September 19, 2006
Super Mom!
Remember how excited I was that suddenly Maggie-Vera likes to be held and cuddled? Yeah, that was all fine and good until Ryn-Alina noticed that I was not holding her. Now they both want to be held at the same time. I knew there was a reason I needed to get back to the gym before this trip! They may look small, but they get heavy quick!!
Since ZhaZha Dae Dae was back today, Maggie decided it was time to play ball. There was a ball that came with one of the other toys that I brought, and both girls have just discovered what it’s good for… though it’s different things for each girl. Ryn can throw it, but mostly she likes to chew on it. It’s hollow on the inside, and when she squeezes it or bites down on it, a little puff of air comes out of the hole on the side. She thinks that’s hilarious! Maggie, on the other hand, is a pretty decent pitcher, though a little wild. Our playroom is not all that big, so when she really gets started throwing the ball I get pretty worried that she’s going to start knocking things off of shelves or worse yet – knocking out windows. Okay, maybe that’s a little much, but you never know! I never really think about Maggie being my wild child, but when ZhaZha Dae Dae gets her really good and wound up, she’s pretty extreme.
On the other hand, my little Ryn, who’s normally my wild child, showed me her intellectual side today. We’ve been reading the Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb book to her for the last couple of days, but today she started reading it to us! She looked very serious as she held the book and started quoting “dum ditty, dum ditty, dum, dum, dum.” I’m signing her up for the SATs the first of December! I’d go for the first of November, but you know, she’ll probably need a little time to get over jet lag.
It’s snowing here today (just a little), so I finally had to break down and buy a heavy coat. I was hoping that lots of layering – to the point of looking a little like the Michelin man every where I went – would get me through so we wouldn’t have to buy something so bulky that we’d eventually have to figure out how to pack. After cold legs, cold arms, cold nose and cold ears I decided we’d deal with bulky! Azel took us to the bazaar and helped me find a fur-lined coat – complete with a huge fur hood and big, fluffy sleeves. Now I look like a regular, smart, WARM Kazakh citizen (and a little like a burgundy Michelin man). Dave says he’ll just tough it out with his new jacket, but we’ll see how long that lasts. I have a funny feeling we’ll be looking for something for him before too long. Of course, it will be a much quicker process for him. He’ll walk through the bazaar, look around for a minute or two, point at what he wants and pay. He really just doesn’t know how to enjoy the whole experience, now does he?
