One year ago on this date, our plane was flying over golden waves of sand. I stepped off the plane (with a billion other brown people...most of whom were heading to India) and went to look for customs, and then my luggage. I loaded everything onto one cart, and then, after a prolonged wait for my stroller and car-seat, I strapped little A into the go-go babyz and headed out the doors of 'arrivals' to meet P (and our friend Pete) who were waiting for us. My first instinct, once I got outside, was to remove our socks, as it was very warm. Though it was just after 7 in the morning, it was already very bright and hot. Fortunately, this year is a bit cooler (it's true when they said last year was unusually hot for the fall I guess).
So...where are we one year later? Now 'settled' (I use the word lightly...as possibly we might be moving at month's end if the lease doesn't get negotiated...we have no curtains, no pictures up on the walls...) in our villa at Al Raha, we have made some friends and have a semblance of daily life and routine. Phinn is here, and doesn't seem to notice how different his new environment is; he has adapted to life here by locating all the windows where he can see the street and thus perform his sentry duties. Little A is growing and getting smarter everyday. As we've recently joined the Officer's Club, she is now able to swim regularly (though yesterday was not fun as she will tell you 'boy bite me'--and it's true...a three year old local boy--with terrible teeth--named Hamad, decided to greet little A with a 'love bite'. Fortunately, I was able to shove him off quickly and there was no skin piercing or tears. His mom was very apologetic and made him say 'sorry'...but he must've really liked little A as he continued to try and interact with her in the 'other pool' where little A wanted to go immediately after the incident, and then later in the locker area). She now sleeps in her own room, on her own mattress on the floor, all night long. She seems to show a limited understanding of the 'baby brother' on the way (thank-you to Blue's Clues for teaching her the words), and will occasionally hug and kiss my expanding belly. Although, at times, she mentions the 'baby brother' in her belly too...hence, the 'limited understanding' report.
Of all of us, I'm sure that P is the one who enjoys life here the most. Little A and Phinn are oblivious to the difference, and me...well...it's not somewhere I want to be long-term, but it's okay for this time in my life. P seems to enjoy his work and is always raving about the 'lifestyle' in Abu Dhabi (I, on the other hand, am obviously not the 'target audience' of said 'lifestyle').
Not only are we expecting a baby at the end of this year, but it seems we will also be welcoming our first family visitors. My parents will stop over on their way to and from India, and P's elder sister and mom will visit over Christmas. I am looking forward to the family visits.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Oh...Sorry...
I am learning, through my daughter, that I am much too apologetic.
For about a week now, she has been apologizing for things...like if she's in your way and you have to say 'excuse me' to her, little A will say 'Oh..sawwy' and move. She's been saying it quite a bit lately...and I've been wondering where this apologetic turn has come from.
Then, the other day when I was in line at the check-out, I moved my cart over so the lady behind me could move forward. Without thinking (and really...without cause) I said 'Oh, sorry' as I slid my cart closer to me. Little A immediately repeated what I said (though it sounded much cuter) and EUREKA! the light bulb went off. It seems that I throw out apologies for no reason, other than to be over-polite and (possibly) just to have something to say.
Have I always been like this? Or is this a result of me being over-tired and not witty enough to come up with other conversational anecdotes? Regardless, I am now very conscious of my use of this phrase, and try to use it ONLY 'as necessary'.
P should be arriving at the AD airport in the next ten minutes or so. It seems that flights are one of the few things in AD that actually stick to any kind of universal concept of timeliness. He has been in Chicago 'on business' since Wednesday. I've had a surprisingly easy time with Little A, with the exception of her waking up for an hour in the middle of the night last night. Other than that, she has been wonderful and very content.
I wonder what age these little ones start noticing when their daddies disappear for extended periods of time?
For about a week now, she has been apologizing for things...like if she's in your way and you have to say 'excuse me' to her, little A will say 'Oh..sawwy' and move. She's been saying it quite a bit lately...and I've been wondering where this apologetic turn has come from.
Then, the other day when I was in line at the check-out, I moved my cart over so the lady behind me could move forward. Without thinking (and really...without cause) I said 'Oh, sorry' as I slid my cart closer to me. Little A immediately repeated what I said (though it sounded much cuter) and EUREKA! the light bulb went off. It seems that I throw out apologies for no reason, other than to be over-polite and (possibly) just to have something to say.
