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!

Happy Boy

I love smiling pictures of my baby boy.

This is not actually a smile, but it is just as cute.

What are we going to do if we ever go back to the US and lose easy access to his favorite purple food - Taro?

Hey Parker!!!

AB is facinated by the fact that her cousin, Parker, sent her a real letter. When she first got it, she continually looked at it and kept saying "Parker?" You are a great cousin Parker.

This is what DB did while AB looked at the card. Life is rough.

Big-O-Thanks

Folks in this country get their water primarily one of two ways - have it delivered or have purfication system installed. Most go for the first option since day to day it is cheaper, but in the long run it is more expensive and less convinent. Until recently we had our water delivered. However thanks to generosity my brother-in-law's parents, Joe and Virginia, we have a wonderful purfication installed and is working beautifully! Thanks so much!

I am not sure how but the black bag and the clear plastic bag apparently serve some sort of purpose. I am not sure what, but we are not moving them just to be safe.

Bad Parenting 101

When I walked into the living room one morning and saw this, I knew it was time to start strapping DB into the swing. However this was a couple months ago, and the swing is now gently rocking his friend Caleb to sleep accross town. Good times with the swing.

New Wheels

A month ago KB decided it was time to get AB a bike. He debated on getting her a bike that fits her now or a bike she could grow into...meaning her feet do not reach the pedals yet. Ultimately our desire to not buy another bike for her in a year or two won, and we bought her a bike she can grow into. Unfortunately this bike will not be a hand-me-down for DB. The only bike available was a very girlie pink bike.

The sales people told KB he should pay someone to put it together. However, we felt like it was a rite (or is right?) of passage to spend countless hours putting your kid's bikes together. Therefore KB spent quite a while working on this thing only to find out...

It was missing some important pieces. We could not attach the cute little trunk thing to the back, but more importantly the brakes did not work. The next day KB's teacher called the store to tell them they sold KB a bum bike. They said they did not have any more. KB's teacher told them, in the way that only a native of this country could, that they needed to have a new bike for KB that afternoon and they needed to put it together for KB since he already spent too much time working on the other bike. They agreed. Although it is not really the same bike, and although instead of cute Disney princesses there are weird-o bears on her bike, AB looooves it.

It does have some cute elements, like this "rear view" mirror...

and this cute little bike bell that says exactly what AB feels about her bike.

KB is probably only 1 of 10 people in this city of millions that wears a bike helmet, so you can bet he made sure AB had one as well. He called this is blue steel face, whatever that means.
We bought the bike in the middle of a rainy week. It killed AB that we had to wait to take it out for a spin, but at last we made the inaugural trip. AB was so excited about riding and proud of her helmet. This is just outside of our apartment door and in front of the elevator.

That is real bike ridding seriousness.

And this is what they did for about 10 minutes. Super daddy pulled her around this circle in our courtyard. She did not quite get the concept of how to move the bike herself, and it did not matter anyways since her feet cannot even reach the pedals. This is the same circle she runs around when we take her outside.

This is the lady who mercilessly stares at us every single time we go outside. We go outside at random times, so we do not know how she knows we are outside, but knows... she does. Also, she refuses to talk to us. Some of the people we meet can only speak the local dialect, but with some effort they can usually understand us since we speak the common language. I know this lady has the ability to speak since I have seen her talking to others. Anyways, I figure she either does not understand the common language or has closed her ears to us because talking to her is like talking to a wall. I think I might just start saying silly things to her. If she laughs, then I know she can understand me : )

This is how DB and I spent the time watching AB.

After AB got tired of being rolled around on her bike, she decided to get a good look of herself in the reflective door. She does this routinely when we go outside. Vanity does not have to be taught.

This is DB's favorite pastime, not playing with daddy but sticking things in his mouth. Makes him happy.

Last Warm Day at the Park

At the time we were unaware of it, but this might have been our last outing to the park on a still warm day. At that time we thought it was an outing to the park in between the days of rain

Uggg. I am so sorry fellow Texans currently living in Texas. I do not mean to sound insensitive. My own mom threatened to hang up on me yesterday when I mentioned how the rain kept ruining our plans and how it seems it may get cold too soon. Don't worry guys, you will get me back during your mild winter while I am freezing my end off.

Anyways, we will miss the park during the winter. I am a fair weather girl, and I just cannot see myself taking the kids out for "fun" in freezing weather. This is why I always preferred New Mexico over Colorado for snow skiing. I just do not see how you can have fun when you cannot feel your fingers or toes.

By the way, thanks Madeline for the all summer clothes. AB has greatly enjoyed them and might even still fit into them next summer.
KB thought it was funny when she looked up into the tree. Kept prompting her to look up into the tree so he could take a picture of how funny it looked. Sneaky daddy.

