Friday July 3rd

Yesterday was a really rough day!

Neither of the girls slept very well the night before, Olivia couldn't fall asleep and when she finally did Shannon woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. It was like the baby years all over again! Not good! Not good at all!

In the hopes of shortening the jet lag experience I woke them both up at 10am. Let's just say it wasn't very pretty. Nothing like 2 crabby kids and an overwhelmed, tired Mom.

Then when Olivia was getting dressed the top half of her dresser fell on top of her trapping her underneath. After we freed her and cleaned her up we realized she was okay. She is fine, bruised all over with a fat lip kinda' fine, but she's okay. It was one of those events that really magnified how alone and vulnerable we are here. I really didn't need that magnified at this point!!

It is scorchingly hot here! Not the norm in this neck of woods. Almost nowhere is air conditioned, certainly not our apartment or Bruce's office, and really where else is there? The unkown territory, absence of a car, language barrier topped off with the heat really make checking out the neighbourhood tough!

Once things cool down we'll be able to explore the neighbourhood but until then we are pretty much trapped inside the apartment. There are only so many games of UNO and crazy eights any one mother can play!!!!!

So, after one of the longest days of my life we decided that it was time to start my standard driving lessons. Really you say?!? Really!
After some yelling and crying, I did all of the crying and some of the yelling, we survived my first lesson. I'm hoping to have the hang of it and to be able to drive alone after a couple of more lessons. Gotta say I'm looking at hills completely differently right now!

I knew this part was going to be hard but come on, not this hard.
Last night I gave Olivia a gravol to help her get to sleep. I can't decide whether I'm starting her down the road to habitual use of narcotics, or if I'm really quite a crafty mother who has all the answers. I'm going with the 'great mother' option right now. I'm sure at 3am one morning soon I'll be going down the second guessing road, a road well travelled.

Today both girls woke up on their own before 8am! Hallelujah! Although we are still trapped in the apartment for the day once 6:30pmish rolls 'round it's the weekend!!!! Yeah!

We're off to London tomorrow, then a place just outside of London called Bracknell. There is a pool there, nothin' like water to amuse and exhaust kids, that's what I always say! Then we're off to somewhere in France. I'm a little worried about the kid amusement factor there but that's days away!

Feel free, or rather obligated to email me! Poor Bruce is the only adult I get to talk to, and he is exhausted after a long day of working in his 3rd language! Not that that stops me from talking mind you!

Auf Weidersehen!