Settling back in

Beatrice, Zack & I are settling back into our "routine" in London after a fabulous two weeks away in Georgia. Beatrice is readjusting slowly. Saturday was tough with the jet-lag, though Beatrice did enjoy seeing her mobile again and playing with Daddy.

Beatrice was certainly happy to see Daddy, though on Sunday morning she kept looking around for everyone else. She'd crane her neck one way and then the other and then just look as us as if to say, "Are you two it? Where's everybody else?"

On Sunday we went to the zoo again. They just opened the new gorilla park, so we battled the crowds for a bit and saw the gorillas. Beatrice slept. Then we stopped to get a quick hotdog. Beatrice was instantly awake. And lusting after our very large "cup". From there it was off to see the lions again.

Jasandra came over for dinner on Sunday. Beatrice was so happy to see her! She enjoyed showing Auntie Jasandra all of her new tricks - like almost sitting up, eating her toes, reaching for CUPS!, and talking and laughing. We had a great time.

Today it's just been me & B. We'd already been outside twice by noon just to watch people on the street and look at the kids playing in the park. Luckily Beatrice's babysitter Lara just arrived, so she's happy again! But she still keeps looking around - I think she's hoping she might just see some of those faces she came to know and love in Georgia...

5 months old!

Beatrice hit the big five month mark today! She celebrated by posing with Flat Bear and wearing the dress Grandma Elizabeth made for me 30 years ago (I wore it when I was 12 months old!)

As Beatrice gets older and more active the "posing" with Flat Bear is becoming more complicated...




Unfortunately Beatrice and I also had to fly back to London on her birthday, which meant we had to say goodbye to Mama & Dada and Grandma Elizabeth & Grandpa Bill. I think Beatrice sensed something was going on because she fussed ALL DAY LONG. Perhaps she was just trying to make them not miss her so much... In the end it took styrofoam cups and TV to calm her!



We all had a wonderful trip, and Beatrice is well on her way to embracing all of the best parts of her Southern roots - her family, large styrofoam cups, sunshine/suntans, and the accent too!

The flights back to London went as well as can be expected. No pictures this time! Beatrice did sleep most of the way, which was wonderful. Best of all - Daddy was waiting for us once we got out of Customs!

R&R and a BBQ

Today Beatrice woke up EARLY - 3:45am. Technically I'm not sure if 3:45am is early or late. Either way, she was up and talking at this ungodly hour. I let her be until almost 6am, but she was still very tired today. A bit fussy too, but the tiredness was very different. She would go limp and actually relax her entire little body. Normally she is in a perpetual state of exercise - stomach crunches, leg lifts, arm swings, etc. But at times today she would stick her thumb in her mouth and go very still, put her head on your shoulder and just lie still. It was very sweet actually. The picture above is of her resting this morning after a few hours with Grandma Elizabeth (she didn't take the bottle but I still got to sleep in!!).
Mama & Dada came over and we went to Frederica Cafe for lunch. Like Dada's shirt? "Old Guys Rule"! Beatrice enjoyed "sitting" at the table and eating the tablecloth.





After Beatrice's bedtime everyone came over for a BBQ at our house. Somehow she managed to get out of bed and join the party...



And tomorrow we head back to London! It will be very sad to leave, and scary as she and I will be traveling alone, but Zack will be picking us up at the airport on Saturday morning. Hooray, soon we'll be with Daddy again!

Four Generations

Today we finally took a picture of four generations of girls born on a Monday...

Grandma Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ann Baxter Owens), Mommy (Sarah Elizabeth Owens Jarvis), Mama (Mary Virginia Stoffel Baxter), and Beatrice (Beatrice Virginia Jarvis)!
It was a somewhat challenging photo shoot in Nancy's backyard what with her dogs Spanky & Daisy licking us. But Tyler perservered! Beatrice wasn't sure about Daisy licking the bottom of her foot...

We had another busy day on the island... We started the day early with Beatrice "helping" Grandma Elizabeth sew; eventually we had to resort to TV to pacify the Queen B. Later Beatrice, Grandma Elizabeth and I went to The Village to run errands and have lunch. Then a visit with Mama, Dada, Nancy & Tyler, before running over to Clipper's Cove for a haircut from Lynn. As always the place was bustling and lively. Beatrice was on her best behavior and charmed everyone. At the end of the day Beatrice even got to show Daddy her new toy on Skype and hear him say, "Goodnight Poo"

SSI and Cups!

Beatrice loves Saint Simons Island...and cups! We went on a walk with Grandma Elizabeth this morning through the new Land Trust trail (www.sslt.org/naturetrail.html) to the marsh. Like most of St Simons, it was beautiful. And as we went in the morning...relatively bug-free!

For perspective I made Mom and Beatrice pose underneath the live oak (see them on the lower left of the tree??) On the way home we got another wildlife treat...turkey buzzards in our neighbor's yard! Yuck.

But Beatrice loves it all - the walks, everyone holding her, the sunshine, going sock-less all the time, swinging on the front porch, and...

...CUPS!!

Perhaps it is because we drink so much here (sweet tea, water, coke), and all of it with gobs and gobs of ice, but Beatrice has become entranced by cups. She sees one, opens her eyes really wide, opens her hands, and lunges for it. She hasn't quite mastered drinking out of a cup yet - think of a dog lapping at a bowl but on the outside of the cup. And any water that does manage to make it into her mouth ends up on her outfit after 2 seconds.
We had to say goodbye to Uncle Graham today, as he had to go back to Atlanta to work tomorrow. Sniff, sniff. But Beatrice loved seeing him again - thanks for coming all the way Uncle Graham!