Flowers!

See we went to the flower show on Saturday with two coworkers, and it was a blast! We really had a good time, and received our "warning" sunburn to let us know that it's going to be scorching hot soon and we need to take precautions.

Sam did great. He went on his first ferris wheel and had a great time. Probably his favorite thing was airplanes flying over head to the nearby airport. We also watched a parade near the water and Sam was able to enjoy a giant caterpillar, people on stilts, a dinosaur-car (how awesome is that?) and other fun sights. We ate a mix of local and pseudo-western food, including the first baked potato we've had in months. Our plan to go out more is working, and it was a lot easier with others along. This is a big upside to city life--lots to do that is kids friendly.

Saturdays are a scratch...

A while ago I remember reading that weekends are when people are least happy. We say we're happier, but usually our anxiety peaks and we feel more stressed. This is definitely true for me, and there are a number of standard reasons:

-Normal routine evaporates

-Expectations are high

-Ability to meet them is not so high

-A lot of energy goes into childcare and housekeeping

Today I just feel wiped out. The truth is, it was a good day. Another teacher came over for breakfast. One of the teens on campus came over to play with Sam. We both got to talk to our parents for a while. Sam was in a pretty good mood, as were the kids.

On the other side of the ledger: nobody was sleeping today, Sam balked at lunch and dinner, it rained all day (curtailing excursions), and Emily had to do a grocery run. Things sort of collapsed around dinner. That part of the day is over, and now it's bed time. Sam went down smoothly and the babies are asleep. I'm trying to be the milk person for the next few hours. But... still. wiped. out.

We know this is situational. It won't last forever. We're getting the help we need. We're each making progress in some arenas. The others will come in time. Still, it's exhausting. On that note, I'm going to head in for the night.

Books, Babies, and Other Excitement

Sam looks at an insect
With Beautiful Island's most famous skyscraper in the background
Babies are bundles for a cold, wet February day
Emily is making this twins thing look easy
Dad front carries Sam

Another week worth remembering. Saturday was the incredibly awesome book fair downtown. It was a bit of a hassle getting there, then it was a bit of a hassle carting around three kids and a sleep deprived spouse, and then by the time we came back it felt like we’d been there 12 hours instead of three and a a half, but, still, it was AWESOME. The babies slept the whole time. We had lunch at a great food court where we at Indian food (I loved it; Emily was not so sure). We found a nursing station. And, as is the case in large crowds here, we were rock stars because we are foreigners with twins who backpack a toddler. A memorable day to be sure. I think since Saturdays will almost certainly be a wash, we’re going to try to do more fun stuff on them. It’s no more fun being at home and there are plenty of local attractions to brave.

Other news… Sam’s speech is coming along. Just moments ago he said “t-rex dinosaur… nice… it can bite you… a big one.” So, basically he’s nearly speaking in full monologues. At the fair he got four books, which he proceeded to “read” for the rest of the evening, then take to bed with him, then look at the next day. The four topics are: dinosaurs, bugs, animals, and vehicles. He was lured in by the dinosaurs and then it was around $10 for four books, so we got four books. Today he would try to pick up all four books, walk a few steps, drop some, pick them up, walk a few steps, drop some… You get the idea.

Having a nanny is also quite wonderful, especially since Emily’s sleep has been really rock the last few weeks. Sam has only been letting me put him down, and then Emily ends up with the babies for a long stretch. She can sleep some in the morning, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of a long block. So tonight we’re going to try the old (= three weeks ago) schedule of me staying up and quieting and feeding babies until two or three. We’ll see if it goes okay. Some good news so far this semester is that I don’t have to teach in the morning or at night, which is a nice change after last semester. Linda has just helped with a lot of things. Emily now gets solid blocks of daytime to work, as do I. She’s doing the babies’ clothes, helps with things like cleaning and boiling water, and is a nice resource for logistical questions (How do I do this? How do we get there?). We still have our work cut out for us, but work is again possible.

The Twins

Since I recently did a Sam entry, it’s only fair to do one on the twins. This morning they both seemed happy and energetic. Babies have a puppy-like energy to them. Their arms and legs still don’t quite coordinate and they jerk, wave, and stretch in curious combinations. Eli had a small (we think) eye infection, but is doing better. I’ve always had eyes that were prone to allergies, so I wonder if it could be something similar.

Linda, the nanny, started Monday, and, wow, she is a dynamo. Clothes are folded, floors are mopped, babies held and fed. Yesterday Linda even made lunch with enough leftovers for dinner. It’s a big relief for Emily, who as I type this is in the office at school back to work on her dissertation. I think that given evenings and mornings and weekends and sick days we get A LOT of kid time, so I am hoping that, as with the much appreciated grandparent visit, this will mostly insure that all of the kids get a lot of attention and we don’t degenerate into chaos and filth. That’s the hope! Thank you for helping hands, arriving just when they are needed.

What else? I think our American retired friends will probably be leaving in the next few days. It’s been great to have them here. There’s also another teacher’s husband who is American on campus now (an old classmate) and is writing his dissertation. His parents were around, so we are getting lots of time with other foreigners. We’re all keeping on here, and are trying to stay positive. I’m still not working as efficiently as I’d like, and probably shouldn’t be blogging, but I think part of my challenge is still to make sense of all that’s happening around me.

Any baby questions? Here’s some recent pictures from our visit to a friend over the New Year.

Sam Update

[I started writing this last week and then just got back to it.] It's been a rocky few days as we transition from grandparent-help, through colds, and then now start the New Year break. Sam was off all last week with a cold. This week he went to school on Monday and Tuesday before the break, and we have him through next Tuesday.

He's doing very well, but he's clearly in a transition. Here are the issues we're working on with him:

How to handle tantrums. Sam's major challenge, like most toddlers, is managing transitions. Leaving the house or returning home are often challenges, and every so often he just balks at doing something (sitting down for dinner, bath, etc.). Most of the time, he'll improve with time, but we don't always have time. Emily's started working on time outs and I tend to do the picking up and carrying (to put him in the car, etc.).

Sleeping arrangement. At night he's been wanting Emily more. He does well with me usually, but he still isn't very good at sleeping on his own. Because of space and time constraints, we can't really get him his own bed and now doesn't seem like a time for a major change. We'll see how things go. We joke about how to divide up the rooms, since Eli and Sam are more difficult and Eva (sometimes) sleeps very well. Emily's been advocating for a "dude room" whereas I've said we should split up blondes and brunettes. This is hilarious if you are sleep deprived.

School. Sam usually loves going to school and is almost always very happen when we come to pick him up, but the last two days he's resisted some. I think his main challenge is usually transitions, so the question for us is how to prepare him for drop off and help him feel ready to start the day.

Language. Sam's languages are coming along. He can say many animals, colors, simple sentences, request, etc., in his second language. English is going even better. We mostly understand him and he can say more and more complicated sentences. Somethings will take longer. He can't or doesn't want to count things yet. Music is hard--he can't sing more than a few words (he likes to sing "to you" from the birthday song). It's interesting to watch how he is working up to new language abilities. Lately he likes to say what something isn't. Eli is "not Eva." The white bear is "not red."

Siblings. Sam does great with his siblings. He gives them kisses, helps put a binky in, occasionally will dance to entertain them. He's got a pretty kind temperament.

That's the news from here! More soon. Jon