You have a baby...at a bullfight!

As I lay here all propped up in a hotel bed - on top of the covers and with my own pillow of course - I can't help but think about how quickly the past four months have flown. Sleeping soundly beside me is our precious miracle, J.J. (Julian James) who is four months old as of yesterday. Sleeping not-so-soundly in the other queen bed is my husband whose roaring snore is only somewhat drowned out by the giant air conditioning unit. Oh, how quickly we've become a 1950s television couple. It's amazing what a baby, a crazy work schedule and a (completely justifiable) fear of hotel linens can do to a couple's sleeping arrangements. Brian somehow sleeps comfortably under the sheets with his face all smashed up against the pillow a million other people have drooled on, and I couldn't breathe - much less sleep - for thinking of all the germs. It's a wonder I've made it this far in our European travels.

At 4 months, JJ has already grown fond of mommy's MacBook Pro. Smart boy.

Despite my (completely justifiable...have you ever seen Dateline, people?) fear of hotel beds, I refuse to allow us to become that couple that quietly drifts into a passionless marriage. But, for now I'm guessing those TV couples must have slept pretty well. He has his drool-stained pillow, and I have my store-bought blanket and pillow.

So, how's that for WAAAAY too much information after months of not writing?

I heard from many of our blog readers that you were sick of seeing the "Meet the Neighbors" entry and it was time for me to quit pretending that this mommy thing is really THAT time consuming. Okay, none of you said exactly that, but I did get the impression that you missed hearing about our misadventures. I must admit that it thrills me to know our friends and family are still with us in spirit - even if we're in different countries. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't possibly sum up the past four months in a typical blog entry, so I'm going to just write it out timeline-style:

• Thursday, April 8 - Last blog entry (the one about the cows that we're all sick of seeing).
• Sunday, April 18 - I woke up so excited that we were going to meet our son VERY soon...
• Monday, April 19 - ...but "very soon" ended up being about 24 hours. And "excited" felt more like HOLY CRAP THIS PAIN IS HORRIBLE! GIVE ME THE DRUGS NOOOOOOW!!! At 7:46 a.m., I gleefully watched J.J. take his first breath. I say gleefully, because a few hours before that, I experienced my first spinal block + epidural combo. And next time I'll receive both in the parking lot, thank you very much.
• April - June - We had the joy of visiting with all three sets of parents at our home in England. It was a precious time for us, and we hope it was equally as special to them!
• May ??? - Brian worked at an air show in Denmark, and JJ and I decided to tag along. Yes, we ate lots of pastries in Denmark.
• Wednesday, July 14 - Thursday, August 12 - We hopped on a C-17 (military cargo plane) and headed to the US of A. Thus the Tour de America began:
  • We rented a car in New Jersey (it just happened to be the closest we could get to Georgia) and drove to DC. There, we stayed with our dear friends Dave & Kearstin.
  • The next day we stayed with our best friends Jason & Whitney at their place in North Carolina.
  • We then drove to the North Georgia Mountains where we attended the H.I.T. (Hinesley Invitational Tournament) for two days.
  • We then drove to Indiana to introduce JJ to Brian's family on the south side of the state and my family to the north. We spent three days total in Indiana.
  • We ended our tour by passing through Nashville to have dinner with a dear high school friend before concluding our Tour de America back in Conyers, Georgia, where the partying never stopped!
  • Friday, August 6 - JJ has the distinguished honor of experiencing the World's Longest Yard Sale with Precious (my mom), G-man (my dad), and his Aunty Cyndi. We drove to Tennessee and back in the same day. 
  • Thursday, August 12 - Mom and dad drive JJ and me (Brian left a week prior) to Charleston to catch a military flight (on the enormous C-5) directly to Rota on the southern coast of Spain.

So, now we're presently in the small town of Rota in the gorgeous Cadiz Province of Spain. We've comfortably settled (with my own linens) into our hotel room on base, and I can't wait to share more of our lives with you. Tomorrow's adventure is a bullfight in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Yes, I'm taking my baby to a bullfight. But please save the lectures for your own blogs because - like it or not - this is a rich part of Spanish culture I truly want us to experience...and, besides, he's too young to remember. Yes, I know they slowly kill the bulls, but I'm sure there are things in our American culture that would shock and horrify the Spaniards just as much. Like Toddlers & Tiaras. Or David Hasselhoff. 

Comments

[Amy Griffin]

Yay, a new blog! I was excited to see the short stop in Nashville made the list. :) Good luck with those hotel germs and the bull fight! Post some pictures of that - I'm sure it will be wild!

[Bo]

I mean...they do wash the sheets, right? I don't see why it's such a big deal. Then again, I rode my bike behind the bug truck when I was a kid.

So glad I got to see y'all a few weeks ago! Still jealous that J.J.'s going to have more stamps in his passport than I do by the time he's 1...

[Julia Halasz-Tadajeqski]

Enjoy your adventures in Spain and the bull fight. J.J. Is going to have the best stories to tell all of his friends once he huts kindergarten. I agree with you on hotel linens yuck!

[Katy]

Bo, you make me laugh! Yes, they wash the sheets. But they also wash the cups in the bathroom...with the same rag they use to clean the toilet. I'm just sayin'...