First Tooth

This tooth was so loose we were worried about him swallowing it, so Dave finally pulled it out when Davey was in the bath. The tooth fairy decided to leave him 1BD, or $2.67. The second was lost a couple weeks later at school. The first tooth was replaced at an amazingly fast rate, halfway up in the first week.

He's Three

Poor Charlie with his birthday three days after Christmas. Since his birthday falls during Christmas break, I justified putting off a party by telling myself no one was in town anyway. Pretty much all of the expats leave the country, as would be expected I guess. There were two girls from my playgroup that were in town so I invited them over for a playgroup on his actual birthday.

Time to open presents!

In addition to trains, this little guy loves Hot Wheels cars. Though he plays with trains most of all toys, he carries a car around with him everywhere he goes. His teachers even tolerate him bringing one to school every day.

Blueberry pan"cakes" for breakfast :)

Make a wish!

Playgroup kiddos

Singing to the birthday boy

Grandma and Grandpa Adams really spoiled Charlie this year... and we were so excited to show him his new car when he woke up.

Big brother taking him out on his first ride

Charlie is getting better at driving each time he tries

Having a bit of fun

I can't believe my little Charlie is three years old now. I think I'll always think of him as my "little Charlie." He's such a spunky, bright little guy who loves both of his brothers to pieces. He is going to school three days a week and his teachers rave about how well behaved he is, though he always puts on a show for me when its time to say goodbye. He still takes naps but I can't let him sleep more than an hour or he doesn't sleep at night - he'll sit in bed and sing and talk for two hours sometimes. He loves to sing. He taught himself counting, colors, shapes (long ago... I'm so late in an update) and I've been working with him on letter sounds. He would watch tv all day if we let him. He loves shows that are scary (to him) and "daddy movies," especially Star Wars but just about anything we'd let him watch, so we have to be careful. His favorite foods are yogurt, chicken with ketchup, carrots dipped in italian dressing, and salad with vinaigrette or lemon-garlic dressing and, of course, any kind of candy but especially chocolate. He loves to laugh and make jokes, listen to daddy's story-telling and trying to tell his own.

Christmas Cookies

Dave left the day after Thankgiving for 2 weeks to Houston. Luckily I had the forethought (unlike me these days :) to decorate the Christmas Tree before he left or I knew it wouldn't happen until he returned, which wouldn't be very fun for the kids to not have it up very long. It was so nice to have the tree up longer and get the feeling of the Christmas season going. Especially since the sand and sun here don't lend themselves very well to feeling like Christmas for this Michigan girl.

D & C had fun decorating their own little tree Grandma & Grandpa Paulson gave them a few years ago

Dave was gone for two local holidays, so to keep ourselves busy, we planned a little cookie decorating party and invited our friends the Matlocks, Kings and Custers.

Sheldon helping Charlie decorate. He and his wife, Connie, were huge helps to me with the boys, especially at church, when Dave was gone.

With Dalia & Mallory

Nonnie & the King children

Someone snapped this of Davey... I think it makes him look so old!

Cute girls having fun with Henry

Thankful Turkey

My brother and sister-in-law have been doing the Thankful Turkey with their kids for many years now and I have been meaning to do it with our kids for several. I finally did it this year - pretty pitifully - but I'm happy that it at least happened a little bit. The boys really enjoyed it and now that the turkey is drawn, hopefully we can be better next year. The idea is that every day in the month of November, each member of our family writes something they are thankful for on a feather and puts it on the turkey. I think we only did it like 5 times... the extra feathers are from doing it with our Thanksgiving dinner guests.

Here are the things that managed to make it to our list: The Gospel, eating oranges, home, prayer, friends, color green, being five, my parents, climate control, food, going somewhere, playing, City Centre Mall, our family, Book of Mormon, Oman, good books, going downstairs, Thanksgiving, sleeping, color purple, Henry, being healthy and the bathroom.

Thanksgiving

Last year Dave worked on Thanksgiving and, although I made the full meal, it didn't feel too much like Thanksgiving. So this year I asked Dave to take the day off and that was nice. Plus, I really needed the help since it was a busy, busy day!

I kept Davey home from school as well, but he had a field trip that I didn't want to make him miss. They were going to the Waqif Souq, a fruit and vegetable market, that is right down the road from us so it worked out well to have Dave bring him there to meet the Kindergarten classes.

Davey's class at the souq

When they returned, we all headed to our friends', the Kings, home for some Thanksgiving crafts and fun. Nonnie read a story about the first Thanksgiving and had several fun crafts...

Making necklaces, feather hats and painting vests

Grocery stores around here only have plastic bags (one time I saw paper, but things like that are fleeting) but I knew of a restaurant who delivers their take-out in paper bags, so we both ordered from Nu Asia one night and asked for extra bags and they didn't mind our request. The bags were used for making the vests. They are cute.

The boys enjoyed playing croquet and Davey, in his typical style, was making sure they had everything set up just right and followed all the rules correctly.

There was even a Turkey Bowl game (of dodgeball, however)....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Then it was time to head home to finish up our big meal. Our church District Conference was being held here the next day, and since Dave attends the District Presidency meetings (via webcam) as the clerk and is the only one living in Bahrain, we were asked to host to members of the presidency and their families for Thanksgiving dinner - and Elder Pieper, the General Authority. Talk about pressure! Of course I knew no one would judge me or have expectations but I definitely felt stress about it.

