One month

Since today marks exactly one month since the girls and I landed here and Dayton became "home", I thought I do a little recap and record what's been going on.

I'll start with what everyone asks about: The Weather
It's cold. And wet. But it's astounding how fast we changed what our definition of comfortable is. Before we moved here, if the temperature was below 60, I was cold and wanted to stay inside. Now, the new cut off temp is 40. In a month's time, we've gone from average highs in the low 30's to the mid 40's. We even got close to 60 last weekend! But it snowed last night and hasn't gotten about 35 today. Spring is getting closer, but it's not here yet.

The House
We're making amazing progress toward getting unpacked. There are still quite a few boxes in the garage, but the vast majority of the house is unpacked - and even put away! It's amazing what can happen when I'm not stuck on the couch with morning sickness like I was when we moved in to our San Antonio house. We've unpacked many boxes that were packed in Houston, so it's been fun to rediscover our stuff. We've started painting, and I'll make sure to post before and after pictures once we're finished. I think we've picked some great colors that match our tastes while maintaining the integrity of our 1927 bungalow. Well, except for the rock and roll girls' bathroom upstairs.

The Neighborhood
It's great. The houses all are filled with character and history. The parks are fun. We walk just about every day, as long as it's not below 40 or raining. I can't wait for the spring when everything turns green. And our neighbors seem great, too. We met a bunch of them last weekend when the weather was nice and people ventured outside. There are lots of little boys on the street, so we're going to need to venture further to find some girls.

The Girls
Claire and Madeleine are adjusting very well to this big change. Madeleine doesn't get it at all, but Claire does, and I was worried about how she'd do with moving so far away from everyone she knows. We have our moments when she'll get teary and declare "I miss ______" but those moments are happening less and less frequently. She misses going to school very much, so we've found a school where she can start as soon as we want her too, and they also offer a summer program. And, even better, Madeleine will hopefully be able to go next year, too. She's on the waiting list, so we'll see. They seem to enjoy sharing a bedroom, especially in the morning when they wake up and play together and let Mommy sleep just a little bit longer. It'll be even better when Madeleine no longer eats Claire's crayons.

J
Nothing has changed for J on the job-front, with the exception of it happening in Ohio now instead of Texas. He had a great meeting with his mentor at AFIT this last week, and he's set to start classes in at least the summer, and possibly as soon as the end of March. His research sounds incredible, but that's pretty much all I can tell you because I don't have a security clearance high enough for him to tell me anything other than that.

And, Me
I'm really doing well! I like that I know I can settle in and get situated for awhile without fear of another move looming. I've joined the neighborhood moms' group, and it seems like there are a lot of potential new friends to be found there. Things are definitely moving in the right direction, and I'm sure we'll all feel even more settled a month from now.