Time flies

ooooppppps. Not quite sure how it has been so long since last I blogged, but it has. Now March 2011. I suppose this is a function of busy, which we are. Incredibly.
Taking a few moments out from editing my book, writing classes for the RRC and Atlantic University, and other book chapters to do a very brief update...
Steve has been working at the Hawbridge school since august last year; and me at the Rhine Research Center.....soon to be starting a new grant on synaesthesia - all very exciting.
Sienna is 3 and a half, and quite the character. She is coming out with some interesting questions about the world, and yesterday wrote her own name for the first time (no dots or copying involved). Amazing.
We have a new baby on the way - due in June, so life is about to get more crazy yet. We are not going to find out the gender, so everyone is going to have to wait and see!!!
So this is going to be a double chronicling of baby simmonds-moore, as soon our little family is going to expand muchly. Sienna thinks the new baby is going to be a girl, whilst Steve is thinking boy. I have no clue!
Ok, back to the book....and more tea to lubricate the little grey cells.

even hotter.

Ah yes. It is officially too hot. it has been 100 degrees, consistently....and the humidity makes it hard to handle, even for little ole cold blooded me. Steve and I are thinking that we should plot to escape to britain [at least] once a year, now that we are staying here in North Carolina (er, we are staying here - steve has been offered a full time teaching job at the Hawbridge school in Saxapahaw, and looks like I will be working part time for 6 months at the Rhine Research Center - parting from Liverpool Hope officially at the end of August. Hard decisions, but we got there in the end....and now feeling rather excited about The Future, except for The Heat!). We think the summer would be a good time to exit, and have the best of both worlds!
Sienna is having a fabulous heatwave summer as she has decided that The Pool is simply The Place To Be, and happily zips around in her groovey dora lifejacket. We are going to the pseudo beach this week, and next week....when John arrives for his adventure....we will take a trip to the Outter Banks, via a visit to Ms Cathy (and Matt and baby Morgan) at Washington NC. I am CRAVING the ocean. I dont think it has ever been this long in my adult life (one of the reasons I was so drawn to Swansea was the existence of campus opposite the ocean, and the proximity of the Gower just made my university years magical). And liverpool was on the coast. So I am feeling somewhat land-locked, and cannot wait to dip my toes in. And i know that Sienna will have fun with it this year, as she was into it last year in Wales.
Working on 3 grant proposals at the moment - hoping that I get at least one of them. all three are very exciting (to me, the nerd) and hoping that the funders may think so too. If I got at least one of them, life post February will be both intellectually stimulating and financially secure for a while. And then, I hope that I might get that academic job for 2011...and if not...well, we will see.
Sienna's birthday looms on the horizon. I can hardly believe my baby will be 3. It is true that time really does go so very quickly when you have a little person. It is like seeing time in action as there she is, a little girl who loves pink and currently very into the idea of being a fairy princess (managed to procure an early birthday present of princess shoes from me, as I am a wimp and couldnt resist giving them to her).
back to grants....

hot

And it is going to get a lot hotter. I am happily ensconsed in the air conditioned library, working on my big book chapter. Coming together, but needing some extra tweaking. Sienna is out with Ferrell this pm - they spend every thursday afternoon together, while I go and work on writing.
Book deadline approaching in September, and lots to do before that...but very excited about it. All about health and exceptional human experiences, and based on papers presented at the conference in Liverpool last September.
Sienna is a wonderful little person. [only negative is that we are having a few issues with hitting, but I am hoping this is just a phase....].
Her language amazing, and she has recently become quite an expert at going to the loo, and starting to (occasionally) sleep in her own bed all night long, until I say that, and then The 3am migrations start up again. Preschool ends next week, and so we are going to need to get on the ball in terms of finding some fun things for her to do with other little people. Thinking of Salsa tots, and possibly a gym class...will have to get ourselves organised.

approaching summer

It is a beautiful May day. I am in the library, and realised that it has been an aeon since I last posted about the developments in our world. I have 4 minutes left on my library time, so will have to save a long blog for another day.
But, we are about to enter a new era for our family...looking to stay in Carrboro for at least another year (dependent on whether my career break at Hope gets approved, or not). All very exciting, and scary, simultaneously!
Sienna is a wonderful little person....full of the joys of spring. She has learned to ride her tricycle, and is quite the little girl, who currently has a very strong English accent (yay) after our recent visitation to Blighty and the influence of cousin Jasmine. More soon....

