I always feel odd coming back to London. It feels initially run down, crowded, poky, manic and somehow slightly depressing. This always changes though, after being here for a few days, and I begin to 'get' London again... I get the buzz, the energy, and the sense of power that the place has and I love it again.. My driving has really gone to pot since becoming a bit Americanized, I'm not nearly aggressive enough and I can't remember which way to go at any given moment. Oh, and the whole squeezing through small spaces thing? Forget it.
I've been here at Dad's for nearly a week now and tomorrow I move on. It's been a good week. The jet lag hasn't been too bad. The kids were the least affected - Dylan hardly seems to acknowledge the fact that he's travelled across several time zones and sinks into his new habitat with amazing ease. Harry had a little trouble on the first night but was fine thereafter and infact has redeemed all his sleeping problems and woes by going to bed without fuss every single day. I have suffered the worst with one night having only 3 hours sleep and the others only slightly more but I'm beginning to get over it at last.
We've spent time hanging out here at Dad's house in Kew. We've been to Kew Gardens, Richmond, Richmond Park, Legoland, Covent Garden (via a few sights for Dylan) and generally relaxed and had fun. The kids have had a blast with their Grandad, lots of fun indeed, and I've enjoyed myself too. We also managed to spend a bit of time with my Sis who was staying here during the week and the boys really love their Auntie Sal..... we're visiting her at hers next w/e so I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. Oh, and went out last night with my bestest oldest friend Ade and had a great gossip & laugh... lovely to catch up.
Missing G, who is hopefully doing alot of hard work on the kitchen in my absence, but managing to talk to him regularly despite the time zone difference. And tomorrow, away we go!
For some reason, Seattlites don't believe that they need air conditioning in their houses. Nobody has it. Well, a few do obviously, but the vast majority don't. They say they don't need it..... that it's not hot enough to warrant it.
They're insane.
The summer starts here around June and ends at the end of September and you can pretty much guarantee that there will be little to no rainfall and searing hot temperatures. Right now we're in the midst of a heatwave and we've had 3 days of over 100 degrees with it going down into the 90's overnight.
It's absolutely unbearable. Especially Chez Jones where the entire West side of the house is made of windows facing the sun. We've had the blinds down all day but it's still over 90 indoors.
We have a stand-alone air conditioning unit which works only if you're sitting infront of it and has little effect on the house overall. We move it into the bedroom at night before we go to sleep so that we can at least do so.. but obviously after it's turned off you wake covered in sweat and sweltering.
At least it's not humid.
Yesterday we ended up at the Pro Club in the pool because we just couldn't cool off. We swam and brought our body temperatures down and then ate dinner there, braving the outside again when it was under 100... but coming back to a horribly hot house once more. Today we went to the blissfully air conditioned mall and had dinner there in an attempt to stay out of the heat! This was after spending the morning unloading everything from the kitchen into boxes so that G can demolish it as soon as we're gone - heavy work made no easier by the temperature.
And apparently it's not much better in the UK either, where air conditioning is also a rumour!
Bring on Winter! Bring on installed air conditioning ASAP!
After weeks of crying, screaming and distress, the night we crack it & he goes down without a fuss is the night before the whole thing gets upset again by transatlantic travel!
My lovely little man - yesterday you turned 2 years old!
It's impossible to believe that 2 years have passed since you were born. I look back on the days that I was pregnant with you and your babyhood with such happiness. It was a time of my life that I enjoyed so much, beyond any words.
So much has happened in your short life. You've moved to another country, a new home. You've travelled to 2 other countries. You've made lots and lots of new friends and had many many experiences.
You're growing up to be the most incredible little boy. In the last couple of months your personality has really begun to assert itself and you're making yourself understood more and more.
