The Peanut Tracker

Elliot is 6 months old today! Time flies!

-T

As part of our transition into our home here in San Antonio, we planned and took the opportunity to move Elliot into his own room. (Applause!) And, much to his daddy’s displeasure, he’d already began to outgrow his Amby bed–about six months ahead of schedule–so out came the tools, up sprang his crib, and into his crib we moved him as well. Right smack in that 4-6 month window they tell you to aim for. It’s been pretty awesome; a process, of course, but one that’s gone fairly successfully.

Nerves? Oh yeah. Lots of nerves, at first anyway. It’s better now, though. Probably the best thing that’s happened so far is the breaking of our video baby monitor. (Thank you, Michelle and Jonathan! We used it until it croaked!) We loved it (despite it’s Rice Krispies-quality reception), but it was a great time to part with it.

We didn’t buy another for a couple reasons: 1) they’re expensive; 2) they’re insecure–all the models I’ve seen have no defense against anyone nearby tuning in on their frequencies. The same is true of audio-only baby monitors (although there seem to be more channels on audio-only), but, obviously, broadcasting both audio and video is more unsettling than just the audio. And if there is a video baby monitor with some kind of security, I’m sure it’d make problem one, the expense, much worse. I spent a few hours researching a video camera via computer network solution, and ran face-first into problem one. So, in the end, we picked up an under $50 audio-only baby monitor, and it’s been great. Clearer reception, better sound quality, less screen-watching, etc.

And now, pictures having nothing whatsoever to do with that story…

(As always, click ‘em to see the Gallery.)

Listening intently to the wisdom of his parents. Sure. (But he did do this all on his own!)

Our little acrobat.

“Please, mommy? Please can I stay up some more? I’ll be good!”

Tania and Elliot, my whole world.

Elliot hanging out and working with his Daddy.

-T

Elliot is five months old today!

Sorry it’s been a while since we posted pictures. We’ve finally unpacked all our boxes, though we’re still trying to situate everything. These are several photos of Elliot during the last month.

(Click on the photos for a bigger version.)

The little man laughing during tummy time. (6/4/08)

I love his expression here. This is probably my current favorite photo of Elliot, but the previous picture is pretty tough competition. (6/4/08)

Unpacking Elliot after the move. Just kidding. Put down the phone. (6/8/08)

Teething is Elliot’s new occupation. His fingers are his favorite. (5/23/08)

He figured out how to grab his toes about a month ago. They’ve since offered him untold hours of entertainment. (5/23/08)

Ain’t no sissy-teething ’round these parts. The whole fist is where it’s at. (5/13/08)

Our little Spurs fan watching the game with us in San Antonio. It’s the one show we let him slide on right now. (5/11/08)

-T

…continuing the adventure, which began here.

The Rest of the Drive

We got smarter. Tania’s the genius, though. She came up with it. Oh, but wait. The problem first.

Elliot hated the long car ride during the first leg of our trip (Thousand Oaks, CA to Tucson, AZ). Lots of crying. Lots of pulling over. Lots of Tania sitting in the backseat and comforting. Basically, lots of the opposite of fun.

So Tania came up with a brilliant idea: instead of leaving the next morning at about 8:00 AM for the next leg of the trip, leave at about 4:00 AM–sacrifice sleep and breakfast for peace and progress. And it worked. Elliot slept the first half of the drive (about 4 hours), cutting our travel time by probably 90-120 minutes, cutting our stress levels drastically, and, more importantly, making the trip a lot less torturous for poor Elliot. I’m so glad Tania thought of this! Seeing little Elliot’s red, puffy, tear-stained face smile in desperate relief when we’d pull over to give him a break and get him out just about ripped out my heart every time.

I Swear I’ll Be Deaf One Day

My poor ears. That darn Interstate 10, while wonderfully straight and efficient with its 80 mph daytime speed limit (70 mph at night), must have been paved with the beach sand upon which the tormented souls of the victims of Viking warriors lay in eternal unrest. Or something like that. I mean, heck, the road is loud. And long. Which means loud for a long time. You know how I am with the whole hearing loss paranoia. I actually had to throttle back my speed and drive 10 mph under the time-saving 80 mph speed limit just to keep my ears from exploding into a big puff of smoke and confetti. (That would’ve spoiled my day.)

