06/07 3eme semaine/ 3rd week

Je ne sais pas comment va faire Kate, mais la semaine prochaine, je pars finalement au boulot, et j'admire son courage. Evidemment, certains diront qu'elle n'a pas le choix. Mais disons qu'il faut etre arme d'une enorme patience entre les pleurs, donner le sein, changer les couches, le manque de sommeil, et ce pas forcement dans le meme ordre. Elle sera toute seule pour la premiere fois et pour toute une semaine...

Le terrain de vol a voile de "Turf" ouvre de nouveau ses portes parait-il, et ca c'est une nouvelle interressante, puisque le terrain ne se trouve qu'a 25' de la maison, au pied du lac "Plaisant". Helas, ca vient un peu tard, puisque cela va faire plus d'un an qu'ils ont fermes, et qu'a l'epoque, j'avais meme cherche a vendre le planeur... Enfin, c'est une longue histoire, mais avec le bebe, et vu qu'il n'y a plus que 3 mois de saison en gros, je doute que nous allions a Estrella pour plier le planeur, mettre en remorque, deplier les ailes a Turf. On verra ca l'annee prochaine, apres la visite annuelle.

J'en ai profite cette semaine pour reconnaitre le coin en avion, Turf etant repute pour faire le long circuits. C'est proche des montagnes, et des plafonds a plus de 13 000 pieds, et le terrain de depart pour aller dans le Grand Canyon. Ca, c'est a l'horizon sur la photo, a un peu plus d'une heure de vol en C172...

A+ pour de nouvelles aventures!

Welcome to Summer, desert style. It's an easy, breezy 100+ degrees in the shade here. The critter crawlers are out and about, enjoying the heat, and non-desert plants are dying their slow painful deaths, for those who still have, as yet, to accept that they live in a desert.

As for inside, we're still becoming acustomed to our new world wherein we are heartily ruled by Queen Florence. Each day we tend to her every need, desperate to keep her happy, dry, feed, and content for fear of the wrath of BABY!

Each day of care taking is like a mathematical equation gone insane wherein yesterday 1+1='ed 2, then the day before it ='ed 14, and now today seems to =4,300,681. So, go figure. Alas, no one can say the land of Babe-E-Dom is boring. HA!

But, thank the stars, we are all heartily in love with each other so we make certain to intersperce those time whence of hands are thrust around our collective necks and change position to hugs, and back again, and back again further still. Ode to family!

So, dear fellows, I must bid adieu for there's nappies that need a'changin' and mouths that need a'feedin' and somewhere between the piles of laundry, and my teeth which haven't seen time for a'brushin' in days now (alas, ol' toothless Kate) Mommy hopes for sleep! HA! Perchance to dream! My $#!$^!!!!! :):):):)

A bientot! I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

06/07 2eme semaine/ 2nd week

J'ai battu deux records en planeur cette semaine. L'un fut d'altitude: c'est la premiere fois que j'arrive a monter a 12500 pieds en Arizona!
Le deuxieme est un record de duree: j'ai reussi a faire un vol de 7H35! Du jamais vu dans mon histoire aeronautique, et dans l'histoire de ce planeur depuis sa construction, car sans doute suis-je le seul tare pour faire un truc pareil....

Florence va toujours bien, on croise les doigts. Elle sourit de plus en plus, et ca, c'est une vrai recompense, pour toutes les couches culottes a changer et le manque de sommeil!

I love my husband. I love my daughter. And the world is a sick, bastardly place.

Report today on the Internet of the British smashing an international child exploitation ring which includes the worst kinds of crimes against children. Horrific. Senseless. Godless. Victims even included newborn babies. There must be a special Devil to handle these humanless beings.

Then, of course, this comes on the heals of the English couple who "lost" their daughter while in Portugal. I don't know about them, but all I can say that if it were my child "lost" I would take a heafty baseball bat and go door to door in that stinking town, knocking down doors and busting heads until she was found, whether I had to travel to far off countries to do so would not matter. My march would mimic that of Patton into Europe where despite weather, or hunger, or lack of supplies I would not faulter until the enemy was met and the goal was had - the return of our daughter. Hell hath no fury and the world would offer them no place to hide. Man on fire??? Try woman on fire.....

