Emma and Maisie

Emma and Jody went to high school together
and Maisie just celebrated her 4 month birthday.
So nice to have new-old friends to help us settle in.

Goodbye Wisconsin, Hello New Hampshire

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)

Evening in the new apartment:

Much love to our Wisconsin buddies! We miss you!

New Shoes

Check out Ethan's first pair of big boy shoes. Thanks, Uncle Dan!

Hartman Creek State Park

Our first camping trip with Ethan was a total success. We got to cook (and nurse) under the open sky, play in the sand, make a fire, pick wild berries, practice our new walking (and chasing) skills, and "hike" through pine forests and rolling prairie. Wee Ethan even slept reasonably well both nights. Sweet.











P.S. Please ignore my crazy bed head. Even my support team of valiant bobby pins couldn't quite tame the beast.

That thing most people do at night...

I think it might be called "sleep". Whatever it is, it's been in short supply at our house for the last 8 months. Since October Ethan has been waking up every hour or two at night either to nurse, flop around like a fish, play or scream/cry/fuss in our arms. For a while, I accepted nursing as the best option. Often I loved the closeness, the sweet baby nuzzle, his little feet and hands stroking my belly, the total interconnection between us. Other times I would be so cracked and tender that I would let out a little cry of pain every time he latched on. And other times I just wished we could all sleep.

In January we made the first of several attempts at night weaning. For us, this meant no nursing from 11 PM to 5 AM. Cuddling, rocking, patting, shushing, but no milkie. While this seems a reasonable request (who doesn't enjoy having his back rubbed when he wakes up at night?), Ethan clearly didn't agree. Many January nights of crying and rocking made no effect on how frequently Ethan woke up. It just made all three of us much crankier during the day. So cranky that Ethan all but refused to be put down during the day. So cranky that I struggled to find safe outlets for my intense frustration and impatience when Ethan would scream and scream in my ear several times a day at "nap" time. So we went back to nursing at night and resolved to try again in a few months. We reasoned that he just wasn't ready and we'd rather wait for the right time than spend weeks in a home full of so much sadness and anger.

Attempts in March and May also ended with a return to hourly nighttime nursing.

Then, two or three weeks ago, we started our night weaning ritual again. I think the transition to medical school (which is approaching in a few short weeks!) will be much easier if we can all get enough sleep at night. I also know Ethan will be a much happier during the days, which he'll be spending with Nana and a yet-to-be-determined childcare provider, with a little more sleep under his belt.

Unfortunately for Jeremy, Ethan has made it clear that he will no longer tolerate my presence at night unless we're nursing. So nighttime shush-pat-rock-soothing is 100% Papa's responsibility. And nobly, he's shouldered through the sad and sleepless nights.

Then last night something magical happened. Ethan slept from midnight - 5:30 AM. Let's call this "sleeping through the night-ish". There are no guarantees that this will happen again. But even one night of good sleep is reason enough for me to celebrate!

Walkie walkie

How did you get in there?