Lala Rules: Read the Books!

I think, as it's now less than 30 hours until the new year, we can officially declare my reading list for the year complete.
I've had a reading goal for several years now and I think I've only ever reached it once? I've come close but have fallen short more often than succeeding. I have discovered that having a prescribed list of books to read for the year doesn't really work for me. Sometimes you're not in the mood to read anything you picked out in January, no matter how well intentioned your choices were. Sometimes you need to follow a heavy book up with some excellent YA fiction or a hilarious comedy (Thanks Jim Gaffigan). Sometimes you find an authour and want to read everything they've written. Sometimes an audiobook performer leads you to other works they've performed you've never even heard of.
Anyway, this year my goal was 24 books and I nailed it! As of today, I've read/listened (science says listening counts!) to 33 books. Even without the YA fiction, which Adam maintains shouldn't count, I made it.

They are as follows, in no particular order, with my unsolicited thoughts:
(bold items were audiobooks)

Non Fiction:

1.The Examined Life - I listened to this and thought it was great but it might have been better to read so I could apply the lessons better. It's the same thing I think about Brene Brown books - they need a slow thorough reading in order to absorb properly

2.Why Not Me - I already loved Mindy, this just confirmed my enjoyment of her.

3.Yes Please - I love Amy too. I'm a big fan of comedians who read their own stuff.

4. As You Wish - Delightful. At some point I'd like to read 'Princess Bride' watch the movie and then listen to this again.

5. Upstairs at the White House - enjoyable to the max, so much so that I recommended it to my bestie and my Mother in Law.

6. I am Malala - a Christmas gift from Adam last year. This took me a long time to read because I owned it so it kept getting pushed to the back of the line in favour of books with deadlines.

7. The Big Short - this was shocking, disturbing and disheartening. Everyone should read it.

8. Not my Father’s Son - powerful memoir by Alan Cumming. I thought he did a fantastic job.

9. Dad is Fat - I needed something light and enjoyable after reading about the OJ trial and this was great. Plus, I keep thinking about some of the things he said, both hilarious and meaningful. Well done Jim.

10. The Run of His Life: The People vs O.J Simpson - I watched the mini-series of this earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get more into the actual facts. Disheartening when you get down to brass tacks though and the fact that he literally got away with murder. Very accessible.

11. Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania - I've read both 'Devil in the White City' and 'In the Garden of Beasts' by this authour and this was more of the same - his skill at making history come to life is enviable.

Fiction:

12. The Luckiest Girl Alive - this was a hard one but one day I might want to read this with my girls, as a conversation starter.

13. East of Eden - get out! Why have I never read this before? Loved it.

14. The Lake House - Morton delivers enjoyable storylines, even if I HATE jumping between narrators/time periods device.

15. The Girl On The Train - gah! Full of frustrating and unpleasant characters but I could not put it down. Gripping stuff. Reminded me of 'Gone Girl'

16. The Martian - I still haven't watched the movie but now I totally would because the book was enjoyable and funny

17. Redeployment - this book of short stories from a writer who served in Iraq was HARD to read. Very upsetting I kept going though because I felt like I owed it to the people who have real stories like this. I left with my belief reconfirmed: we ask too much of these people. We ask too much of their families.

18. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - I thought I was getting the book the Tina Fey movie of the same name was based on. Nope. This was science fiction/conspiracy theory and I kept waiting for it to be funny/enlightening. Interesting but I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise.

19. Their eyes were watching God - book club delivers again. Loved this.

20. Sunset Song - every time I read this I love it and the place I grew up even more.

21. Laddie - I think this is sort of like the American, Norman Rockwell version of 'Sunset Song'

22. Still Alice - powerful and haunting

23. The French Lieutenant’s Woman - I want to read this again, I didn't care for the audiobook and I wonder if the main character would seem less obnoxious on the page

24. The Client - my first ever Grisham; not as gripping as I had hoped to be honest. Enjoyable, but maybe I've seen too many Grisham movies which might play to all the books strengths making the books seem lackluster by comparison

25. Big Little Lies - Moriarty does enjoyable twists and I loved the accents in this audiobook

YA Fiction

26. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before - fairly enjoyable YA, fast read

27. P.S. I still love you - ditto

28. Wildwood Dancing - a retelling of a fairytale, not my favourite YA of the year, but clean and enjoyable

29. We were Liars - a last minute twist that made me want to re-read the WHOLE book. Those are the best kind

30. Finnick of the Rock - enjoyable fantasy, not enjoyable enough to get me to read others in the series though

31. The truth about forever - meh

32. Eleanor and Park - dark and sad but good.

33. Liesel and Po - this was a Jim Dale audiobook (he read the Harry Potter series)

34. Girl In The Blue Coat - loved this. WWII Amsterdam - tense and twisty and thought provoking.

Wow, that got a lot longer than I intended it to be.

And now, for next year. The goal for 2017 is one book and one book only.

TEAM OF RIVALS

I'm coming for you Kearns Goodwin.

Maggie Rules: Grow Your Hair

The thing is, when your first baby comes with hair (which was a surprise to be honest, both in colour and amount) you expect subsequent babies to come with hair. Behold Jo's newborn locks.

