Here are some things that make me happy...

Christmas cuties (above and below)

This camel costs 7500 aed and is solid brass
(so of course we put our children on it and took pictures)

This was us dressed up for our Christmas eve 'event'

I am trying really hard to think of this day as a great day, with one CRAPPY event, rather than as a 'bad day'.

This morning we had our speech therapy appointment with Neethu, and a 'follow-up' appointment with Dr. G from SKMC (for N's ears).  This afternoon, we had an impromptu playdate with my friend Shariza and her girls (soooo glad they are back from KL).  

I really enjoyed TWO of these activities.

I really did NOT enjoy ONE of these activities.

I won't keep you in suspense.  It was the appointment at SKMC (with HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED).  The ENT doctor I met with is a real piece of work.  A little bit of background:  this is the doctor who stepped out of the O/R after draining N's ears and told us that our son has severe to moderate hearing loss in both ears, that it was criminal that it has gone so long without treatment, and that he should be fitted for hearing aids immediately. 

After being devastated by this news, we were blessed that Jino (the audiologist who actually did the testing) took the time to clarify that the doctor was actually WRONG, that N's hearing loss is minor, and very possibly temporary, due to the ear infection he had.  However, as the dr is his boss, he did not want to contradict or argue with him in  front of us, and that is why he approached us afterwards (as he also did not want us to be stressed out for no reason).  After a follow-up meeting with Jino, he recommended that we repeat the ABR testing in two months, and that though hearing aids would help him until his ears healed, they were not necessary, and it would not be detrimental to him in any way if we waited to use them (if the second test showed they were required).  He also gave us a referral to our current speech therapist, and we are very happy with her and N's progress to date.  

So, I was very upset and angry after my follow-up appointment today.  Upon noticing that my beautiful son was not wearing hearing aids, the dr began seething with disapproval.  He asked me why I would choose not to give him hearing aids, as he has severe to moderate hearing loss (which is untrue).  I told him that I did not feel the hearing loss was as severe as he did.  I told him how well N was doing in speech therapy, and all the new words he had acquired, and he continued to be pessimistic, and harped on about how I was holding him back from developing in his speech.  I said "all due respect Dr, but it has been three weeks since you drained his ears.  Are you telling me that in three weeks of not having hearing aids, that he will never learn to speak properly?".   I also reminded him that N has delays of about six months across the board, and as such his language skills should be compared to that of an 18 month child, rather than that of a two year old.  I also told him that I wanted the ABR test repeated and that if the hearing deficit still existed, then I would consider that hearing aids then.  To this request he had several different responses:

1.  Did I really think that repeated the test actually would make a difference?  (I told him that all my research indicated that if an ABR test result is abnormal, then the test is always repeated one month afterwards).  This caused him to:

2.  Scoff at the research. He said that is nice 'research' but that it never happens in actual practice.  I told him that I would be happy to pay for N to have this test done at a private clinic and pay for it.  To this he replied:

3.  "That's your choice.  I will write my report to indicate that you, a 'lay person' have decided that your son is doing well and showing progress and that you are not following up with any of our treatment recommendations."  I did try to impress upon him that I was only looking for a second opinion, before introducing hearing aids to my son's life.  Keep in mind, that through this entire dialogue I am already aware that this doctor is completely clueless and basing his 'severe to moderate hearing loss' on his own INACCURATE interpretation of the ABR test results (which raises the question as to why this has not been clarified with him prior to N's appointment--the answer to which I know is likely b/c none of his 'underlings' actually want to be the one to try and correct this man, b/c seriously--he only likes to listen to the sound of his own voice).  

4.  At this point, he gets up and walks out.  Yes.  Just walks out of the exam room.  Then he comes back in and I say again, that I want to ensure that his report accurately reflects what I am looking for:  confirmation of N's hearing deficit.  To which he tells me "You don't dictate what I write in my report."   To this I agree, and try ONCE AGAIN (obviously, I don't get it) to confirm that he understands what I want--a second opinion.  

5.  Then he comments about what kind of person would subject their son to the full anesthetic again, so soon, to have this test repeated.  I told him I thought that the test could be done under sedation and not full anesthesia, to which he replies "yes...you see if they will do that at the private clinic".  WTF???  I am fairly certain that he was the one who told me they did it under sedation in the first place.  

I try to change tactics, and ask him to please just check N's ears, and ensure they are healing, as that is the reason for our visit.  So he does, and tells me there is no fluid and they seem to be healing fine.  

And then he starts up again.  Please see above, as I think we basically rehashed this again (or I just have it out of order in my description--this was a very stressful experience for me, and N started screaming half-way through---obviously stressful for him too).  At some point, he got up and walked out again.  I called him back and ended by saying "My son is very important to me, and I want to do the best for him.  I would like to know who is the name of your supervisor, as I do not feel you have acted very professionally."  He tells me that he IS the supervisor of the department.  I again ask him, "Who is your boss?".  He replies that he IS the boss.  And I say "Who do you report to?".  With the flick of his hand, he mutters something...and walks away again.  

As I type this, I am again very livid and angry.  I called Peter at work, and told him about my experience.  He didn't really seem to understand why I was so upset, nor was he really able to comfort me.  Peter never seems to understand what an emotional person he chose to marry.  I ran into Jino in the clinic, and he wanted to talk to me, but I told him that I didn't want 'his boss' to see us talking, and thus get him in trouble.  

So--after trying to calm down, and taking a few deep breaths, I made my way downstairs.  I found the 'voice of the patient' office, which was empty.  However, next door I met Israa, and she asked me to tell her what happened.  After I did (with a few tears--why do I cry when I am angry?), she requested that I file a formal complaint, so that they could start a case against this doctor.  She also told me, that I was not the first person to have a problem with this particular doctor.  She described him as 'moody' (I can think of some words that would be more appropriate--but let's stick with 'moody').  So, I wrote up two pages to describe this incident, and focused on his behaviour and attitude.  Then, she called up to the clinic, to speak with Jino, who confirmed for her what he had told me about the hearing loss.  He even came downstairs to talk with us again.

