Das Internet!!!!!!

The cable guy just left and we, at last, have internet. Hmm, last post was 20 days ago and the last substantial one was when we got back from our road trip. So . . .

July 29-August 3 - Lots of packing. Thomas has his 4-month pediatrician visit: 16 lb 6 oz, 24 3/4 in, met all milestones except that he wasn't reaching for objects yet. The pediatrician was also very surprised that he could roll from his back to his front, since front-to-back is easier.

August 4-7 - Head to Fresno. We couldn't stand another minute in our apartment, so we drove up to Fresno and went to a Grizzlies (minor league baseball team, AAA) game. They were giving out free "backpacks" and I won an autographed ball. It was autographed by the Giants backup catcher Eliezer Alfonso.

When Curtis's mom heard that Thomas wasn't reaching for things yet, she decided that he needed something better to reach for. The result was like Christmas come early. She got him this awesome jumperoo. He loves dancing in it. She also got him a selection of rattles and toys to play with.

August 8 - San Francisco. Tuesday night, Lisafromlab calls to ask if I can come to Becca's bachelorette party tomorrow night. Hey, why not. Wednesday afternoon, Curtis and I and the baby drive 3 hrs to Lisa's. Curtis hangs out with Thomas at Lisa's and I go out to Asia SF, "where the women are strong, but the men are very pretty." After a few hours of fun, the three of us head back to Fresno. This is insane, but we've got big plans the next day.

August 9 - L. A. We get in around 3 am, but the baby wakes up about 7. We get ready and drive to L.A. to look for a place to live. Problem is, NO ONE answers their phone. I had called and left messages the previous day and we called and left messages that morning, but the only person who answered the phone either day was Jim. So we went to look at Jim's apartment and it was ok. No patio, but in our price range and 2 BD. Without any other options, we take it, and drive back to Fresno.

August 10 - Party! We spend the day straitening up Curtis's parents' house and buying groceries for a party his folks were throwing. Curtis's uncle made some mean mango-tinis and the steaks flowed freely.

August 11-13 - Carmel Valley and back. Drove to Becca's wedding. The location was beautiful and the bride's dress was gorgeous. I thought that she looked like a bride from the 1940's. After the wedding, we had planned to drive up to the Bay area to see Svan's parents' new house, but we had finally run out of steam. Curtis wasn't feeling well and was exhausted. We went back to Fresno, and slept in the next morning. On Sunday, I took two naps and the baby had a 6 hour nap in addition to sleeping through the night both Saturday and Sunday night. I guess we really were exhausted. On Monday, Curtis and I had our annual eye exams.

August 14-17 - Moving. Tuesday, the 14th, Curtis, me, Thomas, Curtis's dad, and the cat drive to Vegas. The car was just a wee bit crowded with all of us and all of the baby's new toys.

The next day was SPA DAY! Curtis had gotten me a $200 spa certificate at Teacher Appreciation Day that I wanted to use before we moved. I went to the Qua Spas at Caesars Palace. It was absolutely fantastic. I'd never been to a spa before. They had lockers, robes, fruit, juices, a small gym, and pools and saunas of different temperatures. And that was just the stuff that was free with any treatment. I used my certificate to get a one hour "Signature Experience" where they design a series of treatments for you. I had a Swedish massage, foot exfoliation, and a facial. Fantastic! Curtis and his dad watched the baby and took him to a buffet and out to a movie.

On the 16th, we picked up the 26-foot truck and also picked up Willowlaughter from the airport. She flew in to help us move and to wrangle that baby. We worked on loading the truck and doing the last minute packing. The 17th was officially Moving Day. We got a later start than we had planned. WL and I stayed behind to do the final cleaning and didn't leave Vegas until 8:30pm.

WE'RE HERE! Since then, we've been working on unpacking and waiting for the gas man, new cooktop, and cable guy. But, at last, everything is ready (except the unpacking) and it's starting to feel like home. It's tough to believe that next week Curtis will have orientation and we'll celebrate our fifth anniversary. Now I'm going to test our upload speed by sending a whole bunch of pictures to our Flickr page.

Our new address is 20336 Cohasset St. #5, Winnetka, CA 91306.