Have I always been like this? Or is this a result of me being over-tired and not witty enough to come up with other conversational anecdotes? Regardless, I am now very conscious of my use of this phrase, and try to use it ONLY 'as necessary'.
P should be arriving at the AD airport in the next ten minutes or so. It seems that flights are one of the few things in AD that actually stick to any kind of universal concept of timeliness. He has been in Chicago 'on business' since Wednesday. I've had a surprisingly easy time with Little A, with the exception of her waking up for an hour in the middle of the night last night. Other than that, she has been wonderful and very content.
I wonder what age these little ones start noticing when their daddies disappear for extended periods of time?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Just something funny I remembered...
Was watching Mad Men (season one) with P tonight. One of the characters (spoiler alert!!) suffers a heart attack, and the other characters are talking about the grey-ashy colour of his skin. This triggered a memory for me.
When we were living in the "Sakaw House", my dad suffered an angina attack. I got on the phone with emergency services, while my brother sat with him on the stairs, by the door. I believe this was before we had a cordless phone, as I distinctly remember being in the other room and having to call-out questions to my brother. One of the questions the operator asked me was "What is his colour like?". So, I repeated the question to my brother, as I could not see my dad's face (his back was to me).
In my mind, I can clearly see the expression on my brother's face. I'm not sure if it was the fear and stress of not knowing how to help my dad, but he looked at me with this mild confusion, shrugged his shoulders and said in all seriousness: "His colour? He's brown..." (I can still hear him say it..and it still makes me shake my own head and chuckle).
I knew this answer wouldn't impress the emergency operator, so I went with the appropriate answer of 'he's pale and grey' instead.
Fortunately, the ambulance came quickly and whisked my dad off to the Grey Nuns Hospital. Despite all the 'cut-backs' in health care, we were very happy with the service and care my father received.
"...he's brown..."....cracks me up every time.
When we were living in the "Sakaw House", my dad suffered an angina attack. I got on the phone with emergency services, while my brother sat with him on the stairs, by the door. I believe this was before we had a cordless phone, as I distinctly remember being in the other room and having to call-out questions to my brother. One of the questions the operator asked me was "What is his colour like?". So, I repeated the question to my brother, as I could not see my dad's face (his back was to me).
In my mind, I can clearly see the expression on my brother's face. I'm not sure if it was the fear and stress of not knowing how to help my dad, but he looked at me with this mild confusion, shrugged his shoulders and said in all seriousness: "His colour? He's brown..." (I can still hear him say it..and it still makes me shake my own head and chuckle).
I knew this answer wouldn't impress the emergency operator, so I went with the appropriate answer of 'he's pale and grey' instead.
Fortunately, the ambulance came quickly and whisked my dad off to the Grey Nuns Hospital. Despite all the 'cut-backs' in health care, we were very happy with the service and care my father received.
"...he's brown..."....cracks me up every time.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
First Contact
Granted, the bulk of my swimming experience with little A happened from January to March (her Starfish swimming class at the Kinsmen), I am finding that swimming in AD is a completely different experience. Not even taking into account all of the bundling up that used to happen before we left the premises...
In Edmonton, I used to pack up my little one, and head off. In the locker area, I was joined by all the other moms and their little ones (often more than one little one) and we all tried to get babies out of clothes and into swim gear as fast as we could. Then there was the cold shower (the ritual cleansing before the chlorine dip), and off to the warmed training tank for some fun in the water.
Pretty much the same here...except, no requisite cold shower, and instead of moms (or rather 'mums'), I am finding myself predominantly in the company of nannies. And this isn't the solely the 'locals' either. Today, I ran into three mums from little A's playgroup, all of whom were accompanied by their nannies. While the mums swam their laps in the Olympic size pool, the babes were trussed into swim gear and led out to the baby pool, by their nannies. By the time most of the mums arrived at the baby pool to play, little A and I were on our way out, as I generally keep our swim time to 30 minutes (that's enough to make little A's skin wrinkled and raisin-like). Just an observation...no judgements...perhaps one day I will show up at the pool with Malou. Only time will tell.
