But does anyone have any tips on how to handle a move with a just-turned-two toddler?  I’ve tried having a couple of "conversations" (I’m laughing hysterically inside as I say that) with Chance… or rather I’ve talked about "our new house" and "you’ll have a new room", blah blah blah… and he’s ignored me.  That’s his big thing right now… utterly ignoring everything I say.

So… In…Fruriating!!

Actually, I think it’s more like he wants to control the conversation.  Even topics of interest to him are subject to a little toddler-control dance.  For example…

ME:  "Hey Chance, want to brush your teeth?"
Chance hears "teeth" (he loves brushing his teeth) and hurtles into the bathroom. He then proceeds to pull out all his bath-time foam alphabet letters to practice his sounds.
ME, holding out his toothbrush:  "Chance want to brush your teeth?"
CHANCE (holding various letters): "P! puh puh puh… D! duh duh…"
ME: "Chance?  Want your toothbrush?"
CHANCE (doesn’t even look at me):  "A!… B!"
ME: "Chance want to brush your teeth?" (repeat, like, ten more times)
CHANCE, plays with  letters.  Knocks something painful into my ankle.
ME: "CHANCE! Want… to… brush… OK, forget it, out of the bathroom!" 
And then the wailing.

Oy.

So anyway, given that we are not having real, two-way, interactive conversations at the moment I’m at a bit of a loss on how to make the transition go smoothly.  (Smoothly is probably too much to hope for anyway, huh?)  I know he understands loads and his vocabulary is improving quite a bit and often he’ll talk to me lengthily in babble-speak… but he’s keeping the initiation of such conversations firmly in his court.  I can keep talking (as he ignores me) but I’m not sure I’m saying the right things.  You know?

I also don’t know how long these transitions can take for a kid to get adjusted.  And I admit, I’ve been so busy with everything else I haven’t done any research.  (Bad mommy!)

As for actually coordinating the move, we’re going to try to get all the big furniture both moved and set up in a day(!), we’re planning on Chance sleeping with us a few nights, and I figure it will be wise to set up his room with all his toys first. 

Any other suggestions?  Experiences?  Good bribing advice? 

Our move is scheduled to begin this Monday, with all the big furniture moving on Wednesday. I’m hoping to have Chance’s room set up that night.  Then on the following Saturday Keen is bailing town to go to race car school.

How does fate keep handing him these cush schedules?          – wg