Apartment living is so convenient! No yard work, there’s a handyman on call, no shoveling the snow, etc. I love it. But it was time to make that leap, really set some roots, and invest in a house. OYE! How adult, #amiright?! Moving sucks. Something I wasn’t expecting was the emotions of moving into a home. More specifically the emotions of moving with a toddler. There are plenty of articles, tips, tricks, etc. out there to help you prepare and plan for moving with a toddler. That’s not exactly what I am here to talk about though. There’s nothing that prepares you for the unexpected roller coaster of setting roots, but I’ll do my best!
Home is where your heart is
Remember when I wrote about finding the perfect house? Well, we found it, and pretty quickly. It’s fantastic; we were so lucky! This current house market is insane! When we went to see this house, it felt so welcoming. This was ours. This is where we’d all grow together.
Yes, any place you live is home. Each place has so many memories. I will always remember the day we brought our baby home. Walking through those doors and saying, “You’re home!” And in the blink of an eye, she was mobile, toys and more were everywhere. She owned that place. That apartment will forever hold a special place in our hearts because it was her first home. It’s where she took her first steps, said her first words, had her first blow out, etc.! I swear, parts of the carpet might have permanently stained with spaghetti sauce and embedded with Cheerios.
As the apartment got emptier and emptier, things got more emotional. My husband did a lot of that moving himself (bless him), and on that last day I made sure that we went to say our “goodbyes.” It was so weird seeing our apartment empty. All of those “firsts” started running through my mind. Isabella, oblivious to what this moment meant, ran around the place, enjoying the extra space. We said “goodbye” to each empty room and closed the door. And with that a new, metaphorical door opened; one filled with a whole bunch of more “firsts.”
Dreams of the future
There are days when I can’t shut my brain off thinking about what the future holds in our home. It is exciting and overwhelming! Basically anything that we do, I think “oh my gosh, it’s our first (insert whatever we are doing here)!!!!” Some days it’s, “oh my gosh, she will (something that will happen some time down the road) here!!!” The moments are priceless. The visions are endless.
Someone should really warn you about these emotions. Oh wait, that’s what I am doing…you’re welcome! I am here to tell you it happens but I really have no advice for how to handle it. Because sometimes I am just a big mess about it too! You just have to ride the wave, all while making sure you aren’t missing the moments. I toe that line often; immersed in the emotion of what is happening all while thinking of the next thing. We all need to make sure we slow down. Relish, but don’t jump too far ahead because that moment you are thinking of will be here before you know it.
Seriously, who knew how emotionally exhausting moving would be!? Physical exhaustion is nothing compared to the work your mind does. Have you moved with a toddler? Tell me about your emotional roller coaster so that I know I’m not alone!
