June 7, 2014 - Homecoming

The best part of our arrival in Dar two Friday nights ago, was that my friend came to pick us up at the airport as a surprise, with another driver and an extra car so we could fit ALL of our stuff (9 bags equal to 510 lbs of luggage + 7 carryons + Aya's car seat and stroller + 5 people).  It was a wonderful treat and helped me relax a lot even though Grace & Noah's car seats didn't arrive with us.  

Arriving at our house at about 11:00 at night, we were wondering if we would have electricity.  It was another gift that our electricy was working.  Thank goodness!

But that's where the "good news" stopped.  Our water pump was broken so we had no water at all until late the next afternoon.  We discovered the next day that both of our car batteries were dead dead dead.  AND, the worst, our house was covered in mold!  

It was a rookie mistake for us to leave our house so closed up during what turned out to be an incredibly long rainy season.  The air was damp and it never moved or circulated and it was so hot that the mold just grew and grew.  Rose has been furiously cleaning all week and we still keep finding it in new places!  We'll NEVER make that mistake again!

All of this is just to say that despite a very long 3-month break from Dar, it took just a few minutes for us to really "feel" the differences of being here.  I have to say I took these small inconveniences pretty hard the first couple of days because Aya - who had slept through our whole trip here - was WIDE awake our whole first night until 5 am.  That was brutal.  The next two nights were also not great before she started sleeping at more normal times by Monday night.  Once the cloud of sheer exhaustion lifted, I could see that these were really small problems on the Dar scale of "irritating" to "complete disaster".

And back to the good news, we've been welcomed back so warmly by all of our friends in the Nordic community and our friends in the more American-ish Friday happy hour community.  On Grace & Noah's first day back to school they were welcomed like rock stars!  They have been on a constant ride of play dates with good friends, and everyone has been very sweet on our little Aya.  

All in one week I felt like I experienced the high and lows of expat life here, but overall it is quite nice to be back in our daily life and in our own house.  I'm not perfectly well rested, but I'm also not doing too badly considering we have a 6 week old.  

Pictures of some of this week's events (playdates, circus and last day of school!) are coming soon!

LMW

June 6, 2014 - Boston Departure & Aya's First Travel

We've been back in Dar for just about a week now, so I think it is time to get back to blogging.  Let's see how I can keep up with life and all three kids!

My last two days in America were slightly stressful.  Specifically - Aya is on medicine for reflux, and I had confirmed that the medicine is not available in Dar, so the plan was to get a year's prescription to bring with me.  The doctor and nurse had this idea and were incredibly helpful in making it happen.  But the logistics and bureaucracy of the World Bank and the insurance companies (one for docs and one for pharmacy!) AND our lack of understanding the process from the start made the whole thing very complicated.  To make a long story short, after 10 days of emails not working, the morning of our departure I started calling.  It was a few hours on the phone with a variety of different people at different levels BUT in the end I was able to get her medication.  On our way to the airport, heading into Boston traffic.  4 hours before flight departure.  TALK ABOUT CUTTING IT CLOSE!  

As my mom said to me in the car after we had finally gotten the medicine, "If you don't have an ulcer after today, you never will!"

Then there was a slight hiccup with our baggage.  I had been told on the phone that all business class bags could weigh 70 lbs.  When I got to the airport they told me that Aya's checked bag could only weigh 25 lbs.  Whoops!  But I was able to get a manager to understand that my $200 fee should be waived because I had in fact been told by someone who worked at Delta that the bag could be 70 lbs.  Sheesh!  And you better believe me that we do not waste space or weight allowance when we travel. We were packed to the MAX in three brand new suitcases!

Next came a sad goodbye with my wonderful parents.  It is hard to explain why it was SO much harder for me to leave this time than usual.  Something about being home for 3 whole months, with my parents doing so much for me and for us, and enjoying them enjoying their grandchildren, Aya being born in America.  It was just hard.  But weepy me said goodbye as Aya remained sound asleep through the car ride, the check in, and TSA security check (even though they made me take her out of the car seat and everything!).

We got some pretty nasty glares when we walked into the business class lounge.  People were either thinking, "How dare you bring a baby in here!!" or "Dear God, please don't let that newborn be on my flight."

But to prove them all wrong, Aya was the perfect traveler.  Something about the noise or motion of the airplane maybe?  She slept for almost the entire 24 hours of travel and in the rare moments that she was awake, she was NOT crying.  She even happily let one lovely flight attendant hold her so that I could go to the bathroom.  We had nobody sitting next to us on both flights, so there was plenty of space for all of her stuff...but as long as she was laying on my chest, she was asleep and since I could lay down all the way, I actually could sleep too.  All airport/airline people were very kind to us on this trip.