She wasn't going to win any hairy baby contest but she had hair, no doubt about it. She continued to have hair too. She never really got that bald patch in the back that some babies get. 

There's an old blog post about the advent of her pigtails, at 8 months old even. 

Her pigtail game continued to be strong at two years old. Basically, Jo's hair went from strength to strength. Nowadays it's sort of off the charts in gorgeousness. People stop her and ask if I curl her hair. Nope. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

    It's just a thing that happens when you're Jo.

Now don't get me wrong, Maggie did come with hair. When they handed her to me, she had the tiniest little curls of red hair. I started telling all and sundry she was a red head. I was ecstatic on her behalf - I spent years envying my sister's lush red curls. Nobody was convinced though, and when you look at pictures it isn't hard to see why. Maggie's hair when not wet was nonexistent. She had fabulous wrinkly old man bald head. 

I was firmly convinced though that she was a red head and as time marches on I continue to hope she's got some curl. 

The lack of growth in Maggie's hair has led to an ongoing series of updates on her hair status. This results in a weird collection of pictures and outtakes that lead to much hilarity when viewed as a whole. Behold, just some of your Maggie hair updates:

So, our hair situation has recently moved firmly into the pigtail category. Not only that, but Maggie will now ask for her hair to be done. If she watches Jo get hers done first that is. And as such, I had to document the pigtails on the Christmas card. Oh what a joy they are, even the second time around. Perhaps especially the second time around.

Oh this girl! 

Flying Rules: Restore Your Faith in Humanity

Here's the thing about flying with two small people. It's stressful, and there's not a thing you can do about it. You have to get on the plane. You can't opt out, (at least you can't if you join the foreign service) and a lot of times there seems to be nothing you can do to improve the outcome. Also, sometimes you have to fly with a person who isn't interested in being confined to her car seat, or watching a movie, or sitting in your lap, or reading her books, or eating her food, or playing with the toys you brought. <cough, Maggie> However this person may also be accompanied by another who watches her movies and goes to sleep like the best traveling child known to man. I pray this saving grace upon you.

There's another thing that no one tells you about flying with small people - it can restore your faith in humanity*. Occasionally to the point of tears. You'll sit between two Grandmas with your 16 week old and they will help you get all set up to nurse and coo over your baby when she's awake. People will help you with your bags. Or your stroller. Or those stupid car seats. Or almost anything really. Airline personnel will let you board early. Or do a magical thing called bag valet. People will watch your sleeping toddler so you can go to the bathroom. They'll point at their teenagers and tell you it gets SO much easier. A flight attendant will grab you while you're struggling and tell you "Breathe! You can do this -you've already done the hard part!" and then she'll get you a glass of water. Folks will play peek-a-boo over the seat with your never-endingly restless one year old.  They'll tell you your kids were great on the flight, even when you know it was their worst flight yet. It's amazing. People can be totally incredible. 

*With one caveat. You have to be alone with your small people. If you've got a second adult you are often completely and utterly out of luck. A cute child or two helps too....

Cousin Rule: They're the Best

Today as I was sitting on the couch I let Maggie watch some videos from our recent UK trip. I pulled up one of her baby cousin (almost four months old) and Maggie pointed and exclaimed with glee "Bea!" At which point my heart melted and I thought "I would spend any money in the world for that!"
One of the coolest parts of the parenting gig so far (in my book at least) has been introducing and having my girls spend time with their cousins. It's sort of like more siblings but with less work. Less work for me at least; my sister-in-law's who have four or five babies are definitely doing more work :)

Jo Rules: Say Funny Things

Jo's a pretty hilarious kid at times. She's verbal to the nth degree and this can sometimes be overwhelming for her Mother - sometimes I have to tell her I need quiet time. Of course, quiet time to Jo means her going into the next room (where she can still see me) and doing something loud. I should probably just let her talk, it might be less noisy.

Anyway, she can say some random and hilarious things. Here are some examples from the last little while.

'Mummy, you know what? If bugs would be good bugs, they could be nice and help me clean up my room.'

In regards to a hungry Maggie while we are out and about: "Mummy, you can feed her" <pause> "with your chest"

J: What are you doing?
Me: Getting the hair off my legs
J: Why
Me. Because I like it better with no hair
J: Well, that's the way Heavenly Father made me and Daddy

'Mummy! You're so bouncy!" (This was in reference to my tummy)

'Good job Mum! You're a great grown up!'

J: Mummy, so you know who I don't like?
Me: who?
J: Boys. Except my Daddy boy. He's the best.

'Reece was pretty funny cause he was yelling his head off. Silly penguin' (Reece is our neighbor and most definitely not a penguin)

Singing during a silent moment at dinner; 'there's so many things I want to touch....that are not mine' (we have an ongoing struggle to get Jo to leave things alone that don't belong to her - she touches everything, and it seems like it's all the time)

In regards to jumping SO high on a trampoline: 'Look at me jump Mum! It's like I'm 50 years old!'

Saubi Rules: Go out at night

One of our biggest challenges here so far has been the heat. No surprises there I'm sure. We have a small yard here but we never play in it. We have access to a playground at the embassy and I'm pretty sure there's one somewhere in our neighborhood too. I've yet to go out and find our local one though because it pretty much feels like we live on the face of the sun. The heat here is no joke.

