Friday, April 20, 2007
Avoiding the blog bog
Until about a week ago, I knew the authors of all my frequently read blogs. Then I followed an unknown link from a friend's site. Did you click on it? If you are the mother of a boy and/or an admirer of good writing, I suggest you do. I realize that hundreds (thousands?) of blogs are similarly interesting and well-written. But time, it is a passin', way too quickly, so from this point forth, I shall try, try, try to resist the temptation to click on any more unexplored links.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wiggle worm
It would be inaccurate and overly boastful to claim that Dietrich can crawl. He can, however, lurch, wiggle and otherwise propel himself forward using his legs, arms, tummy and feet. Tonight for instance, I put him on the playmat shown in the background of this photo, and returned a few minutes later to find him under the table and quite proud of his increasing mobility.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
What a difference 10 degrees make
We got back yesterday morning from a quick trip to Poland to renew our visas. (More on the trip later, once life feels settled again. Might be a while.)
When we left a week ago, the government-controlled heat was still on. It was 76 warm, wonderful degrees in our apartment. Dietrich wore nothing but onesies and socks, making it easier to admire his pudgy thighs and leading to a sudden decrease in laundry production. Life was good.
When we got back, the heat was off. Daytime temperature in our apartment: 66 degrees. That's not warm. The sky is sunny and blue, but it takes a very long time for the warm outside air to seep through and affect the concrete box in which we dwell.
In the meantime, it's back to layers, for D and for me.
When we left a week ago, the government-controlled heat was still on. It was 76 warm, wonderful degrees in our apartment. Dietrich wore nothing but onesies and socks, making it easier to admire his pudgy thighs and leading to a sudden decrease in laundry production. Life was good.
When we got back, the heat was off. Daytime temperature in our apartment: 66 degrees. That's not warm. The sky is sunny and blue, but it takes a very long time for the warm outside air to seep through and affect the concrete box in which we dwell.
In the meantime, it's back to layers, for D and for me.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter Cheer
Christ is risen!
Our Easter weekend was simultaneously busy and refreshing.
On Friday, our carpenter friend worked well into the evening assembling the classy storage locker. It looks better than I anticipated. Yay!
So much space! Plus the full-length mirrors make the apartment look bigger and brighter.
On Friday we also introduced Dietrich to his seventh food: millet. I’d read in all the allergy information that millet is a great first grain, similar to rice in that hardly anyone is allergic to it. I thought, “Yeah, that’s great, but I’ll never find millet here.” I looked up the word in Russian just in case – and last time I was at the market, I realized Ukraine is rife with millet. I had my choice of five brands. D’s taken to millet pretty well, so long as it’s mixed with his favorite: pears.
On Saturday I filled the classy storage locker with all the stuff that had been piling up in various corners of our house. The baby/guest room has much more space in which Dietrich can practice his crawling, and we now sleep in a clutter-free environment. Feeling “home” in Ukraine, I’m realizing, is a process. I thought I felt at home last week, last month and last year, but now that I actually have a place to put everything, I feel even more comfortable in our apartment.
Saturday night the youth came over, and we had a great time with them. The group has grown a bit; we used to expect about 10 people and on Saturday we had 15. They enjoyed the baby, and the baby seemed to enjoy them. Since it was a holiday weekend, we served lots and lots of food, including a tray of pretty cupcakes, decorated with candied flowers that I found at the market.
Tasty and pretty.
Eric plays a game with the youth. He had to hold something (in this case, a stuffed dinosaur) between two spoons and try to guess what it was.
Hmmm … now that I write about Saturday, it doesn’t seem so exciting. But it was a really nice day. Eric didn’t have to go into work! Also, there was a mommy moment for which I am very thankful: I was cleaning in our bedroom, standing right next to the bed, but not looking at it. Dietrich was on the bed. At one point, I turned around just in time to catch him as he started to dive toward the concrete floor. He’s getting mobile. It’s a little scary. Clearly, I need to ratchet up how carefully I watch him now, and I’m thankful that I didn’t have to learn that the hard way.
On Easter, I spent the morning frosting mini-cupcakes for everyone in the church and brewing enough Easter Cheer tea to serve 60 people. Then it was off to church, where Dietrich slept through about an hour of the service (thanks, D!), and then consented to be held by various pre-teenagers for the rest of the service (thanks, pre-teens!). We serve tea and cookies after church on communion Sundays and holidays. Bonnie Saucy and I used to do this together, but since Bonnie’s been gone, a bunch of the 10- to 13-year-old girls have started pitching in. They are wise enough to stay away from the steaming hot tea (we get a grown-up to pass those trays around), but they cheerfully decorate and carry trays of cookies, napkins and candy. I remember being that age and being so thrilled when someone at church let me participate in ministry of some sort; it’s a privilege to pass that along to these girls.
Letting mommy listen to the sermon.
The youth put on a play about the will during the service.
Family picture by Nikolai.
After church, it was off to Bob and Sherri Divozzo’s. They are teammates of ours who have a ministry teaching conflict-resolution seminars all around the country. Also, Sherri? A fine cook. We had a delicious meal (spaghetti, meatballs and salad), and then we sat and talked for hours while Dietrich slept. (Thanks, D!) He hardly ever sleeps that long during the day, and we paid for it at 2 a.m. when he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but it was the longest conversation I’d had with other grown-ups since he was born, and I loved it. Totally refreshing.
We headed home around 7:30 and waited until 10:30 when we listened to an Angels’ game! High-speed internet makes so much possible. For the low, low price of $14.95, you can listen online to any major league game. You even hear all the commercials. This isn’t really a plus, but it does make for a very authentic broadcast. I love the Angels, but I’m probably never going to start buying food at AM/PM, no matter how clever their ads. It was just like listening to a game in the States; I did dishes, cooked dinner for the next couple of nights, worked on the computer — all while listening to the Angels, well, lose. Better luck next time, guys.
