Here's avocado in your eye, kid!

Literally.

Smile-ah tried avocado for the first time today.  My friend Rae always started her little ones on avocado, and I was always so jealous!  It is packed full of wonderful things for the babies, and yet Little A and T N both rejected it.  T N rejected it again today (as our 'official taster' he feels the need to come and test every new food that is served in the house).

Smile-ah loved it though.  I wanted to give her some more for supper, but she fell asleep, in Peter's famous egg roll wrap.

Egg-head

The avocado is a great starter, especially since I am having great difficulty finding 'starter' baby cereal.  Rice is plentiful, but rice has caused major constipation in both my other two little ones, and so I have sworn not to inflict this on Smile-ah.  I know she'll tolerate the rice (it's in her genes), so I am looking for a single grain:  wheat, oats, millet...we'll see what I'll be able to find.

Obviously this picture was not taken last night

Last night was awful.  Smile-ah was actually SCREAMING and crying (with tears) and refused to take milk. I tried the salinol (for gas) and then later tried the camomilia (for teething) followed by the emidol (like baby tylenol)--for SLEEP!!  Once I got her settled, Little A came into my room, having to pee (no diapers now--her first bed-time without diapers was Wednesday night), and sweaty with a fever.  After she relieved herself, I placed her fevered little body into the crib, hoping the comfort of having me near would help her fall asleep faster (along with the emidol).  However, when SHE fell asleep, Smile-ah was back up again--screaming and inconsolable.  I believe I got about 5 hours of sleep in total last night (from 10 to 1, and then from 5:45 to 7:15).  Yet--I am not all that exhausted right now (Peter suggested that I go to bed at 6:30--but I just can't do it!!).

Pudding painting on Friday

T N had speech therapy today.  Sara tried to massage his cheeks and tongue (which he did not like very much).  She also tried to get him to identify himself and his 'mama' (which he wouldn't do), and to differentiate between a cow and sheep (again--not doing it).  At home, I am supposed to work on all of these things, in addition to trying to get him to use a straw...we'll see how it goes.  I must share that today I got my very first KISS from T N (he obviously knows who 'mama' is) b/c I said "Give Smile-ah a kiss" and he did.  Then I followed with "Give mama a kiss" and he stretched up his sweet lips to mine--it brought tears of joy and love to my eyes.

Looks like the screaming will continue again this evening.  Smile-ah has been fed (avocado) and is once again bucking the breast.  I have salined her nose, given her some emidol and Peter is giving her a bath, while I put little A to sleep (we are currently eating cookies).

I hope they all feel better soon!

Burnt Popcorn

The aroma still pervades our home.

It is the end of another weekend, and all I can say is I wish I had taken some pictures of something OTHER than my HAND (but b/c I didn't, here's a hand picture).

As you can see, the skin renewal stage is continuing.

It has been a really great weekend, and I have some great mental pictures to share:

1.  Breakfast buffet:  I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed our breakfast this morning.  The food was the same--great!  However, today I was overjoyed to share our breakfast with so many people.  We had Ginnie and her two children (Josh and Zoe), new arrivals to Abu Dhabi.  They were followed by Yang and Juergen--still waiting on their housing (offer pending).  Drica stopped in, as her family has just bought a membership to the Shangri-la hotel, for the beach and pool.  Then, I even saw Amal, who had to rush off to make sure that Alex picked a good table.  There was so much conversation and happy energy at our table--I was buzzing off it for the remainder of the day!

2.  NB S (whom I have also nicknamed 'Smile-ah'--she is so smiley!) is learning to spit.  It's a new thing--she takes her tongue and is actually managed to spray out saliva.  She delights in it, and her bibs are working overtime to compensate.  She turned 6 months this weekend, and we celebrated by giving her a few spoons of coconut water.

3.  On Saturday morning we joined Drica's family (minus Drica, who had to work) poolside.  We had a lovely time, but I have had to talk to myself about loving little A for who she IS--the little girl who loves nothing more than to hang out beside me--instead of trying to push her to be someone she is not (the little girl jumping, screaming and splashing in the pool).

4.  In the afternoon we (I with the help of Malou) managed to sort out the storage closet in the garage, and then we ventured out to Daiso and Lulu at Mushrif Mall.  God--I have GOT to keep away from Daiso (which in my mind is Japanese for "thank-you Japan").  I managed to buy a whole bunch of things (a few of which we actually need) and got a jump start on loot bag items for T N's birthday.