All this to say that we don't go out much during the day. We do go to the embassy playground at least once a week to provide some variety (it's outdoor but shaded). We have also started playing indoor soccer and Jo does Cosmic Kids Yoga (shout out to Nancy W for the intro to that life saver) because we all need to move. Dance parties are regular enough that Maggie starts yelling as soon as our song comes on.

We've also done the occasional evening walk. When we first got here, I didn't have a handle on how little the temperature changes after the sun goes down. So that first week I decreed we would all head out for a walk after dinner.  Man alive it was brutal. Now that we are all a little more acclimatized to the crazy height of the heat, the post sundown walks don't seem so unreal. When I go outside and 90 degrees is a relief, you know it's a strange state of affairs. The plus side of having arrived in July is that it can only get better.
Right?
September, I'm looking at you.
At the very least, evening walks make for some fun pictures.

Saubi Rules: Write it down

Seriously though, maybe 'write it down' just needs to be a life rule. In general it seems the best/the only way for me to remember anything is to write it down or have a picture of it. I've just been over on Shutterfly looking at old projects while getting ready to make another book. It's crazy the things you forget. I'm so glad I have pictures to remind me of Jo's precious curls (it's wavy now and still gorgeous) and fun things we did - searching out the best shave ice - gah! Too fast! It's all going so, so fast. <and breathe>
Our current stage of life, I think, will be particularly interesting to me as I tend tend to forget the details of major life transitions. Defense mechanism perhaps. Say no more.
So here are some things going on for us right now, or at least since we've arrived in Saubi. No interesting stories about the place we are today. Apologies. Just small life details I'd like to remember.

Maggie has made huge strides since we got here - she was already on her way to full fledged toddler <sob> but she's really outdone herself since our arrival. She mastered sleeping through the night, significantly decreased her pacifier use (now only at naps and night) and as of yesterday, is fully weaned. Self-weaned too. She literally turned her head and said 'all done.' It doesn't get more self-weaned than that. She's also started drinking milk, much to my surprise. She has a few words and is constantly trying to tell me something. She'll say/screech/yell 'more,' has a pretty clear 'all done,' makes a rough estimate of 'please' (which sounds more like 'cheese') and is pretty clear about Dad and of course her version of Jo (though Jo's name would be unintelligible to anyone who didn't know her well). She will also say 'drink' and 'tree,' can point to her nose, toes or fingers and constantly, constantly asks me read to her.  She's a little bundle of fierce joy. She loves to play hide and seek- mostly I hide then jump out on her and she laughs like a maniac. She also loves her older sister. Who wouldn't?

Jo is such a delightful four. She wants to please and she  is easy to please. She wants nothing more than to spend every day all day with people. She's a genuine little ball of love. And stubborn. Four, did I mention she's four? She knows lots of things and will correct me repeatedly even when she's wrong. She misses her friends in Utah and that's sometimes been hard for her. She has a limited understanding of what our moving really entails. She will still occasionally ask when we are going to move back to our old house in Orem. She doesn't really comprehend that someone else lives there now. She is however, comforted that her dearest friend moved too. To Jo's mind that means she doesn't need to miss her. Of course her friend moved to the house next door, but the principle remains the same for Jo.

We are slowly getting into a rhythm to our days here. Jo has an alarm clock and isn't supposed to come out of her room until 7. We usually have to send her back at least once. We send Adam off to work in the mornings while I am trying to rustle up breakfast. I took the opportunity of stocking my pantry from scratch as a chance to eliminate processed food. This is hardest at breakfast because now I have to cook something. Oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt and fruit, eggs and toast are all on regular rotation. While Maggie takes her morning nap, Jo and I do 'school' - her reading book, workbooks and a math app on the iPad, sometimes followed by an experiment, art project or game of some kind. All of this has reinforced that homeschool really isn't for me.  I've started going to Zumba and Pilates and need to really focus on kicking my sugar habit. There are so many British options for chocolate here that I have yet to go grocery shopping without picking up something. I've found it incredibly comforting to find such an array of food from 'home' here but it also creates a strange dissonance - I'm not in either once of my 'homes' but there are trappings of both. So much to learn and incorporate. I'm still dreading the culture shock settling in, but I do have a trip to look forward to!

House Rules: Close the Gate

I suppose there are two possible views of stairs. First there's the 'normal' view: a great convenience designed to take you to another level of your home. Then there's the view for those of us who have children of a certain age: a feature capable of inflicting untold horror on the limbs of our precious small people. 

Needless to say, I fall into the latter category. Baby M is of a certain age where stairs are her nemesis, but she doesn't know it yet. As a result I spend all day saving her life. At least that's what it feels like. Did I also mention that my stairs are tiled? The fear people! It is real. We haven't had stairs in her lifetime so far. Her first home was one level, her second on the 6th floor. This home has a two landing staircase. 

I've been on the case to get us some baby gates since before we got here to be honest. I asked GSO the size of the stairs and thought of shipping them ahead of us. GSO assured me you can buy them on the local economy here. I put the shipping plan aside. I don't know GSO personally but I'm going to go ahead and make some assumptions about this person. 