A little bleary-eyed, listening to the ballgame.
And that was it. Just a delightful weekend.
He is risen indeed!
Our Easter weekend was simultaneously busy and refreshing.
On Friday, our carpenter friend worked well into the evening assembling the classy storage locker. It looks better than I anticipated. Yay!
So much space! Plus the full-length mirrors make the apartment look bigger and brighter.
On Friday we also introduced Dietrich to his seventh food: millet. I’d read in all the allergy information that millet is a great first grain, similar to rice in that hardly anyone is allergic to it. I thought, “Yeah, that’s great, but I’ll never find millet here.” I looked up the word in Russian just in case – and last time I was at the market, I realized Ukraine is rife with millet. I had my choice of five brands. D’s taken to millet pretty well, so long as it’s mixed with his favorite: pears.
On Saturday I filled the classy storage locker with all the stuff that had been piling up in various corners of our house. The baby/guest room has much more space in which Dietrich can practice his crawling, and we now sleep in a clutter-free environment. Feeling “home” in Ukraine, I’m realizing, is a process. I thought I felt at home last week, last month and last year, but now that I actually have a place to put everything, I feel even more comfortable in our apartment.
Saturday night the youth came over, and we had a great time with them. The group has grown a bit; we used to expect about 10 people and on Saturday we had 15. They enjoyed the baby, and the baby seemed to enjoy them. Since it was a holiday weekend, we served lots and lots of food, including a tray of pretty cupcakes, decorated with candied flowers that I found at the market.
Tasty and pretty.
Eric plays a game with the youth. He had to hold something (in this case, a stuffed dinosaur) between two spoons and try to guess what it was.
Hmmm … now that I write about Saturday, it doesn’t seem so exciting. But it was a really nice day. Eric didn’t have to go into work! Also, there was a mommy moment for which I am very thankful: I was cleaning in our bedroom, standing right next to the bed, but not looking at it. Dietrich was on the bed. At one point, I turned around just in time to catch him as he started to dive toward the concrete floor. He’s getting mobile. It’s a little scary. Clearly, I need to ratchet up how carefully I watch him now, and I’m thankful that I didn’t have to learn that the hard way.
On Easter, I spent the morning frosting mini-cupcakes for everyone in the church and brewing enough Easter Cheer tea to serve 60 people. Then it was off to church, where Dietrich slept through about an hour of the service (thanks, D!), and then consented to be held by various pre-teenagers for the rest of the service (thanks, pre-teens!). We serve tea and cookies after church on communion Sundays and holidays. Bonnie Saucy and I used to do this together, but since Bonnie’s been gone, a bunch of the 10- to 13-year-old girls have started pitching in. They are wise enough to stay away from the steaming hot tea (we get a grown-up to pass those trays around), but they cheerfully decorate and carry trays of cookies, napkins and candy. I remember being that age and being so thrilled when someone at church let me participate in ministry of some sort; it’s a privilege to pass that along to these girls.
Letting mommy listen to the sermon.
The youth put on a play about the will during the service.
Family picture by Nikolai.
After church, it was off to Bob and Sherri Divozzo’s. They are teammates of ours who have a ministry teaching conflict-resolution seminars all around the country. Also, Sherri? A fine cook. We had a delicious meal (spaghetti, meatballs and salad), and then we sat and talked for hours while Dietrich slept. (Thanks, D!) He hardly ever sleeps that long during the day, and we paid for it at 2 a.m. when he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but it was the longest conversation I’d had with other grown-ups since he was born, and I loved it. Totally refreshing.
We headed home around 7:30 and waited until 10:30 when we listened to an Angels’ game! High-speed internet makes so much possible. For the low, low price of $14.95, you can listen online to any major league game. You even hear all the commercials. This isn’t really a plus, but it does make for a very authentic broadcast. I love the Angels, but I’m probably never going to start buying food at AM/PM, no matter how clever their ads. It was just like listening to a game in the States; I did dishes, cooked dinner for the next couple of nights, worked on the computer — all while listening to the Angels, well, lose. Better luck next time, guys.
A little bleary-eyed, listening to the ballgame.
And that was it. Just a delightful weekend.
He is risen indeed!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Off to a good start
"Guess what, Dietrich? The Angels won their first game of the season! How do you feel about that?"
Monday, April 02, 2007
One more reason not to go metric
One of my goals for this year: Lose the too-embarrassingly-large-to-share-with-the-public number of pounds that I put on while pregnant. In America. With all the good ice cream. And the gingerbread with-whip lattes. (A side note: Dietrich’s baby book has a blank in which the mom is supposed to write how many pounds she gained with baby. I plan to spill coffee on that page.)
I’ve not yet reached my pre-baby weight, but I’m getting there, and people are starting to notice, which is gratifying. It’s more gratifying when Americans notice, however, because then I can say, “Thanks, yeah, I’ve lost like 35 pounds.” With Ukrainians, on the other hand, I have to say, “Thanks, yeah, I’ve lost like 16 kilos.” And -- though I realize logically that it represents the exact same amount of weight loss -- that’s not nearly as nice a number.
I’ve not yet reached my pre-baby weight, but I’m getting there, and people are starting to notice, which is gratifying. It’s more gratifying when Americans notice, however, because then I can say, “Thanks, yeah, I’ve lost like 35 pounds.” With Ukrainians, on the other hand, I have to say, “Thanks, yeah, I’ve lost like 16 kilos.” And -- though I realize logically that it represents the exact same amount of weight loss -- that’s not nearly as nice a number.
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