My last entry was February fourth and I was ruminating over the possibility of an early arrival for Julian. The world has changed so much since then! Julian did arrive a little earlier than expected and it's been a wild ride ever since! As Jonathan's entry indicates, we are madly in love with Julian. A good friend of mine asked recently if we had come to the point where we can't imagine what it was like without Julian. We're there. I remember thinking about our travel plans to Europe and then wondering how we would modify them "plus baby." Now the fabric and planning of our lives has changed such that Julian is integral to all of our planning and thought processes from the get-go. I really am ridiculous about this thirteen pound person and have recently been cited as saying that I'm no good without him. Julian will be five months old next week. It's the most amazing experience to watch him grow and develop. He rolls over to the side and loves to put both feet in his mouth at the same time. We started giving him rice cereal and baby food this week and he is very happy! He also has the cutest passport in the world, verified (in not so many words) to me by the British Embassy agent who issued our visas.
Speaking of travel plans we depart from the U.S. on Wednesday, August 29th-- just FOUR weeks from Wednesday. Luckily we were able to book seats on the direct flight from Atlanta to Edinburgh, so that should make travel easier. My sister Suzanne will travel with us to help us out with Julian while we are flat-hunting and settling in. Between now and then we have lots of planning and packing to do, but after a family reunion this weekend we'll shift gears into packing mode. We're not sure yet where we'll live in Edinburgh, but we have friends who have graciously offered to allow us to stay with them for a few days upon arrival.
I finally relented to peer pressure and joined Facebook, so I'm there for any of you who belong to that community. I've also set up a group for Rotary Scholars at Edinburgh on Facebook. I am looking forward to my studies with much anticipation. Right now I think the hardest part will be structuring my day and spending so much time away from Julian, but he will be in the best hands possible-- his dad's. ;) I'm looking forward to studying and working. My friend Brian recommended several books on writing which have been my summer reading. I really do love to read and write. I know I am incredibly fortunate to be in a position where I can spend my time doing so.
We'll have more pictures up soon-- before we leave for sure. Thanks to all of you for your encouragement. I am who I am because of who you are. Much love, Beth.