Tammy introduced me to her physician/pediatrician several months ago, when I needed a pediatrician but ours was away. He's fantastic, with a wry, sarcastic bedside manners -- much like House. He's a great doctor and takes plenty of time with you and explains everything, but he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. Which makes appointments fun, with lots of jabs back and forth.
Anyway, the Harrisons and the Byrds have a nasty cough/cold thing going on (both husbands excepted, of course). Tammy ended up calling Dr. Jongeneel's office line at 2 am Thursday night, because her daughter was having a severe coughing spell, and she was hoping to get the number of the on-call doctor. But Jongeneel happened to be on call, answered the phone, and ended up COMING OVER to Tammy's house at 2:30 am to administer medication. So on Friday, Tammy had to go back to the doctor to pick up another inhaler. I asked Tammy to ask him if he could recommend SERIOUS cough medicine for me. Tammy came by my house and said, "He wants you to come in. Now." Would this EVER happen in the US? So off I trot, at 5:30 pm on a Friday, with Jack in hand (cause as long as I'm there, I might as well have him listen to Jack, too).
I arrive and have to sit through 10 minutes of him laughing at me about our Spa vacation (which I've yet to document) and reprimanding me for taking the kids on another cruise this summer. But he looks at me, gives me a prescription for a cough medicine, and then he also looked at Jack (who, we found out, has red ears again!) and didn't charge me for it.
So while some things in Belgium bother me, I can't give any complaints about getting in to see a doctor at any time.
Are the Tides Turning?
I read in my expat magazine last week that Starbucks will be coming to Belgium in 2009. Can I tell you how excited I am? And it's not just that I want Starbucks particularly -- I just want takeaway coffee! Tammy and I discovered on Wednesday a beautiful new food store that offers a gorgeous array of precooked food. AND they have a full takeaway coffee bar!! And the GB Express (like a mini grocery store) just installed a takeaway cappuccino/latte machine. Hip, hip, hooray!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Happy Birthday, Amelia
Details of the big day will follow, but I wanted to get some pictures out of the big 5-year-old (who declared to me last night that she wants to change her name from "Amelia" to "pain in the ass." She certainly is quite hung up on the phrase, much to my dismay.)
And this is in no way related to Amelia's birthday, but Jack has learned an amazing trick with his sippy cup that only he can perform. By blowing hard into it, he can make it spurt out water, much to the delight of him and other children.
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Amelia had a great day. She was spoiled with many presents, including an antique cradle from me, tennis raquet and balls from TJ, Littlest Pet Shops from Jack. She was, of course, disenchanted with all the clothes she received, but now she's thrilled with them. She's been reading all her new books and making lots of necklaces for everyone. She picked out a caterpillar birthday cake and basically just loved being a birthday girl ("Mom, can I ride a ride -- it IS my birthday." "Mom, can I get a lollipop -- it IS my birthday.")
Of course, not everything went as smoothly. She got a book called "Little Hoot" about an owlet who isn't allowed to go to bed. Amelia didn't quite get the irony and then stayed up until 10:30 that night.
But all in all, Amelia says that it's good to be 5!
And this is in no way related to Amelia's birthday, but Jack has learned an amazing trick with his sippy cup that only he can perform. By blowing hard into it, he can make it spurt out water, much to the delight of him and other children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amelia had a great day. She was spoiled with many presents, including an antique cradle from me, tennis raquet and balls from TJ, Littlest Pet Shops from Jack. She was, of course, disenchanted with all the clothes she received, but now she's thrilled with them. She's been reading all her new books and making lots of necklaces for everyone. She picked out a caterpillar birthday cake and basically just loved being a birthday girl ("Mom, can I ride a ride -- it IS my birthday." "Mom, can I get a lollipop -- it IS my birthday.")
Of course, not everything went as smoothly. She got a book called "Little Hoot" about an owlet who isn't allowed to go to bed. Amelia didn't quite get the irony and then stayed up until 10:30 that night.
But all in all, Amelia says that it's good to be 5!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Sibling Rivalry at its Finest
We were driving to school yesterday, and Amelia and Jack started fighting. Amelia used her classic retort 'You're not invited to my birthday party" (I guess it's inconsequential that now her party is actually OVER). Jack got pouty, then Amelia went in for the kill. "I'm going to have a DINOSAUR birthday cake, and you can't have ANY." Jack contemplated this for a minute, and then spit back, "I'm going to have a PRINCESS cake, and you can't have ANY." This reduced Amelia to begging for part of his princess cake, Jack relented, and the fight was over.
You gotta admit, he's a smart cookie for nearly 3!
Amelia's Latest Question (Questionable Language Involved)
We were snuggling at bedtime the other night, when Amelia lovingly looked into my eyes and said, "Mama, what's an 'ass' "? So I explained what it was a bad word for "bottom," and where did she hear it? She told me that her friend Katherine (age 6) said that her sister Jacqueline (age 3) is "a pain in the ass." It took everything for me not to burst out laughing (I did do a little snickering), and we had a long talk about how it's not a polite word to use, and she can talk about it with me, but that I didn't want her using it with other people. She seemed fascinated, because she kept saying the word over and over. We've had this conversation for 3 nights running, now.
Jack -- Fashion Victim
And yesterday, I dropped the kids off at Tammy's house while I went to get my physical bloodwork results from the doctor. I come back and I hear Jack beckoning me from the top of the stairs "Mama, come yook at me!" I go up the stairs, and his whole foot has been painted red (clearly a pedicure gone awry). Red polish is smeared up his legs, is all over his hands, and has been smeared across his face. Amelia and Katherine, looking not contrite at all, did confess to "painting" Jack. Luckily, we got most of it off, but his toes still look pretty messy. I think Jack actually enjoyed the attention of playing with the "big girls." I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of it!
Summer Vacation
Amelia's last day of school is today (Jack still has 3 more days of creche next week). I can't believe it's summer! She'll have a little picnic today with all her friends and the parents, and then we'll go directly to the airport for a weekend in Vienna. T.J. is going to the European Football championships (or some game as part of it), then we'll spend the weekend with some friends who are coming down from Prague. We're going to do a Danube river cruise and visit Bratislava, which should be interesting.
OK, time to start the day. Have a great weekend, everyone!
You gotta admit, he's a smart cookie for nearly 3!
Amelia's Latest Question (Questionable Language Involved)
We were snuggling at bedtime the other night, when Amelia lovingly looked into my eyes and said, "Mama, what's an 'ass' "? So I explained what it was a bad word for "bottom," and where did she hear it? She told me that her friend Katherine (age 6) said that her sister Jacqueline (age 3) is "a pain in the ass." It took everything for me not to burst out laughing (I did do a little snickering), and we had a long talk about how it's not a polite word to use, and she can talk about it with me, but that I didn't want her using it with other people. She seemed fascinated, because she kept saying the word over and over. We've had this conversation for 3 nights running, now.
