It's a Boogie Bear Day Today...

Wednesday mornings are special for the 'mother-son' time that I have with T N.  We head off to his Boogie Bears class, which he really enjoys.  He is so very different from his sister.  Whereas she would sit glued to my lap, he needs to be held back.  I used to have to get up with Little A to get musical instruments and toys and any other props the teacher might be using, but not with T N.  He not only gets his own things, but he is happy to pass them out to others as well.  I cherish their differences, and love them both for who they are.  It will be interesting to see who Smile-ah is more similar to.  

This morning is the first time that I managed to take some video of him. He really enjoys the "Donkey Joe" song (especially when he gets to rock deeply side-to-side, when we go REALLY slow), and also likes to spin around and around, until he gets dizzy and falls down (which doesn't take very long).  I have to watch his 'spinning' at Boogie Bears, as there are so many little ones he could take down with him when he goes.  

Here is another little video of Smile-ah crawling around.  We have been going through over a week of 'teething' issues.  Smile-ah is always putting her fist to her mouth and yowling, which I am interpreting as discomfort from pressure in her gums.  Today she didn't have a good sleep at either nap, which contributed to her grouchiness.

Though she is practicing her crawling in this video, I saw her making an effort to pull herself up to standing today.  She had crawled over to the diaper change table in my bedroom (when she was supposed to be napping) and was using the shelves to pull herself up.  She only managed to get a little lift off her bottom, but I was surprised that she was already attempting this next step.  SLOW DOWN LITTLE FILLY!!

T N's second birthday party plans are underway.  If I stay focused, I should have our email invitation done and sent off before my bed-time tonight.  "Themed" parties seem to be very fashionable here in Abu Dhabi (we are going to a pirate party on Friday and we are missing a princess party).  In an attempt to 'keep up with the expats', I am going to have an 'Around the World' theme, and ask everyone to dress in something that represents where they came from.  It should be a really multicultural event!!

Smile-ah Crawls

On Saturday, Nov 19, we invited Ajay and Yang over for some salad rolls (we invited other people also, but these were the only two who could make it).  We had a very relaxed and enjoyable time with these two, and Smile-ah surprised us all by making her first attempt to crawl.

I have decided that I love entertaining with salad rolls.  My contribution is simple and easy:  make the peanut sauce.  The rest is all Peter and Malou (although I still do a lot of 'supervision').

Ajay introduced me to the new Savannah cat--a cross between a serval and a domestic cat.  The thought of this huge cat gave me nightmares and I woke up dreaming about killing leopards that were attacking me that night.  It was a real shame because that night was a rare GOOD sleep night for Smile-ah and the only reason I woke up was the bad dream.  

CATS

...actually, just ONE cat.

Along with finishing our National Day Wreath, Thursday November 17 is also the day that T N and Smile-ah met and interacted with a cat for the very first time.

Allow me to back-track to Boogie Bears on Wednesday, when we had to drive in Peter's car Abu Dhabi Style (minus car-seats).  T N loved using his hyper-flexibility to escape from Little A's booster car-seat (a free gift from the government of AD to encourage people to use car-seats for their children, as it is not law here yet).  I wonder if Houdini was hypotonic??  He was all over the car, back seat, front seat, floor--and loving the freedom.  It is a two minute drive, with very little traffic, but I was quite cautious and nervous nonetheless.

When we entered our gate, I had to slow down to allow a tiger cat to cross in front of my car.  The little cat certainly was not frightened of my car and took his sweet time in getting from one side to the next.  I gave a quick little honk of my horn, waited and was relieved to only feel my tires go over the usual Raha speed bumps, and not a soft and fluffy little cat.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, I saw the cat sitting calmly, just on the side of the road (he hadn't skittered away at the sound of my horn).  Cocky little guy.

Fast-forward to yesterday, when Little A insisted that I follow through on my promise to take all three of them to the park after morning naps.  It was HOT (maybe 30 degrees), but I figured as long as we were under a sun-shade (which we were) a little heat wouldn't hurt anyone.  So, off we went, with T N screaming as I buckled him into the stroller (THAT'S what a little taste of freedom does).

It was fun to see T N and Little A enjoying the play area.  They teeter-tottered together and Little A freaked out when I sat down opposite her and boosted her high up in the air.  T N enjoyed climbing up and into the little play house, and coming down on the slide.

However, everyone's enjoyment increased infinitely when this little fellow, coincidentally the SAME cat I did NOT run over the day before, decided to join us:

Things I will not forget:
-Little A singing the Siamese cat song from "Lady and the Tramp"
-T N thinking the cat was a dog, sticking out his tongue and panting
-Smile-ah grabbing hold of the cat's tail, which was soft as a pussy willow
-Little A leaving the park making plans for all the cats she would convince her father to let us have in the future (even though I am allergic, and she sometimes claims she is allergic too!)

