It's our wedding anniversary today – 5 years, 2 children and how many different houses/countries in that time?!? We were going to go out for dinner but now that Abigail is not well, we've decided to do something as a family at the weekend instead.
Abi is a bit better today but she still has a temperature, still not feeding properly and is still not her happy self. I feel so bad and wish there was more I can do for her but all I can do is soothe her as best I can and follow her lead with what she wants – sleep, feeding etc. We've had another disaster today as well; DJ fell over and has sprained his ankle. It's so sad because even though we have bandaged it up, he keeps forgetting and going to walk somewhere and then remembering when it hurts him to put pressure on it. Bless him! Again, I feel really helpless. He can't run around or race about on his car so Mel and I have been trying to entertain him sitting down – puzzles, books and small cars.
It's been a fairly quiet today. It rained really heavily this morning so Mel decided not to go out and I am not going anywhere because of both my children not being up to it. We tidied up a bit this morning and then Mel and I managed to watch the last episode of 'I'd Do Anything'. I was really happy that my favourite person won and will be playing Nancy in the West End. How cool! I said to Mel that she should do something like that – she'd be amazing!
This afternoon 'The Kumar' came and cleaned and then Pen came home from work early but is now working at home. Abigail, bless her, has been asleep for about two hours now and still sleeping soundly on our bed. She obviously needs it.
Not much news to write today; no plans yet for the weekend but need to think about where we are going to go and what we are going to do. Our phone got cut off an hour ago, so not sure if the internet will follow. I really hope that it doesn't because I will be lost without it. Just love popping online for a couple of minutes and checking Facebook and e-mail and of course, updating my blog. Anyway, if you don't hear from me for a few days then you'll know why.
Well, gotta go now and help Mel who has been amazing at looking after DJ today so I can focus on Abigail. Thanks Mel. I love you and love having you here. To all of you, my friends and family in UK, Doha and Europe – I miss you all and I'm sorry I haven't been better at keeping in touch. I cannot believe it is Friday already! Where has the week gone?! At least it's the weekend now and Pen is off work for two days … something to look forward to – going shopping, out and about and just having Pen around too :)
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Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday 29th July 2010
We had made plans to meet my friend Melinda and her two daughters at the mall today at 12.30 so we had a fairly relaxed morning, taking time getting ready to go out. Penri dropped us off at 12.15 and Melissa went off to do some shopping and I took the children up to the 2nd floor to the play area. Melinda wasn't there yet so I took DJ and Abi into The Early Learning Centre which has just opened up in Ambience. It was amazing in there … really well laid out, lovely background music (which wasn't overpowering as most of the shops are here) and the toys they had were really nice. There was a two (or three – I can't remember) storey garage with matchbox cars laid out as soon as we got in the shop so you can imagine what Dylan was doing the whole time I was shopping in there. I didn't actually buy anything – I just priced a few things up and had a good look around.
After we left there I walked a couple of shops down to Mothercare and saw Melinda in there on her phone. DJ wouldn't stay in the pushchair as he had now seen the play area so there was no way he was going to sit still! I took him out, put him in the play area and then went back and told Melinda that I was going to sit just behind the play area so I could feed Abi.
When I got to the bench there was a security guard sat there and I asked him to move so I could feed the baby, but because there were quite a lot of people around, in the end I decided to sit on the floor to feed her because I can disguise what I am doing better by putting the pushchair in front of me. Pretty much as soon as I started feeing her, two guys came and sat on the bench and started watching me. Literally, just sitting there to look at me! When Melinda came back she mentioned it (that they were staring at me) and I told her they had come AFTER I had started feeding and were just staring at me. Anyway, I finished feeding her and then we went into the play area with Dylan and Charlotte and the two babies. We stayed for about 40 minutes and then went back into ELC to look at the toys. After that I needed to feed Abi again to try and get her to sleep as she was really tired! I fed her and Melinda went off to go back to Mothercare with her two children. When I sat Abigail up from her feed, she immediately threw up. She was just sick and sick and sick. I was sitting on the floor in the play area of the mall surrounded by sick, it was all over Abi, all over me, I just couldn't believe how much there was. I asked the lady who worked there if she had tissue or a towel or something. She didn't seem to understand what I was saying to her so because I couldn't move, I phoned Melinda and asked her to pop back (Mothercare is right next to the play area). The woman from the play area appeared back with what looked like a floor towel and I asked her to pass me my green bag off the pushchair. Again she looked at me like she hadn't a clue what I was saying. Anyway, the long and short of it is – I got some wipes, a floor towel and started to clean up the mess. I was drenched. I had a change of clothes for Abi (as I always carry spare clothes for both the children) but I had nothing for me, so I just had to clean it as best I could.
While all this mayhem was going on and I was sitting on the floor feeling completely helpless, the woman from the entrance to the play area came up to me and told me that our time was up and we had to leave the play area. I looked at her with a shocked face as there was literally only one other child in the play area – it's not like we were in the way or anything. I replied to her that as soon as I had cleaned up, I would leave. Then in the next minute, a woman approached me from outside the play area and started talking to me through the net. She told me I have a cute baby and asked if she could take a photo!! Again, I just looked at her totally shocked! SERIOUSLY!! I said to her 'This really isn't a good time'. She seemed a bit taken aback that I hadn't let her take a picture, but really!!!!
We left the play area and went up to the Food Court where I had arranged to meet Melissa. I got DJ some food and sat down where I was trying to calm Abi down to get her to sleep. She got a lot worse very quickly and started burning up with a temperature. I phoned Mel on her Doha mobile and told her that we had to leave because Abi wasn't well. I then called Penri and he came and picked us up and took us home.
The afternoon wasn't good because I couldn't get Abi to sleep and she didn't want to feed and her temperature was up and down. Dylan was so well behaved and spent most of the afternoon entertaining himself, bless him. I finally managed to get Abi to sleep at 8 p.m but in my bed. It was my dad's idea actually because I spoke to him on Skype and I was telling him how I can get her to sleep on my shoulder but then as soon as I lay her down, she wakes up. He suggested laying her on my bed and I lay next to her and it worked like a charm!! She didn't get up again until 10.45 p.m but when she did, she seemed a lot worse and her fever was raging so we took her to the hospital. The doctor said she has a viral infection and gave us Calpol and some nasal drops. We brought her home, gave her medicine and I put her to sleep in our bed.
After we left there I walked a couple of shops down to Mothercare and saw Melinda in there on her phone. DJ wouldn't stay in the pushchair as he had now seen the play area so there was no way he was going to sit still! I took him out, put him in the play area and then went back and told Melinda that I was going to sit just behind the play area so I could feed Abi.
When I got to the bench there was a security guard sat there and I asked him to move so I could feed the baby, but because there were quite a lot of people around, in the end I decided to sit on the floor to feed her because I can disguise what I am doing better by putting the pushchair in front of me. Pretty much as soon as I started feeing her, two guys came and sat on the bench and started watching me. Literally, just sitting there to look at me! When Melinda came back she mentioned it (that they were staring at me) and I told her they had come AFTER I had started feeding and were just staring at me. Anyway, I finished feeding her and then we went into the play area with Dylan and Charlotte and the two babies. We stayed for about 40 minutes and then went back into ELC to look at the toys. After that I needed to feed Abi again to try and get her to sleep as she was really tired! I fed her and Melinda went off to go back to Mothercare with her two children. When I sat Abigail up from her feed, she immediately threw up. She was just sick and sick and sick. I was sitting on the floor in the play area of the mall surrounded by sick, it was all over Abi, all over me, I just couldn't believe how much there was. I asked the lady who worked there if she had tissue or a towel or something. She didn't seem to understand what I was saying to her so because I couldn't move, I phoned Melinda and asked her to pop back (Mothercare is right next to the play area). The woman from the play area appeared back with what looked like a floor towel and I asked her to pass me my green bag off the pushchair. Again she looked at me like she hadn't a clue what I was saying. Anyway, the long and short of it is – I got some wipes, a floor towel and started to clean up the mess. I was drenched. I had a change of clothes for Abi (as I always carry spare clothes for both the children) but I had nothing for me, so I just had to clean it as best I could.
While all this mayhem was going on and I was sitting on the floor feeling completely helpless, the woman from the entrance to the play area came up to me and told me that our time was up and we had to leave the play area. I looked at her with a shocked face as there was literally only one other child in the play area – it's not like we were in the way or anything. I replied to her that as soon as I had cleaned up, I would leave. Then in the next minute, a woman approached me from outside the play area and started talking to me through the net. She told me I have a cute baby and asked if she could take a photo!! Again, I just looked at her totally shocked! SERIOUSLY!! I said to her 'This really isn't a good time'. She seemed a bit taken aback that I hadn't let her take a picture, but really!!!!
We left the play area and went up to the Food Court where I had arranged to meet Melissa. I got DJ some food and sat down where I was trying to calm Abi down to get her to sleep. She got a lot worse very quickly and started burning up with a temperature. I phoned Mel on her Doha mobile and told her that we had to leave because Abi wasn't well. I then called Penri and he came and picked us up and took us home.
The afternoon wasn't good because I couldn't get Abi to sleep and she didn't want to feed and her temperature was up and down. Dylan was so well behaved and spent most of the afternoon entertaining himself, bless him. I finally managed to get Abi to sleep at 8 p.m but in my bed. It was my dad's idea actually because I spoke to him on Skype and I was telling him how I can get her to sleep on my shoulder but then as soon as I lay her down, she wakes up. He suggested laying her on my bed and I lay next to her and it worked like a charm!! She didn't get up again until 10.45 p.m but when she did, she seemed a lot worse and her fever was raging so we took her to the hospital. The doctor said she has a viral infection and gave us Calpol and some nasal drops. We brought her home, gave her medicine and I put her to sleep in our bed.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday 28th July 2010
I was woken up this morning by some very loud (and quite annoying) music coming through the baby monitor. DJ had woken up and gone into Abi's room and started playing with the noisy toys! Normally I lock Abi's door from the inside and then the only access to her room is via the bathroom. Last night though, because she was awake so much, I didn't end up doing it because I was in and out between her room and mine pretty much every hour to two hours!
This morning we have just relaxed and done a bit more tidying up. I am glad 'The Kumar' is coming today to clean. It's amazing how just one day of not mopping the floors makes such a difference. They need doing every day!!
Abi went for her nap at 10. We are getting into a good routine in the mornings where she naps at 10; the afternoons aren't quite so structured in that sometimes she will sleep and others, there's no chance of her sleeping then it gets to 5 and she can't keep her eyes open any loner. Dylan is doing really well without any naps in the day now. He is better when he doesn't nap because then he sleeps really well at night time. He seems very happy in his new bedroom and his big bed!!
