Abu Dhabi Adventures

McKinley Month 5

2013-06-23T19:09:00.000+04:00

Happy 5 Months, McKinley

It's hard to believe our sweet baby turned 5 months this weekend. We sure have had a busy month! Cory and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. We had planned to have our first date post baby, but first Cory was sick, and then stuff just keeps coming up! I'm quickly coming to the realization that this is the new norm!

I celebrated my birthday, although with a little less fanfare than previous years (again this is the new norm).

Thanks Aunt Karmen for my new dress

Cory had his first Father's Day. We had a yummy sushi lunch out with Mom and Dad, and Mac made Cory a book all about the two of them!

Yum, CARROTS!

Cory's Father's Day Book

Daddy's Little Dolphin

Taking Mac's hand print for her book

Mac had her second round of vaccinations. I know it's probably harder on me, but it just breaks my heart to see her cry in pain!

Finally in a dress!

This month McKinley has started to show interest in "real" food. She's tried ketchup (which she loves), a french fry, edamame, a carrot, sweet potato, banana, lemon, and chocolate. She's really just licked these things, but it's fun to see her funny faces. A few days ago we started letting her try organic rice cereal. I'm making it really soupy and mixed with breast milk. She seems to like it so far, but more ends up on her bib than in her mouth!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Blue is not happy he has to share!

First taste of rice cereal

She likes it!

Gnawing on sweet potato

I'm going to try baby led weaning, where we let her try different hand held foods and decide what she likes to eat. However, because we are traveling all summer (and when she turns 6 months and we want her to really start solids) I'm trying to start her on at least cereal for now to see if it helps her sleep a little better at night.

Speaking of sleep. My amazing sleeper has completely disappeared. Where is that baby?! We've got a teether, combined with lots of growth spurts, combined with a child OBSESSED with rolling over onto her tummy. This month we said bye-bye to the swaddle. I went in the nursery one night to find her on her tummy in her swaddle, so that's DONE!

So far, she's done fairly well unswaddled. I'm HOPING good sleep is in our near future! Right now though, Cory and I are both up through the night to help Mac flip back over. She starts out sleeping on her back, then rolls to her tummy in her sleep and gets stuck. She's so chunky, and can't seem to flip herself back over!

The doctor weighed Mac at her appointment, and she has actually lost weight since last month. She weighs about 18.5lbs at 5 months. I'm attributing this to all of the moving, swimming, and exercise she is doing. This child is always on the move! She's definitely got her Daddy's energy!

We also got some tips for airplane travel from the doctor. We are leaving in 2 weeks to head back to the U.S. for summer. First, we will stop half-way to break up the LONG flight for Mac, and to have a much needed vacay. Then, we will be headed home!

We are so looking forward to seeing all of our favorite people! We are having Mac christened while we are home, and I can't wait to share that special day with all of our family! Also, we will have Mac's 6 month pictures done while we are home! I can't wait to see GEORGIA!! (and EAT! at Chick-fil-A like every day, lol!)

This month, McKinley loves rolling over on her tummy- she is way better rolling to the right, she has more trouble rolling to the left. She puts absolutely everything into her mouth. There is tons and tons of drool. If we don't put a bib on her, the outfit is soaked in minutes. So much for cute clothes, ha! She can almost sit up by herself, but she's so top heavy right now she topples over easily.

Silly girl

Trying to sit up

Tasty toys

She has the cutest, sweetest giggle you've ever heard. It's usually reserved for her Grandaddy. She sure does already have a special bond with him. Unfortunately, she also thinks her name is "Bumbo" thanks to him. We're working on fixing that!

Grandaddy and McKinley on Father's Day

She loves him!

We're continuing to swim, and McKinley absolutely loves the water. She kicks and splashes and just smiles. We also got her a baby pool for our house, for her to splash around in.

Rockin' my bikini from Aunt Erin

Laid back in my new pool

We spend most afternoons at the mall these days. The 115 degree heat (and rising) forces us to find things to do inside. Mac is captivated with all of the bright lights, stores, new faces. It doesn't matter how badly she needs a nap, she will fight to stay awake the whole time, until we get to the car.

Bathtub full of chunkyness

Sweet baby girl

Daddy wearing the new Baby Bjorn...yes it's UGA colors!

There's only one Big Mac!

Crawling on her Big Brother, Blue

McKinley's Fourth Month

2013-05-22T16:28:00.001+04:00

We have a BIG, CHUNKY baby girl!!

Height: 26.5 (91st Percentile)

Weight: 19lbs (97th Percentile)

Sleeping Pattern: Well...I should have kept my big mouth shut:) Our wonderful sleeping baby has decided that she needs her Mommy a little more often at night! We have been waking up a couple of extra times nightly, which equals a tired Mom at work! We are usually up from 12-1, 3-4, and 5-6...yuck!

Eating Habits: She is usually eating about every 3 hours, sometimes a little more often in the afternoons and evenings with Mommy. She is taking bottles with Dad during the day, and he says that she is beginning to hold the bottle:)

Development: Time is just flying by! I can not believe how fast my little girl is changing and growing! She holds rattles, snuggles with her blanket, can grab a fist full of my hair and hold on (OUCH!), and even take my glasses off of my face:) She absolutely LOVES to stand up, and can do it for hours and hours. She stands in our laps, on the couch, on the floor, she just likes to stand! She is rolling over from side to side on her own, and she even tries to sit up on her own. It looks like she's doing baby crunches!!

Mischief: Waking Mommy up all night:) Just kidding, she is really a happy baby.

Cuteness: I just love this little girl to pieces. She loves to smile, laugh, giggle. She is in LOVE with her Grandaddy, she loves watching him, listening to his songs, they already have such a special bond. It makes me so happy to know she is spending the day with someone who loves her when I have to go to work!

Talking: Mac talks all day long. She babbles, coos, gurgles, blows raspberries and bubbles, shrieks and screeches, grunts, she is a very vocal young lady.

Favorites: Molly, her monkey from her Godmother Karmen, Blank-Blank her blanket from her Grandparents Todd and Laurie, and last weekend Mommy and Daddy got her a new rabbit from Pottery Barn that she loves (he remains nameless for now).

Firsts: Lots more giggles and laughing, it's so much fun. She had her first playdate with her friend Ryan and Aunt Erin. He is almost 10 months and Mac just loved it. She was so happy for almost 3 hours, and had a blast. She enjoyed all of his different toys, and especially watching him play. She played in his ball pit, and loved looking at all of the different colored balls. We bought 2 Exersacuers this month (one for each house) and Mac is really enjoying playing with all of the new and different toys. And...I had my first Mother's Day!! We had a weekend full of vaccinations, ate lunch out, ran errands and grocery shopped, and played with Mac. Daddy and the kiddos gave me cards, pink roses, a massage, and Cory went above and beyond and had a canvas printed with a picture of McKinley and me. If you look closely at the picture, it's made up of 100o's of tiny pictures from my pregnancy and Mac's first few months! So SWEET! and...this week McKinley started ROLLING OVER! She starts on her back and can roll herself all the way over to all fours! She is obsessed! It's so cute! So proud of our girl!

Concerns: This child can spit up! The doctor says that she's a "happy spitter" so nothing is wrong...just loads and loads of laundry for Mommy.

A Day in the Life: Pretty much the same as last month...but a little less sleep at night. Hopefully that will change before too long! We are blessed with such a happy, perfect little girl and I just couldn't be any happier. Life is so much different than before, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Loving on my monkey, Molly!

McKinley loves her Mimi

Jump, jump, jump!!

Dad calls Mac Baby Bumbo!

Playing in my walker...I need to be a little taller:)

Grandaddy Daycare

Our beautiful, chunky baby girl

Daddy's Bulldog

Play date with my friend Ryan

At the GYM!

Snuggling with Blank-Blank

I like chewing on Sophie

Fun in the SUN!

Hey there!

Studying...

Push-ups with my brother, Blue

Happy 1st Mother's Day

Mommy and Mac

Pretty roses

Looking good in RED and BLACK!!

3 Months and GROWING!!!!!

2013-04-18T16:55:00.001+04:00

Time flies when you have a baby! McKinley is officially an infant...and no longer a newborn. It's just crazy to think how much our baby girl has changed since we brought her home from the hospital! She has almost doubled her birth weight in just 3 short months.

Baby Girl is 3 Months!

Height: 24.5 inches

Weight: 14lbs, we are growing!

Sleeping Pattern: It's getting better and better! We usually start bath time around 6:30-7pm, depending on Mac's mood, and then she's usually asleep by 7:30-8pm. She sleeps soundly until around 2-3am, wakes up for a feeding, and then sleeps until 6-7am. It's amazing!