Jack -- Fashion Victim
And yesterday, I dropped the kids off at Tammy's house while I went to get my physical bloodwork results from the doctor. I come back and I hear Jack beckoning me from the top of the stairs "Mama, come yook at me!" I go up the stairs, and his whole foot has been painted red (clearly a pedicure gone awry). Red polish is smeared up his legs, is all over his hands, and has been smeared across his face. Amelia and Katherine, looking not contrite at all, did confess to "painting" Jack. Luckily, we got most of it off, but his toes still look pretty messy. I think Jack actually enjoyed the attention of playing with the "big girls." I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of it!
Summer Vacation
Amelia's last day of school is today (Jack still has 3 more days of creche next week). I can't believe it's summer! She'll have a little picnic today with all her friends and the parents, and then we'll go directly to the airport for a weekend in Vienna. T.J. is going to the European Football championships (or some game as part of it), then we'll spend the weekend with some friends who are coming down from Prague. We're going to do a Danube river cruise and visit Bratislava, which should be interesting.
OK, time to start the day. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Amelia's 5th Birthday Party
I know I still haven't finished the cruise blog, but I'd better not get too far behind on the daily things....
Amelia had her 5th birthday party yesterday, with 18 (!!) of her school friends (I REALLY expected -- counted on? -- more responding "no"). We held it at our swim club and they had a great time. They did face painting and disco, and had a wonderfully delicious cake. It was like trying to herd cats, though, and they all kept trying to escape. But the nice thing about having it at the club was that there was staff "hosting" the party, so I could enjoy coffee with the moms who opted to stay.
This was Amelia's first party, and she was amazed at receiving all the presents. (I know that the object of a birthday party isn't to receive a lot of presents, but it was priceless to see her face.) We had been working hard on the proper response to receiving a gift (Amelia, what do you say if someone gives you underwear for your birthday? "Thank you very much for giving me underwear.") She quickly got tired of the lesson, and upon one of my hypotheticals, she said, giving me "the look" -- "Mom, here's the thing. No one is giving me a rock for my birthday."
She receiving some wonderful gifts (the Belgians seem to be much more into giving "educational" gifts, like puzzles and crafts, rather than toys, which is great by me). She's fantastic at puzzles and is doing 104 piece puzzles with no problem.
Jack had a good time as well, and I'm afraid he's expecting a big party for his birthday now, too. He came down with a fever in the middle of the night on Tuesday night, and I kept him home from the creche, but Paracetamol kept it down and it disappeared in time for the party (of course, it reappeared in the middle of the night last night).
Somehow, Amelia managed to fall out of bed last night. Mind you, we have 2 guard rails on her bed. She somehow pushed one rail COMPLETELY out from under the matress, and also moved the matress a good 8 inches off the frame. I really have to admire her strength!! She was uninjured and went right back to sleep.
T.J. tried to take the droprail off of Jack's crib so he could have a "big boy bed" but Jack wanted no part of it. Which is fine by me. He shows no inclination to climb out of his crib, so we'll continue to keep him in it. We seem to be making fine progress in the potty training department, and I guess when he's done with creche (his last week is next week), we'll do some intensive training.
He's become interested in writing letters, and he's mastered O, and yesterday, he did Q. Perhaps the proportion of the tail is a bit off, but it was a great effort, and he was quite proud.
Still to come is the rest of the cruise blog, and perhaps a censored version of my overnight trip to Spa, Belgium with one of my friends. :)
Amelia had her 5th birthday party yesterday, with 18 (!!) of her school friends (I REALLY expected -- counted on? -- more responding "no"). We held it at our swim club and they had a great time. They did face painting and disco, and had a wonderfully delicious cake. It was like trying to herd cats, though, and they all kept trying to escape. But the nice thing about having it at the club was that there was staff "hosting" the party, so I could enjoy coffee with the moms who opted to stay.
This was Amelia's first party, and she was amazed at receiving all the presents. (I know that the object of a birthday party isn't to receive a lot of presents, but it was priceless to see her face.) We had been working hard on the proper response to receiving a gift (Amelia, what do you say if someone gives you underwear for your birthday? "Thank you very much for giving me underwear.") She quickly got tired of the lesson, and upon one of my hypotheticals, she said, giving me "the look" -- "Mom, here's the thing. No one is giving me a rock for my birthday."
She receiving some wonderful gifts (the Belgians seem to be much more into giving "educational" gifts, like puzzles and crafts, rather than toys, which is great by me). She's fantastic at puzzles and is doing 104 piece puzzles with no problem.
Jack had a good time as well, and I'm afraid he's expecting a big party for his birthday now, too. He came down with a fever in the middle of the night on Tuesday night, and I kept him home from the creche, but Paracetamol kept it down and it disappeared in time for the party (of course, it reappeared in the middle of the night last night).
Somehow, Amelia managed to fall out of bed last night. Mind you, we have 2 guard rails on her bed. She somehow pushed one rail COMPLETELY out from under the matress, and also moved the matress a good 8 inches off the frame. I really have to admire her strength!! She was uninjured and went right back to sleep.
T.J. tried to take the droprail off of Jack's crib so he could have a "big boy bed" but Jack wanted no part of it. Which is fine by me. He shows no inclination to climb out of his crib, so we'll continue to keep him in it. We seem to be making fine progress in the potty training department, and I guess when he's done with creche (his last week is next week), we'll do some intensive training.
He's become interested in writing letters, and he's mastered O, and yesterday, he did Q. Perhaps the proportion of the tail is a bit off, but it was a great effort, and he was quite proud.
Still to come is the rest of the cruise blog, and perhaps a censored version of my overnight trip to Spa, Belgium with one of my friends. :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Cruise -- It's Finally All Online
The cruise blog is going to be a work in progress for the next few days or so. I thought I'd go ahead and post it in pieces, so please feel free to check back occasionally to see what I've added. Or, here's the brief synopsis: Much food, old ruins, tipping ship, ship OK, more food, more ruins, shopping, free babysitting!
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Our holiday began on a sour note. We were due to leave Saturday morning, and had been given the all clear by the burn unit on Wednesday to go on holiday and have a great time. So of course, something was bound to go wrong. On Thursday night, Jack started coming down with a fever, and by Friday, it was a high fever. And it was a holiday, so all the regular doctors weren't working. We end up having a doctor make a house call, diagnosing Jack with strep. (So, luckily, the fever wasn't due to infection in his hand!) I go off in search of the lone pharmacy open to stock up on antibiotics (which, luckily, would cure his strep as well as preventing any infection in his hand) and paracetamol. So we kept him hopped up on ibuprofen and paracetamol, and he was quite happy!
Day 1 -- Fly to Istanbul
So we headed off to Istanbul on Saturday. It was an easy flight, and we arrived with no problem. We had a private tour driver pick us up at the airport and gave us a mini-tour of the city as we went to the hotel. We were a little surprised at the hotel, as a guard stopped every car to inspect it (including using a mirror to look underneath), and there were retractable barriers preventing entry into the parking circle. And then, when we walked into the hotel, we had to go through a metal detector.
