In between houses

What happens when you have to be out of the condo you’re renting by a certain date but the home you’ve purchased and are currently renovating isn’t quite move-in ready yet? You pack and move everything into a storage unit and stay at an AirBnB for the time being. And let me tell you: moving twice in the same month with an infant in tow just as temperatures are starting to climb into discomfort isn’t exactly my idea of fun. That said, we are all still trying to make the most of it. Hrmph.
Sure, it’s annoying to live out of a suitcase and to cook in a kitchen that isn’t my own. But I have to keep in mind that this is so temporary—and that Akira really has no idea what’s happening. It certainly helps that Anaïs is away with our Florida family. So we picked a little AirBnB “carriage house” in a cute walkable neighborhood with parks and restaurants, so that we don’t all go stir crazy since we all are sharing one space.
Akira shares a room with his sister, and that hasn’t been an issue at all. In fact, it’s really sweet to see them through the baby monitor interact with each other. The bond they’re forming is something else. It’s an entirely different story when Akira is sharing a room with us. He hasn’t slept in the same room as us since he was about 4 months old, and it’s taught him to lull himself to sleep and wind down on his own. But because of our current situation, he just gets so excited to see us even if we’re not doing anything! Solution: Move the pack n play out of the sleeping area and into the dining area for the night so we can all get some shut-eye. We set up his white noise machine and did his bedtime routine but put him down in the pack n play in the kitchen, and it’s been surprisingly effective! And despite having a couple of hiccups with his nap schedule this past week, I think we are back on track, and it’s getting easier to maneuver our state of limbo.
Admittedly, not having Anaïs here has been bittersweet. I am so excited that she is getting to experience an extended summer away with family; it will become one of those adventure stories she’ll tell for years to come. Yet, I can’t help but miss her so much! It’s different this time—in the past, she would go for a couple of weeks, and it was a nice break for everyone. But now, she’s older and more aware, which makes saying goodbye harder. Something I have to keep in mind, though, is that this is also an incredible opportunity for Jesse and me to give Akira some undivided attention. As a second child, there is a little bit of guilt knowing that he won’t have nearly as much one-on-one time with us as we had with Anaïs. So we’ve really been enjoying both the big and little things with him. It’s amazing to realize how much more seamless it is with one child—going out to dinner, running errands, staying in and doing nothing—it’s all manageable and so much less stressful. It’s no wonder people are tricked into having more than one! I kid, I kid. (Sort of.)
Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will be able to do our final move out of the storage unit, out of this AirBnB and into our home. Our home! I am so excited and can’t wait to go home.