Officially New Jerseyans

Well, for those of you not filled in, over the past couple of months we have looked to purchase a home in the suburbs, toured various apartments in Jersey City, and considered staying in Manhattan. Down to the wire, we decided in one week to move to Jersey City, packed, moved, and bought a car. Nothing like waiting until the last minute for things....I am learning to adjust to Scott's philosophy. NOT. The weekend before the move we went skiing with our friends Aaron and Kelsey! Yes, we are nuts.

Seriously, though, the decisions were challenging because of the change in Scott's job situation (he is now officially his own fund manager) and Nathan considerations. Though both of us long for a home in the suburbs, we decided that to rush into that at the same time as Scott is starting a new job would be a bad idea. We didn't want to change our commutes, environment, childcare, home, etc. all at the same time. So, we moved to Jersey City for a year while we spend some time more leisurely looking at homes to buy in the suburbs. The area of Jersey City where we live is called Paulus Hook and it is really a gem. On the water, a quiet community (thank goodness for no more traffic noise and sirens), with a few shops and restaurants and many more to come. Though we are still adjusting, so far we love the space, the apartment, and the community and are happy to have this move behind us.

Nathan survived the transition quite well. Little ones are more intuitive than one might think, however, and he definitely knew something was going on....he was a little more emotional and clingy for a while but now is getting adjusted to his new "house." I think he too enjoys the extra space.

Nathan is officially 11 months and we are preparing for the big 1st birthday. I can't believe how much time has flown by. This past week he had his first serious cold with a very high fever so we have been trying to get him well and staying indoors through the cold front that has hit the Northeast. This is one of those times when we have enjoyed having a car so that we don't have to go far before we are in the warmth of our heated seats....

In the past couple of weeks, Nathan has become such a quick study and a copycat. It is amazing how much he has progressed. He started blowing kisses the other day, is waving hello and bye bye, saying mama all the time, and took his first steps on Friday! He is very tentative with the steps, however, so I think it will be a little while before he truly walks full-time. He also really understands what we are saying which boggles my mind since he can't speak yet. We are in love with our little man more than ever and just consider ourselves blessed to have him.

So this is our first update from the "burbs" or, as I call it, our stepping stone to the burbs. It is rather funny that I am getting such thrills from trips to Target and A&P and driving my little station wagon around. Don't tell Scott that this is what excites me or else he might stop taking me to nice restaurants and buying me flowers and gifts...

A big shout out to Aunty Sarah (aka Preggo) for all of her support through the move. She visited twice in the throes of the moving drama and was such a great help emotionally and with Nathan through everything. We love Aunty Sarah! Nathan's first snow....in Plattekill. Not sure if he was enjoying it at all, but we sure had fun sharing it with him.
Nathan in his new room. It is not obvious in the picture but he is about to pull one of his climbing tricks and climb up on that bench to get into his toy bin. He also loves to climb on our stepladder!
Nathan "Walking." Thanks to my friend Lisa who told me to take his socks off so that he could walk around easier. I was just trying to keep his feet warm!
Excuse the mess - a photo of our "reading nook" in the apartment
View from the hallway...