comparisons 5: "Tate Map"

When Valerie saw this picture of Gabriel, she said "Baby Val-Val tate map" (take nap):

Can you blame her?

Eleven

In this crazy journey called life, it's good to know your traveling companion is someone you can depend on, someone who will always make you laugh no matter how tired/grumpy/depressed you are, someone really smart, who has enough self-confidence for the both of you. Someone who might come across as a bit of a clown, but who has a solid core of commitment to values you both share. A good dad. My beloved husband. Happy Anniversary!

the kids

I think Gabriel is feeling better. By late afternoon yesterday he seemed himself again, smiling and red-cheeked. He slept ok the first part of the night, although from midnight til 5 a.m. he woke up every hour. I wonder though if that was because I was sleeping in his room? I wanted to keep an eye on him in case he threw up again, but perhaps my being there woke him up (I'm pretty sure I snore, and I know I talk in my sleep!). So I feel pretty tired right now.

This morning I gave him rice cereal and he nursed well, then had the most foul-smelling poop he's ever produced, all up his back too. He got a sink bath before his first nap!

It's been awhile since I've commented here about the kids' development. Valerie's been on a long plateau speech-wise, but recently made another leap. She's adding more words, plus pronouncing others more clearly - e.g. "Mmamma" --> "Bananana." And she's starting telling little stories, narratives of things that have impacted her.

Here's one she tells a lot, about our trip to Durres (post and pictures forthcoming):

Val-Val fun play sand. Val-Val play ocean just [like] seagulls, go walk, run agua Dada.

(She loved running away from the waves with Terry)

Here's another one:

Val-Val got stuck outside, can't open door, Val-Val crying. Pesh [Shpresa] find, hear crying, 'Where's Val-Val?" open door, Mama get Val-Val big hug.

So, a translation:

One day Shpresa and I were in the living room, where I was showing her how to carry Gabriel in the ring sling. Valerie was running around and we weren't paying too much attention to her. A minute or two later Shpresa said "I'll just go check on Valerie" and went down the hall towards the kids' bedrooms. The next thing I knew, Valerie was running towards me sobbing, with Shpresa behind her looking stunned. My first thought was that V had hurt herself because her hand was on her own forehead, so I gathered her into my arms to comfort her, but Shpresa said that she'd been outside the apartment. Val couldn't open the apartment door in our other place by herself, but here she can! She'd gone outside and the door had shut behind her and she couldn't open it to come back in. Shpresa had heard her crying and opened the door to find her there. So now we always put the deadbolt on when we're at home, so she can't open the door by herself.

(Some of the elements of her story are things I told her, like "Shpresa went looking for you, she said 'where's Val-Val?' and she heard you crying so she opened the door.")

That was like two weeks ago and she's still talking about it.

::

Gabriel is getting ready to crawl! He's been pushing up on his hands and knees. Up until this latest illness, his sleep was getting better too - waking twice at night to nurse, and taking much longer naps in the daytime - sometimes only two naps almost 2 hours each, instead of four half-hour naps or three 45-minute naps like before. It feels like three steps forward and two steps back sometimes, but I think overall we can see progress. He also loooooves to be supported in a standing position and will lock his knees so you can't get him to sit down!

::

Terry (not technically one of the kids, I know, but it's hard to tell sometimes) has been having terrible insomnia - waking up at 1 or 2 a.m. and not being able to fall back asleep. He joined a gym this week hoping more regular exercise will help him sleep better at night, and is cutting back on coffee in the afternoons.

a day

Poor little G was sick today; I'm not sure what he ate that disagreed with him so much (the minuscule crumb of egg yolk? The quarter cup of yoghurt? Something he stuck in his mouth when I wasn't looking?) but when it came back up it brought everything else with it. From about noon til five today all he did was throw up, cry, and (thankfully) sleep. He was such a pitiful little bundle, all pale and sleepy. He slept in my arms part of the afternoon and Shpresa held him the other half of the afternoon. At about 5:30 he nursed and kept it down, so I nursed him again then at 6:00 and then we put him to bed. He's still sleeping (it's almost 9) so I'm hoping we're in the clear.