I did receive a very warm reception from a three to four year old local boy (today was obviously a busy day at the pool, as we usual have the entire place to ourselves). I have seen this little boy before (with his dad...on the 'ladies only day'). He has a younger brother (about a year younger I think...minimum 10 months!!). Well, as little A and I were about to leave the baby pool, he waded over to me, and...wait for it...extended his hand for a handshake. I was a bit shocked at first, as I think this is the first 'contact' I have had with a local...but within nanoseconds I regained my poise, and shook his hand happily. This apparently made his day, as he gave me a big grin and then waded away, with further hand gestures (which I took to be filled with kindness and love). I don't believe he spoke a word of English...but I'm sure we'll have more future interactions, now that the ice has been broken.
P came home from work with 'chills' and has been bed-ridden ever since. So, he's called it an 'early night' (I believe he's been asleep since 4:30 pm). After feeding little A her dinner (absolutely no fruit would go down tonight, no matter how much ice cream I tried to hide it under), I sent her off to bed. I believe she was quite tired from the swimming, so that likely helped to send her off to dreamland. Today, she sat on my dressing table stool, and sang a song about sweet dreams...it was very long--and absolutely darling. I hope she's having some sweet dreams (and continues to have them all the way to 6:30 in the morning).
In Edmonton, I used to pack up my little one, and head off. In the locker area, I was joined by all the other moms and their little ones (often more than one little one) and we all tried to get babies out of clothes and into swim gear as fast as we could. Then there was the cold shower (the ritual cleansing before the chlorine dip), and off to the warmed training tank for some fun in the water.
Pretty much the same here...except, no requisite cold shower, and instead of moms (or rather 'mums'), I am finding myself predominantly in the company of nannies. And this isn't the solely the 'locals' either. Today, I ran into three mums from little A's playgroup, all of whom were accompanied by their nannies. While the mums swam their laps in the Olympic size pool, the babes were trussed into swim gear and led out to the baby pool, by their nannies. By the time most of the mums arrived at the baby pool to play, little A and I were on our way out, as I generally keep our swim time to 30 minutes (that's enough to make little A's skin wrinkled and raisin-like). Just an observation...no judgements...perhaps one day I will show up at the pool with Malou. Only time will tell.
I did receive a very warm reception from a three to four year old local boy (today was obviously a busy day at the pool, as we usual have the entire place to ourselves). I have seen this little boy before (with his dad...on the 'ladies only day'). He has a younger brother (about a year younger I think...minimum 10 months!!). Well, as little A and I were about to leave the baby pool, he waded over to me, and...wait for it...extended his hand for a handshake. I was a bit shocked at first, as I think this is the first 'contact' I have had with a local...but within nanoseconds I regained my poise, and shook his hand happily. This apparently made his day, as he gave me a big grin and then waded away, with further hand gestures (which I took to be filled with kindness and love). I don't believe he spoke a word of English...but I'm sure we'll have more future interactions, now that the ice has been broken.
P came home from work with 'chills' and has been bed-ridden ever since. So, he's called it an 'early night' (I believe he's been asleep since 4:30 pm). After feeding little A her dinner (absolutely no fruit would go down tonight, no matter how much ice cream I tried to hide it under), I sent her off to bed. I believe she was quite tired from the swimming, so that likely helped to send her off to dreamland. Today, she sat on my dressing table stool, and sang a song about sweet dreams...it was very long--and absolutely darling. I hope she's having some sweet dreams (and continues to have them all the way to 6:30 in the morning).
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
"I love it...!"
This is little A's other newest phrase. She loves everything: her robe, her Phinny, her Dora, her play doh...she's all about the love.
Sigh...if only we were ALL like that!
Had a great visit with my friend Sharon, back from her three weeks in the UK, with the elder two back in school. Little A enjoys Grace quite a bit, so it's nice and easy to have 'play dates' with our girls (she is within walking distance).
Little A slept until 7 a.m. this morning, and was JUST waking up as I went to check on her. Unfortunately, she did not sleep for the rest of the day. After listening to 'mommy where ARE you?' for 20 minutes, I gave up and brought her back downstairs.
We went to Dubai this afternoon for my morphology scan. She had a little nap in the car, but woke up when we hit the city limits. We got stuck in some terrible traffic, which P insists no longer exists in Dubai. However, neither of us could figure what was causing the jam, as suddenly it just cleared and all the lanes started flowing.