January chill

It has been mighty cold, but today the sun is shining which makes me a very happy person indeed. I have been a tad envious of the British snow, but I am a reptile, and so would always prefer to be sun kissed and happy. Just seen Steve and Sienna for a quick lunch, than grabbed a coffee whilst I waited for a computer at the Cybrary....I am working on 6 things at the same time which is a particular pattern of mine. Working on a PK questionnaire, with Sally Rhine Feather...hoping to get it up and running very soon, and then take some of the results to present in Paris in July (where the Parapsychology Association Convention is taking place this year -very very exciting). Also working on participant recruitment for my upcoming study....and reading and reviewing a book on magic.
Better get back to it, as this is creative faffulation, and I have a lot to do!

Snow is falling

And so are pine needles; on my living room floor! This is a strange experience. I have been in the US for the "holidays" before, but just as a visitor. This is the first time I have actually experienced the entire thing, as a person who lives here (abeit non-permanently) and it is all making me miss the UK and its christmas spirit. Despite the festitivity everywhere, I am noticing subtle and not so subtle cultural differences. One main thing is that in the UK, things are predominantly still "christmas", whilst over here, in an excellently pc manner, all religious approaches to the holidays are embraced in an equal manner. Which I think is great. But it also feels strange to me, being so embroiled in "christmas" for my entire life. So, I have been feeling some pangs for Britain.
So much of christmas in the UK usually annoys me, but I have found myself buying a really awful christmas cd; and hunting high and low for mince pies (omnipresent in the UK and something of an expensioso gourmet item over here!!!). Very amusing to my family who cannot believe that mince pies could be so rare. Steve actually found some in the international supermarket in Charlottesville (where we visited last week), and I am going to (attempt to) make some prior to our festive party, which will now take place on 2nd January. It was supposed to happen on saturday (19th) but we have had a poorly Sienna so we had to move it back a couple of weeks.
Still have a few prezzies to purchase, so will need to be zooping around a little today and tomorrow. And then we are off to Winston Salem to spend christmas eve and christmas with Harald and Vickie and Lena, Steve's parents and Vickie's parents. We are having Italian Christmas; with fish on christmas eve and lasagne on christmas day. Then, Steve and I are going to cook British Christmas dinner on saturday or sunday in sunny Reidsville (so, I will get my brussells sprouts! Steve thinks noone else will eat them, but maybe sienna will be a fan?!?!?!).
Generally, Miss Sienna is getting very excited about christmas; which is so gorgeous to watch. I cannot wait to see her open her presents!!
Missing British friends and family a LOT; so sending you all a massive christmas hug and a happy new year for 2010.

