ToS

ToS = in spanish, a cough
ToS = to Stephan, Transfer of Service

Do any of you remember three years ago? Seriously, go re-read that first post. Things aren't NEARLY that bad right now, but the frustration with government offices remains the same. After more than a month of trading paperwork, it looks like he might just be approved for this move back home.

Good thing too. Our car still can't haul a trailer.

First Christmas

On Sawyer's first Christmas we spent a while thinking about the first Christmas & enjoying family and friends...

Santa brought Sawyer his first cold and stuffy nose, so we've been caring for him since Christmas Eve. So far so good. Daddy is monitoring his temperature and is in charge of sucking snots when needed. We have a doctor appointment coincidently scheduled for Monday and we can get some questions answered then if we need to.

We spent most of Christmas cuddled on the couch watching movies. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and stays safe and healthy in 2010. Photos!!!

New New New

We have a new mailing address, a new home phone number, and new cell phone numbers. We're keeping our old email addresses, so if you need any of the new stuff, email us.

Other than continuing to put empty boxes on the curb (yes Plevna friends! The garbage man comes TO OUR HOUSE!!) and thank you cards in the mailbox (again, he comes TO THE HOUSE!! It kinda freaks me out.) we are the most mobile family in the area, visiting at least one group of people a day. I'm kinda hoping we slow down soon- we've put more miles on our car with visiting than we did with moving!

If I don't get to it: Merry Christmas blog-readers!

Wait! Don't click away!

It's still us! We're still here! I just thought that a change of scenery for us warranted a change of scenery for the blog. Do you like it?

After a few hiccups we finally arrived in Mount Prospect (or, as I often call it: Chicago) Saturday night.

What kind of hiccups? Well, we had a trailer hitch put on the Escape so we could pull a small trailer with the remaining boxes. Thursday morning Stephan went to MIles City (80 miles West) to pick up the trailer from the UHaul guy. Turns out, the electricity pigtail that was put on isn't working. The UHaul-man can't let Stephan leave without the electricity working. Luckily (?) for us, there's a Ford dealer in good ole SMiles City. After another 2 hours there Stephan is told the part we need would be here in 5 days.

Thud.

Back to the UHaul man. Our next option is to rent a small truck & tow the Escape. That's a great idea and Stephan almost agreed to that. However, we now travel with a rear-facing car seat and there is no back seat in a UHaul truck. The remaining option is for us to drive seperately: Stephan in the truck, me in the car with Sawyer and the dogs. This normally wouldn't be a problem except that the lack of sleep I've been experiencing makes me a great mom and an even better candidate for a mental institution. Regardless, Stephan drives another hour to Glendive to pick up the UHaul. He leaves the car in Glendive (doesn't this sound like that brain teaser about the wolf the chicken and the sheep?) and drives the truck to Plevna.

We load the truck with the last of the stuff (at about 4pm). Our good friend Gary drives me and Sawyer to Glendive (an hour away... noticing a theme yet?) to pick up the Escape. We meet up with Stephan in Wibaux ("WEE-bow") and begin driving at around 7pm.

Our triumphiant first night ended in Dickenson, ND, a mere 90 minutes away from Baker. The rest of the trip went very smoothly, ending in a triumphant return to the area on Saturday night to a house full of family and food. I have photos. I'll post them soon.

We're still settling in, finding our underware, getting the basic services like phone and internet set up. We still use our old cell phones, and if you want our home phone number just email us!

Safely in Chicago-land

We are here. I'm updating you all from the Starbucks that's 2 blocks from our house. Geeze. This is weird.

The blog will continue, detailing the reverse culture-shock and perils of a baby in the city. The web address will remain the same, but there will be other little changes.

Thank you for all the kind thoughts and prayers- they are truly appreciated.

More later!!

In Recognition...

I would like to talk about the amazing baby shower thrown for Sawyer last night, but I don't want to get the laptop wet.

Instead, here are cute photos of Sawyer from the last few weeks because my mom doesn't have Facebook and hasn't seen photos in a long time.

Holy Daze

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to everyone!

And Happy Wow-the-stuff-didn't-fit-in-the-trailer-so-now-what-do-we-do? weekend to us!

The house is packed, except for the kitchen. The kitchen was supposed to drive away with Stephan's parents this morning, but, it's the above-hyphenated holiday weekend, so it didn't make it. After packing like crazy for the last week I collapsed in a heap with Sawyer today to watch movies and NOT look at the empty house I'm living in for the next two weeks.

Well, not quite empty.

