Moving Week!

Wow - so much has happened.  Ocean is now 1 month old - we are moving in one day to the new house, which we bought yesterday.  It's been crazy - but mainly, I have adjusted to daily life with both Koral and Ocean.

Sever times in the last two weeks, we went to spend some time at the nature park and walk under the trees.

The first time, I forgot my phone and couldn't take pictures, but Koral was so energetic and excited to be out - running happily under the trees.  I sat and took Ocean out of his pouch and nursed him and he slept on a blanket while Koral and I ran around the tree trunk chasing each other.  Then we all relocated to the Cherry Trees where I took the blossom pictures of Koral last month.  This I wanted to especially remember - Koral wanted to climb the tree, so Ocean was settled on a blanket in the shade peacefully sleeping and I was holding Koral up on the big limb - and then the wind blew and suddenly pop, pop, pop!  All these little ripe cherries landing everywhere, splatting on us!  Ocean's blanket, my shirt and arm, Koral's face - like a war zone with cherry juice.  It looked awful but was very funny and we both laughed and then collected the little cherries and squished them into juice/paint and drew with them on a log and some sticks.  We took some home, but they dried up a bit before we got to use those.

Otherwise - Just in the business of packing and relocating.  More to follow - I'm thinking after the move I will have a lot more time to write.  Also, to organize photos and maybe do some creative things.  Here's to a happy move!

Ocean is Two Weeks Old!

In the past two weeks, so much has happened -

• Ocean arrived, as in the last post
• My mom flew in for nearly a week
• Koral showed she didn't need me much if my parents were around to give her lots of attention
• Koral transitioned to a toddler bed from her crib - Dad removed the side and attached the toddler bar.  She got out of bed to play a bit at first, but would go back in, cover herself up with a blanket, and fall asleep quietly.  What a brilliant little thing she is!
• Ocean's cord fell off, which brought his first bath last week.  It's been a few days since then and he will have a second bath today.  He doesn't seem to be smelly but he did get a little sweaty last night co-sleeping.
• He doesn't like to be swaddled with his arms in, but the legs are okay.  Whatever "Happiest Babies on the Block" says, I'm going with what allows us all to sleep.  So far, it's co-sleeping with my little baby next to me with legs swaddled.  When he wants to nurse, I sit up with the pillow and sometimes read my kindle.  
• Dad went home after almost two weeks of helping us here.  He was an amazing resource and I fully realize now how great he is with kids.  Of course I remember him playing with me as a kid, but seeing it as a parent is another perspective - even through his back pain and such, he has a great personality with kids. 

Not sure how long I have to write this, so I wanted to kick out the bullet points.  This is a post from Friday, two days ago, from Facebook telling of my first day without help - 

"Today was my first day with my kids alone - Dad went home and Senthil was working all day. We had a haircut appointment for Milo the dog, so both kids were hauled out to Petsmart to drop him off and hours later hauled back to pick him up. Just to go in and get the dog, I had to pick up Ocean from the car seat that looks just far too big for his tiny self, settle him in the Ergo carrier I was wearing, take out Koral who was pretty mad I took so long and she started spitting in her frustration, carry her on my hip because she didn't want to walk with me, go in, get the payment slip, go to the cashier, wait in line, pay, retrieve the dog from the groomer section, take both kids and dog out to the "pee zone" so he could go potty, load the car in the order of Milo, Koral, Ocean, Myself - and then drive home. Yep - it got a little bit more complex! However, now that the Ergo is properly adjusted and all, that should be a snap in the future. They napped well. Day One alone with them went pretty well!!"

I am now realizing that I probably won't be out with both kids at lots of events this week as I had planned.  I feel fine - my check up is on Wednesday - I'm glad I didn't get stitches - I am healing well - But at the same time, carrying the kids is still hard and I don't want to be stupid and re-open anything healed.  So, sadly, no strawberry picking this spring.  The days are also getting very hot and it's not fair to a new baby to expose him to that, I feel.  Koral will just have to have friends over and have a slightly boring time for the next few weeks before the move.  She may watch too much t.v. - but on the bright side, she can use the kiddie pool outside every day and get soaked, we can paint and do some messy things once in a while, we might even buy a new movie on Amazon Prime to add to our collection of favorites - and Senthil takes her to the park now and then.  I would love to get her out to Kroft at the creek in the woods, and Ocean would love it there in the shade of the forest, too, but only after six weeks and only with Senthil, I'm guessing.  