Thanksgiving in Winston Salem

We are back in Carrboro for the weekend after a couple of days in Winston Salem celebrating Thanksgiving....A family festive fest where one eats a very large Turkey meal and lurks with the family in a manner very similar to christmas. Still feeling a little like we are "just visiting", so rather liminal....just trying to live in the moment and enjoy. The weather is still glorious by day, autumn colours continuing to radiate against a blue sky....but cold by night...it does feel very festive. Ms Sienna had a wonderful time with Ms Lena, running around like total loonies and up to all sorts of games. Sienna told Lena she was her best friend yesterday; all very cute. And today, she is continuing to play the games they started yesterday, fetching pretend drinks from a mysterious magical source and giving them to me. Today we went for breakfast at Johnny's - crepes and coffee outside! looked at a few christmas trees and met with another carrboro couple who have littluns. I have bought advent calendars and lights for the house...and generally feel excited about christmas this year - as I think that Sienna is just going to love it. It is a good feeling being in our own home today....and just pottering around. Wish we could go back to UK over the christmas holidays! Missing UK people a lot, but still grateful for an opportunity to be here.
The Project is plodding along nicely - steve is writing The Program, and I am working on finding participants....all very exciting. Hoping to start testing bods in January, so sort of on schedule.
Hoping to make british crimbo cake - but need mum to send me the recipe,and find things like marzipan over here...and hoping to host a little festive gathering at our tiny place with mulled wine and mince pies (if we can find them over here!!).
Phew, I am stuffed (just eaten a large slice of pecan pie after thanksgiving, so tihnk am going on a healthy eating plan from now on).

Settling to life in the U S of A

We are finally feeling settled over here in North Carolina. It has taken a while, and been an epic journey of limbo-land existence and living out of a suitcase. We moved into our apartment in Carrboro a month ago, and now have furniture (but no furnishings as yet). It is becoming a home, but still feels new and empty. We need some arty things in there. A mission to World Market is in order, methinks.
Sienna started a really wonderful preschool a couple of weeks ago. We lucked out with the place as it is a really popular school with a huge waiting list....it just so happened that they had an opening for a girl at the right time. She has only been to around 4 sessions so far, but is very happy there...lots of arty things, playing outside and the women who run it are just great (Rachel and Steph). Last week was halloween, which is simply huge in the States. Felt very festive and there were pumpkins everywhere, and kids getting very excited, and all dressing up as all sorts of things! Sienna decided that she wanted to be a cat (after Dora the explorer on one of her videos), and was a very cute cat indeed...we went to a Carrboro halloween fair, and then a very small exploration of americana (trick or treating)ending up at Jenifer's house for an early evening get together.
As for me, I am submerged in experiment planning, at the Rhine research center, in UNC library and occasionally up at UVA (only made it up there twice thus far though - another trip is in order!). Also did a presentation with Sally Rhine Feather the other day, and a very scary radio "interview" yesterday, with some individuals who are of a very extreme spiritual/new agey belief system and who wanted to epouse this belief system as The Truth and tell Sally and I that the Rhine center should also be expressing this truth and giving up on experiments. Very glad its over. Certainly an experience.
Steve is seeking work...hoping for something local and part time for now...we will see what is around the corner.
This week is Birthday week, so I am celebrating left, right and centre - out with Ginette on monday for the most delicious indian food, tomorrow night is cocktailnight with females, and friday (birthday) Steve and I are going out, while Ferrell babysits sienna; how very exciting! spoilt for choice as to where to go though - lots of fabulous restaurants around here.
Back to The Experimento.

Thirza Mary English, 5th August 1921- 26th September 2009

Last saturday, my Granny, Thirza Mary English, moved into her final sleep after three years of living in a lost, confusing half-world of dementia. She started to become lost when I came back from USA in 2005, and since then, she has moved more and more into her own dreamscape. We should then perhaps remember her as she was, when her personality, and soul were intact, and the disease did not disintegrate and unravel her. And the normal aging process made her look different and lost.
She was a wonderful granny. And remembering her makes me know how lucky I am to have had a happy childhood, when so many do not.
I remember. Her telling me not to grow up too quickly when I told her I wanted breasts (!); her teaching Nicola and I how to knit (but our scarves tripled in width and were all wonky) and make rag dollies. We spent hours pottering around her garden in the summer, we loved the flowers (the fuschias were fairies) and we made perfume out of rose petals, which turned a beautiful shade of yellow-brown each time we did it (to our surprise). We made a den out of her clothes rail and old wooden chairs, and lurked for hours underneath blankets which smelled of their house. We made coconut ice and honeycomb crisp in the kitchen, and went on day trips to dunstable downs and Cassiobury park. We used to go round for sunday tea, and had bread and butter and home made ice cream (which I never did like, but Nicola loved). We loved going to their house, and used to take it in turns to stay over night on a saturday.
She was Mary, and she has been and will be missed. I wish she could have known her great grandchildren.