We had a wonderful dinner at a typical Turkish restaurant. They immediately brought out a tray of appetizers to pick from (goat cheese, marinated tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, among others0, and we had a wonderful main meal of kebabs. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time! Even the kids ate more than usual!
We were all tucked into one room overlooking the Bosphorous. We went to bed the first night, and then Amelia and I were awakened by fireworks being shot off over one of the bridges. It was a great way to end the day.
It was clear very early on that the Turks love kids. Everyone was talking with them and touching themk. I had gone down to inquire about dinner, and was speaking with a woman named Zeynep. I told her how excited Amelia would be, as she had a friend at school named Zeynep and that I had told Amelia that she probably would never meet another Zeynep. And lo and behold, I did. I returned to the room, and moments later, the doorbell rang. It was a bellboy, bringing up 2 teddy bears for the kids, and enclosed was Zeynep's card. It was really sweet. This was the first of many instances that we found gifts showered upon the kids!
Day 2 -- Princes' Island, Istanbul
We got up the next morning and took a cab ride to Ortakoy, which was just 10 minutes from our hotel, and right by the river. There were several cafes lined up, and we were one of the few people walking around (and it wasn't that early -- maybe 8:30). We picked a cafe for breakfast and had a good breakfast -- a little unusual, but tasty. They had fresh-squeezed OJ for the kids, and I had a turkish coffee. It had been many years since I'd had one, and now I remember why! Very strong, mostly because the coffee grinds are still at the bottom of your cup.
The kids loved running around in the little plaza, chasing the pigeons.
By the time we finished breakfast, several souvenir vendors have opened up. We started walking around, and everyone was fawning over the kids. Two women, selling evil eyes, noticed Jack's hand (which is still all wrapped up) and motioned to us to wait for a minute. They got out a glass evil eye bead and a piece of cord, and made Jack a special bracelet right there, which they gave to him. He was so proud of it, he showed it to everyone. (And, poor guy, he was still running a fever, but was running around with no problem.)
We head back to the hotel, where a work acquaintance of T.J.'s has offered to take us to one of the Prince's Islands with her husband and her daughter. We take a 30-minute ferry ride to Buryukada, a darling little island with almost no cars! We stop for a little snack of pastries and borek (a delicious boiled pastry with feta cheese and meat) and lemonade before heading to the top of the island via carriage. Since there are no cars, there are literally HUNDREDS of carriages waiting to take people around. Once we were about 3/4 of the way up, the carriages stopped, and Amelia and I took a donkey ride the rest of the way up (while the rest of our group walked up).
We had a late dinner at a seafood restaurant, where you got to pick out your own fish -- we got this scarily large fish that seemed to have a bony exoskeleton. We again got to pick our appetizers from a huge tray. More wonderful food (T.J. warned me about not talking too much about food on the blog ....)
We took a ferry ride back to the Asian side of Istanbul -- just so we could say we had been to Asia -- and took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a great day, and everyone had lots of fun.
Day 3 -- Private Tour, Istanbul, and Embark on Ship
We meet up again with Kaan, who had picked us up from the airport, for a private tour of the city and transfer to the ship. We went first to the Topkapi Palace, where Amelia was most fascinated with the Golden Cradle, where I was most impressed with a big bowl of emeralds. Jack was mostly just scared of the dark. We also got to see the Blue Mosque, which was just amazing. Jack hated it, because he couldn't wear his shoes...
We then went in search of a restaurant that Susan had recommended to us, but it was closed. So we found a similar place, where there were women making tortilla-like breads and men playing traditional music. We had a lunch of these tortillas filled with cheese, and some hummus and bread. We were there when the call to prayer occurred, and I went outside to listen to it. It was really amazing to listen to, and you could hear the mosques "calling" to each other (one mosque would recite one line, then another would recite the next on their loudspeakers). I went back in the restaurant to see Amelia decked out in a jingly hat with a veil.
We then made a far-too-short visit to the Grand Bazaar, a mind-boggling array of 6,000+ stalls. It was truly amazing. But the sales people were aggressive -- if you even glanced at their stall, they would say "Yes, please" and try to get you to come in. And, of course, haggling was required, so you never know exactly what kind of deal (or not) you're getting. I was so panicked that I had only an hour or so to shop, that I was clueless as to where to go. And it was just such a maze of stores, I kept going in circles. Words cannot express how crazy it was! But I was still able to buy some silver, pottery, Turkish delight, and evil eyes.
Afterwards, we went to the Hippodrome. I wish I had a better memory, but I fear all my information on old, ancient ruins has run together. Needless to say, we saw a 3500-year-old obelisk from Egypt (how can it look better than some things that were built 20 years ago??). But if you want to see/read more, look here: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Sultanahmet/Hippodrome.html (you can also see infomation here on the Blue Mosque and Ayasofia).
It was a great day, and our tour guide was amazing. My only regret was not being able to spend more time at the Grand Bazaar. And while Istanbul itself wasn't that pretty (very crowded, lots of rundown apartment buildings), there were some places that were quite pretty, and I bet there are even more sights that we didn't see ... Perhaps next time.
Day 4 -- Bosphorus Cruise, Leave Istanbul
The first night on the ship was great. Amelia slept in a pulldown bed attached to the wall, while Jack slept in a pack-n-play. They slept great, and we woke up to a wonderful breakfast (I had crab cakes eggs benedict....) Ok, no more food talk, for now. We left the boat for our first excursion -- a city tour (mini) and a Bosphorous cruise. We visited Ayasofia (which was really beautiful, and quite a surprise to see traditional Christian figures in a mosque). I bought Jack a flute from a gentleman peddling them on the street. Got a pretty good deal through accidental haggling, since I wasn't too keen on buying it anyway, I wasn't about to pay too much. I'm not sure anyone on the tour was happy I bought it, as there was much loud tooting going on. (There weren't many kids on the cruise....)
We also took a trip to the Spice Market, which, thankfully sold more than spices. I had a chance to make up for the Grand Bazaar, and picked up more pottery, silver and some Turkish Delight candy (like a nougat, and I got mine with pistachios). Amelia scored a free evil eye pendant, which was pretty cool.
Then it was back to the boat, and we introduced the kids to the Kids' Club. The "counselors" were great with the kids, and there was a climbing structure and a lot of activities (and face painting!). Jack wasn't always so sure about it, until we started referring it to the jungle gym instead of the kids club. I was called to pick him up once because he was crying too much, but it was only once, and we went back with little trouble.
Day 5 -- Izmir, Turkey (Ephesus)
Izmir itself wasn't much to see, though I think there were some Starbucks around. We took a shore excursion to Ephesus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus). It was a pretty impressive ancient city, and some impressive ruins. The kids, of course, were less than impressed, until there was a little Ancient Roman show where a man ate fire. Needless to say, Jack was quite concerned (the whole burned hand thing being quite fresh in his mind).
