Our Little Welsh Dragon

In anticipation of St. David's Day tomorrow, here is Sophie reciting a poem about a (presumably Welsh) dragon. She will be reciting this in front of the entire school tomorrow during the St. David's celebration. I think she's a natural. And yes, I know all of my friends from home will just LOVE her "little accent."



Happy St. David's Day!

Let's Go to the Movies

I could write a book entitled Things I'd Never Dream of Doing With My First Baby.  This book would be chock full of cool things that I do with my third baby... things like going to the cinema fairly regularly.  (Once a month is fairly regularly when children are involved.)  Yesterday while the big girls were in school, Lili and I went to our local cinema so that we could finally see if all of the fuss over James Cameron's Avatar was justified.  (Totally justified, by the way,  Great film.)  We both thoroughly enjoyed it (even though Lil didn't have her own pair of 3D glasses).  Now we can participate in all of those dinner party conversations about the Na'vi and Eywa.  We are sorted.

I expected fairly deserted theatre at 12 noon on  a Wednesday, but I had, of course, forgotten that it was "2 For 1 Orange Wednesday," so there were numerous couples already seated when Lili and I came in.  Several of them gave me crusty, judgemental looks because I had the audacity to bring a baby into such a sacred place... or was I just imagining that?  Whatever the case, they were all smiles when the film was over, and they were saying things like: Oh, bless. Love her. Isn't she gorgeous!  because Lili is a super champ at the movies.  She watched the screen for a little while, had a drink, took a nap, then woke up for the thrilling, albeit somewhat predictable, ending.  It was a fantastic afternoon.

I am taking advantage of this short window of time.  For only a few months Lili is happy and immobile, and life is a little bit easier.  I know I won't be taking a toddler to the movies.  Nor will a two-year-old Lili sit happily on my lap while I have a nice meal out with my husband.  So for now I plan to enjoy the heck out of it.

I Feel Like I'm in London, Y'all!

I didn't realize that we were all in need of a mini-holiday, but our weekend in London was a breath of fresh air.  We decided to pack lightly and take the train.  Sophie and Emma enjoyed visiting the cafe car and ordering hot chocolate and sandwiches.  George enjoyed not having to drive and constantly stop for little girls who needed the toilet.  And I enjoyed having a happy little family.  When we arrived at Paddington station, we were thrilled to find a real live Krispy Kreme doughnut shop.  This was, honestly, one of the highlights of our trip.  We bought a dozen right then and there, and each savoured a few mouthfuls of childhood and joy.

We stayed in a lovely little hotel, The Trebovir,  just around the corner from Earl's Court station.  Lili and I had our own little girly room on the first floor, while George and the big girls stayed up on the fourth floor.  We didn't intentionally book rooms so far apart, but it was a busy weekend in London, and this was all that was available.  It all worked out fine though.  I enjoyed calling upstairs each morning and hearing Sophie's chipper little voice answer the phone, "Good Morning!" 

Friday morning was spent at the American Embassy.  It was a bit surreal being in a room full of Americans for a change, but that was about where the excitement ended.  Sophie became quite fed up with all of the waiting.  By the time it was all said and done, we had spent nearly three hours there.  Even the vending machine, which was chock full of Oreos and Reece's peanut butter cups was out of order!   Never mind all of that.  Most importantly, all of Lili's paperwork was in order.  Her taken-at-home passport photo was accepted, and she should have passport in hand in about two weeks.  Look out, world!

After the embassy the fun began... we enjoyed a decadent lunch in an Italian ristorante then took to the London Underground for more adventures.  We visited Harrod's as well as China Town, which was all decked out for Chinese New Year.  As you can see in the photo above, Sophie has had happier moments.  Luckily she cheered up as we walked through Gerard Street and eventually found a nice place to have an authentic Chinese meal.  Sophie enjoyed wishing all of the staff  a happy new year and just generally being a cutie patootie.  We also discovered that Chinese people apparently LOVE little blue eyed babies.  Lili had a myriad of adoring fans there.  Emma took pleasure in experimenting with chopsticks and trying duck for the first time.

I have to interject that throughout all of this, Lilianna Gwyneth was just about the happiest baby in the world since she was almost never put down.  She spent almost the entire trip in someone's arms, in the Baby Bjorn, or on someone's lap.  The girl was as happy as a pig in mud. 

