Potty Training Update

You might recall that we started potty training with Nigel on Christmas Day. Why that day? That's the day Santa brought big boy underwear, of course. Plus, all of my talk of "no more diapers once we're in Texas" was squashed when I got here and realized I was just too overwhelmed to start right away.

We started after nap that day. It went as expected: lots of accidents. The following days have gone pretty well. We set our phone alarms to go off every 30 minutes to signal potty time. In a day or so we'll stretch to every hour. We've had no major accidents since the second day. To be fair, though, we also haven't left the house. Nigel also still wears a diaper during nap and bedtime. And we're still working on pottying in between alarms. A few times he's said "I'm not peeing" or "I can't pee in these?" to alert us that he needs to go. In addition to the alarms, we also bribe with a sticker chart. Each time something happens in the potty he gets a sticker. For every 10 stickers he gets to pick a prize from a bucket. (We started off giving a sticker every time he just sat on the potty, so we're slowly weaning off) Additionally, each day that he goes without an accident he gets to wear special (read: Yo Gabba Gabba or Sesame Street) underwear instead of the plain white ones.

I'm pleased it hasn't become the battle I thought it would be. He even kept up the routine when we had to move his potty seat into the main bathroom after his toilet started spewing water. I'm not saying it isn't a pain, because it certainly is, but it could be worse. Fingers crossed we keep up the progress so he can go to a little nature day camp this summer.

**Update: We ventured to the mall play area today diaper-free. When we first got there I took Nigel to the potty. I totally misjudged how tiny his booty is and dunked him in the toilet. Good times.

Christmas Happenings, Take 2

Our first Texas Christmas was pretty swell. Ever since we became a family of 3 in 2008, Tim and I made the decision not to travel on Christmas. Not only did this allow us to establish some of our own traditions, but it also spread the present love out a few weeks.

This year was different, obviously. Almost every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve the mail lady dropped off a package for Nigel. Our tree was full well before Santa arrived. On Christmas Eve we baked and decorated cookies for Santa.

I was worried that so many presents at once would cause Nigel to get overloaded. I also worried that he wouldn't be grateful because there was so much. (Yes, I know he's not even 3 yet, but you're never too young to learn about gratitude.) The day went really well, though. He was so excited to see the tricycle from Santa. His extended family also sent some really lovely things, including clothes, a tent, puzzles, books, DVDs, etc.

The best thing about the day, though, is that we were all 3 together. After spending two months apart this fall, I think we're all grateful for that!

Last Week's Restaurant

When Tim and I met in 2000, I'd never had sushi before. After a year or so of prodding, he finally convinced me to try it. I've been hooked ever since. Our favorite RVA spots for sushi are Akida and Mai Sushi.

Ever since we arrived in FW we've had a hankering for sushi. Nigel's a very adventurous eater, but we've never given him sushi because it seemed likely that his teeth couldn't cut through the nori part of a roll. So, on Christmas Eve eve we ordered takeaway from Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the So7 district of FW. This way Nigel could try sushi at home; if the experiment failed we could fix him a PB&J.

We talked about sushi all day long, so he was very eager to try it. In fact, when Tim set little plate down on the table Nigel gobbled up the first roll (avocado) in a few bites. Alas, when he picked up the second one he declared he didn't like it after all. He picked at the rice and insides that we scraped out, but he really dug the potstickers.

Our 2 cents on Blue Sushi is that it's more of a bar than a sushi joint. The rolls were no better than what you'd find at Kroger or Ukrop's. The clue should have been the super chic, hip interior and the cheap prices (Lucky Buddha in RVA pulls this off, though, because they have really, really good sushi).

Christmas Happenings, Take 1

We went to Grapevine, TX, last weekend for its Christmas celebration in the historic downtown area. They have tons of things between Thanksgiving and New Year's, including free wagon rides (Nigel was afraid of this for some reason), free Christmas ornament making, shopping, lights, Santa on stilts, etc. We found Grapevine to be a really cool city. It's one of those places that we'll take guests to for some fun shopping. The three of us are actually going back in March to celebrate Nigel's 3rd birthday with A Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine!