Purty Country

Contrary to what some might think, Texas actually isn’t a flat-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see wasteland sparsely populated with hairy-armed hicks chasing tumbleweeds in rusted offroad pickup trucks. The landscape is actually quite beautiful. Yes, it’s true that El Paso–from the freeway, anyway–isn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes (though it was interesting to see the shacks lining the hills in Mexico just over the border), and that Fort Stockton is a fairly boring (but nice enough) hotel-town, but after you get a bit further in, it’s a pretty state. Interstate 10 took us through a mostly hilly and forested Texas countryside; I only recall small portions of flatland. In fact, as we approached San Antonio–and as we drove throughout San Antonio–we found the landscape to be full of forest and rolling hills. It’s nice!

San Antonio itself seems to be a pretty good compromise between city and suburb. It’s fairly spread out, so we haven’t felt any of that urban crowding you might find in other big cities. There’s a downtown, which we’ve only visited once, but it seemed nice enough. And to our surprise, a lot of folks seem very health-conscious here–joggers, bicyclists, you name it. There are a lot of outdoorsy-type things to do in the area–hunting (it’s Texas!), tubing on rivers, fishing, etc.

So far we like San Antonio!

-T

P.s. Yes, yes, I’ll try to post more pictures soon. Please put down the pitchforks and torches.

Written on Wednesday, May 27, 2008 at 11:14 p.m.

Over ten hours later, we arrived in Tucson, AZ, the first leg of the One Way Road Trip completed.

It’s a weird feeling. Almost like we’re defecting from California. Not that we disliked California any more than anywhere else, really. Just an odd feeling. But before that feeling was the “Hoooooly, Moses!” feeling of leaving the only state I’ve ever lived in (Tania has lived in more). I must say, it was a strange mix of adventurous excitement and dull remorse. Like I’d traded in the trusty Variflex Valterra for a McGill…but not exactly.

Another bizarre experience was the unexpected contrast of feelings before and after crossing over the Arizona border. Before that crossing, we were leaving our home state, California; but after, we’d actually left. Past tense. Gone. Sort of–but again, not quite–like when Sam said, “If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.”

Then, to paint the emotional landscape even more bizarre, splash in the fact that we’ve not yet arrived to our new home in San Antonio. Our new apartment lease doesn’t even begin until Friday. And even though we technically still have a few days left on our Thousand Oaks apartment, the exit inspection has been completed, and our stuff is gone. It’s our previous home now–abandoned, cold, uninhabited. But the same is also true of our new apartment. So, actually, we’re temporarily homeless. We are without abode. And without belongings as well. It’s eerie, I tell ya.

Moments meriting minor mirth

• ????????In the parking lot at the Taco Bell in Blythe, CA, we’d found it necessary to take a little stroll with Elliot for about a hundred yards, in the 90 degree sunshine, to the entrance of the establishment of the esteemed maker of tacos. (We’d parked in the back of the lot to feed Elliot, but then didn’t feel the need to strap the poor kid into the car seat again to drive to the front of the lot, closer to the door.) So, Tania wrapped our not-so-little Peanut head to toe in his new off-white, 98% UV ray-resistant blanket (more like a sheet) and marched across the parking lot. It was awesome. We’re such parent-geeks. She looked like Mary carrying baby Jesus across the desert, except in technologically sophisticated swaddling. (And of course the whole Taco Bell thing…)
• In Tempe, AZ, we’d parked out in front of an already closed hardware store to feed Elliot again. And yes, it was upwards of 90 degrees. Since we forgot to bring our in-car bottle warmer (sorry, Ingrid!), I had to place the bottle on the top of the car in the summer heat to help warm it up. Lil’ tip there! (Actually, if you’re using bottle liners, warm hands work even better.)

-T

P.s. Because I love Lord of the Rings, here are a few more lines of that scene. (Besides, it’s relevant!)

Sam: This is it.
Frodo: This is what?
Sam: If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.
Frodo: Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

We’re here!

Actually, we arrived early Friday, but we didn’t have an internet connection until tonight.

