moving to Memphis

The first boxes are packed.

The U-Haul truck is reserved.

My parents and brother have their plane tickets to Ohio to help us move.

I leave in about 3 weeks.

Matt leaves in about 4 weeks. And then intern year will be OVER. HALLELUJAH!

When Matt matched into an intern year in Toledo, I was a bit sad because most of our good friends were leaving Toledo. But this year has gone by so fast and I am actually starting to feel like I might miss Toledo. We are getting really excited to move to Memphis though. We'll be there for 4 years for Matt's radiology residency.

We finally found a place to live in Memphis. Since our house in Ohio hasn't sold, we decided to rent instead of buy. We went back and forth between renting an apartment or a house, but we ultimately decided to go for a house. We just wouldn't fit in an apartment very well with all of our stuff. Where would we put our canoe? Hopefully we won't regret renting a house sight unseen.

I spent a lot of time looking at rental properties and we decided on this one...

It is in Cordova, TN - a suburb of Memphis. It's in a neighborhood with a home owner's association which makes me feel like it will be a decent neighborhood. It's on a lake. Which we are really excited about. Matt can fish from the back deck and we can canoe right in our backyard. Here is the back deck...

It seems nice enough from the owner's description. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms with hardwood floors downstairs and new carpet upstairs. This is the only picture we have of the inside. The owner is going to take some more pictures and email them to us this week since we won't be able to see the house before we move to Memphis. I figure, after living in a house that was built in 1915 for 5 years, I can handle an outdated kitchen or something.

Plus the neighborhood association maintains a pool, trails, tennis courts, and a park that only those living in the neighborhood and their guests can use . Matt will have to drive 15 min. to work, but we decided that wasn't too bad. (We've been a bit spoiled only living 1.5 miles from the hospital here.) We are excited. If anyone finds themselves in the Memphis area, you have a place to stay with us.

Willa Bean Update

Rolling - She's rolled from her tummy to her back several times, but seems to forgot how to do it in between rolls. It takes her a few minutes and some whining to roll.

Reaching & Grasping - She is reaching for things and loves to hold things. She squeezes my nose and lips and she has started to hold on to me when I hold her. She grips my shirt or my shoulder. She is discovering toys and is learning how make the toys rattle and crinkle.

Sitting - She loves to sit up, stand, and sit in her bumbo. But she definitely can't balance by herself. As soon as we let go, she tumbles over.

Cooing - She coos and smiles all day long. She is laughing more and more.

And a Cold - She got her first cold...from the pediatrician's office. We went to the doctor to stay healthy and we came home sick. She had her first fever (100.3) last Thursday night and has had a stuffy nose for the last 5 days. She's OK during the day, but gets really fussy at night. So Willa and I have spent 2 of the last 5 nights together.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Matt worked but was with an attending that rounded super fast so he was home by noon everyday.

We went on walks around the neighborhood, took naps, I went grocery shopping alone (what a treat), we went to 2 cookouts, and we attended church as a family. We rode to church together in one car...a first since I don't know when. Of course, we couldn't go into the chapel because Willa was cranky due to her cold and not sleeping well so we sat in the Primary room in the dark with the speaker on trying to get Willa to nap. One of the cookouts was at our neighbors' house. We will definitely miss them when we move to Memphis. They are the best!

4 month shots

The Bean was due for her 4-month shots today. Our audience with the pediatrician was preceded by a visit from a 3rd year medical student. There was nothing particularly good nor bad about the experience. Lindsay perceived him as being rough with Willa but he was doing his best. After the pediatrician confirmed everything was normal she got her 4-month shots from the nurse. Lindsay says she cried less this time than last time but she fed her right away following the shots, which probably helped. Time to find a pediatrician in Memphis.

Willa's 12 pounds, 15 ounces (50th percentile) and 25 inches long (75th percentile).

children's books

I love, love, LOVE children's books. I have for as long as I can remember. And now I have an excuse to buy them. I started reading to Willa the day we came home from the hospital and haven't stopped yet. Almost daily, I'll take a stack of my books, sit in my rocking chair, put Willa in my lap and read the whole stack of books to her. She seems to enjoy it and I LOVE it.

I have discovered two places to buy cheap used books.

(1) Savers on the corner of Reynolds and Heatherdowns in Toledo has a great used children's book section. About once a month, I go in and go through all of the children's books. They cost $0.69 a piece. I have found almost perfect copies of: Dear Zoo (board book); Goodnight Moon (board book); Brown Bear, Brown Bear (board book); Hungry Caterpillar (board book); Millions of Cats; Where the Wild Things Are; Harold and the Purple Crayon (hard cover); Madeline; Freight Train; Ferdinand (hard cover); Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing; Olivia Counts (board book); Olivia’s Opposites (board book); Cows that Type; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; and Duck for President to name a few. (those are the ones I can remember right now)

(2) half.com. It's better than amazon.com to buy used books because shipping costs less. I just purchased Drummer Hoff, Five Chinese Brothers, and Tikki Tikki Tembo today. I can’t wait for them to arrive. They were only $0.75 a piece plus shipping. Shipping is $3.49 for the first item and $1.89 for additional items from the same seller. Amazon.com shipping is $3.99 per item.

