Morgan + Moving

We've been telling Morgan for a while now that we are moving to Arizona.  When we first found out on Match Day she was disappointed that we weren't heading out that very day.  She's been eagerly telling people that we're moving to "phe-nux" and I've been patting myself on the back for preparing her so well and getting her excited about the move.

As it turns out, Morgan is neither prepared nor excited, as evidenced by many firsts these last few weeks.  Her behavior seems to worsen the more we pack and prepare.  Here's a run down of a few experiences we've had lately:

-Coloring on the stove, wall, and white cabinet with pencil.  Copiously.  Could have been a lot worse...could have been the Sharpie that I accidentally left on the couch after labeling a box.  But still, she's usually so good with her drawing implements that we were shocked.
-Screaming bloody murder in church just because Erik went up to play the piano.  She was yelling, "I want my Daddy!" so loudly that I had to remove her from the building.  Twice.  She never does that either.
-Running after Erik and I, crying "Don't leave me!" if we so much as go to the bathroom or step outside.  She had a full-scale meltdown when we left her to go to Erik's graduation.
-She's scared to go to nursery alone, which is her favorite place ever.  I've been in there for the last 2 Sundays.
-Throwing her shoes and other items as an act of defiance.  Sometimes at us.
-Waking up at 5 or 6 in the morning, screaming for us, which wakes Sam up, who then needs to eat, and by the time he goes back to bed Morgan is ready to get up for the day.
-Telling some of her favorite people that she's scared of them, and just wants Mommy or Daddy.
-As I type this, she's crying in her bed as she refuses to take a nap.  It's been almost 2 hours.  But I can't take any more of the new paranoid Morgan, so she gets to cry for her whole nap time.  I think she finally just fell asleep.
-Generally refusing to listen and saying "NO" to everything we ask.  She's logging a lot of time-out minutes.

What we're gathering from her behavior is that moving is not a pleasant experience for her.  No matter how much we reassure her, she seems convinced that we're going to move to Arizona without her as soon as we're out of her sight.  And these days, I'm tempted by the idea.  I'd like to tell her some of the stresses we've experienced with this move - things like not having a place to live yet, and buying a new car, and trying to get packed up with a rampaging 2-year old - but I have the feeling that she wouldn't be very sympathetic.  We're really hoping that this enchanting phase is solely a result of all the turmoil around here, and not a permanent part of being 2.

But good news!  2 children, 2 apartments, 4 years and a lot of money later, Erik is a doctor!  Congratulations Dr. Merkley!

When Morgan saw Erik in his robes, she said, "My daddy's a fireman!"  High praise in her book.

A gift from the med school to all students who became parents during their schooling

It was one of the best days EVER.