The minimalist UAB

Our first shipment of stuff came yesterday. After living out of our suitcases for 3 months (93 days, but who's counting?), it was awesome to have a little bit more of our life here with us. And let me emphasize the "little" bit.
On the day we packed our stuff out of Arlington, I had lost my voice and was running a fever. I did the absolute minimum and then curled up on the couch to sleep. Frustratingly, the packers left a cupboard of stuff that should have been packed and packed a cupboard that shouldn't have been. But I was feeling so crappy that I didn't really care much. I had done everything I could, and it was good enough.
These past three months, I've been trying to remember what I'd packed in which shipment, and I couldn't remember anything. Turns out, I brought my sewing machine, thread, but no fabric. Instead of packing all my kitchen stuff, I packed knives, a Tupperware cupcake holder, and some mixing bowls. That's it. I packed all our chocolate chips, in an attempt to avoid their melting on the slow boat to Brazil. I needn't have feared-- they melted on their air flight and apparent 3-month sojourn in either Miami or Brasilia. (There is something to be said for moving to the frigid north of China in the beginning of spring. Nothing melted or froze as far as I know.)
I brought the baby's clothes for the first 3 months or more, so that's all good. The baby's swing arrived, but not the hardware to put it together. I brought wipes but not the huge box of diapers that will be too small once our next shipment arrives. We brought some toys for the girls, but instead of packing all of them, we packed one random box (tiny box) and a Fisher Price fire station.
The girls are thrilled with their toys. Kevin is a happy camper now he has his bike and his computer. And my consolation is that I was sick when I packed, so I didn't really know what I was doing. It's going to be a long few months.
See, we've put ourselves in an interesting situation. When we arrived in January, although we requested to live in a house with a yard (where families usually live in Brasilia), the only housing available was apartments in the city. So we live in a lovely 4-bedroom apartment. Seriously, it's very nice. It has a huge living/dining area with a gorgeous view out the ginormous windows:

The grocery store is within walking distance, which really helps us now that our car hasn't arrived yet. There is a good bakery in one direction, and a nice park for the girls in another. 

But the thing is, we probably make it to the park about 2 or 3 times a week. The rest of the time, the girls play inside. Naomi takes a big old afternoon nap, so we're definitely home and definitely inside all afternoon every day. And I don't see us making more trips to the park after the baby is born. Even though it's a great apartment, it feels like we're stuck inside all day, missing out on the beautiful weather we have here in Brazil. 

So we're appealing our housing assignment. It feels really ungrateful to do so, but we've been living in apartments for the last 3 years, and it's sad to raise children entirely indoors like this. The problem is, there just aren't any houses available until families start moving this summer. It looks like July or August would be the soonest we would move-- if our appeal is approved.

And since we're planning on moving, we don't want to accept our HHE shipment when it arrives in what might be around May. We'd accept it after we move into our house. I know that's the best plan, since I don't want to deal with people dragging my piano up 4 flights of stairs (because our elevator is tiny), only to turn around and drag it back down a few months later. 

It's going to mean living without our stuff-- without much more of our stuff than I realized-- for quite a while. We're still up in the air about if and when we would move to a house. 

So how are we settling in? It's hard to say. Some days, like yesterday, I feel like we're doing great, making friends, finding things to do, and getting out to do them. Then some days, like today, I'm pretty bummed about living in a temporary place for six months with hardly any of our stuff that would make it feel so much more like home.