We also went to this neighborhood to check out Christmas lights. Nothing was as tacky as what we see at home in RVA, but since almost every house in the neighborhood was decked out it was really cool.

The Neiman Marcus window display in Dallas on our way to visit with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan in Plano. We went because the display is interactive for kids. Unfortunately, Nigel wasn't old or tall enough to participate. I think he liked looking at it, though.

Calling All Potty Training Tips

As I said before, we're priming Nigel for Operation: Potty Training, which is set to begin on Christmas Day. Thanks to some dear friends, he already has a tiny potty (we gave it to him for his birthday last March, but quickly realized he wasn't ready). We made a big deal about buying the last pack of diaper ever at Target last week. Yesterday we bought a little seat to go on top of the regular toilet in his bathroom, along with some special foamy soap. He asked Santa for big boy underwear, and he seems to be excited about it. Plus, we've been reading potty books for close to a year now. Our new favorite from the library is Potty by Mylo Freeman.

I'm so ready to be done with diapers. I know our bank account is! And because Nigel is relatively tall and quite articulate for his age, I'm starting to notice some judgemental stares directed my way when we have to do a diaper change in public.

While we're feeling pretty confident that Nigel knows what's coming, I'm not sure we're ready. It's a huge battle, and it's also a lifestyle change. Anyone have any tips they'd like to share?

Last Week's Restaurant

We took a break from Mexican food last week and checked out Love Shack a low-key burger joint by Chef Tim Love. If you aren't familiar with Love, he's known for his urban Western cuisine. He got a national nod on Bravo's Top Chef Master's, but he's also been written up in Country Living, The New York Times, Maxim, Food & Wine, etc. He's a vegetarian-hating big deal! His flagship restaurant is Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. The menu here boasts entrees such as Rocky Mountain elk strip loin with lamb bacon-shell bean succotash and garlic sauce; pan-seared Texas quail; hamachi tostados with ponzu, bacon and Serrano peppers; and kangaroo tenderloin nachos. Pretty interesting stuff, but pretty pricey for a meal out with Nigel in tow.

So that's why we opted for Love Shack, which has been written up nationally quite a bit as well. I imagined it a place we could take people who came to visit us... brag about having a Top Chef among us. I really wanted to like it because I just loved watching Love on Top Chef, but no dice. The patty was most likely frozen and definitely not hand-formed. My "Love Burger" had a mayo-like sauce that was way too sweet; Tim's "Blue Group" burger wasn't much better. The deviled eggs were kind of runny, and the only thing special about them was crumbled bacon on top. The fries were thin but wide, so they were limp and not crunchy. The onion rings were the only semblance of a saving grace. All of these things can't be chalked up to an "off" night, so I'm really confused about the positive accolades. We expected a step above Honey Whyte's, but got WhataBurger instead. One day we'll try Lonesome Dove — my guess is that's where Love's heart is and the food will be better — but we need to shake this disappointment off.

The Makings of a Gingerbread House

My awesome mom sent a gingerbread house kit a few weeks ago, so we cracked it open on Sunday. The candies were really hard, which made them inedible for Nigel. Not a big deal considering we don't really allow candy, but it was unrealistic to expect that he wouldn't sneak a few. So, we got chocolate chips and candy bits for him to decorate a portion of the house with. Our end result doesn't look anything like the box suggests it should, but we had a blast!

FW vs. RVA: The Numbers

Because you can't be married to an economist — especially one who works for HUD — and not have an appreciation for statistics....

Rankings (2009 estimate)*
FW: 17th largest city in U.S. (Dallas, which is 25 minutes away, is 9th)
RVA: 103rd largest city in U.S.

