Two. About a Monkey: Bumps and Bruises

(You might know to whom I'm referring as I start my second entry)

Not much to add regarding our London experience. It's getting colder...and it still rains. I am confused by certain things, for instance eggs are stored on grocery shelves, the same as any canned goods. "Please" and "thank you" are more common than "hello" but "you're welcome" is replaced by "ok" and "alright." Slang terms are used in excess, even in business conversations - a recruiter called this week and I swear all I heard was "wicked" this and "wicked" that.........and "cheers" means "thank you" more often than not. Somehow I am still not bothered the gloomy weather that persists...

We will move into our first flat in less than a week. Time to pack - AGAIN. In addition to working late hours, Sanjay has been (generously) caring for Olivia in the morning to allow me to squeeze in a short jog...I'm a lucky gal. The run allows me to collect my thoughts in preparation for the day ahead.

You may (or may not) be surprised to find out that we have a quick learner on our hands. Quick in every sense of the word. Olivia has learned to climb on the coffee table, remove and replace the couch cushions, laugh louder (using her signature shotgun laugh), build stacks three blocks high, exit the couch feet first, sideways and bottom-down, etc.......

She has had several near-disasters with bumps, bruises and scrapes to show for it.

Her favorite activity of the week has been the following series: she starts by squirming onto the coffee table - which is currently up against the couch (moved after it's effectiveness as a blockade expired), then a quick crawl onto the couch, laying still for a moment upon arrival - with a big grin, she stands up, looks behind the cushion for the remote controls, falls on her back while yanking down the cushion (after a few bumps she learned to fall on her bottom to save pain), she quickly recuperates, rises, grunts with effort as she pushes the cushion upright, crawls back to the slippery coffee table (leaving her mom on edge), stops to sit upright with a grin and briefly assesses her environment "dancing" to background music before heading back to the couch to repeat the cushion routine. She repeats this routine several times. The only stopping her is a tickle interruption, which I cannot resist due to the melodious giggles it yields.

The next best (and less worrisome) activity has involved spinning, twirling and lifting to the tunes of ABBA, The Beach Boys and Billy Joel among others. Olivia's grins and giggles are continuous throughout, which causes me to prolong the activity to the point of dizziness. Her laughter makes every bit of effort and exhaustion worthwhile.

Her third favorite activity of the week involved mashed potatoes - she is her mother's daughter.

We have had a few ventures through the Canary Wharf "village" in the evenings. Olivia seems to enjoy these trips more than daytime walks...I think the night lights of the skyscrapers have something to do with it. If we are gone too long Olivia will begin to get fussy if she's tired or in need of a stretch.

Thursday evening we were out later than usual, waiting to walk Olivia's dad home from work. She babbled and laughed the whole way, catching several passers-by off guard. They seemed a bit surprised to see a small child making these noises. I think people often mistake her for a newborn, seeing how small she is and how little hair she has. On the other hand, I have never seen someone so skilled at making strangers smile. It's amazing.

After getting the anticipated "I'm off" call from Olivia's dad we wandered our way back toward his office. While we waited, Olivia was offered three gold heart-shaped (helium!) balloons from a tired executive leaving for home. She was thrilled. Despite our disheveled appearances (I was wearing my "holiest" jeans) we were invited to see Sanjay's office views. We saw the city lights from all directions in London...a bit different from the Chicago views we're used to...but they're beautiful just the same.

Saturday was a challenging day of bumps and bruises followed by baths and cuddling and later a leisurely dinner with Grace & Shariff on the picturesque dockside near Wesferry Circus. Olivia was a huge hit with the servers, who were (like many) impressed by her friendly and oh-so-happy nature. The highlight for her was the reflective silver tray presenting the bill - she could see herself on BOTH sides.

I hope you enjoyed reading (or skimming),

Cheers!

Liz