Day 109: Baby girls wanted

Today we donated these clothes to charity - they were mostly things that both Exile #3 and Exile #4 had worn, but we were reasonably sure that E5N1 would not be wearing. It was a slightly emotional moment disposing of clothes that both our baby girls have worn - but it is good to think that they will go to a good home.

Although new cultural experiences are not daily any more, there is still room for them in our lives. We took some empty paid-deposit bottles back to the supermarket today. The process is entirely automated and I was amazed by the technology applied to it. You place each bottle in turn into a machine which transports them in a little way where they are rotated through 360° in order to scan the bar-code after which they are either sucked into the innards of the machine and smashed (glass) or munched (plastic) or (if they are not the correct type of deposit-bottles) returned out accompanied by a polite message. When you have finished, the machine prints a receipt with your total credit for you to cash at the till. It seems a lot of trouble to go to to encourage recycling, but if it works I'm not knocking it.

E5N1 continues to be a very sleepy baby. He slept through the entire service at church today (not a reflection on the content!) and all the pre- and post-service attention he received. We still expect each day to be the one when he sleeps all day and then won't sleep at night, but it hasn't happened yet. When he is awake he seems very alert and interested in his surroundings though and he has a rather serious expression. Mind you, when his sisters are probably nearby wanting him to look at them or to give him cuddles or sometimes just prod him, he may have good reason to look slightly worried. At least he needn't worry any longer that laundry-desperation will drive us to putting him in a pink floral cardigan.