Our New Home

October 31, 2011

Moving In

Ready or not, White Plains, here we come!

Moving Day 2

Until break time that is.

Moving Day

And everyone is doing her part.

A Day on the Island

While Mom and Dad checked out the house and packed, Belle spent the day with Grandma Helene and Grandpa Richard, and together, they visited Grandma Ann.

Smiles

Belle is becoming a stellar greeter at day care. Craig drops her off without fuss, and she is smiling and happy to see me when I pick her up. Until recently, though she was fine while at day care, she fussed when Craig left, and she whined anxiously when I walked in to get her (as if she couldn't get into my arms fast enough). These past few days, she's been fine at drop-off, and smiling at pick-up.

Belle's happiness is uplifting.

Only happy times...

We signed the lease at the end of June 2007. I moved in July 1 and Craig in early August while I was home in Avon, CT preparing for our August 5 wedding. We stayed in the apartment together for the first time on our first day/second night as a married couple.

I don't quite know to whom to attribute the well wish, but I know I heard when we moved into this apartment, from which we are moving out on Monday, "May you only have happy times while you live there."

Thinking about our four-plus years here, we really did have many good times. This apartment served as our first marital abode. It's here where we celebrated Craig's brother Mitchell's engagement to Julie. In fact all of our brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as our four parents and four grandparents, enjoyed wonderful visits here. We celebrated each of the three of our birthdays in Apartment 10D at least once, and Craig and I celebrated four anniversaries here. It was in this home that we planned our around-the-world extravaganza. Here is where I labored through Belle's impending birth, not knowing that it was Belle who was about to be born. This apartment served as Belle's very first home, and it's where Craig and I began learning how to be parents. Nearly two-dozen different people from at least four countries spent the night here; I can tell from the notes in the guest book I started once we started hosting overnight guests.

I know Craig and I had our tiffs, and I'm sure we were all sick from time to time. Those first few weeks of motherhood sure were challenging, of course, and there have been other times of stress (now, for example, as we prepare to move). But overall, I can almost only recall wonderful, exiting, truly life-changing times that we enjoyed in this apartment.

So, to whoever wished us "only happy times" in Apartment 10D, thank you. Your, and our, wish came true.

And we are soon to greener pastures....

"One man's junk is another man's treasure"

In an effort to expunge our apartment of unnecessary items, I have advertised the sale and giving away of furniture, appliance and knick knacks on the ever-helpful Upper West Side Moms' listerve and Craiglist. I am astonished by how quickly items for which we have no use have been claimed. A Black & Deck Dustbuster that we never actually used for the whole time we lived in this apartment was claimed within minutes of my post advertising it. A used computer desk ultimately had three hits, and we made a few bucks off of it thanks to its good condition. Items not worth advertising, I simply offer to our neighbors by putting them on the table near the mail room (an unofficial "up-for-grabs" space). Each item, from an unopened bottle of Bath and Body Works fragrance to erasers in the shape of ducks, have gone within hours.

I am so thrilled to get rid of the items, and quite ecstatic to send the items to happy homes. It certainly is true that one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Belle walks the dog

Our neighbors have two huge dogs, the larger of which weighs 90 pounds (more than four times Belle's weight). My brave little girl ignored her size disadvantage and played along when the dog's owner offered her the leash. Here, Belle walks the dog!

Status update

So, I'm officially a working mom. It hasn't been an easy two months, but that has as much to do with personal struggles as with my new juggling act as mom and teacher.

Everything is different at school this year, and it has been a real challenge to figure out the new schedule, courses, classrooms, procedures, and technology. My teaching is suffering a bit from me trying to learn these new ropes, but I am doing my best. Would my transition back to work have been easier had nearly everything in my professional life not changed? Yes. Could I handle the changes better if I weren't exhausted from running from school to my other full-time job as a mom? Maybe. All in all, I am doing fine and, yet again, relying on the kindness of...well, not strangers, but colleagues to help me relearn how to be a teacher at my school.

Indeed, my transition back to school has been facilitated- my return to work eased and my day-to-day life at work positively enhanced- by the wonderfulness of my colleagues. I am so lucky to work with such intelligent, kind, considerate, fun people. I am not sure I could have made it through these first two months of school without my fellow teachers checking in with me professionally and personally: catching me up on new procedures, introducing me to new administrators, asking me about Belle, referring me to movers for our upcoming relocation to our new home. I simply could not make it through the school days/weeks/months/semesters without the kindness of my colleagues. I am so lucky.

I am also lucky to have a helpful and supportive husband. Craig has been really great about helping me and us out since I became a working mom. He helps with dinners (he once made a week's worth of Moroccan beef stew on a Sunday; other times, he's prepared a meal so I just have to put it in the oven to cook it) and also with cleaning. He also accepted the harder/est job of dropping Belle off at day care (I have the significantly more pleasurably task of picking her up). Most importantly, he took on the task of preparing us for our house purchase and move to the 'burbs. I tried to help a little, mostly with finding us home owners' insurance, but Craig quickly relieved me of that responsibility and added insurance to his long to-do-list. He took care of the mortgage; communicating with the real estate lawyer; acquiring our new (used) car (a minivan, which he drives- thank you, Craig!); car, renters and home owners' insurance-- all things business have been out of my mind and off my shoulders. Craig's really been a wonderful copilot and a big source of support.