After Ephesus, we headed back to the bus, where Jack and T.J. encountered a camel. They had to pay a euro or so to get their picture taken (do you think the camel sees a cut of that?). It's impressive that Jack doesn't seem to be too upset, as he panicked at most of the real animals (and people dressed as animals)
Day 6 -- Athens
This was, admittedly, the place I was most excited to visit. Something about having seen pictures of the Acropolis and Parthenon, and it just seemed neat to actually be there. We docked in Pireaus, a suburb of Athens. The town itself where we docked wasn't very exciting, and we didn't spend much time there -- just drove through it on our way to Athens. Despite a weather forecast of 75 and sunny, we got on the bus just as the rain started, and there was a chill in the air. We drove through town, saw some great ruins (as they were trying to build their metro, they kept encountering ruins, so by each metro stop, there was a glass-enclosed room of ruins.
By the time we got to the Acropolis, the sun started to come out a little, though it was still chilly. Jack, instead of listening to the tour guide, decided to play with rocks. Which quickly led to a skinned knee.
The Acropolis, I thought, was more impressive than I had thought. I didn't realize there was a whole host of buildings on the hill aside from the Parthenon. The only disappointment was that they are restoring it, so there was a lot of scaffolding. But it was really impressive to see, and I'm thrilled that we got to see it. The kids, of course, were less than impressed that day, but I'm sure in the years to come, they will be fascinated that they went.
After walking around the grounds of the Acropolis, we took a bus ride to the area of Plaka in Athens, where we were going to have a chance to shop and eat. I'll gloss over the food details, but suffice it to say we had some great gyros. The kids weren't interested in eating, so they donated all of their french fries to the pigeons. We walked along the pedestrian shopping area, where we saw many of the same knick-knacks as we did in Turkey. We did, of course, also get some great baklava...
One of the great things about the ship was being able to get free cappuccinos anytime during the day. One of the bad things was that Jack discovered cappuccinos as well. I found that I quickly had to change to decaf. If I left my cup unattended, I would see Jack put the cup in the crook of his elbow of his bad hand (he would wait until the coffee was cold before he got too close) and would then slide open the balcony door and go on the balcony to enjoy his coffee. It was pretty funny to watch. He would see me with my cup -- he's rub his stomach and say "mmmmm, my favorite." (Of course, the coffee tended to speed up his digestive tract, if you know what I mean. Quite often, we'd see Jack drinking his coffee while in his "poop squat" position. Quite hilarious.
Day 7 -- Sea Day
The kids were quite happy to have a day without tours ("Please, no buses today" they were crying) and enjoyed a day at the pool. Though it was a little breezy, the pool was quite warm, and Amelia loved it (even though it was salt water, which she found a little disconcerting). Jack wasn't able to enjoy the big pool, but he was able to enjoy the baby pool (which he usually had all to himself, except when Amelia was there), which had an elephant slide. We bundled Jack's hand in a rubber glove, taped up, covered by a plastic bag, taped up. He looked a little silly, but it kept his hand dry (we were a little hesitant to visit the Namibian doctor on board if we didn't have to) and allowed him to enjoy a little bit of water.
I became a frequent-enough fixture at the baby pool that the bartenders (the bar was conveniently located right next to the baby pool) would see me and ask if I needed a margarita. I rarely said no. Jack referred to it as my "drinky-drink."
I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the bingo game going on, since Amelia is very into playing Bug Bingo and Ocean Bingo. Not so much. After we lost the first few games, Amelia failed to see the fun in it, and they just started running around the bar area with some other kids (whose parents were also losing bingo with me). The children's high point was going to the Kids' Club for a party that night, where they got their faces painted and made crowns. It was great for us that they enjoyed the Kids' Club so much, as it gave T.J. and I a really nice chance to have a quiet dinner.
The kids also loved the towel animals that appeared in our room periodically. I need to learn how to do that!!
Day 8 -- Dubrovnik, Croatia
This was, I think, my favorite place to visit. It was very picturesque, with blue sky and blue water and an amazing skyline. We took a tender from the ship to the shore, and then walked around the old town, which is closed off to cars. T.J. and I each took a turn walking along the old city walls, which gave a spectacular view of the city.
Their specialties seemed to be silver, lavender (including essential oil and sachets), and these wonderful little pieces of candied lemon and orange (the kids LOVED them and didn't realize there was any fruit involved in the candy).
The kids were also very excited to find a playground on the other side of the city walls. they always seemed to be so amazed that other cities had playgrounds, too.
We walked over to a little "beach" just outside the old city. It was a perfect day for the beach, and although the beach was rocky, not sandy (so the kids wouldn't walk on it -- lots of carrying going on) and the water was cold, we and the kids had a great time sitting in the sun. It really was a wonderful day!
Day 9 -- Venice, Italy
We arrived mid-morning and took a water taxi to St. Marks, and then we went to Murano. I was on a quest for glass, while the kids were on a quest for ice cream. Luckily, we all found what we were looking for. I simply adore Venice, and love getting lost in all the streets. I won't talk about the pasta and tiramisu (but it was yummy). The kids made me SO nervous in all the glass shops. They just didn't get the concept of "NO TOUCH!!" So they were quickly banned from all the shops, for fear of me having to pay for and bring home hundreds of euros worth of broken glass.
T.J. was scheduled to take a night tour of St. Marks but was worn out from the day. So I took his tour (Happy Mother's Day!) and had a great time. We had a private tour of St. Marks -- and were even able to take photos, which you can't normally do. After the tour, we had time to shop. I am amazed byt how they make the glass and all the intricate designs. I easily found some souveneirs and had enough time left over to get some takeaway food and enjoy it while sitting on some steps leading down to a canal.
Day 10 -- Venice, Italy
We took the water taxi back to St. Marks and walked around the square (more ice cream, of course). Amelia was very excited to pick out a mask, and she picked out a purple cat mask. Amelia was fascinated by all the pigeons but wasn't so sure about them when one landed on her.
We got back on the boat right after lunch to set sail, so I took Amelia to the pool and took her on the waterslide, which she LOVED. I certainly got my exercise going up those stairs over and over.
The kids had dinner in the kids' area, then we took them to the Kids' Club for Pirate Night, while T.J. and I went to the Chinese restaurant. We were just about finished with our dinner when all of a sudden, the boat tilted. And I do mean TILTED! T.J. caught our plates and glasses right before they slid off the table. Most people were not as fortunate. All around was the sound of dishes and glasses breaking. It wasn't a minor tilt, and I immediately panicked. T.J. tried to reassure me that this wasn't a catastrophe, but I wasn't believing it. I left him sitting at the table, saying "I have to go check on the kids!" and ran up 5 flights of stairs. I, and a bunch of other parents, were right outside the Kids' Club, as the ship was still listing. The kids, thankfully, didn't even NOTICE the tip, so after being reassured that the kids were safe and happy, I went back down to T.J.
We eventually found out that both compasses failed at the same time, sending the ship into some sort of default mode (and the default was a sharp turn, hence the list). We took a brief tour of the ship and, beside the dish/glass breakage, there wasn't much damage. The swimming pools did get emptied (running down one of the sets of elevator shafts). But our room was undisturbed, thankfully.
