Family Update

Well, this week has certainly been much better than last week.  Benjamin's ear infection seems to have cleared up and he is back to his normal happy self.  And that makes for a happy mama.  

It's hard to believe that he will be six months-old next week.  He now has two teeth and seems to be working on two more.  (He's only had one truly awful day, so I feel rather lucky.)  He can sit on his own for short periods of time and has recently learned to blow bubbles with his drool.  Benjamin has somehow morphed into a little boy.  A tiny part of me is sad, I guess, but mostly I'm just stunned.  He has such a personality and he is learning to do so many things so quickly.  I no longer worry that he will never roll over.  He still hasn't yet officially, but I know he can and the motivation is low.  What does worry me is how well he can stand up and hold onto the furniture.  Fortunately, Ben still needs me to keep him upright, but those days are numbered.  

Joe seems to be doing well up in Scotland.  He says he is enjoying eating three meals a day.  (Still not sure how to take that...)  He is also training for a half-marathon.  I am so proud of him, but he'll never believe that.  He is coming down to visit this weekend.  I am very excited to see him, even if it is for a short while.

Lorre and Joe are still visiting.  I feel bad that we haven't done much sight-seeing, but they seem happy to be part of the daily grind.  Lorre claims she has done everything she wanted to.  (We did go shoe shopping yesterday.)  Ben is soaking up the attention and I pray he won't be  absolutely rotten when they leave.  To tell the truth, I am getting a little spoiled too.  I will miss the company and the home cooked meals.  Fortunately, I have managed to stock the freezer with food to keep me from starving.

Today, I finally brought home the Camry.  It only took 3 months and 3,000 pounds, but she is mine again.  For those of you who don't know, one of the fine employees at the loading dock in Georgia smashed my front right corner.  The side panel, hood, headlight, and bumper all had to be replaced.  The vehicle folks here were great.  Joe and I thought it would cost us a ton of money that we might one day get reimbursed.  Instead, they took care of everything, including a rental car.  It was superior customer service.

What is new with me...Well, I am making a better effort to improve my social calendar.  I met my neighbor, Minh, yesterday for coffee and have two more coffee dates with ladies from the church.  Minh and I have decided that we are going to be each other's workout buddy.  Starting Tuesday, I will be dropping Ben off at the gym's nursery and getting back to business.  I have gotten more involved with our church.  I am helping to plan a "labyrinth" for holy week that teaches the 12 stations of the cross.  Oh, and I am reading You: On a Diet.  Wish me luck with that last one.

Long week...

Well, it has been a bit of a long week.  Joe left for his training on Saturday.  I drove with him to Newcastle and took the train back on Sunday morning.  I really wish we could have seen more of the city in the daytime, but it looks like a fun town so I am sure we will go back.

God was looking out for us on Sunday.  First off, I nearly missed my train because the hotel did not give us a wake up call.  They later told Joe that "they don't do wake-up calls."  Hmm...sketchy.  We ran to the train station and I made it there with a couple of minutes to spare.

That evening, Joe called to say that his car had overheated.  Fortunately, he was only a few miles from his final destination.  He was able to find a reputable mechanic and dropped it off there.  Apparently, the thermostat got stuck (or something like that).  Anyway, it only cost 80 pounds and he had it back the next day.  I am just so thankful that he was in a safe location and was able to get help easily.

Monday morning, Ben woke up early.  He was bright red and very hot.  He had a fever of 102.  (Yes, that's right.  TDY usually means the car brakes down and the kids get sick.  Does that mean I am in the clear now?)  I gave him some medicine.  He seemed to feel better on and off, but when he woke up Tuesday with the same fever, I took him to the doctor.  Turns out that he has an ear infection.  While he was screaming at the doctor's office, I could also see two spots where teeth are coming in.  Wonderful.

Benjamin is doing better everyday, but still isn't his normal self.  I also wonder if he feels better from the ear ache, but his teeth still hurt him.   I guess time will tell.

I am just really glad that Joe's parents are still here.  I think I may have gone crazy.  Yesterday, I felt like crying.  But currently my baby is sleeping and it is a new day.  I hope it is a good one.

Our First Visitors!!

The great thing about living in a foreign country is that when people visit you, it is more like a vacation.  Not only are there fun things to do, but you don't feel bad about inviting people.  (Can't say the same for Goldsboro.)  Joe's parents, Joe Sr. and Lorre, arrived Monday.  (Their luggage arrived Tuesday.)  They are going to spend a week here with Joe and then help me out when he heads to Scotland for training.

Since we now have Benjamin, Joe and I have not been able to do a lot of sightseeing.  So we planned a trip to Norwich (despite warnings that the locals have webbed hands).  The five of us boarded a train and off we went.   

I think we all really had a fun time.  Norwich is known as a fun university city with many churches, a couple of cathedrals, and a castle.  Our first stop was Norwich Cathedral.  It was very lovely, but they were doing construction so we didn't get the full experience.  (That Howell luck strikes again.)  However, we did enjoy what we saw, and it also happens to be a great place to stop and feed a baby.

