Tuesday 31 Mar 09

Kev flew solo today as Laura stayed home with Irina who was still a little warm from whatever sickness she has. The plan was that Kev would go in the morning and Laura in the afternoon. However, Kev was informed that there would be a big inspection this afternoon and no parents were allowed to visit their kids. Kev didn’t really get to see Arman in the morning anyways because doctors and caregivers were coming to take him for various reasons. Arman received a nebulizer treatment and massage today. Kev tried to convince the woman to give him one but to no avail. Arman’s doctor came in to see him a couple of times but didn’t say what she was doing. Arman still has some difficulty breathing but you wouldn’t know it because he’s always happy and smiling.

Kev was met by smiles and giggles by Arman. Arman was still in his crib when Kev arrived (earlier than normal because he’s not waiting for Irina and Laura to get ready). From the moment Kev picked him up to the moment he laid him down, Arman was giggling, smiling, and cheerful. There were a few moments of fussing but nothing that wasn’t solved by tickling his belly or playing with him. Kev worked with Arman on sitting and standing. He’s doing well regarding sitting but wasn’t interested in standing at all today. Arman didn’t want to play with the toys we brought for him and instead insisted on playing with toys in the room. It wasn’t a big deal until he found a toy dumptruck with a soft dump part and tried to put his mouth on it. For the last few days, we’ve brought a frozen teething ring as his left front tooth is about to come through but he didn’t really want it. We also have another toy, which is nearly the same we brought for Irina and he likes it. But it’s good to see he wants to play with trucks and not Barbies.

As you’ll see by the images captured today, he was in a great mood and smiling every time Kev called his name. Kev returned home to find Irina feeling much better and a wife still in her pajamas. Nice! Irina was busy writing and illustrating a book about things that she likes (Barbies, playing games, chocolate ice-cream, and using good manners). Laura was busy cleaning our laundry (now that it works) and laying the clothes out to dry. In our current house in Belgium, we have an American washer and dryer. We had forgotten just how few clothes you can fit into a European washer and just how long (about 2 hours) it takes to wash a tiny load of clothes. We do not have a dryer so we must hang every sock and article of clothing out to dry, only to iron each piece after it is crispy, hard, and dry. What’s a drying rack cost? $10. $20. 20 euros. They are about $80 here. And yes, it’s still cheaper to eat out sometimes than to eat in. We have been eating a steady diet of blinis. They are pretty yummy. Not quite as good as Indian food or Megalithes (in Lens), but we are surviving. We discovered Kit Kat ice-cream in the grocery store yesterday, which is delicious. Hopefully we’ll eat at Mate (pronounced Ma-tay) one of these days. We had their cheese tray and Kazkh puffed pastry bread thingys (if they had chocolate and powdered sugar would be close to utopia) a few days ago.

The weather is absolutely beautiful today so after Irina’s beauty rest, we hope to spend some time outside. We were all feeling a little under the weather last night and we could all use some fresh air. This afternoon is the first time since we’ve been here that we are not boiling hot in our apartment.