I didn't have to worry about dessert or rolls, which definitely helped, but I was throwing in a new stuffing recipe and needed to make sure I could handle making all the dishes, plus I wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner with people of my choosing (not that I wasn't happy to do the second one), so we did a pre-Thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before with the Harris' and Youngs. Somehow pulling it off on Saturday was much more relaxed than the on actually on Thanksgiving, though we did take 2 hours out to go to the Kings but I prepared many of the dishes the days before the 2nd meal and had done it all on the day of for the 1st. Oh well, it turned out well. I had a little hiccup when I asked my housemaid to rinse and dry the pumpkin I planned to use as a vase for my centerpiece and she started peeling it... it was the perfect pumpkin and they are hard to find here, but Dave found me a couple small squashes that morning at the souq that worked just fine.

The Prices, Phipps and Elder Piper
(If Dave had taken my maiden name we'd fit in better with this group ;-)

Their kids

Our silly little ones

The dinner conversation was quite interesting and afterward we did the traditional "what I'm thankful for" and added feathers to our Thankful Turkey.

It was a really neat experience to get to host a General Authority in our home. He was so kind and accessible - the kids totally treated him like a member of the family, jumping all over him and asking him to tickle torture them.

I certainly couldn't have pulled this off with a 5 month old without having my housemaid. Especially since my dishwasher broke on Saturday... I'm quite sure Aysha never wants to see my kitchen again (I'd rather not for a while either). Even with the help, it was still tough but worth it! I am thankful for experiences I'd likely not get living in the U.S.!

Things Are Heating Up Again

Sent from the U.S. Embassy...
Demonstration Notice - November 20, 2011
Spontaneous demonstrations take place in Bahrain from time to time in response to world events or local developments. United States citizens should keep current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times. If you encounter a large public gathering or demonstration, depart the vicinity immediately.
From 20-27 November broad protest activity has been called for throughout Bahrain to coincide with the release of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report.
- 20-21 November: Demonstrators plan to disrupt traffic at a number of locations throughout Bahrain, including the International Airport, financial district, diplomatic area, near Safriya Palace, and along all major roadways.
- 22 November: A demonstration is planned at the International Exhibition and Convention Center to coincide with the opening of the Jewelry Arabia exhibition.
- 23 & 27 November: Demonstrators plan to burn tires, disrupt traffic, and have threatened to use Molotov cocktails against police throughout Bahrain.
Demonstrators continue to employ tactics such as placing debris and oil on roadways and have been known to throw steel spikes at police vehicles. These actions often result in adverse driving conditions, an increased police presence, and significant traffic delays. Please use caution as you drive and plan additional time to arrive at your destination.
We remind U.S. citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. U.S.citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible, and to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations.

Growing Up

Tonight while flossing Davey's teeth I was noticing how his perfectly spaced teeth seemed to be shifting. Then I noticed one in particular that was quite out of place - bottom front left - and a flash that it was probably loose if it had moved that much -- and I was right. I can't believe my baby is growing so fast, but my baby is elated to have a wibbly-wobbly tooth!

I had to snap a couple photos before his cute tiny-toothed smile changes forever...

Favorite Toy

Church is always challenging to sit through with little ones and I am always on the look-out for interesting quiet toys small enough to bring to church. Well, this summer my mother helped me with an awesome bag of toys and we have a killer church bag. Last week I was able to keep my kids and those of two neighboring families quiet happy for the whole hour.

Today, when it was time we could get out the toy bag (after the sacrament was passed), I asked Charlie what toy he wanted to play with and he immediately lunged toward the baby on my lap and said, "Henry!"

He shows so much love and affection for his little brother. Often, when I am holding Henry in my arms and Charlie walks in the room talking to me, he'll notice Henry and stop mid-sentence and just run to Henry and hug and play with him as if he is so overcome by just the sight of his baby brother that he forgets all else he is doing.

All Suited Up

There is so much going on in this picture you can barely see the baby, right? This is what little Henry looks like these days... a hat to keep his clawing little hands from mutilating his little head (somehow he still has made it a bloody mess), a bib to catch all the drool (when will it end... I'm lucky he's my first to be all drooly), and - most happily - a pacifier (also a first)!

Collecting

One days' find

Every day lately, Davey comes home from school eager to share with me the things he's found at school that day. It may be a discarded elastic, a paper clip or a staple. Today he pulled out a wad of paper that had gone through the wash in his pocket, asking me what it was. I explained and he then told me that Dalia gave it to him. Not only does he think trash is a treasure but its still worth just as much to him when it comes out of someone else's pocket. Crazy kid.

The Same

I can't believe my little Charlie is almost three years old. Even though I have another baby now, I still feel like he's my baby. I just love my kids to bits. They are just the sweetest things. I don't know how I'm ever going to give them up to their wives. I know I'm getting ahead of myself... but I can't think of a time when I'll be ready to let them go out on their own, though I'm already having to let go with Davey who is only five... he has another life at school, separate from me and I long to be part of it. Though I'm not ready to home school him or anything. I'm getting way off track here. Okay, back to my little Charlie and the reson for this post. As he gets closer to three, he is growing out of toddler-hood. It is amazing to me to watch him play with Davey and his friends like he's just one of them. And he definitely thinks he is...

Last night Dave was sitting with the older kids at the kitchen table having a bedtime snack and telling them how lucky they were to have little brothers. Charlie's comment was, "I'm not little! See, we're just the same (standing by Davey and trying to measure against him)." That is certainly what he thinks!

Another cute little Charlie moment - Dave asked Charlie, "Do you know why I love you?" His answer, "Because I'm a bear." We've called him our little Charlie-bear since he was born and I guess he's convinced. Silly little boy.

Recipe for Homemade Dimples

It's really simple! And, no, I didn't mean to say 'dumplings.'

All you have to do is bang your cheek really hard.

