It’s nearly 7:00 am…and I think i’ve been up for a long time. Well I know I have. I just don’t know exactly when I woke up. There was a real midwestern thunder and lightening storm last night that lit up the sky and woke Iona up. I remember waking up in similar such storms. When I was younger I used to get up and jump into my parents bed. As I got older I used to wake up in a thunderstorm and feel strangely warmed and comforted. Anyway, in a family home, having your daughter snuggle into your bed in the middle of the night is not really an issue. However when you are asleep on a single air mattress on the floor…it’s a little more of an ordeal. She of course had to be right up against me, wrapping her sweaty little arms around me, and of course I was not allowed to move. So I don’t think I ever really got back to sleep. Then of course just as I was dozing off, Judah woke up. I went to get him, and it was then a complicated mess of the three of us trying to fit on one air mattress, me getting annoyed, Iona crying and dramatically wailing that “maybe I will just go sleep with Lexi” (since i’m not wanted here anymore) uuugh. So after several attempts at getting back to sleep…we’re now up. My friend and her two kids who have slept through the night are still sleeping!

I’m with my friend Nicole who I’ve known since I was 16 I think. We are now both married women with two children. Very scary. Neither of us feel grown up enough to have kids. We look around at all the other mothers and we feel like we’re imposters….no way could this be us!! We both have an older daughter and a baby son. Yesterday we packed a picnic and walked down to the local shopping district where there is this really great pedestrianized/park area with one of those flat water fountains where the water shoots up at various times in various ways. Kids are allowed to take their shoes off and run around in it, and there is a DJ on sight that plays music. It’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon. The kids got tan and I got a bit burnt.

We are enjoying loads of nice food. I have discovered these honey roasted sesame sticks from Trader Joes which are just too nice…and for dinner we ordered out from California Pizza Kitchen and had really yummy Mediterranean salad and wraps with fish tacos.

I like how in Milwaukee..when it’s summer..it really really feels like summer. It’s scary how England is starting to feel like some sort of distant blury dream. I know all too well it’s not. I’m actually living in the unrealistic dream at the moment…..