IKEA and Other Shenanigans

This is the nest we have created on the floor to dampen B's elephant stomping

We haven't been doing anything terribly noteworthy lately; our days have been spent trying to orchestrate the rental of our new apartment; our new landlady is just outstanding.  Even though the housing service has been very little help in this entire process (aside from providing the list of three apartments, they've basically been MIA).  We're hoping they'll be able to at least look over our contract before we sign it, as it is in German (because they were unavailable to provide an English copy) and the owner of our new apartment has even been generous enough to let us know that she'll give us the keys this week, regardless of any potential delays via the housing service.  I know I'm giving these people a bad rap, but I'm kind of bummed that their office has been in shambles while we're making our transition.

The Bear: she never stops

We are very excited about our new digs and have realized there are a few things needed (like, ahem, pillows and blankets) before we can move in.  So, I volunteered to fall on my sword and go to IKEA with the girls.  This means a mile walk to the U-Bahn, one station to the Staatsoper, hop on the IKEA bus, way-the-heck out of town...traverse IKEA (which is a battle unto itself), let the girls play on the God-sent playground outside the building while waiting for the bus, ride a half hour back with two sleepy girls and about a hundred pounds (I exaggerate...barely) of new furnishings, then walk another mile back home, schlepping the aforementioned goodies... and, finally, park your kids in front of a movie because your body is about to collapse in exhaustion. It was an experience.  And if you haven't watched the Valentine's Day (IKEA) episode of 30 Rock, you need to.  Now.  

I'll wait.  

In the mean time, here's a picture of Bailey eating lunch at IKEA...where they have *gasp* completely organic and inexpensive kids meals.  I love this place.  

mmm...noodles

So, anyway, other than prepping for this move, the girls and I have really just been chilling and finding playgrounds.  Most days it's important for me to be near the computer for a good chunk of time so I can communicate with John at work and our new landlady, but other than that, we're kind of in a holding pattern.  

Audrey micro-managing on the playground

The girls have been doing fantastic through this all; their bodies are really starting to adapt to our new time zone and schedules.  They're waking up at a normal time, eating well, playing hard and sleeping through the night without issue.  Of course, we still have some bumps in the road; we're trying to keep them quite while we're in our temporary apartment, so they're watching more movies than usual--that always leads to some gems as far as slap-happy behavior goes, but for the most part, they're thriving.  

She's terrified and so proud of herself

When I left the house yesterday I left the stroller home and Audrey hoofed it just as far as I did--she's getting stronger and I'm so proud of her.  She's also making great leaps and bounds on the playground; before we left Kennewick, it usually took her a good half hour to warm up to going down even a kiddie slide...and forget ladders, if there weren't stairs, she wasn't going anywhere.  But here, she's been a little more daring; she climbed onto this swinging bridge and walked the whole thing with very little assistance (it's really steep for a kid there at the end) and she has started climbing ladders!  Like, six-rung ladders--this is a big deal. Overall, I've just noticed the girls are much more eager to take chances and push themselves.  I don't know whether to attribute that to the new environment, the play structures themselves, or the kids they see boldly playing on them.  Either way, we're keeping it up.       

This girl fears no ladder

And if you're wondering about Bailey, well, she's just fine.  She's my peewee pirate, so she's having a ball any time we get out of the house.  She loves trains, buses, playgrounds and horse-drawn carriages.  She gets very mad when we enter a grocery store (those are her least favorite 'adventures') and has absolutely no concept of this "quiet" thing we are trying to convey to her while we're in our apartment or the vast echoing halls of our temporary building.  I think she's going to love our new digs, since we've been really keeping a tight reign on her lately.  Keeping a low profile simply isn't the Bailey way.