Max is getting around

The biggest change while we were gone was Max's mobility. I knew once we got him home he would be all over the house. I was right!

Over the past week, he has learned to find my limits and push them - even more then Ellie did the whole time she was crawling. He is a boy!

He has spilled the kitty water a few times in one week. He's come seconds away from eating cat food. He's found the top of the stairs a few times. He has even already begun pushing and pulling himself up on things. He's all boy and ready to go!

He's cute as a boot too! (If I can say so myself!)

Ellie's been having some fun with Max's mobility too. Paging Dr. Ellie Bean!!

All of this is taking place in the midst of a perpetual cold, cough and miserable congesting for Max. We saw Dr. Yoon this week - ENT - who thinks Max has allergies, maybe to milk. This is very sad for me. We have allergy testing on April 25th. We'll see what happens.

Max Returns to Grammas

I can't say that Max's return to Gramma's was as exciting as Ellie's immediate greeting as Max arrived asleep in his seat and was carried in to his room to continue to nap after his morning adventure back to the doctors. Dr. Clarence says it's time to see the ENT becuase she agrees he's stuffed up way too often without an obvious cause.

I left Max with Gramma and went to work.

When I talked to Gramma she told me that Max was very happy when he woke up. When he focused his eyes on Gramma he gave her one of his big grins. And, when he saw Erika and Amy, he did one of his famous heal clicking jumps with a delighted squeal!

I wonder if he thought our whole life in MD had dissapeared after being gone so long?

Reunion at Miss Sara's (with Owen)

Today was the first day back to our normal routine post vacation. None of us were really looking forward to it, except maybe Ellie who had been asking when she could see Owen again since we left. She didn't ask every day, but every few days we heard his name.

We arrived a bit later then normal (thanks to an early morning trip to visit Dr. Clarence and see if anyone's stuffiness was result of an ear infection). They were walking to school. I parked and got Ellie out to walk with them. As we crossed the street Owen got a grin on his face ear to ear and Ellie smiled too alot. Owen reached out to hug Ellie, but she was feeling very shy and reached for me instead. It took a few minutes of being there and mommy cuddles, but when I left, she was walking up the hill towards the school hand in hand with her best buddy Owen. It was so cute.

When I returned at the end of the day to pick her up, I found her on the swing being pushed by Owen. One of the other boys wanted to play a game with Owen, but he had insisted on pushing Ellie and playing with her. They were both very happy to see each other.

He even gave her a special welcome back card he made her!

Another milestone down

Tonight it dawned on me that Ellie doesn't need her bed railing anymore becuase for over 2 weeks she has slept in a bed without railing - actually multiple beds - as we moved around the United Kingdom. So, while the kids played in the bath tub, I asked David to take off the railing before I made up the new bed. It is down. Ellie is officially a big girl with only one big "baby" milestone left to eliminate - The Diaper.

As I was putting Ellie to bed tonight she said, "my bed is so big now."

Each day feels like a bit of a race where I have too much that needs to be done and not enough time to just relax and enjoy the kids. As I fight this battle sometimes the days feel long and tiring. This is the worst part of motherhood. I am watching Ellie and Max grow and change so much every week and sometimes daily. My mom was so good at keeping track of milestones; this really hasn't been my fortee. However, as we hit another milestone for Ellie tonight and a big one for Max while away on holidays,I wanted to take a moment and acknowledge how amazing they really are to me, even when they pass in a hurry and a flurry like at bedtime.

The Long Journey Home

Vacation was great, but it was time to come home. It was a bit long to be away with a 9 month old, at least to be moving from place to place every few days.

It was an all day afair to make it home thanks to the bad flights one can book with points. We flew from London to Raleigh and then to DC. We left London before 7am local time and didn't make it home until 8 pm EST time. That was a 17 hour journey and some very tired kids. They each had a bit of naps on the long flight to Raliegh, but not enought to deal with the very long day. Ellie was in good spirits until it was time for a bath. Max had a breakdown as we started the flight home from Raleigh. Unfortunately, I was able to get him to sleep only after accidentally bumping his head on the ceiling of the plane which caused him to finally cry himself to sleep in my arms where he stayed until we landed and came off the plane.

Uncle Danny picked us up from the airport and took us home. Max slept peaceully in his carseat knowing the end was in sight. Ellie enjoyed seeing uncle danny and trying to explain why her face was pink.

How does this happen on a plane ride where one parent is sitting on each side of her one might ask? Well, I'm not exactly sure either, but when I looked over and saw what she had done to herself at about 6 and a half hours into a 8 hour flight, all I could really do is laugh - and reminder her that markers are for paper only...

The markers were not water soluable, but some cheap set with pretty permanent coloring. It took about 36 hours, several whipes and two baths, but they are now off!

