Life in Lossie

On Friday, Joe and I will pile our little family into our big American car and head back to reality. I am not looking forward to that. I have enjoyed the last week and half so much and I hate to see it end.

Our time in Lossiemouth has been so peaceful. I'm sure a large part of that is that we are all together. But we're also together in a lovely little beach cottage in a very laid back area of the world. Everyone individually has something to make them happy about this place. Ben has both parents to dote on him. Plus, he seems to enjoy our trips to Tesco. Joe's work is painful, but I know he's happy to be flying again. And he's made some great new friends. So Family + Friends + Flying = Happy Joe. Bastian gets to run amuk on the beach every morning without a leash. As for me, well I have my family all together. But also, Bastian's walks are just as much for me. It's beautiful scenery and so relaxing. (Except, of course, when he's found a dead sea gull to play with.) I hope that when I get to heaven, there is a dog beach.

And of course, Scotland is great. I would love to bring Ben back in a few years because I'm sure he would get such a kick out of it. You can't spit without hitting a castle and what little boy wouldn't love that. To be fair, Joe and I think that's pretty cool and we're obviously much older. Plus, there is a lot to do if you enjoy the great outdoors. They have a law here that most land is available for the public to explore even if it is someone's private property. You just have to respect it. (That would never work in America) But there are lots of great hills to climb and forrests to run around. Perfect for a little boy with energy to expend.

We have enjoyed exploring too. Including the one at Loch Ness, we saw three castles last week. Of course, they are all in ruins, but it's fun to imagine what they looked like. My favorite one was Duffus Castle. It's very close by. It's also surrounded by farming fields so there weren't very many people. It felt like our own little castle to explore. Ben seemed to enjoy it, but I think the one who enjoyed it the most was Bastian. The castle is surrounded by a moat so we didn't have to worry about him running off. We just let him off the leash and let him run. Heaven!

Arival in Scotland/Loch Ness

Well, today I am writing to you from Lossiemouth, a lovely coastal village on the northern coast of Scotland. Joe and I have rented a cottage on the water for the next two weeks in hopes of having some family time together. For those of you who don't know, Lossiemouth is where Joe is doing his training course and will probably be here until sometime in May. It is also a 10-hour drive from Ely, about as far away as you can be and still be in the UK. Joe has come home twice, but it is a long trip for just a weekend visit and the weekends always seem to go too quickly. So when Joe found this cabin, we jumped on it.

We arrived here on Friday afternoon. Fortunately, my dad was still visiting so he helped me make the trip. The four of us (me, Dad, Ben, and Bastian) left Ely Thursday and stayed at a hotel just over the Scottish border. Both Ben and Bastian did much better than expected. It was a long trip for the adults so I know it awful for them. While the scenery is lovely, English roads are terrible. Friday's trip was much better since Scottish roads are better too.

The cabin is really quite lovely. It is cosy and has everything we need. The owners are very hospitable. Not only did they have portable crib and high chair we requested, but there were baby toys and books for Ben. There was also milk, eggs, bread, and bacon in the fridge so we could make breakfast the next morning. Yum!

On Saturday, we piled in the car and headed for Loch Ness. It is truly a magnificent site. No sign of Nessie the Loch Ness monster, but we had a blast all the same. We also toured Uruqurt Castle, which is on the edge of the loch. By then the rain had stopped, so we were able to really enjoy ourselves and take lots of pictures.

Seven Months!!

Well, Benjamin is 7-months-old today.  I can still hardly believe he is so big.  He's gained 11 lbs, grown 7 inches, and is working on his 3rd tooth.  He now enjoys bathtime and flirts with every woman he sees.  But most importantly, he has his mummy wrapped around his little finger.  

I am doing my best not to let him know this, though.  I appear to be quite stern in matters of naptime and discipline, but it's really a show.  Last night, Dad and I went out for dessert.  We were sitting in big comfy leather chairs.  Ben was sitting in my chair off to the side.  As I was trying to eat my sticky toffee pudding (yum!), he kept pulling on my sweater and smiling at me.  It was one of those moments where you say to yourself, "I really love you and you are all mine."  

This week, we're all heading up to Scotland to visit Joe.  Joe and I rented a pet friendly cabin in Lossiemouth that is right on the water.  I can't wait to see all of the places he's been telling me about.  We're going to take a drive to Loch Ness and visit the highlands as well.  I hope Joe doesn't try to talk in a bad Scottish accent the whole time.  I may need to remind him that he is not Braveheart.  He's already bought some "knickers" pants.  I fear a kilt may be next.

Finally...

Well, it finally happened.  Benjamin finally rolled over.  I can't believe how happy that made me.  I know most nearly 7-month-old babies are rolling all over the place, but not my boy.  He hasn't done it since so I hope it wasn't a fluke.  We have been spending a lot more time on our tummies (yes, me too!), but he still hates it.  It just now takes longer for him to pitch a fit.  Ben is right on target with all of the other developmental milestones so I'm not really worried.  I get so anxious for him to do things.  

In other news, we have set the date for Benjamin's baptism.  We will be doing it on May 17th if anyone is planning on being in the area.  :)

B Bear at 6 (and a half) Months

Today, we took Benjamin to the doctor for his 6-month check-up.  The doctor said that everything looked normal and that he is perfectly healthy.  He did much better with his shots this time around.  He didn't cry nearly as long as last time.  Although we have to take him back next month for a flu shot booster shot, he doesn't need any more immunizations until he is 12 months-old.  Woo-hoo!

