Should It Stay Or Should It Go

Last night James came home with this for me.

I was pretty stunned, to say the least. The first thing I asked him was what had he done. And if he had cheated on me (to which he answered he didn't have time to, and I believe that to be true; plus he wouldn't have the energy).

I'm trying to decide whether or not to make him return it.

For Returning:

• I already have a nice digital camera (also Olympus, the myu450) - it's compact, fits in my handbag, takes nice pictures (3.4 megapixels)...although the shutter speed leaves a little to be desired.
• This new camera is a bit bulky (he actually bought the 'MEGA PACK' - which included an extra 40-150mm lens (a 17.5-45mm lens comes with the camera), 1GB memory card and a PHOTO PRINTER!) - it all fits into this really professional-looking camera bag; it's not really a 'holiday camera' - it would be a bit tough to schlep around while also schlepping around a toddler (and soon another baby), all the requisite baby accessories, my own holiday accessories...etc...
• I am bad enough about posting pictures I've taken on the current camera!
• I am not a professional photographer
• More accessories will eventually be needed (rechargeable battery, flash...)
• It was really expensive and we did want a holiday this summer

For Keeping:

• I loooove taking pictures and this would be the start of a more serious hobby
• James really wants me to keep it
• I love it

The dilemma.

A Spring In My Step

I think spring is here.

The days are longer (PLUS - the clocks changed last weekend). It's warmer this week than last week (anything to do with the time change? I don't know). I've stopped bundling up in my giant scarf that weighs about 10 lbs.

Last week I got to see 'Twitchy' waving at us on the ultrasound machine. It was quite exciting; my doctor and I waved back.

We keep pointing to my stomach and asking Kate, "What's in here?" and she answers, "Baaaaaby!" Just wait til she finally realises what that really means to her!

Now We're Really Being Had

Waaaay back in November 2004, G/S/N got into a little fender-bender with our car. Basically, she was crossing a roundabout and hit another car (of note is the fact that the other driver was speeding so while she did actually see the other car, it was so far away when she started to cross the roundabout that she judged it safe to cross). The damage: a scrape to the side of the other car and a dented bumper and loose license plate on ours. We ended up getting our car fixed privately and not filing a claim with insurance because the other driver never returned James’ phone call and we never heard from her again.

Until recently.

A couple of months ago (yes, in 2006!) we received a letter from our insurance company stating that a claim had been filed against us. WHAT?!? Apparently the other driver was claiming WHIPLASH over a year later! Now, a couple of months later, I could understand, but a year?!?! We, of course, expressed our surprise and indignation, and the insurance company sent an investigator round to get a statement. [I’m assuming that they are making sure this isn’t a fraudulent claim (which it so appears to me to be)] We arranged a time (yesterday evening), based on their statement that it should take about an hour with G/S/N and then a quick follow-up with James as the owner of record on the car.

The guy came over last night. While we were discussing his parking situation he let slip that it would take three hours (WHAT?!?). We couldn’t figure out what could possibly take three hours so took his comment with a grain of salt.

Unfortunately, he was right! He obviously knew himself well. It was the most excruciating three hours for G/S/N. I took care of Kate, gave her a bath, her milk, watched some TV with her and then put her to bed. When I went downstairs again, the guy was on something like page 8 of his HANDWRITTEN statement, and only getting to the point where G/S/N had called Emergency Services. Oh. My. God. I couldn't move or talk slower if I tried. I don’t know how G/S/N refrained from snatching the paper out of his hands and writing her statement herself. I kept looking at her and crossing my eyes, and it was all I could do to stop myself from dissolving into hysterical giggles.

Hopefully, though, the insurance company will expose that other driver as the fraudster she appears to be. I mean, really – her car was lightly scraped down the side, our car had a slightly damaged bumper and the license plate was hanging off, hardly the jarring front/back collision that I would associate with whiplash!

All Grown Up

Sniff.

Kate is no longer 'a baby' anymore (well, not even 'a toddler'). She's a LITTLE GIRL.

Looking back, I can see how it crept up on us. She's more into drawing, face-painting, dressing up, etc. She doesn't chew on things (except chocolate and cheese). She can be left to play alone for short periods of time (while keeping an ear out for the inevitable sneak to the larder for chocolate).

But the thing that really hit home for me was when I got home from work yesterday evening. She was upstairs taking a bath, heard me come in and started chirping, "MUMMY! MUMMY! MUMMY!"

