Clearly, it's been too long since I updated. A ton of things have happened (including Tuck's first birthday!), but since my husband tells me I tend to write a novel when I have a lot of things to say, I've decided to try posting several shorter things instead. So, no promises that any of this will be chronological or comprehensive, but the five people who read this probably don't care much anyway. Also, I reserve the right to change my mind. Because it's my lj. So there.
***
My parents and grandparents came to visit for Tucker's first birthday. They were here a little over a week. One of the things we did while they were here was go to a Thai restaurant that we'd never been to. (We love Thai food, and this place was close to somewhere we were going anyway.) I ordered the pad kee mao. The server asked if I wanted it mild, medium, hot, or super-hot. I said medium. (Chris also ordered his dish medium.)
I think there was a mistake in the kitchen, because my dish was significantly hotter than Chris's. However, it was also really tasty. It was making my mouth burn, but the flavor was so good that I wanted to keep eating it.
Side note: I think I must have recently developed a considerable tolerance toward spiciness. Before, I see myself as much more likely to not enjoy the dish much at all, and simply set it aside rather than wanting to finish it. I have no idea when this change occurred, or why.
Anyway, I remembered that casein can neutralize spiciness, so I asked the waiter for a glass of milk. He left, then came back and apologized, saying they didn't have any milk. I asked him instead for a Thai iced coffee, since that contains sweetened condensed milk. (Another weird thing! Me, ordering coffee? I don't even drink coffee!) He brought that out for me, and I happily drank the entire thing as I finished my meal. It was excellent.
It was spicy enough to cause me discomfort, but it was yummy so I found a way to eat it all anyway. My brother would have been so proud.
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I knew this would happen sooner or later. I was just hoping that when it did, it wouldn't be my fault.
I was playing with Tucker this evening. I was swinging him around; he was laughing. Then I dropped him. On his head.
He cried, I panicked. Chris ran over to us. He (Chris) went from shock to full-on comfort mode when he saw the big mark on Tuck's forehead. He held me and reminded me that the forehead is one of the hardest areas of the body. He said Tuck was fine, and just needed me to hold him. Tuck didn't need me to be a mess, too.
So I held him. And I forced myself to stop crying. And I apologized to Tucker, and told him he was going to be okay. We cuddled for a long time. After a while, I could tell he was crying because he was tired, not because he was still hurting. Then I pretended to eat his fingers, and he started laughing. I really needed to hear him laugh.
And the rest of our evening was fine. We had dinner, I got Tuck in his jammies, he went to sleep as easy as normal. I know he's going to be fine.
(Though I reserve the right to check him for concussions if he sleeps in late tomorrow.)
I know he's okay. I just wish it hadn't been me. But I'm glad I could be here and see that he was okay.
Note: Upon rereading this before posting, it actually makes me feel ill. I can't believe this happened tonight. I'm almost tempted to go check on him again NOW, but I know he's okay. I'm really glad I was able to hold him for a long time afterward. We both needed that.
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Tucker turns eleven months old tomorrow. (Eleven months!) He also continues to impress me daily. In the past couple of days, he's shown that he's starting to really understand things.
On Friday night, I could tell he was getting tired, so I asked him if he wanted to get his pajamas on to get ready for bed. He took off crawling across the living room, down the hall, and into his bedroom. He stopped every few feet and looked behind himself to make sure I was following him. I was, and when we got to his room I changed him into his jammies. I was kind of startled that he seemed to know exactly what I'd said and that it meant it was bedtime.
I actually thought it was a fluke, but he did the same thing on Saturday before his morning nap. I asked if it was naptime, and he crawled right into his room, making sure I followed him, so I could put him in his crib for naptime.
Then on Sunday, when we went to church, he was his usually happy self until we got just past the sanctuary to go to the nursery. Then he suddenly started to cry. This was presumably because he knew we'd leave him in the nursery, but it was the first time we'd heard him let out an anticipatory cry. He knew where we were, and he knew that if we walked past the sanctuary that meant he was going in the nursery and we wouldn't stay. We had a few minutes, so I went in with him for a little while to play (during which he was perfectly content). But when I got up to leave, he cried. I think he might have been a handful this week--it looks like they have him all his Cheerios and a bottle even though we'd assured them he wouldn't be hungry. (He finally fell asleep right before we got there after the service, and we managed to transport him from the crib to Chris, who carried him outside through the parking lot before handing him off to me, and I put him into his carseat all without waking him. Poor thing was exhausted.
But wow . . . an anticipatory cry. It was sad to listen to, but I was also proud of how much he's growing up. He understands things. And that's awesome.
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We were in church today, and our heads were bowed as we were listening to one of the pastors pray. I start to giggle, and I can feel Chris giving me a "Wha?" look. I lean over and whisper, "He just said irregardless."
"Does this mean we have to find another church?"
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When I got home from work Thursday night, Tuck's hair was covered in banana. No biggie; I'd just give him a bath before bed.