In other news, our new home is almost ready for us, and we met our across-the-street neighbor quite by accident!  My dad generously took my shopping for a nursing chair.  We found an amazingly comfortable gliding rocker recliner at Ashley Furniture.  This is the first new furniture item other than Koral's crib and the other less comfortably nursing chair that I have ever owned, actually - or will be after it arrives.  Our sales person at the store, Lydia, asked where to deliver it.  I explained we don't know our new address yet, and she asked what neighborhood.  I told her, and she said, "That's where I live!"  I said, "On ____ road" and she replied, "That's where I live!"  I said "On the end, 3 up from the circle" and she said "Oh my word, that's where I live!!  I am the house with the blue wreath!"  I said, "I'm the single level home in the middle of the three being built!"  She said "I am directly across the street - I was in your house last night seeing the progress!"  This was just nuts.  The furniture store is not at all close to the house and the city has millions of residents.  So, that night, we went to the house to take a peek again with the kids, Dad, Senthil, and me, and there was Lydia in her garage!  When I look out my front door, her house is what I see.  She invited us over and her house is impeccably clean.  As a sort-of-retired couple, she and her husband garden and take excellent care of their home.  They added a huge cute shed in the back yard as well.  Down their back yard hill is a sweet little creek - I would have loved a creek in our yard, but at the same time, I'm content with our tiny low-maintance location for the next five plus years.  

This last two weeks was also just really important to me for bonding with my parents.  Namely Dad, who we did get into political discussions with at the tail end and he was able to very clearly and sanely tell us his views.  It was an eye-opening experience, actually - but basically, he just wants to earn his paycheck and not be enforced to give parts of it away to things he does not believe the government should participate in.  I can respect that.  He basically is a guy who has principals and doesn't want to be messed with.  His idea of peace is being able to protect himself if he needed to from the bullies of the world that would take advantage, as a last resort.  He hopes to just be left alone to live, work, and enjoy life.  This being said, he is a Trump supporter.  I am a Bernie supporter.  But we both want the same things and have the same hopes for our reps.  We want change that makes our lives better.  Dad wants less free government stuff sucked from his paycheck.  Since I will likely never see a benefit from Medicare in my old age, I would also like to see that portion stay in my checks.  It's a tricky thing full of questions, corrupt politics, and confusion, but in the end, I respect what he says and it all made sense.  There was some over-generalizing, as there tends to be, but he's not the kind of guy that would go to a Trump rally - he just wants to stay home, do little research but will vote, work, and be allowed the peace of being paid for that work appropriately.  

In the near future, we will move, then Sheila will visit, then senthil's Aunt and Uncle will visit in June, then in July my parents will hopefully make it back for Koral's birthday and to visit for a while, then in September, we will head to Iowa for Sheila and Doug's beautiful wedding, staying in Iowa for perhaps two weeks.  Here's to the future!  

Today is also mother's day, and I love my Ocean and my Koral so much, it hurts.  I think right now they are just the cutest ages.  But I think it will only get better as they grow and play and mature together.  I hope they get along, at least for the most part.  I am shocked at how much I can't imagine before Ocean now - it's the same way as it was with Koral.  They are mine.  I belong to them.  Being away from them hurts.  That was the worst part actually the first week - being apart from Koral so much.  She was fine, but it hurt me.  I'm so proud of her for being so smart and sleeping in her toddler bed and - Oh! - so many new words!  When my parents were here, she was saying things like Shoes, Grandpa, Pretty, Go-Car, and so many others!  Now it's stopped again, but she did start saying Mama!  I just adore them both.  Senthil is doing well despite the changes, too - he took a long walk today since it's the weekend and is now out working but will be back this evening to see the kids.  ~Happy Sigh~  My amazing group of MOM's Club friends have been so good to us also with the meal delivery this week.  I haven't needed to cook at all.  Soups, muffins, cut fruits, dips and chips, trays of goodies and veggies, greek foods and chocolate bars...  it's been dreamy!  I feel very lucky.  I even got to cuddle with Senthil last night for an hour as the stars aligned and both our children slept early and he was not working and relaxed for once and Milo had played with his friend and didn't need anything.