Category Archives: Happenings

Paul in Early October, Age 1 Year

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Cowboy Joe (Oct 2 and Oct 11)

Paul never gives much attention to his stuffed animals. Cowboy Joe is no exception, although I personally love Cowboy Joe. I tried to get a cute picture of the two “friends,” but Paul would have none of it!

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Birthday (Oct 7)

Paul had a happy birthday, I guess, since he didn’t know what was happening. I share pictures of his “party” here. Here’s his reaction to my singing him “Happy Birthday” first thing in the morning. (Not much reaction, I know.)

October 10, 2008

Here are some pictures of our happy guy. (He just had a drink of water, which is why his shirt is very wet.)

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Originally posted November 21, 2008.

One Year Old Party!

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On Sunday, I had an extra fun day!

First, I got to meet some firemen. See, Mommy had picked me up, and she and Daddy walked around the house saying “What’s that smell? Where is it?” and then Mommy stood outside with me waiting. After the firemen came and looked in the wall and took out the light switch, one of them gave me a big silver sticker that said “Junior Firefighter.”

But that was only the beginning of the fun! Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

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Everyone sat around and watched me play with toys. I was the center of the show! These loud people kept talking over me.

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Every once in a while there would be a lot of people singing. I liked the singing. I tried to sing, too. But people kept shhh-ing me.

Then we ate a very yummy dinner. Then I was ready for a nap. But Mommy wanted to give me more food and take my picture a lot and then cousin Daniel helped me open some presents. It was very tiring.

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Today is fun, too. People keep signing the same song to me. I like this attention!

The Little Things

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There are so many little things that I’m enjoying about being back in the USA. Living in the USA is so much more comfortable!

  • Turning on red lights
  • Baggers at the grocery store (although I wonder how much we pay for their services in additional grocery store prices)
  • Long conveyer belts at the grocery store (long enough to fit all my groceries so I can completely unload my shopping cart)
  • Empty parking spaces in the parking lots so I don’t have to drive around and around looking for a spot
  • A garbage disposal in the kitchen sink
  • Netflix! How I love this service…
  • A library where I don’t have to pay to put a book on hold and where I can get any book in Chicagoland for free.
  • Grandparents and cousins to call on the phone when my day is their day

There are also little things I actually miss about Australia that I didn’t realize I’d miss:

  • Long-life milk. Why isn’t this an option in the USA? I loved storing a two weeks’ supply of milk in our pantry! Our fridge is so small, there is no space for a week’s supply of milk; I’m going to have to go to the store more than once a week after all…
  • My husband not traveling. He goes to New York City starting next week. Over the past year, I really liked having him home. But he’s had more than a month of vacation, and while the job search is well underway, these things take time, of course. I guess I’d hoped the new job would jump out at him in that one month and I wouldn’t have to watch him get on a plane again….

Oh, wait. That husband thing isn’t a little thing: it’s a big thing.

Paul in September, Age 11 Months

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September 18, 2008: Walking

I started walking! See this post.

But here’s a cute photo of me on the same day.

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September 23, 2008: Daddy and Me

I love my Daddy. Sometimes I cuddle with him when he’s working on his computer.

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September 24, 2008: Learning to Sign “Food”

I like to eat. Mommy’s teaching me how to say “food” using my hands.

September 25, 2008: Paul Playing

I like to play and to walk — even if I fall down!

I’ll have more for you soon!

Originally posted Oct 30, 2008.

Walking and Talking!

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For weeks now, Paul has been letting go of the furniture while standing. Yesterday, once in the morning, three times in the afternoon, he took one step before falling. This morning, he took five steps without falling!

I’m delighted and yet I know this means my life as I know it is ending. My baby is a toddler!

Paul was happy, smiling, giggling, and walking until I got out the camera. Then he was very fussy. An hour later, I got the last two steps out of the three on video. I’ll try for a better video in the coming days!

As for the talking, Paul now says Mommy, Daddy, More, and Milk. Since Mommy, More, and Milk all start with “MMMM,” they all kind of sound the same. But, in context, I can tell a difference!

Two Weeks Later

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Two weeks ago, we moved out of our Australian townhome and headed to the airport hotel. We stayed there one night, and then spent the next 24 hours flying. Paul was a great sport on the plane, and I’m forever grateful that the company bought us business class seats and Paul got his own.

Two weeks after moving from the other side of the globe, there are still insomnia-filled nights for me, but my internal clock is getting a little better. Paul is on a perfect schedule (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) and I hope he stays that way! I’m loving the spacious parking lots, low prices at the supermarket, and wonderfully book-filled libraries.

