Me & my shadow..

...wherever he goes, I go.



Michael is crawling now!! Hooray. But we still share the same shadow as he is most definitely still a momma's boy and wants lots of cuddles and holding. I'm trying to remember that once he turns 15, he will want nothing to do with me so I should enjoy it while I can.

Welcome Annalise!

Welcome to our new niece Annalise Camryn!

She arrived on 19 July, and weighed in at 7lbs 4oz. We are so excited about meeting her in October when we go to Orlando! So far we can't see any resemblance to her extremely handsome uncle, but hopefully she'll grow into it. Her mom and dad certainly ain't bad looking, so if she turns out like them instead she'll be doing alright. ;)

You Know You Live in Europe...

...when the only swimsuit you can find for your son is a speedo!!



Luckily, he doesn't know what a fashion faux paus is yet.

Having an outdoor pool in Britain is kind of like putting in a ski resort in East Texas: pretty pointless 363 days of the year. But remarkably, we managed to find one yesterday when the temperature actually broke 80 degrees! The kids had a blast and I REALLY enjoyed the warm temps too.

From Darkest Peru...

Paddington Bear is so named because that is the station where Mr. & Mrs. Brown found the scruffy little bear.
He had a tag around his neck reading "PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS BEAR", a duffle coat, and a small suitcase.

Michael Bond based Paddington on a teddy bear that he bought for his wife for Christmas one year. He remembered trainloads of children evacuees leaving London during the war with labels around their necks and their small suitcases, and thus did the same for Paddington. It's astonishing to think about sending your small child off with just a tag for ID and a train fare, and praying for their safe arrival in Devon, or Cornwall, where many of the evacuees went. But with London being bombed, what other option did their parents have? As a parent, I'm so thankful that we don't have to make those kinds of choices today.

We love reading about Paddington's misadventures at our house. He tries so hard to get things right, but invariably things go awry. Kind of like someone else I know...

Michael 10 Months

Michael is 10 months old! It is hard to believe in just two short months (uh, a month and a half. I'm a little late with this post) my baby won't really be a little baby any longer.

He still isn't properly crawling, but he can get around reasonably well on his bottom and by scooting. I'm ready for him to crawl, although I'll probably be eating my words on that. We have 3 flights of stairs in our house, with 52 stairs. LOTS of potential for accidents! His top two teeth have cut through the gums, so they will soon be making their appearance into his smile. He has finally mastered the use of the sippy cup, which is great because he has never taken a bottle (though not for lack of trying!). He eats everything, and mostly just eats whatever we do for our meals. I'm not a big fan of baby food, as I find it very tedious. His still Clingy McClingerson, and only wants Mom whenever I'm in sight. He has gotten really good at grabbing onto my shirt or hair if he senses that I'm going to hand him off to Danny, or, God Forbid, put him down on the floor.

I don't know if you can tell in these pictures, but his hair is pretty light for a Saeva. Lucky for him, this isn't a deal breaker and he can stay in the family. His hair is pretty long, which is funny because Kate hardly had any until she turned two.



Michael does his best George Kostanza pose.



Kate wanted her picture taken too. Michael looks oh so happy to have his sister's arms wrapped tightly around his neck!

Oxford

While my parents were here, we took a trip to Oxford to try to absorb some intelligence via Osmosis.
This is the hall where they ate dinner in Harry Potter:








Here, Michael demonstrates his excellent toe-touch. We think he has a very bright future as a cheerleader.


This is the courtyard that Lewis Carroll, who was a mathmetician at the University, looked out over as he wrote "Alice in Wonderland". Alice was the real daughter of a fellow professor at Oxford that he knew.

Back to the Daily Grind...

I'm sure that you all have been hitting refresh constantly on your computer to see if our blog has been updated. Perhaps you had grand illusions that we were off on a luxurious yahcht in St. Tropez, sitting on an island off the coast of Capri, or secluded in a mountain cabin in Bavaria. Sorry to disappoint, but we've been here in dreary (although not-so dreary sometimes) London the whole time.

My parents have been here for the last three weeks, and we've been busy playing tour guide and trying to take advantage of the free babysitting.

I've lots of updates & pictures to add, so check back soon!

Kate and the world's largest artichoke at Borough Market last week.