Eating Habits: She is still a champ when it comes to eating. She has filled out so much this month, and I just love her chunky legs and cheeks!

Development: The last 2 weeks have been crazy with her development. She is so alert, and follows Blue around the room with her eyes. She loves tummy time, and can hold herself up really well. It looks like she's doing push-ups! She reaches for me now with both hands, and with assistance she pulls her self up to a sitting position. She can roll from her back to her side with a little help. She's also batting at toys with her hands, and can grab rattles or blankets and hold them in her fists. So much fun!

Mischief: She's fighting naps when she needs them, and this makes for a long day!

Cuteness: She is so much fun right now, lots of laughs and giggles, coos. We call her the parrot because she loves for Cory and me to carry her around perched on our shoulders, eager to take in all of her surroundings.

Talking: I love talking to her when I'm changing her diaper, we have great conversation! She babbles and talks all day long.

Favorites: She loves the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, we read it all the time. Our next door neighbor gave her a teddy bear that plays Brahm's Lullaby and she loves it.

Firsts: Vacation: We went to the Abu Dhabi desert, Liwa, for a weekend, and also to Dubai for a weekend when Karmen and James visited. Mac had her first hotel stay, and did really well (more on the trip in another blog post). Kisses from Blue: he's somewhat warmed up to McKinley and tolerates her company...as long as she isn't crying. Being away from Mommy: I went back to work during Mac's 9th week, she's doing great...her and Granddaddy are figuring each other out:) Moved to her nursery: Week 11 Mac moved to her room at night. Since her birth she slept in a cradle next to our bed. Now that she's in a sleeping routine, we decided to move her to the 2nd floor nursery (we are on the 3rd floor). So far, she's doing wonderfully. We put her down around 7pm and we are able to eat dinner together, watch a tv show or chat, and then head to bed ourselves

Concerns: Nothing, she's developing right on track and is happy and healthy

A Day in the Life: Wake up 6-7am, feed Mac and then she plays and talks while I get dressed. Head downstairs, I eat breakfast and she plays, then we pack up and drive to Mom and Dad's around 8am. I get her settled in with Dad, and then commute to work on island. My current work hours are 9:30-1:30pm (I get a 2 hour shorter day in the UAE for breastfeeding, one of the many perks we get here!). Mac takes 2 naps and plays while with Dad. I come home, pick up Mac and Blue from Granddaddy Daycare:) and come home. I try to get dinner cooked, laundry done, and the house picked up while entertaining a dog and baby. She usually has a 30-45 minute nap in the afternoon. Daddy comes home around 6pm and we start Mac's bath and nightly routine.

Some recent pics:

Mac met Aunt Karmen!

...and Uncle James

Bath time

Liwa with Mommy

Our little family in Duabi

Dubai Creek

Daddy is FUN!

Friday Brunch

Liwa

Catching some Zzzzz's with Daddy

My 1st Easter

Meeting a falcon in Dubai

My first hotel stay

Exploring the Old Souk with Daddy

I moved to my big girl bed in the nursery

Working out

My brother teaching me about BONES!

Sun time with Mommy

Riding in the Baby K'tan!

Sunbathing topless:)

All smiles for Aunt Karmen

After Mommy's 1st day at work

Looking at Daddy through my new shades

I got SHOTS:(:(:(

Also, this month, Cory had surgery on his hand. He injured it playing football, and had to get a wire inserted to hold some tendons together. This does not lead to a happy Mama with a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and his surgery just happened to be on my first day back to work, too. Luckily my awesome Mom took him, and looked after the patient:) We still have several more weeks with his hand in a cast:(

Before surgery

Rolling out

After

Yuck!

Mac's 2nd Month

2013-03-20T16:37:00.003+04:00

Wow! Can my little girl be 2 months old already?? Time sure does fly! I'm heading back to work in a week, BOO! Luckily, I'm going back just in time for 2 weeks off for Spring Break! And...Karmen and James are coming to visit from NYC! I couldn't be happier to see two of our very best friends, and to show off our little angel! This has been a month of hard times, fun times, firsts, smiles, cries, you name it we've had it:) I stole this from a friend, maybe it will help me remember what to tell you about each month!

Height: ?? No idea, maybe I will find out at her next appointment

Weight: 12.5lbs! She is a champ when it comes to breastfeeding! This girl has her Daddy's appetite!

Sleeping Pattern: This month we have developed somewhat of a sleeping schedule/pattern. Yay for all of us! Most nights we start Mac's nighttime routine anywhere from 7-8:30. We all head upstairs, turn on our favorite Jewel Lullaby CD, bath time, feeding, and then swaddle and G'night! Lately she has been sleeping around 6-7 hours straight, waking up for a feeding, and then sleeping another 2-3 hours. Absolute Heaven!

Eating Habits: Have I mentioned that this girl likes to EAT?! We are usually feeding every 2 hours, but sometimes more often. Last week was a growth spurt and it felt like I literally couldn't put her down all day! A few weeks ago, McKinley had her first bottle and it went great! I've been using my awesome breast pump and stocking up for when I return to work. So far, we've been trying a few bottles a week and she doesn't seem to mind at all!

Development: I can't believe how fast she is growing! She is already so strong. She's holding her head up really well, and seems to be gaining more and more control. She's found her hands for sure, and can't seem to keep her knuckles out of her mouth...I'm worried we may have a thumb sucker on our hands as soon as she finds it! We can't seem to get her to take to a pacifier, but I'm determined to keep trying. We have daily tummy time, and she's doing great. We play with rattles, and she's gotten really good following with her eyes. She's very curious and interested in the world around her, sometimes content to just sit in my lap for 30 minutes looking around the room.

Mischief: Mac is trying out her cries, that's for sure. I think she is trying to see how fast I can get back to her when I set her down. I keep explaining to her that Mommy has to go to the bathroom, put clothes in the washer, etc...but she doesn't seem to care:)

Cuteness: I love feeding her, it's a great bonding time for us. She always holds my finger in her hand and it just melts my heart. I also love when she figures out how to break out of her swaddle in the morning. I wake up to her talking and smiling, putting her fist in her mouth, so proud of her accomplishment. I love her smile, cooing, and also her entertaining personality.

Talking: We've got a babbler:) Mac loves to talk, coo, grunt, all kinds of vocalization this month. I love it, so much fun to hold our conversations...she copies me, I copy her!

Favorites: This month we got 2 new swings, one for our house and one for Mom and Dad's. They are great! At our house we have the Graco Sweetpeace swing, and it has made a huge difference in giving me a break to do a few things...like shower, ha! Our other swing is the Fisher Price My Little Lamb, we take it outside and Mac enjoys it while we swim in the pool.

Firsts: Big smiles and laughing. Not just the "milk drunk" smiles any more. I can smile and talk to her, and it's so fun to see her big gummy smile back to me. Love it! Swimming. Yep, at about 5 weeks McKinley went swimming and it's official, we have a water baby. She loves it. The pool has been heated for winter (haha, AD winter), so it's like a warm bath. She loves to have mom hold her and float on her back. She kicks her little legs, and smiles!

Concerns: Dreading going back to work, and hoping that Mac will do ok. I feel so blessed that my Dad will be keeping her until summer vacation. It's a huge relief to know I don't have to leave her with a stranger while she is so young. Also, in AD we get a 2 hour shorter work day for breastfeeding, so that's pretty awesome!

A Day in the Life: Well this is about to change next week, but right now we usually wake up between 6:30-7:30 feed, then head downstairs. I try to make my breakfast and take care of Blue before McKinley wants to be held again. Usually she has a short morning nap, and a longer mid-morning to afternoon nap. We run errands or go to Mom and Dad's to swim most days, and then have a late afternoon nap. This one seems the toughest, and she fights going to sleep. This usually lets to a grumpy evening and many breakdowns. Daddy comes home, and tries to keep Mac happy long enough for me to quickly scarf down dinner, and then we head upstairs for our nightly routine.

A month of pictures in no particular order (who has time for that??):

Playing

Chubbs

Tummy time with my brother

Hey there!

We've about outgrown the Moses basket

Daddy and his man sling

After bath time

Swimming with my Grandparents

All smiles

I love my tongue

Daddy and me

Play time

UGA didn't win a National Championship this year?!

Swimming wuth Mommy and Daddy

One of my favorite spots

My first bottle...Daddy needed help with his beer:)

I love my new float

At Daddy's last football game

UAE National Champions!

Entertaining both babies

First trip to Ikea

1st St. Patrick's Day

I'm goofy!

My new swing

Happy girl

Mac's First Month

2013-02-20T11:59:00.002+04:00

We are settling in as a family of four, slowly finding our rhythm. We had a tough few weeks with our Little Mac. She is one feisty baby, and very opinionated, ha! She seems to be settling down, making for one happy Mama!