What bothered me the most about my interaction with this doctor was the way he was treating me.  He absolutely refused to listen to anything coming out of my mouth.  In his mind, if I wasn't agreeing with him and doing what he told me to do, then I wasn't worthy of his time.  Though he never raised his voice to me, his tone was condescending, and he was very uncooperative and very hostile towards me.  In the three years that I have been living in this Muslim country, this is the most I have ever been disrespected by a man.  

Then, N and I came home, had lunch, and S went for a nap.  A and N decided to play the afternoon away, so I invited Shariza and her girls to come by, and they kids had great fun playing together.  Shariza and I have tentatively made plans to share a quiet New Year's Eve celebration at our place together.  With her and Arul's company, we will surely be ringing in the New Year with laughter.  

I found my nystatin cream at Prince pharmacy--so I am on my way to be pain-free as well.  

And I am hoping that writing about my negative experience today will help to purge it from my mind.  I have already wasted too much of my energy on this 'moody' fellow.  I will have to wait and see what my letter of complaint brings, and deal with it when it happens.  Until then, I will try my hardest to put it out of my mind.  

Okay--here's to a good rest.  I am off to read "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" and have a little mental break from my day.  Let me look at those pictures above one more time before I go to sleep.  

Pea Soup Fog

My favourite square to land on in the game of life was "Pea Soup Fog".  I know it was some kind of metaphor for that time (or those times) in one's life, where the future is not exactly clear, causing you to become disoriented, disenfranchised and thus having to miss a turn.  

As I was heading out yesterday to N's speech therapy appointment, I encountered some serious pea soup fog of my own.  Peter called me in the morning to ask if I was still going to take him, and as I had not looked out the window yet, I thought this was a bizarre question.  However, after driving a few minutes, I realized how poor visibility was.  I texted Neethu to tell her we would be late, and she called me and suggested that we just reschedule the session instead.  Which I gratefully accepted (as I still hadn't reached the highway).  

Outside the compound yesterday, 13 degrees

Same spot today--you can see the Eye of Aldar clearly now

Speech therapy went well today, and N seems to enjoy working on his own with Neethu.  She brought him some of her family's traditional Christmas cake, which was sweet (literally and figuratively).  Afterwards, we tried to pick up our parcel at the central post-office, which was a complete waste of time, as we learned that it was actually at the KCA post office.  

We spent some time this afternoon at the HealthPlus at Al Bandar.  I discovered that S has oral thrush (and thus, so do I).  This has been the cause of some extreme nursing pain for me, which I have been writing off as pain due to the love bites she has given me.  Despite the fact that A and N BOTH had oral thrush as well, something only clicked in my head today, reminding me that I have experienced this particular kind of pain before.  After looking inside her mouth, I confirmed it!!

While I was there I also met the dentist, who is Indian, but hails from Las Vegas!!  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed listening to him speak English--almost the same as me ("I'm Candidian" A told him).  Going to make an appointment with him to let him have a look see at this filling that is still troubling me.  

The morning speech therapy visits are taking a toll on A.  She misses having me home, and is demonstrating this by being uncooperative.  I have had a talk with her about it...and of course, I feel guilty not being here...but, right now, N needs this time.  

As I was picking up the treatment for thrush at the pink shops, I saw THIS, which made me laugh.  I am so used to people having big dogs (shepherds, huskies) in the back of their trucks, that I had to look TWICE at this when I saw it.  It's a SHEEP!!  I was happy the driver (a fellow Indian) laughed when he saw me taking a picture.

Baaaaaaaa!

Blogging from the desk of our Speech Therapist

Only in Abu Dhabi...

When I arrived this morning, Neethu asked me to let her try a session without me inside.  After making a phone call, and going downstairs to the coffee machine, I exhausted my 'things to do to keep busy' list.  So, I asked Neethu if I could borrow her laptop to surf the web, and instead, she told me to go ahead on her computer.

So, here I am--writing my blog, while T N says 'open' and 'I want chocolate chip' and all the other little things that he can say.

I wonder if he'll start talking with an Indian accent??

Things have not slowed down any at our place.  On Monday morning, I woke up to find Malou in extreme distress.  She had been experiencing breathing difficulty all night, pain in between her shoulder blades and numbness in her left arm. She was too uncomfortable to tell Peter, so she just watched the kids as best she could until I got up at 7.  I tried to be  calming and soothing, as I could tell she was stressed out.  I gave her an aspirin (which I had leftover from the pregnancy with Smile-ah), as those symptoms sounded pretty much like they had 'heart attack' written all over them.  So, I added "take Malou to Emergency" to my list of "Little A's dentist appointment" and "T N's speech therapy".

So, I dropped her off at New Al Noor Hospital, dropped T N off at Peter's office (so he could take him to speech therapy),and then took Little A and Smile-ah to the dentist with me.  It was a bit of juggling, but we did well I think.

After giving her a pain killer, chest x-ray and ecg, they released Malou and said she had just pulled a muscle.  They gave her some anti-inflammatories, and told her to take it easy.  Which she had difficulty doing, as she tells me she is afraid that if she stops using her muscles, she will be paralyzed.  So, I have just asked her to slow down and not lift T N at all (which I think is the heaviest thing she lifts).  Her friend is also coming over at night, and giving her massage, which she feels more comfortable with than the medication (which she is taking).

(****please note that I am now starting DAY 2 of this entry--back at the speech therapist's office.  Yesterday's blog was disrupted by a power outage and the fact that eventually, after 45 minutes or so, we get to go home!).