In this case, Davey was running around Grandma and Grandpa Paulson's house, tripped and broke his fall with the coffee table. As the bruise dissipated (it covered almost his whole cheek and stayed for weeks - it was a hard fall), I couldn't believe the dimple I saw. And its a very pronounced one you can see even when he is just talking. Now I guess he just needs another fall to even himself out!

Before

After

Charlie, Charlie, Quite Contrary

When my mother was visiting, she helped me pin-point what I would call a very poignant part of Charlie's personality - he is a contrarian. Where do you think he gets that? (Hint: not me!) Here's an example from last night...

Before bedtime, we were reading the story of Samuel Smith, the first missionary for the Church. When he was traveling he was refused lodging by an innkeeper who accused him of being a liar when he told him of the origin of the Book of Mormon.

Charlie's comment was, "Then I would spit on him."
Me, "But that's not a nice thing to do. We have to be nice to other people."
Charlie, "Then I would hit him. Or get him a poke (he recently got a flu shot)."
Me, "But Charlie, Jesus taught us that even if people aren't nice to us, we still need to be nice to them."
Charlie, "Jesus told me, but I said 'NO!'"

We are going to have our hands full with this little guy...

I'm a Fenugreek Addict

After I was sick and my milk supply dropped significantly (basically vanished), I had heard of fenugreek being used for this so I started taking it. And I don't want to stop! It has this side effect... it makes you smell sweet... like maple syrup! The first time I took it I had eaten oatmeal for breakfast and thought I was tasting the brown sugar but hoping it was the pills... and it was. Now that my milk supply is finally reestablished (it took forever) I can't get myself to stop taking it. Because now when I sweat, I smell like pancakes... tell me, would you want to quit?

Teething Already...

A few weeks ago, when Henry was about 11 weeks, he started drooling like crazy. Neither of my other two kids ever drooled much at all, to my delight. But Henry is a drooler. I was sure it was way too early to be associated with teething, but now I don't think so. He is 15 weeks now, still drooling all the time and chewing with abandon on everything he can get his gums on. I think he's on track to have his first tooth at 4 months like Davey did....

Is This Really My Life?

Yesterday I found myself asking myself this question twice. I was sitting on the couch nursing Henry, my mother was in the living room reading a book, as was Dave, who had come home early from work. It was after school and Davey had two friends over. Two men were in my house changing the light bulbs and two housemaids/nannies (mine and one of my friend's) were watching over the children. The scene was busy and almost chaotic but the adults in my household were serene and relaxing (though I count nursing as working, really).

A couple hours later I found myself walking through the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel with my husband carrying the baby in his car seat and my maid carrying his bouncy chair and diaper bag. I was all dressed up and carrying only my purse. We were going to dinner with one of the suppliers Dave manages the contract with and other spouses. Henry doesn't take a bottle and we needed him nearby so we had him and the nanny stay in one of the supplier's rooms while we were at dinner. As I was walking in, I was thinking, is this really my life?

I am spoiled here. And its my life for now, but not forever. And I'll enjoy it while I have it! :) (though feel a little guilty too...)

School

A cute pic of Davey running the "jewelry store" his class made. Downloaded from the school's website.

Checkup

At Henry's checkup (1 month 10 days) he weighed 9 lbs 4.5 oz (21%), was 21.5 in tall (29%), and his head circumference was 38.25 cm (35%).

My Three Sons

When I Grow Up...

For a long time, maybe the last year/year and a half, Davey has said he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. Then the last week of school one of his classmates' father came in to tell them about his job as a pilot flying an Airbus. Well, that got Davey thinking about driving busses. After that he switched to wanting to drive a bus, but quickly reconsidered to a mini-bus. He likes the mini-bus better because they can drive faster and thus less people will honk at them, according to him.

As we drove around the crowded streets of Abu Dhabi, Davey talked about his dream all the time. It was cute to hear him say how he was going to drive them wherever Dave and I were living. That way he could take us anywhere we wanted to go and he could help us if our car broke down. But he wasn't going to get to see us very much because he'd be working all the time. If he had a day off, though, he would see us.

Two days ago when we walked off the plane, having arrived back in Bahrain, and got on the bus taking us to the terminal, he had a moment of crisis. A very concerned Davey said, "I just don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I can try all the different jobs and see what I like. First, I'll try what Daddy does and if I like it I will do that."

I'm not sure what's prompting him to be so concerned about this, but its fun to hear him considering all the options.

What Does This Baby Weigh??

When Henry was born, Dave looked at the scale and thought it read 6 pounds .146 ounces. Then we looked at the picture he took and realized it was displaying 6 pounds 14.6 ounces. When we discharged from the hospital, the papers said he was 3.135 kilos, which jives with the 6 lbs 14.6 oz. But now we're not sure again...

I took Henry to the doctor today, 8 days old, and his weight was 2.57 kilos or 5 pounds 10 ounces. That's a 1 lb 4 oz, or 18%, weight loss! The doctor was surprised and questioned me about how often he eats, dirty diapers, etc, and I needed to feed him while we were there to calm him for the exam so she was able to see and was pleased with his latch. We're both quite confident he is feeding well so she sent us on our way just wanting to see him again when he's a month old.