Late morning I spoke to Debs on Skype which was lovely as we haven't seen each other for AGES!! It was really nice to catch up (even if it wasn't for as long as I'd have liked to chat to her). It's always so crazy when we try to talk because I've got DJ and Abi here and she has her three children so we never seem to be able to just sit down and have a proper chat. But Debs if you're reading this, I'm missing you loads and hope to see you soon :)
We made DJ a special lunch and as a treat let him watch cartoons in the lounge while he was eating. Mainly because we have moved the laptop to the dining table so he can't really get to the table to sit down properly. Need to sort that out tomorrow so he can be back at the table. He still wants to sit in his high chair and I keep trying to explain to him that it's now Abi's chair but bless him, I don't think he quite understands. I remember when he started walking how much we had to enforce the fact that he needed to sit in his high chair and I remember how he used to never want to be strapped in while he was eating. He always wanted to be up and about. And now, he would rather be nibbling and running around!
In the afternoon, I took DJ and Abi for a walk to the compound shop. DJ didn't walk, he went on his little car that Sam gave him for his birthday and Abi went in the single pushchair so as I was walking to the shop I was pushing along two things (one with each hand). Dylan was very well behaved and listened to me really well and we had a nice trip to the shop and back.
When we got back, Mel looked after both children while I dyed my hair. I've never done it on myself before so I was really anxious, but I am happy to say that I am delighted with the outcome. It definitely needed doing and it looks so much better now :)
This evening Mel cooked dinner and both the children went to bed between 7.30 and 8 p.m. It's now 9 p.m and Mel and I are just about to sit and watch some television. Hope to get an early ish night but Pens still not home from work yet so will wait up for a while more. I'll write tomorrow :)
This morning we have just relaxed and done a bit more tidying up. I am glad 'The Kumar' is coming today to clean. It's amazing how just one day of not mopping the floors makes such a difference. They need doing every day!!
Abi went for her nap at 10. We are getting into a good routine in the mornings where she naps at 10; the afternoons aren't quite so structured in that sometimes she will sleep and others, there's no chance of her sleeping then it gets to 5 and she can't keep her eyes open any loner. Dylan is doing really well without any naps in the day now. He is better when he doesn't nap because then he sleeps really well at night time. He seems very happy in his new bedroom and his big bed!!
Late morning I spoke to Debs on Skype which was lovely as we haven't seen each other for AGES!! It was really nice to catch up (even if it wasn't for as long as I'd have liked to chat to her). It's always so crazy when we try to talk because I've got DJ and Abi here and she has her three children so we never seem to be able to just sit down and have a proper chat. But Debs if you're reading this, I'm missing you loads and hope to see you soon :)
We made DJ a special lunch and as a treat let him watch cartoons in the lounge while he was eating. Mainly because we have moved the laptop to the dining table so he can't really get to the table to sit down properly. Need to sort that out tomorrow so he can be back at the table. He still wants to sit in his high chair and I keep trying to explain to him that it's now Abi's chair but bless him, I don't think he quite understands. I remember when he started walking how much we had to enforce the fact that he needed to sit in his high chair and I remember how he used to never want to be strapped in while he was eating. He always wanted to be up and about. And now, he would rather be nibbling and running around!
In the afternoon, I took DJ and Abi for a walk to the compound shop. DJ didn't walk, he went on his little car that Sam gave him for his birthday and Abi went in the single pushchair so as I was walking to the shop I was pushing along two things (one with each hand). Dylan was very well behaved and listened to me really well and we had a nice trip to the shop and back.
When we got back, Mel looked after both children while I dyed my hair. I've never done it on myself before so I was really anxious, but I am happy to say that I am delighted with the outcome. It definitely needed doing and it looks so much better now :)
This evening Mel cooked dinner and both the children went to bed between 7.30 and 8 p.m. It's now 9 p.m and Mel and I are just about to sit and watch some television. Hope to get an early ish night but Pens still not home from work yet so will wait up for a while more. I'll write tomorrow :)
Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th July 2010
We stayed at home today and just chilled out, watched some TV, did some washing and tidying and not much really. Do you know, it always amazes me … I feel like I could tidy and clean 24/7 and still not have the place tidy. I am constantly picking up toys and clothes and plates etc etc. It just seems never ending. And the washing!! Wow! I feel like I am doing more washing here than in Luton, I don't know why. Anyway, I do my best to keep on top of things.
We popped over to Neena's house to pick up something from her and then we called at the shop. We basically had a very quiet, very uneventful day.
Tuesday - We had planned to go out today after having a quiet day yesterday. We also had plans this morning as my cooker was being delivered from the lady I bought it from and also, the lady who I bought other things from on my compound had some baby things that she was giving away so I had arranged to go and pick up some new cot bedding from her.
We were awake bright and early and I got the children fed, washed and dressed and then they played whilst I tidied up a little bit. At 10 a.m I took DJ and left Abi (who was asleep) with Mel and went to Neena's house. She lives in a block just opposite me and is leaving to go to Germany so I bought a few things from her a couple of weeks ago. DJ rode on his car that he got from Sam for Christmas across to the other block. I like the car because it has a big handle at the back which means I can hold on to him and he can't race off anywhere. Because when Dylan decides he is going somewhere – he goes … and fast!!!!
After leaving Neena's we came home and I phoned Julie (the lady who I bought the cooker from). She had said she was going to drop it off between 10 and 10.30 but it was now 11 and I was wondering if something had come up. As it turned out, she was on her way but was lost. While I was on the phone to her, she found us and I went downstairs to help her and her driver bring the cooker in. I was hoping to be able to give our security guy downstairs a tip for helping us to carry the cooker. He wasn't there though, so Julie, her driver and I lifted the cooker out of her car and to the front of the building. It was so, so heavy that we had to put it down. Then I had an idea. I used the big metal trolley that they keep by the entrance to put the cooker on and we just wheeled it in. I know we're not supposed to touch the trolley but as the guard was nowhere to be seen, I figured I would get it back before he noticed. No such luck!! As we were getting into the lift, two security guards came running after us. Both Julie and I just said 'two minutes, two minutes' as the lift doors closed. We were able to wheel the cooker straight into my apartment and all the way up to my kitchen door. We couldn't wheel it into the kitchen because the stair gate was in the way so we had to lift it over the stair gate. We got Mel to help because we just couldn't carry it. Anyway, we managed it and the cooker is now in place in the kitchen.
Just after getting the cooker off loaded and into the apartment, my Skype rang and it was Penri's dad and Helen. I haven't spoken to either of them since getting to India so it was really nice to see them and for them to see the children. Although DJ was being a little monkey and wouldn't come to the computer to talk to them! Anyway, now they are on Skype I am hoping we will be able to catch up with them more often.
At 12.30, Penri dropped us all at Ambience Mall before going to work. Mel and I (and the children) were going shopping! We went in several shops and bought lots of little things. DJ got a new matchbox car, Abi got a new babygro, I bought nappies (which was the crucial thing we had gone out for) and Mel got a couple of magazines. It was so funny – when we were in Big Bazaar (which is where I buy my nappies from), both children needed a nappy change. The one thing I have found about here is although the toilets are much, much cleaner than Chennai, they don't have any baby changing facilities (or baby feeding rooms) for that matter. So, I have done this a few times … I laid my changing mat down in a quiet aisle in Big Bazaar and changed both children. The people who work there go crazy but what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to change them?! Anyway, DJ had some time in the play area and then we set off for home.
When we got back, the security guard downstairs gave us a parcel that had arrived for us. Thank you so much Indeg!!! Lovely to get a parcel and very kind of you to send stuff for us. I especially appreciate the English magazines :) :) I gave Abi some of the Ella's Kitchen banana food as soon as I opened the parcel and she seemed to really enjoy it! Thank you! Here's a couple of photos of Abi enjoying the biscuits:
Whilst we were out and about we tried to take some photos. It's very difficult when you are driving to get decent photos – but these are what we got:
Back at home after shopping, Mel and I did the housework as we had cancelled 'The Kumar' (as Penri calls him) because of going out. We tidied and cleaned and then relaxed and played with the children until bedtime.
We popped over to Neena's house to pick up something from her and then we called at the shop. We basically had a very quiet, very uneventful day.
Tuesday - We had planned to go out today after having a quiet day yesterday. We also had plans this morning as my cooker was being delivered from the lady I bought it from and also, the lady who I bought other things from on my compound had some baby things that she was giving away so I had arranged to go and pick up some new cot bedding from her.
We were awake bright and early and I got the children fed, washed and dressed and then they played whilst I tidied up a little bit. At 10 a.m I took DJ and left Abi (who was asleep) with Mel and went to Neena's house. She lives in a block just opposite me and is leaving to go to Germany so I bought a few things from her a couple of weeks ago. DJ rode on his car that he got from Sam for Christmas across to the other block. I like the car because it has a big handle at the back which means I can hold on to him and he can't race off anywhere. Because when Dylan decides he is going somewhere – he goes … and fast!!!!
After leaving Neena's we came home and I phoned Julie (the lady who I bought the cooker from). She had said she was going to drop it off between 10 and 10.30 but it was now 11 and I was wondering if something had come up. As it turned out, she was on her way but was lost. While I was on the phone to her, she found us and I went downstairs to help her and her driver bring the cooker in. I was hoping to be able to give our security guy downstairs a tip for helping us to carry the cooker. He wasn't there though, so Julie, her driver and I lifted the cooker out of her car and to the front of the building. It was so, so heavy that we had to put it down. Then I had an idea. I used the big metal trolley that they keep by the entrance to put the cooker on and we just wheeled it in. I know we're not supposed to touch the trolley but as the guard was nowhere to be seen, I figured I would get it back before he noticed. No such luck!! As we were getting into the lift, two security guards came running after us. Both Julie and I just said 'two minutes, two minutes' as the lift doors closed. We were able to wheel the cooker straight into my apartment and all the way up to my kitchen door. We couldn't wheel it into the kitchen because the stair gate was in the way so we had to lift it over the stair gate. We got Mel to help because we just couldn't carry it. Anyway, we managed it and the cooker is now in place in the kitchen.
Just after getting the cooker off loaded and into the apartment, my Skype rang and it was Penri's dad and Helen. I haven't spoken to either of them since getting to India so it was really nice to see them and for them to see the children. Although DJ was being a little monkey and wouldn't come to the computer to talk to them! Anyway, now they are on Skype I am hoping we will be able to catch up with them more often.