Ellie's artwork drew a lot of comment during the remainder of the trip home. In Raliegh one lady asked her name, and without hesitation Ellie replied, "Snow White." The very nice young Mom from London laughed, curtsied and responded with, "It's a pleasure to meet you my lady."

We were able to sneak in a quick visit with Shelby in Raleigh as she greated us outside customs. This was fabulous becuase I don't think I've every had anyone great me outside customs before. She got to meet Max and enjoy some time catching up with us all briefly over a coffee in the nice and newly renovated Terminal 3 of RDU.

It's great to be home. I hope that Ellie will have memories of this vacation that stay with her as she grows. I am so glad they got to spend time with the Cummings and Gray sides of the family. It's great for them to know everyone and their roots. I only wish we would be able to make it happen more regularly for them. Our best hope is that they want to come to America to visit us too sometime! We look forward to seeing Grannie and Millar in June!

A day with little ones in London

London is a great city with so many possibilities. However, to make it something that the kids enjoy, we look for simple things. By the time we got to London everyone was exhausted (and I was officially sick thanks to the allergens I failed to fight) so it was a bit of a rough day. However, we still managed to squeeze in a lot and have an alright day.

We started out with a late breakfast and collecting some formula for Max becuase we ran out a day earlier then I planned. We finally met up with Bob around 11 for a short visit to the Musuem of Science and Industry where Ellie enjoyed playing in the two kid friendly exhibits - The Garden and Patterns.

Max spent the time in the stroller and still managed to smile anytime I looked at him and spoke to him. That boy sure has charmed his way into my sole with that behavior! I love him so much!

I decided based on everyone's behavior and my feelings, naps was on the agenda. I know that seems boring for a day in London, but without them, we wouldn't have made it to dinner to see Uncle Dolan who was in Copenhagen and then teaching until dinner time.

Despite the racket in the hotel, the kids slept great. You can see I did not becuase I was up taking photos of the cuties as they slept.

Grampa had thought a boat trip was a nice idea. He was right. This was a great way for the kids to get a relaxing view of parts of the tourist bits of London. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it too.

Waiting on the pier for us to depart. Ellie liked the climbing.

Now we are onboard and Ellie is admiring the view and asking what will happen if she goes swimming in the Thames. Are there crocodiles? How will we get out? and many other questions...

Max isn't very impressed.

We sang London Bridge is falling down as we went under the London Bridge, but the Tower Bridge is a more impressive photo opp.

After the cruise, we got off at the Tower of London and rested. I took the opportunity for a photo opp. I'm the eternal optomist for a good family photo, but don't seem to be able to really ever get it.

Ellie and Max make each other smile quite easily.

Afterwards, we set off to meet up with Uncle Dolan for dinner in a traditional pub on the south side. It wasn't easy to find a place in the center of London suitable for sitting with the kids and having some food. We found something that was a good environment, although the food left a lot to be desired. That's alright though, becuase you don't go to a pub for dinner expecting high cuisine, we wanted to relax and just enjoy the last night away. It was good to see Grampa and Uncle Dolan again. Ellie wanted to see where Uncle DOlan lives, but that didn't happen on this trip. Maybe next time we can visit his flat.

Max had fun playing with Grampa.

Ellie was so happy to see Uncle Dolan.

It was a long evening and both of us had to take our aim at getting Max to sleep. I tried a walk in the Ergo, which didn't work becuase there was too much action on the streets with the people, the trucks, the lights, and just all the new noises. Daddy was able to rock him to sleep in the Daddy recline stroller again. Good job!

As you can see, Ellie too enjoyed our dinners in the pub. She usually did a lot of coloring and playing around with Grampa and Uncle Dolan when he was there. It was a good evening.

First night in a hotel as a family

Our first night in London was the first night in the hotel as a family as well. Ellie and Max both have their established bedtime routines and have been challenging to get to sleep. So, being in a single room is a challenge for us all. Hotels bring closeness in a way that I enjoy experiencing those as well. The room is a total mess. We have a crib set up for Max which serves as free play and sleeping place – which is of course a no-no for a well slept child. I believe in naps, bedtimes, and routines. None of these are happening for the children on a regular basis while we travel. I find it challenging to balance the need for stability and routine with the need for travel, flexibility and new experiences. I know it’s an impossible balance, but one I hope to generally find a way to impart to the kids as they grow.

It is just now 10 pm and they have finally fallen asleep in their comfy beds for the night. We probably got them laid down by 9pm. It took them a while to settle because Mommy and Daddy are enjoying a few treats from the locate Patisserie and the Odd Bins (aka Wine store). I do hope that we are setting a good example for them. We love them very much. If it weren’t for out little “beans” we would be at the corner pub. But the beauty of looking over at them sleeping is much better!