Boston, Here We... Came!

In the spirit of past-tense blogging, it's time to write a post about how we moved to Boston... three months ago.

With Aaron's stint in investment banking almost up, he started interviewing for jobs in private equity. It's a pretty grueling process-- not at all like my accounting interviews where they mostly just feed you dinner and give you swag*. But through a combination of tons of interview preparation, total sleep deprivation, and divine intervention, Aaron got an offer at a private equity firm. And you just don't turn those down. So we accepted immediately, gratefully, and enthusiastically. The only catch? The job was to start in two weeks. In Boston. And we were in California.

Aaron received and accepted the terms of his offer on Friday. On Saturday, we rented an apartment through Craigslist. The next week our car shipped out and the following week the movers took our stuff and we left California. Aaron flew to Boston, and Caleb and I spent a week in Idaho with his parents and then a week in Virginia with my parents while we waited for our furniture to get across the country. Then we paid rent in two high-cost-of-living areas for two and a half months plus realtor's fees, which was, in two words-- "not awesome." Or in seven words-- "I could have gotten Lasik. And Invisalign**." Or in eight words-- "When are we going to move to Texas***?"

But, in spite of the craziness of getting here, we are really loving 97.3 percent of everything about it. I like living in a more urban environment, and Aaron loves his job. Besides having good people to work with and interesting projects to work on, the firm has a fully stocked kitchen with everything from Shark Bites fruit snacks**** to Heath Bar Klondike Bars. So really, what more could we ask for? And I mean that sincerely.

*Granted I did the bulk of my interviews before the economy tanked. They did also ask questions during the interview.
**That's right. I need to get adult orthodontics. Of all the uses for money, this must be the absolutely least exciting. Except for maybe posting bail. I can't imagine that would be very fun.
***Probably never. But crazier things have happened.
****One day he found seven great whites in one pack!! Seven!! Can you believe it?! 

Caleb's first Red Sox game!

Caleb and Dad

Caleb and Mom

Sand sculpture competition at Revere Beach. Caleb did not enjoy this trip. 

Our Little Mighty Duckling

Caleb got a helmet! And, since I last posted, he also wore it for a few months, went to visit both sets of grandparents, moved to Boston (with us, of course), and got the helmet removed. So I'm a little behind on the blog, but who's keeping track?

Caleb's head had a slight flat spot on the back right corner. The flattening was fairly mild, but it bugged me. Enough to spend Caleb's next twenty years of allowance on an orthotic device, apparently.

They let you pick out a design. I wanted something you would put on a legitimate sports helmet, but something uncontroversial-- no logos of actual teams with loyal fans and bitter enemies. So I picked the Mighty Ducks decal. 

Wow. I need to learn more about sports*. Here's the email I sent to Aaron, panicked when Wikipedia told me it was not just the team from the Disney movie, but an actual team based in Anaheim.

We ended up just going with it. And with a couple of well-placed stickers (thanks for the idea, Lisa!), I actually think it turned out pretty well.

*Ironically, during my senior year of college I decided to beef up my paltry sports knowledge by memorizing the team names and cities of all hockey teams in the NHL. 
 

Phenotype Showdown

For all the goals I set to motivate myself to write more blog posts, my most effective motivator for blogging (among many other things) is guilt. Jill played the guilt card on me recently, so here is another post.

As most of you know, I am half Japanese and half Caucasian (happa, hasian, wasian, halvsie-- my people-less people have many names). Aaron, on the other hand, with his blond hair and blue eyes, could blend in with his Norwegian kinsfolk quite nicely. So what would our little guy look like? From what little I retained from Biology 100, my little quasian's phenotype was anyone's guess. He could come out looking very Asian, very Caucasian, or anywhere in-between. We would just have to wait to meet him to find out.

Finally* October 13 came. Just before he was born the nurse announced, "He has light hair!" What?! We were not expecting that. And later when we discovered he had very blue eyes we were even more surprised. According to nearly everyone who meets Caleb, he looks completely like Aaron. I'm not so sure. I've set out to evaluate who he looks like on a quantitative, and therefore clearly non-subjective, basis. 