1. Male 

2. Childless? Or at least no children of a certain age. 

It's true that you can buy baby gates here in Riyadh. To be honest, you can buy most things you might need. However, the practicalities of just being able to go out and buy something.... I believe I have mentioned this before. I can't drive. Add to this that we have been adjusting to a new place, a new time zone and you've got a recipe for no baby gates. I don't know what I was thinking. I really should have gone with my gut and sent the baby gates ahead. 

Luckily for us, a kind soul here gave us a baby gate. Then Adam went out and bought a second one. Then it was on to installation. But we have no tools. And the gates weren't actually wide enough for the stairwell. So on to the creation of a special wooden piece to fill the void, cut to accommodate the baseboard. Then there appeared to be missing parts. So I read the instructions. No missing parts. Installation spread out over several days. People are busy. 

All this time, Baby M is repeatedly flirting with serious bodily injury. Bathroom trips are fraught with danger. Who knows what she could do to herself in those two minutes? 

The gates are complete and installed as of today. New experiences abound here in the KSA, and some of them aren't what you'd expect. 

Saubi Rules: Make a Fool of Yourself

Two weeks here in Saubi now and I have a list of foolish things I've done for your enjoyment and mine in two years when I look back.

-Getting in the wrong line.
There are separate lines for things here - going through security at the mall, ordering food, checking out at the grocery store. There's a line for 'family' and then a line for 'single men.' Anyone of, or accompanying someone of,  the female gender has to go through the family line. Sometimes, it's simply a male and female line and then I have to take myself and the girls through the female line.  I keep ending up in the 'single men' line and having to correct myself. I'm sure I look panicked when this happens, but I have to say, so do the Saudis around me.

-Forgetting to have my produce weighed
At the grocery store here, your produce is weighed and the price affixed in the produce department. Forgetting hasn't been a big deal yet, but I live in fear of doing it when there's a huge line behind me. So far it's just been a mild inconvenience. So far.

-Buying things I didn't mean to
(I am now realizing that a lot of my mishaps so far are purchase related. I don't spend all day every day shopping, I promise)
I wish I could blame this on everything being in Arabic but I really can't. I have yet to find or buy anything that doesn't have some labelling in English. I am sure that day will come, but for now my shopping experiences have made me feel like I'm cheating. Isn't this too easy? And then you realize that you've come home with a liter of laban and not milk. On the plus side of this, I subbed it in for buttermilk in pancakes one night, then blended it with mango the next night for a dessert, so not all was lost. Still, I think it was a bit of a shock to Adam when he poured himself a tall glass to go with his evening cookies.

-Not having every inch of Baby M covered/slathered in sunscreen
I live in great fear of the baby getting a sunburn. I remember having horrible sunburn as a kid when we visited Oman. On my bum no less. I couldn't sit down it hurt so badly. And then (maybe on a different trip?) another time when my forearms were so burnt I had huge blisters that burst when I jumped in the pool. Owwwwwww. As a consequence, I try to make sure the kids are covered or wearing ALL the sunscreen. Applying sunscreen while outside in 110 degrees is not my favorite. Mum fail.

Luckily I haven't forgotten my abaya yet. There's plenty of time for that though. Plenty of time.

Saubi Rules: Stay off the Road

There are some really unique things about Saubi. The most noteworthy of these, for our purposes today: women can't drive.
As you'd imagine, this can be quite the obstacle. I imagine it will be for me in the not so distant future. If I'm honest, with 10 days in country now, it has been a pain, but only slightly. The current ameliorating factor being that we don't have our car yet, so it's not as though there's a perfectly good vehicle sitting in my front yard.  Thank goodness for the embassy provided rides because it is hot as all get out here so I'd never go anywhere without. Even the embassy, which is less than a couple of miles, is impossible to walk to at this point.
To elaborate further - the embassy has a motorpool of vehicles with a well-staffed office of drivers and I can call them to schedule a ride. They will come and pick me up and take me where I need to go (usually the embassy). For longer trips there are also pre-scheduled shuttles to grocery stores, souks, some restaurants and even IKEA. The biggest kink in the works at the moment is Baby M and her naps, because there are still two of them and so our window to leave the house is miniscule.
I can imagine when the weather is cooler and my bike gets here we may have more freedom of movement. I am hoping that is true at least.
I must confess though, that I've been watching the roads while I'm being chauffeured around and I have no interest in driving here anyway! The roads are pretty busy, the drivers are interesting, and there seems to be a LOT of construction going on at all times and in all places. It's been alarming to watch some of the close calls and some of the decisions other drivers make. I'm sure there will be more to report on this matter. Possible swear words for sure.

Maggie Rules: Eat food. Only some of it.