So, that was Malou.  Little A's appointment at the dentist went really well.  She was lulled into complacency by the nitrous again (orange nose this time) and the thing that bothered her the MOST was that when she was inverted on her back, she couldn't see Kung Fu Panda (which they kindly continued for her from the previous week's filling).  Any and all the screaming in the room was attributed to Smile-ah, who enjoyed playing with the toothy monster and pulling on all the various cords that were within her reach. 

Kung Fu Panda hands too fast to be captured on film

I also popped myself into the dentist's chair, as I am still unable to chew on my left side.  The dentist said the contact was 'high' and did some adjustment.  I was hopeful...but when I got home, still the same problem.  When I chew on my left side, the filling at the back is giving me a lot of discomfort (worse than before she filled it).  So, now I am thinking perhaps it is time to check with another dentist for a fix.  Let's see when I have some time for that. 

Tuesday's highlight was joining Little A in her 'Jazz' class (quotation marks have been used as I have not seen any indication that anything she is learning is distinctly JAZZ).  I was there with my video camera (and regular camera) and couldn't keep the smile off my face as I watched Little A shake her bon-bon all around the room.

Afterwards, I packed up the three musketeers and drove off to the New Al Noor Hospital.  Our house has been filled with rabies vaccinations, diarrhea and runny noses, but the primary reason for our visit was "GENERAL CHECK-UP".  Our focus was T N, as he has just turned 2, and we wanted to follow up with our favourite (and oldest) pediatrician, Dr. Stiles.  Since I was making the drive and we have an 'all for one and one for all' mentality, I decided to have all three of them checked, to ensure we were going into 2012 with a clean bill of health. 

The words "benign hypotonia" sound so lovely rolling off the lips of Dr. Stiles.  I especially enjoyed having him walk us out, and knock on the door of Dr. Salaam, and ask him if he remembered T N (who had popped out of his stroller and walked right into the room to shake hands).  Of course, Dr. Salaam did, and he expressed happiness that T N's progress is so remarkable (in his humble opinion, I guess). 

Little A was pronounced practically perfect, and Dr. Stiles also expressed surprise that Smile-ah was already pulling up to stand (she will be 9 months on Saturday).  He had a chuckle over little A's rabies vaccinations, and shared a story about his daughter in South Africa, who is always having to top up her rabies vaccinations, as she constantly has rabid animals in her yard (it sounds like she lives in the wilds).  Little A, who has one injection left to go (it will be a Christmas gift on the 25th), does not find these needles so enjoyable anymore. 

After a quick stop in the NICU (where none of TN's old NICU nurse pals were around to say hello) we drove home to supper, baths and sleep. 

Wednesday morning, during breakfast, Malou got a call that made her face drop and she passed the phone along to me.  It was from Dr. Mary Elizabeth (just the name you would expect for an East Indian doctor), who informed me that Malou's x-rays showed a shadow on her heart.  She wanted Malou to come back to the hospital to get a referral to a specialist.  So, we added that onto our morning.  After speech therapy, where T N attended class WITHOUT his mama (thus, the blog entry), we drove back home, picked up Malou and the girls and drove to the hospital. 

I discovered the fastest way to get service in this country is to be a FILIPINNA!!  We managed to get a referral from Dr. Mary in the GP clinic, see the specialist (Dr. Abdullah Hanna) for blood test and ct-scan referrals, and get Malou's blood drawn all in under a record TWO HOURS!!  I had debated leaving Malou there with taxi-fare home when the receptionist told me the wait for Dr. Abdullah would be 1.5 to 2 hours, but I could see she was worried, and so I sat with her for a few minutes.  When I finally settled on the decision to go, and was pulling out cab-fare, the nurse showed up to call her in. 

We were home by 12:45, and all the kids were asleep by 2 pm.  Seriously WOW!!  Malou seems to be fine, and we are just waiting for the results of the blood testing, and for approval for a CT-scan.  It seems that shadows on the heart can be MANY things, and so we are not going to worry until we are told there is something to worry about. 

While we were waiting at the GP clinic for Dr. Mary, I popped T N upstairs to the NICU again.  We were so pleased to see that ONE of the nurses from his NICU days was there.  Here is T N with Loren, who we were hoping might have managed to immigrate over to Canada by now.  When T N was born, Loren, who has a Master's degree in Nursing, was hoping to move to either Canada or the US.  She seemed to be quite competent and intelligent and I always felt good when she was on shift.  Although it was really nice to see her, I was sorry that she was still here in Abu Dhabi.  She told me that Myra (the nurse who 'caught' T N) was now at the Corniche, and Cecilia (the head nurse) had moved on to the Al Noor Hospital on Khalifa Street.  Otherwise, it seemed the rest of the staff was intact (with many new additions).

with Loren

Now we are caught up to today, Thursday.  Today we need to squeeze in a shopping trip to Lulu (after we get back home).  In the afternoon, little A will have her ballet presentation, and aftewards, I am heading off for another beating..er...I mean Thai massage treatment at Sharanis spa.

Tomorrow is Friday, which is wide open to us.  We plan to spend Christmas eve at Drica and Antonio's home (this is the third time we've been invited and the first year we will go).  We have also decided to host a very small dinner for Christmas at our place. 

I have just learned that we will not have speech therapy again until Monday, as the Well Health Medical Centre seems to be taking a Christmas break.  How happy am I that I decided to bring Neethu's Christmas chocolates EARLY??

with Neethu

I am hoping to have time to send out a Christmas email to all our friends and family...but, we will see if I can find the time (especially since I don't have speech therapy again until Monday!!).  For anyone who is reading this blog, please know you have our love and best wishes for Christmas (yes Peter, even IF it is just a made up holiday) and the New Year!

Where does the time go?

I haven't gone anywhere.  Yet, I have found that the words "free time" are virtually non-existent in my vocabulary these days (or perhaps they are just simply synonyms for the word "sleep"?).  I find my world today to be very, very busy--with so little time for the computer (or myself for that matter).  However, in an effort to keep my blog semi-up-to-date...here is a mini-summary.

