School, Grandparents and Vacation

The kids keep progressing. Isaac wears his glasses fine at home but rebels against them in school. It takes some evening and morning reminding to help in wearing them longer in school. He’s thrown them across the class too and popped out a screw, which caused a lens to come undone. We weren’t too happy about that and he understood how upset we were. On nights and weekends he keeps them on at all times and knows how to put them on and adjust when necessary. Now that we’re on vacation for two weeks we have the opportunity to drill it in him how important it is to wear them at all times and so far it seems to be helping.

Isabella has had a few bad days at pre-K. She’s thrown dirt at others, ran away from teachers (out of the classroom) and has also spit at them. Throwing dirt and spitting are things we’ve seen her do at the orphanage and we thought she had outgrown them but somehow she started again. She thinks it’s great fun and has a distinct laugh when being mischievous (think Beavis and Butthead…she has the Beavis laugh!). We keep reminding her that such things are unacceptable and she seems to do better when reminded frequently. As to running away, that’s quite new but once again she thinks it’s fun. Hopefully the nightly talks before bedtime will help dispel the myth that such things are “fun”.

Isabella used to cry at bed time, ALL the time. She’d call for mama and if Lori stood by her for a while and then left to go to bed herself, she’d cry for her anyway, yell, then rock her head and cry herself to sleep. So recently I started to sit and talk to her before going to bed, telling her not to cry and that mama and papa will be here in the morning, encouraging her that she doesn’t need to cry because she’s a big girl (Lori doesn’t like that comment. I think it helps instill self-esteem…but what do I know?!). So far it’s been working and she seems to have snapped out of it. In fact this week we’re in South Padre island and mama isn’t with us (she couldn’t make it due to work) but she has been going to bed without the usual fuss.

Grandma Rose and Grandpa Joe arrived last Thursday afternoon. I picked them up at the airport and then we drove home to unload and wait for Lori to come home with the kiddos after picking them up from pre-K. The twins were happy to see them, even though they probably had no clue who they were! I kept telling them that these were my mama and papa and they stared at me in bewilderment. It was kinda funny and Isabella has learned to call them “grandpa” and “grandma”. Isaac finds it easier to call them using the Maltese version “nanna” and “nannu”, although mom noticed him mumbling “grandpa” quite clearly a couple of times. Obviously he won’t repeat when asked and starts laughing. They got plenty of gifts from family back in Malta and they still haven’t opened them all as we’re trying to release them slowly.

Later on Thursday we went to the Cheesecake factory for a quick bite. My parents had a “small” burger and we obviously took photos while they opened their mouths to get their first bites of American bounty.

  

Isabella sat between them and kept blowing kisses. They really didn’t complain…

On Saturday Isaac was helping my mom to fold the sheets. He’s now sleeping in his sister’s bedroom on the trundle bed while my parents use his bedroom with the full-size mattress and other trundle if needed. Isabella actually loves to use the lower bed and lets her brother sleep on the higher side. They giggle away for a long time and takes them longer to sleep.

As I said earlier, we’re spending the week in South Padre island at the company condo. It’s been 2 years since our last visit and we love it here at the end of September/beginning of October. The weather is still nice and warm (it’s actually quite hot) and very quiet around here. We have met with the x-president of the firm I work for and his family. The twins have finally socialized and played with their kids today at the pool. The surf was a bit rough so we skipped the beach and headed for the pool, where they loved jumping in the cool, clear water. We plan on taking them on a dolphin-watch trip and more swimming of course in the coming days. They’ve been eating a lot and now have a nice tan. I’m just having too much fun and keep reminding myself that I need to stop and take some photos and videos!

Routine

Our first days together were a mixture of great successes and some very difficult moments. Crying and tantrums have been happening multiple times daily, by both of them. Surprisingly, Isabella has turned out to be more difficult to manage during our walks than Isaac. He has been a lot more calm and has been enjoying his walks around Nikopol and observing cars a lot better than Isabella.

