settled in sunny LA

Here we are, settled in sunny, not super hot, not at all humid LA. That's my kind of weather. It's been a long 24 hours, but we're so glad to be here!

This was Lucas's first airplane trip, and boy was he excited! Somehow we made it with all of our crazy luggage and a toddler. This piece of equipment was indispensable and I'm so glad that we bought it for the trip. Lucas sat contently and comfortably while we waited in line to check our luggage, waited to go through security, and waited at baggage claim. We carted him everywhere else in it too. Many, many people commented too about its convenience!

Lucas was seriously a trooper all day. I just wish he would have slept last night. He was totally unsettled in our hotel room in Baltimore. He would not go to sleep, and although I slept right next to him, he woke up every 2 hours very upset about his surroundings. I would have to rock him back to sleep and start over. When we woke him up this morning, he announced, "I not sleepy anymore." I'm not sure whom he was trying to convince, haha.

Almost as soon as we took off in the plane, he was asleep. No complaints here. He slept for about an hour. The rest of the time, he was pretty content with the dollar store toys I bought to keep him occupied. The stickers were the best. The lady in front of him was not excited, as he constantly nudged her seat with his feet. I made sure she could at least hear me tell him to stop several times, but it was a lost cause, and irritating. We sat in the very last row, which was pretty convenient. With about an hour to go, we let him get out of his carseat and stretch his legs a bit. He just stood in the aisle and didn't try to run up and down, so that worked fine.

My friend, Laurie, was kind enough to pick us up from the airport. Her timing was impeccable, and she pulled up just as we were finishing getting our luggage. We somehow figured out how to stuff all of our bags into her Prius, and we headed to the apartment. We were pleasantly surprised at its spaciousness, and the USC student who greeted us was so friendly and helpful. We are staying in a 2 bedroom furnished apartment equipped with a full kitchen. We were welcomed with kitchen supplies, a letter, some information about nearby stores, etc., and the cutest bear for Lucas. I love the little CI. It was a very warm welcome. I tried to get him to pose with it, but this is the best I got:

I remembered reading this post, so I went back to check it out for a grocery store recommendation. We checked out Ralphs, and were very pleased with our choice. We also stopped at the One Dollar Warehouse, to which we will likely not return. The GPS found it for me right by Ralphs, so I thought it sounded like a good idea. I've learned that not all dollar stores are created equal, and I'll stick with my dollar tree. We may be looking for one of those tomorrow, because I know they do exist around here!

We've run into several John Tracy Clinic summer session families already, and everyone is so friendly! We met Emily first, as we were both checking in at the same time. She and I had *met* through the blog/FB world. We haven't seen Leah yet, although I knocked on her door to say hi. Leah's blog was the very first HL blog I ever found, so I'm really excited to meet her. We meet everyone else tomorrow at orientation! We also plan to watch the WC final in the common room (we don't have a tv), and go to the beach!

Thank goodness we have a good wifi connection, as I've been told that not all of the apartments in the building do. I really need to catch up on my sleep. Here's hoping Lucas sleeps through the night too.

*update* I was just about to publish this post, and I hear Lucas awake. We was scared, crying and shaking. I stayed with him in bed for a bit, and he fell right back asleep. I fear we're in for a long night though. I hope that he adjusts quickly to his new bed!