Fab Tive

Yesterday A's fifth tooth erupted (top left). It's been coming for a while, but it finally poked its way out of the gumline yesterday morning.

Our landscaping is done...just waiting for it to dry a bit so we can get clean-up done.

Rosemarie should also be here later this week.

The sun is shining (after a rainy cloudy weekend, which I'm sure the grass loved). It should be a nice week!

OY vey! The screaming...

Little A has found a new way to use her voice: screaming. There are screams when she wants milk, and screams when she wants up on the couch. There are screams when she is pulling on Phinn's hair (and he's obviously disgruntled about it). The scream is used to express so many emotions: glee, impatience, mischieviousness, frustration...it's very multi-purpose.

It's a very primitive vocalization, and it seems to be her new favourite sound!

Suffice it to say, it's not MY new favourite sound. I prefer it when she sings.

Not very much on the agenda for today. Just finished my book by Irshad Manji "The Trouble with Islam Today". What an excellent read! P was VERY concerned that I was having this book shipped over here with Santa Kathy at Christmas...he told me not to talk about this book with ANYONE that lives in this country. Then...one day out of 'desperate boredom' he picked this book up....and then the fight began: we had to schedule who got to read the book and when. It helped generate a lot of dialogue between us, and I was thrilled that he enjoyed it as much as I did (so...we still have things in common 15 years later). I have just finished the book, and now P is free to read it whenever/whereever he likes (though assuredly he will never take it outside of the villa..someone might SEE him!!).

Yes..it has been 15 years...P and I started our relationship in the fall of 1993, back when we were both taking our undergraduate degrees at the U of A. It really seems a bit of a 'rip-off' to be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary, when the actual time we've committed to each other is so much greater (and I'm sure the gift for 15 years is WAY better than the gift for five...).

Very gray and gloomy today. We were supposed to go to Marina Mall, but I think I got about four hours of sleep total last night, and didn't feel safe operating 'heavy machinery' with my 'baby on board'.

We've also put our landscaping 'on hold'. We dropped in on Urooj last night (the first time I formally met her...she's Z's wife...Z is this high-powered attorney who works til 8:30 or so at night...and who NEVER has any free time to visit, as we've discovered being his neighbour for three months now), and as we have the same style villa, she invited us to have a look at her landscaping. She mentioned to P that Total (who we had booked for this morning) was a rip-off, and she highly recommended these other fellows (Abu Dhabi Landcaping) who are about 4000AED cheaper. Not only was there a price differential, but apparently the plants you get from these second guys are larger, and seem heartier (as evidenced by others we know who went with Total and are having grass-growing issues). So, we've got the Total guys 'on hold' while we get a quote from ADL this afternoon. Too bad we didn't drop in on Urooj sooner!! I even got invited over for COFFEE!!

And it's only 2:15...

We had so much fun with our dinner guests last night. This is a family that we hope to spend much more time with! A and little Daniel had fun running around (and let me tell you...Phinn slept like a log!) together. Stress did arise whenever the need for 'sharing' arose...neither of them are really at an age where that concept is too favourable, but all in all, a very enjoyable night.

Our evening made us realize two things:

1. dinner parties will be so much more enjoyable when Rosemarie arrives and can do the clean-up for us.

2. we will be completely happy if baby #2 happens to be another girl (seriously...I think P will be just slightly relieved!!).

Obviously, no offence intended for my friends, and parents of boys (and any little boy I might have in the future...I love you...really, truly I do)...actually, instead of offence I am offering accolades and reverance to you. Little boys seem to have an energy and need for speeed that is unequalled by (most) of their female counterparts.

This morning, my 'not a breakfast person' little A had her light meal of fruit and egg whites (why can't I eat like that?), all the while entertained by the two houseflies we caught and placed her bug observation tent. Then we got ready for our first forray into the world of Al Raha Mums "movers and groovers", hosted by...(wait for it you 'SATC' ladies)...none other than Samantha Jones! Samantha is a brilliant Brit, and mother of two (twins). We got many compliments on our banana bread (thank-you) and A actually was a little more adventurous today. I guess with every outing, she will become a little less shy of others. There was another 'sharing' incident. A decided to bring along her white bear and her Maya Persian cat. She did immediately forget about them, but became quickly aware of them again when her newest little friend found them. Lucky for us, Erin is better at sharing than little A.