I am happy to report that Belle seems to be doing well with her child care provider. Rather than enrolling Belle at a traditional day care center or hiring a private babysitter/nanny, we have Belle in a Family Day Care setting at a home very close to my high school. The child care provider is state licensed and certified to care for up to four children during the day, but so far Belle is one of only two full-time children. This means that Belle gets some socialization, as there is always another baby and sometimes three other toddlers, but also care and attention and love and the ability to play in a safe environment. While she still fusses when Craig leaves (mostly because Daddy is leaving, not because she is unhappy; she actually reaches out for the day care provider when Craig carries her into her home), but she seems happy when I pick her up.

I find it is important for me to still feel like a mom and enjoy play time with Belle. I have rushed back to NYC after school to make mommy and me music classes, play-dates and visits to parks and playgrounds. I am lucky that I can incorporate such fun times into my schedule as a teacher (early morning start time, but later afternoon free time). I recently resumed my relished role as co-director of the school plays, and I plan to continue to preserve Belle-time after play rehearsals and on days when there isn't or I don't attend rehearsals. It's all part of the juggling act.

Bottom line: I and we are fine. Craig is the best partner in parenting, and really in life (good choice, Seren), and I work with wonderful people. Perhaps the reason why "it takes a village to raise a child" is because it takes many people to support and sustain the child's primary care givers. And I am lucky to be surrounded by great villagers : )

Belle and Aunt Julie

That's aw-nt Julie, since Uncle Mitchell's wife is not a bug.

Poor Belle

While Mommy and Daddy have Jacques Torres hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie, Belle is eating kale cheese puffs. She's ok with it.

Chilling with the toys and books

Another lazy Sunday morning.

Walking and hugging

Belle is so affectionate, and she loves to hug. She sure enjoyed a day with Grammy and Grampy last week!

We are homeowners

We closed on a house in White Plains today. Our house. We are officially homeowners. And we're soon to be suburbanites.

Yup, we are really grown-ups now: a marriage certificate, a baby and (very soon) a mortgage.

It's for me!

Belle speaks to Gagga on the phone. She really grabbed the phone and put it to her ear, as she's seen her parents do so often.
No words yet, but she's accepting phone calls.

Ithaca is Gorges

A souvenir from our Ithaca trip in August.

His, hers and hers

Playdate with Sawyer

Belle enjoyed a playdate with her "boyfriend" Sawyer. He showed off his very cool train whistle:



And he put his arm around her shoulder, though Belle was too busy playing to appreciate his charm:


The two cutie-pies played together nicely (Sawyer was a wonderful sharer and let Belle play with all of his toys):

Three's company

Belle and I rushed back to NYC for a much-needed playdate at the Hippo Playground in Riverside Park.

Belle played with Dorothy and Jennifer, who all seemed to enjoy the slide (walking up it more so than sliding down it):



Dorothy got her hands on a doll's stroller meant for a baby to push. Belle hopped into it and Dot pushed her around the playground. When Belle was ready to push the stroller, Jenny got into it and enjoyed the ride as Belle, only a few weeks her senior, pushed Jenny around the playground:





How I enjoyed the time, brief though it was, with my walking mom friends Hillary and Anne. And what fun the little ladies had (until Belle had a bit of a meltdown near dinner time).

Oh, and all the little girls were in pink (Craig teases me about dressing Belle in pink, but I challenge any mother to a baby girl- especially when it's her first baby- to dress the baby in less than 75% pink).

First words?

Belle loves our building doormen.  They know her by name and she greets them with huge smiles.  Yesterday afternoon, after an exhausting visit to Riverside Park's River Run Playground, Belle enjoyed her usual friendly exchange with the afternoon doorman.  When the elevator arrived and it was time for us to go upstairs and get ready for bed, I said to Belle, "Wave 'bye bye,' Belle."  And Belle waved, and said something that sounded an awful lot like "bye bye."  Just before we got in the elevator, and to see if the words were for real, I prompted Belle again: "Say 'bye bye,' Belle."  She, again, responded with two syllables that sounded like "bye bye."  Craig and I were elated.  We'll see if she can repeat this.  We may have a talker on our hands!

Apples are picked

Hayride back to the car.

Belle and the pumpkins

At a farm in northern westchester. Go pumpkins!

Steps

Not the first steps. This is Sunday morning. The first steps were Saturday afternoon.

Just sleeping

With a leg up.

Playing with the twins

Rug shopping with Daddy

ABC Carpets wasn't boring once Belle was sprung from her stroller. Oh, the walking she enjoyed!

Pacifier Ingenuity

One morning, Seren had set up Belle's bag for day care. The pacifier was attached to Belle's bag, and they were both hanging from the door. The pacifier was capped. Belle needed her fix and figured out how to get it.

A new on/off switch

We've had our tv for 3 or 4 years. On the bottom of a screen is a little light, which I thought was just an aesthetic detail. Thankfully, Belle discovered that the light houses an on/off switch. And the tv goes on and the tv goes off. Especially during SportsCenter.

Tomorrow Has Come

Belle has been walking while holding on to fingers for several months now. When we were asked if Belle is walking, we would answer that she wasn't, but it was likely to happen either tomorrow or in three months. Yesterday, tomorrow came.

Grandma Helene and Grandpa Richard came to visit. At one point, Grandma was holding the ball that Belle wanted to play with. Grandma told Belle to come get it. And she did. Then she walked back and forth and forth and back. It's time to pack everything in our apartment below three feet.