Hava discovered something amazing about herself yesterday, after closely inspecting herself in the mirror:
"I have freckles!"
She came racing into the kitchen to share the exciting news. This morning, as I lazily, slowly got out of bed, she came in to show me them again. She then carefully listed off everyone else in the family who has freckles, and then showed Q-dawg and I her special freckles. She even went back to the mirror, carefully found a freckle on her cute little nose, and walked carefully back to show us her freckle.
What a cutie!
I told Lek last night that, while we are gone to the hospital, to listen to Hava. She is pretty much always right, knows all the rules, and, when she says something, it is true. She is very observant.
Since she was little-er she could tell me whose clothes were whose in the laundry, for example. What a girl! Unfortunately, when she gets it into her head that something is the way it should be, little can deter her. A strength, yes, but, as my dear friend Angie says, our greatest strengths are often also our greatest weaknesses :).
Friday, November 30, 2012
"And I was soooo mad...SOOO mad."
Alright, sometimes I have anger issues. I'm going to "put this one on the books," so that when I am old and grey and look back on how "perfect" my life was in that joyous oblivion of old age, my kids (who might potentially have days like this as well :)...) will be able to feel that at one point in my life, I understood :)...
Quick note on the title of this post: Q-dawg's sister Niesha always has the most fun songs/rhymes that we learn, and one described how I was feeling yesterday. It is about this kid whose family is being eaten one at a time by the family pet, who grows larger with each "consumption." And the kid says: "And I was so mad! Soooooo mad!" after each disappearance. Adorable song...I just can't remember it's official title. (It was also from them that I learned "the planet song" as well, another family favorite. Thanks, Niesh!)
Well, the "chorus" of that song really hits the nail on the head of how I felt yesterday.
You already have my nickname, "The Bomb," which truly is a good nickname for those explosive emotional moments I seem to have, at least monthly. (Hmmmmmm....) Couple that with feeling completely at a loss of what to do with this two weeks overdue situation and my monthly time to be emotionally raw...not the best combination.
Now, add a doctor at Telki whom I have never seen before lecturing me on their policy...not my situation's needs, but his policy. "It is sooooo important that you be induced (basically) NOW, because we used to have a policy of two weeks before mandatory induction, and now it is 10 days." Don't spout "policy" to me! It was different 15 years ago when I started having children and it will be completely different 15 years from now! I was so proud of myself. I patiently told him twice that I was off to see my real doctor and we would look at the situation and make a plan. I guess my calm exterior made him think I didn't realize how "sooooooo important" the situation was?
So, fuming a bit, with that previously mentioned short fuse, we head out to Budapest to see my "real" doctor, the one that I have seen twice and with whom we have been keeping in contact about the situation, Dr. Szép, Dr. "Nice" or "Beautiful," is how it translates. This is another hour adventure, and we get there to his office, on the bottom level of some really old apartments in a place that wouldn't feel out of place in the ghetto of New York City, save there is not so much "cultural diversity." (I know first hand, after two times getting lost in the Bronx :)...)
Dr. Szép's office hours are 4-7 on Friday (and a couple other random times of the week) and are on a first-come, first-serve basis. We arrived only to find out, like so many in his erratic profession, he is delivering a baby and won't be there for another 20 minutes. No problem, right? Just read my Nook and talk to Q-dawg. A little before he is to arrive, a couple arrives and stands in the entrance of the "office hall." The people who were already there in front of us went in when the doctor got there, and then, 10-15 minutes later, when the first patients came out, the couple "behind us" rushed into the office ahead of us. Shocked, Q-dwag and I sat there, wondering how that just happened! Clearly they were there after us, and I am not one that has an easy time with "injustice." I fumed, I stormed, and Q-dawg offered to knock on the door and demand an explanation.
I could see that it really wasn't a big deal, but, when I am already an emotional time bomb, reason has very little sway in this psyche. In fact, when I can see that I am being illogical and immature, my anger often increases. So helpful, eh?
By the time the couple came out, I had stormed around the building three times, cried, scared a nice old man walking his dog when I stomped around the corner, my face disfigured with barely surpressed fury, pulled some hair out--literally--, tried reading my book "Ivanhoe" (which didn't help, because I was at a part where people were being narrow-minded bigots and convicting an innocent person based on trumped up charges...did I mention what "injustice" does to my level of frustration?), and learned how to say "stupid woman" in Hungarian. (Fortunately, when I am angry, I have a hard time remembering things, and promptly forgot how to say it after Q-dawg calmly told me how.) I kept pleading with Q-dawg that we just go home and end this day! I had even envisioned myself tripping the woman on the way out or having a punching match as she came out the door! (I know, scary and very immature...)
As I sat in the office between one of my laps with Q-dawg, I muttered, "and we even had to have a stupid devotional about 'turning the other cheek' this morning!" (Yes, I used the word "stupid.") Needless to say, the point of the devotional was not applied as it probably should have been at that point :S.
Finally, I took myself outside, and asked Q-dawg to come and get me when they were gone, putting me a safe distance away from the entrance to save the poor woman from my unpredictable, explosively emotional self.
After she left and I came back in, Q-dawg explained that he had approached them as they were leaving, and the couple that had "barged in" before us had actually come at 3:30 pm. The nurse had told them that the doctor was going to be gone for another hour (at that point) and that they should come back later, and would be seen at once.
Awesome. Confirmation: I was being emotionally irrational...and for no reason, after all.
