A new chapter begins

Today was little A's first official day of school.  She is now a 'student', and will be for the next 13 (or more) years.

It was tough to get everything organized and ready on time (start time is 7:45 AM--stupidly early).  We managed to get her fed, dressed and out the door by 7:30, and were there in a timely manner.  I kicked myself realizing that I left her water bottle (labelled and ready to go) on the dining table.  Possibly bc I was rushed out the door by someone who doesn't know how 'the first day of school' usually goes (when I left, at 8, the teacher was still waiting for 8 students to show)...

She settled in very easily.  We looked at all the different 'stations' that were set up, and she picked sponge-painting.  As you can see, she enjoyed herself.  After a fruitless hunt for a water-bottle on campus, and seeing our darling settled so nicely, we gave our kisses and head off (I returned to drop off a water-bottle a few minutes later, but left it with Ms. Agnes--the TA).

Then, I went home.  All was the same...except, everything had changed.  N and S were romping in the garden with Malou. I had breakfast, and then put S for a nap.  I got very emotional after I had set her down for a sleep, bc our normal routine would involve me heading downstairs to find A lazily eating her breakfast, watching a show, or playing around in her undies.  She was not there...

I clock-watched all day long.  At 2:30, I head out to pick her up (dismissal is at 2:55--LONG day!!).  I felt a tug in my heart when I heard her call out to me--she was settled on the carpet with her orange bag and lunch-kit, all ready to go.

We went home, and I made her eat all the things she didn't eat during the day:  the two cookies (that was in the car), the cucumber sandwich, and the yogurt tube.  Then we head out to the uniform shop (sigh!  again...and I will have to go back at least once more), where we ran into her teacher (Little A saw her from a distance and then we caught up to say hello).

Trouble came at bed-time.  There were tears and screams of "school is not for me!", "can you please cancel school tomorrow?".  Repeatedly.  After a few minutes of trying to soothe, snuggling and rubbing her back, I finally said we would 'discuss' it in the morning, and she needed to have some rest.

I am hoping that it was just the 'tired' talking.  It was painful to hear.

I have ended the day by sending out an SOS email to some of my much OLDER and WISER friends ;-).  Tonight was very difficult for me (well--the whole day has been tough), and I just need some support.  Hopefully...tomorrow will be easier.

We are moving on Saturday.  This is a crazy week to start school (Gems American Academy...what were you THINKING??  And WHY are your days so eff-ing LOOONG???).

Roti-queen

For the first time EVER, all of the roti I made tonight PUFFED up (just like my moms!!).

I cannot describe how rewarding it was for that to finally have happened.  I enjoyed it so much, that I made a movie!

What a day we've had.  Before breakfast, we stopped in at a neighbour's garage sale (a real surprise, considering the weather).  Then we had a tasty breakfast, and were home in time for Magoo's nap.  Ni-Ni and A played in the water, and then our 'outdoor kitten' (who I believe may be preggers) stopped in for a snack.  Ni-Ni was very excited and his over-enthusiasm scared the cat off--temporarily.  However, she's back and seems to be hanging out here, to the delight of all the children.

Now, a dilemma arises.  We are moving in two weeks...what should we do with the cat?  I love this 'outdoor' cat thing--it's great for the children AND my allergies.  BUT...not exactly sure how to move it...and what if she has kittens BEFORE we go??

If we can, I will try and just drive her over to the new villa, and leave out some food for her (as we are doing now).  Then, when the babies come, we will look into getting them 'fixed' and well...then I guess we will just keep on feeding them (knowing they won't be able to make anymore babies).

BIG problem will be how to take them along when we make an INTERNATIONAL move...

Papa (loves) Roti

Is it Thursday yet?

I have never been one who really tries to keep myself (nor my children) excessively 'busy'.  Though I know people who like to ensure that their children never have a minute of down-time or boredom, I thoroughly enjoy lazy days at home.

So--this week has been a serious anomaly week in my life.

First there was Sunday.  On Sunday I reunited my daughter with her dearest friends Amalya and Arysha.  They spent almost two hours together, laughing and playing (along with Ni-Ni and Magoo), under the watchful eye of Malou, so I could catch up with my BFF Shariza.  As we only had two hours, we managed to pack in some laughter, tears, exchange important parenting tips (toiletting, lunch bags and knot genies), and get in some gripes--basically we did it all--and also enjoyed a nice cup of tea!

