Two Years In America.

It's pretty bonkers to think that I've been in the US for two whole years. The time has felt so full that it's flown by, even when the days and weeks have sometimes felt very long.

This last year has obviously been full of baby things but in terms of being here, in a different country, it's been about routine and feeling settled. The newness has gone, leaving behind a comfortable familiarity. I don't struggle with remembering which way to look as I cross the road or saying dates as month/day/year. More often than not, people don't comment on my accent either, which happened a lot during the first year. I feel like I'm sinking into the culture, that I don't stand out so much, which is much nicer than I thought it would be.

While I do feel like I'm making a home here, with S and V and the pup, I also find myself thinking about Home a lot, as in being back in England. It's been two years since I last saw my family and that's hard, especially as we're a pretty close bunch. I hope that one day we'll be heading back that way, until then I'll be enjoying everything America has to offer!

So here's to a successful two years, full of adventures. I'm looking forward to what this third year brings - I'm hoping for a nice place to live (as we're moving when our lease is up!), quality family time and lots of happy moments!

Love, K.

My Baby Is One.

The little lady woke up on a Monday morning, after a weekend full of cake and partying (heyooo!), to a living room full of tent, cards and prezzies. The tent was S' idea, somewhere to stash toys at the end of the day, though it hasn't quite happened like that since!

Her face was a picture, a total look of surprise and then realisation that this lovely lot was just for her. It took over an hour to get through this bunch and she loved every second of it, especially all the excellent tearing sounds the paper made.

We ate pancakes and burritos and even more cake that day. We took a little trip out for dog food, watched Peppa Pig and Skyped with Nanna and Grandad. She went to bed, zonked out from the fun (and all the goodies) and she wasn't a baby any more. She hadn't really been a baby for some time but turning One definitely made her a toddler.

She's opinionated, funny and weird. She dances to every jingle and song and her moves are awesome. She doesn't sit still, she never has, but now she's almost running and it's both hilarious and terrifying. She loves to be chased, to smush her face against ours for kisses and she takes great big bites out of everything she's offered. Baby V is now Little V and it's a change that happened so quietly and yet so all-at-once too.

My baby is one. A whole year. Crazy and amazing. Cramazing. Definitely should be a word!

Love, K.

One More Week.

There's something so relaxing about wrapping gifts, for birthdays or Christmas. The process of cutting and sticking, folding in corners and seeing the prezzies stacking up, ready for eager hands to tear into. It's exciting to think that in one very short week, we'll be celebrating V's first birthday, see her open her first gifts and cards, crack into a cake and officially be ONE. Exciting and a little bittersweet.

It feels cliché to say that the time goes so quickly, the years pass with frightening speed when you have a baby, but it's true. Over weeks and days you see this little creature, so small and dependent, grow and change with alarming speed. Within three weeks of taking her first steps, V was walking 90% of the time. Now she barely crawls at all, prefering to potter along beside us. Insaaaaane. She is constantly absorbing and learning, every week a new expression, gesture, a different word understood. She's gone from needing to be held all the time to wanting to be down, running, playing, away from Mumma (but not too far!). She's a happy child and that makes us happy.

I don't look at her and see a little baby any more, although as my own Mum said "She will always be your baby!". I see a rambunctious, noisy, often sticky child who is full of beans, smiles and life. She loves to play, bringing us teddies to cuddle and her toy phone - I've never had so many conversations! The time may fly but her energy, her spirit, keeps me young, wanting to play and smile and giggle with her. She is beautiful and weird and awesome and though she's not a baby any more, I'm holding off on her official 'toddler' title until her birthday.

Love, K.