Our routine has been established quite nicely. In the morning we wake up around 7 or 8am. Typically Isaac wakes first, starts making some noises, raises his legs up in the air and slams them down and finally comes to tease me and his sister. This is by far the sweetest moment of the day. Both are in a great mood, all hugs and kisses, act quietly and are very affectionate. After using the bathroom and a typical change of diaper/pull-up for Isaac, we head to the kitchen for breakfast. I was lucky in that I successfully got them to listen to me and sit down as I prepare the oatmeal porridge. These kids eat a lot! Usually breakfast even contains a banana or an orange for each of them and perhaps some milk. Isaac can’t make it properly to eat on his own due to the table and chair’s height, so I sit at the head of the table and he sits on me. I have to slow him down a lot or he devours his food in seconds. Making him drink has been quite a challenge.

When I want some quiet moments, I play them the full length video of their performance on children’s day and they sit quietly and watch. Isabella disciplines her brother and doesn’t let him touch the computer. They’re learning that if they stop the video or remove it from full-screen mode, papa doesn’t fix it for them ;) After washing their faces and brushing their teeth, Carol then shows up at 10am and we go out for a walk and a coffee. There were times where I gave them a bath in the morning instead of the evening.

Lunch is pretty much the same: they listen to papa and sit while I prepare. Don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t take effort! They always find distractions to use as excuses to get up. Isabella is the master: she finds something on the floor and pretends to come and put it in the trash. Then she needs to clean the floor, then take the drinking cup to her brother, etc. etc. So I have been yelling quite a lot! The neighbors hear it all I’m sure, but they seem to finally know when papa means business. Lunch and dinner are usually a little plateful of 3 to 4 ingredients: a meat (chicken, sausages or fish fingers); and sides: hard boiled eggs, peas, corn, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes or deli-bought cabbage rolls filled with rice. They munch away a lot of food!

At around 4:30pm to 5:00pm, we go for a longer walk. The stroller comes out and Isaac usually rides as Isabella walks. The harnesses have been a great hit and we usually walk to Billa supermarket. Isaac looks forward to riding in the cart as Carol gets her hands full keeping Isabella’s hands off merchandise. Afterwards they trade places and Isaac walks as he says goodbye to everyone, blows kisses and stares at cars. Many times he catches me or Carol by surprise and sets car alarms off as he hits their headlights. He is really quite fast.

In the evening after dinner, I play the video again (it rolls at least 4-5 times a day) and it gives me enough time to eat something myself. Then after a bath and some play, I put them to sleep. It seems Isabella cries everyday. She wants to keep seeing the video. I think she misses the caregivers and her friends. She usually cries herself to sleep. Both of them rock their heads and it seems to do the trick. Isaac sucks his thumbs and hugs his little lion soft toy. Isabella doesn’t seem to like soft toys, which is unusual for little girls I guess. In the afternoon I’ve also been successful at getting them to sleep for a couple of hours too.

Isaac has to take 2 medications, 3 times a day. He seems to like it and takes both the powder and syrup very eagerly. During the day, we have a lot of crying and misbehaving accompanied by irrational tantrums. When they’re in that state (very red in the face), nothing comforts them and you literally have to let them blow off the steam and calm down on their own. I felt helpless during the first few days until I learned the lesson. As to potty training, Isabella is a superstar (now nicknamed “stinky monkey” and she even says it in a very cute way!). Isaac on the other hand, has been more failures than I’d rather discuss in detail out here, but let’s just say that I have cleaned up a LOT lately! Pampers will be getting a fair amount of money from us in the foreseeable future :)

I also experienced Isaac’s first seizure with me. It lasted a lot longer than I expected: over 40 minutes. Lori remembered that Isaac was given a shot last time and thanks to Carol, we discovered he needed a shot of magnesium when having a fit in order to shorten it after talking to the caregivers. It’s really sad that no one told us that. Sometimes I get really frustrated at the level of information we get. You have to know the answer to a question before you can ask it or they won’t tell you the answer! Oh well. We finally got two dozes, one of which will be shot in the butt on his next fit, which will hopefully not happen while we’re travelling back.

GOTCHA Day!

It finally happened, June 26th! It was a tough day to say the least. The twins were so overwhelmed with the change in routine. They were super-hyper, wanting to touch everything. And obviously, why would they listen to this guy that goes to play with them twice a day? Who does he think he is?!