One of the most delightful things that's happened of late is that you've become firm friends with your brother. Of course he's always been your idol and of course he's always adored you, but recently you've begun to play together and interact on a whole new level. Yesterday (your birthday) you received some great toys including a train set. Every moment that we were home yesterday you and he played with that train set together, laughing and giggling and communicating on your own special level. You also love to play rough and tumble with Dylan, climbing on him at every opportunity... and in the mornings you love nothing more than to go into his bedroom and get into bed with him.
This week saw your last morning in the 1-2 yr old daycare room at the gym. Josie, the lady in charge and your firm favourite cried! You move into the 2 yr old room next time and she was very sorry to see you go. That says alot about your personality that in a room full of kids, a lady who sees hundreds on a daily basis was upset to see you go... you are much loved by everyone who knows you!
You've developed an enormous interest in Thomas The Tank Engine of late. Yesterday we took you for a ride on Thomas up at the Snoqualmie Railway. He comes there once a year and you could sit in the carriage behind Thomas and get pulled up the track. You absolutely loved it - as soon as we arrived shouting CHOO CHOO!!! non stop.
This last month we've begun to communicate alot more. Your speech is still somewhat slow to come but every day you do seem to learn new words and are making yourself more and more understood. I also learned that if I talk to you and ask you to help me with something you're far less likely to have a tantrum and refuse to cooperate! You really love being a 'good helper', and having lots of praise heaped upon you for doing something good can't be beaten.
Tomorrow we leave for England. We're leaving Daddy behind for 3 whole weeks which will be sad but on the plus side you get to see your Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and Great Grandparents and Great Aunts and Uncles and all the other members of your family who adore you and can't wait to see you! I'm hoping that you are an angel on the flight - of course YOU WILL BE WONT YOU!! (roll out the Benadryl) and don't suffer any Jet Lag whatsoever, and I too am excited to take you home to see your family again.
Love you little man,
Mummy xxxxx
Although perfectly able to sit down, turn around, and slide down stairs backwards, Harry has recently shown some reluctance to doing so and demanded to be carried down to the playroom when it is suggested that he might like to go there. This reluctance has meant that he's never attempted to go down there alone and we've been able to function without a stair gate at the top because he avoided them like the plague.
Not so anymore.
He discovered yesterday that he can sit down and bump down the stairs. Which he's now doing ALL DAY LONG. And each step is accompanied vocally by the unintelligable 'BEE GOO'.
BEE GOO, BEE GOO, BEE GOO, BEE GOO, ad infinitum.
I was just interviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Before we booked our vacation to Mexico I looked at the comments about the hotel on TripAdvisor. I found them to be very useful indeed and the site stopped me from booking one or two particular hotels that I initially had my eye on. I also discovered some useful info about the hotel that we did book.
Upon our return I wrote a review about the hotel myself and posted it on TripAdvisor. Then yesterday, I had a call from them asking if I would be interviewed about my review for the Wall St Journal. I hesitantly agreed & they just rang. I'm not entirely sure what their angle is but they were very interested in the concierge service that the hotel provided, and the expense of various things in the hotel.
Eyes peeled on that particular paper!
G failed his driving test on Tuesday.
I passed mine.
Muahahahahahaaaaa
That theory that eventually after a handful of days kids get used to the idea of sleeping and stop crying? Rubbish. Harry has been doing this for weeks now and it's not getting any better.
The night before last G put him down as usual and he screamed hysterically. So hysterically infact , that he worked himself up into such a state that he projectile vomited everywhere. After cleaning him up we put him back into bed and he once again screamed, then realised that if he cocked his leg over the bar he could GET OUT OF BED. When I say *get*, I mean fall with a huge thump onto the wood floor. Disaster. HUGE DISASTER.
I am so not ready for him to be done with his cot yet, I like the prison concept.... he's in there, he can't get out, he will go to sleep. I'm not ready for him to trot up and down the hallways 10293810298 times and refuse to go to bed. He's too young. He doesn't understand that he has to go to bed.