So Thursday before bedtime, I started the water running to warm it up. Tucker followed me into the bathroom. I then left for a moment to locate his pajamas. He stayed in the bathroom, but I thought nothing of it--I'd put the garbage can out of reach, so there wasn't much trouble he could get into.
I heard a funny sound from the bathroom, so I went back in.
And where was Tucker? He had somehow managed to crawl, fully clothed, into the bathtub. I had no idea he had the capability to do something like that--he can't even walk yet! (Though, to be fair, I think he's getting very close.) I was a little startled, but mostly l thought it was hilarious. I called Chris in to help me get him out and get his soaking-wet clothes (and diaper) off of him so we could start the actual bath. I guess that was his way of telling me he was definitely ready for bathtime.
I'll have to keep a closer eye on him from now on. He gets more mobile every day.
***
Also, a website to amuse you: Translation Party. The idea is that you type in an English phrase, and it translates it into Japanese. Then it translates back into English, but the phrase is slightly different. Then back into Japanese, and back into English, and so on. It goes back and forth until it reaches an equilibrium--the same phrase before and after translation. It is highly entertaining to see how meanings can get totally transformed while trying to translate.
My favorite from playing around with it a little while: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. The way this ultimately turns out has profound philosophical implications. Especially if you're a guy, trying to figure out what a girl really wants to hear.
Or you can just giggle to yourself and try any wacky phrase you can think of.
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So, last weekend Chris's brother Dave drove up to visit with his four boys (Maia had to work, so was unable to accompany them). The boys are 8-year-old twins Bren and Jace, 6-year-old Joel, and 4-year-old Bryce. (Bryce was the one who was being born when Chris flew to Atlanta to help out for a month or so around Christmas four years ago.) They're a blast. They're also very loud.
They got in Thursday evening, and apparently while I was at work on Friday they spent most of the time playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii (and also managed to go grocery shopping). On Saturday, we went to Hershey's Chocolate World (the same place Jess and I stopped at while driving to Baltimore from Ithaca many moons ago) and went on the factory tour ride and ate some tasty chocolate. Apparently, while the boys were wandering around one of the gift shops, a worker called them over and said, "If I make a cupcake for you, will you eat it?" They were happy to oblige, and she made them a massive cupcake to their specifications, so it included four chocolate bars, frosting, and sprinkles on top. Even cutting it into four pieces for the boys, they still each got a lot of cupcake.
They also got to try out being "official Hershey workers" packaging up kisses. Dave declined to buy the finished product for $10 each, since it would be $40 total for what he could buy in a grocery store for a couple of bucks.
We went on the factory tour ride twice, because they begged us to go a second time after they saw that there were free chocolate bars at the end.
Parking was free for 2 hours, and we were a little over but they let us out without paying anyway. Overall, a great chocolate-filled day for free. It was super.
On Sunday we took them to Life Church, then headed to Lancaster to meet some friends of Dave and Chris that they hadn't seen in some 16 years, who happened to be camping in Lancaster that weekend. (This is part of the reason Dave chose that weekend to come up.) While we were driving, we passed a place called Gish's Furniture. It made me wonder if it belongs to the family of a guy I knew in college . . . I'm pretty sure he's from that area. (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) czeano ? knile ?)
We went to lunch at a place that serves a Pennsylvania Dutch feast family-style (similar to what we had at the folk festival a few weeks ago, but much better quality). It was excellent. Chris and I decided we should take our parents there when they visit--they'd love it.
After lunch we went to the campground the friends were staying at, and hung out for the afternoon. My favorite quote from the day was from when the kids (Dave's kids, plus the kids of the friends) were running around, playing some sort of war game. One of the little boys was very upset, because the twins were supposed to be on his team, but apparently turned on him. After complaining to the adults for a while, he went up to one of the twins, and accused him: "You said you were going to be on my team, then you attacked me!"
The twin replied, "Oh, that was my brother. We're kind of like the same person."
He didn't think that response was nearly as hilarious as the adults did. Chris later said that either Bren or Jace should grow a goatee so we would know which one was the evil twin.
Dave and the boys left early Monday morning (about 5am), so he could transfer them to the car and get on the road while they were still mostly sleeping. We had a fun time while they were here. It was a lot quieter after they left. Tuck loved seeing his cousins. I hope we'll get to see more of them now that we're an arguably drivable distance away.
I'll review this weekend we just had later.
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"Well, Tuck, I've got to hand it to you, you are persistent. And I'd like to encourage you in continuing to follow your dreams and never giving up, but I'd also like to inspire you to get better dreams than 'I want to play with the blinds' or 'I want to get something from over there.'"
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| Date: | 2009-07-23 06:43 |
| Subject: | Kina (musician) |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  analytical |
While unpacking, I unearthed a mix cd I burned for myself in college. I haven't listened to it in years, and had forgotten what was on it, so I've been listening to it in the car on the way to and from work for the past couple of days. One song on there (that I had totally forgot ever existed) is Kina's Girl from the Gutter.
