The Whole Family, Including the Whining Dogs, Made it to Texas April 25, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Family, Friends, Islands, My Former Dog Children, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Saba, Texas, Thoughts, Trips , 6commentsWe’re in “The Republic of Texas.” It only took 19 hours to travel from our doorstep on Saba to Daniel and Lydia’s house in Texas, but hey, the whole family made it, including Paris and all her whining. Hannah was an excellent traveler and only had one melt down on the way. She was SICK AND TIRED of being buckled into her stroller, and being confined at all times. SHE JUST WANTED TO GO ON A DANG WALK, and meet new people, and say “hi!” to everyone, and dance, and shake her bum-bum, and ALL of the aforementioned activities are almost impossible to do when you are strapped down in a stroller, with parental supervision.
It was a very stress free day of travel. What a relief for us! David and I were both able to get on the same flight leaving Saba, and ALL of our luggage and both dogs were also on the same flight. THAT ALONE IS A MIRACLE. The airline that flies in and out of Saba only allows one pet per flight, and luckily for us, they made an exception. I’d like to think the favors given to us by the staff at the airport were because they liked us, or knew our names, not just our faces, but that probably isn’t the case. I think it’s because Hannah is a charmer. She always smiles, waves, and says “take care!” to the employees when we leave that tiny airport, and I think she is the reason they felt so compelled to give us a break. We weren’t charged for the dogs, or overweight luggage. I want to go back to Saba just to say, “Thank you” to them one more time, for making our trip that much easier.
Flying from Saba is always complicated in some way. Fortunately, the winds were favorable enough for the plane to land (they were projected to be unfavorable, making it impossible for us to leave the island) and we were at the Sint Maarten airport at 8:00. We had a WHOLE LOTTA TIME TO KILL with a toddler, two dogs, and four pieces of luggage. That’s right, our whole lives fit into FOUR pieces of luggage. In fact, we had extra room in the luggage, (which is just a shock really) and I was able to bring home my vegetable steamer. Which I love, to death. Honestly, I wasn’t concerned about my blow dryer fitting into the luggage, but the steamer, that was a priority. I couldn’t live without it before moving to Saba, and leaving Saba was no different. Initially, I had just planned to leave the steamer and buy another one when we returned to the states, but since there was room in the luggage, I just saved myself some money! Which could go toward something else I need . . . and I just can’t start naming other things that I “need” because after being on a glorified camping trip for two years, I “NEED” everything!
Being a toddler is BIG WORK and Hannah is happy to show you just how hard it is to hang out in a stroller, saying “hi!” to everyone, and dancing to the Caribbean beat. Since we had SIX HOURS to kill, she decided to take a little snooze at the airport.
Hannah requires four items to go to sleep. If one of the items is missing, then the delicate balance is ruined and she JUST CAN’T SLEEP. She has to have her Pooh Bear, soft tag blanket, her bear blanket (not shown) and her DANG BINKIE. She HAS to have her binkie to go to sleep. It is the only time she gets it, and every time she lies down for a nap she says, “BINKIE!” and every time she puts it into her mouth we tell her “You don’t need this DUMB thing!” but then we have to give it to her because we know she will fall asleep within minutes. And really, this is a battle not worth fighting right now.
Arriving early for our flight made check in a breeze, and American Airlines was so helpful. They didn’t charge us for the extra piece of luggage we checked, and they took dang good care of our dogs while they were out of our care.
During our LONG wait at the airport, we David took Hannah, and our girls for a walk. He was the designated walker, and I was the designated spectator photographer, sitting with the luggage, and the kennels.
If you want to know how hot it was, just check out the dogs’ tongues.
When we arrived at DFW airport, we were so excited to see Daniel and 8 1/2 months pregnant Lydia (who professed she would never have kids . . . Ha! Ha!) I got a second wind of energy. Our pups were excellent travelers, and I was so relived to have all our luggage, dogs, and family together, in one place. One piece of luggage went missing in Miami during customs, but it magically showed up on our doorstep this evening. We are very happy to be here, in one piece.
