My Superman Husband

It's been a looong but good day. The kids got up and out in a timely manner this morning. During Max's morning nap, I was able to wrap up most of our pictures and pack up all our desk/office/file stuff. Then we went to UPS to buy more bubble wrap and picked up lunch. We came home, wrapped more pictures, and then both of us took an afternoon nap. Matt brought the kids home, and we had an impromptu play date with the Searfoorce kids and pizza at the playground. And I'm totally dead after a day like that.

But tomorrow we are moving! Tomorrow is THE moving day! So that means its up to Matt to do all the rest of the packing - and there's still a ton to pack. I should also mention that aside from the 1.5 boxes I packed today, Matt's packed ALL our boxes. And there are 50.

My plan for tonight is to sit and watch Matt pack for the whole night. Well, I'll probably fall asleep early. The pregnancy related aches and pains are finally to the point that I'm calling it quits earlier and earlier in the day. My sweet husband has brought the rocking chair into the kitchen so I can hang out with him while he packs up the dishes. If only it didn't take being 8 months pregnant to get this kind of work out of him!

The Boxes Are Here!

This is it! We're moving in one short week! And the boxes have arrived!

Matt and I are starting to get really excited about this move. Obviously, so are the kids! So, we are totally upgrading with this apartment, so I thought I'd do another list:

Why I'm excited about our new apartment:

• it has a dishwasher!
• it's totally renovated and 'brand new' looking. That doesn't really matter much in reality, but it feels nice. Stainless steel appliances and all that.
• there are 6 outlets at the kitchen countertop - hello crockpots!
• it's not bigger, but at least it's not smaller!
• rent is $350 LESS per month.
• there are 2 Catholic churches, 3 grocery stores, a Goodwill, an express subway station WITH AN ELEVATOR and the post office right around the corner.
• our whole building is stroller friendly - elevators all the way, no more stairs!
• 24-hr security guards and a high iron fence surround the private courtyard.
• the private courtyard has TWO playgrounds and a basketball court.
• we have an excuse to buy a new couch and bed, both of which have been killing my back during this pregnancy, plus our bed is just too small.
• if something is broken, we call the leasing office and they send a porter within 24 hrs - no more living with leaks on account of a crappy super.
• The Bronx Zoo (which we have a membership to) is much closer, as is the Bronx Terminal shopping center which has two of my favorite places - Applebee's and Target (it's like a faux America).

Hopefully I'll find some other stuff to add to this list once we get settled. Now, on to packing. Matt's already packed most of the living room - on to the kitchen for me!

Prayers Work Fast

Yesterday I spent the day dragging Max all around downtown Manhattan looking at apartments that are closer to the kids school. I found two that I thought were really great and sent Matt after work to see them. One in particular really struck both our fancies.

And then came the great debate. Can we really afford this? The short answer is no, not right now. In one short month, however, there's a very good chance we could afford it easily, or even a different apartment that's even better/closer for similar money. But in a month, the apartment we are both now kind of day-dreaming about will most likely be gone. Short of a minor miracle, of course.

As what usually happens when we spend a great deal of time mulling over things and unable to come to a conclusion, we had an epiphany: this doesn't have to be our problem! Let's pray about it and see what God does. Every time we've done this in a serious way in the past, we've reaped great dividends, and avoided a great deal of stress. So this morning I sought out a couple of prayers to St. Joseph, patron saint of pretty much all things practical in life, like moving and career related stuff. I also happen to have a St. Joseph candle that I light every once in a while - it makes me feel like I'm not doing it all alone.

Then this morning happened. The leak in our bathroom - which recurs whenever the guy above us takes a long shower, I guess - was seriously threatening to cave in our ceiling when Matt went in to take a shower. We've been reminding the super about this for about 6 months. Matt got a little angry about it on the phone with him at 7am this morning. Then after I put Max down for his morning nap at 9, I noticed this had been slipped under the door:

In case you can't read it, it's a notice from the property manager saying that they will fine us if we keep our 40 lb stroller at the bottom of the stairs. I should note at this point that we made very sure we could keep it there before moving in, because it was the only condition under which I would be able to manage the 4th floor walk up. Apparently they lied, or changed the rules. Either way, I decided after reading this that we are definitely moving. Now. I expect God - and St. Joseph - will find a way.

The Search for A Better Living Arrangement Continues

Update: We aren't moving to JC, at least not right away. I loved the apartment, Matt loved the apartment, and the place is amazing, but every time we talked to them the price went up $50! This is mainly because we are approaching crazy season in NYC - from May 1 to mid-Aug, leases are up and people are moving all over the place, so apartments move super fast and prices go up.

