Welcome back to part two of our Fall 2018 superpost! We figured that there was so much going on this fall that it would make sense to break the post up into two parts. We left off just after Swathi had completed board exams and we had moved to our new house at the end of October. Let’s pick up there:
Early November
Soren started his first day of pre-school at Montessori Academy at Spring Valley in Federal Way. Miraculously, his transition was perfect. I was bracing for the worst as he had hidden in my arms during his entire entrance evaluation (not sure what they were evaluating honestly). Despite my fears, he casually walked in and sat down for an activity like he belonged. Very impressive!
Swathi’s mother departed on November 2, leaving us to once again fend for ourselves on all fronts. The dates are a bit of a blur at this point, but the next two and a half weeks were a flurry of activity.
We began interviewing nannies and found one that we really love. Joana is a career-long caretaker from Brazil. She is a two-time grandmother, certified nurse and has a very quiet and loving personality. We are very excited to have her as our full-time nanny!
We found a contractor to build us a back-yard fence that will keep the children penned into our backyard when the weather is nice. We also get a solar guy to install solar power for the house and a plumber to install a child-size toilet in Soren’s bathroom.
We found a home chef to come by our house every couple weeks and cook for us. This is very necessary as cooking was real struggle for us in Pittsburgh when we were both working. So far Chef Anna has been very impressive and made our lives quite a bit easier.
Oh and we managed to fit in our first Diwali in our new home:
Late November
We did Thanksgiving this year at the home of one of Swathi’s senior partners, Sibel. Sibel and her husband are wonderful hosts with delicious foods. Soren was most impressed with the teenagers room where he somehow ingratiated himself. By the end of the night he was set up on the couch with teens eating Cheetos and acting like he belonged haha
Also, Soren had his first experience on stage. His pre-school put on a Thanksgiving show and feast, but he seemed to have gotten a bit of stage fright 😂
Hawaii
After Thanksgiving we took a week-long trip to Hawaii. Swathi’s sister is clerking for a judge in Honolulu and we figured that it would be best to visit before I started my job. Hawaii was either my last or second to last state to visit (not sure about you South Carolina).
November 24, we climbed Diamond Head crater. This is a popular and relatively easy hike to a crater peak overlooking Honolulu. Easy for the child-less, I should say. Somehow, our children were all-stars for the hike. Soren climbed/sprinted most of the way up and down. Meera slept quietly in my arms for almost the whole hike.
We celebrated at the end with pineapple freezes.
November 25, we rented a car and drove all over the Island. We went to the Dole Pineapple plantation and rode the Pineapple Express train. Soren was charmed.
Next we drove through the North Shore and observed a surfing competition. It was all fun and games until a rogue wave almost washed us out to sea with no warning.
We drove up to Turtle Bay and got some good beach time in before hitting up some local food trucks. Garlic shrimp (Giovanni’s) and roast corn were the orders of the day.
We finished up the day with a scenic coastal drive (found the Jurassic Park ranch) back to Honolulu. Picked up truly local fare at the Rainbow Drive in. Loco Moco was eaten.
We arranged a family photo shoot for the next day:
Most of the rest of the week was beach and pool days near the resort. We did get out and try some delicious shave ice. Very Hawaiian.
Also took Soren to his first “movie”. The hotel was playing Coco on a big screen in the lawn. We decided to do a picnic dinner and watch the movie. He spent most of the movie shaking in terror and hiding my arms. Nonetheless, it made a big impression on him and he now talks fondly of the movie.
And with that our trip drew to a close. We returned home with the weekend to prepare for my return to work and a return to life with both of us working full-time. For me, it was the end of almost 10 straight months of days spent mostly taking care of Meera and Soren. Very bittersweet, but excited to shoving off on the next adventure.
