Park, Park, Park & Park

Santa brought C a big, red rocket ship that talks. Very thrilling! We've just arrived back from a holiday, so I have a bit of catching up to do here.

Andy (One of C's Godfathers) stopped by to deposit a gift under the tree. He was gracious enough to read C a bedtime story. We trust C has been on Father Christmas' Good List...

Uncle Nate, C and I spent the day in Central London, mostly along the river, doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

C has decided to nap in the regular bed in his room, rather than his cot. And he's taken to reading books to himself. The pro of this is that he can entertain himself to sleep. The con is that we sometimes here little feet running around upstairs, and find him emptying his dresser onto the floor. Bells quietly snapped this on her way out of his room on Saturday.

We set up a Christmas tree on Saturday, and C did his bit to help. And he has continued his fun by sneaking back into the drawing room, pulling up his chair, and re-arranging some of the low hanging ornaments.

We had the 12 week scan today, and all looks well. So, it is now official- Bells is due with number two in late June 2008.

I've been experimenting with the different effects in Google Picasa, and here is a result using a fuzzy surround. Posting has been a bit light recently because I'm in the US (and away from C and B) for some surgery for Mom. Regular posting to return soon.

This one we took last weekend. C found a pen and figured out what he could do with it. Notice the arms...

I could make a typical joke about C/growing up/chasing girls/etc, but it just didn't seem right. Regardless, I thought it was an interesting picture. It's been sitting in my phone memory for a few months now.

C was thrilled to receive a package today. It contained Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Unfortunately, he doesn't know who to address the thank you note to. Now, don't all jump at once, but any givers?

"This is Clarablle. This is mine." The Thomas the Tank Engine phase has begun in earnest at the Park Household.

Love.

Since C is having a wee party today, we decided to open one of his gifts this morning. Here he is with his new wooden Thomas the Tank Engine train starter set. Fortunately, it matches his pj's.

Today is the day. C received a Richard Scarry book in the post from his Godfather Ubu. And he got a Western Union Singing Telegram in the form of Grandma and Grandad Park chirping "Happy Birthday" down the line. The party takes place on Friday with all of his mates, mates' parents, and family.

C's second birthday is in a few days, and various gifts have appeared around the house. Bella's brother Adrian stopped by today with one- a very large box. We decided to open it right away. Which from emerged- The baseboards and walls of the hallway will never be the same.

We met our friends Andy and Clare at our local pub for lunch today. They were part of the NCT pre-birth classes and we've kept in touch. Phoebe is just about the same age as Christian. Of course C tried to put on a bit of show for her, but I'm not sure how cool she thought he was.

Over the last few weeks, I've collected some bits of video from various experiences. I edited them all together here:

We ventured out of London, down to Shoreham on the south coast. We had lunch amid the stones and sand. And then walked in the rising tide.

It's Guy Fawkes Day here in the UK today. So, we went to the large park down the street to see the fireworks and carnival. C was entranced by all the sights.

C had a full day of stimulation today. He woke up to Romanian scaffolding guys setting up the framework for our loft work, so he developed his Romance language ability. We then went to Winkworth Arboretum for a long walk (half on my back, half walking), so he built up his coordination (see later video). And his taste buds were more than satisfied with Bella's' pasta and meat sauce for lunch here: BTW: Mom notice the fleece that arrived this morning.

We journeyed south out of London on Saturday to a National Trust house- The Homewood . Special because our Southfield neighbors are now living there! The house is modernist and the grounds are spectacular. Here is Isabella with a hand-knitted hat (thanks to C's Grandma Park).

Our friends Matt and Holly had a birthday party for their daughter Elise this weekend. C made a gentlemanly appearance. It did give C a chance to catch up with Rupert, who has been pre-occupied with his new brother Benedict (Ned for short).

I spent a few minutes on Saturday editing some miscellaneous video clips into one strand.

C modeled his new pj's and dressing gown tonight. It was a bit of a bright sight when Nate and I walked in before Indian food for dinner.

C joined Bells and me for my 5 year MBA class reunion this weekend. It was at a beautiful hotel in the Cotswolds that one of our classmates had bought soon after the program. C got to meet several new people, but then also catch up with Jack and Philipp . Here he's out for an after-Sunday-breakfast stroll on the grounds.

In the past, we've referred to posts about C's growth as Proportion. Here's the last one . I think it should be labeled Growth in future. Regardless, here is an update: Height- 34 1/2 inches (88 cm) Weight- 28 lbs (2 stone) And, as a bonus, he had the third haircut of his short life today.

As we do once in a while, we all had a good stroll at Richmond Park on Saturday. Bella's Aunt Nettie even pointed out the green Parakeets in the trees (rumor: a residual effect from the filming of The African Queen here in London long ago).