At 12.30, Penri dropped us all at Ambience Mall before going to work. Mel and I (and the children) were going shopping! We went in several shops and bought lots of little things. DJ got a new matchbox car, Abi got a new babygro, I bought nappies (which was the crucial thing we had gone out for) and Mel got a couple of magazines. It was so funny – when we were in Big Bazaar (which is where I buy my nappies from), both children needed a nappy change. The one thing I have found about here is although the toilets are much, much cleaner than Chennai, they don't have any baby changing facilities (or baby feeding rooms) for that matter. So, I have done this a few times … I laid my changing mat down in a quiet aisle in Big Bazaar and changed both children. The people who work there go crazy but what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to change them?! Anyway, DJ had some time in the play area and then we set off for home.
When we got back, the security guard downstairs gave us a parcel that had arrived for us. Thank you so much Indeg!!! Lovely to get a parcel and very kind of you to send stuff for us. I especially appreciate the English magazines :) :) I gave Abi some of the Ella's Kitchen banana food as soon as I opened the parcel and she seemed to really enjoy it! Thank you! Here's a couple of photos of Abi enjoying the biscuits:
Whilst we were out and about we tried to take some photos. It's very difficult when you are driving to get decent photos – but these are what we got:
Back at home after shopping, Mel and I did the housework as we had cancelled 'The Kumar' (as Penri calls him) because of going out. We tidied and cleaned and then relaxed and played with the children until bedtime.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday 22nd - Sunday 25th July 2010
I apologise for not having written for a few days. My sister arrived on Thursday morning and we have been so, so busy that I just haven't had two seconds to sit and write. I will make up for it now by filling you in on all the goings on in the Jones' household for the last few days.
So, Thursday night I went to bed at about 11 but couldn't sleep. I think both Pen and I were worried we would fall asleep and not wake up in time to pick up Mel. Penri left home at 3.30 to go and get Mel and as he left the house, DJ woke up. I couldn't get him settled and it took me nearly an hour to get him back to sleep. Just as he fell asleep, Mel and Penri arrived home. I had planned on getting a couple of hours sleep before Abigail woke up at 6 but as it turned out, Mel and I stayed up chatting, catching up and unpacking and going through her suitcase. She had brought so much stuff for us that she hardly had anything with her of her own. My mum sent us sheer curtains for the lounge, dining room, hallway and as a divider between the lounge and dining room, plus she sent curtains for Abigail's bedroom. I think the curtains and sheers took up most of the space in the suitcase. In addition to that Mel had bought lots of presents for the children and quite a few presents for me too. Thank you Mel!! :)
On Thursday we hung around the house for a while but at lunch time decided we were going to go out. Penri dropped us at Ambience Mall where we did some shopping and Dylan had a go on the yellow jeep car that he loves so much. Mel has never been to India before and I think she was amazed at the crazy traffic here. It really is absolutely nuts!!! Before we went out Mel was saying how bad the traffic/driving is in Qatar but it's nothing like India and in fact, it's dangerous in a very different way. In Qatar the worst part is they drive at such high speeds whereas here, you just drive with no respect or generosity for anyone else on the road!
In the mall we went to a few shops and then we went to World of Fun or Fun City or whatever it is called. Mel took DJ on the dodgems and the balloon ride and we played lots of other games too. We tried the basketball shooting one (that I hadn't had chance to have a go at last time I was there). It was really fun but very exhausting and you only won 5 tokens for it. Each machine gives you tokens and when you have collected enough you can claim different prizes. Most of the prizes are pretty rubbish really but if you collect enough tokens (like 5000+) you can get something that's fairly decent.
I bought curtain hooks for Abi's bedroom and I also bought a shower curtain. In Big Bazaar we stocked up on some groceries and when we left there the pushchair was full of shopping! It was so funny because Mel was calling to me across the shop 'how many bottles of diet coke should I buy?'; what I heard was her say 'how much are the diet cokes?' so I replied '25' (because they're 25 rupees – about 35 pence for a small bottle). So, when we got to the till the guy bought a big box with 25 bottles of coke. It was only afterwards in the car that I said to Mel she can get them delivered from our compound shop and she said 'you told me to buy 25' that we realised what had happened.
We had lots of fun shopping and then at 5 p.m Pen picked us up and dropped us back home before going back to the office. In the evening we relaxed and set up the television in the lounge and watched some tv. Mel cooked us a lovely dinner which was a real treat as because of the cooker situation (not having one) we have been living on take-away food. I always cook for DJ and have done since we got here but it is hard to cook without an oven or even a microwave. Anyway, our microwave is here now and I have bought a cooker which is going to be delivered on Tuesday.
We were all extremely tired after our shopping trip (on Thursday), but for some reason, Abi wouldn't sleep. I think she just got herself over tired and went past the stage of being able to fall asleep. It meant that by the evening when it was bedtime, I still couldn't get her to sleep. Not only was she overtired but she had only been in her room for the first time the night before and she was still not used to it (or to the cot). What I ended up doing, in an attempt to help her sleep better, was take the base from her travel cot and place it in the cot as she has been sleeping fine in the bubble travel cot for the last few months. It ended up that on Thursday night, I slept on the floor in the play room because Abi was awake every hour and I was exhausted! So was she!! She just couldn't get herself into a deep sleep. On Friday, Abi slept during the day. She had two very long naps which obviously did her the world of good and it helped her to sleep better on Friday night.
On Friday we stayed in and around the house just chilling out (and doing a bit of work too). I finally sorted out the kitchen shelves because I was getting really frustrated with everything being everywhere. Raj Kumar had put all the kitchen items away and whilst he had done a great job of getting everything out of the boxes and onto the shelves, it was all mixed up so there were plates and glasses with saucepans and then on another shelf, food items with plastic cups. You get the idea! So, I pulled everything off all the shelves and started again! Mel came into the kitchen and said 'Oh my word, what are you doing?!!' Pen said he couldn't believe I was making such a mess when it was fine as it was. To me it wasn't fine and it was really bugging me so as I said, I sorted it all out. It is so much better now and looks a lot tidier.
On Saturday we all went out to Ambience Mall. It's nicer shopping with Penri (even though I don't think he actually enjoys shopping). Mel bought a hard drive and then we went for lunch in an Italian restaurant. It was really nice and what made it even better was that DJ was so well behaved. Whenever we go out to eat, Dylan is like a ticking time bomb (like most toddlers I guess). He is fine as long as we are not there for a long period of time. Anyway, as I said, he was really well behaved and that helped loads as we were able to enjoy a nice meal.
We left Ambience and went on to Spencers shop. We picked up a few groceries and Penri had decided he was going to cook a curry for us that evening so he was getting ingredients for that. I showed Mel the International section of the shop and that's where she stayed. She bought lots of goodies – proper cheddar cheese, salami, ice cream, crisps, olives, some nice drinks etc. When we left Spencers we were all incredibly hot and tired and ready to go home. When we got back we decided we were going to go swimming.
The pool was very quiet and only Alex and Issac were there. It was really nice as I hadn't taken the children swimming for a whole week because of unpacking everything and being so exhausted that by evening I didn't have the energy to go to the pool. We had a nice swim and then came home, I showered and changed the children and put them to bed. For the first time since moving to her new room, Abi slept a lot better. She still woke up about four times through the night for feeding but at least she slept for periods of a few hours in between! I have actually stopped giving Abi the baby cereal as she really wasn't enjoying it and it was really hard work. I decided I was going to buy one of those hand whisk blender things (which I bought from Spencers today) and start her on potatoes, carrots etc.
We had our curry and Pen had an early night and Mel and I watched 'I'd Do Anything', which I've never seen before but loved. For anyone who doesn't know it's a reality talent show where they were looking for the next Oliver and Nancy for the West End production of Oliver. Anyway, it is really good television and I enjoyed watching it.
On Sunday, we ended up staying home. We hadn't actually made any plans to do anything but because we all had a lazy day and just stayed home, it was very quiet, calm and relaxing. DJ was getting a bit bored in the afternoon so I decided to put up the tent castle that I had bought in Germany. We put it up and then tried to move it into his bedroom but it wouldn't fit through the doorway. We took the sides down and moved it into his bedroom and then tried to fit it somewhere where it wasn't in the way. It was impossible. Everywhere we put it, it was obstructing something. I decided to try it in the playroom (which is also Abi's bedroom). I had the same problem with the doorways again, but managed to get it collapsed enough to move it from one room to the next. I then had to rebuild it and find somewhere for it to go. I finally got it sorted and it looks really good now. Because of rearranging the furniture in the playroom, I then had to rearrange the A-Z and number mats that were on the floor. It took ages because as soon as I picked them up to try and rearrange them, they all fell apart! Anyway, I finally got it sorted and the playroom now looks really nice.
In the morning, Mel and I went over to a lady's house on my compound. She was selling all her stuff because she is leaving India. It said on her advert that she was having a sale from 10-3 so we decided to head over there at 10. It's only a couple of minutes walk from my house and we ended up getting there just before 10. We were stood outside her door with Abi in the pushchair and DJ standing there and were trying to decide whether to ring the bell or wait a few minutes for it to be 10 o'clock. While Mel and I were debating what to do, DJ rang the doorbell anyway. We were the first ones there and had a good look around. There was nothing I needed so we decided to come home. As we were about to leave, the front door opened and there must have been about 10 men stood outside waiting to come in. When we called the lift and it arrived, there were another dozen men getting out to go to the lady's house. And, as the lift doors were closing, the opposite lift doors opened and that lift was also crammed with people too. Mel and I were just so glad we got there early and were leaving before that huge crowd of people went inside!!
Yesterday evening (Saturday) Abigail slept a lot better and so did DJ so I ended up getting a good night's sleep. Abi woke up early though at 6 so I tried to keep her quiet so she didn't wake up the rest of the house! DJ woke up at 8.30 and went and woke Mel.
Both kids are doing really well. I have some photos to add soon (I won't be doing it tonight as it's late and I want to get to sleep). Abigail has her third tooth coming through now and she is still such a happy, easy going baby. She is doing better now that she is getting used to being in her cot and in her new bedroom. I don't think I'm used to her being in her own bedroom though. I don't like not having her right next to me! It means when I wake up in the night I have to go and check on her in another room and then I look in on DJ. It's good though – it's better to get her settled in her own room, I know that, it's just that my baby is growing up too quickly!!