( Lyrics behind the cut! )
So, a couple of things really struck me about this song. The first is how incredibly mean-spirited it is. It comes across as being from a girl who is bitter and frustrated, and really wants to rub the noses of her detractors in her success. I can understand wanting to show people that you're better than they are--that you have achieved commercial success--but I feel like the presentation here really takes away from that achievement. It comes across more as a petulant child, going, "MINE MINE MINE MINE."
The other thing that struck me is that this song is from a cd that was her only commercial success. She was briefly a replacement member for a Grammy-nominated group, but the group failed to match its previous success so she left to pursue a solo career. Girl from the Gutter did well, as did the single Me. But that's it. That's the only cd she ever released.
And to have her first (and only) cd contain a song like this seems . . . presumptuous. The song is basically saying, "I've made it, I'm awesome, I'm a star, screw all of you." Seriously? On your first single? I realize she was probably thrilled to get a record deal, and felt like "This is it, I've finally made it," but she should have paused and taken a step back. This kind of song seems much more genuine coming from an artist that has achieved commercial success with more than one album. Otherwise, comes across as arrogant, especially when compared to her (lack of) later success.
Just something I was thinking about.
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"Do you think I can rewear the bridesmaid's dress I wore for Erin's wedding at Tasha's wedding?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't think it would fit you anymore. I mean, maybe if you plan ahead, get it altered or something . . ."
". . . By plan ahead, you don't mean I have to get pregnant again, do you?"
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| Date: | 2009-07-11 20:19 |
| Subject: | |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  good |
I've written a dozen entries for this lj in the past couple of weeks, and frankly I was surprised when I looked at the journal today and realized how long it had been since I'd actually posted anything. I guess I just wrote them all in my head.
After I wrote (anything substantial) last, we visited that church that looked promising. It was Life Church in Allentown, and we liked it. A lot. We left Tuck in the nursery, and he had a good time. We decided to return the following week for Father's Day, and laughed about how we (especially I) tend to just go to the very first church we try. (We've never church hunted together before, but I've done that several times.)
We found and moved into an apartment. The complex is brand new, and we're actually the first tenants. This has resulted in some unusual problems (like they haven't finished building the clubhouse yet, so they didn't have a place to deliver our mail), but has some definite benefits too (like we've gotten to know the property manager pretty well, and everything--carpet, appliances, everything--in the apartment is brand new). The smoke alarm did seem a little oversensitive, but that's gotten better. And we didn't have AC for a few days because they forgot to turn it on, but it's just fine now. Overall, good. We're still unpacking boxes, but we're pleased with our decision.
For Father's Day, Tuck and I took Chris out to lunch after church (to a steakhouse!) and then went to see Pixar's Up. Chris and I loved it. Tuck slept through most of it, but was very good after he woke up. Didn't cry at all. So that was great.
The following weekend we went to check out another church. It was nice, but not really our style. Actually, one of the greatest things was that I ran into a coworker there, which means I have someone I know at work now that I can have discussions about religion with. That's one of those topics that people tend to be gun-shy on in the workplace these days, but this opened a door. We've actually already had one good talk about churches in the area a week or so ago. That makes me pleased.
Another note about work: I used MS Access for the first time. DJ will be so proud.
We went back to the first church again for the July 5th service (partly because we really liked it and partly because it seemed unfair to try out a new church on a holiday weekend). It was great again. There was somebody different leading worship. She was good, though we probably liked the other guy better. (The other guy reminded Chris of a young Lionel Ritchie leading worship. It was awesome.) We haven't actually heard the senior pastor speak yet, because he was on a trip while we were there. (He might have actually preached the one weekend we weren't there--not sure if we missed him. In any case, we should hear him soon.)
Other fun things we've done include buying living room furniture at IKEA, trying out other fun places to eat, going to the Quakerstown Farmers Market, and going to the Kutztown Folk Festival. We thought it was funny arriving at the market and immediately happening upon a comic book store, then leaving that only to enter a store that sold swords. Nice. The only things we bought at the market was some fresh bread, blueberries and some meat--but man, those were excellent choices. We've now gotten to eat some tasty Lebanon bologna (light years ahead of any bologna I'd ever had before) and Chris got to make us up some baby back ribs, which we both realy enjoyed. Loving the super fresh foods we can find there.
At the Folk Festival, when I was getting a little overwhelmed by our lunch options, Chris suggested we try the all-you-can-eat family-style sit-down place. They served us schnizt un knepp, bott boi, apple butter, chow-chow, chicken, ham, green beans with ham, shoofly pie . . . I didn't even know what half the stuff was, but it was awesome. We also left that place very, very full.
On the 4th, we stayed in and Tuck went to bed early. We were able to see some fireworks from our deck, but it was actually really cool to realize we're in an area with fireflies--it was like our own personal fireworks show right outside. Neat.
It's been fun checking out the area.
Other quick news on Tucker: he's gotten extremely mobile. He's crawling all over the place and pulling himself up on everything. He occasionally gets himself stuck in things (like table legs) before we rescue him. Yesterday, he took his first header off the couch wherein he hit the ground before either of us could catch him. He looked startled, then cried until I picked him up. After that, he was okay. I think he just didn't expect to land on his face.
