35 wishes

This is a special post for my sister. I put it on her birthday blog, but had some trouble with the formatting, so here is a better version. Enjoy!

***

Dear Big Al,

It's Feb 22, 2013. Seven years have passed since my first birthday blog for you.

SEVEN YEARS.

It's a big birthday for you. You were still in your twenties when I started this blog. You're halfway through your thirties now. Wow!

You were married when I started this blog. Now you have an MBA. And a condo. And a new job. AND A SON.

Seven years doesn't feel like much when you reach adulthood. Work takes over, and one year melts into the next. Age differences don't matter much. You still drive the same car and listen (mostly) to the same music.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

And yet, so much has changed. Seven years ago, iPhones didn't exist. Neither did iPads. We weren't on Facebook (was anyone over the age of 18?) and we didn't follow anyone on Twitter. We didn't read e-books, and Kindle was a verb, not a product. Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs were still alive. No black man had ever been President of the United States. Amazing that these things are all normal now.

So, how should we celebrate your 35th birthday?

We could sip cocktails on a warm tropical island...

We could eat dim sum in Hong Kong...

We could have mezze for lunch in Istanbul...

When P and K are bigger, we will take them to Legoland and Harry Potter World (because we're still kids at heart, too).

But what I would really like to do is offer you 35 wishes.

1. I wish you a happy birthday

2. I wish you many happy returns

3. I wish you cake. And wine.

4. I wish you long-lasting health

5. I wish you laughter

6. I wish you never go grey

7. I wish the Giants win the World Series every year

8. I wish you gourmet meals

9. And I wish you the occasional junk food indulgence

10. I wish you win the lottery

11. But I wish you don't let the money go to your head

12. I wish you a large house with a garden and a garage and a swimming pool

13. And a guest room for your sister and her family

14. I wish you exciting travels

15. I wish you beautiful sunrises and clear, moonlit nights

16. I wish you peace and calm

17. I wish you continued curiosity and accumulated wisdom

18. I wish your wildest dreams come true (vote for Pedro!)

19. I wish you music and your own personal soundtrack

20. I wish you always experience kindness and never experience pain

21. I wish you long hours of uninterrupted sleep

22. I wish you lovely new clothes

23. And a closetful of new shoes

24. I wish you flowers and chocolate

25. I wish you success by whatever measure you choose

26. I wish you joy

27. I wish you all good things

28. I wish you adventures

29. I wish you will always know how loved you are

30. I wish you donuts

31. I wish you fun

32. I wish you never have to sit through a film as dreadful as Sex and the City 2

33. I wish you cool cars and amazing gadgets (iPhone 5!)

34. I wish I hadn't tried to think of 35 wishes

But most of all...

35. I wish you lived closer so that I could give you a big hug

I'm looking forward to spending time with you in France this summer. C'est dommage que j'ai oublié tout mon français... It was fun having a secret language when we were younger.

I hope you have a great birthday. I'm sad that I can't be in sunny California to celebrate with you, but at least we have the webcam to share smiles and a little peek into each other's lives. Talk soon!

Love from your big sis

Forty.

I had a lovely birthday. I woke up to the sound of Junior clapping his hands on the monitor, and he continued to be in a good mood all day.






The weather was mild, so we went to Wandle Park.

















We continued our house hunt; talked to family on the webcam; ate Japanese curry for dinner. To the outside observer it might sound like any other day, but it's true that the simple pleasures are the best. I got to spend the day laughing with my two favo(u)rite men, and forty feels pretty good so far.

Happy 1st Birthday!

december



january



february



march



april



may



june



july



august



september



october



november



december


Happy birthday, Junior!

You have come so far in your first year. You're walking, clapping, waving, eating, chirping, laughing, pointing, chewing, drooling, bouncing, splashing, sleeping, and generally letting your likes and dislikes ('no, no, no!') be known. I'm so happy that I have been able to spend this year with you. Looking forward to watching you grow more as you enter your toddler phase. Enjoy your special day!