I can’t believe the time has finally come for us to move on from our life on Saba. I have seen so many friends and students move back to “reality” during our two year stay, and I am so happy our turn has come! Yesterday was full of bittersweet emotion as we left our house on Saba, but I do look forward to the next chapter in the “Adventures of our Family.” Whenever I think about the beautiful island life we left behind, I have to think, “I can buy grapes, bananas, milk, and ANYTHING I can imagine, ANY DAY of the week.” That thought alone will keep me going. 
Goodbye Saba April 23, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Islands, My Handsome Husband, Saba, Texas , 5commentsThe time has finally come to leave this island of paradise. Our internet will be turned off shortly, and I will have no communication with the outside world until I land in Dallas. Which will be about midnight, and I will be exhausted from traveling ALL DAY with a toddler, pregnant belly, two dogs, lots of luggage, and an adorable husband. Poor Dave, he is going to have to carry everything because pregnant women are strictly advised NOT TO CARRY/LIFT anything over 40 pounds . . . and I ALWAYS try to follow the rules if it means getting out of manual labor . . .
While we have throughly loved our time on Saba, we are ready to start the next chapter of our lives. We look forward to seeing so many of our friends and family in the upcoming weeks.
David took some great pictures of the moon the other night. The lights you see off in the distance are on the islands of Statia, and St. Kitts. I think this is a great way to sign off . . .
Good night moon . . .
Good night stars, good night air. Good night noises everywhere.
Weekend in Sint Maarten March 30, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Family, Islands, My Handsome Husband, Pregnancy, Princess Hannah, Saba , 2commentsApparently, I’m a celebrity on Sint Maarten. Well, at least I think I know how a celebrity must feel when people know their name, things they like, their kid’s name, food preferences, you know, personal stuff. David and I LOVE eating breakfast at this French Bakery which ironically is on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten. When we walked in, the clerk welcomed us, asked us how things were on Saba, and wanted to know how old Hannah was. I looked at David (who was studying the menu) and asked him, “Do we know her?”
David and I must have looked deep in thought while we looked over the menu in pursuit of ordering the perfect breakfast item when she looked over to us and pointed out the crepe we like to order. The restaurant was bustling with a lot of hungry customers and I thought, “Seriously, we must know her.”
So maybe we have eaten there one too many times, or maybe we ALWAYS order the same thing. Or maybe, JUST MAYBE, she remembered us from when I was in labor with Hannah and my last dying wish (hoping I survived the labor and delivery) was to eat a fruit crepe from this particular French Bakery. Maybe women in labor look different from the average tourist. Maybe it was the look of DEATH on my face that made our family so memorable. And, maybe it’s because we ALWAYS eat there. MAYBE.
We stayed at Mary’s Boon. We really like this hotel because it is beautiful, has great beach access, and has a nice pool. We have stayed there probably as many times as we have eaten at the French Bakery. All I’m saying is I can’t remember how many times. It’s just a lot. When we arrived, the maintenance guy welcomed us like you would welcome an old friend staying at your house. He was surprised at how much Hannah had grown and he remembered which room we stayed in when Hannah was born. IS THAT WEIRD? Because I kind of thought it was. I mean, I certainly remember the room we stayed in, but not the room number! So I was thinking about why the maintenance guy remembers us. Is it because we are high maintenance? Do I make a lot of demands? Does it bother me if the A/C isn’t working correctly or the TV has problems? YES. We are memorable indeed.
Moving on to the hospital. The hospital is more like a walk-in clinic where no one has an appointment. It is on a first come, first serve basis. Except for me. I like to make an appointment. I think it is the American blood in me that likes to be special, you know, waltz in and see the Doctor. I called the Doctor on his cell phone four weeks ago to make an appointment. Then, I confirmed our appointment the day before. You know, so I wouldn’t have to waste HALF THE DAY sitting in a non air conditioned hospital hallway waiting for an ultrasound.
When I arrived, I checked in with the nurse who I ACTUALLY REMEMBER from when I was pregnant with Hannah for her less than helpful, positive attitude. I was about to sign in when she looked up at me and said, “NO! I KNOW YOU HERE!”