November 25:  I was very proud of myself on this date.  We managed to do so very much.  First off, Friday breakfast, followed by beach time, and a visit with my friend Sahar (who flew back to England the next morning).  We came home, attempted (unsuccessfully) to have naps, before we headed out again to Luz and William's (I still have no clue who William is) 4th PIRATE themed birthday party EXTRAVAGANZA (seriously--all it was missing was camel rides).  Suffice it to say, I was really DONE by 6:30 when we came home.

Our very our "Mitch" doing the Baywatch

Smile-ah gets into things

Costume made lovingly by mom

The mermaid

Costume assisted lovingly by Aunty Yang

The next 'big adventure' occurred at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City on December 6, as T N fasted in preparation to having his ears drained and his hearing tested by ABR.  We were required to be at the hospital by 6:30, and his surgery was at 8:30 that morning (though, of course, it actually started later).  My favourite memory will be the one of him sitting on the hospital bed as they wheeled him to the O/R.  The nurse had put on a large 'shower cap' for him, and wrapped him in a heated blanket.  He was delighted with the ride, and kept looking back at me and giggling.  The mental picture I have of that is so very sweet, and I kick myself for having left my phone in the room.

Pre-op with papa

My LEAST favourite memory--well, it's a tie--between watching the anesthesiologist try (very unsuccessfully) to find a vein (there was blood everywhere and finally they just used the mask and some gas to knock him out) AND having the doctor (who shall remain nameless as I would likely add some very unflattering expletives around his name) tell us that T N had moderate to severe hearing loss on both sides.  Fortunately, the audiologist came out later and explained to Peter that the high and mighty doctor was INCORRECT, and that likely T N's hearing loss was minor, and quite possibly TEMPORARY (related to the ear infection that caused the ear fluid to build up in the first place).

Notice the different hospital smock?
The first one probably had too much blood on it,
and so they changed it in the O/R.

Fortunately, at the Pre-Op appointment on Dec 4, T N learned to suck from a straw (for the first time!!).  This helped me to not feel like "the world's worst mom" for not bringing him a bottle along to drink milk after the operation.  This little guy drank apple juice from a straw, ate a cheese and lettuce sandwich, and had some ice cream and custard for dessert post-op--and he kept it ALL down!  Good boy!

That week was like riding the Mindbender at West Ed...very emotional--but with a 'happy ending' (at least I think).  So, now, T N is enrolled in a very intense speech therapy program, run out of a private clinic.  He is going EVERY DAY, six days a week, for 45 minutes (which his therapist always turns into an hour or more).  

Little A got bit by Pussy Willow (who got a little too playful).  This added:  take daughter to E/R at SKMC after waiting two hours in SEHA, b/c only the government hospitals carry the rabies vaccine.  As she needs five doses, this has been another 'add on' to my calendar.  Fortunately, her last shot will be on December 25 (isn't a vaccine booster what we ALL want for Christmas?).

Pussy Willow, current status:  MIA

Then, we held a second birthday celebration for T N.  We decided to hold it a week early, as so many of our friends are disappearing for Christmas holidays by the 17th.  The theme was GLOBAL, and I invited everyone to dress to reflect their heritage and where they were from.  However, only a few people dressed up (thank-you Aunty Yang and Aunty Zana).  As you can see from the pictures, Peter Smile-ah and I are emphasizing our Edmontonian roots (that is his old school Oiler jersey stripe in the background), while T N and Little A chose to focus on their Chinese background.  

Can you see the cookie monster cupcakes I made??

A labour of love I tell ya.

This week, little A and I had dental appointments for cavities.  I had a very bad experience (again) with nitrous oxide.  It was really pleasant for a while, and then I just found myself sinking deeper and deeper.  I started to get worried that I couldn't breathe, and thoughts of little A (who was watching Dancing Princesses on the sofa across from me) seeing my convulsing body roused me into requesting "Please turn off the nitrous" twice, in what I hoped was a very calm and relaxed voice.  You see, I was having my treatment done first so little A could see going to the dentist wasn't scary. 

I must have done something right, as she managed to have these two front teeth filled with only nitrous and Kung Fu Panda to entertain her.  She also got to be snuggled by her mom throughout the entire procedure.  Fortunately, she is one of the many people who can enjoy the pleasant effects of nitrous oxide. Unfortunately, she still has one more tooth to go, and we have to go back for it next week.  I am still unsure how I will juggle this with T N's speech therapy appointment.  

the BEFORE picture

Today, I had to take little A to the hospital.  She had been having what I will only describe as 'bowel movement issues' since yesterday.  In fact, I put her back in a diaper just in case.  This morning, four bowel movements in, when she started crying that her stomach hurt and she wanted to go to the doctor, I rearranged the speech therapy and took her to the hospital.  However, at the hospital, she seemed to improve (as you can see from the picture below) and had a fun time playing with her glosses.  The doctor mentioned that she was the fourth child she had seen that morning with this issue (it was only 10:15), and there was a virus going around.  Let's hope she doesn't share this with T N and Smile-ah.  As I type, she has been napping for over three hours...so, obviously her body is battling with something.

I learned that 9:30 is T N's ideal speech therapy time.  When we finally made it there at 11:35, he would not sit and play.  Though he had napped, he seemed tired and was definitely not receiving a gold star for cooperation.  In his defense though, Neethu, his therapist, did keep him for 90 minutes--which is REALLY long for an almost-two year old (and pretty long for a 36 year old too).  I know she thinks she is doing me a favour, as she wants to make our drive in worthwhile, but honestly, the work that she is doing with him is so much better than what they did at SKMC...45 minutes with her is really enough, as it is quality therapy time.

Smile-ah--is not smiling so much these days (yes--these pictures lie).  She has been really fussy and wants to be carried around all the time.  I think she is teething--but it has been going on for almost (over?) two weeks now...I am exhausted from terrible sleeps at night and NO sleeps during the day (seems that one of the three is always awake).  There has been a lot of stress here, and a lot of time with Malou while I am running to and from appointments...so hopefully things will settle into a routine soon, and she'll settle back into her happy little self...I need some rest!!

