Hiatus ends

My parents were here for three weeks.  It was so very nice to spend some extra time with them (and what a surprise...I wasn't expecting to see them again for maybe another year).  They were en route to India, and managed to work the Visa and spend three weeks with us as well.  We squeezed in two trips to Dubai, and also do a few things around Abu Dhabi (in addition to our usual visits to Lulu Hypermarket).  

The day after they left, I had to go shopping to Lulu (my mom's favourite place while she was here), and I teared up as I was going down the Travelator with my grocery cart, thinking about how many times my parents had walked those same aisles while they were here.  I wished for a time machine, so that I could see them browsing the aisles, my dad with his hands clasped behind his back, more interested in the people around him than the products on the shelves.  Mom would have been oblivious to everything except all of the exciting Indian products on the shelves--which kind of chapati flour (of the eight varieties or so in front of her) would be the best (she finally decided on Lulu's own brand--No. 2).  Everyone time I have to part ways with my parents, a part of me becomes so worried that it might be the last time I see them...

I have given my laptop to Malou (bc I was supposed to be getting a new one...but now I am waiting for the NEW iPad to come out...and for Peter to go to the States to buy it for me).  So, the hiatus from blogging is attributed to my parents visit plus my laziness in using the office computer upstairs to blog.  

Here are some pictures to help fill the 'gap'.  

 Here we are at Ibn Battuta mall in Dubai.  You can see my parents in the back with baby S.  Little A is (of course) glued to me.  This is a beautiful Vegas style mall, and we took my parents on a quick 'golf cart' tour of the whole thing.

Clarks was having a sale (which I found out about VERY late...) and here is N getting measured for his first pair of big boy shoes. 

We still have no definitive answer about N's hearing status.  We know he can hear, and he has acquired many new words ('doctor' is his latest).  In this picture, he is having an ABR test, without sedation.  The results basically supported the mild to moderate hearing loss diagnosis from before, which is inconsistent with his behavioural responses to sound.  So, we are now in the care of Dr. Michel Bussieres (a Quebecois doctor), who has my confidence and respect.  We will be repeating another ABR test, with oral sedation, in May.  In the meantime, I am going to book another hearing test with a different clinic.

Kraft Dinner has made its way into our home.  Both little A and N love the whole-grain KD that I found at Lulu, and now Peter has told me to stockpile it.  Here you can see N enjoying his KD with some yogurt (different strokes for different folks).  

Smileah will be turning one at the end of this month.  We will be celebrating with friends on the 31st, and I am hoping to have a ladybug themed party.  Let's see how the ladybug cupcakes turn out (I am going to use strawberries).  

Here are little A and Smileah playing.  A has been singing this song (which you can hear in the video)--one that gets stuck in your head.  She learned it from her jazz class last term, and on our last trip to Lulu on Saturday, she was singing it quite loudly as we wheeled around the store (garnering the attention of more than a few patrons of the store).  She (of course) didn't know the song title...so I googled it (based on the few lyrics that she new) and discovered that it is called "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri.  I have had one of those "You know you're getting older when..." moments: "you know you're getting older when you rely on Glee or your four-year old daughter to discover top-40 music".