Little girl

And now its almost June. How bizarre. It really seems that time is hurtling by, and 2009 is disappearing far too quickly. We are getting quite excited as it looks like we will be in North Carolina in September for at least 9 months (possibly 11)....so its going to be a summer of packing and clearing everything out of this flat before heading on over. I will be taking a research sabbatical funded by my Bial research grant - which buys me out of my teaching duties and other on site duties at Hope.....by paying for someone else to be in my shoes for a while. We are waiting to have final approval from the Hope powers that be...just keep fingers crossed. The idea has been approved by head of department and dean...so it *should* be real. I just want to know for sure before I really feel it is real. We hope to live in North Carolina and I would base myself partly at UVA in Charlottesville and partly at the RRC in Durham. [thus necessitating a desperate need to finally learn to drive!!!].
In the mean time, our little baby is a little girl. She has long curly hair, and a cheeky smile. She is a big livewire who just loves people. Very chatty and happy and full of cuddles and kisses (and eskimo kisses - taught to her by Ms Charmaine Noyes this bank holiday weekend - it is very cute!). She is now getting into nursery. She goes two mornings a week, thus allowing Mr Moore to have two mornings a week to himself and focus on his writing. Said nursery is just around the corner from our house, so very convenient indeedy.
We have just had a lovely bank holiday weekend. Well, one and a half days of sun out of 3 is not half bad for the north west of England. Charmaine came up to visit. We had lots of lovely food and a picnic and beach visitation...sienna was in her element swimming in the sand and running around by the sea. She was not too sure about putting her toes into the cold sea, but the sand definitely had her seal of approval and it was hard to remove her from the beach at the end of the afternoon (when everyone and his aunt had descended beachwards - British people are amusing sun suckers when it does appear, and there were lots of red faces around today post bank holiday). Charmaine and I managed to down a few vodkas one evening and head to Lark lane for a mini adventure, but were not quite brave enough to go to town....lovely to see her. We are planning a girlie get together for later in the summer as I want to try to see people properly before I go.
I am (as ever) supposed to be working at the moment, so had better sign off. Steve and I are going to watch Driving Miss Daisy this evening, so only 30 mins left of possible school work now for me!

Timewarp

Hmmmmm. How is it April 1st tomorrow? feels like time is hurtling by, and like gravity, speeding up as we move closer and closer to christmas (but we just had christmas). Maybe this is the nature of being a multi-role, busy careerwoman, mum, person with a social life and partner.
Exciting news this week - my article has been accepted in Imagination, Cognition and Personality! very happy. Not sure when it comes out, but certainly a good excuse for celebration...difficult though, with such a large heap of marking to wade through.
Sienna is a pure joy. She is a happy soul, who loves to sing and dance and who is fascinated with colours...the language aquisition and ability never fails to amaze me. A tiny being whose personality is unfolding before my eyes. She is enchanting and captivating...exhausting too, though as she is a total bundle of energy and aliveness....with a twinkle in her eye...Still not getting sleep. Steve and I are very run down. We both have dark circles under our eyes....but, thank God, its almost easter, so we shall be escaping to Wales to relax and breathe....then to see the Simmonds', then to Aimee's wedding and then back to Wales again with Nicola, Simon and Amelie and Idwid, Caroline, Alfie and Ryan. Going to be lurking in the middle of nowhere, having unique overlap with each others' children and unique overlap with each other (with wine and murder parties and a guitar). Just wish I didnt have quite so much work to do. Ho hum.

