The Locks

Dale took Jordan and Theo to the Ballard Locks on Sunday. They talked politics the whole time. Theo is an ardent Obama supporter, as are all of our children. It’s actually a big topic of conversation among the four-year-olds. The other topic was cruise ships, which, as Theo informed Jordan, have a hundred apartments on them. Jordan has only recently learned what an apartment is and he was very impressed. Dale was impressed at the fish nets on these so-called cruise ships.

Seattle morning

What a terrific Seattle morning we had. We needed a toaster, so we decided to go downtown to Sur la Table at Pike Place Market. We petted the pig, marveled at the fish throwers, admired the crabs and clams and oysters. The toaster quest was unsuccessful so we walked out to Westlake Plaza and went to another kitchen store or two. Still no luck, but it was a nice walk, sunny and breezy; Jordan ran, and Aaron rode on Daddy’s shoulders. Back to Pike Place Market for lunch at the Athenian, where we were all captivated by the view. Blue water, dark trees, ferries, tugboats, a cruise ship under construction, seagulls flying at window level. Everybody loved it.

We jogged back to our car to beat the meter. Seattle has this cool new system replacing coin-operated meters: you pay for your parking time at a little automated pay station, and receive a sticker that says when you’re due back. You stick it to the inside of your curbside window. You can even take it with you if you change parking places. The most brilliant part is that you can use a credit card to buy the sticker. No more running into the store for quarters! I also like that it tells you what time to come back, rather than how much time you have remaining. This seems like the more customer-centered piece of information.

We got to our car at 12:10, and were pulling into our own driveway at 12:19. How cool is THAT. In DC we had to plan half an hour to get home from the Mall. From anywhere, really.

First day of school

The kids had their first day at school today, hooray!  We went to Jordan's class first, and his teacher, Michelle, stopped everything to have a circle where the kids introduced themselves.  Jordan's name has been on the attendance list all year already, and there has been much suspense:  when would he come?  was he a boy or a girl?  Everyone was very excited to finally meet him in person.  All the other kids seem very charming and warm, and Jordan seemed very comfortable.  Dale and I left him to do leaf rubbings, and recess, and lunch.  When we checked in on him occasionally he looked like he fit right in.

Aaron fit right in too but he was not okay with our leaving him... ahh, fifteen-month-olds.  We took off for about 45 minutes and during that time he was somewhat unhappy.  When we got back I hung out in his room with him, and as long as I was there, he merrily did what the other kids were doing.  It seems like a great room: there are cooking toys, musical instruments, a light table, floor mirrors, and a giant bin that had recently been full of fall leaves.  Today's activity was painting with foam paints - quite a glorious mess.  For lunch, the little guys sit at a low table with kid-size chairs, not high chairs, which was just completely cute.  Very sorry I didn't bring the camera.

The little kids don't take a morning nap, and the big kids don't nap at all.  This isn't what our kids are used to, but I think they can handle it.  So grown up, my goodness.

School is closed tomorrow and Wednesday for Shemini Atzeret.  That's a downside to a JCC preschool... closed for what are, to me, obscure holidays.  October is the worst.  The good news is they're open for Christmas.

It was a huge relief to have them at school for the morning.  My life has been very kid-centered for a while now, and it'll be very freeing once they're situated.

Landing

We're settling in for our second night in the apartment, and things are going great.  We've gotten everything in, put together the beds and the dining room table, unpacked the kitchen, and even had home-cooked breakfast and dinner today.  (And hooked up the internet!)  We're still tripping over boxes, and the dresser drawers are full of things besides clothes so there's nowhere to put the clothes, and various surfaces are covered with many miscellaneous items; but for our second day here, I think we're doing great.  

The apartment is terrific.  Everything is clean and functional and well-designed (except the walkways).  It was a sunny day today and the big southern windows were in fine form.  Aaron likes to stand up on a bench and point at the birds and dogs and whatever else is out there.  Both kids took naps, and the late afternoon included a fun walk past an aquarium store to a great playground.  Sue is spending the weekend here to help us with the kids while we finish unloading and run errands.

