Busy Busy

I think it is that time of year when everyone is busy. Almost my entire life spent in the US was as a student, and Fall always seemed a little more overwhelming than the springtime. Somehow as a parent it still seems to be the busiest time of the year. Anyways, we have been busy.

We have spent the last month and a half getting ready to move. Finally on Monday last week we loaded all of our earthly belongings, in this country at least, into a truck for the 1 mile drive to our new apartment. Actually KB had more of a hand in this than me because I was a bit useless. It seems my body has a knack for knowing when I need it to preform the most and instead decides to get sick. A little over a year ago when we began packing up to move and pack to return to the US for 5 months, I caught a beastly cold. Six months later when we actually moved to our new city, I got Mastitis. The day before our move this time, I got Mastitis again. This was my 5th time to get it, and let me tell you it was the worst. It probably did not help that I had already packed all my Advil and I could only find some that had already been expired for 2 years. I just did not seem to have the punch it usually does. The day before our move KB was at the new apartment supervising the installation of our kitchen cabinets, light fixtures and other things, so I was supposed to be at home packing and watching the kids. Fortunately our helper came over and helped me, otherwise I am certain I would have called crying and begging for him to come home and take care of the kids so I could get busy laying and bed being miserable with my aches, chills and fever. Fortunately two days later I felt much better. Thank you Augmentin.

Anyways, we are in our new apartment and I love it! It is so spacious. However, there is still a lot to be done. Our bathtub is not yet installed. None of our closets have doors. Our bathroom sink is has yet to arrive in this city. Air conditioners have not been ordered, nor does our kitchen hot water heater. Several windows do not have curtains. Two bedrooms still do not have wardrobes, and on top of it all, this place is filthy. When Dash stands up from crawling, the knees on his pants are always grey. Apartments are impossible to keep clean here, but they are extra impossible to keep clean when workers are coming and going while doing renovations. I told myself I can only sweep and mop once a day.

On top of all this moving stuff, Dash seemed to be sleeping quite a bit. At first this was welcomed since it gave me the opportunity to get more done. However soon I became concerned something was wrong with him, especially when it seemed all he did was sleep. I even had to wake him to eat, which he did not want to do. After throwing up once I emailed his doctor who recommended we get him to the capital immediately, so at 11pm on Wednesday night I began the frantic search for clothes and toiletries for Dash and I because it seemed the next morning we were going to the capital. Basically it was a long morning, but thanks to the ingenuity of Zhou Mei, Dash and I were safely in the capital by 1pm on Thursday and were seeing a doctor by 2pm.

While examining Dash the doctor asked me several questions about how Dash was doing. When the doctor took off Dash's diaper to check his tummy I noticed his diaper was dry and I had not changed his diaper since 8 that morning. The doctor said he was not sure why Dash was sick but was very dehydrated. For the next 6 hours Dash and I hung out in a hospital room while he received an I.V. At one point he threw up all over himself and me. The hospital gave him a blue gown with purple daises to wear. I had no choice but to keep wearing my vomit clothes (I wore those vomit jeans for 3 days). Dash's poor little hand with the IV was so sad, but he was so weak he did not even have have the strength to mess with it. Ultimately the doctor said it seems the combination of my low milk production from my Mastitis and Dash having some sort of virus combined to make him feel like not eating, caused him to vomit and become very dehydrated which led to him further not want to eat, which led him to become even more dehydrated and so on.

Two days later Dash is almost 100% better. I could not find Pedialite, but he was introduced to apple juice, and oh how he loves it. I alway thought he did not like drinking non-milk drinks, it turns out he just did not like water. He want sweetness. Well my little sweetie is playful and eating again. He gave us a good scare, but we are happy to have him back to normal.

Let me see if I can say this without saying it. We could not make trips to see wonderful doctors like we did with Dash if it was not for the support people give - especially the support given in the month of December. Thanks and please keep it up!

Packing Up

I have been a little absent recently - just giving friend Andy a chance to catch up right? My actual my reason is a lot less altruistic than that. We are moving again. Fortunately this time we are just moving a few blocks. Our cute but extremely tiny apartment is very new, and the city will not turn on our heat this winter because it is less than 40% occupied. Our first winter in this country was essentially without heat and it was record-holding cold winter. I remember exercising just so my feet would get warm. KB and I spent the majority of our time at home wearing 3 layers, laying in bed, and watching movies. Not extremely productive. Anyways, even though our tiny apartment makes us feel claustrophobic and is hilarious when people came over and have to take turn walking around, the ultimate reason we are moving is because we cannot ask our kids to endure a winter here without heat.

Our new apartment is approximately twice the size of our current apartment. I am so excited. In the past I thought size was not a big deal to me, but apparently it is. Also our new apartment is in a better location for getting taxis. Currently we wait up to 1 hour during peek traffic - we have never waited longer than that since we have always quit and returned home after 1 hour. Our new apartment has a view of a mountain, which is really cool. Our new apartment has wonderful natural lighting. Our new apartment has 4 bedrooms! KB will have a place to study in which the can close the door and have less interruptions. Most importantly, it will have heat this winter.

When I was in college I thought I liked moving, but that was not really moving. I was able to move all my belongings in trash bags and laundry baskets - it just not the same. I thought liked moving because it gave me a chance to purge myself of unnecessary things. Unfortunately the things I would like to purge myself of now, i.e. furniture, are too expensive to replace. Therefore it is going to get packed up again and will hopefully survive another move. Moving last time also helped me realize I do not need nice things. I need durable things. Nothing survived our last move undamaged, and I expect the same outcome this time.

Anyways, we are in the process of moving. We are boxing our stuff up and buying stuff like curtains, blinds, wardrobes and lighting fixtures for the new place. The apartments tend to come pretty empty so we are even having to install kitchen cabinets, buy and install air conditioners and hot water heaters, put doors on closets, install a bathtub and finish the floor where the floor is just cement.

Organizing all the renovations to the apartment has been a bit complicated. In the US - I think since I have never actually renovated anything in the US, a contractor is often hired. Here it seems we are the contractor and we are entering into very unfamiliar territory. Without our local friends we would be in over our heads.

Our move date is set for November 14th. I will post pictures of our new place after we get settled in. I am excited and think all of this work will be worth it!