We started out 2016, as only you can in Bermuda - outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun and sand. A trip into Warwick playground, and a glimpse over the cliff reminds me of how incredibly lucky we are to have been blessed with health, happiness and family.
Doesn't this path look like it leads to the heavens?
Here's a recap of our 2015.
January:
One of the joys of being a seasoned parent is knowing that babies at this age are relatively portable. Thus, I dragged my family out kicking and screaming (ok just Jeff screaming) to celebrate the New Year's eve at one of our favorite restaurants - L'Oriental. Theo spent most of the time in the portable car seat, but he made a brief appearance close to the end of our dinner. Since he had no sense of day or night, it was all one big party for him.
What I remember most about this - how early we got there, and the fact that I managed to shower, put on a proper little black dress and do my hair, which was still in the lush effects of post partum pregnancy glow. The rapid falling out began about a week later. It doesn't matter if you are a first time parent or a seasoned veteran. Sleep deprivation, breast feeding every two hours, and caring for a newborn (plus two) is insanely exhausting. But we did it.
Theo was a doll though and slept through most of dinner. We had sushi and steak (Jordan) and it felt wonderful to rejoin the land of the living after several months of newborn induced zombie like sleep deprivation.
Jordan turned 10!!
This boy, lurking there in the middle, is now in double digits. Thank you, Universe, God, Nikki, Breanna, and the staff at Morgan Stanley/Columbia Presbyterian. I don't know if I say this enough; but there are not enough ways to describe how incredibly lucky ... blessed... we are as parents. I've tried for ten years to comprehend it. I will never be able to put it into words. The magnitude of the gift we received can't be stifled into the language we use so casually. There are human angels amongst us. That is all I have to say. And she knows who she is, despite how humble she makes it seem.
Celebrating was simple to start.. a few friends for tappenaki, loads of dessert, and a promise to go big on a vacation.
February:
The little guy.. maybe not so little.. continued to amaze us with his strength and determination. Here he is at the Mid Atlantic Meet, where he wound up medaling on his rings routine.
We did deliver on our promise - celebrating TEN at Atlantis Resorts, Paradise Island, Nassau Bahamas.
The best part - celebrating with our dearest friends, and their just-turned-ten daughter!! These two have known each other since they were in diapers.
Now... This guy took the plunge .. into the abyss. And Jeff and I lost a few years of life just watching him.
Balcony shots with my babies.
March:
Pretty quiet month, as Spring hit BDA.
Theo milestoned the six month mark, and my camera was ever ready.
We did some family fundraising on behalf of the Argus Walk the Walk, to raise monies for charities across Bermuda, including Jordan's gymnastics program. I love a family 5K, during which Theo slept the whole time!!
April:
In April we celebrated across the board, with both Passover and Easter festivities. Our good friends, the Schwarz' hosted an amazing Passover meal at their home and welcomed a huge assortment of friends, now family..
That beautiful
cream banquet chair is to die for, and you wouldn't know it could seat so many!! Something to consider...
So much to celebrate...
Easter brunch at Lido, then down to Elbow Beach..
Finally got the macaroon recipe perfected (three tries before I got them to stiffen up and no puddling.)
Kite flying on Horseshoe Beach
Glorious Bermuda lilies that will perfume your entire house. I adore these. Once upon a time, BDA was known for its lilies (onions too, but that is another story.) There are still a handful of farms on the island that grow these gorgeous clusters. Traditionally, a bouquet is still air shipped to her Majesty in England. Can you believe the grandeur!
In my own simple way, I will try to remember little things like this, because they are so quintessentially BDA for me. I recall the first time I bought a bouquet of these flowers on the road stand (Amaral Farms, thank you..) and realizing that my car smelled like lilies for days after!! They are stunning.
We did our annual Fairpoint Easter egg hunt, and even an a little impromptu brunch on the patio for the moms. Despite the rain, the kids had a blast.
Easter dinner proper: Theo awaits - Indian Style marinated lamb chops, ala Suvir Saran, cooked on the grill, thanks to Jeff!
May:
My very understanding husband, gifted me with an overseas trip to celebrate Mother's Day. I say understanding because only someone with whom you have spent the last 23 years would know how much a weekend to myself could possibly mean.
This was so special. I got to see friends from all stages. My pledge girls and alter egos! Hitting John Dory for some oysters and bubbly. These two have seen me at my best and at my worst, my most brutal and my most honest. And we are still friends!! Holy moly! I can't believe it!
And then my Jersey girls the next day!
Tearing up the roof at Gallow's Green. I cannot describe how excited I am to be returning to my hometown crew. Friends come to us in all stages of our lives. But there is something unique about those friends who nurtured us during the years when we were first time moms. I have laughed and cried and laughed again so much with these girls. I can't wait to see them again.
Yay! You to my Phi Siggy and mama in arms!!