Festive times and First words

I have been in a manic, exhausting bubble of work for the Hope semester, which seemed to be slow starting and then go by so very quickly, with still a ton of work to do before the new semester begins in 2 weeks time. Luckily two weeks seem like an eternity at the moment though. We are all off down south to visit the Simmonds zone in Hertfordshire. Having something of a jumping christmas, staying one night with sister Emma, one night with sister Nicola, to a hotel (the lovely Two Brewers in Chipperfield - where we stayed for our wedding) and then on a grand tour of the UK (meandering via Ali's in Wiltshire, hopefully meeting up with Nicola and Lee in Avebury or Stonehenge and up into Shakespeare land to visit Charmaine at her mum's before landing back here for a hermitty new years eve (with Mulled Wine)).
Ms Sienna is a happy little girl. Pottering about, talking her own language and now beginning to speak real words. Such an amazing thing to see. She says nooooooo (very often), Atishoo, Bye, mamma, dadda, noooooooo and night night. she is reinspiring me for christmas! I have shifted from a bah humbug soul who was fatigued with the plastic nature of the season, to feeling very festive and excited, and silly. Made my first christmas cake, and bought far too many things for little one. See photos for Simmonds-Moore christmas silliness!

New President; New Era

Hooray.
This has been such an exciting week in our household. Steve has been glued to the TV and the internet, and tuesday night was a complete nail-biter. However we awoke to find out that Obama is the new president of the USA! Can hardly believe it. Felt overwhelmed with emotion of the significance of this change. And, finally, everything feels exciting and positive for a change. Feel less frightened.
It is also my birthday week, which of course I am stretching out and enjoying for a prolonged period. I love this time of year; halloween lantern parade in the park, fireworks, leaves turning gorgeous colours and birthday....

around the world and back (and a new simmonds!)

It has been a long time since last we(I) scribbled on this blog. We have been VERY busy creatures. And appear to have been half way around the world (and back again).
Following a mightily huge deadline for submitting my paper to the Charting the Future of Parapsychology conference, we hopped to the Parapsychology conference down in Winchester, where I was giving two papers...we stayed a couple of days in Southampton with our Bronwen, where we celebrated Sienna's first birthday....then moved into a lovely hotel in the ancient town of Winchester (how wierd that it used to be the capital of England). Whilst there we pottered around cobbled streets and saw the round table on the remaining wall of the castle hall. There was a "Simmonds" street! and the place just felt alive with history...Conference was good. A balancing act for me as mummy and academic, but I am getting there! My first PA banquet since pre-Sienna times - really fun, but I turned into a pumpkin relatively early (seems to be a current pattern of mine). It was fab to see all the para dudes, in particular Nicola and Louise and Ciaran. Ciaran and I spent some time sharing baby photos and cooing over each others' offspring and the change in life. Which is so unfathomably huge. But wonderful.
On return to the Mighty Pool, I semi disappeared into a bubble of grantwriting (two exciting projects for the next round of Bial - fingers crossed! we find out in november)...broken up by a fabulous weekend of family visitation and friends lurking in the back garden for the official birthday of Sienna Iona Aurora. We had fantastic weather. Beautiful blue sky, and sunshine....with fresh pre-autumn air. Pottered to the farmers market on Lark Lane. Barbecued in the garden. And Ms Sienna was in her element with all her English cousins on board to play with (and her little friends from Liverpool).
After grant deadline came packing up my entire office. And then onto a plane to USA for three whole weeks. Wonderful weather. Lovely time with the Moores. Sienna got to meet her American cousin Angelina, and they were so cute playing together. Sienna wanted to hug Angelina and seemed totally aware that she was a smaller baby. So adorable.
And a LOVELY time with my wonderful friend Ferrell. But it went so fast. I just adored being in the Chapel hill area again.
Dad came out to visit for a week....during which time we took in loads of US history....and zooped up to Old Salem for a visit and up to Charlottesville, Virginia where I gave one presentation to the DOPS group at UVA. And the next day, the same talk to the Rhine Center in Durham...Phew! even on holiday we are busy!!!
Steve spent a lot of time catching up with Brian, and helping him out with his exciting new businness in Greensboro - I am Jacks.
We got to see Kim and Tony, which was lovely....and managed to overlap with Logan and Bernadette and Billy and even (very briefly) with Sharon and John.
And then back to earth. Back to work.
It has been strange being back at work full time. I love my job, and feel so inspired at the moment, and mentally alive and full of possibility. However, I am missing my sienna. It is so hard leaving her in the morning and not seeing her all day, every day. We have all had terrible colds too, which has made everything so hard. No sleep, and even less sleep with the poor little sienna waking up all the time wondering why she feels so bad.
We just got back (literally last night) from the Utrecht conference (in Holland), and just about survived intact ( the colds have not destroyed us yet!). I am swimming with ideas post conference.... and now feel like I can catch up with myself, as the deadlines seem to have slowed up for a while. And life is settling into the new term.
We have some exciting news - there is a NEW SIMMONDS! Little Ryan Thomas Simmonds was born last friday (9th?) October to my brother Mark and Caroline. We are planning on taking a trip down there this weekend to see him. The photos suggest that he looks a lot like Mark! I remember so well as I used to look after him when he was small.
Sienna is turning into a wonderfully inquisitive and adventuresome little girl. She has discovered the internet!!! she loves looking at Teletubbies and Night Garden...and her favourite song seems to be Twinkle Twinkle Little star.
Chocolate is calling me, so I shalt away. I will post new pictures soon - you will see how she has changed. She has thick curly hair and a cute little smile, and just loves showing off her bottom teeth!