YIKES. Word must have traveled fast that I was there and I DID NOT WANT TO WAIT. I had to wait for almost an hour, but that is practically seeing the doctor right away in Caribbean time. The good news is that I LOVE the O.B. that delivered Hannah. I wish I could package him up and take him back to the states and hire him to deliver this kid. This is probably the high maintenance side of me thinking, but it is nice to know that somewhere, deep down inside, I still have certain standards.
Enough about that.
We throughly enjoyed the beach and Hannah was in heaven! Not only was there a beach with lots and lots of water, but there was a pool! Do you want to know what David and I heard all day, every day, multiple times a day? “SWINGING? SWINGING? SWINGING?” Because Hannah only has one thing on her mind. EVER. SWIMMING.
Hannah and her daddy go out to test the water . . . (check out how cute she looks in pig tails!)
Hannah has to watch all the “bubbles” (sea foam) come in and then she has to talk about them for a few minutes before she gets in the water. (check out her thighs! So cute!)
They are ready to test out the water. Check out David’s great tan lines. If you are wondering how you can get a great farmer’s tan like the one he is sporting, MOVE TO THE CARIBBEAN and STUDY all the time. If he had a dark, even tan all over his back and chest, I would SERIOUSLY wonder if he was in medical school.
The water was wonderful (around 83 degrees) and I started to feel a little left out, so I put the camera down joined them.
Hannah needed a breather. “SWINGING!!!” in the ocean is BIG WORK!
Okay, I KNOW this is very daring of me to post a bathing suit picture. But hey, I can’t always hide from the camera. I want Hannah to know that her daddy wasn’t the only one who played with her! Plus, when you’re pregnant, you can’t be responsible for how you look. It’s like “Hey, I’m pregnant. I can’t control this condition that is taking over my body and making me big ALL OVER. I know this kid is only in my belly, but maybe my legs, arms, and butt are pregnant too! I CAN’T CONTROL THIS CONDITION THAT IS TAKING OVER MY BODY.” It’s very invigorating to be able to say that.
I’m sad we won’t be visiting this beautiful island again for a long time. We have such great memories there. These pictures will just have to saciate my desire over the next 20 years until we make it back.
This is Where We are Going March 25, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Family, Islands , 4commentsDid I mention we are going to Sint Maarten this weekend? Because we CAN’T WAIT! David has had three exams over the last seven days and he is READY for a break. Since I am ALWAYS ready to take a break from “vacationing” here, we are more than ready to enjoy the beaches of Sint Maarten.
This is where we are going . . .
This is where we will land . . . (Dave took this picture while fling co-captain when we chartered a private plane when I was in labor. While I was DYING in the back seat, he was throughly enjoying the ride, and view of course.)
This is the one of the beaches we plan to visit . . .
We plan to eat somewhere along this beach, looking at all the beautiful boats . . .
This is the beach attached to our hotel. If you desperately need to find us, we’ll be here.
Oh, did I mention why we are going to Sint Maarten? The REAL reason is to have an ultrasound. Because I HAVE TO KNOW whether or not I’m having a boy or girl. Plus, it would be nice to make sure our kid is intact. You know, get looked at by a professional that knows what to look for and stuff. It’s a perk to HAVE TO GO TO A PLACE LIKE THIS for medical care. You don’t hear us complaining about the commute to another island! More pictures to come later this week.
Yacht Watching February 5, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Islands, Princess Hannah , 3commentsA new day, a new yacht. Hannah knows boats like other kids know cars. A few days ago, we spotted this yacht out on the ocean headed straight for Saba. We thought it might be “The Octopus” (if you know yachts like we do down here, you would know the Octopus is the largest yacht in the world) which has come to Saba four or five times since we have lived here. Yes, the enormous yacht moors off Saba and Paul Allen is somewhere exploring the “Unspoiled Queen“.
I was very curious to see if it was indeed the Octopus, so I loaded Hannah in the car and away we drove to the other side of the island to Wells Bay (where it was headed) to take some photos and maybe spot a few celebrities. When we arrived at Wells Bay, I could clearly see that although this yacht was big, it was not the monstrosity yacht, the Octopus. Still, I was curious to find out about it so I snapped a few photos. When I got home I was able Google the name of the yacht and to my surprise, it belongs to my previous boss!