Just another day in the life of a stay-at-home-mom/dissertation-writer in Albania.

Cause I know you guys really come here for the pictures!

Man herding sheep down a main street in Tirana

Valerie playing with her flannelgraph animals

Gabriel doing what he does best: being cute!

Spring! and other thoughts

We've been here six months today: two full seasons, half a year - half a trip of the earth around the sun. Gabriel has lived in Albania twice as long as in the US.

We've moved the last of our stuff from the old apartment into the new one. I was surprised by how sad I felt the last time I went to the other house. It felt like home. Everything seemed profoundly familiar and beloved, and I had a hard time detaching from the things there that aren't ours but stay with the furnished apartment - things like mugs, towels, sheets. I guess maybe we imprinted on the place since it was the first place we lived here. When everything was strange and overwhelming, it was a safe and quiet retreat for our family.

So is this place, but I think part of me (I can't speak for the rest of the family on this) has held back a little bit emotionally, in part reserving judgement - is it really better than the other apartment? We shall see.

I think our reasons for moving were solid, and this is a good place. I think it will take a season or two before it really feels like home though.

Elbasan: The City

Something to take my mind off other things.

Before I tell you about our trip to Durres last Monday, I want to finish telling you about our trip to Elbasan.

This is a portion of an old fortified wall that used to surround the city (when it was much smaller). Someone told Terry that Elbasan used to be a collection point for gold mined from the nearby mountains. In any case, it had military significance for the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans alike.

If I had to come up with one word to describe Elbasan today, it would be "modest." Compared to Tirana, it's just smaller, lower to the ground, quieter, with a lot less cars.

A big chrome refinery was built here during the communist era, and as a result the city has a reputation for being very polluted. The days we were there were quite cold - first rainy and then windy (like Chicago windy) so the air was crystal clear, and you could see snow on the mountains nearby.

We liked Elbasan.

Bummed

So, my mom's journey has unfortunately been delayed due to visa issues. I am super bummed but also expecting that things will work out, just later than what we had planned. It just seems so unfair, that the privilege of being able to travel easily and freely is so unevenly distributed. I'll just keep daydreaming about hanging out with her and my kids, learning a new land.

Gezuar!

...and a belated happy birthday to my father-in-law, Vern! (This is an old picture but no less cute for that!)

Oh, and the post title is Albanian for "happy," not "geezer" :-)

38!

I am feeling supremely blessed today (although it might just be the sugar buzz)!

We had a great day today; I'm so glad it was a Saturday and Terry could be home with us. We took advantage of a gorgeous, sunny day by going to an amusement park nearby - literally 15 minutes' walk - where Valerie enjoyed jumping on a trampoline and riding some toddler-friendly swings.

Over lunch we skyped with Terry's folks, enjoying our wireless connection out on the balcony.

After naps, we had some friends over - our first time hosting company in Albania! - for coffee and cookies. I had bought a cake but forgot it in the refrigerator, so had a slice after supper.

Counting my blessings:

• Healthy, happy children
• Supportive spouse
• Spacious, safe home
• Books to read
• Friends near and far

And, my mom is coming to visit NEXT WEEK!!!!! Best birthday present ever!

Elbasan: The Fun Hotel

So Terry gets back tonight after his second week at the "fun hotel," as Valerie deemed it. I'm just as glad we didn't go along this week since we've all been sick - again.

We did a lot of meals like this - yoghurt, bread, cheese, chips, fruit. Oranges are in season now - cheap and delicious!

We got two adjoining rooms, so we had plenty of room. They put a little folding bed in one room for Valerie and I was happily surprised that she slept really well in it!

Valerie also enjoyed playing in the second-floor lobby here, where I got in some language practice with the lady who came to clean. It was a little hard figuring out how to make sure V was safe while I was putting G down for naps though.

Birthday!

