Lucy 22 Months

I had not intended on writing an update for this month, but I don't want to forget how much Lucy has changed in the last month! It's unbelievable how fast she's growing up.

Having fun outside! Notice Mommy took the picture from inside in the air conditioning.

Her favorite song (by FAR) is the ABC song. We had to sing it three times before nap today. She has several toys that sing the ABC's in a rotation with other songs, and she has no patience for the songs that aren't ABC. She also sings along, usually repeating "A-B-C-D" throughout the song. Did you know that there are lullaby and rock versions of ABC? I really appreciate that some of her toys play different versions of the song.

She loves to dance when Puppy plays the ABC song

At bedtime she also requests Jesus Loves Me and just in the last week she has started requesting Wildcat Victory (the K-State Fight Song). Now Travis has been singing it to her almost daily since before she was born, and his hard work is finally paying off--right in time for football season!

She still loves dogs and now says "Dog" correctly now instead of "Ga". I knew this day would come but it makes my heart a little sad that she's already growing out of some of our favorite Lucy-isms.

Mommy and Daddy are becoming quite skilled at drawing Elmo, Abby Dabby, cats, turtles, feet, and hands. These are all requested (demanded?) daily. I wish art classes were complimentary for toddler parents--drawing is not a skill of mine!

She still says "Hi" and "Bye" to our Houston friends daily and now she announces when her Saudi friends are napping or eating throughout the day. Our friend Baby Luke apparently naps A LOT.

And continuing the trend from the past couple months, her language skills are still growing exponentially. This week I've heard more three word phrases then I can count! She will now repeat almost anything we say, including "1 package of ground beef please", which earned her a pat on the head from the butcher this morning.

Climbing on the furniture is another new skill

This month she has also taken a liking to the phrase "Happy Birthday", probably because Houston friends Clara, Evan and also Grandma have birthdays this month and we've been talking them up! Even though she couldn't be there for your birthdays she has been celebrating all month long with you :) Earlier this week she had the opportunity to tell our neighbor Happy Birthday, and she was even more excited about it when she realized cake was involved! I think her 2nd birthday party is going to be fun this year!

She still loves peas and broccoli and over the course of a week I think will eat a pretty balanced diet. But yes we have some meals where she only eats french fries or breadsticks. She also routinely requests apples, oranges, and raisins.

Lucy was pretty excited to see her Elmo potty in our air shipment and even made me carry it upstairs to her bathroom. I've started to pick up on the fact she's asking to sit on it before nap and bedtime--I think she's trying to distract me from putting her to bed, not that she's actually interested in using the potty! Of course nothing has happened in the potty yet but neither of us are in a hurry for that.

Drinking Elmo juice on the Elmo potty. Could life get any better?

This time next month things will be a lot different--baby sister should be here! Lucy loves giving hugs and kisses to "Baby Sissy" and gets very excited to see her 'picture' on the ultrasound at my appointments. I hope she still loves giving hugs and kisses once baby sister is actually here :)

A slightly traumatizing and terrifying day

I had been putting off a trip to the local medical clinic to get my residency permit for a while. Mostly because I knew they were going to draw blood. But I put on my big girl pants and got Lucy and I dressed and ready to leave by 9:30.

When we arrived the clinic was very busy. Thankfully the three lines were clearly marked "Dentist", "Family", and "Sabic", so there was no confusion as to where I was supposed to go. We had to wait a while in the (hot) reception area (side note--I really don't understand why they don't crank the a/c up here like they do in the states. Being pregnant in a polyester curtain makes me really miss and appreciate Houston's blasting a/c's). Thankfully the receptionist helped us and showed us where to go before I started feeling too woozy from the heat.

The first frustration: I needed my passport. Or more specifically, the visa in my passport. I always carry it with me, but Travis had been told I wouldn't need it and he did need it for something else at work today, so this is the first day since I got here that it wasn't on me. Of course he was in the middle of one of the most important meetings he's had since he got here when I called. They were very nice though and said I could come back when he called back with the number.