Bath time has gotten to be very exciting, as he's discovered the joy of splashing and flopping around. This means I usually end up soaked, too. But it's so fun to watch him have such a good time.
He's also sleeping a lot better now that he has his own room and we're not all crammed into the studio hotel room. We're not accidentally waking him up all the time, and his crib isn't pressed up against the air conditioner. So that's a definite improvement.
And last weekend while we were leaving Life Church and walking through the parking lot, we were commenting on the fact that we don't know anybody there yet. (It's weird for me to go to a church where I don't know anybody.) And suddenly we hear someone call out, "Bye, Tucker!" That's right. He's nine months old, and he already knows more people than we do. Go figure.
Dave and Maia want to visit with their boys, so now we're trying to make sure all the boxes are unpacked and/or put away. That way, our place will at least be presentable for company. It sounds a little nuts to have them all here (especially because it's only a two-bedroom place!) but it'll be fun. We're looking forward to it.
Work has been good. I was there all of two days before I got my first project, and that was quickly followed by three more. The people I'm working with seem very nice. I've been adopted by a group of girls (women?), so I have someone to eat lunch with every day. That's really nice. I like them, and I'm really glad to feel like I know people there--it's the biggest company I've ever worked in, and I think it would be easy to get lost in the crowd. It's comforting.
I think there were other things I meant to write, but I can't remember them now. If I think of them, I'll post again. Until then, I should get some rest or something.
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We're visiting a new church. The band starts a song. I turn to Chris, a big grin on my face. He looks a bit worried.
"No, you may not do the actions to this song."
"But . . . no fair! She's doing them!"
"The girl on the stage?"
"Yeah."
"She's doing ASL. That does not give you permission."
*sadface*
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So. We've been here a couple of days now, toured a lot of apartments, and eaten a lot of good food. We're leaning toward renting an apartment over a house, just because it looks like we'll be able to get something newer and nicer for an equivalent amount of money, though it will be smaller (and probably farther away) than a house. That's a compromise we're okay with. (It's funny--one property manager asked us what our main requirements were for housing. And I said, "A washer and dryer in the apartment. That's the big thing. We've got other things we'd like, but pretty much anything else we'd compromise on." Oh, how I've changed over the years!)
We've been whittling down our choices over the last couple of days, because we feel like we have several very good options. We've now pretty much decided on a property, but haven't fully decided on a layout yet (they have two that we really like), so we're going to go back tomorrow to take another look and choose. It's about 20-25 minutes from my job, which out here is considered a very long commute. (Seriously? Today, someone told me that there isn't public transportation to that area because it's rural!) That strikes us as hilarious, because I've had 20 minute commutes wherein I lived in the same city I worked in. 20 minutes is about the shortest commute I've ever had since moving to the Seattle area. I figure anything under half an hour is pretty good! I won't be able to take the bus to work, unless Chris drops me at a transit center or something, but having him drive me in or having me take the car is workable. Eventually, we'll probably need a second car, but it's not an immediate concern.
Also, I have been thoroughly unimpressed with the LANTA website for buses. Given that I don't know the area, I'm finding it particularly unhelpful. And It makes me sad that they're not dialed in with Google Maps. I forget sometimes how good Seattle is about interfacing with things like that.
So, food! A couple of days ago, Chris and I had lunch at Wert's Cafe. I had what was probably the best burger I've ever eaten. The patty was stuffed with mushrooms and onions! But perhaps even more entertaining was our waitress--she loved that we were new in town, hugged us, cooed over Tucker, and declared that we would soon become regulars. Based on how welcomed we felt and how great the food was, I'm inclined to agree. She even gave us her phone number in case we had any questions! And when we were asking if there were any good places to get Mexican food around here, she started talking about a little place run by actual Mexicans that was apparently not in a very good area, then said, "It might not be the kind of place you'd want to stay and eat . . . but they have really good food, so you can get takeout!" That made me laugh.
We went to an Italian place for dinner that we happened upon while looking for something unrelated, and it was very good--definitely somewhere I'll take my parents when they visit.
We also went to Wegmans, mostly because I've never heard anyone speak so reverently about a grocery store as I've heard knile talk about Wegmans. And we have decided that Wegmans is an awesome grocery store. They have a really impressive variety of things, the prices are good, and they even have all kinds of hot/cold/sushi/sandwiches/soup/whatever things to grab for lunch (which we also did, on a second trip). Thanks, knile! I think we've found our new grocery store.
Today we checked out the Allentown Farmer's Market, which was all kinds of awesome and actually made Redmond's farmer's market look pretty sad by comparison. After wandering around (inside! Among ALL KINDS of food and other items!) we decided on a place to grab lunch (Bada Bingg) . . . and when the woman taking our order realized we were new in town, she started shoving random free items in our bag so we could try different things they were known for. And, of course, she gave us a sandwich card--only 8 more sandwiches before we get a free one! The food there was very good, too, and we'll definitely go back. This is another example of effective marketing--entertain us and provide us with good food, and we'll want to come back.
