Self Portraits In The Park

Have a great weekend!!!

Yesterday

Getting into some sort of groove around here has been tough. We get up at roughly the same time every morning and we go to bed at the same time every night. The in between times, though, that's been the hard part. OK, sure, meal times have been mostly on schedule. And nap times, those, too, have developed a pattern. There is plenty of play time here in our house. And a time for our afternoon walk. What there hasn't been a lot of time for is cooking and cleaning and blogging and gardening and mommie and daddy.

We are a very baby-centric household these days. And I'm good with that. Most of the time. There are so many things that seemed so easily done pre baby that now take on a new and complicated dimension. Where I could knock out cleaning the entire house in an afternoon before, it now takes me almost all day just to tidy up the downstairs. That's IF The Babe is amenable to the idea. If he's not, well, forget about it. Sometimes I get frustrated that my house is a mess and the laundry isn't folded and the dishes aren't done and there are dust bunnies the size of small cats lurking and breeding under the dining room table. Some days I feel like a total failure. 

 But yesterday was a good day. Did I get everything I wanted to do done? No. Not even close. But I accomplished a lot. I was able to get not one, but two posts up on the blog. The laundry is done, which is amazing since we don't have a dryer and this is usually a four day chore. (Thank you, Hon, for putting up the clothes line.) I got dinner ready early so we could meet The Boy in Greenwich for a walk home. (These walks are one of my favorite things about the summer.) I was able to clean the kitchen early, and more importantly, keep it clean, which meant that I could spend some time with my hubby after I put The Babe down for the night. But most importantly, I didn't let the things I didn't get done get me down. 

Well, not too much anyway. Hey, it's a start.

{view from my kitchen}

{prepping for dinner... }

 {...cold peanut noodles with 

poached chicken and cucumbers - 

a favorite dish and one of the few we could find the proper 

ingredients for in Mongolia}

{tasty fruit and veg delivery from Riverford Farm }

{and this? this is the first plane we've heard flying over our house in 6 days}

The Last Of The Toothless Grin

I will miss it so.

Saturday In The Park

Happy Tuesday! I hope that you've had a spectacular weekend. Things here in the Fairest Isle this weekend were gorgeous. GORGEOUS. Temps in the high 60's, not a cloud in the sky, flowers in full bloom and birdies in full voice beautiful. It was also blissfully con trail free and quiet of the dull roar of jet engines loud whirl of helicopters, thanks to the volcano making the entire EU a no fly zone. We had planned to take The Babe to Mudchute Farm (chicks and ducks and giant bunnies, oh my!), but that plan was kabashed when we discovered that the Light Rail was under maintenance. Oh, well. Maybe next weekend. So we spent the Saturday afternoon in Greenwich Park instead.

One of the things I really dig about Londoners is their love of green spaces. If the weather is even marginally nice, they find their way to the nearest park to bask in glorious sunlight. After six long months of darkness and rainy gloom, who can blame them? 

See? What did I tell you? Not a cloud in the sky.

On the serious side: Child safety

Yesterday morning, as I drank my coffee and The Babe played nearby, I read this Pulitzer Prize winning article by Gene Weingarten. It's a heartbreaking and powerful piece that reminds me a moment's distraction or forgetfulness can have tragic consequences.

We hear more and more of these sad stories every summer and I always think "What on earth could have been on this person's mind to have forgotten that their baby is in the car? How can you FORGET your child?" I know it's not that simple. I know we live in a complicated world with lots of distractions. Because of modern technology, which is generally a good thing, we are in constant communication with, well, everyone we've ever met. I think our brains get overwhelmed and just ... shut down. We have work tasks and grocery lists and things that need doing around the house. I need to pay this bill or that. Did I turn off the iron this morning? I once left work in the middle of the morning to drive the 30 miles home because I could not for the life of me remember if I'd turned off the stove and I couldn't bear to think of what would happen to my little dog if I hadn't. I walked into the kitchen three times yesterday, each time forgetting what I'd gone in there to get/do. I'm so afraid that something I've forgotten to do could end tragically (mainly a fire) I run a mental check list every time I leave the house.

I know that there are many many people out there who say that this terrible situation could never happen to them. I'm not one of those people. I can imagine this happening to me. I'm terrified of this happening to me. And because I can admit that, I hope that that makes me more aware.