The next morning, we packed up and were ready for another day in the city.  The girls had fun in Covent Garden watching all of the street performers.  Emma especially enjoyed shopping and came home with two new pairs of boots from the Skechers store.  Lucky little lady!  She still claims that shoe shopping was the best thing about the trip.  The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring some of the big London highlights like Trafalgar Square and Big Ben.  Afterwards we had a few headaches with the trains when Westminster Station was randomly closed for no obvious reason, but this meant that Sophie and Emma got to have their first ride on a red double decker bus.  We even allowed them to sit up top in the very front seat on their own.  They really thought they were the cat's pajamas.

Due to our diversion with the bus, we arrived home a little later than planned, but it was really all fine since we took the trains all the way back to Radyr.  We have a new-found appreciation for train travel!  Sophie and Emma watched a DVD on the journey home, and George and I amused ourselves with the narrator function on his word processing software.  You can't imagine how much fun it is to make your laptop say things like, "I don't think you're ready for this jelly."

And now we're back in the swing of things.  The girls are back at school, both wearing new boots, and I am basking in the glow of a rather exhausting, but extremely satisfying weekend away.

What's not to love about exploring the world with this lot?

Home for Half Term

February half term is often a bit dismal... I guess. We typically plan to be out of the country, somewhere sunnier and more cheerful, during this school break since I am always desperate for sunshine and a change of scenery. This year, however, we just couldn't quite manage it. I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea of overseas travel with three children... especially with the little one who still requires lots of work and isn't guaranteed to sleep when she's supposed to.

So we're home. And it's only Wednesday. And it already feels like it's been a really long week. We've been to the cinema twice, and each time, Lil was an absolute dream. We've done some mid-winter gardening and early spring cleaning. Emma and Sophie have discovered Mad Libs, and think that they are hysterical. Part of the body, anyone? At the age of five, any game that provides an excuse to write and read aloud the words "bottom", "toot", and "Aye Chihuahua!" is an extremely GOOD thing.

The girls have also done their fair share of getting on each other's nerves and complaining about being bored. Emma was horribly offended when I told her that only boring people get bored. I honestly don't remember the last time I was bored... not because I am so remarkably un-boring, but because there is ALWAYS something for me to do. Boredom sounds like quite a luxury actually. The photo below is just one example showing why no one at my house need ever be bored. See? There is always something to do.
We are still planning to head to London tomorrow evening for our appointment at the American Embassy on Friday morning. I have never been to an American Embassy. I can only assume we will all be asked to perform the secret American handshake and then offered peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hopefully all with go well with procuring a passport for L.G. This half term has only confirmed that I will indeed be ready to get the heck out of Dodge soon!

Valentine's Day Fun

I spent most of my Valentine's Day in the kitchen with one of my favourite little sous chefs. Sophie found this recipe for white chocolate/ raspberry jam tarts in a magazine. We made them from scratch, which took a bit of work, but they were so pretty and so very tasty....

Lili provided the entertainment this evening. Who knows why we all found her profound interest in the bowl full of foil covered chocolates so very enchanting, but we sure did!

"We are all a little weird, and life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutual weirdness and call it love."

--Author Unknown

"Come live in my heart and pay no rent."

-- Samuel Lover

Never has there been a baby more adored!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. We say goodbye to the Year of the Ox and hello to the Year of the Tiger. Last night we celebrated a bit early with a home-cooked Chinese meal (which was so much better than take away).

Emma & Sophie have been learning about Chinese New Year in school, but we are especially excited about this foreign holiday since George will actually be in China for the last couple of days of the celebrations. We are also planning to be in London next weekend to apply for Lili's passport at the American Embassy, and London hosts the world's second largest Chinese New Year parades and celebrations. We hope to get in on some of that action.

(Sophie and me in our Chinese glad rags)

According to Chinese predictions, babies born in the Year of the Tiger will be especially lucky. Tigers are meant to be bold, strong leaders who command respect. They are also thought to be sensitive, deep thinkers. Additionally it has been forecast that all of us will see a boost in the economy. Whether you believe it or not, none of that sounds bad. So...wishing you all Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

And Happy Valentine's Day too!

Love, Meredith

Channeling My Inner Cave Mama

I hear stories about easy babies. Apparently there are babies in the world who are always content and sleepy. These babies seem to always belong to a friend of a friend, or they exist only in the pages of books. I think these babies might be urban legends, but you probably know one or have one. Good for you.

I am not complaining about the amount of care my babies (have) require(d). Babies only last a year, really, and I do try to enjoy every bit of that time. My babies are "busy," "nosy," and "mumsy," and I am fine with that. Past experience has shown that these babies grow into very clever and unique little people who have compassion and a great curiosity about the world.