It's a Boogie Bear Day Today...

Wednesday mornings are special for the 'mother-son' time that I have with T N.  We head off to his Boogie Bears class, which he really enjoys.  He is so very different from his sister.  Whereas she would sit glued to my lap, he needs to be held back.  I used to have to get up with Little A to get musical instruments and toys and any other props the teacher might be using, but not with T N.  He not only gets his own things, but he is happy to pass them out to others as well.  I cherish their differences, and love them both for who they are.  It will be interesting to see who Smile-ah is more similar to.  

This morning is the first time that I managed to take some video of him. He really enjoys the "Donkey Joe" song (especially when he gets to rock deeply side-to-side, when we go REALLY slow), and also likes to spin around and around, until he gets dizzy and falls down (which doesn't take very long).  I have to watch his 'spinning' at Boogie Bears, as there are so many little ones he could take down with him when he goes.  

Here is another little video of Smile-ah crawling around.  We have been going through over a week of 'teething' issues.  Smile-ah is always putting her fist to her mouth and yowling, which I am interpreting as discomfort from pressure in her gums.  Today she didn't have a good sleep at either nap, which contributed to her grouchiness.

Though she is practicing her crawling in this video, I saw her making an effort to pull herself up to standing today.  She had crawled over to the diaper change table in my bedroom (when she was supposed to be napping) and was using the shelves to pull herself up.  She only managed to get a little lift off her bottom, but I was surprised that she was already attempting this next step.  SLOW DOWN LITTLE FILLY!!

T N's second birthday party plans are underway.  If I stay focused, I should have our email invitation done and sent off before my bed-time tonight.  "Themed" parties seem to be very fashionable here in Abu Dhabi (we are going to a pirate party on Friday and we are missing a princess party).  In an attempt to 'keep up with the expats', I am going to have an 'Around the World' theme, and ask everyone to dress in something that represents where they came from.  It should be a really multicultural event!!

Smile-ah Crawls

On Saturday, Nov 19, we invited Ajay and Yang over for some salad rolls (we invited other people also, but these were the only two who could make it).  We had a very relaxed and enjoyable time with these two, and Smile-ah surprised us all by making her first attempt to crawl.

I have decided that I love entertaining with salad rolls.  My contribution is simple and easy:  make the peanut sauce.  The rest is all Peter and Malou (although I still do a lot of 'supervision').

Ajay introduced me to the new Savannah cat--a cross between a serval and a domestic cat.  The thought of this huge cat gave me nightmares and I woke up dreaming about killing leopards that were attacking me that night.  It was a real shame because that night was a rare GOOD sleep night for Smile-ah and the only reason I woke up was the bad dream.  

CATS

...actually, just ONE cat.

Along with finishing our National Day Wreath, Thursday November 17 is also the day that T N and Smile-ah met and interacted with a cat for the very first time.

Allow me to back-track to Boogie Bears on Wednesday, when we had to drive in Peter's car Abu Dhabi Style (minus car-seats).  T N loved using his hyper-flexibility to escape from Little A's booster car-seat (a free gift from the government of AD to encourage people to use car-seats for their children, as it is not law here yet).  I wonder if Houdini was hypotonic??  He was all over the car, back seat, front seat, floor--and loving the freedom.  It is a two minute drive, with very little traffic, but I was quite cautious and nervous nonetheless.

When we entered our gate, I had to slow down to allow a tiger cat to cross in front of my car.  The little cat certainly was not frightened of my car and took his sweet time in getting from one side to the next.  I gave a quick little honk of my horn, waited and was relieved to only feel my tires go over the usual Raha speed bumps, and not a soft and fluffy little cat.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, I saw the cat sitting calmly, just on the side of the road (he hadn't skittered away at the sound of my horn).  Cocky little guy.

Fast-forward to yesterday, when Little A insisted that I follow through on my promise to take all three of them to the park after morning naps.  It was HOT (maybe 30 degrees), but I figured as long as we were under a sun-shade (which we were) a little heat wouldn't hurt anyone.  So, off we went, with T N screaming as I buckled him into the stroller (THAT'S what a little taste of freedom does).

It was fun to see T N and Little A enjoying the play area.  They teeter-tottered together and Little A freaked out when I sat down opposite her and boosted her high up in the air.  T N enjoyed climbing up and into the little play house, and coming down on the slide.

However, everyone's enjoyment increased infinitely when this little fellow, coincidentally the SAME cat I did NOT run over the day before, decided to join us:

Things I will not forget:
-Little A singing the Siamese cat song from "Lady and the Tramp"
-T N thinking the cat was a dog, sticking out his tongue and panting
-Smile-ah grabbing hold of the cat's tail, which was soft as a pussy willow
-Little A leaving the park making plans for all the cats she would convince her father to let us have in the future (even though I am allergic, and she sometimes claims she is allergic too!)

Our Feline Friend

Today we have just come home from a spontaneous trip to Dubai (after breakfast we came back, got some food and extra diapers and head out again--hoping to keep T N and Smile-ah sleeping in the back--one out two is not bad I guess).  It was a good trip--we managed to snag a few deals and I even got a new case for my iPhone!

SMILES!!

Seriously--they are just SOOOOOOOOOO cute!

I can't be the only one who thinks so!

Our National Day Wreath

It took a few days, and we tried to do most of the work when T N was asleep (for obvious reasons), but today it is done.  I think it turned out 'real purty' and I enjoyed spending the time with Little A putting it together (though I am not liking the blister that appeared on my finger afterwards!).