Lucy was pretty patient during this waiting period, and we looked through our papers several times. There was a page with a picture of Travis' residency permit which also had his passport picture. Lucy was excited to see a picture of daddy's head and started saying "DADDY NAKEY! DADDY NAKEY!" which she yells whenever Travis takes off his shirt. I was hoping that her toddler american accent was just as intelligible to everyone else as their accents were to me in the waiting room.

The second problem of the day: They wanted to take a blood draw from my almost two year old. Travis had also been told that she wouldn't have to do this. Of course she hated it. Thankfully I had just pulled up her favorite Abby Cadabby video on my phone so that helped distract her a little, but my poor baby was absolutely traumatized. She kept screaming "ALL DONE! ALL DONE!" Of course Travis calls back in the middle of Lucy's blood draw with my visa number, creating more chaos.

After my blood draw (and this one hurt much worse than when I was at the hospital a few weeks ago! I understand why Lucy was so mad!) they wanted to take a chest x-ray. No idea why a chest x-ray is required for a residency permit, but they were accommodating when I explained I was pregnant and not supposed to get one. To exempt me from the chest x-ray they needed medical proof. I'm pretty sure that in most western countries they would let you do a urine test, but here they actually made us wait while they tested my blood for pregnancy. This time the kind nurse put us in a small office out of the way. I'm not sure if it was because they didn't want the woman and child in the public waiting area or if they were simply trying to make Lucy happier by giving us our own space. This room had a great a/c blowing in it. Several times a nurse came by and asked if it was too cold. I hope I didn't show my feelings of "you've got to be kidding me" too plainly. 

About an hour later a nurse came back and asked me for the second time "Are you sure you are pregnant?" Then he handed me the paper that said "Pregnancy Test--Positive". Was he trying to tell a joke? I'm not sure. I said something about I thought it was obvious and he mumbled something about it being hard to tell in an abaya. Newsflash--it is not hard to tell if a woman is 7-8 months pregnant in an abaya.
Next we were taken to the x-ray room. Turns out while I was exempt from the x-ray, my almost two year old was not. For at least the third time in the day I was asked "Where eez your husband?" to which I replied "He is working." I guess most women don't attempt to go to these appointments by themselves? Obviously I could not hold Lucy for the x-ray, so I had to wait outside while they x-rayed her. All I could hear was crying. Thankfully this was the last hurdle for our time at the clinic and we were able to go home after this.

I treated Lucy to macaroni and cheese ("Oni! Cheese!") for lunch and I think that mostly helped her forget the trauma of the day. She took a good nap and then we had the chance to videochat to our dear friends the Sealocks! That certainly helped to cheer me up. I know Lucy was excited to see you guys even though she seemed more concerned about her Elmo videos for most of the conversation :)

To make up for the traumatizing part of the day, Travis treated me to dinner at a good Thai restaurant in the older part of Jubail. Dinner was delicious and Lucy ate exactly 8 french fries and 3 small pieces of chicken. I guess that's a success?

Cashew chicken, chicken fried rice, and fried prawns. Yum!

After dinner Travis wanted to walk to a store near the restaurant where he heard we could buy really good dates. If you aren't aware, dates are the one 'crop' Saudi Arabia is known for. We have them growing on palm trees (date trees, I suppose) behind our backyard. This is where the slightly terrifying part comes in. I think walking through Old Jubail during the day would be a fun cultural experience. At night... Woah. There were SO MANY PEOPLE (men) in the streets. And so many cars on the road. I'm still a little unclear on exactly what the rules are and how I'm supposed to act (can I look people in the eye? is it ok to put my hand in Travis' arm or is that considered PDA? Can I walk in front of him?) and there was not another female to be seen. Travis was carrying Lucy, I had my bag on one shoulder and Lucy's owl bag on the other. It was so crowded I said heck with etiquette rules and held on to Travis' arm so we wouldn't get separated. We passed lots of stores that seemed to sell a really random assortment of food, electronics, and home goods, plus a few dedicated grocery/produce stores. Once inside our destination I was again terrified I was breaking some rule by being outside after dark (no, no one has ever mentioned this is a rule, but not seeing any other females on a 10 minute walk makes you question this), but the shop workers turned out to be very nice. They let us sample the dates and gave Lucy a whole scoop full of raisins. They also told us we could just spit the seeds on the floor. Ooookay. After spending less than $15 on 2 kilos of raisins and dates we were on our way, and I felt a lot more prepared for the walk back to the restaurant where the driver was going to pick us up. The dates are delicious, by the way. Lucy snacked on one the whole way home! And with that, our day has come to a close. I really hope tomorrow is less eventful.