Day 11 -- Sea Day
Here is about where I started to break down in writing all about our trip. We had a great day onboard the ship, and Amelia and her shipboard friend Emily had a great time doing down the big waterslide by themselves. Poor Jack was upset that he couldn't do it too, so I eventually caved. He had his hand taped in a plastic glove, then taped in a plastic bag, and then I wrapped a big beach towel around it. Luckily, the splash pool at the end of the slide was super-shallow, so I wasn't too worried about it getting wet. Before we even hit the end of the slide, Jack was yelling for more! He giggled the whole way down and had a blast! I certainly got even MORE exercise by taking him up.
the kids loved playing in the sports court, too. They'd play basketball and soccer, and we'd take them to the golf practice area and to shuffleboard. They loved their sea days as much -- if not way more -- than they loved the port days.
Day 12 -- Naples, Italy
OK, I'm having a little trouble maintaining the "oomph" to blog on the cruise, so please forgive me if the details are sketchy. Next time, I'm just going to take the computer along so I can do it as we go. Naples, itself, was less than exciting. No road rules, piles of trash everywhere, and I was basically hesitant to get out of the car. Which worked out well, as we spent most of our time in Sorrento and elsewhere. We had another great driver pick us up, and we made our first stop at Mt. Vesuvius to take a look around. I'd been there before, but not that high up, so it was cool. We walked up the side a little, but it wasn't too conducive to toddler, so we didn't go far.
We then drove to Sorrento, which was -- as always -- beautiful. We enjoyed a little shopping before heading to lunch on the coast. The kids liked playing on the small beach while we waited for our food, and we found tons of beach glass. TJ got to revisit a hotel he had been to before with Pop, and I admired all the amazing views.
Day 13 -- Rome, Italy
Technically, we docked in Civitavecchia, Italy, and Rome was an hour or so away by bus. We instead opted to see an ancient city called Ostia Antica, also about an hour away from the port. It was an abandoned city, and the remains looked much like Pompeii (but without the bodies). It was, in some respects, far more impressive than Pompeii, and I marvelled at the mosaic work throughout. I will note that ancient cobblestone streets were not designed for double strollers... We were there for a few hours, then back on the boat in time for a late lunch.
Day 14 -- Sea Day
Honestly, I'm not sure what we did this day. The weather wasn't good for swimming, so we didn't do that. I think the kids were at the Kids' Club for most of the day (Amelia kept begging to go, especially because it was the last night). TJ and I had a nice dinner out and then went and played Wii in a private room, which was a lot of fun.
Day 15 -- Barcelona, Spain
We disembarked with all our things and met our final tour guide for a tour around Barcelona. We enjoyed a driving tour, seeing a lot of the architecture, and a short walking tour, including lunch at a tapas bar. We then took a drive to a beach town (though I forget the name, I know TJ will remind me) and let the kids frolic on the beach.
It was, in all, a wonderful cruise, and I'd HIGHLY recommend it. We recommend it so much, in fact, we're doing another cruise (the Baltic Capitals) at the end of the summer!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our holiday began on a sour note. We were due to leave Saturday morning, and had been given the all clear by the burn unit on Wednesday to go on holiday and have a great time. So of course, something was bound to go wrong. On Thursday night, Jack started coming down with a fever, and by Friday, it was a high fever. And it was a holiday, so all the regular doctors weren't working. We end up having a doctor make a house call, diagnosing Jack with strep. (So, luckily, the fever wasn't due to infection in his hand!) I go off in search of the lone pharmacy open to stock up on antibiotics (which, luckily, would cure his strep as well as preventing any infection in his hand) and paracetamol. So we kept him hopped up on ibuprofen and paracetamol, and he was quite happy!
Day 1 -- Fly to Istanbul
So we headed off to Istanbul on Saturday. It was an easy flight, and we arrived with no problem. We had a private tour driver pick us up at the airport and gave us a mini-tour of the city as we went to the hotel. We were a little surprised at the hotel, as a guard stopped every car to inspect it (including using a mirror to look underneath), and there were retractable barriers preventing entry into the parking circle. And then, when we walked into the hotel, we had to go through a metal detector.
We had a wonderful dinner at a typical Turkish restaurant. They immediately brought out a tray of appetizers to pick from (goat cheese, marinated tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, among others0, and we had a wonderful main meal of kebabs. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time! Even the kids ate more than usual!
We were all tucked into one room overlooking the Bosphorous. We went to bed the first night, and then Amelia and I were awakened by fireworks being shot off over one of the bridges. It was a great way to end the day.
It was clear very early on that the Turks love kids. Everyone was talking with them and touching themk. I had gone down to inquire about dinner, and was speaking with a woman named Zeynep. I told her how excited Amelia would be, as she had a friend at school named Zeynep and that I had told Amelia that she probably would never meet another Zeynep. And lo and behold, I did. I returned to the room, and moments later, the doorbell rang. It was a bellboy, bringing up 2 teddy bears for the kids, and enclosed was Zeynep's card. It was really sweet. This was the first of many instances that we found gifts showered upon the kids!
Day 2 -- Princes' Island, Istanbul
We got up the next morning and took a cab ride to Ortakoy, which was just 10 minutes from our hotel, and right by the river. There were several cafes lined up, and we were one of the few people walking around (and it wasn't that early -- maybe 8:30). We picked a cafe for breakfast and had a good breakfast -- a little unusual, but tasty. They had fresh-squeezed OJ for the kids, and I had a turkish coffee. It had been many years since I'd had one, and now I remember why! Very strong, mostly because the coffee grinds are still at the bottom of your cup.
The kids loved running around in the little plaza, chasing the pigeons.
By the time we finished breakfast, several souvenir vendors have opened up. We started walking around, and everyone was fawning over the kids. Two women, selling evil eyes, noticed Jack's hand (which is still all wrapped up) and motioned to us to wait for a minute. They got out a glass evil eye bead and a piece of cord, and made Jack a special bracelet right there, which they gave to him. He was so proud of it, he showed it to everyone. (And, poor guy, he was still running a fever, but was running around with no problem.)
We head back to the hotel, where a work acquaintance of T.J.'s has offered to take us to one of the Prince's Islands with her husband and her daughter. We take a 30-minute ferry ride to Buryukada, a darling little island with almost no cars! We stop for a little snack of pastries and borek (a delicious boiled pastry with feta cheese and meat) and lemonade before heading to the top of the island via carriage. Since there are no cars, there are literally HUNDREDS of carriages waiting to take people around. Once we were about 3/4 of the way up, the carriages stopped, and Amelia and I took a donkey ride the rest of the way up (while the rest of our group walked up).
We had a late dinner at a seafood restaurant, where you got to pick out your own fish -- we got this scarily large fish that seemed to have a bony exoskeleton. We again got to pick our appetizers from a huge tray. More wonderful food (T.J. warned me about not talking too much about food on the blog ....)