I've asked a neutral first-party to be the judge. Here are her comments:

• Eye Shape: Definitely Lauren's. That's what the pediatrician said, and, clearly her word is law. (Score: Lauren +9, Aaron +1)
• Eye Color: Unquestionably Aaron's. I love that baby's baby blues. (Score: Aaron +9.8, Lauren +0.2)
• Hair Color: Not as blond as Aaron's was as a baby, but certainly more blond than dark brown. (Score: Aaron +7.5, Lauren +2.5)
• Skin Tone: It's a draw-- exactly between Aaron's and Lauren's. (Score: Aaron +5, Lauren +5)
• Toes: If you want to see what Caleb's toes will look like in 25 years, ask Lauren to take off her socks. (Score: Aaron 0, Lauren +10)

The final tally: Aaron 23.3, Lauren 26.7**. Thank you, toes.

*Actually, I was two weeks early. It worked out well for everyone.
**Don't worry, I know that he looks more like Aaron. And there's no one I'd rather have him take after.

And some more pictures, just for fun.

Cheeks and Chins

If you look at any baby growth chart, you'll see that the line flattens out over time. After all, a baby's growth has to slow down at some point, right? 

I took the liberty of graphing Caleb's weight over time, and it shows that he is not slowing down. I guess that's why his six-month sleepers are beginning to get a little snug (he is three months old-- apparently Carter's does not do vanity sizing).

 

If he continues at this rate, the implications are a little frightening. Consider the following:

• He'll grow out of his Graco infant car seat (22-pound weight limit) in three weeks. 
• At his one-year birthday he'll be over the weight limit for checked luggage (54 pounds).
• At his second birthday he'll weigh approximately the same as a small cheerleader (102 pounds).
• Three months before he turns 11 he'll weigh the same as the heaviest contestant ever on The Biggest Loser at 526 pounds (upon arrival at ranch).

Good thing that's nonsense. He's just a cute, chubby baby. And I love every last one of his cheeks and chins. 

Bug Out Bag

Let's just say I wasn't blessed with larger motor skills, hand-eye coordination, or any amount of "team spirit." But that hasn't stopped me from trying over eleven sports (including fencing*) and subsequently losing interest. Lately I've noticed that through this string of quitting ran something I never got tired of-- a love for accumulating gear, if not a love for using it. That's where my climbing harness and shoes, ski goggles, field hockey bag, tap shoes, etc. have all come from. 

It bugged me I couldn't find a sport that would stick**. 

That was before I realized that I was made for emergency preparedness, and it was made for me. Buying gear you never intend to use? Planning for events that have a remote likelihood of occurrence? Done and done. I've found my new "sport." If you need me, I'll be buying one of these for my bug out bag.

*I'm referring to my brief stint at the Virginia Academy of Fencing during my "awkward phase." I'd rather not talk about it.

**Running may have "stuck"-- I fully intend to start again once Caleb can ride in the jogging stroller. I'll keep you posted.

 

Christmas Highlights From Virginia

1. Find Baby Caleb! He's hiding in the corner!
2. Family members exude the spirit of Christmas as they take turns trying to calm the crying child.
3. Grandma Inouye plays patty-cake with Caleb. 
4. Tin soldier or Michael Jackson impersonator? Ow!
5. It was fun to have Matt's girlfriend, Kim, with us this Christmas. Matt's holding the present we got him (check it out here, I was pretty pleased with myself).
6. Like Grandpa, like Grandson.
7. Our little family :)

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a wonderful holiday! It was great to be home.

Happy Birthday, Aaron (the Rock)!

Aaron turned 28 last Friday! We celebrated in Virginia with Coastal Flats for dinner and some homemade Hostess cupcakes for dessert.

I considered making a list of the top 28 reasons Aaron is great, but decided for blog-ability to make a visual instead. I've said before that if I had to pick an advertising slogan to describe Aaron, it would be Chevrolet's "Like a Rock." So for the birthday blog entry, here's a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Aaron with a rock.