Our prize

Air Shipment Received!

We received our air shipment last Thursday. YAY!

Turns out 500 lbs easily fits inside that one big box

We had a 500 lb allowance and sadly baby stuff took up 60% of it. I was terrified the baby would get here before our big shipment, and I was not about to start life in a foreign country with a new baby and not have the baby stuff. Lucy's stuff was probably another 25%, Travis had about 10%, and I got the remainder which included 4 laundry baskets, our kitchen trash can, and the hot pot. I think I only got the laundry baskets because they used them to pack other stuff in. I'm still not really sure how all that added up to 500 lbs, because I can really only account for about 350, but no one asked me.

Does this look like 500 lbs of stuff to you?

What I'm most excited about--The Kitchen Trash Can!

What I'm second most excited about--The Diaper Genie!

What Lucy is most excited about--Her new Elmo Potty. I wouldn't let her take it out of the box before we moved out of Houston.

Lucy's new throne

What Travis is most excited about--Our mattress topper. The mattresses here are insanely hard. We've been making due by layering the 5 comforters we found around the house. Not sure why there were so many, but we're glad they were there! Mom and dad--if you're in luck, the sea shipment with our tempurpedic for the guest bed will be here before you will. If not, we know how to layer comforters :)

One thing I learned was that packing tape leaves a really disgusting residue after sitting in 110 degree heat for several weeks.

Lucy has enjoyed having some of her old toys back. Specifically the blocks. Here's a couple more pictures of Lucy making sure our stuff is still in working order:

Testing out the bouncer for baby sissy

All the knobs still work, mom!

We're still looking forward to getting the rest of our shipment, this was a bit of a tease! But it is really nice to have a few things to make this feel more like home.

Rookie Mistakes

Our third full week in Saudi has brought some learning experiences as we ventured out a little further into our new world.

1. KFC (at least the one we went to) does NOT have a family section. Also it is one of the few places the menu and signs are entirely in Arabic. We are spoiled that most signs and menus are in English in addition to Arabic. Luckily all Lucy and I got in KFC were some pointed looks and some honking, and we were able to return to our vehicle without being reprimanded.

2. Travis went to the bookstore/electronics store 4 times in two days. Turns out the weekend after Ramadan/Eid al Fitr holiday means stores can be open whenever they want and no one knows when that will be. Unfortunately when we finally made it there during opening hours they didn't have what we were looking for.

3. It's best to not try and shop between 11am and 4pm here. A lot of shops close for the 11:30 prayer time and don't open again until after the 3:30 prayer time. Reminds me of the Spanish Siesta time!

4. A few years ago the King allowed women to start working in administrative roles in hospitals and as retail clerks. They all wear the traditional Saudi veil where you can only see their eyes. I already have a hard time understanding people with thick accents, but when I can't see their lips to try and figure out what they are saying it's nearly impossible! The Saudi women I've encountered are generally soft spoken so this makes it even more challenging.

5. The differences between a culture built on commerce (America) and a culture built on religion are pretty interesting. Obviously we have a lot more learning to do here but I find it fascinating that they just don't care if they are losing out on making money during prayer time, if they are exclusive to men only, etc.

6. I had my first experience with a true Saudi public restroom on Tuesday. There are no toilets. I'll just let that sink in for a minute....

Yes, somehow a pregnant woman in an abaya is supposed to pee in a hole in the ground. Why they haven't moved their bathrooms into the 21st century is beyond me. At least the door locked. I'm so grateful that the fancy-hotel-hospital I'm delivering at has toilets in its restrooms.