This month McKinley had her first bath. I was so happy that my parents were able to be there to participate! She didn't know what to think at first, but now she loves bath time and doesn't want to get out!

Holding her Grandaddy's hand

Mommy and Daddy bundling her up

Our sweet baby

Right now McKinley spends most of her time either in our arms or in her Moses basket. She loves to sleep on top of our chests, feeling most comfortable there. This is fine during the day, but was making for a very tired Mommy at night. We have a cradle in our room for her to sleep in, but until this week she wouldn't sleep in it. Finally, we've talked her into swaddling and we are a much happier family:) As of right now, her nursery is used mostly for getting dressed and play time. We will probably move her to her big crib after a few months.

Play time in her nursery

Big Brother Blue is adjusting. He is quite depressed to be honest, and hasn't adjusted as well as I had hoped. He mopes around, and only seems happy on walks or when he visits Mom and Dad's house. I'm still hoping he warms up, but it may be difficult after 9 years as an only child!

Blue checking out his new sibling

We've had several successful family outings, going to lunch 3 weekends in a row. We're trying to enjoy eating outside before the desert heats up too much! We had an appointment at the U.S. Embassy at the beginning of the month to request citizenship, and get a SSN and passport for Mac. I just got an email yesterday saying her passport is ready for pickup! Thank goodness, we are planning to get out of the country for a bit in March!

First lunch outing

Praying she stays asleep, ha!

Cory is still playing football, so last weekend we traveled to Dubai for his last regular season game of the year. The AD Wildcats won, ending with a perfect 6-0 for the year! This coming weekend will be the first of 2 playoff games.

Daddy excited to show off Mac

Cory even gave Mac her own blackout marks, lol

During the week McKinley and I spend most of our time at home, but we usually enjoy daily walks over to Mom and Dad's for some fresh air and exercise. Then we wait patiently for Daddy to come home from work...and then I enjoy a nice break:)

McKinley received some cute outfits in the mail from her Grandparents in Georgia! Thanks Corby and Sharon!

Add caption

This is one of her gowns that I had monogrammed and shipped from the US:)

Mac is getting super strong, and really enjoys her tummy time. This was the first time we tried it, ha! Now she can lift her head and move it to the right and the left.

We had a wonderful first Valentine's as a family. Cory made homemade Chicken Parmesan, stuffed Portobello mushrooms, and I enjoyed my first glass of wine!

Mommy loves you!

I love her facial expressions

McKinley likes to get under the covers after bath time to warm up

Hooray! I'm One Month Today!

Our One Month Old Mac!

McKinley Grace Makes Her Debut

2013-01-29T10:57:00.000+04:00

McKinley Grace, our beautiful Mac, made her debut on Tuesday, January 22nd at 11:54am GMT +4. She was 7lbs 14oz, 20.5 length, and every bit as perfect as I ever could have imagined.

I had always heard as soon as you saw your baby you would immediately forget all of the pain you just endured...well it's true. I went through hell and back to bring this little girl into our arms, but she was completely worth it, and we love her so much already.

Her birth story:

On Monday night I was a crazy person to say the least. My hormones were all over the place, and Cory had his hands full. He left to go to football practice, later telling me that he didn't even practice because he had a feeling something was off. I woke up at 12am to use the bathroom, having only slept an hour. While in the bathroom, my water broke. It was a weird feeling, and I immediately knew what it was.

Cory came home about 5 minutes later, and said Blue was acting strange downstairs. He came up to find me and I filled him in.

We took our time heading to the hospital, Cory tried to nap, I took a shower and put some last minute things together. We left about 2am, and dropped Blue off at Mom and Dad's.

At the hospital, we were checked in and I was hooked up to a fetal monitor and another machine to monitor my contractions. About an hour later we were given a hospital room, and told to try to get some sleep. I was 3cm dilated at this time.

Cory slept easily, lol, but I couldn't really sleep hooked up to machines, with an IV, and my adrenaline was pumping. I was excited. I played on my iphone, messaged with friends back home, and tried to not watch the clock.

My support team hard at work

Around 8am, my doctor, Dr. Huda, arrived and checked me and I had progressed to 4cm. We discussed the possibility of an epidural, and I said I wanted to try not to have one, but wanted the option to cave if I couldn't take the pain later.

My company had just switched insurance companies the week before, so Cory went down to talk to hospital administration to make sure that there would be no coverage glitches if I decided to have an epidural. They are not covered with most insurance policies here apparently, but luckily I have 100% maternity coverage. Cory was told by our insurance company that everything was AOK, and no worries. They should have said Inshallah!

Dr. Huda came around 10am, and decided because I still hadn't progressed that much, and because my water had broken naturally 10 hours before, to give me an IV drip of Pitocin to speed things up.

And boy did things speed up, before I knew it I was having crazy contractions. I keep looking at the contraction machine. The nurse had told me earlier 10 is a mild contraction and 100 is the most severe. My contractions kept rising and rising, hitting 100 and I was in so much pain.

Then things got worse, the hospital told Cory that they were having issues with the insurance company, so Cory left on a mission to make sure I got my epidural. I was in hell, all by myself, and the nurses kept making me lay on my back so that they could measure the fetal heart rate. Every time I tried to move or sit up, they insisted I lay back because the position was better for the baby (they said).

I was screaming so loudly they finally brought me a mask with nitrous oxide, showing me how to breathe in each time a contraction came on. I was hooked and didn't quit using the mask until it was time to push.

Cory finally came back, and I yelled at him saying he had left me for 2 whole hours by myself. He informed me that it had been 20 minutes. Oops, yes I had completely lost it. The insurance company and the hospital were still fighting over my coverage (really people?!) so we decided to pay for the epidural, and then hope to be reimbursed later. Honestly, I didn't really care. I just wanted the pain to stop.

I was told to sit up on the bed, and we waited for the anesthesiologist to arrive. Well, Baby Mac had other ideas and all of a sudden I was like Cory I have to push. All of the nurses started yelling NO!! STOP!! DON'T PUSH!! Well, you try stopping a baby that's ready to vacate the premises, no easy task. Plus, I wanted her out! I was dying. Cory said at this point I almost broke his hand I was squeezing it so hard.

So...no epidural for me. They broke down my bed, wheeled me through the hospital, while trying not to push, to the labor and delivery room. I was barely moved to the delivery bed, when I started pushing. Nurses were again yelling at me telling me to stop, Cory was telling me to stop, people were frantically running around trying to get everything set up. It was complete chaos.

Dr. Huda literally arrived seconds before Baby Mac started the exit process. I felt like I was at a sporting event. Everyone was cheering me on, the head midwife of the hospital arrived, telling me how strong I was. I was sweating, turned purple in the face, but I sure didn't care.

Just the day before I was telling my Mom how nervous I was for delivery, and how I didn't want to be embarrassed. She assured me that when it came to getting the baby out, I wouldn't care who was in the room or how I looked. Well, as usual, she was right! I didn't care about anything, and I just wanted the pain to stop.

Finally, my sweet McKinley Grace arrived and I immediately forgot about all of the hell, pain, tears. They handed me our little girl and I felt such a sense of love I can't even describe. She is just perfect and I can't imagine life without her.

Proud Daddy

Holding his first grandchild

So in love

My sweet baby girl

Let's get out of here!

We are adjusting really well to life with a newborn. She is 1 week old today, and last night she slept for 5 straight hours. I hope this becomes a regular thing! I am breast feeding, and that's been going smoothly.

Hello World!

Blue wants his sister to stop screaming!

She is a cuddly, snuggly baby. She is so soft, and she smells delicious. She hates to be swaddled, instead sleeping with her knees bunched at her tummy and holding her hands by her face.

We had our first pediatrician appointment, and she was great!

Yesterday, we had newborn pictures taken. She was great, enduring a 4 hour photo shoot! Here are the sneak peeks from the photographer, I can't wait to see the rest.

We also have lots more pics, but I have to upload from the camera...and that takes time:)

Summer Euro Tour 2012

2013-01-19T16:03:00.001+04:00

So...I'm obviously just a little behind posting about our summer vacation. You can blame pregnancy. This is a quick synopsis of our incredible trip...

We had an awesome 6 week trip to Europe this summer, visiting Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, and France.

In Germany we stayed in Munich and enjoyed all of the sites Bavaria had to offer, and of course Dad signed us up to see many WWII sites! We ate lots of good food, I jealously watched Dad enjoy many German beers, and we saw some amazing scenery.

Glockenspiel, Marienplatz

Dachau Concentration Camp

Next, we took a train to Austria, staying for a week in Schladming. In Austria, we toured a salt mine, explored an ice cave, went to Salzburg and took in the Sound of Music sites, went to Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchesgaden, and enjoyed the cool weather and rain.