Tomorrow morning we're going to check out a church that looks promising, then probably get lunch somewhere and go back to the apartment complex we want to live in and turn in a rental application. Monday I start the new job! Here's hoping the job is as much fun as I think it will be, and that I didn't just move my family across the country for no reason. Chris said he'd follow me anywhere, but I think he might hesitate if I say Allentown isn't going to work out after all. :)
Off to bed!
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So we're in Pennsylvania now. We spent the weekend and Monday clearing out our house and loading up all of our stuff, then we left. It was a very busy and exhausting weekend, but it was good.
Tuck has gotten very good at crawling, and his timing is particularly inconvenient. Of course, he started getting into everything just when we had boxes all over. But we managed to wrangle him, and somehow still made it out. (Our friend Heather came over one day just for the purposes of playing with him, then took him home with her for a couple of hours--that was a lifesaver to get him out of our hair for a bit.) On Saturday after loading the truck we went to Kelly's birthday party, which was a great opportunity to see a lot of people we hadn't seen in far too long before leaving. On Sunday, Chris was in the worship band in the morning (really tough to be playing for the last time, but I'm glad he had the opportunity to be there), then we went to Mike and Amanda's where they teamed up with Christi and Michael to throw us a going-away party. The party was awesome--so many friends of ours came by to wish us well. Even an old coworker from my first job in this area came, though he didn't know anybody else! We felt so incredibly blessed to have so many people gather to send us off--it meant a lot. We are excited about the new adventure in PA, but it's a bittersweet thing; we are really going to miss our friends in Seattle.
After the party on Sunday, a few other friends came by to finish clearing out our cupboards and pantry, and one friend took one last load of stuff to Goodwill for us. We spent Monday packing up the last of our things, loading the car, preparing the trailer, packing our suitcases, and cleaning up. Some random things we ended up leaving in the house, for lack of something better to do with them after our car was gone. Whatever.
The property manager we've hired dropped by to talk with us about how he was going to price and market our place. We feel pretty good about him.
My brother picked us up and took us to dinner at Malay Satay Hut, meeting Kay and Kai there. It was a tasty last meal in Redmond. He then took us back to our place, loaded up our suitcases (and a few things we still had laying around that we have him, like the last of the sombreros from our wedding), and took us to an airport hotel for the night. We were completely exhausted, and crashed pretty quickly. It was nice to sleep in a real bed, since we'd loaded our bed in the truck on Saturday.
Tuesday morning we woke up, grabbed breakfast at the hotel (it wasn't particularly good), and headed to the airport. When we checked in, we discovered that Chris and I were in an exit row, and Tuck was seated several rows away from us. We asked at the gate to be seated together, and they did--no problem--except that we were in the row right in front of the exit row (so our seats didn't recline) and right next to the bathroom. That ended up being good and bad; it was good to have quick access to the bathroom, but it started to get pretty ripe toward the end of the flight . . . but the constant stream of people kept Tucker quite amused, and he charmed everybody. One woman even held him a bit while she was waiting for the bathroom. It was pretty cute. He took a couple of naps during the flight (which was great), as did we. When we landed in Philly, though, there was some sort of weather issue that landed us in the middle of a traffic jam and left us sitting out on the tarmac for over an hour before getting into our gate. (I guess we were on the wrong side of an active runway?) Tuck was still very good, and even lead the people around us in a rousing chorus of "Bah bah bah." I heard one girl talking on the phone, saying, "Yeah, it's boring, but there's this really cute baby sitting in front of us . . ."
We had a pretty short layover in Philly, so we figured we missed our connection, but when we got off the place we discovered that our connection had been canceled. I guess the plane that was supposed to take us never left the preceding airport because of the weather. So we were rescheduled on another flight a few hours later. We got some dinner, then went to wait at our gate, then ran down to another gate when it got switched (there was a lot of that happening at the airport). Once again, we weren't seated together, but were assigned new seats so we could be together.
Tucker was very good again, but there was one major problem with the second flight. Since there were two seats on each side of the aisle and three of us, they put us in the very back row (where there were five seats across) so we would be next to each other. But this meant that there was nobody for Tuck to make cute faces at--he could only see the backs of people's heads. He actually got very frustrated, which was kind of funny. "Come on! Can't you see I'm being cute back here??" The flight was a grand total of 15 minutes in the air, and we finally got into Allentown. When we went to pick up our rental car, they were short on vehicles, so we got a free upgrade to a brand-new Ford Expedition (with less than 150 miles on it). Man, after my Civic, that thing is a monster. Good thing I'm not afraid to drive large vehicles! All the storage space has been awesome--so helpful with all of our luggage.
We checked into our hotel, and pretty much crashed. Tried to do a few email-related things, but that was about it. Tuck's schedule has been really goofy, but we're trying to make sure he sleeps as much as possible. It's been a very long few days.