And my internal debate on where to move continues - close to Matt's work or close to the kids' school? The kids' school is actually a more stable place, because if Matt's office gets moved again back to Midtown we'll still be convenient to it. But in Jersey City we can get so much more out of the money, and it'd be nice to have Matt home for dinner more often.

So I've finally figured this out. If/when we move close to the kids school (in Chelsea or the West Village), it has to be fast and furious. This is how this awful city works. We basically need to have 80% of our stuff packed, and start looking no more than 3 weeks in advance, MAYBE a month, but that's it. The best way to get a good deal is to go direct through the landlords that never use brokers (there are a lot like that, and I've finally figured out how to pin them down). But you can get amazing deals this way.

So it would require that we:

1. Stop being wishy-washy. Landlords don't want to even consider showing the apartment if you're not desperate for a place at the same time they are desperate for a tenant.

2. Pick a date, any date, and tell our current landlord we want out by then.

3. Pack as much of our crap as possible.

4. Determine how much we can really afford for rent.

5. Get all our paperwork needed for application ready in advance.

6. Spend the 3 weeks in advance of the move at the Starbucks next to the school and search online, call landlords, and view apartments all day long.

In Jersey City, it's just a matter of watching the prices online at apartment complexes we are interested in, and probably still packing most of our stuff so we can pick up and move if we want to.

Meanwhile, Patrick continues to make every commute pure torture, having recently added stubbornness and playfulness to an incredibly slow pace.

This is all so frustrating!!!

Should We Move Again?

We do not live in the ideal location, or the ideal apartment building, here on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in a 4th floor walk up. We aren't close to work OR school. Still, we don't have a whole lot to complain about in our current situation and moving is SUCH a pain in the neck to do, not to mention the cost of movers, etc. I've found a really great place in Jersey City for just $100 more per month, about a 7 minute walk from Matt's office, and I really want to move there, but I'm afraid, too. I feel like, if it's not absolutely perfect, maybe it's not worth the hassle of moving, even if it is significantly better.

So I've made a list of pros and cons, and I need your input! Peruse the list and tell me what you think.

Staying Where We Are: Pros

1. We've made good friends close by.
2. We don't have to pack everything up and pay movers, like we did just 6 months ago.
3. Matt takes the kids to school in the morning, saves me the extra trip.
4. Can get around without a car pretty easily.
5. Even though it's tiny, I really like the set up of our apartment. It's cozy and it's working well for us.

Staying Where We Are: Cons

1. I have to haul 3 small children (and a 40 lb. stroller, if I want to use it) up and down 4 flights of stairs. Every. Freaking. Day.
2. Matt's commute is an hour at minimum. Every. Freaking. Day.
3. Not close to the kid's school.
4. We live kinda close to Harlem. Not close enough for any real danger, but our car was broken into, there's always people and traffic noise ALL night, and Max is exposed to 'the N word' any time we go out on the street. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I saw the beginnings of a drug related transaction last week.
5. Can't really escape the city without spending a lot of cash.
6. The Super is completely useless.

Moving to Portside Towers: Pros

1. Washer/Dryer in the unit: save $120/month on laundry service.
2. Lower taxes in New Jersey.
3. Indoor and Outdoor play areas - and they are AMAZING play areas.
4. More square footage.
5. Less dangerous bathroom, plus there's 2 of them.
6. ELEVATOR!
7. Doorman.
8. 7 minutes from Matt's office - WALKING.
9. It's quiet, less traffic, etc.
10. One block from an excellent Montessori school that goes to eighth grade or 2 blocks to a good Catholic school. This is only a pro if we are here for 2-3 more years, at least.

Moving to Portside Towers: Cons

1. I take the kids to AND from school.
2. The commute to the school is longer - 32 minutes versus 26, according to Google Maps.
3. We have to actually MOVE.
4. We will probably want to buy a vehicle. I already want to get one, but just don't wanna spend the money.
5. Bad to mediocre public schools.
6. I can't think of any more cons, but 1-3 are not small. Not huge, but certainly not small factors.

So, what do you think???

Big Sis and the Baby

Capturing a moment of cuteness: Karol is spinning in the middle of the living room and making up silly songs in front of Max, who is eating it up! He's smiling and even patting his knee to the 'rhythm' of Karol's song.

Meanwhile, I'm looking up apartments in Jersey. Not moving for a year and a half, but it's good to be prepared, right?

Moved In

My oh my, it's been a busy week and a half. We've been making the move to NYC, which in a lot of ways took a lot longer than we expected. We're still not completely out of boxes, and Max's room is kind of a temporary catch-all for the stuff we can't deal with at the moment, but for the most part we've turned this little three bedroom into a home for Karol, Pat, Matt and I. I think I'll tell the story in pictures.

Patrick and Karol are playing in the courtyard of our Arlington apartment, waiting for Mimu and Grandpa Plomin to arrive last Friday. Matt & friends spent the whole day loading the U-Haul and I had my last day at work.