Hitler's Eagle's Nest

Salt Mines

Salzburg

After Austria, we headed to Lucern, Switzerland and the Swiss Alps. Here, we enjoyed walking around Lake Lucern, went to the top of Mt. Pilatus, crossed the famous Chapel Bridge, and visited the Lion Monument.

Lake Lucern

Chapel Bridge

Swiss Alps

Lion Monument

Next, we flew to Barcelona where Cory was finally able to join us! We stayed on the Costa Brava in the Catalonia region of Spain. Here, we spent many days soaking up the Mediterranean sun, Cory was able to play some golf, and we had some yummy tapas, of course!

After Spain, we flew to Dublin. We explored the city, fell in love with Irish butter, and toured the famous Guinness Brewery.

Learning how to pour the perfect Guinness

Temple Bar

After, Dublin we headed to County Clare where we stayed in a charming Irish cottage in the middle of nowhere. We toured many castles, kissed the Blarney Stone, visited the famous Cliffs of Moher, and of course...ate really well. Oh, and I also had the exciting experience of driving on the opposite side of the road...and car...yay me!

Blarney Castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Cliffs of Moher

Our last summer destination was France. We stayed for a week in the Normandy region, enjoying the sun, touring Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, Mont Saint-Michel, and Monet's house and gardens.

Monet's Gardens

Mont Saint-Michele

American Cemetery, Normandy

Finally, we ended our vacation in Paris, strolling the gorgeous streets, climbing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre, Arch of Triumph, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and of course eating escargo and gelato.

Mona and Me

Top of the Eiffel Tower

Dad enjoying?! escargo

R.I.P. Jim Morrison

Baby Eviction

2013-01-19T09:37:00.002+04:00

Yes, we are still (for the moment) a family of 3. I'm hoping by writing this blog our little girl will get the memo and vacate the premises. I am SO over pregnancy.

I'm over the bump shots, the swollen feet. I miss being able to easily tie my shoes or pick up something that I dropped. I miss wine, beer, really anything I can get my hands on at this point, lol!

Work has just been pure hell to be honest, and I've been struggling. A whole class full of 20 Kindergarten students isn't an ideal setting for a 10 month pregnant lady...and my patience is wearing thin.

We've been keeping busy at the Peisel house, though. Trying to enjoy our last moments of freedom, ha! We've gone to see a few movies, had lunch out.

I've enjoyed several foot reflexology treatments, and even a massage and facial thanks to my wonderful co-workers.

Cory has continued to play football for the Abu Dhabi Wildcats, and we cheered him on from the sidelines, freezing! Don't laugh! When you get used to soaring summer temperatures here, the 60's and strong winds are rough.

Freezing at 64F

My athletic hubby

This weekend, we enjoyed our 2nd trip to the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. We followed Tiger and Rory, and had a great day...with lots of walking...but still no baby McKinley.

Cory and Dad following the pack

Tiger hitting out of the sand

Tiger and Rory

We are ready:

Our hospital bag is packed.

McKinley's nappy bag is packed (lol, gotta love our UK terminology we are picking up).

The car seat has been properly installed in the car.

We just need a baby!! I know, I know...I need to enjoy these moments because everything is about to change forever...but are you 10 months preggo?! Over it!

Recent Happenings:

We FINALLY have "grass" in our "backyard!"

We added a couch to the nursery:

Blue is concerned that he will no longer be the baby!

They sell McKinley products all the way in the UAE:

Here is the link to our Maternity pics if you'd like to check them out:

**Warning** Bare belly pics, lol.

http://jilliangreenhillphotography.zenfolio.com/p441357435/e51495606

If it asks for a password, it's Heather...

37 Weeks: The Final Countdown

2012-12-29T19:50:00.000+04:00

37 Weeks! Wow, time flies when you're baking a baby! We had a doctor's appointment today, and found out a few things. First, according to our doctor, we have a big and growing baby. My mom says Mac is already bigger than I was when I was born, thanks Cory!

Also, she seems to be in no particular hurry to vacate the premises. Great! I've already been walking a good bit, but the doctor is recommending even more to help slow her growth down, and also to help initiate her arrival. So we will be walking as much as possible this next week or two!

We also toured the maternity ward at the hospital today, and were able to see where we will deliver. We talked about our birth plan, and also got many of our questions about the process answered. Cory
and I are both feeling really good about our doctor, choice of hospital, etc.

Bump Update:

How far along?

37 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:

+18

How big is baby?

6.8lbs

Stretch Marks?

So far, so good!

Maternity Clothes?

Still squeezing into my stuff and a few maternity items, hoping to finish out without buying anything else!

Sleep:

Miserable. I'm waking up just about every hour to go to the bathroom.

Best moment this week:

Celebrating Christmas with Cory and Steph. We had a yummy feast and watched Christmas Vacation.

Movement:

This baby is always on the move. I'm sure all of the extra sugary sweets helped this week, haha.

Food cravings:

Red Meat. I'm anemic, and my doctor has been monitoring my iron levels, which are pretty low. I'm taking extra supplements, and having it monitored.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button in or out? Barely in! I didn't think it was possible as deep as my belly button is, but it has just about disappeared.

What I miss: Traveling. I've had some serious cabin fever, especially with my usual travel companions (Mom and Dad) jetting off to Thailand. We are going to have to get Baby Mac a passport quick!

What I am looking forward to: McKinley's arrival. We have everything all ready, and we are prepared (as much as we can be, ha!)

Milestones: The nursery is complete, all of her clothes are washed, diapers and wipes are fully stocked, we are all set!

37 Weeks

We have our passports and U.S. Marriage license ready for the hospital
(you have to be legally married here to give birth!)

Our changing table is stocked and ready!
The little diapers are so cute (until they are filled, haha!)

I had a coming home outfit for McKinley monogramed.
You have to wait to see it, but here's the burp cloth:)

Sleep Sheep Sound Machine is ready for baby

Stephanie painted a few pics for the nursery!

Baby P's Name and Nursery Reveal

2012-12-15T10:22:00.001+04:00

Finally, Winter Break has arrived! 3 weeks off from school! I'm a little sad to be stuck home bound for the holiday, but it will be nice to relax, not work, and catch on some projects...and my blog:)

So...big things to announce! First, our little girl's name:

McKinley Grace Peisel

McKinley is my Grandmother Massey's maiden name, and also our family's claim to fame, the 25th US President, William McKinley. McKinley is also the name of the highest mountain peak in North America, Mt. McKinley in Alaska. Our family is quite proud of our Scotch-Irish heritage, so we love our little girl's name.

Grace is Cory's little sister Cacie's middle name. It means inspired by grace through eloquence or beauty and in reference to God's favor and love toward mankind. So happy she will be able to share the name with her sweet Aunt!

As a nickname, we will call her "Mac." We hope you like her name as much as we do!

Our second announcement, the nursery is finally finished! I have a few more small things to buy...but it's ready for our little girl to arrive.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful gifts for our baby, we feel so blessed to have such amazing family and friends. It's difficult being so far away during a time of joy like this, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making us feel closer to home!

Here are some pics of the nursery:

Before it was a nursery

Cory preparing to paint

Add caption

Daddy painting Mac's room

Hanging curtains

I painted shelves and Stephanie and I painted the letters for her name

Finished

35 Weeks

Our family of 3, soon to be 4!

We changed the light fixture

I painted the birdhouse on the shelf

I made this picture of her name

and this one

Changing table

Mac's bathroom

Inside her closet, although we have even more clothes
now thanks to my wonderful sis-in-law, Christie!

Finally, a huge thank you to my incredible parents for all of their contributions to baby McKinley's nursery. I don't know how many times my Dad helped carry the ladder or furniture up the stairs for me. My mom helped me pick everything out, and came on many, many trips to buy things. Also, her help with the never ending polka dots on Mac's name and our fun attempt at nursery art. Our baby is going to be one lucky little girl:)

Month 8: 32 Weeks!!

2012-11-25T17:58:00.001+04:00

Bump Update:

How far along?

32 Weeks (8 Months)

Total weight gain/loss:

+13

How big is baby?

4lbs

Stretch Marks?

No sign of any yet...hope it stays that way!

Maternity Clothes?

Yes for jeans, mostly still wearing my regular tank tops and t's, and still wearing my regular shorts

Sleep:

Getting a bit more restless. I'm sleeping with a pillow between my knees, having to get up every hour or two to pee, UGH!

Best moment this week:

Thanksgiving with my family! We made sure to feed Baby P really well, haha!

Movement:

All of the time. She's is sitting quite high up, and the stronger she gets the more I feel her kicks, punches, and elbows in my ribs, ouch!

