Kernovich Abroad: Another Week in Hampstead

There isn't much new to report over here. The snow is starting to melt here and it is supposed to be 50 degrees next week! I feel for our friends and family back in Chicago and Michigan enduring those frigid temperatures. Stay warm over there! I hope it warms up for them soon. Our big boy is growing up more every day and now that he is walking the pace of growing up seems to be going at lightening speed. Today he walked up to our front door all by himself, walked in when I opened it, walked right over to the steps and crawled up the first 3 all by himself to our flat. He paused as if to say, "Come on Mom!" while I stood at the front door shocked at how big he looked. With growing up also requires a bit of discipline. I did write down a few rules today that require discipline after I grew tired of spending all day getting my hair pulled (that gets a firm NO! and separation from the hair pulling victim) and picking up the sippy cup after it is dropped about 50 times a day (offenses to this just include him going thirsty until the end of the meal when he can get the sippy cup back). This way JJ and I and the babysitter can all have a consistent response. Wow I feel like the real parenting is just beginning...

Earlier this week we went to music class again and then I ventured to the Leisure Center to take him to an open swim for babies. That was interesting. I never really thought about how difficult it is to change a toddler and yourself from a wet bathing suit into dry clothes in a public locker room. I had a heck of a time doing that for the first time. I'm open to suggestions from friends about how to make that process a little easier :) I think we will start swim classes next month so I hope to learn some tricks.

We are still trying to figure out life here and I think we will be continuously learning. It was funny when we came back from the holidays in the US it took a couple weeks to remember to insert my credit card into the chip and pin reader instead of hand it to the cashier, to use the word buggy/pushchair instead of stroller (got a long blank stare from one of the babysitters I interviewed when I said something about the stroller), and to figure out all the crazy names for household items around here. Here is an example of the differences in words. I needed to buy dishwashing soap since ours we brought from the US was running low. I do all my shopping online so I searched "dish soap" and got nothing. I searched soap and only got soap to shower with. I searched dishwasher and only got dishwasher detergent. What the heck? So then I remembered that at corporate housing we had dish soap with the brand name Fairy. So I searched Fairy and got a million kinds of dish soap. Although they call it washing up liquid. Weird. As for British-isms, my favorite new word is suitable. The Brits love it and I find myself using it all the time!

The weekend should be exciting - we have a date night on Friday! Our babysitter Allison is coming over and JJ and I are going out on the town! How exciting. This date we will probably just stay local but we are each planning a big London night out date to see some new areas and really get to know this fine city. Then of course Tyler's birthday is Monday so we are going to celebrate Sunday so that JJ can be there for cake eating, etc. We have a booking for "Sunday Roast" at the Freemasons Arms Pub at noon on Sunday (don't I sound British!) and then will come back for hopefully some virtual birthday chats with our friends and family. We will also be thinking about Colin Graber who was born just one day before Tyler and his big birthday party Sunday (wish we could be there!). It is really surreal to me that a year has already passed. The year has flown by yet it's hard to remember our life without Big T. What a blessing :)

I don't have too many interesting pictures to share this week so here are some from around the house of Tyler.