Trip north!

We packed up and headed north this week for a quick trip to visit family. We scheduled it between Thanksgiving and Christmas and right around JJ's birthday to take in as many holidays as possible.

We had lots of family to see, so it was quite a whirlwind. We did have time to fit in a trip to a local ski resort for A.'s first peek at snow. She could barely walk in her marshmallow-like suit of snow gear, and she didn't know what to make of sledding at first. But she warmed up to it quickly, and had a blast being pulled up the slope and riding back down with various family members.

We'd spend a few months preparing A. for the trip by writing a book about what would happen and who she'd meet, complete with photos. It seemed to pay off. Her previous visits with the family didn't go well -- lots of screaming and hanging on to us. But she recognized everyone and was very comfortable with them from the get-go. She ended up having a blast.

Two days of travel, two days with family, and we're back home barely knowing what hit us. It was a good trip, though. I think A. is looking forward to our next one.

Not crazy!

We've been dealing with A.'s cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI) for over a year now. It's been a rough trip. We're very lucky that A. has an intolerance, not an allergy -- her immune system isn't involved, so we don't have the danger of an allergic reaction. But because it's an intolerance, there's no way to clinically test for it. Blood and skin tests won't show a reaction. All we have to go on is the recurrence of symptoms after a challenge.

It's all very vague, and that makes me second-guess a lot. Allergies are a lot more researched and understood, and I felt like I had to be very defensive and assertive to get A.'s issue recognized.

So imagine my relief when I discovered a trove of medical papers relating to CMPI (look, I even have an acronym now!). I'm not crazy! Among the validations I found: a small but noticeable percentage of infants suffer from CMPI (3%). Intolerance is separate from allergy. Food challenges are the "gold standard" for diagnosis. Milk proteins do pass through breast milk and affect the kid. Treatment is the avoidance of CMP for some number of months (they suggest 6) and then a re-challenge.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of cow’s milk protein allergy in infants

The diagnosis and management of cow milk protein intolerance in the primary care setting

Cow's Milk Proteins Cause Infantile Colic in Breast-Fed Infants: A Double-Blind Crossover Study

I'm so very glad to have found support in the medical community and not just in the mother-to-mother forums online. I'm a Western medicine sort of girl, and to see A.'s problems scientifically researched and studied is such a weight off. I feel relieved that the approach JJ and I have taken is the right one, and I'm newly energized to keep doing this as long as we need to for A.'s health.

For Sale

I'm selling some of my crafts! Check it out at http://www.uptownsales.com/toys/jbtoy.php.

Happy 18 months!

A year and a half. Wow. When A. was born, 12 months seemed ages away. 18 months seemed... impossible.

A.'s in the middle of an amazing developmental spurt. Her independence and language grow every day. She's such a big girl.

In honor of her birthday, I'm going to record A.'s current vocabulary. It's just over 70 words and growing in leaps. I left to go to a 30 minute long HOA meeting, and came back to find that she's working on "hippo" -- she's saying "hipp".

Mommy, Daddy, A., Baby, Nana, Pop-pop

Hi, bye, no, done, happy, nummy, side (nurse), boom, wow, uh-oh, help, beep, cool/cold

Up, down, in, out, play, pull, hop, pee, poop, pat, flap, eat, nap, spin

Eye, knee, hand, arm, toe

Pea, apple, pie, roll, meat

Pink, purple, brown, yellow, blue

Puppy, cat, doll, WALL-E, key, Halloween, boo-boo, bee, boo (ghost), ball, moon, broom, man, Pooh, pen, bow, hat, flag, balloon, bubble, Peep, plane, park, bobby (socks), pool, bump, top, pom-pom, home, tape, bat

Fail at crafts

Montverde Day was a bust. I sold about $28 (gross) of balsa gliders, so I'll come close to breaking even on festival expenses (not counting money spent on supplies for the crafts that didn't sell). I sold no bib clips, crowns, picnics, wooden toys, or pencil- or paint-by-number kits.

I'm disappointed, a bit frustrated when I let myself be, but I'm not upset. It just wasn't the right audience. The table looked great and I think the stuff I made was fabulous.

I haven't decided yet what to do with the remaining inventory -- keeping it, selling it on Etsy, giving it away. I'll think on it for a while. For now, I'm going to NOT CRAFT for a while.

Do-over

I know some people are having problems hearing the earlier A. recordings, so I've put them up on a different hosting site. Try these out!

Pie:


Apple:


Random words:

New words

Halloween:


WALL-E:

Language explosion

A. is having a language explosion -- picking up 2 or more words a day, and trying out new words that I suggest (although the ones that stick are the ones she picks on her own). Yesterday it was "Nana" and "Halloween" (seriously -- she skips a syllable, but it's clear what she's saying), today it was "play" and "Pooh".

The other day, her recent love of the word "pie" inspired me to make a (rather mediocre) apple pie. A. loved the pie, and said her first "app-ple" while eating it! While she was in the bath, I tried to record her saying some of her words. She got distracted by the bath toys fairly easily, but you can get an idea, at least.







In other news, I've started an herb garden around the patio that's outside of the kitchen. I have rosemary, thyme, and basil in the ground, cilantro waiting to go in, and room for one more (oregano or parsley). We'll see how they do -- I'm not the best gardener.

Also, I purchased a 10x10 space at our tiny town's sizeable craft fair on November 1st. I've been working every evening and some nap times on crafty toys, and I have 5 crayon rolls, 5 felt crowns, some number of bib clips, and most of 3 felt food picnics. I'll also be selling some balsa gliders and crayon-by-number. I don't expect to make much money, but it'll be neat to see what sells and have an excuse to hang out at the fair all day. :)

The biggest Dee ever!

We took the morning to run down to Animal Kingdom and finally take A. on the safari ride. We got there a tad later than we'd hoped, so we didn't see a ton of animals. But we did see elephants and giraffes, among others. A. had a little antsy moment when she didn't want to sit down any more, but she otherwise seemed to enjoy it a lot, asking for "more" when we got off the truck. The elephants were her favorite, getting lots of signs.

Mostly we wandered after that, but stumbled across a meet-and-greet with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger with a very short line. We decided to do A.'s first introduction to full-size characters, see how she'd handle it.

The queue is set up so that you can see other people meeting the characters first, and I think this is a great idea. A. got to see all three from a distance before the up-close. It did mean she got a little impatient as we got to the end, though.

She was really excited to see the characters. Up close, she was a bit shy, but pretty good. A. had been holding on to the wooden giraffe I made her the whole way through the park, and as an ice breaker Pooh took it and pretended to eat it. After that, A. gave her giraffe to each of the other characters as she met them.