To date, she has always called me "Mama" and James "Dada" - the cutest thing ever. So when I heard her say, "MUMMY!" I actually thought she was saying, "MONEY!" (which, though I haven't mentioned it here before, has become somewhat of a fixation for her. In fact, every time James comes home from work (or, rather, every time James has coins in his pocket - she has a sixth sense about this) she rushes to him, begging, "MONEY!" with a tiny little hand held out. I am of the belief she has about £100 stashed away in her mattress from these little 'donations')

But nooooo, when I went up to the bathroom to say hello, she continued with her, "MUMMY! MUMMY! MUMMY!" and I realised that my little baby is all grown up. This morning I told her that I actually preferred 'Mama' but she pursed her little lips and said, "Mummy" with a very firm voice, and I knew it was over.

James thought it was funny until she turned to him and said, "Daddy!"

I PROMISE I will post the pictures of her birthday before she has another one.

This Family Can't Keep Secrets

James is the worst secret-keeper in the world. When he knows something that you don't know, he HAS to tell you. You can totally read his face like an open book. It says, "I know something you don't! I know something you don't!" and then two seconds later you know what he knows. This hasn't been so useful for him when he's tried to surprise me in the past (like for anniversaries, etc). It's not so bad for me because I don't like surprises (well, I am such a bad liar I'm always worried that I'll be surprised with something I hate and it'll show all over my face!). Kate now seems to be following in his footsteps.

This morning James and Kate got to the kitchen before me, so they made Kate's breakfast together. Kate usually has toast, Special K, or Weetabix. But today, with Dada, she pointed to the Cheerios box (knowing full well that Cheerios are usually a snack, and that neither Mama nor G/S/N would give her Cheerios for breakfast (high sugar content and all that - hey, do as we say, not as we do!)). So Dada, being wound around his Daddy's Girl's pinky as he is, gave her the Cheerios. When G/S/N got there, she commented, "Oh, Cheerios for breakfast today!" (with a knowing look, I might add) Kate looks up at her and says, "Dada!" and resumes munching away. Busted!

Although I do have to say, when Kate wants to keep a secret she does try really hard. Especially when she is trying to convince Dada (of course) to give her chocolate. She drags him by the hand to the larder, opens the door, points to the chocolate then puts her finger over her lips and says, "Shhh!"

And, finally, I have a secret to tell! Number two is 9 weeks along!

I Think We're Being Had

Kate is learning her numbers and letters. Whenever I show her something to count (say, three coins, or four hairclips) she seems to be stuck on the one-two combination ("one, two, one!" or "one, two, one, two!"). But then I hear her chanting when she's wandered into another room....."one, two, three, po, pi, sic, sen, eight, nine, ten!"

The other day we were playing in the guest room and I tipped out all the letters from her letter puzzle (it's one of those wooden puzzles with pictures of things that start with the letters hidden underneath the letters). Last week she did really well, although she had a lot of help (i.e. me going, "look, it's 'C'! 'C' for CAT! and there's 'I'! 'I' for ICE!" and such). She was doing well the other day, too, but then lost interest after about 5 letters. I thought, oh well, we'll try again some other time. THEN, she wanted to play with her Fuzzy Felts, which are little felt bits that you put onto a mat to make funny faces. I told her that we had to clean up the letters before we tipped all the felt bits onto the floor because I didn't want a huge mess. She looked at me, sighed, and then within the space of two minutes put all of the letters back into their PROPER SLOTS! (while muttering to herself, "Monkey, Kite, Snake, Apple, Dog, Frog....")

One of these days I'll post the birthday pictures.

Hot and Cold

I know it's been a while since I posted, but what with our holiday and then Kate's birthday I have been a bit inundated.

We had a lovely trip to Bangkok the first two weeks of February. Kate got to meet all her relatives (and I mean ALL million of them!). She formed a particular attachment to my cousin with whom we stayed. I'd come down the stairs in the morning and find them squished together on the sofa watching Pooh. For a single man about town, he was remarkably smitten by this two year old!

She also made great friends with her second cousin.

The first week we were in Phuket, soaking up some rays. Kate got to swim every day, and once she overcame her fear of getting her feet dirty she enjoyed playing in the sand. What a hoo-ha before that though! She kept wailing, "Dirty! Dirty!" and then we had to wash her feet off in the ocean!
View from our spot on the beach.

Bangkok was sweltering to say the least. Air conditioning was our friend. But I much prefer sweltering to bloody cold, which is what it was like before we left Jolly Olde Englande and what we came back to!

At the Temple of the Emerald Buddha...

I have a bottomless pit for a daughter; well, in relation to anything sweet! Here we are giving her some chocolate ("Cho cho!" to Kate - always said with as cute a face as she can muster). Note the look of anticipation.

Notice Kate has her ice cream but is still trying to wheedle some of Daddy's frozen fruit thing.