G argued that he could hurt himself climbing out so we got a bed that had been offered to us from a friend, a train bed, and installed it in his room wondering if he would like it and go to sleep in it. After an hour or so of lying with him in it and him arsing around we gave up and put him back in his crib. He screamed, obviousy. But, thankfully, didn't climb out and went to sleep an hour or so later (despite the best efforts of Phenergan).
God knows what to do with him.
Oh, and he woke at 3am, screaming. We put him in bed with us and he went back off. We carried him back to his room. He woke up again at 6 crying, but went back to sleep. Then again at 7 and he got up.
This is tough.
Harry has decided that sleep = the enemy. He hates going to bed. At nap time I can just about get him down with minimal fuss but at bed time he screams, and screams, and screams. It's awful. Very very stressful to listen to and seemingly without end. He never seems to tire himself out.
Take last night for example. He was tired. He'd had a busy day with a short nap and he was ready for bed. Usually every day is the same re: nap length and bed time so I don't think he's lacking in sleep as a rule. His bed time routine complete we put him into bed and he proceeded to stand up and scream to come out again. He was in bed by 7.15pm and he screamed until 10.30pm. Then he woke again at 3am and screamed until 4.45am. If I go into him during the scream he begs to be picked up out of the bed. If I pick him up he's instantly fine and wants to play / leave the bedroom. If I don't pick him up but stay in there, he wants to read books or talk. Once I leave, the screaming resumes and intensifies.
At 3am we tried everything from a bottle to picking him up and bringing him to our bed (he's then immediately happy but starts arsing around) and in the end had to leave him in his room to cry it out - thus preventing us from sleeping due to the noise / stress for the next hour and a half.
This is becoming a habit it's the same every night... HELP! What do I do?
In the car this morning, Dylan told me that I am 'always on Vacation'. Because I 'don't have a job or go to school', my life is 'one long holiday'. So we had the conversation about how some Mummy's go to work - either because they have no choice or because they enjoy working....... and how some Mummy's stay at home..... and his Mummy chooses not to go to work so that she can look after her boys, and how it's not an easy job or a paid job but something that is done for love.
When we got home Dylan asked me to close my eyes and he led me into his bedroom. Presented on his desk was the contents of his money box and he informed me that it was a surprise for me because I didn't get paid and that I should use the money (about $3 in change) to go and buy some shoes or treat myself!
Floods of tears!
As of Monday, I've been here a whole year! Which seems completely impossible. Totally and utterly impossible. Where on earth has the time gone??
Spent 3 hours this morning at the Driving License office. We have to get our Washington State Licenses (infact we're overdue to do so) and this makes the 3rd License I've had to take a test for. British, Canadian, and now here. Like the others, this one also involved a theory test.
Arrive at license office (typical seedy Govt building full to the brim with a giant wait time) and take a number. Queue for 1.5 hours, kids going mad, H screaming. Eventually get to the desk where we pay our $20 for the priviledge of taking the multiple choice theory test. G goes first while I try to keep the kids from destructing, then my turn. You have to do 25 questions and get no more than 5 wrong. I managed to get 4 wrong very quickly so I was well nervous that I'd flunk it, but thankfully managed to pass by getting all the final ones right. There were a load of tricky WA state specific ones which threw me.
Once that was complete we had to wait another 1.5 hours to book an appointment for the practical test - which proved difficult as they had none before July 27th (I'm going to the UK on July 24th) and you couldn't book for August yet. Duh. And G needs one ASAP as we have to renew our car insurance, so he couldn't do that either. Hopefully we'll be able to get a standby appointment at another office.... but what a waste of a morning to achieve a 2 minute theory test. Gah. Oh to be back on the beach!
I hate coming home from vacation! It's so depressing when you've done nothing but lie in the sun and swim for 10 days, to come back and have to do laundry and other tedious household tasks Oh, and get up early. And answer email. And cook. Ugh.