Food cravings:

PBJ sandwiches, Flaming Hot Cheetos, peppermint tea

Gender: Girl

Belly Button in or out? In, although it is shrinking by the day. Hoping it stays in!

What I miss: Not having heartburn and indigestion, yuck!

What I am looking forward to: Christmas Vacation, we are stuck here since I won't be able to fly so close to my due date, but I'm really looking forward to not working, having time to finish some projects, and just take it easy!

Milestones: The nursery is almost done. This month we got a crib, changing table, the bathroom is fitted with cute Pottery Barn accents. Curtains are up, the light fixture was replaced. This week I've painted some shelves and the letters for Baby P's name. I will post a blog with the completed nursery in the next few weeks.

What I am thankful for: I am so thankful to have had such a healthy pregnancy so far. I feel great, just counting down the weeks until Baby P's arrival.

I'm very thankful for our wonderful family back in the States and for your generous gifts for our little girl. Each of you is helping to complete the nursery and shower our baby with love, thank you!

A BIG THANK YOU to my wonderful best friend, Karmen, for creating and organizing our "international baby shower." What a sweetheart you are!

Here is the cute invite she created:

Finally, I am so very thankful for my amazing family and husband here in the UAE. What a blessing you all are!

Hello 3rd Trimester!

2012-10-24T13:59:00.000+04:00

Finally, 3rd Trimester has arrived...I'm 28 weeks into my pregnancy. It's weird, sometimes it feels like I've been pregnant forever...my last glass of wine was WHEN?! Other times, I feel like pregnancy has just flown by.

28 Weeks!

There has been so much to do, so much to buy, and so much to prepare for. I suddenly feel like all of my priorities have shifted, and I'm caring less about things for me and more about things for our daughter.

I was always annoyed when other people were pregnant and all they talked about was pregnancy, the baby this and the baby that...oops, now I finally get it:-) Sorry friends! Now that I'm finally becoming a member of "the club" I'm understanding how life-altering parenthood can be.

If you'd asked me a year ago how much thought I'd be putting into breast pump selection (sorry for the few men who read this), I'd have laughed at you! There are how many different choices in car seats, strollers, bottles, cribs?! It is simply overwhelming. As I first time mom, the pressure is already high not to make the wrong decisions...but then you throw in all of this selection and choices...WOW!

How's pregnancy going for me? I feel great! Seriously, I feel wonderful! I've never been happier, my body is holding up fairly well under the strain, haha, and I'm just constantly thanking God every day for a healthy pregnancy thus far.

The nursery is coming along, we've got a wardrobe, a bookcase, and a few other odds and ends. We're painting this weekend, so I will post pics after it's done. I'm still on the hunt for a nice crib and changing table, everything here is so expensive so I'm holding out for something I really like.

I had my 28 week doctor's appointment today so here is the newest bump update:

Bump Update:

How far along?

28 Weeks (7 Months)

Total weight gain/loss:

+7-8.5lbs (the doctor's says 7 and mine says 8.5)

How big is baby?

2.2lbs

Stretch Marks?

No sign of any yet...hope it stays that way!

Maternity Clothes?

My wonderful friend Erin just had a baby in August, so she let me borrow a lot of

cute stuff! Yay!

Sleep:

I'm sleeping really well still...but Blue doesn't seem to understand that Mommy is

growing and needs more room...so it's a constant battle for space!

Best moment this week:

Cory and I had a "playdate" with Baby P. He would push my stomach and she

would kick back. We also used a flashlight, and had fun getting her to respond to

the light with kicks. Also, I got a package from my sis-in-law Christie filled to the

brim with baby clothes...I'm so excited!

Movement:

Yes! This little girl is always on the move. Sometimes I find myself holding my stomach and smiling, I love to feel her move.

Food cravings:

Hot sauce. On everything. Tomatoes with salt and fresh cracked pepper, cereal

with fresh strawberries and blueberries, mozzarella cheese sticks

Gender: Girl

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: I'm missing being home to share this experience with our family and friends

What I am looking forward to: Seeing the nursery painted, putting the bedding on the crib (when I finally get one!)

Milestones: 7 months and 3rd trimester!!! 2/3 of the way there!

Big Brother, Blue!

Proud to be an American

2012-10-21T16:26:00.001+04:00

For the most part, living overseas (especially in the Middle East) can be quite frustrating at times. Pressing #2 for English gets old, communication barriers, the constant questioning of why things are the way they are.

After living abroad for over 2 years, today was my first visit to the U.S. Embassy here in Abu Dhabi. After filling out our absentee ballots for the upcoming presidential election, the final step for U.S. citizens living abroad is to drop them off at the embassy.

U.S. Embassy, Abu Dhabi

I was expecting quite the adventure when I pulled up to the embassy today. Any unusual errands tend to be very cumbersome and annoying over here. Instead, I was excited to see our gorgeous U.S. flag flying proudly and the words Embassy of the United States of America emblazoned on a sign in front of the embassy.

I walked up to the gate, and was immediately asked to see my U.S. passport. After, I was quickly ushered inside and went through quick (but efficient) security. I didn't bring anything from the car other than my keys and ballots, and my keys were held by security until I exited.

Next, more security and then I was IN! I followed some nice outdoor walkways, and came to another gate and guard who quickly directed me to the correct area to turn in the ballots.

I was literally in and out of the embassy in less than 5 minutes. Wow, am I missing America! Nothing in the Middle East moves quickly, this is just unheard of!

Cory and I are becoming first time parents in January, and this has caused me to do a lot of reflecting on things. Living overseas is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so grateful to have the opportunities that we've been given. But some things I just don't take for granted...like being an American and a citizen of the greatest country in the world.

On their way to the U.S.A.

I feel so blessed to have the right to vote for our elected officials, and also freedom of speech. I am so grateful for the ease of traveling to and residing in foreign countries (I never realized how many visas most countries require if you're not a U.S. passport holder).

I've voted, have you?

As this pregnancy is winding down, and we prepare for our little girl, I'm so grateful that she too will hold the same liberties and rights that we have. She will have the opportunity to live abroad and experience the world, but to also be an American and a U.S. passport holder.

God Bless the U.S.A.

Our New Villa

2012-10-05T18:40:00.001+04:00

After 2 years in our "city" apartment, we decided to move out to the suburbs...aka the desert.

We've moved off-island, to a community called Al Reef. We have a 3-bedroom villa, with 3.5 bathrooms, AND outdoor space which we have been desperately missing.

Driving into our new neighborhood

View of Contemporary Villas from street

What neighborhood is complete without a mosque?!

We've really been wanting to move somewhere with outdoor area for Blue, and with a baby on the way more space is necessary!

Our street

I have been SO HAPPY with the move, I hadn't realized how much the hustle and bustle of city living was stressing me out. We lived in a very crowded area, with constant taxi horns, and people everywhere.

I couldn't ever walk Blue without a million men staring (both at me with my blonde hair and at Blue).

Now, when I leave work and drive over the causeway off island I have such a sense of relief. Grocery store parking is so easy, traffic is great, and there are lots of new stores, restaurants, and malls opening all of the time.

My commute in the desert

Also, Mom and Dad have moved into the neighborhood as well! Last week Dad picked up Blue while I was at work for a pancake breakfast...how cute is that?! I can't wait for Baby P to arrive!

Mom and Dad also have a POOL! It's been so nice after a stressful day at work to head over and float around, soaking up the sunshine! Blue loves it, too!

Aunt Stephie and Blue

Just a little excited...

Grandaddy and Blue

Some of you have been asking for pictures of the new place. So here you go! We're still in the process of deciding what kind of grass, who to install it, etc. so our "yard" is currently a pile of desert sand...so bear with us!

The front of our villa

Living room

Kitchen

Front entryway

Stairs to 1st Level from ground

1/2 bath and laundry

Baby P's room

1st Level

Guest bathroom

Guest bedroom...COME VISIT US!!

Stairs from 1st level to 2nd level (Yes...3 stories, UGH!)

One of two balconies, this one overlooks Al Reef Downtown

I have a small suite off Master for my vanity- LOVE!

Top floor! Blue is tired:-)

Master Bath

Master Bedroom

My closet

Master Bedroom

Our backyard (small but exciting!)

It's a GIRL!

2012-10-02T15:32:00.000+04:00

Well, I have to say that I'm pretty much worthless these days. Before pregnancy, I had all of these ideas about how organized I would be, how often I would blog updates...HA! Well that's not happening.

Right now, it takes all the energy I have to make it through my day at work! I'm coming home completely exhausted, and feeling like I just can't keep up with the day to day chores. Luckily, we found a new maid who is coming once a week...so that has been a BIG help.