We have a cute picture of A. giving Pooh a kiss on the nose. I'll try to get a version of that up soon.

And in memory of her first character meet-and-greet, we bought her an 18" Pooh bear. It's nearly as big as she is. :)

Playhouse

Every so often, my parents get a really big box at the warehouse. They're kind enough to save these and give them to us for use as playhouses for A. They last a few months -- long enough for another box to arrive.

We got a box about a month ago, but A. wasn't too into going inside things. So we left it out, tilted on its side, and she and the cats would explore it occasionally. Gradually she got more and more interested in going inside, so we decided to commit to cutting it up.

I added a door, window, cat door (to prevent the trapped-cat problem we've had in the past -- it took weeks for A. to get near Chaos again), and roof. She loved to play in it, but it was a bit blah.

I was struck by inspiration when we were coloring in the playroom. I told A. that she was free to color on the box, and she took to that immediately. It looked like so much fun, I got in on the action. We had such a blast, bath time got pushed back to 7:30.

Here's the box. There's a half-door she can swing and the flaps are stood up so that there's standing height inside.

The front door. A lucky horseshoe over the door, her house number (0504 -- her birthday), a doorbell, and a mail slot. A. decided the house number needed to be emphasized more.

The side has various flowers, scribbles, and a lizard stuck to the side of the house.

A view through the window. TedDee is over for a visit, and her favorite household item, a phone, is ready for use.

The back wall has her computer desk. Look, she's working on a Python script! Hello, world!

Looking in the front door at the window wall. A family picture, clock, and cat snoozing in the sun. Every time A. sees the cat, she signs "cat" then lays down and pretends to snore.

We had a really good time decorating this. I can't wait until this one wears out and we can take on another!

Absence

I haven't blogged in ages because we've just gone through a string of about 3 colds in a row. We finally seem to be out of it, none too soon.

I've continued to craft, as you may have seen on my Flickr stream. Felt softies, stenciled t-shirts, shopping bags made from old t-shirts, and felt food. If I go a few days without doing anything, I start to feel antsy and unproductive. This is my way of creating something, doing something with my hands. Of having something to show for the day.

I'm hoping to sell some of my creations around Christmas. There's a local festival on November 1st that I might buy a booth at, or I may try to sell through the mommy groups I'm associated with in the area.

I've got almost everything for 3 "Best Friends Picnics" filled with felt food and packaged in a small basket with picnic blanket. I might keep doing more of those, or maybe make a few "Farmer's Market Baskets" of felt food or even try some wooden toys or small dolls. I'm trying to keep things flexible so that I'm not pressuring myself and thus, feel like it's a burden. But to do enough to bring in a few extra dollars would be neat.

A. is doing well -- moving into the verbal stage quickly. She picks up a new word every few days, although her pronunciation is usually off for a few weeks. She isn't replacing her signs with words, but picking up new vocabulary and then combining signs and words. She turns 17 months tomorrow -- almost a year and a half! I can remember thinking that we'd never get here.

Hand made

I've developed an obsession with handmade toys. Felt food, felted wool balls, Waldorf dolls... Every evening, I work on something. When I have time to kill, I scour thrift stores for wool clothing to felt. (Florida thrift stores, mind you.) I shop at Joann's multiple times a week. When I'm online, I'm reading old threads on the Mothering discussion boards for new ideas. I aspire to a handmade 16" Waldorf doll. I felt balls when I'm stressed.

It's rather crazy of me, but I tend to these fixations. They come and go. This one, at least, is producing a bunch of neat toys for Atlee. Maybe even enough extras to sell come Christmas time. I'm trying to direct my energy -- aiming to turn out one thing (or one group of things) a night. If I can keep that up, I'll amass quite a pile.

Crafty antsy

I've been terribly antsy. This has mostly translated into a crafty burst. I've made softies for A. (and a matching smaller version for JJ to take to work), bean bags, and felt bags. I have plans to make felt play food and wooden animals.

I also can't seem to help but think of ways to being in some extra money. Selling felt food or wooden animals? Leading a Baby Signs class? I can't seem to shower without my brain churning and coming up with something.

It's not like we're in a bad place. And if we needed extra money, it's so much easier for JJ to pick up an extra shift. It's all because something's missing for me. JJ suggested that it may be because A. is starting to get more independent. Which she is... barely. But maybe I see the future coming.

Videos

JJ set up his laptop with built-in camera, and set it to record as it displayed the image. A. really enjoyed seeing the baby in the computer, and we grabbed some rather random video.

The first video is A.'s first experience with the camera. There's a lot of "Daddy"s until JJ figures out that she wants to see him in frame, too. She also makes a quick call on his iPhone.

The second video is all three of us. A. makes a puzzling reference to a bunny, then heads off to look for a cat.

There's one more with some signs; I'll update this post once it uploads.

Fay tries to bring it

After three days of gloomy, rainy, blustery weather, we're finally seeing some life out of Fay as the south side of it catches us. Things picked up sometime overnight, and has been going pretty good all day. Rainfall is a couple of inches so far, and the Weather Channel says our winds are steady at about 30 mph with gusts to 40. The trees out back are definitely having a time of it; they're blowing around like crazy.

Tropical update

For a good long while, they had Fay's track right over us. It's drifted more east, though, so we should get the weaker west side.

So far, we haven't seen much. A little rain this morning and a slowly building, constant wind. Looks like the worst will come overnight. Which sucks, because my only concern is tornados. *shudder*

Tropical Storm Fay

Well, we're under threat of our first hurricane. Tropical Storm Fay is currently near Haiti and Cuba, and is predicted to become a hurricane when it comes out the other side of those islands. The current 5-day forecast track has the center moving north through the peninsula, splitting the distance between us and the Gulf Coast. That puts our area on the northeast side, generally the strongest part of the storm.

It's hard to say what we'll get here. First of all, we're still 3-4 days away from any effects, so there's a lot of uncertainty about exactly where the storm will end up going. Secondly, we're not exactly a coastal city, so there's a lot of land between us and a storm's source of strength. At the very least, we won't face the storm surge that causes a lot of a hurricane's damage. We'll see wind and rain -- how much of it is the question.

I've spoken to a few people who were here during other hurricanes, and they advised that we want to be ready to stay in the house for a day or so. Stock up on food and supplies, bring in the patio furniture, and prune any loose branches.