The Yacht “Limitless”
The yacht Limitless, (I should have recognized the font on the boat. It is The Limited’s font) is owned by Leslie Wexner, the man who started the retail company “The Limited” back in the 60′s. He is the CEO of the following companies: Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret (I used to manage a VS store in Texas), Henri Bendel, White Barn Candle Company, Express, The Limited (I managed a store in Utah) and others I’m sure. The man practically owns all of Columbus, Ohio.
We didn’t see Les Wexner (or anyone for that matter). They must have been SCUBA diving or something. I did however, see a lot of Saba on my way home. I had the camera with me (something I don’t usually take in the car for a ride) and I took pictures of the drive across the island back to my house. Keep in mind that ALL THE PICTURES were taken from the driver’s seat of my car. I did this for two reasons:
1. I was too lazy to pull over and pry my pregnant butt of the seat, and I wanted to photograph Saba from the car.
2. I wanted to show how beautiful the drive is on Saba.
This is a “Saba Basket Ball Hoop”. I found this in The Bottom.
This is in The Bottom. It is the only “covered” street (by trees of course) on the island.
This is in The Bottom.
This house, which is in The Bottom, is still celebrating Christmas in February.
This is a view of The Bottom (the Capital village) from the village of St. Johns. In the upper left hand side of the photo, you can see “Whale Back Mountain”.
“Whale Back Mountain” as viewed from St. Johns Village.
This is The Bottom as viewed from St. Johns.
This is a house in St. Johns. I have never really noticed it because it is on a tight corner that requires both eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel if you don’t have a death wish. I pulled over to take some photos of Whale Back Mountain and this house directly faces that mountain. What a beautiful view this house has!
This photo was taken while I was driving through St. Johns.
This road leads down to the Elementary, Middle, and High School in St. Johns.
These buildings are the Schools I just mentioned. They are literally located on a cliff that drops into the ocean!
This is “The Saba Road”. If you don’t take this corner in St. Johns carefully, you will find yourself and your car floating off in the Sea.
Entering the Village of Windwarside.
This is a church in Windwardside. Again, this view is from my car on “The Road”.
This is Windwardside in the foreground and The Level is in the background.
These steps will take you to the top of Mount Scenery. It is a serious hike to the top!
I am entering the village of Hells Gate. I live on a cliff like those other crazy houses.
I would have photographed more as I entered Hells Gate, but the batteries in my camera died. Please come visit us, we leave paradise in 90 days!
Wicked Fast January 31, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Family, Islands , 1 comment so farI turned the big 3-0 on Tuesday. We were awakened by a beautiful sunrise boasting an exceptionally clear day. We could actually see the island of Montserrat, an island four down from Saba. In the two years we have enjoyed our beautiful island/ocean view, we have never been able to see Montserrat with our naked eye. Too bad our camera was out of batteries. We didn’t exactly capture what we saw, but I’ll post the picture we took anyway.
The weather was beautiful, 80 degrees with a light breeze (which is the weather everyday). However, by Tuesday evening, the temperature dropped to an icy 73 degrees and we were COLD! I called the restaurant where we had dinner plans, and asked them to change our order to take out. Most restaurants are open to the elements and we were not about to sit out in the FREEZING COLD CARIBBEAN WEATHER. We enjoyed our BBQ Chicken and Ribs from the warmth of our kitchen.
My gift this year did not disappoint. My computer is now the proud owner of four gigs of RAM. It is WICKED fast. It works as fast as I think, which is faster than I talk, so you get the point. I look forward to having fast internet in the states. Saba’s internet is dial up, which is enough to make anyone crazy.
His Language January 18, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Family, Friends, Islands, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Projects , 1 comment so farSomething is wrong with me. Really, really, wrong. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and do you know what I asked for? RAM. Not like, “honey, I want a pet Ram for my big 3-0″, but as in RAM for my computer. What happened to me? I’m not sure I even knew what RAM was last year. On previous birthdays, I have always gotten great clothes, and designer hand bags and shoes. What happened to those days?
