Monday, March 31, 2008

Home Sweet Home, At Last

Still with me?

I figure by now, if you don't have me in a blog reader, you have gotten tired of checking daily to see if I have posted and have finally forsaken me for more prolific, overwrought, mothers of boys.

No?

Well, we are moved. As of today we have the rest of the flotsam of our lives out of the old house and a mound of boxes in every room of the new house. Trying to arrange naps and meals and wipe snotty noses and brush teeth is finally do-able since we have found most of the basic necessities of life.

Noah seems to like the new house although, honestly, he hasn't had much time to react to the move because we have kept him busy by shipping him off to day camp and when he is home, he has been swept away by his Mima for hours on end. Luka took the move VERY well, the happy-go-lucky-little-fella that he is.

Ethan was another story. We wonder if Ethan doesn't have a wee touch of OCD, the way he likes to line up his toys in a row, and other assorted Ethan-isms. At the very least he likes things to be the way he likes them to be. We were able to move a few things into the new house each night for a week before the big moving day, and when things like the couches disappeared, and his crib vanished and was replaced by a playpen, he started tantruming over the smallest of things.

Then one day, he saw Daddy pick up the desk chair and carry it out the back door, and I think he realized that his world was being deconstructed. The twins are just barely too young to explain that we are moving to a new house, and all he knew was that things were going away, and his parents were responsible. He fell to the floor and started to flail.

We were to spend that night in the new house and I decided it was time to get him out of the old house now. He was having a mental break that was not stopping. So we loaded up the car with the kids and decided to care for them here instead of there.

Ethan loves exploring new places, so he had fun wandering through the rooms, and he began this relieved crying and laughing at the same time as he saw his couches, familiar dressers, and finally: his and Luka's cribs all set up with his teddy bears inside. It was all good again.

Well, almost. He is still easily sent into hysteria over the smallest of things. He is very clingy. But he is far improved over the puddle of snot and slobber he had become over the course of last week.

So, now it is back to work for me. My project today is to clean out the kitchen of boxes so we can build the dinner table. I am purging all the random things we never use, building up a big box of stuff to one day list on the free section of craigslist or freecycle.

I am so in the purging mood. Pray it lasts. I need the space.

OK, then, back to work!

7 comments:

Snowbird said...

Good to hear that you are moved. I do hope that poor Ethan forgets the trauma and will do ok. Hopefully you guys will be able to settle in and take a breather some time soon. Take some pictures, ok?

tonya said...

Whew! I know how traumatic moving with little kids can be (twice in the last 5 years), so I'm very relieved the worst appears to be over.

Hoping Ethan adjusts as life resume in the new locale (and good to know for future moves!). :)

More power to ya on the "stuff" cleansing. I am *still* going through the few remaining unpacked boxes with a stiff upper lip... if I haven't used it in the last 12 months, surely I don't need it anymore, right?? I am trying so hard to break my genetic predisposition to keeping Stuff around, and winning-- finally!

gpc said...

You've gotten a lot done in record time! Breathe!

Cindy said...

Yay! You made it! I was just getting ready to send you a pair of ruby slippers to speed up the process. Oh, and excuse me... how come posting the Hawaii photos was not on that "to do" list? ;)

Robyn Jones said...

My little son was around 10 months old when we moved, and it took him two months to adjust and want to sleep in his room. I think we will avoid any more moves till the babies are a little older......Now to the fun part! Unpacking!

JeSais said...

ugh. I feel Ethan's pain. and hey, speaking of moving... when you guys came to town did you use a long distance moving company? got a recommendation?
hope to see you soon.

Snowbird said...

OK, you've been moved a week now. Isn't it about time to blog again?? Some pictures? Hawaii, grandkids, new house, etc etc etc. :)