The weekend was made even better because I got to see this guy!! Oh lord.. we tried to do a NYC brunch thang.. which used to be my thang when I was younger. Except, this time I showed up at this fancy pants hotel, and they gave me a salad.
And it wasn't the salad I was looking for.
But smartypants Eli over there got the big ass sandwich and he gloats. That's ok. Wait till my niece and nephews are older. I have Sooooo many stories to share.
The seasons of goodbyes. I hosted a little dinner in May, as we started to say goodbye to a friend who would leave our shores. The goodbye cycle is ever present on this island. Knowing our time is coming to an end made me even more aware of it.
Look at the neverending construction going on over there. There are no words for what we went through this year with that.
June:
My most gorgeous girl.
She took her first Royal Ballet School graded exam, and she was so good. I am so proud of my daughter. She stuns me. How does she keep so cool?
June was a little wonky though. A freaky case of chicken pox broke out on the island and all hell broke loose (BDA is a small island.). For the non immune suppressed amongst us, chicken pox is really not a big deal. The chicken pox vaccine, aka varicella, is a relatively new phenomena. When I grew up, it did not exist.
In fact, as I recall, I wound up having to get an adult vaccine when I realized I had never had chicken pox as a child. Long story - but basically, an attorney I used to work with came down with it, and recommended we all get tested. My tests showed that I had never had it as a child, so I got the (at the time) new vaccine.
Unfortunately, Jordan can't get the vaccine, due to his transplant issues. At first, I was going to shrug it off and take our chances in school. However, the school nurse was not as blase as I was.
A log discussion with his cardiac team also changed my mind.
"Get him out of school as soon as possible. Chicken pox can be life threatening for our transplant kids."
That's all it took.
The next week- me and Jordan and Mina were homeschooling it. Teachers of the world .. you deserve it all. All of it. You cannot put a price tag on what a teacher has to do.
Once the dust settled, and we confirmed there were no more new cases, and the incubation period passed, it was time to celebrate. The kids went back o school for the last week.
Officially, me and the mums were celebrating before the end of school period, but you know...
July:
July was the month of birthdays. There was this guy ... turning 21 again..
And yet more birthday parties!! My girl turned 9!!
"I want a tie dye party," she said.
So we did.
July was also the month the big kids went off to sleep away camp in the US!
Jeff, Theo and I did our own celebrating by attending our first ever cupmatch!
August:
As wonderful as July was, we seemed to pay for it in August. The construction that was the bane of our existence for weeks, was still going on. Deep trenches, dirt, diggers and pounders and rain... and sure enough...
This happened.
The roof of the basement collapsed. Again. Collapse 2.0 Luckily, Theo and I had finished playing there just an hour before its demise.
On the subject of Theo, he had a very bad .. no, horrible month.
He wound up in the hospital because his intestines were collapsing on themselves - a condition called intussusception.
We caught it in the nick of time, thanks to the very able early warning diagnosis of his pediatrician at Wee Care. After we brought Theo into her office, worried he might have a "stomach bug," she suggested we keep an eye out for possible issues over the next few days. Although the odds of it being intussusception were very low, we managed to hit them. Jeff called it, the night we took him to the ER. Luckily our good friends came by to stay with the big kids and Oscar while we headed to the hospital.
A horrific barium enema procedure later, and a day or two of recovery for observation, and he was ready for discharge.
Here's even weirder odds - Jordan wound up with pneumonia while at camp. He spent a week in the hospital too. High fever off an on, raging cough and exhaustion, and of course weight loss. He wound up missing the remainder of summer camp and coming home.
But, thankfully, he recovered.
September -
Needless to say, I could not wait for summer to be over.
September was awesome because Theo turned one!!
The kids were back at school too. Jordan entered P6 (fifth grade with Ms. Conway) and Mina was in P5 (Mrs. Doughty.) Theo was happily toddling away - taking a few baby steps but not quite walking solo yet.
October:
One of the things I will miss is this very quaint UK custom known as mid-term break. Translated, it means the kids get a break in October. That is right. Barely eight weeks into school and they have a break. It used to drive me batty, but I've come to appreciate its charms.
Namely, no one else in the US has the holiday. So, it is a great time to go to....
DISNEY!!!
November:
Despite some naysayers, I decided to host a proper Thanksgiving dinner. It was small (20 total, counting kids) but wonderfully intimate and fun. There was much planning and prep involved, but I am so glad I did it. I love Thanksgiving, and it is just not the same if you don't have a real meal, surrounded by friends and family.
December:
What a wonderful month. There is so much crammed into these thirty odd days, I can't even begin to describe it. Perhaps that is why I've posted as much as I have for December.
In short, between the school activities, the plays, the concerts, the parades, the parties, the baking, the open houses, the shopping, the baking, the decorating ... I can't get it all in.
But it has been magical. I could not ask for more.
Goodbye 2015.
Hello new year.
There is so much to look forward to. I cannot wait!