I MOVED FROM CIVILIZATION. That’s what happened.
I honestly don’t care what I wear here. Shoes are a bother, and the only classification your handbag needs is, “Does it grow mold easily?” Notice how the word “here” is emphasized. That is because I know when I return to civilization, were clothing is available to buy and people don’t wear shoes just to cover their feet, I will dig deep inside of me and find the “old Emily” I left behind in Texas. I’m sure returning to my wardrobe locked away in storage will help me find that girl. But until then, I still want some RAM. In fact, a lot of it would help.
I can’t believe I care about techie things so much. I know it’s because I have come to LOVE my computer like it’s my second child. It is my umbilical cord to the outside world. It does everything I need it to, and so much more. There is only one problem. It is so s-l-o-w. I get frustrated waiting to upload pictures. It honestly takes five minutes to start Windows Photoshop Elements, and that isn’t even editing photos! I don’t like wasting perfectly good paradise weather w-a-i-t-i-n-g for things to load. I would do so much more with photographs if it didn’t take Hannah’s entire nap to get things going.
I actually really, really, REALLY, want a Nikon D80 for my birthday. I know that won’t happen this year because let’s face it, we are medical school students living on an island out in the middle of nowhere. I want this camera so bad, I honestly can’t stop thinking about it sometimes. It’s just seems kind of illogical to purchase it now. We would have to sell our Saba car to pay for this camera and seriously, I need a car more than I need to photograph everything I see. The desire for this particular camera is not just mine. David really, really, REALLY wants a Nikon D80 as well. One day, we will get one, and when we do, all of you will be drooling over how great our pictures are and we will just say, “it’s all about the camera.” Ah, one day. One day, I will have the most amazing pictures of my kids, BECAUSE OF THIS CAMERA.
Here’s another thing while I’m thinking about it, I would really like a Cricut and a Kitchen Aid Mixer when I get back to the states. I never was much of a chef in the states, but living here I have really come to appreciate good food and I really enjoy cooking. I know when my appetite returns, I will want to cook everything in the house. I may as well have good appliances right? I heard about “the Cricut” for the first time on Sunday from a GUY in our Branch. Yes, a GUY told me. He had that look on his face like “Where are you from? Planet Saba? You should probably get off that planet and get back the real world. There is this thing called Scrapbooking. Have you heard of it?” Yes, he gave me that look. Wouldn’t you know, a few days later I saw an infomercial on Lifetime for the Cricut. I have to say, it can do some pretty cool things. And in true infomercial fashion, I watched thinking, “I have to have that!” Plus, a friend of mine in Orem was in the commercial. David and I were laughing so hard! I need to email her to let her know she is famous, all the way down here, in the middle of nowhere. More of a reason to get it right? If she has one and LOVES it, I know I would too! We’re friends! I know the same day my appetite returns and I cook everything in the house, I will also be nesting. I will want to make cute things for Hannah’s room and for the new baby. I can see it now, CUTE THINGS!
As the big 3-0 looms around the corner, I’ll let you know what I ended up with. I’m 99.9% positive I have RAM coming my way. Mostly because that is the first thing I asked for, and it is the most reasonable and cost effective thing to buy. Plus, my husband follows instructions really well when it comes to buying me technology. This is after all, his language.
We Actually Left the “Rock” January 7, 2008
Posted by Emily in : Christmas, Family, Islands, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Trips , 2commentsI know, I disappeared. I have been sick. Not just kind of sick, but the really sick kind of sick. Since I have been sick 90% of the time, the other 10% of the time when I feel somewhat decent, I have to be a mother, wife, house cleaner, chef, dog caretaker, and entertainer to Hannah. I feel somewhat behind on life, but life certainly has not come to a standstill. A few things have happened in the last few months: we watched New Year’s fireworks from our patio from three different islands, we ACTUALLY left Saba and spent Christmas on Emerald Isle, North Carolina, and oh ya the sick thing . . . it’s not the contagious kind of sick, I am pregnant!
