It's been awhile. In fact, it's
probably been too long for me to recap everything that has happened
in the past month. We took X back to NC for the holidays. It
was wonderful to see family. I think I never fully appreciated my
parents until I had my own son. It felt good to introduce him to our
families and to have everyone under one roof for Christmas again. I
came to Korea wanting the adventure of living far from home; two
years later, I wish I was a little closer. And yes, I still consider
NC home. We live in Daegu, but we will always be guests here. It was
also wonderful to watch American TV, visit Target, Fresh Market,
Baby's R' Us, Kohls, and a plethora of American restaurants, drive on
less insane streets, and understand the people around us. These are
all things I miss ten times more now that I have a baby.
X was an excellent traveling
companion. He slept through most of the flights and gurgled and
cooed through the rest. He was excited to be in warmer climates,
where he could go outside. I will never get tired of that look of
wonder he gets on his face when introduced to something new, whether
the sound of birds or trees with leaves or a cool light fixture
(there were some humdingers at Narita Airport).
We stopped in Hawaii on our way back
and enjoyed some beach time and some beautiful scenery. All of this
is meant to cushion the impending blow of returning to work. Yes,
it's time. I realize how small my world has become when talking to
other people who work, or at least leave the house on a regular
basis. Most are not as interested in my X narratives as I am.
With that caveat, I have to insert a
X narrative. We've returned to an all new house, as far as he's
concerned. He gets really excited about his toys, particularly the
mobile over his changing table. This baby has travelled around the
world, seen the beach, the mountains, the suburbs, and a big city,
and stayed in two houses and four hotel rooms, but his old mobile
brings the strongest reaction. Go figure.
 |
| Christmas at the Healeys' |
 |
| Christmas at the Dubuissons' |
 |
| Xander loves his grandparents |
 |
| View from our hotel room in Waikiki |
 |
| Stretching after a day of car rides |
 |
| Sandy beach park...? I think. |
 |
| We found a quiet beach |
 |
| Pali overlook |
