It's summer! It's raining! I'm unemployed! But, believe it or not, this has so far been the best summer of our lives! Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize you only intended to go down a road for a little while, but suddenly more time had passed and you weren't quite sure how to get back on track? We had one of those moments this year; this particular moment led to some pretty frantic get-out-of-here-immediately planning, and that very planning happily led us to this very moment.
Moving with a toddler (yes, she's a toddler now!). Whew. Well, once you get passed the twenty-hour drive, it's really not so bad. Here is the job-aid for moving a routine-oriented, my-way-or-the-highway, get-me-out-of-this-carseat, toddler:
1. Pack the bed. Neila's floor bed is the best thing that ever happened to our nighttime parenting; I can't imagine a single night without it which is why it comes with us everywhere we go. I don't think of the word "overnight" without thinking of the question "Will her bed fit there?". We turned our trip into a two-day event with an overnight campout in an Oregon campground (that happened to be flooded - good times). Yes, our daughter sleeps on a mattress when we camp, I'm not ashamed to admit it... okay, I'm a little ashamed... but since we've been in our new apartment, she has slept soundly without hiccup thanks to the consistency of her bed.
2. Two-boxes: one toys, one books. You know the old standbys that she can listen to and play with over and over and over (and over) again. They'll be reliable, comforting, and reassuring when nothing else looks familiar. Then when you unpack the rest of the goods, it'll be like Christmas!
3. Be calm, enjoy the ride... it's gonna suck. When we arrived in our new home everything went wrong: the apartment was not cleaned or move-in ready from the old tenants, the moving company we hired doubled their estimate and the ETA on our stuff, and we were completely broke and unemployed. What I wanted to do most in the world is sit down, cry, and then punch somebody. But when you have a toddler looking to you for reassurance and guidance, you have to be reassuring and guiding. Force yourself to roll with the punches (even if you don't get to throw any). Give it up to the moving gods and let go of the fact that you can't control any of those things - what's done is done. You can complain to each other and freak out after she goes to sleep. During those waking hours though, we're all smiles, playing at the park, walking through neighborhoods, and spending hours climbing up and down stairs -- life is good and all is right with the world.
First impressions of Seattle: beautiful, friendly, exciting! Every morning I've had I've thought to myself "I can't believe we live here!" it's that gorgeous. Yes, it has rained twice and it's summer, but without the rain, it wouldn't be so pretty. I'll remind myself of that in the winter when it rains every day (and the fall and the spring). Until then we have three months to soak in the summer (even if it does rain a little) and explore our new community.