I’ll post some stuff about the road trip soon, but, for now, I just wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely.

We miss you all!

-T

Here are the latest stats from Elliot’s latest doctor appointment.

Weight: 15 lbs, 5 oz.
Length: 26 in.

…and in the percentiles…

Weight: 68th percentile!
Length: 87th percentile!

Wow! Big ol’ boy!

Growth, of course, isn’t always consistent, but it’s funny that our little boy who was on the smaller side–7 lb 0.9 oz (20-something percentile) and 19.5 inches (5oth or less percentile, I think)–is now on the larger side. But he has always been, as Yogi Bear might say, proportionately longer than the average bear!

What’s also interesting is how often we’ve gotten comments–and still sometimes get comments–about how small Elliot is. Maybe all that hair makes him look older, making him look smaller for his age. Or maybe it’s just his debonair disposition and inherited inclination to ninja-chop oak trees with the flick of his wrist. Who knows.

-T

Here’s an email that I sent to all our friends and family we had email addresses for. If I missed you on the email, sorry about that! (And please send us your email address!) There’s so much to say, but, for now, I’ll just post the email.

Dear Friends and Family,

Tania, Elliot and I have bittersweet news to share… We’re moving.

 

Say what?

 

Yep, it’s true. Here’s the rundown.

 

Where?

We’ve accepted a job in San Antonio, TX, with a company called Rackspace (see links below for more about the company).

* http://www.rackspace.com

* About them: http://www.rackspacecareers.com/index.php?page=aboutrackspace

 

When?

I start work there the first week of June, so we will be moving to San Antonio during the last week of this month (somewhere between May 26th through May 30th). It seems so quick, like we have so little time left here. But I suppose moving to a new state, and to a new job, is something that often does leave too little time to make the transition.

 

Why?

We’re excited about jumping on this opportunity, because we think it will allow us to better achieve the goals we have and the direction we want to take in life. My continuing to pursue school is a big part of this. We hope (and plan) for me to eventually try diving into school full time, which means surviving without me working–not working full-time, as least–for period of time. Moving to a place like San Antonio will put us in a much better position toward this end. Also, we like what several of the universities in Texas have to offer. And of course the new job is pretty awesome. Rackspace is very cool company: their values, their culture–they’re just a really good fit for us. Not to mention that I’ll be working with good friends, which is a big plus. And it’ll also be a great opportunity to learn and enjoy doing it.

 

So…

We probably wouldn’t have considered leaving now, except for the convergence of several circumstances at pretty much the same time. So, we’re deciding to “go for it”, knowing that if we don’t, we’d regret not trying. It’s an exciting time for us, even though we’re very sad that we won’t be near our family and many of our friends. However, part of this new job situation is the understanding that we’ll be traveling every quarter to visit family and friends!

 

Please keep us in your prayers, and don’t hesitate to call us, send us emails, mail letters, or even come visit, both before we leave for Texas and after!

 

But hey, we’re not gone just yet! Even though the next month will be a scramble for us, one of our top priorities is to spend time with all of you while we’re still here.

 

With Love,

Tobias, Tania, & Elliot Flattery

http://www.tiznobias.com/family

 

P.s. Once we figure out our new address, we’ll send it to all of you. We’ll have the same phone numbers for a while, I’m sure, but once we get around to changing them, we’ll send them to you all as well.

Elliot slept through the night for the first time last night! So, it actually is possible.

I’m sure this won’t be happening every night, but it was still pretty exciting. He dropped off at midnight, fussed only a couple times during the night, and didn’t wake up until about 7:30am. Sweeeeeeeeeet.

-T

P.s. He slept his first all-nighter on Easter, too. Had I not been so groggy this morning (when am I not?), I would’ve proclaimed, “Elliot is risen! He is risen indeed!”

Elliot is 8 weeks old today. Happy 8th, Elliot!

Here are some (mostly) newer pictures of Elliot. Click the images for bigger versions in the Gallery.

Elliot’s new free-flight transport apparatus.

One of Elliot’s favorite things is taking a bath. One of Elliot’s least favorite things is leaving the bath.

The little man was just starting a new chub collection. (He’s only about 4 weeks here.)

The ol’ block and the chip off it.

-T