Liv turned six months old today, and Gemma and Kathy's combined kitchen prowess resulted in a couple of lemon cakes. Isaac, Paul and Jenn came over for a late, lazy lunch. A Moroccan leg of lamb barbecue required rain-induced emergency tranfer to the oven, but with more sympathetic weather (and Cuban style steaks) Friday night, this weekend marks the first outdoor grilling of the season.

What a load of firsts: food, family, flights... tardy updates mean a bit more news.

Liv's had her first bits of solid food, and laps it up enough, although not a) as much as Gemma did, or b) enough to quell those midnight feeds. So the pounds are packing and she's reached the 15 pound mark in about, oooh, 10 months less than in took her sister. At around the same time she's been having her first bottles, so it's going to be babysitter time soon enough.

Gemma's been enjoying a long, very long, Easter break from nursery school. A three week break from 2 1/2 hour play sessions is arguably a little redundant, but I guess everyone needs to recharge their batteries, and Gemma's been soaking up the lie-ins and new daily routines. She's pretty much perfected the potty thing, so that'll save some moolah. The birthday party circuit has correspondingly slowed down, but mates around town have been on hand for park visits.

Passport and tickets in hand, Liv went to Canada for the first time in March to visit family and friends. Great on the flights, no jet lag, and smiles appropriately for all. Well, except for Auntie Alison, who had the magic touch to get Liv wailing. Gemma was in a great cousin and god sister zone, pitched somewhere between being one of the gang and being a live, malleable doll to play with.

...

Into April: After mopping up the joint for Easter bunny presents, we bundled into the car for some Suffolk coastline, joining Lucy and the 'rents for a few days. Great crashing waves, acres of curiously brownish purple heather and the nicest looking coastal nuclear power plant you could hope for. Brett and I had to endure the wait for take-away foods for our family Sunday night dinner, but Lucy and Gemma circumnavigated a malfunctioning VCR and entertained themselves.