Another landmark I missed was my mother-in-law's birthday at the end of February! I blame the juxtaposition of moving, illness, and our trip to Elbasan. Dot, I found myself at 2 a.m. pondering an acrostic of your name, and here's what I came up with:

Diligent

Obliging

Reliable

Optimistic

Talkative

Health-conscious

Young at heart!

May you have a wonderful year!

(And yes, I did try for the middle and last names too but ran out of steam! Maybe next year!)

Running Behind - Gabriel 8 months!

Gabriel and Valerie in church nursery

An elusive sleeping photo (usually the room is too dark - this was in the Elbasan hotel)

I'm so behind on my blogging! We all seem to have colds AGAIN - bleah - poor G has a fever that comes and goes, but I took him to the clinic to check for ear infections and he's clear. So just another annoying virus. I'm all stuffed up in my head and glad we elected not to go back to Elbasan with Terry again this week (speaking of Elbasan, I have lots more to say about that trip but it will have to wait for another day).

Meanwhile, I missed Gabriel's 8-month mark on Monday. His latest accomplishment just about 10 days ago was getting up on hands and knees! Getting ready to crawl, so look out world! This post is woefully inadequate to express how much fun he is - you'll just have to use your imaginations :-)

Elbasan: The Trip

This picture, a view from our hotel balcony, will stand for the trip to Elbasan. I was a little bit nervous about taking public transportation by myself (with the two kids) but I didn't think we could be ready before 8 a.m. when Terry was leaving with the World Vision van. And we did it! It worked out fine, and it made me feel more confident - and in many ways more like myself - to navigate the trip on my own even with two little ones in tow.

After breakfast and Gabriel's first nap, I packed up our bag - a process made easier by our recent move which had forced me to define carefully what basic things we need the most with us. The hardest part was actually getting down the elevator, out of the building, and walking two blocks with a rollerbag, backpack, and stroller (and Gabriel in the Bjorn) to the taxi stand. Pushing a stroller one-handed on uneven sidewalks is a little tricky. But we made it, with a 20-minute interlude out front for Valerie to play on the sidewalk. I wasn't in a particular hurry so I let her get her wiggles out.

The taxi took us to the street corner from where 8-passenger vans leave for Elbasan as they fill up with people. We were the first people in our van and waited about 40 minutes until it filled up, which was a drag. Gabriel got fussy and tired and as soon as we took off he fell asleep on my lap. Valerie had her own seat by the window and would have fallen asleep had the road not been comprised primarily of hairpin turns. I think she enjoyed looking out the window because we occasionally saw cows and other animals (once we got out of the city), and on the return trip when we got in the van she said "see animals!"

The van ride was about an hour and fifteen minutes. If it weren't for the intervening mountains, apparently it would be a 20-minute trip! We got off in the city center and waited there for Terry to come get us in the World Vision vehicle, which then took us to the hotel. It was a bright, sunny day, and Valerie was excited to see Daddy!

The road into the city parallels the river in the picture above, and that's the direction we came from to come in. Elbasan is much smaller than Tirana; the word that came to my mind was "modest." There is much less traffic, the buildings are smaller and fewer, but the mountains are equally beautiful and the people equally kind (to us!). There's an enormous factory complex there that was built during communist times and I've heard rumors of concentrated health problems resulting from pollution/environmental degradation, but being there for just a few days we didn't really see any of that.

The return trip went smoothly as well, just a reverse of the trip there, and I timed it similarly so we were home in time for lunch and naps. I am so glad that Valerie didn't get carsick either way!

Next up: The Hotel

Elbasan

Last week we spent four days together as a family in Elbasan, a city just over the mountains from Tirana. Terry stayed until Friday (he was there for work) so we only had one night without Daddy. The trip went really well overall. I posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook so check them out if you're my FB friend! ;)

Grand Tour IV

Grand Tour Part III

Welcome to our new home! This is what you see when you come in the front door and turn right (north). Right now you are looking all the way through our kitchen and living room area, into the master bedroom which is mint green. You can see a mirror on the wall in the bedroom.