Funny story, last week Cory and I had a bit of a disagreement. I went to the grocery store on my way home from work with every intention of actually buying groceries. Well, I got there and became completely discouraged, decided I was hungry, and got in the car and drove home.

Later, Cory called on his way home from work to ask what was for dinner. HA! Nothing! He can't seem to understand this new, unimproved Heather and what she's all about. Try explaining all of this to a man. Maybe if I were 300lbs it would make sense...but he doesn't understand how this little bump is already changing my life!

After returning from summer vacay, we were so excited to find out if we were having a boy or girl. Unfortunately, this little Peisel is stubborn. We had a baby in the breech position for 2 separate ultrasound visits, and no doctor could determine the sex.

20 Weeks

Finally, we fit in an extra doctor's visit, and found out we are having a little girl!

It's a GIRL!!

I feel beyond blessed and excited to have a daughter. I have such an amazing bond and friendship with my own Mom, and I hope I'm fortunate enough to have something similar with my own daughter!

My plan was to do these more often, but this is what you get:-)

Bump Update:

How far along? 24 Weeks (6 Months)

Total weight gain/loss: +5lbs

How big is baby? 1.5lbs

Stretch Marks? NO! Praying that those bad boys stay away!

Maternity Clothes? Just pants, still wearing my shirts and other stuff. I did have to suck it up and buy a new bra...and they are horrible over here!!

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping really well right now. The last few months were tougher, but I hit the bed at night and sleep soundly until the morning. I'm sure that will end soon:(

Best moment this week: My Mom was able to come to my doctor's appointment with me- She was thrilled to see the ultrasound, and I loved seeing her face and hearing her excitement. So happy to experience that with her!

Movement: All the time. This is one active little girl! Cory, Mom, Dad, and Stephanie have all been able to feel her kick!

Food cravings: Pickles and Ice cream! (I know not original!)

Gender: Girl

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Wine!!!

What I am looking forward to: Buying nursery furniture, deciding on colors, and settling on a baby name

Milestones: 6 Months!! Whew, time flies! I can't believe our little girl will be here in January!

Boy Meets Girl, Baby Meets World!

2012-07-06T13:15:00.000+04:00

First came Heather, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl:

Then came Cory, a blonde-haired, brown-eyed little boy:

They grew up, went to college...and eventually met one another:

They fell in love and got a puppy named Blue:

In 2006, after 4 years together, they got married:

Then they honeymooned:

Bahamas

Then they moved around...a lot: Atlanta, Charlotte, Richmond, and Atlanta again.

Charlotte, NC- One Year Anniversary

Christmas 2008 Richmond, VA

Atlanta, GA July 4th 2010

They finally settled in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Our Desert Home

Then...10 years later... comes...BABY!!!

It's positive!

Baby Peisel, premiering January 2013!!!!

Surprise!

Happy...Anniversary, Birthday, and Father's Day!!

2012-06-20T15:32:00.001+04:00

June is always an eventful month in our household. In the past few weeks we've celebrated our 6 year anniversary (time sure flies!), my 21st birthday (hehe), and this past weekend, Father's Day.

My yummy B-day cake from my family AND present from Karmen sent all the way from NYC :-)

Luckily, we were blessed with a 3 day weekend (I managed to squeeze in one more to make mine 4). Stephanie and I drove early with Mom and Dad to Muscat, and Cory flew in from Abu Dhabi later that evening.

We booked a family suite at the Shangri-la Hotel in Muscat. The views were incredible, and as usual the Omani people were a delight.

Shangri-la Entrance

Balcony view

Resort view

We had quite the pampered weekend with our lounge service at the beach-cool towels when we were hot, mini-coolers with water, fresh fruit plates, and even an attendant to clean our sunglasses when needed. I could get used to that!

Chess anyone?

Enjoying the cool Omani water with Steph

Lazy river

Our weekend was very relaxed, soaking up the sun, eating good food.

Looking back at our resort

Steph's first "official" visit to Oman

We enjoyed a girls day on Saturday, and Cory and Dad took a boat to the Daymaniyat islands for some scuba diving. It was Dad's first trip since getting certified, and they were excited to see eels, leopard sharks, many different fish, and some phenomenal coral.

Cory is getting closer and closer to Dive Master!

Proud of this scuba diver!

Muscat, Oman has become one of our most beloved cities since we've lived in the UAE. We're already planning our next trip for fall.

Beach camels

Protecting Sea-Turtle eggs

I feel so blessed to live in such close proximity to some of the world's most beautiful places.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Mom and I both received extensions for our teaching contracts, so it's official! We will be staying for at least another year.

Now...the 3 week countdown until summer vacation begins!!

Graduation 2012

2012-06-20T15:05:00.002+04:00

Kindergarten graduation has finally come and gone in Abu Dhabi.

We had our graduation last Tuesday, and OH-BOY what a day! Lots of chaos, too much cake, and parents galore equaled an exhausted teacher by the end of the day.

I survived, and now several weeks of CPD (continual professional development) has commenced.

Somehow, during all of the days festivities, I managed to forget to take pics, oops.

Here is the slideshow I made this year, and below the link, a few pics I managed to snap.

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a49784e5463354d44593d0d0a&blogview=true

Salama and Zayed were teachers for our class performance

Beautiful Fatima

On stage for our graduation performance

Peace

Makeup made an appearance...

Mariam

Abdulla, Hamad, and Khalifa waiting for their diplomas

Spring School Days

2012-05-03T14:35:00.004+04:00

We've entered Term 3 at school...the last few months of the school year. Each day seems to get more tough! Our administration is causing a lot of added stress, and as the weather outside heats up...the less and less cooperative our kids become.

I'm constantly reminding myself that summer vacation isn't too far off. Hopefully those thoughts will get me through!

This week we had our annual field trip to the Abu Dhabi Fish Market. I've been dreading this specific trip all year. I was barely off the school bus before my gag reflex began. With the heat outside, the fish market is an incredibly smelly place.

But don't take my word for it...

Inside, the floors are soaked in fish juices and other disgusting stuff. I have to wear an abaya to work, so it was a constant battle to keep it from dragging through the wet stuff.

Our kids get to handle all of the dead sea creatures, so they all smell GREAT by the time we get back to school.

Ms. Alya was more brave than me!

This year they even brought money to buy their own dead fish to take home. They were each given several fish in a plastic bag, covered with ice. Well...it's currently around 110 each day...so the ice sure didn't last very long. The bags were leaking fish juice in no time...and our boys enjoyed slinging their bags at one another.

Salem and his dead fish

Abdulla prefers a smaller one

We love dead fish

Our fish bags melting at the Corniche

Fishing boats

My goal was to try to avoid as much dead fish juice as possible. The fish market is about 20 minutes from our school, so the whole bus ride home was spent watching fish juice roll up and down the floorboard of the bus as we stopped and started in traffic. O.M.G.

Today was a fun day at school. After a crazy, stressful week we culminated our water unit with an outdoor water day. Most of the kids wore play clothes and brought water guns. We filled up splash pools and water balloons.

Ready to play with water balloons

Ahmed's SUPER soaker!

Zayed prefers shooting with some height

I got more than my fair share of splashes and squirts, but it was fun spraying all of the kids as well.

Pre-soaks and splashes

Rwdah and Salama

Painting with water

Khalifa- I enjoyed soaking him!

Rwdah enjoying watermelon

Zayed, my little fish

Bubble blowing

We love water play!

Now I'm just praying that July 12th gets here soon!

ราชอาณาจักรไทย (Thailand)

2012-05-01T17:08:00.000+04:00

For Spring Break this year we headed to Thailand. Our first stop was Bangkok, where we stayed at the Banyan Tree.

View from our room on the 55th floor!

We were exhausted after our overnight flight, and decided to eat breakfast before taking a nap. We were surprised with all you can drink mimosas and BACON! True story: I’ve never really been that big of a bacon eater…I usually prefer turkey bacon. But put me in the Middle East, take away my pork and I crave the stuff!

After a nap, Mom, Dad, and I decided to brave the humid, sticky heat and set out to explore Bangkok.

Street temples

Bangkok traffic

After some sightseeing, we had an early night and woke up the next morning for a road trip to Kanchanaburi.

First, we visited the Jeath War museum, which shows how life was in Thailand during the construction of the Death Railway, the railroad that was built to connect Thailand and Burma. Jeath stands for the primary nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japan, English, Australian, American, Thai, and Holland.

Dad was asked to stand between me and the monks

After, we took a boat ride along the River Kwai, enjoying the peaceful and serene landscape. We finished our ride at the Bridge on the River Kwai, made famous by the movie of the same title. We explored the area, sweating along the way, and finally ended with lunch on the river with a nice cold Chang, Thailand’s local brew.