But as Dave and I think about this more, we're really wondering how he could have lost so much weight. When we looked online, it looks like the very maximum weight a baby should lose in the first week is 10%. I can vouch that Henry is eating plenty and now that my milk supply is coming full-forsce, often taking in more than he can handle (evidenced by frequent spit-ups). He sleeps well (as I mentioned in the last post), eats at regular intervals and doesn't act like a hungry baby. All we can figure out is that he must have been mis-weighed at birth. We really weren't that impressed with the Corniche Hospital (people sure talked it up, though) and wouldn't be surprised if they forgot to zero the scale before placing him on or something. To Dave and I, he never looked like an almost seven pound baby. Dave says he thinks Henry seemed the lightest of all our kids and I would have to agree that he certainly didn't seem to be the heaviest by half a pound (Davey 6 lbs 8 oz and Charlie 6 lbs 0oz). If Henry were really right around 6 lbs at birth, losing 6 ounces in the first week would jive much better with that 10% weight loss limit. But, I guess we'll never really know the answer!

One Week Old

The first week of life with little baby Henry has been a great one! It seems I made a super-positive post like this one shortly after Charlie was born and then things got a little harder, but I'm going to do it anyway :) We just love our little guy. It is amazing how the instant you see your new child your heart's capacity to love increases amazingly. The love you feel for your other children isn't diminished in any way; it just grows. I just love to look at his tiny face and look into his eyes. And, I have been greatly rewarded by smiles! Henry first smiled at me at two days old. I know many people would not believe a baby so young will smile and I was skeptical the first time he did, but he was fully awake and looking at me as we were waiting for our car to be pulled up when we were leaving the hospital and he smiled at me. And he has smiled at me every day since, always when I am talking to him.

In addition to the smiles, Henry is a great nurser. He is very picky about his latch, which he knows how to do well, and I am greatly benefitting from it as I have experienced no soreness, which I think is amazing. He also is on a very good 3 hour nursing schedule that I haven't had to force.

The first two nights (in the hospital), Henry had a hard time sleeping because of a bunch of congestion in his nose. He was always sneezing trying to get it out and his breathing was very loud, bordering on snoring. Sometimes it would keep me awake just with the noise. His discomfort at sleeping made him think he wanted to suck all the time so the first two nights I got a pretty small amount of sleep. During the second night I called a nurse in to see if she would suction it out but she wouldn't! She just said it was natural that the baby had this drainage since he was just immersed in fluid. Ugh, I wished I had brought my own. But finally in the morning of the day we left, his breathing was clear and he sunk into a very deep sleep. I think he was so exhausted from not sleeping well those two nights.

Thankfully the better sleeping continued once we got home and he has slept most of the day, like most newborns. On days 5 and 6 he started having 1 to 2 waking periods about an hour each during the day and today on day 8 he had 3. He times them well, staying awake after nursing and then dozing for another hour or so before waking to nurse again. (I point this out because it is the "Baby Wise" way - the cycle to eat, then wake, then sleep - to teach them how to fall asleep on their own, not nursing - and he's doing it much more naturally than the other two did.)

Once we were home, however, he started having fussy periods at night, from about 1 to 4am. Dave, thankfully, took these on the first three nights but the poor guy got so little sleep since I have been unable to do much for the older boys during the day due to so much pain. So I said I'd try to handle the next night and then he slept for 6 hours straight! 10pm to 4am! And the next night again! The following night he was fussy again until about 2am but then slept until 7 this morning. I'm just hoping this continues!

Davey and Charlie have done well with having a new baby around (and not having much of a mommy for them) so far. Davey is a little disinterested mostly but certianly shows no ill-will. I was most worried about Charlie but he is very interested and gentle with the baby. The only sign I've seen so far is that sometimes he is very forceful that he needs Dave or me to hold him right now. So we're trying to be sensitive to that. Hopefully soon I'll heal enough to get off the couch and can give him more of the attention he needs.

Overall, a very good week!

Baby Henry's Birth Story

I went to the doctor on Thursday, June 16th, and told the doctor that if I hadn't yet delivered, I wanted the next appointment to be on Wednesday so we could schedule an induction for Thursday. That would be one week overdue. For my emotional health, I just couldn't take going any longer than that.

Friday about 7am I woke to a "bloody show." (Ugh, I hate that term but the only alternative I know is no better.) Which only means you'll probably deliver within a week, but I was glad at least that I saw some sign of things moving along and that maybe I wouldn't have to be induced. I got up and started getting ready for church and within about an hour I started having some contractions but didn't think too much of them since I'd had so many during the last few months. They seemed to be not going away though, so I was hopeful. By the time we left for church about 9 they were fairly consistent so I started timing them once we got there. They were about 9 minutes apart.

By the time Sacrament meeting was finished and they hadn't stopped, I figured it was time to head home and get ready to go to the hospital. Some very kind friends we've made here, the Ethingtons, had offered to watch the boys when the time came, so it was convenient that we were already with them at church. We took Richard home with us, showed him around the things the boys might need during the day and then he went back to church with our car so he could drive the boys home. Their plan was to come back, have lunch and a nap and then take them to swim. That day was also their daughter's first birthday. Luckily they had already celebrated it the weekend before. I felt a little bad infringing on their day with her, but what could I do? :)

As I hurried around trying to think of last-minute things we needed to do, I lost track of the contractions and thought they might be dissipating. I was going to be embarrassed if the baby never came that day since after leaving church for the hospital, everyone there knew what was happening. But once I sat down and started timing again, they were coming right along. By the time we left around 1pm the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. Richard got home with the boys just before we left so it was nice to get to see them and hug them again before we went off since I knew next time I saw them I was going to be so much more distracted.