Baby M shows signs of being opinionated about her food. When Jo was little, she would eat almost anything. Except meat. Meat was definitely a battle. I have a list of food Jo would eat at this age - blueberries, apples, clementines, raisins, oatmeal, peaches etc. etc etc.
Baby M, on the other hand, has strict rules about her food. Did it grow on a tree? Not going to eat that. Did it come from a bush? No thank you. Does it have more than one texture? Unacceptable. Was it fried? Yes please and I'll have Mum's too. Cheese? Give it all to me, every last crumb. Carbs? Hmmmm. Probably acceptable. Especially if you add cheese. Pureed fruit from a pouch? I'll do that unless I've eaten something else first. And meat? Yep, I'll steal your pot roast for sure.
Anyway, all this is to say that I've had a devil of a time trying to get Baby M to eat healthy things. Specifically I was stumped by her refusal to eat oatmeal. Jo ate oatmeal every single morning for the longest time. Oatmeal and fruit. M was having none of that nonsense. I did finally convince her to eat Weetabix, which, when soaked in milk, turn to mush so they're baby suitable.
Then we moved to Saubi. And I haven't bought a single box of cereal (I know it's only been a week but I have been to the grocery store twice!) Maggie eats oatmeal all of a sudden. With raisins (almost a fruit, right?) and she will now eat bananas. Pears have become pleasing (as long as they are peeled). My breakfast problems are evaporating before my eyes. Plus, we now have a huge container of laban to use up. And I know for sure she'll eat pancakes.

Saudi Rules: Nickname

My friends, we are here! I am sitting in my bedroom in the KSA! (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also known as Saubi because that's what Jo calls it and I love it) There are adventures to tell along the way - including The Story of the Worst Flight of my Life - but let's commence with our current situation.

Side bar:  You know I like to go back and fill in/backdate posts so watch out for that if you really need to hear about Maggie's natural ability to torture a person through sleep deprivation. I'm going to tell that girl to join the CIA. Too soon?
Or maybe you didn't know that in which case, consider yourself now warned!

Moving on.

As I said, I'm sitting in my bedroom. Let me paint a picture for you. The girls are napping, there's a pot of black beans on the stove for dinner, laundry going in the machine and sunlight dancing around the room courtesy of the leaves on the tree outside.  A gorgeous leafy green tree folks. Blowing in the slight wind and making the sunlight dance. How lucky am I? Here I find myself in the middle of a vast desert and there's a tree outside my house. I have moved a nice wing-back chair over to this corner so I can sit and enjoy the green view and while I was engaged in moving the furniture, I discovered the chair is a recliner. I am winning all the things!

Seriously, though, so far so good in Saubi. We've got a nickname for where we live. We've got a green tree and the girls have transitioned time zones like absolute pros. I, on the other hand, keep waking up after falling asleep at unhelpful times. 10am naps anyone? Thanks jet lag!

(Not our current tree)

Flying Rules: Don't take Baby M

Baby M has never been the best sleeper. The first four months of her life were grindingly slow on account of it. I enjoyed them but it sure was rough. For everyone.

Our June trip to Reno, NV was a test run of sorts for our big international move.  We left BWI at 6 or 7 in the morning. This necessitated a 3 am wake up call and an hour drive to Baltimore. You'd think she'd sleep on that flight. Nope.  She slept for maybe 20 minutes on that first flight to Salt Lake. It was painful. I hadn't slept myself the night before - packing, packing, all the packing. I kept dozing off and being awoken by Baby M wriggling out of my lap. Over and over.  Luckily we were seated next to a little girl flying as an unaccompanied minor who thought Maggie was a hoot. The flight from Salt Lake to Reno was a dream. She slept pretty much from wheels up to wheels down. Sadly it's a short flight - think barely time for the drinks service. On the way home, we flew to Salt Lake again and it was dinner time so everyone was awake. Short flight so not a big deal. Next we flew back to Baltimore. The girls slept. I thought we were golden. No such luck - Baby M woke up halfway through and just couldn't get comfy. After showing a distinct preference during her first year for sleeping while held by, or curled around me she is OVER IT. She wants to sleep laying flat and when you are a lap infant, that's not a thing you can do. She kept digging her toes into the poor girl sitting next to me while trying to stretch out. Luckily she was quiet and willing to sit in my lap. Some of the time at least. I didn't think it was too bad but I figured it couldn't get too much worse either. Wrong.


Our flight from DC took us through Frankfurt. When the government flies you everyone gets a seat. I was hoping that this would be the magic ticket - Maggie would have her own seat so she'd sleep in her car seat. In hindsight I have no idea why I thought this would work. We had just finished a road trip to Syracuse, NY which proved (again) that Maggie just isn't a fan of sleeping in her car seat. I'm talking screaming bloody murder for over an hour during a driving rainstorm. Wild times man. Luckily the trip to NY was totally worth it.



The flight to Frankfurt was, how to say it? The worst flight of my life. We were on a plane with a 3-3-3 layout and we had the stage left three and one across the aisle. We had Jo at the window, me in the middle, Baby M on the aisle and Adam across the aisle. Before we took off, a nice flight attendant informed us that car seats are a no-go on the aisle. What to do? Luckily Adam was sitting next to two empty seats so we traded Jo over to the middle one next to him and put Baby M at the window next to me. We effectively now had 6 seats. Score. Even better, Maggie went to sleep. In her car seat. However, 40 minutes later she was awake and would not go back to sleep for more than 7 or eight minutes at a time. It's an 8 hour flight folks. It started at 10pm. She was like worst snooze button of my life. By the time we got close to the end of our flight, I literally couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I sat her down on the floor in front of me and blocked the aisle. Then I kept jolting awake thinking she had made it into the aisle and off down the plane. It was brutal. I can't wait until she's interested enough in a screen/movie to make travel reasonable again. The countdown is on. Nemo will save us all.

