Facecrack

No post in March? You thought, "Is she done?"

Culprits: three week vacay in the States, in many different states I might add. No time to blog then.

2 weeks since we've been back: well, I was bugged enough by people at home to join this online thingamajigger called Facebook, that I decided to join. Richard says I'm joining the herd and he refuses to join, although he does seem a bit interested in looking over my shoulder at my page. Hmmm.  

And all these highschool folks are coming out of the woodwork to invite me to be their "friends". Once I accept their friendship, I then peruse their pages and write some messages and tool around. 

I was told it can be a bit addictive. I'm just not sure I can keep up with so many types of technology...different email addresses, blogs and comments, and now facebook....and haven't even thought about Twitter. Are you twittering? No, not me. I can't delve into another timesucker.  

I gotta go, someone just "friended" me. Uggh.

The curious case of the fly on the tile

"Ba BUUHH!!" pointing to the floor in the living room with a stern, concerned look.

"What do you see?"

"Ba BUUUHHH!" more pointing, walking over, squatting, and pointing directly at the object, looking at me, looking back at what is on the floor, and back again to me.

"It's a dead fly sweetheart. Thanks for finding it for me. We'll pick it up in a minute."

"Ba BUUUGHHH!" Translation: Mommy, please pick it up NOW!!! I cannot just ignore this fly with it's feet up in the air on the tile next to my play area. I mean, really!?

Are all kids disturbed by dead bugs? Don't some of them just pick them up with curiosity and play with them, taking wings or legs off or something? Which would I prefer, a child who picks up a bug, that might not be dead (eee!), because of his incredibly curious nature, or one that points all the little things out for me to deal with? He's spotted all dead and living flies, frog crawling up the wall, slug on wall....way before I did. I get it, he has incredible powers of perception. That's it! That's MY boy.

Of course, he wasn't phased by this IN THE LEAST:

Moo Moo friends lounging in our front yard all day long, and leaving a lovely basketball size cow patty on the driveway outside the gate. Maggie was curious, but didn't seem to mind either. 

The glory of living in Guyana. We don't live on a farm, but we get to see "farm" animals hanging out on the road, sometimes even in front of our house.

Only 1 week!!!

the official countdown begins

Only 11 days, and we will be in NYC.  11 DAYS!!  I officially started the countdown at 2 weeks, and now it's only 11 days. and in that time, I am SO busy. Conducting training, welcoming a new officer, baby group, packing....so, not much time to write, but enjoy the countdown with me. 

always counting down to something. This time, after 8 months, we are going home to contribute to the economy.  11 days.

Ping pong

PING->->->running wildly at full speed, as fast as toddlerly possible, screaming and squealing at levels that make my ear drums hurt, curls flying, running into one cabinet, hitting it, PING->->->looking back at me, turning around and starting all over again->->->PING->->->and back again, across the room to the refridgerator->->->PING->->->

"My ears hurt, can you turn it down a notch?"

A louder, "ha ha hagla urha HAAAA" (it's so hard to convey what this sounds like)

PING

"ouu, er, haya haYa hahAAA"

PING

"Are you mocking me?"

PING

"haya haya HAYAAAA, he ha ha"

I think I've discovered what's it's like to have a human ping pong bouncing off the walls. High energy, seemingly with focus, but easily taken off course, jiggling with laughter.  

The grass is always greener

Good phrase, good cliche.

So I was thinking about different posts, different places we could go. It's a fun game. Richard and I seem to talk about it often. He wants skiing. I want more career choices. We always need to think about what is best for his professional path, that is, the type of assignment. And later it will be about the child's education.

But there are also the little things. I was thinking that I want to go somewhere next time where we don't need mosquito nets. That would be a nice change. 

Because of the rainy season, the mosquitoes are really bad right now, and there's always a fear of Dengue Fever. I don't worry so much about me, but I do NOT want our little one to get it. Every time I see a new bite on his finger, knuckle, elbow, I think, "no, we're fine." Dengue for most people is just a really bad, achy fever, but I don't even want to go there. And I'm not really into dousing him with mosquito spray when we're just inside the house. So...

