Toy of 1,000 Laughs

I shot this video on our trip. We bought this toy in one of the street markets they have there and Isabella was going crazy laughing at it. What we managed to capture was her winding down, but it still makes me laugh anyway.

Zagreb

going to the museum of Naive Art

enjoying a fountain à la Michael Jackson

one of the many lovely parks

enjoying breakfast

We’re back from our jaunt to Croatia. We had a very nice and relaxing time. Traveling alone on the plane with Isabella proved to be easy and even pleasant. We stayed in a nice hotel connected with Pedro’s work and I even got a much needed massage out of the deal. Isabella and I spent the first two days on our own, wandering around, playing in the botanical garden of Zagreb, and just living life slowly in the warm weather. In fact, the whole trip was a nice change from our old break-neck ways of trying too see everything. In truth, there aren’t very many must-see sights in Zagreb, as all the main attractions are on the coast. We weren’t really sure what to expect from Croatia since the war – I thought it might be a bit seedy, as I’ve heard much of the Balkans are…it was slightly seedy, but the fact that the city has so many parks and green spaces made up for that.

Llegamos de nuestro viaje a Croacia. Lo disfrutamos mucho y tuvimos un tiempo tranquilo. Viajando sola con Isabella en el avión fue fácil y agradable. Quedamos en un hotel conectado con el trabajo de Pedro y yo pude tener un masaje bueno. Isabella y yo pasamos los primeros días paseando, jugando en el parque botanical de la ciudad, viviendo la vida lentamente y disfrutando el tiempo caliente con gusto. En realidad, el viaje entero era un cambio bueno de nuestro costumbre de tener que ver todo rápidamente. La verdad es que no hay muchos citios famosos en Zagreb, ésos estan en la costa. No sabíamos como será Croacia despues de la guerra – oímos que es típico balcanico, con partes viejos y malos – pero como hay muchas parques bonitos y muchos espacios verdes con fuentes estuvo mejor.

Green Mums Article

I finally was able to find the article on "Green Mums" that the Peterborough Evening Telegraph published in early July. You can find it by clicking here. Note that Hannah Gray, the interviewer, Anglicized some of the things I said; some of my Americanisms must have thrown her...

Isabella: In her own words

6 months old!!!

blueberry super food stains super badly

There are quite a few new things happening with us this week. First, I got a new job which I will be starting at the end of the year. I have just enough time to accustom myself to the idea of working full time and getting childcare in line. The good news about day care is that the facility is only a few minutes from where I'll be working and I can visit Isabella on my lunch break, which will make breastfeeding easier to keep up, not to mention mitigate my separation anxiety. The bad news is that we're on a waiting list to get in, and it could take several months.

she doesn't stay put under here for long

Second, we got our tickets to travel back to the States for two weeks in September. It's been two years since I've been "home" and I am hoping that I can squeeze in visits with as many people as possible. We leave on the 7th - mark your calendars!

still getting the hang of solids - mastered: apple and banana

Third, Pedro is traveling for work again this week and if we can get someone to watch the dogs, Isabella and I will spend a few days in Croatia on Pedro's tail. This will be my first test of traveling alone on a plane with Isabella. Tips and advice on this are most welcome.

Perhaps the biggest news of all is that Isabella is now 6 months old. It's unbelievable to me. There was a woman with a 3 week old at my postnatal class this week, and I kept staring at that tiny baby, unsure of whether Isabella was actually ever that small. So I came home and watched some home videos of her first days, and sure enough - she was. It's amazing that so much growth happens in such a short span of time - we're already needing to start childproofing certain areas. Well, I have to cut off here - Isabella has rolled across the room and is pooping for the first time in two days. You have no idea how happy this makes me!