(Frankfurt to Riyadh was a cakewalk by comparison and I have no idea what was different about it. Nonplussed folks. Totally nonplussed)

Virginia Rules: Visit the Temple

One of my favorite stops during the great Dammah and Papa visit was the trip up to the temple. We wandered around the grounds and touched the gorgeous golden doors. 

First Jo and Dammah took a turn.

Then Jo and Mummy. 

Tickles for the baby. 

These girls and their interactions put joy in my heart. They love each other a lot, long may it continue. 

This temple, I love it so much. 

Pool Rules: Bring Your Towel

One of the things I was most excited about when we picked out our housing here in VA was the pool in the complex. Of course, I didn't know at the time that we'd have limited time to use it because we're headed to post in July and will be gone for much of the time between now and then.
Still, we invested in some pool towels at Costco and got the girls swim gear for the year so I was determined to make use of it as soon as it opened and we were home. So after driving home from the Poconos yesterday I dragged the girls out to the pool.

We had some hiccups on our first trip today but nothing that can't be overcome. The flotation device I have for Maggie is not approved for our pool so I had to carry her the whole time. This is when I discovered some major flaws in my swimsuit situation. Almost a wardrobe malfunction, yikes. Maggie was not super keen on the pool, I think on account of it being quite chilly out there. And then there were our towels. It seems you can't just put any swim towel on your four year old, even if she is quite tall for her age.

Right after I took this I turned around to take care of our stuff for leaving and when I turned back to Jo she had simply laid down on the ground. She couldn't walk on account of the towel length and she was too tired to stand anymore. Funny stuff to find her on the floor. 

Maggie express her jubilation at the situation. Mostly at being out of the pool methinks. There is a pool at the embassy in Riyadh so hopefully she gets closer to liking this water business either before we leave or shortly after we get there. 

Virginia Rules: Enjoy the Green

There's something so much easier about getting two small people dressed and out of the house when you have another adult with you.
We went to the park today, and not just any old park. This is a park Jo has been asking to go to every Sunday since we arrived. We drive past it on the way to church and it is often bustling with children. Sadly I've never gotten her out there, until today that is. I do believe that fun was had by all. Sadly the rain this week left the park flooded in areas and so it was difficult to navigate for both Maggie and I. Maggie on account of her relatively newly acquired walking and me on account of wearing completely the wrong shoes for the elements.
Still, I do believe Jo and Maggie enjoyed themselves.  Jo made friends with anyone else who was using the park and Maggie made several attempts on other people's food. Plus, pictures with your Auntie in a fake tree trunk, what more could you want?!

  

 

I must admit, the last picture was taken purely so I will have something green to look at in the coming months. I won't be seeing anything like that on the regular in Riyadh. A girl needs her green, at least this one does.

Baby Rules: Remember Your Birth Day

I don't know if I ever wrote down Jo's birth story (I really should do that, hers is so different from this one) but since it is Maggie's birthday I'm going to get hers down.

Disclaimer: It's a birth story folks. There's discussion of birth related medical situations. I had a baby and this story isn't really edited for the comfort of all. Proceed with caution if queasy.

Maggie was due May 20th. I had a midwife appointment that week and was dilated to a four; I'd had a few random contractions but nothing serious. The midwife group I was working with had four midwives. Three of the four I was more than happy to have catch my baby, the last one I didn't want anywhere near me. I'd had appointments with her early on and she always made me feel like she wasn't really sure what was going on. I'd ask her a question and she'd ask me for the answer. It was unnerving. All this to say that at my appointment I discovered the midwife I had been successfully avoiding was scheduled to be on call for the upcoming holiday weekend.  So, I really wanted this baby to come before Friday 11:59pm when the uncertain midwife started her on call weekend.
My midwife scheduled me for a non-stress after the weekend in case Maggie didn't show by then and she tried to suggest getting induced so I could avoid uncertain midwife. I was firmly against being induced but pretty nervous that this baby was going to wait for the weekend (like i knew she was mischief before she got here) so I agreed to  a 'gentle strip' that day and to come back the next day (Thursday) for a check and membrane strip.

So, Wednesday I was at a 4 and had a gentle strip. I then went for a walk up Provo canyon with my two neighbor friends and assorted children. I had some cramping, a couple of contractions later on that day but nothing more.

Thursday (40 weeks, 1 day) I came back and was still at a 4 and had another strip. Nothing. All day nothing.

Friday (40 weeks, 2 days) my appointment was with the uncertain midwife. Gah. I probably should have just skipped it. But, it made me more certain that ever I didn't want her in the delivery room. Anyway, her strip was beyond less than gentle. I was fuming when I left. I'm actually still fuming about it a year later. <insert low grade expletive>

Anyway, we had no plans for the day so I decided to take Jo to the mall after lunch.  She loved the indoor park there and I wanted her to enjoy her last days as a solo kid. I remember having one contraction at the park but it was manageable.

