In England, almost every car is required to get an annual MOT (a test of exhaust emissions, road worthiness, and vehicle safety). Our car just had its MOT and it passed all of the checks so we didn't have to pay for anything to get repaired. Also, we realised that in the past year, we have only driven 3,000 miles! I suppose that may be because we only use the car on the weekends and rarely do we ever leave Southport.
So this weekend, we decided to drive to Shrewsbury. But we barely made it past Liverpool when we got bored of being in the car, so we saw a sign for "Pickerings Pasture" and since that sounded nice, we followed the signs for that. At least we thought we did. Apparently we took the wrong exit and we never found it so we kept on driving and ended up in Chester. It was a perfectly warm and sunny day to walk around outside and it would be the first trip to Chester for Jackson.
On the way there, we saw a car on the motorway (highway) pulled off to the side with tan smoke flowing out of it. As we got closer, the car went up in flames and as we were driving by it, the windows all popped out and they exploded into what looked like little black diamonds. We saw two women standing behind the car, calling on their cell phones for help, so we assumed everyone got out all right. I'm sure it was incredibly distressing for them, and I hope everyone who was driving behind us got by without getting hurt.
Since this was our first trip to Chester in our own car, we had to deal with the hassle of finding a parking place in a car park (parking lot) because finding free parking close to any city centre in England is like finding a needle in a haystack. But once we parked, we realised that it was actually a blessing in disguise because along our walk to the city centre, we saw new sights and found a couple of parks beside the River Dee.
The last time we went on a road trip, we happened to arrive on the day that the whole village was having a Christmas parade and other festivities. Today in Chester, a Summer Solstice parade was going on--what a coincidence! We gave an impromptu call to our friend Stuey who lives in Chester and since he happened to be off of work today, we met up with him and got to visit for a bit. Overall, it was a great day and although Chester wasn't our initial destination when we left the house, it all worked out for the best.
Trying to crawl out of his garden centre, but he ended up calling for help
Jackson found my purse behind the chair and pulled it across the carpet and over a pillow by the zipper and handle so he could chew on the strap. He was committed!
Using his grasping skills to eat a rice cake
Playing around and making sure that he goes through every toy in the toy box before the day ends
The River Dee from a view we've never seen it before
The (very loud) Summer Solstice parade
Developmental updates: Jackson now weighs 22 pounds 9.5 ounces. It seems like his growth is slowing because the jumps in weight gain aren't as substantial as they used to be from month-to-month; but we needn't worry because Jackson is still following the 91st percentile. Jackson likes to open and close his hand and stare at that movement. He may be doing strength training exercises though because his grip has gotten stronger and more nimble recently. He likes to pull on my hair when I'm least expecting it and he has a very acute pinch which he sometimes uses on our necks and faces. Lately, Jackson's appetite has increased greatly and it seems like he is constantly eating little meals and snacking. At playgroups with the other babies, he isn't happy with the toy he is given initially and now he is always trying to grab the toys that his friends have. Or, if I hold up a new toy for him to see, he will drop the one he has and reach for the one I'm holding. Last Saturday night was the first time that Jackson slept all night (from 7:30 P.M. until 5 A.M.)! Even when he woke up to eat, he went back to sleep for another two hours. Lucky me! The periods of sleep have been improving so by the time I go back to work, he should be sleeping through the night.
If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.