We have Toddlidge

Ms Sienna is officially a toddler. Walking everywhere. Quickly. And she apparently has a homing device to anything remotely dangerous (in particular the oven, the toilet and the TV). We are going to have to invest in one of those baby leish type things for being out and about with a "toddler". I cannot quite believe that we have had Sienna in our lives for almost a year (exactly a year next thursday). Seems like she has been here forever, but I still remember the birth far too clearly to consider baby number two at present (!).
I am madly working around the clock trying to finish my essay and get talks written for the conference next week in Winchester. We also have Melanie visiting us this coming weekend, so have an excuse to go to lots of exciting places in the Liverpool zone : ).
Planning on beach on saturday (where there is also a first birthday party for one of Sienna's little friends), and Wales for a couple of days before heading down to winchester.
When we get back from Winchester, we are planning on a birthday party for Ms Sienna - with the Simmonds clan who are all coming up from down south.
We got our passports back on monday morning - hoorah! so have now booked our flights to USA for next month. Going to be in North Carolina for about 3 weeks. It will definitely be good to have some sunshine as the UK seems to think it is dingy autumn right now.
Off to sample some banana and blueberry muffins that I have created now! yummmmmmmmmmmm.

first steps and 4 teeth

Ms Sienna is 11 months old this coming monday. How time does fly. We are having a little birthday celebration for her on her actual birthday (which is actually when we are at a conference in sunny Winchester on 14th August), a bigger party on 23rd August...and no, doubt a party for her when we visit USA (hopefully in September - if we EVER get our passports back - Steve has applied for a new visa to be in UK, and they wanted everything but the kitchen sink to demonstrate that we are who we say we are, and that in fact, we do live together).
Sienna is quite the little lady. A happy, social little thing, who adores other people, exploring the universe, technical things (in particular the TV remote) and people watching. She took some steps this week, which is very exciting as she is still in the 10 month bracket (so, quite an early walker!!!). If she forgets that she is standing, she can stand for quite a few minutes and potter a couple of steps before she realises what is going on and lands on her bum. It is a beautiful thing watching this little being evolve and become a child/tiny person. I didnt realise how quickly she would grow. I am told that is life with a child, and I will soon have a teenager, or twenty something and will wonder where my life has gone.
Currently British summertime is very depressing. Not a lot of sun around. I am wearing my winter attire in July in our house (including steve's thick woolley socks!). Crazy.
We are starting to think about putting in some grants for future exciting research projects....deadlines all looming. Also trying to write my last essay for the Transpersonal course and a big paper for a conference in Holland in October. As always, very very busy. But unfortunately, also very very tired as we are still not getting nearly enough sleep. Sienna has had a few bad nights lately, which are hard to recover from, particularly when you try to go to work the day after (or try to think!!!).
