Lisa Came to Visit! (A while ago)

So if you wanted the punctual update on this event, you should have checked Lisa's blog almost two months ago since she is a prompt blogger. One day I hope to be like her.

Lisa and I met in the accounting program six years ago and we lived about a half an hour apart from each other in California. We were sad to say goodbye to her when we moved to Boston. Luckily for us, Lisa is an intrepid traveler. She braved the flight from San Jose to Boston with her 19-month old and we got to spend a week together.

With Lisa and Valerie in Cambridge

At the park

Blake and Caleb-- little buddies!

It was fun being able to say, "the boys."

On Harvard campus. Lisa and I instructed "the boys" to look smart. Mostly they just look tired and blinded by the sun.

At Mount Auburn cemetary

Still at Mount Auburn

On the T with our little buddies. Never take the elevator on the T. Even if you have a stroller. So gross.

Future roommates?

Thanks for coming, Lisa! We had so much fun!

Happy Halloween!

What is this? Multiple blog posts within a three-month period? I'm on a roll!

Last Wednesday, we (like everyone else), celebrated Halloween. It was Caleb's second Halloween, but his first time trick or treating. We took him a couple streets down from our apartment to Beals Street where John F. Kennedy was born. Apparently this is "the place" to go trick or treating. They close off traffic and its packed with kids. I feel bad for all the people who live here who have to buy prodigious amounts of candy.

Caleb was decked out in his (slightly too big) Tigger costume and seemed fairly neutral about the whole experience.

Aaron and Caleb (this picture does not fully capture the chaos that was Beals Street)

Lauren and Caleb

Caleb checking out his haul (not super impressive, since we only went to three houses)

Happy First Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Caleb's first birthday. It's hard to believe it's already been a year. The past eight and a half months* of it went by so fast! It was extra special because my parents and my brother, Matt, drove all the way up here from Virginia, and Aaron's parents joined us via Skype. Now for picture overload (in no particular order)...

I made the figurines out of clay, so they will make a reappearance for future Purcell babies' first birthdays

Grandpa Inouye bought Caleb this sweet hat!

We had fun on the Freedom Trail!

Grandpa and Baby Caleb

Uncle Matt and Caleb

Happy Birthday to You!

The first of Caleb's Playmobil collection

Woohoo! A corn popper!

Playing with his awesome sit 'n' ride!

Caleb's indignant face

*The first three and a half months felt like they would never end.

Walden Pond

Here's Part II in my "catch-up" series of blog posts. 

Aaron and I have been determined to get a whole lot more sight-seeing done in Boston than we ever did in California. Since we didn't really do any touristy things in San Francisco (mostly because Aaron worked almost every weekend while we were there), our odds of success are pretty high.

We recently* went to Walden Pond, and it was not at all what we expected. The "pond" is huge and has a pretty nice beach, which was packed with swimmers when we went. We wanted to find Thoreau's cabin, so we went on quite the trek with our non-trekking stroller to find it. We soon discovered why everyone else was at the beach.

This rock was all that was left. As I'll later learn during our trip to Plymouth, disappointing rocks seems to be a trend among Massachusetts' historical sights.

*Several months ago

Oregon Coast

I keep thinking that it hasn't been that long since I last blogged. But three months ago is really not all that recent. A lot of things have happened since then, (like parents visiting, Caleb turning one, etc.) so here are a couple catch-up posts before I get to those.

At the end of July Aaron's parents rented a beach house on the Oregon coast and we spent a week there with his family. We went to the aquarium, checked out the tide pools, and watched the Olympics. It was so much fun and the start of a great tradition.

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.