The ultrasound was very exciting. So very different from back home. First off, my obgyn, Dr. Yuliya (the fetal ultrasound expert) performed it, and she showed us all of the items she was checking for. It's amazing how she could identify so many different things. Our little baby is so active and was moving and kicking the entire time. He also kept his face covered with either his hands or his feet quite a bit.
Dr. Yuliya did not see any soft markers for Down's, and didn't see any need for me to have an amnio done. However, she said that she would perform one for me, at my request, if I felt the need. Also no cleft palate or any other abnormalities. She says the baby is actually measuring 22 weeks, and pushed our due date to January 9, 2010. I feel that possibly this will be another small baby, and that we're still likely to have him in the end of December. But...I'm not the professional. And the baby will arrive whenever nature calls him forward.
Little A was excellent during the scan. She sat and watched Blue's Clues on my cell phone. She showed minimal interest in the scan, though I saw her watching the wand on my uterus closely. She was probably afraid that she had one of those 'babies' in her belly too!!
I really enjoyed watching the baby yawning. That was cute!
Unlike little A's 3-D ultrasound, where we could clearly predict that she would have her daddy's nose...this little guy is a mystery. We have received a cd with pictures and a full report (which we have not looked at yet). We will check it out tomorrow, when we all have some more energy.
Got home kind of late, and after a junky meal of banana bread, a few McD's fries, and then some pasta pieces at home, little A is done for the night. So am I. Just wanted to sit with my thoughts and memories for a bit before heading off to get ready to sleep.
Sigh...if only we were ALL like that!
Had a great visit with my friend Sharon, back from her three weeks in the UK, with the elder two back in school. Little A enjoys Grace quite a bit, so it's nice and easy to have 'play dates' with our girls (she is within walking distance).
Little A slept until 7 a.m. this morning, and was JUST waking up as I went to check on her. Unfortunately, she did not sleep for the rest of the day. After listening to 'mommy where ARE you?' for 20 minutes, I gave up and brought her back downstairs.
We went to Dubai this afternoon for my morphology scan. She had a little nap in the car, but woke up when we hit the city limits. We got stuck in some terrible traffic, which P insists no longer exists in Dubai. However, neither of us could figure what was causing the jam, as suddenly it just cleared and all the lanes started flowing.
The ultrasound was very exciting. So very different from back home. First off, my obgyn, Dr. Yuliya (the fetal ultrasound expert) performed it, and she showed us all of the items she was checking for. It's amazing how she could identify so many different things. Our little baby is so active and was moving and kicking the entire time. He also kept his face covered with either his hands or his feet quite a bit.
Dr. Yuliya did not see any soft markers for Down's, and didn't see any need for me to have an amnio done. However, she said that she would perform one for me, at my request, if I felt the need. Also no cleft palate or any other abnormalities. She says the baby is actually measuring 22 weeks, and pushed our due date to January 9, 2010. I feel that possibly this will be another small baby, and that we're still likely to have him in the end of December. But...I'm not the professional. And the baby will arrive whenever nature calls him forward.
Little A was excellent during the scan. She sat and watched Blue's Clues on my cell phone. She showed minimal interest in the scan, though I saw her watching the wand on my uterus closely. She was probably afraid that she had one of those 'babies' in her belly too!!
I really enjoyed watching the baby yawning. That was cute!
Unlike little A's 3-D ultrasound, where we could clearly predict that she would have her daddy's nose...this little guy is a mystery. We have received a cd with pictures and a full report (which we have not looked at yet). We will check it out tomorrow, when we all have some more energy.
Got home kind of late, and after a junky meal of banana bread, a few McD's fries, and then some pasta pieces at home, little A is done for the night. So am I. Just wanted to sit with my thoughts and memories for a bit before heading off to get ready to sleep.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Pappa eat some stinky fish
This is something that little A says, that cracks us both up. She says it whenever she reads her 'chinese noodle' (aka "Chinese New Year") lift-a-flap book. This is one of her FAVOURITE books! She is a very smart and funny little monkey.
Not sure if I've mentioned how she has developed a love for the 'sleepers'. It is quite painful, as she wants to wear them all day long--even when we go out. Also, because it is so warm here, she actually only has four sleepers that fit...so, they are all in rotation right now. Currently, she is sleeping in her 'red' sleeper (at her request).