7. Having nothing to compare this experience to before moving here, I think I expected Jubail to be a lot more like Prague in that it would be hard to find things, hard to communicate, and poor infrastructure. I think I subconsciously expected simply because women's rights are so behind the times. However this is not the case at all. Jubail (at least the parts that I have been to in our three weeks here) is significantly more modern and western than I anticipated. Khobar/Dharan even moreso. With the exception of the toilet issue, pretty much everything else is almost on par with western standards. I know it has changed a lot in the last 3 years since our company first started letting expat families live here, and I'm grateful to be moving here now with the upgraded grocery store and more restaurant and shopping options. The streets seem well maintained, most people drive vehicles that are less than 10 years old, and the grocery store has almost everything you could want. Even dragon fruit. Now they might not have dragon fruit next week, and the cheese selection seems to change weekly, but that's ok, because at least they HAVE a cheese selection, which was not always the case in post-communism Prague.

Just a quick note on our safety: Several of you have expressed concern about us being here with the recent embassy closures and state department travel restrictions. We feel extremely safe here and are confident that if there is a threat to our safety in this specific area our company will make sure we are safe where we are or evacuated. Our compound has numerous checkpoints and is highly secure. The places we have been going to (restaurants, grocery shopping, other stores) seem just as safe as places we would go back home. Probably more so than Houston where I was always concerned about what weirdos were in the parking lots!

We're enjoying our time here and excited to begin exploring more now that Ramadan is over. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on getting our first air shipment and our cooking adventures!

Happy 8th Anniversary to us! Just another day in the desert...

Today was a pretty normal day. Travis went to work, I tried to wake up a few hours before Lucy and was mildly successful. Lucy was generally pleasant this morning, except she insisted on eating my oatmeal despite whining and begging for cheerios before we sat down. Some battles aren't worth fighting! We made the trek to Khobar by ourselves so I could get some blood work done (why this had to be done in Khobar I'm not sure. But it seemed easier to go there than try to communicate that I would rather do it here and get the results sent there). I think I've had more than my fair share of blood draws over the past 3+ years, and I was a little frustrated they couldn't just believe the results from the multiple blood draws I've had back home this pregnancy. I don't like getting blood drawn and I was honestly quite terrified of having it done here. But I was pleasantly surprised at how kind and gentle the young phlebotomist was! Maybe he was being extra kind because I looked terrified. Regardless it was far more pleasant than the jabs from the large southern ladies at Quest Labs who have been taking my blood on a regular basis for 3+ years.

So enough about my blood work. On to interesting observations of the day.

1) A local man moved to the other side of the waiting room when Lucy and I sat down nearby, then eyed us suspiciously for awhile. I'm sure this isn't the last time this will happen, but it was the first time I felt noticed for being either American or female (or both).

2) Everyone else I encountered was extremely kind and courteous. While we were waiting for the driver to pick us up after my appointment a 'hospital greeter' brought a chair outside for me to sit in while we waited. This has never happened at home!

3) I saw a young Saudi family leave the hospital with their newborn... and the husband placed his newborn in his wife's lap in the front seat of their car! THIS IS NOT OK!!! I had been warned this is how they do it here, but it still took every ounce of restraint I had to not go rescue that baby and find it a carseat! I have seen the wrecks on these roads and they are not simple fender benders.

4) I saw 4 or 5 roadside produce stands leaving Khobar. And they were all selling... Watermelon! I find this interesting for a country with no lakes or rivers and only 3% arable land.

5) Lucy has figured out how to use the iPad by herself. She calls it the "ElmoPad". As much as I try to engage her in other activities, nothing is as exciting to her as Elmo videos. At least they are educational and teach her about animals and letters... or so I tell myself.

This evening Travis and I celebrated our anniversary at "The Steakhouse", one of the nicer restaurants in town. They have an excellent salad bar and bring out your raw steak on an extremely hot (450 degrees C!) rock. It was kind of like eating fondue switching out a hot rock for a hot pot. Our new friends Dan and Heather babysat Lucy for us and Travis and I really appreciated not having to share our fries with her. Thanks Dan and Heather!