Today we went exploring, both checking out the area (and food places!) and looking for a new place to live. But it's late, and I'm tired, and I'll write more about that later. In any case, things are going well! We're having a good time, and are excited to see what happens next.
(Clobber me over the head with your opinion)
| Date: | 2009-05-26 19:44 |
| Subject: | Rent vs. Sell |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  working |
We were pretty much set on selling, but a house in our neighborhood just sold for way less than we originally paid, totally killing our comps. We've decided instead to rent it and wait out this whole housing mess. Here's hoping we find a good renter fairly quickly!
(1 clobbering | Clobber me over the head with your opinion)
So. Lots of stuff is going on.
Tucker is basically crawling. He's getting forward momentum, and is very good at turning and controlling his rolling. This means we're finding him in really interesting places. Going forward, we're going to have to spend time babyproofing. So, yes. Very mobile child.
And did I mention on this journal that he said his first word? It was "Mama," and he busted it out the day before Mother's Day. Awesome. He now also occasionally says Dada. But seriously--best Mother's Day gift ever.
Tuck continues to eat anything we feed him with enthusiasm. He's good with rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, a wide variety of herbs and spices . . . and had his first food reaction last week. Eggplant. He got a rash on his face both times I fed him eggplant. He still liked it, and was perfectly happy to eat it, and had no other symptoms . . . but I figured with a rash, that was repeated with a second test, I'd hold off on that one for a bit to make sure he's not allergic or anything. The funny thing was that it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He just had splotchy patches around his mouth, but they didn't appear to itch and he didn't have any noticeable GI issues. I guess if he's going to have a reaction, this is a great way to do it. Next, we're going to try turkey--yay meat!
I got a job offer for the PA job. It was a solid offer--good pay, good benefits, good title. So I accepted. And we need to move across the country. In two weeks. Right now we're trying to get ready for the move, packing and trying to purge as much as possible so we don't have to move it across the country with us. (If you're local and want stuff--let me know!) We're sad to be going and leaving our friends and church, but we're very excited about this opportunity and the new adventure we're starting. The job sounds awesome, and we're looking forward to doing this.
My east coast friends are also very excited, which is good for me to hear--it's encouraging to hear unadulterated enthusiasm from people who are happy I'm coming back after hearing so many people here pretending to be happy for us when they're just sad we're going.
Our parents are also pretty sad. My folks are used to me moving across the country--but not with their grandchild. I tell them they'll just have to come visit often.
Anyway, yes. Two weeks until we fly out. I start the new job on the 15th, but we're going a little earlier in the hopes that we can find a place to live before I start working. Until then, the company is putting us up in a hotel. In the meantime, we're purging, packing, and cleaning. We're still debating selling vs. renting our house--anybody want to buy it? That would be great. I'd totally sell if I had a buyer.
So. That's what I'm up to. Now, back to work!
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| Date: | 2009-04-29 10:45 |
| Subject: | Oh yeah! |
| Security: | Public |
| Mood: |  amused |
Now I remember the other thing I was going to say about my time in PA. On my way home, I had a layover in DC. While hanging out waiting for my plane there, a random guy named Andre tried really hard to buy me a drink. A random guy. In an airport. It was totally surreal.
In any case, I believe this confirms that the new glasses I just got are super-cute.
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"In love and war, it's kill or be killed."
"Be the wizard."
It's been a month. I've been meaning to update. So here goes!
Tucker is getting very good at rolling around. He still hasn't quite figured out crawling yet, but I really think it'll be any day now. It wouldn't even surprise me if he starts crawling after he wakes up from his nap.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to Emerald City ComiCon. We had planned to go on Saturday, but got caught in really terrible traffic. We called the people we were meeting there, and one was still waiting in line to get in (after being there for an hour) and one was being a responsible parent and staying home with his sick child. So we decided to ditch the Con for the day, and go to the Arboretum instead (something we've been meaning to do for years). We walked around with Tuck in the moby, and had a really nice time. Then we came home, put Tuck down for a nap, and proceeded to watch The Godfather (which I, somehow, had never seen before). It was a great Saturday.
On Sunday we went to the Con (successfully!) and went to a couple of very interesting panels. We went to the How to Create Webcomics panel (with Scott Kurtz, Kris Straub, and two other guys I didn't know but one of whom has a wife that's a writer for HIMYM) (NOTE TO agelade : if you go to the Bmore Con, go say hi to Scott and tell him you were a bridesmaid in Sketchboy's wedding). Tucker didn't cry, but he did get chatty during that panel, and the girl sitting in front of me kept turning around and giving me dirty looks, so I took him out into the hallway to play for most of the panel.
The next panel was with a bunch of BSG actors, which was pretty neat. We had great seats (because we'd already been in the room for the other panel), and it ended up being standing room only. Tuck was every bit as noisy during that panel, but nobody could tell because so many people were packed in and it was a pretty loud group. So that was great. But the BEST part happened after the panel was over.
