bits & pieces

Well, we are now completely moved. Kyle and I turned in our keys to Archstone yesterday and said our goodbyes. ...I did wake up this morning wondering if I might have left something in the dishwasher - but I suppose it's too late now.

We are about halfway unpacked at the new place. I've learned that whatever you don't unpack within the first week, may never get unpacked. However, this is also my first time with a baby, so I'm giving myself 2 weeks to have everything in order. Whatever is still in boxes after two weeks is obviously not that important.

Abby has done beautifully with the move. She made the transition with no fuss and seems to like her new room pretty well...which was the first thing that was completed. I was determined to give her a sense of normalcy and had 95% of the nursery done the first night. Sometimes in the mornings, she seems to take longer looking around at things - but all in all she's been a pretty happy kid.

...which is even more amazing when you consider that while we were busy moving, she was cutting her third tooth. I saw it while we were hanging her upside down and tickling her. So, Miss Abby has her 1st top tooth. I kinda hope its neighbor comes through soon...3 teeth looks a little hillbillyish, y'know?

Things about the new place.

We have a spider that lives outside above one of the windows. We call her Charlotte because we weren't feeling creative. She keeps to herself, and I find that I don't mind her being there...as long as I know that's where she is. The day that she's gone, I'm gonna get real paranoid, she's not small.

Something I've never experienced is living in a really old house. Our place is really old - but its been remodeled and updated fairly recently. This means that we have central air and carpet - but it also means that very few things are flat. The floors slope this way or that way ever so slightly - the walls and ceilings aren't quite straight and the fridge has tiny wooden blocks under it to keep it level. The kitchen is the only really noticeable spot - there is a slope in the kitchen floor. It doesn't bother me much, but it is something new. Slopes and creaks too - I'm still learning where the squeaky spots are so I can avoid them when Abs is sleeping. Old houses, mmmm.

When it rains, we can hear it now. Living in a high-rise apartment building means that you don't have a roof - and you can't hear the rain. But now, we do - and we can.

We can't hear the trains at night anymore, instead we hear crickets.

There are so many windows. I love the natural light.

Last night we went out to a 50s diner for dinner - its about a 10 min walk from our house, but we drove because it was raining. Anyway - I love these types of places. With soda jerks and ice cream fountains... and all the right mix of authentic and trendy 50s decor. They had a house magician and the food was great. Abby had a lovely dinner of bananas and sweet potatoes there. There are also 3 very popular ice cream places within that 10 min walk from our house...dangerous.

I've decided to make an effort to take Abby on more walks - now that we have a neighborhood, with nice sidewalks.

Kyle met the downstair neighbors, who seem really nice. They have an 11 year old son who told Kyle "Yeah, this is pretty much the coolest neighborhood to live in" lol. I'm hoping he'll come play wii with us sometime.

the people across the street have a baby - I can hear him crying when they leave their windows open.

I guess thats it for now - I'm glad the moving part is over. Now just to get settled.

Here's a short video of Abby at dinner last night (at the diner) Nothing particularly special about the video - just Abby being silly and making me smile. Enjoy.