This pregnancy is very similar to my pregnancy with Hannah. I have to keep looking at Hannah to remind myself that feeling like trash is part of the program. Baking a baby is big work! I kind of forgot how exhausting it was until I got pregnant again. I am due on David’s birthday in July. Hannah was a birthday three days later, so they will be two years apart. I am in my 13th week of pregnancy now, just 27 more weeks to live through. YUCK.
David’s brother and sister-in-law own a beach house on Emerald Isle, North Carolina. David’s parents surprised us and bought us plane tickets to go out there for Christmas with them and his sister and her family. We hadn’t seen either his brother (who lives in NC) or his sister (who lives in GA) in over five years. They both have kids we had never met. It was great to get off this Rock and actually be with extended family for Christmas. This was David’s first time off Saba in a year, and his first time out of the Caribbean in two years. I was expecting him to have some culture shock (believe me, it happens to everyone, even when you have lived in the states your whole life), but it never happened. It may be because he never left the beach house. Maybe it’s because he didn’t got to Walmart with me on the Saturday before Christmas. Maybe it’s because he only saw a handful of people when he did actually leave the house to attend church. Maybe this is why his mind wasn’t overwhelmed with choices. Like all the candy available. Everywhere. Specifically Swedish Fish, and Red Vines. Let me rephrase, fresh Red Vines. Soft chewy candy, what a luxury!
We traded our ocean view on Saba, for another on Emerald Isle. Except, the beach house has private beach access, which is more than that I can say about my house. In fact, David and I ended up in “opposite world”. Pretty much everything we don’t have on Saba, we had at the beach house.
Let’s just note some of the differences:
Emerald Isle Beach House: 10 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, four floors, media room, sauna, hot tub, pool, two kitchens, three automatic dishwashers, ocean view, private beach access, kid play room, adult game room, and an elevator (because who wants to carry their pesky luggage up to the four floor?). Oh ya, and plenty of sea shells by the sea shore. You can rent this beautiful place for $12,000 a week. It can sleep up to 30 people.
Saba house: Two teeny tiny microscopic bedrooms, one “convenience” bathroom (where you can shower, go to the bathroom, and wash your hands all at once because it is that small), one “grand” room consisting of the kitchen, dining, and family room. Oh, we also have a large 13″ TV. Not flat screen, of course, but I know somewhere out there, someone is feeling better about their house after reading about ours. Our house does provide a beautiful view of the ocean and five other islands. It really is amazing. Our place can sleep up to four people and would rent for about $200 to $400 for a week.
Not only was it nice to get away from paradise, but it was nice to spread out. All over the house if I wanted to. Hannah was IN LOVE with the stairs, all four thousand of them. That meant that someone had to be on “Hannah stair duty” at all times, and since I could pull the sick prego card (which was legit) that left it up to David most of the time.
Here are some photos of our Christmas getaway:
Hannah and her cousins Ara-Jean and Micheal watching a movie.
Hannah and David on the top story of the house.
This is the front of the beach house. If you look closely, you might be able to see David!
This is the back of the beach house.
This is the view of the beach from our bedroom window!
Dennis, Gloria, and some of the grandkids out on the beach.
Most of the family out on the beach. I was on camera duty . . . so I got to watch most of the fun.
Hannah on her beach stroll.
Hannah and her Daddy on the beach.
This is Jake, Mike and Mary’s dog. He lives at the beach house and this is his turf.
Jennifer and Eliza walking the beach.
The ocean view from the balcony off our bedroom.
The back of the beach house.
One of the only pictures of Hannah and me. Proof that I was actually in North Carolina for Christmas.
Dear Hannah, Newsletter #5 November 26, 2007
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Friends, Islands, My Former Dog Children, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Texas, Thoughts , 3commentsDear Hannah,
You are now 16 months old. You are growing and changing so fast, I can’t keep up! You are my favorite child, and I can honestly say that because you are my only child. You are such a happy baby. It seems the most common question I get from other people is, “is she always this happy?” I have to say, “YES”. You are so happy to be alive and play with your hand-me-down-Saba-toys. You love life, and I guess, what kid wouldn’t be happy to wake up on a beautiful island every day?