We took a ferry ride back to the Asian side of Istanbul -- just so we could say we had been to Asia -- and took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a great day, and everyone had lots of fun.
Day 3 -- Private Tour, Istanbul, and Embark on Ship
We meet up again with Kaan, who had picked us up from the airport, for a private tour of the city and transfer to the ship. We went first to the Topkapi Palace, where Amelia was most fascinated with the Golden Cradle, where I was most impressed with a big bowl of emeralds. Jack was mostly just scared of the dark. We also got to see the Blue Mosque, which was just amazing. Jack hated it, because he couldn't wear his shoes...
We then went in search of a restaurant that Susan had recommended to us, but it was closed. So we found a similar place, where there were women making tortilla-like breads and men playing traditional music. We had a lunch of these tortillas filled with cheese, and some hummus and bread. We were there when the call to prayer occurred, and I went outside to listen to it. It was really amazing to listen to, and you could hear the mosques "calling" to each other (one mosque would recite one line, then another would recite the next on their loudspeakers). I went back in the restaurant to see Amelia decked out in a jingly hat with a veil.
We then made a far-too-short visit to the Grand Bazaar, a mind-boggling array of 6,000+ stalls. It was truly amazing. But the sales people were aggressive -- if you even glanced at their stall, they would say "Yes, please" and try to get you to come in. And, of course, haggling was required, so you never know exactly what kind of deal (or not) you're getting. I was so panicked that I had only an hour or so to shop, that I was clueless as to where to go. And it was just such a maze of stores, I kept going in circles. Words cannot express how crazy it was! But I was still able to buy some silver, pottery, Turkish delight, and evil eyes.
Afterwards, we went to the Hippodrome. I wish I had a better memory, but I fear all my information on old, ancient ruins has run together. Needless to say, we saw a 3500-year-old obelisk from Egypt (how can it look better than some things that were built 20 years ago??). But if you want to see/read more, look here: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Sultanahmet/Hippodrome.html (you can also see infomation here on the Blue Mosque and Ayasofia).
It was a great day, and our tour guide was amazing. My only regret was not being able to spend more time at the Grand Bazaar. And while Istanbul itself wasn't that pretty (very crowded, lots of rundown apartment buildings), there were some places that were quite pretty, and I bet there are even more sights that we didn't see ... Perhaps next time.
Day 4 -- Bosphorus Cruise, Leave Istanbul
The first night on the ship was great. Amelia slept in a pulldown bed attached to the wall, while Jack slept in a pack-n-play. They slept great, and we woke up to a wonderful breakfast (I had crab cakes eggs benedict....) Ok, no more food talk, for now. We left the boat for our first excursion -- a city tour (mini) and a Bosphorous cruise. We visited Ayasofia (which was really beautiful, and quite a surprise to see traditional Christian figures in a mosque). I bought Jack a flute from a gentleman peddling them on the street. Got a pretty good deal through accidental haggling, since I wasn't too keen on buying it anyway, I wasn't about to pay too much. I'm not sure anyone on the tour was happy I bought it, as there was much loud tooting going on. (There weren't many kids on the cruise....)
We also took a trip to the Spice Market, which, thankfully sold more than spices. I had a chance to make up for the Grand Bazaar, and picked up more pottery, silver and some Turkish Delight candy (like a nougat, and I got mine with pistachios). Amelia scored a free evil eye pendant, which was pretty cool.
Then it was back to the boat, and we introduced the kids to the Kids' Club. The "counselors" were great with the kids, and there was a climbing structure and a lot of activities (and face painting!). Jack wasn't always so sure about it, until we started referring it to the jungle gym instead of the kids club. I was called to pick him up once because he was crying too much, but it was only once, and we went back with little trouble.
Day 5 -- Izmir, Turkey (Ephesus)
Izmir itself wasn't much to see, though I think there were some Starbucks around. We took a shore excursion to Ephesus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus). It was a pretty impressive ancient city, and some impressive ruins. The kids, of course, were less than impressed, until there was a little Ancient Roman show where a man ate fire. Needless to say, Jack was quite concerned (the whole burned hand thing being quite fresh in his mind).
After Ephesus, we headed back to the bus, where Jack and T.J. encountered a camel. They had to pay a euro or so to get their picture taken (do you think the camel sees a cut of that?). It's impressive that Jack doesn't seem to be too upset, as he panicked at most of the real animals (and people dressed as animals)
Day 6 -- Athens
This was, admittedly, the place I was most excited to visit. Something about having seen pictures of the Acropolis and Parthenon, and it just seemed neat to actually be there. We docked in Pireaus, a suburb of Athens. The town itself where we docked wasn't very exciting, and we didn't spend much time there -- just drove through it on our way to Athens. Despite a weather forecast of 75 and sunny, we got on the bus just as the rain started, and there was a chill in the air. We drove through town, saw some great ruins (as they were trying to build their metro, they kept encountering ruins, so by each metro stop, there was a glass-enclosed room of ruins.
By the time we got to the Acropolis, the sun started to come out a little, though it was still chilly. Jack, instead of listening to the tour guide, decided to play with rocks. Which quickly led to a skinned knee.
The Acropolis, I thought, was more impressive than I had thought. I didn't realize there was a whole host of buildings on the hill aside from the Parthenon. The only disappointment was that they are restoring it, so there was a lot of scaffolding. But it was really impressive to see, and I'm thrilled that we got to see it. The kids, of course, were less than impressed that day, but I'm sure in the years to come, they will be fascinated that they went.
After walking around the grounds of the Acropolis, we took a bus ride to the area of Plaka in Athens, where we were going to have a chance to shop and eat. I'll gloss over the food details, but suffice it to say we had some great gyros. The kids weren't interested in eating, so they donated all of their french fries to the pigeons. We walked along the pedestrian shopping area, where we saw many of the same knick-knacks as we did in Turkey. We did, of course, also get some great baklava...
One of the great things about the ship was being able to get free cappuccinos anytime during the day. One of the bad things was that Jack discovered cappuccinos as well. I found that I quickly had to change to decaf. If I left my cup unattended, I would see Jack put the cup in the crook of his elbow of his bad hand (he would wait until the coffee was cold before he got too close) and would then slide open the balcony door and go on the balcony to enjoy his coffee. It was pretty funny to watch. He would see me with my cup -- he's rub his stomach and say "mmmmm, my favorite." (Of course, the coffee tended to speed up his digestive tract, if you know what I mean. Quite often, we'd see Jack drinking his coffee while in his "poop squat" position. Quite hilarious.
Day 7 -- Sea Day
The kids were quite happy to have a day without tours ("Please, no buses today" they were crying) and enjoyed a day at the pool. Though it was a little breezy, the pool was quite warm, and Amelia loved it (even though it was salt water, which she found a little disconcerting). Jack wasn't able to enjoy the big pool, but he was able to enjoy the baby pool (which he usually had all to himself, except when Amelia was there), which had an elephant slide. We bundled Jack's hand in a rubber glove, taped up, covered by a plastic bag, taped up. He looked a little silly, but it kept his hand dry (we were a little hesitant to visit the Namibian doctor on board if we didn't have to) and allowed him to enjoy a little bit of water.