Here are some highlights of what we’ve been doing.

  • We stayed a week with my mom and dad. (But we were very busy getting set up so we didn’t see much of them!)
  • I got a new mobile telephone that has a U.S. number, so people, you can call me again! (Email me at rebecca [at] reid-family [dot] org for the number if you want it.)
  • We got a great deal on my new car. (And I love it!)
  • I only drove on the wrong side of the road twice. (Unfortunately, both times were when I was test driving a car through a dealership, so it was kind of embarrassing.)
  • We signed a six-month lease for an apartment, moved in, and unpacked. (Email me at rebecca [at] reid-family [dot] org for the address if you want it.)
  • We’ve eaten out. A lot.
  • We bought a used seven-piece solid wood bedroom set for the price of a brand new dresser. It includes a headboard and footboard, a long dresser, a mirror, an armoire, and two side tables.
  • We bought Paul a dresser and a crib (still to be delivered).
  • I bought myself a new comfy chair for Paul’s room (still to be delivered). (I sold mine in Australia in June and I was so very sad!)
  • See Paul’s highlights here.

On the schedule for the coming days:

  • Visit with family!
  • Meet our new ward.
  • Cook a real meal.
  • Get my husband a new job.
  • Buy a house (well, we have five months for this one).

About our apartment: It’s small. There are three bedrooms of adequate size, one of which is our study. But the kitchen is very small, the living room doesn’t fit our furniture, and the dining area is now divided into a play area as well. The carpet stinks. The walls are full of marks from previous renters (of course, it was repainted), but all that’s to be expected. It’s an apartment, not a palace.

This apartment won’t work for the long run, but it will work as a temporary spot while we begin serious house hunting. We’re going to be looking in the Crystal Lake area, but that location could change any day, I suppose.

Someday we’ll have a house!

Paul’s Highlights

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In the past two weeks, Paul’s learned a lot. He was a great sport on the plane, barely crying or complaining. He got a little attached to the Binkie and he dislikes the car seat now, but overall, he’s adapted well. His clock is on a perfect schedule, sleeping from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. or from 7 to 7.

  • Within a day of moving in to our new apartment, he learned to crawl up the stairs. It was a scary Mommy moment, since I thought he was safe in the living room with a safety gate up to block the room off. Apparently, the stairs were too interesting, so he wanted to learn.
  • He crawls very fast!
  • He’s almost walking. Sometimes he lets go and stands there, then decides he wants to get something and falls over trying to walk there. It’s like he forgets he can’t walk.
  • He’s saying “Ma-ma,” “Da-da,” and “More.” When he says “More,” it sounds a lot like “Ma” or “Mo-“, but I can tell what he’s saying.
  • He’s very much a little boy now. The babyish-ness is disappearing more every day. That makes me very sad.
  • He doesn’t sit and read books with me anymore. He only wants to crawl.
  • He is very determined when he wants something. He remembers where it went if I hide it.
  • He turned 11 months old this week.

I have a number of pictures from New Zealand and the past months. Now that I have a desk to put my computer on, I may get to post them!

Why I Like Tipping

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We made it to the USA. And it feels good. There are a million things we missed.

One example from today: In the midst of a million errands, we stopped at a restaurant for a late lunch. Can I just say, I love the policy of tipping for better service?

  • The waitress brought us our drinks in about 2 minutes. She even put the water I’d requested for my 11-month-old in a plastic cup with a lid.
  • She came back when we were ready to order.
  • She refilled our drinks almost instantly, which meant she was watching us to see when we were almost empty.
  • She smiled at my son and acted like a human that was interested in whether we were having a pleasant time and enjoying our meal.
  • She promptly brought us our meal.

In Australia, tipping is not expected. In fact, a few Australians told me very emphatically never to tip because they don’t want to ever be expected to tip.

The result of no tipping? Horrible dining-out experiences. For example, we went to dinner the night before we returned home. Just as today, I only saw one or two wait staff and it wasn’t very busy. However, our waitress that night seemed bothered when I hunted her down for everything we needed: we’re ready to order, more water please, I’d like a take home case, could I please have the check?. Eating out is more expensive in Australia, but there is no incentive to ever go back again: the service is so lousy. (We only ate out infrequently because it was so unpleasant and annoying. Not that we eat out frequently anyway, but still! When it’s a horrible experience, we’re not likely to repeat it soon.)

I will never complain again about the expectation to tip! It makes it so much better in the long run!

P.S. The bill today was significantly less than the bill in Australia, even with a generous tip and the dollar conversion rate.