5.  Little A watched "Mulan" for the first time.  We were all pretty tired once we came home on Sunday, and so we figured 'popcorn and a movie'.  Don't ask me how the popcorn burned--I  have made it sooooo many times--but this time the corn all managed to pop without making any NOISES--VERY unusual.  Doesn't it always make noise when it pops?  When I finally lifted the cover on the pot (yes--it's old-fashioned popcorn making for me) to figure out what was taking so long, I was shocked to find a pot full of popcorn--and then of course--the burning smell began.  Though I shut off the heat immediately, it still lingers there (very subtle though) today.

6.  Today I left all three children at home for an hour and went to a book swap.  It was poorly attended, and I actually returned home with less books than I left with.  It was great though, because I managed to spend some time with my Irish friend Sally, whom I met before Smile-ah was born, and sadly have not seen since.  It is great to see how much she has settled into life here (and we were both shaking our heads at how much time has passed since we last got together!).

Little A is feeling a bit under the weather today.  She has a cough which has irritated her throat and now her voice is funny.  I have given her honey and put am trying the vicks-on-your-feet-with-socks home remedy.  She is such a good little sick person.  Doesn't really complain at all.  Hopefully she'll recover by tomorrow.

This is going to be a busy week:
Monday:  speech therapy
Tuesday:  Dance
Wednesday:  Boogie Bears, possible evening coffee visit with Drica & Antonio
Thursday:  AM-visit with Mirha, PM-Dance

I am still going to try and squeeze in a play-date for T N too (I have found a new friend for him--Omar--via Shariza!!).  Let's see--that might have to go to next week.  

Ramadan Kareem!

It is the first day of Ramadan here in Abu Dhabi, and we have so many things to be thankful for.

In addition to a wonderful little girl, it looks like our new addition is going to be a little boy (at least on our first ultrasound in Dr. Yuliya's office). We have a more thorough ultrasound in early September, and I'm hoping that will set my mind at ease, as far as any health issues surrounding the new baby.

We spent the first day of Ramadan with friends, watching a Rugby match between Australia and New Zealand. With two Australian couples (

**********just found this incomplete post in my drafts and decided to publish it anyways**************

Incomplete Post

Is it wrong that we spend the majority of our free time (weekends) shopping? Just so this isn't misconstrued as a sexy and exciting activity, let me add that we are GROCERY shopping.
Today we have gone to 'the co-op' (Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society in Mina Centre), the fruit and vegetable market (the ports area) and LuLu Express (Al Raha Mall). All in the search of food.
And it IS exciting. Every time we find a familiar North American brand, like "Kraft" or "Dole", it's like winning the lottery. Today's big prize: it's a draw. Was it the Newman's brand salad dressing (no Italian sadly) or the Starbuck's Frappacino beverage? Or maybe the Mott's jar of applesauce? I'll let you decide.
We did end up FINALLY find the perfect complementary couch for our living room (2XL), and a cabinet to help tie everything altogether. I am very excited to be getting our TV storage unit from IKEA, tomorrow night. Not only will we have a media centre, but more importantly, we will be able to unpack and get rid of a few more boxes!
The fruit and vegetable market was interesting. If A hadn't been tired (shopping is as much her thing as it is mine) we would've gotten out of the car and walked around a bit more. As it was, we did a 'drive-through' the market. Lots of fresh produce. P brokered a deal that net us not only delightful Turkish grapes (they are tiny, sweet and seedless...like big juicy raisins really) but also a free box of cucumbers, and two free

***sorry--just found this in my drafts and have decided to publish it 'as is'--just because...****

Pieces of Me

I am leaving behind bits of skin all over my keyboard as I type.  What will Peter say when he goes to clean it and finds all these pieces of me??  At least he'll be able to provide a bountiful sample of DNA in the case he ever needs to clone me.  I feel like a snake, shedding my skin, and I had to struggle to find a soft finger to put barrier cream on NB S's delicate little cheeks before bed-time.

It's 8 pm, and I'm going to have my first cup of tea of the day.  I guess it's been a busy one.

The morning started somewhere around 6-ish with the maiden voyage of the 'twins' in the double stroller.  The weather was brilliant--maybe 25 degrees--with the most beautiful breeze.  Of course, the maiden voyage was not without its bumps--not only did the tires need to be inflated (something I discovered only AFTER they were loaded up), but my bug screen seems to be MIA (thus, the lovely yellow cover--the flies were also out full force this morning, enjoying the great weather!).  NB S seemed to enjoy the stroller (and she generally doesn't) which I attribute to having a seat-mate beside her.  We managed to leave and return before little A even woke up (apparently she was up around 4, and switched into Peter's bed).  

