And Then There Were None: The Countdown Ends

Ever since quarantine began, I've had multiple "countdowns" going on. How many days of homeschool left to go. How many days since we'd made an offer on a new house. How many days until we signed the P&S. How many days until the close. How many days until the move. How many, how many, how many?

As of today, the answer to the question, "How many?" is, "None." Today was the day that we finally moved into our beautiful new house. First thing in the morning, the piano movers came, and while they disassembled our piano and packed it onto their truck, I packed the kids into my car (along with umpteen boxes of stuff) and raced to beat them to the new house to let them in, where they reassembled it in all its glory.

Once they were done, I packed the kids BACK into the car and we drove to Dunkin Donuts to grab some breakfast. When we got back to the new house with tummies full and eyes open, the kids got down to really exploring the house. They ran downstairs to say hello to the hamster (who was the first one to spend the night here), then they ran upstairs to check out the little room over the garage with the funny slanted ceilings. Then they each checked out their own room, plotting out where their beds and dressers and everything else would go in their new domains. They even peeped in the attic, which is even bigger than the large attic in our old house, although somewhat more unfinished (pink insulation abounds between the strips of thin plywood that form the floor). 

But what got them most excited was the pool. Although technically it's a heated pool, the pool heater does not seem to be working, and the pool doesn't currently have a solar cover, so it's open to the elements. Even so, it was surprisingly...well, not exactly warm, but it certainly wasn't cold. The kids both went in pretty quickly, and spent over an hour checking out the slide and enjoying some of the pool toys that some friends and the gracious previous owners had given us as a housewarming gift. 

While they were drying off, I was doing my usual over-organizing and had made and posted signs all over the house to let the movers know where each of the rooms was. 

I even hung post-it notes to indicate where the various pieces of furniture had to go, so they wouldn't need to wait for me or my husband to direct every single item.

By the time I'd finished, Dad was on his was with lunch and the movers were on their way with our furniture. The moving trucks arrived first, so I walked the crew of 5 through the house, explaining where everything should go. They seemed surprised and quite appreciate of my labeling system - in fact, my husband told me later than they were grateful for how organized we were, both in having the vast majority of items neatly packed and labeled before they arrived, and by not only having thought through where things would go, but literally marking the spots. The movers seemed to be in their late teens and early twenties, with one guy clearly the muscle (he hefted our grandfather clock like it was a yardstick) and once girl clearly the organizer (although she more than carried her weight - literally). They were all incredibly polite and pleasant, double-checking the placement of everything and offering to move anything we wanted, even if we had told them where to put it but changed our minds. They worked quickly and efficiently, and were careful to wrap and cover banisters and walls so nothing would be scratched or damaged. They clearly knew what they were doing and did it well, individually and as a team. I was impressed at how hard they worked, especially on such a hot day. They earned every penny of their pay and a generous tip besides. Due to their hustle, the final bill was less than the original estimate, even though we had added a number of items to our first list. (Shout out to Gentle Giant Movers in Acton MA!!)

In the midst of all the moving, the Verizon technician came to install the new router, the guy came by to clean the dryer vent, and the POD was delivered. I haven't had that many people in my house since quarantine started! (Don't worry, we wore masks and social distanced.) Throughout the whole process, I was doggedly emptying boxes, figuring out where everything belonged in the new house (so many cabinets! so much storage space!), and trying to keep the kids busy and out from underfoot. Once everyone had left, we all agreed we needed a break and we were ready for dinner, so my husband went to pick up a couple of pizzas. We sat out by the pool and enjoyed the breeze. I soaked my feet in the refreshing water of the pool, and after dinner my husband went in for a dip himself. 

After dinner, we all pretty much just flopped down wherever we could until it was time for the kids to head for bed. When we were staging our old house to put it on the market, we put my son's queen sized bed in the POD and unbunked my daughter's bunk bed, putting a single twin bed in each bedroom, so the rooms would look more spacious. The queen bed was a little too buried in the POD to pull it out tonight, so my son is sleeping in the guest room tonight, rather than his own room, but we've promised to get his "real" bed ready for tomorrow night. 

It's a steamy evening, but both kids' bedrooms have ceiling fans and multiple windows, so they shouldn't be too uncomfortable. Unfortunately, among the things that were inadvertently left behind at the old house were our toothbrushes and toothpaste, so bedtime prep was a bit altered. I had packed their backup toothbrushes, so they were able to brush without toothpaste, and I even remembered the mouthwash, so it wasn't too gross. We also didn't pack up the fridge and freezer, so a run back to the old house is in order tomorrow anyway. Which means that we get to have breakfast out again tomorrow, so that made the kids happy. They both went to bed with a few comments about it not quite feeling like home, but I reassured them that once we get settled in and their stuff is in their rooms and we get used to everything, it will feel like home very quickly. This is probably the biggest change they've ever gone through in their whole entire lives, so I wouldn't expect them to sail through without blinking. But they're both putting a good face on things, and a good night's sleep and a cooler day tomorrow should help the situation. 

As for me, I poured myself a glass of ice-cold pinot grigio (in a water goblet, because I haven't found the wine glasses yet), and I am sitting on the couch, looking at my window at a bunny, listening to the crickets and the quiet hum of the ceiling fan, wondering what delights are in store for tomorrow. 

It may still be new and unfamiliar, but it's my own little nest. I feel cozy. I feel safe. I am, truly, home.

Home.