This morning little A and I took Phinn out for his first 'fall' walk. At 6:20 a.m., the weather was actually nice, with a little breeze (about 30 degrees or so I think). We didn't want to wear him out (he hasn't been walking in months) so we brought him home about ten minutes later. I should clarify that I was the ONLY one who didn't want to wear him out...little A wanted him to walk around the entire complex with us...but I convinced her it was in everyone's best interest to take him home, give him some water, and let him cool down. After a few tears (not mine or Phinn's), we left him at home, and went for round two of our stroll.
It was nice to run into my neighbour, Shawn, in the park. We met, as most dog people do, through the dogs. Harry (Shawn's dog) is very well-behaved, and he takes him to play fetch in the park in the mornings. Although Shawn has been around all summer, I haven't seen him at all. This is what happens to 'neigbhourhood friendships' in the summer heat of Abu Dhabi. So, I have invited him over for a visit, once her returns from his safari to Botswana in two weeks.
We spent the afternoon at the pool again. I was happy to discover another route (thanks to my gps) to get to the Officer's Club, without having to contend with the major traffic of 'the island'. As usual, we had the pool all to ourselves. Unfortunately, they forgot to turn on the heaters in the baby pool (I minded more than little A...she couldn't have cared less), and as nobody had been in the pool all day, they hadn't discovered this error.
We are also still up in the air wrt our housing. I have put in a request with 'the boss' that we have SOME knowledge of what we are doing by October 1 (it's always good to have a deadline).
The newest Lieu is doing well (or so it seems). I have learned that he is not into 'late eating' and prefers for us to stick to our early dinner schedule. The last two evenings we've been invited out for dinners, which were later than our usual 5:30 meal...and I haven't slept well the last two nights. I am very excited about our ultrasound scan on Tuesday. It seems that they make a dvd of the entire scan, which is then ours to keep (it's common practice here)...I remember that sort of thing cost a pretty penny back in Canada. I'm praying that everything will look great, and there will be no need to follow up with an amnio.
Not sure if I've mentioned how she has developed a love for the 'sleepers'. It is quite painful, as she wants to wear them all day long--even when we go out. Also, because it is so warm here, she actually only has four sleepers that fit...so, they are all in rotation right now. Currently, she is sleeping in her 'red' sleeper (at her request).
This morning little A and I took Phinn out for his first 'fall' walk. At 6:20 a.m., the weather was actually nice, with a little breeze (about 30 degrees or so I think). We didn't want to wear him out (he hasn't been walking in months) so we brought him home about ten minutes later. I should clarify that I was the ONLY one who didn't want to wear him out...little A wanted him to walk around the entire complex with us...but I convinced her it was in everyone's best interest to take him home, give him some water, and let him cool down. After a few tears (not mine or Phinn's), we left him at home, and went for round two of our stroll.
It was nice to run into my neighbour, Shawn, in the park. We met, as most dog people do, through the dogs. Harry (Shawn's dog) is very well-behaved, and he takes him to play fetch in the park in the mornings. Although Shawn has been around all summer, I haven't seen him at all. This is what happens to 'neigbhourhood friendships' in the summer heat of Abu Dhabi. So, I have invited him over for a visit, once her returns from his safari to Botswana in two weeks.
We spent the afternoon at the pool again. I was happy to discover another route (thanks to my gps) to get to the Officer's Club, without having to contend with the major traffic of 'the island'. As usual, we had the pool all to ourselves. Unfortunately, they forgot to turn on the heaters in the baby pool (I minded more than little A...she couldn't have cared less), and as nobody had been in the pool all day, they hadn't discovered this error.
We are also still up in the air wrt our housing. I have put in a request with 'the boss' that we have SOME knowledge of what we are doing by October 1 (it's always good to have a deadline).
The newest Lieu is doing well (or so it seems). I have learned that he is not into 'late eating' and prefers for us to stick to our early dinner schedule. The last two evenings we've been invited out for dinners, which were later than our usual 5:30 meal...and I haven't slept well the last two nights. I am very excited about our ultrasound scan on Tuesday. It seems that they make a dvd of the entire scan, which is then ours to keep (it's common practice here)...I remember that sort of thing cost a pretty penny back in Canada. I'm praying that everything will look great, and there will be no need to follow up with an amnio.
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