hello, neighbor!

i've always complained that no one in our neighborhood was interested in meeting or getting to know us (and victor, the cynic that he is, thought it was because we were asian. i, on the other hand, thought it was because most of our neighbors are my parents' age), but recently, i've met and chatted with 2 of them (one who lives across the street, the other who lives about 5 houses down). all it really took was being visible (i take caleb out on walks regularly) and initiating conversation (having a baby helps). more and more young families are moving into our neighborhood, and i find that they're more interested in getting to know you than the older folks who've been around here awhile.

this is a new experience for me. growing up, i've always known many of my neighbors. we used to go outside to play together all the time. (it helped that we all went to school together, too.) but since then, i haven't really gotten to know any of my neighbors. (what a shame.) so i'm not used to this new way of life. i find it a little strange for me to call her and say i'll meet her outside... or for me to be taking a walk, and for her to drive up, roll the window down, and make plans to get together. heh. i kind of like it. it makes me feel like i belong to a community. plus, it's way more convenient than having to drive everywhere. :)

anyway, today i actually got a chance to get together with andrea and her 8-month old son, jack. we were originally going to take a walk at the park, but it was a bit rainy so we had some starbucks instead, and then she came over so that we could feed the kiddos and let them play. it was so fun. caleb crawled over to jack and started nuzzling up next to him. he gave him his pupsqueak toy. as he did, it rattled, and caleb busted out laughing. he thought it was hilarious. so cute!

yay! a new friend to play with... for both caleb and mommy!