Schofield Christmas wishes!

Happy Holidays!

We’re off to England today to do the tour of friends and family and will be back in the new year. We hope 2011 has been as great for you as it was for us. We’ve written a round up of the year’s activities for anyone who would like to read it: Schofield Christmas Wishes 2011

Recent developments include Jenny launching herself into free air walking for the first time without direct encouragement from us (she was chasing our neighbour’s cat!). She also got her first molar and celebrated by cramming an entire large strawberry in her mouth (which, incredibly, she did manage to swallow without choking!).

Jenny beats eating personal best

Grub's up!

Jenny ‘hollow leg’ Schofield astounded even me with her spectacular feat of eating yesterday. As you know, our skinny girl can certainly put it away but this was on a whole new level even by her standards. For dinner she ate:

3.5oz pureed peas & green beans
6oz pureed apple & cherries
1 boiled egg
1 slice of ham
4oz yogurt
1 slice of whole wheat bread
4oz milk
2oz cheese

For those without voracious one-year-olds, this is enough food for an entire day (and then some), except she ate it in one sitting (having already had a generous breakfast and lunch). I was not wholly surprised that she then had a huge sleep and her trousers were a little short when I put them on this morning. It’s incredible to see her grow before my very eyes!

Oregon continued

Ok, life seems to have got in the way of my blogging plans, so here is the much delayed follow up to the first thrilling installment of our Oregon adventure.

Crater Lake

I think we’d got up to Crater Lake, so here goes….

We stayed in a lovely little log cabin on a cattle ranch a few miles from the spectacular Crater Lake and drove in to take a boat trip and a tour of the rim. The water was incredibly blue, apparently because it’s about the purest water in the US, or probably anywhere.

We had a slight mishap getting to the boat as you had to hike down from the rim to the water’s edge, and to cut a long story short, I thought Andy was at the bottom, he thought I was at the top, and the upshot was I ended up going down, then up, then back down again carrying Jenny in the Björn in the heat of the day without lunch. So, grumpy, hungry Mummy and Baby boarded the boat and stropped at Daddy most of the way round. Anyway, I got over myself enough in the end to enjoy the ride and truly spectacular views.

Jenny & Anne hottubbing in the High Desert

Next stop, Bend! The outdoor pursuits capital of Oregon and also hub of volcanic stuff. We stayed in a gorgeous house in the High Desert. It had an outdoor fireplace and hot tub, need I say more??

We explored the nearby lava butte, lava flows and tunnels, and even an obsidian flow full of black volcanic glass which was amazing. All too soon it was time to go home, but not before Jenny had done one last thing…learned to crawl! She celebrated her 11 month birthday by taking her first faltering paces towards her eager and delighted parents. What a perfect way to end another fantastic trip.

Next stop Barbados, more info coming soon!

Oregon

View from the house

Wow! Just got back from a wonderful trip to Oregon, what an amazing place! We flew into Medford and then headed down to the coast near Brookings (near the California border), where we stayed in a wonderfully rustic log cabin tucked away in the woods, with views of seastacks and rock arches in Samuel Boardman State Park.

The half-mile gravel road through the woods leading up to the house proved to be the ultimate adreneline experience of the holiday: although the track was well maintained, after experiencing the near 45 degree angle of the slope with huge drops on each side, we soon decided the ‘treat’ of a lovely hike through the woods each morning and evening was preferable and opted to leave the car at the bottom.

We spent a few days at the beach and were treated to incredible panoramas of glittering blue sea, crystal clear waters and deserted beaches. The famous sea stacks lived up to their reputation for being awe-inspiring and Jenny got to paddle in the Pacific for the first time (she wasn’t that keen though as the water was freezing!).

Grey whale in the river

We had some incredible wildlife encounters including having a seal come up and take a look at us from only a few metres away while we were paddling in a deserted cove, and seeing a beautiful grey whale from a bridge because it had swum up the river!

One of the nearby highlights of the trip was visiting Redwoods National Park, just over the state line into Northern California: the majesty of the trees was truly humbling, and we got to see several amazing groves of Coastal Redwoods, which are the tallest trees in the world. For other children of the Star Wars era, I’m sure you’ll be disappointed to hear that we spotted no Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor – they filmed large parts of ‘Return of the Jedi’ here!

Next stop Crater Lake, watch this space for the next thrilling installment…

Jenny wrestles a hippo by the mighty Amazon, sorry Hudson River!

