Blessed

Did I tell you that Bean got a name and a blessing (ok, so she had the name for a while before this, but it became official on the records of the church) on January 2, 2011?  It was a sweet day.  I got choked up as I heard Wonderman start to speak, then he got choked up as he blessed her.  We are quite a pair.  Then Bean took over for both of us and cried heartily throughout.  Of course she stopped as soon as it was over.  We think the bouncing was, in fact, too vigorous with so many hands working together, trying to keep her happy.  Alas and nevertheless.  It was a good day.

Adventures of arrival

So, I just barely took my camera out of my backpack, which means that zero pictures have been taken of our trip or settling into home.  However, I just thought I'd toss in a couple cents. 

We got to Dominica just fine.  Bean was screaming every time we boarded the plane (three different flights), but once we got settled and she got to nurse she was quiet and asleep for essentially all the flying time.  Hooray!  That is one big worry down.  She seems to like it here.  She likes the warmth and the breezes.  She is taking some time to get used to her new crib.  Still, I think all in all the transition is going remarkably well, even if there are times when I wonder if I'm going to survive because she is screaming for no apparent reason.  I think those times are decreasing.  I hope. 

I am fully enjoying being back on the island.  I'm glad we came in January so I could enjoy some of the "cool" weather before it gets all crazy again.  The first day we were here, we walked to campus and to a store and I realized that the "walks" I went on in Utah were ridiculously easy and didn't count as exercise at all.  Sigh.  And I've found that carrying a baby makes it hard to carry anything else.  We'll see if at the end of 8 months I regret my decision to wear Bean instead of pushing her around in a stroller.  However it goes, it is good to be home and delightful to be a family that's together more than just for a nightly Skype session.

Wonderman is back to the grindstone and doing well.  It amazes me how much he puts into this.  I've come to the conclusion that not only do I never want to go to med school, especially since it would be mostly just to prove I could do it, not because I want to be a doctor, but a regular job is much easier than med school or motherhood.  That may seem obvious to you, but it is still a bit of a revelation for me.  I already have found myself thinking about how easy my life used to be when I just had to go to work.  Ah.  If only I had appreciated it then.  :) 

And that's it.  The adventure continues.  I'll try to take some pictures and post them later.  Maybe soon-ish.  Maybe not.

Until then.

Privacy, revisited

So, you may remember long ago when I first addressed the issue of privacy.  The same issues still stand.  That is why I continue to refer to the infant as Bean, instead of some more reasonable name.  I must also confess, although this is more of a blaming than a confession, that it is part of why  I took such a long hiatus from posting on this blog.  I was doing so well, catching up on cataloging our adventures, when I reached the visit of my parental units, namely my mom and her husband, my step-dad.  I always just call him by his first name, but with the issues of privacy set up as they are, that just couldn't be done.  I don't really like the term "step-dad."  It always sounds kind of cold and I have come to really love him.  Plus, it takes a long time to write, as does "my mom's husband."  While I pondered what to do, I lost steam and just never bothered coming back, until now.  And now I live with my mom and this man who is as yet un-named.  That is, until Wonderman comes and rescues me and takes me back to Dominica.  Not that I'm miserable, I just really miss him.  A lot.  Anyway, just so you know the code, I've decided to call him by a different Christian name.  I'm good at making names up, pulling them out of thin air.  So we'll call him Bill any time he is referenced here.  As in, "I am currently staying with my mom and Bill."  See, it works.  That's all.  Just wanted to reiterate the privacy issue and then explain myself.  The end.

Forever? I want it NOW

So, our little family has not been together for a while.  Wonderman was here when Bean was born, but then had to leave us to return to school.  He flew out just three days after Bean arrived.  This is our first family portrait:

(Yes.  I took a tiny newborn to the airport, a cesspool of germs and disease.  It was our last chance to spend any time, quality or not, with her daddy, whom we both adore.  Don't judge me.  She is fine.)

This is what she looks like now:

She has grown and changed so much already.  Her daddy has been gone for TOO LONG.  I can't wait for him to see her, and vice versa.  Skype, while a miracle sent from heaven, can only do so much.  However, he will be home in one week and I am so excited I am having a hard time breathing.  I try not to think too much about it, since constant breathlessness could make that week seem really long, but still.  It's tough.  Eeeeeee (this sound is accompanied by my biggest smile - which you know shows every tooth I've ever dreamed of having - and some general bouncing/dancing)!

Behind

I've never been a stellar blogger, that's now a given, but much has changed since that last post.  I'm not nearly so hot, nor so roundy.  A lot took place in between now and then.  Not only am I surrounded by snow and ice (I've been in Utah since September), but . . . . .

 

I went and had myself a baby.  Bean is here, and she's a delight.  I'd promise that there will be more frequent posts in the future, but you and I both know that I hate to lie.  We'll play it by ear, eh?

And I thought I was hot before. . . . .

Somehow carrying around my own private space heater makes things even warmer.  Some days I'm not sure I'll make it, but so far so good.

Number One Beach

In the not-too-distant past, I had my first visit to Number One Beach.  Let's just say, it earns it's title.


It is this great expanse of white sand, which really you don't see that often in Dominica.  Our beaches are usually small, rocky expanses of black sand.  Off to one side, there is a calm little river, feeding into the ocean, so there is placid fresh water to play in if the waves of the Atlantic get a little too rough.  This makes it perfect for little people, but since I didn't bring one with me, I just enjoyed it for myself.

Since most of my views of big water are Caribbean in nature, I really enjoyed getting a glimpse, and a taste, of the Atlantic.  The waves are a little more boisterous, but gorgeous and so fun to play in.

The great mountains in the background also added to the overall effect:

Since I went with a bunch of other people's children I got the joy of seeing tiny footprints in the sand and thinking they were absolutely adorable.

For some reason, I also got to enjoy my own legs sparkling as though I were a Disney sea princess or something. 

The swirling water set off my pedicure quite nicely, I thought.

I did get one of my worst island sunburns yet at this beach, but I mostly didn't mind.