We met so many lovely mums (from our neighbourhood too) and are looking forward to next week. After having a big lunch (spaghetti, yogurt, applesauce and bananas) little A is having a siesta, and I'm headed off to spend time with my literary friend, Irshad Manji (LOVE HER!).

Tomorrow: landscaping and Marina mall (coffee morning...will I actually get up the nerve to drive all the way into Abu Dhabi city??...stay tuned).

True Friends...

Obviously, friendships are something that are precious to me, and important in my life.

We are having dinner with Fadey, Lisa and their son Daniel tonight, at our place. They are Canadians, like us, and we met them for the first time at the Thanksgiving dinner at the Sheraton. They invited us over to their place for Christmas, and we saw them again at the Canadian Christmas dinner. Originally from Nova Scotia, Fadey is working in banking, and Lisa is teaching. Suprisingly, it was her job that brought their family over here. They seem to be a very nice family, and A enjoys spending time with Daniel, who is 3 years her senior. P has charged up the remote control race car, so that the two of them can 'play' together.

I found this link, to youtube, with a great video on friendship. Please watch it if you have some time. It warms the heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U&eurl=http://www.laineygossip.com/

Another weekend is almost over. They seem to go so fast. We did manage to pick up my VISA (yeah!) but are still waiting on my ATM card (which we eventually decided to talk to the bank manager about, after waiting again for 45 minutes today for it). Mr. Rajkumar Bhatia (one of my peeps from the homeland) was very attentive...more so when he found out P worked for government and not for Carrefour (which is like Walmart). We should be getting our card couriered to P's office later this week.

In other exciting news, landscapers are scheduled to come on Monday. No sign of Rosemarie...but the agency claims she'll be here next week.

Little A now has a molar (on the right) to go with her front teeth, which puts the total at four, and counting. She has also added the words: haht (heart) and atta (airplane) to her vocabulary. She is becoming a little mischief-maker and directs most of her energy to getting Phinn in trouble. Today Phinn was napping under the bed in the computer room. A took her little "best mum" bear (hey...she picked it...not me) and set it right in front of his muzzle. Then she turned to me and let out the pitiful "Waaah! Phinn has taken my bear/block/monkey/shoe/etc." wail. When I looked over, Phinn just raised his eyebrows, and snuffled out a sigh. I swear I saw him roll his eyes too. What he was NOT doing, was touching her bear...not even slightly interested in it...All I could do was laugh...she thought it was pretty funny too, when she realized the gig was up. Guess it's onto bigger and better things...

Pit Pat Pit Pat...

Woke up at 4:30 this morning...not feeling so hot...or rather, feeling too hot. Then, with my sneezing, I also managed to wake up little A. P has been sleeping in the guest room so that he can sleep (as A has been tossing, turning and waking frequently with her teething). Since he's been gone, she's actually been sleeping a lot better! So, at 5 a.m., I decided a little 'daddy-time' was called for, and P had to amuse her while I got another hour or so of sleep.

Not sure where I've gotten this cold as I've had so little contact with other people. I guess there are advantages to being socially isolated...

A decided around 8 a.m. that she was exhausted (no surprise there) and decided to catch another 45 minutes of shut-eye. This was a sound decision on her part, as this was our first morning of music class.

Surprise! Surprise! We were late. We left the house with 7 minutes on the clock left to go, and then I decided to take a 'shortcut' which resulted in me having to drive all the way back to the one road I knew, and then follow the map. When we got there, we had missed 1/2 the class.

Clare, the teacher, was lovely. Nursery rhymes sound just so much more lovely when they are sung with a British accent. We were in time to go around the mulberry bush, and to lament the pit-pat of the rain (and yes, there actually were gray skies in Abu Dhabi and bits of rain this morning). My daughter, who loves to sing and dance, sat mutely on my lap and refused to partake in anything. However, she vigilantly observed anything, and made some notes for next week.

On the drive home, A resumed singing. At home, after lunch, she began mimicking Clare's loooooooooooooong and short sounds. Hopefully next week, she'll appear more alive in class, and feel safer to unglue her cute little buttocks from my lap.

Announcing the newest arrival....

Don't get too excited. Although many of the moms in my Bonnie Doon mom's group seem to have had baby number two, or are in the process of...we are still not in 'that' place.

