Waiting

I heard on the radio this morning that January 31st is the birthday of Philip Glass and Justin Timberlake. Before leaving for work Steve gave my stomach a pep talk but, alas, I don't think that little Owen will share his birthday with these American musical icons. So I've spent my day...waiting. Now, don't get me wrong, it's been nice not having to work. It's also been really weird.

I ordered a new clock for our sparsely decorated mantle that will replace the Lego replica of the John Hancock building. In hindsight, it's kind of an ironic purchase, right?


I also spent some time waddling around Providence Place mall and took myself to an afternoon showing of The Iron Lady. Meryl Streep was amazing, of course, but overall I thought the movie was just okay. Check out the view from the mall overlooking downtown Providence. Not too shabby!


Steve and I have been trying to eat out as much as possible these days. Partly to sample the culinary delights of Providence (and have good places to eat when we have visitors - hint, hint) but mostly because we know that going out to dinner will soon be a luxury. In fact, we ate dinner in last night only because we vowed to go out tonight.

Before dinner, I was hoping that we could also check out Brown University's Ladd Observatory. The observatory has a 12 foot telescope (good for making a close-up wish upon a star) and is open to the public on Tuesday evenings. It also happens to be down the street from our house. Unfortunately it's closed tonight due to weather forecast.

Fingers crossed that our days of waiting are numbered.

Four Legged Kids

Before the main attraction arrives I wanted update everyone on how Johnny and Sydney are adjusting to life in Rhode Island.

I’m happy to report that Johnny passed his temperament test with flying colors and has been accepted as a member of the esteemed Ocean Dog Club (aka, doggie daycare). He is known affectionately at the Pawtucket dog park by his gangster name, Johnny from Chicago. The other dogs know not to mess with him.

He also enjoyed playing in this year’s first snowfall and has taken his role as guardian of Savoy Street very seriously. It's tough being a dog, all these changes are exhausting.

Sydney is happy as can be and spends her days looking out the window at squirrels and birds. Being a city cat, she has never lived so close to the ground. Another of her favorite pastimes is napping on my growing belly. It seems that Syd and Owen have taken quite a liking to each other.

All in all, Johnny and Syd's love-hate relationship continues. We're hoping that having a common enemy will bring them closer together. Here I am at 39 weeks pregnant. I wonder if our four legged kids know they're about to be trumped?

So Long Sweet Home Chicago

On December 29, 2011 Steve and I left Chicago, the city where we met, fell in love and got married to begin our new life as New Englanders! This picture was taken from the living room of our West Loop condo on moving day.

I liken our trip to Providence, Rhode Island to a modern day Christmas story: A Jewish toymaker, his very pregnant wife, Johnny (our dog), Sydney (our cat), a VW SportWagen and a 1,000 mile journey. Yes, friends, it's a story for the history books. Minus a minor mishap administering a sedative to Syd, we all survived the trip unscathed. Syd was a trooper and, in fact, ended up enjoying herself quite a bit.

Along the way we stopped in Rhinebeck, New York to ring in 2012 with Stan, Sue and Linnea (Steve's Dad, his wife and step-sister). Johnny took a liking to the pastoral environs of upstate New York. We enjoyed Poets' Walk above the banks of the Hudson River followed by a lobster dinner, courtesy of Stan, and light's out by 10:30.



Here's a picture of me last New Year's Eve in Shibuya, Tokyo. At the time I had no clue that all these exciting changes were on the horizon. What a difference a year makes.

But I digress. On January 1, 2012 the Linker clan finally arrived at our cute new home on the east side of Providence.

My intent is to use this blog to keep friends and family updated on my transition from Chicagoan to Rhode Islander and a Mom. And, more importantly, I want to avoid becoming a Facebook junkie. It's been over a year since I broke up with Mark Zuckerberg and I can't let him get the best of me. Stay tuned for more pictures of the house, the pets and Owen's nursery.