It was another lovely reunion meeting up with Kristoffer, Grace and Noah in Amsterdam.  Our layover was just long enough for one last round of McDonald's french fries for the kids and bathroom trips all around.  Sadly, we were not sitting together on the LONGEST flight of the last three months.  10.5 hours all the way to Dar with a stop at Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Kristoffer gets the award for sitting with them in the back while Aya and I snoozed up front.  

And then just like that, our three months of crazy logistics were over.  We are here now in Dar.

More on our homecoming later...THAT is another story altogether ;)

LMW

May 23, 2014 - More About Aya

Aya went to the doctor today for her one month check up.  Other than getting the second dose of her Hepatitis B immunization, it went well!

Our girl's stats are as follows:

21 inches long = 10-25 percentile

9 lbs = 25 percentile

36 cm (14.2 in) head circumference = 5 percentile

She still has symptoms of acid reflux and/or milk protein sensitivity and/or colic.  I am continuing to limit my dairy consumption, she will keep taking medicine for the reflux and gas, and we will pray that she doesn't have colic or that if she does that it is of the more mild variety (is there such a thing?).  The doctor said that with the colic it will get worse before it gets better...so, fingers crossed that our sweet girl doesn't have to suffer.

We think she is starting to smile a bit more for real, as opposed to only because of gas, and when she does it is just about the sweetest thing you've ever seen.  She completely prefers to sleep on someone and to be held-rocked-moved whenever possible.  She also sleeps much better if I fall asleep after feeding her during the night and forget to move her back to her own little bed/rocker.  She has started to have baby acne so has little pimples everywhere.  She has bumped up to a size 1 diaper from the newborn size, only because her thighs are so chunky that the diaper is a bit too tight.  

There is no way to tell for sure, but I think she misses her siblings and her Far (or maybe that is just me).  Not too much longer before we are reunited.  One week from right now we'll be sleeping (or wide awake at 3 am!) in Tanzania again.

And here is a tease...our good friend Omar took some pictures of Aya and us a few weekends ago.  I don't want to share all of them until our birth announcements are mailed, but here is preview of the lovely pictures he took...

(ha ha - just to prove that she isn't quiet and sweet ALL of the time...) 

She's definitely a little bit bigger now, but beautiful with a very LOUD set of lungs!  Thank you again, Omar and more to come!

LMW

May 21, 2014 - One Month

I am too tired to write very much about Aya today, but I think the pictures below are a good indication that she is cute as a button.  I like every about her except her habit of being awake every night from 2-4 am (for real).  She has a doctor's appointment on Friday so I'll follow up with her stats then.  Better get to bed while she is actually asleep!

LMW

May 19, 2014 - Four Weeks

It is hard to imagine that Aya is both already four weeks old because WOW THAT WENT FAST, and also that she is only four weeks old because she has done a lot and met so many people in these first four weeks, and of course we can't really imagine life without her.

Earlier in the week Jean (aka Bibi) and Jen visited us from New York City.  Some highlights of their visit were: a trip to the New England Aquarium (always great, but a bit of a disappointment in the shark department since they have removed the big sharks from the big tank since it was redone), a swim in their hotel pool that had a big, fun slide, and the discovery of a cool playground in Plymouth that we hadn't been to before.  I am sorry that I didn't take more pictures, which will be my mantra for this whole blog, because damn it if what everyone says about your third child isn't true?!?! 

The next big event of the week was the arrival of Uncle Mark, Aunt Carrie, Matthew and Nathan for Aya's baptism.  On Saturday we hosted a little party at my sister Meghan's house - desserts and drinks only! - for some family and friends to meet and celebrate her.  The pictures below are misleading - she was passed around and held by very many people and I just didn't get the chance to take very many pictures. But I promise that a lot of people met and loved her :) And the weather was so beautiful and it was truly wonderful to be around so many people we love here.  A really great day!

Thanks to Mark for sharing the following four pictures of his family meeting Aya...

(Aya's selfie with her Godfather)

 (Rock On, Aya & Matthew!)

 (Nathan was the baby whisperer...she was like that with him for a long time!)

 (Aunt Carrie and the girls!)

And later at the party, one of the two dessert tables...

 A very pretty Auntie Meghan...

 The guys (husband, brother, bro-in-law, cousins, nephew...) playing the just-about-annual basketball game.

 My cousin Jonathan held Aya for a LONG time.  He was a natural :)

After a great Saturday, we had a big Sunday driving up to St. Augustine's church in Andover for Aya's Baptism.  This was special for us because this is the church where I made my First Communion and Confirmation, and where Kristoffer and I were married, and where Grace and Noah were also baptized.  It is not convenient, but it is lovely and I think worth the trip up there for it.  The same priest who baptized Noah performed the sacrament (along with two other babies) and Aya was a pure angel throughout.  She didn't wake up during the ceremony at all, and she actually looked so, so sweet when she was being baptized.  I felt it was emotional - our last baby! - and special and I am so grateful to my family for making such a lovely weekend happen.  It was really lovely that Mark and Carrie, Aya's Godparents, made the trip for the weekend.  Despite having not taken very many pictures of the weekend, it is one I will never forget.