Jenny rides her first hippo

No longer content with merely playing on the swings, Jenny took it up a notch at the playground this week and, with a little help from Daddy, climbed aboard a hippo in the Riverside Park! 

Spring has melted into a sweltering summer in NYC with temperatures soaring and humidity going from zero to what feels like 100% in a matter of weeks. Not to be put off by a spot of weather however, the adventurous family Schofield headed into the wilds of the Hudson Valley for a day of hiking. 

We took the train up to the ominously named Breakneck Ridge train stop (I don’t think you can really call it a station). In truth, the most likely point at which you could break your neck would actually be getting off the train onto the very small make-shift platform which looked suspiciously like some bleechers that had been pinched from a nearby little league field.

Anne clutching her caffeine fix

 

Braving swarms of flies that would put Uluru to shame (NB there is a reason why those Australian hats with corks on are famous, as we discovered last year on our trip to the Outback) we ventured into the woods and began our steamy ascent onto the ridge overlooking the majestic Hudson River.

 

Jenny celebrated reaching the summit by falling asleep.

 

Coming soon, the tale of the family Schofield’s adventure to South Carolina (ok it’s a month since we got back, but it’s a long and complicated story so has taken a while to put together), watch this space!

Percy Pigs to the rescue!

Atlantic sunrise

Who would have thought that the best place to get Percy Pigs would in fact be half way across the Atlantic in Hamilton, Bermuda?

Ok, it’s quite a long way to go for one’s sugar fix, but as anyone who’s ever tried a Marks & Spencer Percy Pig (jelly sweet) will tell you, some people will go a long way to get one (read: I am one of those people).

Jenny rocking her Yankees onesie on the flight to Bermuda

So, Percys aside, Bermuda was fabulous. It’s rather like Cornwall, just with palm trees and decent weather. Jenny insisted that, since she has now crossed her 6 month mark, she had really better start adding some serious stamps to her passport, and, indulgent parents that we are, we consented to be dragged to a beautiful sub-tropical island to satisfy her request.

(We were also entertained by the novelty that she has now spent nearly as long in Bermuda as she has in the UK!).

Andy’s parents came with us on our adventure, so it was that on a snow-covered Thursday, five Schofields headed out from New York City to the balmy climes of Bermuda.

The hotel pool

We stayed in the beautiful Coco Reef Hotel right on the beach with fantastic views out over the Atlantic Ocean. The food was fabulous, the view was spectacular, we were just out of season so there was virtually no one there, oh and the weather was wonderful too. Am I dead because I think I’m in heaven!

We took a lovely day trip to the spectacular Crystal Caves and then on to historic St Georges on the northern tip of the island. There we got to got our fish and chips fix, except instead of the usual cod, we got grouper which was very nice.

Two Schofields - and no one is blinking, it's a miracle!

Back at the hotel in the evening, we picnicked for dinner on our terrace and Anne treated herself to a rum cocktail – the ‘Dark and Stormy’; Bermuda dark rum with ginger beer, yum!

On the final day, Anne spent the morning swimming in the Atlantic (I was the only one in there, it was quite toasty compared to the North Sea) and then completing the wrinkly look in the bath-water-warm hotel pool.

Boo, back to reality now, but we’re already plotting our next adventure, this time to Charleston, South Caroline with Anne’s parents. More info coming soon…

February firsts

Jenny discovering the joy of solid (ok, very liquid) food

It’s been a big month of firsts - first solid food, first blowing bubbles (unfortunately with food in the mouth, argh!), first swim, first trip to the creche, first trip to the Bronx Zoo…

So much has changed in one short month. We’ve moved apartments and are now settling into our fabulous new abode right on the Hudson River. Jenny has been having a growth spurt so is now sporting an entirely new wardrobe. I have been having a growth shrink and am pleased to also be sporting, if not new, at least different clothes, as I fit back into my pre-pregnancy stuff, hurrah!

Jenny’s been making her first foray into solid foods. She started with baby rice, which she didn’t seem that into (it does taste like cardboard so who can blame her?), so she quickly progressed onto sweet potato, squash, apples, pears and bananas. Everything went down a storm except the peas which bounced straight back up again, and the prunes which…well I don’t think I need to explain why an entire meal of prunes is not a good idea for anyone.

Jenny's first swim

Jenny looked as cute as a button in her hot pink swim suit and swim cap when I took her for her very first swim at the JCC. Her cuteness was particularly effective at diverting attention away from Mum’s wobbly bits for which I am very grateful.