We had, however, a fantastic time. The hotel more than met my expectations. It was a 4 / 5 star huge hotel and comprised of 5 pyramids. Upon arrival, after fairly uneventful flights, we were checking in and they told us they'd be upgrading us to an area of the hotel that comes with private pools, nicer sun loungers, pamper service to the pool side etc. Result! The room was also really nice, clean, with marble floors, a wonderful marble bathroom, terrace overlooking the ocean, plasma TV, etc.
We were somewhat horrified by the prices of the minibar ($7 for a small bottle of Evian!) and the food in the hotels various restaurants was also extortionate but we vowed to mix it up and eat out, etc, plus stock up on water / snacks for the kids from a local store.
We ended up spending 10 days literally doing very little, which was exactly what we wanted and needed. There were a couple of shallow pools which suited the kids perfectly as Harry could toddle around in the water and Dylan could swim without fear, and swim he did! Non stop, for 10 days. I spent much of my time in the water with him and he really did brilliantly. We developed a routine of get up, go to the pool, spend a couple of hours swimming / relaxing, then come back for Harry's nap and all have a rest out of the mid-day sun, then go back for a few more hours before coming back and showering and going to dinner.
One slight disappointment was that the sea was too rough for the kids to play in. It met expectations colour wise and white sandy beach wise but the waves were just too mad and it wasn't possible for Dylan to go and swim in it. Oh well, the pools were so nice they more than compensated.
Harry slept in his travel cot in our room for the duration which he thought was brilliant and consequently didn't go to sleep too early as it was too fascinating to be able to shout at Mummy and Daddy. Dylan adores hotels in his bed beside Mum and Dad so he was in 7th heaven.
We had great Mexican food in the hotel and we also took a bus into town on occasion and ate at a couple of nice restaurants plus went on a Pirate Ship boat for dinner and a show one night which the kids loved. Harry soon picked up saying 'Arrrrrr' with his pretend sword in hand. We also discovered some nice shops which we went to once or twice when it was too hot to be outside (air conditioned bliss indoor mall!) and didn't buy much other than a few prescription drugs which you can get OTC there!
Both boys really benefitted from having non stop attention from both parents for 10 days. Harry's speech came along in leaps and bounds. Dylan managed to wind us up a fair bit by arguing and not doing what was asked of him until asked 10 times but such is to be expected when in close quarters for 10 days I suppose! Nevertheless he had a great time.
The weather was HOT. Very hot. This was the 'off' season and combined with the fact that some of Cancun is still being rebuilt after Hurricane Wilma it was fairly quiet at the hotel. Which was fine by us!
On the way home we had an horrendous flight - Harry threw up on the plane and then Dylan threw up in Sympathy. People around us were less than impressed, as you can imagine. We had a connection at Salt Lake City and by the time we got there with 1 child (D) still feeling rotten and the other (H) wearing a zip up sweater and a nappy after chucking up on everything else he owned, we were pretty exhausted. It was 7.30pm and the flight was leaving at 9pm. However, it turned out that the flight was overbooked and they were asking for volunteers to stand down until the morning. They were offering $400 each worth of travel on Delta anytime in the next year ($1200 for the 3 seats we'd bought) plus hotel plus dinner & breakfast..... so we jumped at it, bought some clean t-shirts (luggage was already en route to Seattle), washed undies in hotel sink and got the kids to bed!
We returned to the airport the following morning with everyone in better form and they were once again offering people to stand down. Another $400, and this time a flight 3 hours later 1st class! G and I grinned and went for it again... so we now have $2400 worth of free Delta flights and were able to spend 3 hours looking round Salt Lake City and the crazy Mormon stuff it's got going on.
Back to the airport we managed to get on the plane home this time (they were offering again but we felt we really should get back!), 1st class much to Dylans joy "I'm a first class kind of boy Mummy" and we finally arrived home a day later than planned, tired but happy after having a great holiday.
Now have Mt Rainier size pile of laundry to do, bah!