Winter has arrived here at last! There's not too much snow here in the center of the city, but from the newspapers and what we've heard from other people, there is quite alot once you get out into the suburbs and the countryside. Lots of the trains are having serious delays or are just not running at all (this seemed really weird to me--I mean, it seems like trains wouldn't have a problem with snow--but I guess it's a combination of the snow blocking the tracks and snow getting packed up into the engines and the undercarriages from below). I have heard that lots of people who commute in to London haven't made it into work, and there have been snow days at the schools outside of town. Anyway, we are pretty unaffected here--there's a little bit of ice and slush around but nothing major.

It's only been a few degrees below freezing, but it's more of a wet cold than we have in Saskatchewan and I have turned pretty much into a winter sissy!! Wah wah. All bundled up in a huge scarf and toque when it's, like, zero outside. Oh well.

I'm trying to think of what's new and interesting from the past few weeks. A couple that we've got to be friends with here were kind enough to take bud for a few hours, so Trav and I were able to go on another date (to see the new Harry Potter movie). We went to a theatre close by our friends' place, mostly for convenience, but it happened to be in a HUGE mall, apparently the biggest mall in all of London. We were both beside ourselves, mostly because it felt so incredibly like being back in Canada. Really nice, new mall, felt like West Ed or something like. It was very surreal.

Apart from that, things have been fairly routine. Em has been sick again (a chest cold this time), but he is on antibiotics now so hopefully will be all fixed up soon. He's not crawling yet but he is getting better at scooting around by strategically rolling and swiveling. The other day he was in the middle of the bed, where he has his naps, with pillows on either side of him so he can't roll off the edge. But this time he managed to somehow scoot down right to the bottom of the bed; when Trav went it to check on him he was just about ready to roll off! So he is getting more nimble by the day, I think.

Anyway, on to the pictures!

These first three are from a week or so ago. It was super funny--Emrys was playing on the ground and his bottle was there. He apparently decided that he would like a little snack, and he managed to grab the bottle and get his mouth on the nipple, but failed to grasp that the milk would not just flow upwards to meet his mouth. The whole concept of gravity is a little beyond him yet, I guess.

Look Mom I found my bottle! K I'm going to eat now.

Look! I am licking the nipple! Why is my formula not coming out?
Seriously, it always works this way when Mom and Dad give it to me...
Emrys in the Riders shirt that Aunt Terry sent him! It is 3-years size but really not all that huge on him, haha! Unfortunately even the power of the shirt could not help the Riders this year...

Hanging out in his baybeeni (the little playpen thing we have):


Just chilling with Muk Muk.
Travis feeding Em in the baybeeni--a little cramped in there...

Emrys looking less than thrilled about sitting on Dad's shoulder.
Also looking less than thrilled, sitting in the easy chair. Perhaps he is depressed because neither of his parents have noticed that he is wearing one less sock than is generally recommended...
He looks very out of it in this one but the way he is sitting is just so cute!
This is in the outdoor shopping mall right by our place. Our grocery store is here and so are a couple of drugstores. This is just after they put up the Christmas lights and tree.
The tree, with the shops on either side!

"No, Emrys, open your eyes when Mom takes the picture..."
"OK well maybe not quite that wide. You look like a deer in the headlights."

In which he thinks he is wearing camoflage and tries to blend in with his blanket.
Travis at the movie theatre we went to last week. At theatres over here, when you buy your ticket you have to pick either regular or VIP seating. Of course Travis thought we should try them out, haha.
Outside the Big Mall. Lots and lots of Christmas lighting at this one!
This is about as snowy as it has got in the city centre. I walked out onto Waterloo Bridge to take this--it's looking west, towards the Eye. You can just see Big Ben and Parliament too.

The Strand, in front of King's. More wintry than when we first got here, anyway!
This one isn't very good but you can see a bit more of the snow--it's Russell Square, close to our place. I took it on the way to Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas tree lit. Notice that some of the trees are still green--I am really not sure that snow even COUNTS as snow if it is lying on top of green grass and bushes! HONESTLY, England.
Em having his bottle while we were waiting in Trafalgar Square for the tree to be lit.
The tree! Quite an awful picture, but at least it is proof that we were there, and that the tree was successfully lit. The column you can see in silouette to the left of the tree is Nelson's Column, and at the very very far left of the picture you can kind of see Big Ben if you look closely.
Puzzled baby.
Happy baby.
Smiling baby! I NEVER catch him smiling! This is a very rare one let me tell you.
Fashion show with Dad's glasses. Yes, I think he is cut out to be a little nerd...


Mom! what's going on!
In which Travis tries to have a nice father-son picture, but ends up looking creepy, while Emrys looks like he is about to burst into tears. Hahaha! Hilarious.

One of the Christmas decorations up at Covent Garden--a huge reindeer made of, um, something green. Holly? A shrub? I didn't really get up close enough to see.
More decorations at Covent Garden!

And finally, me and bud! Signing off for now.

Well, I found a few more pictures on my cell phone that I haven't posted yet! So here I am again. Two posts in three days! I am blowing your minds, I know.

Little bud hanging out on the floor, trying to eat the blanket.