I bought a 1/2 metre of each colour:  red, green, white and black, in the cheapest cotton I could find at Lulu (12 aed a metre).  Then I cut them into strips that were 1.5 inches wide and about 7 inches long (haha!!  imperial vs metric-I was obviously caught in between the 'change' in curriculum at school).  Little A passed me the strips (counting them into groups of 4) and I knotted and tied them around the circle-shaped hanger.  

Getting started

Day 2

Day 3:  Finished in the "nik" of time

Ta DAH!!

My Little Roti-Maker

Here is my little helper making rotis with me.  We made some bhindi (okra) and peeli dahl (yellow dahl).  Look at all the effort going into that SMILE!!

Smaller pieces for smaller hands

Rolling out the dough

First one finished

Patterns make them taste better

Cooking them on the tawa

All buttered up and ready for pappa

Hope you're hungry Dad!

Peter was a star Dad, and he ate all the rotis that Little A made.  Apparently I did a good job making the Indian food, as 11 of the 12 rotis I made disappeared.  Ajay, who is not generally a fan of bhindi, made his way into the kitchen for seconds.

When I was little, I HATED bhindi.  Whenever my mom made them (and made me eat them) I felt like vomiting.  To me, they were comparable to eating octopus tentacles, slimy with the suction cups.  Blech!  Funny how things change as you grow older.  

Dreams, Decay, Decorating and Dance

Yesterday we had our highly anticipated appointment at the Advanced American Dental Clinic (as opposed to just the REGULAR American Dental Clinic).  I booked this appointment over two months ago--that's how long it takes to schedule a cleaning and three check-ups all on the same date, and at the same time.  I am sad to report that between little A and I, we have four cavities (I have one and she has THREE!!).  Who feels like a bad mommy (one guess)?  So, we wait one more month, and little A and I will head back to get our mouths cleaned up.      

T N was a celebrity at the dentist.  Not only did he have great teeth (with iron stains, and the dentist said he is too small to worry about cleaning them now), but he was charming all of their female staff with his extra long lashes, and his generally sweet and friendly demeanour.  As you can see, he and little A had a good time (despite the cavities).

Little A woke up on Monday morning and told me that she had dreamt about Smile-ah.  In Little A's dream, Smile-ah was taking ballet class with little A (and she was older).  Their teacher was Ms. Jesse.  This made little A miss her old teacher Ms. Jesse, and we talked about going to visit her.  This is the first time little A has actually shared one of her dreams--maybe one of the first ones she has actually remembered upon waking?

On another front, we have been busy decorating our home for the upcoming National Day (the UAE is celebrating 40 years on Dec 2).  Little A really likes to have decorations up around the house, and so we have to always be looking towards the next big holiday for inspiration.  Thanks to Lulu Hypermarkets, we have some great decorations, and little A and I are working together to make a rag wreath for our door.    

Little A rejoined her Dance Club group for one 'test' session (purely out of necessity on my part as I was late getting her to the jazz class).  She was upset to find that she would be with the group once more, but could not clearly explain to me what bothered her.  She came out of the class happy, and had been paired up with one of the other little girls (Alicia).  She had stories to tell, and seemed to enjoy herself.  However, she did clarify that she prefers to go to the jazz class alone next week.

Our friend "Uncle Ajay" is staying with us this week, while he is in between apartments.  We are enjoying his company, though Little A is having a hard time with his 'Movember' look.  Funny how a mustache can completely change the look of a person.

Personally, I have had a 'breakthrough' in my hip injury.  Thanks to the amazing help/treatment I am getting from Yang, I actually was able to stretch 'the spot' in my hip that has been giving me trouble since my first pregnancy.  It felt great.  Though the pain has not completely disappeared, it is not something that I experience with every breath.  Sometimes, I am even able to forget about it altogether!!  I am hopeful (and feeling VERY lucky to have a friend who is not ONLY a doctor of sports medicine, but who is also willing to treat me in my home, around my schedule).  She is a dear lady!  Once again, I feel so very LUCKY!! 

Cupping

Dr. Yang has started me on my way back to health.  After a thorough health-check on Tuesday afternoon, she made two home-visits here (Wednesday and Thursday) to guide me on how to use 'the bench'.  This bench is specifically designed to get at stretching the smaller muscles inside my pelvis, which she feels are very weak and failing to perform their function.  By getting back in touch with these muscles, she feels that my larger muscles will be able to release my left sacroilial joint, and that I may one day, move freely once more.  I am willing to put in the time and energy (and she is very considerate about how much time and energy I possess) to make this happen.

Today she surprised me by performing cupping (but not with fire, as she did not want to bring fire to my home) on me.  This is something I have heard of, but never tried.  I will admit that initially, when the suction cups were placed on my back, it was quite uncomfortable.  However, once all the cups were in place, Dr. Yang started to apply pressure on various points on my legs (energy meridians I predict).  When I focused my mind on what she was doing with my legs, I no longer felt the cups on my back.

This is my back

I got Peter to take a picture of my back (look away mom and dad!) and little A, who saw the bruises for the first time said "WOW!  Pretty circles mom!  Ms. Yang put pretty circles on your back!".  Which is such a great response, as I was worried she might be upset by them.  Despite how atrocious they look, I am pleased to report they are not causing me any pain and Dr. Yang says the only thing I might notice is that they might get itchy.  

On a more 'cute' note:  Smile-ah attended her first (possibly only) baby group today.  One of my neighbours (Noora from Bahrain) was hosting, and drove over (two houses--likely on her way elsewhere) to invite me.  So, even though I am pretty much past the baby group stage, I baked some oatmeal raisin cookies (excellent new recipe!), got dressed and popped over.  I am glad that I went.  It was nice to meet some new people and just sit and be with Smile-ah on our own for a little while.  She played a little, and as we were getting ready to go, she fell asleep in my arms.  

