Barbie in India

Indian Barbie (and her new doll)

Peter came back from India late last night (around 10:20 pm).  This morning, after a lovely breakfast, we came home and discovered what treats Papa brought back.  There was a toy truck, books, a dvd (Chota Bheem), and to little A's sheer delight, an Indian Barbie, dressed in a sari, sporting a bindi and bangles.  I had to put Indian Barbie's hair into a low ponytail--how is she supposed to do all the work that Indian women do for their families with all that hair in her face??

Buddha beads--welcome to the team!

NB S has been mouthing everything, fussing and drooling more than usual.  Today we put on her amber teething beads for the first time.  Let's hope they give her (and the rest of us) a reprieve.  Also, NB S has graduated to 9-12 month clothing today (she'll be six months old in a few weeks).  Buttons keep popping open on her diaper shirts, and I have finally conceded that she is outgrowing her tiny baby clothes (sob! sob!).

In this video you will see what greeted us in our garage, when we returned from breakfast.  This beetle was HUGE (the size of a quarter/dirham) and I have no idea how s/he managed to meander into our garage.  S/he seemed to be wondering the same thing, as it was so hot and dry in there.  Later, we discovered her/him flipped over, legs kicking in the air, trying to enter our house.  I imagine s/he got a good dose of the D-Gel that I have left for visitors of this kind!  Peter channeled his inner chinaman, and kicked it off the stoop with his bare foot (BLECH!!).

Tonight we are having my friend Shariza's tofu-quorn recipe, with rice.  Shariza et al are in Malaysia, and should be coming back soon.  I miss Shariza and being here in Abu Dhabi is not as enjoyable without her.

T N has not slept much today, and hopefully all three children will fall asleep quickly so we can get some rest!  NB S has a head-start as she has rocked herself to sleep in her swing.  I tried to get a picture for the blog, and inadvertently ended up waking her--I guess she wasn't in as deep a slumber as I had thought.