Random

Here are a bunch of random pictures and thoughts.

As a family of 5 living in a country where the average couple has 1.4 kids, we are considered a large family.  Taxis are not made for us.  Hotel rooms are not made for us (rooms usually come with 2 twins or 1 king), and restaurants without high chairs are a challenge no matter how many kids you have.  

Recently RB and I went alone to the international hospital for RB's 2 month appointment.  I was asked by various nurses on several occasions, "is this your first one?" When I told them this is my third baby they always responded with "you are so young!"  Although I would love to believe they are saying this because of my years of faithful sunscreen use, I have been told in this country the average age an educated woman gives birth to her first (usually only) child is 27 and if they have another one, they are required to wait some time before they can have another one. I am not sure specifically how long, but most families I know that were given permission to have two kids have children at least 5 years apart.  So, I am 32 and have 3 kids, perhaps they think I started having kids back when I was 17 - putting 5 years between each kid, that or I started having kids at 27 and I am really 42.  In that case I better look young!

Before having RB I heard from my other foreign friends with 3 kids that they are often asked if they delivered all three of their children.  Although this seems like a strange question, I think this is perhaps a way of asking if all of these kids are mine, as opposed to some or all of them belonging to friends or family and I am simply babysitting.  This question has been asked.  However this is not as strange as what happened to another foreign family we know.  Our friends are caucasian and have two boys from Ethiopia and one biological son.  While the whole family was out and about, a local man noticed the mix of their family and asked the father if he had two wives since his kids were of two different skin colors.  So, although having a large family attracts attention and brings on questions, it clearly is minimal compared to a family of mixed ethnicity.  

We have been asked if "big brother" give us money to keep having kids.  We assured them this does not happen.  I have also been asked by strangers if I am breastfeeding and if I delivered naturally or by c-section.  I particularly like these questions since they assume I will not understand and use hand monitions to make sure I know their meaning.  People tend to think AB and DB are twins...even though she is 6 inches taller than him and can speak a lot better than him.  Since they are usually talking about us to other people and not to us, I sometimes just let them go on in their ignorance of my children's birth order, especially since I have in the past told people they are in fact 2 years apart and they promptly turn to their friends and say "they are twins."  I think this goes back to the fact that typically no one here has kids just 2 years apart, so kids who look so close in age must be twins...no matter what their parents say.

Anyways, here are the pictures.

DB loves to help me cook.  When he sees me cooking he usually quickly pushes the step stool up the counter and says "I help."  On this day I propped my foot up on the stool and DB decided he would prop his up too.  KB captured the moment on his trusty old phone.

Ummm this one is a little embarrassing.  I was using my post pregnancy workout DVD and the kids decided to join in with me.  I am just glad KB took the picture from this angle and not one 10 feet to the right...because it would definitely not be on this blog.

What does RB do most days?  Basically he hangs out.  Here he is hanging out with daddy.  The rocking chair is RB's favorite spot in our whole apartment.    If he could spend all day being held and rocked he would.

Here RB is saying, "look at me daddy!"

Success!

RB is a baby, so he sleeps a lot.  Our air conditioner units are a bit fickled, and on this day they pumped out the cold air quite efficiently, hence the hoodie.  

RB likes his swing and he really likes the orange fish on his swing.  He stares at it most of the time he is on the swing.  It is his friend.

Pictures for Grandma

 

DB photo bombed this one.

AB could not resist either, so I got one of all three.

Daddy likes to build the kids tents all over the apartment.  This is frequently a highlight of their day.

Also, see AB's longer hair?  It is chin length now.  Why you might ask?  Well, recently while KB and I were on a date and Zhou Mei watched her and DB, AB took advantage of Zhou Mei's laps in attention and cut her hair in our bathroom.  Fortunately her hair was in a low ponytail, so it kept her from giving herself a pixie cut, nevertheless, she took out quite a chunk of hair and the rest of it had to be shortened to even it out.  

Lastly, my AB is a bit squirmy while both awake and a sleep.  Recently we found her sleeping perpendicular in her bed, which would not be so odd if DB was not also in the bed with her (you cannot see him).  However it was not as strange as how we found her a few days later...

Yep, she is a sleep.