You love your sleep. Let me rephrase; you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your beauty rest. And I love that you love it! You are like clock work. You go to bed at 6:30 PM, you’re up at 6:00 AM, you go back down for your morning nap at 8:00 AM (for one hour), then you take your afternoon nap at 12:30 for two and half hours. Your dad and I read a book that taught us how to teach you how to go to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up happy. I always know when it is exactly 6:00 AM, and not because the sun is rising. You wake up singing, talking, or jumping in your crib. Ah, if we could all wake up with such energy and happiness. You love to sing “daddy, daddy, daddy!” I love it too because that obviously means that you need your daddy not your mommy to go into the room and get you. On the few occasions I go in to get you (sometimes you sing “mommy!”), I can bet you will say one of three things. You will say, “hi!”, “shoes!”, or “side!” because you want to put on your shoes to go outside! Sometimes, you will meet me with a huge grin and you will be signing the word “cookie”. You are one smart cookie yourself. You know I have to reward you when you sign words correctly. It’s a good thing I have convinced you that Fig Newtons are cookies.
You LOVE to go outside and you LOVE your shoes. Both bring you equal joy. You have equated going outside with needing shoes, so the two certainly go together. This is very obvious to us because it is the first thing you think about in the morning. You will repeatedly say, “shoes!” until I put them on you. When I am changing your overnight diaper, I have to assure you that I plan to put your shoes on as soon as you your diaper is changed. We can’t have you running around naked! The neighbors already think you’re an early bird; running around the patio pushing your stroller (your most prized possession) at 6:03 AM. I don’t need you flashing them as well!
Your dad and I aren’t always ready to “rise and shine” at 6:00 AM, so after you run a few laps around the patio, we pull you back into the house and we all watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. I love this show so much, I could watch it everyday. This is why we selected this movie. It helps all of us get the day started off right.
Your friends consist of our dogs, the neighbor’s kitty and your friend Deya. You learned how to say “dog” at 11 months old and everyday for the past five months, you have dutifully pointed out to to the dogs that they are in fact dogs. You walk right up to them and point at them square between the eyes and tell them, “DOG!” so they know exactly who they are and where they stand. They are most certainly clear on the fact that you are the “island princess” and they are the “island princess’ pets”. There is no question in their minds. You love the neighbor’s kitty, Marley. I think you mostly like to torture him, and he is small enough for you to pick up and chuck across the patio. The more you torture the kitty, the more you squeal. It’s kind of sick when you think about it. I don’t know why he keeps coming around.
You LOVE music. Anytime you hear music, you are compelled to dance. If you are sad (which happens when you fall down and get a BONK!) I can turn on some music and you can’t help but shake your thang. You are a great at moving your bootie and you are a great head banger. One of the grocery stores we go to, Big Rock, likes to blast music for all the shoppers. It used to annoy me because I couldn’t think over the loud noise, but now I love it because you love it so much! Everyone at that store knows you by name, and I mean everyone. You are greeted by every employee at that store and when the music is really loud, you don’t pay any attention to them because you are head banging in the shopping cart! All your fans are just waiting for your autograph, and all you can do is jam out to the music.
You also LOVE to sing. You would think that I, your mother, sing and dance ALL DAY LONG because that’s what you do! When you learn a new word, you try it out by singing it to your own tune. You sing it again, and again, and again. It is darling, but sometimes I wish you could sing two or three words! You are a doll and I LOVE how happy you are ALL THE TIME.
You love grapes. Actually, you LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOVE grapes. You would eat them all day, for every meal if you could. You learned the ASL sign for grapes and you use it all the time since you don’t say grapes. You also LOVE apple juice, and you sign for it whenever you want a drink. When I give you milk, you are fine. But when I pull out the apple juice, you start to hyperventilate like I just pulled out the GOOD STUFF! You also like olives. Notice the word “like” isn’t the same as “love”. You are a doll when you eat them off your fingers though. You will eat almost anything except meat, and mashed potatoes. You now have your four top teeth, two bottom teeth, and three molars. Maybe you will like meat when your fourth little molar comes in.