Dylan is doing fantastically well. He amazes me every day. He is so sweet and so gentle and kind to Abi, but then in the next second he can be tearing down the place! His communication skills are developing so quickly and he says things which just amaze me. I keep wondering where he has learnt certain words or expressions but he just comes out with these things and I'm speechless! He seems to be really settled in our new home and he is very happy. I think it's going to be time to start potty training soon. He is getting to the stage now where his level of understanding is really good for whatever I'm saying to him or asking him to do. Anyway, as I said, he's a beautiful, lovely little boy! I'm so proud of both my babies!!
One last thing before I finish writing. Every morning when DJ wakes up, he used to come straight into our bedroom. Now, he wakes up and goes straight into Abigail's bedroom. I have seen him do it a couple of times. Once when Abi was already awake and I followed him into Abi's room (whilst I was carrying her). He peered into the cot and then said 'Where's Abi?' (talking to himself), then he turned around and saw us both there. It was so cute!!
So, I'm going to close now and get to bed. It's so wonderful having Mel here to stay. I am so grateful to her for coming to see us and spending time with her makes me really happy. The children also love having her here. Thank you Mel! So glad you are here :)
So, Thursday night I went to bed at about 11 but couldn't sleep. I think both Pen and I were worried we would fall asleep and not wake up in time to pick up Mel. Penri left home at 3.30 to go and get Mel and as he left the house, DJ woke up. I couldn't get him settled and it took me nearly an hour to get him back to sleep. Just as he fell asleep, Mel and Penri arrived home. I had planned on getting a couple of hours sleep before Abigail woke up at 6 but as it turned out, Mel and I stayed up chatting, catching up and unpacking and going through her suitcase. She had brought so much stuff for us that she hardly had anything with her of her own. My mum sent us sheer curtains for the lounge, dining room, hallway and as a divider between the lounge and dining room, plus she sent curtains for Abigail's bedroom. I think the curtains and sheers took up most of the space in the suitcase. In addition to that Mel had bought lots of presents for the children and quite a few presents for me too. Thank you Mel!! :)
On Thursday we hung around the house for a while but at lunch time decided we were going to go out. Penri dropped us at Ambience Mall where we did some shopping and Dylan had a go on the yellow jeep car that he loves so much. Mel has never been to India before and I think she was amazed at the crazy traffic here. It really is absolutely nuts!!! Before we went out Mel was saying how bad the traffic/driving is in Qatar but it's nothing like India and in fact, it's dangerous in a very different way. In Qatar the worst part is they drive at such high speeds whereas here, you just drive with no respect or generosity for anyone else on the road!
In the mall we went to a few shops and then we went to World of Fun or Fun City or whatever it is called. Mel took DJ on the dodgems and the balloon ride and we played lots of other games too. We tried the basketball shooting one (that I hadn't had chance to have a go at last time I was there). It was really fun but very exhausting and you only won 5 tokens for it. Each machine gives you tokens and when you have collected enough you can claim different prizes. Most of the prizes are pretty rubbish really but if you collect enough tokens (like 5000+) you can get something that's fairly decent.
I bought curtain hooks for Abi's bedroom and I also bought a shower curtain. In Big Bazaar we stocked up on some groceries and when we left there the pushchair was full of shopping! It was so funny because Mel was calling to me across the shop 'how many bottles of diet coke should I buy?'; what I heard was her say 'how much are the diet cokes?' so I replied '25' (because they're 25 rupees – about 35 pence for a small bottle). So, when we got to the till the guy bought a big box with 25 bottles of coke. It was only afterwards in the car that I said to Mel she can get them delivered from our compound shop and she said 'you told me to buy 25' that we realised what had happened.
We had lots of fun shopping and then at 5 p.m Pen picked us up and dropped us back home before going back to the office. In the evening we relaxed and set up the television in the lounge and watched some tv. Mel cooked us a lovely dinner which was a real treat as because of the cooker situation (not having one) we have been living on take-away food. I always cook for DJ and have done since we got here but it is hard to cook without an oven or even a microwave. Anyway, our microwave is here now and I have bought a cooker which is going to be delivered on Tuesday.
We were all extremely tired after our shopping trip (on Thursday), but for some reason, Abi wouldn't sleep. I think she just got herself over tired and went past the stage of being able to fall asleep. It meant that by the evening when it was bedtime, I still couldn't get her to sleep. Not only was she overtired but she had only been in her room for the first time the night before and she was still not used to it (or to the cot). What I ended up doing, in an attempt to help her sleep better, was take the base from her travel cot and place it in the cot as she has been sleeping fine in the bubble travel cot for the last few months. It ended up that on Thursday night, I slept on the floor in the play room because Abi was awake every hour and I was exhausted! So was she!! She just couldn't get herself into a deep sleep. On Friday, Abi slept during the day. She had two very long naps which obviously did her the world of good and it helped her to sleep better on Friday night.
On Friday we stayed in and around the house just chilling out (and doing a bit of work too). I finally sorted out the kitchen shelves because I was getting really frustrated with everything being everywhere. Raj Kumar had put all the kitchen items away and whilst he had done a great job of getting everything out of the boxes and onto the shelves, it was all mixed up so there were plates and glasses with saucepans and then on another shelf, food items with plastic cups. You get the idea! So, I pulled everything off all the shelves and started again! Mel came into the kitchen and said 'Oh my word, what are you doing?!!' Pen said he couldn't believe I was making such a mess when it was fine as it was. To me it wasn't fine and it was really bugging me so as I said, I sorted it all out. It is so much better now and looks a lot tidier.
On Saturday we all went out to Ambience Mall. It's nicer shopping with Penri (even though I don't think he actually enjoys shopping). Mel bought a hard drive and then we went for lunch in an Italian restaurant. It was really nice and what made it even better was that DJ was so well behaved. Whenever we go out to eat, Dylan is like a ticking time bomb (like most toddlers I guess). He is fine as long as we are not there for a long period of time. Anyway, as I said, he was really well behaved and that helped loads as we were able to enjoy a nice meal.
We left Ambience and went on to Spencers shop. We picked up a few groceries and Penri had decided he was going to cook a curry for us that evening so he was getting ingredients for that. I showed Mel the International section of the shop and that's where she stayed. She bought lots of goodies – proper cheddar cheese, salami, ice cream, crisps, olives, some nice drinks etc. When we left Spencers we were all incredibly hot and tired and ready to go home. When we got back we decided we were going to go swimming.
The pool was very quiet and only Alex and Issac were there. It was really nice as I hadn't taken the children swimming for a whole week because of unpacking everything and being so exhausted that by evening I didn't have the energy to go to the pool. We had a nice swim and then came home, I showered and changed the children and put them to bed. For the first time since moving to her new room, Abi slept a lot better. She still woke up about four times through the night for feeding but at least she slept for periods of a few hours in between! I have actually stopped giving Abi the baby cereal as she really wasn't enjoying it and it was really hard work. I decided I was going to buy one of those hand whisk blender things (which I bought from Spencers today) and start her on potatoes, carrots etc.
We had our curry and Pen had an early night and Mel and I watched 'I'd Do Anything', which I've never seen before but loved. For anyone who doesn't know it's a reality talent show where they were looking for the next Oliver and Nancy for the West End production of Oliver. Anyway, it is really good television and I enjoyed watching it.
On Sunday, we ended up staying home. We hadn't actually made any plans to do anything but because we all had a lazy day and just stayed home, it was very quiet, calm and relaxing. DJ was getting a bit bored in the afternoon so I decided to put up the tent castle that I had bought in Germany. We put it up and then tried to move it into his bedroom but it wouldn't fit through the doorway. We took the sides down and moved it into his bedroom and then tried to fit it somewhere where it wasn't in the way. It was impossible. Everywhere we put it, it was obstructing something. I decided to try it in the playroom (which is also Abi's bedroom). I had the same problem with the doorways again, but managed to get it collapsed enough to move it from one room to the next. I then had to rebuild it and find somewhere for it to go. I finally got it sorted and it looks really good now. Because of rearranging the furniture in the playroom, I then had to rearrange the A-Z and number mats that were on the floor. It took ages because as soon as I picked them up to try and rearrange them, they all fell apart! Anyway, I finally got it sorted and the playroom now looks really nice.
In the morning, Mel and I went over to a lady's house on my compound. She was selling all her stuff because she is leaving India. It said on her advert that she was having a sale from 10-3 so we decided to head over there at 10. It's only a couple of minutes walk from my house and we ended up getting there just before 10. We were stood outside her door with Abi in the pushchair and DJ standing there and were trying to decide whether to ring the bell or wait a few minutes for it to be 10 o'clock. While Mel and I were debating what to do, DJ rang the doorbell anyway. We were the first ones there and had a good look around. There was nothing I needed so we decided to come home. As we were about to leave, the front door opened and there must have been about 10 men stood outside waiting to come in. When we called the lift and it arrived, there were another dozen men getting out to go to the lady's house. And, as the lift doors were closing, the opposite lift doors opened and that lift was also crammed with people too. Mel and I were just so glad we got there early and were leaving before that huge crowd of people went inside!!
Yesterday evening (Saturday) Abigail slept a lot better and so did DJ so I ended up getting a good night's sleep. Abi woke up early though at 6 so I tried to keep her quiet so she didn't wake up the rest of the house! DJ woke up at 8.30 and went and woke Mel.
Both kids are doing really well. I have some photos to add soon (I won't be doing it tonight as it's late and I want to get to sleep). Abigail has her third tooth coming through now and she is still such a happy, easy going baby. She is doing better now that she is getting used to being in her cot and in her new bedroom. I don't think I'm used to her being in her own bedroom though. I don't like not having her right next to me! It means when I wake up in the night I have to go and check on her in another room and then I look in on DJ. It's good though – it's better to get her settled in her own room, I know that, it's just that my baby is growing up too quickly!!
Dylan is doing fantastically well. He amazes me every day. He is so sweet and so gentle and kind to Abi, but then in the next second he can be tearing down the place! His communication skills are developing so quickly and he says things which just amaze me. I keep wondering where he has learnt certain words or expressions but he just comes out with these things and I'm speechless! He seems to be really settled in our new home and he is very happy. I think it's going to be time to start potty training soon. He is getting to the stage now where his level of understanding is really good for whatever I'm saying to him or asking him to do. Anyway, as I said, he's a beautiful, lovely little boy! I'm so proud of both my babies!!
One last thing before I finish writing. Every morning when DJ wakes up, he used to come straight into our bedroom. Now, he wakes up and goes straight into Abigail's bedroom. I have seen him do it a couple of times. Once when Abi was already awake and I followed him into Abi's room (whilst I was carrying her). He peered into the cot and then said 'Where's Abi?' (talking to himself), then he turned around and saw us both there. It was so cute!!
