Moving on Out

'Rad has been developing and changing and learning new things at a breakneck pace.  Since starting to walk last Thursday, he's just been doing so much stuff.  He's now started to lay himself down for bed; after our nighttime routine, we set him in his crib sitting up and he'll throw his head back.  Laying in the crib grinning like he just stole a piece of fine art, we drape his blanket of him and say goodnight.  He'll still get caught sitting up in the middle of the night, but before we saw him lay himself back we didn't think he knew how.  Today he learned that you can not only roll balls, but you can kick them, too.  This weekend we spent at least 5 minutes on the couch laughing at each other (most.awesome.thing.ever).  And one of his other new things is to jump in the air both feed, landing be damned.  He's just becoming such a little kid. For as long as the days and hours felt like they were dragging when 'Rad was a wee one, I am in awe of the fact that he'll be turning 1-year old this month.

Big changes for Connor, yes, and big changes for us as well.  At the end of this month, one day before 'Rad's birthday, we will be packing up and moving back to our home town in Michigan.  It's a big move, but it feels natural just like going back home should.  It's been 10 years since I've lived away from the mitten.  Good lawd it was so long ago since we lived there last.

We're doing it because we want 'Rad to be closer to his grandparents, I want us to be closer to our families, and none of us want to deal with driving around Chicago anymore.  We have big, life-changing plans queued up and there's no way for us to move forward, to get ahead, or to make such a complete 180 in our professional (or, so far not-professional) lives without bidding farewell to Wisconsin.  I'll miss Madison and all of the milestones and firsts we celebrated here.  I'll miss the little life we built, our neighborhood, and the familiarity of life here.  But it's the same familiarity without family that is driving us out.  And drive out we will with a big ole 27" moving truck with baby and Blue Boy in tow before September hits.

The move is making us (me) a little edge, a tad bit more sensitive, and acutely aware of all that needs to be done but that can't be done until the moving weekend is upon us.  Last weekend I shed my first moving tears, realizing that I was crying them not only because we are moving but because I know that they are just the tip of the puffy, red-rimmed eye iceberg.  I hate goodbyes and endings and this is a big one even though a huge new beginning awaits us.  This sentimental heart of mine is going to make this thing that I have wanted for years question myself.  But I know that this is the right move (ahar har har) for us.  Pictures of a disastrous new pad, unpacked/partially unpacked/completely untouched boxes, and 'Rad in his new home one their way in about a month.