So JJ and I will make a circuit of the house and get outdoor items squared away, maybe prune the live oak near the master bath a bit more. I'll do my weekly grocery shopping a couple of days early, and I'll probably try to get some new library books and maybe a new toy for A. My biggest concern is that A. and I will be stuck in the house on Tuesday, when JJ normally sleeps and we clear out to give him quiet. I'm not really sure how it's going to be, trying to keep her from crying "Dad-dee!", and pushing her way into the bedroom.

Totally silly

My crazy daughter is sitting in the back of the CR-V, cracking herself up by blowing into her hands to make fart sounds.

That girl is so much fun.

Antsy

I must be antsy. I keep talking with my dad about business opportunities. Teaching Bradley childbirth classes, spinning off a baby/toddler supply site from their online store, even a local retail store.

I don't know how I think I'm going to fit any of these things in, but I keep thinking about them. Do I really want to pursue something, or is it just that I like the intellectual exercise?

Presto!

Showed A. the short in front of WALL-E, "Presto", this morning. "Bunny" is one of her favorite signs (hold out two fingers like ears and bounce them up and down), so we figured we knew what would happen. Sure enough, she spent the entire short frantically signing "bunny", bouncing her little arm up and down as fast as it would go. That was nearly as funny as the short itself.

Foodie heaven

JJ and I are on cloud nine. A Whole Foods just opened about 30 minutes away (the previous closest was an hour away). It's HUGE, and filled with all the foods that we ate in California and have missed. We spent over an hour wandering around, eating lunch, then stuffing our cooler with treats and goodies that conform to our special diets (JJ = vegetarian, me & A. = dairy-free).

A. tried (and liked) dragon fruit, and now has a dragon fruit-stained jumper. She gobbled up Bell & Evans all-natural, antibiotic free chicken nuggets. She desperately wanted my chipotle chicken sausage, but it was way spicy. And we split Kung Pao chicken, brown rice, and a sparkling peach soda. She giggled and "hi"-ed her way through the store, charming everyone while wiggling and twisting to the point that we couldn't hold onto her. Eating lunch at the outdoor fountain so that she could wander around, splash in the puddles, and watch the water helped calm her down enough to finish our trip.

The trip to Whole Foods was like a step back to our time in California. We had a great time pointing out all the foods we used to live off of. It was strangely homey and comforting.

We stocked up on the goodies we can't get at the local stores, and we plan a bi-weekly or so outing in the future. Although shopping there on a regular basis wouldn't be that much more expensive that at Publix, it's enough of a difference that we shouldn't indulge on a day-to-day basis. Plus, that's quite a drive every week just for groceries.

Settling

After a long string of events and visitors, life here is finally settling down into what I imagine will be "normal". JJ is working Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, so we have all of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as a family. We also get nearly all of Saturday (before he leaves for work) and Tuesday afternoon (after a morning nap). On Sunday, A. and I visit with my parents. On Monday, we swim. And on Tuesday morning, we go to the library story time.

As our pediatrician advised, we're teaching A. to swim. The preponderance of swimming pools and lakes down here makes that nearly a necessity. We've decided to forgo the survival swimming -- two intense weeks of having your child dropped into the water and being forceable taught to back float. Instead, we've gotten a membership to a local gym with a pool, and I've been taking A. in the water about 4 times a week.

We're taking it slowly, mostly letting her play around. She loves to be held so that she floats on her stomach, head out of the water, and we propel her around the pool. She likes being dipped, on her side, into the water so that her cheek gets wet. We've done a few submersions, and they go over so-so. Sometimes she comes up surprised but quickly grins, but this last trip she cried a bit after her second dunk. We'll back off a bit and go back to things just being fun. There's no real rush -- I'd rather take longer but have her enjoy it, rather than the horror stories of crying kids and parents that I've heard about the survival training.

The rainy season has started here, so we get thunderstorms every afternoon. Our home's location, in particular, seems to attract even more storms than is normal. My parents, who live only about 7 miles away, get hit by about half the storms that we do. We live a mile or two from a fairly large lake, so part of it is the storms that just pop up over the lake, swoop over us, and die. The rest... just seem to like Montverde.

I'm starting to settle into my role as a stay@home mom, as opposed to the long-term vacation this seemed to be up to this point. I'm trying to see the care of our home as my job, something to be done whether I really want to or not. JJ's wonderful about helping, and has no expectations other than that I care for A. He knows that's a full-time job in itself. But I have a picture in my head of the household I'd like my daughter to grow up in, and there's no one else to make that happen but me.

More animals

I forgot to mention in the last post that she knows fish ("shhhh"). And in the last day, she's learned bunny (bouncing her arm up and down) and giraffe (reaching one arm above her head). I love this!

Puppy spotter extraordinaire

A. can sign for a number of animals now -- puppy (panting), monkey (oo-oo), elephant (trumpeting), and frog (tongue flick). She can spot them like crazy, often causing us to stop and look around to find out what she's signing at. But her favorite, by far, is puppy.

For example... JJ, A., and I stopped by the National Training Center this afternoon to get memberships (this will give us access to the pool). We had to sit at a desk and fill out paperwork while a young woman entered information into a computer that sat on a perpendicular extension of the desk. A. sat in my lap, eating Ritz, pointing at the woman's water bottle, and signing "puppy" every minute or more. JJ and I glanced around the first few times, but there was no sign of a puppy. We told her "sorry, there's no puppy," and chalked it up to her thinking about seeing Gus that morning.

But she kept signing. I thought she had to be seeing SOMETHING for her to be alerting that much. There was a TV with ads cycling through in the direction she was looking -- JJ and I posited that one of them had a puppy. But then she signed when there was a drawing of a man getting a massage. We all laughed (by this time, the membership lady was into it, too), and figured A. was just making it up.

But then, as my eyes wandered to the computer monitor... I saw that stuck to the bottom frame was a small sticker of a white dog.

"YES, there IS a puppy! Very good!"

She looked terribly pleased with herself, and didn't sign puppy again.

Leaving on a jet plane

I'm in the Salt Lake City airport, on my way to California for the weekend. It's a daddy-daughter weekend back home.

This is by far the longest time I've been away from Atlee. It was so, so hard to leave. I never imagined it would be like that.

Toddle toddle toddle

It's taken a while, but we've finally got a real, toddling toddler over here. She always tries to walk before crawling (unless she's chasing us or something else requiring speed), and often gets to her destination by walking. She's still slow and unstable, but she gets there.

She's super-speedy when she can hang onto your hand, but -- and this is typical A. behavior -- she won't let you hold her hand. She'll hang onto a finger or wrist, but if you try to wrap your hand around hers, she'll shake her arm until you get off or just plop down on her butt and refuse to move.

