Here we are, on the far side of the sun.
At that half-way point between birth-day and birthday.
Closer to one than zero.
babyOregonian turned six months old this week, and planet earth’s orbit is headed back toward that place in space where we hung in the skies last September 17th.
Funny what seems new, what feels familiar.
At six months into our year-long trip around the world, Ted and I had spanned oceans and hemispheres, crossed through countries listening to Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Greek, Arabic, French, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans (and English, too).
We’d managed to sort out transportation and navigate illness, find food and make friends, learn ropes and (re-)build habits. And take a zillion pictures.
Day 1 – Lima, Peru: clean packs, clean clothes, wide eyes.
Day 183 – Cape Town, South Africa: navigation, bumps and bruises, perspective…so many lessons learned by reaching, stretching, trying, looking, seeing.
And these past six months with our little Peach?
We’ve left familiar territory to set foot on the shores of this new land Parenthood, taken up new languages (baby speak is one thing…but acronyms and abbreviations on parenting message boards? a whole new world of communication), learned ins and outs of transport and travel gear (car seats, jogging strollers, baby carriers, diaper bags; giraffes made in France and blankets made in India), gotten through the first cold and terrible teething pains, tried first foods and connected with new baby friends.
With each new week, we’re learning ropes and building habits, and taking a zillion pictures.
Day 1 – Portland, Oregon: tiny fingers, little lips, bright eyes; curious about the world from the very get-go.
Day 183 – Oregon, still: babyOregonian rolls and babbles, blows bubbles and strums her little fingers on the crib rail (practicing, I’m convinced, for the the ukulele I’m going to buy her when we head to Maui)… Her eyes follow us around the room, her lips curl into the sweetest, gummiest smiles you’ve ever seen, and her giggles make our hearts leap with joy.
For those who say it goes by so fast: oh yes, it does.
It reminds me so much of another trip around the sun, not so long ago.
Fast and full and rich and rewarding. Some days a blur, other days monumental. Each building on the next. No going back. No telling with certainty what’s around the corner…
Lucie & me | March 2014 | Kennedy School Soaking Pool
I know from experience.
Each day an eternity, the whole year a blip.
I’m trying, trying, trying, to remember that the pattern repeats, but each circuit only comes once.
The sun rises and falls.
The moon appears and drifts away.
Days are given, and then they are done.
Babies are born, and then the grow, grow, grow…
Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.
Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.trip
The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.
-Excerpt, Psalm 136, The Message
Don’t forget. (I say to you; I say to myself.)
This day comes only once.
-Bethany
17 Comments
I love you, I love this. So nice to read your blog posts <3
You’re always such a sweet fan! :)
That little face. Holy cow that little face.
I love all three of you,
Jane
Much love to you, too, Jane! We need to find a time for you to see that little face in person ;) Her cheeks are getting rounder by the day…
I’ll have to consult you once we embark upon this adventure ourselves…I bet there are a lot of parallels between this and long-term travel. Stepping way outside your comfort zone, learning new languages as you said, dealing with s**t you never saw coming. :)
Happy 6 months little Peach!
Ha, you said it! Absolutely. So many parallels. ;)
Hope you guys are having a safe flight to Paris right about now… Enjoy the beautiful city. (Charles De Gaulle airport was my first international touch-down — my mom took me just before my 17th birthday. I can’t wait to take Lucie someday…)
A message for all parents of all ages.
Gary, thanks for keep up with our adventures (near and far), and thanks for your affirmation.
Obviously I can’t relate to time flying because of children. But man, time sure is flying. I remember when she was born. It doesn’t seem like that long ago. And as Danté and I have passed a year mark of being together, I get time flying from that perspective. It sure doesn’t seem that long ago at all.
If only there was a magic formula to truly enjoying every moment as it happens. I hope having children helps with that because it sure is difficult when life is consumed by work and travel.
So much love to you both!! And the Peach ;)
Right? (And speaking of time flying, my response time in social-media-land is something akin to a half-speed snail’s pace. As in, I remember when I posted this and it didn’t seem that long ago, and here I am finally sending a little note back to you, three(?) weeks later!)
There is no magic formula, that’s for sure. I think the only thing I’ve been able to work on lately is the realization that I can’t hold everything at once – and when my efforts at writing or keeping on top of the dishes or whatever suffer because I’m spending time on Lucie, I need to give myself permission to be okay with it. There’s a priority list, and she’s at the top, and when I have to axe just about everything below, I can’t hold on to regret about all the things that didn’t get done. (Some days I am good at this, some days I’m really, really not. But I’m trying.) I think we just have to be completely honest with ourselves (and our partners) about what belongs at the top of the list, and then try to live guilt-free from that place.
It’s so hard when the list is long. I feel ya.
I’m so happy for you and Danté to be each other’s support and companion even when life is so full and complex.
Ah…someday we’ll have another long conversation over hot drinks.
In the meantime – hugs from Portland!
xx
B
That photo of Lucie sticking her tongue out is so great!
Oh my gosh, she’s hysterical about her tongue. I can’t get enough of her silly little faces. :)
That sounds like an amazing journey guys. Love that you take the little one!
Btw just followed you on Twitter as well – great travel blog you have :) Looking forward to connect!
Thanks very much for stopping by and leaving a note, and thanks for connecting over on Twitter! Cheers~
Oh my gosh, that is the most adorable picture! Congratulations of 6 months of what sounds like pure joy :)
Lisa, so nice to cross digital paths with you recently. I’ve begun following your blog as well – bravo for all the hard work with medical school and for keeping the travel spirit alive! I loved reading that you’ll be heading to New Zealand later on and working for a bit in Cape Town. I’m head over heels for NZ, and Ted and I really, really loved spending time in Cape Town.
Thanks for stopping by!
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