Day 3.127: Growing up (growing down)

E5N1 is in the process of saying goodbye to diapers (not nappies). He has been making good progress despite not being as ready and motivated as Exile #4 was when she went through the process as soon as we got to the US, nor as consistently treated as Exile #3 was when she went through it just before she turned two years old and her baby sister was born.

Anyway, here are some pictures of him looking fiercely independent during our walk yesterday.

Which just leaves me to explain the title. No punning today, but I will share the words to this piece of beat-poetry.  Well, this is how I hear it and it's at least as close as any other rendition I can find on the Internet.  I love the journey of the lyrics, the twists in each verse and the repeated structure. I particularly like the wine/water verse - many pregnancies have been discovered by sudden alcohol intake reduction, but I'd never have thought that offering or serving someone wine could be taken as an insult. Wake up to being a mother - and not a child.

The Blue Aeroplanes: Growing Up, Growing Down
(G. Langley / A. Bruschini)
©1992 Ensign Records
(Hopefully if they find it, they will consider this homage 'fair use', if not I will remove it!)

Wake up this morning to say goodnight again
Give me your sleeping hand
Shake up your clothes, mine
Say, "Coffee?"
Say, "A letter for you."
Say, "Rescue me!"
Have a heart child - we're on the adult bus in an hour and working.

There are worse things than words, you know
But you wouldn't believe it to hear some people talk.

Wake up, it's Christmas morning
All the parents are gone and the children aren't here yet
Say, "Have a drink," and
Say, "Open this one first!"
Say, "Duty calls!"
Have a heart child - wrapping it's the hard part.

Well, wake me up to go to sleep again
Wake up, there's been a hit-and-run
Broken glass everywhere
Say nothing, it's obvious what's going on here
Say, "This street's never been the same since Kennedy died!"
Have a heart child - you weren't even born.

So wake up and let me tell you
When are we gonna see the big bright tonight?
Say, "Now why would he give you the wine and me and water?"
Have a heart child - he thinks I'm driving.

Ah, wake up, wake up to the morning nausea
Wake up to death in life
Wake up to being a mother and not a child
Say, "If this is life give me breakdancing!"
Say, "If this is art give me television!"
Say child, do you think we should have a heart to heart?

Day 2.096: Let us out!

Yesterday E5N1 had a great time shutting himself in this little playhouse and then making out (maybe truthfully) that he couldn't open the door again. He is pressed up against the window partly in his desire to get out, but mostly because the house was not in use for play when we arrived but for storage - he only just had room to stand up in it. Interestingly, the article he chose to bring out after his first foray was a potty - maybe he's trying to tell us something.

Today has been a rainy day - the British weather trying to see us off without too many regrets perhaps - but we had a good time this morning swimming at the home of friends of my parents and the rest of the day the kids have played quite nicely while Exile #2 has been packing and I have been helping my Dad with some last minute IT issues.

Tomorrow will be a long day for us. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be written from home.

Day 2.048: 12 bits

0: The number of Magnatiles I contributed to this tower (even though Exile #2 assumed I'd made it - it was all Exile #4's work).
1: (am) The time I finally started to compose this post after clearing up from Rock Band night.
2: The number of days Exile #2 has been struggling with a migraine.
3: Words on Exile #
4: 's shirt
5: Letters in E5N1's latest greeting when I get home from work - 'Hi Dad!'
6: 's ...and...
7: 's - what Exile #2 said it must be raining when she emailed this weather warning to me today:

NOW...
SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE COME MORE NUMBERS ACROSS THE SCHOHARIE VALLEY...GREATER CAPITAL DISTRICT AND SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY THROUGH 1 PM. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL GENERALLY BE LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH.

8: Number of songs completed during Rock Band night before Exile #2 discovered a blocked and overflowing toilet (a different one!)
9: Nein!
10: People here this evening.
11: Reasons I shouldn't start this type of post at this time of night.

Day 1.308: No storm was threatening

...last Sunday - but if it had been this would have been the place to be.

It's got all the amenities a discerning hiker could want:

Even a library:

And a front door option:

Some people actually sleep in these as they walk the trails. Not exactly luxury, but I suppose it compares well with carrying a tent.

This one was in a beautiful spot with a small waterfall in view:


And a larger one out of sight below:



After our brief visit we got back on the ascent.


So it's pop pun 85 for title watchers: It's just a shot away.

And while I'm trying to get you in the quiz mood: anyone going to challenge my Dad in the name game?