But when you can convince her to hold your finger, she has a blast exploring previously off-limits areas. A. and I went by my parents' warehouse to meet my mom for lunch, and A. got to toddle through the rows of merchandise and stop to explore whatever she wanted (paint-by-number, plastic dollar coin storage tubes, balsa wood airplane models). That was fun -- and had the opportunity for lots of trouble-making. It's going to be crazy when she can really walk/run around in there.

12 month checkup

I don't have graphs, but I've got numbers. At 1 year, A. weighs 19 pounds, 8 ounces and stands 30 inches tall. That puts her in the 25th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height.

So, somehow, two short parents with straight, dark hair have given rise to a tall, skinny girl with curly blonde hair.

She's going to be a heart-breaker.

Disney World isn't enough

JJ, A., and I headed to the Disney parks for the day, since it had been a while since we'd taken a break and headed down there. We parked in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, walked over to the Polynesian hotel for lunch, and then caught the monorail to MK.

While we were at the restaurant, a dad sat down with his 2-or-so year old daughter. His wife and older daughter were picking up their food. Did the two discuss their day so far or plans for the afternoon? Did they watch the kids headed to the pool? Did they share some bad jokes? No. The dad pulled out a portable DVD player and started up an episode of Dora the Explorer.

Can you believe that? They're in the middle of Walt Disney World on a family vacation, and yet that's not enough entertainment and they can't be bothered to speak to each other.

I think that's worse than the time JJ and I saw a mom pushing a boy around a mall in a stroller with a portable DVD player propped in front of him.

Two steps forward

A.'s starting to walk! I'd expected there to be a distinct day that she started walking, but it's been a two steps forward, one step back thing since Saturday. Where she used to turn away from whatever was supporting her and look across the room as if to say, "I wonder if I could...", and then plop on her bum, she now actually takes 3 or 4 (or 5 or 6) steps to her destination. Any further than that, or any sense of urgency, and it's back to crawling. Most of the time, as is typical, she wants no help. No help! But once or twice she's allowed us to take her hand and walk beside her for a few steps.

I'm excited about her walking, but a little apprehensive as well. She causes enough trouble as it is... what about when she's walking and has two free hands while toddling around, or when she wants to be put down to walk and explore when out in the world? I see a lot more vigilance in my future.

Settling

Well, we've been living here for a week now. Our stuff and things are slowing finding their places, although most of the non-furniture items are still in boxes in the garage.

Our progress got slowed significantly when the entire family was hit by a really nasty illness. A. came down with it first, on Saturday night. It took me and JJ down on Monday afternoon, and by Monday night had gotten so bad that it necessitated a trip to the emergency room for JJ. A liter of IV fluid and some tests later, and he was sent home to sleep it off. The next morning he was much improved, but I wasn't. By mid-day I was in a bad state, way behind on my liquids and calories. JJ finally put an IV in me and gave me 2 liters, and that got me over the hump and on my way to recovery.

Now that that's over, we can finally start to put some energy into unpacking before the family starts to arrive for A.'s first birthday (!). Of course, living in the house has led us to notice more small fix-ups that need to be done, so there's a new list starting. Weather stripping, a better shower head, a quieter dishwasher... a house is a blessing and a curse, I guess.

Long time, no see

We finally have internet, but it's late and I'm tired so elaboration is going to have to wait. Suffice to say that we've been living in the new place since Wednesday night, and we've spent the last 3 days hauling truckloads of our things from the Lake Katherine house to here. All that's left is the random detritus that accumulates wherever you live for a while. Moving is cleansing, in that regard.

Details later. When it's not so late.

Almost done

We're so very close to being done with the house fix-ups. And that's a good thing, because JJ and I are exhausted. All we can talk about is how wonderful it'll be. We'll have our free time back, be living in a much more baby-friendly house, and finally be able to unpack the room full of boxes.

The three bedrooms, den, dining room, kitchen, nook, and living room are all painted. The trim in the whole house and all of the doors have been repainted or touched up. The light fixtures have been moved, replaced, or cleaned. All of the hinges and door handles have been replaced. And nearly everything has gotten a thorough cleaning.

We're making an Ikea run tomorrow, as well as a first trip with the pre-packed boxes. The carpet arrives Friday, and we'll let it sit and off-gas over the weekend. Next week, it's into the fray of moving.

There's still little things to be done in the house (cabinet door knobs, new house numbers, paint the front door), dreams of painting the rest of the house (the mud room, the hallway, the bathrooms), and all of the yard work. But we're close enough to move in and do the rest as weekend projects.

I just hope we can get moved before one or the other of us collapses.

Belated 11-month update

I feel really lucky. Because I'm with A pretty much all day, every day, I get to see her change and learn. I don't go away and then come back to a bigger or smarter baby -- when something clicks, I know that things just connected in her brain.

Lately, she's been having an explosion of language understanding. Not speaking -- everything that isn't babbling or "hi" sounds like "daddy" or "dat", although she seems to be getting close on "duck". But she's understanding lots of new words. She has nurse, foot, hug, cat, duck, and drink down pat. This morning she's working on clap and head and as many others as we take the time to teach.

A still has no interest in signing. She understands signs for "cat" and "nurse", but has only possibly signed "nurse" twice. She's so contrary.

In other news, still no walking, just free-standing. She continues to grow into her interactive toys, using the stacking rings and ball-drop more and more appropriately. Less and less goes into her mouth, so we can let her explore more and examine more things. Right on time, she's growing out of her 12-month clothing and into 18-month. We've avoided sleep training because of the stress of house fix-ups, but her sleep is slowly improving on its own. There are still some bad nights of 3 wakings, but 1 waking nights are less uncommon. And although A continues to eat anything that isn't nailed down (with any kind of sausage being her number one favorite food ever), she only has those two bottom teeth.

11 months. Wow. Time to start thinking about a first birthday!

First deliberate steps!

A took her first deliberate steps today. Two sideways, then two forward. She was trying to get to the cookie I was eating. Good girl. :)

She hasn't shown much interest in replicating the feat, although she's doing a lot more freestanding. I don't think she's going to be charging around the house any time soon, but she's making progress.

Quick house pics

We finally decided on a color for the dining room and got a first coat up. Getting that done really helps the main living area feel comfortable and like it's ours.

Here's a few quick pictures showing the dining room and the coordination between the brown dining room and the blue living room. It was a bit tricky to paint; the dining room is surrounded on two sides by arches. We decided to paint the backside of the arches, which took some delicate work since the edges are rounded.

She stood up!

So A's in the living room, tearing up various newspapers and magazines again. I turn away to talk to JJ, then turn back. I find A unsupported, halfway from a squat to free-standing, and as I watch, she gets fully upright!