Needless to say, when the doctor asked how I was, all I could do was give him a blank stare and say it had not been a very good day. When he asked if I wanted to talk to him about it, I just looked at him and flatly said, "I'd rather not talk about it."
What would you have said :)?
p.s. Dr. Szép is going to induce me Sunday morning at 8, if the little tyke "hasn't come by then"...the standing family "joke" at this point for those in good humor enough to laugh at it :). He estimates the baby is about 7 1/4 pounds by now, and everything looks great. My doctor is a delightfully religious, down-to-earth man and commented yesterday (in his deliciously thick Hungarian accent) after pointing heavenward, "God knows ven the baby needs to come, and it vill come!"
Sunday...D-day.
Quick note on the title of this post: Q-dawg's sister Niesha always has the most fun songs/rhymes that we learn, and one described how I was feeling yesterday. It is about this kid whose family is being eaten one at a time by the family pet, who grows larger with each "consumption." And the kid says: "And I was so mad! Soooooo mad!" after each disappearance. Adorable song...I just can't remember it's official title. (It was also from them that I learned "the planet song" as well, another family favorite. Thanks, Niesh!)
Well, the "chorus" of that song really hits the nail on the head of how I felt yesterday.
You already have my nickname, "The Bomb," which truly is a good nickname for those explosive emotional moments I seem to have, at least monthly. (Hmmmmmm....) Couple that with feeling completely at a loss of what to do with this two weeks overdue situation and my monthly time to be emotionally raw...not the best combination.
Now, add a doctor at Telki whom I have never seen before lecturing me on their policy...not my situation's needs, but his policy. "It is sooooo important that you be induced (basically) NOW, because we used to have a policy of two weeks before mandatory induction, and now it is 10 days." Don't spout "policy" to me! It was different 15 years ago when I started having children and it will be completely different 15 years from now! I was so proud of myself. I patiently told him twice that I was off to see my real doctor and we would look at the situation and make a plan. I guess my calm exterior made him think I didn't realize how "sooooooo important" the situation was?
So, fuming a bit, with that previously mentioned short fuse, we head out to Budapest to see my "real" doctor, the one that I have seen twice and with whom we have been keeping in contact about the situation, Dr. Szép, Dr. "Nice" or "Beautiful," is how it translates. This is another hour adventure, and we get there to his office, on the bottom level of some really old apartments in a place that wouldn't feel out of place in the ghetto of New York City, save there is not so much "cultural diversity." (I know first hand, after two times getting lost in the Bronx :)...)
Dr. Szép's office hours are 4-7 on Friday (and a couple other random times of the week) and are on a first-come, first-serve basis. We arrived only to find out, like so many in his erratic profession, he is delivering a baby and won't be there for another 20 minutes. No problem, right? Just read my Nook and talk to Q-dawg. A little before he is to arrive, a couple arrives and stands in the entrance of the "office hall." The people who were already there in front of us went in when the doctor got there, and then, 10-15 minutes later, when the first patients came out, the couple "behind us" rushed into the office ahead of us. Shocked, Q-dwag and I sat there, wondering how that just happened! Clearly they were there after us, and I am not one that has an easy time with "injustice." I fumed, I stormed, and Q-dawg offered to knock on the door and demand an explanation.
I could see that it really wasn't a big deal, but, when I am already an emotional time bomb, reason has very little sway in this psyche. In fact, when I can see that I am being illogical and immature, my anger often increases. So helpful, eh?
By the time the couple came out, I had stormed around the building three times, cried, scared a nice old man walking his dog when I stomped around the corner, my face disfigured with barely surpressed fury, pulled some hair out--literally--, tried reading my book "Ivanhoe" (which didn't help, because I was at a part where people were being narrow-minded bigots and convicting an innocent person based on trumped up charges...did I mention what "injustice" does to my level of frustration?), and learned how to say "stupid woman" in Hungarian. (Fortunately, when I am angry, I have a hard time remembering things, and promptly forgot how to say it after Q-dawg calmly told me how.) I kept pleading with Q-dawg that we just go home and end this day! I had even envisioned myself tripping the woman on the way out or having a punching match as she came out the door! (I know, scary and very immature...)
As I sat in the office between one of my laps with Q-dawg, I muttered, "and we even had to have a stupid devotional about 'turning the other cheek' this morning!" (Yes, I used the word "stupid.") Needless to say, the point of the devotional was not applied as it probably should have been at that point :S.
Finally, I took myself outside, and asked Q-dawg to come and get me when they were gone, putting me a safe distance away from the entrance to save the poor woman from my unpredictable, explosively emotional self.
After she left and I came back in, Q-dawg explained that he had approached them as they were leaving, and the couple that had "barged in" before us had actually come at 3:30 pm. The nurse had told them that the doctor was going to be gone for another hour (at that point) and that they should come back later, and would be seen at once.
Awesome. Confirmation: I was being emotionally irrational...and for no reason, after all.
Needless to say, when the doctor asked how I was, all I could do was give him a blank stare and say it had not been a very good day. When he asked if I wanted to talk to him about it, I just looked at him and flatly said, "I'd rather not talk about it."
What would you have said :)?
p.s. Dr. Szép is going to induce me Sunday morning at 8, if the little tyke "hasn't come by then"...the standing family "joke" at this point for those in good humor enough to laugh at it :). He estimates the baby is about 7 1/4 pounds by now, and everything looks great. My doctor is a delightfully religious, down-to-earth man and commented yesterday (in his deliciously thick Hungarian accent) after pointing heavenward, "God knows ven the baby needs to come, and it vill come!"
