California Day 4...

Life in California days 1, 2, 3, and 4 have pretty much been about getting things in order. We have moved into our house, even though our things have not arrived yet. Max and I are camping out in his room on his very own bed while Steve and I await our very own bed to make it from Denver.

We've been to IKEA a couple of times to get Max's bed, and a couple of chairs for us to sit on. Payday will come next week and we can go get the rest of the things we have our eyes on there!

Tomorrow our stuff arrives. I'm excited to get it all. I am wondering if I will want to keep it all, since I haven't seen or touched most of it since November!

Today we went and got our California driver licenses. I was really nervous to go because they make you take the written test here. In Colorado, I just traded them out. Here you have to take a written test in order to get a license. And you have to do it within 10 days of arriving, or you could be fined. I took the test and passed. I was so nervous I wouldn't pass and would have to go back by myself and Max when Steve is in Sacramento next week!

Tomorrow we also meet with a case worker for Max's California services. I'm hoping he will steer us in the right direction as far as medicaid and other services go in California.

I have uploaded about 180 pictures to our flickr account of our drive here. You can see them all here.

Speaking of Max...


Today was a pretty talkative day for Mr. Max. Of course he won't talk on demand, like to call family and have him talk to them, but anytime I've been on the phone today he has out-talked me every conversation. At one point, when I was on the phone with my sister, he would start talking, then baby Lucy would start talking. I don't think Brenna and I could hear each other much at all from all of their conversations!

This evening I got his talker switch out and we were talking. He knew we were in California and he likes our new house and his own bed. Then I asked him what he would like to work on to get better at. What was something we could work on? I gave him the choices of talking, walking, sitting up, and going to school. He told me about four times he wants to talk more. Of course this is the most difficult task at hand right now, but it's good to know he wants to work at it. Now if I can just find some help out there with it!

After I fed him and got him in bed, I was flipping through channels on our new TV (found on craigslist) and new set of cable channels. I was hoping to find a couple of Asian channels. I found one, but alas, no subtitles. Then I flipped one more over and it was a theater production of some sort. I was trying to make out what it was when they started singing. Oh no...quick...how does this remote work?!?!? Where's the mute!!!! Too late...little voice from the other room had already heard the Opera. So Steve went and got him and brought him in to watch the rest of The Metropolitan Opera's production of Hansel and Gretel. He was so happy. I just snuggled right in and smiled himself into a very happy place on Mommy. It was written all over his face that he was in the best possible place. When it was intermission, we told him the Opera went night night, and he needed to too. Steve picked him up and put him in his bed, where he went right back to sleep. The lesson in that story is, don't go flipping around channels with the sound up loud. Or if you do, hopefully it's a good Opera to watch...because that Hansel and Gretal was just plain weird!



I think that's all for now. I'm still trying to get my feet planted here. I'll be back soon on a more regular basis.