Behind you is a small bedroom (photos forthcoming). As you walk down this hallway, you pass: 1) a piece of furniture for stowing shoes, bags, and coats

2) a bathroom with a washing machine

3) a full-length mirror

4) another bedroom, slightly bigger than the first.

Again, you are looking into the master bedroom. (Hey, is it safe to post all this stuff to the web, I wonder? What say you, dear readers?)

Here, my back is to the balcony. I think this room used to be mint green but it's now been repainted yellow.

Here's a view of the living room. Beyond the sliding glass doors there (behind the couch) is the balcony from Part II.

Everything is newer and less run-down than in our previous apartment, and feels tighter against wind and rain. I'm very glad that they replaced the glass-topped coffee table with a sturdy wooden one because V likes to sit on it!

These photos are all from the day we moved in.

Grand Tour Part II

Our balcony faces west; this is what we see looking towards the south.

I enjoy glimpses of everyday life on the street corner below. The red brick building on the corner opposite is a Pastiçeri - chock full of biscuits, cookies, and other lovely sweet baked goods. This is roughly where I was standing when I took the photo of our building in the previous post.

Looking straight west

The actual balcony, looking the same direction as the first photo up top.

Next up: the inside!

Grand Tour Part I

As usual, I'm getting a little bit frustrated with Blogger and how difficult it is (for me anyway) to arrange the layout of photos the way I would like to. Oh well.

Here I give you the approach to our building: I walked by these signs a dozen times before I ever actually saw them, when I came towards the street from a different direction. This is where we turn off the main avenue onto our street. We walk past this lady selling things every day.

This is the entrance to our building (I wanted it to be the last picture but whatever):

The steps are shorter and fewer than at the last place, and I can actually lower Valerie all the way down in the stroller if she doesn't feel like getting out and walking (although she is generally cooperative about that).

And here is a shot of the building - we are on the 4th floor of the mint green building. The street is very quiet, which kind of makes up for having neighbors upstairs with the walking around and piano playing and whatnot. In the next post I'll have a photo of the street, looking down from the balcony.

Ok I should go pay attention to my kids again now - but wanted to introduce you all to our new place! At least from the outside!

Coming soon: grand tour

I'm going to do a grand tour of the new place, but bear with me while I get some photos downloaded! Meanwhile we have internet now - yay! Gabriel seems to be a little sick again - stuffy nose and cranky - sigh. Going to bed now.

moving

We are in process of moving to the new apartment so all is a bit topsy-turvy. Regular posting will resume once we get internet set up there (I'm visiting the old homestead briefly this morning!)

xo

Moving soon

Well, we still have internet so I'm not sure what was going on the other day.

Oh, this picture is of the pallati (apartment building) we live in now.

::

Gabriel is all better now, I think. Valerie is still coughing but slept 11 hours straight last night. Yay!

::

We might move this weekend. We're definitely going to move, just not sure exactly when. Terry has a 2-week evaluation in Elbasan, about 1.5 hours from Tirana, the first two weeks in March. We'll probably go with him for part of the time at least. So I'm trying to think when would be the best time to move the kids over to the new place taking that trip into consideration.

We decided on an apartment about 15 minutes' walk from this one; it's a great location and a newer building. We'll be on the 4th floor so no leaky roof. The view is nowhere near as spectacular but the street is very quiet so that's nice. We've taken Valerie over to play a number of times and have started moving some of our stuff over little by little (it's been unoccupied for about a month - the previous tenants were missionaries at the church we attend here so that's how we found out about it). She loves playing there and has learned to refer to it as the "new house."

I'm not really looking forward to moving but I am looking forward to not sharing our bedroom with Gabriel - it just gets tricky and I'm tired of it.

The landlord here is very sad we're leaving; apparently Americans have a reputation here for being good tenants. The downside of that is getting a lot of pressure from potential landlords. Our new landlord actually bought brand new bedding specifically for Gabriel and Valerie (Barbie Princesses for V, Cars and Spiderman for G), and replaced the glass-topped coffee table with a sturdy wooden one in anticipation of toddlers running around and climbing on things - before we made a commitment to take the place.