I became a frequent-enough fixture at the baby pool that the bartenders (the bar was conveniently located right next to the baby pool) would see me and ask if I needed a margarita. I rarely said no. Jack referred to it as my "drinky-drink."
I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the bingo game going on, since Amelia is very into playing Bug Bingo and Ocean Bingo. Not so much. After we lost the first few games, Amelia failed to see the fun in it, and they just started running around the bar area with some other kids (whose parents were also losing bingo with me). The children's high point was going to the Kids' Club for a party that night, where they got their faces painted and made crowns. It was great for us that they enjoyed the Kids' Club so much, as it gave T.J. and I a really nice chance to have a quiet dinner.
The kids also loved the towel animals that appeared in our room periodically. I need to learn how to do that!!
Day 8 -- Dubrovnik, Croatia
This was, I think, my favorite place to visit. It was very picturesque, with blue sky and blue water and an amazing skyline. We took a tender from the ship to the shore, and then walked around the old town, which is closed off to cars. T.J. and I each took a turn walking along the old city walls, which gave a spectacular view of the city.
Their specialties seemed to be silver, lavender (including essential oil and sachets), and these wonderful little pieces of candied lemon and orange (the kids LOVED them and didn't realize there was any fruit involved in the candy).
The kids were also very excited to find a playground on the other side of the city walls. they always seemed to be so amazed that other cities had playgrounds, too.
We walked over to a little "beach" just outside the old city. It was a perfect day for the beach, and although the beach was rocky, not sandy (so the kids wouldn't walk on it -- lots of carrying going on) and the water was cold, we and the kids had a great time sitting in the sun. It really was a wonderful day!
Day 9 -- Venice, Italy
We arrived mid-morning and took a water taxi to St. Marks, and then we went to Murano. I was on a quest for glass, while the kids were on a quest for ice cream. Luckily, we all found what we were looking for. I simply adore Venice, and love getting lost in all the streets. I won't talk about the pasta and tiramisu (but it was yummy). The kids made me SO nervous in all the glass shops. They just didn't get the concept of "NO TOUCH!!" So they were quickly banned from all the shops, for fear of me having to pay for and bring home hundreds of euros worth of broken glass.
T.J. was scheduled to take a night tour of St. Marks but was worn out from the day. So I took his tour (Happy Mother's Day!) and had a great time. We had a private tour of St. Marks -- and were even able to take photos, which you can't normally do. After the tour, we had time to shop. I am amazed byt how they make the glass and all the intricate designs. I easily found some souveneirs and had enough time left over to get some takeaway food and enjoy it while sitting on some steps leading down to a canal.
Day 10 -- Venice, Italy
We took the water taxi back to St. Marks and walked around the square (more ice cream, of course). Amelia was very excited to pick out a mask, and she picked out a purple cat mask. Amelia was fascinated by all the pigeons but wasn't so sure about them when one landed on her.
We got back on the boat right after lunch to set sail, so I took Amelia to the pool and took her on the waterslide, which she LOVED. I certainly got my exercise going up those stairs over and over.
The kids had dinner in the kids' area, then we took them to the Kids' Club for Pirate Night, while T.J. and I went to the Chinese restaurant. We were just about finished with our dinner when all of a sudden, the boat tilted. And I do mean TILTED! T.J. caught our plates and glasses right before they slid off the table. Most people were not as fortunate. All around was the sound of dishes and glasses breaking. It wasn't a minor tilt, and I immediately panicked. T.J. tried to reassure me that this wasn't a catastrophe, but I wasn't believing it. I left him sitting at the table, saying "I have to go check on the kids!" and ran up 5 flights of stairs. I, and a bunch of other parents, were right outside the Kids' Club, as the ship was still listing. The kids, thankfully, didn't even NOTICE the tip, so after being reassured that the kids were safe and happy, I went back down to T.J.
We eventually found out that both compasses failed at the same time, sending the ship into some sort of default mode (and the default was a sharp turn, hence the list). We took a brief tour of the ship and, beside the dish/glass breakage, there wasn't much damage. The swimming pools did get emptied (running down one of the sets of elevator shafts). But our room was undisturbed, thankfully.
Day 11 -- Sea Day
Here is about where I started to break down in writing all about our trip. We had a great day onboard the ship, and Amelia and her shipboard friend Emily had a great time doing down the big waterslide by themselves. Poor Jack was upset that he couldn't do it too, so I eventually caved. He had his hand taped in a plastic glove, then taped in a plastic bag, and then I wrapped a big beach towel around it. Luckily, the splash pool at the end of the slide was super-shallow, so I wasn't too worried about it getting wet. Before we even hit the end of the slide, Jack was yelling for more! He giggled the whole way down and had a blast! I certainly got even MORE exercise by taking him up.
the kids loved playing in the sports court, too. They'd play basketball and soccer, and we'd take them to the golf practice area and to shuffleboard. They loved their sea days as much -- if not way more -- than they loved the port days.
Day 12 -- Naples, Italy
OK, I'm having a little trouble maintaining the "oomph" to blog on the cruise, so please forgive me if the details are sketchy. Next time, I'm just going to take the computer along so I can do it as we go. Naples, itself, was less than exciting. No road rules, piles of trash everywhere, and I was basically hesitant to get out of the car. Which worked out well, as we spent most of our time in Sorrento and elsewhere. We had another great driver pick us up, and we made our first stop at Mt. Vesuvius to take a look around. I'd been there before, but not that high up, so it was cool. We walked up the side a little, but it wasn't too conducive to toddler, so we didn't go far.
We then drove to Sorrento, which was -- as always -- beautiful. We enjoyed a little shopping before heading to lunch on the coast. The kids liked playing on the small beach while we waited for our food, and we found tons of beach glass. TJ got to revisit a hotel he had been to before with Pop, and I admired all the amazing views.
Day 13 -- Rome, Italy
Technically, we docked in Civitavecchia, Italy, and Rome was an hour or so away by bus. We instead opted to see an ancient city called Ostia Antica, also about an hour away from the port. It was an abandoned city, and the remains looked much like Pompeii (but without the bodies). It was, in some respects, far more impressive than Pompeii, and I marvelled at the mosaic work throughout. I will note that ancient cobblestone streets were not designed for double strollers... We were there for a few hours, then back on the boat in time for a late lunch.
Day 14 -- Sea Day
Honestly, I'm not sure what we did this day. The weather wasn't good for swimming, so we didn't do that. I think the kids were at the Kids' Club for most of the day (Amelia kept begging to go, especially because it was the last night). TJ and I had a nice dinner out and then went and played Wii in a private room, which was a lot of fun.