Here's a poll to celebrate the weekend....

poll by twiigs.com

Bye-Polar

Stephan keeps repeating that we are blessed to love two places as much as we do. It's very hard to leave, but it's wonderful to look forward to moving back to Chicago. Packing each box brings us closer to family, but further from the friends who have become closer than family in Montana. Needless to say, there's been a lot of crying. We have only a few more weeks here, and every moment is precious to us.

Happy/Sad
Excited/Depressed


I remember how emotional I was when we moved here... things didn't go according to anyone's plan. For fun I tried to find a good blog post from 3 years ago as a reference, and I came up with this one that again sent me into tears. But they are happy tears for the moment. I hope Melanie doesn't mind me reposting it:

Only in Montana…

…can major home repair be put on hold because of a cow giving birth.

…can tourists watch 12 foot tall fake bulls peeing.

…can a town multiply in size because of a fair.

…tight blue jeans, denim shirt, cowboy boots and hat are the top fashion.

…can you get two alcoholic drinks for under $5.

…there are more cows then people…3 to 1.

…can you buy a house.

…you need heaters for you car so it doesn’t get too cold at night.

…can you learn everyone’s name in your town.

…is liquor still regulated by the state.

…you can find 3 bars, but 12 churches.

…may your car actually be more expensive then your house.

…are the sweaters that your mother gave to Salvation Army 10 years ago are still in fashion.

…can you buy a house that comes with a chicken coop.

…can you call up Illinois Department of Big Jerks and get hung-up on and then call up Montana and talk to someone nice and then realize Montana, with all it quarks and laid back nature, might be exactly were you need to be at this point in your life. That people might be way different then where you came from, but they are very welcoming. You realize that this is going to be your home for a while so might as well start acting like it is home. You come to the conclusion that your life has been thrown up side down and that, even though you don’t have all your underwear or the shampoo and conditioner you would usually use, you are truly a survivor. Although there have been tears, you’ve wiped them away and have carried on. Suddenly a feeling comes over you. No longer a feeling of sadness or self-pity, but strength that you did it. And then the Dora the Explorer song runs through your head as you gently close your eyes and go to sleep.

Out Laws Out, In Laws In

Stephan's parents are on their way to meet their newest grandchild. My dad just emailed me a few of the photos he took last week when they were visiting.

This photo is my favorite of the bunch, and actually is one of my favorites of all time. Enjoy!

First Grandparents' Visit

They're here! Grandmama and Grandpappy made it to Plevna yesterday and the snuggles have multiplied ever since then. Photos:

Week 3 & Good Luck Stephan

Stephan leaves tomorrow for Chicago to interview with three different hospitals. It's amazing that Sawyer's been with us for two full weeks already- at times it seems like a lifetime, and other times it feels like just yesterday I was in the hospital all confused and naked.

So here's wishing Stephan luck (University of Chicago on Monday and Northwestern Memorial & Loyola University on Tuesday) and my parents a safe trip out here!

A Brief Commercial

You all know we have two dogs right?

I thought so. Anyhow, we adopted them with the help of the Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation. CCRF is participating in a shelter fund-raising contest and it was so easy I figured I'd repost the link. Melanie forwarded it to me, so I'm totally blaming her if I start getting crazy puppy-spam.

If you want to help (no money involved) you can click the link here and off you go!

Sawyer James FAQ: How did you pick his name?

Stephan and I had a list of boys' names ready, but our favorite was always Sawyer James. James was easy, since it's my dad and brother's name. Sawyer was a name that Stephan came up with while on a solo camping trip. As he was driving from Billings to Yellowstone National Forest he saw a sign advertising Sawyer, Montana. He jotted that name down next to the others, and it turned out to be our favorite.

Sawyer, Montana was a stagecoach stop many years ago. It doesn't exist as a town now, so it's a little difficult to find much information about it. But that's the story!

Check out the hospital's baby website to see his official stats.

Bear Fan

No training required.

24 Hours in Montana

The following took place between 9am Friday morning, and 9am Saturday morning....

End of Week 1

My dad always says a picture is worth 1,000 words. So here's my 3K for the day...

Overheard: "Does this mean we're new parents?"

Him: What do they call the first page of a fax?

Me: What do you mean?

Him: A cover letter? Cover page?

Me: Oh, it's a .... cover... uh... page? Not a cover letter...

[2 minutes & 1 Google search later]

Me: Cover SHEET!!

Him: YES! Good job!

Day 4 & 5 Photos

So that whole rant I wrote a few weeks ago about this not being a "Mommy Blog"... ? Yeah. Just ignore that. Here are more photos. Caption them as you see fit.

Day 1 Photos

Incredible as it may seem, these are the only photos I took the first day... the nurses took a few that involve a word that rhymes with 'tipple' so I'm NOT publishing those. Insert your own cute captions after every photo. I'm going back to snuggle.