The Warm Up

I am excited to announce that we have named our upcoming journey 'The Warm Up'. We are staying positive and presuming that travelling for 10 weeks with a baby and a three year old will only inspire us to go on a longer more adventurous trip in the future!

This is slightly to disguise the fear I have developed of not knowing how to cope with the following issues:
A) how to keep a baby cool outside, when it is not cool outside
B) how to go anywhere without a double pushchair and a 3 year old that is allergic to walking
C) children waking up at 6am, here or away this is an earthly hour
D) what to talk to my husband about when there are no household chores, internet surfing or other jobs to do in the evenings. (Perhaps this is what I'll talk to him about!)

So Team Geek is off to see what it's like to have two parents constantly on hand and to learn a little more about the world. The basic intinery is as follows:

Week 1) New York
Week 2+3) New England (upstate New York, Vermont & Boston)
Week 4+5) Aruba
Week 6) Florida
Week 7+8) Mexico
Week 9) Minnesota
Week 10) New York

Is this a stupid idea with two small children? Possibly, but at least we will find out. My integrity to my future self will be intact. I don't want to regret not having done it, and if it goes well we can go again (preferably to Thaliand, Vietnam the carribean , new zeland in a camper van and pacific islands) and if it doesn't work, at least when people ask we will be able to tell them a lot of stories which might be comical then, but will be enough to reason with ourselves not to go again.

Christening Cookie

It's taken me oh-so-long to really accept that Cookie is not Starbucks. Or more concisely, that I don't have a clue how to look after a baby, I only know how to look after my baby, Starbucks. Cookie is a whole different person, and despite her being my second baby there have been more times than I can count when I've been completely at a loss as to how to stop her crying. In public. On two occasions other mothers have taken her from me to try and settle her.

It's been a much harder journey than I envisaged with Cookie. I thought two babies might mean double the work, less time to myself and a much messier house. But these were the least of my worries. Two babies means letting go of that cherished relationship with your first born. It means never feeling adequate when there is no solution to impossible situations, it means not being a 'perfect' mother to either child, it means betraying the intimate relationship you built up when you have to stand up for the gooseberry that turns up and cries interrupting private moments - even though you feel the intrusion too.

And although I feel like I've finally accepted this and found a way through it, i doubt i have. I have managed to scrounge moments with both my daughters without the other around. during nap time, after bedtime, or whilst Xss is looking after somebody. But i am yet to work out a harmonious way for us all to be perfectly content as a three for long.

But the relationship between the siblings is crazy to witness. There is such strong love between the girls already. They have moments together that could not have been created by a friend or parent, only a sibling. They are a pair.

I do love Cookie. Sometimes i struggle to like her, but i certainly love her. I love that she smells like a wet dog when she is dribbling (MY wet dog), that she has the most brilliant smile. She smells like partially baked cookies when gently warmed. She has a can do attitude, life is so exciting to her so she never wants to sleep, she is certainly her own person, and often thinks that she is funny. So we had a Christening to celebrate the gift that she is to us. Thank God for Cookie!

Starbucks: I've certainly changed a little lately. This dress is positively almost pink!!

Ok. So taking photos whilst taking part in the Christening sort of detracts from the moment, so these are post Christening in our garden.

Every time when i am just about to shout to Starbucks to stop, i catch Cookie smiling. Here she is enjoying being abused in her homemade cape

 Whats the word for this expression on Starbucks' face?

 I made the cape very pointy. I love it. no half measures here.

Trying to find out whats going on where she is not...

 She's off

Meeting a blogger!

I met a REAL blogger today. yep a real one. One who makes money from her words, and uses the acronym RTW (Round The World , i presume). As we plan our small trip this summer to see if travelling and our girls are compatible we have offered our flat to her and her family. It was sort of a housesitting deal, but with nothing to sit. No pets, good security, nothing even worth stealing. But empty houses make no sense, like ornamental mugs, or single use white boards. So we offered it to them and they will stay and use our space when we are not. i feel good about doing this, as it just feels right, pay it forward and all that. We got free accommodation and car hire in Australia once. (Thanks Lynn Cummings wherever you are now!).

I met her for an hour and she was great. The highlight was hearing how late in life she started all these adventures, there's still plenty of time left for me to be more bold, even with two kids. But of those 60 minutes i cant help but wonder what she learnt about me, and what she will absorb about me by living in my house surrounded by all my things. Will she come to know us well?

So the plans are coming along, i am now looking for accommodation in New England but i cant quite find what i want. What i really want is a tree house in a forest, with running water and a nearby small town..... i found a yurt with the owners house near by for water- not quite the same thing.

Must get back to planning.

Happy Birthday Starbucks!!!

Starbucks is 3. I am a little sad. She was a genius for a two year old, at least for the last few weeks. Now she is a distinctly average 3 year old. Soon she will be 5 and at school and those kinds of children seem pretty boring to me. No offence if you are 5 and managing to read this.

 Trouser wearing is optional in our home....

 So is t-shirts (this theme has prompted a 'you must wear pants at the dinner table' rule)

 monkeying around

 Sitting as close to her birthday bike as possible throughout breakfast

 Enjoying her birthday song. Mr Tumble inspired cake

It even had spots inside. Get In, This is one way i can show my kids i love them!