In the morning we had a lot of running around to get Isaac’s medications, close his benefit account, buy gifts for the orphanage and director, etc. Finally we made it by 11am but we had not had a chance to get groceries. Olga needed to go to Dnepropetrovsk with the passports documentation and she was running tight on time. Oh, and did I mention it was so darn hot?? We were dancing around 100F and had to walk around everywhere. No A/C luxuries around here!

We got to the orphanage, delivered the gifs and donations and Irina, the new director, was very gracious and appreciative. She took time to show us around and explained her next project. The money will be used to build a new fence and slide in the baby room upstairs.

So in the meantime, Alla was getting the twins ready. Here are some pictures that Carol snapped. I wouldn’t have any visuals captured of this day if it wasn’t for her!

Isaac is ready in the background, while Isabella gets all prettied up in her new clothes. I really need a crash-course in how to do Isabella’s hair! They have some great skills and I can barely do a pony tail.

 

 

Isaac gives his sister an examination before we left. Irina is holding Isabella.

 

 

 

And finally, a nice group photo before the departure. The lady is white is Nina and the one in blue is a nurse. They all love the kids a lot, and even though Isaac (well, it’s both really!) is quite a handful, I’m sure they already miss the twins. But perhaps they’re enjoying all the peace and quiet they left behind.

Back in the apartment, I did some oatmeal porridge for lunch and tried my best to put them to bed for an afternoon nap. Needless to say, all efforts were futile. I couldn’t get them to stop bouncing around. Here’s Isaac pretending to call Mama.

Carol was going to come back at 4pm so we could go get Isaac’s medicine and try to pick up some groceries. The trip went surprisingly well. We took the stroller, as the walk was quite long and Isabella walked all the way to the pharmacy as Isaac rode. Then we switched and went to Billa for groceries. Isaac rode well in the cart. Isabella was obviously wanting to touch everything, so we made it as quick as possible. Then on our way back, we stopped at ATB grocery to get big jugs of water (closer to the apartment). Isabella’s shoes were hurting, so I carried her on my shoulders and carried the water. Needless to say, I was soaked in sweat by the time we got to the apartment.

Carol helped me get some dinner ready for them and after a bath, I successfully put them to bed. Isaac slept deep, but Isabella was dreaming and shaking her head. At one point she even started crying, with tears and sobs. I finally woke her up, went to the kitchen for some water, held her for a bit and then put her back to bed. Papa was then finally able to eat something for the day and get some rest.

So as for coming back, we’ll have to postpone it by a few more days at least as the passports are expected to be completed on Friday 3rd. July. That means we should be able to get to Kiev on Sunday and get the visas and doctor visits done in two days, with a possible travel date of July 8th.

Sleep(less)

We’ve traveled to Europe before to visit family in Malta, where there’s a 7 hour difference from Central US time and never had trouble adjusting. In Ukraine we’re 8 hours ahead and we can’t seem to reset our internal clocks. A handful of homeless guys on our street singing loudly at 3:30am and making a ruckus probably isn’t helping either. Daybreak occurs around 4:30am here and the noise of cars speeding up the street, coupled with a hard matress that doesn’t budge under your weight is a lethal anti-sleep combo. We’ve been going to bed really late, hoping to be exhausted enough to sleep through the unfamiliar atmosphere, but we still end up waking up after 3 hours or so. Then we get up and get tired again around 8am and sleep till noon or slightly past, waking up groggy.

On our second day here we went to Double Coffee late in the evening and had a cappuccino that was…well...double! We thought it exacerbated the sleep issues so since then, we only take one in the morning or late afternoon. You have to add a good dose of sugar as it’s quite potent. Do Svidanya grogginess!

Here’s our natural reaction at the sight and smell of coffee.

I had totally forgotten how much I hate cigarette smoke and cherish the fact that smoking is banned from public places in Houston. There are a lot of smokers in this city and you can smell it wherever you sit in restaurants. Another observation we made is that food comes out as it’s plated. They make no effort to pair up dishes so two people or larger groups can eat together for example. If that bothers you, I think you pretty much have to order the same menu items. We’ve been taking turns watching each other eat!