Today would be a day of movement. We had to be out of the base hotel, Liberty Lodge, this morning by 10am, but couldn't check in to the hotel in Brandon, Suffolk until after "midday", which I assumed was noonish. Jenelle was also coming home from the hospital today, probably about midday. So, the task at hand this fine morning was to get us fed and the women dropped at the hospital so the men could run the luggage over to Derek's house, then return for Nelle. He would take her home and then come back and get us who would wait at the BX.
Derek picked us up from Liberty Lodge at 8:30am. We checked out and headed to Burger King, then up to the hospital. Jenelle was almost ready to go.
We took pictures of the new family and packed the vehicle for Nelle's return home. Derek had the challenge of getting the car seat into the vehicle, which proved to be doable, but with a little maneuvering 
of the seats. We headed off to the BX to shop while Derek took Nelle and Drew home. He wanted to spend a little time with her and Drew - his little family, and would return for us within a few hours. So off we went to get trinkets and souvenirs, teas and t-shirts. The BX is a mini-mall which includes the main BX store, 5 gift shops, a florist, photo lab, Baskin Robbins, Charlie's Subs, Cinnabon, and public restrooms. We were not allowed to shop at the actual BX store without Derek. He had to show his ID and be ready to do all the paying himself at that store. They wouldn't let parents and family do the shopping there, as the military rule goes. But we could give Derek the money to pay for the items. It just had to come from him. And we were not able to use our Debit/Credit cards there. The cards had to reflect his name. So, we shopped in the gift shops, then settled down at one of the many tables provided in the middle of the mall for shakes and Chillatas, Cinnabon's version of Dairy Queen's Moo-Latte - similar to a frappe, but with ice-cream included.
Derek arrived and was in need of a small laptop for Nelle. Hers was broken, and he wanted to give her this special mini-laptop she had liked for a gift. He is really good to her and finds many opportunities to spoil and give to her - as he should. This was one of those opportunities. So after purchasing the laptop, we headed back to Derek's home. We settled downstairs while he ran upstairs to talk with Nelle and give her the gift. Then Derek asked Norma to go upstairs with Jenelle for some Mother/Daughter time, while I got to hold Drew downstairs. He was so precious and cute. The house was very warm with no air conditioning, and the weather was giving us a bright sunny day of 82 degrees F, and offered no air flow in the home. Windows couldn't be opened due to bugs that like to intrude on inside life. Their windows are German windows, which allow for no screens. So, with the windows closed, and little air flow, I realized my next quest - get a fan. I knew I would need one in our next hotel, and a fan could be left to be used in Drew's room, or an added boost to their ceiling fans in the living room, or Derek & Nelle's room. A fan was a necessity.
Later that day Norma and I laid out the gifts we had brought with us from the baby showers so Nelle could see them all. We sat in the floor of Drew's room and cooed over every little outfit and blanket, as well as the other gifts. Norma, Nelle and I discussed how grateful we are for the friends and family who have given into their lives. These kids are truly blessed. Drew lacked no necessities, and was blessed with so many helpful items, as well as an abundance of clothing.
Giving Nelle some rest time, we loaded up and drove to the other side of the base, out to Brandon, Suffolk, to check into our hotel. The hotel we reserved was The Bridge House Hotel in Brandon. However, when we arrived, the owners, having 2 establishments chose to put us in the Riverside Lodge, as there was a wedding to be held on their grounds come Saturday, and the wedding families were using the Bridge House. I was very pleased with this arrangement as the Lodge location proved to be much nicer grounds, and held all the charm of the true English experience I had longed for.
The Riverside Lodge was a large old English manor that had been renovated for the purpose of lodging. The suites each had a room, with counter/sinks, and a bathroom. Mike and I had the smaller of the two suites with a bedroom complete with 2 sitting chairs, window seat, and counter/sink area, and a large bathroom with shower/tub, toilet, and seating area. Norma & Adam had the larger spacious bedroom, complete with 2 chairs, a couch, and sitting bench, with a smaller bathroom. These rooms were located in the back section of the house on the second floor. 
We entered at the back of the house through an ivy covered archway (open door shown) and took the small stairs up to the creaky, slanted floor above. It had the feel of old England and I found it to be fabulous just to walk in and out each day. 
The view from the door was breathtaking to me, with large trees and willows lining the place, and secret gardens behind various bushes scattered across the grounds. 
The Little Ouse River went right behind the trees, and we could walk over to the waters edge to view the large swans that swam up and down the river. Ducks were in the yard most all day. It was an awesome sight to behold. We drove back to Brandon via the road to Santon Downham, a small village in the Brandon area. As with all towns and villages, small or large, Santon Downham had an old ancient chapel/cathedral that was still being used for services. We, of course, stopped to take pictures of the place - our first of many cathedrals we would tour during our stay.
We continued the drive back to see Nelle and Drew, and to order Chinese take-away for our dinner. The English don't have take-out, it is called take-away. We all found this to be a different sort of thing. The meal turned out to be ok, but wasn't the best Chinese food I ever had. But it fit the bill that day. Meal over, on to other things.While Derek and Adam walked over to tour the base, it was time to organize the nursery, putting away all the gifts, and packing away the clothing Drew would not need for a few months. So I sorted the NB to 3 mos. sizes, and packed the rest. There was a box of 3mos-6mos., and one of 9mos. and up. I still have many 6mos. and up clothes at home I will be sending her. I believe she is good through the first year. However, the problem Nelle was having at the moment was that Drew was so tiny, being he only weighed 6.1 pounds, and had lost weight after birth, as all babies do, so his clothing hung on him in a swallowing kind of way. I suggested we look for preemie clothes that could get him thru the next 3 weeks or so. However, we knew the Lakenheath BX and Mildenhall's BX offered nothing in this size range. Grandma had already been checking that out. So, when we shop elsewhere, we would look for preemie clothing for Drew. A fan and preemie clothing now were my quest.
When Derek and Adam returned from their walk, Derek ran me over to the BX to get the fan. Then Nelle wanted him to help her get bathed and ready for bed before he took off to get us back to our Lodge. However, after her bath, Nelle needed me to assist her with the nursing storage system. Drew was sleeping and nibbling today, and wasn't wanting to wake up and nurse. I think it was the heat and the change of location. So, after getting Nelle squared away, and bottles in the refrigerator, we headed back to Brandon for our much needed rest.
It was around midnight when we arrived home. Derek and Nelle are use to staying up late, and catching naps during the day. However, we weren't catching the naps well, and us older folk were very tired by this Monday evening. So it would be a welcome thing to turn on my fan for the much needed background noise, crawl into bed, and sleep as late as 7am. Breakfast would be served at 8am. This would be our first authentic English breakfast. I looked forward to it.
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