All three of us are here in Palo Alto. Here in a land without winter as we know it, and where we are two to three hours behind our friends and family. There are definite perks to the former, but the latter plagues us daily: our unlimited calls after 9 pm are essentially useless. We will just have to get used to Skype.
Ansel is doing pretty well here. I would say he was in a great mood two weekends ago, for the entire weekend.
Happy Weekend Ansel at home
smiling at papa in Chipotle
tasty Chipotle table
So, to put a stop to that, the following Monday we took him to daycare (real nice, mom and dad). Daycare has been going pretty well overall, but at times it has been hard, for all of us in different ways. We are all still adjusting, trying to think positively about it. It is very hard to leave the place when he is crying, which unfortunately is still the case a majority of the time. But they tell us he gets over it relatively quickly, and we hope that is true. He is still struggling to take naps longer than 30 minutes, which is probably affecting him in many ways. There are only 4 kids that attend his classroom, and only 3 at a time, maximum. Three afternoons a week it is just him and a 1-year-old boy, so that is nice. He has two teachers, one for most of the day, and then the other at the end, and they are both nice.
Ansel has been moving around via an inchworm sort of mechanism (up on knees, flop forward, repeat) for a few weeks, and since then has been working on improving his speed. About a week ago he started moving from the tummy/crawling position to sitting on his own. We are still not sure he always knows when he can do it. He likes to offer us toys that he is playing with, or even a little turn with his precious ne-ne, and then take it back. He makes silly sounds that delight his parents. I feel like when he is making these sounds (a screeching animal of some sort), he is happy, so that makes me happy (maybe it is all in my mind!). He seems very content when he is out and about, able to stare at anything and every thing. He does so in the stroller or the Ergo carrier without complaint.
Walk around the neighborhood in Ergo
Ansel on a stroller outing (after he has removed his socks)
We have been to the swings several times.
He eats rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, applesauce, and tonight, bananas (this delicious fruit certainly got the warmest welcome so far). And still as much mama milk as he can get.
Ansel is not sure about plain old carrots
He's generally happier when two parents are in the room. Ever since he started daycare, he likes to crawl into our laps (and apparently likes to do this at daycare as well).
Ansel's room is the one room in our home that is "done". So we spend a lot of time there, also because he is free to roam.
Ansel's room, curtains have since been trimmed
The rest of the apartment is still coming along. Maybe it will be ready in time for our first visitors...?
Our neighborhood is very nice. Many homes around us are beautiful. But most striking to me has been the amount and diversity of the vegetation, including many trees that are unfamiliar to me, flowering trees (in Jan/Feb!), trees baring citrus fruits, palm trees, cacti, bamboo and more! It is crazy!
(click to view larger image)
Our transition here has been made much nicer by the help and company of our friends, Stephen and Monica, who, among many things, helped us find our current apartment (i.e. went to the appointments that we set up). They have already had us over for dinner (delicious!), and when Ben rushed off to Colorado last minute to give a research talk, they brought Indian take outs to our place and kept Ansel and me company. Thanks guys, you have been so great to us!!!
Dinner at Monica's apartment
We still haven't purchased a car. We are still toying with the idea of not doing so. In the mean time, we have been cheating by borrowing Stephen's car for weeks at a time as we have been trying to get things up and running here. Thanks again, Stephen!! But really we are trying to use it minimally. I got a new bike, Ben bikes to work, and Ansel and I have done lots of stroller-blading (carefully, not too fast, but faster than walking). We also got a bike trailer (thanks Grandma and Grandpa Cosgrove!!) and plan to start using it soon. Daycare is a 15-20 minute walk. Trader Joe's is coming in close by (signs say in Spring 2009). So it could all be doable...
Stroller-blading to Monica's apartment, in front of the Oval at Stanford
Papa was on his bike
So those are some highlights. We have lots of wonderful pictures from our time at home in MN, and our last days in Boston, but that is just more than I can handle at the moment :) Awhile back, I did manage to post a
November Picasa album, featuring:
- Uncle Andy visiting Boston!
- Super Auntie Annie Nanny providing daycare and excellent meals in Boston!
- Boston in Autumn
- Quality time in Minnesota, with many fortuitous encounters between two young cousins
Overall, I think that we are doing well. We are looking forward to learning more about our new home town, exploring the surrounding area, and welcoming a string of family visitors (25 days of a 35-day period, mostly in March!).
We hope that everyone is doing well! Please come visit us :)
P.S. This was going to be a separate post: Name one food that tastes better than raw chocolate chip cookie dough (Nestle Tollhouse recipe). Any answers given will be deemed incorrect.