It is so lame I am even mentioning this but someone asked. This was the first haircut. The bad part of the haircut was in the front, so until it was "fixed" (not really) I pulled it back with hair pins.

Squishy cheeks, perfect for kissing.

Learning

When AB was a baby I read all the books on development and knew if she was falling within such and such range of development. I have not cracked open even one of those books with DB, so whenever he does something more advanced than the week before, I am so surprised and proud of him - with AB I was more expecting it to happen. DB is now able to help me (a little) with getting him dressed or in this case, undressed. It is endearing.

Also, have I mentioned that DB says "mama?" He says it usually while in distress. I am not sure if he realizes I am mama, or if he is just saying it because it is a fun sound and he likes to say it. Either way, I am going to conclude he said my name first. Yeah DB! He also growls a lot, so I often call him "little bear."

Whew! That was exhausting for him! DB prefers being naked, so if I would just let him go without his diaper, he would be a happy camper. Believe it or not, that weird-o looking diaper is a Huggies diaper. None of those cute Disney characters for DB's bottom.

Playland

Talk about getting behind on blogs! I have a small amount of time alloted for internet each day. It is usually between the time the kids go to bed and when I feed Dash once more. If I spend it looking at People.com then, that is what I did rather than things more productive, so I should be wise in my time right? Recently our weather has begun changing and is rapidly growing more and more cool. Today we all wore jackets. Therefore my internet time has been spent scouring the internet for deals on new shoes for fall, some winter clothes and clearance summer clothes for the kids. However, I am done. If I look at The Children's Place website even once during in the next 2 months, it will be too soon.

A few weeks ago we had incessant rain, so we took AB to a local play place. We mostly like it. They have all the kids use antibacterial on their hands before entering. No shoes inside. They require all non potty trained kids to wear diapers (still saw some split bottom pants and bare bottoms though), and they have air purifiers. They have taken greater than average steps to keep the place clean which goes a long way with us.

AB had a blast. Her favorite thing was the kitchen, and she spent most of her time playing in the kitchen area. The best part for KB and I was watching AB face plant and barrel roll down a bouncy slide. After we saw she was okay we could not stop laughing. As she was tumbling down, all we could see was a blur of blue hairbow, green gingham bloomers, legs, arms and her dress. Since America's Funniest Home Videos is still my favorite TV show, this was right up my alley as far has humor goes...apparently my humor has not matured since I was 5 years old.

Eating her dress.

I am not sure if she was doing something interesting or if just she was interesting.

Once we got home AB had her bath and bedtime reading.

Blog War (That is what my friend called it)

Living overseas it is important to go extra lengths to keep up with my friends living elsewhere, otherwise we could easily lose touch with some precious people in our lives. We have friends living all over the world and like in our country, using Facebook is neither convenient nor...umm encouraged by the local government. Actually if you buy a international internet connection then you can access Facebook, but let me tell you, it is slow, very slow, so slow I log onto Facebook about once a month. Blogging is also tedious. I have spent hours trying to upload a photo or two (once it took 6 hours to upload a video), but it is much easier and less time consuming that Facebook. Therefore we blog, and most of our other friends living abroad blog too. I blog primarily for my family and my few friends that I know periodically check in on us. This is why our blog is chalk full of pictures of our kids, because let's face it, KB and I are now both 30, it is downhill from now on in the looks department for us.

One of my other motivations for trying to post something at least once a week is because of the small depression I fall into every single time look up one of my friend's blogs and see the same old (albeit usually very cute) pictures of their kids from months before. Wanting to spare my friends from a similar depression I made it a goal to post something once a week. I am generous like that (wink wink). I have a friend of 4 years (Andi can you believe it has been 4 years?) who also lives abroad. She has two teenagers and, a toddler and a newborn. If anyone has a reason to take month long breaks between their posts, it is her...and all you other people with more kids than I have.

To my point. My sweet friend Andi has decided to post something every single time I post and has said so on her blog. I do not think this is fair to her since she has 4 kids and all, but I really look forward to getting to see more pics of her kids and hear stories like the one she posted recently. I need to ask her if it is okay to paste a link to her blog, and if she is cool with it, I will share her blog with you all. They are great and you all will enjoy getting to know them.

Update: Andi said yes, so her blog address is http://abrahamsinheritance.blogspot.com/

For the grandparents -

This is several weeks ago when DB was trying to develop the concept of going from one point to another. He used his head as an extra appendage. I believe AB did this too when she was learning to crawl. Unfortunately DB can now assume the proper crawl position and is becoming better and better at getting from point A to point B. I am grieving his mobility.

Taking a break.

Trying again.

Trying to eat mommy's nose.

Trying to rip mommy's nose off her face with his super strong tiny fingers. Look at the intensity on his face. It is fierce.