You started walking at 11 months old. I remember on the fourth of July, you took four steps. You were quite the accomplished walker at 12 months, and at 13 months, you were running laps around the patio. You can walk the treacherous hills on Saba unaided. Your dad makes lets you walk up our STEEP driveway, (which is very steep) and I will have you walk up the steep walkway. It has been nice to not carry you all the time. It was starting to take a toll on my back.
At 11 months old, you started talking. In fact, you talk too much, I can’t really remember a time when you didn’t talk. I think you were born talking. You speak very clearly and articulately. Meaning, you don’t speak “baby”. Other adults, kids and strangers know exactly what you are saying. You speak that clearly. At 12 months you said, “oh wow!” and “hi!” ALL the time. And by ALL THE TIME, I mean like 80,000 times a day. You would say “hi” repeatedly, from the time you woke up in the morning, until you talked yourself to sleep at night. I could call Grandma P or Jenn and tell them, “Hey, Hannah says hi” and I was being very literal! You say the following words very clearly: hot, bug, uh oh, oh wow, hi, thank you, outside, side, tree, dog, moon, side, plane, boat, night night, bye, mommy, daddy, shoes, book, chair, hat, out, food, and bear. Notice how you don’t say the word “NO!” yet. Thank goodness! Your dad and I have really tried hard to use other words besides “No!” because neither one of us wanted to hear you saying that word all day, everyday. You can sign the following words using proper ASL: cookie, grapes, apple juice, milk, more, shoes, outside, light, brush teeth, finished and food. You also know all the actions to the song “Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree”. You can positively identify your eyes, cheeks, nose, teeth, hair, shoes, hands, and tongue. You are so stinkin’ cute!
What is the indicator that we are leaving the house, to go somewhere? No, not the car keys. Not shoes, or my purse in my hand either. These things that would indicate to someone else that we were heading out the door mean nothing to you. It is when I put on my sunglasses that you come running and you know we are going somewhere! You grab your hat and out the door we go! Because I wear sunglasses, you have decided that you too like to wear your sunglasses. You look like a “Rock Star Baby” when you put yours on. Too dang cute.
Living right by an airport has really piqued your interest in airplanes. The plane takes off five times a day, and you better bet that every time you hear that plane engine start you drop everything and anything you are doing (including drinking apple juice which you never give up without a fight) to go out on the patio and watch the plane take off. You reach both arms up with your palms facing each other to any adult (and I mean any adult) in the house. Paul, who is in our Branch, learned quite quickly what to do when you extended your arms to him (he was the closest adult) in need of his assistance to watch the plane take off!
You have had a busy five months. Your Aunt Lydia and Uncle Daniel came to visit you. Lydia even tried to fit you in her suitcase to take you home! It was so fun to have them here. You showed them all around Saba, and took them to the top of Mount Scenery. They loved you so much, they decided to have a baby of their very own! You will now have a new friend to play with next year.
In September, you traveled with me to California to visit your favorite Aunt Jenn and her family. You had such a great time with your cousins Ike and Zack. They followed you up and down the staircase ALL DAY LONG. They were such great babysitters!
We then went to Utah to visit both sets of your grandparents and to Texas to visit Daniel and Lydia. We left your dad alone on Saba for five weeks. He missed us so much! He said I can’t take you to the states for that long again. It was too hard for him. I can only imagine how he felt. We love you so much!
The Best Hot Chocolate November 26, 2007
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Islands , add a commentI have a problem. It is around 80 degrees everyday and I am cold. I know, how I am going to survive the winter? Not this one, but next year! Thank goodness I brought back some of my FAVORITE hot chocolate from Utah. It is Stephens Gourmet Hot Cocoa, and trust me, it is the best.
A few mornings ago, I drank myself into warmth as I watched the sunrise and watched as rain came down on neighboring islands.
This is the sunrise through heavy rain clouds.
This is a sheet of rain coming toward us on Saba. It’s fun to watch the weather. Who needs a weather man when you can just step outside and see for yourself what the weather is going to be like?
