Anu Dhabi--The Missing Year

So...it seems that a over a year has passed since my blog was last updated. I do miss writing, and feel maybe I just need to keep things a bit 'simpler' in my updates--so as not to overwhelm myself. With Hijri New Year celebrations just ending, and our New Year coming up, it's a great time to catch up this blog, with a quick "Year in Review" kind of posting.

October 2009: We moved from Al Raha Gardens, to the 'sandbox' of Khalifa City A. The compound where we lived had no facilities: no walking paths, no children's parks, no grocery stores, and we had to get in the car to drive for all of these sorts of things. Off-compound villas are more spacious and very much cheaper. Also, we were stuck with a landlord who didn't understand 'market value' and wanted to charge us about 100K more than our villa was renting for. For all these reasons--we called up Delight movers and got moving.

November 2009: The first of our 'family' visitors arrived: my parents. They came for a brief stay on their way to India. We managed to take them around to see a few sights. They became regular 'walkers' in the sand-box (too bad we weren't on the compound--as apparently walking paths were just being installed). They got to see the many struggles of living off-compound: a power-outage, 'maintenance' men who did not speak any English and who smelled about as bad as the sewage smells coming out of our bathrooms (and had no clue how to fix anything), and they got to experience the joys of 'Etisalat' (a telecom service provider that gives Telus a run for their money in terms of customer service nightmares). Additionally, for the first time in my life, I heard my dad tell someone (who obviously WAS from the Indian sub-continent) he was NOT Indian--but Canadian. This prompted the man to ask my dad how this Canadian man spoke such clear Hindi, my dad had to clarify and explain that BEFORE he was Canadian, he was Indian.

December 2009: It was the best of times--and the worst of times...as little N decided to make an early appearance via emergency c-section the same night that Peter's family was flying in. He was so beautiful and perfect: thick dark hair, long lashes, beautiful and smooth skin--the spitting image of his 'big sister'. Unfortunately, he was also just over 2 kg, and his hypotonia (a word that would soon get hours of google search time) would result in months of testing and heartache for us. After 12 days in the hospital, he was finally released home to us.

January 2010: Happy New Year! We managed to have an early 'first moon birthday' for baby N, so that Grandma and Aunty Chris could share in the celebrations. We celebrated with a few good friends and a feast!

Feb-July 2010: Let me spare you the minor details. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on...these months can be summarized by saying: we worried about baby N--a LOT! Little A took to 'big sisterhood' and adored her baby brother. We watched him grow and miss milestones and worried...and worried. Four months after moving into our villa, we finally got internet. However, we soon realized that we were not going to be able to stay there another year. There was sewer gas seeping into our house through our drains (at times, when I opened certain bathroom doors, I expected the floor to be covered with fecal matter that had backed up from the drains---but it was always spotless). Additionally, our neighbours had moved in (it was an attached villa). They were locals and had four 'helpers' who often awoke us at 4 a.m., by yelling across the back courtyard to get ready for their day. We learned first hand how the local population keeps different hours than we do (house renovations often started after midnight--as we heard furniture being moved around and drilling in shared walls) and I didn't think it was something I could live with. Our landlord was very kind, and helpful--but that was not enough to convince us to endure the remainder of our time in Abu Dhabi, living off-compound. We gave our notice and prepared for another move in the fall.

July 2010: We celebrated little A's 3rd birthday in Abu Dhabi (for the first time). As she is an amateur entomologist, I chose butterflies to top her cup cakes--which was a big hit (and visually lovely). We also celebrated with a 'family' party--via Skype (now THAT was interesting--especially as we all sang 'Happy Birthday' and listened to the time delay

from the laptops!!). We went on a family vacation to Italy. We met up with Peter's parents for the first two weeks and rented a house in Menaggio. It was a beautiful location, nestled in among the hills) with breath-taking views. Baby N started to show some signs of

improvement (increased rolling and moving his limbs around more). He also acquired the nickname "Iron-man", as he began taking iron supplements. It was great to see baby N spending time with his grandparents--his hypotonia seems to extend into his personality--he is much more flexible and easy-going than little A. At our second stop, we were happy to spend some time with our friends from Canada (Raj and Patti). We were shocked and amazed to see little A take an immediate liking to "Aunty Patti"--within minutes, she was taking her outside and independently touring her around the gardens and alongside the brook. Our favourite new Italian word was: 'incinta' which means 'pregnant'.

