We made it!! This post alone could fill a novel, so I will try to be as succinct in my wrap up as possible. It all started in the middle of April. Chris called me one afternoon to say he was having dinner with his boss and that he had a sick feeling that he was about to be laid off. Keep in mind that his company explicitly said that moving Chris to Houston was to give him experience he would need to be promoted to VP. He was, indeed, laid off that night. Luckily, they felt terrible about it, so the severance package was generous. Since we had nearly a year's pay to cushion the blow, Chris and I decided that we could afford to take some time and really figure out what we wanted our next step as a family to be. Since I knew Chris hadn't been happy at his job for years, I told him my biggest wish for him was job satisfaction. He was contacted by a former boss who now works for GE Healthcare and she seemed to have the perfect job for him, but the catch was that the job was in Manhattan. So Chris started the interview process and we started thinking long and hard about uprooting our family. We started thinking about all the move would entail: downsizing considerably, leaving our dog, and losing the proximity to friends and family. The downsizing part sounded great. We had already been feeling a little overwhelmed by all the STUFF in our lives. The idea of selling our cars, getting rid of rooms of furniture, and figuring out how little we could whittle everything down to was very attractive. But giving away Runyon and taking the girls away from so much family was heartbreaking. It still is. So why did we do it? I don't even know if I can give a full answer to that question. We did it because it was time for Chris to be properly challenged and appreciated at work. We did it because we were afraid if we didn't do it now, we never would. It really felt like God presented this opportunity and that we were supposed to take it. It felt like a chance to rent an apartment for 3 or 4 years and re-evaluate our American dream. We certainly won't live here forever, but what an adventure to have for the next few years.
And now we are here. The first week was the hardest. The girls and I stayed at my parents' house the last two weeks we were in Houston, and we got very used to cousins and grandparents and siblings being around all the time. Then we came to New York, where we had no phone or internet (and no cell reception in the apartment) for over a week. To say I felt isolated would be putting it extremely mildly. And Chris was working late every night, which didn't help. As I said in an earlier post, Delilah seemed to be literally losing her mind. One night Chris came home and I told him I was giving this 6 months to get better, or else. I don't know exactly what the 'or else' meant, but I meant it. Fortunately, it didn't take 6 months. It took about 2 weeks. :)
We seem to be hitting our stride. I've met some fantastic moms in the building who have taken me under their collective wing and the days seem to fly by. There is always something new to do or see. We've been to a Broadway show, tried out ten or fifteen different parks, picnicked in Central Park, gone to story hours, played at museum playscapes, seen a free Broadway variety show at Bryant Park, and may have even already found a church home. Our double stroller is a delight, and I found a great grocery delivery so that I don't have to worry about groceries and two small children with no car. Delilah started school two days a week last week and it's been great. The first day I picked her up, she couldn't talk fast enough about everything she had done that day. And Chris is LOVING his job, which is basically to overhaul the entire way Mt. Sinai operates and make it a profitable hospital again. As for me...I have a thing or two up my sleeve that I will be sharing in a few weeks. (No, I am NOT pregnant)
Okay, I think that's the gist of it. I took an adorable photo of Delilah's first look up at our building, but it's in my phone and I can't get it to my computer just yet. So enjoy these pics of the first time we met Daddy for lunch in Central Park. It's a 10 minute walk from our building (and across the street from Mt. Sinai).
Changing into a swimsuit
Clothes change interrupted: "
Oh, there's Daddy!"
Sharing a cookie with Daddy
Yes, we still miss our family and friends like crazy. But with 9 visitors already scheduled for the next 3 months, a Curious George exhibit to see at the Children's Museum, and many more Central Park lunches in our future, I think we are going to make it. :)