Sunday...D-day.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Christmas decorating, chiselling, and laundry
For the kids, I'll put in a little to keep up with their journals...
Avot helped me put up the real mistletoe I bought at a cute little house-store today when looking for Christmas decorations. There is something so cheery about decorations. Hava, Papaya and I picked out a live wreath and some ornamentation to go on it. The kids spent a long time evading/chasing each other through the doorways with mistletoe over them. What fun! I also picked up a poinsetta and some ribbon to drape around a bit...just a little something to add the Christmas cheer.
We saw some artificial trees in some stores, but I haven't found out if they do live Christmas tree lots, which is Q-dawg's preference. We have been listening to the music, but, somehow, without the decorations, it feels a little different :). I've been spoiled, I guess.
The boys and Pipalicious have been busy most of the morning and afternoon playing steal-sticks and carving images out of some random blocks of rock we have in our backyard. I took the little girls on a walk to the park, going "shopping" for little baby clothes. Now I have three onesies and three jammie/sleepers. That should be enough for at least a few days, right? :) That was when we picked up the Christmas stuff, which was fun. The girls and I had fun at the park and it was fun to have some "littles" time together.
The weather today was amazing, so I hurried and got our next batch of laundry on. I actually got to the point where I don't have a single complete load I could run! I know, it won't last, and I am sure I will have three at a time later, but good news for now! They were actually done within five hours, and smelled delightful, like sunshine and wind. We aired out the house, too, which is always good :).
Lek cooked up another pie last night, apple this time, and it was amazing....again. We finally have this oven figured out with pies, I think. Thanksgiving was quite the adventure and very traumatic, although we did have yummy, Thanksgiving-ish type food come out at the end. I will post more on it when I am able to face it and the pictures of the disasters and successes. I was ready to go to bed half-way through, even with all my awesome kitchen crew, ready to throw in the towel, but...it gives me stress just thinking about it, so I will save that for later :)...
Q-dawg is crazy busy with orders for appraising, which is wonderful. I keep thinking about all the great reasons for not having the baby right now, you know, thinking positive, but here we are. I think the kids have given up asking me if the baby is coming today.
Good news, though! My brother and his sweet wife just welcomed their little boy into the world! He is soooooo adorable, but they have always had the most adorable children...and they grow up adorable, too. Big blue eyes, angelic faces...well, alright. Their oldest is maturing into manhood, so maybe not angelic anymore, but still very good-looking. I had some sympathy contractions, but that was it. Woohoo.
The Goob told me that he wants to design video games, because then he can do video games about all the things he is interested and he won't be limited by the parameters of the real world. I love to hear them plan and become! Liliputian is working on crocheting a blanket for the baby, but is frustrated at trying to double crochet to make it softer. It is just a little tricky, and I wasn't able to sit by her and do it with her like she wanted...Avot had asked me to sing with her while she played the violin to practice playing harmony while people sang. Fun!
Chugger-dude is just as sensitive as always, but is always good for a snuggle. I love watching him curl up in his daddy's lap at night while Q-dawg leads us in our Hungarian/English scripture reading and then reads "The Chosen" to us. We have started singing Hungarian hymns at night, too, and it is cool to hear our family all singing together. When the older boys forget that it is "not cool" to sing, they can really sing well, and we get some good sound in our "echoe-y" room :). Sadly, the best, most enjoyable times at night for me are when Papaya goes to sleep before we have scripture time :S...she is so crazy! I keep trying to tell the kids to not get her all riled up, but it is like their little "break" and each one feels compelled to do it at least once.
Lek is cooking spaghetti and breadsticks around me. He has decided that he wants his area of stewardship to be cooking dinner, and I am all for that :). Cook away! He takes delight in it, too, and it is fun seeing him gain confidence while doing it.
Oh! Fun thing today: since we moved in, every few days, Q-dawg would be haunted by an annoyance from the street. Imagine the ice cream man camping outside your window, cranking up his volume and playing the same song again and again for twenty minutes before moving on. A little irritating? Well, we found out that it was a milk delivery man, who sell raw milk for only 200 forint a L, which is about what we are paying for milk on sale at our local market. Heaven knows we go through it plenty fast, and, if we don't drink it before the 4 day limit, we can make it into buttermilk or yogurt (although I need to get a recipe). This way I don't have to take up a third of my grocery "load" with milk for my family on the weekly trip to the market. (Although, last time, when I took Liliputian and younger on the 1.3 mile one-way trip to the market, I used one of the cool carry-on roller "suitcases" and that gave me a whole additional container! So smart, pregnant woman! Side note: we also picked up a bag of chocolate milk--their milk is most often sold in bags and boxes--and I had the kids all sitting on a park bench on a break on the way home, with me holding up the bag to their lips to drink, taking turns drinking. I felt like a mother cow with a removable udder feeding a bunch of baby calves :). Of course, Jackie may laugh at that with all her "live cow" experience, but it must have been quite a sight to people walking by :)...crazy Americans.)
I am too tired to go back and review this entry, so hopefully it makes sense and doesn't have too many errors. It turned out longer than I planned, but I do like to try and capture the little things that I think will be there forever, but which, I have learned all too painfully, can be gone so fleetingly. Hurrah for the blessings and the frustrations of each moment!
