I Won't Miss...

It's rare these days that I say "what I really won't miss about living here is x" as I've been feeling so emotional about the move. However, as I started winding down last night, I thought of two things I definitely will NOT miss about our current home. They are as follows:

Rolling the dishwasher over to the sink, connecting the hose to the faucet, plugging the dishwasher into the socket, and hoping I don't need to get water or get into the fridge for the next 90 minutes.

AND...

Cramming into tiny space in the bathroom to give Jack his bath. Really, neither Mick nor I can kneel at the tub side without splaying our legs out to the side. There just isn't enough room between the tub and the cabinet for long legs. When I was pregnant (like in the 9th month) I had to actually LIFT my belly over the sink to get in and out of the bathroom.

So yeah, there will be some really nice things about leaving Arlington!

Discovery

How is it that, after driving past this place hundreds of times in the last four years did it not occur to me, until today (one week before moving), to take Jack here? It's just a half mile away and I went many times in the past to watch Mick coach his kids' soccer team, yet I somehow never realized Jack would enjoy it.

On a walk this afternoon though, I decided to stop so he could watch. He was captivated! I only had my phone with me (no camera) so the pictures aren't fantastic, but you get the gist. (I loved that there was a girl at the skate park; we watched her for a long time!)

There was also a really cool children's rain garden that apparently is only working during the summer. This doesn't really make sense to me. I mean, it's a rain garden so shouldn't it work after every rain? Although it was bone dry today, I saw an old-fashioned pump and figured if I could use the lever to generate enough pressure, groundwater would eventually spill out of the pump and make its way down the water troughs. Of course, the pump was really squeaky and so I generated a lot of quizzical stares. Eventually one of the employees came over and told me the pump didn't work (?) and that he thinks "they turned it off for the season (?). I thanked him for informing me as I could have easily seen myself pumping away for another 20 minutes ("there's got to be water in her somewhere!") before giving up. Oh well, it would have been cool...

Exhaustion

We were all beat after our weekend closing on the house in Michigan, as is obvious from this picture taken on the flight from Detroit to Virginia. I should have included this picture with the previous post but it was on my phone & I just uploaded it.

Sold!

We did it! On Friday, Mick and I became proud first-time home buyers! With the help of my cousin & her husband (who have graciously hosted us the last three times we have gone to Ann Arbor for house-hunting/buying) and of my parents (who watched Jack during closing & helped us clean & child-proof the house once we had keys in hand) we were able to sail through the closing process without any trouble! Thankfully, it went nothing like my dream (see previous post).

Jack absolutely loves all of the space in the new house. It has an open floor plan so he's able to do circles around and around and around and through all of the rooms. Here he is helping me to wash the floor.


We've got just one week left in Northern Virginia and, in addition to packing, we are trying to get in as many fall activities and visits with friends as possible. We hosted a BBQ for friends two weekends ago and had brunch with friends in Bethesda (Emma & Claire were flower girls in our wedding).

Jerry, Emma, and Claire Sorkin (Lisa as photographer)

Since we weren't able to go with the rest of our playgroup to Cox Farms, Jack and I instead enjoyed a visit there early last week with our friends Lee & Iain. This place was incredible: hayride, corn maze, petting zoos (Jack fell straight onto a pile of goat dropping and when I picked him up he had hay and poo stuck to his mouth - I almost vomited but he just grinned at me), giant slides (we went down together, riding on a burlap sack), apple cider, play areas, live music, etc. It was fantastic fun... and so much easier now that Jack's walking!

Enjoying the Farm

Jack and Iain (Jack was fascinated by the cows!)

Crazy Guy

Our next post will likely be from Ann Arbor as we've got our hands full with packing, cleaning, and more packing! Stay tuned...

Dream Home

Buying a house/moving is one of life's major stressful events. I know this firsthand. After we put the offer in on our new house, I spent about two weeks tossing and turning, unable to get a good night's sleep. And my left eye keeps flaring up a bright red color, a stress sign that I seem to have inherited from my dad.

I'd been feeling pretty lucky though that I hadn't been having wacky dreams about the new house. It's not uncommon for me to remember extremely detailed dreams I have in the middle of the night and then to be able to recount them, bit-by-bit, upon waking.

Just two days away from closing on our house, I guess my subconscious got the best of me last night as it threw me a bizarre dream. In it, Mick and I showed up late to the walk-through of the house (which we're doing right before closing). The reason we were late is because our agent was trying to switch from her spring purse to her fall purse, but she couldn't find the fall one anywhere.

When we got to the house, the seller's agent was there... and he had MOVED IN! There was furniture everywhere, most of which was in bad shape. And the things that were staying with the house - kitchen cabinets, walls, etc. - were beaten up pretty badly. Wood was splitting, plaster and paint were peeling off the walls, floors were scuffed, and carpets were stained. Oh, and there was a half-eaten casserole dish of ziti on the kitchen counter; the agent claimed he hadn't had time to put last night's dinner away.

I immediately went crazy. I was screaming at the guy, asking what he was thinking to have moved in to a house he didn't own. I told our agent there was no way we were going to closing with the house in this condition. I mean, it looked as bad as some of the foreclosures we saw and did not at all resemble the house that Mick and I loved back in August. As is typical of our relationship, Mick was the calm one in the dream, saying he was sure we'd get it all sorted out. He really didn't want to let go of that house, regardless of its condition.