What are your favorite children's books that I should be on the lookout for?

Road Trip Around Lake Michigan

View Larger Map

Last week we took a road trip around Lake Michigan. Matt had seven, yes, SEVEN days off in a row. A first since he started intern year. Willa did OK. She slept great in the tent and in the hotels, but she got pretty sick of being in the car and got really cranky when she missed her naps. I think she finally learned how to cry LOUD. Here are the highlights. (the letters correspond to the map above)

A: Toledo, Ohio - Home

B: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan on Lake Michigan - We spent one night camping on Lake Michigan. Season hadn't started yet so it was dead, but is was gorgeous and the weather was beautiful. We hiked the dunes and explored the area looking at the beautiful vistas.

climbing the dunesa few yards from our campsite at sunset on Lake MichiganWilla passed out in the tent in her very own sleeping bag.
(The winter cover for her car seat.) It worked perfectly.

C: Mackinac Island in Lake Huron - We've heard such great things about Mackinac Island. It was fun. But this was the day (luckily the only) that Willa sort of ruined for us. She cried a lot which is not typical of her. So we ended up just walking around the island, buying fudge and eating it. It was fun to see everyone on bikes, on horses, and in horse drawn carriages (no cars are allowed). All of the residents were getting ready for season. Everyone was painting and deliveries were being made.

on the ferry

on the island - it was a cold day For Alicia, this is the UPS guy

D: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the U.P. on Lake Superior - This was our favorite stop. We spent two days there. It was gorgeous. There were tons of waterfalls, shipwrecks, vistas, and hikes. We could have easily spent more time there.

hiking "graveyard coast" along Lake Superior
(named for the fatal shipwrecks that happened there)
shipwreckatop a sandstone cliffwaterfalls were everywherea few yards from our campsite on Lake Superior

E: Chicago, Illinois - A trip around Lake Michigan isn't complete without a stop in Chicago. We spent two nights in Chicago. It was a fabulous way to end a camping trip...in a fancy hotel with showers and a big comfy king sized bed. We spent two days doing lots of touristy things. We went to the art museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and to the top of the Sears Tower. We ate Chicago pizza and walked around the city admiring the architecture and sculptures.

the bean in Millenium Park

Willa loved the aquarium. The lighting was funky and she looked around with wide eyes and pleasure on her face most of the time. It was fun to watch her.
Willa being Chatty-Cathy on the Sears Tower. (Why is she in her PJs? There was an explosion while we were watching the Sears Tower movie so we had to strip her down & PJs were all we had)

F: South Bend, Indiana - On our way back to Toledo, we stopped to visit the Wells Family. It was so nice to see them, as always. But I still feel a bit guilty that Emilee cooked for us on Mother's Day. It was delicious Emilee. Thank you!

I'm not sure I held Willa at all on our trip except to feed her. When I finally held her this week, I realized she must have gained two pounds on our trip. She feels so heavy to me now. ha-ha.

Florida

Willa and I went to Florida in the middle of April over Easter weekend. We had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, and we saw everyone in my family. It was a nice escape from Toledo.

My mom's friends threw Willa a little girly luncheon while we were there. So fun!


We spent lots and lots of time at the pool. Willa liked the pool more and more each day. She hated it at first, but by the third attempt, she relaxed, kicked her little feet, and floated with the help of her momma. Willa loved laying out on a towel in the shade. She would stretch her little legs and arms and nap. But I must say, laying out is very different when babies are along.

Easter

My whole family (minus Matt) got together at my parents' house in Florida on Easter. Matt had to stay in Toledo and work. Boo-hoo! We had a great Easter. Not traditional in any way, but great. The guys went golfing in the morning.


And the ladies went swimming and laid by the pool, yet again.


Then we spent the afternoon and evening together eating a yummy ham and cheese potatoes dinner and opening Easter baskets


Willa and her "Florida" Easter basket from Jo Jo.

Family

Everyone in my family spent Easter weekend at my parents' house. It was so great to hang out with the whole fam. Here's Willa with...

Great Grandpa and Grandma Manthei (my maternal grandparents)

Grandpa Brown (my dad)

Grandma Jo Jo (my mom)

Aunt Amanda (my older sister)

Uncle Lenny (my brother-in-law/Amanda's husband)

Cousin Kate (my niece/ Amanda's & Lenny's daughter)

Funcle Nick (fun-uncle) (my brother)

Aunt Moe (my younger sister)

Uncle Andrew (Moe's boyfriend)