Homesick

So we're in the new house. We survived four days at my parents, and we picked up the keys at 9.30am. We went inside, and scrutinised every bit of it. When you're on a viewing, you're so busy taking it all in that you don't really notice the slightly faded wallpaper, or the true extent of how small the living room is. You just nod and smile when the owner shows you each room in a hurry.
We throw down all the bags we could carry, and prepare for the most chaotic few days we'll ever envisage. Thoughts of our first born starting school for the first time that very morning are pushed into the back of the mind, begrudgingly, to make room for the organisation needed ahead. Friends and family joined in, ferrying furniture and boxes, between my parents' and the new house. The whirlwind went on for a few days. Living out of suitcases and side-stepping hastily dumped cardboard boxes in the walkways. The school run became an actual run, as we were often bordering on being late because we had ran out of socks. With a bit of elbow grease and a few late nights, the house was finally habitable. It took a lot of tears - especially when we got fleeced on Gumtree with a knackered fridge freezer, and now the seller can't be contacted - and a lot of patience, but we got there. Now to settle down and enjoy the family life.

But something is wrong. Dylan still claims he hates the new house, and finds every excuse not to go home after school. I put this down to how much he loves being at school, but we're all feeling it. Ava is too young, and the whole thing is still an adventure for her, but to Dylan, he's had a lot of changes in a very short time. He had room to play and clamber and escape to when his sister was in a snatching mood. Now, he has access to less than half of his toys, the floor space has decreased dramatically and he doesn't want to play as much as he did. Once we get fully sorted and settled, I'm hoping this will change, but for now it's very disheartening. Meanwhile, I too am feeling a bit down about it all. It's not the fairy tale I thought it would be. The house is a lot smaller than the last one, but that just means it's cosy... Right? And the decor hasn't been updated since the late 80's, whereas our old house was exactly how we liked it. But you don't notice as much once all our modern ornaments are up... Right? And the lights and TV flicker a few times a day, and we can't pin-point what is causing it. But we'll learn to live with that... Right?!

Basically, we're homesick. Not "home" sick, because this is our home now. We're Old-Homesick. The old house had its little faults, but we knew what they were and how to handle them. We moved for a good reason, and I do know why we did it, but that doesn't make me settle any better.

I'm hoping it's a case of spending more time here, but at the moment, I still feel like a guest in someone else's house. Maybe, once we have a family Christmas here, we'll all feel better.

It was our first home and I'm bound to feel something for it, but really, it's just bricks. Nicely decorated bricks, with an integrated kitchen and step-in shower, but bricks all the same.

We need to start making some memories here, and maybe I will love it more. All I know for sure is I'm still glad we did it. The school run now takes 7 minutes, instead of over an hour. So yeah, I'll settle down here. Whether I like it or not!