We took this midway through our holiday, but I figured this would be a fitting picture for the last Tuscany post.

I’ve had a few requests to elaborate on our Italian Police incident, so here goes: Lunchtime one day I was driving the entire family around Orbetello looking for a parking spot. Bells spotted one, which I immediately pulled into. Just as we started to pile out of the car, two Italian police officers pulled up behind me. One walked over to the car, speaking angrily in Italian. Bells began to talk to the officer AND translate to us. He didn’t like the fact that I had turned without using my blinker light. This went on for a bit- back and forth in Italian. Then, the officer said that I was subject to a very large, on-the-spot fine. Quick thinking Bells then pretended she didn’t understand any Italian at all. The policeman grumbled and walked off, with a bus honking at him for blocking the road.

In Tuscany, we found a small town at the top of a really high hill- Vetulonia . It had some Etruscan ruins nearby- that's what drew us. But, what we'll remember is the wine tractor. These three old gentleman had harvested red grapes, driven them in this tractor up to the village (not an easy drive even in a 4WD VW Passat), and were pressing them right there in the doorway. There is a tube off the back of their press and the wine was going into the basement of the house. The best part: We showed some interest in what they were doing, so they offered us handfuls of grapes to eat. Which C and Grand-dad did with relish as we walked around the rest of the village.

In Grosetto, C found a playmate in the piazza. Both kids had fun with their cars, trucks and tractors. Instinctively, kids must understand other kids and their toys no matter what the language.

The boy ate his first dish of pasta and clams in Tuscany. We found a family run fish place in Obretto for lunch- after running from the Italian police for a traffic violation. Another story. He then went on to enjoy them again later in a town whose name translates as "Savages of the Hills".

We sampled a fair bit of Italian ice cream- gelato- in as many towns as we could. C had his fair share also. Here in Sienna, he ate an entire rice pudding flavored gelato + cone.

We were about 30 minutes from the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean Sea), so we made a few excursions to coast. The farm also had a pool, so C was in there twice a day as well.

We stayed on an old farm next to Gavorrano, with my parents in one apartment and us in another. It was a leisurely pace and we slowly traveled from hill town to hill town (Scarlino, Ravi, Vetulonia, etc) to sample the view and cappuccinos (and macciados and lattes). Here's C running through the typical streets.

Some of the more loyal followers of this blog have noted the lack of posts recently. This is due to C and the family taking a very enjoyable two week holiday to Italy. Specifically, Tuscany here . Here are pictures of Gavorrano, and the view from the hill it sits atop. Over the next few days, I'll post pictures of C and his mischief.

After eating an entire raspberry patch: Just before bath time:

Nate and I took C to my old local- The Atlas- to meet Jack and Andy (C's Godfather). We shared a few pints while C dug in the flowerbeds. By the time we left, we had to borrow brooms to clean up the mess- C's mess, that is.

We spent the last 24 hours out in Hampshire- in the countryside. The Vyne is a National Trust property where we spent a fair bit of time walking the grounds and having picnics. Here is C messing around on some playground equipment: And then we came back to London. And we headed straight for our own little piece of the countryside- our allotment. And ate fresh raspberries right off the bush.

We took Uncle Nate out to the country this afternoon for a good walk- near Windsor Castle. That's mad King George the Third in the background.

C met his Uncle Nate at Heathrow this afternoon. He arrived for a pseudo-gap year experience; a year long graduate school program that puts him in Geneva, Leiden, Vienna and London. He'll stay with us for a week, and educate C on various aspects of American culture. In turn, C will educate Nate on tractors, garbage trucks and where the best swings are in London.

Although this isn't the most flattering picture of our pride and joy, it was a classic situation. C is always excited every Friday morning to see the garbage truck. Here was my first installment in this ongoing story. The garbage men are always friendly and chat to him as he stands on the front wall. C is engrossed by the flashing yellow lights of the big green truck and the guys throwing bags around. One guy is always really animated, and invited C into the cab today. As you can see, the hulk looks like to type you wouldn't want to meet late at night. But underneath, he is really quite generous.

I think last time I did a shot like this was here . The first time I did it was here at 4 days old. The most recent installment: As every parent I'm sure says, "It's truly amazing how fast they grow."

Bells picked up Michael today at Heathrow as he arrived back from Afghanistan. C was very excited to see him and sing "Twinkle, twinkle little star". They spent some time in the backyard in their respective chairs.

C spent some time Sunday morning looking for me- over the wall where the London Triathlon finished. He did find me eventually- click here .

Following on last weekends tractor show - We spent the afternoon with Idoia, Inigo and Laia, our friends from the Basque country at a village fete in Regents Park. Part of the festivities included tractor rides!