Love, Mum

Eleven Months

The past month was filled with firsts:

• Junior's first trip to California
• Junior starting at nursery as I returned to work
• Junior's first independent steps

Walking practice at the London Transport Museum



Shopping for leaves at the park




Walker, we don't need no stinkin' walker


Junior has been doing well so far at nursery. I took him for a few hours of 'settling in' the week before I returned to work, and he loved it. The first full day was perfect - no tears, he ate and slept, and he remembered me when I picked him up. The second day was not so good. He cried all day, and his teachers told me that his two top front teeth were coming in. I'm not convinced. He has been teething for months now, and they still have not emerged. The third day went better. I think he is adjusting to the new routine; enduring a growth spurt while mastering the art of walking; and catching a bad cold all at the same time (in fact, he developed a fever over the weekend). It's a lot for a little person.


For my part, returning to work was at once strange and familiar. Nothing has changed, yet everything is different. Predictably, they had no desk, laptop, or mobile ready for me so I spent three days hanging around and using other people's computers when possible. My role is still being defined. Right now it is a relief not to have too much pressure or responsibility, but I suspect that will change as my project develops and they get more dependent on me again. I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Junior in California

After six months of planning, we took Junior across the pond for his first visit to California. Despite our fears, he was a perfect traveller on the ten-hour plane ride to San Francisco.





We reserved seats with a bassinet (which gave S extra leg room - bonus!), and lucked out to have an empty seat next to ours, so the flight was as good as we could have ever wished. Junior slept for the first half, and kept himself busy by playing on the floor and walking in the aisles with us for the second half. By the time we landed, the passengers around us were praising him for being such a good boy, and giving us credit for being great parents. Yeah, we're pretty awesome.


As soon as we arrived at my parents' house, Junior made himself at home.





We were reunited with my sister, brother-in-law, and 17.5 month old nephew. Watching Junior and his cousin over the course of our trip was fascinating: they both have distinct personalities and are quite different from one another. Despite P being older, Junior was more bold (dare I say aggressive?) and by the end of the trip, P had mastered the word, "no!" Funnily enough, Junior started mimicking P shaking his head "no", and defiantly ignored P's admonishments to leave his things (toys, sandwiches, snacks) alone. Thoughtful P couldn't help himself, though: he kept offering (showing?) Junior his things and expecting him to respect his treasures. I hope Junior's greedy phase recedes over time... P was a bit overwhelmed.



Wait a sec, I was playing with that one...


Although the boys had a few minor skirmishes, they played nicely together for the most part. And we had a great time entertaining them.


We went on the merry-go-round and steam train in Tilden Park.








We played at Totland and Thousand Oaks Park.











We spent an afternoon at the Oakland Zoo.














We met one of my high school friends and her son - who is six days younger than Junior - at the Discovery Museum and the boys had the time of their lives exploring and splashing together.














We snuck into P's swimming lesson.








We visited my best friend's family. Junior enjoyed playing with her son, who is a few weeks younger than P. They even invented a secret handshake under the table.









The 2011 boys and big brother



In quiet moments, the boys read books with Grandma and Grandpa.








They played music and ran around at Studio Grow.











One of the highlights of the trip, though, was taking them to the Nicasio pumpkin patch.





P was kind enough to lend Junior his pumpkin outfit from last year, and although it was a tight fit, Junior roamed around in it for well over an hour. P wore a tiger outfit. They inspected some pumpkins and walked through the hay maze. Halloween is not as popular in the UK as it is in the USA, so it was a new experience for S as well. Read his impressions about it on his blog.













It was such good fun to have the boys together and to see my family in person (as opposed to on the webcam). Ten days passed quickly, and it was time to return to London. Junior was fussier on the flight home and suffered bad jet lag for a week, but it was worth it to see everyone. Now to plan our next adventure...


*Some photos by S and my sister