A place that has seasons so that the mosquitoes die in the winter would be nice.

And then I thought, I actually just want a place where there is something to do. But of course, that could be a myriad of places...and right now, Richard and I are into picking the somewhat hardship posts. Then I thought...what if, what if...we go somewhere where I have too many choices. A place like D.C. Then I'll be lamenting the fact that we are so lame because we don't take advantage of all the fun and interesting things to do. What if there is so much to do, but I can't get out every weekend to see all there is to see? To provide the child with meaningful experiences? 

What I mean to say is essentially we're lazy and I know if we go somewhere where there is a ton to do, I will want to go go go, but won't be able to get it together to get out there. It takes a lot of effort to get a boy out into the world, with feeding time and diapers and all. So then I'll be wishing for a calmer place, one where I'm not constantly regretting what I'm not doing and seeing.

So, is the grass always greener on the other side? Will I ever find a place where the grass is just GREEN??

Our bid list comes out this summer. Maybe the next place is green, or maybe that happens in retirement, or maybe because I like to travel that means I'm always looking for the next interesting place, or maybe it doesn't happen until I change my attitude? 

What's that other cliche? Live life to the fullest. Enjoy the little things. Stop and smell the roses. Oh, yeah, those.

Not just acting out

"Aidan, your Aunt, my sister, is a famous punk rock star." -Mommy

"Really?" -Aidan

"Really! Let's dance!" -Mommy

Current dancing is running in place with curl flying head nods. Flinging himself down on me, Daddy or pillows is also a very enjoyable activity. Moshing may just be in his future, particularly if we're going to see Aunt Maura's band, me thinks.

See article in The New York Times!

Old Year's Night and all that

errr....I didn't write a single post in December. Sorry.

I drafted a few. My thoughts were there...they just didn't have any closure...didn't get to you.

Excuses? Well, my !?#$%%& internet service.....don't even want to go there, although I must preface this post to say it's sans accompanying photos...will post photos as soon as connection allows (I've been trying ALL day!)...

And we've been busy busy.  Here's a rundown...

Thanksgiving: Spent at another Embassy colleague's house with about 12 people total. As we were driving to the host's house, I noticed the normal hustle and bustle of town and felt the heat wafting through the car as I held hot pumpkin soup in my lap. Is it really Thanksgiving? I have a tank top on (granted it's a nice one, but a tank top nonetheless)? What is this strange disconnect in my subconscious that makes it feel a little less than festive? Anyways...the food was very nice indeed and Aidan enjoyed himself as he went back and forth between two big dog beds, flinging his entire body down on one, then getting up to fling himself down on the other, looking up and laughing at us in between each fling, with curls flying. Luckily the dogs didn't seem to care that he was clearly in their space. He must have flung himself up and down at least 30 times. I was highly amused at the sheer pleasure on his face - imagine flinging yourself between two huge bean bags. I'm now convinced we need to get bean bags, remembering fondly the big, yellow pleather ones from my youth.

December Parties: 

1) Baby group holiday party complete with Secret Santa gifts and wine for the Mamas. Very fun party with 20+ kids. 

2) Smaller baby group party to make Christmas cookies. Aidan was a big fan of eating, not so much concentration yet for the making. 

3) Party for Embassy kids to see Santa. Aidan didn't really like the idea of sitting on some big red and white dressed, scary guy's lap, as you can see....{photo soon...}

4) Rotary carolling party: Held at the European Union High Commissioner's house (they're Dutch)...good food, good fun. A mix of Guyanese and expats singing Christmas carols and kids receiving gifts from Santa. Richard and I are planning to join Rotary in January, brought in by one of my friend's from baby group. Will be great for contacts, especially when Richard becomes the Embassy's Economics Officer in June. Speaking of Xmas traditions, I must say that it is a bit strange seeing blown-up yard Christmas decorations and icicle lights on houses amidst the palm trees and green of the natural surroundings. Again, the disconnect....