So, I'm going to close now and get to bed. It's so wonderful having Mel here to stay. I am so grateful to her for coming to see us and spending time with her makes me really happy. The children also love having her here. Thank you Mel! So glad you are here :)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th July
It has been a completely manic couple of days!! But it is 8 p.m on Wednesday night and both children are asleep and I have finished unpacking EVERYTHING! I am so happy!! I have worked solidly for the last two days and I am so pleased it is all done. And, just in time too … Mel (my sister) arrives tomorrow morning at 3 a.m. What a nice reward after working like crazy since Monday. My entire body aches ... I have a sty on my eye, a sore on my lip and several cuts and bruises on my legs, but I finished unpacking all 95 boxes!! You can't imagine the relief that I feel and the bliss of having all of our belongings around us!
I still have a few little things to do such as putting up curtains and sorting out the kitchen shelves but they're all little things that I can do in my own time. I just wanted to get everything sorted so we weren't surrounded by boxes and suitcases. A few things were damaged in transit. The worst thing is my electric piano got damaged – the keyboard has fallen down on one side away from the wooden stand. It's really hard to explain but I'm so upset about it. I'm going to try and claim some insurance on it as I only bought it less than a year ago. Also, our glass clock was broken and one of our large picture frames was smashed. The other thing is – it's so bizarre – I can't find Abigail's play gym. I feel like I'm going mad as I know it was packed by the movers but it doesn't seem to be here. How is that possible?! It's a huge toy with arches?!?! I'm going to have a look again tomorrow in the store room to make sure I didn't miss it, but I don't see how I could have.
Not much news from here really. I haven't been out apart from walking to the compound supermarket and going over to someone else's apartment to pick up some stuff I bought; that's it. My whole existence over the past three days has just been working to get everything done. So, on that note, I was going to go to bed but my dad is now calling me on Skype so I'm going to go and talk to him and then go to bed.
Goodnight x
I still have a few little things to do such as putting up curtains and sorting out the kitchen shelves but they're all little things that I can do in my own time. I just wanted to get everything sorted so we weren't surrounded by boxes and suitcases. A few things were damaged in transit. The worst thing is my electric piano got damaged – the keyboard has fallen down on one side away from the wooden stand. It's really hard to explain but I'm so upset about it. I'm going to try and claim some insurance on it as I only bought it less than a year ago. Also, our glass clock was broken and one of our large picture frames was smashed. The other thing is – it's so bizarre – I can't find Abigail's play gym. I feel like I'm going mad as I know it was packed by the movers but it doesn't seem to be here. How is that possible?! It's a huge toy with arches?!?! I'm going to have a look again tomorrow in the store room to make sure I didn't miss it, but I don't see how I could have.
Not much news from here really. I haven't been out apart from walking to the compound supermarket and going over to someone else's apartment to pick up some stuff I bought; that's it. My whole existence over the past three days has just been working to get everything done. So, on that note, I was going to go to bed but my dad is now calling me on Skype so I'm going to go and talk to him and then go to bed.
Goodnight x
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday 19th July
I was up bright and early this morning in anticipation of our cargo arriving. At 9.45 I got a call from the security downstairs who told me (in mostly Hindi) that our truck had arrived!! I went downstairs to see what was happening. It was still at the main gate so I went to see what the problem was. As usual, the guys at the gate were just checking everything over to make sure there was nothing wrong with the container coming in. One of the security guards told me it would be about 10 minutes.
I came home and waited and sure enough at 10 a.m the doorbell rang and a very pleasant man called Clive was there to supervise the cargo being delivered. We had 95 boxes and between Clive and I we ticked every one off as it arrived. As it turned out the UK side of the company had made a few mistakes and we had 3 duplicate numbers so we had two box 16s and two box 46s (and no 47)!
They brought all the boxes up about 8 at a time and I started directing them into the correct rooms. They were all covered in a packing material so I started uncovering the boxes and opening some of them. Clive told me that once they brought all the boxes in, they would unpack everything but I told him I may as well do it, it saves time and we were just standing there waiting for more boxes to be brought up anyway. There were two other guys upstairs as well so Clive got them to unpack the wrapping around the boxes as they came in and then I said where to unpack the box itself. It was completely manic!! Raj Kumar was here to keep an eye on Dylan, which actually I didn't really need because DJ was so thrilled to have his toys, he was playing quietly in his bedroom. Raj Kumar also helped with Abi though and with all the boxes. I think it was a really good idea to have him there.
As we unpacked DJ's new ride on cars, Penri was sitting in the bedroom building them. Then whenever I had to feed Abi, Pen would come out and take over managing boxes and counting things coming in. They were pretty fast and efficient and by 2 p.m all the boxes were in and most had been emptied. Not put away, but just placed in the right room. When they asked if they could leave, I told them not until I made sure of a couple of things. I wanted to check our electronics were there – TVs, Xbox etc and I also wanted to make sure a few other bits were there. We couldn't find one of the Xboxes and every single person was looking for it. It said on the list that it was in box 47 so there were 7 guys, Clive, Das (from Penri's office), Penri and I all looking frantically for box 47 and checking in other boxes to make sure that it wasn't in there. Eventually, after about an hour of searching and Clive making a few frantic phone calls, one of the guys found it. It was in box 46 – the second box 46. As I said earlier – there was no box 47! The guys in England messed up and caused a lot of grief to all of us! But, happily, we found it and all seemed to be accounted for so Clive and his guys left and then Das left and Pen, Raj Kumar and I set to work.
We worked unpacking, tidying and cleaning. At 5.30 Raj Kumar left and Pen went for a sleep and I kept going. Would you believe I was unpacking until 4 a.m and there's still lots to do! The play room (which is also Abi's bedroom) is finished, the children's clothes are unpacked and sorted into piles (of trousers, tops etc) but I haven't put them away yet. The lounge and dining room are finished (apart from setting up the television and Xbox) and the kitchen is semi done. Raj Kumar put away all our plates and kitchen items but I want to organise them so they make sense. What I mean is, all the plates and glasses are on shelves but they are all mixed up and in no real order so they need arranging properly but that will be done once I finish everything else.
Last night I took one of the small lamps out of our bedroom and put it in the servant's quarters (I hate calling it that but I'm not really sure what else to call it)! We are using it to store all our empty suitcases and boxes. There is no light outside so at 2 o'clock this morning when I was taking everything out there (all the empty cases etc) I could actually see what I was doing. I fell into bed at 4.20 exhausted. Luckily Abi didn't wake me up until 7 and then DJ came through at 7.30!
I came home and waited and sure enough at 10 a.m the doorbell rang and a very pleasant man called Clive was there to supervise the cargo being delivered. We had 95 boxes and between Clive and I we ticked every one off as it arrived. As it turned out the UK side of the company had made a few mistakes and we had 3 duplicate numbers so we had two box 16s and two box 46s (and no 47)!
They brought all the boxes up about 8 at a time and I started directing them into the correct rooms. They were all covered in a packing material so I started uncovering the boxes and opening some of them. Clive told me that once they brought all the boxes in, they would unpack everything but I told him I may as well do it, it saves time and we were just standing there waiting for more boxes to be brought up anyway. There were two other guys upstairs as well so Clive got them to unpack the wrapping around the boxes as they came in and then I said where to unpack the box itself. It was completely manic!! Raj Kumar was here to keep an eye on Dylan, which actually I didn't really need because DJ was so thrilled to have his toys, he was playing quietly in his bedroom. Raj Kumar also helped with Abi though and with all the boxes. I think it was a really good idea to have him there.
As we unpacked DJ's new ride on cars, Penri was sitting in the bedroom building them. Then whenever I had to feed Abi, Pen would come out and take over managing boxes and counting things coming in. They were pretty fast and efficient and by 2 p.m all the boxes were in and most had been emptied. Not put away, but just placed in the right room. When they asked if they could leave, I told them not until I made sure of a couple of things. I wanted to check our electronics were there – TVs, Xbox etc and I also wanted to make sure a few other bits were there. We couldn't find one of the Xboxes and every single person was looking for it. It said on the list that it was in box 47 so there were 7 guys, Clive, Das (from Penri's office), Penri and I all looking frantically for box 47 and checking in other boxes to make sure that it wasn't in there. Eventually, after about an hour of searching and Clive making a few frantic phone calls, one of the guys found it. It was in box 46 – the second box 46. As I said earlier – there was no box 47! The guys in England messed up and caused a lot of grief to all of us! But, happily, we found it and all seemed to be accounted for so Clive and his guys left and then Das left and Pen, Raj Kumar and I set to work.
We worked unpacking, tidying and cleaning. At 5.30 Raj Kumar left and Pen went for a sleep and I kept going. Would you believe I was unpacking until 4 a.m and there's still lots to do! The play room (which is also Abi's bedroom) is finished, the children's clothes are unpacked and sorted into piles (of trousers, tops etc) but I haven't put them away yet. The lounge and dining room are finished (apart from setting up the television and Xbox) and the kitchen is semi done. Raj Kumar put away all our plates and kitchen items but I want to organise them so they make sense. What I mean is, all the plates and glasses are on shelves but they are all mixed up and in no real order so they need arranging properly but that will be done once I finish everything else.
Last night I took one of the small lamps out of our bedroom and put it in the servant's quarters (I hate calling it that but I'm not really sure what else to call it)! We are using it to store all our empty suitcases and boxes. There is no light outside so at 2 o'clock this morning when I was taking everything out there (all the empty cases etc) I could actually see what I was doing. I fell into bed at 4.20 exhausted. Luckily Abi didn't wake me up until 7 and then DJ came through at 7.30!
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July
We've had a busy couple of days! We've been out this weekend more than we've been in which is why I'm so late writing my blog! It's Monday morning and I'm just catching up with the weekend blog post :)
On Saturday we woke up fairly early (all of us). We were going to go out early but we knew nowhere was open till at least 10 so we chilled out at home. DJ watched a bit of TV – he's back into Dora now so every time I ask him what he wants to watch, it's Dora!! I did a bit of housework – tidied up and did some clothes washing. I'll be so happy to have a proper clothes airer! At the moment I am using a make-shift airer made out of suitcases with metal bars placed between them. It's served its purpose well but I will be happy to have a proper airer again.
We went out at about 10.30 and called at Pens' office as he had to pick up some papers for the company where we bought our car from. We then went and dropped the papers off and asked the guys at the dealership (where we bought the car from) to have a look at the in car DVD player as we couldn't get it to work. They had a quick look and asked if we had time to wait so they could look at it properly and fix it and because it was hot and we had both kids in the car, Pen said he would take the car back on Monday or Tuesday for them to have a look at it.