Avot helped me put up the real mistletoe I bought at a cute little house-store today when looking for Christmas decorations. There is something so cheery about decorations. Hava, Papaya and I picked out a live wreath and some ornamentation to go on it. The kids spent a long time evading/chasing each other through the doorways with mistletoe over them. What fun! I also picked up a poinsetta and some ribbon to drape around a bit...just a little something to add the Christmas cheer.
We saw some artificial trees in some stores, but I haven't found out if they do live Christmas tree lots, which is Q-dawg's preference. We have been listening to the music, but, somehow, without the decorations, it feels a little different :). I've been spoiled, I guess.
The boys and Pipalicious have been busy most of the morning and afternoon playing steal-sticks and carving images out of some random blocks of rock we have in our backyard. I took the little girls on a walk to the park, going "shopping" for little baby clothes. Now I have three onesies and three jammie/sleepers. That should be enough for at least a few days, right? :) That was when we picked up the Christmas stuff, which was fun. The girls and I had fun at the park and it was fun to have some "littles" time together.
The weather today was amazing, so I hurried and got our next batch of laundry on. I actually got to the point where I don't have a single complete load I could run! I know, it won't last, and I am sure I will have three at a time later, but good news for now! They were actually done within five hours, and smelled delightful, like sunshine and wind. We aired out the house, too, which is always good :).
Lek cooked up another pie last night, apple this time, and it was amazing....again. We finally have this oven figured out with pies, I think. Thanksgiving was quite the adventure and very traumatic, although we did have yummy, Thanksgiving-ish type food come out at the end. I will post more on it when I am able to face it and the pictures of the disasters and successes. I was ready to go to bed half-way through, even with all my awesome kitchen crew, ready to throw in the towel, but...it gives me stress just thinking about it, so I will save that for later :)...
Q-dawg is crazy busy with orders for appraising, which is wonderful. I keep thinking about all the great reasons for not having the baby right now, you know, thinking positive, but here we are. I think the kids have given up asking me if the baby is coming today.
Good news, though! My brother and his sweet wife just welcomed their little boy into the world! He is soooooo adorable, but they have always had the most adorable children...and they grow up adorable, too. Big blue eyes, angelic faces...well, alright. Their oldest is maturing into manhood, so maybe not angelic anymore, but still very good-looking. I had some sympathy contractions, but that was it. Woohoo.
The Goob told me that he wants to design video games, because then he can do video games about all the things he is interested and he won't be limited by the parameters of the real world. I love to hear them plan and become! Liliputian is working on crocheting a blanket for the baby, but is frustrated at trying to double crochet to make it softer. It is just a little tricky, and I wasn't able to sit by her and do it with her like she wanted...Avot had asked me to sing with her while she played the violin to practice playing harmony while people sang. Fun!
Chugger-dude is just as sensitive as always, but is always good for a snuggle. I love watching him curl up in his daddy's lap at night while Q-dawg leads us in our Hungarian/English scripture reading and then reads "The Chosen" to us. We have started singing Hungarian hymns at night, too, and it is cool to hear our family all singing together. When the older boys forget that it is "not cool" to sing, they can really sing well, and we get some good sound in our "echoe-y" room :). Sadly, the best, most enjoyable times at night for me are when Papaya goes to sleep before we have scripture time :S...she is so crazy! I keep trying to tell the kids to not get her all riled up, but it is like their little "break" and each one feels compelled to do it at least once.
Lek is cooking spaghetti and breadsticks around me. He has decided that he wants his area of stewardship to be cooking dinner, and I am all for that :). Cook away! He takes delight in it, too, and it is fun seeing him gain confidence while doing it.
Oh! Fun thing today: since we moved in, every few days, Q-dawg would be haunted by an annoyance from the street. Imagine the ice cream man camping outside your window, cranking up his volume and playing the same song again and again for twenty minutes before moving on. A little irritating? Well, we found out that it was a milk delivery man, who sell raw milk for only 200 forint a L, which is about what we are paying for milk on sale at our local market. Heaven knows we go through it plenty fast, and, if we don't drink it before the 4 day limit, we can make it into buttermilk or yogurt (although I need to get a recipe). This way I don't have to take up a third of my grocery "load" with milk for my family on the weekly trip to the market. (Although, last time, when I took Liliputian and younger on the 1.3 mile one-way trip to the market, I used one of the cool carry-on roller "suitcases" and that gave me a whole additional container! So smart, pregnant woman! Side note: we also picked up a bag of chocolate milk--their milk is most often sold in bags and boxes--and I had the kids all sitting on a park bench on a break on the way home, with me holding up the bag to their lips to drink, taking turns drinking. I felt like a mother cow with a removable udder feeding a bunch of baby calves :). Of course, Jackie may laugh at that with all her "live cow" experience, but it must have been quite a sight to people walking by :)...crazy Americans.)
I am too tired to go back and review this entry, so hopefully it makes sense and doesn't have too many errors. It turned out longer than I planned, but I do like to try and capture the little things that I think will be there forever, but which, I have learned all too painfully, can be gone so fleetingly. Hurrah for the blessings and the frustrations of each moment!
Protesting...no baby yet.
Here is the official email from my doctor as of last Friday (Nov. 23):
"Hello Mary!
Have a nice day!"
Mixed feelings on that :)....