Scooter

The most popular ride

On Monday, we joined our friends Hanim and Omar, at the Royal Majlis, in Zayed Sports City, where the Abu Dhabi Mums rent out a room for indoor play.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.  As you can see this is a very kid-friendly room, with so many different toys, and only about EIGHT children in total (three of whom I brought along).  Malou came with me, and so I actually got to spend some time sitting on one of those cream leather couches you see in the background, talking to Hanim.  Definitely something we will do again!

Watermelon

On Tuesday, Yeen and 'the boys' came and spent the morning.  Little A had a great time playing with TC and TH at Shariza's house, and so I am waiting for that magic to recur.  Yeen and I enjoy sharing our baked goods (I have two different kinds of scones in the past two weeks...mmmmmm!!).  The down-side:  I am noticing my pants are getting noticeably tighter again (YIKES!) and must get myself back on the diet and exercise program I was following pre-Paris.  

Look out Bollywood!

That evening, we joined our friends Zee, Urooj and family for a 'farewell' dinner at the Noodle House.  Little A had a great time dressing up (it is very hard to get her to put on any of her 'ethnic' clothes), and enjoyed the compliments.  Though not a great fan of Asian food, I made myself a "Legs Eleven" sandwich (memories of Cosi in Paris) beforehand, and I enjoyed the company.

This morning we had appointments for N with his speech therapist and an occupational therapist at SKMC.  Fortunately, they were back-to-back appointments.  Sarah was quite pleased with his progress (he is a lot more verbal now).  The O/T supported my thoughts about Ni-Ni's shoes (soft-soles or none at all), suggested that nursery would be great for him, and said, overall, he doesn't think Ni-Ni needs O/T--he is only mildly delayed.  Nonetheless, he is happy to follow up with him monthly.  

Property of American Gems Academy

Afterwards, 'the girls' made a trek out to Raha Mall (which is still a stupidly ridiculous drive--there is just nothing acceptable about the fact that four years later there is STILL no reasonable way to get to that mall!), to get Little A kitted out for school.  Here she is posing in her polo shirt (54 aed) and navy skort (85 aed).  She is not super-impressed by the colours (navies and blues are not high on the list of favs for five year old girls).  We also had to buy a swim-suit in navy.  I opted not to buy the PE bag, since the salesman could not explain to me why we needed one (the K's wear the polo shirt and SHORTS--not shown in the photo--to school, and so what purpose would the bag serve??).

After we got home, I had about an hour before Phinn needed to go to the vet (vaccinations) and then our little friend Omar popped over for a play while his mummy got herself prepped at a nearby salon for her upcoming holiday to Malaysia.  Omar was very easy to look after (he came with his own nanny) and just played quietly on his own the whole time.  

Tomorrow, mercifully, I have NO PLANS.  Perhaps I will take everyone to the mall and let the kiddies run wild in the air-conditioned halls.  

...only in Abu Dhabi would that be a perfectly acceptable thing to do in the summer, during Ramadan.  

Houston? We have a problem...

Curious George

This littlest one keeps climbing up on TOP of the dining table!!  It only takes a second--and zoom!  She's up.  You turn your head one way, to see what Ni-Ni (his own name for himself) is doing and zhoop!  Scotty has beamed her up to the top of the table.  This is not only dangerous for HER (as it is a long fall to the hard tile floor to crack open her rock-melon head), but also for any items that we leave on the table-top (Laptops, iPads, iPhones, cups, food...).  I guess the solution is to keep everything OFF the table (thus removing all temptation), but I am running out of high spaces on which to put things!  Peter says to let her fall and experience the pain...but I don't think he fully appreciates the pain of driving 20 minutes with a bleeding infant to wait in an ER where they don't prioritize patients according to needs.

Between the table and the water cooler...

Atlas

Mercifully, as you can see, Ni-Ni is doing great.  Here he is at the Shangri-la, appearing like Atlas, holding up the world.  Really, he is under a table, in a spot that he has never discovered before.  Thanks to his sister,  Curious George, he ventured there today for this photo opp.