Boating down the River Kwai

Bridge on the River Kwai

Where we ate lunch

Chang!

Next, we visited the War Cemetery where many of the POW’s from the Death Railway are buried.

Finally, we ended our day at the Tiger Temple, a Buddhist monastery that serves as a sanctuary for wild animals, namely tigers.

The entrance and our van

Visitors are only allowed into the temple during certain hours for safety reasons. In the morning, the tigers have playtime and then they have a big meal of chickens.

Dad's tiger was fierce!

Baby Tiger

We visited in the afternoon, after the tigers had already eatenJ We were allowed to pet many of the different tigers, and we even got to walk a tiger (with a monk’s supervision!)

We headed back to Bangkok for the night, and Karmen arrived from NYC later in the evening.

On our last day in Bangkok, we took a long-tail boat ride along the Chao Phraya River. We visited Wat Pho, one of the oldest temples in the city. It holds the largest reclining Buddha statue in the world, and is also the birthplace of Thai Massage.

Largest reclining Buddha in the world

Big feet!

Next, we headed to see the Grand Palace, which has been the official royal residence since 1782. On the way, we realized that a funeral procession was being held in front of the palace. One of the members of the royal family passed, and we were able to see the celebration of her life.

After, we put on our sweaters (you have to cover to enter the temple) and almost died. It was so miserably hot…and we were all dying. It was a beautiful palace, but we had a fairly quick tour because of the heat!

We explored some of the stinky Thai street markets, did some souvenir shopping (Karmen’s favorite pastimeJ), grabbed some cold Changs, and boated it back to our hotel.

The Royal family

Stinky street food

We had some yummy sushi for dinner, and then had our “One night in Bangkok” adventure…

The next morning, we checked out and headed to the airport for our short flight to Krabi. We spent our next 10 days in Krabi at a boutique hotel, Phu Petra, near Ao Nang Beach.

Downtown Ao Nang

Ao Nang beach

Sleepy in the morning

My chair view

Talk about heaven on earth! Our last vacations we have hopped from town to town, never having a chance to unpack our suitcases and relax. Krabi was all about soaking up the sun and relaxation. We were definitely on “island time!”

Our room

Thai jungle

While in Krabi, we had several adventures. One day we went elephant trekking, where we rode elephants through the Thai jungle. I was especially excited for Karmen, because elephants are her favorite animalsJ

Another day, we took a speed boat over to the Phi Phi Islands, one of the most beautiful locations in the world! We visited Bamboo Island, Viking Cave, Phi Phi Don, Kho Phi Phi Leh and Maya Beach (where The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed), Monkey Beach, and several other gorgeous spots.

Maya Beach

Viking Cave

Chang, please!

Just in case...

We went snorkeling a few times, and saw some amazing tropical fish!

On two different days we took a long-tail boat over to Railay Beach for the day. There are no cars or anything besides some beach bars and resorts, so the atmosphere was very natural and quiet.

One of the days we decided to try out sea kayaking. It was TOUGH!

I could live there...

The views were amazing…but our favorite thing about Railay Beach was the frozen Banana Coladas…YUM!

We visited the Tiger Cave Temple, considered one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the region. The temple is set at the top of a mountain, and over 1200 steps to the top. What we didn’t realize beforehand is that the steps are straight up…and each step is at least 2 steps…maybe close to 3. WOW!

Before...

How much further?!

I was dripping sweat before we were even a third of the way up. We passed some younger monks who wanted their picture taken with Karmen (guess I was too sweaty, haha!) After finally making it to the top (there were a few times I almost lost my breakfast…seriously), we took off our shoes to enter the temple.

Karmen and I were busy cooling off, enjoying the view, and taking pictures when a man ran up to us and said, “Excuse me, but a monkey has taken your shoe.” Turns out the monkeys weren’t too friendly and stole one of my tennis shoes. Luckily, a nice man fought off the monkey and reclaimed my shoe!

They may look cute...

Mom and Dad had an encounter with the monkeys during their ascent as well, witnessing one of them attack some girls who were carrying a snack to enjoy at the top. Crazy monkeys.

The views from the top were stunning, and made me forget about the climb up…momentarily.

The climb down went a little faster, but my legs were shaking uncontrollably when we reached the bottom. We climbed over 2400 steps to the top and back…but I think that number is probably closer to double at least!

After!

Goddess of Compassion

One of our favorite pastimes in Krabi was eating! We had some great Thai food, but amazingly we ate German food more than anything! We discovered a great place right across the street from our resort, and by the end of our stay we were considered regulars. I’m definitely ready for some more German food this summer!

Our front porch

Happy "Bird Day" to, Karmen!

Another favorite pastime was pampering! Karmen and I had our first “Thai” massages, and from then on we were hooked. Mom and Dad both had pedicures and their very first massages EVER! By the end of our stay I had at least 5 or 6 massages. I sure do miss those Thai prices!

While in Krabi, we also did some souvenir shopping, and enjoyed bartering with the local street vendors over prices. Karmen definitely wins the title of shop-a-holic J

Our trip to Thailand was awesome, and I only wish that Cory had been there as well. I’m certain we will be visiting again in the future! Amazing views, beaches, food, massages, prices, fun, and memories!

Recently

2012-03-13T17:16:00.001+04:00

The past few weeks seem like such a blur. My sister, Stephanie, visited Abu Dhabi and left on the 13^th of February. By February 25^th Cory found her a job, and she was back on a plane to the Middle EastJ

We were all able to celebrate Dad's birthday together as a family...Fuddrucker's for lunch and then yummy strawberry cake for dessert!

Happy Birthday to Dad!

Our last few weeks have been consumed with getting Stephanie here, finding her a place to live, getting her settled into her new job and surroundings. Pphhew! Not a small feat! Cory has just been amazing with coordinating everything, and he was even able to get Stephanie’s friend Erin a job as well, so they are now roommatesJ

Stephanie is working at a new restaurant in Abu Dhabi called the C House, an Italian café franchise. http://www.chouseitalia.it She arrived just in time to train before the grand opening last week, and even got to serve one of our Sheikhs! The plan is for 2 more locations to open this year, so Insha’allah, Steph will be running one of them before too long!

Steph and some of the C House crew

The girls were really fortunate, and Cory found them a really cute 2 bedroom apartment just a few blocks away from us, and it’s already furnished! We got them moved in on Sunday, and they are both learning to take taxis and find their way around this new world.

Last weekend, Steph and Dad crossed over to Oman so that she could finalize her work visa, and this morning Cory took her to do her medical tests, which all expatriates have to take.

I never would have thought when she came to visit that in just a few short weeks she would be living here! See!! All you people who don’t come visit…who knows… maybe once you see where we live you will want to move here too, haha.

So, a few weeks ago I went to Al Ain to see Mom and Dad. Here are some pics from Blue’s desert adventure.

Desert Dad

Mommy and her boy

Sand surfing

Exhausted with his grandparents

Last weekend, we went to Dibba to attempt finishing scuba. Well…it’s official. I wasn’t meant to be a scuba diver. I can do every single skill required…except take off my mask under water and put it back on. I freak out, breathe through my nose, and almost drown myself. I’m a great snorkeler…and I’m okay with thatJ Mom was sick, so she didn’t finish either…I have a strong suspicion she is okay with being a snorkeler as well.

Dibba, Oman

Omani sunset

Before I threw in the towel

Drum roll…Dad did finish his certification and is officially a scuba diver! Not an easy feat at almost 60 years! He was a champ…and thank goodness because someone has to go diving with CoryJ

"OK!" after his final open water dive!

Mom and I went back to the Radisson Blu, and enjoyed some fun in the sun. After a while, the wind really started to pick up...but we didn't let it ruin our fun!

Holding on to our precious cargo

School has been insane these last few weeks. It’s the end of 2^nd term next week, and it seems there are a million things to do! Last week we went on a field trip to the Plant Souq because we’re learning about plants.

Abdulla, Ahmed, and Khalifa

"Complate" garden solution, hehe

Khalifa buys some flowers

Back at school studying our plants

This week we went on a field trip to the mall…because?! I don’t know, but it does seem to be a favorite pastime over hereJ

Inside the elevator at Marina Mall

Peace!

Cory has been working in his new job for a few weeks now, and he absolutely loves it. His title is Business Development Manager, and his company is United Company for Engineering, Commerce & Contracts, or U.C.E.C.C. www.ucecc.com They are branching off from Oil and Gas and looking for investment opportunities. They own the C House where Stephanie now worksJ

So that’s all of our latest info…oh and I’m leaving for Thailand in a little over a week!!! Unfortunately, Cory won’t be able to join since he just started his new job. Surprisingly, he seems so excited about new opportunities that he doesn’t seem too disappointed! And…drumroll…I somehow convinced my favorite girl, Karmen, to fly all the way to Bangkok from NYC. I AM SO ECSTATIC!!! Details to follow after our tripJ

Kids Park Zoo

2012-02-17T09:10:00.004+04:00

On Tuesday, we visited the Kids Park Zoo just outside of Abu Dhabi for a field trip. Our unit right now is Animals, so it was the perfect time to visit the zoo.