We took a cab to the Al Corniche Hospital, which is probably just 2 miles away from our apartment and checked into urgent care. I sat in triage being monitored for about an hour, being dilated to a 2 when they first checked. My contractions didn't progress much until I got up to go to the bathroom about 2:30. Then they sure got moving! I had been thinking of trying to do this birth naturally like with Davey but once the contractions really kicked into gear, I decided to abandon that idea and get an epidural. The nurses finally arranged for me to go upstairs to a delivery room and no, they didn't take me up in a wheelchair, I was walking all around the hospital. By the time we got to the ward, I could barely walk the contractions were coming so quickly and strong. I was doubled over in pain trying to deal with them and crying - not really sure why I was crying... partially from the pain, unsure I could do this again, and partially from the crazy hormones, amazed that this pregnancy was finally coming to an end and I was going to get to meet my little guy. The nurses ushered me into some sort of waiting room before figuring out what to do with me. Then they had me walk down a long hallway to the end into a room. Took me forever to get ther and when I did, I realized I wasn't in the delivery ward, I was in a recovery room! What?!?! I was dying for an epidural and knowing I was making fast progress toward delivery. They had just dropped us off in this shared recovery room - a lady was there with her baby, listening to me in labor - and left. I couldn't believe it! So I sent Dave to find someone to come back and check me again and get me to the delivery room. They checked me, I was dilated to a four, and saw how much distress I was in and finally got themselves into gear and made arrangements for a delivery room. Apparently it was a really busy day in the hospital and the rooms had all been full. Which I think is crazy for a hospital that does nothing but maternity.

I was finally taken up to a delivery room, though I don't remember the time. I'm guessing about 3pm. I immediately asked my midwife, Princess, for an epidural. She promptly told me it would not be possible, which made me angry. I was almost yelling at her, for which I apologized a couple minutes later. Apparently there were 3 women ahead of me who had asked for one and it sounded like no one was getting one because there weren't enough midwives on duty to watch over them after they'd been administered. Ridiculous. If you're having a busy day, call in some more midwives to work.

I didn't want to use drugs that would affect the baby so she advised me to try using the nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas) during my next contraction to see what I thought. I didn't feel much help but it did help me focus on breathing to get through the contraction... since I wanted some kind of pain relief so badly, I was taking very deep breaths through that mask. Eventually it started helping a little as it made me drowsy. From that point, the gas made me loopy. It was a strange experience, really. It seemed like I could still feel everything but I was sleepy and disconnected from it. And I started making no sense. I knew what I was saying was silly but couldn't help it. Sometimes I would alternate groaning in pain with laughter at the crazy things I was thinking, which really confused Dave and the midwife. I kept on telling Dave how I loved his eyes. The gas made me feel like I loved everyone there, even though now looking back I would not repeat the experience and don't feel much love for it. My water broke just shortly before it was time to push. Dave says I pushed for about fifteen minutes.

Henry was born at 4:14pm (GMT +4). He had Apgar scores of 8 and 9 because he didn't cry right away and his hands were blue. I held him right away, which was wonderful. He was so tiny. Then he was weighed and sat on the warmer for a long time while they sewed me up. I had, as usual, tons of tearing inside and out. They spent an hour and a half sewing me up and removing a quite large cyst as well. It was about the size of my thumb but wider. The sewing me up part was just as hard as the delivery to get through. So I didn't get to hold Henry again for a long time but he was happy.

Some random details to remember: The Corniche Hospital policy is not to bathe the babies for 6 hours but they didn't bathe him until about 24 hours later, but he came out amazingly clean. A couple nurses commented on it. Also, nurses kept coming into the recovery room and commenting on how fast my labor was. One nurse told me I looked like I was Arabic. Sharing a recovery room wasn't terrible but wasn't nice. The worst parts were sharing a bathroom and dealing with the other person's light being on so bright in the middle of the night when I was trying to sleep. Luckily her baby didn't cry too much. They really left me alone a lot and it was very quiet in the room (we were at the end of a long all, which probably helped), which was nice since they rarely woke me from sleeping. Henry had a Hep B shot in the hospital, but I declined the BCG vaccine (tuberculosis) because its not a shot they give in the US and it leaves a nasty welt on the child's arm that often gets infected and it just looks so painful. When I spoke with the pediatrician at his 8 day appointment, she supported my decision saying it only protects the child for a couple years anyway. The shot is, however, mandatory in the UAE. For that reason I'm glad we don't live there. The food at the hospital was surprisingly edible.

Nap or No Nap...?

I can't figure out whether to continue with Charlie's naps or not... and I can't believe I'm even thinking about nixing them because I am such a believer that kids need sleep and lots of it. But Charlie is perplexing me... He's not quite 2 and a half yet but if I let him sleep as long as he might on his own, about 2 hours, he will wake too early in the morning. I put both he and Davey to bed at 7pm but Charlie will often wake before 6 these days. I have been shortening his nap, waking him after one hour, but it hasn't been helping much.

Some days he doesn't nap anyway because he'll get out of his bed (moved him out of his crib about a month ago). I've resorted to locking the door to not let him out. Being 8 months pregnant and on my own with them I just haven't had the energy to deal with bringing him back to his room over and over all night and day for naps.

Normally he'll never sleep anywhere but his bed, never in the car. But the last few weeks he's been falling asleep in the car a lot which leads me to believe he still needs naps. No conclusion here... just writing about my confusion! Guess I'll have to give it some more time to figure out...

Not Succeeding

I must admit I have been loving having a full-time housemaid (for most of) the last year and a half... but I guess I need to make a little more effort in giving the kids more responsibilities... Since we've been in Abu Dhabi it has been hard to find some help at home (and I need it more than ever!) and we had a nice girl helping us for just a week of the time we've been here. Once she left, Davey asked, "Do we still have a maid?" No was the answer. To which he replied, "Then who will clean up after us?" Ugh...

Later That Day...

So that wasn't the only adventure Charlie had that day, though the next one wasn't nearly so scary.