It will probably take us a little while to get internet set up in the new place, so once again I'm not sure how much I'll be online once that happens. I wish we could just add another bedroom to this apartment - and fix the leaky roof, of course. I'm getting all sentimental about it since it was our first home in Albania. Ah, the memories...! All of... five months ago! I may be overdoing the nostalgia just a little bit...! (...as well as the elipses... oh well...!)

connectivity

Our internet connection was down all day today; I thought it was gone for good since it's provided by the Internet Cafe downstairs which is closing. I was surprised when Terry pulled it up tonight and we were online again. I'm not sure what will happen the rest of the week, but if you don't hear from me that's probably why!

comparisons 5: backpack

Here's Valerie at about 6 months (?), 14 months, and33 months in the Kelty backpack we bought on consignment. She loves it now although Terry felt a bit self-conscious carrying her around Tirana in it the one day we tried it out!

Echo

My sickies - we are still feeling pretty rotten, especially Terry and Valerie. Trying to get enough sleep and stay on an even keel emotionally. Thankfully it's Monday, although I skipped my Shqip lesson to stay home with V. She is eating next to nothing but at least she napped well today. I actually got a bunch of work done on dissertation stuff. Terry went to work on the premise that it's more restful than staying home to help with the kids!

The rest of this is a post I was working on in draft form; I'm sure I'll have more to add to it shortly!

I was wondering what Valerie would pick up from me next that I say all the time without realizing it. Here are some recent revelations:

• "Shhhh Val-Val" - which she says right after shrieking, nearly every time, sometimes followed by "no gleam [scream]".
• "Okay" (pronounced "ow-key")
• "Thanks, Val-Val!"

It's kind of hilarious when Valerie mis-hears something - or re-interprets a new word within her own lexicon. E.g.:

• On her Curious George video when they go into space, she touches her cheek and says "Val-Val's face!"
• In her Itsy Bitsy Spider book when one of the spiders skips up the waterspout, she slips off the couch.
• In the same book, when one of the spiders is on a skate-board weaving in and out, she starts waving her hand. (She likes acting out the story.)

Oh, Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! I forgot to mention last week on Gabriel's 7-month post that he has now lived in Albania for TWICE as long as he did in the US! Diali është Shqiptar!

Sitting Baby

Gabriel's been a little slower than Valerie to sit up on his own, possibly because he spends a lot of time rolling around on the rug or hanging out in the Bjorn. Someone here offered us their walker but we haven't figured out the logistics of getting it from their place to ours yet. But a couple days ago I hit on the idea of sticking him in the laundry basket - he loved it! It was great sitting practice; after his third nap today, all of a sudden he did it - sat up on my lap for a really long time with great balance.

He's still got a bit of a cough but his affect and appetite are back to normal. Which is nice, since the rest of us are now miserably sick. Poor Valerie threw up this afternoon after four hours of NOT napping, and then promptly fell asleep (after we cleaned her up). It's totally off schedule but I'm kind of thinking (hoping, praying) she's going to segue right into her night sleep since she didn't have a nap yesterday afternoon and slept very poorly last night as well.

Terry and I are both feeling pretty wretched ourselves but there's no rest to be had when the little ones aren't feeling well. We're really, really looking forward to the day when we're all back to normal.

I keep replaying the scene in my mind - two weeks ago at church, Gabriel was lying in the pack-n-play in the nursery when a little boy about 3 years old leaned in and said "that's a big baby!" and then promptly coughed right into his face. I could hear the rattle of the phlegm in the boy's throat and thought "oh boy, well, I guess we'll all catch colds in a few days." Little did I know just how rotten this particular cold virus was going to be.

comparisons 4: white hat

Here's some cute to tide you over til I actually write something substantive. Above is Gabriel at Christmastime, below is Valerie 2 years ago at Christmastime. I made the hat for V sort of improvising the pattern as I went along. It's almost too small for Gabriel already!