Right before bed-time

On a sad note: today we said our good-byes to Cleo the beta fish.  Actually, we said our good-byes yesterday, as I asked Malou to move him into her room (as it is warmer there).  He has not been well since BEFORE Peter's New York trip, however Malou has been insistent that he would recover.  As I was not interested in euthanizing this fish, I indulged her.  Finally, yesterday, I couldn't take anymore, and told her that he should go into her room.  This morning, she reported that he died. 

I really enjoyed Cleo aka Chinese New Year Fish.  He was a fun and interactive fish.  I am not sure what caused his illness, and despite my efforts to nurse him back to health (I bought medicine that cost three times as much as Cleo did), he didn't make it.  I can only hope that I will have the strength to continue to say 'NO' when little A asks to replace this fish.  For the last three weeks, she has began many a sentence with "When Cleo dies, can we get a ....".

The Beachcombers

If you can believe it, Saturday November 7, 2011, was the FIRST TIME all of my little ones hit the beach in Abu Dhabi.  Our friends have a boat, and after a year, we managed to get around to taking our maiden voyage out with them.  We cruised out to one of the private islands in the Arabian Gulf (I guess one of the Sheikh's palaces is there), and passed a lovely morning (filled with spf, uv shirts and golf umbrellas) in the sand and sun.

T N took a while to get his beach legs.  At first I thought he was having balance issues related to his ears, but then I realized he was having a really hard time walking in the sand.  It took him a long time to learn to work his limbs against gravity, and now he had to contend with sinking in the sand too!  I believe his most enjoyable activity was sitting at Drica's fold-out picnic table and EATING!!

Little A and I had a great time 'beach-combing' and collecting small shells from along the shore-line.  I tried to impart to her the importance of picking shells that were different in some way:  colour, shape, texture.  She was so very proud of her shell collection, and I have given her little glass bowl to store them in.  She also had a great time making 'mud-pies' with her friend Luz.

Smile-ah enjoyed the beach vicariously through us all.  She stayed in the shade, on the boat with Malou.  I just don't feel good about slathering her in SPF quite yet, or exposing her to too much sun.  She is a JUST so little and already has eczema issues--which we seem to finally have under control--why mess with it?

We all had a great time--and Peter has a little souvenir of the day (a strip of sunburn where he could not stretch to apply his own sunscreen) to remind him to ask for help when he needs it.  We were thoroughly exhausted by the time we got home, though I did muster up some energy to go and drop off a birthday gift for my friend Farzana (accompanied by little A--just like the old days).

We took Sunday as a quiet 'family day' at home, and I had a quick little visit with my friend Shariza, who popped over in the afternoon with Eid sweets.  Well, it was really a family AFTERNOON as Peter had received special dispensation (from me) to go golfing.  I have to mention the consideration of my friend Juergen (Yang's husband), who asked Yang to check with ME to see if it would be alright to golf with Peter.  His rationale was that he understood that by golfing with Peter, he would be leaving me with the three little ones on my own (well--with Malou).  He could understand if I preferred for Peter to be home with me, and that's why he wanted Yang to check with me first.  I think that is amazingly thoughtful.

We had planned to go to the Shangri-la beach club on Monday (today) and so, despite the overcast look of the skies, we head out.  We had a wonderful time once again, and T N improved his beach walking skills.  We were blessed to enjoy Abu Dhabi's first fall rainfall--just a tiny smattering of drops here and there (though from the looks of our roads in the compound, it looks like we got lucky at the beach).  The friends who were supposed to join us didn't make it, and instead, I was reunited with my friend Sahar, back from the UK for 3 weeks.  It was like she had never left!

Here are some pictures from today.

Sarongs make good nursing covers too!

Check out the Sheikh Zayed
 mosque across the water.

Construction on a competing resort across the water

750 dirhams richer

Today we went for breakfast, and on the way home, decided to be SPONTANEOUS and go to Dubai.

However, as I was organizing snacks and diapers, I remembered (and keep in mind I'm the one who has memory deficits due to the 5 years of sleep deprivation I have experienced), that TODAY we were waiting for a nice, young Welsh couple who have a two-week old daughter, to come and pick up a few baby items they wanted to purchase from us.

So, no trip to Dubai.  Instead, I got to clear out my baby trekker, bottle sterilizer, Pigeon glass bottles and Graco Sweetpeace swing.  I confess, it was a little painful parting with the swing, not only because it gives me at least a half-hour of sleep-time for Smile-ah a day, but also because of the memories I have with both T N and Smile-ah, snoozing away, snuggled up in the cozy, womb-like chair.  Selling the swing means that Smile-ah is just that much older now--she is so much more alert and switched on, and doesn't want or need as much sleep as she used to.  She is not that tiny little infant we brought home--time has marched on.

Smile-ah's last swing today

After they left, we made a plan to go to Al Wahda mall.  Peter desperately needs some new swimming shorts (his are much too short and only suitable for back-yard use) and we are heading out on our inaugural ride on our friends' boat tomorrow.

However, before we could go, little A INSISTED that we come to her room to watch her cat have her kittens by hatching eggs from her vagina.  Little A really feels comfortable using that word, which I give myself a LOT of credit for (the v-word didn't get much use while I was growing up).  Unfortunately, by the time we made it to little A's room, the kittens were already born.  Now is a good time to remind you that we do not have any cats.  Little A is referring to her imaginary cats, Claire (an orange cat with a green bow around her neck) and Smoky (who is black).  I believe these cats are her way of resolving the 'I want to have a cat but my mom is allergic and my dad won't let me' dilemma.

Even though we missed the birth, we all had a good time at the mall, and I was delighted to discover that there was a second-hand book sale going on for Operation Smile.  We bought some children's books, some adult fiction AND I even managed to find a Berlitz book on Paris--where we will be 'summering' this year.


OUI--PARIS...C'est vrai!


We have confirmed that Peter's cousin's daughter (and little A's FAVOURITE cousin), Jasmine, will be accompanying us.  We got along well with Jasmine, enjoyed her company and she was such a wonderful help to us while we were in Edmonton this past summer.  I am looking forward to seeing her, and the energy her youth brings, and of course, to being in Paris.