We have been making the most of the few sunny days we have had lately - and had two barbecues in the garden. The first was almost rained out, but finally we braved the outdoors and had a fab day. The second was last friday - for July 4th/Independence Day! lots of US food cooked by Mr Steve Moore (wow - did not know that Steve could cook cornbread before. It was truly delicious, and we are now planning The Great Corn Bread Cook Off competition, to take place in the garden and to be judged by Steve!).

standing and cruising

It has been a while since last we wrote. We have been having some adventures. Following the Portuguese adventure (which floored us financially, but was excellent, if tiring), we have now had the Italian adventure. Steve, Sienna and I took a 9 day holiday to Umbria, Tuscany and Rome, which was a wonderful break for all of us. We spent a week in an apartment on a tiny organic farmlet in umbria, run by a British couple. We had some glorious weather and enjoyed lots of evenings relaxation after Ms Sienna had gone to bed. We had a table, candles and the night sky all to ourselves, which was significantly enhanced by the supping of (very) local wine (one night we had wine made by our proprietors!). Following the week in Umbria and its neighbour Tuscany, which are absolutely gorgeous...we journeyed back down to Rome where we stayed with Steve's friend Melanie from the U S of A. Melanie is working for UN, and we stayed with her for 2 nights and had a tour of the UN food building from which you get to see ALL the ancient sites of this beautiful city.
Sienna was worshipped beautifully by Italians left, right and centre, almost to the point of being eaten up. She also got to sample some Italian food, and was quite the connoisseuse, with the most fabulous pizza, truffle tagliatelle and a teeny tiny schleurp of gelato (we had to let her sample it too. It is too good). Since our return from Italy, both steve and I are obsessed with coffee, as we were spoiled over there. We have begun a cafetiere ritual every morning, so our house smells heavenly in the morning (which starts rather early due to a certain little girl).
Little Sienna is incredibly mobile. She is a fast crawler, only contained by her Sienna Den (she does not always like being constrained by it, particularly when she is tired. But it is a necessity for us when we are cooking/cleaning in the kitchen). Sienna has been cruising for a while, but recently has begun particularly adept at using anything and everything to enable her to "walk" all over the entire house. We have had a couple of tumbles, but nothing stops this little adventurer.
As you can see from the recent photos, sienna has a full head of hair. She really seems to be quite the little girl at the moment, which is so wierd. Why does babyhood go so fast???? She will be 10 months old on 15th June. I can hardly believe she has been in our lives for so long/short.
She has become a little character, and is very silly and smiley. Her smile is contagious and often directed toward random strangers on the bus (who respond by fantastic sienna worship!).
We are still not getting very much sleep, but only waking up once or twice at the moment, which is a significant improvement on our previous situation. Still feeling exhausted though. It is hard being back at work and trying to do everything. I have started writing my book though, which is really inspiring and exciting. I just wish I had more time so I could spend lots and lots of time with Sienna too. Luckily Steve is fabulous daddy and having lots of lovely adventures iwith our sienna wenna whilst I am at work (flexible still - so still around a lot in the house).
We have CP and John coming up to see us this weekend. Very exciting. CP is one of Sienna's Godmothers, and loves her little Godchild. I am excited as it has been too long. Planning some daytime adventures with Sienna and some night time adventures with some wine!!!

