The trip so far....Part II: The Frenchies & Gosport

I realise this is going to have limited impact without photos but until I get to Wales and get a cable to upload from my camera words will have to do. So what have we been up to this week?

Paul's friend Chris kindly picked us up from the airport and took us to Weybridge where the lovely V met us with cups of tea and flapjacks. Despite the general lack of sleep everyone was fairly well behaved and managed to keep up a semi-coherent level of conversation. Little Julie was asleep upstairs but Leah wasted no time getting familiar with what she seemed to presume was her new home; toddling from the front room, to the dining room, to the kitchen, out the back door and into the garden only to turn around again and repeat the journey. She was delighted with V's loan of a mini pushchair that she insisted on dragging (not pushing) with her along her chosen route.

Missie J soon woke up and, despite an interloper making herself at home in her territory, adapted fairly quickly and the two girls were soon playing peek-a-boo in the garden shed and generally chasing each other back and forth giggling and shouting and watching their favourite TV program.
The man of the house came home in time for dinner and set about getting some food into both girls, one on each side and happily entertained them in the garden falling over and being climbed on by both while Paul, V and I drank champagne and beer and watched.
We put both girls in the bath and after a few tears of tiredness Leah managed to sleep until 5 in the morning which we were very pleased with, it also meant that she had to come in and snuggle up with me for a couple of hours to give the rest of the house some peace and quiet which I was very pleased with.

We spent the next couple of days hanging out in Weybridge and at the very lovely house in Surbiton that we've been lucky enough to swap our apartment for.
Then, after an amazingly brief but successful encounter with the US embassy where my visa renewal was approved we headed down to Gosport to visit Leah's Nannny, Grandad, 2 aunties and uncle. She seems to not totally hate the car seat we're using and happily fell asleep not far down the A3. She remained asleep when we arrived in Gosport leaving Nanny and Grandad to peer at her through the car window which must have been very difficult for them as no doubt they were itching to get a cuddle and a kiss.

Leah coped with all the attention very well and although she got off to a slow and shy start she was soon running around the house like she owned it (3 houses visited, all three thoroughly checked out and approved by our girl), running in and out of every single room to make sure she'd checked out every corner - not for the first time was I reminded how having a toddler is like having a dog :). She had a lovely garden to play in and was soon chatting away to her Grandad and telling him about all her trip so far. The highlight of the trip was the few hours we spent in Gosport town center on our last but one day. After some play time on the swings we walked into the town center for lunch and then over to watch the ferries coming in and out. Leah was fully warmed up to her Gosport family at this point and ran around laughing, pointing and shouting and really enjoyed walking along holding hands with one parent and one grandparent and then both grandparents. Apart from a slightly embarassing moment where she tried to adopt another grandad who was sat on a park bench it was a lovely afternoon - beautiful weather and great fun.
Our last morning by the seaside was a very grumpy one, Leah grizzled the whole time and was very put out when I attempted to paddle in the sea with her. As I held her she lifted her legs way up so that they wouldn't touch the sea and shouted very loud at me. Thinking all the time about how disappointed Mamgu would be by a grandaughter who wasn't going to paddle in the sea it finally twigged that that nasty molar that has been threatening to erupt for some time now was actually causing her a lot of pain. One dose of Motrin later she was a different girl shrieking with delight as I hid behind the sofa and jumped out at her - each time she'd squeal and cuddle into her Nanny which was lovely and very funny. We waited until we'd tired her out before packing everything, and Leah, into the car and heading back to Surbiton. Leah was asleep before we'd got on the A3 and she snored the whole way home. So fingers crossed, paddling in Porthcawl is still on the table.