Of course, I then realize that she's standing on slippery paper on a tile floor, with a stone mantle a foot behind her. So I get JJ's attention and scoot as fast as I can over to her to get a hand behind her without scaring her.

She stands up, tears some more paper, and gently sits back down.

Wow!

It was an odd way to stand up, though. She didn't push up with her arms, she just squatted and pushed herself up. That takes some really great balance!

Photo house progress update

We're about 1/3 of the way done with the home improvements, I'd say. A.'s room, the playroom, and the living room have paint. We're close to deciding on the dining room paint color and the carpet. All the ugly light fixtures have been replaced, and most of the exterior door locks have been changed. What remains is a bunch more painting, replacing the interior door handles, putting knobs and pulls on the cabinets, having the carpet installed, putting up blinds and/or curtains, and some exterior work.

We're still aiming for mid-April for our moving date. Hoping for earlier, but not expecting it. It's hard to get things done with a very attention-demanding 10 month old. Basically, one person can work at a time, while the other handles A. Even then, the working person ends up being less productive than they might otherwise be. JJ took A. for a daddy-daughter day today to give me some uninterrupted house time, and I made a decent dent in the to-do list.

Here's the living room, painted a cloudy blue.



This is our attempt to find a warm, appetizing brown for the dining room. It's not easy.


Here's the playroom, with two coats of a light and cheery yellow.


And finally, A.'s room, a smokey purple.


If you like that purple, have I got a deal for you! I am authorized to offer you, at a very good price, 2 gallons of Ash Grove color paint. You see, we have extra. That was the first room we painted. I sent JJ for the paint, and suggested that he ask the helpful sales associates how much we'd need. Instead, he took the initiative and read the paint bucket to find how much area it covered. He then figured that her room was about 10 by 12, the ceilings were 8 feet high... 10 times 12 times 8... we needed three gallons. Which would be true, if we wanted to paint every air molecule in her room purple. Instead, just the walls are purple, and we have plenty of extra paint.

Neighbors

We went to work on the house again today (surprise -- what day don't we work on the house?) and met our neighbors on either side. To the west there's a couple with two kids, 5 and 3, and to the east there's a couple with a 9 year old daughter. They described the other people living around us, some retirees but mostly families with young kids (3-9 years old). Unfortunately, they didn't seem to know of any kids around a year old. Seems like most of the kid-having happened in a bunch a few years ago. Guess A. will just have to learn to play with older kids.

The neighbors also told us about the older couple who owns the "ranchette" behind our houses. That's where the two cows live. Apparently the couple is very nice and love kids (theirs are grown and gone). They're also pretty country, and spend a number of days shooting (at their range, at skeet, at squirrels and birds). Doesn't bother us -- it's better than the shooting at people that happened around our apartment in Hayward.

We found out some interesting information about the house that we bought. We'd figured that it was a rental, since the owners live in Washington state and bought two houses in the area around the same time. In fact it was a rental, and had been since it was built (through two previous owners). We'd figured that the renters had had a dog, what with the smell. Turns out that they had at least 3 dogs, and at some points as many as 5. Plus some cats. The driveway was full of cars, many of them not running. The HOA had considered taking them to court for violations of the neighborhood agreements, but never worked up to it.

So, as you can imagine, our arrival in the neighborhood is most welcome. Ours was the troublesome house, and the people around us are very happy to have a family of homeowners settling in.

I keep getting more and more pleased with the neighborhood. The people we've met have been great, and the number of kids around is fabulous. I can't believe we got so lucky as to get this house.

Awesome eater

A. just gobbled up/devoured/inhaled our dinner of homemade Tom Ka Gai. She ate an uncounted number of pieces of JJ's fake chicken and my real chicken, as well as mushrooms from JJ's soup and her own piece of toast spread with pureed squash.

It's a sophisticated taste, a bit sour and a bit spicy -- not exactly the sort of thing you find in jarred baby food. It's amazing how much she seemed to enjoy it! She kept going back for as many pieces as we put on her tray.

As though that wasn't enough food, she's now finishing up with a teething biscuit. And some Cheerios. I do feed this kid! Really!

Video intermission

This video is a few weeks old, taken soon after A. learned how to say "hi". She's a bit more graceful on her feet now, but it's still a pretty accurate picture of her.

A. update

A. is just a bit more than 10 months old now, and much happier with her growing toddler status than she was as a baby (we call her a toddlet).

A. has one word -- "hi" -- and uses it constantly. There's the greeting -- "Hi!". The demand for attention from another shopper -- "Haaai?". And then there's I-see-something-neat-why-won't-it-pay-attention-to-me. For instance, the flock of ibis birds who were looking for insects in our yard. "Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi Hi....."

We've been working on "bye" and "cat" and various signs, but none of it has clicked for her yet. She does have receptive language -- from the front seat of the car, I asked her to share a toy with JJ and she did, which was really cool. But for now, pointing is getting her everything that she needs.

Motor-wise, she can freestand but only does so when she's playing with a toy and forgets to hang on, or when she's around other, slightly older kids. She has no interest in walking -- when we try to get her to take steps with our help, she just drops down and speed-crawls over to whatever is of interest.

Although she's right around the 50th percentile for her size, she seems to eat with the appetite of a much larger baby. She still nurses multiple times a day and night, and also eats 3 meals a day and any snacks we offer. She'll eat pretty much any food we eat and still has some baby favorites. Some people-food favorites include french toast, sloppy joes, and turkey sandwiches. Her baby favorites are teething biscuits and toast spread with squash puree.

We go to 2 storytimes a week because she loves them so much. One is more baby-oriented, with singing and felt-board stories. The other is more toddler-oriented, where she just listens to the stories. She still loves her books, loves to turn pages and open flaps. Sometimes she'll just pull a book out of the box and sit on the floor with it, turning the pages and talking to herself. It's totally adorable.

If you gave her a choice, though, she wouldn't be in her room or playroom, she'd be out shopping or in Disney World, where she can see and greet people. One of the best times of the day for her is when we wait out on the porch for JJ to come home in the morning, and she can watch the trees and squirrels and greet all the cars and morning walkers who come by.

She's growing up into a happy, interactive little person, and it's great fun to watch.

One room down!

I got A's room painted today. It's a color called Ash Grove, the closest we could come to a twilight-like purpley-blue. We're doing her room up in a space theme, so we thought that would be a good color for that, as well as being flexible once she can pick decorations.

One down, something like 10 to go...

The cows

JJ and I were at the house today, preparing the place for A. to have the run of it and checking out paint colors. We had all the windows open to try to air out the dog smell some more.

