Don't worry, though, I will be returning to blog about Lillian's 3rd birthday and our trips to Edinburgh and Aveimore SOON. Or soon-ish. Ahem.
1. Elliott is having a love affair with apples right now. Two days ago he consumed three of them right down to the core. He is cutting a few teeth right now, so we're guessing that they feel good on his gums. And yes, the diapers are super amazing.
2. Voting day on the Scottish independence referendum is fast approaching. One week from today, the country will vote on whether it will stay in the UNITED Kingdom or whether it will step out on its own. Polls show about a 50-50 split currently, which is obviously much closer than anyone in Westminster thought it would be since they are now offering concessions and other inducements to keep the UK together. It's an absolutely fascinating time to be here. The whole country is littered with "Yes" or "No, thanks" signs, buttons, banners, bags, etc. I have asked a wide variety of people--taxi drivers, bus drivers, GPs, teachers, people whose families have been in Scotland for centuries and first generation immigrants-- how they are voting, with very mixed results. Given the far-ranging military, political and economic effects, I'm not sure it's a good idea, but I can't help but admire their national pride in even contemplating such a move.
3. Lillian is in her second week at nursery school and is loving it so far. The system is very different than American preschool but it seems to be a good fit. All the schooling is free (other than 26p for snack every week, ha!) which is awesome! She has the option to attend school during any of the afternoon sessions, which run from 1-4 pm every day. The flexibility is nice, and at this point, I'm going to shoot for three sessions per week, probably Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday since we have activities at church on Friday mornings and Monday is a nice recovery day. The school is small at this point, but will fill up some during the year as more kids turn three and are allowed to come. It feels like a cross between daycare and preschool since I think the balance of "playing" vs "structured learning activities" is definitely tipped towards playing. I'm thrilled for her to get some social interaction and I'm sure she'll learn a thing or two. I also love having time with just Elliott and time by myself when he naps. It's a win for all of us, and I'm so thankful that God provided us with a spot for her. My drive to PCA last year was 15 minutes, which is also how long it takes me to walk to Elie Street Nursery. It's 0.6 miles each way, so with two round trips every time she goes, I'm definitely getting my exercise.
4. After realizing that I fed L two giant popsicles yesterday by accident, I woke up this morning and decided that we are going to work on the quality of our food intake. Eating fruit is probably our strong suit diet-wise, but I'm going to cut down on snacking, bread products and refined sugar, and try to up our veggie and "whole foods" intake. So far we have made it through one meal and 9787987 snack requests this morning from L, and meal #2 is currently cooking away in the oven and crockpot.
5. The weather this week has been unreal. I am wearing shorts again today (TWO DAYS IN A ROW) after a month plus of not wearing them. It is sunny and dry and about 70 degrees F. Everyone keeps talking about how unusual this is in September. Whatever. We'll take it.
6. 9/11 is a strange day not to be in the US, particularly since all the papers here are chock-full of independence stuff and oh-my-gosh-Kate-and-Will-are-pregnant-again. (T is v. excited about this since it means he'll get a national holiday next year when the wee babe is born). Even so, I am remembering that day and treasuring my country from afar.
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