So here we are, sitting pretty, I am feeling eight months pregnant (shouldn't complain, right? at least I am not miserable), and deciding that might as well pretend that I am not supposed to be having a baby right now!
Some times I am definitely more mature than others. This is not one of those times :S.
"Hello Mary!
If the baby is well / the CTG is normal/
will able to wait for the normal onset of the labour. I don't want to do
induce according the duo date of ultrasound examination possible to
wait more than one week.
Mixed feelings on that :)....
So here we are, sitting pretty, I am feeling eight months pregnant (shouldn't complain, right? at least I am not miserable), and deciding that might as well pretend that I am not supposed to be having a baby right now!
Some times I am definitely more mature than others. This is not one of those times :S.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Alright, baby...
I realized today that Avot was also overdue...by 5 days. No problem, right?
According to my Hungarian due date, I am only one day over (story on that...later?), so, perhaps, for sanity's sake, I will go by that one.
According to my American due date, I am 5 days over, and they only let me go a week over, here in Hungary...which makes sense, I guess.
So...I consoled myself by spending two hours in the freezing afternoon with the kids at the park, eating most of a Milka candy bar by myself (I have won 4 free ones so far, and just one my fifth today), and, well, not doing much of anything else.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe it is good that the baby is still inside. Just today, one of the kids said that, if the baby was born tomorrow, they could use it as a football. Then one said, they could use the baby in SPUD (where you throw the ball way up in the air straight up and try to catch it), and they all agreed that wouldn't be such a good idea.
Really? Who says that?
Q-dawg says that if the baby is born on Thanksgiving we could call the baby "Gib"...you know, short for "Gibblets."
Still no pie tins. There is actually no word for "pie" in Hungarian, because it is so foreign.
Miss making pie at home with my mom, and the warmth, smells, and hustle of Wednesday night prep...letting the kids "veg" while we make messes and clean them up in the kitchen, making 20+ pies that we will slowly savor over the next few days....
I went to the store last night to get some turkey and came home with 4 kg of turkey...thighs? Crazy. It was the only thing that said "pulyka" in the butcher's department, and Q-dawg had seen a bunch of turkey breasts the last time he came, so I figured those were they...just...well, darker? Fortunately, I picked up some chicken breasts to go with it, so we can have dark and light meat, turkey and chicken. Sigh. At least it will be Thanksgiving-ish.
I think of the gathering up in Oregon with so many of our family there, and my heart is there, too. Holidays are definitely family time, and I miss them.
According to my Hungarian due date, I am only one day over (story on that...later?), so, perhaps, for sanity's sake, I will go by that one.
According to my American due date, I am 5 days over, and they only let me go a week over, here in Hungary...which makes sense, I guess.
So...I consoled myself by spending two hours in the freezing afternoon with the kids at the park, eating most of a Milka candy bar by myself (I have won 4 free ones so far, and just one my fifth today), and, well, not doing much of anything else.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe it is good that the baby is still inside. Just today, one of the kids said that, if the baby was born tomorrow, they could use it as a football. Then one said, they could use the baby in SPUD (where you throw the ball way up in the air straight up and try to catch it), and they all agreed that wouldn't be such a good idea.
Really? Who says that?
Q-dawg says that if the baby is born on Thanksgiving we could call the baby "Gib"...you know, short for "Gibblets."
Still no pie tins. There is actually no word for "pie" in Hungarian, because it is so foreign.
Miss making pie at home with my mom, and the warmth, smells, and hustle of Wednesday night prep...letting the kids "veg" while we make messes and clean them up in the kitchen, making 20+ pies that we will slowly savor over the next few days....
I went to the store last night to get some turkey and came home with 4 kg of turkey...thighs? Crazy. It was the only thing that said "pulyka" in the butcher's department, and Q-dawg had seen a bunch of turkey breasts the last time he came, so I figured those were they...just...well, darker? Fortunately, I picked up some chicken breasts to go with it, so we can have dark and light meat, turkey and chicken. Sigh. At least it will be Thanksgiving-ish.
I think of the gathering up in Oregon with so many of our family there, and my heart is there, too. Holidays are definitely family time, and I miss them.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Ah-hahs for the morning
Avot was five days overdue...no problem! I have an appointment for tomorrow at 1 pm (they don't observe Thanksgiving), but I need to have the baby today if they are never going to have their birthday on Thanksgiving.
Like that ever is a reason for a baby to come on its own :).
We were going through our plans for the making of pies today and realized something horrible--
We don't have any pie tins!
Time to do some serious research. It is hard to make 10 pies without them (1 per person sounds about right, doesn't it?) Maybe, if I go into labor today, we can pay a little extra for the taxi driver to make a quick trip to a department store on his way to our little town from Budapest :).
The pie list:
4 pumpkin
2 apple
2 chocolate cream
2 vanilla cream
Where there is a will, there is way.
Maybe the boys can come up with a way to make homemade ones...?
Like that ever is a reason for a baby to come on its own :).
We were going through our plans for the making of pies today and realized something horrible--
We don't have any pie tins!
Time to do some serious research. It is hard to make 10 pies without them (1 per person sounds about right, doesn't it?) Maybe, if I go into labor today, we can pay a little extra for the taxi driver to make a quick trip to a department store on his way to our little town from Budapest :).
The pie list:
4 pumpkin
2 apple
2 chocolate cream
2 vanilla cream
Where there is a will, there is way.
Maybe the boys can come up with a way to make homemade ones...?
