Vermont

We're having a great time in Vermont! The place is lovely and the weather is terrific.

There are quite a few friendly animals that roam about the property. Here, Carter and Kirstin pet Charlie.

Carter attempts to ride a pumpkin at the Vermont Country Store.
We pet Alice (the enormous pot-bellied pig). Later, Carter picks her nose.
Carter enjoys his cousin Sadie.
And he also enjoys the hammock.

Update

Our things are on a moving truck, our floors are refinished, Thomas is 35.

This afternoon, Joo and I are headed to LaGuardia where we will pick up Thomas and Carter and begin the drive to Vermont for Patrick & Kirstin's wedding. Sunday night the three of us will fly back to Atlanta where we will hopefully be able to meet our things at our new house on Monday.

Carter has apparently been having a grand time with his Cart Cart and Nonna. As I hear it, the highlight of his time with them was a trip to the grocery store. Cart Cart said "It was as if he'd never been in a grocery store before!" And, i suppose, he hasn't - not in a real super store anyway. I, on the other hand, was in one of our Brooklyn neighborhood "grocery stores" the other day and noticed, for the first time, that they have a sign identifying what is in the aisle. It said something to the effect of "OILS, BAKING NEEDS, FRUIT, PASTA, SAUCE, RICE, CEREAL, CANNED GOODS, JUICE, CHIPS, BREAD, HOUSEHOLD, NUTS, SPICES, BABY FOOD." Except that it was quite a bit longer than that. I'm not sure you really need a "helpful" sign like this when there are only two aisles. But my point is, I'm not terribly surprised that the size and visual stimulation of an Atlanta grocery was a huge delight for Carter. I just can't wait to go grocery shopping with him in a store that is big enough that he can't pull things off of the shelves on both sides simultaneously!

Culture Shock

And so we begin what I am sure will be an ongoing series of observations about how different things are in Atlanta than they are in NYC.

Part I
At the grocery store:
Ten different kinds of whipped topping. Ten. And that was only in the freezer aisle.

Exploring the House

We are reunited here in Atlanta this weekend! After a long trip down here last night (delayed over 2 hours) Carter was most happy to be reunited with his Dada. This morning we met the family with which we'll be sharing a nanny and then we went to our new house! Carter very much enjoyed running around the empty house. I fly back to NYC in the morning to oversee the packers and movers. Here's just a couple pics of Carter in the house this morning.

Life Without Thomas

During our first year of marriage, Thomas was out of the country on tour for weeks at a time, but my grad school workload kept me from getting lonely.

Similarly, my currently insane workload, combined with solo childcare and preparing the house to move has left little time for loneliness, but it will be really nice to be reunited in Atlanta Friday night.

Lately, my days consistently involve a lot of work, a little packing, a meal that comes out of a box and can be cooked in under 5 minutes (thank you tasty bite) and screw top wine (no energy left for corkscrews).

Last Sunday in Brooklyn

I realized this morning that today was our last weekend day in NYC. We did our last day justice, Brooklyn-style. Joo stayed over last night after Kirstin's bachelorette party (more on that when I get pics from some of the other girls), so the three of us hit the Prospect Park Zoo, the carousel and yummy brunch.

We had taken Carter to the zoo once before, but he wasn't old enough to really appreciate it. I know he'll probably appreciate it even more as he gets older, but he LOVED it today. The fish were a huge hit - as were the alpacas. Carter even fed them out of his hand! Of course, the real highlight of the farm (for Carter) was the kid-sized sink in which he washed his hands after he touched the animals. Likewise, the stairs proved to be more alluring than the monkeys or the sea lions (though the sea lions were awesome!).

On the carousel, Carter rode his own horse for the first time!

Here are some pics from the day:

Labor Day

Carter and I had a lovely day together. Two playground trips, two meadow lay-abouts, one decent nap. Here are some pics from our day.

Tree. Taller than me.

Today was the last day that the water features will be turned on in the park, and Carter made the most of it. He got up the courage to walk through the spray for the first time today. NYC parks have the best water features!

He also tried the big slides for the first time yesterday and today. He really likes it! And you slide a lot faster when wet...

Future catcher, perhaps?

On the Scene

Thomas here, reporting on the scene in Hotlanta (where it is actually pleasantly cool).

So far, all is well. I have indeed seen and driven the car. Below are a couple of pix (thanks to Ash for the digital camera use and immediate downloading) and here is the website of the former owner that shows more details.

I can't believe I actually start my job tomorrow, I really have yet to comprehend that in addition to all this other stuff we are doing, like moving, buying a house, buying a car, packing, logistics, Patrick and Kir's wedding, finding childcare, etc., etc., I am also starting a new job and really a new (old) career. What was I thinking!?!

Anyway, so far so good and thank goodness for family of all types. I am bunkered down at Dad and Donna's and being fed well and treated like, well, a son. Woo-hoo for me! I'll report more as interesting things happen, we are off to the Braves Game tomorrow night after my first day of work, though it is not looking good for the Bravos and the playoffs. I'd say since the Braves are bascially out of it to Go Mets, but I might get tarred and feathered by my own Southern family, so I'll stick with, Go Braves, you still have a chance!

Keep wishing Elizabeth strength as she single parents for the next two weeks, go baby go.

T

On the Move

Well, the move has begun. Sort of. It's going to go on all month, really.

Thomas left for Atlanta today. Carter and I won't see him for two weeks, at which point we fly down to Atlanta. I'll leave Carter with Thomas while I fly back to NYC to oversee the packing and loading of the moving truck. Then we all rendezvous at LaGuardia airport and drive to Vermont for Patrick & Kirstin's wedding. Then we fly to Atlanta and wait for our stuff to arrive.

Thomas packed as much of his stuff as he could fit into his checked luggage since he won't see anything left here for at least three weeks. He arrived in Atlanta without any excitement, and he's probably seeing our new car for the first time right about now. It took us about as long to buy a car as it did to buy a house - but we bought the car without even seeing it! Thanks to Park and Ashley for finding it (and to the CDC for moving its previous owners to Africa) and to Carter the elder for taking it for a test drive. Wish Thomas luck as he starts his new job on Tuesday (and wish me luck as I single parent for the next two weeks)!

Playground Fun

We had a fun trip to the playground this afternoon. Carter never quite got up the courage to walk through the harp water feature, but he climbed the whole ladder by himself!