We went straight to Ambience Mall after that. As we were driving into the basement parking, I got a phone call from Alex to ask where we were as her and Issac had just arrived at the mall and she was taking him to the play area. So, we ended up meeting her there so the boys could go in and play. We paid for the boys to have a go on the electronic jeeps and asked the guy if they could go together. The guy who works there controls the cars with a remote (the boys couldn't drive them themselves). He went off to go and find another remote but when he came back, even though he had two remote controls in his hand, he said we couldn't take them together. They would have to go one at a time. You try explaining to two toddlers (each in their own little jeep) why only one of them could go for a ride and then the other one would go afterwards. It was manic! It was at this point that Abigail decided she wanted feeding. She is such a good baby – so placid, calm and very happy … the only time she cries is when she decides she wants feeding and then if she doesn't get fed immediately, she starts screaming the place down. So, I sat down and fed her while Penri dealt with the two boys and their jeeps.
After they had finished Alex still hadn't come back so we took them up to McDonalds. Issac's maid was with us aswell so we asked her what she wanted for McDonalds. It was so funny (and sweet). I don't think she's ever had McDonalds before. Anyway, she had something too. After lunch we went in the huge play area 'Fun City' and Pens and DJ went on the dodgems and then we had a go on a few of the other games. There weren't too many people in there and only started to get busy at about midday when more and more people were arriving. The only thing I don't really like about going there is they have the music on SO loud that you can't hear yourself think! It gives me a headache. Also, people tend to push in the queues which drives me crazy! I was waiting to have a go at the basketball shooting hoops thing and I didn't even get to go because first this woman pushed in front of me and then some teenage boys pushed in. Sometimes (in fact, most times), I will say something but for some reason, I just didn't feel like having the argument today.
When we left the play area we went to a couple of little shops and then down to the basement to Big Bazaar as we needed to do quite a big shop. It was really hot and there were lots more people around now. We shopped as quickly and efficiently as possible and then left and got back to the car. It took us about 20 minutes just to get out of the car park and on the road home.
When we got back we were all really tired and both children crashed out. It was too early for them to sleep so we let them nap and then we did a crazy thing … we went back out again. Let me explain, when we were doing our shop in Big Bazaar we forgot to buy a shelf for the kitchen (which was one of the main reasons we had gone to the mall), so we went back to the mall again. We got home at about 9 p.m and both children went straight to bed. Penri and I were not long after. It was an exhausting day!
On Sunday I invited Alex and Issac over. I set up a water play for them in the big open space in the lounge. I had cleared out the lounge and dining room ready for our boxes arriving (which we were told would be Monday). The boys had lots of fun playing in buckets and bowls of water with bubbles and toys!
At 11, we went out to buy curtain rails as I want to get curtains up in the lounge. We decided not to go to Ambience Mall but to try another mall so we went to the Home Company in Metropolitan Mall. It was rubbish and the selection was really limited. There weren't any other shops that I wanted to go to so we left and went to Lifestyle in another mall (I can't remember the name of this mall but I think it's MGF). I found the curtain rails I wanted in there. Whilst we were in the shop Dylan was becoming really difficult – running away and not even looking back when we called him. I had to strap him in the pushchair which he was not happy about!
When we got into the next shop (which was a clothes shop) we let him out so he could run around. It was a much smaller shop and we could keep a better eye on him. Another family came into the shop just after us and they had a little girl about the same age as Dylan. The two of them were running around screaming happily and chasing each other. The funniest thing was, DJ was loving having this little girl running after him and when she turned round and started to run the other way, DJ stood looking at her, but his arms straight behind his back and shouted 'COME …. BACK …. HERE ….!' I couldn't stop laughing. I asked Pen where does he get that from? Penri replied it was from me. He said it's what I say to DJ when I'm trying to change his nappy and he runs away. When I thought about it I realised Pen was right!
When we finished in the shop, we went for some dinner to a restaurant which I can't remember the name of. As soon as we got in I ordered a drink because it was really hot and I was really thirsty. The waiter went and got me a drink and walked away again. We then sat there for nearly 15 minutes trying to get the waiter's attention so he could take our order. It's not that it was busy – there were actually about 5 waiters not doing anything. In the end Penri said 'shall we go?' and I said yes. Anyone who has little ones, especially toddlers, will know that sitting waiting in a restaurant is hard work especially when you know you haven't even placed your order and you've been waiting ages!!
By the time we got home and I washed and dressed both children for bed, I then gave DJ some dinner and we all went to sleep. I got a text at 10.35 from our contact in the Indian relocation company saying our shipment would arrive Monday morning at 9!!! YEY!!!!
On Saturday we woke up fairly early (all of us). We were going to go out early but we knew nowhere was open till at least 10 so we chilled out at home. DJ watched a bit of TV – he's back into Dora now so every time I ask him what he wants to watch, it's Dora!! I did a bit of housework – tidied up and did some clothes washing. I'll be so happy to have a proper clothes airer! At the moment I am using a make-shift airer made out of suitcases with metal bars placed between them. It's served its purpose well but I will be happy to have a proper airer again.
We went out at about 10.30 and called at Pens' office as he had to pick up some papers for the company where we bought our car from. We then went and dropped the papers off and asked the guys at the dealership (where we bought the car from) to have a look at the in car DVD player as we couldn't get it to work. They had a quick look and asked if we had time to wait so they could look at it properly and fix it and because it was hot and we had both kids in the car, Pen said he would take the car back on Monday or Tuesday for them to have a look at it.
We went straight to Ambience Mall after that. As we were driving into the basement parking, I got a phone call from Alex to ask where we were as her and Issac had just arrived at the mall and she was taking him to the play area. So, we ended up meeting her there so the boys could go in and play. We paid for the boys to have a go on the electronic jeeps and asked the guy if they could go together. The guy who works there controls the cars with a remote (the boys couldn't drive them themselves). He went off to go and find another remote but when he came back, even though he had two remote controls in his hand, he said we couldn't take them together. They would have to go one at a time. You try explaining to two toddlers (each in their own little jeep) why only one of them could go for a ride and then the other one would go afterwards. It was manic! It was at this point that Abigail decided she wanted feeding. She is such a good baby – so placid, calm and very happy … the only time she cries is when she decides she wants feeding and then if she doesn't get fed immediately, she starts screaming the place down. So, I sat down and fed her while Penri dealt with the two boys and their jeeps.
After they had finished Alex still hadn't come back so we took them up to McDonalds. Issac's maid was with us aswell so we asked her what she wanted for McDonalds. It was so funny (and sweet). I don't think she's ever had McDonalds before. Anyway, she had something too. After lunch we went in the huge play area 'Fun City' and Pens and DJ went on the dodgems and then we had a go on a few of the other games. There weren't too many people in there and only started to get busy at about midday when more and more people were arriving. The only thing I don't really like about going there is they have the music on SO loud that you can't hear yourself think! It gives me a headache. Also, people tend to push in the queues which drives me crazy! I was waiting to have a go at the basketball shooting hoops thing and I didn't even get to go because first this woman pushed in front of me and then some teenage boys pushed in. Sometimes (in fact, most times), I will say something but for some reason, I just didn't feel like having the argument today.
When we left the play area we went to a couple of little shops and then down to the basement to Big Bazaar as we needed to do quite a big shop. It was really hot and there were lots more people around now. We shopped as quickly and efficiently as possible and then left and got back to the car. It took us about 20 minutes just to get out of the car park and on the road home.
When we got back we were all really tired and both children crashed out. It was too early for them to sleep so we let them nap and then we did a crazy thing … we went back out again. Let me explain, when we were doing our shop in Big Bazaar we forgot to buy a shelf for the kitchen (which was one of the main reasons we had gone to the mall), so we went back to the mall again. We got home at about 9 p.m and both children went straight to bed. Penri and I were not long after. It was an exhausting day!
On Sunday I invited Alex and Issac over. I set up a water play for them in the big open space in the lounge. I had cleared out the lounge and dining room ready for our boxes arriving (which we were told would be Monday). The boys had lots of fun playing in buckets and bowls of water with bubbles and toys!
At 11, we went out to buy curtain rails as I want to get curtains up in the lounge. We decided not to go to Ambience Mall but to try another mall so we went to the Home Company in Metropolitan Mall. It was rubbish and the selection was really limited. There weren't any other shops that I wanted to go to so we left and went to Lifestyle in another mall (I can't remember the name of this mall but I think it's MGF). I found the curtain rails I wanted in there. Whilst we were in the shop Dylan was becoming really difficult – running away and not even looking back when we called him. I had to strap him in the pushchair which he was not happy about!
When we got into the next shop (which was a clothes shop) we let him out so he could run around. It was a much smaller shop and we could keep a better eye on him. Another family came into the shop just after us and they had a little girl about the same age as Dylan. The two of them were running around screaming happily and chasing each other. The funniest thing was, DJ was loving having this little girl running after him and when she turned round and started to run the other way, DJ stood looking at her, but his arms straight behind his back and shouted 'COME …. BACK …. HERE ….!' I couldn't stop laughing. I asked Pen where does he get that from? Penri replied it was from me. He said it's what I say to DJ when I'm trying to change his nappy and he runs away. When I thought about it I realised Pen was right!
When we finished in the shop, we went for some dinner to a restaurant which I can't remember the name of. As soon as we got in I ordered a drink because it was really hot and I was really thirsty. The waiter went and got me a drink and walked away again. We then sat there for nearly 15 minutes trying to get the waiter's attention so he could take our order. It's not that it was busy – there were actually about 5 waiters not doing anything. In the end Penri said 'shall we go?' and I said yes. Anyone who has little ones, especially toddlers, will know that sitting waiting in a restaurant is hard work especially when you know you haven't even placed your order and you've been waiting ages!!
By the time we got home and I washed and dressed both children for bed, I then gave DJ some dinner and we all went to sleep. I got a text at 10.35 from our contact in the Indian relocation company saying our shipment would arrive Monday morning at 9!!! YEY!!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday 15th and Friday 16th July
We were awake bright and early this morning at 6 a.m! Luckily I had gone to sleep at 10 and Abi was only up a couple of times during the night so I slept fairly well.
I decided that we're having a day at home today because we were out yesterday and we're going out tomorrow so it's good to have a day just chilling. Going out in India is so much harder than going out in UK. Things just seem to take so much longer, I guess the traffic being horrendous doesn't help but even just going to the supermarket takes twice as long! Also, the heat really wears you out and even just a trip out for a couple of hours leaves us all exhausted. So, as I was saying I decided to stay in today.