After that, we found the outdoor market and grabbed some food at one of the lunch counters.  It wasn't fancy, but the food was delicious and affordable.  Next, we went inside The Forum, which is a large public building with restaurants, BBC radio stations, etc.  It also has the library.  Inside the library is the USAAF 2nd Air Division Memorial Library.  Joe and his dad looked at that while me and Lorre took Ben to the children's section.  (Everybody wins!!)  Here is a picture of us in the lobby of The Forum.  Ben had a meltdown right before this, but as you can see, he recovered nicely for the camera.  He is such a ham!  

Lastly, we climbed the hill to the castle...only to not go inside.  By this point, we had about an hour or so before our train left and the castle takes a few hours to see.  Lorre and I were a bit disappointed, but the castle has been there for almost a thousand years so I guess it isn't going anywhere.

Trip to Peterborough

Well now that the holidays are over, life is getting back to normal.  Joe is back to work full time until he leaves for Scotland in two weeks.  I must admit that I have become rather spoiled.  He has been home at lot more since we moved here; a welcome change from life in Goldsboro.  It's nice to have a second pair of hands with the baby.  Plus, I have gotten used to hanging out in town with him.  We frequently go to the pubs for lunch or stroll around the square on market days.  I really am going to miss him when he goes up north for his course.

Case in point, we decided to go to Peterborough this afternoon.  Joe and I had never been, but figured we would hit the shopping area and take it from there.  The area was essentially a small mall and felt very much like a mall back home, with its throngs of teenagers and lines at the McDonald's.  (They got my order wrong too, just like at home.  Am I the only one who orders the fruit instead of fries with the happy meal?)  We also took a quick look around at their cathedral, which is very beautiful.  It was built by the Normans so it looks more like a castle than some of the others I have seen.  Inside, they had storyboards with information about the church and monastic life.  Apparently, Catherine of Aragon is buried there.  We couldn't stay long because they were about to have service, but I would like to take trip back.

On another note, it is COLD here.  According to the weather report, it wasn't supposed to be above freezing today.  If it did, it sure did not feel like it.  It is awful.  There is ice on the grass and some of the sidewalks.  It looks like snow from far away because it is white, but it is ice.  I try not to walk the dog on the icy sidewalks, but I am pretty sure I will fall on my butt soon. 

Christmastime in London

Last week, the fam took its first sightseeing trip.  Rather than fill the house with more crap we don't need, Joe and I decided to go to London for a few days.  By train, it only takes an hour and 15 minutes to get to the London King's Cross station, so we kenneled the dog and off we went.  

Our first day we arrived late in the afternoon.  After we checked into the hotel (free due to my Holiday Inn points), we took a cab to Oxford Street on our way to Hyde Park.  Oxford St is a major shopping district, so you can imagine the scene two days before Christmas.  It was absolutely packed and both me and Joe felt like we had to rush, even though we had nowhere in particular we had to be.  The one really nice thing was that many of the department stores had lights on the outside and were all decorated for Christmas.  Too bad I couldn't really enjoy it...

Once we left Oxford St, we went to Hyde Park.  During the holidays, they host a "Winter Wonderland" right in the middle of the park.  There was ice skating, carnival rides, a German Chris Kringle market, and of course lots of food and drink.  We had such a good time!  Benjamin had never seen such a sight so he was quite interested.  Obviously, he was too small for the rides, but I think he still had a good time.  Joe and I celebrated by eating cinnamon pretzels, crepes, and lots of mulled wine.  Happy Christmas indeed!

The next day Joe and I set out to see St Paul's Cathedral and the British Museum.  Our first stop was the cathedral, which was amazing.  It is rather stunning if you ever get a chance to see it.  There are a lot of famous people buried there as well as several I have never heard of.  While Joe ran off to use the facilities, Ben decided to follow in his footsteps.  So my lovely baby has had his nappy changed in the crypt of St Paul's.  How many other babies can say that!

When Joe returned, he put Ben in his front carrier and we walked the several steps to the top of the dome.  I'm not sure how many steps it is, but I did get a little dizzy going up and down.  

From there, we ventured on to the British Museum.  The museum has a tremendous array of treasures, including the Rosetta Stone and a few genuine mummies.  Unfortunately, Benjamin reached his maximum fun limit at the exact minute we went inside.  So after a few minutes of screaming, Ben and I went back to the hotel for a nap.  (Yes, we both took one.)  Joe stayed on with the agreement that I would return later, which I did.

Our last day in London was also Christmas Eve.  Our plan was to take some pictures in front of Big Ben and go to Westminster Abbey.  We had tried to go to the Abbey last summer, but it had  closed 30 minutes before we arrived. Needless to say, we were really looking forward to it.  After taking our pictures of Big and Little Ben, we walked to the Abbey...closed on Christmas Eve.  What?!  So we tried the Cabinet War Rooms...also closed on Christmas Eve.  For our last ditch effort, we decided to stroll to Trafalgar Square and visit the National Gallery.  Turns  out that is also closed on Christmas Eve.  Guess we should have planned that better.  

Overall, our first family vacation was wonderful.  I can't wait to see where we go next!