Worded Wednesday

And yet they still do it.

21 Weeks

We had our big scan and Mister Baby (as Mary Kate calls him) is perfect. His head, legs and feet are measuring over the 50th percentile - he is part Dodd and part McDaniel. His feet do look long in the picture. We are considering naming him Taz - as in Tazmanian Devil. He is either perfectly still or twirling.

Surprisingly I feel great. I never thought I'd say those words while pregnant. I am not sure if it is walking, lack of fast food, lack of good food or yoga. Most likely it is a combination of all of the above. So far he is a very good boy and does not give his mother any trouble. He just needs to keep it up and come out before his due date.

Weekly Report 11

The top news is the weather is dreamy. The prior post of the Dickens quote says it nicely. The sun has been shining so many days, the dreary days of February are a distant memory. There are flowers popping up everywhere. I have been warned this will not last. We'll enjoy it for now.

The girls had playdates this week. I secretly wanted Mary Kate's friend to stay in the kitchen to talk to me. Her accent is so charming. Caroline had such a good time at her friend's house I pulled her out kicking and screaming. The scene was mortifying. They have a custom here called children's tea. They feed the children dinner around 5:00 than the adults eat later. This seems like double the work. Plus we'd rather eat together as a family.

Brent secured U2 tickets for their London concert in August. This was the highlight of his week.

I worked, worked more and a little more this week. I attended my first Junior League of London meeting. It is very American but I am American after all. My highlight of the week was the Mother's Day assembly at school. Each class performed a skit and/or song about their great mums. The girls sang sweetly and there was not a dry eye in the house.

Saturday we went to an Easter Egg Hunt. The event is put on by a primarily American women's club. They were very impressed with our baskets and the girl's dresses, which surprised me since mostly Americans were there.

An English mom asked if these parties were customary in the US. I told her we do them multiple times each year - church, school, neighborhood, a party or two and the final one on Easter day at home. She also wanted to know if the children wear dresses like the Mary Kate & Caroline were wearing. My reply was oh yes - siblings wear matching outfits, large hair bows are a must and usually there is at least one casual Easter/spring outfit for the more relaxed hunts. I also said this was the first time I paired the dresses with black shoes and coats.

Since we were in an American state of mind, we went to McDonald's for the first time in London. It was very good. The only complaint - we walked away a little hungry. The portions were smaller. Good for the waistline but bad for the empty stomach.

Sunday was Mothering Day or UK Mother's Day. We learned the story of Mum's Day. Many years ago in the middle of Lent churches called for members to return to their home parish or the church they attended growing up. This evolved into visiting families who had not left their home towns, which evolved into family reunions, which evolved into visiting mothers, which evolved into the Mother's Day was have now.

I had a very nice day. I received cards and flowers, ate lunch outside in the sun and enjoyed loads to extra hugs and kisses. It was extra nice to read writings of both girls. I can't believe they can both write! They are still babies and should not be able to do that yet. I hope I can have double Mother's Days this year - Brent says no we are in England now so we are celebrating this one only. Bummer!

March Days

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

Charles Dickens

Paris Part I

For half term, as promised, we went to Paris. We hit all the major sites and explored most of them by foot. The girls never complained about walking or being cold. All in all they are good little travelers. I have to confess food battles and squabbling are the same any place on the planet. They did not read the memo about perfect behavior when parents spend your college fund to take you on a trip.

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Day 1 Saturday

Travel from London to Paris was a joy. We walked 10 minutes to the Tube station, took a direct line to St Pancras then boarded the Eurostar train with no fuss. The journey took about 2 1/2 hours.

We took the bus from Gare de Nord to our little flat close to the Eiffel Tower. We went to the grocery store around the corner. We went to dinner and experienced major sticker shock. I lost my appetite thinking about the cost per bite. We thought London was expensive but were not prepared for Paris prices. We wandered around the neighborhood and found the crepe stand.

Day 2 Sunday

We started our day with what else but a croissant, juice and coffee. The French call breakfast petit dejeuner or little lunch. The croissants were flaky and fabulous. We were concerned about all the crumbs left behind. A quick survey of the floor showed we were not alone.

We walked by the Eiffel Tower for the first time...


The quest for the unfinable bathroom was dedicated to Caroline before lunch and Mary Kate after lunch. Funny how I do not forget you need to go to the bathroom after you let me know the first time. I'm doing all I can to find one for you but I CAN NOT FIND ONE!

We strolled to and around Luxumbourg Gardens. Then we went back up and along the Seine. The light was amazing at the Pont Alexandre III...

We ate dinner in with all the girl's favorite things...

To be continued...

Jazzed!

Our blog is now jazzed! We are in busy season survival mode around here. That has not changed across the pond. 31 days to go. But with the new jazzy blog I will catch us up...