The panel was on a different floor than the rest of the con, and we had the stroller, so we had to take the elevator to get back to the main floor. A group of people were waiting for the elevator. When the doors for one opened, Michael Hogan came into the area with his handler and stepped inside. Everybody else kind of stood back, but Chris said, "Hey, can we get in?" They said sure, so we hopped in the elevator and took up enough room with the stroller to prevent anyone else from entering. (Tucker wasn't even in the stroller, I was holding him.)
Michael Hogan immediately started cooing over Tuck, which was cute, and before we knew it, I'd handed the baby to him and Chris asked if he could take a picture. He said sure, so we have a picture of Col. Tigh nuzzling my baby, which is all kinds of awesome. (Even better if you're familiar with his character on BSG.) That alone was worth the price of admission.
At the Con, I also got to tell Jewel Staite how much I loved her in Flash Forward, which she was in when she was about twelve. (Yes, that's what I associate her with, more than Firefly or Stargate Atlantis. I think I saw every episode when I was also about twelve.)
We also had a good chat with Scott and Angela Kurtz, and have pictures of Scott playing with Tucker, too.
Lastly, Chris pointed out Jeph Jacques to me, who draws Questionable Content ("You read that comic, don't you?"). So I told him how much I enjoy his work. That was neat.
It was a fun day.
The next week we were in Albany, OR for my uncle's funeral. Since we were already all the way south, we decided to go to Tillamook for a few days and spend some time with my parents. I think that trip was a really good idea. It was nice to have a change of scenery, and we got to see a lot of people (mostly family) that we hadn't seen in a while. And, of course, show off Tucker's cuteness.
Last week I flew to PA for an interview for a job that looks great. I think it went well, and it's both a job I'm interested in and a job they seem eager to fill. So we'll see how that goes. I have a couple of other things in the works, too. (The job that I mentioned in the last post as one I really wanted is a no-go. But there are other things that look good.)
Chris did well being a single parent for three days (full day to fly there, day of interviewing, full day to fly back), and Tuck survived. It was tough on me being away from him for so long, but the trip was good. We'll see what happens. (I'm pretty sure I had something else to say about my time in PA, but I can't remember what it was now. Oh well.)
So anyway, still here, still moving along. Waiting to see what's next.
It's been really nice to see the sun now and then. That makes everything a little better.
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"You cut yourself with a noodle. You make that old phrase 'forty lashes with a wet noodle' actually sound like of terrifying."
Tucker turned six months old yesterday. Six months! Half a year! I can hardly believe it. He had a check-up with his pediatrician, and he's doing marvelously. 16 pounds (25th percentile), 26 inches long (50th percentile), 44 point something cm head circumference (75th percentile). He's over two feet tall! My little boy! Everything looks great (other than his cough, which sounds pretty terrible but is actually MUCH better than it has been), and we've been told to start giving him finger food. He doesn't have teeth yet, but he needs to learn to use his fingers and thumb for pinching. (He does have a pretty good grip, which he proved when he grabbed onto the doctor's stethoscope and wouldn't let go.) He got five more vaccines (combined so there was one oral and two shots), and he should be done with those for a while. There were a few tears, but overall he did really well. I couldn't be prouder.
I'm also not going to breastfeed him anymore. I was originally shooting for three months, and am happy I made it to six (even if not exclusively). But yesterday was the last time. It was bittersweet for me. He doesn't seem to mind. I think that's how a lot of things are going to be in his life. In the meantime, I can now get back on the medications I've been off since August of '07 in preparation for baby. I've got a doctor's appointment this afternoon to get a checkup for myself.
In job news, I didn't get an offer for the NJ position. They liked me a lot, but didn't think that job would be quite right for me. I talked with the HR guy and he went over some of their impressions of me. I thought the things he said were extremely accurate, which makes me believe that if they didn't think that job would be a perfect fit, they're probably right. However, they do want to keep me in mind for other things, because they did like me. So we'll see if anything else happens.
I also had an interview quite a while ago for a local job that I thought sounded pretty good. I've now heard that they've decided not to fill the job at all yet (it sounds like my interview was a bit premature). In any case, they also like me, and will keep me in mind when they are ready to hire. I don't know when that will be, but I'm hoping hoping hoping that by the time they make a decision I'll already have some other fabulously-well-paying awesome job. Mostly because I'm really tired of waiting.
Other things are in the works. One job in particular that I really want. I think if I can get them to bring me in for an in-person interview, I can get an offer . . . mainly because I really want the job, and I think it would be an excellent fit, and I know they're eager to hire. So far, my problem appears to be that either I'm not crazy about the job (and/or it's not quite right for me), or the company isn't really ready to bring someone on. So we'll see.
I love staying home with Tuck, but I know I would feel a lot more secure if I were producing a decent income. And I think my peace of mind would be good for all of us.
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So, I should update you guys on what's been going on.
At the end of February, I had an interview in North Carolina. Chris and I decided that he and Tuck would come, too, and since we were already all the way over there we'd take a couple of extra days to visit his brother's family in Atlanta.