No baby yet, Thanksgiving prep, and run-in with Néni
I am in those "delightful" last days (weeks?!) before the baby is born. (Does it count as sarcasm if I use parentheses :)?) Of course, it won't be weeks, but I am ready to crawl into bed and read a book and try to forget about the world until this baby comes, except for the fact that it would be like bed rest at a time I want the baby to come.
Because my thoughts are a little more selfishly/inwardly bent right now, I will just say that the kids are very excited for the baby. They come running into my room every morning, wondering if I am still here. "Yes," I reply, "The baby and I are still both here just like you left us."
I went to the hospital yesterday and actually saw a doctor (whom I had briefly met the previous week) and he checked to see if I was dilated...not even a smidge, unless almost 1 cm counts for anything. Braxton hicks are getting a little old :).
Meanwhile, we are slowly getting ready for Thanksgiving. We have pudding mixes, potatoes, Avot is making the rolls to freeze today so we can just pull them out that morning, potatoes, stuff for gravy, no turkey :(, but I am buying some chicken today and maybe a duck for Lek who thinks that would be cool, and some 100% apple juice that Grandpa Biesinger would love. Oh, and stuff for a relish tray! Lek is making pies tomorrow, apple, some crusts for pudding pies, and then pumpkin. The pumpkin was a little tricky, but fortunately, years ago I read on the side of a canned pumpkin can that they used butternut squash instead. So, at the local piac (market) last Saturday, we found a cute old man selling a tote full of squash for 60 forint a pound (about 30 cents), and bought four huge ones. The one I baked up yesterday was nice and tender and is enough for 10 pumpkin pies (we are only making about 4), so we are freezing the rest. Now I just need to figure out how to make home-made evaporated milk.
Something to keep my mind off of the baby, right?
Oh! The washing machine is a wonder! I can put it on the super spin cycle and the clothes come out practically dry already...in fact, Hava's coat came out ready to go, even if my sweater was still a bit damp. Glory be! Our grandparents in Norway are in a similar situation to ours, and they set it at a moderately high spin setting for the wash mode and then do a quick super high spin when it is all done, so I will start trying that method.
Yesterday, on our way to the park, a néni waved "hello" as the kids all boisterously called out "Jo napot!" ("Good day!") Upon closer inspection, she soon found jackets not zipped up, bare legs without tights, and hoods not upon the heads. Oh, boy! Was I in trouble! People take this very seriously and take it upon themselves to try and fix it or take the thoughtless parent to task...and feel it is okay. Sweet. In my broken Hungarian I pointed out that we lived just up the street and our errand was short. I then tried to tell her that we had tights for Pipalicious's legs (the culprit whom I had just reminded to wear tights next time) at home, but she looked dubious.
So, I stopped by the little store in town that sells tights on the way to the park so we wouldn't have any more run-ins, and tried to keep coats zipped up and hats on. I have had to adapt it as a principle to keep the kids healthy, since I tend to not do things out of sheer stubbornness when people tell me I have to do something. Otherwise, this would be a long couple years in Hungary. I tell the kids we are doing it because it is a good idea, not because we need to please other people.
On the way back, that same sweet néni was waiting outside, talking to her neighbor, with three nice new black tights in hand. I was hesitant, not sure if it was an offering or something I should accept or something I should pay her for, so I had Liliputian run for Q-dawg while I tried to assure her we had tights at home, and even tried to show her we had purchased tights for Pipalicious. My honey saved the day moments later, assuring them we had clothes at home, would be careful to keep the kids warm so they wouldn't get sick, and conveying our gratitude.
Thinking about the whole situation, it reminds me of an older woman we would meet on our walks to and from the store in Pécel who would tell us, "Beautiful children! Stay away from the doctors--they will kill them!" Maybe that explains the over-riding mission of the elderly population of Hungary to make sure all the children they see are bundled "appropriately". I have always exercised the policy that when they are Liliputian's age, they are smart enough to figure out if they are cold or not, and I work on the littles. And, of course, when we are in a hurry, sometimes I miss a leg or two that are not adequately covered :). It seems they adapt or acclimatize or something, but we can go with this for now :).
Because my thoughts are a little more selfishly/inwardly bent right now, I will just say that the kids are very excited for the baby. They come running into my room every morning, wondering if I am still here. "Yes," I reply, "The baby and I are still both here just like you left us."
I went to the hospital yesterday and actually saw a doctor (whom I had briefly met the previous week) and he checked to see if I was dilated...not even a smidge, unless almost 1 cm counts for anything. Braxton hicks are getting a little old :).
Meanwhile, we are slowly getting ready for Thanksgiving. We have pudding mixes, potatoes, Avot is making the rolls to freeze today so we can just pull them out that morning, potatoes, stuff for gravy, no turkey :(, but I am buying some chicken today and maybe a duck for Lek who thinks that would be cool, and some 100% apple juice that Grandpa Biesinger would love. Oh, and stuff for a relish tray! Lek is making pies tomorrow, apple, some crusts for pudding pies, and then pumpkin. The pumpkin was a little tricky, but fortunately, years ago I read on the side of a canned pumpkin can that they used butternut squash instead. So, at the local piac (market) last Saturday, we found a cute old man selling a tote full of squash for 60 forint a pound (about 30 cents), and bought four huge ones. The one I baked up yesterday was nice and tender and is enough for 10 pumpkin pies (we are only making about 4), so we are freezing the rest. Now I just need to figure out how to make home-made evaporated milk.
