a nice break

I really hope we still have readers despite my long absence from the blog world! I mean, I know that our family will still be checking, but I have heard that many of Uncle Stephen's friends and friends of friends are also readers, so I hope I haven't lost all the non-comment-posters who have bumped the hit number up over 400 in less than 3 weeks. (That's the little lion counter on the right hand side at the bottom, for those of you who hadn't noticed it before now.)

As Jack's Grammy (or is it Granny now?) so accurately pointed out, pictures and video of Jack are the main draw, so I've included a glut of pictures to try to make up for the lack of recent posts. But hopefully a few of you still read through my rants and philosophical musings about the minutiae of mommydom, though I don't expect to get many responses like Godmother Melanie's considered reaction to my breastfeeding diatribe (thank you, thank you, thank you!).

A catch-up list of some of the great things that happened while my parents (Nonna and Pops) were here last week, in no particular order:

1) I had an afternoon out completely to myself. Until then I literally had not been completely alone (as in not at least in the same house with Jack or Ben or some other family member) since Jack was born. Seriously. That needed to change. I got a first-class haircut, complete with champagne and head massage, at Trevor Sorbie's original salon. After that I was at a loss for things to do, so I went to a cafe and got out my notebook to make lists planning for Christmas. Fairly pathetic way to spend an afternoon, but it was nice to get out and know I can handle being alone again.

2) Mom and Dad and Jack and I spent lots of time at home, getting Jack into a better nap time and sleeping routine. Even though he had been sleeping enough during the day, his nap times and bedtimes were somewhat unstable, so we set some more definite parameters. More importantly, we started developing a longer, more consistent bedtime routine

3) We had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, every night's dinner was terrific, especially when Dad made lasagna (the picture of Jack eating is of him having some pureed lasagna, which he loved!). But Thanksgiving was incredible. Mom made everything--turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, Ben's favorite sweet potato casserole, a creme brulee cheesecake ball, and pumpkin and pecan pies with homemade almond whipped cream. And Ben was able to come home by 6 to eat with us!

4) We took Jack to see Santa (Father Christmas, as Mom kept reminding us). Jack was fascinated by his beard, and I think we may have gotten one of our pictures for our Christmas cards.

5) Ben and I went on a date. First we went to a fabulous Thanksgiving party thrown by our friend Marty. We expected to only stay an hour or so, but we were having such a blast that we were there for almost three hours. On the way home we stopped and had drinks at a posh hotel bar across the street from our flat. We decided that would be an ideal place to go the first time we try a non-family babysitter, and determined we should go on a date at least once a month in the future.

6) We took Jack on lots of nice walks, including one that went by a petting zoo at Coram's Fields. Jack was a little too tired to completely enjoy the sheep, but we took pictures anyway.

7) Jack and Kaia had a playdate that we videotaped. They play together so often that it doesn't seem like much of an event, so it turns out that I have fewer pictures of Jack with Kaia than with many of his other friends. So it was nice to have a grandparent audience who recognized the importance of recording even the most common of occurrences.

In taking Nonna and Pops to the airport, we were able to extend the time before saying goodbye while at the same time scouting out the route and checking how long it takes to get there. We've never flown out of Gatwick before, but Continental has direct flights to Houston (where Grammy and Granddad live now), so we're going through there at Christmas. It means we'll have a 10 1/2 hour flight, but at least it will be direct. Only 23 days to go!

Most importantly, though, aside from allowing me to get sleep and get a break, Mom and Dad validated the feelings I've been having lately by saying that what I'm doing really does seem hard. Not just because I don't have a nanny or babysitter or because Ben has to work 90 hour weeks, meaning that I don't get to talk with him and he doesn't get to help with many of the day to day baby care things during the week. But also that living in the middle of London adds a layer of complication. I can't just put Jack in the car seat and head off to a grocery store 5 minutes away; I have to clear out the Bugaboo to make room for groceries, load Jack in, walk a mile and a half to the nearest real grocery store (not just the ones that are the size of small convenience stores), and walk back with all the bags hanging from the stroller. Going shopping for basic things like light bulbs and picture frames on Oxford Street (which I'm not doing again until at least January, since Christmas threw up all over it, making the sidewalks even more enraging than normal) requires at least 30 minute journey each way. Those reassurances--that I'm a good mother and that I do have it a little tougher than I would have if I lived back in the US--made me feel infinitely better.