There was someone out mowing the field behind our house where the two or three cows live. This mower was really annoying the cows, and every time it went by they'd let out a big "MOOOOOO".

The moos drifted into our house, loud and clear. We'd be looking at paint samples, discussing our favorites, and suddenly... "MOOOOOOO!"

It was the most moo-ish moo you could imagine. The best way I can describe it is those little cans that you would turn upside down, then they would make an animal noise when you righted them again. It was a toy-perfect MOOOOO.

Home owners!

Well, we did it. We closed this morning at 9:30am. It was a quick closing, with the papers signed by 10am and us out the door by 10:30. After all the horror stories you hear about the piles of paperwork and arms falling off from so many signatures, JJ and I were pleasantly surprised. It really wasn't that bad.

The whole process was actually pretty easy, I think. We had a great agent who let me take the lead in finding properties, but who we really trusted to watch our backs and know the technicalities. We got our mortgage through a small bank, so although it's been sold already, we had easy access to two pleasant mortgage agents who put up with my silly questions and who we knew would be at closing with the money.

This house worked out perfectly. It came on the market far enough into our search that we recognized that this one was special and we were ready to make an offer. Everything fell into place - our offer was low but quick and solid, the house was in great shape, and we didnt hit any snags with financing or insurance.

Now I finally get to indulge my DIY tendencies. We're going to head over to the house today to vacuum the carpets and baby proof the house. That way, Atlee can have the run of the place while I/we do some fix-ups.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to say that I'm from Florida yet, but apparently this is where we're going to put down some roots.

Green house

Closing in 1.5 days!

JJ and I know that we'll have to do some fix-ups to the house -- paint and carpet at the least. We're trying to find products as ecologically friendly and non-toxic as possible. Our success varies a lot.

Paint-wise, it's pretty easy to find low-VOC paint. There are some true no-VOC paints, but they run $30-50 a gallon and don't get great reviews. If you're willing to settle for low-VOC paint, the basic Olympic sold at Lowes is cheap and decent. So that's the way we're going.

Carpet is harder. If you want recycled fibers, you have to go with polyester, which is inferior to nylon both in texture and in durability. We're looking at Flor carpet tiles for possible use in the living room, which would avoid using nasty chemical glues. Carpet tiles don't tend to be as soft and squishy as I like, though. We've got some samples coming on Friday, so that'll help us make a decision.

We tend to get quite a bewildered reaction when we start asking questions about these sorts of things in the home improvement centers. It's pretty amusing.

Closing scheduled!

We're getting to the end here. We've scheduled the final walk-through and closing on the house. The walk-through will be next Thursday at 4:30pm, and the closing will be Friday morning at 10am.

Since the sellers live in Washington and the title company is about 90 minutes north, the original idea was to do a by-mail closing. However, JJ and I really wanted people around to explain to us what we were signing, so with a little pushing we got things to an agreeable point.

The sellers will still close by-mail, but a title agent will come down to Clermont so that we can meet in person. The mortgage agent wanted to come, too, so it'll be a full house. JJ, me, our realtor, the title agent, and the mortgage agent. But it'll be like a real closing!

Got to arrange to move the utilities into our name. Wow. So official!

The crazy day

Yesterday was an insane day. It seems like it was ages ago.

The frustrations were a generally grumpy baby because of bad naps and a higher than expected monthly payment because of tax mumbo-jumbo. We spent all of our extra cycles figuring out how to deal with the new finance situation and re-evaluating our loan and down payment.

The major stressor was our house inspection. Luckily, it went really well. Nothing major showed up, and the worst of the few minor things were some broken sprinkler heads.

The days after signing the contract had made the house smaller, darker, and smellier in my head. Getting to spend a few hours there really reassured me. It's a great house. I'm actually looking forward to being able to go back in a couple weeks to re-inspect the sprinklers. :)

Buying a house is a lot easier than I expected it to be. Sure, there's a lot of steps to take, but we've found some great people to help us along the way. It's all new to us, but not to them. They just tell us what to do next, and it all falls into place and moves along almost of its own accord.

I'm so, so happy with this house we found!

Calming down

Friday we bought a house. Saturday was spent in shock. And then Saturday night, JJ disappeared into the work black hole. He's just now emerging -- today is his zombie day, where he sleeps from 9am to 1pm or so and then spends the rest of the day in a daze. It's really the only way to adjust back to a daytime schedule.

Anyway, this has meant that I've had nothing but time to myself to second-guess the house. Is it the right house? Did we get a good deal? Is this even the right area for us?

Now that JJ's re-emerging, I've got someone else to talk to who can bring me back to reality. Yes, the house is fine. It's not perfect, but it meets all of our criteria. Yes, we got a good deal. Could it have been better? Maybe. But we were even prepared to offer more, so it's a good deal to us. Is this the right area? For now, yes. With a baby and me as a stay-at-home mom, this is a good place for us. Down the line, that might change. But moving (say, back to CA) would mean giving up some big things that I'm not prepared to lose right now.

So I'm calming down. Tomorrow's the inspection, and I think another chance to see the house will reassure me.

I spent an awesome morning today wandering around Lowes. I had A. in her hip carrier, and she was babbling and laughing and waving to all of the computers we passed. I was living my dream -- walking around a home store, looking for things for OUR house. I priced carpet, discovered that you can lay laminate over tile (awesome!), looked at bathroom light fixtures, scanned through the riding mowers, and did a once-over of the paint chips (ah, memories). I can't wait to get that house spruced up to what I see in my mind.

Details

So. The low-down. The house is located in the town of Montverde, to the north-east of Clermont. It's in a neighborhood which is maybe 40 homes tucked away on 3 cul-de-sac streets. There are lots of big old pine trees and everyone has 1/2 to 1 acre of land.

The house is just under 2000 square feet, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a den. There's an open dining room, family room, and a breakfast nook off of the kitchen. At the back is a screened, roofed lanai and an open slab patio. The yard backs up to a drainage area, small stand of trees, and 2 cows.

The major fault with the house is that the living area smells strongly of dog. It's not a huge deal to us, since we planned to replace the carpet anyway. Other than that, the house appears to be in good shape.

The front of the house, from the street:
The entryway, dining room, and den:
The family room:
The kitchen and breakfast nook:
The kitchen from the other side:
Master bedroom:
Master bath:
Side yard, looking toward the back:
The backyard:

I'd seen this neighborhood before, and really liked it. But Montverde's prices are pretty high because of a very upscale community that bought up a bunch of land during the boom and is slowly building out. So all the houses were listed way out of our price range. I get daily reports from realtor.com, though, and when this house popped up out of our range -- but at least closer -- I immediately emailed our realtor for details.

