Travel Recap

I'm sitting at a small table outside our room at a guest house in Pretoria, South Africa. We've just returned from weekend trip to Swaziland. The kids are sleeping and Dan is sitting across from me reading the first book in the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series.

We arrived in South Africa a week ago. It was 9 pm here (3 pm EDT) and we'd been traveling for over 24 hours counting the drive to the airport from home.

I had been nervous about flying with a toddler and an infant, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The craziest parts were when we had to go through security and Edwin had to put "blankie bear" in a bin and let go of him. That's when he decided to show everyone in line just how upset he was by laying down on the floor (just when we also needed to take his sweatshirt off of him too) and screaming. Picture me with Elena in the moby, Dan with his hands full of stuff that needs to be put in bins to go through the security check and we're both down on the floor trying to get the sweatshirt off our screaming, crying toddler while reassuring him he will get blankie bear back if he would just cooperate. Logic and reason didn't really work then, so we had to manhandle Edwin through the gate and whip blankie bear out of the bin as soon as possible. I'm sure everyone in line was thinking: "I hope they're not on my flight."  Oh well.

The flights actually went really well. The first leg was about 7 hours and we all slept part of that time. The second leg was about 11 hours. Edwin watched a little bit of some video the airline had available, ate snacks, explored the workings of the food tray, drew on the magnadoodle, played with his small construction vehicles and napped. Elena slept in the wall-mounted bassinet much of the time, nursed and only had two fits of crying, which really didn't last long.Plus the hum of the airplane was so loud, most people couldn't have heard much. We were right near the bathrooms on both flights and had at least one bulkhead seat (that's where the bassinets can be used) and other seats near it. Both kids did fine during take off and landing - no ear problems whatsoever. I'm hoping our return flights will go just as well (crossing my fingers!).

We had a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam which started out a little frantically because I realized soon after we got off the plane that I had left my purse on the plane. In it were our passports, my credit cards and some money. Giant "whoops!" I left Dan with the kids and ran back to the gate to see if I could get back on the plane. No such luck. We had been the last passengers off and the crew had walked by us soon before I realized I didn't have my purse. After running through the airport looking for some one to help, a worker directed me to a certain airline counter. Another official looking guy who saw me running asked what was wrong, I told him and he quickly radioed some people and got permission to go back on the plane. I told him what seat he'd find my purse under and he found it. I could have hugged him. I've never done such a thing while traveling and I think I can blame it on never having traveled with kids before. But I can assure you that I didn't go anywhere from then on without counting our bags.

We arrived tired and thankful to be here. I was also kind of amazed at how well the kids did. Overall, in spite of the craziness of this past week, they have done well. The time change and all the new people and places has definitely taken it's toll on Edwin. Elena doesn't have a clue that we're on another continent and she's pretty much been the same as she was at home.

I'd say we've all adjusted to the time difference by now. Let me just say that it's hard to adjust and get over the tiredness on my own, but it's definitely tougher when there are also little children who need to adjust. I'm glad it's basically behind us for now.

More later! Now I need to go sleep.

Bon Voyage

Today's the big day! Those of you who are friends with me on facebook might have seen the mountain of suitcases Dan posted. I won't be redundant and post it here (for time's sake).

I actually slept well last night (and so did both kids, thankfullly!!), so I feel rested. Just starting to actually feel nervous. But that will pass. I'm thankful for the many trips we've taken to Lancaster. At least the idea of going somewhere else and sleeping in other beds won't be too overwhelming for Edwin. Last night I was thinking just how much he loves his bed and felt a twinge of sadness that he won't sleep in it for a while. It'll pass and we'll have his favorite bedtime/naptime/anytime stuffed animal/blankie.

I'll post sometime after we arrive. I'm sure you'll hear from us on facebook first.

Happy Monday, Friends!

Back Packs

Dan and I got new backpacks for our upcoming trip,

and Edwin enjoyed wearing them around the house.

(The backwards hat was his idea - he wore it most of the day. And as a side note, we passed some pre-teen boys on bikes and skateboards at the park today, and I couldn't help but think that Edwin didn't look that much different from them - just smaller and cuter.)