Just before getting into her Christening gown...

During the ceremony...

 Sleeping beauty being baptized...

 Aya and her Godparents...

 Fr. Rich with our family...

 Everybody together...we missed Christine, Kevin and Zoe but were so glad we got to see them the weekend before.  We are so blessed for all everyone making this happen.

 My cousin Kelly meeting Aya :)

 Cozy girl...

 My cousin Patsy, who hosted us all at her house for lunch after the baptism, got to hold Aya after waiting very patiently for everyone else to have a turn!

And today - phew.  Aya has been resting after her big weekend.  She is four weeks old today!  And we had to say goodbye to Kristoffer, Grace and Noah who have gone on to have a vacation in Denmark for the next 10 days.  It's always hard to be separated from them, but 10 days doesn't seem so long after our 40-day separation before Aya was born.  And all three of them were incredibly excited for the Danish leg of their trip - I hope they have a great time and that I can try to catch up on some sleep before Aya and I head to Tanzania.  We have a few more doctor's appointments to get through, and I hope to get her a little bit on a schedule before we travel (although with the upcoming jet-lag, should I even bother?!).  I feel that the last few days she has been a bit less fussy - maybe her gas is getting better - and has definitely been increasingly awake and alert.  Kristoffer noted yesterday, "She's getting really cute!"  She seems to do a few more 3 hour stretches between feeds...although mostly during the day ;)  Classic Welsien baby!

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Aya this weekend.  We feel very blessed!
LMW

May 12, 2014 - Three Weeks

Aya Karen is three weeks old today.  At her doctor's appointment this morning she weighed 7 lbs 15.8 oz, which means she gained a full pound (about a half kilo) in the last two weeks since her last appointment and she is well above her birth weight now.  Yay for Aya and how well she is doing feeding!  She seems to have all the symptoms of acid reflux/indigestion so we got a prescription for baby Zantac (antacid) and I will now be cutting dairy, broccoli, cauliflower and garlic out of my diet to try to help with painful gas.  But the pediatrician we've been seeing thinks Aya is otherwise doing great, and we really like this doctor who is following all three kiddos from now on and is happy to correspond with us in Tanzania whenever we need her advice.  

In the last week Aya has changed quite a bit.  In addition to being fussier because of the reflux and gas, she is more awake and alert, and more stretched out.  Even at the doctor's today she measured 1.5 inches longer than she did at birth - which is mostly due to her just being more stretched out rather than being having a super growth spurt.  She has given us a few longer stretches of sleep at night - like last night almost 4 hours - which is HIGHLY appreciated :)  A few nights she has been really uncomfortable with the gas though which has made sleeping tough for both of us (and Kristoffer).  I've said it before and I'll say it again - having a baby is just like having jet lag, because in both cases your body's clock is just on a totally different schedule than everybody else's!

She remains sweet and pretty and still has that dark hair :) She seems to really enjoy motion - be it in the car (although not a fan of the car seat if the car is not moving) or dancing, rocking, swaying, lightly bouncing - and listening to her big sister's voice.   She enjoys a warm bath and also being naked - gets a little antsy when the clothes come back on.  She still enjoys being swaddled tightly, although increasingly wants to be hands-free and also likes being on her tummy.

That's actually quite a lot for a three week old.  She got to meet her Auntie Tine, Uncle Kevin and cousin Zoe this weekend, along with Aunt Heidi and Uncle David.  In the coming week she will meet Bibi and Jen from NYC and Uncle Mark, Aunt Carrie, Matthew and Nathan who are coming from Ohio for her Baptism.  Busy busy social calendar for such a peanut!

Here's our girl - growing everyday - and her siblings too!

 Aya tried her first bottle of pumped milk.  She was not impressed - but drank 2 oz in a heartbeat.  Then promptly threw it up all over Nene.  Good try though!

Meeting new family!

  

Cousins! 

(Zoe, Noah, Grace, Nora)

Visit to a small spring "festival"/petting zoo...which included Noah in lots of trucks, and both big sibs petting a snake!

First fishing trip at Pops' pond...

Tummy time outside on the nicest day we've seen in Plymouth.

Spending Mother's Day with Nene was nice for all of us!

Since blogging more often than weekly does not seem likely for me these days, I'll just plan to see you here next week after we send Kristoffer, Grace and Noah off to Denmark for the final leg of their vacation. Have a good week!

LMW