5) Old Year's Night Party (aka New Year's Eve): Imagine spending $50USD/person on a not so good buffet meal, with an okay band, with no drinks included, with excitement about the New Year only occurring about 20 minutes before midnight at the nicest hotel in town (new management under Lehman Brothers, ummm, errr, okay!?). That was us. Continue to imagine Auld Lang Syne sung to a caribbean beat. I did enjoy that part. And of course Richard's dancing after midnight on the disco floor with his new friend: as silly as Richard, but better dancer (he knows salsa), husband of embassy colleague from Uraguay who has also started teaching a Jiu-Jitsu class (Richard is currently taking a post-class nap). If you've seen Richard's "exhuberant" dancing, you know what I'm talking about when I say that I had to back away a few feet to avoid wild gesticulations, while doubling over in hysterical laughter.

Blogs: Due to lack of internet connection and less time, and with less sense of urgency since the election, I have not been reading blogs as frequently. Although I was awarded a blog award by my dear friend who just had her second baby! I'll write entirely new post about that soon. Of course, she might now want to strip me of the honor given that I didn't write even one post in December. Oh, the horror!

December Rains: Torrential downpours that occur all of sudden. Sometimes you have no idea they are about to occur, and then....wow, look at that rain. I like it. Maggie doesn't. A pleasant change of pace from the everyday heat of the past few months. Other days, it rains all day long. They fear that flooding may occur like the city-wide flooding in 2005. Some families were even evacuated. So far we seem fine, and the city seems fine in general. Some flooding here and there, but nothing terrible. Many houses have the main floor built on the 2nd level because of potential for flooding, but our main level is the bottom level. We seem to be in a good position. We are not near a major canal, where lots of the flooding comes from. The whole town is under sea level, and the city has a system of canals built years ago by the Dutch, and they have not been very good about maintaining them...many of the canals are filled with beautiful, huge lilly-pads...but the pads clog the path for clearing the water and sludge. So any time you have many days of rain in a row, flooding can occur. So far so good...we'll keep our fingers crossed.  Rainy season will end in February. 

Work: Richard is learning more and more about consular work and he's also in charge of education contacts (Ministry of Education, University, etc.). I have a small contract with Peace Corps to do some staff development work, as well as a possibility with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) to train individuals in a health manager's development program about human resources. I've also been volunteering and attending a Facilitator's Forum, and presented the topic of evaluation in December. All of these proposals to do work takes work!

Christmas Trip to Annai: So so SO nice to get out of Georgetown. The cashew rains in the Savannah were just like little spring showers. Wide open spaces, hiking little hills, rainforest canopy trial adventures, pool time, Aidan picking up mangos that had fallen from the trees and throwing them at Daddy, visit to an Amerindian village...eating cassava bread and playing with the local children, wildlife...especially the birds (Guyana is known for birding), wonderful company with some other families (although the owner, a former British VSO, similar to Peace Corps, who has been in Guyana for 40 years and renovated this old ranch to make the lodge...anyways, his eccentric pompous attitude became a little tiring), falling asleep or reading in the hammock, starry nights, wonderful breezes every night such that you don't care that there is no air conditioning...instead you prefer it that way...SO nice. 

After another walk on the sea wall yesterday, with the particularly strong stench, Richard said, "I just wish we had a hill."  Yes, a nice hill to take a little hike now and again. I simply said "pick a place with a hill next time." He loved that answer :)

Milestones: We passed the 6-month mark in Guyana (that's 25% done) and Aidan turned 18 months-old on December 30th! New post to come soon regarding his adventures. Some of you have been asking....when he stands-up straight he is up to the middle of my hip. I'm short, but it's still amazing that he's that tall already. Full report on weight and height after we go in for a check-up. And yes, his head is now full of curls. I love it! He has just about gone down to one nap a day - down at about 10:30am for about 2 hours. Here is my little darling, fast asleep, cuddling with Mommy in the hammock on our vacation.

{insert photos when connection allows}

Thank you to all of you who have enjoyed reading and have encouraged my first six months of blogging. Keep those comments coming. I hope to become even better in 2009. I would also love to be able to write about visitors (hint, hint)...  

Happy New Year!!