This had to have been the answer given by the explorer who was asked what to name the state he had wandered into - too frozen to speak or even think coherently, he must have responded with the title of this blog, and the one posing the question translated it to mean IOWA. When researching our new home and discovering that the high for January (yes HIGH) was 29 degrees (before wind chill), I thought it might not be accurate...after all, it seems the summer highs always end up MUCH higher than the stated averages. Turns out the colds seem to be much lower, or at least it has been during our two weeks in this state...my favorite was the day I woke up and saw that our outside thermometer was registering -3...again, not taking into consideration the wind chill.IT IS COLD!
But, our house is warm and toasty! And, there have been days that the temps ventured into the upper twenties and we bundled up to go outside into our HUGE yard (which we also love!) and make snow angels (our snowman attempts have failed thus far due to the powdery nature of the snow). Alexa is enjoying seeing snow and even says 'she likes to be cold', unless of course, it's when she's getting out of the bath tub - that she hates!
Brody also seems to be adjusting well - he LOVES the stairs in our new house and crawls up and down them for as long as I will let him! He's actually gotten really good and really fast at it! His cruising has improved, and more and more frequently, he will let go of whatever he is holding on to and just stand there, surveying his surroundings and grinning - no prolonged walking yet...
His genetic testing all came back normal, meaning he's just going to be small and take things at his own pace. He has picked up a few new 'tricks' though! His new word is 'dat' (that) which he says while pointing at EVERYTHING. When he's hungry, he'll point at the food cabinet and say 'dat'. If he wants more of something at the dinner table, he points and says 'dat.' When he wants a specific toy, same thing. He also puts his hands together to pray now! And, as evidenced at dinner tonight, he knows WHEN we're supposed to pray. Too busy catching up after Billy came in from his first full day of work, we started cutting up food on plates and getting ready to eat without saying grace. Brody made a noise and we looked over at him and he had his hands together, reminding us of what we had forgotten. (this despite the fact that he had already cleared half his plate before I was even finished setting the table) He also LOVES brushing his teeth and will stand up on Alexa's stool by the sink several times a day, pointing at his toothbrush and saying (you guessed it) 'dat'. We've had the initial meeting with the Iowa Early Intervention program and everyone is getting together (PT, speech, EI) next Tuesday to develop his new schedule and determine what services he will actually continue.
Now for the fun adventures that have occurred since we moved into our new house and will serve as my excuses for why this post has not happened sooner:
We arrived on Sunday the 7th with our stuff arriving the 10th. Internet was set up during that time, but then failed - twice - because we touched the almighty box that runs our phone, internet, and cable. The THIRD repair man was the first to actually look over the situation and realize the first guy had only done a half-way job and it was never set up correctly. Since he fixed it about a week ago, we haven't had any more random crashes...HOWEVER, the Cat 5 cable is not long enough to stretch from the modem to my computer at my desk, so I have to sit on the floor to type, which is, unfortunately in the reach of little hands who think a keyboard is a great toy. We had wireless for a whole day and it was GREAT, until my laptop battery decided to completely die with very little warning, and upon reboot, the wireless refused to work - Billy's laptop is still wireless, but despite the linksys disk 'fixes', mine is still cable-bound. Then there was the fact that our washing machine apparently broke during the move, which we discovered when we ran our first load and it leaked all over the laundry room floor. Parts are ordered, it's under warranty, but it takes a week to get the parts in, so Alexa has a few new clothes, Brody is set on hand-me-downs, and Billy and I are making creative use of our wardrobes so as not to be forced to venture to a laundry mat in 5 degree weather with two kids! Enough excuses? Ok, I'll try to do better from here on out on keeping this updated!
All in all, things are truly going well! I am always nervous about not knowing anyone when we make a move, yet as some of you know, not even a month after our offer was accepted on the house, Billy received an email from a MAJ in the unit he is now working with welcoming us to the neighborhood because we had bought a house across the street! He and his wife have provided us with helpful tips on doctors and dentists, we've had dinner with them, attended church with them, and even tagged along to a play-off party at another soldier's house Sunday evening. They have truly made us feel welcome and it is so reassuring to already have a point of contact so soon after our arrival here - thank you God!
We deeply miss our friends and family in the Carolinas....and Utah....and Texas, but as was proven over Christmas with the multiple visits with old friends, the bonds of friendship can withstand the miles of separation. Enough rambling for one day - once we get a little more settled (and a few things hung on the walls), I'll update with house photos!
