that's what we're gonna' do!

Of course play time means sacrifice at meal time. I'm thankful she gets a hot, balanced meal at daycare, because I'm usually throwing whatever I can make quickly with no real thought to a cohesive meal...some mixed veggies here, a slice of cheese there, a fruit cup to top things off. Still hungry? Uh, here have a peanut butter sandwich. She eats a lot of avocado and tofu, because they're easy to dice and toss on her tray before she has a total metldown. I'm feeding her nutritious stuff and try to hit multiple food groups--although I won't lie, there have been nights she's had just cheerios and milk for dinner--but I still feel bad that I haven't planned a "meal." (QUICK TIP: The Safeway brand of multi-grain Os actually have BETTER nutritionals than Cheerios--so go ahead, save a few bucks. But, I'll admit they don't taste as good.)

So, do I just have to make a choice? Either spend quality 1:1 time with Lainey after work or give up that time, so we can dine as a family? I know there's got to be a way to find a balance...I'm just struggling on how to get there.

Pool Time!

So, it only took us two months, but we FINALLY made it over to Holstein Pool on Sunday to give Elaine her first dip in a big pool. Looks like she's a water baby. She absolutely LOVED it! Not an ounce of trepidation or a single whine...except when it was time to leave. We tried taking her over to the baby wading pool for a bit, but she showed no interest and looked completely bored. So, back to the big pool we went. We pulled her around by her arms and let her kick her little legs. She looked ready to take off and do a few laps on her own!

The weather was perfect, the water was warm, and the pool was crowded. It was so nice to have a few hours of relaxing together as a family! Much needed fun for us all.

She doesn't have a silver spoon, but...

...she likes her purple plastic one just fine! We've been working on using a spoon for about a month, but Elaine's really starting to get the hang of it. She did great with her oatmeal and yogurt tonight--she ate almost the whole bowl on her own! Until about a week ago, we couldn't get her to take more than two bites before reaching into the bowl with her hand. (As you can imagine, oatmeal and yogurt don't make great finger foods, but I was always impressed by how much she managed to get in her mouth.) We still have a way to go before she meets Miss Manners' standards for table etiquette, but we're on the right track!

These are from a few weeks back. You can see the progression from spoon to hand...
and perhaps understand why I don't even bother with a bib.