When we moved into our apartment in Abu Dhabi, I decided it was a good time to transition Charlie to a big boy bed. The first couple days went well, but he soon discovered he could get in and out as he pleased.

It took me a few tries to figure out how to respond, but decided the best way would be to just take him by the hand without a word or eye contact and lead him back to his bed every time he came out. Over the first several days, twice a day of course for nap and bedtime, I must have done that a couple hundred times. He thought it was such fun.

It was very tiring for this 7+ month pregnant lady so eventually I started holding onto the door handle so he couldn't open it. I just couldn't keep leading him back over and over for hours each day. The day before the elevator escapade, I heard through the door Charlie talking about locking the lock but he didn't do it. I made a mental note to check if my house key also opened the inside doors. The next morning I did just that and found it didn't work.

So, as you can guess, that afternoon while Charlie was supposed to be napping, he got up tried to lock the door. I heard him start to touch it and immediately opened the door and guided him back to bed. The next time he got out of bed he got to the door and turned the lock so fast I couldn't stop it. He was locked in. Ugh. I didn't know how long he would be in there before I got a key. I was unsure if Oxy had the keys or if the reception/maintenance for the building would. After trying to coax Charlie into unlocking it, I made a call and maintenance was able to come in and unlock it, thank goodness. Needless to say, I now I have keys to all the interior doors.

Almost two weeks later I still lock his door. Sometimes he unlocks it himself but luckily seems to forget that he knows how to do it. Finally in the last two days he seems to be trying to do it less. But he still will get out of his bed and cry at the door and often not nap. Oh well, life is full of transitions.

Elevator Escapade

While we're in Abu Dhabi, we're living on the 5th floor of a 23-story apartment building. The elevator doors close very quickly so I've had to be vigilant about making sure the kids get off before me. Well, they had gotten good about running right off and I got lazy...

So Charlie and I were coming home after dropping Davey at school and I got off before him. He didn't get off right after me and I couldn't stop the doors from closing! What a nightmare! I'm just listening to him call for me... I tried to stay calm and watched the elevator go up to the 7th floor and stop. I frantically called the elevators (there are 3 in the bank) and the same one came back for me - phew! I figured he'd be on it. But he wasn't! So I went up to the 7th floor figuring he'd be there... but he wasn't! Now what do I do? Then I'm looking at all of the floors he could be on... the two levels of parking garage... oh my gosh, it was scary.

I decided the best thing to do was head to the lobby so I could enlist the help of the receptionist and other workers and perhaps find a way to call all the elevators back at once or have us all running up and down the staircases looking for him on each floor. Luckily, when I got there, Charlie was there too. What a relief!

Apparently someone had called the elevator from the 7th floor, the guy must have seen Charlie - imagine an elevator opening on your way into work and seeing this little two year old, wearing sunglasses and holding a train, all alone in your elevator... it makes me chuckle a little now - so Charlie must have gotten off and while the guy decided what to do with him, the elevator left to come get me so they got on another one and rode down to the lobby.

It was all probably over in one or two minutes, but it felt like forever. The funny thing is that it surely made an impression on Charlie since he still talks about it at least once every day... "Remember when I got stuck on the elevator? A man got in with me and I wanted my mommy." You can now imagine that I never let down my guard.

Stake Conference Miracle

The evening of the day I went to the doctor and found out I had placenta previa was the adult session of Stake Conference. As I walked in I found it hard to concentrate, I was so worked up about the news I'd heard. Elder Holland attended the conference (we watched on the internet; the conference was in Dubai) and he spoke about how all of us who are living in the Middle East are here for a reason. We may think we are where we are for the job that brought us, but that Heavenly Father has bigger reasons He guided us here. He also assured us that we are safe. As he spoke, a great sense of calm came over me. I felt that it was an answer to my prayer that I shouldn't bail on the Middle East and that I would still be fine not heading to the States.

The next day during the main session of the conference, Elder Holland left his apostolic blessing, specifically mentioning pregnant women and saying that this blessing is as if he had his hands on each of our heads individually. I really felt the power of his words and indeed like he was directly giving me a blessing. I knew then that even if I had to have a c-section, everything would work out okay and I would be able to handle it. It was a very special experience.

A week later, the kids and I were off to Abu Dhabi. Later that week I had an appointment at the Corniche hospital and got an ultrasound that revealed that the placenta had moved! It was incredible news. I can't remember when I've felt so relieved, happy and blessed. From what I understand, the placenta just doesn't move at this point. I know it was a miracle.

Placenta Previa

When we were in Greece, I noticed some bleeding one night when I went to the bathroom. I was 29 weeks and I've never had bleeding before except for my miscarriage. I didn't know who to call or what to do. I hadn't seen my doctor in Bahrain for 3 months, I had seen an OB in Dubai recently but only once and both of their offices were closed. I didn't feel like I had enough of a recent or long enough history with either of them to call them during the night. So I ended up calling Generations in Michigan, whom I had seen for my miscarriage last summer.

The nurse there recommended I go to the hospital right away because bleeding at 29 weeks is not normal and is concerning. I pushed back a bit and when I told her it had stopped she said I could wait until morning to get it checked out unless it started up again. Luckily it didn't but I was worried all night.

The next morning the wonderful manager of the villa found a doctor for me, made an appointment, brought Dave and I there, translated when needed and then took us to the pharmacy afterward.

The doctor was very thorough, giving me a non-stress test, physical exam and ultrasound. He was able to confirm that everything was okay with the baby but never gave me a reason as to why I was bleeding. He was also very through in answering his phone. His cell phone rang so many times and he always answered it. He even answered it while I was lying there in stirrups and left me there for several minutes waiting while he spoke!!