We flew over there on Thursday, Feb. 19th (with a layover in Atlanta). Tucker was awesome on his first flight ever. He spent most of his time being cute and playing with the guy sitting next to me. At the end of the flight, the guy said to me, "I know you said he was a good baby, but MAN he's a good baby!" Never really fussed at all. After that flight, I felt confident in taking Tuck on future airplane rides.
Friday morning Chris dropped me off at the company I was interviewing with. I spent the morning there, touring the plant and meeting with a number of people. I thought the company looked like a great place to work, but was left unsure of whether this was the ideal job for me. (It sounds like they probably picked up on my uncertainty, and have now decided to go forward with another candidate. I must remember, in future interviews, to show appropriate enthusiasm for the job I am being considered for.)
After several hours of interviews, they sent me on my way. Chris and I decided that, since we were in the South, we should get some tasty barbecue. We found a place (thanks, GPS!) to stop for lunch before heading on to Atlanta.
I realized when I was staring at the menu on the wall in the restaurant that I do not have enough experience with southern BBQ. My options were "chopped" or "sliced," a sandwich, plate, or tray. I leaned over to Chris and whispered, "Chopped or sliced what?" He informed me that it was barbecue pork. It didn't actually say that anywhere on the menu.
I got a tray (mainly because I wanted the hush puppies--SO good) and a bun to make a sandwich with the pork. Chris suggested I put coleslaw in the sandwich too, which seemed weird to me, but raised a tasty sandwich to a whole new level of wonderful.
I think we'd gain a lot of weight if we moved to the South.
We drove to Atlanta from there, and had to stop a couple of times (to feed ourselves and feed Tucker), so we got in kinda late. The boys had stayed up to see us, and were thrilled when we finally arrived. They all crowded around Tucker, and he was in seventh heaven--four little boys who were fabulously interested in him! And two of them looked the same!!
The next day we talked with Maia a little before she went to work (she works 3pm-3am weekends), then Chris, Dave and I took all five boys out to run errands. That was certainly interesting! At one point, I took Tuck away from the group to go sit down, and the twins followed me. They kept asking, "Is Baby tucker okay? What's wrong? What's the problem?"
I told them that I thought he was just a little overwhelmed, and they said, "Oh, yeah. We can overwhelm grownups, we can definitely overwhelm a baby."
Maia ended up managing to get off work early that night (after the boys were already in bed), so Dave, Maia, Chris and I had a nice chance to chat that evening. It was really great to spend time with them.
We went to church with them Sunday morning, went to see a movie that afternoon, then spent some time hanging out and painting paper mache sculptures before the boys went to bed. I also showed Maia my moby wrap, which she thought was awesome. I think she might have already gotten herself one as I'm writing this.
On Monday morning we drove back to North Carolina to check out the area a bit before catching our plane home on Tuesday. We all managed to pick up colds on our trip (Tuck's very first one!) which made the ride home a little harder, but he was still exceptionally good. Just had a very runny nose. The man who was sitting next to me never made eye contact or said anything to me until there was only about an hour left in the air. At that point, he addressed Tuck, saying that he'd sat next to plenty of adults that were louder and spilled more things on him during the flight than Tucker had. I think when we boarded the plane, he was probably dreading sitting next to a baby . . . then was impressed by how good he was. I'm so glad Tucker was on his best behavior. It made everybody's life SO much easier.
(I was also asked in the airport about my moby wrap by another mom. I told her all the reasons I thought it was awesome and where she could find more information, and Chris told me I'm becoming some sort of moby wrap evangelist.)
So that was that trip. The weekend immediately after, my parents came to visit, and on Monday I flew to NJ for an interview there. I went by myself on that trip, as it was a pretty quick one. Though it was enormously difficult to be 3000 miles away from my baby, I was amazed at how much simpler it was to fly solo.
Having not watched the preceding season, I watched The Bachelor finale on Monday night. It really ticked me off.
Tuesday I had interviews with person after person after person from 9am until 4pm, after which I was taken back to the airport and put on a 7pm flight home. I could have stayed another night if I'd wanted to, but I was anxious to get back to Chris and Tucker. They met me in baggage claim, and I cuddled Tucker happily even though it was WAY past his bedtime. He seemed happy to see me too, though also sleepy.
So since I've been back, I've been getting things done that I haven't had time to do, and am still actively job hunting. I haven't heard from NJ yet, but have spoken with several other people about other jobs, so we'll see if any of those pan out. Still no idea what's to come! We might even *gasp* stay local! In the meantime, we're just trying to enjoy the ride.
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At the end of November, I posted a video about Advent Conspiracy. On the last day of Advent, Christmas Eve, my church did something they called "Cardboard Testimonies." The church then did a series on living dangerously (I mentioned that at the beginning of January). To wrap that up, we had what was essentially a big party on Sunday. They also played a video that they made from the cardboard testimonies. Watch it. Tell me what you think.
Cardboard Testimonies from Overlake Christian Church on Vimeo.
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relaxed
concerned
proud
curious
satisfied
pleased