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Today is Maddox’s first day of Daycare.  It is also the first time we have been apart this long, ever. I really hope he is happy and doing well.  It is nap time now.  I don’t have high hopes of him napping there without crying.  We’ll see! From what I hear, every kid does great the first couple days, then things fall apart and they don’t want to go anymore. Then this phase lasts somewhere between a couple weeks to a couple months, depending on the kid.

I have been trying to keep as busy as possible so as to not over think this separation and totally meltdown. I have a hefty dose of pregnancy hormones working against me, but so far I’ve done pretty well. I went to the Mission for hipster donuts (bacon apple maple glazed), Rainbow Market (hippie co-op), car wash, met with our designer, met with a painter, and now am enjoying lunch. So far, I’ve made it without crying. I almost did for a minute in the grocery store when I saw all the kid books and toys, but I sucked the tears right back in. Once I get going on the crying thing, there is no turning back.

I’m excited about this new phase. I think it will be really great for all of us. Mostly though, I’m doing it for him. I want him to socialize, learn to take direction from other grown-ups, make friends, and have his “own life” that doesn’t involve us or the baby-to-be. Of course this is also good for me…I guess. I don’t quite see it that way yet. I feel guilty about out-sourcing my family. Once the new baby is here it will be nice to have special time that is just for her.  Also this is an attempt at helping Maddox to feel more independent and less displaced. Hopefully it all goes well!  I just have to keep reminding myself why I’m doing this.

The main playground in Golden Gate Park is our new go-to place for outdoor fun. It is a pretty close drive and it is big enough to fit tons of kids, moms, and nannies with no problems. One of the sandboxes has a fake stream that goes right into it. I try not to think of the possible cooties, and just let Maddox have a good time. I bring his water shoes, and a full change of clothes every time.

On our last visit one of the moms showed me how the stream works. Turns out there is a giant red button on the ground that can be stepped on or pushed to start the stream. The stream will then go for about 5 minutes then stop. If there are big kids there that know how to operate the system, the stream is running full-time. If its only little kids (not strong enough to push the button), then it only goes off when someone’s nanny gets bored.

Here is a photo (Hi Grandma!) that shows the path of the stream before it falls into the sandbox.  Maddox thinks the water in the sand is pretty great, and I agree. Someday when the shores of San Francisco aren’t better suited for Polar Bears, we’ll head out to the real beach.

Maddox and I have been starting to get our groove back. We are starting to think about falling into a routine here in the new house. With Halloween travel behind us we have a few weeks to settle in and unpack. Part of our daily routine is taking Charlotte to the new dog park (Stern Grove) which we all really enjoy. It is so relaxing. There are trees, and ducks, and dogs – all things Maddox knows well and loves to point out. He also enjoys holding a stick while we walk around. Inevitably though, Charlotte yanks the stick from his hand and chews it to bits while Maddox just stares in disbelief. Life with a dog.

After days of packing, work people in and out, agent phone calls, bank delays, and 2 moving trucks – we finally transition into our new home. Although our “stuff” life is in disarray, my emotional health has already greatly improved, and Maddox seems to be sleeping better (though I know I shouldn’t get too excited yet). The house itself is fantastic, the neighborhood is amazing, and the people have been so nice! The local Italian restaurant owner noticed our moving trucks and brought us over a free large pizza. It hit the spot. The neighbors behind us in the nursing home sent us a gorgeous flower arrangement, and people stop to talk WITHOUT asking for money!

We are a stones throw from a cute village with most things we need (Coffee, Hardware, Pharmacy, Toy Store). Also we are right by a MUNI stop which makes it super convenient for Dallas to get to work, and for people to visit. I’m totally in the Honeymoon Period with this new house and neighborhood. I look forward to raising a family here and calling it home for a long time to come.

[Our new back yard]

Every morning Maddox and I go out to the yard to let the dog out and just sit and enjoy the trees and fresh air. Its a very relaxing 15 minutes and a great way to start the day on the right foot. I went out to the yard today to rake some leaves and do a general poke and prod of the yard. While I tinkered, Maddox played and hung out without my needing to intervene to say things like “Don’t put that in your mouth”, or “No”, or “Don’t go over there”.

Maddox dug in the dirt with a spoon for a while, and he tried to help me rake, but the rake was too heavy. Now I see why “They” make kid sized everything (brooms, play vacuums, kitchen appliances, cell phones etc). Just this week I was pa-shawing them, now I want a baby broom or rake. Maddox just loves emulating and helping, it seems a shame not to give him the opportunity. Also today while I was raking he started yelling “Da! Da!” to get my attention and was pointing under the stairs. I look over and Charlotte is going to town digging a hole in our new yard! It was so funny that Maddox totally told on Charlotte!

[Charlotte on squirrel patrol]

Last Friday it was about a million degrees here in SF. We called up our friend Juniper (22 months ish) to meet up at a community pool.  With logistics such as naps and lunches and parking to deal with, I decided to just go to the hardware store and pick up a $10 kiddie pool.  It was a hit.

Last weekend we visited the Tilden Park Little Farm in Berkeley. They allow you to bring in celery and lettuce to feed the animals. Maddox and I had been once before but we hadn’t known to bring something to feed.  This time we were ready for those animals! The goats were very pushy and demanding. If they caught a glimpse of green they would stuck as much of their body thorough the fence as they could.  Some could get a full leg out in hopes of getting the attention of some little kid with celery. Maddox was a bit fearful (and rightfully so).

{I think this photo is kind of funny with the celery in focus}

He was much more relaxed around the black sheep. They were far more pleasant to be around. Maddox fed one of the sheep all by himself.  Very cute.  Unfortunately we don’t have a photo of that (it was over as soon as the sheep touched the celery).

The farm is super cute. It is situated on a gentle slope surrounded by trees. There are cows, sheep, pigs (that were inside trying to stay cool on this visit), rabbits, ducks, chickens, turkeys, and goats.

After we fed the animals and checked out the chickens for a while we played a little ball on the grass and had some snacks. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

For years I’ve dreamed of going to the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long-a at the Castro Theater. I just found out that there are two more nights of it. I’m trying to figure out if its doable with a 3 month old. Perhaps I’ll buy tickets for tomorrow night and if its too loud then we can leave. Hrmmm…. Sounds fun!

Yesterday we went to the Alameda Flea Market (a.k.a. Antiques by the Bay). It turned out to be a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning. We wandered around looking at all sorts of stuff. The sun was out, but not yet too hot. Eventually we met up with some friends to say hello, then ate buckwheat crepes filled with brie and such, then ended the outing with some Hawaiian Shave Ice.

There seemed to be a lot of vendors with letters and numbers – in metal, on wood, small, big, etc.
We purchased some small letterpress letters spelling out M-A-D-D-O-X, and some larger metal numbers 1 – 5 to hang on the nursery wall.