I am complaining, however, about the unsolicited advice that I get from yummy mummies who wholeheartedly believe that a baby who calms down when she's picked up and comforted is a "spoiled" baby. Seriously. I am angry that this concept has been written about exhaustively in parenting books. I am disgusted that, in this day and age, we leave our babies to "cry it out" when they are upset at night and put them on rigid schedules during the day. "Sorry, my little darling. I know you're hungry, but it's not time to eat for another 20 minutes!" I am mournful over the fact that all of these baby instruction manuals have discouraged new mothers from just following their instincts and responding to their babies' cues.

My baby is not spoiled. I pick her up and comfort her nearly every time she cries. I hardly put her down at all for the first eight weeks of her life. (For a few of those weeks, it simply hurt me too much to pick her up, so she was just never out of my arms.) She prefers my company to being alone in a cot. She would rather be strapped to my chest than in a stroller. This is what she needs at the moment, and it will change all too soon. She is curious and busy and thrives on lots of interaction with other humans. She is not spoiled. She is not attempting to manipulate anyone when she cries. (That will come in her second year of life.)

New mothers are supposed to be tired. Having a baby is life-changing and exhausting. Feeling tired is normal and not an indication that one has somehow spoiled her baby. I am having a bit of a rant, but I am so sad that in our modern times, we have been taught to ignore our basic "Mommy Instincts." A baby who calms down when she is picked up by her mama is not "spoiled," she is securely attached. (And yes, I am typing with one hand and holding Lili with the other right now.)

Having a new baby always sends me back in my mind to prehistoric times. In the early weeks with a new baby, I often find myself thinking, through the haze of fatigue, "What would I do if I were a cavewoman?" If I were a cavewoman, I would feed my cave-baby when she was hungry. I wouldn't leave her alone in the cave to cry all night. I would keep her close to ensure that she was safe and content. I also wouldn't sterilize everything within an inch of its life, but that is another story.

Obviously, I am not a cavewoman. (I'm pretty sure they didn't have blogs to make themselves feel so important.) I am not suggesting we should all parent the way women did thousands of years ago. I am a huge fan of modern conveniences like battery operated baby swings and breast pumps. I do wish, however, that we could encourage new mothers to hit the pause button on all of this modern, nonsensical parenting advice and encourage them to channel their inner "Cave Mamas" just for a little while.

In fact the next time I meet one of those perfect mummies who only had "good" babies, I think I may summon a great Paleolithic yawp of disgust. Follow your instincts, new mommies. Babies need to be loved. As Penelope Leach is quoted, "The fear of spoiling a baby is a tragic one."

And now I'm off to bounce a cuddle my spoiled rotten baby.

It's Movin' Pictures, Y'all!

This is not a partcularly impressive video. It does, however, demonstrate why Lilianna will never be bored, and it allows me to prove to myself that I can indeed upload a video... even if it takes nearly an hour.

That's Entertainment!

...Because sometimes one fist just isn't enough 

Lili is over four months old now.  She is full of personality and has very cute and chubby thighs... just like her mama.  Last night we all climbed into the "family bed," as Emma calls it, and watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs while Lili shrieked with delight.  She took such pleasure in startling herself with the volume of her own voice.  In the end SHE was much more entertaining that our rented DVD.

There are plenty of wonderful reasons to have children.  Although they require massive amounts of work; they age their parents and deprive them of precious sleep and 'alone time', they are a truly fantastic source of entertainment.  Last night we all got so much enjoyment out of laughing at Lili as she shrieked and shouted with glee.  It really doesn't get much better.

(Emma decided to let Lil borrow her shoes last week.)

Sophie also keeps us entertained with her anecdotes about her many boyfriends at school and with her singing and dancing.  She often likes to 'go commando' at bedtime, which is fine by me.  She has learned, however, to flash us the goods under her nightie while singing (to the tune of Tom Petty's Free Falling), "Yeah, I'm Free... Free Knickin'!"  (American friends, she is celebrating her knicker/ panty- free condition.) 
Sophie and Emma have also recently become fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, and  Sophie likes to quote her favorite character, Han Solo, at ironically appropriate times.  Her impression is stunning: Laugh it up, Fur Ball!

And then there is Emma, my eldest and most tender-hearted, who keeps us entertained and on our toes with her astute observations and penetrating questions about life.  She also draws stunning pictures and writes voraciously.  Recently she has enjoyed publishing newspapers about her baby sister who is, according to the headlines, the world's strongest baby.

(Lili in her catbird seat during our walk/ bike ride on the Taff Trail yesterday.   No wonder my back is aching!!)

Sophie and Emma also went to their first art class at Llanover Hall yesterday where they made these...