The Camry was returned to us today as well.  I had a little bit of an adventure coming up with over $1000 in cash on a couple hours' notice, but it worked out.  Who knew you could just get that much from an ATM?  It took two cards, but so what.

It takes moving to a new place to make you realize just how many necessary objects are involved in the simplest tasks.  Today I kept starting to do the dishes but needed soap, a sponge, a brush, a dish drain.  I even did that Lily Tomlin thing where you buy a garbage can and take it home in a bag, then when you get home you put the bag in the garbage can.  I've been grocery shopping a couple of times, too, and it wears me out, because I don't know where things are.  And I spend five minutes furrowing my brow over what kind of bread to buy, because bread is different here.  Better, by far - great bread is everywhere I look.  But that doesn't make the decision simpler.  

Moving in

Dale slept the clock around. And we had a very successful day today! We got ourselves to Seattle, liberated the Corolla from the trailer, and figured out where to put the truck. We're on the third floor, but thank goodness there's an elevator, and they gave us the "stop" key so we could keep the door open for loading and unloading. In the middle of the day our savior Bob arrived, and we got a good routine going: Bob and Dale hauled stuff up to the door, I brought it into the apartment and kept an eye on the kids. Here's Jordan and Ava having a little drink by the fire.

Later in the day the kid factor went up (Aaron woke from his nap, and Susanna and her friend Penelope came home from school) and the unloading efficiency went down. But we got the truck more than half unloaded, which is fantastic progress. And I unpacked the kitchen.

Happily, the walkway was not nearly so bad today. When they're not actively working on our area, it's safe.

We're back at Kari and Danny's tonight, but tomorrow morning, we'll go back to Seattle to stay. Jordan is eager. Saint Bob will help us again in the afternoon, and hopefully they'll get the truck emptied out. And we'll start really living in our house!

Dale's here!

He has arrived, safe and sound!  He went 900 miles a day.  He is taking a nap.  All is well.

That's more like it

We got into the apartment, and it's great! Bekah and Ava met us there, and the kids romped around while I did the walk-through. It's about the same amount of space as the Haddon house, minus the attic and basement (which is a big deal) but plus another bathroom and a gas fireplace. The main living area is just one big open area, overlooked by the kitchen - a good arrangement with the kids. The kitchen is pleasant and functional, more than I'm used to. There's a big wide south-facing window along the far wall of the living room, through which the sun was streaming today. There's a view that is partly the roof next door and partly a nice vista down over the U district - including my new office building! There's the same view from the master bedroom. Jordan's bedroom is in the front of the house, looking onto the courtyard; Aaron's is the walk-in closet off the master, which is more than big enough for the purpose. There's a small and mostly unappealing balcony. Closets. And last but not least there's a generous utility room with washer/dryer and plenty of space for Phil's facilities. It's quite a bit nicer than the other apartments I've stayed in (Olympia, College Park) and I think it will accommodate us very well for the next few months.




Jordan's bedroom:

Aaron's bedroom:

Entry closet:


There is one huge, serious drawback, and that is the construction on the exterior. It is horrific. Look at the walkway. And we have a toddler.

I will never be able to put Aaron down out there, ever, and even Jordan and I are going to have to seriously watch our feet. Not to mention guests. Can this be legal? Even in the name of necessary improvements? We already argued for (and got) a bit of a break on the rent, but that was with the understanding that the walkway in front of our door would be completed when we arrived. This is so extreme that Bekah and I pretty much found it comical.

On the bright side, the courtyard might be sort of cute when it's done. If we're here then.

And if I feel too sad about the situation, there is a Grief Support Community just down the street.

When we had completed our apartment business, the five of us went to the zoo. That drive was six minutes. I practically shrieked with joy when I clocked it. We had lunch, and then since it was on the chilly side, spent our time in the Zoomnasium, a nature-themed indoor playground. It rocked. Aaron ran around going "Pbbbbth" at the elephant (his trumpeting sound) and making fish lips at the fish, and Jordan and Ava took turns hatching out of a big rubber egg.

This afternoon, Jordan is playing with Sam for a change. When Harry gets home from school, the three of them will go with Aunt Kari to the farm where they pick up their box of veggies. Aaron will stay here with me and Grandma Sue, who is aching for quality grandson time.