I kept looking at the clock trying to figure out where my dad was (he's planning to come down to wrangle Jack for us while we do the closing at the bank) as it was past time for him to arrive. I figured he'd know how to deal with the situation... he has bought and sold enough houses to have contended with weird situations, right? Eventually, I saw him rounding the corner but he had brought my entire family with him. I again got upset, saying I just needed him to come in to help but before I knew it my brothers were piling out of the car with more food and some tables which they proceeded to set up inside the house. When I reentered the house, again attempting to talk Mick out of going through with the closing, there was an actual feast in the center of the house. I don't recall recognizing many of the people who were there but it was probably about 40 people or so! Still, I was the only one who was upset about the situation. Everyone else was talking, eating, laughing, etc.

I woke up not long after the feast. The sense of relief that washed over me when I realized it was just a dream was tremendous! I'm sure there are all sorts of meanings that can be found in this dream, but I'm just going to take away the lesson of remaining calm and taking Mick's "everything will work out" lead.

Hanging Out... And Taking Deep Breaths

We have spent the last few weeks getting ready for the move. There are finances to get in line, insurance to set up, contingencies to resolve, boxes to pack, etc. My mom was gracious enough to come out for a week so she could help me pack. Of course, the day she arrived was the day Jack decided to exhibit the apparent dark side of his personality. I think he's cutting molars; he's been a bit like Jekyll and Hyde: playing happily (crazily!) one minute and hysterically screaming and wanting to be held the next. So my mom's time here was primarily spent cuddling Jack and keeping him happy... the perfect job for a grandparent. However, we did have some fun together, particularly visiting a children's shoe store and buying Jack his first real pair of shoes; of course, we went for ice cream afterwards to celebrate!

Jack woke up this morning with a cough that sounded pretty rough and he was wheezing. I'd been reluctant to take him in to the doctor over the last week or so because I was sure his "symptoms" (runny nose and fussiness) were due to the teething. However, I draw the line at respiratory distress. The doctor lifted Jack's shirt to listen to his chest and said "oh, you can see his chest caving in when he breathes. Yep, he's definitely struggling." So that made me feel like mom-of-the-year.

Because Jack sounded so bad, the doctor required that we get a breathing treatment while in the office and then that we buy a nebulizer machine to give Jack four more breathing treatments at home. I can't really describe how awful it is to give Jack these treatments. Suffice it to say that I've cried after both. Although we're just lightly holding a mask to his face, he acts as if we are torturing him. He pleads with his eyes for me to stop. But I can't explain to him that this will make him feel better. Ugh, it's awful. And it lasts for 10 minutes each time. We are going to see the doctor again tomorrow moring to see if there's improvement with his breathing. I sure hope we get a good report. (As an aside, his general demeanor and activity level are completely normal. He was a wild man tonight - racing around the living room, throwing himself at us for "hugs", laughing like crazy. Of course, this made his breathing even worse as he was working himself up so much, but try telling an energetic 13-month-old to sit down and read a book.)

This past weekend was very special for us. Some friends of mine (moms I met last year in playgroup) spontaneously planned a trip to New York City and invited me along. I've been dying to return to NYC for the last few months; my last visit there was for our friends' wedding in June 2008 when I was eight-months pregnant. I told them "yes!, I'll go!" as I could not wait to experience the city and let Mick have a weekend alone with Jack. But when I woke up on October 1, I sort of had a meltdown. I realized I had so little time left here and didn't want to spend my only free weekend away. So, I changed my mind and said I wanted to stay here. I didn't think I'd be able to relax and have fun while thinking about everything needing to be done here. Further, Mick and I have a long list of places that are special to us that we want to visit before we head back to the midwest.

We had gorgeous weather on both Saturday and Sunday and ended up doing quite a few fun activities. On Saturday, we went to Gravelly Point and watched the planes land and take off from National airport. We also went to Arrowine to buy a few bottles of wine for the evening.

Video of Plane Landing at National Airport

On Way to Arrowine

On Sunday, we spent a big part of the day at the National Arboretum, which is, hands down, one of my absolute favorite places in DC. Although it's off the beaten trail (which is part of why I love it) it will always have a special place in my heart. It's an oasis of beautiful trees, flowers, and plants in the middle of a busy city. And it's the place Mick proposed to me six years ago. We had a picnic there and walked and relaxed. It was another bittersweet experience for me.

The Bench Where Mick Proposed

Columns at the Arboretum

Family Photo - Arboretum

On Monday, Jack and I met up with friends at Arlington National Cemetery. We took our kids for a long walk and stopped at the Kennedy gravesites (JFK, Robert, and Teddy). I was surprised to learn that JFK and Jackie had two babies who died: a daughter was stillborn and then a son only lived two days. I couldn't stop thinking about how Jackie survived the loss of a son in August 1963 and then her husband's assassination three months later. We also went to the tomb of the unknown soldier and both babies were transfixed by the guard's march (though Jack jumped every time the soldier handled his gun).

A few weeks ago, we met up with friends and spent the afternoon at the National Museum of Natural History. Jack was actually much more intrigued than I thought he'd be (he sort of seemed to prefer the museum to the zoo... maybe because museum animals don't move and hide in foilage?). We went to the butterfly exhibit and were transfixed by all of the beautiful colors (I tried not to step on anything that had landed on the floor).

Butterfly Exhibit

Dinosaurs at the Museum (and us)

I'm trying to temper my sadness about leaving DC with an excitement for getting to introduce Jack to all of the great things we'll have access to once we move. We leave next Thursday for Ann Arbor. We close (and become first time homeowners!) on Friday. We'll keep the blog updated.