Our Feline Friend

Today we have just come home from a spontaneous trip to Dubai (after breakfast we came back, got some food and extra diapers and head out again--hoping to keep T N and Smile-ah sleeping in the back--one out two is not bad I guess).  It was a good trip--we managed to snag a few deals and I even got a new case for my iPhone!

SMILES!!

Seriously--they are just SOOOOOOOOOO cute!

I can't be the only one who thinks so!

Our National Day Wreath

It took a few days, and we tried to do most of the work when T N was asleep (for obvious reasons), but today it is done.  I think it turned out 'real purty' and I enjoyed spending the time with Little A putting it together (though I am not liking the blister that appeared on my finger afterwards!).

I bought a 1/2 metre of each colour:  red, green, white and black, in the cheapest cotton I could find at Lulu (12 aed a metre).  Then I cut them into strips that were 1.5 inches wide and about 7 inches long (haha!!  imperial vs metric-I was obviously caught in between the 'change' in curriculum at school).  Little A passed me the strips (counting them into groups of 4) and I knotted and tied them around the circle-shaped hanger.  

Getting started

Day 2

Day 3:  Finished in the "nik" of time

Ta DAH!!

My Little Roti-Maker

Here is my little helper making rotis with me.  We made some bhindi (okra) and peeli dahl (yellow dahl).  Look at all the effort going into that SMILE!!

Smaller pieces for smaller hands

Rolling out the dough

First one finished

Patterns make them taste better

Cooking them on the tawa

All buttered up and ready for pappa

Hope you're hungry Dad!

Peter was a star Dad, and he ate all the rotis that Little A made.  Apparently I did a good job making the Indian food, as 11 of the 12 rotis I made disappeared.  Ajay, who is not generally a fan of bhindi, made his way into the kitchen for seconds.

When I was little, I HATED bhindi.  Whenever my mom made them (and made me eat them) I felt like vomiting.  To me, they were comparable to eating octopus tentacles, slimy with the suction cups.  Blech!  Funny how things change as you grow older.  

Dreams, Decay, Decorating and Dance

Yesterday we had our highly anticipated appointment at the Advanced American Dental Clinic (as opposed to just the REGULAR American Dental Clinic).  I booked this appointment over two months ago--that's how long it takes to schedule a cleaning and three check-ups all on the same date, and at the same time.  I am sad to report that between little A and I, we have four cavities (I have one and she has THREE!!).  Who feels like a bad mommy (one guess)?  So, we wait one more month, and little A and I will head back to get our mouths cleaned up.      

T N was a celebrity at the dentist.  Not only did he have great teeth (with iron stains, and the dentist said he is too small to worry about cleaning them now), but he was charming all of their female staff with his extra long lashes, and his generally sweet and friendly demeanour.  As you can see, he and little A had a good time (despite the cavities).

Little A woke up on Monday morning and told me that she had dreamt about Smile-ah.  In Little A's dream, Smile-ah was taking ballet class with little A (and she was older).  Their teacher was Ms. Jesse.  This made little A miss her old teacher Ms. Jesse, and we talked about going to visit her.  This is the first time little A has actually shared one of her dreams--maybe one of the first ones she has actually remembered upon waking?

On another front, we have been busy decorating our home for the upcoming National Day (the UAE is celebrating 40 years on Dec 2).  Little A really likes to have decorations up around the house, and so we have to always be looking towards the next big holiday for inspiration.  Thanks to Lulu Hypermarkets, we have some great decorations, and little A and I are working together to make a rag wreath for our door.    

Little A rejoined her Dance Club group for one 'test' session (purely out of necessity on my part as I was late getting her to the jazz class).  She was upset to find that she would be with the group once more, but could not clearly explain to me what bothered her.  She came out of the class happy, and had been paired up with one of the other little girls (Alicia).  She had stories to tell, and seemed to enjoy herself.  However, she did clarify that she prefers to go to the jazz class alone next week.

Our friend "Uncle Ajay" is staying with us this week, while he is in between apartments.  We are enjoying his company, though Little A is having a hard time with his 'Movember' look.  Funny how a mustache can completely change the look of a person.

Personally, I have had a 'breakthrough' in my hip injury.  Thanks to the amazing help/treatment I am getting from Yang, I actually was able to stretch 'the spot' in my hip that has been giving me trouble since my first pregnancy.  It felt great.  Though the pain has not completely disappeared, it is not something that I experience with every breath.  Sometimes, I am even able to forget about it altogether!!  I am hopeful (and feeling VERY lucky to have a friend who is not ONLY a doctor of sports medicine, but who is also willing to treat me in my home, around my schedule).  She is a dear lady!  Once again, I feel so very LUCKY!!