laughing at dad

hair...cut

Mama got a hair cut. Schuyler, who recently received her first hair cut, was thrilled. Daddy probably didn't even notice.

la piscine

It is hot. August kind of hot. Sweltering, sticking, substitute-food-money-for-air-conditioning kind of hot. So, lacking a real pool, we decided to hose down the hunk of slippery and kind of flimsy piece of blue plastic that passes for "La Piscine" chez nous. They, of course, don't really notice the difference. For the kids with their enviable ability to live right in the moment, this was the best thing that had ever happened. For about twenty minutes. At which point, Schuyler wanted to hop out and run on the dangerously slick tiles and Charlie tried to practice standing in a pool of water right next to said slippery (head bashing) tiles. I don't need these photos. They are downloaded in my memories.

aquarium (again) but something's different...

So we decided (once again) to really get the absolute most out of our aquarium membership. We even brought the kids (because the law frowns upon leaving them at home unattended). And Charlie got to explore his latest skill: Crawling. He crawled before this but it wasn't quite there. Given his chub, his crawling was a laboured, arm-driven activity that more closely resembled Roseanne Barr trying to escape from prison after being shot in the kneecaps.

But now he does the real thing. You can hear him coming. He slaps his palms hard against the ground as he goes, cooing with delight at his new found independence and mobility. It must be a pretty cool feeling for him. He seems like such a happy, chilled out dude (unless it is 3am) and monitoring his movements is like watching a new species of shark you just tagged: Where will it go? Why is it touching that? Is this a show of aggression or a bonding ritual?

We can't wait for him to walk. Or maybe we can.

get up, stand up

Nearly, 3.2 million years ago, the first hominids changed the path of the species by lifting themselves to stand. Here, in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, our littlest cub has managed the same. Wobbling around on gargantuan legs that look more suited to being the main course at a barbecue, little Charlie drew himself to stand. And, he really can't get enough. Every milestone is bittersweet for parents who are pretty darn sure they are stopping the baby making process here. Every time Charlie says "Dadadadada" or stands up for the first time, we also know in our hearts that this is the last time we will see one of our kids do it for the first time. The milestones in their lives are also etched in ours, marking the beginnings of a real family. Kids, in all truth, adults may look different to you but is soooo many ways we are just like you: We get cranky when we are tired or haven't eaten. We want things we can't have. We don't like it when other people have things we want but don't quite see it the same way when we have things other people want. We can giggle at really silly things. We want to be included in whatever's happening and we don't like it when we are not. We like drawing just for the fun of it (but we never seem to do it as often as we should). We like music and singing and dancing and wish we could still do it in the uninhibited way you do. We still feel young. We still feel like, on some level, we don't quite know what we are doing. But, just like we tell you, we just try to do our best and aim to be kind and good to people. And that is all we ask of you and all we hope you ask of us.

we are home

It is always a bittersweet return after a trip to see family. It's nice to be back to your own house, your own bed, your own things, and know that you can walk around in your pajamas and not use a coaster for your drink if you don't want to. On the other hand, human connections and the love and friendships found within families are such a key part of human happiness (and stress :-) that it leaves a gap in your collective heart when you return home to a house which resounds with only your voices. We always leave with a heavy heart and this was no exception.

(family) party at the logan hilton

Here Schuyler is actually wearing Charlie's size 6-12 mos pants (which barely fit him)

Trapped in an airport hotel with two disoriented kids. What a blast! Don't touch that. Put that down. No, that's someone else's baby. Don't lick the steak knife. No, you have to pay for that first. Mmmmm. Fun. So we bathe the kids and get Charlie to sleep in the pack-n-play in the room and finish reading our book to Schuyler. And it's 7pm and lights out time. So Liz and I decide that we will order a kid movie and let Schuyler (i.e. us) stay up a bit later than usual. Problem: All the kids movies appear to cost $17 (when did Disney become more expensive than pornography?). So we decided to be Parents of the Year and order up a cheaper PG Romantic Comedy and let Schuyler watch with us. We justified it on the basis that it had a baby in it. Schuyler watches the occasional Sprout TV educational burst of Little Pim french videos but has never sat through more than ten minutes of television. Amazingly, she sat through the whole thing without moving once and cried when it was over ("I want to watch more tv!") which was funny and disturbing at the same time. I wonder what she would think of the Chucky films?

bye bye lake

While this isn't the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, I agree with that young lady that "parting is such sweet sorrow". We work the majority of our lives, surrounded by people who are ultimately peripheral to our lives and engaged in an activity which is not our first choice (most of us, anyway). Then, the job lets you have a sojourn into another world where you spend every day with people you want to spend time with and you realise that those people at work weren't so bad after all (just kidding, all!). It's an odd thing to know you will only see many of the key people in your life once or twice a year if you are lucky. I guess the only thing you can do with those moments is make them count.

duck duck...

...silly goose.

bathing baby

Charlie went for his first Vermont swim today. Aside from the obligatory hat he quite enjoyed it. Even though he has the complexion of an Englishman he may have the soul of a Bermudian so we let the lake water in the kiddie pool heat up to a toasty temperature before plopping him in.