Happy St George's Day

Yesterday was St George's Day, which is apparently England's national day.  (St George is the patron saint of England, as well as several other countries, including Palestine.  That is if you believe Palestine to be a country.)  I don't really think anyone cared, though.  No parades or celebrations, and certainly not a day off.  If it weren't for a sign in the local card shop and the flag above the cathedral, I would not have even known about it.  Rather disappointing for a national holiday.

But today, more importantly, is Friday.  Despite the fact that I know longer get proper weekends, I still really enjoy Friday.  There is still the anticipatory feeling of something great just ahead.  No real reason.  Usually my Saturdays and Sundays are no more interesting than the rest of the week. 

Today has been no exception.  The weather has been gorgeous, so I took the B-man for a stroll.  We walked behind the cathedral and ended up next to the horse paddock.  Typically, there are three horses. (Horses might be a strong term as they are a bit small.  I suspect them to be large ponies.)  However, since it is spring, there are two foals there as well.  One of the adults and one of the foals were near the fence so I parked the stroller there and took Ben out to show him the horses.  The foal immediately trotted over to us in a way that clearly stated that it was a creature that was new and innocent to the world.  "No one would ever hurt me and everyone is here to pet me," and so forth.  Ben was certainly intrigued by them.  I helped him pet them, but I think the combination of baby human and baby horse is not a good one.  The foal was a little overeager and kept lifting her lips in the way that horses do.  She nibbled his little fingers and he started screaming.  I immediately confirmed he was uninjured, but I kept thinking, "Great.  Now he has a fear of ponies."

During his nap, Joe phoned to say that he would be flying over Ely this afternoon if we wanted to go outside and watch.  Maybe take a picture or two.  Now, clearly, I don't care much for planes and I kinda doubt Ben knows what they are, but I wanted to be supportive.  Apparently, our best bet was to go to this business park just outside of town between 2:30 and 2:45.  Since it was a beautiful day, we trotted out there.

I must admit I felt incredibly sketchy and I kept rehearsing the story in my head for when I was questioned by the security people.  (No, I have no business being here.  You see, my husband is in the RAF and he wanted me to look at his airplane.  I really don't understand it either.  Just wait a minute.  I'm sure we'll see him.)  Of course, we never did see him.  But all was not lost.  Benjamin appeared to enjoy our picnic.  He liked touching the grass, which I am sure has never been tainted by pesticide or animal dung.  In fact, we were actually having a nice time until I decided to put his sunglasses on him.  In his quest to rip them off his head, he lost his balance and fell backwards.  Loud crying ensued.  Great.  Make that a fear of baby ponies and sunglasses.

Joe is Home

Ugghh...what a morning.  Benjamin had an 1130 doctor's appointment, which meant NO nap.  Very bad for everyone indeed.  He did manage to doze off for 20 minutes on the way there, but that was like putting a band-aid on a gaping chest wound.  He was manageable during the exam visit, but by the time we went for x-rays, he was very unhappy.  Head x-rays + tired + taking away his bottle several times to do head x-rays = SCREAMING baby.  I honestly can't remember the last time I saw his scream like that.  Maybe never.  I kept trying to explain to the technician that he was just tired, but I could tell he felt really bad.  Apparently, he has a 22-month-old.  She only weighs 3 more pounds than Ben.  My baby's a porker.

Well, Joe is home for good now.  (At least until he deploys.)  He got home Friday night, which was a nice little surprise.  I was doing my best not to get excited on Friday.  After all, it is a long drive and I totally would have understood if he had stopped somewhere.  So when Bastian started barking on Friday, I thought, "There's no way."  The sun was still up for Pete's sake.  But it was him.  Yay!

It has been great having him home.  We had a brilliant weekend.  Saturday, we drove to Bury St Edmunds and hung out with our friend Angelina.  We knew both her and her husband Travis at Seymour.  Since he was TDY, we thought we would keep her company.  We all walked around the market and the cathedral gardens.  Their cathedral was sacked a long time ago, but they have managed to turn the ruins into a lovely outdoor space.  It is a really lovely place to eat ice cream, which we did.

Sunday, my boys (Bastian included) and I went down by the river and had lunch at the Cutter, which is one of our favorite pubs.  We found a great table outside and soaked in the good weather.  

Yesterday will always be a fond memory.  When Joe got home from work, we put the baby in his stroller, grabbed the dog, and headed for the park.  We laid down a blanket and had some great family time.  It seems like such an ordinary thing, but the entire time I kept thinking, "This is why we came here."  We would have never be doing anything like that if we had stayed at Seymour.  I will always have that memory.  Joe and I taking turns chasing the dog around.  Ben laughing at Joe.  The horses with their new foals in front of a 900-year-old cathedral.  That is good stuff.  I have a very good life.  

Happy Easter!

Easter weekend was just really wonderful.  Joe had a 4-day weekend, so he flew home Thursday night.  I must say, Easter in England is a much bigger deal.  The schools are off for 2 weeks so everywhere is filled with kids and families.  They don't have Peeps, but they do have hot cross buns, which I actually think I like more.  Instead of chocolate bunnies, they have big chocolate eggs.  And to answer your question, we did not let Benjamin eat that big Cadbury egg.  It was intended for me and Joe, but Bastian ate most of it.  Truth be told, he ate most of those Peter Rabbit cookies too. 

