Nothing Much...

...going on.

We're throwing a barbecue/housewarming/1st birthday party in two days and are in the process of cleaning and buying the appropriate refreshments.

E and I have been going out every day, even if it's just to the library or the park. Today he had an early nap so I had time to take him to the 1'o'clock Club across the Common where, unfortunately, their sensory room is broken. We still got to sing a few songs and bat some toys around, and he rode in a plastic car which he was very excited about. He also demolished a puzzle and tried to eat a crayon, and watched goldfish swim while trying to gently poke them through the glass.

Today B worked from home so I got to go out at midday while E napped to visit the cafe where I wrote 5 pages. Go me. At this rate I might finish the book before Christmas, nearing the 50k mark.

There are a few changes on the horizon for B at work - good ones. Can't say much now, since it's not a done deal, but things look fairly certain.

E is still waking at least once a night, and usually more than that, though, so there's the bad news to balance out the good.

I don't have any good current pictures so here is a baby in a box.

B Request

"Go post that picture of you standing up on the blog and then find a similar one of Elijah."

Burritos

We've been back two weeks now, and I keep finding myself craving Lucinda's burritos at around 5pm. The chicken kind, with black beans and medium salsa.

Also on that list are:

-Space. There's some lady with a grating laugh talking in one of the nearby gardens and I can clearly hear every whinny she emits. I miss being removed from the neighbors in a completely detached house with acreage.

-Sunshine. It's raining now. 'Nuff said.

-Nearby beaches, forest, mountain.

-Being able to walk somewhere without seeing 30 other people. I miss walking on the marsh path at 11pm and not seeing another soul.

-Cheap baby stuff.

-Cheap food and clothes, too.

(The above two items on the list shouldn't be misconstrued: I mean 'cheap' as in a U.S. item costing less money than the same or similar item in the U.K.)

I miss the people more than I miss the other stuff, though!

Anyway, this isn't a pity me post (much) so I've disabled comments. Hah. View it more as a plea to some entrepreneur to open up a takeaway burrito shop in SW London, at least until I earn enough money to split our time between CA and London.

And so this post doesn't end up being a wall of text, here's Elijah at his god-grandma's house, with my godsister and one of his favorite toys: the chimes.

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Washing Hands

Today we discovered a much more fun way of getting clean after one's lunch than hovering over a silly old grownup-sized sink.


He even made sure to use up allll the water in the bowl.

Randomness

Not much going on here, just the balancing act of keeping the house clean and the pantry stocked, finding time to write, and, of course, riding herd on a very active boy. We discovered a great place for babies and children under 5 on Monday and spent nearly an hour there doing puzzles and crawling around the "sensory room." The sensory room is very baby friendly with a little mini ball pit, changing lights, bells and chimes to swat at, buttons to push... and it's all very crawl-friendly with pads and beanbags lining the floor.

I weighed him today and he's pushing upward on that graph - nearly at the 10th percentile. The reflux meds are definitely working. Chatted with a couple of the health visitors I know, plus a woman from the post-natal group I was in. She's from South Africa so I felt no guilt in moaning to her about the weather contrast between here and California. (And yes, if you haven't guessed, it's been raining here! And humid to boot! Well, I guess better humid than cold, but ew.)

I don't have any recent pictures, so I'll just stick up a few from CA, because what's a blog post without pictures? :)


Getting up close and personal with a pair of friendly goats at the fair's petting zoo.


Navigating the stairs at the 4th of July barbecue with grandpa in tow.

Movie for Minnie

Just a short movie for Minnie who is in the hospital.

Tying Up Loose Ends

It's going to be very difficult to leave CA! Everyone has been so welcoming. There was never a shortage of helping hands for the baby, and I was amazed at how babyproof things were. It was always a pleasure and never a chore to visit other houses! Thanks for the wonderful food, company, and... well, everything.

I'm going to miss being surrounded by so much nature. I don't think I'll ever take it for granted again. I love seeing the mountain so close and having beaches nearby, and walking out onto the marshes late at night with hardly another soul on the path.

I scanned in a few photos today. Won't post them all today, but I'll make a good start.

In honor of the family reunion going on right now in TX (which I wish we could have made!) here's a reunion announcement from 1983. (Click to enlarge.)

My mom when she was younger, with her dog Skippy (I think).


Sisters - My mom and my aunt Marjorie Deane.



Mawmaw learnin' me how to read.

Mawmaw and I in San Francisco somewhere.


Me playing the piano in church.

Riding with Jess in Hawaii when I was 12.

That's all for now, stay tuned for part 2 sometime later this week once I get around to it. Our things at the new place are still mostly in boxes, so things will be busy for awhile until the unpacking settles down and I get things where I want 'em. Wish us luck on the flight back.

Happy Fourth!

(And no hard feelings to my British readers.)

My laptop bit the dust, so I haven't been posting as much. We've packed a lot into this last week. Right now I'm sitting and listening to the fireworks going off - I'm too lazy to climb onto the roof this year to watch 'em.

We went to the county fair and ate some good Southern food. If the above sign doesn't make you salivate, then I don't know what will. For reference, I had the crawfish etoufee. Almost as good as my great-aunt used to make it, and that's high praise.

The pig races at the county fair.

Elijah getting up close and familiar with a burro, and then a fawn. He also patted some goats and got to see some pigs, chickens and a llama.


It was great to get back to the county fair and interesting to see it from a parent's perspective. I saw it from a child's perspective, going on the younger rides, then from a teenager's perspective, meeting up with friends and trying our best to be at the top of the ferris wheel when the fireworks started, and as a young adult, more interested in the exhibitions and wilder rides.

On Thursday we got together with 'Realma' from WA, an old family friend, and Elijah's great-aunt and had lunch in Fairfax.

On Friday, Dad, B and I took the cap and ball revolver to the range to try it out.

Lots of recoil, as you can probably tell. The black powder wasn't as smoky as we thought it might be. Oh, and my aim is still decent, in case you were wondering.


Today we celebrated the 4th in style with a barbecue at our friends' house. Here's Elijah exploring the garden with his grandpa in tow while the rest of us enjoy iced tea and food at the table.


B with Breezy. Dad went home with some pheasant courtesy of the dog above, she's a good hunter like her cousin Pepper.

That's all I have time for tonight.