Mike to WiFi-connected laptop:

"You complete me."

Me: "I thought you were supposed to say those things to me."

Mike: "I thought so, too. But really, it's the internet that completes me."

Hmm. We had our internet connection in place last night after Three Whole Days without it. How ever did we make it?!

So, we're going on Day 4 in the new house and so far only a few hiccups (fridge door handle snapped off... but, hey! insta-childproofing!) and now we're just ironing out the never-ending details. Like - get some darn curtains up in the bedrooms to save us from the lovely sunlight at 5:30am. And, get that fencepost fixed. And, figure out a better way to ventilate the upstairs, even out the temperature of the main level, and utilize the frigidity of the basement - we must have a span of 50 degrees between our three floors!

In between the have-to's, we're also enjoying the fun parts of having a house. Last night we were out watering the front and back yards after a very warm day. And we discovered that - hey! - we've got a lot of yard. Lots of potential there.

I've done laundry whenever I darn well please and today our sheets are swaying in the breeze on a makeshift line of yellow rope between the back deck and one of our trees. Sayonara to the trek down 3 flights of stairs into the basement only to discover that... a) I forgot quarters, or b) someone else had gotten to the machines first.

Yesterday, Christopher took a nap outside in his stroller (felt very Danish) while I sat under a tree and flipped through a few books I'd just picked up at the local branch library... very Pleasantville. :)

This weekend we'll get out there and get dirty in the yard. In fact, I've already gardened. All of you who know me well can stop laughing - I really did! I tied back the green foliage of the daffodil and tulip bulbs in our sideyard. Although, now that I'm reading up online, perhaps I shouldn't have done that... hmmm. So much to learn!

Trying to be mindful.

We lucked out two-fold on our transatlantic flight home from Rome.

1) The plane was about 2/3rds full. This meant we swapped around seats with a lovely woman traveling solo and managed to get our own middle row of 3 seats across. This made nursing, sleeping and playing much, much easier.

2) Someone had left behind a Time magazine in our seat pocket! We haven't subscribed to Newsweek in ages, but were happy to have the chance to read while taking turns with the baby or while he slept. Grown up reading! (Not that we don't love "Five Little Ladybugs", but... well, you know.)

Cancer, Cancer Everywhere

I clipped the above article which affirmed my organic choices. Sometimes I start to feel like the organic thing is just an expensive choice, not a necessary one for us. Reading things like this helps boost my resolve!

And the article inspired me to get rid of as much plastic as possible when we land in our new place. I'd like to get a set of glass containers so that I can reheat in the microwave and store leftovers without thinking about the plastic issue... even if they're BPA-free...

I'm thinking of these glass bowls with lids from Crate & Barrel.

Or maybe I should just scoot down to Goodwill and see what they have there?

Nine in, nine out.

Our baby has now been "out" as long as he was "in" - which is hard to believe considering how big and curious and wonderful he is at a mere 9 months.

He was a trooper as we traveled to Italy for 2 weeks earlier this month. He made friends at every turn and weathered multiple forms of transportation without becoming a holy terror. (He was more resilient than we were on several occasions.) He's now got a stamp in his passport and has ridden in trains, planes, automobiles and funiculars.

Aside from taking in the majesty of Florence's Duomo and the historic sites in Rome (he was there, though I doubt he really "took it in")... he discovered the joys of solid food eating in Italy (doesn't everyone?!)! Gelato, Tuscan bread with olive oil, homemade pasta, pecorino cheese, bufala mozzarella - it all went down the hatch and was quickly followed by a gaping mouth asking for More Please! And his hand-to-mouth accuracy has greatly improved as a result. He's now trying to figure out the capacity of his mouth... how many handfuls can get shoved in there at once?

Exciting times around here.

Oh, and we're moving into our first house this weekend. But that's not nearly as exciting as cinnamon-spiced applesauce and finger foods!