And, like all new things, Jenny nailed it! Without so much as a whimper, she gamely took to the pool, smiling at everyone in her path and discovering that her manic urge to kick her legs all the time, is actually quite useful in water. It looks like she’ll be a natural.

Jenny and Daddy at the butterflies

Jenny has also been swatting up on her natural history and art with several trips to the American Museum of Natural History, the Met and the MoMA. Favourite on her list has been the butterfly exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History where she enjoyed being carried by her Dad and watching the live butterflies flit around her head.

A first for me has been dyeing my hair! As many of you know, I was secretly a little smug to have stayed naturally blonde for 31 years. However, as Vicky S often observes, smugness comes before a fall, and so it was that pregnancy hormones finally got the better of my fair locks, boo. So, in an effort to get them back again I first spent a stupendous amount at the hairdresser, and then, thinking ‘I can do that!’, I foolishly bought a home kit and had a go myself…

…3 hours and an enormous amount of stress later, I am pleased to report that I am, indeed, blonde again, hurrah! However given the trauma required to get there I think I might just stick with brown going forward, or use this as an excuse to go somewhere really hot and sunny so it can naturally lighten.

Bermuda anyone???

New York receives 15″ of snow!

Post box under over a foot of snow

We thought we’d seen quite a lot of snow this year, but all that was dwarfed by the amount that fell last night. We now have about 15 inches on the ground, and some of the piles on the side of the street are nearly to my waist!

The wake of the snow-blower on West 80th St

If only Jenny were big enough to go sledging, I don’t think I’d be doing anything else for the foreseeable future!

Jennifer kicks Mum’s butt into gear

Anne & Jen at Baby Bootcamp

I really don’t know why I have such a big grin on my face in this photo as I was sweating like a pig and my arms were about to fall off – I think I must have caught my now-significantly-more-svelte reflection in the mirror, and am busy thanking the day I discovered Baby Bootcamp at the JCC.

So, every Tuesday and Thursday, I manhandle Jennifer into her bear suit and trundle down the road to the focal point of my life – the Manhattan Jewish Community Center, where you can do everything from swimming to pot throwing (I assume on a potter’s wheel, otherwise that sounds like a lot of fun!).

Resident Kiwi, Joanna puts us through our paces, and I’m impressed to say that I can feel the burn after 5 minutes! We start with lunges with babies on our knees, then quickly move on to what yoginis would I’m sure call the ‘Flying baby asana’, which I think Jennifer loves, and my arms don’t. Jen enjoys playing with the other babies, I enjoy playing with the other mums, everyone’s happy.

And do you want to know the best bit? Jenny sleeps for a good hour straight afterwards, hurrah, result!

Anne flies by the seat of her pants – quite literally

I think, on reflection, that this year’s was possibly our best ever Christmas. What more fun could be had than watching your 3-month-old bounce on her auntie and uncle’s knees for the first time and unwrap her many wonderful presents? Oh yes, do all that, and then go sledging too!

So it was that on a snowy Christmas Day afternoon, following the excesses or a good turkey and glass of wine, 5 intrepid souls (me, my lovely husband, my brother-in-law, my spring-chicken Mum and of course, our ubiquitous 3-month-old baby) headed out into the wilds of North Yorkshire for some sledging action.

I stuck my neck out by recommending what I considered to be the best spot, and was pleased not to be disappointed by remembering my childhood haunts as bigger and more impressive than they really are. The hill really was steep. It was snow covered. It didn’t end in a barbed-wire fence or the river (well technically it did end in the river, but you’d have to have a major steering malfunction to get that far off course), what more could a girl ask for for a fun-filled Christmas Day?

As was to be expected, the boys took an early lead, being significantly more daring than the ladies. But we made up for lost time as we found our nerve and headed further and further up the hill until we were sledging from the very top. Mum developed a very effective braking technique which gave her serious style as she sped her way down the slope. Unfortunately it didn’t work quite so well for me and resulted in me sliding straight off the front of my sledge and indulging in a little ground surfing on my trousers! At least I didn’t rip a hole in them.

Pooped and jubilant we headed home for a cup of hot chocolate and a mince pie. We had so much fun we went back and did it all again the next day!

P.S. for those concerned souls out there – no babies were injured in the filming of this scene; we did not send Jenny down the hill you’ll be pleased to know. She did in fact join me for the last 10 ft (which are so flat you have to actually push yourself along) but otherwise just napped through the whole thing from the sidelines.