Day 15 -- Barcelona, Spain
We disembarked with all our things and met our final tour guide for a tour around Barcelona. We enjoyed a driving tour, seeing a lot of the architecture, and a short walking tour, including lunch at a tapas bar. We then took a drive to a beach town (though I forget the name, I know TJ will remind me) and let the kids frolic on the beach.
It was, in all, a wonderful cruise, and I'd HIGHLY recommend it. We recommend it so much, in fact, we're doing another cruise (the Baltic Capitals) at the end of the summer!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Medical Update
Jack got a glowing review from the burn doctor last Monday. You can't tell at all where the burn was (while his palm is a little red, you can't see the edges of the burn at ALL, and it's left NO scars). We will continue to put lotion on it several times a day, but we'll start phasing it out over the next two weeks. We'll make one last follow-up visit in 6 weeks, but the doctor anticipates no problem. He has full range of motion, and he uses it with no problem. He doesn't even mention the incident anymore -- the only reference he makes to it is when he's using his left hand, and he'll say "Mama, me using burned hand!" It's great that he has healed so well, and it makes me feel better to know we aren't the only ones this has happened to.
Amelia has started some speech therapy. She is just a tiny bit behind in some of her speech, and we thought we'd take care of it now. She had her first session last week, and she mastered the "sh" sound in one 30 minute session! She's done a great job in practicing it this week and is excited to see Freddy today to show her how she's been practicing.
We made a trip to an oral surgeon a few weeks back for both of the kids. Amelia has an irritation fibroma on the inside of her cheek, where she's repeatedly bitten it. It's now called "her bump" and while it doesn't generally bother her, she does occasionally bite it on accident. They say it won't get bigger or smaller, but it will probably need to be removed in the next few years. Luckily, there's no immediate need to remove it, but once it starts to bother her, it will be a simple office procedure to get it removed.
And Jack is officially tongue-tied (tight tongue frenulum) and will need to have that clipped, sooner rather than later, to avoid it interfering with his speech. That will be another day-long, in-office procedure, but longer than Amelia's. I had the same problem many years ago, and despite the fact that the surgeons nearly took me in for open heart surgery by mistake, I fard the procedure with little ill effect. So we will probably look to have the procedure done this summer, so that he can continue with school and speech with little delay.
We've been battling fevers the past week -- Jack came down with two weekends ago, then two days of health, then Amelia has caught it. Luckily, it doesn't come with other symptoms, and the ibuprofen/paracetamol trick keeps them feeling well enough to play.
T.J. was off on a tedious business trip last week golfing in the U.K. He's apparently really improved his game, and has really enjoyed the few gold outings he's been on recently.
I particpated in the neighborhood brocante (flea market) on Saturday to get rid of a few things. I was rather nervous about it, since I knew I'd have to conduct business in French. I woke up to a light drizzle but decided to take everything up anyway. I looked like a bag lady, as I loaded one of our old (for sale) strollers up with bags and boxes, then I carried 2 trash bags around my wrists. No sooner did I arrive in my spot and start to unload boxes off the stroller, than a horde of people descended upon me, pawing through the things. They even opend bags to dig around! It was worse than any US early risers at garage sales!! The weather was unpleasant, but I still managed to get rid of most things -- enough to pay for the babysitter, dinner and movie that night. I did OK with the French, but it wasn't always easy.
It's 78 today, and I filled the little pool up with water. Jack is having a great time, but Amelia isn't too interested. Jack has the beginnings of a double ear infection (coming out of nowhere), so he's getting dosed up on ibuprofen and antibiotic ear and nose drops. Our doctor was quite worried about us, as he hadn't seen us since before our cruise....
Amelia's birthday party is next weekend at our club. So far, we have 14 kids coming. 22 have been invited, we can only host 20 maximum, and no one has declined yet!! Alas, today is the deadline for responding, and we have 8 yet to respond. I'm really hoping SOMEONE says no!! Amelia is gleeful about the prospect of all the presents!
I'm sorry I'm STILL working on the cruise blog. It just isn't as easy to find the time as I would expect. I promise to continue toiling away!
Hope everyone in the US is keeping cool!
Amelia has started some speech therapy. She is just a tiny bit behind in some of her speech, and we thought we'd take care of it now. She had her first session last week, and she mastered the "sh" sound in one 30 minute session! She's done a great job in practicing it this week and is excited to see Freddy today to show her how she's been practicing.
We made a trip to an oral surgeon a few weeks back for both of the kids. Amelia has an irritation fibroma on the inside of her cheek, where she's repeatedly bitten it. It's now called "her bump" and while it doesn't generally bother her, she does occasionally bite it on accident. They say it won't get bigger or smaller, but it will probably need to be removed in the next few years. Luckily, there's no immediate need to remove it, but once it starts to bother her, it will be a simple office procedure to get it removed.
And Jack is officially tongue-tied (tight tongue frenulum) and will need to have that clipped, sooner rather than later, to avoid it interfering with his speech. That will be another day-long, in-office procedure, but longer than Amelia's. I had the same problem many years ago, and despite the fact that the surgeons nearly took me in for open heart surgery by mistake, I fard the procedure with little ill effect. So we will probably look to have the procedure done this summer, so that he can continue with school and speech with little delay.
We've been battling fevers the past week -- Jack came down with two weekends ago, then two days of health, then Amelia has caught it. Luckily, it doesn't come with other symptoms, and the ibuprofen/paracetamol trick keeps them feeling well enough to play.
T.J. was off on a tedious business trip last week golfing in the U.K. He's apparently really improved his game, and has really enjoyed the few gold outings he's been on recently.
I particpated in the neighborhood brocante (flea market) on Saturday to get rid of a few things. I was rather nervous about it, since I knew I'd have to conduct business in French. I woke up to a light drizzle but decided to take everything up anyway. I looked like a bag lady, as I loaded one of our old (for sale) strollers up with bags and boxes, then I carried 2 trash bags around my wrists. No sooner did I arrive in my spot and start to unload boxes off the stroller, than a horde of people descended upon me, pawing through the things. They even opend bags to dig around! It was worse than any US early risers at garage sales!! The weather was unpleasant, but I still managed to get rid of most things -- enough to pay for the babysitter, dinner and movie that night. I did OK with the French, but it wasn't always easy.
It's 78 today, and I filled the little pool up with water. Jack is having a great time, but Amelia isn't too interested. Jack has the beginnings of a double ear infection (coming out of nowhere), so he's getting dosed up on ibuprofen and antibiotic ear and nose drops. Our doctor was quite worried about us, as he hadn't seen us since before our cruise....
Amelia's birthday party is next weekend at our club. So far, we have 14 kids coming. 22 have been invited, we can only host 20 maximum, and no one has declined yet!! Alas, today is the deadline for responding, and we have 8 yet to respond. I'm really hoping SOMEONE says no!! Amelia is gleeful about the prospect of all the presents!
I'm sorry I'm STILL working on the cruise blog. It just isn't as easy to find the time as I would expect. I promise to continue toiling away!
Hope everyone in the US is keeping cool!
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