Falling Into Place--Part III

After MONTHS of searching one of the final pieces of our move was finding a place to live. The New Orleans housing market is drastically different from any other area we've lived in. We've lived near large military bases so there tended to be plenty or rental properties available at a variety of price points. In New Orleans there seems to be a lot of housing options for individuals or couples (i.e. college apartments) or very high end options furnished with high end furniture (i.e. brad pitt and angelina). Mike does get a housing allowance and we've generally been able to find plenty of options within that allowance but that isn't the case in New Orleans. Everything was much more than we were willing to pay. Fortunately we are pretty familiar with the area and we had great friends to help in our search! We started working with a Realtor but discovered that most rental property in New Orleans doesn't go through the MLS system and had much better luck with craigslist. There were also some unique little quirks with houses in the New Orleans area that we had to get used to. Apparently in New Orleans houses don't come with refrigerators. Four out of every five houses I looked at didn't have refrigerators. I wouldn't expect a house to have a washer or dryer or a microwave but a fridge.....yeah, I would expect a fridge! We also learned that new construction doesn't mean the house is brand new or even built within the last 10 years or so. In New Orleans new construction means "renovated since Katrina".

We narrowed it down to a pretty specific target area. We have LOVED our neighborhood here in North Carolina but Mike has had a long commute (about 40 minutes each way) and I even have to drive about 15 minutes each way to get to a grocery store or gas station. We didn't want to have to commute longer than 15 or 20 minutes and we didn't want to have to deal with a lot of traffic. We finally settled on the River Ridge area of New Orleans. River Ridge is a suburb along the Mississippi River about 8 miles from where Mike and I will be working. It's a much smaller house than what we're used to but with everyone being at school/work we won't be spending nearly as much time there as we currently spend at home. We also know that we're only going to be there for a few years. I'm looking forward to having less to clean. This does make the logistics of our move a little more complicated, we're having to separate what we will want with us in New Orleans and what we want to go into storage until the next move. And get this.....after all the houses I looked at that did not have refrigerators this one happens to have TWO. Crazy! Just Crazy! I love it!

Falling Into Place--Part II

As soon as we knew that moving to New Orleans was even a remote possibility we began researching school options for Olivia. New Orleans has notoriously bad schools. We are fortunate to know so many educators in the area and they were very helpful in steering us in the right decision. We cannot thank you enough Wendy L, Erica G, Crystal L, Katie G, Catherine B, and Nicole A!

After much deliberation and prayer we decided that the best place for Olivia is The Chartwell Center (I almost hesitate to link to their website because it's not very informative and it's outdated). It is a private school for children with autism and related disorders. The student to teacher/aide ratio is very low. Olivia will be the 5th child in her class and there is 1 teacher and 2 aides. The school day is very structured, there are loads of other special education intervention strategies in place (sensory diet, PECS-picture exchange communication schedules). Occupational, Speech, and Physical therapy are incorporated into each child's schedule several times a week. They have weekly swimming and horseback riding. It's an amazing school and we think that Olivia will thrive there. Sending Olivia to the Chartwell Center wouldn't be possible without help from my parents and we are more grateful for their help than I would ever be able to express.

As we were completing the enrollment paperwork for The Chartwell Center we discovered that the Director was Mike's principal when he was in 2nd grade. She remembers Mike and his brothers and parents very fondly and is so excited to teach another generation of Leiva. I took this as a sign that we'd made the right decision! We recently received a copy of a letter that was sent out by Olivia's teacher to the other parents. We were so touched that they are actually preparing a place for Olivia before we're even there yet!



Peter will also begin attending preschool. We've narrowed it down to a couple of possibilities. There is a wonderful child development center with a preschool program on the Tulane University campus. It's in the same area of campus where Mike's office would be and it's just a few blocks from where I'd be working. Our other choice is St. George's Episcopal Day School. It happens to be right across the street from The Chartwell Center and the two schools partner occasionally to provide opportunities for integration. It is also a great school and they have an early 3 year old program that would be perfect for Peter. Both schools are tentatively holding a slots for Peter. We'll tour both and then Peter can have his pre-admission play dates at each school and we'll see which is a better fit. I've decided that Peter's school situation falling into place is another sign that the timing is right for me to return to work.

Falling Into Place (part I)

Welcome to the first part of a 3 part series detailing our move from North Carolina to New Orleans.

As I mentioned in an earlier post (Chaos) we've had a bit of a fruit-basket upset situation around here lately. When Mike accepted the ROTC teaching position in New Orleans we were consciously deciding to take every aspect of our lives here in North Carolina roll it into a tight little ball and throw it up in the air. In the long run we think it will be better for our family but in the interim it's been a little crazy.

I'm so happy to report that things seem to be falling into place. I have a job!

When Olivia was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome I knew immediately I was going to quit work for a bit. I had been planning on going on maternity leave for a few months after Peter was born (I was 8 months pregnant with Peter when Olivia was diagnosed) but I knew I wouldn't be able to return to work. The doctor's advice when Olivia was diagnosed was to "enjoy every moment we had to spend with her". From the very second I heard those words I knew that I just couldn't continue to work and I gave my resignation that week. Almost 3 years later our lives are in a much different place. I absolutely love and enjoy being a stay-at-home mom. I am able to look back and enjoy the time I spent with Olivia at Duke. In some ways it was a luxury to live in an environment where the only things you are concerned about exist in that very moment. We were living in a hospital, the only thing that mattered was Olivia's health and well being at that moment. Sure it was incredibly stressful but the memories of the stress and anxiety have faded and I remember the best parts of that time. Olivia and I having conversations! Olivia laughing, playing games, doing her favorite puzzles over and over. I've also needed these last 2 years to bond again with Peter. He and I are together constantly. I am amazed by him and I could watch and play with him forever. I've never been so fascinated by anything as I am by Peter. With Olivia everything gets so complicated but I am just able to enjoy Peter and relish the person he's becoming.

Our lives are changing. Olivia loves going to school. At this point we've taken the doctor's original instructions to heart, we are "enjoying every second that we have to spend with her" but we have also decided that we want Olivia to "enjoy life as much as possible." For Olivia right now that means school which is leaving me as the odd-man-out for a large portion of the day. Peter is also starting to enjoy spending time with friends and he could certainly benefit from learning that he isn't the only little boy in the word (although he may be the most adorable, but I may be a little biased). So I'm very excited about the opportunity to go back to work. I'm not sure how long it will last but I'm going to try and enjoy every second of it!

Starting Monday, September 26th I'll be the new Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at Loyola University New Orleans!

Stay tuned for parts II (school) and II (house) of our Falling into Place series.

*UPDATE* Do Your Rain Dance

Good News: The wildfire situation in Texas is much better! My sister's boyfriend and family did not completely loose their houses but it was a close call and they did sustain some damage. Did you know that as a last resort to save a home from being burnt firefighters will dig trenches through the yard around the house? I didn't. It's strange to see a perfectly good house sitting in a huge pile of dirt.

Correction: Although the Green Day song "When September Ends" was adopted as a post-Katrina anthem Hurricane Katrina actually hit at the end of August. Duh! Thanks for pointing that out roomie :)