Baby Steps
The last week has been full of some wonderful things! I definitely feel a lot more optimistic than I did a few weeks ago, and we’ve decided to celebrate little things to make every day special and happy. (Really it’s an excuse to eat too much chocolate, but when in England…)
Last Sunday, we had a lovely day at church. It was our first time going back since Alice was born, and I am patting myself on the back for getting us all dressed and ready to go on time! We had a new bishopric put in, and our friend Martin Ward was called as bishop! We are so excited for him and for their family! Paul taught Elder’s Quorum and did a great job-though he would never tell you that. We tried to take the bus home, but two busses came and went with no room for a stroller. I almost started crying-what if we never got home?? Luckily, Paul was with me and we went back to the church to see if anyone could give us a ride. We found a nice brother from the ward with room for all of us, so we made it back just in time to feed Alice.
Because we had already bought a bus pass for the day, I thought it would be fun to go into Birmingham to wander around and look at Christmas lights! Paul wanted to show me where he takes the bus/walks to school, so we bundled up the kiddies and made the journey downtown. It was SO fun! The streets were almost empty, and we got to see some Christmas displays in store windows. There is a large German market that sets up in downtown Birmingham for Christmas each year, so we went looking around where they’ve begun setting up. It was fun to hear the workers speaking German to each other, and we loved the lights that are already up! I can’t wait to go back when it’s all up and running.
After Sunday evening’s success, I thought I’d go visit my friend, Erin on Monday to take the girls to the park and make chocolate chip cookies and have some “Americans in the UK bonding time”. I planned out the whole journey and figured out where to go, but when I got off the bus to change busses, I knew something was weird. The number 1 bus was supposed to come get us in 10 minutes, but the stop had no sign for the 1. A few minutes later a number 1 came by, but it said it was headed toward a different destination, so I didn’t get on. I called my friend to see what I should do, and she said I should just get on the next number 1. After twenty more minutes waiting in the cold, a 1 came, but it didn’t stop even though I flagged it down! I was so upset. I didn’t really know where I was or where I was going, Rachel was getting bored and hungry, and I couldn’t do twenty more minutes… I called my friend to say we’d have to reschedule-dang it. Then I tried to figure out how to get home, but my phone decided to stop working. Awesome. I tried to call Paul to see if he could help me figure out where to go, but he was in class and couldn’t respond. In a panic, I started crying, because that always helps... Eventually, I made it across the busy road and down a block to a bus stop. I remembered Paul saying three busses all go by our house, but I couldn’t remember if that included the 126. I decided to jump on so we’d be warmer and headed in the right general direction, and I’d figure it out from there. After a few minutes, I realized we were NOT on the right bus, and we would not be going by our house. I wasn’t quite sure what bus to switch to or where to get off, so I just picked a random stop, got my little ones off the bus and started walking. Rachel picked this moment to quit walking, so I carried her for a bit, then switched and carried Muffin (Alice) the rest of the 1.5 miles home. There was my exercise for the week, and I got my fill of leaving the house, so I was perfectly content to stay in all week long. HA! Blessings in disguise!
(We did make it to the store and park on Wednesday, courtesy of Carol. And we went to playgroup and the post office on Thursday, courtesy of Leah. No more busses for this mama.)
Friday night, Carol picked us up and drove us to her home in Loughborough where we spent the night-all 4 Cartwrights in the same room! It was a miracle, but we actually slept! The next day, we all loaded into the cars and drove to Warwick Castle! What a treat! I had visited the castle seven years ago with my Mom, but it was so fun to see again and share with my little family. We even recreated a “mommy-daughter” picture in the stocks! Paul has never been out of the US before, so obviously this was his first castle, and he LOVED it! We climbed the big towers to see the gorgeous views, and we had fun seeing a bird show on the lawn. The girls were so happy and well-behaved, and we had plenty of help from Becca and Jacob Beasley. I hardly had to carry anyone or anything all day! One fun bit-Alice was hungry and letting everyone know it, but we couldn’t seem to find a good place to nurse. So we sat on some random side stairs of the main castle area. This baby was born in England and fed on the steps of Warwick Castle-a true Brit right there.
We spent the rest of Saturday evening catching up on Downton Abbey, eating chocolate, and having a great time! They convinced us to try “Mince Pies” which actually don’t have mince in them. (And for all you folks at home, “mince” is meat over here-like ground beef.) The pies weren’t half bad! I thought I might gag, but I actually liked them. Don’t count on them becoming a Cartwright tradition though.
Saturday night was not as restful, but we somehow made it to church. The Loughborough ward was wonderful, and I especially enjoyed the talks on parenting and prayer. I definitely needed those messages. It’s important for me to remember that housework and my own fun comes after LOVING and teaching those little ones. There’s always more love to give, and I’m always amazed at how much love I feel from them when I take time to really love them.
Sunday evening, we had “dropped TRIFLE” (among other delicious things). We LOVED it! I think it’s my new favorite thing about England. The key is to drop it on the ground (in the container) while getting it out of the fridge, right Carol? In all seriousness, we loved it. And we loved the Marshamallow Mateys and other American cereals they collected for us. What a great weekend!
Monday, I had an appointment at 11:30 to register Alice’s birth and get her birth certificate. The bus sent me to the same terrifying stop as last week, but this time, I would be using the double stroller-no carrying little ones. And I would be walking a few blocks from the stop to the Register Office. Rachel and I prayed hard before we left that we would find it and we would all be safe and happy… and it worked! We had the best time! We got to our appointment on time with all the right documents, got the birth certificates, and then felt so good, we decided to take a walk down by the canals! It was a windy day, but Alice was asleep, and Rachel and I loved feeding the ducks and seeing the different shops and things. We even made it home before Alice woke up to feed! High five to me!
Other things to celebrate:
-I fit into my pre-pregnancy pants at 7 days post partum! Still have a nice little belly bump, but I’ve got my jeans on. Boom!
-Rachel knows how to help Alice keep her dummy in! (pacifier)
-Carol brought hand-me-downs for Alice and for Rachel! We have clothes! Yay for my children not going naked… well, most of the time.
-2.5 weeks left of school! Paul will be sending an update shortly…
-We have accepted an invitation from Pete and Alex Johns to come stay with them for Christmas and New Years! So, we will be traveling to the island of Jersey-off the coast of France-for a few weeks! And looking forward to it is so much fun!
Muffin:
-Alice has had a lot of “wind” or “gas” (depending on what continent you’re from) which makes for some long frustrating nights, but she’s still as sweet as ever.
-She has completely outgrown her newborn clothes and snow suit. With all that hair, she looks like she’s 3 months old instead of 3 weeks!
-Alice is really good at sleeping while we are out and about. The only time she ever wakes up and cries is when she’s hungry or needs a nappy (diaper) change. Yay for an easy baby!
Bean:
-Rachel has shown lots of interest in potty training, and I thought I would start this week, but I can’t. I wish I could, but I’m not sure I am ready for this. And I think Rachel has had enough change in her life recently… we can wait a few weeks for things to get properly settled.
-Rachel knows Daddy is “at school” every day, so we decided to have our own school at home. So far we’ve learned about colors, the weather, dancing, Jesus, and the prophet.
-At dinner last night, Paul and I realized Rachel was facing the back of her high chair with her head down making some crying noises. When we asked her what was wrong, she turned around with a big SMILE on her face and said “I’m sad!” I don’t know where she gets the “acting” bug… oh boy.
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