Population*
FW: 727,575 (2006 estimate)
RVA: 204,451 (2009 estimate)

Elevation
FW: 216m
RVA: 166.45m

Median Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units*
FW: $71,100 (1999)
RVA: $87,300

Median Household Income*
FW: $37,074 (1999)
RVA: $36,968 (2008)

Mean Travel Time to Work*
FW: 24.6 minutes (The Dallas/Fort Worth area was just ranked one of the worst cities for a commute. Read more here.)
RVA: 22.1 minutes (I'm going to take a guess and say this is as high as it is because so many people in RVA commute to NoVA and DC, not because of traffic.)

Land Area*
FW: 292 square miles
RVA: 60.07 square miles

Average Annual Snowfall
FW: 2.6 inches
RVA: 1 ft

*Data c/o U.S. Census Bureau; 2000 data unless otherwise noted. RVA refers to the city of Richmond only.

A Nigel Update

Making pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving

A lot of folks have been asking us how Nigel's doing down here in TX. In short, awesome as always. We're not without issues — Operation: Potty Training starts Christmas Day — but he's adjusted really well to our new surroundings. He pretty much goes with the flow. He likes having a room that's big enough for all of his toys, and he's enjoying our explorations. Honestly, the only thing he had a hard time with in the beginning was understanding that Tim wasn't here when he woke up during the week. I can only guess that since we were all together 24-7 when Tim was out of work for so long (April-mid-September), he just assumed we'd be together 24-7 in Texas. Going to see Tim at work has helped with that, although he does have some sad mornings. And he desperately misses his extended family. When he talks with them on the phone or during web chats, he frequently will ask "Do you want to come over to my house?" Heart breaking! The other day we saw a woman in Whole Foods with a distinct pair of glasses, and Nigel said, "Hey, she has glasses like Mandy. I miss Miss Mandy."

But for the most part, he's just trucking along... learning lots of new things. He quickly picked up lyrics to several Christmas songs this year and he can count to 10 en espanol. I know a lot of parents say this about their kids, but Nigel really IS a genius! He's been speaking in complete sentences for a long time now, he started recognizing letters before he turned 1, he says "nice to meet you" at parties and I think we're on the cusp of writing the alphabet. Nigel's favorite pastimes theses days are cooking, playing with his cars and trucks, riding in his little seat on the back of Tim's bike, exploring new playgrounds and making things out of Play-Doh. And his love of books is still strong. Some of his recent favorites are Three Little Tamales, D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners and The Night Before Christmas, which my mom recorded for him last year. 2011 is going to be great for him: Potty training, summer camp, preschool and new friends!

Look! We're Social!

I lamented here about how much we miss our friends. Pity party's over — we've been out socializing, y'all! Two Saturdays ago, we had lunch at Tim's boss's house and enjoyed some adult conversation. The next day, I went to a cookie exchange through meetup.com; the group is for ladies who are looking to make friends. I had a really good time and am looking forward to doing more with the group.

This past Saturday evening we drove to Frisco for a Christmas potluck with a group of families who have adopted children from Ethiopia. We had
such a great group of similar families RVA, so we were really excited to find these guys online. Turns out, most of the group lives in Dallas and beyond, but we did meet a really nice family with a 4-year-old boy that actually live about 4 miles from us! After the party we made a quick stop at Frisco Square to see its Christmas decorations. Supposedly next weekend there's a parachuting Santa, but it's quite a drive for us so I don't think we'll be back for that.

The next day, Sunday, we met a Plano couple and their young son (friends of my former coworker/friend in California) at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. Great Wolf is an indoor water park/resort, but they have some free stuff in the lobby that we checked out. We had a great time and would love to see them again soon.

Speaking of Plano, we're going there Saturday to see Tim's great-uncle and great-aunt again. We hope to make a quick stop in Dallas to see the famed window display at Neiman Marcus.

We don't really have much going on this week other than storytime at the library. We're hoping to check out some more Christmas lights, too. From what we've seen so far, folks in FW aren't super big into holidays lights. But Tim's boss clued him into this neighborhood that looks promising!