We saw the house 6 days after it went on the market. The virtual tour photographer had only just been through the house. We liked it, but knew it was way above our price range. So we talked to our realtor about ways to make our offer more appealing other than the price.

JJ and I slept on it, and the next morning we decided that our only reservation about the house was the price. So we ran our finances, figured out how much we could comfortably afford, and shrugged our shoulders and decided it was worth a shot.

It took 2 hours this afternoon to write up the offer (Atlee was a great little trooper). We offered something we're pretty comfortable at and we thought was high enough to be interesting, but was still WAY LOW. Although we didn't have much leeway beyond that number, all of us expected quite a bit of back-and-forth negotiations. Other than the price, we did what we could to make the offer appealing -- quick closing, solid down payment, low repair threshold.

Our realtor faxed off the offer, requiring their reply by noon the next day. JJ, Atlee, and I headed off to do some shopping about 20 minutes away.

About 30 minutes later while I was sitting in the car in the parking lot, watching Atlee sleep, our realtor called. She asked if we could put more money into the escrow account. I replied that I imagined that we could, but what would that get us? Would they start negotiations?

"A house," she replied.

They had verbally accepted the offer, as long as we put more money into escrow to prove that we were serious and wouldn't walk away. We were all -- including our realtor -- stunned. We got a house for way under asking, way way under the second-cheapest house in the neighborhood's asking, and way way WAY under the only house to sell in the neighborhood in 2006 and 2007.

So, now what? Well, it's all still verbal until we see the signed papers, which should be tonight or tomorrow. On Monday, we call and schedule inspections for Wednesday and start getting paperwork to the lending company. After that, I think most of what happens doesn't involve us until closing on February 29th. Then we're homeowners!

ummm... We got it!

Details to follow!

We're making an offer!

The latest house that we saw is by far the best house we've seen. The yard is great -- over 1/2 an acre with big old trees and native grass. The neighborhood is in a very small town near Clermont (the center of town is a stop sign) with a lot of kids living next door and elsewhere in the neighborhood. JJ's commute is half as long as it is now, even though the location is a lot more isolated. The house is decent -- not the nicest we've seen, but the layout works well enough for us and the rest of the features more than make up.

However, it's very unlikely that we'll get the house. Even though it's by far the cheapest house in the neighborhood, our highest price-point is still about 10% below the asking price. But we'll never know unless we try. Maybe they need to get rid of the house ASAP and can take the hit. Maybe they'll reject it, but we get lucky and it hangs around for a few months and they come back to us. Maybe we never get the house, but at least we'll go through the offering process and learn how it works.

I find myself neither excited nor nervous. I think that's because I'm not expecting this to actually go through. Probably the best emotional state to approach your first offer with. :)

Deja vu

We saw two houses today. Both are short sales, which we're seeing a lot of. A short sale is an early part of the foreclosure process, where the owner makes a deal with the bank to sell the house for less than they owe on it. Because the market has dropped so much, a lot of people owe way more on the house than they'll ever get at market value. This has put a lot of great homes into our price range, if we can fight our way through the bank bureaucracy.

The first house we saw is close to our current rental. It's a great part of Clermont -- very quiet, very residential, but very far from the turnpike for JJ's commute. The house has a nice floorplan for our needs -- no separate living room and family room, generally open with high ceilings, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a nice screened porch. The big hang-up for us is the commute.

The second house is in a much better location, more in the center of town. I stumbled across the subdivision on one of my many drives around town, getting A. a nap. It's very hidden for being in the middle of everything, down a hill and next to a protected area with lots of older trees. We were pretty excited about seeing this one; I'd jumped on it when I saw it pop up on the MLS because I didn't think we could afford this neighborhood.

Unfortunately, when we met our realtor at the first house, she told us that we couldn't see the second house. The owner had "run off" to Utah without leaving a key. The realtors said that they had just listed it, and hadn't expected anyone to want to see it. *sigh* Isn't the point of listing a property to sell it? And don't you have to show it to sell it?

Anyway, when we left the first house, JJ and I drove over to the second to walk around it and peek in the windows. Deja vu. It was the same model that we had just looked at!

So now we're very interested, and waiting to hear that we can get in to take a look in person. It's really good to see some promising houses!

Victoria & Albert's

JJ and I arrived at the Grand Floridian a little after 5pm. Valet parking is complimentary when dining at Victoria & Albert's, so we dropped off the car and were directed to the restaurant. Our seating wasn't until 5:45 and check-in was at 5:30, so we wandered around the lobby and stuck our head in the various shops. It's an odd cognitive dissonance to be dressed in your best, headed for a fancy dinner, as little kids run around your feet and adults in shorts and tourist t-shirts mill around.

We checked in at the same podium as another, more casual restaurant. The entrance to V&A's is just off of their entrance. A V&A's greeter was approaching everyone who arrived dressed appropriately, catching those of us bound for his restaurant and directing the others back to the podium. We were still a bit early, so we sat in a small seating area overlooking the grounds along with some other couples. When the 5:45 seating started, each group was taken in individually.

V&A's lies behind frosted glass doors. Just inside is a podium where the maitre'd stands. To the left are the private bathrooms and straight ahead is the dining room. The greeter who took us in conferred with the maitre'd, learned our seating location, and guided us to it. We were in the middle of the dining room under a small painted rotunda that, we would soon learn, focused the conversations of the other three tables so that we could hear them as clearly as if they were mic'ed. Luckily, only one other table was occupied during our seating. Behind JJ, near the door, sat the harpist who played through most of the evening.

A waiter poured us Evian and inquired about our drinks. I mentioned I was going to have the wine pairings, so he brought over the first wine, a Champagne. It was surprising, very full and rich tasting. We also got house-baked rolls (I ended up having two of the multi-grain ones -- delicious!).

Another waiter (we were tended by 2 during the course of the evening) brought over our personalized menus. JJ's was all vegetarian, which meant he had a fairly fixed selection. His only options were cheese or sorbet and which dessert. My menu was also tweaked a bit so that it didn't include large amounts of dairy (for instance, the cheese course wasn't mentioned, only the sorbet). The dinner consists of an Amuse Bouche, cold appetizer, warm appetizer, fish course, entree, palate cleaner/cheese, and dessert. For most of these I had at least three options.

The Amuse Bouche (intended to be a single-bite course, meant to stir the taste buds and give you an idea of what's to come) was first. JJ had a small pot of Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Soup and Root Vegetable Flan. I had a small piece of Lobster in Olive Oil with Beets (beets were to be a theme throughout the meal -- I guess it's one of the very things in season in mid-January, even in Florida).