August 2010: The forgotten month--hot, long and boring--Ramadan makes it even more of a challenge.

September 2010: Moving time (again). Back to the compound, this time with a pool. Seems that the compound was now equipped with walking paths, playgrounds (although we've already bought our own) and a small grocery shop. Despite the smaller size of

our villa, we were all happier with this move, as we decided it is 'the lesser of two evils'. Little A start baby ballet--the first time she participated in a class that wasn't of the 'mommy and me' variety. She is now into Barbie clothes--and seems to think that I can sew anything and everything under the sun. The 'hip pain' that was the TM of all my pregnancies returned--the most severe to date. Peter got a 'promotion' at work, doing the job he was initially recruited for (and has been doing since we first arrived).

October 2010: We celebrated a 'belated' Canadian Thanksgiving, with a few of our Canuck friends. I didn't realize how starved Peter was for turkey--it took him all of five minutes after I suggested a Thanksgiving dinner to come up with and invite guests. Baby N makes me thankful, by busting out the word

"mama" for our late turkey day. Little A makes

me laugh (and yes...I'll admit...proud) as she bursts out a loud and disgusted "EEEEEEEWWWW YUCK" when she sees Peter's turkey awaiting its demise on the counter (and my helper Malou will

back me up that I do NOT coach her to do or say these sorts of things). Little A also participated in her first 'trick or treating' experience. As this is mainly a North American activity, there are not too many people here participating, but she managed to visit about ten houses. Baby N also participated, piggy-backing on Peter's shoulders. Baby N started physiotherapy this month--and shows some signs of growth. His therapist is optimistic that he will outgrow this hypotonia.

November 2010: Peter flew off to Brazil in the beginning of the month and baby N chose these ten days to have a growth and developmental spurt. He increased his baby-babble, and started to bear weight on his legs, to the point that he could now stand upright in the exersaucer. He inaugurated his dad's return by popping his first tooth (bottom right). We purchased a new vehicle (Honda MRV) to accommodate our newest arrival, which helped us to settle in somewhat with the idea that we will soon have THREE children. I began breathing easier knowing that I would not be driving a mini-van. We were happy to host a mini 'ex-AimCo' club reunion (with the founder & president Rakesh), as he and his friend were in town for the F1. We read the newspapers with horror as relations between Canada and the UAE deteriorate (must hold onto Air Canada at all costs...). These news reports come out just shortly after I slap a rather LARGE Canadian flag sticker on the back of my new truck!

That's a little more than a year--but I've tried to keep it short and sweet. As December stands--we have marked our National Day celebrations with a good-bye dinner to our friends moving home (and taking the loooong way to get there via Thailand and Australia). Little A's first term of ballet is coming to an end, and she will be enrolling again in the new year. We will have to give serious consideration as to whether she will start school in the fall, as the application process begins here in January/February. Baby N now has TWO teeth (both bottoms) and is working on busting out the third (top right). He also seems to be much harder to hold these days--he is now able to sit up on his own, and though he is not crawling--he manages to get where he wants to go, by wriggling his way there. Baby 3 appears to be healthy and growing. I am seeing doctors in Dubai AND Abu Dhabi, and both are trying to be very vigilant (as baby N's hypotonia baffles all).

For all those wondering about Phinn--he is still enjoying life in Abu Dhabi. The other day I caught him reminiscing about this soft, white stuff that he vaguely remembers bouncing around in. He wasn't sure what it was (I told him we called it 'snow') but remembers it was deceptive--amazing to look at--but when you stepped into it--it burned your paws and often left you frozen mid-stream in the backyard.