Last Week's Restaurant

FW has tons and tons of restaurants, so it's really tempting to eat out every single night. We're trying to limit ourselves to once a week, though. Here's where we went on Friday: La Playa Maya. We checked out the one near the Stockyards, but they have several other locations. Sadly, we weren't really wowed yet again. I've had much better guacamole (perhaps we shouldn't have declined the table side version), the queso tasted like Velveeta and the "lighter" section of the menu (their version of vegetarian, I think, although there were chicken dishes listed) only boasted five or six items. Frankly, we're confused about the mediocre Mexican food here. I guess we just assumed that every place would be authentic — why wouldn't it? We picked up a copy of Texas Monthly to help guide us in the future. Next on our list is Salsa Fuego, which made it into the Top 5 of the Top 50 Best Mexican Restaurants in Texas cover story for December.

Welcome: The Official Blog Rollout

If you've found our blog today as a result of our family's holiday card, welcome! We started posting to this space a few weeks ago to get you caught up on our life as of late. To sum it all up, we moved to Fort Worth for a job opportunity after Tim was laid off in March. But poke around a bit. This was a huge life change for us, and we're excited to share it with our friends and family. And check back often; it's our hope that we'll update this blog at least once a week. Lastly, please do let us know if you're ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We'd love to catch up and show you a bit of Texas.

Exploring Fort Worth via Food

Tim and I are kind of restaurant snobs. Ok, we ARE restaurant snobs. We love trying new places, different ethnic cuisines, discovering hidden gems. We're the kind of people who turn our noses up at chain restaurants and mass-produced food. With that said, we're in a new town — sans babysitters — so we've had to adjust our dining habits a tad.

For starters, when Tim was in Houston he raved about two chain restaurants: Pei Wei and Taco Cabana. In RVA I bent my no-chain rule for PF Chang's. Love that place. Turns out, they own Pei Wei: It's a fast food version of the sit-down joint. We ate there the night Nigel and I flew into town. It was quick and tasty. Taco Cabana is also fast food, but it's way above Taco Bell. The ingredients are quality and authentic.

But don't worry, our detour from locally owned restaurants was only temporary. After all, we're in Texas: land of steak and killer Mexican food. Plus, we're so fortunate that Nigel is an adventurous eater, too. Not long after Nigel and I got to FW, we ate at a small Mexican restaurant (sadly, I can't remember the name) in a strip mall near the new Cowboys stadium. The menu was totally in Spanish, so we thought we were in for a treat. Unfortunately, the food didn't really deliver. We were, however, impressed with Fuzzy's a few weeks later. Tim had a really great fish taco, as well as a crawfish taco. Nigel was into the hot and spicy salsa.

On Saturday we went to Chadra, a Lebanese restaurant near about a million hospitals in downtown FW. The food was amazing. If you come visit us, you can bet your booty we're taking you here. We each got the buffet (I normally run from buffets, but one glance convinced me it was full of homemade items) so we could sample several dishes. Nigel was in a mood (and someone had let him have a treat at Starbucks just before dinner), so he didn't eat a ton. He did like the hummus and falafel (what can we say, he's a chickpea man). There was lamb, dolmas, muhammara, a chicken dish with spinach and bacon, roasted veggies, etc. I really want to go back on Wednesdays when they have a vegetarian buffet.

We've just begun to explore this city's food culture, so stay tuned! There's a lot more to it than steaks and Mexican grub. We've seen dozens of sushi restaurants and Indian chaat houses; sadly, the closet Ethiopian restaurant is in Dallas. We're really excited about trying Spiral, a 100% vegan restaurant that serves mostly organic food, and Ellerbe Fine Foods, a seasonal, local-ingredient joint that was named one of Bon Appetit magazine's top 10 new restaurants in America! (The latter will have to wait until a babysitter is found)

No Tears at Santa (plus a lighted Christmas parade)