We got a late start and some hiccups in the plan for driving up Friday night, so we stayed at a hotel just south of Baltimore and woke up at 5 to drive up to NYC.

Here's our U-Haul and one of the moving guys we hired to help us unload, bright and early at 9:30am.

Here's our new apartment! No, not in the Sushi shop, four floors above it.

Working on unloading...

Matt has gotten a LOT of handyman experience. He built a bunch of new furniture (this is Karol & Pat's new bed), and hung shelving and pictures.

Our new kitchen table! It has leaves to fold out and we found it in the 'As Is' section of Ikea. I think it was a display model. We got lucky, because this table (that I'd already decided was 'the one') was discontinued, so you can't get it new anymore.

Karol and Patrick arrive on Monday! Here they are exploring their new bunk beds.

Patrick's on the bottom and Karol's on the top. Thomas the Tank Engine sheets for Pat and Disney Princess sheets for Karol.

First bath in the new - much smaller - bathroom. Mommy is not a fan of the faucet being in the middle.

Karol helped me unpack some of her clothes.

K & P 'sort' hair clips while I unpack stuff in our bedroom. They made a mess, but it occupied them for quite a while.

Patrick tested the new freedom of his big boy bed for a couple of nights, getting up and sneaking into bed with mom and dad at 3am. We were too tired to put him back! These boys were so adorable I just had to snap a picture.

We've spent quite a lot of time at Ikea and Home Depot. Here's K & P working on their math skills in the children's section of Ikea. Mmm, gotta love the Swedish Meatballs for lunch!

We spent a lot of mornings at a diner a few blocks away because it took us days to get the kitchen set up. Groceries in Manhattan are ridiculous (think $8 for a small box of cereal), luckily the day before Matt started work we were able to drive out to Ft. Hamilton (about 1 hr each way, in Brooklyn) to the commissary and stocked up. The money we saved was WELL worth the drive.

Here's Karol enjoying some eggs and pancakes.

The living room is very kid-centric. Matt built all these little white shelves and all of the kids' toys now have their own special places, which makes clean up MUCH easier. The kids are getting used to putting away Toy A before getting out Toy B.

So now it's time to test out our new system with Matt going to work and me (eek!) staying home. I'm fearful that I will lose my mind, or spend every minute entertaining the kids, or become TV mom and let them watch PBSKids all day. I'm striving to find balance. I guess we'll see how it goes!

Missing the Baby Gear

I'm getting way too attached to the kid's baby gear.

It's not that I'm afraid I'll miss it. I'm afraid the kids will. Do they really have an attachment to these things? Or am I projecting that on them? Being too attached to 'stuff' is the opposite of what I want to instill in them, but I don't want to inadvertently rip something away from them that they feel emotional about, either. With the move coming up, a lot of things are going to change.

It's really getting hard for me to come to terms with giving up our lovely apartment, but only because of the convenience it affords. I know I'll be fine emotionally. But are the kids going to miss it? I remember growing up in two houses - and the second one was my grandparents' house before we moved there, so it was already 'home' to me. I can't imagine what it would be like to up and move to a whole new city.

On the other hand, Karol and Patrick are still very young - Karol's not even 3 yet. Will she even remember? I have no idea. And who knows how much we'll end up switching apartments in NYC, as the family (and hopefully the income) grows.

So why am I feeling this way today? Well, it doesn't help that it's a gloomy, crappy day overall, but I'm thinking about selling our double stroller. It's a monster of a stroller, and has served us very well. But now I'm looking to trade it for something smaller and more maneuverable for the city. And with Patrick walking really well already, we probably won't need a stroller for every trip in New York. Plus I don't really like the idea of having them locked up and lazing in a stroller for extended periods of time while I wheel their butts around. So I want something light-weight, easy to fold and easy to get around on skinny sidewalks.

But that means I'll need to sell ol' reliable. It's been like a second home for all the lovely long walks we take in Arlington...but am I the only person who's really getting sentimental about it?

We might go stroller test-driving at Buy Buy Baby this afternoon after work (I'll probably actually buy it used) to see what brand/model works best. I figure I'll be wearing Max for the first 6 months or so. I'm looking at the Jeep Wranglerthe Combi Twin Sportand the City Minibut who am I kidding? Should I just skip straight to the Triple Threat?

Good Times in the Bath

Karol and I wrapped up the evening (a terrible, nothing goes right type of day today) with a mommy-daughter bath, complete with facial masques, tea-tree oil foot scrubs, and an intense game of 'Spuh-LASH!' which is a lot like catch, but without the catching.