Something to keep my mind off of the baby, right?
Oh! The washing machine is a wonder! I can put it on the super spin cycle and the clothes come out practically dry already...in fact, Hava's coat came out ready to go, even if my sweater was still a bit damp. Glory be! Our grandparents in Norway are in a similar situation to ours, and they set it at a moderately high spin setting for the wash mode and then do a quick super high spin when it is all done, so I will start trying that method.
Yesterday, on our way to the park, a néni waved "hello" as the kids all boisterously called out "Jo napot!" ("Good day!") Upon closer inspection, she soon found jackets not zipped up, bare legs without tights, and hoods not upon the heads. Oh, boy! Was I in trouble! People take this very seriously and take it upon themselves to try and fix it or take the thoughtless parent to task...and feel it is okay. Sweet. In my broken Hungarian I pointed out that we lived just up the street and our errand was short. I then tried to tell her that we had tights for Pipalicious's legs (the culprit whom I had just reminded to wear tights next time) at home, but she looked dubious.
So, I stopped by the little store in town that sells tights on the way to the park so we wouldn't have any more run-ins, and tried to keep coats zipped up and hats on. I have had to adapt it as a principle to keep the kids healthy, since I tend to not do things out of sheer stubbornness when people tell me I have to do something. Otherwise, this would be a long couple years in Hungary. I tell the kids we are doing it because it is a good idea, not because we need to please other people.
On the way back, that same sweet néni was waiting outside, talking to her neighbor, with three nice new black tights in hand. I was hesitant, not sure if it was an offering or something I should accept or something I should pay her for, so I had Liliputian run for Q-dawg while I tried to assure her we had tights at home, and even tried to show her we had purchased tights for Pipalicious. My honey saved the day moments later, assuring them we had clothes at home, would be careful to keep the kids warm so they wouldn't get sick, and conveying our gratitude.
Thinking about the whole situation, it reminds me of an older woman we would meet on our walks to and from the store in Pécel who would tell us, "Beautiful children! Stay away from the doctors--they will kill them!" Maybe that explains the over-riding mission of the elderly population of Hungary to make sure all the children they see are bundled "appropriately". I have always exercised the policy that when they are Liliputian's age, they are smart enough to figure out if they are cold or not, and I work on the littles. And, of course, when we are in a hurry, sometimes I miss a leg or two that are not adequately covered :). It seems they adapt or acclimatize or something, but we can go with this for now :).
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Isaak's birthday
We celebrated Isaak's birthday today...one day that I am glad that I didn't have the baby on, so it was nice having a day that I wasn't hoping to have the new little one. :)
After church and lunch, we gathered a bunch of beautiful fall leaves. We usually write messages, attach them to balloons and (you environmentalists cover your ears) send them off to the sky, with songs and happy thoughts to heaven. Well, since we are not sure where to get helium balloons here, Daddy had the great idea of writing messages on those beautiful fall leaves I mentioned and sending them off down a stream that the kids and I found on that hike a few days ago.
We did that, hiked on over, and, after singing some songs, dropped our leaves off the bridge. Half of them didn't make it to the water, floating on the breeze to land on the embankment, and a lot of those that did make it to the water simply landed on a rock or outcropping and stayed there :). Of course, the kids spent the next 10 minutes trying to drop things down to try and get their leaves to the water, since the embankment was so steep and we didn't want them sliding down it in their Sunday clothes and shoes. (I told them they could come back and do it tomorrow in their other clothes :)...)
Sorry, the pictures are in reverse order, but I am too lazy to take the time to rearrange them :)...
The point was that we were thinking of Isaak, remembering him, and I'm sure he knows we love him.
We came back and, after dinner, watched a special video Charla made of him for us a long time ago, and the kids were more attentive during it than I have seen them be for a long time. (We play it twice a year at least.) It was a really meaningful moment, and it was fun to see them really remember and enjoy the moment. We finished off the evening with only mostly burned cake, and I am still pregnant, with no signs of delivery. All is good.
I think my sister Charla (Dave's wife) is going to have her baby sooner than I, and hers is due in December :). She is already dialated and effaced quite a bit. Maybe I'll find out if I am at my appointment tomorrow, since I think I am actually going to see a doctor, not just have the baby's heart rate checked and my weight like the last two times. Novel idea :).
Time for bed!
After church and lunch, we gathered a bunch of beautiful fall leaves. We usually write messages, attach them to balloons and (you environmentalists cover your ears) send them off to the sky, with songs and happy thoughts to heaven. Well, since we are not sure where to get helium balloons here, Daddy had the great idea of writing messages on those beautiful fall leaves I mentioned and sending them off down a stream that the kids and I found on that hike a few days ago.
We did that, hiked on over, and, after singing some songs, dropped our leaves off the bridge. Half of them didn't make it to the water, floating on the breeze to land on the embankment, and a lot of those that did make it to the water simply landed on a rock or outcropping and stayed there :). Of course, the kids spent the next 10 minutes trying to drop things down to try and get their leaves to the water, since the embankment was so steep and we didn't want them sliding down it in their Sunday clothes and shoes. (I told them they could come back and do it tomorrow in their other clothes :)...)
Sorry, the pictures are in reverse order, but I am too lazy to take the time to rearrange them :)...
