It has now been two weeks since we had to say our goodbyes to Mad-town and all our sweet friends. While we are starting to settle in, we are homesick for the Dairyland and really missing our old friends.
The move went smoothly enough. A mix-up picking up the moving truck delayed our departure until Monday afternoon. So instead of the three short days of driving we had planned, we had a sweaty morning loading the truck, a sweaty afternoon cleaning the apartment, a few hours of driving and an uncomfortable night in cheap motel, followed by two very long days of driving. But thanks to bunny crackers, spoon-feeding and entertainment from Nana, Ethan did wonderfully in the car. The occasional pit stop to run around a parking lot, change a diaper and play with the car stereo and steering wheel kept us going, even as we drove 11 hours through Pennsylvania, New York, Mass and Vermont on the final day!
We arrived in the middle of a huge rainstorm on Wednesday night, so we donned rain jackets, bought a couple of pizzas and unloaded only enough stuff to set up a bed for the night. The next day (sunny, thankfully) a group second year med students helped us unload the truck at our new pad. Two of the med students have kiddos and stay at home wives, so hopefully we'll be able to arrange some playdates for little Ethan. There don't seem to be any female Dartmouth med students with kids, which is a bit daunting. With a lot of help from my mom and some sleepless nights, I'm sure we'll find a way.
This past week has been mostly unpacking, car repairs, waiting in line at the DMV, and trips to the hardware store, punctuated by playing in the sandbox, taking naps and chasing Mr. Ethan around our new apartment.
Orientation for me starts tomorrow and for Jeremy starts on the 17th. We are eager to move onto the training we came here for and we will be sure to update again once we get settled into our programs.
For now, some photos from the moving adventure.
Goodbye playdate with Sarah and Charlie:







(Charlie really liked the alligator walker)
Ethan and Maeve entertain us in an empty apartment:




(Did I mention we got sweaty?)






(Final three photos by Maeve Eisenhandler)