Sitting in his bumbo on top of our mini-fridge. (Don't panic, I was in the room the whole time and there was no possible way he could get out of that chair, let alone off the fridge.) I think he likes the novelty of being closer to our level instead of always on the floor, haha.
Why hello there!
This is one of my favourites...the way he is sitting is too funny. This is about as close to lounging as it is possible to get while sitting in a bumbo chair, I think (please note the arm sprawled over the side and the leg stretched out lounging-ly in front of him...).
Somewhat randomly, in the middle of baby pics: Big Ben! On the way back from our walk last Sunday, we took the long way round and came back across the river on the Westminster Bridge, which takes you right by Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Whenever I see it I get one of my "I can't believe we live in London" moments...
Baby figuring out how to work his arms...
...still not sure how they work.
Hahaha oh man I love this one. I was washing clothes this morning--our washing machine, as you can see, is in the kitchen--and put his bumbo in front of the washer, since he seems to like to watch the spin cycle. SO FUNNY. It looks like he's sitting in his easy chair, watching TV.
Why hello ma, I can only talk for a minute---commercial break is almost over...
Little honey hugging his blanket from Grandma Carol!
Another random London shot: this is Russell Square (a couple of blocks away) at dusk.
Prepare yourselves now for the best picture of the whole batch, possibly of my whole life. Behold Emrys in his little tub, lounging casually with his duck buddies. The expression on his face is either guilt or "hello, ladies!". Either way, hysterical. (Also, please note the tastefully draped facecloth. More than I can say for my own babyhood pictures. AHEM. MOM.)

Clean baby, post-bath!

Prepare yourselves, folks, for a very picture-heavy post. (This is what happens when I am fairly conscientious about taking pictures, but less conscientious about regularly writing blog posts.) Things are fine here. We have started our Christmas shopping, which has been made a bit hilarious this year due to the fact that our primary obsession while shopping is now "how small is it???". We have a small box set aside to ship home and are trying really hard not to have to use a second or a bigger one, since the shipping costs are kind of ridiculous. So our main objective in buying presents is now: Must Be Small, Or Easily Squishable. (Family members: prepare yourselves accordingly.) Anyway. The holiday decorations are starting to go up around town--lights strung across the streets, shop windows, etc. etc. Normally I am not particularly a Christmas person, but this year I am feeling strangely into it all and even (dare I say it) mildly festive. I am not sure if this is due to having Emrys here this year (not that he will really notice anything, but still) or maybe because we are in a different city. One thing I am really excited about is the lighting of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. This happens on December 2nd. Here is the story, and it is a gooder: ever since WWII, the Norwegians have sent Britain an annual Christmas tree to put up in Trafalgar Square, as a gesture of thanks for Britain's help in the war. These trees are about 60 feet high and 50-60 years old. So it is put up and decorated and then they make a big deal of turning on the lights and lots of people come to see. Here's a picture of it from another year:

Anyway, on to the pictures! Here is Em, chilling with Dad at the computer. (The onesie he is wearing here is a freak of nature, I tell you. I first put it on him when he was probably two weeks old, and he has been wearing it EVER SINCE. Just to make sure you understand: it has basically fit him for over four months and through nine pounds of growth.)

Hugging Dad! (I highly doubt he was consciously doing so. Still, I work with what I can get.)

Trying to eat his toy.
This is how he likes to sleep now: sprawled out, and on his side. Or on his stomach. (Preferably with a blanket wrapped around his head, which I find unnerving and attempt to discourage.)
Haha I LOVE this one, his expression is so funny. The stuffed animal beside him is Muk Muk, one of the mascots from the Vancouver Olympics. Trav bought it while I was still pregnant, so determined was he that the baby would love Muk Muk and that it would become his favorite toy. Most of the time Em is quite indifferent to it, but...
...success! He is playing with Muk Muk. Well, mostly he is drooling all over him.
This is Trav's new favorite picture: Emrys fascinated by a gadget! The education of techie-baby begins.
Sleeping again.
Last Sunday we went on a walking tour for a couple of hours. It was organized through the hall where we live and called the Harry Potter Walk, which basically meant that it took you round to some places in the city where they filmed the movies, etc. That was cool since we are both big fans, but we also saw lots of things that were interesting in their own right. The area we covered was all within the area called The City, the part of London originally settled by the Romans and where the Bank of England and alot of other business buildings are now. The only downside was that it was super cold that day and windy, and bud got a bit cranky at times. But overall still a fun day.

This is Trav and Em ready to set off on the walk.

This is just called Christopher Wren's Monument, I think. Wren designed it in 1666 as a monument to the Great Fire of London, which had happened the year before and which burnt out huge, huge portions of the city. (I don't know alot about the Great Fire, but it seems super interesting and I'd like to read more about it.)

The entrance to a huge covered market called Leadenhall Market. It was closed when we were there but we are definitely going to go back sometime.

Me on London Bridge, looking east down the Thames. That is Tower Bridge in the background, so just on the left side of it is where the Tower of London is.
A close-up on Tower Bridge; the ship in the foreground is a floating museum. Haven't been to it yet though.

Home from the walk!

I guess that's about all my news for now! xo Becky