When I returned to Bahrain I went to my doctor who informed me that my placenta was low and that was why I was bleeding. Luckily I still hadn't had any more bleeding episodes but she advised me to stop exercising and put me on pelvic rest, though not using that term. She informed me that I would have to have a c-section if the placenta didn't move. When I expressed my concern (I'm so afraid of going under the knife!) she told me not to worry about anything, but that when I get to Abu Dhabi, I'd better see a doctor immediately. Quite a mixed message.

She didn't ever say the words "placenta previa" but when I googled it, that is exactly what she had described. Its a pretty serious condition with lots of risk involved. I wasn't happy with the little bit of information she had given me and the mixed message she gave me as her parting words. From my reading, I found that a low placenta in early pregnancy will often move out of the way but that at 31 weeks as I now was, it pretty much will never move.

I was so worried, almost making myself sick with stress and worry. I was questioning my decision to have the baby in Abu Dhabi, thinking that if I were going to have a c-section that I shouldn't be doing it in a new city/country where I knew no one and Dave wouldn't be with me most of the time. I wanted to go home and have my mommy there to take care of me! But so much had already been done to arrange our stay in Abu Dhabi and we would have to be away from Dave for so long...

Love the Airlines in the Middle East

I love airlines in the Middle East. Granted, I had to travel to the office to make the change, but today I changed my itinerary for our vacation only two days away - departure city, return date, added an extra flight and changed the return city - and only paid $20 per ticket because of Dubai's airport tax. Amazing! My cab ride to get to the office cost more.

Other great things about the airlines I've been on here: planes are nice, clean and new, food is plentiful, individual tvs usually even on short flights, great customer service, etc. And their change/cancellation fees are either non-existent or minimal. I was dealing with Qatar Airways today. Go Qatar! Now I'm even more excited for our trip to Greece!

Witness at the Scene

So I called my friend Monica to see if she wanted Dave to bring her kids home from school, too, since I wouldn't recommend her being on the roads to go get them. Yes, she did of course after hearing about what I encountered.

Dave picked them up just fine but as he drove from the school to the first roundabout just outside it, he sensed something was wrong. A car was up on the median and started squealing its tires like crazy to get moving all of a sudden, entered traffic the wrong way around the circle and crashed head-on into another car. It was so obviously an intentional crash that one of Monica's girls asked, "Did that guy mean to hit the other car?" Dave just said, "I don't know," and gunned it to get out of there as fast as he could, seeing other cars acting strange as well.

So he took the other way home that I hadn't gone to avoid that protest and got still more of an eyeful. Hundreds of men gathered together with clubs and stick in their hands looking like they were looking for a fight. It was such a relief to have the whole family home and safe. But the afternoon was filled with jitters about what we'd witnessed and what it could be meaning was happening out there.

Later that afternoon we got an email from the school explaining that they had gone into lockdown for ten minutes following that car accident, which they heard from the school, and then mostly because of the gunshots that were fired at the scene of the crash. So scary and I'm glad Davey was out of there before that! Imagine if they had accidentally hit the wrong car and it was Dave with a carload of kids! So scary!

Caught in the Action

The last week that Dave was gone in Houston was really hard for me. I was so exhausted, physically and emotionally, from the stress of everything happening in Bahrain and felt like I would never make it through the week. We hadn't left the house in a week and a half (I did run across the street from our compound once to the Midway Supermarket to restock our produce and we did take the kids to play at the park and ride bikes at the tennis court in our compound) and, being 5 months pregnant, I was emotional. But somehow I made it through the week and Dave came back on March 4th.

It was so good to have him home and over the next week, life started to return to normal a little bit; Dave was home every night, Davey went to school and Charlie went to school one day. We still went out as little as possible and were always trying to figure out what was happening across the country but we didn't see any of it. Then the weekend of March 11 and 12, protests were all over and church was cancelled. But we didn't hear to much and Sunday we planned to live life normally. Davey went to school.

Everything changed for me and I think everyone in Bahrain that day. Later, I found out that several mothers had felt an impression to pick up their children early from school; I don't know why I didn't have that impression too and wish I had. Either I wasn't listening or I wasn't meant to do it. Either way, when I went to get Davey from school I decided to go the longer route that would avoid passing a royal palace in Riffa that had been the scene of large demonstrations and clashes over the weekend, not knowing if it would still be a bad way to go. As I drove down the freeway, I saw three ambulances going both directions with lights flashing. I was curious but not too alarmed yet. As I continued in the left lane, two cars came driving toward me in my lane, traveling at highway speeds! I was able to get out of the way but was spooked. Then several more cars were driving the wrong way up the freeway, in the right lane/on the shoulder.

By this point I, and the cars around me, was traveling much slower, wondering what was happening making these cars do this. There was only one exit left before the freeway ended and I thought about getting off but didn't because I didn't know how to get to Davey's school from there. Just after that, I came upon tons of cars parked along the road and had to come to a stop as there was a large traffic jam near the end of the freeway and I found myself in the middle of a freshly-tear-gas-fired-upon demonstration. People were everywhere, coughing and holding their heads in pain from the tear gas and I quickly turned off my exhaust. Cars were going every which way on the freeway, but no one could get through in the direction of traffic so we all had to turn around, in the middle of a tightly packed traffic jam. As I was trying to turn around, more tear gas was fired. I must say I was getting scared and upset. I was trying to call Dave but he was in a meeting and ignored my call the first couple times. Fortunately he got the message that I needed him and picked up after a couple tries. Thank goodness he works right next to (less than 5 minute drive) Davey school so I sent him to pick up Davey, unsure how long it would take me to get out of there and if I could get there the other way either.