I should add at this juncture that I was in labour with Jo for almost 26 hours. I'd heard that second labours go faster - sometimes cutting the time in half. So, 13 hours I figured.  Plenty of time to get everything situated and get to the hospital. Adam's Mom was going to come and get Jo - they're 30 minutes away so no big deal to wait for her once things got going. Adam worked a 12 minute bike ride away. The hospital was 11 blocks away. No concerns at all. Adam's Mom had actually called earlier to see if she should pick up Jo as she was passing through town and I'd turned her down. In hindsight, my Jo labour started at a 1 - I was barely dilated with her. Though in my defense, no one ever said to me "Laura, you are halfway done with this labour already bear that in mind when it starts" I mean, my midwife had told me to come in when it started but she didn't make it sound urgent or anything.

I was laying on my bed (air mattress in the living room - best pregnancy idea ever) reading to Jo when I got a call from the Census Bureau. I've been participating in an in-depth census program and this was a follow up call to make sure my last census interview had been satisfactory. Just as I was telling the census customer service center that everything was fine I had a contraction that was not messing around. It was so painful, sudden and intense that I had to get up off the bed and do some funky breathing in the ear of the rep. I got off that call and remember thinking "well, Adam will be here soon I better get the tracking app going, maybe we will have a baby after all today." Adam had left work at 5 and by the time he got home around 5:20 I think I had properly freaked Jo out. She had gone to get her doctors kit and was trying to give me a check up.

Adam arrived home and my biggest concern was Jo - I wasn't able to do anything but focus on my contractions so I really couldn't manage her and them. He offered to take her to get something to eat while we waited for his Mom to come and pick her up. So I sent them off to eat. (In hindsight I would not have done that again, timing contractions is something I'm not capable of during labour and so we had no idea what we were dealing with. If someone else had been there to time them maybe I or they would have figured out what we were dealing with sooner) While they were gone I was trying everything that had worked the last time to help with pain and nothing was even close. This time though, thankfully, I was at least able to sit down. I'm thanking my frequent chiropractor visits for that one - during my Jo labour I'd been unable to handle a contraction seated, it was the least helpful thing I'd tried and that's putting it lightly. I remember throwing up and texting my sister to tell her that. Add 'text' to the list of things I don't do well when in labour because I'm not sure I ever told her I was dealing with the real thing at this point. Adam's Mom arrived with cousin Emma and I sent them outside to wait for Jo and Adam. I was past being able to talk or think very well. I have no memory of  Jo heading out with them. Then Adam was home and started trying to get our stuff together to get to the hospital. I do remember telling him I didn't think I could do it this time - I might need an epidural. The pain was so much worse than I remembered that I was absolutely positive I couldn't make it through 13 hours of it. He said we could definitely do that and I told him I didn't want to pay for it. (Scottish cheapness) I also remember Adam checking my contraction timer app and we just had nothing to go on - not enough contractions or timing to make a pattern. Next I decided I need to go to the loo. So I headed for our tiny bathroom and decided to also try the tub - it had been wonderful last time. I got in and had the worst contraction yet and also the distinct need to push. I really thought I was going to die in the tub. What the what I thought? I've only been in labour for maybe 90 minutes at this point? Adam came back from doing something somewhere else and I told him "I think I need to push." To which he sagely responded "Well then get out of the tub, we are going to the hospital" and then I tried to talk him out of it. Because labour Laura verges on insanity. The hilarity of trying to get a labouring Laura dressed and off to the hospital is the type of thing you'd see in a movie and think 'doesn't happen in real life.'

Anyway, Adam finally got me in the car (sitting on a towel) and we headed to the hospital. I remember approaching the stop sign and thinking "he's going to stop! WHAT??? WHY???' and then one of the lights on the way to the hospital was red and I had a contraction while sitting there. Every time I stopped at that red light after that I had flashbacks. Sitting in a car strapped in by a seatbelt may be the worst way to have a contraction ever.

We pulled up to the hospital door and I remember looking at the clock in the car - 7:19pm. We walked into the women's unit and Adam gestured at me in response to the "can we help you?" query. Some double doors were opened, I made a beeline for a nurse standing next to the triage desk (I assume), grabbed her arm and said "I need to push." She tried to tell me not to push and to get me to a bed but I was no use to anyone - I grabbed hold of the wall and pushed. Which is when my water broke. People were shouting (it seemed to me)  "get her to a bed" someone else "get the bed to her!" The contraction ended, the bed was wheeled out into the hall and I was perfectly capable of climbing onto it between contractions. I was wheeled into triage, someone asking me "who's your doctor?" somebody else says "get Jennifer" and I say "Jennifer's my doctor." Handy that, my second favorite midwife is down the hall delivering someone else. Next thing I know, we are in triage and I'm saying "where's get my husband" and nurses are reassuring me he'll make it. In comes Adam - they'd had trouble finding my info despite me triple checking my registration in the weeks leading up - the old Sheridan Bliss vs Bliss problem. Not far behind him is the midwife - she puts on gloves, asks them to pull the curtain so I can't be seen from the hall (I hadn't even noticed) and tells me I can push on the next contraction. So I do. And when it ends I announce "That's all I can do" to which Jennifer says "No, you need to do more, she's halfway out." Well, in that case! They passed her to me and I told her "There you are! I've been waiting for you!"