Crawling

We have reached a developmental milestone - Ms Sienna is crawling. This is really very exciting, but also slightly panic inducing as our house has not (at all) been baby proofed. We are on a mission to remove all precarious objects and (after payday) to purchase a playpen for the littlun. It is proving to be quite a task keeping her in one place, and you really cannot turn your back for 5 seconds else she will be eating a shoe or attempting to kill the cd machine. Also increasingly difficult to change a nappy (diaper) as she wants to be in the crawling position all the time. She even does it when she is half asleep and gets a bit upset when she gets stuck in the corner of her cot.
She also has a brand new tooth, which she likes to use at all opportunities (not good as I am still breastfeeding...).
Also not good as teething correlates with "terrible nights sleep" for mummy and daddy. We are longing for a night of a few hours (at least 4, please) sleep in a row. The record was friday night where we believe (although our brains may be inaccurate due to sleep deprivation) that we woke up six times due to Ms Simmonds-Moore.
Sienna has re-discovered raspberry blowing, and has happily spent all day doing it! very cute.
I also returned to work last week. I have arranged to work flexibly over the summer so can work a lot from home and still get a fair amount of time with little girl. Not sure how I am going to feel in September when I am going to be proper full time working mummy. Trying to focus on the now, and very grateful to have this transition time. Feeling somewhat swamped with work, as manicly writing conference papers, preparing for lecture, talk and seminar to be given at Hope and about to dive into a rather large heap of dissertation marking (will have to line up the chocolate).

Portugal here we come

We are all off to Portugal on the morrow for the Bial conference. This is quite an adventure as I am going to be giving my first talk in over a year (with my friend and colleague Nicola Holt) and Steve is going to be full time Daddy whilst I am doing the conference thing. The conference is in Porto (north west Portugal and home of Port - think we will be making some purchases whilst we are there!).
Hopefully the flight will be smooth with the little one, as with the US trip. We have some new toys to distract her, and the flight only lasts for a couple of hours. The conference ends on saturday evening, so we will have a couple of days to explore after it is all over, when we are planning on visiting some of the celtic areas north of Porto.
Sienna news: she is flipping herself over a lot. Her favourite thing at the moment (despite trying to walk and run!) is doing a 360 stomach turn/crawl. Unfortunately she does the flip thing in the middle of the night sometimes and finds herself stuck in the corner of her cot! Which she does not like one bit. She is continuing to babble and has been heard to say dadda as well as mamammama. All very cool.
Unfortunately, Sienna is somewhat grumpy this week, and we fear the imminent arrival of another tooth.
Hoping for some sleep tonight....a rare commodity at the moment. And not good when one is attempting to have half a brain cell and process the very interesting results from our study (we have found significant ESP effects!!!!).

walking, talking and sneezing

Sienna wants to walk. We think that she may well bypass the crawling stage for being on her feet. She wants to be on her feet all the time, and loves "walking" everywhere (as well as continuing to bounce, which gets harder as she grows more heavy) particularly to "worship" the dreamcatcher in our bedroom that she just adores (its rainbow coloured and she likes to flap the coloured threads coming out of it!). She has also developed some rather interesting babbling sounds over the last few days, and has frequently been heard to murmer mamamamama.....Perhaps not indiscriminately, but its really lovely to hear it! She has been a little grumpy/upset over the last few days as we have all three been floored by a rather nasty cold. We have been totally housebound and feeling rather cabin fevery, and felt like recovering agorophobics pottering around in the outside world, when we finally went out again.
We took Sienna to the Multisensory Room at the nearest Childrens Centre today - lots and lots of lights and bubbles and mellow music. She loved it at first, and then got a bit over stimulated and upset! Sleeping soundly at the moment.
Food situation: variable. Loves broccoli, avocado and sometimes likes sweet potato. Goes a bit manic for yoghurt, and didnt like my lentil dahl at all : (
7 months old this week - how time flies!