We took Nigel to see Santa here yesterday. Sundance Square is an outdoor shopping/dining area a few blocks from Tim's work. Sarah was a little bummed that Nigel wouldn't get to see the Legendary Santa again (the same Santa she and her brothers grew up believing in), but this turned out to be great! It was outdoors, so there was plenty to distract Nigel. The line was short. And we prepped Nigel for about two weeks, telling him in great detail what was going to go down. Nigel sat on Santa's lap, told him his name and what he wanted for Christmas. There were no tears!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2008

The day after Thanksgiving we went to the Fort Worth Parade of Lights. The parade started at 6 (dangerously close to Nigel's 7-ish bedtime), but we went anyway. We walked around downtown a bit and then settled into a spot. True to bad parade form, people showed up at the last minute and crowded us, but we still had a blast. Nigel got spooked by a firetruck of all things and we left before Santa came rolling by. There were lots of really cool lighted floats, but Sarah's favorite was our first Texas celebrity sighting: Joel Burns, of "It Gets Better" fame!

Will You Be My Friend?

We came here knowing not a single soul! My closest friend Melissa is in San Antonio, which is more than four hours away. I cannot wait to see her, and am so glad we're closer to each other than we were, but a four-hour drive means we won't be seeing lots of each other. It's been nearly a month since I last saw my friends and family. That's one month of talking almost exclusively to a 2-year-old and Tim. And as much as it pains to me admit this, I'm pretty sure Nigel's growing bored with me already, too. Sure, there have been the occasional adult conversations: dinner with Tim's great-uncle and great-aunt, Tim's coworkers at the office Thanksgiving potluck, the ladies at the grocery store who stop to tell me how beautiful Nigel is... But I haven't made any friends yet. Frankly, I've almost forgotten how it all works. And let's face it, I'm not the most outgoing person to begin with. So how are we supposed to meet people when I don't work outside of the home, we don't go to church, Nigel won't start preschool until September and all of Tim's coworkers live more than an hour away from us?

I've spotted "our people"* at the grocery store before, but what am I supposed to do? Walk up to them and say, "Hey, will you be my friend?" The easiest, logical way to meet folks seems to be through Nigel — strike up a conversation at the park. Only one problem: there are no kids at our park. Nigel and I go to the park almost daily, and the three of us go on the weekends. With the exception of two times, we're always the only people on the playground (One time some kids were cursing while their dad sat in the car, so I made Nigel leave. The other time the family didn't speak English, so the friendship sparks weren't able to fly.) We've seen signs of children on our street — play equipment in backyards, bikes on the porch — but no kid sightings.

So, while I build up my Spanish skills, I thought we'd check out storytime at the library. Storytime at Belmont in RVA was always so much fun for Nigel and I. No dice here, either. The weekly fun at our area library is geared more toward 5-ish-year-olds since, as the librarian told me, "the area isn't affluent enough for a toddler storytime; there are no stay-at-home-moms." (How in the world are you supposed to know all of this stuff when you're moving from another state!?! Yet another reason why we'll be moving to another neighborhood next fall.)

Today at a mall play area I thought I was on the verge of getting another mom's number (sounds a bit like dating, huh?) when her daughter pushed her son and they had to leave. But I'm not giving up! My friend Annemarie has put me in touch with one of her friends who lives here, and we're planning to meet up soon. I've also joined a meetup.com group for women who are new to the FW area. They're having a cookie swap this Sunday. I've signed up to go; let's hope I don't chicken out at the last minute.

* "Our people" can usually be spotted in the bulk-bin section of Whole Foods buying lentils. They may or may not drive a VW. Quite often they have at least one Mac in their home, but they definitely read nonfiction and listen to NPR frequently. They like good food (they know a French fry isn't a vegetable), and they don't do a double take at our family. They are on both sides of the political fence, but they are not members of the NRA or PETA. They have GLBT friends, as well as friends from various ethnic backgrounds. In summary, they are your everyday nerds who don't quite yet know that they're nerds.