If you have small children or are responsible for driving them ANYWHERE - even home, I encourage you to read this article and then:

1. Starting today, put a teddy bear or stuffed animal in your child's car seat. When your child is in his or her car seat, put the stuffed animal in the front passenger seat as a visual reminder your child is in the backseat.

2. Keep your lunch bag, employee badge, or purse in the backseat. That way, you'll always reach into your backseat or open your back door when you arrive at your destination.

3. Have an ironclad policy with your day-care provider that if your child does not show up, that person will call a provided list of contacts to confirm his or her whereabouts.

Three Years

Three years ago today you and I were in Japan. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and the world had that lovely and green with new life glow.

We spent the day in Osaka, going first to the US Consulate to fill out paperwork, then to the Osaka courthouse to register our marriage. There was no ceremony, no exchange of rings. There was only the afterthought of a kiss and a giggle as we walked away with one cool marriage certificate.

That night we celebrated at a baseball game. We drank the warm sake and ate the strange Japanese candy given to us by the kindly old Japanese couple sitting behind us. And we laughed at the traditional mass release of colorful balloons during the 7th inning stretch, thinking of all the metaphors.

A lot has happened since that day. We've moved twice to two different countries. Instead of just the two of us, there are now three. We've endured together the tragedies and disappointments of this past year together and, I believe, are the stronger for it.  I love you more, fall in love with you more, every single day for the man you are, the father you are, the husband you are. It is the honor and joy of my life to be your wife.

Happy 3rd 1st Anniversary.

Seven Months

Oh, my sweet boy, how time is flying! It seems only yesterday we were bringing you home and now you are...
...cutting your first tooth...
     ... a hair's breath away from crawling...
          ...learning how to wave 'hello' and 'goodbye'...
               ...getting the hang of eating real food...
                   ...sitting up all by yourself (mostly)...
                         ...are becoming less our little baby and more our little boy.

{ first few minutes}

 {first week}

 {one month}

 {two months, holding something for the very first time}

 {three months}

          {four months}    

                               {five months}                             

 {six months}

 {seven months}

Oh, Mr. Smooshie, you bring us such joy! There are simply no words for how very much we love you!

~ Mama and Daddy  

 {picnic lunch @ Southwark Cathedral/Bourough Market on Saturday}

Easter

The Boy, The Bebe, and I hope that you've all had a wonderful Easter weekend. The Brits have Good Friday and Easter Monday off, so we've been enjoying a long, lazy 4 day weekend for us with lots cuddles and snuggles and tickles and long walks with Daddy to look at spring flowers. It's been heaven. Except for the weather. The weather has been decidedly unspringlike.  Easter is, for me, the REAL beginning of spring. So up go the heavy coats and warm sweaters and out come the colorful lighter fabrics of spring/summer. As a little girl Mama Belle would take us shopping for that special Easter dress and bonnet. When we walked into church on Easter Sunday everyone was dressed in their new colorful best, a reflection of the show the natural world is putting on outside. As it was 40 degrees outside here Sunday, it was a little depressing to have to pull on wool pants and a heavy coat instead of the green and pink spring dress I wanted to wear. Still, it was a beautiful day (meaning it was only mostly cloudy instead of raining) and we were determined to enjoy it. 

Since it takes us so long to get out the door these days and I wanted to snag some pictures before we headed out,  The Babe and I wandered downstairs early. We were greeted by meowing  and discovered an Easter kitty outside on our front garden wall. He hopped up into our window box when he saw us and stayed there for most of the morning.

 

To my mild surprise we were able to get ready with time enough to enjoy our Easter tree and deconstruct the Easter basket. His favorite thing in the basket? The shredded tissue paper.

{Easter swag: design your own bunny from the adorable Etsy shop The Freckled Elephant, 

beautiful wooden eggs from Imagination Kids.

The fancy chocolates are for momma and daddy.}

 After church we walked down through the park, bracing ourselves against the cold wind while enjoying the spring flowers.

 The Babe skips his morning nap on Sundays, preferring instead to try and wrest the bulletin/hymnal/whatever paper we might have in hand away from us. The result is one tired baby.

 

New Veggies

The Babe tries butternut squash and sweet potatoes for the first time.

And zucchini. Mmmm... zucchini.