Trip to London and the early days

So far, transitioning Bobby to London has not been challenging. We've taken him on nine flights now, so we know what to expect. We have also now transitioned him to a London sleeping schedule, and this was much easier than transitioning him to a Singapore sleeping schedule. We've also had a bit of fun with him in London since arriving.

Bobby wasn't very interested in sleeping on the flight. This seems to be his flying routine. He's a curious guy, always wanting to look around, especially when in new environments; it can impede sleep. We left around nine a.m. D.C. time and spent about six hours in the air. We purposely didn't take an overnight flight because Bobby would be unlikely to get a full night's sleep on such a flight. On the first night in London, we put him to bed around one a.m. We nudged this forward each night until tonight, the fourth night in London, when we had him in bed at his normal time: nine p.m.

On the flight, Bobby was mostly well behaved, and Christine and I even watched a movie while Bobby ate Cheerios, napped, and played with some toys. Eventually, I had to take him to the flight attendants' nook and bounce him to sleep on my shoulder because he had become just too tired and fussy. He was in a good mood after that nap. During the flight he didn't scream or cry, and he enjoyed smiling at strangers. Even waiting in the interminable immigration line at Heathrow, Bobby was smiling at strangers and didn't cry. I guess we're just lucky, or maybe we just have a lot of experience in identifying and catering to his needs before he gets too pissed off.

In sum, traveling to Europe with a baby is so much easier than traveling to Asia with a baby.

Say good bye to Dulles, Bobby.

Having fun on the flight. He seems very interested in my teeth lately, maybe because he has one of his own now. Or maybe he's just showing an early interest in a career as a dentist.

Charming passenger.

A little nap on the plane, but not long enough, for both Dad and Babe.

During our first few days in London, mostly we have just been walking around, trying to figure out where everything is, looking at some potential neighborhoods for us to live. We have a temporary apartment nearby Farringdon Station in the City, but tomorrow we have an appointment with a real estate agent to find something more permanent.

Playing with Bobby in the grass at Lincoln's Inn Fields. The sun was shining on Saturday but has been hidden behind rain clouds since then.

Bobby engaging in one of his new hobbies, using furniture to help him stand, in our Farringdon apartment. He's leaning on a glass table here, and I am just behind him to catch him if he falls. I don't always catch him, but no permanent injuries yet.

Continuing our worldwide culinary adventure, we went to a modern Venetian restaurant, serving cicheti (Venetian tapas) and Venetian style pizza, which has a crust so thin it is like a cracker. Bobby put his fingers in my wine, so I had to clean them off with my mouth. It's still too early for wine, Bob. The food was great, and the decor was very post-industrial chic -- seems to be the trend in these old cities.