There is something to be said about how the children over here act at zoos. We had no discussions before we went about how to treat the animals, or even how to stay together on a field trip. Needless to say, I had a frustrating day.

We weren't there 5 minutes and I was bit by a camel. I leaned down to pick up some food for him, and he bit me on my arm. After, I was chased by a crazed Ostrich. Fun times.

Crazy Camels

Look at that hungry mouth

This pic came out blurry because I was running for my life!

The kids were terrified of the animals, screaming and trying to hit them. My toes were stepped on too many times to count. I really need to teach my kids what the word "ouch" means, because they don't seem to understand when they hurt me.

There was an aquarium section that we visited, and our kids banged on every class aquarium, even putting their hands into the tanks that were clearly marked with a sign saying "NO!"

After chasing the children all morning, and attempting to dodge biting animals...we headed to see an animal show. The man conducting the show was clearly ready for retirement, and not very child-friendly.

We were able to see a baby orangutan, baby monkey, armadillo, falcon, and a 22 month old lion. The kids were all so excited, and a few were called up to be part of the show.

Baby monkey

Mr. Armadillo

Badour meeting the falcon

Zayed gets to hold the falcon

Baby orangutan

On the bus ride back to school, one of my kids Salem said to me, "Ms. Heather zoo fun. Thank you."

It warmed my heart, and helped me to realize what this experience is all about.

Stephanie and the Sandbox

2012-02-16T11:54:00.000+04:00

We FINALLY had our first visitor to Abu Dhabi this month, my sister Stephanie! We were all so excited for someone to visit, and see our part of the world. Words can only describe so much of what we see and do on a daily basis, you need to actually experience it firsthand to truly understand.

Stephanie and me in Abu Dhabi

After some issues in Chicago, Stephanie finally arrived in Abu Dhabi! I picked her up at the airport, and then we enjoyed some yummy Lebanese food. The next morning, Cory and Steph picked me up from school and we headed to Fujairah for the weekend to meet Mom and Dad.

Radisson Blu Fujairah

Our patio

The room

Our plan was to squeeze in our check out dives for our scuba certification while we were there. Well, that was the plan anyway. We ended up having really windy weather, and only got about 3/4 of our pool checkouts done. We weren't able to complete the rest in the ocean because of the weather.

Scuba...everyone said I would LOVE it. I didn't. In fact, I seriously almost drowned myself like 10 times. I absolutely hated the clearing my mask part...and I seriously crawled around on the bottom of the pool half the time because I couldn't get my equilibrium corrected.

Still excited about Scuba at this point

Cory says that it will be much better once I'm in the ocean, and seeing sea life, etc. Only time will tell. As of right now, Cory may still be stuck solo diving, poor guy.

Getting a wet suit on is HARD WORK!

We had a great weekend, enjoying the views and having Stephanie with us. After, she went back to Al Ain with Mom and Dad for the week.

Mom and Steph

Dibba Rock

It was SOOOO windy!

We had a fairly normal week until last Wednesday. Then our whole world was rocked. I had just finished telling a co-worker how fortunate Cory and I are to both have jobs over here. I came home from work to find Cory already there. He lost his job with absolutely no warning or anything. He was so hurt, and I was really worried.

Luckily, I have the most amazing husband in the world, and that day he was already calling contacts and setting up meetings. On Saturday, I met the family at the Grand Mosque, and Cory went to a meeting with a venture capitalist firm. As we were leaving the mosque, I got a call from Cory saying he was offered a job!!!

Can you say RELIEF??!! and Cory is super excited by all of the new possibilities for him! When one door closes, another door opens. Our friend Karmen said it best, "That door was barely closed!" and thank the Lord for that!

Back in Black

Helping Steph with her sheila

Mom and Dad left to head back home, and Steph and I went to the Shang-ri-la hotel so that she could experience some Middle Eastern shisha! She selected a strawberry flavor, and we relaxed and enjoyed the gorgeous view and weather.

The next day, Stephanie came to work with me. She got to experience what my whole day is like. By the end she said, "those kids don't listen to anything I say!" Welcome to my world!

During my English lesson, she helped my students make doughnuts because we are learning about the letter 'd.' She was able to experience some traditional Arabic food and tea that my principal had prepared. She was able to meet all of my co-teachers, both Arabic and Western. Finally, my principal presented her with gifts. She was given an Arabic tea set and also a Givenchy perfume and lotion set. So nice!

Steph in front of my school with her gifts

We left there and went to see the famous Abu Dhabi Corniche. She was able to see Emirates Palace, Marina Mall, and we visited Heritage Village to learn about Arabic traditions. After, we went to the beach and relaxed in the sun.

Emirates Palace

We thought this was funny :-)

Inside a bedouin tent

We are all missing Stephanie already, and hoping she starts applying for some jobs over here, haha.

Ma'a salama, Stephanie!

Say some prayers that everything goes smoothly for Cory as he transitions jobs this month. Also, check out my Mom's blog, lynnhendren.blogspot.com, to see what Stephanie did while visiting Al Ain and Dubai. She should have a blog post shortly. Sadly, we were working and missed those adventures.

Grand Mosque Field Trip

2012-02-05T14:53:00.000+04:00

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Last week, our class took a field trip to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. I hadn't visited the Grand Mosque since we first landed in Abu Dhabi last year.

I was really looking forward to seeing the mosque again, especially without the jet lag and heat. It was just what I remembered, impressive and beautiful.

Holy Qur'an

We were even allowed into a private prayer room for the children to practice their Allau Akbars for Salat, one of the five pillars of Islam. Salat is the practice of formal prayer in Islam, and is compulsory for all Muslims. It is a ritual prayer, having prescribed conditions, procedures, and times.

Here are the 5 times a Muslim will pray during the day:

Salat Al Fajr – Dawn to sunrise.
Salat Al Zuhr – After true noon until Asr.
Salat Al Asr - Afternoon.
Salat Al Maghrib – After sunset until dusk.
Salat Al Isha'a – Dusk until dawn.

According to the Qur'an, Muslims pray towards the Ka'aba, the cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (the most sacred site in Islam).

It was really special to see my students learning about their faith, and the correct procedures to pray, etc.

Beautiful Fatima

Salama Ali

Mariam

We all really enjoyed our trip, and I can't wait to visit again next week to show my sister...who is finally in Abu Dhabi!!

Khalifa pretending we are at a playground...

Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship

2012-01-28T10:30:00.001+04:00

This weekend, Cory and I were both fortunate enough to experience the HSBC Golf Championship, played right here in Abu Dhabi. We were lucky, and enjoyed the experience for FREE!

The championship was played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, one of the most luxurious golf resort experiences in the Middle East. This par–72, 7,600–yard Championship course provides a tough–but–fair challenge, with 18 holes of lush fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and generous greens.

Club House

Grandstands at the 18th Hole

There were four major champions playing, and five of the world's top ten golfers. We were most excited to see Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods.

Jeanie loves some Lee Westwood!

We arrived just in time to see Tiger warming up, and got in a few good pictures.

After, we found the first tee and waited for the "big group" to tee off. Luke, Rory, and Tiger all played together, and without a doubt had the biggest following of the day. Teeing off right before them was Kj Choi's group, which had a huge following as well.

Hole # 1

Tiger and Rory

Luke Donald

We camped out at Hole 9 for a while after that, seeing many of the groups come through.

Tiger's group had a huge following

Tiger having a snack

After, we set up at Hole 14 and got our best shots of the day. We also witnessed Tiger shouting some pretty good profanity after his shot went left, haha. Classy as we've come to expect from him!

I'm not ashamed of my crush on a 22-year old!

After Hole 14, we followed the group all the way to the 18th Hole. It was so much fun!

We were blessed with some wonderfully warm weather, although I have to say that I complained a lot about the heat. After having temperatures in the 50's and 60's lately, I was over-dressed for the 80 degree weather. We showed up with jackets and ended up lugging them around with us for the day.

Cory has a nice rosy face, and I am officially a "red-neck!"

I've never been a huge T.V. golf fan, but watching it live was a different experience. We will definitely be going again next year!

Funniest part of the day? Some Irish spectators kept glancing back at me, and finally asked if I was Padraig Harrington's ( a professional golfer from Ireland) wife. Too funny! What do you think?

After, we were excited to get home and spend some quality time with Blue. As you can see, he missed us!