Luckily the rest of the night went smoothly with no tears from either toddler at bedtime. Unfortunately, Matt will be up late tonight working on one of two final papers that is due tomorrow at noon. I will be SO glad when he is done with all of this on WEDNESDAY.

As for me, I've been done with class for a week or two now (yay!). Now I'm going nuts about packing, going through the kids' clothes and weeding the outgrown and winter weather gear from their drawers for storage, and making big piles of random stuff to be donated. We are going to be losing a lot of space with the move to NYC (oh yeah, and adding a kid) and the extra stuff just isn't getting out of my apartment fast enough for my taste.

It's 9pm, and I think I'm going to go to bed. That's actually a little early for me. I'm hoping tomorrow starts off a little smoother than today did, but I'm not looking forward to Matt being MIA while he crams on final projects the next three days!

My Son's Amazing Motor Skills

So for a little distraction/treat, we went out to eat tonight at the Cheesecake Factory. Since I didn't think to bring sippy cups, the kids got milk in cups with lids. Karol rocked the cup with a straw, but Patrick practically poured it down his shirt. It's hard to mentally switch from sippy cup - where you tilt the cup up - to straw - where you keep the cup down.

So Matt asked the waiter for a small glass or plastic glass, like a shot glass. You see, Patrick has pretty much mastered drinking from a cup - taught Montessori style. Check it out:

Yes, I was totally paranoid he would drop the glass and break it. But I think he does this very well. In fact, he's better at it than Karol is right now, I think because 1) we started teaching him the skill at the right time, when he was mentally prepared to learn it, and 2) he's generally a rock star at gross and fine motor skills.

When it comes to climbing, using a spoon and fork, etc. he's doing the same things as Karol. Since Patrick apparently didn't get the super-cautious gene that Karol did, he usually is doing more running, jumping and climbing than Princess Karol is.

NYC, I Give You Fair Warning

Well a lot has happened since I last wrote. Matt and I are officially taking the plunge and moving to the Big Apple, the Empire State. Yep, good ole NYC. I'm not talking about living in New Jersey or the boroughs either. We are moving to FRICKIN MANHATTAN. Or at the very least, Queens.



So, we're relocating from our posh Arlington apartment right next door to the greatest job I've ever had, down the street from the best child care provider you could ever hope to have for your kids, in a neighborhood just minutes away from Costco, Pentagon City Mall, the national monuments, historic Georgetown and my beloved cupcakes, to a place where we are going to be starting all over, the taxes are highest in the country, in an undoubtably much smaller apartment. I'm getting used to the idea.



Matt's job is going to be great for him. He'll be an Associate in Institutional Asset Management for Deutsche Bank. He loves the group he's working with; they're the same one he worked with over the summer. It's what he's always wanted to do and he's gonna go far, I just know it.


As for me, it's up in the air. There's a very good chance I'll go back to political consulting (2010 is shaping up to be excellent for real Republicans), and maybe start a new thing consulting small business. The job market is rich in NYC for ad/pr, so I could always do a 9-5 again, too. After the baby is born, that is.



What? A baby? Another baby? Didn't you just have one?


Yeah, I did. And we're going to have number three sometime mid-August, probably at the Eli and Abby Manning Birthing Center in the Village (thank God we still have a Manning!).

My belly right now.

My belly 8 months after Patrick. *sigh* C'est la vie.

Once we made the decision that we are indeed moving, all the other decisions had to be made. Luckily, my search for the perfect pre-school (for Karol only, for now) was a quick one. There's actually a Catholic Montessori (exactly what I wanted) right smack in the West Village that is quite affordable. We haven't visited or anything yet, but I did make a call. Hopefully we can run up there sometime in March to check the place out and get Karol enrolled. I've heard how awful New York private school admissions can be, but I think this school is an exception.



That decision led to the next one: Where to live? West Village is pretty 'up and coming' we've heard, and the subway right by the pre-school goes straight to Matt's office. It's also a little more neighborhood-ish than living in East Midtown where Matt will be working. There will be (a little) more access to shops, restaurants, and other necessary places. We're hoping to find something close to Washington Park.

Another option is Astoria (part of Queens). It's more affordable, and if we stay close to the subway line it'd be just as easy a commute as West Village for Matt, but a little further down the line for Karol's school.

It's way too early to know anything though.



The giant elephant problem with moving to NYC is that it's NOT a kid-friendly place to live. And it's not a parent-friendly place to live. Everything I see online about living in New York talks about the 'awesome night-life' and great places for grown ups to go by themselves. We don't HAVE a night-life. I'm lucky to get a day-life with 2 kids 2 and under. Oh wait, make that 3 under 3! I swear if I read another article or post about how great it is to be single and responsibility-free in New York I will scream.



Oh well. Maybe Matt will get a huge bonus and we'll be able to afford a babysitter once in a while. Until then, nose to the grindstone.