It's hard to believe it's been 8 years since we got married. That sounds like a long time! We never would have guessed we'd be where we are today (as in Saudi Arabia... not that we'd be married for 8 years :) ) Travis, I am so thankful for every day we get to spend together. You have filled my life with more love than I ever thought possible! Thank you for everything you do for me and our family. I know it's not always easy. Even though today was 'normal', it was perfect, because I know you are with me 100%. This song says it best :)

The worst picture of me ever! And a few anecdotes from week 2

A few days ago I realized I needed some new passport photos for my residency permit. They had warned us to bring a huge stack of them with us, but that was about three months before we left the country so I have no idea what happened to them in the chaos of the last month. Good news is it's easy to get new ones here, since lots of people need a lot of them!

Here is how it turned out:

When I stepped in the photobooth, I smiled like I normally do for a picture, and then the photographer set his camera down and said something I couldn't understand. After a few tries I figured out he was trying to say "Little Smile". Apparently my normal smile is too smiley for this type of picture. I tried to tone it down, but that was really hard for me to do! So this picture is me trying to smile but not too much and also suppress a huge giggle. Turns out that is a terrible combination! And I really hope that's not what I actually look like all the time.

Today is Sunday, which means it's the start of the second work week in Saudi for Travis. Last week it didn't bother me at all he went to work on a Sunday, but after the previous month of craziness I didn't really know what day it was anyway. We've had a week of a 'new normal' and now I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that he started the work week today, yet Tuesday is still two days away. I'm sure I'll get used to it but I'm feeling a little 'off' today.

We had our first OB appointment with the Saudi Dr last week. I'm so glad our new friend Heather accompanied us and showed us where to go and what to do! I would have been completely overwhelmed trying to do that on my own. First we had to get registered, which sounds simple but it was really nice having Heather there to help answer questions that would have confused me. Then we went upstairs to get checked in for my appointment. The appointment itself went fine, but it did not feel like a doctors office to me! There is ornate marble and woodwork everywhere which made it feel like I was having an appointment in a fancy hotel. There were also fishtanks and a waterfall, both of which Lucy loved. Sorry there aren't any pictures, but I've heard taking pictures in public here is a bit taboo, so I'm going to hold off for now. The Doctor said everything looks great, and coincidentally Baby #2 is just as breech as Lucy was! There's still time for her to turn but Lucy didn't so I'm not planning on it. 

Now for the really exciting news: We think we've decided where to go on our first trip! We're hoping to go to Germany in late November/early December to see some Christmas markets and castles. We'll likely fly into Frankfurt and spend a few days there so I can show Travis the house I lived in when I was a kid. From there I think we'll head south, but I'm not yet sure how far south we'll go. I definitely want to spend a day or two in Rothenberg, and once we get into the planning we'll figure out how much farther we want to go with a 2 year old and an infant. We've just started planning so let us know if you want to join us! I'd love to share my favorite German Christmas memories with you too!

Lucy--21 Months old

I can hardly believe my baby girl is almost 2 years old! She's looking so grown up to me these days.

Her language comprehension and vocabulary has exploded over the last several months. I'm amazed every day by the things she picks up on and can say! Lucy understands 99% of what we say. We were amazed at how quickly she learned names at our family reunion. When we ask her to say a new word, sometimes she'll shake her head and say "no." Then at what seems like a random time in the next day or two she'll start saying it. Like with every other milestone, she won't say a word until she's 100% confident she's saying it right! 

Words she is still using her own made-up sounds for: Aiya (both I Love You and Amen), Ga (Dog), Wa-Wa (Thank you--although she did start saying "thank you" last week, she still sometimes says Wa-Wa), Sayas (sunglasses).

Here is a list of her most-used words and phrases:

Daddy Wap (Daddy Lap): she uses this liberally to sit in Daddy's lap and he almost always obliges :)
Daddy Work--In the mornings when I get her up she asks "Daddy Work?" She also confirms several times throughout the day that he is indeed still at work.

Lid, Fork, Spoon--A little hard to tell the difference between fork (Cork) and spoon (foon)
Mommy Bed
Pool with Daddy

Hare-son, Emma, JJ, Ett, Ca-yee, Roy, Calra--Houston friends Harrison, Emma, JJ, Evan, Caroline, Roy, and Clara. She talks about you guys all the time!