Hard to say much else when you read about stuff like that. However, must be said that our daughter is great. She loves to smile and coo. She's a wiggler. Bet she'll be fast crawling or running through the house. And she loves to "run" through the house whilst hoisted on my arms, facing outward to view all around. And, thank God, sometimes she even loves to sleep!

And, too, I must say thanks to Grandma for coming out when she really shouldn't have (not feeling good and too much going on at home) to help give us some guidance and alleviate our burden. And I must also say a grand thanks to my hubby, not only for his constant support and help, but also because it's just plane fun to watch his growing love affair with our daughter. He has truly fell for her - hook, line, and sinker.

All for now. Bastards of the world beware!

A bientot!

06/07 1ere semaine/ 1st week

Je suis en vacances pour les prochaines semaines, apres les trois jours ereintants que je viens de passer au boulot la semaine derniere...
(Mais non, je plaisante!...)
Alors comme d'habitude, 11 hrs de planeur, et le reste a s'occuper de Florence. Ca commence a aller mieux, on commence a trouver un rythme. Meme qu'elle se calme quand on lui fait jouer le role de Cowboy!
Helas, demain la maman de Kate rentre chez elle dans le Texas. Dommage, elle fut une aide importante, elle va nous manquer!

Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls!

Welcome to Florence's 6th week of life - our 6th week of Baby Boot Camp! And low (or is it loll and behold??) and behold, just as the greenhorns aboard the crab boats which fish in the frigid Alaskan waters, so, too, did Richard and I begin to get our baby sea legs wherein it was either sink or swim - do or die. And so, we did - swim that is!!!

We learned the signs of pending poop, the scream which details a pee filled diapie, and the sweet, searing sounds which detail "I'm tired!" or "Feed me now!" Luckily, Florence, being the li'l genius she is, took pitty on us old fart greenhorns and helped us along the way, save she starve to death, guiding us toward meeting her never ending list of needs.

Also thanks to our li'l girl, we were able to fully switch to direct breastfeeding, something which I in no way give myself credit for - she's just a natural. And despite our horrid start in the hospital, she started up again like a trooper.

We also had the help of Grandmama, my Mom, in from good ol' Texas to help us greenhorns, giving way to her veteran knowledge, answering our many myriad of questions like "is poop supposed to look like that!??" "does she have a fever??" "is she deaf?" "why is she coughing?" "is she supposed to act that way???" etc. etc. etc. Never does one develop such a resounding case of hypochondria as when one has their first child.

So, alas, with the week drawing to a close we're setting our gold stars of accomplishment on our chests, pround parental peacocks, showing off our newly honed skills - diaper changing, diaper rash abating, feeding, burping, rocking, hugging, snuggling, etc. etc. All very important in the realm of babyhood. Never have so few been so proud of so much.

So for now we bid adieu and set off for another weekly adventure sailing along the seas of parenthood, captained by dear, sweet Florence, veteran seafarer, having sailed for nine months inside momie's stomach.

So, a bientot. Good toes!

Oh how we love our little girl! Let us count the ways! Signed, Mom

05/07 4eme semaine/ 4th week

Un fiasco administratif a fait que la compagnie ne savait en fait pas que je devais retourner au boulot cette semaine! alors, apres 4 jours de cette betise, je les ai appelle et ils m'ont finalement envoye en fin de semaine.
J'ai donc passe le 1er jour a Santa-Fe au Nouveau-Mexique. Fondée par les Espagnols en 1607, Santa Fe (Villa Real de Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís en espagnol) est une charmante ville de style adobe, et c'est aussi un centre de tourisme et des arts. Il y'a la beaucoup de petites eglises datant du 17-18eme siecle, et beaucoup de petites boutiques a touristes.
Pour voir plus de photos que j'ai pris, cliquez sur ce lien: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeplane/SantaFeNMMay31st2007?pli=1

I'M TIRED! I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY TIRED! OH, AND I HAVE A GREAT HUSBAND. THE END!