However, we would like to welcome A's THIRD TOOTH into this world. The top right tooth made its way out of her gums sometime between the hours of 1 and 5:30 a.m. on January 4th....I know this b/c I was awake all those hours as A tossed and turned with discomfort. THAT'S when it all began: January 4th...if it's even possible, A's sleeping took a turn for the worse!!

Only one day earlier, we were at the Al Noor Hospital getting A's 18 month vaccination shots. I was asking the doctor whether we should be worried about these 'late' teeth. She told us we don't worry until the children are 2. Then we test for calcium deficiency. So...we don't worry, and out pops a third tooth!! Isn't life great?

The Al Noor Hospital was an...experience. Clean, beautiful, new, private, and very inefficiently run (at least on the weekends). We had booked an appointment with one doctor, and were ushered in to see another (which was apparently a mistake). Locals were showing up and getting appointments with 'our' doctor (which is probably why we got bumped). They were running the facility like a medi-clinic (although we got better, faster service at the 'medi-clinic' hospital we went to before so...hmmmm). Maybe that was just a weekend phenomenon...who knows. I am also questioning the health care system here a wee bit, as although A was measured and weighed, nobody did anything with the data other than to record it in her file. Is she overweight? Underweight? Too short? Not growing properly?? These are things new moms need to know. The doctor didn't even physically touch her. No checking out her heart, or examining her limbs. Nothing like our experiences with our dear Dr. Kantoch at the Allin Clinic back home. Sigh....we miss you Dr. Kantoch!!

We spent the weekend on a private island in the gulf, as part of P's company's team-building activities. Apparently, only the Shaikhs and their families are allowed on this island. I was very nervous about going for a full-day event with little A (especially with the teething and the lack of sleep) but she was marvellous. We had to get up very early (7-ish) and be at the boat launch for 8 (but we actually didn't leave until 9 am...apparently this misinformation was a way to insure that the locals would all be there on time...so we, timely Canadians that we are had to sit around for an hour...grumble! grumble!). The boat ride was smooth, short and sweet. We travelled through multiple activities: camel riding (yes...I did it), horseback riding (no, I did not), shooting (you couldn't hold P back from this event!!), boat tour around the island (which I skipped in order to feed my daughter lunch), lunch (pretty so-so for me, the vegetarian), and then volleyball (chose to sit that one out too). The weather was perfect, and we got a bottle of honey as a parting gift. All-in-all, a very generous event. A was delighted to see the camels, and even got a picture on one. She loved the horses too, and was awed by the ostriches and emus (birds!birds!) we saw (although I think she got a bit nervous when that one ostrich almost broke our camera!!).

I have signed up A for a 'mommy and me' music group which is near by. I am trying to make an effort to get out with her more during the day, and to meet more people. There seem to be a lot of young moms in our area, but it is so hard to see them behind these seven foot high concrete fences we all have around our yards. That will be starting later this week.

Today's big event was 'coffee at Sharanis spa'. I was amazed to find a very modern and very western feeling spa in the midst of all this 'Arabia'. Sharon, the owner, has used Asian influences to build her wellness spa, which is 5 minutes away from my house. They offer a wide range of services: massage, ayurvedic treatments and mani-pedi's. She took a 12 bedroom villa and converted it into this luxurious day-spa. A and I loved our short time there, and we met some very nice ladies. I would like to go through all of the treatments...sort of like a menu...one a month or something...going to have to look into buying a membership.

This afternoon I am meeting another lady (who I've chatted with in an on-line forum called 'abudhabiwoman.com'). She's going to be giving me some 'housekeeper keeping' advice. You'll notice that ours is not here yet...apparently you MUST go through an agency to get a housekeeper, and so all of our hard-work and time...is just going to make less work and time-wasted for the agency we hire. Soon....hopefully she'll be here by month end.

Before I end this posting, I just want to say a special heartfelt thank-you to all of my friends who have made the effort and stayed in touch. Although I am working hard to make new friends (and yes...it is really 'work' to try and find venues to meet people when you are a simple 'housewife' like myself) my current friends, though very far away are so dear to my heart, and seriously irreplacable. I hope you know just how much I have loved every e-mail (even just the quick and short "thinking of you, busy as hell, miss you loads" ones) I have received from you. I cherish all the photo-updates (old-fashioned and on-line) and anybody who has had the time to 'chat' or 'skype' with us...well...you just make it that much easier for P and I to be here, so far away, and trying something new. I could go on and on...but...to those of you who have kept in touch (sniff!sniff!): thank-you!