Well--I better run and get myself organized for tomorrow's BIG TRIP.  I have done my public service for the evening by calling security to complain about the neighbours who were HOWLING and SCREAMING outside for about an hour.  I am pretty sure that is not part and parcel of the Eid celebration, and that Allah must be shaking his head at the buffoons we live next door to.  Did I mention that it seems we have 'bad neighbour karma' here in the UAE?

Long time no blog...

Blogging is definitely one of those things that I need to keep up with--just a little writing every day--or soon, weeks go by and I have these big 'GAPS' in my memory.

Fortunately, I have 'my life in pictures' to remind me of all the important things that have been happening in the last two weeks.

Here is little A dressed up as "Ophira the fairy".  She got this costume from my parents, and she absolutely loves it!  Please notice how she is SMILING in all (most) of the pictures.  After I created the Canada trip slide-show, she comment that she was not in many of the pictures (mostly b/c she doesn't like having her picture taken).  I explained to her that she would be left out of of our family story in pictures, if she did not cooperate and smile.  VOILA!  Check out those pearly whites!

This guy has been driving us nuts as he seems insistent that he is ready to drop some of his nap-times.  During the week that Peter was in New York, he refused to sleep in the morning AND the afternoons.  Most days, Malou played with him in the afternoon (as I really needed the sleep).  However, this special day, I decided to join him and practice making BUBBLES with a straw (which is not only FUN, but good exercise for his cheek and mouth muscles).  As you can see, he hasn't quite mastered how to use a straw (but he sure liked blowing the bubbles down with his mouth!).  We laughed and had a great time together!

Smile-ah has been working hard to push herself up.  Here she is, propped up on hands and knees, getting ready to crawl.  The minute you put her down on her back now, she flips herself over into this position.

Smile-ah has also been promoted to her own Stokke chair at the table.  She has eaten avocado, oats cereal, apples, prunes and pears.  She is a great little eater!

She also manages to prop herself up into a moderately stable seating position.  However, we like to make sure that we are near by, as we have very hard tile floors, and I just don't enjoy the sound of soft baby heads thunking on the floor.

T N is a very happy and helpful big brother.  He especially enjoys helping Smile-ah finish eating her food.  I always put in a little extra cereal, knowing that he when he sees her settle down to eat, he will laugh, toddle over and open his mouth WIDE.

We celebrated a belated Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Uncle Pete, Yang and Juergen.  The food turned out great and I must say that this was one of the more 'relaxed' dinners we hosted.  I think we might be getting better organized when it comes to entertaining (Little A helped me make the pumpkin pie the day before, and we did as much 'make ahead' prep as possible).  I actually had the opportunity to sit and enjoy a visit with our guests.

Little A was THRILLED when Ms. Yang showed up with a panda bear for her (she also brought some pesto).   Little A has been reading her Zen books (Zen Shorts, Zen Ties and Zen Ghosts) and remarked one night how she did not have a panda bear (in her VAST collection of toys).  I told her that we would ask Ms. Yang to bring her a panda the next time she went to China (one of those 'delaying' mechanisms that parents employ).  When Yang asked me if she could bring something for the children, I told her that we had soooooo much, and that we only wanted to enjoy her company.  So--how interesting is it that she ended up bringing a panda??  We have named the panda Stillwater, and he lives on Little A's bed.

The two meat-eaters in our house preparing the turkey

Staring Contest

We had a very busy two weeks of celebrations.  Diwali and Thanksgiving were followed by Halloween.

Just a little word about Halloween in the UAE (something that annoys me EVERY year).  Halloween, celebrated by pumpkin carving, children dressing up in costumes, and going door-to-door trick or treating, is a predominantly North American activity.  However, here in our compound, we have some people who think that Halloween can be randomly assigned any date on a calendar, and often they want to move it to a Thursday or Friday, because they don't want it falling on a SCHOOL-NIGHT!!  Can you imagine??

UAE ex-pats:  Halloween is on October 31 (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday--NOBODY CARES).  WE DON'T CHANGE HALLOWEEN!!

Peter's skills are improving

Local pumpkin:  2.90 dirhams/ kg

Smile-ah and Belle (the Ophira costume was too long)

First-timers (with our little 'local pumpkin')

Seconds before our local pumpkin does a face-plant

We had a great night and all the candy has been distributed and packed away (mostly to Malou).

We have been keeping up with T N's weekly speech therapy appointments (although we have now moved them to Sunday mornings), and our dance and music classes.  Little A seems to enjoy her jazz class much more than the Dance Club, and I have not had to listen to her heart-breaking wails before nap for over a week now.  Her 'private' ballet lessons are no more, as she has been joined by two little American girls, however she seems to really enjoy her new class-mates and has even asked that I arrange a 'play-date' for her.

Smile-ah is now much more mobile and independent.  This week she has been pushing herself up into a sitting position, and if someone designed a onesie made entirely of Swiffer, Malou would be thrilled!  She rolls all over the place and so we have to be really careful where we leave her.

To cap off our week, we helped Uncle Pete celebrate his 51st birthday.  As 'the office' was already bringing in lunch and cupcakes, I opted to make him a birthday loaf instead.  We had a great time at the office (I should drop Malou and T N there on a regular basis I think--so much room to play!!).  Afterwards, we went to Carrefour, where we got locked out of our truck.  However, we took Peter's car home and it was all good by 3 pm.

Happy Birthday Uncle Pete

Today is the first of the Eid holiday, and now Peter will be home until Wednesday next week.  We have plans to go on a boat trip with friends, and go to the beach at the Shang as well.  I have given Peter special dispensation to golf on Sunday (as I will have Malou at home to help).

However, as today is Friday and Malou is OFF, I better go.  Peter has been patient about watching the little ones while I update my blog...but I sense that his patience is going to run out very soon.  Eid Mubarak!