It has been about a month since my last post and a lot has
happened. We had an unexpected trip back to Seattle. It was a surreal
experience both because our reason for going was so terrible and at the same
time being back was both comforting and unsettling. We were only home for four
days, went to see women’s football at the Olympics and then we were off on our
planned summer holiday. Ten days on vacation with Grandma and Papa were so
nice. We had sun, swimming, too much food and great time for the babies to get
to really be with them. They then came back to our house and we celebrated
Kellen’s 3rd birthday and Ella’s 1st. The 3 week period
was exciting and exhausting, I thought of countless posts I wanted to do but
time seemed to slip away and now it’s a month later and I don’t know where to
start.
First just a few quick words about our little Miss Ella; she
just might be the sweetest and most adorable little girl ever. Somehow it seems
everything is on fast forward and every day she is doing more, communicating
more, pushing her brother back, everything. She is essentially a mini toddler
at this point and shows no signs of slowing down. One of the funniest things
about her is the way she communicates. I’ve always said that Ella yells,
sometimes she isn’t crying she is literally yelling at you, she starting doing
this pretty young. Well now she is the bossiest baby I have ever met. She has
figured out that she can point to what she wants then grunt or make noise to
tell you, if you are looking away or taking too long you better watch out. She
gets progressively more forceful and angry when she doesn’t get what she wants immediately.
It is so funny because she can sit at the table and point to the food, her cup,
your food, if there is bread in the middle of the table she will point to it to
ask for some. It is amazing how well she communicates and how quick she has
everyone jumping to follow orders. On the 16th her actual first
birthday we sang happy birthday and she had her own cupcake on the tray of her
high chair, she wasn’t totally sure what to do with it she may have been
waiting for someone to cut it or give her bites. Grandma figured she’d help by
breaking a little piece off and giving Ella a bite. Ella loved it and then
pointed at Grandma and then the cupcake and yelled. It was very clear that she
was saying, “You Grandma, put cake in my mouth now!”
Spending time in Seattle and having such good time with my
parents of course it makes you think about going home. Jamie and I have talked
about it with my parents and then between Jamie and me we try to touch base
with each other every so often to just check in and make sure we are both feeling
the same way. We are also hitting the one year mark, Jamie and Patrick arrived
on September 1st and the babies and I didn’t make it until early
October. So we are settled now, for the most part we have figured out what
works for us and what doesn’t. It is starting to feel like home. It was very
odd to be leaving Seattle to go home. We like the UK, I don’t think either one
of us wants to live here forever, but it is a good environment for our family. Being
back, watching the news, reading the headlines online and even in The Guardian
we aren’t sure that the US is a good environment for our family right now. This
isn’t an elitist, oh in Europe things are perfect, attitude. Things are definitely
not perfect here, just try doing something efficiently and you will go crazy, and
my dishwasher had been broken for over 2 months now. But things do seem really
broken in the US and the trends we see are alarming.
I love politics, I just listened to Ann Romney’s convention
speech while I was cooking and I thought she did great, although I completely disagree
with her and her husband. I love the debates, I feel passionately about my politics
and I always considered myself liberal. Moving out of the US I’ve realized liberal
in the US is far from liberal in Europe (I can’t speak for other parts of the
world since I really don’t know). As Obama gets labelled a socialist for a
healthcare plan that isn’t government sponsored, or even the fact that
socialist is considered an insult, is so different then a continent that
provides healthcare. Not only do we receive healthcare in the UK, we have
travel cards so that we are covered anywhere in the EU. I will read an article
about France thinking about returning to
a 75% tax rate for the wealthiest and the next article explains that in the US
the wealthiest often pay less than the poor. But the truth is although we
believe in universal healthcare and would vote for it every time, we have been
fortunate to have great benefits through our employer. If we were to move back
to the States healthcare would not be barrier.
What I’ve found more alarming is what appears to be not only
a hard
break right in American politics but some determination to move backwards.
You have a movement to reverse women’s rights but hey that’s ok because in cases
of legitimate rape women can’t get pregnant. I’m not sure where to start on
this, is it the fact that it suggests that there are types of rape that aren’t
real? That it makes no sense as far as medical science? Or even better that
being forced to carry a child conceived through rape is the same thing as
having a child out
of wedlock! In Ann Romney’s speech she says she has met with families who
want another child but can’t have one because of the economy, they can’t afford
it. Yet under changes proposed to healthcare employers won’t be required to
provide coverage for contraceptives, so lucky for those families if they can’t
afford birth control looks like they will be having plenty of kids!
I’m not a gun control expert; we have family members who
enjoy hunting and own guns. I do know that guns are too easy to get in the United
States. It is shocking that when tragic events like the Aurora shootings happen
gun
sales surge. I heard about the shootings on BBC radio as I was driving and
the host asked the reporter if this tragic event would spark a new debate on
gun control laws in the US, the reporter responded that no the US has a high
tolerance for violent events of this kind. This is not something we should be
proud of. Now living in a country were guns are not allowed the nightly news does
not play through like a list of horrible events and deaths. In fact they are
currently debating stricter control of knives, no joke.
I won’t even get started on the wilful disbelief
of science as it relates to global warming and evolution. Or the fact that in
the last election the fact that Obama went to Harvard was an insult? Right
because being educated is the worst thing we would want in a President. The
blatant discrimination that gay couples face without the right to marry; or the
growing disparity between rich and poor.
So as Jamie and I talk about moving home, when we would want
to move and what’s best for the kids the US doesn’t look great right now. We
miss family and I’m sure work will bring us home sooner then we realize. When I
think of my daughter I don’t want her growing up in an environment where our
leaders are splitting hairs over rape or making decisions that will impact her
ability to decide for herself if and when she will start a family. I don’t want
any of our kids to be in a situation where medical costs or cost of insurance
could impact their homeownership or what job opportunities they take/don’t
take. We just aren't rushing to be back in that environment.
I’ll step down off the soap box now.