Although we did not hide eggs, I did take Benjamin to the Easter Fair where they were doing an egg hunt.  As you can see, he had a great time.  The girl next to Ben is his friend Brooke.  She doesn't miss much.

Ben's First Day at Nursery

One of the really nice things about someone else watching your child (apart from the obvious) is that they see things you may not notice.  For example, when I picked him up from Pauline's yesterday, she commented that he scratches the sides of his pack and play when she lays him down for a nap.  When she no longer hears the scratching, she knows he is asleep.

Well, today was Benjamin's first day at nursery.  And although he was there for only an hour (it was an introductory visit to get him acquainted), he still made quite an impression.  When I arrived to pick him up, he was passed out like a ragdoll in the girl's arms.  I just sighed, partly because I hated to wake him up and partly because I felt a little guilty.  I never cuddle him to sleep and he probably rather enjoys it.  

The other caregiver quickly informed me that he just had a 7-ounce bottle.  Huh?  There was no way he could be hungry.  I nursed him and fed him his lunch not that long ago.  Apparently, B-man was happy as a clam, playing with the toys, until the other babies got their bottles.  Then , he just wailed as if the world was coming to an end.  How dare they get their milk and I get nothing?  So, they gave him a bottle.  Happy as a clam again.

I wonder what tomorrow's adventure will be.  He goes for three hours then.  :)

Not-so-Groundhog Day

Although I often feel like I live in a "Groundhog Day" atmosphere, I am forced to realize that everyday has its own little eccentricities.  Each week has its own series of moments and events that make it unique.  It is through these small happenings that the fabric of our life is woven.  I thought I would take the time to share with you some of mine.

1.  Bastian made a little girl cry.  This was by far one of the funniest.  Right before you get to the Palace Green (where he usually does his business), there is a public bathroom.  Just as Bastian was trotting by, a little girl ran out of the doorway and almost into the dog.  He looked at her and kept going.  She ran back into the bathroom, screaming in terror.  All I could here was sobbing and then her mother saying, "Que mal?  Que mal?" (What's wrong?  What's wrong?)  Then I heard her mom say, "Un perro?" (a dog?).  I thought about trying to explain the situation, but then thought better of it.  Bastian had done nothing wrong.  Plus, I was too busy laughing.

2. Ben tries to give me kisses...I think.  This was a very sweet moment.  I was holding him.  He was climbing all over me.  He kept smiling and putting his open mouth on my cheek.  It tickled, so it made me laugh, which made him laugh.  That's one to keep with you I think.

3.  Burger King with Ben.  Ahh, his first value meal.  The King would be proud.  After his first doctor's appointment of the week, I ran to the post office and checked the mail.  You could tell he was tired of being in his car seat, so I really didn't feel like putting him back in the car.  And well, I could always use a snack.  I scooped him up and we went to Burger King.  I put him in the high chair and we shared chicken tenders and onion rings.  The man behind the counter even gave him a fire truck.  It was just really nice. 

4.  Parenting Advice.  Now this one made me feel pretty good.  This morning, I met my lovely neighbors Joe and Minh for coffee.  They brought their daughter Brooke, who is about five and half months-old.  Minh was talking about giving Brooke crackers and rice cakes, an idea she got from me.  Then she said that she has gotten good parenting advice from me.  That made me feel wonderful, especially because they are a lot older than me.  I do contribute to society!  I am not a waste of space!  Though I did want to giggle when they asked me how I knew if Ben had a temperature.  (I checked it with a thermometer.)  What makes this very funny is that Joe is a PA and she used to be a dentist.  Way more medical training than me!  But of course, I freaked out the first few times I had to do it.  I am in NO way judging.  It is only funny when it is happening to someone else.

And that is my week.  Time to go rest up for this next one.

April is Here

Since I ate too many M&Ms and am wide awake from sugar (Thanks Lorre!), I thought I'd fill you in with what is going on here.  Well, first off, it's hard to believe it is now April.  It is starting to feel like spring, which is really nice after the harsh English winter.  Equally nice is the fact that Joe should be home in a few weeks.  I am really hoping for the week after Easter, but I am not getting my hopes too high.  Regardless, he will be home sooner than later and that is Good News!

On a less happier front, Ben has been under the weather this week.  I have taken him to the doctor twice, with zero results.  He had a low grade fever, but when it shot up to 102.7 I got worried.  It has since come down so no worries there.  However, he is still fussy and appears to be in pain.  I think it is his teeth.  He had two coming in as of last week.  One is definitely through now, but that second one has been just poking through for a while.  Maybe tomorrow morning will bring a happier boy and a shiny new tooth.  They do seem to appear overnight.

And lastly, Bastian had a little accident today.  I let him go ahead of me since it is hard to push the stroller and hold onto him at the same time.  He ran out onto the busy street and got nicked by a car coming to the red light.  The vet thinks he should be okay, but they are holding him overnight to be sure.   

APRIL FOOLS!!  Bastian is just fine, though he really did run off the other day.  I had no clue where he was until I saw him trotting down St Mary's Street, the busy road by our house.  He is a VERY lucky dog.