Luckily near where I was, the freeway was not divided by metal barriers, but by cement blockades so some men were able to move one and cars were able to get through to the correct lane of traffic to get away from there. The drive home was uneventful though filled with tears and nervousness.

And even crazier, Dave had a very eventful drive home. More on that in the next post.

Bahrain Protests

Thousands of Protesters Take Control of Bahrain's Main Square

Published February 15, 2011 | Associated Press

Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital of Manama Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated pressure on authorities as the Arab push for change gripped the Gulf for the first time.

Security forces have battled demonstrators calling for political reforms and greater freedoms over two days, leading to the deaths of two protesters and the main opposition group vowing to freeze its work in parliament in protest.

In a clear sign of concern over the widening crisis, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering condolences for the deaths, pledging an investigation into the killings and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include loosening state controls on the media and Internet.

"We extend our condolences to the parents of the dear sons who died yesterday and today. We pray that they are inspired by the Almighty's patience, solace and tranquility," said the king, who had previously called for an emergency Arab summit to discuss the growing unrest.

As the crowds surged into the Pearl Square in the capital of Manama, security forces appeared to hold back. But key highways were blocked in an apparent attempt to choke off access to the vast traffic circle -- which protesters quickly renamed "Nation's Square" and erected banners such as "Peaceful" that were prominent in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests there.

The dramatic move Tuesday came just hours after a second protester died in clashes with police in the strategic island kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Oppositions groups aren't calling for the ruling Sunni monarchy to be ousted, but they do want an end to its grip on key decisions and government posts.

Other demands -- listed on a poster erected in the square -- included the release of all political prisoners, more jobs and housing, an elected Cabinet and the replacement of longtime prime minister, Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The nation's majority Shiites -- about 70 percent of the population of some 500,000-- have long complained of discrimination and being blackballed from important state jobs.

Many in the square waved Bahraini flags and chanted: "No Sunnis, no Shiites. We are all Bahrainis." It also appeared they were planning for the long haul. Some groups carried in tents and sought generators to set up under a nearly 300-foot monument cradling a giant white pearl-shaped ball that symbolizes the country's heritage as a pearl diving center.

Bahrain is one of the most politically volatile nations in the Middle East's wealthiest corner despite having one of the few elected parliaments and some of the most robust civil society groups. A crackdown on perceived dissent last year touched off weeks of riots and clashes in Shiite villages, and an ongoing trial in Bahrain accuses 25 Shiites of plotting against the country's leadership.

A prolonged showdown could draw in the region's two biggest rivals: Saudi Arabia, as close allies of Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, and Iran, whose hard-liners have spoken in support of the nation's Shiite majority.

Bahrain is also an economic weakling compared with the staggering energy riches of Gulf neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which can afford far more generous social benefits. Bahrain's oil reserves are small and its role as the region's international financial hub have been greatly eclipsed by Dubai.

One protester, 24-year-old Hussein Asamahiji, echoed the complaints from Tunisia and Egypt: a lack of jobs and allegations that the ruling elite monopolizes the best opportunities.

"We simply want the chance at a better future," he said. "Egypt showed it's possible."

The bloodshed already has brought sharp denunciations from the largest Shiite political bloc, which suspended its participation in parliament, and could threaten the nation's gradual pro-democracy reforms that have given Shiites a greater political voice.

The second day of turmoil began after police tried to disperse up to 10,000 mourners gathering at a hospital parking lot to begin a funeral procession for Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, 21, who died in Monday's marches.

Officials at Bahrain's Salmaniya Medical Complex said a 31-year-old man became the second fatality when he died of injuries from birdshot fired during the melee in the hospital's parking lot. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to journalists.

After the clash, riot police eventually withdrew and allowed the massive funeral cortege for Mushaima to proceed from the main state-run medical facility in Manama. He was killed Monday during clashes with security forces trying to halt marches to demand greater freedoms and political rights. At least 25 people were injured in the barrage of rubber bullets, birdshot and tear gas, relatives said.

The main Shiite opposition group, Al Wefaq, denounced the "bullying tactics and barbaric policies pursued by the security forces" and said it was suspending its participation in parliament, where it holds 18 of the 40 seats.

The declaration falls short of pulling out the group's lawmakers, which would spark a full-scale political crisis. But Al Wefaq warned that it could take more steps if violence persists against marchers staging the first major rallies in the Gulf since uprisings toppled long-ruling regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

A statement from Bahrain's interior minister, Lt. Gen. Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, expressed "sincere condolences and deep sympathy" to Mushaima's family. He expanded on the king's pledge: stressing that the deaths will be investigated and charges would be filed if authorities determined excessive force was used against the protesters.

But that's unlikely to appease the protesters, whose "day of rage" Monday coincided with major anti-government demonstrations in Iran and Yemen.

In the past week, Bahrain's rulers have attempted to defuse calls for reform by promising nearly $2,700 for each family and pledging to loosen state controls on the media.

State media reported that the king telephoned the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on Tuesday. No further details were given, but Bahrain had earlier appealed for an emergency summit of Arab leaders to discuss the widening protests.

Bahrain's ruling Sunni dynasty also has extremely close ties with the leadership in Saudi Arabia, which is connected to Bahrain by a causeway. Bahrain has given citizenship to Sunnis in Saudi Arabia and across the region to bolster its ranks against the country's Shiite majority.

Bahrain's Sunni leaders point to parliamentary elections as a symbol of political openness. But many Sunnis in Bahrain also are highly suspicious of Shiite activists, claiming they seek to undermine the state and have cultural bonds with Shiite heavyweight Iran.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/02/15/bahrain-marchers-join-funeral-clash-victim/#ixzz1E65My21h