We had a fairly uneventful morning and just played and watched some TV and tidied up a bit. I put up the first one of the posters from Laura in DJ's room. It had to be the Peppa Pig one! We decided that we are going to put the majority of the posters in Abi's room as that is going to be the playroom but I couldn't not put the Peppa one in his room. He loved it and spent ages looking at it, naming the characters and pointing things out on it. It was so funny, when Raj Kumar was cleaning DJ's room in the afternoon, he pointed at the poster which has ABC written in the window. He said 'A is for Apple, B is for ball, C is for Cat and E is for Elephant'. It was so funny and very sweet. He told me he took six classes in English. It's the most English I've heard him speak in one go!
Both DJ and Abi went to sleep at 2.45 which is not what I planned, but DJ was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open. I only let him sleep for 40 minutes because I was worried he wouldn't sleep at bedtime. I was right to be worried! It took me two and a half hours to get both children to sleep and by the time they were both asleep it was 10.30 and I was absolutely exhausted! Pen was late home too so we all had a very late night!!
We woke up this morning (Friday) at 7 p.m. I brought Abi into our bed and laid her between us with loads of toys and tried to close my eyes for 10 minutes more. A few minutes later DJ appeared in our room so chances of sleep after that were impossible! He was climbing all over everyone! So, I got up and started getting children washed, dressed, fed, usual routine :)
Dylan watched a bit of TV while I tidied up and then at about 10.30, I started getting things ready to go out. Pen dropped us at Melinda's house at 12 and we stayed there for lunch and a couple of hours play time. At quarter to 3, we all went in Mel's car to another lady, Kristen's house. There was a play group on from 3-5 p.m for under 4's. DJ had a brilliant time! The great thing about going all these different places is, he is getting more and more comfortable playing with other children and playing without checking that I'm there every 5 minutes! In fact, today at Kristen's house, he didn't even look for me once! I kept going to check on him but he was just really happy which was lovely!
Kristen lives in an apartment within the Golf Course and it is a beautiful place – both the grounds and the actual apartment. It's by far the loveliest apartment I have seen in India and is decorated really beautifully. It made me a bit sad that our apartment is still so bare and doesn't have anything in it! Although I am working on that! Since being here, I have bought the chests of drawers, a pair of long brown curtains, a stair gate and this evening I bought an oven! The lady selling it isn't leaving till the end of the month so I have a couple of weeks to wait for it but it'll be worth it just to be able to cook a roast or a casserole or even to grill things!
Our cargo has now left Mumbai and is en route to Delhi. You would think I would be jumping up and down for joy at this news but I must admit – I'm feeling very pessimistic about it. I guess I don't want to get my hopes up only to be sorely disappointed. At least I know it's somewhere on the way :)
Anyway, back to what I was saying – at 4.30 Kristen ordered me a taxi as we still don't have car seats for the car which means I can't drive and I still don't have a mobile, which means I couldn't call a taxi. The taxi finally turned up at 5.05 and we were the last ones to leave the play group. It took an hour and a half to get home because of the traffic and because of the distance to our apartment. We live on the other side of the highway to all the other apartment buildings so it's quite a distance to go, however, our apartment is on the same side of the big highway as Pen's office, which makes it easy for him to get to and from work. That's a real bonus as Penri hates commuting.
The taxi driver spoke excellent English and told me that his normal job was as a chauffeur for the Sheraton Hotel and he drove a Mercedes for them. He said when it is quiet at the hotel, he takes breaks and does taxi work to make extra money. Not sure how much I believed him on that note. He was chatting to me all the way home and he said something that I must write on here because it made me laugh. He said 'You need three things to drive in India … a good horn, a good head and lots of luck'. He followed it up by saying 'Anything is possible in India' which a few seconds later was just the case. One side of the dual carriageway was closed so all the traffic from the other side was driving head on towards us on the wrong side of the road! It was crazy and probably didn't help the traffic!
We got home and I made Dylan some dinner then I fed Abi and washed and dressed both the children for bed. I couldn't believe it was already 8 p.m! Abigail fell asleep immediately and then I took Dylan to his bedroom. Within 10 minutes he too was asleep. Exhausted after a very busy, very fun filled day. Looking forward to the weekend and spending some time as a family :)
I decided that we're having a day at home today because we were out yesterday and we're going out tomorrow so it's good to have a day just chilling. Going out in India is so much harder than going out in UK. Things just seem to take so much longer, I guess the traffic being horrendous doesn't help but even just going to the supermarket takes twice as long! Also, the heat really wears you out and even just a trip out for a couple of hours leaves us all exhausted. So, as I was saying I decided to stay in today.
We had a fairly uneventful morning and just played and watched some TV and tidied up a bit. I put up the first one of the posters from Laura in DJ's room. It had to be the Peppa Pig one! We decided that we are going to put the majority of the posters in Abi's room as that is going to be the playroom but I couldn't not put the Peppa one in his room. He loved it and spent ages looking at it, naming the characters and pointing things out on it. It was so funny, when Raj Kumar was cleaning DJ's room in the afternoon, he pointed at the poster which has ABC written in the window. He said 'A is for Apple, B is for ball, C is for Cat and E is for Elephant'. It was so funny and very sweet. He told me he took six classes in English. It's the most English I've heard him speak in one go!
Both DJ and Abi went to sleep at 2.45 which is not what I planned, but DJ was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open. I only let him sleep for 40 minutes because I was worried he wouldn't sleep at bedtime. I was right to be worried! It took me two and a half hours to get both children to sleep and by the time they were both asleep it was 10.30 and I was absolutely exhausted! Pen was late home too so we all had a very late night!!
We woke up this morning (Friday) at 7 p.m. I brought Abi into our bed and laid her between us with loads of toys and tried to close my eyes for 10 minutes more. A few minutes later DJ appeared in our room so chances of sleep after that were impossible! He was climbing all over everyone! So, I got up and started getting children washed, dressed, fed, usual routine :)
Dylan watched a bit of TV while I tidied up and then at about 10.30, I started getting things ready to go out. Pen dropped us at Melinda's house at 12 and we stayed there for lunch and a couple of hours play time. At quarter to 3, we all went in Mel's car to another lady, Kristen's house. There was a play group on from 3-5 p.m for under 4's. DJ had a brilliant time! The great thing about going all these different places is, he is getting more and more comfortable playing with other children and playing without checking that I'm there every 5 minutes! In fact, today at Kristen's house, he didn't even look for me once! I kept going to check on him but he was just really happy which was lovely!
Kristen lives in an apartment within the Golf Course and it is a beautiful place – both the grounds and the actual apartment. It's by far the loveliest apartment I have seen in India and is decorated really beautifully. It made me a bit sad that our apartment is still so bare and doesn't have anything in it! Although I am working on that! Since being here, I have bought the chests of drawers, a pair of long brown curtains, a stair gate and this evening I bought an oven! The lady selling it isn't leaving till the end of the month so I have a couple of weeks to wait for it but it'll be worth it just to be able to cook a roast or a casserole or even to grill things!
Our cargo has now left Mumbai and is en route to Delhi. You would think I would be jumping up and down for joy at this news but I must admit – I'm feeling very pessimistic about it. I guess I don't want to get my hopes up only to be sorely disappointed. At least I know it's somewhere on the way :)
Anyway, back to what I was saying – at 4.30 Kristen ordered me a taxi as we still don't have car seats for the car which means I can't drive and I still don't have a mobile, which means I couldn't call a taxi. The taxi finally turned up at 5.05 and we were the last ones to leave the play group. It took an hour and a half to get home because of the traffic and because of the distance to our apartment. We live on the other side of the highway to all the other apartment buildings so it's quite a distance to go, however, our apartment is on the same side of the big highway as Pen's office, which makes it easy for him to get to and from work. That's a real bonus as Penri hates commuting.
The taxi driver spoke excellent English and told me that his normal job was as a chauffeur for the Sheraton Hotel and he drove a Mercedes for them. He said when it is quiet at the hotel, he takes breaks and does taxi work to make extra money. Not sure how much I believed him on that note. He was chatting to me all the way home and he said something that I must write on here because it made me laugh. He said 'You need three things to drive in India … a good horn, a good head and lots of luck'. He followed it up by saying 'Anything is possible in India' which a few seconds later was just the case. One side of the dual carriageway was closed so all the traffic from the other side was driving head on towards us on the wrong side of the road! It was crazy and probably didn't help the traffic!
We got home and I made Dylan some dinner then I fed Abi and washed and dressed both the children for bed. I couldn't believe it was already 8 p.m! Abigail fell asleep immediately and then I took Dylan to his bedroom. Within 10 minutes he too was asleep. Exhausted after a very busy, very fun filled day. Looking forward to the weekend and spending some time as a family :)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday 14th July
Abigail woke up this morning at 7 and she wasn't about to go back to sleep, so I got up too. She's such a happy baby even when she's first woken up! She doesn't cry, she just wakes up smiling and then is so happy with every little bit of attention you give her. So, when she woke up this morning we laid on the bed and played with some toys (mostly hers but a few of Dylan's too). I got out of bed at 8 and started getting ready to go out. Not me myself getting ready but getting things ready – the pushchair, the nappy bag, DJ's snack bag etc. I also looked up the hotel we were going to on google so I could get an idea of where it is.
We left home at 9.15 and Penri dropped us at the hotel where the weekly women's coffee morning was being held. When we walked in there was only Melinda there with her children (even though we were 20 minutes late). There was a small play area set up for the children which literally consisted of a play mat on the floor, a see-saw and a small rocking horse. That was it and it wasn't enclosed so I had to stand next to it the whole time. Even standing right next to it watching Dylan playing, he still ran out of the restaurant door a few times and I had to go running after him. As more ladies started to arrive, they sat at a large table at the back of the restaurant where you could have tea and pastries, however as I mentioned above, there was no chance of me sitting down whatsoever. The other mums were in the same position so I was stood with Melinda and another lady (Safiye) most of the time we were there.
After an hour and a half, I decided Dylan had had enough and it was time to leave. I asked one of the men at the concierge to order me a taxi. They told me they had hotel taxis and there were no outside ones available. A hotel taxi was going to cost me Rs.500 (about £8) which doesn't sound like much but for the distance I was travelling and the normal cost of taxis here, it was a lot. I asked if they could keep trying to get me an outside taxi, which luckily they did. It ended up costing me Rs. 130 which is a big difference to what I would've paid for the hotel taxi. Anyway, Dylan was very excited about riding in a shiny emerald green taxi. We got in the car and headed home. It was very hot as it was coming up to midday and both children were tired and hungry, as was I.