We were really impressed with what they had done and with all of the artistic people on staff.  (There were lots of furry coats, spikey hair and eyebrow rings and such.)  I had to laugh at the pottery instructor in the girls' class.  She was obviously much more of an 'art person' than a 'kid person'.  When she brought out the massive block of clay, Sophie said, "Wow!  It's so big and heavy and wet!"  The instructor answered, "Of course it's wet.  We couldn't do anything with it if it were dry!"  Never mind that, the girls just loved her and spent two hours busily engaged in making a sheep and a dog.  The photograph really doesn't do thier work justice.  Sophie even learned to put the clay through a garlic press to make it look like sheep's wool.  Clever clever.  I think we now have plans for every Saturday morning!

"W" is for 'werewolf.' Why not?

My excitement about sleeping through the night overwhelmed me yesterday.  It was all that I wrote about even though there was a bit more happening.  I spent the day with two little girls yesterday: Lili and a very dismal Sophie.  Even though she was running a fever and feeling "just terrible," Sophie still had to go to the doctor and run a few errands with me after we took Emma to school.  It was not a jolly morning for that girl.  I tried to make things a little more amusing for her by playing "I Spy" while we were waiting at the doctor's office.  When I spied with my little eye something starting with the letter "w," Sophie was certain that it was a werewolf.  I think we actually kept the entire reception area entertained with that game.

***Brief, off the subject, note about my healing progress:  Yes, I am STILL healing from that breast surgery that happened over three months ago.  The wound is still painful and simply will not close.  Last week a swab was done, and yesterday the results were in.  The wound is infected, so I am back on antibiotics AGAIN!  I am ever so hopeful that this will be the last of it and that my breasts (what little is left of them) will not be a blog-worthy topic in the future.***

When Sophie, Lili and I returned home later in the morning, the sick one spent much of the day sleeping and occasionally woke up and sucked on an ice lolly.  By the time the evening rolled around, she was running a fever of 103.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  (That's 39.7 degrees C if you're British.)  It's always a little scary when children get that hot, but she made it through the night tucked up in bed next to her dad.

Emma was eager to help out when she got home yesterday.  After her Brownie meeting last night, she and I had a really lovely chat.  I may have mentioned that Emma is a talker, so getting her to slow down and focus and have a nice, two-way conversation is always a treat.  (For example, when she was on the phone with my mother yesterday, I actually heard Emma say something like, "Here is a list of numbers that I find interesting: 1, 5, 10, 13, 17, 25..."  and on and on.  I know she's my daughter, and I love her, but that kind of incessant, nonsense talking makes me want to dive off a cliff.)  Emma and I also started reading a children's version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  She was practically shrieking with delight as all of the mischievious meddling in love affairs began to unfold.  We are looking forward to the next bit of the story tonight.

This morning Sophie seems a good bit better, but last night's high fever earned her another day at home with mom.  So far she has spent the morning colouring and cutting out paper dresses to make a dress shop.  (This happened after she accidentally cut the head off of a girl she had drawn.  She decided she'd just chuck the head and carry on making more dresses for a shop.)  She has also made several Valentine cards for several special boys in her class.  Even when she's ill, that girl has her priorities in order.

Alright... I am off to make sure Sophie is all topped up with popsicles and to give Lili a few more kisses for sleeping well again last night.  I haven't mentioned that Lili is still in bed with me at night.  Don't judge me.  I just need the sleep.  If snuggling up with her means I get 7 hours at night, then sign me up.  One of these days, I'm sure she will transition into her cot, but for now I am just re-charging my sleep battery.  We have all been so out of sorts with our sleep patterns this winter.  More than half of the time Emma winds up bringing a sleeping bag into our bedroom and sleeping on the floor.  (She is still haunted late at night by that scene in Teen Wolf that she saw.  Seriously.) Right now, the only thing that is important to us is sleep.  We just want to get it whenever, wherever, and however we can.  Eventually I'm sure it will become a goal to have everyone 'getting it' in her own bed, but for now, just bring on the sleep any which way it comes.

Happy Groundhog Day... we almost forgot about that. Is it time for Groundhog Cupcakes again, girls??  (Blast!  All of my "actual photos" of our groundhog cupcakes are in storage in North Carolina.)

Zzzzzz....

The roll of the dice worked in my favor last night. Sweet Lili-pie slept through the night for the first time!! Hallelujah!  I could kiss her lovely little face off.

Here is the photo I promised my mom I'd post.  Lili is reading about Fluffy Chick and friends and sucking on her two favorite fingers.  I am actually thrilled she has found and enjoys these fingers.  No more faffing about with pacifiers.  We're getting there.