For JJ, the first appetizer was a Fresh Garbanzo Bean and Shaved Fennel Salad with 100 Year Aged Balsamic. For me, it was Chorizo Crusted Gulf Shrimp with Garbanzo Beans, Arbequina Olives and Banyuls Vinaigrette and a glass of red wine (Prior d'Scala Dei, Priorat 2003). I'm not a real fan of seafood, so I only thought the shrimp were OK. But the chorizo was great! [Other choices: Smoked Alaskan Sablefish with Blood Orange and Hearts of Palm, Aged Balsamic or Iranian Osetra Caviar with Traditional Garnish (an extra charge)]

The second appetizer was Mushroom Tortellini with Trumpet Royal and Tableside Burgundy Truffles for JJ and New Zealand Elk Tenderloin with Braised Red Cabbage and Mustard Spaetzle with another red (Cesari "Mara" Vino Di Ripasso Valpolicella 2004) for me. The elk was cooked rare, which I usually don't eat. But this was delicious -- not gamey, just bold. [Other choices: Ballotine of Poulet Rouge with Chicken Consomme, Scottish Chanterelles and Black Truffles or Pan Roasted Foie Gras with Fuji Apples and Mostarda di Cremona (an extra charge)]

Seafood course was next for me; Nantucket Scallops with Roasted Beets and Pomegranate Reduction with white wine (Caymus Conundrum, California 2005). JJ had Handmade Potato Gnocchi with Vegetable Ratatouille. As I mentioned, I don't really like seafood. But scallops are so popular these days, I've wanted to try them. As expected, I wasn't a fan. JJ snuck one of mine and confirmed that they were really good scallops -- sweet, cooked well, not gritty or chewy. So it's not the preparation, I just don't like 'em. Good to know. [Other choices: Dover Sole with Petite French Lentils, Winter Corn and Saffron Foam or Seared Wild Turbot with Toasted Capers and Meyer Lemon (an extra charge)]

Then, entrees. JJ had Braised Red Cabbage with Mustard Spaetzle and Petite French Lentils and I had Colorado Lamb en Croute with Rainbow Swiss Chard, Salsify, and Tomato-Lamb Jus with more red (Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Santa Cruz 2003). I was really looking forward to this, and wasn't disappointed. The lamb was juicy and meaty, and the accompaniments were delicious -- even artichoke hearts, which I've never had! The lentil salad was also one of JJ's favorite parts of the meal. [Other choices: Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Banana Squash Ragout or Marcho Farm Veal Tenderloin with Braised Veal Cheeks and Burgundy Poached Sweet Breads or Australian Kobe Beef Tenderloin with Smoke Garlic Puree (an extra charge) or Japanese Wagyu Strip Loin with Oxtail Jus (an extra charge)]

Onto palate cleaners. Strawberry Sorbet for me, cheese course for JJ. He had veined cheese for the first time, and was completely blown out of the water by the flavor. [Other choice: White Chocolate Gelato with Red Currants]

Ah, dessert. Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle for JJ and a sampler for me -- Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle, and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry with a great dessert wine (Paolo Saracco Moscato D'Asti, Piedmont 2006) for me. I had only a small taste of my ice cream before sliding it onto JJ's plate so that it wouldn't tempt me. The mousse was amazing, probably my favorite part of the dessert. [Other options: Berry Gateau with Mango Yogurt Pannacotta (or Diced Mango for me) or Caramelized Banana Gateau or Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee or Grand Marnier Souffle]

Along with dessert we chose to have teas instead of coffee. JJ had a black tea, while I had an herbal tea of chamomile, peppermint, clove, and other flavors. It was the best tea I've ever had, and the only tea I've truly enjoyed drinking. I had 3 cups!

At the end of dinner, we were presented with our personalized menus and a rose for me. All in all, it took 3.5 hours. We left around 9pm. By then, we were the second to last table from our seating and even a few later seatings to leave. So odd -- we thought we were eating fast, but other tables were rushing by us!

Nearly 4 hours, 7 courses, and 6 glasses of wine later, we headed home. The portions were perfect so we were satisfied but not stuffed. I was more than a little light-headed from the wine, but other than some serious room-spinning when I laid down to sleep, I suffered no ill effects.

It was delicious, it was fun, it was very much worth it. I'd love to do it again in a few years, this time in summer so that more produce is in season.

Sneak peek

I'll post a longer report when baby's asleep, but as a teaser, here's what I had for dinner at Victoria and Albert's:

Amuse Bouche of Lobster and Beets
Chorizo Crusted Gulf Shrimp with Garbanzo Beans, Arbequina Olives, and Banyuls Vinaigrette
New Zealand Elk Tenderloin with Braised Red Cabbage and Mustard Spaetzle
Nantucket Scallops with Roasted Beets and Pomegranate Reduction
Colorado Lamb en Croute with Rainbow Swiss Chard, Salsify and Tomato-Lamb Jus
Strawberry Sorbet
Single-bean Chocolate Trio: Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Knona Chocolate Souffle, and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry
Herbal tea

... plus 6 glasses of wine thanks to the wine pairing.

Three month hump

It's been about three months since I left my job, and I've been having a rough time of it the last few days. I really miss the job, the people, the atmosphere. The reassurance I have is that if I didn't feel this, all those years wouldn't have meant as much to me as I think they do.

I'm strangely torn. I like Clermont and I like having so much time with JJ and A. I don't miss California, and I don't have the out-of-place feeling that always hung over my head there. But I'm still adjusting to not working and not exercising my brain every day. And I'll never be surrounded by the same sort of people. Hell, I still haven't found one fellow geek.

I've think I've hit the adjustment phase, where I realize that one chapter has closed, a new one has opened, and I can't go back. Here's where I stop feeling, somewhere deep down, that I'm due back in a day or two. Where "normal" becomes this day-to-day, instead of the "normal" that I left.

Still searching

We've seen five houses so far, but nothing is quite right. Since we're in no hurry -- our lease isn't up until the end of May, and we can go month-to-month after that -- we're holding out for just the right place. We can always start compromising at some later point.

Two of the houses aren't listed any more, but here are the other three that we've seen.

The biggest problem is turning out to be location. We want to be on the east side of town to shorten JJ's drive to the turnpike. Right now, half his commute is spent working his way through Clermont. However, the more unique houses and quieter neighborhoods are over on the west side, where we live now. The east side has very generic new developments with boring houses and small yards.

We'll keep watching realtor.com and seeing houses that catch our eye. Our poor real estate agent. She's probably going to be stuck with us for a while.