Getting home, I made lunch and settled Abigail down for a nap. DJ was tired but couldn't settle so we played in his room while Abi was sleeping. At 3 p.m Raj Kumar (our cleaner) came to do the cleaning and Dylan then started running around after him saying 'Kumar, Kumar, chase me'. It was so cute! Poor Raj Kumar was trying to get his work done and DJ just wanted to play!
I have found a new, super brilliant way to communicate with Raj Kumar as his English is very limited and my Hindi is non-existent. Penri and I had been talking at lunchtime about the day the cargo will be delivered (still no date yet, but hoping it will be in the next few days). We were both concerned about making sure all the boxes are delivered (and nothing has been taken) and also, making sure that Dylan doesn't seize the opportunity of having the front door open and lots of people about, to try and run outside! So, Pens and I agreed it would be a good idea to have Raj Kumar here for the day, just to be another pair of eyes on the children but mainly to occupy Dylan. I said I would speak to him but then it occurred to me … if I couldn't even get him to understand a simple thing such as 'clean the bathrooms', how on earth was I going to explain to him what I wanted to say. I had an excellent idea. I asked Raj Kumar if he could read Hindi, which he said he could. So, I went on Google, found a translation site and typed in what I wanted to say – that our cargo was arriving from England, not sure of the day but would he be able to come and spend the day here at the apartment; not to clean but to watch Dylan? He read it all and nodded (well, shook his head side to side) and said 'Yes Madam, no problem!' He seemed very happy about it too, which I am pleased about. I know he likes Dylan and more importantly Dylan seems to be very happy around him. Don't get me wrong – there is no way I would leave Dylan with him if I wasn't around, but I know that him being here on that day will help me a lot!!
While Raj Kumar was here, I also used the Hindi translation again to ask him if he could help me as I needed to pick up a radiator that I had bought from the lady in the next apartment block. I was unable to push the pushchair with both children in it and carry a small radiator. So, he came with us and we all went to pick it up. When we got back to the apartment, I was trying to put up a curtain in Abi's room and having no luck whatsoever. The curtain rails here are so difficult as you have to unscrew the rail from the bracket (with a screwdriver) and then unscrew it from the wall in order to put the curtains on. It's not easy and not helped by the fact that I don't have a step ladder so was standing on four plastic chairs in order to reach it. Raj Kumar helped me get the curtains hung up. I think he must think I am mad because I am forever doing bits and bobs around the apartment whereas most expats have live in help for things like that. Even the other day when I was measuring the living room for curtains, he kept trying to do it for me and I was telling him 'no problem, I can do it myself'. He has this high pitched laugh which he always does and it makes me smile every time! He loves it when I am on Skype because he is fascinated by the fact that I can talk to someone and see their video. He has seen my mum, my sister, Indeg, Debs, Sam … he always looks at it with a big grin on his face :)
Anyway, back to my day yesterday. After dinner, at about 6.30 I took the children swimming. We hadn't been for a couple of days so DJ was really excited to go swimming. We got into the pool and then the lifeguard came over to me and told me Abigail wasn't allowed in the pool. I looked at him confused. He said 'no children under 2 in the pool, she had to go in the baby pool'. I told him I have been here for four weeks and brought her swimming many, many times (most days in fact) and never had a problem before. He said it was new rules. I asked him to show me the rules and he shook his head from side to side. So, I said 'I'm not getting out, I'm only here for 15 minutes and then I'll be going home'. Then I moved to the other side of the pool. It's ridiculous!! He wanted me to take her in the baby pool which would mean I would have to sit in a couple of inches of water myself and not in the pool. How crazy!! There's no way I'm just going to sit in the baby pool! So, we'll see what happens next time I go swimming. If I have to kick up a stink about this, I will. They let children (some as young as 2) in the big pool without an adult in the water with them. Their nannies sit at the side of the pool. That is more dangerous than having a baby in your arms in the water. Anyway, will keep you posted on what happens!
I have a few more photos to post which I will do in a minute. Some are of out and about in India and I have a few pictures of the children. Dylan has really taken a liking to shoes – especially mine! He walks around the house in them saying 'DJ shoes!' I managed to get a picture of him this morning wearing my flip-flops. It cracks me up. He's so funny! I also have pictures of Abigail playing with Dylan's toys this morning. She likes her toys, but she LOVES his toys. I can see this being a problem when they are older. Even now he doesn't like sharing but he will share when I ask him to. They were playing in Dylan's room this morning and she was having a great time with his puzzles and cars:
Pictures Out and About:
That's about it from me today. Not much other news to report. It's been a nice and busy day and I'm looking forward to a nice early night tonight :)
We left home at 9.15 and Penri dropped us at the hotel where the weekly women's coffee morning was being held. When we walked in there was only Melinda there with her children (even though we were 20 minutes late). There was a small play area set up for the children which literally consisted of a play mat on the floor, a see-saw and a small rocking horse. That was it and it wasn't enclosed so I had to stand next to it the whole time. Even standing right next to it watching Dylan playing, he still ran out of the restaurant door a few times and I had to go running after him. As more ladies started to arrive, they sat at a large table at the back of the restaurant where you could have tea and pastries, however as I mentioned above, there was no chance of me sitting down whatsoever. The other mums were in the same position so I was stood with Melinda and another lady (Safiye) most of the time we were there.
After an hour and a half, I decided Dylan had had enough and it was time to leave. I asked one of the men at the concierge to order me a taxi. They told me they had hotel taxis and there were no outside ones available. A hotel taxi was going to cost me Rs.500 (about £8) which doesn't sound like much but for the distance I was travelling and the normal cost of taxis here, it was a lot. I asked if they could keep trying to get me an outside taxi, which luckily they did. It ended up costing me Rs. 130 which is a big difference to what I would've paid for the hotel taxi. Anyway, Dylan was very excited about riding in a shiny emerald green taxi. We got in the car and headed home. It was very hot as it was coming up to midday and both children were tired and hungry, as was I.
Getting home, I made lunch and settled Abigail down for a nap. DJ was tired but couldn't settle so we played in his room while Abi was sleeping. At 3 p.m Raj Kumar (our cleaner) came to do the cleaning and Dylan then started running around after him saying 'Kumar, Kumar, chase me'. It was so cute! Poor Raj Kumar was trying to get his work done and DJ just wanted to play!
I have found a new, super brilliant way to communicate with Raj Kumar as his English is very limited and my Hindi is non-existent. Penri and I had been talking at lunchtime about the day the cargo will be delivered (still no date yet, but hoping it will be in the next few days). We were both concerned about making sure all the boxes are delivered (and nothing has been taken) and also, making sure that Dylan doesn't seize the opportunity of having the front door open and lots of people about, to try and run outside! So, Pens and I agreed it would be a good idea to have Raj Kumar here for the day, just to be another pair of eyes on the children but mainly to occupy Dylan. I said I would speak to him but then it occurred to me … if I couldn't even get him to understand a simple thing such as 'clean the bathrooms', how on earth was I going to explain to him what I wanted to say. I had an excellent idea. I asked Raj Kumar if he could read Hindi, which he said he could. So, I went on Google, found a translation site and typed in what I wanted to say – that our cargo was arriving from England, not sure of the day but would he be able to come and spend the day here at the apartment; not to clean but to watch Dylan? He read it all and nodded (well, shook his head side to side) and said 'Yes Madam, no problem!' He seemed very happy about it too, which I am pleased about. I know he likes Dylan and more importantly Dylan seems to be very happy around him. Don't get me wrong – there is no way I would leave Dylan with him if I wasn't around, but I know that him being here on that day will help me a lot!!
While Raj Kumar was here, I also used the Hindi translation again to ask him if he could help me as I needed to pick up a radiator that I had bought from the lady in the next apartment block. I was unable to push the pushchair with both children in it and carry a small radiator. So, he came with us and we all went to pick it up. When we got back to the apartment, I was trying to put up a curtain in Abi's room and having no luck whatsoever. The curtain rails here are so difficult as you have to unscrew the rail from the bracket (with a screwdriver) and then unscrew it from the wall in order to put the curtains on. It's not easy and not helped by the fact that I don't have a step ladder so was standing on four plastic chairs in order to reach it. Raj Kumar helped me get the curtains hung up. I think he must think I am mad because I am forever doing bits and bobs around the apartment whereas most expats have live in help for things like that. Even the other day when I was measuring the living room for curtains, he kept trying to do it for me and I was telling him 'no problem, I can do it myself'. He has this high pitched laugh which he always does and it makes me smile every time! He loves it when I am on Skype because he is fascinated by the fact that I can talk to someone and see their video. He has seen my mum, my sister, Indeg, Debs, Sam … he always looks at it with a big grin on his face :)
Anyway, back to my day yesterday. After dinner, at about 6.30 I took the children swimming. We hadn't been for a couple of days so DJ was really excited to go swimming. We got into the pool and then the lifeguard came over to me and told me Abigail wasn't allowed in the pool. I looked at him confused. He said 'no children under 2 in the pool, she had to go in the baby pool'. I told him I have been here for four weeks and brought her swimming many, many times (most days in fact) and never had a problem before. He said it was new rules. I asked him to show me the rules and he shook his head from side to side. So, I said 'I'm not getting out, I'm only here for 15 minutes and then I'll be going home'. Then I moved to the other side of the pool. It's ridiculous!! He wanted me to take her in the baby pool which would mean I would have to sit in a couple of inches of water myself and not in the pool. How crazy!! There's no way I'm just going to sit in the baby pool! So, we'll see what happens next time I go swimming. If I have to kick up a stink about this, I will. They let children (some as young as 2) in the big pool without an adult in the water with them. Their nannies sit at the side of the pool. That is more dangerous than having a baby in your arms in the water. Anyway, will keep you posted on what happens!
I have a few more photos to post which I will do in a minute. Some are of out and about in India and I have a few pictures of the children. Dylan has really taken a liking to shoes – especially mine! He walks around the house in them saying 'DJ shoes!' I managed to get a picture of him this morning wearing my flip-flops. It cracks me up. He's so funny! I also have pictures of Abigail playing with Dylan's toys this morning. She likes her toys, but she LOVES his toys. I can see this being a problem when they are older. Even now he doesn't like sharing but he will share when I ask him to. They were playing in Dylan's room this morning and she was having a great time with his puzzles and cars:
Pictures Out and About:
That's about it from me today. Not much other news to report. It's been a nice and busy day and I'm looking forward to a nice early night tonight :)
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