I was thinking it would be nice to have a small one for him, so instead of buying one, I decided to make one. I searched around online a bit and found a pattern and tutorial (I love the access to other people's ideas and creativity!) for a toddler-sized backpack. I was able to make it from materials I had on hand. Thanks, Indietutes! I added a few things from the original pattern including a back zippered pocket, front elastic pockets, a lining and velcro closure, and I made the straps wider. Edwin thought I should make one for Elena too.

(That's a sticker on the top - not part of the actual fabric. He got it today after getting a vaccine for the trip.)

Think he'll actually keep it on while traveling??

Hungry, Anyone?

I joined the masses and read The Hunger Games (and it's 2 sequels) the other week. I didn't actually know how popular the book was when I read it. After finishing it, I thought it seemed like the kind of book that would be turned into a movie, but had no clue about it. A day or two later, I learned that the movie was soon coming out in the theaters. Sometimes I just a little out of the loop when it comes to pop culture.

I can't get the books out of my mind. The premise is pretty barbaric - adolescents fighting to the death in an arena for the entertainment of the wealthy, spoiled Capitol city residents in a fictitious future nation. I keep thinking how this book illustrates the social and economic disparity in our world today. The heroine of the book comes from one of the poorest areas where families rarely have enough to eat and wear, and old age and a little extra weight gain is seen as a good thing because it implies you are wealthy, or at least have enough. Compare that to the people from "The Capitol" who spend their days frivolously, getting unnecessary cosmetic surgery,wearing crazy make up and getting upset when they can't find just the right food for a party they're throwing. Oh, and all the stuff they have is made by the residents of the poor people from the rest of the nation, the "Districts." One group lives in excess while many others go without.

Do the others reading this book see the parallels to our world? Aren't we in the US (and other developed nations) like The Capitol: we exploit other people so we can have stuff cheap and have it in abundance. I think of gasoline, electronics, clothing, etc. etc. And we are entertained by violence. Just reading or watching The Hunger Games is an example of that.

All I keep thinking is: what can I do differently, so that I can contribute less to the oppression of others?

Terrific Two Year Old

(grocery shopping)

This little guy turned 2 on Sunday. We had gone into the hospital the morning before he was born, so I was actually reminiscing on Saturday morning at 5 a.m. while nursing Elena - remembering how we had to go in ridiculously early in order to be induced.

I'm so thankful for Edwin's smiles and his ideas and how excited he gets when he sees construction vehicles and when he gets to hang out with some of his best friends. He loves to help me wash dishes and do any kind of baking and cooking. He loves digging in the sand and dirt outside. His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds, and it's amazing how excited I get when he says a new word or pronounces an old word more correctly. I get a kick out of how he caught onto us calling him Ned sometimes, and so that's how he refers to himself whenever he wants something or has done something mischievous.

Mama loves you, bud.

Blog Overload

I stopped reading blogs written by people I don't know. I found myself spending more time online recently than I like. I also wanted to do something or give up something during Lent. So this is what I chose. It's been nice in a couple of ways. One, I'm spending less time online. Two, I'm not comparing my life to the lives of people I don't know. It's too easy for me to see the snippets some one posts and then make assumptions about who they are. And those people who portray such rosy, perfect lives - well, I'd feel a bit bummed sometimes after reading their posts, even though I know their lives aren't quite as perfect as they portray them to be. (And really, my life is pretty great, but some people really make it look like they "do it all" and I got tired of reading about it.)

Anyway, I enjoy the blogs written by people I know and have a connection to in the real world. Sometimes I think it's too distracting from my present environment when I spend time reading about the lives of people I don't know and interact with and am most likely not going to interact with. Some of the blogs I read are witty and encouraging and I can glean some valuable things from them, but I figure I can also most likely glean such things from people in my social circles.

So, if I know you and you blog, I'll read your blog. If I don't know you, I won't be reading your blog, and honestly, you probably aren't reading this blog either, so it all works out just fine.

Small Spaces

There are days when I am very, very thankful for our tiny backyard. It's fenced and gated, and I can see almost all of it from the kitchen. This has been a life saver a number of times over the past few weeks when I felt like Edwin needed to get outside and play (and I needed a mental break) but it didn't really work for us to go to the park.

We have a sand box on a little porch right outside the kitchen, a great patch of dirt (the garden) and enough random stuff to entertain a toddler. We both enjoy the freedom he has to explore.