Then we head off for our appointment with the speech therapist.  Sara (the pronunciation rhymes with little A's name) is from Morocco, and seems like she will be enjoyable to work with.  She tells me that T N has 'moderate' delays, but she didn't seem overly concerned.  I, too, am not overly concerned.  I know he has delays, but he seems to be catching up, and for that I am most proud and grateful.  

We missed our first class of Boogie Bears for T N--the first time I was going to take him to something just for HIM (little A and NB S would play in the play area with Malou).  Fortunately, Alice has said we can join in on Thursday (just for this week).  We'll see how it goes tomorrow.  

Then it was lunch-time--and here is T N enjoying some vanilla pudding with QUINOA (which always makes me remember my friend Kimberly).  I tried to sneak the quinoa into little A's pudding too--but she wouldn't go for it.  They are sooooo different!

After a much needed nap (by me), we got down to the business of pudding painting (which was why we had vanilla pudding in the first place).  I assure you, despite the photos to the contrary, SOME of T N's pudding actually got onto the PAPER!  Little A has always loved pudding painting, but never seemed to get as much ON or IN her as her little brother.  

Dance Club

Is it Dance Club, as in a club for dance, or rather Dance-Club, where the focus is on club-style dancing...which I deem entirely inappropriate for my 4 year old daughter.  We will have to wait and see.

Today was Little A's first day of Dance Club, where the school claims she will be exposed to a variety of dance styles (jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, disco).  Fortunately, Expressions (our new dance school) managed to secure the dance studio at Garden's Plaza, which is only a FIVE MINUTE DRIVE (yahoo!).  I was hoping the drop-off would be much like last week, where Little A went with no-muss, no-fuss with her teacher Ms. Abby.  It was not to be, as I literally peeled a teary-eyed and frightened little girl off of my leg and passed her across to sit on the lap of Ms. Eloise (today's young teacher).  I am hoping that in time, she will enjoy these new teachers as much as she enjoyed her relationship with Ms. Jesse.

On the finger front, things are improving.  Today has been a big peeling day.  You know what it's like when a strip of velcro gets stuck on your clothes and you have to pluck it off...and it's sticky and scratchy and requires a bit of effort.  Sometimes it even leaves little snags behind....?

Well--that's what my fingers are like.

I'll spare you the pictures of my digits, and instead just leave you with a video of little A (far right).  Obviously, you can see that little A settled into her class very nicely.  I had to have the Filippina who was manning the reception desk film this for me, as I didn't want to disrupt little A's groove (if she had managed to attain one) by entering her line of sight.

White Birch Tree

I remember learning in one of my classes that the bark of the white birch had been used as paper (or perhaps it was my ancient Indian ancestors working through me), and so, when I was younger, I confess to tormenting these trees in my neighbourhood by slowly peeling back strips of bark of the tree.  I always tried to be slow and gentle, to try and get nice, thick strips to write on (though I don't really remember anything that I actually wrote).  Sometimes, the bark peeled off so very easily--it was nice and dry and crackly--the tree was obviously ready to let it go.  There were other times though, when I could feel the moisture still in the bark, as I flayed back the resistant cover--and I swear I could feel the tree wincing...

I have gained new sympathy for the White Paper Birch Trees.  To all the trees I have stripped in the past (and the ones my children may strip in the future):  mea culpa.

As the skin on my hands is slowly healing, new holes are appearing, with the hardened crazy-glue like skin giving way to soft, pinky skin.  There is the contrast in feelings between the 'old' skin (where I feel nothing) to the 'new' skin (which is raw and very sensitive).  My fingers have all these rough edges on them, and the dry skin catches on EVERYTHING (making diaper changes another kind of torture!!).  YOWCH!!

Today I am feeling much better.  Unlike yesterday, where I spent the entire day in bed (with Malou bringing NB S in for feedings and sleeps).  My body does not ache, I can lift things (including my own head) and I have not been vomiting.  These are all things that make today great.

We (the entourage and I) took T N for his appointment with Drs. Wasti and Zaineb at SKMC.  Dr. Wasti won my heart by asking me why I was bringing such a healthy and intelligent little boy in to see him.  They were very pleased with his progress, and I believe they down-graded the severity of his condition to 'level 3'.  They did write me a referral for a speech therapist, and basically just encouraged me to keep monitoring his progress and to continue to stimulate his growth.  We ended with the 'usual' (follow-up appointment in 6 months), except this time Dr. Wasti made it clear that the skills of the physio department head were no longer required for T N.  However, he told me that if I did want his involvement again, all I had to do was request a referral.