Shangri-La Hiding Spot

The princess was also there (in her finery).  It really is VERY difficult to get all three children looking at the camera at that same time (it was a miracle I managed it for the Father's Day gift).

Tonight we will have an iftar at home (catered by Sumo Sushi) with our friends Hanim, Andrew and Omar.  I am looking forward to catching up with our friends, and Ni-Ni loves company!

As I sleep, my friend's daugther Nadia will be getting married in Edmonton.  I love Fiona, and her family, and I wish them only happiness.  

Three Amigos--Reunited

With a helping hand from big sister 

Recovery DAY ONE was great.  After figuring out how to get N to take the antibiotic (with pudding) and keeping his panadol supplied regularly--it was a great day.

Ran out quickly this morning with "Magoo" (as in "Mr. Magoo--another name for Smile-ah) to Geant as I just learned we were out of baby cereal.  Not sure what the previous day's grocery run entailed--but it obviously wasn't about picking up many groceries (I had to get milk, eggs, yogurt, fruits...).  Good to know that my home isn't a well-oiled machine that can run without me ;-)

When we got home, the kids wanted to share this ice cream snack (truthfully--it wasn't very tasty ice cream and they stopped after a few spoonfuls).  I think what the little ones really enjoyed was being fed by the monkey in the middle.

N had the biggest poo ever--so big that is leaked out of his diaper and caused me heart palpitations as I thought it was blood leaking from his wound.  Too bad for Malou, who had the honours of locating the source of the 'blood' as she touched the side of his leg, swiped it and said "Yech!!  It's poo!".  What a RELIEF (for me anyways--poor Malou!).  Probably the poo is a result of his body getting back to its regular eating pattern after the two days of fasts and late eating.  Hopefully we won't have any leaks tonight.

I was enjoying an evening relax with Veep (just hilarious--so quick and witty!).  I would've loved to watch more, but at 8:30 I noticed my eyes are actually hurting they are so heavy and my body feels bogged down in cement.  Very clever of me to send myself to bed early tonight.  

Surgery TODAY: Day Two of Two

At 8:00 a.m check-in

Yesterday, after waiting six hours for surgery, and having the surgeon come out and tell me it would still be two more--I decided to call it.  Nikhil was starving and tired--and I was very tired myself.

Fortunately (?) they were able to reschedule for today (with a different surgeon) and an earlier time (if they were on time that is).

A charitable fellow--N kept asking for "MORE" money to drop in the box

It is a very hard thing to bring your small child into the hospital to be sedated and operated on.  The words 'minor surgery' do nothing to alleviate the distress that I am feeling.

I took Oliver in for 'minor surgery'--teeth cleaning--and he never woke up from the anesthesia.  He never showed any distress during the procedure, and it was only afterwards the nurse noticed that he wasn't coming out of it.  This was extremely traumatic for me.  At that time, and even today--he is probably the being that I have loved the most and lost.

Through the looking glass

I overheard a nurse say to one family (who were waiting behind a curtain with their small child) "they have been waiting for you in the or for 1/2 hour!".  It was only later that I put together that it was likely this nurse's (laziness? Incompetence?) mistake that delayed us.  Did she think the family should intuitively know when to prepare and go to the or?

I have been close to tears many times.  Sometimes they have overflowed. My stomache is in knots--this waiting is very difficult.

With Clifford

I have been reading a little about Anita Moorjani and her NDE (near death experience) and what she feels she knows now about the world.  It is a beautiful thing to believe--that we are always surrounded by love--we just have to open ourselves up to it.  That we control everything in our lives...and we have the power, through our energy to create whatever we want.

Ready to roll (to the OR that is)

SO HERE IS WHAT I WANT:

1.  I want Jino to tell me that the initial abr was inaccurate and that there is  nothing to be concerned about wrt n's hearing ability.

2.  I want the surgeon to tell me that they found n's testicles and that they are perfect in size and perfectly healthy.  He has done a very good job of implanting them in the scrotum and it is the best work he has ever done.  He can also see that n's scrotum will stretch out and accommodate its new residents.  He will also tell me that n's are the most beautiful privates ever and that he will grow up and never be teased about them (why are children so cruel??) bc they will look so awesome!