Day 1.133: It's a wind-up

I was playing a game with the girls - we were all having fun. Exile #2 suddenly said from the kitchen, "Is [E5N1] with you?", "No...?" It had been suspiciously quiet for a while. Of course, he was in one of his favourite places - the downstairs 'bathroom'. He had already unwound a whole roll of 'bathroom tissue' and was now enjoying playing in the conveniently situated water-play area.

We normally keep the door closed - but not everyone is careful every time.

I remember Exile #3 and a friend unwinding a roll of toilet paper (we were in the UK then) and the subsequent jokes about exclusive hand-rolled paper. Actually rolling it up (even to this standard) is quite a tricky task and, if I was being paid the minimum wage to do it, would make this quite a valuable commodity. I think Exile #4 must have skipped this particular activity - one out of three is not too bad I suppose.

Day 153: A great relief (or two)

We just heard from Exile #2's parents that they are safely home, but only after an extraordinary journey including an unexpected visit to France. It's strange to think of all that travelling having taken place since this picture was taken yesterday.

Yesterday was also a momentous day for E5N1 as he managed to fill his diaper for the first time in ten days. I know it's not really a polite conversation topic, but TEN DAYS! His previous best was six. We shouldn't complain I know, although they are fairly momentous when they come, once a week or so is quite easy to deal with.

It was 'poop' all round yesterday in fact, thanks to one of the books that Exile #4 received for her birthday: The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business. A plethora of animals showing a mole with a turd on his head that it couldn't be theirs by delivering one of their own. A toilet-humour primer for pre-schoolers. Fantastic. It's just as well no-one accused her little brother - he'd be hard pushed (if you'll excuse the term) to demonstrate his innocence.

Day 49: Life's ups and downs

Up: Going out in the garden in the snow.
Down: Failing to make a snowman again.

Up: February ending with warm (relatively) dry sunny weather.
Down: March 1st bringing an ice-storm.

Up: Making it to our church homegroup meeting.
Down: Not really knowing where or how we fit in.

Up: Exile #4 being out of nappies.
Down: Several accidents after several perfect days.

Up: Exile #3 enjoying school
Down: Four different medications a day to try to sort her ears out

Up: Baby's imminent arrival
Down: What? We're having a baby??

Day 37: Life in a northern town

Matt from Mr Handyman came today to sort out some odd-jobs after being delayed two days in a row by the 'Shock and Awe' of Wednesday's weather (as Todd is calling it on the weather forecast this evening). Matt himself was of the opinion that 'the whole winter's snow had fallen on one day' - everyone seems to be interested in our reaction to it as foreigners, but when it comes down to it I don't think it was any more of a shock for us than for most of the locals.

Matt's task mostly involved the repairing of the 'drainers' in the sinks and one 'tub' (pictured). This one was of particular interest and satisfaction to him as he'd never taken one apart before and they're cool - and he'd never seen one working properly. We have now, as it kept the young Exiles' bath water in admirably this evening.

Exile #3 was back at school today. We knew the school was open by referring to the local school-closures lists that are on the internet and played in a constant loop on the bottom of the screen on the local channels. On Wednesday it seemed to take about ten minutes to list all the closures (basically every school in the area), this evening there is just one item listed on continuous display:
OUR LADY OF MT CARMEL CHURCH - No Bingo
Very important to some I don't doubt.

In the less-normal category: Exile #4 has had her second diaper-free day today and is very pleased with herself and Exile #3 announced her engagement to one of her classmates - and was extremely affronted when she thought (wrongly) that I was suggesting that her new-future-husband might actually marry one of the other girls in the class. Sounds serious, we'd better start saving.

"The evening had turned to rain..." (no there's not much chance of that at the moment - just pop pun #2 for the title watchers)

Day 30: Going potty

I was woken up at 6am this morning by Exile #4 standing by the side of my bed declaring "I've done a wee" A cursory look down showed what I was beginning to fear - no nappy (or should that be diaper?). Oh dear. Show me where. Visions of wet bed, puddle, carpet flash though my mind as we make our way to the bathroom where she points at the potty "I did a big wee!" So you did.

So it seems that she has decided it's potty-training time. It was all the more impressive because the potty only appeared in the bathroom (from it's moving box) after she had gone to bed last night. Well she did tell me she was going to learn to use the potty "as soon as it arrives". She wasn't kidding.

Most of the rest of the day was spent on my feet at a job-fair telling students and recent graduates what we do, why and where and when we might be interested in employing them. It was a pretty exhausting day. Exile #2 also had an exhausting day following up on Exile #4's potty-training. I think I'll stick with attending the job-fairs.