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| Watching our leaves go every which way |
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| Getting ready to send them off! |
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| Q-dawg insisted I be in a picture...I am so happy to oblige. Liliputian, on the other hand, can't get enough of photos, apparently and is peeking in behind us :) |
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| I love shots like this! |
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| Papaya always gets the cushy ride! |
The point was that we were thinking of Isaak, remembering him, and I'm sure he knows we love him.
We came back and, after dinner, watched a special video Charla made of him for us a long time ago, and the kids were more attentive during it than I have seen them be for a long time. (We play it twice a year at least.) It was a really meaningful moment, and it was fun to see them really remember and enjoy the moment. We finished off the evening with only mostly burned cake, and I am still pregnant, with no signs of delivery. All is good.
I think my sister Charla (Dave's wife) is going to have her baby sooner than I, and hers is due in December :). She is already dialated and effaced quite a bit. Maybe I'll find out if I am at my appointment tomorrow, since I think I am actually going to see a doctor, not just have the baby's heart rate checked and my weight like the last two times. Novel idea :).
Time for bed!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Pipalicious's birthday...
Pipalicious had a great time, choosing the meals for the day, getting presents from her siblings (they are always good to find a toy or two to give to the birthday child from their own collection), and going on a special birthday lunch date with Mom and Dad and a gentleman that helped Q-dawg out with translation as we were first moving here from America, Andras.
Here is a fun picture she got from her grandparents in Norway, and she got nice little notes from both grandparents on her birthday. She loved it!
Here is her reply to one of her grandparents in her own words about her birthday:
"Hi Grandma and Grandpa,
Thanks for the picture! Us had a yummy dinner. It was scrambled eggs. Us had a lovely birthday. Us love you! Us had a great gift: Hyrum's army guy, Lily's coon and blanket, mom and dad gave me tights, horsie, yummy chocolate bar with chocolate and milk. I think my family had fun. I hope you guys got fun.
I love you!
Bye!
:) Pipalicious"
Oh, side note...her grandparents in the US just got their mission call to the Alpine Germany mission, which borders with Hungary! So cool!
Here is a fun picture she got from her grandparents in Norway, and she got nice little notes from both grandparents on her birthday. She loved it!
Here is her reply to one of her grandparents in her own words about her birthday:
"Hi Grandma and Grandpa,
Thanks for the picture! Us had a yummy dinner. It was scrambled eggs. Us had a lovely birthday. Us love you! Us had a great gift: Hyrum's army guy, Lily's coon and blanket, mom and dad gave me tights, horsie, yummy chocolate bar with chocolate and milk. I think my family had fun. I hope you guys got fun.
I love you!
Bye!
:) Pipalicious"
Oh, side note...her grandparents in the US just got their mission call to the Alpine Germany mission, which borders with Hungary! So cool!
Last look at Pécel
A last look at our house in Pécel: as you can tell, some of us were going a little crazy :)...
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| Nice, Goob! |
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| Another look of Q-dawg in his office... |
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| I had to get a last look at our shower that I could only fit in one direction...but it got me clean :)! |
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| "Lek is my sunshine, my only sunshine..." |
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| Tamas and Dia, our upstairs neighbors, getting a picture with all of us before we left our house in Pécel. If I don't look that happy, it's because the person behind the camera is the landlady, and I am not as mature as Q-dawg is :)... |
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Papaya, this is how we all felt when our time there was up...whew!
   
 
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Pictures of our new house in Biatorbagy
Here is a link for the pictures from the website where we found it...they do a good job of the backyard and outside of the house, although you cannot see where our yard extends beyond that little brown gate in the backyard in one of the pictures.
Real estate pictures of house at Biatorbagy
Here are some more pictures for grandparents who like to envision where their children and grandchildren are living :)...and a few other random photos.
Real estate pictures of house at Biatorbagy
Here are some more pictures for grandparents who like to envision where their children and grandchildren are living :)...and a few other random photos.
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| Lek's cool chess set that he bought in the castle district for $20...so cool! He's already smoked most of us on it :), at least once. |
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| This is the bridge we crossed on our way to find the wooded hills near our new house. This part is a little less than a mile away... |
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| These are the bushes that Hava fell in and got poked with some type of poisonous...thing (I'm pregnant--words are not my strongpoint right now :).) With some quick application of mud, it helped ease the pain, but we want to try and figure out what it is. Maybe Niesha B., our resident plant researcher, could find out for us :)? She did such a great job on that peacock flower, or whatever it was, in El Paso :)... |
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| Our cool new table and cushion chairs in our dining room |
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| Dad in his office...in his "work" clothes. Did I mention his fettish for cool hats? It's probably what bald men do to compensate for not being able to style their hair for personal expression :). Whatever it is, I love it! |
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| Me posing in the kitchen, through the cool rock archway that we have in a couple places of our house. See those rock ledges with pictures on either side? Perfect position for "taking Pipalicious out," until she learns to be more careful, poor dear! |
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| Check out that fridge! Look at all those liters :). ("Tej" is milk.) |
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| Papaya helping make palacsintak (crepes) tonight. She loves to help! |
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| Sorry, sideways... :S |
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| Papaya set the table for us. What cuties! |
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| Our beautiful new bathroom...check out that space for a shower in the back! Lots of room for this pregnant body and a nice deep bath for the little ones. And take a look at that fine piece of machinery on the right...just listening to the spin cycle whip out that moisture was like listening to the heavenly choir! No more squeezing from these arms, at least not for a while :)... |
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