So here are his stats:  He now weighs 17 lb and 8 oz and is 27.5 inches long.  That puts him in the 50th percentile for both.  He hovered around the 50th percentile last time too, so I assume he is growing right on schedule.

Benjamin is progressing well too.  He can sit up on his own for a while now.  Occasionally, he looses his balance and topples over, but so do I so I don't hold that against him.  He reaches for everything in sight and puts it in his mouth.  Ben also loves buttons so the tv remote and the answering machine are his new favorite toys.  Typical man I guess...

In other news, my dad arrived Tuesday.  He has been a great help.  Benjamin, of course, has loved the attention.  He also loves Dad's mustache.  That's pretty funny to watch, unless of course it's your mustache that is getting pulled.

Happy Valentine's Day

When I woke up this morning, I thought today was going to be a bust.  It was so cosy in my bed that I was powerless to get up and do anything productive.  So when Ben fired up his lungs at ten til eight, I had not done anything.  No breakfast, no teeth brushing, no dog walking.  That is never a good sign.  Plus, my head was so heavy from congestion.  (It appears that my cold has come back for a victory lap.  Benjamin is likewise snotty.)  Top that off with a cranky baby, and I was sure that today was the day I was going to throw myself in the river.  (That day is never very far away it seems.)

But Ben soon went down for a nap and I finally got my breakfast and coffee.  I decided to stop being negative and try my best.  The sun is shining and it is Valentine's Day and all.  Let's make it a good one.

So when he got up, we hit the Farmer's Market.  Now for those of you who don't know, Ely has two markets, one on Thursday and one on Saturday.  I knew that Thursday's was the general market with vegetables and assorted flea market goodies.  Someone had told me that Saturday's market was the trinkets and collectibles market, but I had noticed that sometimes there were other items too.  Turns out that on the second and fourth Saturdays, it is also a Farmer's Market.  My favorite!

I love, love, love Farmer's Markets.  I truly believe that we should support our local food growers as much as possible.  It is good for the economy and the environment.  Plus, it is usually a ton of fun.  Unfortunately, I have been a sissy about out local market.  Usually, I say something about not needing baked goods or jam and not buy anything.  But I figured I would really enjoy myself today.  

And I did!  My first stop was to Tom's Cakes, where I bought millionaire's shortbread and a date crumble.  Then I bought plum jam, an asparagus quiche, white rolls, wheat rolls, and fresh apple juice in a wine bottle.  For Joe, I bought habanero hot sauce.  I even bought meat from the butchers.  The great thing about the Farmer's Market is that it is mostly organic and free range.  I picked up two different types of free range pork burgers and one package of sausage.  (The girl reminded me that it has no preservatives, so I guess I have to eat it quickly!)  For lunch, I decided to go a little crazy.  I had an ostrich burger with onions on a wheat roll.  It was thick and very tasty.  The woman behind the counter picked up on my American accent and said I sounded just like her daughter-in-law, who is from Vermont.  (I think my cold must make me sound a bit nasally.)

However, the highlight of the trip was my new quilt.  I don't normally do quilts, but this one is lovely.  It has very bright warm colors and is so beautiful.  The best part was that it had just been reduced from 59 Pounds to 29.  I took it immediately.

I'm not sure Ben enjoyed it as much as I did, but he seemed okay.  I always try to show him the pet chickens, but I don't think he can see them in his stroller.  When we got home, he let me cuddle with him.  I think that was the best part of the day. 

The Dust Never Settles

Greetings everyone!  Well, this past week or so has been a bit rough, but the sun is shining today so I hope that means my luck is turning around.  The snow and ice has finally melted away.  It was beginning to drive me crazy.  Our road is nothing but potholes anyway, but when you add in ice covered potholes, it is not a good situation.

Hopefully, Benjamin will be doing better also.  The last month or so has been terrible.  First, there was the ear infection and teething.  Then as soon as Joe's parents left, he got his first cold.  Now that he is nearly done with that, I think he might be teething again.  I don't see anything in his mouth, but sometimes he is cranky for absolutely no reason.  Plus, yesterday he tried to gnaw the coffee table.  The only thing that is reassuring is that my baby arsenal is stocked and ready to go.  I have tylenol, ibuprofen, teething tablets, teething powders, baby orajel, and the ever popular teething biscuits.  Now all I need is a bit of whiskey for the gums (mine, obviously, not his).

In other news, I am very excited about my dad coming to visit.  He was originally supposed to be here Tuesday, but got delayed a week at the last minute.  So he will be here this Tuesday instead.  I can't wait to show him around Ely, and Ben can't wait to have someone else to play with.  

In the meantime, I am doing everything possible to keep Benjamin busy.  Maybe I'm just not very creative, but I find that I quickly run out of things to do.  He has a short attention span so we constantly change it up.  After an hour or so, we've done it all.  My solution is to take him out as much as possible.  There are playgroups everyday of the week and I try to hit them all.  Yesterday, we did Rhymetime at the library, and today I met my friend Minh for coffee.  Technically, that last one isn't a playgroup, but Minh brought her baby too, so he still had fun.