Emotionally, I think it's been easier than we anticipated. We packed up the truck three weeks ago now. Unpacking is slow going, and part of that is because we've got a laundry list of work to do on the house before we can officially "settle in."
Our new house - May 2, 2017
But even 80% settled in is treating us pretty well. Evie runs all over the house and has mastered the half step into the family room. Kitty litter has it's own space (for the most part). Most of the major furniture is already anchored.
Playing in the new house - April 25, 2017
- Whole house painted
- Bedroom, dining room and living room furniture purchased
- Appliances cleaned
- New dishwasher
- Halogen and incandescent bulbs replaced with LEDs
- New locks, new front door handle, and door jams fixed
- Drain lines in the bathroom replaced (drains downhill instead of uphill now!)
- Gas shutoff valve for fireplace put in a safe place
- New garage door opener
- Major electrical work almost done (lots of new wiring, making circuts and outlets safe, running new wire throughout, installing recessed lighting in bedrooms)
- TV mounted on bedroom wall
- Patio furniture
- Dining room storage furniture
- Closet destruction / organization
- Decorate the nursery
- Hang stuff on the walls
- Maybe turf in the back yard
- Maybe redoing a bathroom
- Solar system
- And more!
It seemed crazy, but one of the best things we did was take a few days to go down to Disneyland the week we moved in. It was a chance to decompress, to visit with Elizabeth's parents, to get away from the house and that endless to-do list.
Woody, meet little Woody - April 28, 2017
As probably every parent says, Disney is different with kids. It was still a lot of fun, but totally different. Evie had fun, but he doesn't know anything about the characters so his fun was being able to run around and to look at all the things and people. Plus Mommy's bride ears. Plus the amazing new foods!
In line for Peter Pan (his first ride!) - April 27, 2017
Some people feed their kids off their plates, but we were purchasing a kids meal (not a toddler meal) almost every time! Our boy can sure put the food away. Especially mac and cheese! He also got a taste of Dole Whip and the Gray Stuff (it's delicious).
Meeting lots of characters on April 27-28, 2017
He wasn't afraid of the characters, but wasn't particularly delighted by them either. He liked the rides, but wasn't overly excited. His favorite thing to do was run around. He sure looked cute doing it, too!
One special moment was when we met Mickey Mouse. We were second in line and rushing to get ready (with Everett sleeping in Elizabeth's arms). After we took pictures, we realized we had forgotten to get out Obie's O for the pictures. The cast members there were amazing and let us sneak back in to take more pictures with Obie's O. They clearly have dealt with loss families before, and it showed. It was comforting that they were willing to talk about it directly and be sensitive, but it's also so sad to realize how many times they must have dealt with this. Infant loss is rare, but not *that* rare and there are a lot of people in the world.
Did we mention it was also our 5th wedding anniversary? To celebrate, Grandma and Grandpa Fiorani babysat while Chris and Elizabeth had a relaxing dinner at Napa Rose followed by the World of Color fountain show at Disney's California Adventure. It's a great show, but we were puzzled (and emotionally gut-punched) when the scenes went from Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas) to Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid) to Mufasa dying (The Lion King). WHY would you put an extended sequence involving parent death in a nighttime family show? What a way to end our day at Disney.
Even with the weird, frustrating ending to the park days, we had a great time and are glad we took a couple days for our family. There's certainly enough work to do over the next few months!
Walking around and riding rides - April 27-28, 2017
Sleeping through meeting the main mouse - April 28, 2017
Even with the weird, frustrating ending to the park days, we had a great time and are glad we took a couple days for our family. There's certainly enough work to do over the next few months!
No comments:
Post a Comment