Popco/Babka, Jess, Nate, Eevie, Pixi--Travis' family must have made an impression on her. After only a few days she's still talking about them frequently! Especially Pixley. Eevie is Eva. Babka and Popco sound alike so I'm not sure if she's figured out those are different words yet.
Buddy, Sammie, Josey, Eedie, Wiley--Even though she likes talking about people I think reminiscing about dogs she knows is her favorite.

Sugabug--The Scuttlebug, A toy a friend let us borrow here

Toy

Door, Window--we are a little obsessed with windows this week. She has been pointing them out to us in the car, at the store, etc :)

Milk, Juice, Water--She can say 'More Milk Please'. She also specifically asks for "Elmo milk" when she wants to use her Elmo cup.
Strawber, Nana, Apple, Egg
Mamma Cook--She asked me to cook one morning when apparently cereal wasn't to her liking. Now she likes to say it when I'm in the kitchen and she also likes to 'help cook'
Go Mommy Go--When she wants me to go somewhere with her

Aiya--Used for both "Amen" and "I Love You"
Help, Thank You, Please

New Home
Flower, Sticker, Color--Things she likes to do
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10--I've heard her say all of these numbers before, and if we ask her to count she will start rattling off numbers! Usually 5, 2 and 5. I'm amazed at how quickly she understood what a number was and that we use them to count! There is tile with flowers in one of the bathrooms and she likes to count them.
Birdie, Cat, Ga, Fish
Elmo, Abby, Zoe, Gugie (cookie monster)--her favorite Sesame Street characters. Despite trying really hard to not let her be a tv junkie all day, she is obsessed with watching "Elmo Abby"
Hi and Bye--She frequently tells people "Hi" and "Bye" throughout the day. We'll be eating lunch and she'll say "Hi Sammie! Bye Roy!"

She has adapted really well to our "New Home". About a month before we moved she would say "Home" as we would start driving into our neighborhood in Houston. I was pretty impressed she could recognize when we were close to home from sitting backwards in the back seat. However I was nervous that moving was going to be confusing for her, so a few weeks before we moved I started telling her "This is our home right now, but soon we are going to a new home". Within a few days, she's already saying "New Home" as we drive up to the compound, or as we walk around and approach the villa! 

I love seeing her be surprised and amazed by things. Most adults would probably notice the pretty flower tiles on the treads to our stairs the first couple times and then forget about them. After a week Lucy is still delighted by them and likes to point them out! Another anecdote--our oven is a convection oven, and yesterday I turned it on. There is a graphic of a spinning fan on the control panel. She was AMAZED by this and kept pointing at it and saying "Woah! Cool! Woah!"

Grandpa Trussell gave her the coolest toy ever for the plane ride

Lucy is also starting to take an interest in fashion. Sometimes that means taking her new Birdie purse to bed with her (thanks Vivie!) and sometimes that means wearing squeaky shoes to the beach. She also REALLY loves her "Ga Jammies" but thankfully she does let us put other pajamas on her since we only have one pair of those!

She has also taken a pretty big interest in babies lately, which clearly is a good thing! She'll point out a baby when we see one, and she talks about our friend's babies when we're at home. She LOVES to read the "Big Sister" book I bought her and she frequently points to "Baby Sissy" in my belly and gives her kisses. Of course we are encouraging this as much as possible :)

Reading is probably her favorite pastime, and no bed or naptime routine is complete without reading several books. The Big Sister book is a favorite but she also really likes Goodnight Moon, Elmo Loves You, and a book about Time (specifically where I add in a part around dinner time that we call "Daddy Time"). She also loves taking a bath and being tickled.

In Houston she LOVED to go see her friends and would get very excited when I would tell her we were going to play with them. Of course she also talks about their dogs about as much as the people :) Here in Saudi she has already taken a liking to "Baby Luke".

Lucy talks about our Houston family every day! You guys are all so special to us!

Lucy, you bring us so much joy and we are so thankful to have you as our daughter. I can't wait to see you interact with your baby sister and I know you two are going to have a lot of fun together. We love you so much and wish you could stay little forever, but it's also so fun to see you grow and learn and become your own person.