He gave Amelia a makeup kit for Christmas, and she recently unearthed it. After quite a while of begging, we finally put lipstick on. A lot of lipstick. With glitter. And some eyeshadow too. The next time we're in Maryland, I'm going to make sure we gussy him up. Wink, wink.
Adapters of a Different Kind
We found that one of the unexpected things that didn't work over here was potty seats. Poor Amelia kept falling into the potty using our myriad U.S.-made seats. So at Carrefour Saturday, I managed to find a giganto seat (I mean, this is one big molded piece of serious plastic) -- but for only 5 euros! It's really interesting, as it fits under the toilet seat, rather than on top of it.) It has a nice backrest for her as well as a little splash guard (great for if Jack ever starts potty training).
More Shopping Fun
I had another shopping adventure at Carrefour Saturday morning. Not having a car during the week, and nothing being open past 7 pm makes big grocery shopping difficult. So off I went today on my own, expecting a great adventure. I got to Carrefour at 9:15; it opens at 9. The parking lot was nearly full. Inside the store was like an anthill. People everywhere. Just imagine shopping at a combination Wal-Mart/grocery store at the busiest time possible. The store is just so big, and there's too much too look at. I got through most aisles but filled my cart up with milk and juice (and a potty seat). It's still hard to try to make my way through the store (trying to decipher french/dutch), and the meat section is especially trying. I picked up a few meats -- have NO idea what they are and NO idea how to prepare it. But all I can do it try, I suppose.
Fried foods are definitely a big thing around here -- they sell big boxes of beef fat in the grocery store. Yet interestingly, I haven't seen many overweight people. A combination of walking everywhere, smaller portions, maybe less processed food and fewer fast-food places must make the difference!
Crabby Don't Begin To Describe It
So I did manage to find one lowly pair of Speedos at the Disport sport store Tuesday. I'm not even sure if they'll fit (they only had a 1-year size, but Jack is small, and I was desperate), but Amelia is so anxious to go to the pool. He seems to be fond of, uh, checking to see if all the parts are there, and he's not really sure why this feels so unlike a diaper. But it's the swim cap part that I'm unsure about. There's no way he will keep that on...
School Days?
We're going to go look at schools for Amelia this week. One school only had availability for afternoon school, which just isn't going to cut it. She's actually napped every day this week, and I'm not ready to force her to give that up. I may also look at creches for Jack, once he gives up his morning nap. What will I do with the time? Who knows. Maybe catch up on some shopping??
The Only Thing We Ain't Catching Is a Break...
Jack, somehow, has managed to catch a minor cold (how? where have we gone? I'm running out of decongestant!). Hopefully, a stuffy nose will be the extent of it. Amelia has been complaining of an upset tummy lately. I'm going to try an experiment of no milk tomorrow and see if that helps.
Birds of a Feather...
I mentioned that there are a lot of birds around. What I failed to mention is that the birds start chirping early around here. Early!! Like 3 am -- I kid you not -- early. I thought I was hearing things the first time, but it happens every day. I've never heard birds out so early!!
And the sunrise is a full 1/2 hour earlier than it was when we arrived here, so we're happy to have more daylight. And the next few days are supposed to be without rain, so for that, we're VERY grateful.
All in all, things are still going well. I have my low points, but they're few and far between and mostly from frustration at the differences from home and some language barriers. To be expected, I'm sure. I look forward to getting a car and being able to do some exploring, and I also am looking forward to taking some language classes.
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