Babies with lips. It's how we roll.

Two hours old staring at her first visitor

So Maggie arrived at 40 weeks 2 days (just like Jo) with 1.5 pushes, 2 hours 15 minutes of labour total. 11 minutes after arriving at the hospital. A pretty fun entrance to the world.

Maggie Rules: Don't Ride the Carousel

We headed down to the National Mall today with our visitor to picnic and check out the Carousel. I thought for sure the girls would love it, and 50% of them did.

Yep, Maggie hated the carousel. I had originally planned to sit on the bench seat they have on the carousel and hold her but I wanted to watch Jo too so I ended up choosing an animal for Maggie to sit on in range of the place Jo wanted to ride. Should have stuck with the bench idea. Maggie was perturbed by all the motions her animal was making - up and down as well as round and round? This is clearly outrageous! Sound the alarm! Grab your Mummies everyone!
I suppose the group shot should have clued me in - she already seems to be regarding that horse with some apprehension. Live and learn #parenting

Mother's Day Rule: Take More Pictures

It's been a goal of mine to get a picture of myself and my little people on Mother's day, however, both of them arrived at less than ideal times. Jo was 11 days before Mother's day 2012 and Maggie was 12 days after it in 2015. I've been a mother to my first new born one year, and hugely pregnant with the second another. This has made for some interesting or completely missing pictures. My collection is slightly spotty. <insert meta motherhood lesson> The bonus part of both girls arriving in May is that I have semi decent photos from that month if not from the day itself. 

Behold - my Mothers Day pictures so far

2012: Wet hair and 11 day old baby

Here's an example of the birthday thing working out for me. This is the Sunday before Mother's day that year  - Jo's birthday party 2013

2014, the outtakes this year are pretty hilarious.  I actually almost only put in the following picture from Jo's birthday - we both look much less ragged and you can see Jo's cast! Remember when Jo broke her leg? And I thought she was faking until she wouldn't put weight on it even when I offered her chocolate? #mum fail

2015: Here's the only picture I have of both of us that year around Mother's Day - unless you count the pictures of me with two babies, but on the actual day I only had one so this works.  We did a lot of snuggling in bed during my Maggie pregnancy...

And this might be my favorite of them all. I can't remember if I purposely had all us coordinating or not, but let's say I did and call this an even bigger win. 2016, you've done me proud

Mummy Rules: Take a Picture

I know, I know, I keep saying I need to write stuff down and take pictures. So here's my attempt. Easter 2016 in multiple posts even.
So over the weekend I found this dress in Jo's closet and I begged and pleaded with her to wear it so I could take some pictures of her in it. This is a dress I wore when I was little, and it was hand made by my Mum. I may as well have been asking Jo to wear sackcloth and ashes woven from the thorny stems of rose bushes. There was bribery and corruption galore involved in getting Jo to even put the dress on. "Just see if it fits, you can wear that other dress to church, I promise!" (I did follow through on that promise too, just for the record. This dress was only on her little body for about 30  minutes) I finally cajoled her into the dress and then down the stairs for a photoshoot. The problem being that Jo doesn't like to have her picture taken. Or rather she doesn't like to cooperate to have her picture taken. She doesn't object to being on camera, she just doesn't really care to listen to instructions. See dictionary definition: child.  She will do all in her power to avoid looking at the camera, smiling, standing in that spot you wanted etc. The downside being that she just prolongs the time it takes to get the picture and therefore has to listen to more instructions. It's a vicious cycle, my very on 3 year old Catch-22.
Still, it's pretty great to see her in the dress and I know one day I'll be so glad I captured this.

 OK, ok, so I already am.

Easter Rules: Hunt with Friends

We had so many Easter happenings this past weekend but I bet if you asked Jo she would tell you that having Rachel over to stay was the highlight of it all. It may in fact have been the highlight of Jo's year thus far.
Rachel's parents were celebrating their anniversary and I volunteered to take their little people so they could enjoy some down time. Since it's Easter this weekend our apartment complex was having an Easter egg hunt. I tried to get us all out the door in time but I had double the number of people I usually do, and let's be honest, I don't even make it out the door on time with two.

So, we eventually got ourselves organized and headed down to the hunt. Only to find it pretty much over. At least we thought it was until I found an untouched hidden area. Thinking I had found the jackpot I showed it to my charges and encouraged them to get to work.

 Pretty soon I was shown the error of my ways. An older gentleman approached and informed us (none too graciously) that we were egg hunting in the 6-10 year olds area. None of my entourage passed for 6 and this gentleman was obviously disgruntled with us. I redirected my charges and we moved back to the 1-5 year old area where we found some eggs and traded them for a prize. Does stuff like this happen with this same level of frequency to other people I wonder? It's a mystery for the ages. Maybe it does and no one is fessing up?

All was not lost though, we got some fun pictures (and contraband 6+ candy) and since the average age of the group (excluding me) is under 2 they thought it was the best hunt they've ever experienced. Plus, let's all remember that just having Rachel stay over was enough to make Jo's year. This whole egg hunt experience was just so much icing on the cake to her. Oh please be 3 forever.