Adjustments

Real Life began today. All our help is gone. The house is basically organized. Tomorrow ought to be a "normal" day...whatever that means...with Garry at work and me at home with the kids.

So far, the adjustment process is going pretty well.

Zachary loves having a big yard to run around in and neighbor children to play with. He is constantly in motion, getting filthy and sunburned and exhausted in the process. I can tell we need to establish new boundaries and expectations for play time with friends, though. The neighbors are eight and ten, and they've lived here forever, so they have lots of freedom and don't need parental supervision to play in the cul-de-sac. I'm so used to watching Zach's every move outdoors (or having structured play dates with friends I know and trust) that I'm not sure how much to let go and how much to hold on. Zach and I have already had some battles on this issue, but hopefully time will smooth things out for us. Zach was excited to see one of the kids from his church class when we went out to dinner on Friday night. He seems very well-adjusted at church and for that I am so grateful. I was so worried about his social transition, but it looks like my fears were misplaced.

Tyler has been in seventh heaven here. We now have a game closet and more space for the boys' toys, so Ty has been rediscovering tons of games, toys, and activities that have either been in storage for six months or crammed in a place he couldn't access in our old house. He has been puttering around every day, doing a little of this and a little of that, perfectly content to operate solo for hours. He and Zach still have regular conflicts, but that's usually because Zach interrupts his activities. Tyler has also enjoyed the outdoors. He keeps asking me if he can climb the trees, but he can't seem to get down by himself.

Gavin had a few rough days when we first got here, but he has settled down into his usual happy self. Having his own bed to sleep in is probably a factor; since he got his own room back he's napping a lot better and happier when he's awake. While we were in Provo he learned to roll from tummy to back, so now he can do the full revolution. Gavin also does push-ups on hands and toes, rocks like a madman on hands and knees, scoots backwards and in circles, and occasionally lurches forward. Last week we introduced him to rice cereal and water in a sippy cup, and tonight he tasted sweet potatoes for the first time. He has eagerly embraced baby food; I think this step was long overdue. Gavin seems to love eating at the table with the family. The strap on the booster seat we have b-a-r-e-l-y reaches around his chubby tummy, though!

The whole family is struggling to adjust to the Colorado Springs altitude and the incredibly dry weather here. The boys have all had eczema outbreaks, and it's all we can do to lather them with hydrocortisone cream and Eucerin lotion twice a day. We're all carrying water bottles and lip balm around, trying to hydrate as much as we can, but I still find I have a headache most of the time. I've heard it takes several weeks to several months to fully acclimate, especially for us sea-level folk. I'm hoping it's more like a few weeks, since I'm itching to exercise. I hope my lungs can hack it!

We attended church again today, this time without the crutch of visiting family members. The ward really seems great. People are very friendly, lots of activities are coming up, and there seem to be a number of young families that have good-friend potential. The key word there is "potential." As I sat in Relief Society today, feeling very much like the awkward new girl, I had to remind myself that friendships take time and effort to create. Lots of time and effort.

However, I'm no longer the newest girl in the ward. Another young family moved in on Wednesday, and guess what? They have three boys, ages six, four, and nine months. Maybe we can adjust to this place together.