3.  N will wake up from the surgery and eat and just be his usual good-natured self.  His body (with the mutant healing gene he inherited from me) will already be healing.  He will want sleep, food, drink and a snuggle. Then he will want his sisters and to go home, which we will do promptly.

N was very difficult to rouse post-op

Codil--baby epidural

 So, I am leaving the fears I have and am looking forward to all this.  The fear is really making me tired...even after what qualifies as a 'good night' of sleep in my world, I have had the world's worst cup of coffee--bc I need to drive home later.

Apple juice:  cup or box?

So--here I am--breathing and focusing on what I want.  A happy and healthy son...

 (as I type dr soliman has come out and informed me that all went well and now n is having his hearing test.).  Apparently the right testes required a top and bottom incision by the left one only required a bottom incision.  He also thinks the scrotum will grow and stretch out in time. Bless--keep breathing....

12:57: now Jino, the audiologist has told me that my son (who was told he needed hearing aids in December) has normal hearing.  This is amazing news--what I was afraid to hope for--and it is true and real.  What we all felt (n had normal hearing) has finally been confirmed.

I am just waiting for him to wake up now in recovery.

...Still sleepy waiting for prescription

A big thank you to the universe for all the gifts I have received today.
Sent from my iPhone  

HOME:
A made this 'get-well soon' gift for N

I am home now--we arrived back just before six.  It has been a really long day, and I feel drained.  N is STILL sleeping (he has woken up on and off, and we will wake him shortly to feed him, change him and medicate him).
I feel like I used a lot of my energy up today.  I would like to think that I gave it up to create all this magic today.
Hopefully I can recharge tonight.  If not, tomorrow is just a low-key 'at home' day.  I am sure all the children will be so happy to see each other and play together.  I look forward to watching them love one another.

I am not liking how blogger has highlighted some of my post (the part I wrote in an email to myself from the hospital, bc I wanted to channel my thoughts positively).  At the very least, it will differentiate the writing of this particular entry.

Surgery Today: Day One of Two

So, today is the day our little N will be heading back to SKMC for some surgery (minor).  He will also be having a repeat ABR test (since he'll be under anyway), and hopefully this one will give more clear results.

Fairies

He is likely to be feeling tired and hungry (though right now he is relaxing on the sofa watching some Postman Pat).  Last night we kept him up until 10:30, in order to give him some more to eat, and in hopes that he would sleep later than his usual 5:30/6 a.m. body-clock time.  Well, we did get more food in him (a banana, some applesauce and a breakfast biscuit), but he slept until his usual time (and perhaps his wake-up was aided by the screaming siren coming out of Smile-ah), so we ended up shorting him the sleep department.

le tour eiffel

I am feeling anxious--as memories of losing a beloved friend under minor anesthesia will likely haunt me forever.  I am trusting, however, that the universe will bring only good things for my sweet little boy, to help him heal.  He already spends way too much time in hospitals.

Cereal box laptop

We arrived home from Paris on July 28.  The six hour flight seemed very VERY long, though the children were all fairly well behaved (though Smile-ah wins the award for  "the loudest and most adventurous" of my offspring).  I was very tired when we got home and happy to pass the three of them off to Malou while I showered (in my very palatial size shower stall).

The children grew so  much there--A's art skills blossomed and she created so many new pieces, trying to stock her own Louvre; N started to babble a lot more and I will always remember his fondness for shoes, and he played for hours in our little shoe area, opening and closing velcro straps and trying on my sandals; S learned to walk up and down the stairs and how to chase after pigeons in the park (much to the dismay of the French).  All in all, it was a great vacation, with so many good times.  Thanks to Jasmine, Caroline and Louise, we even managed to get in some quality 'family time'--and I loved watching the children spend time with their cousins.

Please enjoy some of the artwork peppered throughout this blog, created at 37 rue st andre des arts, by my five year old daughter.

**************************************************************

Just to keep you updated--this surgery never happened.  After arriving on-time (with my hungry little man) we waited and waited and waited.  Six hours later, the surgeon came to me and said:  "It might be two more hours..." and I said, "I think we will have to cancel it."  Then I fed my starving and exhausted little man and we went home.  I must say I was pretty disappointed, even though the fresh-squeezed orange juice was amazing (and crazy tired).  However...please note (depending on the order in which you read my blog), the surgery happens TOMORROW.