Chores

There have been several adjustments since moving to London. One in particular has been on my mind...

Grocery shopping is a burdensome job to do by myself in London. With no car, and having to take Maya with me, it poses quite the challenge to "stock up" as we were used to doing in the states.  Now, it's more of a daily inventory of what we need, what is going to be cooked for dinner all week, and what I have room to carry home in the back pack and under the stroller.

As if this is not inconvenient enough, the actual shopping experience is madness. I can't push a cart and the stroller around at the same time, so I end up carrying a little hand basket that, by the time I'm ready to check out, is cutting off circulation in my arm. The other fun part comes from dealing with people who are crammed into the tiny aisles with their shopping carts, rolling grocery carriers, and/or strollers (filled with screaming kids...Maya included). It reminds me of a game of Frogger. On top of that, any potential breathing room is occupied by display cases and the checkout lines (ask Brett about Christmas Eve).  After the long wait in the checkout line and the stress of bagging my own groceries before the worker starts ringing up the next shopper, we walk home, sometimes in the rain. Finding a place to put all of the groceries is another issue entirely. I never imagined grocery shopping would be such a time-consuming part of my life.

We end up going to the store at least 3 times a week (occasionally, dad is nice and stops on his way home for us). I guess the good thing is that it gets us out of the house and we always find creative ways to make it fun!

An adventure-yes...a chore-yes...easy-NO

Good reason for making the trek to the grocery store: a stop off at the park.

The One Year Old

Maya is one. Life is still the same.

We had a party. We ate cake. She had an ice cream cone on her shirt. I opened her presents while Dad video-taped and she played with wrapping paper. We sang to her, I blew out her candle (again while Dad video-taped) and she buried her face in frosting. It was a memorable day.

I have to brag about her cake. Searched online for days and tested a couple of recipes, until I found one, altered it a little, and tasted goodness. Milk, egg, soy and nut free, it came out moist, rich and yummy. I'm no cake decorator, but did my best, and thought it looked cute.

I'm slowly realizing the fact that we no longer have a baby...she is a little girl. Something changed my perspective of her the moment she turned one. I found myself flipping through old newborn photos and barely remembering what she was like back then. She appears older, she changes everyday and learns something everyday. She watches what we do, copies us, talks to us, sings to us, waves, does the actions for "patty cake" and "the itsy bitsy spider," gives kisses on command, says "bye bye" on command, starting to walk with her walker (which is a milestone, considering the amount of times she has ended up on the floor with it on top of her), points to the pictures and words in her book and does so many more things that remind me constantly of how fast she is growing and learning.

So we find ourselves in the middle of February with a one-year old. Spring time is around the corner, and the sun has been out this week. Too bad we've been sick, or we could have soaked up some much needed rays. Brett has been consumed with schoolwork. The vast, unknown future of possibilities and uncertainty is shrinking, and I know that we'll be done with this adventure before we know it. Best to soak up every moment, rain or sunshine...because soon, we will be on a new adventure with a two-year old.

birthday girl

This little girl is 1 today!

What? you say... When did that happen?

Even though she is under the weather, she is still mostly happy and crazy. We're spending the day watching cartoons, movies, wrestling, napping, eating, chasing, crawling, standing, clapping, singing, dancing...basically a Maya-style day...complete with presents, balloons, cupcakes and candles. Let the festivities begin!