Post-Frankenstorm Update

I still have not started work, because first there was the hurricane, and then the power has been out at my new office.  Because there was no work, Miss M also has not started preschool.  Tomorrow is the big day for both of us.  Tomorrow is also November 1, so I will also be starting NaNoWriMo tomorrow.  For NaNoWritMo, I have an idea that I really like, I have some thoughts on where I'd like the story to go, and I am super excited about starting writing.  But starting a new job, starting preschool, and starting NaNoWriMo all at the same time?  I must be losing my mind.  Oh, and a friend emailed and said he's in town tomorrow and Friday, and would we like to get together?

We survived the storm just fine.  We never even lost power.  We did, however, suffer some leaks.  This building must need a lot of work, since it appears to be made from stone/cement.  We had about five leaks, to be precise.  Leaks 1-3 were around the windows, and leaked onto the sills. . .no big deal.  I put a bowl under one, and mopped up the other two.  Leak #4 was from the ceiling, and leaked onto carpet.  This one is a little more problematic.  We put a bucket under it once we discovered it, but the carpet was already wet at that point.  The plaster in the ceiling is starting to come down.  Leak #5 is the doozy, though--a giant section of our living room carpet is soaking wet, as is the rug pad underneath it.  The wooden baseboard is rotten all along the area, so clearly this is a long-standing problem.  I need to inspect more, but it also appears that the bottom of the tv cabinet is moldy.  They sent a guy to vacuum up the water, but that did little/nothing to remedy the problem.  The carpet and carpet pad are both soaked.  I think this is going to require me being a pain in the ass to get it all fixed. . .ie, writing a letter that cites the relevant state laws about wet and mold and what their obligations are.  I hate be heavy-handed, when we have just moved in, but they don't seem to be in a hurry to fix things, and I don't want moldy carpet in my house with my two kids.

I have been trying to unpack and get settled with these three extra days off from work, but we mostly used the extra time to mess around.  Why unpack when you can procrastinate?  Actually, it's not going too badly.  Everything is organized and put away except for part of one of my suitcases, and then the girls' things.  The girls' things are taking over the house, though.  I need to buckle down and get it done.  We had three suitcases full of clothes and toys for the two of them, and then we were given loads more stuff every time we visited with friends and family.  Miss M's bed is a mountain of stuffed animals at this point.

Miss M and I went exploring in the neighborhood today (which was MUCH more fun than organizing her toys).  It's funny, you generally see your neighborhood through the life experiences you are having at the time you live there.  The last time we lived here, Miss M was too little for playgrounds, so I never noticed any.  This time, we spied one while on our way to the grocery store a few days ago, and we returned today to test it out.  However, upon closer inspection, we realized that it was a playground meant for older kids, not toddlers.  There weren't any swings, and it was sized for bigger kids, so much so that it was hard for her to climb on the equipment.  After we played for a bit, I told Miss M that we'd look around for another one that was meant for kids her size.  Thirty second later, just after buckling her back in the stroller, she yelled out "I see one--there it is!"  Sure enough, a football field away there was another playground.  I thought it was hilarious that she spotted it so quickly.  When we got there, it was just perfect--sandbox full of communal toys, swings, correctly sized playground equipment, even bathrooms!  She had a blast--so much so that we were late for the Halloween celebration in our building.

We went trick-or-treating after the playground, and Miss M had so much fun running around.  She kept saying "it's fun to see their costumes" (as we saw other kids) and "this is fabulous!"  After we finished, she told me that she wanted to go again.  The trick now will be the candy.  We don't usually let her have any, and now she has an entire bucket full.  She started with a lollipop tonight, but spent more time playing with it than eating it, until I made her wrap it up so she could eat dinner.

There seem to be a lot of (young) families in our building, which is eight kinds of awesome.  I'm hoping we meet some cool people soon, and also hoping that they have (nice) children who can be playmates with my children.  It will be great for Miss M to have some local friends to hang with.

Finally, I'm nervous for preschool tomorrow.  What if they're not nice to her?  She's a bit bossy, but she is a very kind child, and she really focuses on it when children are mean to her.  Some kids were mean to her a few months ago, and she told me all about it when I got home from work.  She was so sad about it that it broke my heart.  And she is still refusing to use the potty.  What if they make fun of her? Oh, I hope this goes well.  We've shielded her from bullies and mean kids, and I worry about her being exposed to them.